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April 11, 2026

Defense News: National Guard Soldiers to compete in Best Ranger competition

Source: United States Army

FORT BENNING, Ga. – Six of the National Guard’s most lethal Ranger-qualified Soldiers will compete for the coveted title of ‘Best Ranger’ at the 42nd annual Lt. Gen. David E. Grange Jr. Best Ranger Competition, April 10-12.

The National Guard is represented by three two-man teams: U.S. Army Capt. Erik Gorman and Capt. Christian Thompson; 1st Lt. Zachary Thompson and Sgt. 1st Class Robert Flora; 1st Lt. Talan Saylor and Cpl. Brendan Fox.

There are 61 total teams from across the Army in this year’s competition.

The annual event, showcasing the ‘apex of leadership,’ serves as a tribute to the Ranger legacy and aims to determine the best two-person Ranger team across the Department of War. The competition is a grueling three-day trial that tests the limits of their physical and mental endurance.

“This is absolutely going to be a surreal experience, to say the least,” said Gorman of the Alaska National Guard. “I hope to take back motivation and inspiration to my state.”

Competitors will cover more than 100 miles while carrying equipment weighing upwards of 80 pounds, as they complete tasks designed to test the full spectrum of Ranger skills, including marksmanship events, obstacle courses, land navigation, water survival tests, and endurance movements across land.

“I feel like when I get older, I’m going to look back and be glad that I competed,” said Fox. “A lot of great Soldiers, great Rangers, have done this in the past and I hope to be like those guys. I want to be as great as the former competitors, the best of the best.”

Not every team that competes is guaranteed to finish.

Throughout the competition, teams will be evaluated on their cumulative performance across the dozens of events, with cuts made along the way, narrowing the field to only the top teams come the final day. For the teams still standing, the last day will bring a final set of challenges before the ‘Best Ranger’ team is named during an awards ceremony April 13.

As National Guard Soldiers prepare to compete alongside members from across the total Army, their participation underscores the Guard’s readiness, lethality, and ability to perform at the highest levels of military excellence.

Defense News: 25th Infantry Division Advances Transformation with HIMARS, Precision Strike and DIVARTY Integration

Source: United States Army

WASHINGTON — The 25th Infantry Division is accelerating Army transformation in the Indo-Pacific by integrating long-range fires, unmanned systems and networked sensing capabilities to operate effectively across diverse environments.

Maj. Gen. James Bartholomees, commanding general of the 25th Infantry Division, said the division has focused its transformation efforts on enabling forces to “see, sense and strike at distance,” particularly in complex environments such as the Philippines.

Under Division Artillery (DIVARTY), the division transitioned from traditional cannon-based formations to long-range precision fires, significantly increasing its ability to strike across extended distances. Within months, units fielded High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems, or HIMARS, to support distributed operations.

“In about 180 days, we went from a towed cannon battalion to a long-range fires battalion with 16 HIMARS weapon systems,” said Col. Daniel Von Benken, division artillery commander. “We can now do the things that we said we needed to do.”

Leaders said HIMARS provides a common launcher capable of firing a variety of munitions, allowing units to adapt to evolving operational requirements. This includes integration with emerging capabilities such as the Precision Strike Missile, or PrSM, designed to extend the Army’s long-range strike capacity.

“The benefit of the HIMARS is its capability — it’s a common launcher system,” Bartholomees said. “As we build more munitions over time, it provides a range of options so we can strike at a variety of distances.”

The transformation also included reorganizing personnel and creating new formations to integrate emerging technologies. Under DIVARTY, units repurposed soldiers from traditional artillery roles into new capabilities, including formations focused on loitering munitions and one-way attack drones.

“So much like we repurposed a cannon battalion into a HIMARS battalion, we took a lot of our folks and created what’s called a Launched Effects battery,” Von Benken said. “That formation allows us to integrate loitering munitions and one-way attack drones to fill gaps between our capabilities.”

These systems complement long-range fires by providing additional options in contested environments, particularly during early contact with enemy forces.

“It’s not just about getting a rocket launcher into position,” Von Benken said. “It’s about how we fill those gaps with other types of munitions so the first time we make contact with an enemy force, it’s not a fighter jet.”

Leaders said experimentation has been critical to integrating these capabilities, allowing soldiers to test emerging technologies and provide direct feedback to developers and acquisition professionals.

“They bring it out to us and we have to teach soldiers how to use it,” said Command Sgt. Maj. John Curry, senior enlisted leader. “Those young soldiers are testing it to see does this work for the person who’s actually going to use it.”

Capabilities that prove effective are then incorporated into training and multinational exercises across the Indo-Pacific, including operations in the Philippines, where U.S. forces train alongside regional partners in realistic environments.

“We walk them out to the Philippines on our campaign, while we use it in our campaigning exercises,” Curry said. “Our multinational partners are seeing what is possible inside of their own footprint.”

Leaders said forward positioning and sustainment remain central to enabling operations across the region’s vast distances, with efforts focused on improving access, infrastructure and the ability to employ capabilities within theater.

“What we’re asking for is the ability to use, procure or build these capabilities in theater,” Curry said.

DIVARTY’s role in synchronizing fires, sensors and emerging technologies across the division has been central to the transformation effort. Leaders said integrating sensing capabilities such as radar, electronic warfare and intelligence systems with long-range fires enables a broader approach to targeting across dispersed formations.

“As we modernize, strike is important, but the sensing aspect is just as critical,” Von Benken said. “We are building the ability to see and sense at distance to enable those effects.”

Leaders said the pace of transformation has been enabled by flexible funding and rapid experimentation, allowing the division to adapt to emerging technologies and operational demands.

“Without the flexibility to do what we just described, we would not be able to move to the best technology,” Bartholomees said. “The technology is moving so fast that the old system will not work.”

Officials said the division’s efforts reflect how the Army is evolving to operate in the Indo-Pacific, where integrated fires, unmanned systems and networked capabilities are required to support distributed operations.

Bartholomees stated that continued experimentation with soldiers, industry and partners will remain essential as the Army refines capabilities for future operations in the region.

April 11, 2026

Grand jury indicts Jamestown man and Buffalo woman on narcotics conspiracy charge

Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division

U.S. Attorney Michael DiGiacomo announced today that a federal grand jury has returned an indictment charging Brandon Murray, 41, of Jamestown, NY, and Latika Saintkitts, 35, of Buffalo, NY, with narcotics conspiracy, which carries a mandatory minimum penalty of 10 years in prison and a maximum of life. In addition, Saintkitts is charged with distribution of crack cocaine and fentanyl.

April 11, 2026

Defense News: Innovation, biosurveillance enhance force health protection during Justified Accord 2026

Source: United States Army

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U.S. Army Southern European Task Force, Africa

ISIOLO, Kenya — U.S. Army scientists employed advanced biosurveillance techniques and emerging diagnostic technologies during Justified Accord 2026 to identify potential disease threats and bolster force health protection for multinational personnel training across East Africa, March 1–14.

U.S. Soldiers assigned to the Walter Reed Army Institute of Research – Africa conducted vector surveillance and field laboratory testing at the Humanitarian Peace Support School in Nairobi, Kenya, and the Kenya School of Infantry, collecting and analyzing insects capable of transmitting infectious diseases. This effort provided exercise medical planners with real-time environmental health data while testing expeditionary laboratory capabilities in operational conditions.

U.S. Army Maj. John Eads, an entomologist with Walter Reed Army Institute of Research – Africa, collects a tick as part of a vector surveillance team positioned across Justified Accord 2026 locations to collect mosquitoes, ticks and sandflies that may carry pathogens harmful to service members at the Kenya School of Infantry in Isiolo, Kenya, March 4, 2026. The surveillance effort helped identify potential disease threats in the training environment, supporting force health protection and enabling commanders to better mitigate biological risks to multinational forces during JA26.

JA26 increases multinational cooperation in support of humanitarian assistance and crisis response, prepares regional partners for United Nations and African Union missions, and builds readiness for the U.S. joint force. Led by the U.S. Army Southern European Task Force, Africa, and hosted in Djibouti, Kenya and Tanzania, JA 26 is U.S. Africa Command’s largest exercise in East Africa. (U.S. Army photo by Spc. John Garcia) (Photo Credit: Spc. John Garcia)

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U.S. Army Maj. John Eads, an entomologist with WRAIR – Africa, led teams positioned across exercise locations to collect mosquitoes, ticks and sandflies that may carry pathogens harmful to service members.

U.S. Army Maj. John Eads, an entomologist with Walter Reed Army Institute of Research – Africa, collects a tick in a test tube as part of a vector surveillance team positioned across Justified Accord 2026 locations to collect mosquitoes, ticks and sandflies that may carry pathogens harmful to service members at the Kenya School of Infantry in Isiolo, Kenya, March 4, 2026. The surveillance effort helped identify potential disease threats in the training environment, supporting force health protection and enabling commanders to better mitigate biological risks to multinational forces during JA26.

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“The more techniques we produce and the more data we collect, the better we can refine our methods,” Eads said. “When we deploy these capabilities operationally, we already have a proven system that protects the warfighter.”

Teams conducted environmental assessments in training areas to identify locations where vectors were most likely to thrive, then collected and transported specimens to a mobile laboratory for pathogen analysis.

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“Vectors are the mosquitoes, ticks and sandflies, which could possibly carry diseases that could infect our warfighters,” Eads said.

Researchers analyzed collected samples using molecular diagnostic equipment capable of detecting pathogens associated with endemic diseases in the region.

U.S. Army Maj. John Eads, an entomologist with Walter Reed Army Institute of Research – Africa, uses the tick drag sampling technique by dragging a white cloth sheet across vegetation to collect ticks that latch onto the fabric as part of a vector surveillance team positioned across Justified Accord 2026 locations to collect mosquitoes, ticks and sandflies that may carry pathogens harmful to service members at the Kenya School of Infantry in Isiolo, Kenya, March 4, 2026. The surveillance effort helped identify potential disease threats in the training environment, supporting force health protection and enabling commanders to better mitigate biological risks to multinational forces during JA26.

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Findings confirmed by Eads included Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever virus, a tick-borne virus found in insect samples at the Humanitarian Peace Support School; Dengue virus, a mosquito-borne disease; and Leishmania parasites, transmitted through sandfly bites, found in samples at the Kenya School of Infantry.

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U.S. Army Maj. Luis Pow Sang, a microbiologist with WRAIR – Africa, conducted nucleic acid extraction and polymerase chain reaction testing to identify biological threats.

“We brought new technologies to JA26, including the magnetic induction cycler PCR system, [which is] a compact, high-speed platform that allows us to run real-time testing in the field,” Pow Sang said. “We also introduced nucleic acid extraction kits using magnetic beads. This is the first time we’ve used these capabilities during an exercise like JA26.”

The portable laboratory systems enabled scientists to process samples and provide results directly to exercise medical planners, allowing timely assessments of potential health risks to personnel.

U.S. Army Capt. Roger Arguello, a physician assistant with 1st Battalion, 101st Field Artillery Regiment, Massachusetts Army National Guard, highlighted the impact of rapid testing on readiness.

U.S. Army Maj. Luis Pow Sang, a microbiologist with Walter Reed Army Institute of Research – Africa, performs a nucleic acid extraction and polymerase chain reaction test to identify potential biological threats within the specimens located across Justified Accord 2026 locations by testing mosquitos, ticks and sandflies that may carry pathogens harmful to service members at the Kenya School of Infantry in Isiolo, Kenya, March 4, 2026. The surveillance effort helped identify potential disease threats in the training environment, supporting force health protection and enabling commanders to better mitigate biological risks to multinational forces during JA26.

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“We were informed of these findings and are diligently monitoring symptoms of these conditions across our formation,” Arguello said. “The rapid field testing has increased our medical readiness and awareness.”

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The JA26 biosurveillance mission was supported by the Global Emerging Infections Surveillance program, established by the U.S. Department of War, to integrate research capabilities with operational training. Lessons learned included optimizing sample collection, improving coordination with medical planners, and refining mobile laboratory operations in austere environments.

Led by U.S. Army Southern European Task Force, Africa and hosted in Djibouti, Kenya and Tanzania, JA26 is U.S. Africa Command’s largest East African exercise. The exercise enhances multinational interoperability for humanitarian assistance, crisis response and missions with the United Nations and African Union.

By integrating biosurveillance, emerging diagnostics and operational training, scientists and Soldiers demonstrated how innovation supports force health protection and strengthens readiness for multinational missions.

About SETAF-AF

U.S. Army Southern European Task Force, Africa (SETAF-AF) prepares Army forces, executes crisis response, enables strategic competition and strengthens partners to achieve U.S. Army Europe and Africa and U.S. Africa Command campaign objectives.

Follow SETAF-AF on: Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, LinkedIn & DVIDS

April 10, 2026

District of Arizona Charges 171 Individuals for Immigration-Related Criminal Conduct this Week

Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division

PHOENIX, Ariz. – During the week of enforcement operations from April 4 through April 10, 2026, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Arizona brought immigration-related criminal charges against 171 individuals. Specifically, the United States filed 99 cases in which aliens illegally re-entered the United States, and the United States also charged 62 aliens for illegally entering the United States. In its ongoing effort to deter unlawful immigration, the United States filed 10 cases against 10 individuals responsible for smuggling illegal aliens into and within the District of Arizona.

April 10, 2026

Two Sentenced to Over 46 Years for Drug Murder

Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division

A Florida woman and California man have been sentenced to 230 months and 330 months in prison, respectively, for the 2022 killing of a man in relation to a drug trafficking conspiracy. Both defendants had pleaded guilty to using a firearm to cause death and conspiring to distribute at least 500 grams of methamphetamine.

According to court documents, Tsvia Kol, 37, of Hallandale, Florida, and Jimmy Sanchez, 38, of Spring Valley, California, murdered a Miami man (the victim) in connection with a missing package containing about 11 pounds of methamphetamine, the street value of which totaled approximately $90,000. Kol and Sanchez believed that the victim stole the package of drugs, but in fact the drugs had been seized by law enforcement.

Kol and Sanchez confronted the victim in a hotel room that they had rented, and Kol provided Sanchez with a firearm. While inside the room, the victim called 911 and attempted to provide his location. The recorded 911 call captured the sounds of a physical altercation and gunshots.

Hotel security footage revealed Kol and Sanchez fleeing the property after the shooting, and the victim’s body was not discovered in the hotel room until the day after. Sanchez admitted that he shot and murdered the victim and Kol admitted that she had been an accomplice.

“Suspecting that the victim had stolen drugs from them, these defendants committed a callous murder,” said Assistant Attorney General A. Tysen Duva of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division. “The drug business is a dangerous game that results in death, ruined lives, and torn families. The Criminal Division prioritizes prosecuting drug crimes, especially those involving violence.”

“This started as a drug deal gone wrong and ended in an execution,” said U.S. Attorney Jason A. Reding Quiñones for the Southern District of Florida. “The defendants armed themselves, set up the victim, and carried out a killing over a missing drug package that had already been seized by law enforcement. The prison sentences, over 19 years and over 27 years, reflect the seriousness of that violence. As a career prosecutor and former trial judge, I’ve seen how often drug trafficking turns deadly. In South Florida, we pursue long federal sentences that keep violent criminals off the streets and protect our community.”

“These defendants ruthlessly murdered someone whom they thought had stolen from their own illegal drug trafficking network. Today their sentence ends this cycle of violence,” said Assistant Director Heith Janke of the FBI’s Criminal Division. “The FBI, with our federal, state and local partners work around the clock to ensure these destructive criminals with no regard for a human life are found and held accountable with the goal of making our communities safer and free from drug-related crimes like this.”

“Drug trafficking and violence unfortunately go hand-in-hand,” said Special Agent in Charge Miles Aley of the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) Miami Field Division. “DEA Miami Agents are working tirelessly to bring justice and safety to our community.”

“In this case the defendants decided the contents of a package were worth more than the victim’s life. It’s a decision they will pay for,” said U.S. Postal Inspector in Charge Bladismir Rojo of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service Miami Division. “The Postal Inspection Service works tirelessly to eliminate narcotics from our postal system, working with our federal, state, and local partners to make sure those who profit from violence, drug sales, and the abuse of the postal system feel the full weight of the law.”

In January 2026, Kol and Sanchez each pleaded guilty to conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine and using a firearm to cause death during a drug trafficking offense.

The DEA, the FBI, the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, Immigrations and Customs Enforcement Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), the Miami Dade Sherriff’s Office, the Hialeah Police Department, and the San Diego County Sheriff’s Office investigated this case.

Trial Attorney Jessica A. Massey from the Criminal Division’s Violent Crime and Racketeering Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney Monique Botero for the Southern District of Florida prosecuted the case.

This case is part of the Criminal Division’s Violent Crime Initiative to prosecute violent crimes in Miami. The Criminal Division and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida have partnered, along with local, state, and federal law enforcement agencies, to confront violent crimes committed by gang members and associates through the enforcement of federal laws and use of federal resources to prosecute offenders and prevent violence.

April 10, 2026

Man Sentenced to 10 Years for Carjacking a Cabdriver at Gunpoint

Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division

SAN DIEGO – Manuel Joseph Rose III of San Diego was sentenced in federal court today to 10 years in prison for committing an armed carjacking and unlawfully possessing ammunition as a convicted felon. Rose was convicted in two separate jury trials in October. First, a jury found Rose guilty of Carjacking and Brandishing a Firearm During and in Relation to a Violent Crime. The following week, a different jury found Rose guilty of possessing thousands of rounds of firearm ammunition while being a convicted felon.

April 10, 2026

U.S. Attorney’s Office Filed 111 Border-Related Cases This Week

Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division

SAN DIEGO – Federal prosecutors in the Southern District of California filed 111 border-related cases this week, including charges of bringing in aliens for financial gain, reentering the U.S. after deportation, and importation of controlled substances. The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of California is the fourth-busiest federal district, largely due to a high volume of border-related crimes. This district, encompassing San Diego and Imperial counties, shares a 140-mile border with Mexico. It includes the San Ysidro Port of Entry, the world’s busiest land border crossing, connecting San Diego (America’s eighth largest city) and Tijuana (Mexico’s second largest city).

April 10, 2026

IBM Pays $17 Million to Resolve Allegations of Discrimination Through Illegal DEI Practices

Source: United States Department of Justice

Acting Attorney General Blanche Announces First Civil Rights Fraud Initiative Resolution

Today, Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche announced the first False Claims Act resolution secured under the Civil Rights Fraud Initiative, which he launched in May 2025. International Business Machines Corporation (IBM) has agreed to pay the United States $17,077,043, inclusive of civil penalties, to resolve allegations that it violated the False Claims Act by failing to comply with anti-discrimination requirements in its federal contracts due to practices the United States contends discriminated against employees and applicants for employment because of race, color, national origin, or sex.

Most federal contracts contain provisions that require contractors to comply with anti-discrimination requirements as to employees and applicants for employment. As a condition to being a federal contractor, the company must certify that it will not discriminate against an employee or applicant for employment because of race, color, national origin, or sex and must further certify that it will take steps to ensure that applicants are employed, and employees are treated during employment, without regard to race, color, national origin, or sex. The settlement resolves allegations that IBM failed to comply with these requirements and knowingly maintained practices that the United States contends were discriminatory employment practices.

“Racial discrimination is illegal, and government contractors cannot evade the law by repackaging it as DEI,” said Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche. “The Department launched the Civil Rights Fraud Initiative to root out this misconduct, hold offenders accountable, and end this practice for good.”

In connection with the settlement, the United States acknowledged that IBM took significant steps entitling it to credit for cooperating with the government in its investigation. IBM made early disclosures of facts relevant to the government’s investigation gathered during IBM’s independent investigation, including information to assist in the calculation of damages and penalties. The company also undertook voluntary remedial measures, including the termination and/or modification of various programs and practices at issue.

“Merit drives promotion and opportunity. Not someone’s sex or race,” said Associate Attorney General Stanley Woodward. “Today’s settlement proves this Department’s commitment to ensure companies are not using taxpayer funded work to further woke unconstitutional practices in American workplaces.”

“The Nation’s anti-discrimination laws are clear and reflect our basic commitment that opportunity, compensation, and advancement should turn on merit and performance, and not immutable characteristics,” said Deputy Assistant Attorney General Brenna E. Jenny. “When a company accepts federal funding while engaging in practices that sort, prefer, or disadvantage employees on the basis of race or sex, the company is stepping outside the conditions under which the government agreed to contract with them, and we will hold them accountable.”

The United States alleged that IBM took race, color, national origin, or sex into account when making employment decisions, including by using a diversity modifier that tied bonus compensation to achieving demographic targets. The government further alleged that IBM altered interview criteria based on race or sex through the use of “diverse interview slates” and other related employment practices in connection with identifying “diverse” candidates for hiring, transfer, or promotion. Additionally, the government alleged that IBM developed race and sex demographic goals for business units and took race and sex into account when making employment decisions to achieve progress towards those demographic goals. Finally, the United States alleged that IBM offered certain training, partnerships, mentoring, leadership development programs and educational opportunities only to certain employees, with eligibility, participation, access or admission limited on the basis of race or sex.

The settlement can be viewed here.

The matter was handled by the Justice Department’s Civil Division, Commercial Litigation Branch, Fraud Section.

The claims resolved by the United States in the settlement are allegations only and there has been no determination of liability.

April 10, 2026

Slidell Doctor Sentenced For $6.6 Million In Health Care Fraud

Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division

NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA – ROBERT TASSIN, M.D. (“TASSIN”), age 67, of Slidell, Louisiana, was sentenced on April 9, 2026, for conspiracy to commit healthcare fraud, in violation of 18 U.S.C. §§ 1347 and 1349, in connection with a scheme to bill Medicare for medically unnecessary cancer genetic (“CGx”) tests, announced United States Attorney David I. Courcelle.