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Defense News: Oklahoma Army National Guard Deploys for Fire Suppression Mission

Source: United States Army

OKLAHOMA CITY – At the request of Oklahoma Emergency Management and with authorization from Gov. Kevin Stitt, members of the Oklahoma Army National Guard are responding to wildfires in northwest Oklahoma using UH-60 Black Hawk helicopters and ground hand crews.

“The Oklahoma National Guard stands ready and equipped with both aerial and ground capabilities to support our partner agencies across the state,” said Brig. Gen. Bob Walter, assistant adjutant general for Oklahoma. “We have been in continuous communication with the Office of Emergency Management, the Department of Public Safety and Forestry Services to ensure close coordination.”

The buckets used by Oklahoma Army National Guard helicopter crews hold up to 660 gallons of water and can be dropped directly on fires or in areas where incident commanders and firefighters are working to prevent further spread. In addition to aerial support, the Oklahoma National Guard is providing ground support.

“We have two wildland firefighting crews of eight to ten red-card-certified firefighters on state active duty working under the incident command,” Walter said.

In the past two years, the Oklahoma National Guard Wildland Firefighting Program has trained 130 red-card-certified Guardsmen and currently has 80 certified and available within the state.

Once a request for support is submitted through Oklahoma Emergency Management and approved by the governor, planners with the Oklahoma National Guard’s Domestic Operations Office work with local incident commanders to develop a plan to best support firefighting operations.

“I’m very thankful for the National Guard and the expertise they bring to this response,” said Oklahoma Secretary of Agriculture Blayne Arthur. “We appreciate the opportunity to work collaboratively with them.”

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Defense News: Virginia Hosts Funeral Honors Training for ARNG Soldiers

Source: United States Army

VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. – The Virginia Army National Guard Funeral Honors Program hosted nine Army National Guard Soldiers from six states and territories for a Level 2 funeral honors training course Jan. 26–Feb. 5 at the State Military Reservation in Virginia Beach.

Soldiers from Florida, Indiana, Kentucky, Puerto Rico, Wisconsin and Wyoming participated in the two-week-long training, which certifies instructors to teach fellow Soldiers the skills, procedures and standards for providing final respects to military veterans.

“The Soldiers usually fly in from all over the country,” said Staff Sgt. Jason Cain, the senior instructor for the Virginia Army National Guard Funeral Honors Program. “To have a Soldier from Puerto Rico work with a Soldier from Florida and have no question of what the standard is, is truly amazing.”

Weather impacted the course, as storms delayed many of the Soldiers, according to Cain.

“This course was extremely trying due to the weather,” he said. “Some Soldiers didn’t fly in until 2 a.m. This led to us having to shift the schedule a little, but these Soldiers are extremely dedicated and we made it work.”

There are three levels of training in the military funeral honors program. Level 1 is the foundation and teaches Soldiers how to perform the services. Virginia conducts a 40-hour Level 1 training course several times a year.

Level 2 covers instructing and becoming a trainer.

Level 3 is used for recertification and helps ensure that each state maintains the national standard.

Virginia has become the hub for National Guard funeral honors training and hosts training for all three levels several times throughout the year.

“Virginia hosted our first National Funeral Honors Training Course 10 years ago,” Cain explained. “I took a lot of notes on what it takes to host these courses.”

As he traveled around the country, Cain figured out what to do and what not to do to make these courses possible.

“With the support of the staff at SMR, we have become the primary location for MFH National Training Courses for the Eastern United States,” he explained. “The staff at SMR has given us storage space to keep all training equipment on site. This makes things very easy for us to set up and tear down between courses.”

Begun in January 2007, the Virginia National Guard Military Funeral Honors Program is composed of four teams located throughout the state that provide funeral details not only to National Guard Soldiers but also to veterans of the active Army, Army Reserve, and Army National Guard.

They have performed more than 26,000 funeral services throughout the commonwealth and average 200 services each month.

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Defense News: Illinois, Pennsylvania and California Guardsmen Strengthen Ties with State Partners

Source: United States Army

LUBLIN, Poland – The Lithuanian, Polish, Ukrainian Brigade (LITPOLUKRBRIG) conducted Exercise Brave Band 2026 from Jan. 25 to Feb. 6. The annual battle staff training event is designed to enhance the brigade headquarters’ ability to plan, synchronize and execute multinational operations in a complex operational environment.

This year’s exercise also marked 11 consecutive years of participation by the National Guard, with mentors from the Illinois, Pennsylvania and California National Guards continuing a long-standing partnership aimed at strengthening multinational headquarters effectiveness. Through the Department of War National Guard Bureau State Partnership Program, the Illinois National Guard is partnered with Poland, the Pennsylvania National Guard is partnered with Lithuania and the California National Guard is partnered with Ukraine.

“Experience in working with the brigade was enlightening to see how universal military concepts are incorporated among the various nations,” said California National Guard Sgt. Timothy Davis, a geographic information systems (GIS) coordinator and intelligence analyst. “Brave Band 26 was a fantastic opportunity to train and learn with our partners.”

Brave Band 2026 focused on staff integration, operational planning and mission command across the brigade headquarters, reinforcing interoperability among Lithuanian, Polish and Ukrainian personnel while incorporating lessons learned from contemporary operations.

“It was great to be back in Poland training with our partners in the LITPOLUKR brigade. Every visit reaffirms how much progress we’ve made together and how much potential still lies ahead,” said Lt. Col. Paul McConkey, Illinois National Guard selective service officer and maneuver lead for the exercise.

Illinois National Guard Col. Tim Newman, the strategic plans and international affairs officer (J-5), has trained with LITPOLUKRBRIG four times.

“This exercise continues to demonstrate the strength of the National Guard State Partnership Program as it builds multinational partnership security and capacity. It truly emulates the LITPOLUKR brigade’s motto, ‘United for Peace,’” Newman said.

National Guard Website – http://www.nationalguard.mil

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National Guard State Partnership Website – https://www.nationalguard.mil/Leadership/Joint-Staff/J-5/International-Affairs-Division/State-Partnership-Program/

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U.S. Patent and Trademark Office Employee Agrees to Pay $500,000 to Resolve Conflict-of-Interest Allegations

Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division

Daxin Wu, a Patent Examiner for the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO), has agreed to pay $500,000 to resolve allegations that she violated conflict-of-interest rules during the course of her employment with the USPTO.

Among other things, the Ethics Reform Act of 1989 prohibits executive branch employees from participating personally and substantially in particular matters that will affect their own financial interests. The settlement resolves allegations that, between January 2019 and May 2022, Wu worked personally and substantially on at least nine patent applications submitted by companies in which she had a financial interest. For example, Wu allegedly worked personally and substantially on patent applications for companies in which she held more than $300,000 and $140,000 worth of stock, respectively. In addition, the settlement resolves allegations that Ms. Wu reviewed patent applications submitted by companies that were commercial competitors of a company for which she owned more than $900,000 worth of stock. As part of the settlement, Wu has agreed to pay a civil penalty to resolve allegations that her conduct violated conflict-of-interest prohibitions for federal employees.

“The Department of Commerce Office of Inspector General works hard to investigate alleged conflicts of interest at USPTO and throughout the Department of Commerce — and hold offenders accountable,” said Special Agent in Charge Laura Barsczewski of the Department of Commerce Office of Inspector General, Office of Investigations. “We will continue to be resolute in our charge for justice and work closely with the Department of Justice.”

The resolution obtained in this matter was the result of a coordinated effort between the Justice Department’s Civil Division, Commercial Litigation Branch, Fraud Section and the Department of Commerce, Office of Inspector General. This matter was handled by Trial Attorney Joshua Barron of the Civil Division.

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

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Civil Rights Division Obtains Settlement with a Company that Used AI-Generated Advertisements that Excluded U.S. Workers from Jobs

Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division

The United States Department of Justice’s Civil Rights Division announced that it has secured a settlement agreement with Elegant Enterprise-Wide Solutions Inc., a Virigina IT professional service provider. The settlement addresses allegations that the company violated the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA) when it posted job advertisements generated by an artificial intelligence (AI) tool that included citizenship status restrictions not authorized by law, including language restricting consideration only to applicants with H-1B, OPT, or H-4 visas.

“It is unconscionable for companies to illegally exclude U.S. workers when recruiting and hiring,” said Assistant Attorney General Harmeet K. Dhillon of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. “This Department of Justice will not tolerate discriminating against U.S. workers, no matter who — or what — drafts a job advertisement, or whether it is an employee, a recruiter, or an AI tool.”

This settlement is the eighth settlement since the Department re-launched its Protecting U.S. Workers Initiative in 2025 to enforce the INA’s prohibition on citizenship status discrimination against companies that illegally discriminate against U.S. workers in favor of those with employment visas. Under these settlements, the Department obtains civil penalties for each violation and will continue to seek the maximum penalty permitted by law. The settlements also involve awards of back pay, when warranted, and require employers to conduct comprehensive training to relevant staff and recruiters and cease restricting consideration for job opportunities based on workers’ citizenship status without a lawful reason.

For information about additional settlements under the Protecting U.S. Workers Initiative, visit IER’s website.

For informal assistance, the public can call IER’s free hotline at 1-800-255-7688 for workers or at 1-800-255-8155 for employers (1-800-237-2515, TTY for hearing impaired between 9am and 5pm Eastern Time, Monday through Friday; sign up for a live webinar or watch an on-demand presentation; email IER@usdoj.gov; or visit www.justice.gov/ier.

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Defense News: U.S. Soldiers Perform Life-Saving Care on Casualties During Combined Resolve 26-05

Source: United States Army

HOHENFELS, Germany – In the muddy, wooded terrain of Hohenfels, Germany, at the Joint Multinational Readiness Command (JMRC), U.S. Army Soldiers perform simulated life-saving care to the casualties of the exercise during Combined Resolve 26-05 (CbR 26-05). During this training exercise, Combat Medics do whatever is necessary to save lives while in the cold, wet, and mucky terrain.

Whether it is transporting casualties in an M113 armored personnel carrier, administering blood transfusions in the rain, or providing basic life-saving care in an unfavorable environment, combat medics are an integral part of the fight.

The intent of CbR 26-05 is to provide a unique environment in Europe to develop leaders and formations who are prepared for large-scale combat operations. When a unit takes a casualty, it is the job of the medics to maneuver to the area with urgency, conduct any care needed, and transport them to the nearby facility where they can receive higher-level care.

Spc. Logan Hutchins, a combat medic with 101st Brigade Support Battalion, 1st Armored Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division, explains the process of his medical team receiving the call notifying them of a casualty in the field. He describes the process from receiving the notification, alerting his team, and meeting with the unit that made the initial alert, all the way through transporting the patient back to Role 2, which provides a higher level of care than what can be given in the field.

Sfc. Ernestine Koroma, a medical observer coach and trainer with the JMRC, provides oversight and mentors Soldiers during this exercise. “We’re making sure that the unit is out here training in doctrinal knowledge and direction, making sure that they are staying safe and that they survive the battle period.” says Koroma. “We’re also highly focused on safety, due to weather, making sure that Soldiers have the proper equipment and we are minimizing any cold weather injuries.”

Despite the severe snow, rain, and mud, combat medics are still out in the field trudging through the elements to reach a comrade in need. “Have a positive outlook,” says Koroma. “If you’re coming in the winter, the winters are terrible but it is manageable. As long as you have the right equipment, clothing, a positive attitude and you stay focused on your objectives, you’ll make it.”

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Defense News in Brief: Secretary of War inducts Naval Aviator and Medal of Honor recipient into the Pentagon’s Hall of Heroes

Source: United States Navy

Last night President Donald J. Trump awarded retired Navy Capt. Elmer Royce Williams the Medal of Honor at the State of the Union address at the U.S. Capitol. Today, Secretary of War Pete Hegseth, Secretary of the Navy John Phelan, and Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Daryl Caudle inducted Williams into the Pentagon’s Hall of Heroes for his heroic actions during the Korean War.

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District Man Pleads Guilty to Fatally Stabbing Man with Paraplegia

Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division

Kevin James Johnson, 38, of Washington, D.C., pleaded guilty to one count of second-degree murder while armed for killing 44-year-old D.C. resident Antonio Pierre Woody in the early morning of October 6, 2024, in Northeast D.C., announced U.S. Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro.

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Jacksonville Man Pleads Guilty to Robbing Pizza Restaurant and Discharging a Firearm

Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division

Jacksonville, FL – Eugene Campbell IV (35, Jacksonville) has pleaded guilty to Hobbs Act robbery and discharging a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence in connection with two Jacksonville restaurant robberies. Campbell faces a minimum penalty of 20 years, up to two life terms plus 20 years, in federal prison. His sentencing date has not yet been set. U.S. Attorney Gregory W. Kehoe made the announcement.