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UNITED NATIONS, Jan 21 (Reuters) - Panama has alerted the United Nations - in a letter seen by Reuters on Tuesday - to U.S. President Donald Trump's remarks during his inauguration speech, when he vowed that the United States would take back the Panama Canal. Panama's U.N. Ambassador Eloy Alfaro de Alba noted that under the founding U.N. Charter, countries "shall refrain in their international relations from the threat or use of force against the territorial integrity or political independence of any state".

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United States President-elect Donald Trump’s threats against Greenland, Canada and Panama create destabilizing uncertainty about the short-term intent of the U.S. and the long-term nature of its approach to international relationships. NATO’s leadership will have to work adroitly to avoid a crisis.

Panama's president has rejected a plan by Donald Trump to "take back" the Panama Canal, telling his US counterpart the key trade route "is and will remain" in the country's hands. In his inaugural speech, President Trump claimed that Panama had "broken" a promise to remain neutral, alleging that "China is operating the Panama Canal". President Jose Raul Mulino said he rejected Trump's words in their "entirety", adding there is "no presence of any nation in the world that interferes with our administration".

A Navy MH-60 Romeo Seahawk helicopter deployed to the Red Sea has shot down a Houthi drone, the vice chief of Naval Operations revealed Tuesday

As one of the first Post-9/11 veterans, I faced a stark choice from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) when I transitioned from military service to civilian life. While attending college, I could opt for the older, less generous Chapter 32 of the post-Vietnam era veterans’ Montgomery G.I. Bill, or I could take advantage of the newer, more robust Chapter 33 post-9/11 veterans’ G.I. Bill. With college prices much higher than the Vietnam Era, like many others, I chose the latter. But there was a catch: By selecting Chapter 33, I was forced to forfeit the first year of my Chapter 32 benefits. This condition, imposed on millions of veterans, effectively denied us thousands of dollars in educational support. This partly voided the military’s guarantee of free education for military service. Even with this setback, the Chapter 33 benefits were superior — so it was a tradeoff I, and many others, reluctantly accepted...

Driven by "curiosity," a U.S. Navy corpsman attempted to access President Biden's medical records last year following a group discussion with his colleagues about military security protocols for using government computers, according to the federal criminal investigation obtained by CBS News.

WASHINGTON – Secretary of the Navy, Carlos Del Toro issued ALNAV 001/25 on Jan. 10, 2025, updating the policy governing the investigation of formal sexual harassment complaints. As of Jan. 26, 2022, sexual harassment has been a separate offense under Article 134 of the Uniform Code of Military Justice. In the fiscal year 2023 NDAA, Congress added formal, substantiated complaints of Article 134 sexual harassment to the existing list of covered offenses which must be referred to the Office of Special Trial Counsel (OSTC) for review. Through the ALNAV, new reporting and investigation processes have been implemented. “The Navy takes care of its Warfighters, and that includes protecting their legal rights,” said Rear Adm. Jonathan Stephens, Lead Special Trial Counsel. “This latest change continues to enhance trust in the military justice system and supports fairness for all.” In recent years, the Navy has answered the call for meaningful change within its military justice practice and processes, and it has deliberately and comprehensively implemented the most significant reforms to the system in more than 70 years. These reforms included the establishment of the Navy’s OSTC in 2023, a worldwide prosecution organization which reports directly to the Secretary of the Navy. As mandated in the fiscal year 2022 NDAA, all covered offenses, which include homicide and interpersonal violence offenses, must be screened by a Special Trial Counsel, who are independent, specialized, and expert. This contrasts with non-covered offenses over which military commanders still exercise decision-making authority with advice from military prosecutors. The addition of sexual harassment as a covered offense is essential to maintaining good order and discipline and warfighter readiness. “The Department of the Navy remains committed to the principle of keeping faith with all who serve,” Secretary Del Toro wrote in the ALNAV. “Sexual harassment and other harmful behaviors constitute a betrayal of our responsibility to our teammates and our Nation.”

CLASSIFICATION: UNCLASSIFIED// ROUTINE R 162001Z JAN 25 MID180001552659U FM SECNAV WASHINGTON DC TO ALNAV INFO SECNAV WASHINGTON DC CNO WASHINGTON DC CMC WASHINGTON DC BT UNCLAS ALNAV 012/25 MSGID/GENADMIN/SECNAV WASHINGTON DC/-/JAN// SUBJ/UPDATED POLICY GOVERNING THE INITIAL REVIEW OF PRETRIAL CONFINEMENT// REF/A/DOC/MCM/15SEP23// REF/B/DOC/JAGINST 5800.7G CH-2/01DEC23// NARR/REF A IS THE MANUAL FOR COURTS-MARTIAL. REF B IS JAGINST 5800.7G CH-2 MANUAL OF THE JUDGE ADVOCATE GENERAL// RMKS/1. This message updates the personnel authorized to act as initial review officers for the purposes of Rule for Courts-Martial (R.C.M.) 305(j)(2) of reference (a). 2. Effective immediately, the following policy applies: a. Unless impracticable, the Chief Judge of the Navy and Marine Corps Trial Judiciary, or their designee, will designate a military judge or magistrate to act as the initial review officer for purposes of R.C.M. 305(j)(2). The military judge or magistrate determines the location of the R.C.M. 305(j) review. Such assignment may be conducted via remote means at the discretion of the designated military judge or magistrate. The military judge or magistrate will consider input on operational impact, if any, from the confinee's commanding officer prior to determining the status of the hearing. b. If designation of a military judge or magistrate is impracticable, a General Court-Martial Convening Authority (GCMCA) will designate a judge advocate, normally of the grade of O-4 or higher, qualified and certified under Article 27b, Uniform Code of Military Justice (UCMJ), to act as the initial review officer for purposes of R.C.M. 305(j)(2). For hearings conducted on installations with a military confinement facility, the GCMCA exercising jurisdiction over the confinement facility will assign the initial review officers to specific cases. For hearings conducted on installations without a military confinement facility, the GCMCA of the confinee's parent command or regional commander (if applicable) will assign the initial review officer. c. The initial review officer must follow the procedures outlined in R.C.M. 305(j)(2)(A), to include permitting the victim to be reasonably heard. The initial review officer will forward a copy of the documents considered and memorandum prepared under R.C.M. 305(j)(2)(D) in each case to the confinee's brig file and to the commander that ordered the Service Member into confinement. d. The officers designated as initial review officers must be neutral and detached judge advocates qualified and certified under Article 27b, UCMJ, and selected for their maturity and experience. Service as a staff judge advocate is not disqualifying as long as that officer is neutral and detached from the chain of command of the officer ordering pretrial confinement. Nothing in this rule prohibits the use of an initial review officer designated by one GCMCA from reviewing the confinement of a Service Member of another command or service. 4. I direct the Judge Advocate General of the Navy to update reference (b) to reflect this policy change. Until then, this ALNAV controls. 5. The Department of the Navy remains committed to the principle of keeping faith with all who serve. 6. Released by the Honorable Carlos Del Toro, Secretary of the Navy.// BT #0001 NNNN CLASSIFICATION: UNCLASSIFIED//

Pete Hegseth, President-elect Donald Trump’s nominee for secretary of defense, appeared before the Senate Armed Services Committee this week for a high-stakes and at many times contentious confirmation hearing. Many Democrats focused on Hegseth’s personal controversies and past allegations of misconduct, which he vigorously denied, or his past comments opposing women serving in combat, which he backtracked on.

Jan 17 (Reuters) - A Florida jury on Friday found U.S. broadcaster CNN liable for defaming a U.S. Navy veteran who helped evacuate people from Afghanistan after the U.S. military withdrew from the country in 2021. The jury said CNN had to pay damages totaling $5 million. There will be a second phase of the trial to determine any punitive damages.

VetResources Newsletter - 2025 Veterans Benefits Guide Now Available

Two people have been arrested and charged