U.S. military Archives - Northwest Public Broadcasting

Palestine supporters block Port of Tacoma to protest U.S. military aid to Israel

By Lauren Gallup November 6, 2023

Since early Monday morning, hundreds of protestors have been blocking the three road entrances into the Port of Tacoma in an attempt to stop workers from loading a United States military supply vessel, the Cape Orlando, with weapons and military equipment. Read More

Washington woman joins class-action lawsuit against DOD

By Lauren Gallup October 31, 2023

Rainbow flags fly over Washington, DC. (Courtesy: Ted Eytan, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons.)

Every time Hayden Powell sits down to apply for a job, she has to relive an experience she went through over two decades ago, when she was discharged from the military because of her sexual orientation. Read More

Pentagon Scraps $10 Billion Contract With Microsoft, Bitterly Contested By Amazon

By NPR News July 6, 2021

The Defense Department is scrapping its $10 billion cloud-computing contract with Microsoft, ending the award process that's been mired in a legal battle with Amazon.Read More

The Effort To Reform The U.S. Military’s Justice System Faces A New Fight

By NPR News June 1, 2021

For years, New York Democratic Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (left) has sought approval of her bill to reform the military's criminal justice system. This year, Gillibrand joined forces with Iowa Republican Sen. Joni Ernst, seen here, a sexual assault survivor herself before she became a combat company commander. Stefani Reynolds/Getty Images

In the military, commanders who are not lawyers get to choose which serious criminal cases go to trial. That means leaders who are pilots, infantry officers and hold other positions can be tasked with making weighty legal decisions with little to no experience.Read More

A Path To Peace: How A Former Navy Corpsman Honors His Fallen Friends On Memorial Day

By NPR News May 31, 2021

Ralph "AK" Angkiangco spent just under a decade in the United States Navy as a hospital corpsman. He deployed to Afghanistan twice and served alongside the Marines. Courtesy Ralph Angkiangco

BY DUSTIN JONES Ralph “AK” Angkiangco enlisted in the Navy in April 2008 one year after graduating high school. He was an 18-year-old kid uncertain about what he wanted in […]Read More

He Risked His Life For His Platoon In Korea. At 94, He Will Get A Medal Of Honor

By NPR News May 19, 2021

Retired Col. Ralph Puckett Jr. is set to receive the Medal of Honor from President Biden. CREDIT: Sgt. Henry Villarama/U.S. Army

Col. Ralph Puckett, Jr. will be honored at the White House on Friday and awarded the Medal of Honor for his acts of "conspicuous gallantry" during the Korean War. South Korean President Moon Jae-in, who will be in town to conduct diplomacy talks with President Biden, will attend the ceremony.Read More

Military Panel Urges Taking Sexual Assault Cases Out Of Commanders’ Control

By NPR News April 24, 2021

A special Pentagon panel is recommending a seismic shift in how the U.S. military handles sexual assault cases, saying independent judge advocates, not commanding officers, should decide whether to pursue legal charges in such cases.Read More

President Biden Says U.S. Troops To Withdraw From Afghanistan By Sept. 11 – 20 Years After Attack

By NPR News April 13, 2021

Marine Gen. Frank McKenzie, (center) is shown visiting Kabul, Afghanistan in January 2020. The Biden administration said it plans to complete a draw down of U.S. troops in the country by Sept. 11. CREDIT: Lolita Baldor/AP

President Biden will withdraw all remaining U.S. troops from Afghanistan by Sept. 11, the 20th anniversary of the terrorist attacks that prompted America's involvement in its longest war, a senior administration official told reporters on Tuesday.Read More

U.S. Defense Secretary Goes To Afghanistan Amid Questions Over Withdrawal Date

By NPR News March 21, 2021

Lloyd Austin, U.S. secretary of defense, visits the National Cemetery in Seoul, South Korea, on Thursday. On his Asia tour, the defense chief made an unannounced visit to Afghanistan. CREDIT: SeongJoon Cho/Bloomberg via Getty Images

U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin landed in Kabul on Sunday, amid uncertainty over how long American forces will stay in the country.Read More

U.S. Launches Military Airstrikes Against Iranian-Backed Militants In Syria

By NPR News February 26, 2021

Shattered glass is on the ground following a rocket attack in Irbil, the capital of the northern Iraqi Kurdish autonomous region, on Feb. 15. On Thursday, the U.S. launched airstrikes targeting Iranian-backed groups in eastern Syria in response to recent attacks against Americans in Iraq. Safin Hamed/AFP via Getty Images

The U.S. launched airstrikes in Syria on Thursday targeting Iranian-backed militia groups in the first known offensive military operation carried out by the Biden administration.Read More