Early Bird Brief: February 26, 2025

Welcome to the Early Bird Brief's LinkedIn Edition, a tightly edited round-up of today's most important military and defense stories. To get the full EBB, with dozens of stories, subscribe here.

Today's Top 5:

Senate confirms Daniel Driscoll as new Army secretary

(Military Times) The Senate on Tuesday confirmed Daniel Driscoll as the next secretary of the Army, putting in place another of President Donald Trump’s picks to run the Pentagon. Read More

VA fires 1,400 more staffers in second round of workforce reductions

(Military Times) Veterans Affairs leaders dismissed more than 1,400 additional probationary employees on Monday evening, the second round of mass layoffs at the department this month. Read More

VFW condemns federal layoffs as ‘indiscriminately harming’ veterans

(Military Times) The national leader of the Veterans of Foreign Wars criticized the ongoing mass layoffs of government employees, arguing that veterans — who account for nearly one-third of the federal workforce — are disproportionately affected. Read More

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Vet’s Capitol riot pardon covers separate weapons case: Prosecutors

(The Associated Press) The Justice Department has concluded that a military veteran’s presidential pardon for charges that he stormed the U.S. Capitol also extends to his separate conviction for illegally possessing stolen grenades and classified information, according to a court filing Tuesday. Read More

This is what the classified AIM-260 missile actually looks like, Air Force confirms

(The War Zone) The U.S. Air Force has confirmed that a recently released rendering of the AIM-260A does indeed reflect the actual design of what is also known as the Joint Advanced Tactical Missile (JATM). Read More

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