Early Bird Brief: July 5, 2024

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:

Britain wakes up to new government as Labour Party wins election in a landslide

(NBC News) Party leader Keir Starmer is now certain to become prime minister, replacing his Conservative Party counterpart, Rishi Sunak. On defense, Starmer has mirrored the Conservative promise to raise military spending to 2.5% of the country's gross domestic product — a slight rise over last year and above NATO’s recommended 2% target. But, with fears that Russia’s invasion of Ukraine might one day spread into other parts of Europe, military officials say the British armed forces remain dangerously threadbare. Read More

Air Force Ospreys in Japan resume flight ops

(Air Force Times) U.S. Air Force crews from the Japan-based 353rd Special Operations Wing started flying the CV-22 Osprey once again Tuesday, seven months after one of the aircraft crashed during a training mission, killing all eight airmen on board. Read More

10 soldiers will compete for Team USA in the 2024 Olympics

(Military Times) A total of ten service members will compete on behalf of the United States at this year’s Olympic and Paralympic Games in Paris — and they are all members of the U.S. Army. Read More

Erik Raven to step down as Navy undersecretary

(USNI News) Undersecretary of the Navy Erik Raven will step down in August, Secretary of the Navy Carlos Del Toro announced Wednesday. Raven, who assumed the second-highest civilian position in the Navy in April 2022, will have served just over two years when he steps down from his role. Read More

Army family awarded $10.3 million after living in mold-infested home at Texas' Fort Cavazos

(Military.com) An Army family at Fort Cavazos in Texas was awarded $10.3 million Monday after living in a mold-infested home run by a private Army housing company and repeated hospitalizations of their newborn infant for respiratory difficulties. Read More

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