Early Bird Brief: June 24, 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:

Ike carrier heads home as Houthi attacks continue in the Red Sea

(The Associated Press) The USS Dwight D. Eisenhower, the aircraft carrier leading America’s response to the Houthi attacks in the Red Sea, is returning home after an over eight-month deployment in combat that the Navy says is its most intense since World War II. Read More

Alaskan Command operations director killed in civilian aircraft crash

(Military Times) An Air Force fighter pilot and colonel who served as the operations director for the U.S. military’s Alaskan Command was killed in an off-base crash involving a small civilian aircraft, the Air Force said. Read More

Army to buy more than 1,000 Switchblade drones through Replicator

(C4ISRNET) The U.S. Army will field more than 1,000 Switchblade 600 drones over the next year as part of Replicator — the Pentagon’s push to field thousands of uncrewed systems. Read More

VA chief of staff stepping down from leadership post next month

(Military Times) Veterans Affairs Chief of Staff Kimberly Jackson on Friday announced she will step down from the leadership role next month, creating another vacancy at the top of the department. Read More

Democrats wrestle with whether to attend Netanyahu’s address to Congress as many plan to boycott

(The Associated Press) The last time Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu addressed the U.S. Congress, nearly 60 Democrats skipped his speech nine years ago, calling it a slap in the face to then-President Barack Obama as he negotiated a nuclear deal with Iran. With Netanyahu scheduled to address U.S. lawmakers on July 24 and his government now at war with Hamas in Gaza, the number of absences is likely to be far greater. Read More

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