Here are the top stories for Feb. 24, 2020, straight from AWN News 6 Correspondent Jolene McNutt:

DoD intends to cut Stars and Stripes

CNN reported that the Department of Defense intends to cut some of the funding to Stars and Stripes, the military’s editorially independent newspaper. Funding cuts would begin in 2021. “Stripes said it distributed more than 7 million copies of its weekly edition in 2019 and served an online audience of 18.8 million unique visitors,” according to CNN.

Deputy Under Secretary of Defense Elaine McCusker said, “We have essentially decided that, you know, kind of coming into the modern age that the newspaper is probably not the best way that we communicate any longer.”

In response, Ernie Gates, the Stars and Stripes ombudsman, responded, “The Stars and Stripes mission is not to communicate the DoD or command message, but to be an independent, First Amendment publication that serves the troops—especially deployed troops. So ‘we communicate’ misses the mission,” he tweeted.

About one third of the publication’s funding comes from the federal government. The majority of its funding is from sales, subscriptions, and advertising. 

Women’s Bureau Initiative to Aid Military Spouse Employment

The Women’s Bureau, a federal agency within the U.S. Department of Labor, has been developing an initiative to change the military spouse employment landscape by working with organizations across the US.

Some of the key issues the Women’s Bureau is focusing on include:

• Underemployment vs. Unemployment: About 31% of military spouses are employed part-time but may prefer full-time work. The Bureau wants to help those spouses find full time employment.
• Occupational License: Almost a third of military spouses work in occupations that require licenses, such as teaching, nursing, law, social workers, and more. Relicensing can delay employment and returning to the workforce after a move.
• Informal/Non-compensated work: Military spouses are not always compensated or hold formal positions, but are still building their skills and experiences that can contribute to a future workplace. The Bureau is working to share that information with employers.
• Dispelling myths among employers: The Women’s Bureau is working to share facts with employers. One top myth is the concern of moving. Did you know that milspouse employment tenure is similar to that of the general population?

The Women’s Bureau has established a partnership with Veterans’ Employment and Training Service also known as VETS and have launched an online portal to help address some of the challenges to milspouse employment. Check it out!

Heat-Deflecting Woobies…and Other High Tech Gear

Military.com reported that US Army and British soldiers were teaming up for a force-on-force experiment next month. This exercise will include testing out “new battlefield technology from thermal-defeating woobies to exoskeleton knee braces.”

Other prototype technologies soldiers will be testing include unmanned aerial systems used to transport blood to forward areas for medical treatment, communications gear, and “sophisticated sensors.”

One of the most anticipated items? A thermal-signature defeating blanket. A woobie that would allow soldiers to hide their thermal signatures on the battlefield.

Check out the full story at Military.com.