Here are the top stories for the week of Nov. 9, 2020, straight from AWN News 6 Correspondent, Jolene McNutt:

Lighter-Weight Meals for Troops

U.S. military nutrition experts are developing a lighter-weight meal, currently called the “close combat assault ration,” reported Military.com. A vacuum microwave drying process “shrinks the food by about 50 percent.”

“On a five-day mission, rather than ‘field-stripping 15 MREs and taking things that are easy to carry, they can take five of these Close Combat Assault Rations and still get 3,000 calories a day but have more room in their pack for more ammunition, more medical supplies, more water—things that will keep them in the fight longer,’” said Jeremy Whitsitt, deputy director of the Department of Defense Combat Feeding Directorate.

GM Defense Rolls Out New ISV

The Detroit Free Press announced that General Motors Proving Grounds “received the first Infantry Squad Vehicle (ISV) made by GM Defense LLC.” GM Defense spent just 120 days from being awarded the contract to having their first vehicle ready to test. The ISV is “based on the 2020 Chevrolet Colorado ZR2 pickup and uses 90% commercial components.” The vehicle is designed to quickly carry an infantry squad of nine members over a battlefield. Twenty-seven ISVs will be made in Milford, Michigan. A total of 649 ISVs will be delivered by 2024, with the remainder being built at a production facility in Mooresville, North Carolina. GM hopes to win additional contracts to build as many as 2,065 vehicles.

Au Pair Program Halted

Military families who rely on the State Department’s Au Pair program may be facing challenges. A proclamation by President Trump has “temporarily frozen the au pair program through December 31, 2020,” reported Military Spouse J.D. Network. In 2019, there were about 20,000 au pairs who helped American families care for their children; in return, families provided room and board and an approximate $200 stipend per week. Au pairs also received college credit. 

Military Spouse J.D. Network shared that there is a loophole if you already have an au pair. Current au pairs may be eligible for an extension to their J1 visa for two to six months due to COVID-19. If you are impacted, visit Military Spouse J.D. Network for more information. 

This Week in History

We celebrate our veterans as a country this week (and every day around Army Wife Network!). Veterans Day was originally called Armistice Day to honor those who served in World War I, “the war to end all wars.” WWI officially ended on Nov. 11, 1918 at 11 a.m.—the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month. Decades later, the name would be changed to Veterans Day as a way to honor our nation’s selfless servants.