Congress appropriated a total of $17.4 billion for the Pentagon’s unclassified and classified intelligence activities in Fiscal 2014, announced the Defense Department. That amount included the appropriations for the military intelligence program in the Pentagon’s base budget and in its overseas contingency operations accounts, according to the Oct. 30 release. “The department determined that releasing this topline figure does not jeopardize any classified activities,” states the release. DOD had requested a total of $18.6 billion in Fiscal 2014 for the MIP, but the final topline turned out to be $1.2 billion less. DOD officials said they would not release additional details on the MIP “as they remain classified for national security reasons.” In Fiscal 2013, the Pentagon received $18.6 billion for the MIP, which comprises the projects that support the Defense Secretary’s intelligence, counterintelligence, and related responsibilities.
Trainees in Basic Military Training and technical school no longer have the option to try alternate PT drills if they fail an initial assessment, according to a policy change the Air Force made in April. The move is part of a larger shift out of the classroom and into hands-on,…