Military News

  • McRaven now appreciates impact in U.S. of his bin Laden raid

    The Tampa Tribune / TBO.com Military News PALM HARBOR — William McRaven laughed when asked about the highlights of his remarkable life, more than half of it spent in uniform as a Navy SEAL. Sitting down to talk with The Tampa Tribune, McRaven said if he were remembered only as the guy who told college students…

  • NATO’s top concerns: refugees, Russia and jihadis

    The Tampa Tribune / TBO.com Military News TAMPA — On a continent with no shortages of security challenges, the deputy commander of North Atlantic Treaty Organization Forces in Europe says refugees pouring in from conflicts in the Middle East present the greatest short-term security risk while Russia and jihadis are creating huge problems, too. “There…

  • Airstrikes against Islamic State likely caused two civilian deaths

    The Tampa Tribune / TBO.com Military News U.S. airstrikes in the ongoing fight against the Sunni jihadi group calling itself Islamic State likely resulted in the death of two civilians and injuries to an additional four civilians, according to the latest report from U.S. Central Command. The casualties were the result of five separate U.S.…

  • General may wind up on a hotter seat

    The Tampa Tribune / TBO.com Military News It’s just a short walk at MacDill Air Force Base from the headquarters of U.S. Special Operations Command to the headquarters of U.S. Central Command. But sometime in the next few months, Army Gen. Joseph Votel, the Socom commander widely reported to be President Barack Obama’s choice to…

  • Future of MacDill medical clinic debated

    The Tampa Tribune / TBO.com Military News TAMPA — Active duty service members, retirees and their dependents have come to rely on the MacDill Air Force Base medical clinic in Brandon, which serves about 18,000 patients a year. But now the 6th Air Mobility Wing, the base host unit, is looking at whether it should…

  • Castor, Bilirakis, Rubio upset at veterans service problems in St. Pete

    The Tampa Tribune / TBO.com Military News TAMPA — Local members of Congress who routinely deal with the Department of Veterans Affairs are calling for action in the wake of a report that veterans seeking benefits had to wait longer because documents were improperly prepared and stored. U.S. Rep. Kathy Castor wrote a letter to…

  • Veterans waited longer for benefits through St. Pete office, VA finds

    The Tampa Tribune / TBO.com Military News Veterans who filed benefits claims at the St. Petersburg Regional Office waited longer in 2014 because claims materials weren’t prepared properly, a Department of Veterans Affairs report says. Inspectors also found that personal information was inadequately stored at a contractor scanning center, posing a risk of identity theft,…

  • Tampa foundation springs to action upon hearing of wounded, fallen commandos

    The Tampa Tribune / TBO.com Military News The death of one commando and the wounding of two others in a firefight in Afghanistan is a stark reminder of how dangerous that country remains and why organizations like the Tampa-based Special Operations Warrior Foundation are still needed. The casualties took place as U.S. commandos were on…

  • 2015 evoked a wide range of emotions

    The Tampa Tribune / TBO.com Military News Covering the military and veterans in a place like the Tampa Bay area at a time of enduring conflict is never dull, and 2015 had plenty of interesting moments of triumph and tragedy, controversy and success. The beat, of course, includes MacDill Air Force Base and all that…

  • Proposed app would cut motorists’ wait at MacDill gates

    The Tampa Tribune / TBO.com Military News TAMPA — Anyone who needs to get onto MacDill Air Force Base knows how long it can take to get through the gates. Especially Dale Mabry. At rush hour. But the 15,000 vehicles passing through the base’s four gates every day not only create long waits for those headed…

  • Bill Nelson: Socom’s Votel would be good choice to lead Centcom

    The Tampa Tribune / TBO.com Military News Army Gen. Joseph Votel, commander of U.S. Special Operations Command, would be a good choice to lead U.S. Central Command, Sen. Bill Nelson said during a speech on the Senate floor Monday. Nelson, speaking about the fight against the Sunni jihadi group calling itself Islamic State, noted that…

  • Socom’s ‘hackathon’ opens process of creating high-tech commando gear

    The Tampa Tribune / TBO.com Military News Imagine a helmet visor that allows commandos in the field to see friendly and enemy forces, even behind walls, without emitting light to give them away. That’s what Michael Grochol came up with last month with his team of software developers from ISPA Technology, a small defense contracting…

  • Veteran wants proof you deserve that Marine license plate

    The Tampa Tribune / TBO.com Military News Earlier this month, Connie O’Dell went to the department of motor vehicles office in Ruskin to get a new license plate for her husband, Navy veteran Mike O’Dell. As a result, O’Dell is on a new mission — trying to change how plates commemorating the five branches of…

  • Rescued by SEALS, aid worker raising money for them

    The Tampa Tribune / TBO.com Military News TAMPA — On her 93rd night as a captive of Somali pirates, American aid worker Jessica Buchanan did what she taught herself to do to stay sane in the dark. She pulled her mat from under a tree and tried to go to sleep. It was Jan. 25,…

  • Companies irked by how Socom awards contracts

    The Tampa Tribune / TBO.com Military News TAMPA — A series of protests and lawsuits has bogged down a $1.5 billion U.S. Special Operations Command program designed to maximize competition and improve performance of contracts for a broad array of services, training and support. Even before decisions were made about which companies could try to win…

  • Report: MacDill’s economic impact jumps in Tampa area

    The Tampa Tribune / TBO.com Military News TAMPA — The economic impact of MacDill Air Force Base, including military retirees and spouses living within 50 miles, was $4.7 billion in fiscal 2014, a jump of $1.3 billion in two years, according to the 6th Air Mobility Wing, the base host unit. On Wednesday, the base…

  • Cybersecurity expert urges open talk between government, business

    The Tampa Tribune / TBO.com Military News When Keith Alexander arrived in Tampa in 1998 to take over as director of intelligence for U.S. Central Command, he spent the first six days walking around MacDill Air Force Base, checking out his new surroundings. “Then on the seventh day — and this isn’t biblical — but…

  • Symposium offers support, job tips for military spouses

    The Tampa Tribune / TBO.com Military News TAMPA — Karen Golden knows well the challenges of trying to maintain a career while married to someone in the military. Over the past 27 years of marriage to Robert Golden, who recently retired as a Marine colonel, the Golden family has moved to 11 duty stations and…

  • Tampa reservist’s suicide brings home tragedy

    Military News TAMPA — Why? That’s the question the family and friends of Air Force Reserve Capt. Jamie Brunette are struggling to answer. At 30, Brunette seemingly had it all. A vivacious and attractive athlete and scholar, she had been lauded by the Air Force for her work in Afghanistan, was a partner in a fitness…

  • McRaven: Special ops not tied to film on bin Laden raid

    Military News TAMPA — More than a year after commanding the raid that killed Osama bin Laden, the man who now runs U.S. Special Operations Command is still dealing with public fascination over a mission he calls not “really very sexy.” Adm. William McRaven, the nation’s highest ranking SEAL, oversaw the May 2, 2011, raid…