Here are five news stories and events to start your week, from the editors at Military.com:
US Soldier Fought to End After Ambush in Niger
Via The Associated Press: "Army Sgt. La David T. Johnson died in a hail of gunfire, hit as many as 18 times as he took cover in thick brush, fighting to the end after fleeing militants who had just killed three comrades in an October ambush in Niger, The Associated Press has learned. A military investigation has concluded that Johnson wasn't captured alive or killed at close range, dispelling a swirl of rumors about how he died."
Trump to Release National Security Strategy Focusing in North Korea, China
Via The Associated Press: "Prioritizing national sovereignty over alliances, President Donald Trump is poised to outline a new national security strategy that envisions nations in a perpetual state of competition, reverses Obama-era warnings on climate change, and de-emphasizes multinational agreements that have dominated the United States' foreign policy since the Cold War. The Republican president, who ran on a platform of 'America First,' will detail his plan Monday, one that if fully implemented could sharply alter the United States' relationships with the rest of the world."
2018 Military BAH Rates to See Small Average Increase
Via Tom Philpott at Military.com: "Basic Allowance for Housing (BAH) paid to 956,000 service members living off base in the U.S. will climb modestly Jan. 1, an average of only 0.7 percent or $10 a month, as an allowance-dampening formula enters its fourth year. Actual BAH increases for individuals will vary widely based on where they are assigned, paygrade and whether they have family. But military folks assigned to 128 of 301 of military housing areas will see no housing allowance increase in 2018 because local BAH rates will fall."
Navy Commissions Next Littoral Combat Ship
Via Joe Daraskevich at The Florida Times-Union: "The squadron of littoral combat ships at Mayport Naval Station [in Florida] will soon grow from two ships to three after the Navy commissioned the USS Little Rock on Saturday in Buffalo, N.Y. The latest ship to join the fleet will now continue the voyage from Marinette, Wis., to Northeast Florida where it will become the newest warship in Littoral Combat Ship Squadron Two."
ICYMI: New Information Out on Army Surplus 1911 .45 Sales
Via Matthew Cox at Military.com: "The leadership of the Civilian Marksmanship Program recently updated its website with the requirements, guidelines and background checks needed to purchase an Army surplus 1911 .45 pistol in fiscal 2018. The U.S. Army is expected to transfer thousands of surplus M1911/1911A1 .45s, according to this year's National Defense Authorization Act, a massive defense policy bill recently approved by Congress and awaiting President Donald Trump's signature."
-- Brendan McGarry can be reached at brendan.mcgarry@military.com. Follow him on Twitter at @Brendan_McGarry.
