The future USS New York (LPD 21) arrived in the Big Apple Nov. 2, to hundreds of cheering New Yorkers lined up along the waterfront near the World Financial Center. The ship left its homeport of Naval Station Norfolk, Va., Oct. 29 to make the voyage to its namesake state for a ten-day long celebration and a commissioning ceremony scheduled Nov. 7. The ship's Sailors, embarked Marines and naval Reservists manned the rails in full dress uniform at 6 a.m. for the historical transit down the Hudson River.

For the first time, Air National Guard aircrews will be the sole operators of a new aircraft straight off the assembly line. The C-27J Spartan, the latest propeller-driven airlifter, is an "extremely rugged" aircraft, designed for austere environments, said Air Force officials. It is about half the size of a C-130 Hercules and has 3.5 cargo pallet positions. "It is the first time in U.S. Air Force history where the service acquired a new airframe solely owned, operated and maintained by the Air National Guard," said Lt. Col.

Nothing says pride like a Soldier in uniform. Today's Soldier has much to be proud of in the current Army Combat Uniform (ACU). As Sgt. Maj. of the Army Kenneth O. Preston said, the ACU was designed by Soldiers, for Soldiers. Developed with functionality in mind, many design aspects of the uniform lend themselves to low maintenance, such as the 50/50 cotton/nylon wrinkle-free fabric and the shine-free boots.

A letter signed by members of the U.S. House of Representatives' Second Amendment Task Force raising important questions about the National Park Service's intent to ban the use of traditional ammunition in parks that allow hunting has been sent to Department of Interior Secretary Ken Salazar. The letter, which follows a similar message sent to Salazar by U.S.

The Army’s Advanced Automotive Battery Initiative is searching for the “holy grail” of power technology: an inexpensive, lightweight and reliable battery.“Collaboration is very important, in my opinion,” Sonja Gargies, energy storage team leader for the Army’s Tank Automotive Research, Development and Engineering Center, told listeners during an “Armed with Science: Research and Applications for the Modern Military” webcast May 6 on Pentagon Web Radio.