What We Read This Week (August 11-17, 2024)
We’re keeping an eye on the stories that impact our troops and their families, from ways to strengthen our military community to updates on what’s happening in the Middle East and the Ukraine.
1. How to support our Hispanic and Latinx military families (We Are the Mighty; August 10, 2024) Written by Daniella Horne – a U.S. Army veteran, Navy spouse, and Co-Chair of Secure Families Initiative’s Hispanic Caucus. She reviews ways to celebrate and support the Hispanic and Latinx community, which has a legacy of service in our armed services. By creating a supportive environment for all the identities that make up our military community, we strengthen our nation.
Hispanic and Latinx military families need to be supported on many levels; not only should there be more accessible resources but it is important to acknowledge that many service members who are born outside the U.S. miss the cohesive communities many left behind as they took the oath to serve.
2. Defense secretary orders submarine to Middle East, accelerates arrival of strike group ahead of anticipated Iran attack (CNN; August 12, 2024)
The USS Georgia, a nuclear-powered submarine armed with cruise missiles, was operating in the Mediterranean Sea in recent days, according to the Navy, having just completed training near Italy.
Austin ordered the submarine into the waters of the Middle East, the Pentagon said. The movement of US missile submarines is rarely revealed publicly, and the nuclear-powered vessels operate in near-complete secrecy.
3. Top Ukrainian commander says his forces now control almost 390 square miles of Russia’s Kursk region (AP News; August 13, 2024)
“The troops are fulfilling their tasks. Fighting continues actually along the entire front line. The situation is under our control,” Ukraine’s top military commander said.
Russian forces are still scrambling to respond to the surprise Ukrainian attack after almost a week of fierce fighting.
4. Marines and Sailors Ordered to Brush Up on Appropriate Political Activity Amid Heated Election (Military.com; August 14, 2024)
“If you are a Marine or Navy spouse, teenage kid, adult dependent, it’s easy to assume that all of these rules also apply to you to its fullest extent,” Sarah Streyder, executive director of the Secure Families Initiative, a nonpartisan, nonprofit group that encourages military families to engage in civic activities such as voting, told Military.com. “They don’t, but the nuances can be tough to navigate.”
5. Gaza cease-fire talks underway in Qatar without Hamas in attendance (Washington Post; August 15, 2024)
Israel and the United States, with mediating partners Egypt and Qatar, will resume high-stake negotiations in Doha over a cease-fire and hostage release deal.
6. About Half of the Troops Who Deployed on the Gaza Aid Pier Mission Are Home Now (Military.com; August 15, 2024) Happy for those families who were recently reunited and sending love to those still waiting for a family member to return home safely.
The Pentagon said Thursday that nearly half of the troops it deployed to the Mediterranean as part of the mission to deliver aid to Gaza via a temporary pier are either home or will be home shortly.
Reminder to Georgia absentee voters: contact us!
Our organization wants to challenge the state of Georgia to repeal a new law that would remove voters from registration rolls without official challenges. This new law may remove you as a registered voter if you have a change of address or use a PO Box for your address, which could impact many military members who move frequently and/or may use an on-base address. Secure Families Initiative wants to make sure everyone in our community keeps their voting rights. But in order to do so, we would need help from folks in our network who could be impacted.