Researchers at the Veterans Administration acknowledge that burn pit smoke could cause DRLD, but they insist that other causes are just as common. VA established the Airborne Hazards and Burn Pits Center of Excellence (AHBPCE) in 2019 at VA’s War Related Illness and Injury Study Center (WRIISC) in New Jersey. Environmental health specialists, epidemiologists, and other experts from the Center …

Wars between rival gangs and a crumbling supply chain forced some 35,000 Haitians to flee their homes in November 2024 alone. Haiti has faced instability since the 2021 assassination of President Jovenel Moïse. The current wave of displacement, the largest since August 2023, comes as armed gangs who have joined forces strengthen their grip on the capital, leaving the national …

A federal jury ordered the private military contractor to pay $42 million in damages to three Iraqi men who sued the company sixteen years ago for its complicity in their torture at this notorious Iraqi prison. Abu Ghraib prison, west of Baghdad, became a potent negative symbol of the US occupation of Iraq after evidence emerged of detainee abuse by …

Remnants of the disgraced Russian mercenary outfit still operate in Africa as desperate countries turn to these groups as they face serious insurgencies. Over the past several years, Russian state-linked mercenaries have established a foothold in the force-for-hire market in Africa. Despite a demonstrated inability to degrade security threats, a litany of egregious human rights violations, and increasing sanctions against …

Military forces on America’s westernmost territory are preparing to defend against a possible ballistic missile assault from regional rival China. The Vertical Launch System is a launching system for the Standard Missile, defensive interceptor missiles capable of destroying threat missiles or warheads in flight. They are also part of the proposed Enhanced Integrated Air and Missile Defense (EIAMD) System on …