U.S. Military

Back-to-school season looks a little different for Gannon McNees this year. Instead of heading back to class at the University of North Alabama, he's jamming out on the world stage! The tuba player is the first UNA student to win a spot in the U.S. Navy Fleet Bands. In this episode of Quick-Fire Quips, Gannon talks about how his sister influenced his big brass dreams, the beauty of tuning out the world with cave crawls and why bringing out-of-state ideas can help Alabama’s rhythm move forward.

Germany's defense minister on Saturday appeared to take in stride a Pentagon announcement that the United States plans to pull some 5,000 troops out of the country, President Donald Trump's latest attempt to reduce America's commitment to European security. One key U.S. lawmaker from Alabama has questions, too.

A small group of pro-Iranian protesters in Birmingham staged a rally to condemn the U.S.-Israeli military attacks against Iran over the weekend.The event took place Saturday in the Five Points South entertainment district. On streets around the world, there were protests in outrage or bursts of celebration.

In this edition of StoryCorps, Shea McLean tells the story of being in the military during the Cold War and how that allowed him to go to college and do what he loves now.

The U.S. Air Force is announcing the reinstatement of training courses with videos of its storied Tuskegee Airmen. This follows outcry of the military's removal of the materials to comply with the Trump administration's crackdown on diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives (DEI).

President-elect Donald Trump's pick for Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth spent a second day Tuesday on Capitol Hill meeting privately with Republican senators. Alabama Senator Tommy Tuberville is one of the lawmakers still in favor of Hegseth’s nomination.

Jill Biden and Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin are traveling to Maxwell Air Force Base in Alabama. They will highlight programs the administration is rolling out to improve the quality of life and early childhood education in the military.

Fireworks on Capitol Hill started long before this Thursday’s Fourth of July holiday. Congress is still working on the new spending plan for the U.S. Military and things got contentious in the House of Representatives. APR news was in Washington, D.C. during a partisan fight over the bill.

Senate Democrats pushed ahead with a resolution that would allow for the quick confirmation of hundreds of military nominees, an attempt to maneuver around a blockade from Alabama Senator Tommy Tuberville over a Pentagon abortion policy.

Republican senators are holding a meeting to confront Alabama Senator Tommy Tuberville about his blockade of almost 400 military nominations, an effort to find a path forward as the senator has dug in on his protest of a Pentagon abortion policy.