Alison Bath
Stars and Stripes
Italy
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Past articles by Alison:
Retired Navy leaders pan proposal for early decommissioning of 6th Fleet flagship
The Navy’s proposal to dump an amphibious command ship that it needs for keeping Russia in check is risky and ignores lessons from the war in Ukraine, according to analysts and a retired admiral. → Read More
Will the F-35 ever become the primary fighter jet it was supposed to be?
Five years after joining the fleet on a regular basis, the Air Force F-35A is flying fewer hours per month than the F-15E Strike Eagle, which was first introduced in 1986, a recent report found. → Read More
Here are a handful of under-the-radar Rome locales not to be missed
The well-worn cobblestone streets of the Eternal City lead to popular tourist attractions, but also to a plethora of often overlooked treasures. → Read More
Navy removes failed fitness tests from records in bid to keep sailor numbers high
The Navy is wiping the slate clean for active-duty and reserve sailors who have failed fitness tests, as the service tries to keep retention numbers up by easing the way for sailors to reenlist or receive a promotion. → Read More
First US warship to transit near Black Sea since war in Ukraine departs Turkey
USS Nitze left the Golcuk Naval Base on the east coast of the Sea of Marmara on Monday and is heading back to the Mediterranean Sea, Lt. Taija Griffin, a U.S. 6th Fleet spokeswoman, said. → Read More
Let it grow: Sailors, Marines disgruntled by beard ban find favorable reception to challenges
The Navy is facing a groundswell in its ranks and in court from people who believe that the service needs to take a razor to its 38-year-old beard ban. → Read More
Missing analysis leaves concerns over timetable for Navy’s next ballistic missile submarine, report warns
The Navy doesn’t have the details to determine if the new submarines the United States will depend upon for its nuclear deterrent will be ready on time, a government watchdog agency warned this week. → Read More
Nurse offers families dealing with miscarriage support at Navy base in Naples
A new program aims to fill the information gap when a woman is told a pregnancy isn’t viable and to provide any needed emotional support. → Read More
Service members who refused COVID-19 vaccine say they face obstacles despite policy reversal
The action doesn’t address damage to military careers or restore the faith of service members sidelined by their refusal to take the vaccine. → Read More
US military families in Europe dismayed by Tricare decision to drop children’s clinic as provider
Joy Center, a U.S-based clinic founded in Naples in 2010 that offers psychological, psychiatric, speech-language and occupational therapy for children and their families, no longer will be a Tricare in-network provider as of Sunday. → Read More
USS Normandy visits French region’s hallowed WWII sites to pay respects
During the Monday stopover in Cherbourg, officials from the ship planned to participate in a wreath laying at the Utah Beach American Memorial, the Navy said. → Read More
Navy still short on answers about jet fuel pollution of USS Nimitz’s drinking water
The cause of jet fuel contamination in the USS Nimitz’s drinking water remains undetermined several weeks after at least 11 sailors fell ill and the aircraft carrier was forced into an extended port stay. → Read More
Search underway for Navy physician assistant who vanished from Spanish town near Rota
The U.S. Navy and Spanish police are investigating the disappearance of a 31-year-old sailor missing for nearly a week from his home near Naval Station Rota. → Read More
Five USS Nimitz sailors report health concerns possibly linked to water contaminated by fuel
The sailors who may have been sickened by water contaminated with jet fuel are being monitored by medical workers, the Navy said. → Read More
US forces seize nearly $100 million in heroin, hashish in Middle East
The U.S. seized nearly $100 million in illicit drugs this week from fishing vessels in the Gulf of Oman as part of a multinational effort in the Middle East to stem the tide of trafficking on the seas, Navy officials said. → Read More
Gas and electricity prices poised to surge for US military families in Italy
US service members and their families in Italy are facing sharp increases in the cost of lighting and heating their homes that could leave them paying out of their pockets for utility bills. → Read More
Italian canal built in 1500s is the site of new supply line for US troops
A swing rail bridge over the Navicelli canal near the port of Livorno allows the U.S. military to better connect the Army’s Pisa Ammunition Storage Area at Camp Darby to European rail lines. → Read More
Charges dropped against retired Navy admiral indicted in ‘Fat Leonard’ corruption case
A federal judge dismissed all charges against a retired Navy rear admiral implicated in a corruption scandal that saw dozens convicted over dealings with a now-on-the-run Malaysian businessman who defrauded the service of at least $35 million. → Read More
One of the first Rota-based Navy destroyers heads back to US after 8 years
USS Ross, one of four destroyers based at Naval Station Rota in Spain, departed for its new home in Norfolk, Va. → Read More
Navy’s return to frigates begins with construction start of $1.3 billion Constellation
The Navy wants to add a total of 20 frigates, which are planned for use in blue water and along the coasts, and which have more armor and firepower than the much-maligned littoral combat ships. → Read More