Department of Defense

Be Part of NAVAIR’s 60-Year History: Focused. Faster. Fiercer.

Be Part of NAVAIR’s 60-Year History: Focused. Faster. Fiercer.

Naval Air Systems Command (NAVAIR) is celebrating its 60th anniversary of supporting naval aviation this year and wants to tell your story. We are searching for current and former employees who have insightful, interesting or unique stories about their time in NAVAIR for use in videos, podcasts, feature stories, social media and more. Were...
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VA Pauses Enforcement of New Disability Rating Rule After Nationwide Backlash

VA Pauses Enforcement of New Disability Rating Rule After Nationwide Backlash

The Department of Veterans Affairs has halted enforcement of a newly issued rule that would change how disability compensation is calculated, following widespread criticism from veterans and advocacy groups who warned the policy could reduce benefits. The interim final rule, titled “Evaluative Rating: Impact of Medication,” amends 38 CFR § 4.10 within the VA...
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NAS Patuxent River’s Gate 1 and Webster Outlying Field’s Main Gate Closures This Morning – Friday, Feb. 20, 2026

NAS Patuxent River’s Gate 1 and Webster Outlying Field’s Main Gate Closures This Morning – Friday, Feb. 20, 2026

NAS Patuxent River’s Gate 1 and Webster Outlying Field’s Main Gate will experience closures Friday, Feb. 20, 2026 for scheduled maintenance. NAS Pax River Gate 1 – Closed Feb. 20, 9:30 a.m. – 11 a.m. Drivers should use Pa River Gate 2 during this time. Webster Field Main Gate – Closed Feb. 20, 1...
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St. Inigoes NAWCAD Team Develops, Installs Aircraft Carrier Ready Room Modernization Across Fleet

St. Inigoes NAWCAD Team Develops, Installs Aircraft Carrier Ready Room Modernization Across Fleet

The Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division at Webster Outlying Field’s (NAWCAD WOLF) Ship and Air Integrated Warfare (SAIW) division developed and is installing upgrades to aircraft carrier ready rooms across the Navy’s fleet of ships in support of the Strike Planning and Execution Systems program office (PMA-281). “The carrier ready room modernization effort...
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Lexington Park Man Arrested on Federal Charges Alleging Exploitation of 14-Year-Old in Alabama

Lexington Park Man Arrested on Federal Charges Alleging Exploitation of 14-Year-Old in Alabama

A 42-year-old Lexington Park man has been arrested on federal charges alleging the production of child sexual abuse material and the transfer of obscene material to a minor, according to federal court records. Donald Bernard Mewhort Sr. was taken into custody and appeared February 5, 2026, in the U.S. District Court for the District...
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NAS Patuxent River Announces Sailors, Civilians of the Year 2025

NAS Patuxent River Announces Sailors, Civilians of the Year 2025

NAS Patuxent River announces its Sailors and Civilians of the Year, marking the command’s top military personnel and civil servants for 2025. “Every day our ‘Pax Pros’ complete the necessary missions to make our air station the center for excellence in naval aviation we know it to be,” said NAS Patuxent River Commanding Officer...
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U.S. Navy Awards Contract for Next-Generation Fixed Wing Helmet System

U.S. Navy Awards Contract for Next-Generation Fixed Wing Helmet System

The Navy recently awarded a $22.6 million contract to Gentex Corporation to deliver more than 5,000 Next-Generation Fixed Wing Helmet (NGFWH) systems and spares to support the fielding of these systems across all Navy fixed wing aircraft. The firm-fixed-fee, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract is intended streamline and modernize life-support capabilities for fixed-wing aircrews and will eventually...
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Noise Advisory – NAS Patuxent River Sets Noise Advisory for February 9-11, 2026 for NAS Patuxent River for Night Test Flights

Noise Advisory – NAS Patuxent River Sets Noise Advisory for February 9-11, 2026 for NAS Patuxent River for Night Test Flights

Communities surrounding Naval Air Station Patuxent River are advised that noise-generating testing events are scheduled to take place Monday, February 9 and Wednesday, February 11, 2026 from 6:30 p.m.-10 p.m. Pilots at NAS PAX will be conducting Field Carrier Landing Practices (FCLPs), simulated carrier landings conducted to prepare the pilot to land safely on...
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NAWCAD Patuxent River Supervisor of The Year Leads With Mission Focus, Integrity

NAWCAD Patuxent River Supervisor of The Year Leads With Mission Focus, Integrity

NAVAL AIR WARFARE CENTER AIRCRAFT DIVISION, PATUXENT RIVER, MD.: Naval Air Systems Command honored Michelle Passfeld, Air Traffic Control and Landing Systems (ATC&LS) division’s Expeditionary and Range Systems branch head at Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division at Webster Outlying Field (NAWCAD WOLF), with the 2025 Supervisor of the Year Award for NAWCAD Jan....
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NAWCAD WOLF Innovation Ensures Radar System Readiness

NAWCAD WOLF Innovation Ensures Radar System Readiness

NAVAL AIR WARFARE CENTER AIRCRAFT DIVISON, St. Inigoes, Md.: Innovation at the Naval Aviation Warfare Center Aircraft Division Webster Outlying Field (NAWCAD WOLF) Air Traffic Control and Landing Systems (ATC&LS) division is saving time and money for the warfighter by providing organic sustainment services for the Navy’s primary Shipboard ATC air surveillance radar system,...
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Marine Corps Fast-Tracks Contract for New Precision Attack Strike Missile

Marine Corps Fast-Tracks Contract for New Precision Attack Strike Missile

The Department of Navy announced the $86.2 million contract award of the Precision Attack Strike Munition to L3Harris Technologies Jan 30, a critical component of the Marine Corps’ vision for enhancing the lethality and survivability of its rotary-wing assets. PASM will provide the Marine Corps with a cost-effective, longer-range, precision weapon that can deliver...
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Naval Air Station Patuxent River Gate 1 Closure for Monday, Feb. 2, 2026

Naval Air Station Patuxent River Gate 1 Closure for Monday, Feb. 2, 2026

Naval Air Station Patuxent River’s Gate 1 outbound lanes will be closed at 8 a.m. Monday, Feb. 2, 2026 for gate maintenance. Following morning rush, Pax River’s Gate 1 will close to all traffic from 9:30 a.m. to noon for further maintenance. Drivers should use Pax River’s Gate 2 during that time.
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Huntingtown Native Serving with Navy fighter Squadron to Support Super Bowl LX Flyover

Huntingtown Native Serving with Navy fighter Squadron to Support Super Bowl LX Flyover

During the 2026 Super Bowl national anthem performance, members of four U.S. Navy tactical squadrons will conduct a unified flyover with members of the Air Force. Lt. Cmdr. Dewayne Hooper, a native of Huntingtown, Maryland, is among those supporting the Feb. 8 flyover above Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, California. The eight-aircraft flyover formation...
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Southern Maryland Schools CLOSED on Wednesday, January 28, 2026

Southern Maryland Schools CLOSED on Wednesday, January 28, 2026

St. Mary’s County – All Schools and Offices are closed on Wednesday, January 28, 2026 – Code 3 for staff. No employees should report to work. Administrative leave will be provided for twelve-month employees. Operations Prince George’s County – Closed Tuesday, January 27, 2026 – Thursday, January 29, 2026 | CODE YELLOW | Schools are...
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NAS Patuxent River Operating under Restricted Access Due to Weather Monday, January 26, 2026

NAS Patuxent River Operating under Restricted Access Due to Weather Monday, January 26, 2026

Due to weather conditions, NAS Patuxent River will maintain its operational status of Restricted Access for All but Mission Essential Personnel Monday, January 26, 2026. This applies to NAS Patuxent River, Webster Outlying Field, and Navy Recreation Center Solomons. The NAS Patuxent River Child and Youth Programs, Commissary and Navy Exchange will be closed...
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Southern Maryland Schools CLOSED on Monday, January 26, 2026 Due to Weather

Southern Maryland Schools CLOSED on Monday, January 26, 2026 Due to Weather

ST. MARY’S COUNTY – All St. Mary’s County Public Schools and offices will be closed on Monday, January 26, 2026, with a Code 3 for employees. No employees should report to work. Administrative leave will be provided for twelve-month employees. Operations and Maintenance Emergency personnel will follow the established protocol. Thank you and stay safe. CALVERT COUNTY...
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NAS Patuxent River, Webster Outlying Field, and Navy Recreation Center Solomons Under Restricted Access

NAS Patuxent River, Webster Outlying Field, and Navy Recreation Center Solomons Under Restricted Access

NAVAL AIR STATION PATUXENT RIVER, MD.: Due to forecasted weather conditions, NAS Patuxent River has updated its operational status to Restricted Access for All but Mission Essential Personnel beginning 12:01 a.m. Sunday, January 25, 2026. This applies to NAS Patuxent River, Webster Outlying Field, and Navy Recreation Center Solomons. The NAS Patuxent River Commissary...
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U.S. Navy Demonstrates AI-Enabled Autonomy for Future Collaborative Combat Aircraft

U.S. Navy Demonstrates AI-Enabled Autonomy for Future Collaborative Combat Aircraft

The U.S. Navy recently completed a second successful demonstration advancing multi-platform coordination of autonomous systems, an essential step toward developing future Collaborative Combat Aircraft (CCA). The Dec. 11 event at Point Mugu Sea Range in California focused on maturing manned-unmanned teaming capabilities for CCA, which are intended to extend the reach of carrier air wings and deliver scalable, cost-effective platforms capable of operating...
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CH-53K Program Enters Multi-Year Procurement Contract With GE Aerospace

CH-53K Program Enters Multi-Year Procurement Contract With GE Aerospace

NAVAL AIR SYSTEMS COMMAND, PATUXENT RIVER, MD.: A five-year, multi-year procurement (MYP) contract was signed on January 8 between the Department of War (DOW) and GE Aerospace for both new production and spare T-408 engines, along with associated sustainment services for the CH-53K King Stallion helicopter. The $1.4 billion contract covers five years, Lots...
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Employment Data Reveal’s Trump Firings Have Cost Maryland Nearly 25,000 Federal Jobs in 2025, with 10,300 Federal Jobs Lost October-November

Employment Data Reveal’s Trump Firings Have Cost Maryland Nearly 25,000 Federal Jobs in 2025, with 10,300 Federal Jobs Lost October-November

New employment estimates for October and November 2025 released today by the Bureau of Labor Statistics show that federal employment in Maryland fell by an estimated 10,300 in October and November 2025 (combined) according to the bureau. The employment losses are the first monthly job numbers to reflect “fork in the road” deferred resignations...
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Comptroller Lierman Expresses Concern at Recent Federal Workforce Cuts During Board of Public Works

Comptroller Lierman Expresses Concern at Recent Federal Workforce Cuts During Board of Public Works

Comptroller Brooke E. Lierman joined Governor Wes Moore and Treasurer Dereck Davis for a meeting of the Board of Public Works. Governor Moore opened the meeting by discussing the jobs report released today by the Maryland Department of Labor. The report reveals the state had lost 24,900 federal jobs between January and November 2025,...
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F-35 pilots and Navy Collaborative Combat Aircraft Hone Tactics in Joint Simulation Environment

F-35 pilots and Navy Collaborative Combat Aircraft Hone Tactics in Joint Simulation Environment

The Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division (NAWCAD) achieved a milestone in advancing F-35 Lightning II aircraft integration with the Navy’s Collaborative Combat Aircraft (CCA) during a recent tactical demonstration in its Joint Simulation Environment (JSE). The event demonstrated how advanced modeling and simulation can develop tactics and strategies for fifth-generation aircraft like the F-35 operating with uncrewed...
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Defense Contractor IAP Worldwide Services Agrees to Pay More Than $800k to Resolve Alleged False Claims Act Violations

Defense Contractor IAP Worldwide Services Agrees to Pay More Than $800k to Resolve Alleged False Claims Act Violations

IAP Worldwide Services, Incorporated (IAP), a logistics, facilities management, and advanced technical and professional services company headquartered in Delaware, agreed to pay the United States $810,821.65 to resolve allegations that it violated the False Claims Act. Kelly O. Hayes, U.S. Attorney for the District of Maryland, announced the settlement with Special Agent in Charge, Christopher...
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NAS Patuxent River Mourns Passing of Two Commanding Officers

NAS Patuxent River Mourns Passing of Two Commanding Officers

This past month we were saddened by the loss of two of our former commanding officers, Capt. Edward Laney, Jr. and Capt. Roger Hill. These two remarkable aviators did much in their careers, and served NAS Patuxent River with distinction in their roles as commanding officer. Laney was a seasoned naval aviator prior to...
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NAVAIR Enables Cross-Service Collaboration, Forward Thinking With Additive Manufacturing

NAVAIR Enables Cross-Service Collaboration, Forward Thinking With Additive Manufacturing

NAVAL AIR SYSTEMS COMMAND, PATUXENT RIVER, MD.: The NAVAIR Additive Manufacturing team supports Navy and Marine Corps maintainers with AM training, engineering support and technical data to increase readiness in forward-deployed locations where traditional logistics are contested. Recently, Marine Aircraft Logistics Squadron 36 (MALS-36) and 18th Maintenance Group (18 MXG) maintainers used AM to...
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