Navy to put armed sailors at recruiting stations

The Navy is moving to place armed watch-standers at recruiting stations nationwide, a move that comes a year after shootings at a recruiting station and a reserve center in Chattanooga, Tennessee, claimed the lives of four Marines and a sailor, according to Navy Times.

The decision is the result of a broad investigation of the security of Navy buildings outside major bases, such as reserve centers and recruiting stations that are often open to the public and, prior to the shooting, did not have armed guards.

The Navy has not released the results of the investigation, citing an ongoing FBI probe into the shooting, but in an interview, Fleet Forces officials laid out the major changes and increased security that are in various stages of implementation.

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French President Francois Hollande vowed to strengthen his country's role in the fight against the Islamic State group in Iraq and Syria after a deadly attack on Nice, which has not been claimed by any group, according to Agence France Presse.

“Nothing will make us yield in our will to fight terrorism. We will further strengthen our actions in Iraq and in Syria. We will continue striking those who attack us on our own soil,” he said, in reference to the Islamic State group.

The French President said Friday that France's state of emergency would be extended for another three months after the truck attack.

The state of emergency has been in place since November's jihadist attacks in Paris, and was due to be lifted on July 26.

Hollande calls up reservists to boost security Hollande also stated on Friday that he had called on reservists to boost the ranks of police and gendarmes after an attack in Nice killed 77 people.

France's “operational reservists” include French citizens with or without military experience as well as former soldiers. Hollande said they would in particular be used to boost border patrols.

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Divisive Senate politics on Thursday stalled funding for troops and veterans, and threw the defense budget into uncertainty for the second year in a row, according to Stars and Stripes.

Democrats continued their filibuster of spending bills for defense and the Department of Veterans Affairs after Republicans tweaked unrelated language on Planned Parenthood and Confederate flag displays — moves certain to raise the ire of lawmakers on the left.

The impasse underscores the partisan rancor in Congress and means lawmakers are unlikely to pass a defense and VA budget in time for the start of the new fiscal year in October. Instead, they will leave Washington for a seven-week summer recess and be faced with passing a last-minute, stop-gap budget measure when they return.

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U.S. Navy Adm. John Richardson will make his first trip to China as chief of naval operations next week to ease tensions over South China Sea territorial disputes and also get a look at China's aircraft carrier, the Liaoning, the Navy said Thursday, according to Military.com.

Richardson, a career submariner, during the July 17-20 trip will also head to China's submarine academy in Qingdao, homeport of China's North Sea Fleet, and meet for the first time with Adm. Wu Shengli, commander of naval forces in the People's Liberation Army.

"I have been looking forward to this trip and to meeting Admiral Wu for some time," Richardson said. "These are important times for our two navies and for maritime forces throughout the region. As we seek to learn from each other, there is no substitute for these types of face-to-face meetings."

The agenda for Richardson's meetings will include discussions on the South China Sea, the ongoing Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC) exercises off Hawaii and the southern California coast, and future opportunities for the two navies to operate together, the Navy said.

This story was originally published July 15, 2016 at 11:46 AM with the headline "Navy to put armed sailors at recruiting stations."