Department of Defense

The Defense Department is still grappling with shortages of mental health personnel and a difficult push to reduce the stigma of seeking help. But the numbers provide a glimmer of hope.

The Defense Department will provide travel funds and support for troops and their dependents who seek abortions but are based in states where they are illegal.

Rising suicide rates have forced the Pentagon to review the military's mental health protocols. But many service members in crisis still fear coming forward and admitting they need help.

The Pentagon said unvaccinated guard members won't get paid and can't participate in federally funded deployments, but some states are concerned that will affect the Guard's ability to do its job.

The Novavax vaccine meets Defense Department requirements because it has the WHO's emergency use approval and is used in Europe and other regions.

A Veterans Affairs study concludesd that veterans experience bulimia at about three times the civilian rate.

Overall, about 24,000 U.S. troops were deployed for the pandemic, including nearly 6,000 medical personnel to hospitals and 5,000 to help administer vaccines.

Under an order from President Biden, the Pentagon is deploying 1,000 troops to help hospitals that are experiencing a surge in patients and have a lot of employees out sick.

Drugmakers will walk away with with massive profits, but much of the pioneering work on mRNA vaccines was done with government money.

The department is recruiting 8,000 volunteers for the Phase 3 clinical trials of at least four vaccine candidates at 20 federal medical facilities across the country.