Military

A disgraced former U.S. naval officer was sentenced in San Diego today to 2 1/2 years in prison for his role in a wide-ranging bribery and fraud case involving a notorious one-time foreign defense contractor.

Unlike past border operations, California National Guard has kept a low profile since agreeing to participate in Operation Guardian Support.

The Army and Navy Academy agreed to pay $1.75 million to settle a lawsuit filed by a former cadet at the Carlsbad-based military school, where the cadet was allegedly sexually assaulted in 1999, the law firm representing the cadet announced Monday.

Over the course of 12 months, the U.S. Army discharged more than 500 immigrant enlistees who were recruited across the globe for their language or medical skills and promised a fast track to citizenship in exchange for their service, The Associated Press has found.

A Pentagon study looked at risk factors for every command in the U.S. military. Researchers found the Navy's high rate of sexual assault and harassment can be traced back to sea duty among some commands.

Inflexible work schedules and lack of support can make it tough for new mothers in the military to keep breastfeeding their children.

The VA says that while the overall suicide rate among veterans dipped slightly in 2016, it jumped by 10 percent for younger veterans.

Gazwan Alsharif was a translator for the U.S. Army during the war in Iraq — until he was arrested as a double agent and tortured for over a month. Released with an apology, he attempted to rebuild his life as an openly gay man in San Francisco. His many-layered story is captured in the film "From Baghdad To The Bay" and will be screened Friday night at GI Film Festival.

The VA has opened more call centers and hired hundreds of additional responders after complaints that some callers experienced long hold times or were sent to voicemail.

The festival includes 34 films either by or about veterans and the military experience. It runs through Sunday.