New Mexico National Guard members are among people being asked to consider volunteering as substitute teachers amid higher teacher absences due to the coronavirus and a severe shortage of substitutes. The state said 50 Guard members have volunteered to become licensed as substitute teachers, as has Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham.

The National Guard's Office of Complex Investigations can currently only investigate sexual assault charges between service members that local law enforcement declines to prosecute if state leaders initiate an inquiry. Rep. Jackie Speier, D-Calif., advised a military personnel subcommittee hearing that she intends to continue pursuing a solution. National Guard Bureau Chief Gen. Daniel Hokanson, at the same hearing, said governors hold the authority to decide about such cases.

A group of 141 Democratic House lawmakers is pressuring the Pentagon to waive copayment under military health insurance for contraceptive services by classifying them as "preventative medical care." A provision that would have waived the copayments from becoming part of the recently enacted defense authorization law failed to be included.

Two California Army National Guard members took top honors as 120 Army and Air National Guard members from 35 states and territories participated in the All Guard Endurance Team competition Jan. 15 in Austin, Texas. One goal of the event is to serve as a recruiting tool.

The VA announced that US Veterans now will be able to identify as nonbinary or transgender in their official medical records. In a statement, VA secretary Denis McDonough called the decision "essential for their general well-being and overall health" and said it would help the agency better serve veterans' needs in the future.

The South Carolina National Guard hopes to build a cutting-edge cybersecurity center at the University of South Carolina's Aiken County campus. The facility "will be a portal into the entire cyber enterprise of South Carolina," Maj. Gen. Brad Owens told state lawmakers.