Five Things to Know, Oct. 16, 2023

1.      Retired military service members and disabled veterans will see a smaller cost-of-living increase in their benefits payments in January due to slowing inflation across the United States, federal officials said. The Social Security Administration said its annual benefits increase, which occurs at the start of each year and is formally known as the cost-of-living adjustment, or COLA, will be 3.2% for 2024. The federal retirement and disability systems that pay benefits to veterans are required by law to make cost-of-living increases at the same rate.

2.      Egypt’s president criticized Israel’s military operation in Gaza in a stern pushback Sunday to the United States as America’s top diplomat extended his frenetic travels across the Mideast trying to prevent the war with Hamas from igniting a broader regional conflict. With an Israeli ground offensive looming, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken reaffirmed in some of his strongest language to date that Washington would stand with Israel “today, tomorrow and every day” in a partnership of shared democratic values, but that Israel must take “every possible precaution to avoid harming civilians.” He leveled no direct public criticism of Israel or its bombing campaign that has killed civilians in Gaza.

3.     Within hours of the horrific attack by Hamas, the U.S. began moving warships and aircraft to the region to be ready to provide Israel with whatever it needed to respond. A second U.S. carrier strike group departs from Norfolk, Virginia, on Friday. Scores of aircraft are heading to U.S. military bases around the Middle East. Special operations forces are now assisting Israel's military in planning and intelligence. The first shipment of additional munitions has already arrived.

4.    More than two-thirds of active duty service members are within the overweight or obese ranges of the body mass index, according to a report by the American Security Project. Defense Department data shows that the obesity rate, calculated using a person’s age, height and weight, has more than doubled over the past decade, from 10% to roughly 21%. At the same time, more than half of young Americans now qualify as obese, and it’s the no. 1 disqualifier for recruiting prospects.

1.    A B-52H Stratofortress will make a rare landing on the Korean Peninsula this week to showcase an “ironclad commitment” to the U.S.-South Korea alliance, the U.S. military announced Monday. The Air Force bomber will also conduct a pair of flyovers during the Seoul International Aerospace and Defense Exhibition, between Tuesday and Sunday, according to a statement from U.S. Forces Korea.