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The Duffel Brief · the free edition, Monday, Wednesday and Friday

Vol. 15 · No. 121 · Friday, 9 October 2026

Pentagon

Hegseth opens up new TradWife MOS

Army says new career field will allow warfighters to focus on lethality while someone else remembers the kids

DTS works properly after hack by rogue AI

Lincoln sailor returning from deployment already broke

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Vol. 15 · No. 121

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Vol. 15 · No. 121 · Deployed worldwide

Friday

9 October 2026

1803 Zulu

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← Front page
Army · Page 4

Black mold replaces black knights as official Army mascot

Filed · 1531

WEST POINT, N.Y. – The United States Military Academy at West Point announced today that all academy sports teams, previously known as the “Black Knights,” are re-named the “Black Mold” in solidarity with Army families suffering from the deadly spores in military quarters.

The re-naming is a reaction to recent Congressional inquiries into the deteriorating state of living quarters throughout the Department of Defense. Multiple service members and their families report being plagued by persistent black mold as well as mice, rats, and other disease-inducing conditions. The plight of quarters residents invoked outrage in Congress and support from West Point.

“We sympathize with Army personnel and families suffering from black mold, said USMA historian Allison Wright, “and we understand the value of tradition. Believe it or not, we’ve never been certain how that ‘Black Knight’ nickname started, but black mold is actually a deep-rooted Army tradition.”

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