Blog Post

Daily News Brief 05.16.12
Posted by Jacob Worrell on May 16 2012

Here are some of today's top stories and happenings at IAVA.  Prefer to receive real-time updates about major stories and legislation that IAVA is tracking? Follow us on Twitter @IAVAPressRoom and click here to get the News Brief delivered to your inbox every morning.

MUST READS

1) White House threatens veto of House defense bill

The White House has threatened to veto the 2012 National Defense Authorization Act because of amendments by the House Armed Services Committee. Coming in at $642 billion, the bill is $8 billion greater than its predecessor. White House officials say the new bill runs counter to the Defense Department’s strategic review and adds unnecessary costs like a missile defense program on the East Coast.

2) Soldiers fail to seek PTSD treatment or drop out of therapy early, research finds

A study conducted by the U.S. military found most service members with symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder do not seek treatment, and those that do seek treatment tend to terminate the program before completion. The Veterans Crisis Line is available to all veterans 24/7, by phone at 1-800-273-TALK (8255) or online at http://www.veteranscrisisline.net.

3) As Trained Afghans Turn Enemy, a U.S.-Led Imperative Is in Peril

NATO’s strategy to transfer security to Afghan forces is endangered by “green on blue” attacks, writes Matthew Rosenberg in The New York Times. Twenty-two ISAF service members have been killed in 2012 by men wearing Afghan uniforms. NATO does not release data on the number of failed attacks on coalition forces.

AFGHANISTAN

• As Pakistan prepares to reopen supply routes for coalition forces, NATO invited Pakistan to a summit held in Chicago on Saturday.
• A bowling alley in the heart of Kabul represents the vast disparity between modern pleasures and everyday danger in Afghanistan.

IRAQ

• A suicide bomber detonated his truck at the gate of an Iraqi army base in northern Iraq, killing five.

MILITARY AFFAIRS

• Defense Secretary Panetta has ordered the Air Force to reduce the number of F-22 flights and accelerate a program to install backup oxygen generators.
• U.S. forces assisted Yemen forces in a major operation against al Qaeda on Tuesday.
• The former commander of U.S. nuclear forces has called on the United States to further reduce its nuclear arsenal.
• Two submariners have been found guilty of financial fraud under UCMJ.

NEW GREATEST GENERATION

• Active-duty service members and their families will be granted free access to national parks starting this Saturday.
• An Army surgeon crafts prosthetic limbs out of scrap metal for Afghans who lost their limbs to IEDs.
• Three Fort Lee soldiers worked in concert to save the life of an Army chaplain who suffered a heart attack.

INSIDE WASHINGTON

• On Tuesday, the Senate Armed Services Committee confirmed nominations for seven civilians to work in the Defense Department.

A wide-range of views, positions, and publications are represented in these articles. These views, positions and publications are not endorsed by nor do they necessarily represent the views of IAVA.

  Share:
 del.icio.us  digg  reddit  facebook  newsvine myspace twitter