Blog post

IAVA Daily Brief 08.27.09
Posted by Michael Houston on August 27

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.

MUST READS  

1) Army Report: Gaps in Training for Recovery Unit

According to a report recently obtained by The Associated Press, the military has not adopted standards for how soldiers recovering in special Army medical units and their commanders should act, resulting in “inconsistent application of Army regulations and discipline,” according to the report’s executive summary by the Army Surgeon General. The soldier are part of the Warrior Transition program, established two years ago, is designed for active-duty soldiers who require “a Medical Evaluation Board or has complex medical needs requiring six months or more of treatment or rehabilitation.” Although expectations of soldiers in Warrior Transition Units have been clarified since the review was completed in May, Army officials say a new standard has not been created. To build the relationship with their injured soldiers, company commanders are now required to meet with their troops one-on-one, and staffers are required to complete a two-week course on dealing with medical issues such as issues Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) and Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD).

2) Mullen Offers Grim Afghan Assessment

Navy Adm. Michael Mullen, the Joint Chiefs of Staff chairmen, has given a grim review of the conflict in Afghanistan. Speaking to the Boston Globe, Adm. Mullen stated, "This is the eighth year, but there is a newness here. There is a starting again, or starting over. Iraq has been the focus. It hasn't been Afghanistan.” His statements come in advance of the new assessment by Army Gen. Stanley McChrystal, the top U.S. commander in Afghanistan, to be released in the coming weeks, in which he is expected to request more troops.

3) Files Prove Pentagon Is Profiling Reporters

According to documents obtained by Stars and Stripes, the Pentagon has been grading reporters’ coverage of the U.S. military on a scale of “positive,” “neutral,” or “negative.” The documents also show that “the ratings are intended to help Pentagon image-makers manipulate the types of stories that reporters produce while they are embedded with U.S. troops.” The Pentagon stated the military stopped using the scale in October, and that they only look for accuracy in reporters’ stories. Rear Adm. Greg Smith, director of communications for the International Security Assistance Force in Afghanistan, responded to the recent Stars and Stripes report in an email stating, “To imply journalists embedded with our forces only serve to highlight positive aspects of our mission slights the professional journalists who regularly embed with our forces and report what they experience, both good and bad.”

AFGHANISTAN

As presidential vote tallies continue, incumbent President Hamid Karzia steadily increased his lead again top challender Abdullah Abdullah, the country’s former foreign minister. The latest numbers put Karzai at 44.8 percent of the vote, over Abduallah’s 35.1 percent, but still short of the 50 percent threshold that would prevent a two-man runoff. For more on Abduallah Abdullah, click here.

Although not as technologically advanced as those in Iraq, IED attacks in Afghanistan are rising at dramatic rates. In response, the military is increasing the number of explosive ordinance disposal experts by 50 percent, and increase the number of specially designed MRAP’s, or Mine Resistant Ambush Protected, All-Terrain Vehicles – M-ATVs, by 5,000, on top of the 3,500 already there.

Meanwhile, a shortage of civilian experts in Afghanistan has made rebuilding projects, such as farming, irrigation, and the establishment of the rule of law, a slow process. Multiple issues contribute to the delays, including finding the right people with the right skills, the remote nature of many areas, and security, where dangerous conditions prevent private charitable groups and nongovernmental organizations from operating securely.

IRAQ

The United States hopes that Iraq and Syria will resume dialogue after Syria recalled their envoys to the country, in response to allegations that they are sheltering insurgents, which Iraq has repeated asked them hand over. The incident sets back recent efforts to built ties between the two countries, which have been improving since the US-led invasion in 2003. 

Meanwhile, 22-year-old 2nd Lt. Joseph D. Fortin, a Fort Hood soldier of St. Johnsbury, VT., died Thursday when his vehicle was targeted by insurgents. His death brings the number of U.S. servicemembers lost in Iraq to at least 4,335 since the war began in March 2003.

In other news, a Picasso painting believed to have been stolen during the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait in 1990 was reportedly found in just south of Baghdad. The painting is worth about $12 million.

MILITARY AFFAIRS

Fort Benning is investigating the suspected suicides of two soldiers, one that occurred earlier this month and the other in July. There have been three confirmed suicides by Fort Benning soldiers this year. From January to July, there have been 96 reported suicides, 62 of which have been confirmed, and 34 still pending determination. Last year in the same time period there were 79 suicides among active duty soldiers.

Two new Tricare programs launched on August 1 will now give servicemembers and family members in the U.S. access to marriage counselors and psychologist online from home. The Tricare assistance Program, TRIAP, will help them deal with stress, family and relationship problems, anxiety and other issues and Research has shown that counseling by phone, e-mail or videoconferencing is as effective as face-to-face meetings, said DeeAnna Nagel, a member of an American Counseling Association’s cybercounseling task force.

Yesterday Sen. Daniel Akaka (D-Hawaii) held a hearing at the Oahu Veterans Center in Salt Lake to get ideas from those who spent time on the front line on how to further help men and women who come home from war zones with injuries. Many recommendations were presented, including mandatory counseling, both one-on-one or in groups, for returning veterans. For more on IAVA’s recommendations, visit www.iava.org/dc.

INSIDE WASHINGTON

Senator Edward Kennedy will be buried in Arlington National Cemetery, where his brothers, former President John F. Kennedy and former Sen. Robert F. Kennedy are also laid to rest. Kennedy is eligible for burial at Arlington by virtue of his service in Congress as well as his two years in the Army, 1951 to 1953. He was a private first class and served in the military police at Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe, then located in Paris and now in Belgium.

CONGRESSIONAL SCHEDULE

THE SENATE

The Senate is on recess until September 8th.

FUTURE COMMITTEE HEARINGS of INTEREST

August 26, 2009 SVAC will hold a field hearing to address the construction of VA facilities, and in particular the proposed CBOCs in Brunswick, Georgia and Hinesville, Georgia. The hearing may also discuss overall health care access issues in rural areas, such as in the above cities. 2:30 p.m.; 1777 West Cherry St., Jesup, GA 31545 (Stack)

August 28, 2009 - SVAC will conduct a field hearing on the state of VA's services on Maui, to include an OIG report of the same. 10:00 a.m.; Maui Cultural Center (Vasquez)

THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

The House is on recess until September 8th.

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.

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