Blog post

IAVA Daily Brief 09.04.09
Posted by Terrell Frazier on September 4

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) Advisers to Obama Divided on Size of Afghan Force

The Pentagon’s anticipated request for more troops to combat the insurgency in Afghanistan has reportedly divided senior advisers to President Obama as they try to determine the proper size and mission of the American effort there.  According to the New York Times, leading those with doubts is Vice President Joe Biden, who has expressed deep reservations about an expanded presence in Afghanistan on the grounds that it may distract from what he considers the more urgent goal of stabilizing Pakistan. On the other side are Richard C. Holbrooke, the special representative to the region, who shares the concern about Pakistan but sees more troops as vital to protecting Afghan civilians and undermining the Taliban and Al Qaeda.  Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton has also reportedly been vocal in favor of more troops. At press conference Thursday, Defense Secretary Robert Gates said he disagrees with people who say it’s time to get out of Afghanistan and noted that the Obama Administration's effort in the eight-year-old conflict is “only now beginning.”  “I don’t believe that the war is slipping through the administration’s fingers,” Gates said. “The nation has been at war for eight years. The fact that Americans would be tired of having their sons and daughters at risk and in battle is not surprising.”  Neither Gates nor Joint Chiefs Chairman Adm. Mike Mullen responded to questions Thursday about troop requests in Lt. General Stanley McChrystal's still-classified assessment of U.S. operations in Afghanistan.  Geoff Morrell, the Pentagon press secretary, cautioned that talk about troop levels was speculation. “Anyone who tells you that they know how many troops the commander is going to ask for and the options he may or may not present doesn’t know what he’s talking about, because that has not been determined yet,” Morrell said. He said that Sec. Gates has not made up his mind about what he would recommend to the president.

2) Faster troop withdrawal may save $1 trillion

The Congressional Budget Office issued a report Thursday estimating that a speedier withdrawal of U.S. troops from Iraq and Afghanistan could shave $1.1 trillion off the federal budget in the next decade.  Currently, the government is expected to allocate $7.4 trillion for defense-related spending for the period between 2010 and 2019.  Since 9/11, Congress has allocated $944 billion for Iraq and Afghanistan operations — $849 billion in direct spending by the Defense Department, $51 billion for diplomatic efforts, $42 billion to aid Iraq and Afghanistan police and military forces and $2 billion to cover costs such as increases in veterans benefits and services.  To achieve $1.1 trillion cost-savings, CBO estimates that a sharp reduction in troops over three years would mean the number of deployed troops has to fall from 160,000 in 2010 to 30,000 between 2013 and 2019.

3) Study Finds Federal Government Needs Massive Hiring Binge, VA Could Lead the Way

A government-wide survey released Thursday by the Partnership for Public Service indicates that the federal government needs to hire more than 270,000 workers for "mission-critical" jobs over the next three years, and that the Department of Veterans Affairs is in a prime position to lead the hiring surge.  According to the report, the VA is a "dramatic example" of an agency with pressing needs, as a result of the ongoing wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.  Over the next three years, PPS estimates the VA will need more than 48,000 hires, including 19,000 nurses and 8,500 physicians largely due to a significant number of baby-boomer federal workers reaching retirement age.

AFGHANISTAN

Two U.S. service members were killed Thursday in southern Afghanistan after a bomb detonated during patrol.  Early Friday, Afghan officials said a NATO jet blasted two fuel tankershijacked by the Taliban in northern Afghanistan, setting off a huge fireball that killed up to 90 people, including 40 civilians who were siphoning fuel from the trucks.  NATO command said a “large number of insurgents” were killed or injured in the pre-dawn attack near the village of Omar Khel in Kunduz province.

IRAQ

Iraq's Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki has reportedly asked the U.N. Security Council to investigate recent bombings outside two government ministry buildings in Baghdad and prosecute the alleged perpetrators.  According to Iraq’s U.N. Ambassador Hamid Al Bayati, Maliki sent a letter recently to Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon requesting the U.N. chief ask the Security Council to establish an independent investigation commission and an international tribunal.  Following the Aug. 19^th bombing that killed 100 people, Maliki and other Iraqi officials have blamed an alliance between al-Qaida in Iraq and Saddam Hussein's outlawed Baath Party in Syria for the pair of truck bombings that hit the Foreign and Finance ministries in Baghdad.

MILITARY AFFAIRS

The National Military Family Association in partnership with the Sierra Club announced it will sponsor Operation Purple Family Retreats for service members and their families who have experienced deployments within the last 15 months.  The families are eligible to attend a free four-day camp at one of four national park locations.  They will be paired with specialized field science educators who will guide them through activities like nature hikes, canoeing, beach exploration, and arts and crafts as well as a program designed to the families build resiliency to face the challenges of multiple deployments.  Click here for more details.

Officials at Pensacola Naval Hospital are warning patients to monitor their financial records after a computer disappeared with personal information on 38,000 patients who use the hospital’s pharmacy in the past year.  The laptop did not contain patient medical records, but it had disability ratings and spouse information for some patients.  Hospital commander Capt. Maryalice Morro said Thursday there is no evidence the information has fallen into malicious hands and may have been disposed of.

INSIDE WASHINGTON

Congress is in recess until September 8^th.

CONGRESSIONAL SCHEDULE

THE SENATE

The Senate is on recess until September 8th.
 
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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