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IAVA Daily Brief 11.19.09
Posted by Michael Houston on November 18

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 at www.twitter.com/iavapressroom.

MUST READS

1) Obama Says He Is Close to Afghan War Decision

President Obama said Wednesday he was "very close to a decision" on his strategy for the war in Afghanistan and would make his case to the American people in the next "several weeks." "I am very confident that when I announce the decision, the American people will have a lot of clarity about what we're doing, how we're going to succeed, how much this thing is going to cost," Obama said.  Most important, he said, was that he was asking "what's the end game on this thing, which I think is something that, unless you impose that kind of discipline, could end up leading to a multiyear occupation that won't serve the interests of the United States."  Obama added that his "preference" on Afghanistan "would be not to hand off anything to the next president," but did not indicate if that meant he planned to pull out most American troops by 2012. "We have a vital interest in making sure that Afghanistan is sufficiently stable, that it can't infect the entire region with violent extremism."

2) Coburn Lifts Hold on Vets Benefits Bill

The hold established by Sen. Tom Coburn (R-Okla) that delayed a final vote on the Veterans Caregiver and Omnibus Health Benefits Act of 2009 was lifted on Wednesday.  A new agreement will allow a final vote after senators consider an amendment that would pay for stipends, health care, counseling and other benefits for people taking care of severely disabled veterans. The Senate is now expected to take up and pass the bill this week, allowing House and Senate negotiators to begin work on a compromise measure that could become law this year.

3) Fort Carson Honors 15 Killed in Afghanistan

Fifteen soldiers from Fort Carson who were killed in Afghanistan last month were remembered in two memorial services at the post Wednesday. The first honored eight soldiers from Fort Carson's 4th Infantry Division, who were killed October 3 when insurgents attacked two U.S. outposts. The other honored seven soldiers from the post's 4th Engineer Battalion, who were killed in three incidents. Fort Carson says 32 soldiers from the post have been killed in Afghanistan, and 255 have been killed in Iraq.

AFGHANISTAN

During his inauguration speech earlier today, Afghan President Hamid Karzai pledged that the country will control its own security within five years, work to prosecute corrupt officials and to end the operation of private Afghan and foreign security companies within the next two years. "We are determined that by the next five years, the Afghan forces are capable of taking the lead in ensuring security and stability across the country," with foreign troops only responsible for support and training, he said.

Meanwhile, Hillary Rodham Clinton, on her first trip to Afghanistan as secretary of state, said Wednesday that President Karzai's inauguration provides a new chance for him to strengthen government accountability and take tangible steps to improve the lives of Afghan citizens.

NATO has delayed a meeting to discuss boosting forces in Afghanistan, in order to take all developments into account, including U.S. President Barack Obama's pending strategy announcement.  A NATO spokesman said on Wednesday that the force generation conference, which is expected on November 23, will take place in two parts. The November 23 meeting will proceed as planned, with focus on NATO's missions excluding Afghanistan, while the conference concerning Afghanistan will be held at a to be determined date in December. 

IRAQ

Vice President Tariq Hashimi vetoed the country's new election law Wednesday, throwing into new doubt the feasibility of holding crucial national elections in January.  According to Hashimi, the legislation does not provide for enough seats to represent Iraqi refugees who fled the violence of recent years and are living mostly in Syria and Jordan. Addressing a news conference, Hashimi said he did not expect his veto to delay the election because parliament could fix the problem "maybe in one session."

Earlier this week, Kurdish political leaders also threatened to boycott January's national elections unless Kurdish areas receive more seats in parliament. The Kurds had originally voted in favor of the law when it passed parliament, but doubt arose when they found out their provinces had received fewer seats than they believe they deserved. This delay could affect how quickly U.S. troops can come home.

Al Qaeda in Iraq is becoming more Iraqi and less dominated by foreigners as the insurgent group increasingly joins forces with Saddam Hussein's outlawed Baath party, U.S. General Ray Odierno said on Wednesday. "Al Qaeda in Iraq has transformed significantly in the last two years. What once was dominated by foreign individuals has now become more and more dominated by Iraqi citizens," Odierno said.  His comments reinforce accusations by the government of Shi'ite Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki that al Qaeda and former Baathists were working together to undermine improved security and elections expected in January.

MILITARY AFFAIRS

Reserve retirees, who have had to wait until age 60 before military health coverage begins, had been promised they could sign up for Tricare Reserve Select under a provision of the 2010 National Defense Authorization Act, which was signed by President Obama on Oct 28.  However, Tricare officials are warning that they may have to wait a year or longer for benefits to begin, as opposed to initial expectations of six to eight months.  The Reserve Officers Association has launched an effort to push the Department of Defense to move faster by getting congressional leaders involved. A Tricare statement warning of the delay says the new program requires Tricare to come up with "complex operational procedures, negotiate significant modifications to existing contracts and introduce changes in the Code of Federal Regulations."

The soldier who remains unaccounted for after being swept away by a river in Afghanistan on November 4 during a resupply mission, was identified Wednesday by the Defense Department as Sgt. Brandon Islip, 23, of Richmond, VA.  Fellow soldier Spc. Benjamin Sherman, 21, of Plymouth, MA also lost his life during the mission, although military divers found his body a week after the two disappeared.

President Obama "directly acknowledged for the first time" that the Guantanamo Bay military prisonwon't close as quickly as he had requested, according to the Washington Post. Early this year, Obama signed orders to close Guantanamo by January but "quickly encountered resistance from members of Congress opposed to moving prisoners to U.S. soil and from other countries they had hoped would accept detainees." In an interview with Fox News in Beijing on Wednesday, Obama admitted that the administration would not meet its January deadline, but that "we are on a path and a process where I would anticipate that Guantanamo will be closed next year," but added, "I'm not going to set an exact date because a lot of this is also going to depend on cooperation from Congress."

INSIDE WASHINGTON

A House subcommittee approved the Veterans Appeals Improvement and Modernization Act of 2009Wednesday; legislation that would reduce the amount of time it takes for a veteran to appeal a benefits decision.  The current process can add two to five years to the wait for benefits, but the proposed changes reduce that time by allowing the Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims to review an entire claim at once, not just one part at a time. 

New legislation that would create a pilot project providing $3 million in incentives for medical care professionals and medical administrators cleared the Senate earlier this week.  The purpose of the legislation is to increase recruiting and retention in rural areas, where many VA hospitals remain understaffed. 

During a CBS News interview on Wednesday, President Obama said that he'd fire whoever leaked internal discussions about troop levels in Afghanistan to the media. Defense Secretary Robert Gates has also expressed his anger that the deliberations, which revealed tension among top Obama staff and made the White House appear indecisive on the issue, became public information. "I think I am angrier than Bob Gates about it," Obama said. "For people to be releasing information during the course of deliberation-where we haven't made final decisions yet-I think is not appropriate," he said. When asked if it was a "firing offense?" "Absolutely," said the president.

CONGRESSIONAL SCHEDULE

THE SENATE

The Senate will convene at 9:30 a.m.

SENATE FLOOR ACTIVITY of INTEREST

S 1963 — Veterans’ Health Care Package

COMMITTEE HEARINGS of INTEREST

November 19, 2009 - Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs hearing on the Fort Hood shootings. 10:00 a.m., 342 Dirksen

FUTURE COMMITTEE HEARINGS of INTEREST

No issues at this time

THE HOUSE of REPRESENTATIVES



The House will convene at 10:0 a.m.

HOUSE FLOOR ACTIVITY of INTEREST

Postponed Suspension Votes:

S. 1599 - A bill to amend title 36, United States Code, to include in the Federal charter of the Reserve Officers Association leadership positions newly added in its constitution and bylaws (Sen. Leahy - Judiciary)

HOUSE COMMITTEE HEARINGS of INTEREST



November 19, 2009 - Veterans’ Affairs Subcommittee on Economic Opportunity Hearing: Adaptive Housing Grants 1:00 p.m.; 334 Cannon

FUTURE HOUSE COMMITTEE HEARINGS of INTEREST

December 2, 2009 Veterans’ Affairs Committee Hearing: VA Health Care Funding: Appropriations to Programs 10:00 a.m.; 334 Cannon HOB

December 3, 2009 Veterans’ Affairs Subcommittee on Economic Opportunity Roundtable 1:00 p.m.; 334 Cannon HOB

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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