Blog post

IAVA Daily Brief 1.29.10
Posted by Terrell Frazier on January 26 2010

 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 or subscribe to receive the brief in your inbox each morning at www.iava.org/dailynewsbrief.

MUST READS

1) VA under ‘intense pressure’ to avoid delays in GI Bill payments

After significant delays, VA officials now say they have – for the most part – at least paid veterans their full benefits for the fall semester. According to experts, the VA is now under intense pressure to avoid delays for the spring semester. VA Secretary Eric Shinseki already promised that all colleges will be reimbursed by Feb. 1, assuming the paperwork was corrected and submitted by Jan. 19.

2) Defense officials seek better data on burn pits

A top military health official told doctors that cases of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and undiagnosed respiratory symptoms at Joint Base Balad — former home of Iraq’s largest burn pit — may be as much as 30 percent higher than at other bases. The official went on to argue that further research is required as there are a number of factors that may have led to such a spike.

3) Karzai lays out plans, predicts troop presence for up to 15 more years

Afghan President Hamid Karzai, meeting with world leaders in London on Thursday, laid out an ambitious agenda to fight corruption in his country and try to lure Taliban fighters away from the insurgency. Karzai added that he expects troops to stay in Afghanistan for up to 15 years.

AFGHANISTAN
Kai Eide, who will stand down as UN Special Representative in March, offered a dire assessment of the Afghan surge recently set in motion by President Obama, arguing that it will lead to deep resentments in the Afghan people.

According to the Times of London, British Prime Minister Gordon Brown is expected to end Thursday's conference on Afghanistan by announcing plans to start withdrawing troops "late this year or early next in the more benign provinces."

Protests briefly erupted in Kabul on Thursday after Western soldiers shot and killed an imam while he sat in a car with his three children in the backseat.

IRAQ

A key Al Qaeda in Iraq figure involved in smuggling hundreds of bombers across the border from Syria has been killed in a raid in northern Iraq, the U.S. military said Thursday.

Iraqis are now being trained by Advise and Assist Brigades, which are designed to concentrate less on combat and more on training and mentoring Iraqi security forces, reflecting the shift in the military’s role in Iraq.

MILITARY AFFAIRS
Alarmed by the suicides of eight soldiers in the year's first eight days, the Army's No. 2 general told commanders to have face-to-face contact with troops to remind them 'each one is valued by our Army.’

A recent study by Army War College argues that troops’ children deal “well” or “very well” with deployments. The study contradicts a RAND Corp. study that found military children “experienced greater emotional or behavioral difficulties than their civilian counterpart.”

The Pentagon is assigning more special forces personnel to Yemen as part of a broad push to speed the training of the country's counterterror forces in the wake of the failed Christmas Day attack on a crowded U.S. airliner.

INSIDE WASHINGTON

During President Obama’s State of the Union address he said he was confident of success in Afghanistan and that troops would come home from Iraq. He also promised a renewed commitment to military families and fighting terrorism.

The Senate Armed Services Committee will launch its hearings next week on the possibility of repealing the ban on open military service by gay and lesbian servicemembers.

CONGRESSIONAL SCHEDULE

THE SENATE

The Senate convenes at 9:30 a.m.

SENATE FLOOR ACTIVITY of INTEREST

No issues today

COMMITTEE HEARINGS of INTEREST

No issues today

FUTURE COMMITTEE HEARINGS of INTEREST

February 10, 2010  Senate Veterans' Affairs Committee hearing on VA’s FY 2011 Budget   9:30 a.m.; 418 Russell

THE HOUSE of REPRESENTATIVES



The House convenes at 12:00 p.m.

HOUSE FLOOR ACTIVITY of INTEREST

No issues today

FUTURE HOUSE COMMITTEE HEARINGS of INTEREST



February 3, 2010    HVAC Subcommittee on Health hearing entitled, Review of VA Contract Health Care: Project HERO.

February 3, 2010    HVAC Subcommittee on Disability Assistance and Memorial Affairs hearing entitled, „Implementation and Status Update on the Veterans‚ Benefits Improvement Act, P.L. 110-389.‰  2:00 p.m.; 334 Cannon

February 4, 2010  Full House Veterans' Affairs Committee Hearing:  VA‚s Budget Request for FY 2011 and FY 2012  10:00 a.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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