Blog post

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) Marines gear up for ‘major’ push into Afghan Taliban enclave

Thousands of U.S. Marines are preparing to take on a southern Afghanistan Taliban enclave in a massive show of force intended as a decisive start to President Barack Obama's "surge" of 30,000 extra troops. The assault, expected to begin within days, will trigger the start of what is expected to be a intense 2010 fighting season.

2) Gates: Changes coming for ‘senior mentor’ program

Defense Secretary Robert Gates promised "dramatic changes" in how the Pentagon uses retired officers to advise the military. The program came under fire after USA Today found that retired officers could make far more money as "senior mentors" than they did as active-duty officers.

3) Army recruiter’s apparent suicide attempt spotlights pressures

Experts say an Army recruiter’s apparent suicide attempt underscores the pressures put on recruiters to fill the all-volunteer ranks for the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, even as the recruiters may be experiencing symptoms of PTSD themselves. Nationally, 17 military recruiters committed suicide from 2001 to 2008.

AFGHANISTAN

Nawa, a town of 90,000 in Afghanistan’s treacherous Helmand Province, is being showcased as an example of how to stabilize towns in the midst of the counterinsurgency.

The 10th Mountain Division headquarters will deploy to Afghanistan this fall, officials confirmed Wednesday.

IRAQ

Iraq has lifted a ban on nearly 500 candidates barred from the March election for alleged links to the late Saddam Hussein's Baathist party.

The third group of Iraqi women recruits are seeking to join the 66 other female soldiers in the Iraqi army. According to U.S. officials, the goal is to eventually have full integration of women in the Iraqi army.

A motorcycle bomb killed 20 people and injured 117 others south of Baghdad. It was one of four attacks Wednesday morning targeting Shiite pilgrims.

MILITARY AFFAIRS

Shoshana Johnson, the first female black POW who was shot in the leg and held for 22 days in Iraq, released a book detailing her experience while in captivity.

German police confirmed two deaths after an Army UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter crashed Wednesday at 6:20 p.m. local time in the woods northeast of Mannheim, Germany.

Gen. Colin L. Powell, who as the nation’s top military officer in the 1990s opposed allowing gay men and lesbians to serve openly in the military, announced he supported efforts to end the “don’t ask, don’t tell” law.

INSIDE WASHINGTON

Al-Qaeda can be expected to attempt an attack on the United States in the next three to six months, senior U.S. intelligence officials told Congress.

Rep. John Murtha (D-Pa.) was placed in intensive care at a Virginia hospital on Tuesday. Murtha, a Vietnam veteran, helms the House Appropriations Defense subcommittee.

The overall amount of money invested by world governments, including the U.S., in soldiers, weapons and war has been largely unaffected by the global economic downturn, a think tank said in a report published Wednesday.

CONGRESSIONAL SCHEDULE

THE SENATE

The Senate will convene at 10:00 a.m.

SENATE FLOOR ACTIVITY 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

February 16 - 17, 2010 SVAC will conduct field hearings in Anchorage and Fairbanks, Alaska, on benefits and health care issues, to be conducted by Sen. Mark Begich (D-AK)

THE HOUSE of REPRESENTATIVES



The House convenes at 9:00 a.m.

HOUSE FLOOR ACTIVITY of INTEREST

No issues today

HOUSE COMMITTEE HEARINGS of INTEREST



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

FUTURE HOUSE COMMITTEE HEARINGS of INTEREST



 February 10, 2009 House Veterans' Affairs Subcommittee on Health Hearing: The Veterans Health Administration’s Fiscal Year 2011 Budget 2:00 p.m.; 334 Cannon HOB

February 11, 2010 House Appropriations Subcommittee on Military Construction, Veterans Affairs, and Related Agencies hearing: VA’s budget requests for Fiscal Years 2011 and 2012. Time and Location: TBD.

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 .