Blog post

IAVA Daily Brief 6.30.10
Posted by Blake Henderson on June 30 2010

MUST READS

1) Deadliest month yet for NATO in Afghanistan
 
More than 100 foreign troops fighting in Afghanistan have already died in June, making it the deadliest month to date in the nine-year war.  Sources differ on whether the increase in deaths is because of new Taliban techniques or recent military offensives in militant strongholds.
 
2) At hearings, Elena Kagan defends approach to military recruiting
 
During the first full day of testimony by Elena Kagan in Senate Judiciary Committee hearings to decide whether she should be confirmed to fill the vacant Supreme Court seat, she defended her approach to military recruiting while she was dean of Harvard Law School. Her testimony is expected to continue on Wednesday.
 
3) Petraeus faces queries by war-weary Congress
 
During his confirmation hearing in front of the Senate Armed Services Committee, Gen. David Petraeus cautiously endorsed President Barack Obama's exit plan for the Afghan war, leaving himself room to recommend changes or delays as commander of the war. Petraeus has previously said that he would recommend putting off any large-scale withdrawal if security conditions in Afghanistan can't sustain it.  The committee approved his nomination on Tuesday, and the full Senate is expected to do so on Wednesday.

AFGHANISTAN

• An integral component of the operation to take back Kandahar province includes training the Afghan police, a force that is very much a work in progress. The forces suffer from lack of education, high dropout rates and drug use.  U.S. officials say the creation of a quality police force must happen if Afghanistan is to protect its own people - but it could be years before Afghan police are able to operate on their own.
• In Kabul, a UN vehicle was shot up at a busy traffic circle, and at least one person was killed. The attack came at an intersection near the US Embassy and an American military base.

IRAQ

• The summer heat has brought an electricity crisis for Iraq's government, faced with public anger over increasing costs and sporadic power. Two people were killed last weekend in Basra when protests over power shortages turned violent. Similar demonstrations have been held nearly every day since, forcing the resignation of Iraq's Electricity Minister.
• In dealing with its history, Iraq has been proceeding cautiously. Under Saddam Hussein, the study of history was a tool for indoctrination into the ways of the Baath Party. Now, reclaiming Iraq's history for its schoolchildren has been hampered by politics and fears of sectarian disagreements.

MILITARY AFFAIRS

• A failure in cleaning dental instruments properly at the John Cochran Veterans Administration Hospital in St. Louis, Missouri, may have put nearly 2,000 dental clinic patients at risk.  Patients started getting certified letters this week, advising them they may have been exposed to viruses like hepatitis and HIV.
• A New York City police officer was acquitted of assaulting an Iraq war veteran and lying about the confrontation, which was caught on videotape.
• Veterans have long been accustomed to a relatively easy mortgage process. Even borrowers with no down payment or a low credit score were usually granted VA home loans, in large part because VA insures a quarter of the loan amount. But about two years ago, lenders began limiting the conditions under which they would offer these mortgages, and industry executives say that since the start of the year, all the nation's major lenders have followed suit.
• Army 2nd Lt. Mark Armstrong Jr. graduated from the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, N.Y., marking the fifth consecutive generation of his family to do so.

INSIDE WASHINGTON

• The White House announced that Gen. Stanley McChrystal would be allowed to retire as a four-star general - and that they would do what it could to ensure he keeps that rank. McChrystal had been a four-star general for just over a year when he was relieved of duty as top commander of the war in Afghanistan. The rules state that McChrystal would have had to serve three years as a four-star officer to retain that rank, with its higher prestige and deeper retirement benefits.
• The Pentagon launched an Internet-based program to help servicemembers and other Americans living overseas vote more easily in November's elections.

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.

  Share:
 del.icio.us  digg  reddit  facebook  newsvine myspace twitter