Blog post

IAVA Daily Brief 7.22.10
Posted by Blake Henderson on July 22 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 at www.IAVA.org/DailyNewsBrief.

NOTE: Please be advised the IAVA Daily News Brief will be on hiatus from Wednesday, July 28th through Friday, July 30th.

MUST READS

1) Mullen: Military needs leaders to address suicide issue
 
Navy Adm. Mike Mullen, the Chairman of the Join Chiefs of Staff, spoke to troops in South Korea and addressed the problem of suicides in the military.  He stressed the importance of support coming from the top to combat this problem. Last month, 32 soldiers committed suicide  - a record number.
 
2) MensHealth: Psycho Veteran, Qu'est-ce Que C'es
 
IAVA Executive Director and Founder Paul Rieckhoff spoke with Bob Drury about the stigma surrounding servicemembers in war films.  They discussed the recent crop of movies based on the current wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, as well as how more veterans need to break into Hollywood as screenwriters, directors, and actors, so that a more authentic story can be told.
 
3) The Washington Post: The secrets next door

The final installment of The Washington Post's investigation into the burgeoning intelligence community in America illustrates the hidden communities that exist in normal towns and neighborhoods across the country - and just how far the industry reaches.
 
AFGHANISTAN

• The United States' tactics in Afghanistan are being questioned as the Afghan people are holding the Americans to the promises they made and are looking for more immediate results.
• Army National Guard Sgt. Michelle Johnson, motivated by her experiences with women in Iraq and Afghanistan, has started the Afghanistan Midwifery Project, an organization that is donating medical equipment and training to the women in the region so they will be able to have safer, healthier births.
• The bazaars and markets throughout Kabul have been closed or under tight security for the most recent international conference in Kabul, causing some to lose their revenues for the week and making it difficult to pay their living expenses.

IRAQ

• The U.S. is on track to drawdown its force level in Iraq to 50,000 by August 31, as scheduled, but will maintain that robust level through summer 2011, according to Gen. Ray Odierno, the commander of U.S. forces in Iraq. He and top civilian officials in charge of Iraq are scheduled to meet with President Obama on Thursday.
• Governors of Massachusetts, Minnesota, Missouri, South Dakota, and Vermont are visiting Iraq to survey conditions as the drawdown happens.

MILITARY AFFAIRS

• The VA announced last year that they intend to eradicate veteran's homelessness in five years, but despite their efforts, there are still questions about whether they have committed enough resources towards achieving their goal.
• The VA is asking Congress to delay the effective date of any changes to the Post-9/11 GI Bill in order to avoid interference with the development and deployment of a new computer system that aims to streamline eligibility decisions and the calculation of benefits.
• Navy Adm. Mike Mullen reiterated his concerns about China's military buildup while in South Korea preparing to conduct a large-scale military exercise.

INSIDE WASHINGTON

• Congressional appropriations committees cut VA's requested fiscal 2011 information technology budget, with members saying it chose to hold back spending for some IT projects because they are behind schedule. The Senate sliced $160 million from VA's requested $3.31 billion IT budget request, and the House cut $85 million.
• The House Appropriations Committee voted to trim $7 billion out of Obama's defense budget request. This vote came after the Senate Appropriations Committee voted to cut $8.1 billion from the same budget.

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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