Blog Post

IAVA Daily News Brief 11.29.11
Posted by Jim Drury on November 29 2011

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 and click here to get the News Brief delivered to your inbox every morning.

MUST READS

1) Decorated Marine Sues Contractor

Medal of Honor recipient Corporal Dakota Meyer is suing his former employer, defense contractor BAE Systems, after a dispute over the company's decision to sell high-tech sniper scopes to Pakistan resulted in Cpl. Meyer leaving the company. Cpl. Meyer accuses BAE of retaliating by reporting him to be mentally unstable to a Pentagon official, a charge that blocked his employment with another defense contractor.

2) Military's Brain-Testing Program A Debacle

A study co-conducted by NPR and ProPublica found that U.S. military leaders are failing to fully embrace a Congressional order that seeks to identify service members with traumatic brain injury. The program in question, automated neural psychological assessment metrics or ANAM, is also charged with being fundamentally flawed in its execution.

3) What will automatic budget cuts mean to vets?

After the Supercommittee failed to agree on $1.2 trillion in cuts, veteran service organizations are concerned that veterans programs may be open to cuts. Under the current arrangement, $600 billion in cuts for non-security spending could potentially affect veterans programs, and neither VA officials nor House lawmakers have been able to guarantee that veterans will not suffer from budget blowback.

4) Backed by retired Lt. Gen., 'Not Alone' helps veterans from all wars deal with PTSD

With the support of a retired Lt. Gen., combat veteran Mike Jones has co-founded “Not Alone,” an organization that helps veterans suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder by reaching out to them over the internet. As a veteran of Vietnam, Mike Jones knows firsthand the crippling impact PTSD can have on service members. “Not Alone” encourages veterans of all generations to reach out and get the help they need to regain the joy of life.

AFGHANISTAN

• With targeted killings on the rise, NATO officials suspect that insurgents have begun using “death squads” to terrorize the Afghan people into submission.

• Coalition forces have announced that they will withdraw 40,000 troops by the end of 2012; 33,000 of these service members will be drawn from American forces.

• U.S. officials claim that Saturday’s deadly attack on Pakistani outposts by coalition forces was deliberately provoked by insurgents, who seek to drive a wedge between Pakistan and the U.S.

IRAQ

• One person has been killed and two have been injured by an explosion in the Green Zone of Baghdad.

• A soldier serving in Iraq rushed 7,000 miles home to Louisiana just in time to witness the birth of his son.

MILITARY AFFAIRS

• A family who lost their son in Iraq has been reunited with a puppy that the Army Specialist held the night before he was killed.

• An Iraq veteran wounded by a rogue tear gas canister at Occupy Oakland is out of the hospital but still recovering from his injuries.

INSIDE WASHINGTON

• On Wednesday, the Senate will vote on the 2012 defense policy bill, which would allow for pay raises for service members and more funds for transition programs, if passed.

• Congress has begun to investigate mortuary operations at Dover Air Force base, which has come under scrutiny for its abhorrent handling of the remains of the fallen.

• On Tuesday, the House will vote on a measure that would allow the TSA to expedite the security screening process for troops and their families.

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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