IAVA Daily Brief 07.24.09

Here are some of today's top stories and happenings at IAVA. Prefer to receive real-time updates on major news and legislation IAVA is tracking? Follow us on Twitter at @iavapressroom [1].

MUST READS

(1) Senate OKs defense bill mandating mental health screening for troops, veterans [2] By an 87-7 vote [3] late Thursday night, the Senate passed a $680 billion 2010 defense authorization bill, which includes a critical mental health provision requiring the Department of Defense (DOD) to conduct confidential face-to-face mental health screenings by a certified professional for every servicemember returning from combat. “For far too long, the military has deferred to an ineffective paperwork system to address the invisible wounds of men and women coming home. It’s no wonder that less than half of those with a mental health injury are getting treatment.” said IAVA Executive Director Paul Rieckhoff. “Like any battle, our military must be properly equipped to defeat the enemy. Today, we are one step closer to accomplishing this mission. Mandatory mental health screenings by a certified professional has been a top priority for IAVA for many years. Today’s action will go a long way towards reducing stigma and getting our heroes the help they need.” Currently, the DoD relies on an inadequate, antiquated system of paperwork to conduct mental health evaluations. These forms are not necessarily reviewed by qualified health professionals, there are serious disincentives for troops to fill them out accurately, and the system was only universally implemented years after the current conflicts began. Under the new provision, the DOD will be required to conduct service members’ screenings in a private, clinical setting with health professionals certified to identify mental health injuries. In total, the 2010 NDAA, which cuts off controversial production for Lockheed Martin's F-22 fighter jets and scuttles a secondary engine for the new Joint Strike Fighter, includes funding authorization for $130 billion for the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan for the new fiscal year starting October 1st.

(2) Fallen OEF Soldier to Receive Medal of Honor [4]

The U.S. Army confirmed Thursday that Afghanistan veteran Sgt. 1st Class Jared C. Monti has been awarded the Medal of Honor from President Barack Obama. Monti, a native of Raynham, Massachusetts, was on his second tour serving Operation Enduring Freedom with the 3rd Squadron, 71st Calvary, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division (Light Infantry) out of Fort Drum, N.Y. when he was killed June 21, 2006, as he attempted to help two fellow soldiers under enemy fire. President Obama phoned his parents, Janet and Paul Monti, with the news late Tuesday, a spokesman said. The Medal of Honor is the highest award for valor in action against an enemy force which can be bestowed upon an individual serving in the Armed Services of the United States. Monti will become the sixth service member to receive the Medal of Honor during operations in Iraq and Afghanistan and the first soldier to receive the nation’s highest award for valor in Afghanistan. Navy Lt. Michael Murphy is the only other service member to receive the award for actions in Afghanistan.

(3) Army Brass Conduct Before Afghan Attack Is Questioned [5]

The Washington Post reports this morning that Sen. James Webb (D-VA) of the Senate Armed Services Committee and an Army historian are raising serious questions about the performance of Army commanders prior to a Taliban assault that killed nine U.S. soldiers at a remote outpost in eastern Afghanistan in July 2008. Webb (D-Va.) told the Post that he has asked the Pentagon's inspector general to conduct a formal examination of the Taliban assault and suggested that the Army may have mishandled an investigation of the incident, cited the past investigation into the death of Army Cpl. Pat Tillman, a well-known football player who was killed by friendly fire in Afghanistan in April 2004. "The manner in which the Army mishandled the aftermath of Pat Tillman's tragic death raised serious questions about the integrity of some who held high positions in its leadership structure," Webb said."This incident raises similar questions. Its importance is not merely to provide lessons learned for future operations. It speaks directly about the Army's ability to speak honestly to itself and to the American public." The attack on the outpost in the village of Wanat was among the deadliest of the war in Afghanistan. The Army concluded a few months later that Afghan government leaders in the area had conspired with the enemy before the assault.

AFGHANISTAN

U.S. military officials announced Thursday that a U.S. service member [6] was killed in an insurgent attack in the Afghanistan’s volatile south, raising to 35 the number of American troops to die in the Afghan war this month. In a separate incident early Friday, a roadside bomb killed two more American service members [7] in the same region. A military spokeswoman also said Thursday that an investigation into the disappearance of Pfc. Bowe Berghdal [8] – status “missing-captured” since June 30^th- is one of the largest operations in Afghanistan right now. “We are continuing to do everything we can to get him back safe," spokeswoman Christine Sidenstricker said.

Meanwhile, U.S. military officials in Afghanistan have reportedly issued a halt to the practice of releasing the number of militants killed [9] in fighting with American-led forces as part of an overall strategy shift and an effort to portray to the Afghan people a different U.S. approach to the war. Nonethless, U.S. counterterrorism officials speaking on condition of anonymity said Thursday that Saad bin Laden [10], a son of al-Qaida leader Osama bin Laden, may have been killed in a U.S. airstrike. The son was likely killed in Pakistan in the last several months, approximately in late spring. Officials have said Saad went to Iran and was held under a form of house arrest from 2003 to 2008, before turning up in Pakistan, where his father has reportedly been in hiding somewhere in the ungoverned border region near Afghanistan.

Though Afghan President Hamid Karzai is still widely considered the front-runner in the upcoming Aug. 20^th presidential election, New York Times reports today that Dr. Abdullah Abdullah [11] is emerging as a serious contender and one that could force the long-anticipated election into a run-off. Abdullah, 48, an ophthalmologist with a background that includes years of resistance to Soviet and Taliban rule and a 5-year stint as Karzai’s foreign minister, presently has the backing of the largest opposition group, the National Front. He is viewed as the one candidate among the field of 41 with a chance of forcing Karzai into a runoff, which would only occur if the top two candidates do not win more than 50 percent of the votes in the first balloting. Abdullah is seen as part of a younger generation of Afghans keen to move away from the nation’s reliance on warlords and older mujahedeen leaders. Late Thursday, Abdullah and ex-Finance Minister Ashraf Ghani faced off in Afghanistan’s first televised presidential debate [12] - which went ahead despite a decision by President Hamid Karzai not to take part.

IRAQ

An American soldier [13] died of non-combat related injuries in an eastern section of Baghdad on Friday, according to U.S. military officials. Details were pending notification of the family.

On his first trip to the U.S. since 2006, Iraqi President Nouri al-Maliki [14] admitted Thursday in a speech at the U.S. Institute of Peace in Washington that U.S. troops could stay in his country beyond 2011. Under the U.S.-Iraq Status of Forces agreement, which sets out a timetable for the withdrawal of U.S. forces from Iraq, American troops must exit the country by December 31, 2011. However, Maliki said Thursday: "The security relations between the Americans and the Iraqis ... is a relationship based on co-operation and all the foundations and rules that were put forth in the agreements. Nevertheless, if the Iraqis require further training and support we shall examine this at that time, based on the needs of Iraq." His comments mark a shift in his position and come less than a month after U.S. troops pulled out of Iraq's towns and cities, handing sole control of security in the areas to domestic security forces. Earlier, Maliki, whose disparaging comments about U.S. troops have drawn criticism from American officials recently, visited Arlington Cemetery [15] on Thursday to lay a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknowns. Flanked by honor guards from each branch of the armed forces, Maliki stood respectfully at attention during a brief ceremony and left without comment.

In other news, Hollywood megastar and UN goodwill ambassador Angelina Jolie [16] made a surprise visit Thursday to a refugee camp in Baghdad for Iraqis displaced by the war. Jolie toured the Chikouk camp in northern Baghdad's Kadhimiyah neighborhood as part of a one-day visit to Iraq with the UN High Commissioner for Refugees.

MILITARY AFFAIRS

The U.S. Navy confirmed Thursday that Petty Officer Jonathan Campos of Lancaster has been charged in military court with murder and other offenses in the shooting death of Seaman August Provost [17] at Camp Pendleton last month. According to Provost’s family, the 29-year-old’s shooting may have been a hate crime because he was gay and had complained of being harassed about his sexuality in the days before his death. Navy officials continue to reject those claims and say there is no record of Provost filing a harassment report. Campos, a 32-year old gas system technician, is being held at the brig and is cooperating with investigators

INSIDE WASHINGTON

New York Senator Kirsten Gillibrand [18] (D-N.Y.) who said last week she was considering an amendment to a defense bill mandating a stay on discharges under "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" has decided against introducing the measure after determining there aren't enough votes for passage. Last week, Gillibrand was considering an amendment to the fiscal year 2010 defense authorization bill that would have placed an 18-month moratorium on discharges of gay service members from the U.S. armed forces. But Matt Canter, a Gillibrand spokesperson, said Wednesday that the senator determined there weren't 60 votes available for a vote of cloture on the amendment. "She was working for about a week to assess support among her colleagues for the measure," he said. "It does not appear that we're going to have the 60 votes needed to overcome a filibuster. So she's not going to pursue the moratorium amendment at this time." However, Sen. Ted Kennedy (D-Mass.) is reported slated to introduce a bill for full repeal of "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" in the Senate. In the House, Rep. Patrick Murphy (D-Pa.) took over as lead sponsor of repeal legislation earlier this month.

CONGRESSIONAL SCHEDULE

THE SENATE

The Senate will convene at 9:00 a.m.

FUTURE COMMITTEE HEARINGS of INTEREST

July 29, 2009 - SVAC will hold a hearing entitled, "Review of Veterans' Disability Compensation: Forging a Path Forward." 9:30 a.m.; 418 Russell (Smith)
August 2, 2009 - SVAC will conduct a field hearing on VA’s outreach to returning Guardsmen. 10:00 a.m.; Oahu Veterans Center (Vasquez)
August 28, 2009 - SVAC will conduct a field hearing on the state of VA’s services on Maui, to include an OIG report of the same. 10:00 a.m.; Maui Cultural Center (Vasquez)

THE HOUSE of REPRESENTATIVES

The House will convene at 9:30 a.m.

FUTURE HOUSE COMMITTEE HEARINGS of INTEREST

July 30, 2009 - Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations Hearing: The Implications of VA’s Limited Scope of Gulf War Illness Research 10:00 a.m.; 334 Cannon HOB

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