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IAVA | November 23, 2015

IAVA Daily News Brief – November 23, 2015

Sailors direct an EA-18G Growler, assigned to the “Patriots” of Electronic Attack Squadron (VAQ) 140, on the flight deck of aircraft carrier Harry S. Truman. | Military Times >>
Sailors direct an EA-18G Growler, assigned to the “Patriots” of Electronic Attack Squadron (VAQ) 140, on the flight deck of aircraft carrier Harry S. Truman. | Military Times >>

 

Today’s Top Stories

2 high-ranking VA officials demoted
Two high-ranking officials at the Department of Veterans Affairs were demoted Friday in response to allegations that they manipulated the agency’s hiring system for their own gain. | Associated Press >>

VA May Not Issue Veteran ID Cards Until 2017
The new veteran identification card to be issued by the Veterans Affairs Department will not be available before 2017. The wallet-sized proof of veteran status is intended to be a substitute for a paper document given to all veterans upon discharge. | Military.com >>

Homelessness on the decline; biggest drop among veterans
Homelessness in the United States is on the decline, data newly released by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development indicate, with the sharpest drop seen among veterans in the past five years. | UPI >>

Afghanistan

Unidentified gunmen in Afghanistan on Saturday kidnapped 14 bus passengers believed to be from the Hazara ethnic minority, 10 days after the killing of seven Hazaras by militants sparked one of the biggest protests in Kabul in years. | Reuters >>

Afghan investigators blamed leadership failings on Saturday for the Taliban’s capture of the city of Kunduz in September, a finding that may deepen concerns about the government’s grip on security. | Reuters >>

A new road linking the Afghan capital with a trade hub near Pakistan has been stuck in the slow lane since a state-owned Chinese company took the contract to build it two years ago, bedevilled by militant attacks and accusations of mismanagement. | Reuters >>

Iraq

The United States and its allies conducted 16 strikes against Islamic State in Iraq and nine in Syria on Saturday, the coalition leading the operations said in a statement. | Reuters >>

France circulated a U.N. Security Council draft resolution Thursday that calls on all countries to “redouble and coordinate their efforts” to prevent further attacks by the Islamic State group and similar groups and “eradicate the safe haven they have established over significant parts of Iraq and Syria.” | Associated Press >>

The Army says a soldier from South Carolina has died during a non-combat incident at a military facility in Iraq. A spokeswoman for the Army says 19-year-old Pvt. Christopher Castaneda died Thursday at the Al Asad Air Base in Iraq. | Associated Press >>

Military Affairs

About 80 Marines will soon wrap up an historic deployment that placed them aboard a new type of ship and gave them the chance to rekindle an old Pacific alliance. | Marine Corps Times >>

The U.S. Navy’s newest combat ship will be formally commissioned in Wisconsin today after finishing her initial trials this summer in heavy Lake Michigan waves. The U.S.S. Milwaukee, also known as LCS5, has been docked in its namesake city since last weekend, when it arrived to the delight of spectators who’ve spent the past week gawking at and touring the gray armored vessel tied-up at Veteran’s Park. | MLive >>

How can you destroy a $115 million airplane without crashing it? Fly it upside down. That’s exactly what happened to one of the Air Force’s newest gunships, the AC-130J Ghostrider, this year, according to a report from Air Force Materiel Command released. | CNN >>

#VetsRising

A Marine veteran has beat the record for the number of pullups completed in a day, earning a spot in the annual Guinness Book of World Records book. Veteran Sgt. Guy Seaman, who goes by the name Guy Valentino, decided to spend Veterans Day besting a sailor’s pullup record. | Marine Corps Times >>

The first Anglers Anonymous Ventura Coast fishing event on Friday allowed more than a dozen veterans from the area to enjoy a beautiful day on the water, catching fish from the Erna-B. | Ventura County Star >>

Wayne found solace in his favorite hobby – working out – but he admits he will likely always struggle with the mental condition. Wayne, who is in the process of filming a documentary on PTSD and suicide awareness, hopes to help anyone who is suffering as a result of trauma. | AL.com >>

Inside Washington

U.S. Marine and novelist Phil Klay took to Twitter on Thursday to voice his disapproval of the House vote approving a bill that increases restrictions on Syrian refugees entering the U.S. | TIME >>

Known on Twitter as @MuslimMarine, Tayyib Rashid tweeted a photo of his own military ID to Donald Trump after the candidate’s comments started a controversy around a possible U.S. Muslim registry. Rashid joins MSNBC’s Lawrence O’Donnell. | MSNBC >>

Stinging from criticism that they have wasted millions of dollars by failing to develop an interoperable electronic health records system, Defense and Veterans Affairs department officials are touting the capabilities of the new Joint Legacy Viewer, a Web-based software program that allows medical personnel in both agencies to see and work with each others’ records. | Military Times >>

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