By Kevin Baron
Published: January 29, 2010
The Pentagon today announced Secretary Gates’ selections to the “independent panel” that Congress mandated in 2007 to review the Defense Department’s four-year national security strategy plan, or Quadrennial Defense Review, aka the QDR, which will be officially released on Monday, February 1.
Independent? In this town? You can’t throw a lobbyist into DC without hitting a former government official somewhere. Last week the president of the left-leaning Center for a New American Security trumpeted his own selection to the panel. By the way, the Pentagon’s policy chief in charge of the QDR, Michele Flournoy, was the last president of CNAS.
Maybe “bipartisan revolving door panel" is a better term. Let me explain.
The chairman and ranking member of the Armed Services committees each get to name two people. Democratic chair of the Senate side, Sen. Carl Levin, of Michigan, nominated CNAS president John Nagl and Charles Curtis, who is affiliated with the Center for Strategic and International Studies, and Ted Turner-funded Nuclear Threat Initiative. Independent, see?
Rep. Howard "Buck" McKeon, of California, is the ranking Republican on the House panel. His “independent” choices are Jim Talent, the longtime Missouri congressman, advisor to Mitt Romeny’s presidential campaign, and Heritage Foundation fellow; and Eric Edleman, a high-ranking Pentagon war planning official under the Bush administration. Independent all around, eh?
Here’s the rest of the list.
Pentagon appointees:
William J. Perry, co-chair (former secretary of defense under President Bill Clinton)
Stephen J. Hadley, co-chair (former national security advisor to President George W. Bush)
Richard L. Armitage (deputy secretary of state and outspoken Bush critic)
Jack Dyer Crouch II (deputy national security advisor to Bush; former assistant secretary of defense)
Rudy F. deLeon (VP at left-leaning Center for American Progress, deputy secretary of defense under Clinton, former House Armed Services Committee staff director)
Joan A. Dempsey (VP of Booz Allen, a major defense contractor, Bush’s executive director of the President’s Foreign Intelligence Advisory Board; and former deputy director of intelligence at Defense Intelligence Agency)
Sherri W. Goodman (VP and general counsel at CNA, former deputy undersecretary of defense for Clinton)
Retired Navy Adm. David E. Jeremiah (vice chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff under Gens. Colin Powell and John Shalikashvili, board member of several defense contractors)
Retired Army Gen. George A. Joulwan (former supreme allied commander under Clinton; director, General Dynamics)
Alice C. Maroni (chief financial officer of the Smithsonian Institution; former principal deputy under secretary of defense (comptroller); and staffer on House Armed Services Committee)
Retired Marine Lt. Gen. Paul Van Riper (chairman of the board of directors, Marine Corps Heritage Foundation; noted Vietnam and Desert Storm veteran and National Defense University lecturer, vocal critic of Sec. Rumsfeld’s “transformational” efforts)
Retired Air Force Gen. Larry D. Welch (former US Air Force chief of staff under Reagan; Defense Science Board, Welch investigated the Air Force’s nuclear mishaps; director at CACI International)
Members appointed by Congress are:
Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman, Sen. Carl Levin, D-Mich., appointees:
Charles Curtis (executive vp of Ted Turner-funded UN Foundation; undersecretary and deputy secretary of the Department of Energy)
Retired Army Lt. Col. John Nagl (president, Center for a New American Security)
Senate Armed Services Committee Ranking Member Sen. John S. McCain, R-Ariz., appointees:
Retired Army Gen. John (Jack) Keane (pictured, above; member, Defense Policy Board Advisory Committee; former vice chief of staff, US Army; contributor to Iraq “surge” strategy)
John F. Lehman Jr. (conservative think tank figure; former Navy secretary under Reagan; advisor to Sen. John McCain presidential campaign)
House Armed Services Committee Chairman Rep. “Ike” Skelton, D, appointees:
Richard H. Kohn (UNC history professor, former Air Force historian)
Retired Army Maj. Gen. Robert H. Scales Jr. (frequent news contributor and former university president and senior VP at Sylvan Learning)
House Armed Services Committee Ranking Republican Rep. Howard "Buck" McKeon, California, appointees:
Eric S. Edelman (under secretary of defense for policy under Bush)
James M. Talent (former Missouri congressman, advisor to Mitt Romeny presidential campaign, and Heritage Foundation fellow)
By Derek Turner
Published: January 29, 2010
Spending time with the U.S. soldiers dispatched to Haiti on a mission of mercy, Stars and Stripes reporter Megan McCloskey couldn't help but notice the odd reactions that the mission brought. Trained to fight and kill, soldiers found themselves in a place that looks very much like a warzone. But instead of hunting terrorists, they are delivering food and medicine. Some soldiers welcome the change. Some would rather be fighting.
In the Pacific, Travis Tritten follows up on a story he broke last week stating that the DOD Education Activity would recognize same-sex relationships when approving dual transfers for teachers. The news today is that the DOD, perhaps having second thoughts, is now reviewing the recently adopted policy.
And Teri Weaver reports that Guam's governor has sent a letter to the secretary of the Navy asking that plans for a massive military buildup on his island be slowed down. The military is meeting with several obstacles to the Pacific realignment effort, including continued political disputes in Japan over how to relocate an existing Marine Corps air station on Okinawa.
Also, in D.C., Leo Shane breaks down reaction to the president's mention of "don't ask, don't tell" in the State of the Union and tells us that DOD officials will be on the hill next week to present a plan for eventually overturning the controversial policy.
The Links:
Trained for war, troops finding a different mission in Haiti (Stars and Stripes)
DOD reviewing policy to recognize gay parterships in teacher transfers (Stars and Stripes)
Guam governor asks U.S. to delay military buildup (Stars and Stripes)
Awaiting clarity after Obama's call to end 'dont' ask, don't tell' (Stars and Stripes)
Army's suicide 'crisis' leads to action (USA Today)
GIs in Haiti there to help, but finding it hard (The Washington Post)
Lack of crowd control hampers aid to quake victims (The Washington Post)
Obama faces dwindling options in effort to close Gitmo (The Washington Post)
By Kevin Baron
Published: January 28, 2010
Several web sites are publishing a leaked early draft of the Quadrennial Defense Review.
The QDR is a four-year strategy outline for U.S. national security. The entire defense industry, and key lawmakers, are anxious to see what Gates has in mind for the next four years (and beyond, effectively) of the Defense Department.
By Megan McCloskey
Published: January 28, 2010
From Port-au-Prince, Haiti – The pancaked buildings are startling. The smell is unforgiving. But the one aspect of the disaster that has struck me the hardest is how the victims have been largely stripped of their dignity.
This is not a novel observation, but being here in the aftermath it’s a thought that keeps crossing my mind – especially since I have a camera in my hand. In fact, there are times when I just don’t take photographs.
At the hospital, the patients are broken and shriveled from dehydration – and they are on display. With the overflow, many patients are lined up along the streets of the hospital compound, shielding themselves from the sun with pieces of cardboard boxes.
In the States we would pull a curtain around us, cling to our privacy. Here, everything is out in the open.
I watched a woman on the street get an external pin drilled through her broken leg while people were all around, listening to her agony. Another delivered a baby with dozens of people in view. (I personally was appalled by one video-journalist who practically tried to point his camera right up her birth canal.)
But as one doctor said as he worked outside under a tarp: “This is not the time for modesty.”
[PHOTO: Megan McCloskey]
RELATED
"If you leave me, they will not help"
In Haiti, every day is like a new universe
By Derek Turner
Published: January 28, 2010
Today is a big day for Afghanistan, but not because of anything going on within its borders. Afghan government officials are attending a conference in London with 60 NATO foreign ministers. The theme of the meeting is Afghans taking control of their country, and the big news is the expected announcement of a reconciliation and reintegration program aimed at getting Taliban fighters to lay down their weapons and return to normal, peaceful society. Stars and Stripes reporter Geoff Ziezulewicz is in London at the conference, reporting the news and providing analysis of the long-awaited gathering.
Back in D.C., reporters Leo Shane and Kevin Baron were at the Capitol last night for President Barack Obama's State of the Union address. Specifically they were keeping their ears open for any news from Obama on hot military topics such as 'don't ask, don't tell' and the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. Check out the blog for a running stream of their thoughts and observations throughout the evening. And check back to Stripes.com later this morning for more in-depth, morning-after reaction to the president's brief mention of efforts to overturn the long-running policy prohibiting gays from serving openly in the military.
The Links:
In London, a way forward for Afghanistan (Stars and Stripes)
Live State of the Union coverage (Stars and Stripes Central blog)
Soldiers in Haiti to get extra pay entitlements (Stars and Stripes)
Air Force shortens time airmen have to make next rank (Stars and Stripes)
Afghan tribe signs pact to keep Taliban out (The Associated Press)
Pakistan seeks role as mediator in Afghan-Taliban talks (The Washington Post)
U.S. to send more special forces troops to Yemen (The Wall Street Journal)
AWOL soldier in stolen Humvee runs out of gas, luck (Fort Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel)
By Leo Shane
Published: January 27, 2010
Reporters Kevin Baron and Leo Shane will be in the Capitol tonight giving an inside look and instant reaction to military topics in President Obama's first State of the Union speech. Check back here starting at 7 p.m. to follow along.
By Leo Shane
Published: January 27, 2010
Along with the standard representatives from the Pentagon, a handful of key military figures will have front-row seats for tonight's State of the Union address.
The White House just moments ago unveiled the guest list for First Lady Michelle Obama's box the event tonight; Among the 25 invitees are seven with ties to the armed forces. Here's a closer look at their stories:
By Derek Turner
Published: January 27, 2010
While most of the attention regarding troop realignment in the Pacific continues to focus on Japan, frustrations are bubbling up on Guam, the small island expected to receive a massive influx of U.S. servicemembers. Stripes reporter Teri Weaver recently spent some time on the island talking with troops, politicians and citizens to get a feel for the progress of the project and how the greater military presence will be accepted. In the latest in a series of excellent dispatches, Teri tells us why Guam locals are concerned that the U.S. military will go too far in expanding its already sizeable footprint.
In D.C. yesterday, reporter Leo Shane took a ride across town in first lady Michelle Obama's motorcade to hear the first lady give a speech to military spouses on plans to increase funding for a series of military family initiatives. Ahead of the speech, however, it was announced that the budget to be unveiled on Monday includes a proposal for a 1.4 percent pay raise for troops, the smallest since the advent of the all-volunteer force in 1973.
And in London, Geoff Ziezulewicz gives us a preview of Thursday's NAO conference, which will focus on the way forward in Afghanistan, and will be highlighted by a proposal from President Hamid Karzai's administration.
The Links:
Locals question military's plan to acquire more land on Guam (Stars and Stripes)
White House offers small pay raise for troops in 2011 (Stars and Stripes)
Taliban reconciliation will be focus of London conference (Stars and Stripes)
U.S. man arrested with arsenal, map of Fort Drum (The Associated Press)
Per capita, Vermont bears heaviest burden of Iraq war (The Associated Press)
Afghanistan, allies look to lure Taliban back into society (Los Angeles Times)
U.S. military, intelligency deeply involved in aiding Yemen terror strikes (The Washington Post)
NATO struggling to fulfill commitment for more troops in Afghanistan (The Washington Post)
Survey shows increase in gays serving in the military (The Washington Post)
On a floating hospital, a life and death drama (USA Today)
By Jeff Schogol
Published: January 26, 2010
Many of you have been complaining that you get a different explanation on the status of your retroactive stop-loss pay claim every time you call the Defense Finance and Accounting Service.
It turns out DFAS does not track individual claims, but now DFAS can let you know whether it has your claim.
By Leo Shane
Published: January 26, 2010
The White House and Pentagon still won't confirm any details, but Sen. Carl Levin yesterday may have let slip news that President Obama will address the controversial "don't ask, don't tell" law in his address to the nation on Wednesday night.
In comments to reporters Monday afternoon, Levin said "the Pentagon is expecting the president to say something in the State of the Union" and he was asked to delay planned hearings on the issue until after those comments. "They thought it made more sense for him to state the policy than for us to have a hearing right before the policy."
By Derek Turner
Published: January 26, 2010
Our reporter in Haiti, Megan McCloskey, is spending her morning trying to link up with the Marines aboard the USS Bataan. But before leaving her post with the 82nd Airborne, she filed an insightful piece -- with sizeable help from Jeff Schogol in Washington -- looking at the importance of the military's unique capabilities in responding to such natural disasters.
Jeff has also been busy keeping readers up to date on the recent snafu within the Defense Financing and Accounting Service regarding changes to the MyPay system. Users have been required to change their user name and password, but have experienced plenty of difficulty, prompting an increase in help line calls from about 400 calls a day to as many as 11,000. DFAS says it is finally catching up.
In Germany, Jennifer Svan has the details on the handover of Sembach Annex from the Air Force to the Army.
And in Afghanistan, John Vandiver reports that locals in Helmand province are getting anxious for the offensive that everyone knows is coming -- in the Taliban stronghold town of Marjeh.
Meanwhile, Sen. Carl Levin told Stripes' Leo Shane and others that NATO nations have made good on providing only 10 percent of the trainers they had pledged for Afghanistan. Unacceptable, Levin says.
The Links:
Military's 'large muscle' capabilities critical for success in Haiti (Stars and Stripes)
Coming offensive in Marjeh weighs on locals' minds (Stars and Stripes)
Levin: NATO's failure to provide promised troops is unacceptable (Stars and Stripes)
MyPay support problems still plague DFAS (Stars and Stripes)
Army to take charge of Sembach Annex (Stars and Stripes)
In digital combat, U.S. finds no easy deterrent (The New York Times)
U.S. envoys cables show concerns on Afghan war plans (The New York Times)
Britain, Japan to help reintegrate Taliban foot soldiers (The Washington Post)
Report says al-Qaida still plans to use WMD against U.S. (The Washington Post)
What's the next U.S. terror threat (USA Today)
Witness to devestation, and to their own luck (The Los Angeles Times)
Some aid groups fear U.S. will leave Haiti too soon (Miami Herald)
By Leo Shane
Published: January 25, 2010
Department of Veterans Affairs officials will begin sending out letters this week outlining how they'll begin "recovering" the advance payments made to thousands of student veterans last year to help ease delays associated with the new GI Bill.
In September, after weeks of confusion over when new students would begin to receive living stipends promised under the post-9/11 GI Bill benefits, the department began handing out cash advances of up to $3,000 to make sure veterans didn't fall into debt while waiting for their money.
By Kevin Baron
Published: January 25, 2010
The commander of the war in Afghanistan, Gen. Stanley McChrystal, on Sunday said in an interview that he’s ready to find someone in the Taliban who is ready to lay down arms and talk.
The general told UK’s Financial Times : “As a soldier, my personal feeling is that there's been enough fighting,” he said. “What I think we do is try to shape conditions which allow people to come to a truly equitable solution to how the Afghan people are governed.”
Meanwhile, Defense Secretary Robert Gates called the Taliban part of the "political fabric" of Afghanistan, and the top U.N. official in Afghanistan said that U.N. member states should begin dropping some Taliban leaders from its terrorist list and start talking. “The time has come to do it,” said Kai Eide, in New York Times interview.
All of it comes just days before the London Conference on Afghanistan, a major gathering of military and civilian interests, and in the wake of Gates' Pakistan visit, which generated more news than his staff probably intended.
Pakistani military leaders basically stiff-armed the Pentagon chief when Army spokesman Maj. Gen. Athar Abbas insisted to the American traveling press corps that a Taliban is not a Taliban is not a Taliban, and the U.S. needs to understand that.
And, by the way, Pakistan won’t begin any offensives in the territories where the U.S. is most focused (and Osama bin Laden is largely believed to be hiding) for six months to one year.
Gates on Friday addressed a roomful of Pakistani military officers and tried to insist all Taliban are bad, and announced the U.S. will supply Pakistan with 12 unarmed Shadow spy drones.
But on the same trip he also tried shifting to say it’s also time to look for Taliban leaders who want to participate in a political process. (He made a similar caveat during testimony on Capitol Hill in December).
Lest one fret, Gates remained smooth sailing as always, the New York Times reported: “The way I like to express it is, we’re in this car together, but the Pakistanis are in the driver’s seat and have their foot on the accelerator,” Mr. Gates said. “And that’s just fine with me.”
So just one month after the announcement of a 30,000-troop surge into Afghanistan comes this wave of sentiment.
Oh, and one more thing: Gates admitted (sort of) that Xe (nee Blackwater) is operating inside of Pakistan. Got that? 30,000 troops, secretive mercenary forces, and a message of reconciliation.
In Pakistan, the message left behind was ... mixed.
By Derek Turner
Published: January 25, 2010
Today's papers lead with another in-depth examination of the problems that continue to plague the military's efforts encouraging troops to seek mental health care. Leo Shane spoke with servicemembers and experts in the field who explain why those in need of help simply don't trust that they can get it anonymously in the military.
Meanwhile, news came this morning that a ruling in a class-action lawsuit could mean enhanced benefits for thousands of veterans discharged from the military with a diagnosis of post-traumatic stress disorder.
At Grafenwöhr, Stripes' Seth Robson reports that civilian base workers in places such as bars and bowling alleys are being trained to spot troubled soldiers in an effort to stem the rising rate of suicide in the ranks.
In Japan, the prime minister suggested the country could scrap the controversial agreement with the U.S. to relocate MCAS Futenma and "start from scratch" after voters in a critical section of Okinawa voted to elect a new mayor whose anti-base sentiment carried his campaign.
And in South Korea, Ashley Rowland reports that students at one U.S. military base school could soon be wearing uniforms to class.
The Links:
Troops still shy from seeking mental health care from military (Stars and Stripes)
Base civilians learning to help identify troubled soldiers (Stars and Stripes)
U.S. school in South Korea mulls uniforms for students (Stars and Stripes)
Thousands of veterans discharged for PTSD could see better benefits (AP)
Japan PM may nix Futenma plan after Okinawa mayoral vote (AP)
Marines studied their own history in Haiti (USA Today)
USNS Comfort's ability to help is stretched to the limit (The Baltimore Sun)
Pentagon said to request about $4 billion more for weapons (Bloomberg)
Afghanistan postpones elections from May to September (The Washington Post)
Pakistani government, military wary of U.S. moves (The Washington Post)
New GI Bill swelling college rolls (San Antonio Express-News)
By Jeff Schogol
Published: January 22, 2010
Are you having problems getting customer service from the Defense Finance and Accounting Service? If so, let me know what your problems are so I will bring them up with DFAS.
Among the issues I’m planning on discussing with officials is the recent DFAS requirement that users to change their usernames and passwords for myPay, which caused quite a bit of confusion, anger and despair.
One reader wrote us a letter saying it is impossible to get someone from DFAS on the phone to talk about the myPay changes. DFAS spokesman Steve Burghardt said that’s because the DFAS call center was overwhelmed with people calling in about myPay and tax issues.
The problem lasted from late December through mid January, but DFAS has since added more phone lines and assigned more people to the call center to handle the increased volume, Burghardt said.
I tried calling to see if I could reach an actual human being, but I found the DFAS phone system to be a labyrinth of options that ultimately led me to ponder taking a bath with my toaster.
(Just kidding – I don’t have an extension cord long enough to reach the tub.)
Feel free to respond to this blog with your questions and issues for DFAS.
Now, I know all of you waiting for retroactive stop-loss pay will want to know the status of your claims. Please keep in mind, I can’t ask, “Where the hell is claim XXXX?” 16,000 times.
By Megan McCloskey
Published: January 22, 2010
From Port-au-Prince, Haiti – He turned to me and said: “If you leave me, they will not help.”
This 21-year-old Haitian and I were standing in the ER waiting room, trying to get someone to admit his mom, who had a badly broken right leg that needed surgery ASAP or it would have to be amputated. He had a note in English from a doctor with instructions saying just that.
But even as the hospital organizes itself into specific treatment areas – post-op, pre-op, orthopedics, radiology, etc. – gaining access to the system is still trying.
So this young Haitian had come knocking on the Army’s door here at the hospital compound. He sought me out, maybe because I don’t have the intimidation factor of wearing the uniform or carrying a gun but still look like I belong. Like someone who might have the power to help, but is still approachable.
At first I connected him with the 1st Battalion, 325 Airborne Infantry Regiment surgeon, who gave him some instructions to bring his mom here to the hospital.
But I think Alpha, who doesn’t speak much English, didn’t understand that although Lt. Col. Robert Malsby is a doctor, he wasn’t here to practice medicine. So I ended up as his English speaking guide through the system.
And there we were in the ER room waiting for the aid workers to tell us where to go next.
I assured him I would stay with him until his mom was taken care of. I didn’t have to do much advocating. Just being there seemed to move things along.
As a doctor walked with us to Alpha’s mom and then worked to get her accepted in the right tent for pre-op, he said to me in a French accent: “You help facilitate things.”
After days of simply observing, snapping photos and sending stories out into the world, helping that family was a satisfying change of pace – even if only for 45 minutes.
RELATED
In Haiti, every day is like a new universe
By Derek Turner
Published: January 22, 2010
Heart-wrenching news continues to pour in out of Haiti this morning. Officials there are planning to relocate 400,000 homeless people to shelters on the outskirts of town. Our reporter there, Megan McCloskey, tells us that doctors at the main hospital in Port-au-Prince are beginning to see patients come in with gunshot wounds as desperation turns to violence.
Elsewhere, with the debate heating up on the possible repeal of the military's "don't ask, don't tell" law, the Defense Department's school system has announced that it will recognize same-sex relationships when organizing overseas transfers of teachers. Couples who are both DODEA teachers must have a legal civil union certificate or sign an affadavit swearing to their commitment to be life partners.
In Stars and Stripes' central office in D.C., editors here are busy lining up some big stories for weekend editions. The first of which, an in-depth piece by Europe-based reporter Seth Robbins, is online now and looks at the possibility that combat trauma could bring about degenerative brain disease. Doctors are discovering this to be a common occurrence in contact-sport athletes and are working to establish a possible link in combat veterans.
Keep checking Stripes.com over the weekend for a wide-range of military coverage, including Megan McCloskey's continued outstanding dispatches from the heart of military aid effort in Haiti.
The Links:
Doctors study link between combat and brain disease (Stars and Stripes)
DODEA to recognize same-sex unions in overseas transfers (Stars and Stripes)
Contractor relents as Petraeus slams Biblical markings on rifle sights (Stars and Stripes)
On Guam, military’s roots run deep (Stars and Stripes)
U.S., German officials meet to discuss possible Landstuhl move (Stars and Stripes)
Military working at max capacity to get injured to hospital ship (Stars and Stripes)
In the midst of Haiti's suffering, a child is born (The Baltimore Sun)
Haiti relocating 400,000 homeless (The Associated Press)
Justice task force recommends about 50 Guantanamo detainees be held indefinitely (The Washington Post)
Thriving military recruitment program blocked (The New York Times)
Army surgeon general: No clues to violence in Hasan's file (USA Today)
By Kevin Baron
Published: January 21, 2010
It’s mid-January in Washington, and that means the wintry mix is falling, lobbyists and think tanks are making their yearly wish lists, Congress is slowly returning, and the White House speech writers are drafting the State of the Union – due next Wednesday, January 27.
Meanwhile, half of the defense press corps is traveling with Sec. Gates through India-Pakistan, and the other half is in Haiti covering the earthquake, and the other half is covering the Hill, filling in for their colleagues who are abroad.
The effect has been that the Pentagon briefing room is eerily quiet. But here’s what’s happening...
It's the time of year for countless think tank conferences and briefings being staged on Iran, Yemen , counterterrorism, Afghanistan, the Afghanistan surge, Af-Pak, Russia, counterinsurgency and the war on drugs, and just general threats to world peace and humankind as we know it.
Meanwhile, Gen. David Petraeus, CENTCOM commander, is in town, which usually means a lot of speeches. Today, he hit Center for Strategic and International Studies and Georgetown University. Tomorrow, it’s the Institute for the Study of War.
“The London Conference” is also next week. The much-anticipated NATO-ISAF/United Nations/European Union meeting will focus on military-civilian relationships and the civilian response in Afghanistan.
And up on the Hill, there have been hearings on the Ft Hood shooting, Yemen, counterterrorism, and more.
Next week's State of the Union address should include many of these themes, though this is just one small slice of what Washington is dealing with, people. In case you were under a rock in Afghanistan, in which case we forgive you, you know that the Democrats lost one seat in the Senate, healthcare reform has yet to pass, and "the people" apparently still are not thrilled with Wall Street and banks, their government's response to it all. And Conan got fired.
Oh, and the Pentagon is building up quite a tab on that Afghanistan surge that taxpayers will have to pay somehow.
Here we go again. Are the cherry blossoms here, yet?
By Leo Shane
Published: January 21, 2010
Haiti continues to be the big storyline around the Pentagon, especially after yesterday's announcement that the 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit out of Camp Lejeune will be rerouted to the island nation to help with recovery efforts. By the end of the week military officials expect to have 16,000 troops in or offshore of Haiti.
Our own Megan McCloskey continues her reporting from there; If you're not already following her updates on Twitter (@MegMcCloskey) go do that now. She'll have another story later today.
By Leo Shane
Published: January 20, 2010
Members of the House Armed Services Committee waited more than two months after the Fort Hood slayings to hold hearings on how suspected shooter Army Maj. Nidal Malik Hasan's mental health issues could have gone undetected.
But on Wednesday, after defense officials agreed to send authors behind a report into the tragedy to Capitol Hill, they received the same response over and over again: We can't talk about him yet.In fact, former Army Secretary Togo West and former CNO Adm. Vern Clark in their testimony before the committee repeatedly avoided using Hasan's name, referring to him only as "the gunman" or "this individual." While both were open to talking in generalities about gaps in base security and policies regarding problematic soldiers, they rebuffed requests to answer specifics on how an Army psychiatrist could become a unstable radical without any colleagues raising a flag.
For months news reports have painted a picture of Hasan as an unstable individual, someone who frequently raised his colleagues' suspicion with erratic behavior and a penchant to interject his Muslim faith into conversations.
But he also received regular promotions, and the Pentagon noted last week that at least eight soldiers will receive some type of reprimand for overlooking or ignoring his unstable behavior in periodic evaluations.
Both the White House and Pentagon have completed reviews of some issues related to the shooting, but neither delves into specifics on Hasan because of concerns that making such information might influence future criminal proceedings against him.
Clark said he was frustrated that researchers could not discuss more details of Hasan's background; West said eventually that information will get out, but not until after "after the conclusion of the military justice proceedings.
That could be sometime in 2011; Army officials still have not set a start date for Hasan's court martial. In the meantime, several members of the committee said they'll push to make much of the information public before then.
[PHOTO: Associated Press]
By Derek Turner
Published: January 20, 2010
UPDATED:
It's shaping up to be another busy day in news out of Haiti. Many Americans woke this morning to learn that Haiti was hit with a 6.1-magnitude earthquake, the strongest aftershock so far in the days since much of the nation was leveled by a 7.0 quake.
Our reporter on the ground in Port-au-Prince, Megan McCloskey, began filing reports yesterday with a dispatch from the main hospital in the capital, a place where medicine and chaos are colliding. We're happy to report that she's safe after this morning's aftershock, and has filed a vivid account of the scene in and outside the hospital after she was roused this morning by the earth shaking beneath her. Check out the link below.
Readers can also keep up with her via the Stripes Central blog and on Twitter (@MegMcCloskey). Jeff Schogol and Kevin Baron are keeping track of the Haiti relief efforts from military headquarters at the Pentagon, as well.
Meanwhile, Leo Shane is heading to Capitol Hill this morning for the first hearing held by the House Armed Services Committee on the Fort Hood shooting. It comes less than a week after the White House and the Pentagon released separate reports noting breakdowns in communications between agencies before the November shooting. Former Army Secretary Togo West and former CNO Adm. Vern Clark will be before the House today (and the Senate tomorrow) to talk about their investigation and lessons learned. Keep an eye on Stripes Central for Leo's take on the hearing.
The Links:
Major aftershock brings panicked evacuation at hospital (Stars and Stripes)
82nd Airborne bringing calm to chaos at Port-au-Prince hospital (Stars and Stripes)
In about-face, U.S. using airdrops to deliver aid to Haitians (Stars and Stripes)
Airman's daughter, 5, hit by auto near Aviano (Stars and Stripes)
U.N. report lays bare culture of corruption in Afghanistan (Stars and Stripes)
U.S. troops patrol Haiti, filling a void (The New York Times)
Fort Gordon soldier loses 7 Haitian relatives (The Augusta Chronicle)
Afghan interpreter pays a personal price (Los Angeles Times)
Kabul assault leaves residents angry, fearful (The Washington Post)
U.S. aid workers find few trained Afghan partners (The Washington Post)
Military spends thousands on lawmakers' overseas trips (The Wall Street Journal)
By Megan McCloskey
Published: January 20, 2010
From Port-au-Price, Haiti: “Every day is like a new universe.”
That’s how a doctor trying to organize the aid effort at the main hospital described the situation to me. Once you think you have a handle on things, it all changes.
By Leo Shane
Published: January 19, 2010
More than seven days have passed since a 7.0-magnitude earthquake leveled parts of Haiti, but international aid workers haven't given up hope that they can still rescue victims trapped in the rubble.
U.S. officials today told reporters that search and rescue efforts are still ongoing in and around Port-au-Prince, and sailors aboard the USNS Comfort have been instructed to be ready for "immediate trauma" injuries when they arrive off the coast Wednesday morning.
By Kevin Baron
Published: January 19, 2010
With thousands of U.S. troops still just arriving to Haiti, the 1,400 U.S. military personnel already in country have assets and responsibilities well underway, from aid to security. But the military's job is just beginning.
“No one’s kidding ourselves, we have an enormous task,” said Lt. Gen. Ken Keen, commander of Joint Task Force Haiti. When the quake hit, Keen was above the city on a hill and said he could hear “the screaming and yelling” below.
By Derek Turner
Published: January 19, 2010
Welcome to the first of what will be a regular feature here on the Stripes Central blog. “Morning Reading” will provide a quick glimpse into what is being reported on a number of military topics in Stars and Stripes and elsewhere. We'll also try to give readers an idea of what's going on in Stripes' Washington, D.C., newsroom and at the Pentagon.
Haiti continues to dominate the front pages of newspapers and Web sites across the country. After the staff spent days trying to get a reporter into Haiti with the U.S. military, Megan McCloskey arrived in Port-au-Prince on Monday afternoon. She is embedded with the 82nd Airborne, setting up shop inside a dusty rock-walled compound with no shade. She's off and running today chronicling one of the largest military aid efforts in recent memory. Keep checking back to Stripes.com for Megan’s coverage.
The Links
Air Force's voluntary recall gets a positive response (Stars and Stripes)
Time running out on South Korea's Truth and Reconciliation Commission (Stars and Stripes)
Soldier held in fatal Okinawa accident has bond hearing (Stars and Stripes)
No timeline for military’s role in Haiti (Stars and Stripes)
U.S. airdrops 14,000 meals into Haiti (USA Today)
Marines prepare for biological hazards in Haiti (Newport News, Va., Daily Press)
Rescue mission bringing Haitian orphans to Pittsburgh (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette)
One year later: How Obama became a wartime commander in chief (The Washington Post)
Congested border crossing may affect U.S. buildup in Afghanistan (The Washington Post)
Sunni Iraqis fear disenfranchisement after candidates banned (The Washington Post)
For Gates aides, no fatigues at work (The New York Times)
Hackers create opportunity for military firms (Los Angeles Times)
Navy analysis finds unexpectedly high costs for F-35 (Fort Worth Star-Telegram)
By Jeff Schogol
Published: January 15, 2010
The Army and Air Force are moving retroactive stop-loss pay claims again.
The process came to a screeching halt last month when Congress passed legislation at the behest of the Army that disqualified troops who received a re-enlistment or retention bonus while stop-lossed from getting retroactive stop-loss pay.
The Defense Finance and Accounting Service returned about 2,400 claims to the Army, which had to figure out if any of the claimants no longer qualified.
Earlier this week, the Army sent about 1,800 of those claims back to DFAS for final processing, said Maj. Roy Whitley, project manager for the compensation program.
Of the remaining 600 claims, about 400 belong to National Guard and Reserve soldiers, which are being held until Whitley can verify which received a bonus while stop-lossed.
The number of reserve component troops who received bonuses is much lower than that of active-duty soldiers, so officials are double-checking the numbers, Whitley said.
“They just want to confirm that they didn’t miss a group of people or something,” he said.
He hopes the National Guard and Reserve claims should go to DFAS early next week, he said.
The roughly 200 remaining claimants who had been told their claims had been approved prior to the new legislation taking effect but now no longer qualify will get an e-mail from the Army soon, Whitley said.
The Air Force also resumed sending claims to DFAS this week, said Kenneth Pruitt, a spokesman for the Air Force Personnel Center. No further information was avialable Friday.
RELATED:
Army: Joining the National Guard/Reserve doesn't negate retroactive stop-loss pay
Army won't recoup first batch of retroactive stop-loss payments
Army, Air Force halt stop-loss payments to sort out bonus questions
By Leo Shane
Published: January 15, 2010
The folks over at Defense Finance and Accounting Service have taken lumps recently for their role in the delays of Army retroactive stop-loss payments. This week they announced a new snafu: The mismailing of more than 18,000 military retirees' account statements, which could have put their personal data at risk.
The problem occurred late last month, at the Document Automation and Production Service. Because of a glitch in their mail merge system, statements containing recipients' names, type of retirement benefits and the amount of their payouts were sent to other retirees.
By Megan McCloskey
Published: January 14, 2010
Since taking office last year President Barack Obama has significantly increased the use of drones in Pakistan. Now the ACLU is asking just what gives him and the CIA the legal authority to do so.
The ACLU filed a Freedom of Information Act request yesterday with the Departments of Defense, Justice and State and the CIA asking the government to disclose where the power comes from to order strikes on a country Congress has neither declared war against nor authorized the use of military force.
Jonathan Manes, a legal fellow with the civil liberties group, had this to say in a press release:
"The American public has a right to know whether the drone program is consistent with international law, and that all efforts are made to minimize the loss of innocent lives. The Obama Administration has reportedly expanded the drone program, but it has not explained publicly what the legal basis for the programs, what limitations it recognizes on the use of drones outside active theaters of war and what the civilian casualty toll has been thus far. We're hopeful that he request we've filed today will encourage the Obama administration to disclose information about the basis, scope and implementation of the program."
The FOIA request also asks for information about the number killed in the strikes, including civilians.
[PHOTO: Megan McCloskey/Stars and Stripes]
By Leo Shane
Published: January 14, 2010
In between reports on military efforts in Haiti yesterday, U.S. Forces Iraq Division North Commander Gen. Anthony Cucolo gave reporters an update on progress in that country and a preview of some of the drawdown plans following the upcoming elections there.
He also spoke briefly about his short-lived punishment for pregnancy last year, saying that with the controversy, "I feel like we missed an opportunity to talk about the incredible value and role female soldiers have in the 21st Century Army.
By Jeff Schogol
Published: January 13, 2010
The amphibious assault ship USS Bataan and the 22nd Marine Expeditionary Unit, has been ordered to get underway as soon as possible, according to U.S. Naval Forces Southern Command.
The Bataan and the dock landing ships USS Carter Hall and Fort McHenry are on standby in case they are needed in Haiti, but none has been ordered there as of right now, said Chief Lisa Clark, a spokeswoman for Fleet Forces Command.
“We are massing our forces to provide as much support as we can as quickly as we can get them in,” said Air Force Gen. Douglas Fraser, head of U.S. Southern Command.
The hospital ship USNS Comfort along with the cruiser USS Normandy and the frigate USS Underwood are preparing to get underway if required, but they too haven't been tasked yet, Clark said.
Meanwhile, the aircraft carrier USS Carl Vinson is already enroute to Haiti.
The 2nd Brigade, 82nd Airborne Division has been told to prepare to deploy to Haiti, but it has not received a deployment order, said Col. Billy J. Buckner, a spokesman for the XVIII Airborne Corps. If ordered to deploy, it would take between 24 and 96 hours to do so, Buckner said on Wednesday.
Right now, soldiers are checking their equipment and making sure they have all their shots and immunizations in order, he said. The brigade is not one of the units slated to deploy to Afghanistan as part of the surge.
PHOTO: ASSOCIATED PRESS
By Kevin Baron
Published: January 13, 2010
The morning after a 7.0 magnitude earthquake, the Pentagon is pulling together it's response, coordinating assets and relief efforts across the U.S. government.
So far, one State Department official said that U.S. Southern Command (SOUTHCOM) would be flying Haiti overflights to assess the damage at daybreak. A SOUTHCOM spokesman reached early this morning said they were still coordinating their own media information. The command out of Miami, Fla., is expected to release a statement shortly.
Late Tuesday, the U.S. Coast Guard said several of its cutters had left South Florida to position off the coast of Haiti readying for disaster assistance efforts. Additionally, Coast Guard planes also flew over the island to assess the damage. A press release details three 270-feet vessels, one 210-foot cutter, and a C-130 cargo plane.
Meanwhile, the US Air Force is also coordinating plans to get southbound to Haiti, including plans for reporters seeking to embed with the military efforts. And the hospital ship USNS Comfort was preparing to depart from Baltimore.
CNN also has reported the airport in Port-au-Prince had been inspected and was operational - at least enough to begin receiving aid flights this afternoon.
We'll have more information availalble within the hour from the Pentagon as it becomes available.
By Kevin Baron
Published: January 13, 2010
There was barely enough daylight left in Haiti to assess what had happened before darkness fell. And with practically no live or even video images coming from the impoverished nation, even CNN had little to show or report.
But much of what the news community does know is coming from a growing cloud of Twitter accounts from reporters, lawmakers, Haiti news and aid groups and Haitians themselves. Here's a few Twitter accounts you can find some information, and please post more as you see fit:
@cnnbrk/haiti - CNN's list of Haiti accounts
@InternetHaiti - French language Haitian news service
@RAMhaiti - Haitian Twitterer from the nation
@uscoastguard - US Coast Guard
@wyclef - Wyclef Jean, entertainer and Haitian activist
@mercycorps - Mercy Corps, one of many NGOs offering relief
@pentagoncnn -- CNN producer Mike Mount and the rest of the CNN Pentagon crew
@eliselabott -- CNN producer at State Department
@southcomwatch - U.S. Southern Command
@DipNot - Official U.S. State Department
And of course I've followed these and several other related accounts, go to @StripesBaron (Kevin Baron, that's me) and scan through my "following" list to poach some good Twitter sources.
I expect the Pentagon in the morning will have a full readout of the U.S. military's disaster assistance efforts, as will State Department, USAID, the U.S. Coast Guard, at the very least.
By Leo Shane
Published: January 12, 2010
VA Secretary Eric Shinseki yesterday told leading mental health experts from the Departments of Defense and Veterans Affairs to start developing new models to deal with suicides among servicemembers, because the old ways aren't working.
His comments came on the same day as news from VA researchers that suicides among 18- to 29-year-old veterans jumped 26 percent in recent years, another indication that military officials still don't have a handle on the ongoing mental health issues associated with the wars overseas.
By Kevin Baron
Published: January 11, 2010
If you're going to crash the White House dinner tonight, better polish your sabre. President Barack Obama hosts the U.S. military’s combatant commanders. Gen. David Petraeus is the most ... ok, the only famous one among them.
If you didn't know, the Defense Department divides its world into combatant commands that watch over either a geographic chunk of the world (six) or a functional area (four). Adm. Mullen, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, has joked that people have told him they thought Petraeus, the CENTCOM commander, was his boss. Turns out, there are others. Here's the list.
By Jeff Schogol
Published: January 11, 2010
The Marines are customizing MRAPs for Afghanistan’s rugged terrain, but it’s going to add more weight to the vehicles.
The vehicles were originally designed for Iraq, but have proven to be too big and heavy for Afghanistan, which has a much less developed road network.
That’s why the Marines are installing an independent suspension system on Cougars, a type of MRAP, officials said. The suspension system is already used on the Marines’ Medium Tactical Vehicle Replacement, aka. the 7-ton truck.
“A ‘7-ton’ was a very popular vehicle with our Marines, because it could get off road and go any place you wanted it to go,” Corps Commandant Gen. James Conway said last month. “So we said, ‘Hey, instead of buying more MRAPs that one day we won't need as a Marine Corps, we said, let's take a look at those we've got.’”
But the suspension system also increases the weight of an MRAP from about 38,000 pounds to 47,000 pounds, a Marine Corps Systems Command spokeswoman said.
That is almost twice as heavy as the lightweight MRAP All-Terrain Vehicles being sent to Afghanistan, which were specifically designed for the country’s harsh terrain.
“It is a heavier vehicle than the M-ATV, and this terrain we're operating in, for the most part, supports its use,” Conway told reporters in December.
The suspension system is installed on the vehicles at the MRAP Sustainment Facility in Kuwait, the spokeswoman said.
As of late December, more than 620 vehicles have been equipped with the suspension system, of which about half are being used in Afghanistan, she said. The rest are either in country or waiting to be sent over.
More than 2,000 Cougars with the suspension system have been funded for fiscal 2010, she said.
PHOTO: Marine Corps Systems Command
By Leo Shane
Published: January 8, 2010
In his scathing rebuke of intelligence efforts in Afghanistan, ISAF Deputy Chief of Staff for Intelligence Maj. Gen. Michael Flynn upset many in the community by labeling them as "disengaged" and "marginally relevant" in strategic planning.
But Flynn picked up at least one key supporter this week: Robert Gates.
By Leo Shane
Published: January 8, 2010
Last night I wrote up a story about the changes in election law which will force all overseas voters -- deployed military, veterans living abroad, and U.S. civilians working outside the country -- to submit a new voter registration this year if they want to participate in the primaries this spring.
The good news is that FVAP officials are already trying to reach out and help folks get their paperwork in order. The bad news is they're already running out of time.
By Jeff Schogol
Published: January 7, 2010
It’s official!
If you left active-duty service with the Army and collected a bonus for joining the National Guard or Reserve, you still qualify for retroactive stop-loss pay. Period.
This is from Maj. Roy Whitley, project manager for the compensation program.
Avid readers of this blog may have seen a comment by an Army spokeswoman indicating that joining the National Guard or Reserve after being stop-lossed could disqualify you from getting the retroactive stop-loss pay.
That turned out to be wrong.
In all fairness, the Army has been trying hard to give us the best information they have in a timely manner.
The confusion over joining the National Guard or Reserve stems from recent legislation that says if you collected a re-enlistment or retention bonus while being stop-lossed, you don’t qualify for retroactive stop-loss pay.
Of about 2,800 claims in the pipeline last month, about 220 applicants received a bonus, Whitley said on Thursday.
The Army will check to see if they got the bonus while stop-lossed, and the rest of the claims should be sent to the Defense Finance and Accounting Service in the next couple days, he said.
Related
Army won't recoup first batch of retroactive stop-loss payments
Navy, Marine Corps haven't delayed their stop-loss checks
Army, Air Force halt stop-loss payments to sort out bonus questions
By Kevin Baron
Published: January 7, 2010
If you’re in the military you probably missed it, but Secretary of State Hillary Clinton gave an important speech on Wednesday that kept nearly everyone in Washington’s development aid community glued to their seats.
One day before President Barack Obama’s first appointed USAID director finally takes the helm, Clinton took the podium to defend the purpose of development, and its new role as a tool for helping achieve security objectives.
For many older aid workers, it’s a new day for the “three d’s”: development, diplomacy, and defense.
In her own words, the secretary explained the subject of the speech: “Why development in other countries matters to the American people and to our nation's security and prosperity.”
That’s nice, but the purpose of the speech was to set a course for a rudderless ship that Obama’s national security team thinks is a big weapon in the U.S. arsenal against al-Qaida and terrorism: the U.S. Agency for International Development.
Three sentences later, Clinton steered the wheel right into the storm: “We cannot stop terrorism or defeat the ideologies of violent extremism when hundreds of millions of young people see a future with no jobs, no hope, and no way ever to catch up to the developed world.”
She continued: “Development was once the province of humanitarians, charities, and governments looking to gain allies in global struggles. Today it is a strategic, economic, and moral imperative -- as central to advancing American interests and solving global problems as diplomacy or defense.”
“Because development is indispensible, it demands a new approach.”
Got that, NGO workers?
For several years, Secretary Gates and other defense leaders have called for greater civilian resources to achieve “whole of government” U.S. counterinsurgency goals. Yet, the Obama administration let USAID, the organization in charge of development and humanitarian aid, inexplicably go without an administrator for nearly an entire year after the inauguration.
In that year, dozens of major development organizations sounded warnings against working too closely with the U.S. military and NATO in Afghanistan, Iraq, and worldwide, especially when those governments want humanitarian work to fulfill counterinsurgency goals. (See related article: Mixing Fighting and Food)
Many in those organizations are nervous that the U.S. military-centric approach to those theaters threatens the traditional firewall between humanitarian and military workers that has existed for decades. Others have embraced the Petraeus Doctrine (secure population centers by force and quickly starting public goodwill projects like schools, sewers and food aid), arguing if they don’t conduct humanitarian operations within the Pentagon’s rules for the warzone, nobody will.
Clinton acknowledged the split. “Differences of opinion over where and how to pursue development have hardened into entrenched, almost theological, positions,” she said.
Then she cut through those concerns, saying flatly: “We are working to integrate development more closely with defense and diplomacy in the field.
“I know that the word 'integration' sets off alarm bells. There is a concern that integrating development means diluting it or politicizing it -- giving up our long-term development goals to achieve short-term objectives or handing over more of the work of development to our diplomats or defense experts.
“That is not what we will do. What we will do is leverage the expertise of our diplomats and military on behalf of development, and vice versa. The three Ds must be mutually reinforcing.”
It’s the new world order between Foggy Bottom and Arlington. This is the third major development speech Clinton has given, the first at Council on Foreign Relations and another at Georgetown, and most recently at the Peterson Institute for International Economics, in Washington.
In a background briefing before her delivery, incoming USAID administrator Rajiv Shah said one of his goals was "fundamentally elevating development to truly stand with diplomacy and defense as a major component of our foreign policy."
And State Department spokesman P.J. Crowley put that in context, saying, "Obviously, you see the importance in terms of our ongoing effort in Afghanistan, Pakistan, and including places like Yemen."
“It's time for a new mindset for a new century. Time to retire old debates and replace dogmatic attitudes with clear reasoning and common sense,” Clinton said.
It’s no accident that while the Pentagon completes its strategic framework, the Quadrennial Defense Review, or QDR, the suits in State are working on the first-ever Quadrennial Diplomacy and Development Review. Oh, and the White House is drafting it's own Presidential Study Directive on U.S. Global Development Policy.
If you’re still reading and are wearing a suit of camouflage, you may want to read on.
“The work of these development experts helps make future military action more remote. It is much cheaper to pay for development up front than to pay for war over the long run. And in Afghanistan and elsewhere, U.S. troops are helping to provide the security that allows development to take root. In places torn apart by sectarianism or violent extremism, long-term development gains are far less likely. In the past, coordination between the Three Ds has often fallen short, and everyone has borne the consequences,” Clinton said.
A new day, indeed. We'll see if Washington puts its money where it's mouth is when the FY2011 budget request is release in the next few weeks.
By Megan McCloskey
Published: January 6, 2010
Last spring after President Barack Obama lifted the long-standing ban on media coverage of returning military casualties and the Pentagon began paying for families to fly to Dover Air Force Base, Air Force big-wigs attended a few dignified transfers to get a feel for the process.
Their conclusion: We can do better.
By Leo Shane
Published: January 6, 2010
Officials as still finalizing their move from the Washington, D.C. campus of Walter Reed Army Medical Center to the new joint medical campus in Bethesda, Md. The shift was mandated in the 2005 round of BRAC closings and designed to turn over the sprawling 110-acre campus to the city, for development and use.
But at least one DC group is pushing for some of the medical campus to stay untouched, because of its historic importance. Washington Business Journal reported yesterday that the DC Preservation League has petitioned the city to make the location a historic district, limiting how much the site could be developed and what could be done with the 100-year-old buildings there.
By Leo Shane
Published: January 5, 2010
Late yesterday the new head of U.S. intelligence efforts in Afghanistan ordered sweeping changes to information gathering and analysis there, then issued a report through the Center for New American Security acknowledging that the current set up "isn't working."
In the report, ISAF Deputy Chief of Staff for Intelligence Maj. Gen. Michael Flynn calls the U.S. intelligence community only "marginally relevant" in the fight in Afghanistan because of a lack of critical understanding about the country and its culture.
By Jeff Schogol
Published: January 4, 2010
If you were among the first 282 people paid under the Army’s retroactive stop-loss pay program, don’t worry: The Army does not want its money back.
As anyone reading this blog knows, the Army’s program to compensate soldiers, vets and their families for being stop-lossed between September 2001 and September 2008 has hit one snag after another.
The latest: Recent legislation says you are not eligible for the compensation if you collected a re-enlistment or retention bonus while being stop-lossed.
The Army asked Congress to put that provision in the latest Defense Appropriations Bill, said Roy Wallace, director of plans and resources for Army G-1.
The reason why may anger servicemembers who put their lives on hold and had to miss job opportunities and time with family in order to deploy with their units.
Some soldiers who intended to stay in the Army may have waited until they were stop-lossed and deployed to re-enlist or extend their contract in order to get their bonus tax free, Wallace said. Had they re-upped before they left, the Defense Finance and Accounting Service would have deducted 25 percent for taxes.
"Some people saw this as an ability to get them to a better financial position, and that’s good human nature, that’s good business from their part,” Wallace said.
While there is nothing wrong with that, retroactive stop-loss pay is to compensate people who were inconvenienced, hence the provision in the Defense Appropriations Bill, he said.
But the provision does not apply to payments that went out prior to Dec. 19, which mainly went to wounded warriors and surviving spouses, Wallace said, adding it would be “un-American” to ask to try to take money back from them.
Update:
The other military services likewise won't recoup any previously issued retroactive stop-loss payments, the Defense Department announced on Tuesday.
Both the Army and Air Force have temporarily halted stop-loss payments as they try to sort out who got a bonus while being held under stop-loss.
The Army now has all the data it needs and hopes to start sending claims to DFAS for payment again within the next two weeks, Wallace said.
Related
Navy, Marine Corps haven't delayed their stop-loss checks
Army, Air Force halt stop-loss payments to sort out bonus questions
Glitch in Army software blanks out claims, but doesn’t erase them
By Kevin Baron
Published: January 4, 2010
Happy New Year!
While most of the Stars and Stripes reporters were pounding Christmas cookies, the world kept turning, surprisingly. At the Pentagon, on Monday, it was right back to work for the packed house gathered at the daily morning press gaggle. The question of the day in the E-ring office of Defense Department spokesman Bryan Whitman was: How much U.S. military aid is going to Yemen?
CENTCOM Commander Gen. David Petraeus, at a Baghdad press conference this weekend, said, "We have, it's well known, about $70 million in security assistance last year. That will more than double this coming year.”
On Monday, Whitman was asked to confirm that but instead said, “We’re not there yet.”
“The [combatant commanders] nominate various things, they make certain requests, they put together proposals, and then at the department level things have to be prioritized and apportioned…” he said. “Those funding levels, by country, have not yet been determined.”
“We are working, along with the Department of State, to draft 1206 proposals that would help build Yemen’s counterterrorism capacity, as we are with many of our regional partners,” he said, referring to the defense budget line that funds counterterrorism partnerships, but the work is not ready.
The U.S. provided Yemen $4.6 million in 2006, $26 million in 2007, nothing in 2008 (Pakistan received the bulk of the region's share that year), and $67 million in 2009 -- which goes to items like helicopters, parts, maintenance training, and radios, Whitman said while declining to give more specifics.
Meanwhile, President Obama must be saying to himself, you know, I go on vacation for one lousy holiday week and terrorists try to bomb my airlines, al-Qaida in Yemen thinks they’re all that, Blackwater gets off and Iraq gets upset, Gen. Petraeus has to tell Yemen what’s what, and I have to close the embassies…not to mention, the Colts are tanking their way into the playoffs.
Rick Klein, of ABC’s The Note, has the best lede: “At least we’re not talking about health care anymore…”
Klein’s morning news summary is a particularly good read today, the first Monday back at school in Washington. Less than one month after Obama announced his latest plan to wage war on al-Qaida and the Taliban in Afghanistan, it seems there is a fountain of commentary on the Obama administration’s efforts to wage a global…um…war on terrorism, (remember that?) everywhere else in the world.
The prevailing question seems to be: Can the Obama administration continue to re-cast global terrorism’s actual threat to American life differently from the Bush years while claiming to remain hypersensitive to that same threat?
Welcome back.
