By Jeff Schogol
Published: February 26, 2010
Gang,
Since my nickname is “MRAP Jeff,” I thought I’d give you the latest figures on MRAP-All Terrain Vehicles, which are lighter versions of Mine-Resistant Ambush Protected vehicles and are designed specifically for Afghanistan.
The Defense Department recently ordered 1,460 more M-ATVs, said Defense Department spokeswoman Cheryl Irwin. For those of you keeping count, that brings the total number of M-ATVs ordered to 8,104.
A total of 1,162 vehicles have been delivered to Afghanistan as of Feb. 22, Irwin said in an e-mail.
The Defense Department plans on having a total of 10,600 M-ATVs and regular MRAPs in Afghanistan.
Earlier this month, it ordered 1,358 more MRAPs for Afghanistan: 1,050 MaxxPro Dash vehicles, 250 RG-31s and 58 RG-33s, Irwin said.
That leaves about 1,200 more blast-resistant vehicles to complete the total number of MRAPs and M-ATVs in Afghanistan.
These numbers only tell part of the story.
We need to hear from you about how MRAPs and M-ATVs are performing in Afghanistan.
Please feel free to e-mail me at: jeffrey.schogol@stripes.osd.mil
By Derek Turner
Published: February 24, 2010
Slowly but steadily, the barriers for women in the military seem to be coming down. In the latest change, Defense Secretary Robert Gates has informed Congress of the Navy's intent to allow women to serve aboard submarines, the last vessels from which they'd been barred.
The move has been on the radar for a while, with Navy Secretary Ray Mabus saying last year that he was moving aggressively in that direction. The Navy could begin training women for these jobs as early as next year, and in fact about a dozen women are already sub qualified, though they haven't been permitted to join a sub's crew. Check out Kevin Baron's reporting on the latest developments, then click the side links to read Erik Slavin's broad coverage last year of the modern sub mission, including a look at one sailor's efforts to break in to the underwater boy's club.
The Links:
Navy ending ban on women serving aboard submarines (Stars and Stripes)
Study: 25 militaries integrated gays with minimal fallout (Stars and Stripes)
Air Force EOD unit battles a constant menace in Afghanistan (The Associated Press)
Gates: Europe's demilitarization has gone too far (The Associated Press)
Army, AF chiefs say overturning DADT requires time, study (The Associated Press)
Base security kills 1 as car tries to run through gate (The Associated Press)
By Kevin Baron
Published: February 23, 2010
NATO country leaders are meeting in Washington this week to brainstorm recommendations for the alliance’s first new Strategic Concept since 1999. A lot has changed since then, including the very purpose and composition of NATO.
Defense Sec. Robert M. Gates, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, and NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen (pictured, right) all gave major speeches on NATO’s future in the last 24 hours.
“Right now, the alliance faces very serious, long-term, systemic problems,” Gates said, in his prepared remarks. In other words, the state of the union is not good.
“The demilitarization of Europe…has gone from a blessing in the 20th century to an impediment to achieving real security and lasting peace in the 21st,” said Gates.
Europe’s military budget shortfalls for years have resulted in a shortcoming of necessary capabilities today, he said, including more cargo aircraft and helicopters.
No longer is NATO’s greatest threat a massive artillery-heavy invasion from a land army covered by “waves of fighters and bombers,” Gates said at Fort McNair's National Defense University, in Washington early Tuesday morning. Instead, NATO should prepare better for a mix of state and non-state actors striking from far beyond NATO’s borders, and be better positioned and ready to respond with a mix of non-military actors.
Still, Gates said, despite the new world order, missile defense was his priority number one, citing the potential threat from Iran. Second, he urged building better partnerships with multilateral institutions because future responses will require a “comprehensive” approach (think “whole of government”). Third, Gates said the newest NATO mission will be more training and advising of other militaries – the “teach a man to fish” concept.
Expect to hear a lot more of this last point this year. Back in Brussels on Tuesday, NATO staff officers were meeting to work on a pledge of 2,000 trainers to Afghanistan to meet Gen. Stanley McChrystal’s 2009 request. Sen. Carl Levin, chairman of the Armed Services Committee, noted the delay during hearings on Tuesday.
Strategically, Gates said, “the greatest evolution in NATO over the last two decades is the transition from a static, defensive force to an expeditionary force – from a defensive alliance to a security alliance.”
“Few would have imagined that the first invocation of Article 5”, Gates said, referring to the commitment to defend each other against an attack, “in the alliance’s history would follow an attack on the United States homeland by a non-state entity based in a nation far beyond NATO’s traditional borders – a desperately poor country scorned and ignored by the international community.”
Clinton, speaking at Washington hotel, took a page from the Gates “reality” playbook, saying: “In an interconnected world, we cannot defend our people by crouching behind the geographic boundaries of the Alliance. Reality has redefined the area in which we operate.”
By Derek Turner
Published: February 23, 2010
As the fighting intensifies in Afghanistan, the U.S. Army is revamping its manual on hand-to-hand combat, placing a greater emphasis on striking and grappling earlier in the training regimen. Typically, early training focuses on ground combat with stand-up fighting techniques largely reserved for Level III training. But Seth Robson reports that the military has learned that those skills have been necessary in every hand-to-hand combat incident reported from Iraq and Afghanistan.
"Around 30 percent of the fights have ended with gun shots," the handbook states. "Fighting in an environment where everyone is armed means that very frequently the fight is over who controls the weapons." Details fo the instruction are expected to be disseminated by the end of the month from the Army's Combatives School at Fort Benning, Ga.
Meanwhile in Iraq, Seth Robbins -- certainly not to be confused with Seth Robson -- breaks down the critical advances in medical flights that have allowed wounded troops to be lifted out of the combat zone and back to top-of-the-line medical facilities in Germany and the U.S. Countless lives have been saved because of this relatively new capability, but it's a far more difficult operation than simply loading a stretcher and flying a plane. The medical crews aboard the aircraft must contend with the effects of altitude and temperature, air pressure and turbulence, all of which can threaten a wounded servicemember's life.
The Links:
Army revising Combatives handbook to focus on striking, grappling (Stars and Stripes)
Flying wounded from combat zone a life-saving advancement (Stars and Stripes)
McChrystal apologizes on Afghan national television (The Associated Press)
Reports: Another Taliban leader captured in Pakistan (The Associated Press)
A kinder, gentler Taliban in Marjah (USA Today)
New Marjah mayor makes first plea to residents (The Washington Post)
Theft of fallen airman's belongings sparks fury (Los Angeles Times)
Television reporter goes 'Behind Taliban Lines' (The New York Times)
Lieberman to sponsor bill to repeal 'don't ask, don't tell' (San Francisco Chronicle)
By Jeff Schogol
Published: February 22, 2010
Just got back from two weeks in Haiti, and the consensus among many troops I talked to is that the mission there is essentially over.
The humanitarian disaster that could have followed the natural one has been averted, and though many remain homeless, life for many others is settling back in to familiar rhythms.
From what I saw, Haitians are still desperate to get their hands on food, although some may be more interested in selling it than eating it.
And they still face problems getting access to drinkable water. At one medical clinic I visited, I was told homeless Haitians can’t afford drinking water, so they are mixing sewer water with bleach.
As a result, many Haitians seen at the clinic had worms.
But for the most part, Haiti seems to be limping along.
I passed by one market near the port and it didn’t look like hungry crowds were desperate to get their hands on the fresh or rotting produce.
The question is do we try to leave Haiti better than we found it.
If we do, we will be in Haiti for years, I heard from more than one servicemember.
As the U.S. mission Haiti moves to resettlement and reconstruction, U.S. leaders need to define at what point Haiti is good enough for all U.S. troops to leave.
Defense Secretary Gates has said that if the United States tries to turn Afghanistan into some kind of paradise, it will fail.
The same is true for Haiti, which will remain broken no matter how long we try to fix it.
PHOTO: Marines take a bag of rice away from a Haitian woman who has already gone through the food line.
By Leo Shane
Published: February 22, 2010
Military spouses aren't the only ones upset over last week's news that the Pentagon has suddenly shut down the popular Military Spouse Career Advancement Account program. Sen. Richard Burr, R-N.C., is asking for answers too.
Late Friday Burr posted on his web site blog that he was "stunned" by the news last week; Spouses depending on the program have said they only found out about the shut down through news reports and a brief note on the program web site.
By Derek Turner
Published: February 22, 2010
It's often been said that Afghanistan will stabilize when its own citizens and its own security forces take control, enforcing the law and taking responsibility for keeping the peace on their own streets. In Herat province's Pashtun Zarghun district, some observers tell Stripes' reporter Dianna Cahn that's exactly what's happening.
The local police commander -- a strong-willed figure who says he was transferred out of previous jobs for trying to crack down on corruption in high places -- is fast gaining the trust of the population, locals and U.S. troops say. Perhaps it will become a template for setting straight other troubled locales.
Meanwhile, the Japanese government's review of the U.S. military realignment agreement will not affect plans for Iwakuni, Travis Tritten reports. The contentious Futenma issue remains up in the air, but Iwakuni can still expect to get a carrier air wing, KC-130s and about 5,000 new residents by 2014.
And if you've had your fill of war and international disagreements, check out USA Today's story on the "prom night" held this weekend at Walter Reed for a 17-year-old cancer patient. The daughter of an Army sergeant, she's been out of school since September. But for one night, inside the ballroom at the end of the red carpet, Ashley Riemer was the prom queen and had not a care in the world.
"When it comes down to what she remembers about her cancer treatment, I hope it won't be all the pain and suffering she's been through," her stepfather said, "but that she'll remember this as the highlight."
The Links:
Laying down the law in Herat (Stars and Stripes)
At Iwakuni, realignment will stick to 2006 plan (Stars and Stripes)
Online doctor visits prove valuable at some far-out bases (Stars and Stripes)
Kaiserslautern-area commissaries get tough on ID checks (Stars and Stripes)
For Walter Reed cancer patient, a prom night to remember (USA Today)
Haiti's destruction stuns 82nd Airborne soldiers (Fayetteville Observer)
Marjah's greatest value is in how it's perceived elsewhere (The Washington Post)
Kabul Bank feeds crony capitalism (The Washington Post)
Taliban one of many challenges Afghan towns face (Los Angeles Times)
By Leo Shane
Published: February 19, 2010
Military spouses are outraged at the sudden halt to the Defense Department's My Spouse Career Advancement Account program, which awards qualified participants up to $6,000 in tuition assistance to help them pursue portable careers.
In a statement Thursday Tommy Thomas, deputy under secretary for family policy, called the program stoppage a "short-term break" which will allow officials to determine whether the program is fulfilling its goals. My CAA was launched with a stated goal of assisting military spouses get education, training and certification needed to keep their professional careers on track in spite of the numerous moves and duty station changes associated with military life.
By Derek Turner
Published: February 19, 2010
The Air Force Theater Hospital in Balad, Iraq, was designed to treat wounded troops, full grown men and women with battlefield injuries. But over the years, hundreds of children have come through the doors, Iraqi youngsters with bodies mangled and burned in bombings or fires or other calamities.
In these instances, the U.S. medical personnel there are tested. As Seth Robbins reports, they must adapt their supplies and equipment to treat the smallest patients. And they must keep their emotions in check when faced with some of the most heartwrenching sights, images of children suffering.
Meanwhile, in Washington yesterday, reporter Leo Shane wrote on the emergence of a coalition of conservative organizations that has vowed to fight the military's plans for the repeal of the "don't ask, don't tell" law prohibiting gays and lesbians from serving openly.
And in an interview with The Associated Press, the commander of Marine Corps Forces Pacific said that there should be no confusion: U.S. troops on Okinawa are a benefit, not a burden.
The Links:
Balad hospital workers cope with the pain of wounded children (Stars and Stripes)
New coalition vows to fight repeal of 'don't ask, don't tell' (Stars and Stripes)
Military pay and personnel program dumped, called 'disaster' (Stars and Stripes)
General: Troops on Okinawa are a benefit, not a burden (The Associated Press)
Pakistan will not hand over top Taliban suspects to U.S. (The Associated Press)
Work between U.S., Pakistan led to captures (The Washington Post)
In Pakistan raid, Taliban chief was extra prize (The New York Times)
Afghan detainees handled with care (Los Angeles Times)
War in Iraq to be renamed 'Operation New Dawn' (The Washington Post)
By Derek Turner
Published: February 18, 2010
More than a month after the Haitian capital was flattened by an earthquake, the U.S. military mission there is evolving. The massive food distribution effort and the medical care effort are both winding down and the military soon will turn its attention to resettling displaced Haitians and digging the island nation out from beneath the daunting piles of rubble.
Officials there have been pleasantly surprised by the progress made in recent weeks, but acknowledge much is left to be done. Jeff Schogol on the ground in Haiti and Megan McCloskey from the Pentagon teamed to turn in a sharp piece analyzing the state of the military effort there, today and beyond.
In the Pacific, Teri Weaver keeps up her coverage of the soap opera that is the military's Pacific restructuring. Guam leaders now are cautioning that the process should be drawn out over the course of several more years. The current plan, which would bring more than 8,000 Marines and their families to the island by 2014, would be too much, too soon for the island's infrastructure, they argue.
The Links:
U.S. military mission in Haiti switching from recovery to reconstruction (Stars and Stripes)
Guam leaders balk at timetable for U.S. military buildup (Stars and Stripes)
2 more senior Taliban leaders arrested in Pakistan (The New York Times)
Snipers imperil U.S.-led forces in Afghan offensive (The New York Times)
Afghans greet Marjah offensive with anger, hope (The Washington Post)
Officer's faulted in ambush that killed 5 U.S. troops (McClatchy Newspapers)
U.N. coordinator critical of Haiti relief effort (The Washington Post)
By Leo Shane
Published: February 17, 2010
True, Shaun White doesn't have any military experience (although he'll immediately be drafted if the Pentagon finds a way to weaponize snowboards) but there are still a host of military story lines up at the 2010 Winter Olympics this week.
As always, several individuals from the Army's World Class Athlete Program are among the 200-plus competitors representing the U.S. They are:
By Jeff Schogol
Published: February 17, 2010
CARREFOUR, Haiti — The man bolted from the crowd and jumped onto the back of a moving taxi. A Marine yanked him to the ground, where he was swarmed by other Marines, subdued and flex-cuffed.
It was one a handful of incidents Tuesday in which Marines had to intervene as they worked to keep order at a food distribution point in southern Haiti, where they are supporting the United Nations.
In this case, the man’s wife allegedly stole a ticket for a 110-pound bag of rice, said Maj. James Birchfield, head of Company L, 3rd Battalion, 2nd Marines.
A United Nations peacekeeper from Sri Lanka later gave the bag of rice to the young girl from whom the woman allegedly took the ticket, but once the girl got into a tax with the rice, the woman unexpectedly hopped on, and her husband followed, Birchfield said.
The man was eventually released after he told Marines he thought the younger girl was stealing from his wife. The man’s wife was told to go home.
The food distribution here was less orderly than in the Port-au-Prince area. Most of the trouble occurred as people left the site where they picked up their rice. Once outside, they would stop in a dry open sewer to divide the rice into two or more bags.
Others would descend on them like piranhas to try to scoop out rice for themselves, prompting the Marines to move the crowd back.
Still, Marines say things have calmed considerably since the first day they provided security at the site, when 5,000 people showed up. Since the site opened, the Marines have had to turn over four people to the Haitian police, including one man who was wielding a knife, Birchfield said.
On Tuesday, Marines detained three Haitians who were scalping tickets for bags of rice. Two were handed over to the police and the third released. Another man was taken out of the crowd for allegedly trying to start a fight, Birchfield said. He too was later released.
Still, there is a limit to how much the Marines can do.
When Birchfield got a report of someone selling rice tickets nearby, he suggested calling the Haitian police.
The people selling the tickets were about 15 minutes away, and they would be long gone before a Marine patrol could get there, he explained.
[PHOTO: Jeff Schogol]
By Derek Turner
Published: February 17, 2010
The Afghan army on Wednesday raised the national flag over the market in Marjah, the latest sign of progress in the joint military offensive there. But the town is still tense and U.S. troops there carry a healthy dose of suspicion even as they seek to engage the civilians and win them over to the side of the Afghan government.
Meanwhile, The Washington Post looks at that other war zone, Iraq, and reports that for some U.S. officers there, the situation looks an awful lot like the prelude to 2005's sectarian battles.
The Links:
Afghan army raises flag over embattled Taliban town (The Associated Press)
Nerves on a hair trigger in Marjah patrol (Los Angeles Times)
Sectarian strife reigniting in Iraq? (The Washington Post)
Soldier charged for threats in rap song fights transfer to Kuwait (The Associated Press)
U.S. warships make port call in Hong Kong, a sign of easing tension (The Associated Press)
U.N. rejects 'militarization' of Afghan aid (The New York Times)
In doomsday cyber attack scenario, answers are unsettling (Los Angeles Times)
Study: Haiti earthquake damage estimated at $14 billion (The Washington Post)
By Leo Shane
Published: February 16, 2010
In between various shots at the current administration on ABC's This Week Sunday, former Vice President Dick Cheney also unveiled somewhat startling support from a conservative politician for dumping the military's current ban on openly gay servicemembers.
"Twenty years ago, the military were strong advocates of 'don't ask, don't tell.' I think things have changed significantly since then ... I think the society has moved on. I think it's partly a generational question.
By Derek Turner
Published: February 16, 2010
The Defense Department has put an end to an effort by the DOD's Education Activity to to recognize same-sex relationships when transferring overseas teachers. The attempted policy change was announced weeks ago, but was immediately put under departmental review. And Pacific reporter Travis Tritten tells us that the DOD has squashed the policy, saying it violates the 1993 Defense of Marriage Act, which prevents the government from providing benefits to gay couples.
Elsewhere in the Pacific, Charlie Reed reports that efforts stemming from the 2005 BRAC to consolidate military bases have proved to be difficult and not the money-saving measures that they were intended to be. And Europe-based reporters Sandra Jontz and Geoff Ziezulewicz have turned in a pair of stories taking an in-depth look at the problem of piracy off the coast of Africa and in the Middle East. They examine the various approaches to stemming the problem, which has proven more difficult than many imagined.
By Kevin Baron
Published: February 13, 2010
While all eyes are on NATO forces launching a major operation in Afghanistan this weekend, the commanding U.S. general in Iraq, Gen. Raymond Odierno, is coming to Washington this week.
Odierno is a straight shooter, well-respected, with a repuation of giving good, informative briefings. The last time Odierno was in Washington, though, he was given a less than honorable reception in Congress, testifying about the waning stages of the Iraq war to near-empty hearing rooms.
This time, Odierno is expected to set the scene and give his assessment of Iraq in a series of public and private speaking events just three weeks before national elections on March 7.
Pentagon leaders and Odierno for months have pointed to these elections as the big day when the U.S. will know if it can proceed with ending the war, cutting U.S. forces by half, drawing down U.S. troops from about 120,000 today to 50,000 by the end August,
I've read - don't ask me where - that somebody somewhere said a democracy isn't judged by it's first elections but by its second. The AP's Lara Jakes, in Bagdad, recently examined this election's importance with U.S. Ambassador to Iraq, Christopher Hill.
Smooth elections in Florida are hardly a sure thing. In Baghdad, they're looking more precarious. Large scale bombings have dotted the weeks leading up to the vote. And President al-Maliki's government has been less than democratic toward opposition candidates.
Nobody is sure just how badly the elections and their aftermath would have to go to change American commander's mind about the pace of the U.S. drawdown. But nobody wants to find out either.
There are plenty of questions Wahington should ask the general, including about the security goals Americans and Iraqis need to acheive to be ready to bring home 70,000 troops this year, and the rest by the end of 2011.
We'll be covering Odierno's speeches, and Washington's reception. He'll be in the Pentagon briefing room on Wednesday.
By Leo Shane
Published: February 12, 2010
Maybe next year they should call it "Rush the Hill" or "Take the Hill," one participant joked. After all, the annual "Storm the Hill" lobbying sweep of Washington DC by the Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America did start the same day as the two massive snowstorms which blanketed the capital.
But the 50-plus inches of snow this week didn't stop 32 veterans from the group from visiting lawmakers' offices all this week, lobbying for improvements to military-to-veterans transition programs and for solutions to the backlog of claims in the VA system.
By Kevin Baron
Published: February 11, 2010
The deaths of Rep. John “Jack” Murtha, D-Pa., 77, and former Rep. Charles "Charlie" Wilson, D-Tex., 76, this week brought laudatory statements from top U.S. defense and foreign policy leadership who praised both men as champions of the U.S. military.
Murtha is best known in Washington as a proud master of congressional earmarks – for his district and the military. To the rest of the country, he is probably better known as that senior Democratic sitting Congressman who took a bold step into the spotlight as one of the earliest, and highest-profile, critics of the Iraq war under President George W. Bush’s administration.
For that war opposition – in a time when even the phrase “support the troops” became a politically charged talking point – Murtha was the target of much spitballing. Two days before his death he became Pennsylvania’s longest-serving member of Congress.
This week, he was universally praised.
President Barack Obama noted Murtha was the first Vietnam combat veteran elected to Congress. Obama said, “Jack’s tough-as-nails reputation carried over to Congress, where he became a respected voice on issues of national security.”
Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates said, “America has lost a true patriot who served his country faithfully first in uniform as a decorated combat Marine, and then as an elected representative.
“I've known Jack and worked with him for more than two decades, starting back in the Reagan administration when I was at CIA. I will always remember and be grateful for Congressman Murtha's personal efforts on behalf of the Afghan resistance fighting the Soviets - efforts that helped bring about the end of the Cold War.
“In our dealings over the years, Jack and I did not always agree, but I always respected his candor, and knew that he cared deeply about the men and women of America's military and intelligence community."
Adm. Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff said: “There wasn’t a single exchange I ever had with him -- in his office, in the hearing room, or even on the phone -- where he didn’t ask me how the troops were doing. Oftentimes, he already knew the answer. So frequent were his visits to the war zone, to stateside bases and to military hospitals that he knew firsthand the challenges our troops and their families face every day.”
Mullen continued: “That we remain the greatest military in the history of world is testament in no small part to his vigilance and stewardship. In him, our troops and their families had no greater champion. For him, we will most certainly all grieve.”
Army Secretary John McHugh, a former Republican congressman from New York, said Murtha took him under his wing as a freshman. “When I was a newly elected member of Congress, Jack set aside partisan politics and joined me to visit Fort Drum and the men and women of the 10th Mountain Division,” McHugh said.
“During my nine terms in the U.S. House of Representatives, I often worked with Jack to bring the necessary resources to our troops. I’m grateful for the example he set, always putting the interests of the military ahead of his own and never losing sight of the individual service member for whom he felt a deep sense of gratitude.”
Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said: “Presidents of both parties sought his advice and generations of colleagues looked to him for leadership and wisdom. As Senator from New York serving on the Armed Services Committee, I was fortunate to call Jack a friend and mentor. And as Secretary of State, I continued to rely on his expertise and judgment. I knew that Jack would always shoot straight, like the Marine he was, and never shy away from a difficult question or a tough fight.”
***
Charlie Wilson’s name almost cannot be spoken without saying it in full: “Charlie Wilson”.
A lawmaker unknown to most Americans, and forgotten by many in Washington, until 2007, when Tom Hanks portrayed him in Mike Nichols’ “Charlie Wilson’s War”.
Wilson, a graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy, led a covert effort from his seat on an appropriations subcommittee to send to Afghanistan’s mujahedeen up to $750 million a year in stinger missiles, and anything else he could get his hands on, a New York Times editorial noted.
A closing scene of the movie depicts Wilson being laughed out of the subcommittee room as he begs his colleagues to earmark U.S. taxpayer dollars to fund schools and development projects for war ravaged Afghanistan…about 20 years ago.
What that money, then, could have saved us in blood later – the scene implies – will never be known.
Gen. Mohammad Zahir Azimi, of Afghanistan's Defense Ministry, says: "The people of Afghanistan will never forget this. All the time, they have this memory of Wilson."
When Gates talks about Afghanistan history, he frequently recalls his involvment at the top of the Central Intelligence Agency, and will chuckle when recalling working with "Charlie".
Gates this week said knowing Wilson was an “unforgettable experience,” adding: “After the Soviets left, Charlie kept fighting for the Afghan people and warned against abandoning that traumatized country to its fate -- a warning we should have heeded then, and should remember today.”
Even one of the legendary “Big Three” network news anchors, Dan Rather, released a statement saying: “What Charlie Wilson did in Afghanistan changed the course of world events. ...He was a member of the pantheon of Texas heroes from Sam Houston, to Jim Bowie."
A good closing scene on Wilson’s life is found by Houston Chronicle’s Lisa Falkenberg.
By Leo Shane
Published: February 11, 2010
The snow in DC has been the big story all week long, but does anyone else care? It's an interesting read, but before everyone chimes in about how soft the Middle Atlantic states have gotten I'll point you to a soldier who says that Iraq was more pleasant than DC this week.
Outside the beltway, in the land of real news, the Wall Street Journal is reporting that at least six Army officers could face career-ending reprimands for not taking action in advance of the Fort Hood shooting. Accused shooter Maj. Nidal Malik Hasan showed numerous signs of instability in the years leading up to the attack, but despite that faced no discipline and received regular promotions.
Our reporter David Allen has the latest on the Scwab airstrip controversy, and reporter Seth Robson took a closer look at some of the cultural awareness training U.S. troops are getting before they deploy into Afghanistan.
The Links
White Stripes accuses Air Force of stealing song (Stars and Stripes)
Academics prepare troops for Afghan culture, life (Stars and Stripes)
Japanese panelists restate opposition to Schwab airstrip (Stars and Stripes)
Army to punish six for inaction before Fort Hood shooting (Wall Street Journal)
Shelter experts scramble as Haiti's rainy season approaches (Los Angeles Times)
Iraqi Army caught in political battle (New York Times)
Fatal avalanches capture Afghanistan's attention (Los Angeles Times)
By Leo Shane
Published: February 10, 2010
Thanks to another round of snowstorms, about the only way to get into the nation's capital right now is if you're riding in a Humvee. The good news is, if you really need one, they are available.
National Guard units in Washington D.C., Virginia, Maryland and Delaware have been on call since this weekend. That has included dusting snow off the Humvees and heavy trucks to assist with rescue calls and ambulance runs throughout the region.
It's not an unusual move -- Guard units in Pennsylvania and New York have also mobilized personnel for storm response efforts, and states like Arkansas just finished their snow emergencies with the help of guardsmen.
Still, it's certainly unusual to see Army vehicles patrolling outside the White House and Capitol building. DC EMS officials said the guardsmen so have helped move emergency service personnel across the district, mostly serving dialysis patients but also helping deliver a few babies.
Maryland officials said guardsmen there have mainly been helping move stranded vehicles off roads so plows can get through. Virginia guardsmen have moving families from homes without power into safe shelter, driving those heavy trucks up hills that plows and state vehicles can't navigate.
Delaware Guardsmen, who got a brief day off Monday before being called back to duty on Tuesday night, have dubbed this round of missions "Operation Arctic Vengeance II." Here's hoping that there isn't a Arctic Vengeance III.
[PHOTO: Maryland National Guard]
By Leo Shane
Published: February 10, 2010
While DC gets buried in yet another snowstorm this morning, we're looking closely at a handful of stories from dangerous areas of a different sort.
Reporter Mark Abramson has the details on a new plan to scale back AAFES footprint in Afghanistan, including shuttering some Dairy Queen, Pizza Hut and Burger King trailers there. The reason: “This is a war zone — not an amusement park."
Meanwhile, Seth Robbins filed a report from Qaim, Iraq, looking at continued U.S. efforts there to stop illegal border crossings. So far the operation has mostly caught smugglers moving out of Iraq, carrying cigarettes and similar goods into Syria to avoid the high sales tax.
And reporter Jeff Schogol is still traveling with soldiers from the 82nd Airborne Division in Haiti -- look for another update from him later.
The Links
McChrystal orders AAFES locations scaled back (Stars and Stripes)
Jungle warfare still a mainstay for Marines (Stars and Stripes)
U.S. unit helps stop illegal border crossings in Iraq (Stars and Stripes)
Air Force mandates H1N1 shots for children in base care (Stars and Stripes)
Alcohol abuse weighs on Army (USA Today)
Toll mounts in Afghan avalanche (New York Times)
More tolerance for gay troops in the ranks (Washington Post)
Jordan and U.S. move closer to nuclear pact (Wall Street Journal)
By Leo Shane
Published: February 9, 2010
First the good news -- Veterans as a whole have a slightly lower unemployment rate than their counterparts who have never served in the military.
But the bad news is that veteran's unemployment has more than doubled in the past two years, and veterans of the current conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan are having an even more difficult time finding work after their military careers.
The Bureau of Labor Statistics released its January 2010 unemployment statistics late last week; Veterans posted a 9.6 percent unemployment rate, up nearly 1.5 percent from the average monthly unemployment in 2009 but still below the overall non-veteran unemployment rate of 10.4 percent.
So, the job market has been slightly kinder to job seekers with military experience ... unless that service came recently. Among veterans who have served since 2001 and left the military, the unemployment rate is 12.6 percent, well above the 10.2 percent average for 2009.
Veterans groups have worried in recent years that younger servicemembers leaving the military aren't getting the job training or job opportunities needed to succeed in civilian life. The 12.6 percent unemployment rate translates into 213,000 young jobless veterans, more than are currently deployed in Iraq and Afghanistan.
And, if the trends continue, those numbers will only get bigger. In January 2009 the overall veterans unemployment rate was 7.4 percent; In January 2008, it was 4.7 percent.
[PHOTO: Department of Defense]
RELATED
Concern rises over number of unemployed veterans
By Derek Turner
Published: February 9, 2010
Nearly a month after the island nation of Haiti was brought to its knees by a deadly earthquake, the stories still come pouring in each day -- some sad, some frustrating, some uplifting. Today, we've got a little of all those things from Stripes reporters. Megan McCloskey was among the first reporters to embed with the U.S. military relief effort. She returned to the States this weekend, but in her final days in the area she spent time with the doctors and patients aboard the hospital ship USNS Comfort. She tells of the difficult decisions made when patients must be discharged from the ship and sent back to Haiti where adequate care might not always wait for them.
Meanwhile, Jeff Schogol arrived in Haiti this weekend and his first dispatch tells of 82nd Airborne soldiers delivering food to a pair of Haitian orphanages. The abundant thanks offered by the children was offset only by the realization that at a market in a nearby town, 50-pound bags of rice -- that had earlier been delivered by Americans -- were being sold for $250. And there's nothing the Americans can do about the price gouging.
In Europe, Mark Abramson reports that the European Command is taking steps to make it easier for troops to seek mental health care. They're blending mental health facilities with primary care facilities, so it's not obvious what the troops are being treated for. And they've penned a "bill of rights" laying out everything that mental health patients can expect from their treatment.
The Links:
EUCOM pens 'bill of rights' for mental health patients (Stars and Stripes)
Continued care hard to find for patients discharged from the Comfort (Stars and Stripes)
Grateful children bring satisfaction to GIs on Haiti aid mission (Stars and Stripes)
A month later, Haiti relief efforts falling short (The Washington Post)
Gates quietly draws more allied troops for Afghanistan effort (Los Angeles Times)
Marines focus on civilian safety in Afghanistan (Los Angeles Times)
In southern Afghanistan, even small gains get noticed (The Washington Post)
Military hawk John Murtha dies (The Washington Post)
By Kevin Baron
Published: February 8, 2010
In the last half of 2009, U.S.-China rhetoric was thawing, dignitaries were visiting Washington and Beijing, and cooperation seemed on the rise. But when the U.S. sold $6.8 billion of military weaponry to Taiwan last month, as it had warned Beijing it would do, China responded by cutting off military-to-military exchanges, as it warned Washington would happen.
The incident threatens to wipe away several months’ worth of work to open doors. That’s important for at least one reason – on his second day on the job as new Pacific Command commander, talking to reporters in a Seoul, South Korea, hotel meeting room, Adm. Robert Willard said:
“I would contend that in the past decade or so China has exceeded most of our intelligence estimates of their military capability and capacity every year."
President Barack Obama fulfilled a campaign promise by dispatching his top national security officials to press China for greater dialogue and openness. Top U.S. Navy officials attended a Chinese fleet review marking their military’s 60th anniversary, hoping to learn their “intent”. http://blogs.stripes.com/blogs/stripes-central/cno-seeks-learn-chinas-na.... Diplomats secured unprecedented support from Beijing against North Korean provocations.
And Obama himself visited Beijing in November, committing to military exchanges.
Defense Secretary Robert Gates also has pushed for normalized and open relations between American and Chinese militaries. In October, Gen. Xu Caihou, the second-ranking military officer in China, essentially Gates’ counterpart, spent a week touring U.S. military bases from the Pentagon to Pearl Harbor. Gates accepted an invitation to visit Beijing in 2010 and both sides agreed to increase exchanges junior officers and senior noncommissioned officers.
Xu was the highest ranking Chinese officer to visit Washington since 2006. Press Secretary Geoff Morrell, said the secretary stressed to him this point: “There is a need to break the on-again-off-again cycle of our military-to-military relationship."
Gates hoped the two militaries could continue despite political “hiccups,” Morrell said.
Then the U.S. did it again. Another arms sale to Taiwan. Another Chinese silent treatment.
It’s unclear how U.S. military exchanges would be slowed or halted by China. The U.S. said this fall it would begin several cooperative maritime exercises with China, including combined search and rescue operations.
The announcement of a joint maritime venture was poignant because the two Navy’s have a history of several tense dust ups at sea. In May 2009, Chinese vessels surrounded a U.S. contract surveillance ship, USNS Impeccable, attempting to snag a tow line dragging sonar equipment and forcing the ship off course. The snags seem to continue.
“I’d hoped that in the future we could shield the military-to-military relationship from the political ups and downs,” Gates said at the Pentagon, February 1. “I think that we have a lot to learn from each other.”
Gates said he was still planning for a China trip.
By Leo Shane
Published: February 8, 2010
This Thursday Rep. Walter Jones and a host of Marine Corps supporters will again push for legislation to change the Department of the Navy's formal name to the "Department of the Navy and Marine Corps," to better recognize their contributions as an operational force.
It's not a new battle; Jones, R-N.C., has introduced this measure each of the last nine years, only to see it fall short every year. Last year was the closest it has come to passage, with the measure working its way through the House but ultimately getting rejected by the Senate.
Proponents of the change say the new name wouldn't mean new responsibilities or complete independence of the Corps from the Navy; Rather, the change would simply reflect Marines' "equal status" with sailors, and afford an elevated level of respect to the service.
They also complain that KIA letter to families of fallen Marines are sent on "Department of the Navy" letterhead, a move which does not properly recognize their contribution and sacrifice.
Supporters have set up a new web site this year and insist that they've collected more support this year than any time in the past, giving the legislation its best chance ever of passing. But, whether that's enough to overcome roadblocks in the Senate remains to be seen.
Expect the issue to come up again in budget conversations with Navy and Marine Corps service leaders later this month.
By Derek Turner
Published: February 8, 2010
Of all the atrocities suspected of being committed daily in North Korea, the cruelty visited upon prisoners in the country's notorious gulag's is particularly difficult to imagine. But as Stars and Stripes reporters Ashley Rowland and Hwang Hae-rym found, many in South Korea don't spend too much time worrying about it -- even when North Korean defectors, some of them former prisoners themselves, try desperately to raise awareness about the torturous camps. Definitely worth a read.
Meanwhile, Mark Abramson breaks down what last week's federal budget proposal means for DOD schools in Europe, and Warren Peace tells of a trio of Special Forces soldiers who recently received Bronze Stars for heroism in taking the fight to the Taliban last summer.
By Leo Shane
Published: February 5, 2010
Last week, following the announcement of the Pentagon's plan to eventually do away with "don't ask, don't tell," Sen. Carl Levin said he planned on holding a series of hearings before the Senate Armed Services Committee on the issue to gather opinions.
The first of those will be next Thursday morning. Staff officials have not yet announced exactly who will be participating, but the panel will include outside experts and possibly veterans groups to offer their perspective.
In 2008, when the House Armed Services Committee held its hearing on the law prohibiting openly gay troops from serving in the ranks, representatives from the Servicemembers Legal Defense Network and the Center for Military Readiness sparred on their panel.
This week, both the American Legion and VFW publicly voiced their support for "don't ask, don't tell" (and the folks at AMVETS said too many questions still linger to support a repeal) while VoteVets.org endorsed a repeal.
Levin has pledged to bring in active duty personnel to offer their assessment of the policy, and has promised that service chiefs due before the committee for budget hearings later this month will also face questions on whether gay troops should be allowed to serve openly.
[PHOTO: Defense Department]
RELATED
"Don't ask, don't tell" supporters gear up for difficult fight
Adm. Mullen's surprising endorsement of gays in the military
Chairman enjoys twitter popularity after DADT comments
By Leo Shane
Published: February 5, 2010
Everything in DC has begun slowing down in advance of yet another major snowstorm this weekend (except over at IAVA, where they're still bringing in a small army of veterans this weekend for their now aptly named "Storm the Hill" event).
But outside the beltway there's still plenty of news. Gen. Stanley McChrystal's comments on Afghanistan -- "it's not deteriorating, but it's still serious" -- and new punishment for battlefield failings are on the front of most of the major papers this morning. Also, while the "no pregnancies" policy in Iraq may be gone, women there and at other overseas locations will now have better access to emergency contraception, thanks to a change in military practices.
Our folks in Germany are keeping a close eye on developments with the Black Hawk helicopter crash which killed three soldiers on Wednesday, and accident that happened just a few miles from Coleman Barracks. And reporter Erik Slavin has details on the annual Cobra Gold exercise in Thailand.
Meanwhile, reporter Jeff Schogol is en route to Haiti to continue our coverage of U.S. military efforts there -- keep an eye on the front page and the blogs for updates from him and returning reporter Megan McCloskey on the mission ahead for the 17,000-plus troops there.
The Links
Officials look for answers in fatal helicopter crash in Germany (Stars and Stripes)
South Korean 'juicy bar' owners hear Army's concerns (Stars and Stripes)
Cobra Gold exercise begins in Thailand (Stars and Stripes)
Pentagon to offer emergency contraception abroad (Associated Press)
McChrystal sees improvements in Afghanistan (Chicago Tribune)
U.S. commanders face tougher discipline for failures (Washington Post)
In Haiti, a chance to improve the U.S. image (Washington Post)
NATO falls far short of helping Afghans (New York Times)
By Jeff Schogol
Published: February 4, 2010
The first U.S. soldiers should get new lighter body armor designed for Afghanistan on Friday, said Lt. Col. Jon K. Rickey.
Rickey is product manager for soldier protective equipment at Program Executive Office Soldier, the Army’s center for advanced soldier equipment, based at Fort Belvoir, Va.
While the new body armor weighs up to 15 pounds less than what soldiers wear now, Rickey said it has less soft armor, such as Kevlar, than current body armor. Soft armor protects against handguns and shrapnel.
A medium sized vest offers 432 square inches of protection, compared with 885 square inches of protection on a medium Improved Outer Tactical Vest in its lightest configuration, he said.
“You’re still wearing your plates that provide that rifle protection, if you will, but you are sacrificing some protection against fragmentation when you’re wearing a [lightweight] plate carrier," Rickey said.
About 500 soldiers with 4th Brigade, 82nd Airborne Division are expected to get the new body armor on Friday, he said. Another 4,000 soldiers with the 4th Brigade, 82nd Airborne Division and the 5th Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division should get the body armor next week.
So far, about 9,610 vests have been sent to Afghanistan, Rickey said. Soldiers are only getting them now because PEO Soldier wanted to make sure it has soldiers’ sizes right before issuing them the new body armor, and logistics in Afghanistan are challenging.
Besides infantry units, soldiers in route clearance teams, provincial reconstruction teams, agricultural teams, pathfinders, Military Police and personal security detachments will also get the lighter body armor, he said.
PHOTO: A soldier at Fort Drum being fitted with the new body armor, courtesy PEO Soldier.
By Megan McCloskey
Published: February 4, 2010
Reporting aboard the USNS COMFORT - The pace on the Comfort has slowed to a more consistent, manageable level since the first days of the hospital ship's arrival when the elevator doors would open in casualty receiving and patients with horrific injuries would pour out endlessly. But there are still 370 patients aboard and more come in every day.
The stories the doctors tell are both heart wrenching and uplifting. Hear a few of the more incredible ones I heard:
By Derek Turner
Published: February 4, 2010
After nearly three weeks in Haiti and aboard the U.S. military ships docked offshore, Stars and Stripes reporter Megan McCloskey is making her way back to the States today. Megan has done an outstanding job chronicling the contributions of the U.S. military since the days immediately after the horrific earthquake killed 150,000 people and left many more injured, homeless and scared.
But we should have reporter Jeff Schogol, Pentagon reporter and all-around blogstar, on the ground in Haiti this weekend to keep up the top-notch coverage. Stars and Stripes is the only newspaper being printed and delivered to U.S. forces in Haiti and we'll keep telling their story.
By Kevin Baron
Published: February 3, 2010
Just after the end of Tuesday’s Senate hearing on “don’t ask, don’t tell”, Adm. Mike Mullen had about 11,400 followers.
Then, about 40 minutes after the hearing, the chairman posted this Tweet:
By Leo Shane
Published: February 3, 2010
Arizona Sen. John McCain was visibly frustrated after Defense Secretary Robert Gates laid out his year-long plan to begin the repeal of the 17-year-old "don't ask, don't tell" law at Tuesday's Senate hearing.
In his mind, the fight against allowing gay troops to serve openly may already be lost.
By Derek Turner
Published: February 3, 2010
Yesterday was a big day on Capitol Hill as Defense Secretary Robert Gates and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Mike Mullen told the Senate Armed Services Committee that it's time to repeal the controversial 'don't ask, don't tell' law. Gates announced a yearlong study into the issues involved in allowing gays to serve openly. Stars and Stripes reporter Leo Shane was there, as he has been every step of the way in the brewing debate. Tune in to NPR at 11 a.m. this morning to hear Leo discuss what comes next.
Meanwhile, reporter Megan McCloskey is wrapping up her time in Haiti. In one of her final dispatches from the earthquake-battered island, she tells of Marines efforts to create a system of supplying aid that will stand long after they've left.
By Leo Shane
Published: February 2, 2010
Few in the audience at today's "don't ask, don't tell" hearing before the Senate Armed Services Committee were surprised when Defense Secretary Robert Gates unveiled long-term plans to get rid of the ban on gays in the military.
But many were shocked by Joint Chiefs Chairman Adm. Mike Mullen's strong endorsement of those plans, and his decision to tell skeptical lawmakers that he believes the change can only make the military stronger.
By Leo Shane
Published: February 2, 2010
Last year, in his first defense budget proposal, President Barack Obama included the costs of operations in Iraq and Afghanistan in the overall funding plan, pledging an end to the supplemental budget requests common in the previous eight years which he argued "hid the true costs of the war."
This year, the supplemental war budget is back again. On Tuesday, Defense Secretary Robert Gates promised it was a one-time need.
By Leo Shane
Published: February 1, 2010
While most of the DC military press is focused down on the Pentagon today, the Department of Veterans Affairs is also unveiling its fiscal 2011 spending plans and ambitious goals for the near future. Secretary Eric Shinseki will hold a press conference at 315, and we'll have a full story later this afternoon.
But even though the $125 billion VA budget proposal is only a fraction of the proposed Defense Department budget, the plans could have wide-reaching ramifications for current servicemembers as well as veterans. For example:
By Leo Shane
Published: February 1, 2010
Now that President Obama has made his remarks on the complete federal budget all of the details of the individual department's requests are starting to move out. Defense Secretary Gates is scheduled to speak on the $708 billion Pentagon request at 1pm.
The $548 billion base request (which doesn't include $159 billion for overseas operations) is up 3.4 percent from last year's base -- here's a quick look at how the individual sections stack up:
By Derek Turner
Published: February 1, 2010
It's a big day in Washington and at the Pentagon in particular as the details of the fiscal 2011 budget and the DOD's Quadrennial Defense Review are formally laid out. We'll have our team of Washington reporters working to get you the most important details as the afternoon goes on. Keep checking back to Stripes.com for news, analysis and service-by-service breakdowns, explaining what it all means.
Beyond that, check out a couple of excellent pieces turned in by Stars and Stripes reporters over the last couple days. From Travis Tritten in the Pacific, an in-depth examination into the toxic legacy left behind at former U.S. military bases in the Philippines. Under the base-closure agreement, the Philippines were responsible for environmental cleanup following years of U.S. pollution. But there has been none and the result is a long string of illness and death linked to the U.S. presence.
Make sure you take a moment to view the moving photo slideshow, narrated by Tritten, to see just how the locals occupying the former base lands live with that legacy.
Our lead story on Sunday was a piece by Leo Shane discussing the ever-growing technological capabilities of Middle East insurgent groups. As Shane reports, the terrorists are winning the propaganda war hands down. Where is the U.S. going wrong and what can be done to fix it?
The Links:
A toxic legacy at former U.S. bases in the Philippines (Stars and Stripes)
Expert: Virtual battlefield is just as important (Stars and Stripes)
China, Iran prompt U.S. air-sea battle strategy review (Bloomberg)
Gates orders Air Force, Navy to study joint weapons system (The Washington Post)
Forces pushing Obama on 'don't ask, don't tell' (The New York Times)
As food distribution improves, Haitians want U.S. to take over (The Washington Post)
U.S. to resume Haiti medevac flights (The Washington Post)
Haiti added to 'most dangerous paper routes in the world' (The New York Times on S&S)
Taliban leader thought dead after U.S. strikes (The Washington Post)
