From: Wayne Gatewood, Jr 
Subject: Veterans News for Thursday, June 21, 2012

 

News from Al Bunting, Col, USAF (Ret) in NJ.  Thanks Al!

U.S. Security Chiefs Visit Saudi After Royal Death
(Reuters.com) U.S. security chiefs visited Saudi Arabia on Wednesday to convey President Barack Obama's condolences for the death of Crown Prince Nayef, underscoring the importance of a relationship seen as key in the battle against al Qaeda.

C.I.A. Said To Aid In Steering Arms To Syrian Opposition

Report Faults Military School's Use Of Anti-Islamic Material
(Washington Post) Poor judgment and poor oversight led to the teaching of anti-Islamic material at a military school for officers, according to a Pentagon report released Wednesday.

Congress Won?t Let Panetta Close Bases
(Washington Times) Congress is poised to deliver a defeat to the Obama administration on one of its main defense policies in the new budget - base closings.

Report: Military Spending Totals $20.6 Billion In San Diego
(U-T San Diego) San Diego Countys economy will benefit from an estimated $20.6 billion of direct spending related to the military in the 2012 fiscal year, but growth is slowing, according to a report released Wednesday by the San Diego Military Advisory Council.

Vermont Town Doesn't Want F-35s Flying Overhead
(Fort Worth Star-Telegram) One would think that in this down economy, a former mill town in Vermont would be working hard to get 18 or 24 F-35s based nearby, as two places near Air National Guard sites in South Carolina and Florida are doing.

Squadron Commander Relieved Of Duties After CV-22 Osprey Crash
(InsideDefense.com) The Air Force has removed the commander of the 8th Special Operations Squadron, citing a lack of confidence in his leadership following last week's crash of a CV-22 Osprey.

White House Rejects Requests For 'Targeted Killing' Papers
(Yahoo.com) The Obama administration has rejected requests from The New York Times and the American Civil Liberties Union seeking information about its "targeted killing" program against suspected terrorists, saying the release of the requested documents would harm national security.

Searing Questions
(Los Angeles Times) Birds aren't the only flying objects at risk. The Defense Department has expressed concern about large-scale solar plants' compatibility with aviation and weapons training at the Mojave region's nine military installations

Moving Navy Ships Will Take A Financial Toll, Study Finds
(Norfolk Virginian-Pilot) Three Navy ships leaving Hampton Roads for Mayport

DoD Not Tracking 9/11 Responder, Survivor Health
(Military.com) More than 10 years after terrorists crashed a fully fueled airliner into the Pentagon, causing a fireball of atomized metal, concrete, plastic, blood and bone, the Defense Department has not compiled data on the long-term health of first responders or the building's workers.

U.S. Army Will Focus On Training, Partnering With SOF: Odierno
(DefenseNews.com) The U.S. Army is looking to preposition stocks of equipment to keep them close to potential global flashpoints and assist with multilateral training missions with partner nations.

Israeli Strike On Iran Stays On Hold, For Now
(Wall Street Journal) Israel is unlikely to launch a strike on Iran as long as sanctions on Tehran intensify and diplomatic efforts continue, despite the failure of international talks in Moscow this week, Israeli officials and security experts said.

S. Korea, Japan, US Begin Drill Amid N. Korea Protest
(Yahoo.com) South Korea, Japan and the United States Thursday began a joint naval exercise denounced by North Korea as a "reckless provocation".

Army Renewable Energy Commitment Is Serious: Hammack Details Program
(AOL Defense (defense.aol.com)) The commitment of the US military to renewable energy is serious, long-term and about guaranteeing energy security for missions, and it is not a short-term environmental program, the US Army's energy and installations chief stressed today.

Naval Station in Florida will take with them paychecks, repair work and spending power that add up to 5,220 jobs and $590

Dover Whistleblowers To Receive Recognition
(Washington Post) Three civilian whistleblowers who reported missing body parts and other failures at the mortuary that handles the remains of America's fallen troops will be honored as public servants of the year at a ceremony next week.

Atlas' Secret Payload Likely To Relay Data, Experts Say
(Florida Today) An Atlas V rocket delivered a classified national security satellite to orbit Wednesday, completing the 50th launch by the decade-old Air Force program under which the rocket and its sister, the Delta IV, were developed.

 

Labor Awards Grants To Aid Homeless Vets
(Washington Post) The Labor Department is awarding $15 million in grants that it says will provide 8,600 homeless veterans with job training.

 

VA Looking To Technology To Reduce Suicide Risks
(Yahoo.com) The Veterans Affairs Department hopes to reduce the risk of suicide among veterans by making greater use of video conferences between patients and doctors and by gradually integrating its electronic health records with those maintained by the Defense Department, VA Secretary Eric Shinseki told mental health professionals Wednesday.

Somebody In The Government Finally Raises A Question About War And Taxes
(Washington Post) At last, after 11 years of the United States at war, a few minutes of public discussion of a tax to pay for the fighting. But that would be for the next war.

Plugging The National Security Leaks
(Wall Street Journal) The imprudent release of secrets has become a hallmark of the current administration.

The Greening Of America's Military
(Norfolk Virginian-Pilot) Not too long ago, it was the stuff of science fiction: A green Navy, powering its ships, jets and helicopters with a blend of cooking grease, algae and oil. Next month, it'll become a reality during an exercise off the coast of Hawaii.

Military Death Penalty Discredits American Justice
(Tacoma News Tribune) Genuine justice doesnt play favorites with either criminals or their victims. A state, for example, thats quick to execute murderers who kill whites, but not those who kill blacks, shouldnt be in the business of executing anyone at all (New York Times) A small number of C.I.A. officers are operating secretly in southern Turkey, helping allies decide which Syrian opposition fighters across the border will receive arms to fight the Syrian government, according to American officials and Arab intelligence officers.

U.S. Urged To Confront Iran On Nuclear Work
(New York Times) With high-stakes negotiations over Irans nuclear program at an impasse, the Obama administration is under mounting pressure to rethink a diplomatic exercise that many argue is simply stringing along the rest of the world.

A Long Road Home, Pitted With Worry
(Washington Post) The uncertainty shrouding Afghanistans future has prompted thousands of Afghans to seek an escape route foreign visa applications, asylum pleas, long journeys across the border. But every day, families swim against that current, returning to Afghanistan after years abroad, finding a country that has been transformed by all the development and war wrought by a decade-long U.S. intervention and a persistent insurgency.

Pakistan To Talk With Militants On Anti-Polio Ban
(Yahoo.com) Pakistani authorities will try to persuade militants in a northwest tribal area to lift a ban on anti-polio vaccination teams imposed in protest at US drone strikes, officials said Wednesday.

Drones Vs. Diplomacy
(Washington Post) As America's relationship with Pakistan has unraveled over the past 18 months, an important debate has been going on within the U.S. Embassy in Islamabad over the proper scope of CIA covert actions and their effect on diplomatic interests.

Where Are Those Words In The Treaty? -- (Letter)
(Wall Street Journal) Ken Adelman's rebuttal (Letters, June 18) of Donald Rumsfeld's June 13 criticism of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea repeats two persistent myths about this deeply flawed and unnecessary treaty, to wit: that the U.S. would have a permanent seat in the treaty's governing body and could exercise a veto over its decisions. Neither of these assertions is true.

Face of Defense: Berlin 'Candy Bomber' Receives Honor

06/18/2012 12:18 PM CDT

Job Training Grants to Assist Nearly 9,000 Homeless Vets

06/19/2012 04:10 PM CDT

Fighter Strike: With a strike by the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers in its ninth week, Lockheed Martin is producing F-35 strike fighters at about half the rate it was before the work stoppage, according to company officials. Larry Lawson, executive vice president of Lockheed Martin Aeronautics said June 19 about 300 employees had crossed picket lines at Ft. Worth, Tex. He also said he has "a number" of temporary workers, plus workers coming in from Eglin AFB, Fla., and salaried workforce coming in from the company's different divisions. "So we're not completely shutting down," he said. Despite the strike, Lawson said the F-35 test sites at Edwards AFB, Calif., and NAS Patuxent River, Md., "are operating at full capacity." Lockheed Martin and the IAMAW agreed on June 18 to go to federal mediation. Lawson said he is hopeful for a deal. "We want to get our hourly workforce back because we need them to get to rate [production]," he said. The two parties will meet on June 21. "We'll sit down and have those discussions again. But there's not a fundamental shift in [our position] with the federal mediator," he said.

undefinedJohn A. Tirpak

To Compete or Not to Compete: The Pentagon and Congress need to be aware that it costs substantial money for companies to make proposals in competitions for new weapon systems, said Lockheed Martin chairman and CEO Bob Stevens. Companiesundefinedwhich are already slashing internal research and development outlaysundefinedmight shy away from competing if there's only a 20 percent to 25 percent shot at winning, he told reporters during a press conference in Arlington, Va., June 19. At the same event, Chris Kubasik, Lockheed Martin's president and COO, and its chairman-elect, said the company has "a very complex formula" for figuring out whether it stands a good chance of winning a contest. Increasingly, the answer is teaming with other companies because "taking 15 percent of the total is sometimes better than getting 100 percent of nothing," said Kubasik. (For more from Lockheed Martin's press event, read Pink Slips for Everyone and The Next Round of Consolidation.)

undefinedJohn A. Tirpak

New Cyber Course Churns Out First Class: Air Force weapons officers are adding cyber security to their arsenal of expertise. On June 16, eight of these airmen completed the first cyber weapons instructor course at the Air Force Weapons School at Nellis AFB, Nev., said base officials in a release. These officers are part of an Air Force movement to bring increased cyber knowledge to the US military. "The purpose of this course is to refine these officers' cyber skills and round them out by teaching them to be expert instructors, problem solvers, leaders, and tacticians, ultimately teaching them how to integrate the cyber piece with the entire spectrum of Air Force and joint capabilities," said Maj. Brent Wells, operations director for the cyber WIC, in the June 18 release. "We want our graduates to transform and inspire our nation's combat power," said Lt. Col. Bob Reeves, commander of the 328th Weapons Squadron that runs the course. (Nellis report by 1st Lt. Ken Lustig)

Deferred Action Process for Young People Who Are Low Enforcement Priorities

Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano announced a new policy on 15 June that will defer deportations and grant work permits for some younger undocumented immigrants.

Learn more about the new policy and who will be eligible to defer their deportation case.

U.N. accuses U.S. of dodging drone questions
GENEVA undefined A U.N. human rights expert accused the U.S. government Wednesday of sidestepping his questions on its use of armed drones to carry out targeted killings overseas.
 ChristofHeyns, the U.N.’s independent investigator on extrajudicial killings, had asked the United States to lay out the legal basis and accountability procedures for the use of armed drones. He also wanted the U.S. to publish figures on the number of civilians killed in drone strikes against suspected terror leaders in Afghanistan, Pakistan, Yemen and elsewhere. [ Read More ]

Probe: Poor oversight led to anti-Islam class
WASHINGTON undefined Poor judgment and poor oversight led to the teaching of anti-Islamic material at a military school for officers, the Pentagon said Wednesday [ Read More ]

Congress votes to outlaw spice chemicals
The House and Senate agreed on legislation Monday to ban 26 chemicals found in synthetic marijuana, marketed under names like K2, Spice and Yucatan Fire. [ Read More ]

Obama security record gives GOP few openings
WASHINGTON undefined President Obama’s not-so-secret counterterrorism fight against al-Qaida in Yemen and Somalia, the killing of Osama bin Laden and strong hints of a cyber war against Iran give Republicans few openings to challenge the commander in chief. [ Read More ]

Selfridge honors 4 Tuskegee Airmen at event

7 troops may face discipline in Koran burning

UAVs at home raise fear of surveillance society

Problem arises for vets job training program

Senate bill aims to help homeless female vets

Skeptics doubt VA's claim of breakthrough on claims backlog.  Veterans Affairs officials say they’re poised to make a major breakthrough on the department’s massive claims backlog, but skeptical lawmakers and veterans advocates say they’ve heard such proclamations before.

Japan officials failed to use US data on spread of Fukushima radiation.  Japanese authorities failed to disclose U.S. data about the spread of radiation from a crippled nuclear plant last year, leaving some evacuees fleeing in the same direction as the emissions, according to several media sources.

Strategic airlift crews fight an exhausting war in anonymity.  Avoiding fame is probably not a rule of thumb that would occur to a fighter or bomber pilot facing the potential death-or-glory calculus of combat. But for long-distance airlift fliers, men and women who usually operate far from the front lines of battle doing grueling but obscure logistical work that powers any war effort, emerging from the background generally isn’t a good thing.

Loneliness May Bring Early Disability And Death, Study Suggests. Bloomberg News  "Living to a healthy old age may depend on your ties to family, friends and community, according to research that finds lonely older adults are more likely to die sooner than their more social peers. Loneliness in adults age 60 and older was associated with a 45 percent higher risk of dying over six years, according to research published...in the Archives of Internal Medicine" on Tuesday. A separate study led by Deepak Bhatt, chief of cardiology at the VA Boston Healthcare System, "showed that people living alone with heart disease were 25 percent more likely to die from the illness and 27 percent more likely to die of any cause." During a phone interview, Bhatt said, "If physicians get into the habit of asking patients if they're living alone, that might impact the care given."

Face of Defense: DOD Needs More People with More Languages

Southcom Exercise Program Promotes Stability, Security

Dempsey Looks to the Future in a Time of Budget Constraints

Biden Promotes Service to Military Families

DOD Will Meet 'Aggressive' Efficiency Goals, Spokesman Says

Ham: Africa Presents Opportunity, Challenges

Strategy Guides Africa Engagement, Defense Official Says

Louder jets defended by Vt. Guard

Over 150 years, National Guard has seen changing mission

Former Illinois National Guard leader making bid for congressional ...

Army National Guard's LiveFire has blast with horns

National Guard shows off helicopters to public

Vermont Air National Guard defends F-35s

Thousands pack annual National Guard Air Show

National Guard ready to step in this Hurricane Season

VA Drug Vendor Oversight

Deal of the Week: Disneyland Discount

Current 2012 Military Pay Charts

New D-Day Memorial Dedicated

No Ban on Rifle Magazines

LCS 3 Delivery to Navy Ahead of Schedule

Fired Reservist Sues Former Employer

Another Polymer Mag Goes up against PMAG

Some Vets Push for Purple Hearts for PTSD More than 2 million veterans of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars have been diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder. Now, some vets say it's time to award the Purple Heart for war's "invisible" wound. Read More

200 Years Later, Chicago Battle Sparks New Fight

Lieberman: Iran Cyberwar Leaks Raising Tensions

Maine Shipyard Probes New Fire Near Nuclear Sub

DoD Buzz: F-35 by the Numbers

Prine's Line: Army Wrong!

Godspeed all.....Wayne