VRAP GI Bill Reaches Milestone
New First Aid App Available
Proposed Drill Pay Change Draws Fire
eHealth Records Cut Malpractice Claims
Indiana University to Study Brain Injuries
New DoL Grants for Job Training
Rent vs. Own with a VA Loan
Study Looks at Duplicate Health Coverage
VA Encourages HIV Testing
Vet Grants Available in Minnesota
Custom Purses Benefit Veterans
Vet Designators on Driver's Licenses
Axe the Triad? As You Wish, Mr. President: US Strategic Command would consider eliminating part of the US nuclear triad at the President's request, but the mix of bombers, ICBMs, and submarine-launched ballistic missiles remains the best deterrent option for now, said STRATCOM Commander Gen. Robert Kehler July 12. "My view today is that the triad continues to serve us well. It may not be true in the future, but it continues to serve us well," stated Kehler during a Capitol Hill address sponsored by AFA, the National Defense Industrial Association, and Reserve Officers Association. US nuclear doctrine has traditionally adhered to an indivisible triad concept, wherein each "leg" provides unique and indispensable capability. Kehler stressed that the survivability, speed of response, and flexibility offered by each respective leg is "the best arrangement that we have today." He noted, however, that there has "always been concern" about whether the ICBM force is stabilizing or destabilizing, adding that for now it's "still a valuable component" in the range of alternatives for the President. Kehler said the command regularly reviews the triad concept, and if the President determines that the deterrent need has diminished, "it's up to us to meet his needs."
undefinedArie Church
Miller Sheds Light on Costs of Keeping Air Guard Airplanes: It would cost the Air Force some $4.4 billion between Fiscal 2013 and Fiscal 2017 to operate and sustain the Air National Guard airplanes that the service would like to retireundefinedsome 150 tailsundefinedstarting next fiscal year, said Lt. Gen. Christopher Miller, the Air Staff's strategic planner, July 12. "That would account for putting the aircraft back into all of the normal servicing and modernization and upkeep that we do as a service," he told the House Armed Services Committee's readiness panel. The Air Force proposed shedding roughly 270 aircraft in total across its active and reserve components as part of its Fiscal 2013 budget proposal to Congress. Senior service leadership maintains that these cuts are necessary to shape the force so that it stays ready and potent to support the new national defense strategy in the face of steep defense spending cuts. Congress has not gone along with these plans, however, saying the Air Force did not properly consult state governors on the proposed Air Guard reductions. Instead, lawmakers appear set to keep at least most of the Air Force's aircraft force structure intact through at least Fiscal 2013. (Miller's prepared testimony)
Cheering Cooperation: Air Force Secretary Michael Donley met US airmen and contractors assigned to the multinational Strategic Airlift Capability's Heavy Airlift Wing at Pápa AB, Hungary, this week. He also met with HAW leadership. "This is a very unique and exciting program," said Donley, addressing roughly 40 USAF personnel at the base in an airmen's call on July 11. "You're showing the international community that this approach is vital and that by pooling resources, it can be done. You're building partnership capacity and relationships here that will pay dividends for our Air Force and international partnerships for many years to come," he added. Since activating in 2009, the HAW fleet has grown to three C-17 transports, jointly operated by 12 partner countries. Though painted in Hungarian colors, airmen from 10 NATO and two NATO Partnerships for Peace countries operate and maintain the aircraft. (Pápa report by MSgt. Wayne Clark) (See also C-17s in Hungary from Air Force Magazine's archives.)
More Isn't Always Better: Not all active duty service members, retirees, or family members think more generous and more expensive military compensation benefits are automatically the best option, according to a new study by the Center for Strategic and Budgetary Assessments. Over the course of 12 weeks, more than 2,600 persons responded to the think tank's survey, explained Todd Harrison, the CSBA senior fellow who authored the study, during a July 12 press event in Washington, D.C., unveiling it. Not surprisingly, service members of all ranks placed a high value on basic duty pay, though lower ranking service members marked this as an even higher priority, he said. The majority of respondents also valued keeping years of service for retirement at 20 years versus dropping it to 15 years. In addition, "More than 80 percent of service members in each age group would prefer a one percent increase in basic pay in exchange for raising the retirement collection age to 50," states the study. On the other hand, performance-based bonuses ranked fairly low when compared to the cost of implementation.
undefinedAmy McCullough
Flexibility Can Save DOD Money: The Pentagon could tailor military compensation to meet service members' preferences and save money in the process, according to a new study by the Center for Strategic and Budgetary Assessments. Between 2001 and 2011, the cost of compensating active duty members rose 46 percent, excluding war funding and adjusting for inflation, said Todd Harrison, CSBA senior fellow for defense budget studies, during a press event in Washington, D.C., on July 12. "The high cost of our military compensation system would be worth paying if there was no alternative. But it is intolerable when there is an alternative that is consistent with our national security interests and the preferences of those who serve. We can do better and the troops deserve that," said Harrison, who authored the study. For instance, the cost of allowing service members to choose a duty station is negligible, he said. However, it is highly valued by service members and could potentially counterbalance a fee on dependent healthcare, said Harrison. He encouraged DOD to conduct a more comprehensive study and, with the data, develop compensation programs that are more responsive to service members' needs.
undefinedSeth James Miller
Firefighting C-130s Repositioned: Six specially configured Air Force C-130s combating wildfires in Colorado and Wyoming shifted operations to Idaho and Utah to confront new flare-ups. Four Modular Airborne Firefighting System-equipped C-130s from the Wyoming Air National Guard's 153rd Airlift Wing in Cheyenne and Air Force Reserve Command's 302nd AW at Peterson AFB, Colo., are now fighting fires from Boise Air Terminal, Idaho, said officials with these units in a July 11 release. Two aircraft of the California Air Guard's 146th AW simultaneously redeployed to Hill AFB, Utah, where they are now helping to contain fires in that region, they said. Col. Jerry Champlin, 153rd Air Expeditionary Group commander, who is overseeing MAFFS operations, said "with all the recent rain" in the Rocky Mountains area, the MAFFS airplanes were not needed there for the time being. As of the morning of July 12, the tiny fleet of specialized C-130s had dropped a total of 497,631 gallons of retardant in 193 sorties since June 25, 302nd AW spokeswoman Ann Skarban told the Daily Report.
PACOM Boss Visits Australia: Adm. Samuel Locklear, US Pacific Command chief, met with senior Australian military officials in Canberra in efforts to bolster military relations between the two allies. The trip marked Locklear's first visit to the country since taking command of PACOM in March. The Australians are "a reliable partner with us in a lot of different areas," said Locklear in commenting on his July 11 visit, during which he spent time with Australian Defense Chief Gen. David Hurley. The talks included an assessment of the US Marine Corps' six-month rotational deployments to Darwin that began this spring, according to a July 12 Pentagon release. The first group of marines recently returned to Darwin after taking part in training exercises with Australian forces and several Southeast Asian nations. Locklear said the deployments are the first step in a larger strategy to grow regional military engagement where the United States can "operate with our allies and our partners and to have assurance that we are properly positioned" to deal with future challenges, ranging from natural disasters to cyberspace threats. (AFPS report by Donna Miles)
Meanwhile at Farnborough: Italy's Alenia introduced a new version of the C-27J airlifter, the MC-27J gunship, at the 2012 Farnborough Air Show outside of London this week. "The MC-27J is not just a gunship, but a battlefield tested platform equipped with proven sensors, communications, and weapons suite able to execute a wide range of customer-driven missions," states the company's July 9 release. Alenia will jointly produce and market the MC-27J with ATK, which is providing the aircraft's newly developed palletized roll-on/roll-off weapons system. Also, Boeing announced a partnership with Brazilian aircraft maker Embraer on July 10 to integrate new weapons on the latter's A-29 Super Tucano light-attack platform. That same day, the Chicago-based aerospace giant also introduced a medium-sized maritime surveillance aircraft concept. The company said it expects to have more details on the concept by year's end. Also, Lockheed Martin disclosed on July 9 that it signed an agreement authorizing Britain's Marshall Aerospace to become the world's first commercial company to install C-130 center wing boxes.
Faster airport screening for troops hits snag
Expedited airport screening for service members and their families was ordered by Congress last year, but it won’t happen at every airport until the end of 2013 because of problems verifying that travelers are really military members. Testifying Wednesday before the House Homeland Security Committee, the assistant administrator for security operations for the Transportation Security Administration said there are relaxed procedures at every airport in the U.S. “to reduce exposure to pat downs” and other invasive procedures that apply to other travelers. [ Read More ]
Active-duty personnel costs projected to spike
The Defense Department’s average costs to maintain a service member on active duty has jumped 50 percent since 2001, to $158,000 per year, with even faster growth predicted in the future, according to a Congressional Budget Office report that looks at long-range implications of the pending 2013 defense budget. Personnel costs have been climbing at a rate of about $4,000 per person per year since 2001, according to the report released Wednesday by the nonpartisan budget office but are expected to rise by an average of $4,700 a year over the next several years, despite Defense Department efforts to hold down costs. [ Read More ]
AFMC merges work at 3 depots into single center
The Air Force has consolidated operations at its three strategic depots into the Air Force Sustainment Center at Tinker Air Force Base, Okla. The consolidation is part of Air Force Materiel Command’s reorganization, which has eliminated 1,050 overhead positions to save $100 million annually, said Lt. Gen. Bruce A. Litchfield, who became the sustainment center’s first commander on Monday. [ Read More ]
Pentagon: Drugs not used on Gitmo prisoners
SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico undefined A newly released Pentagon report says there is no evidence interrogators at Guantanamo used mind-altering drugs to question prisoners. But the report has raised new questions among lawyers for prisoners at the U.S. base in Cuba. The Pentagon Inspector General found that some prisoners were being interrogated while they were being treated with psychoactive drugs for mental health conditions. Washington lawyer David Remes and others say the report raises the possibility that incriminating statements could have been made under the influence of medication. [ Read More ]
VA to expand health program for rural veterans
Veterans in rural communities may have more access to specialized health care under an expansion of a physician education program announced Wednesday by the Veterans Affairs Department. [ Read More ]
U.S., China square off over South China Sea
PHNOM PENH, Cambodia undefined The Obama administration pressed Beijing on Thursday to accept a code of conduct for resolving territorial disputes in the resource-rich South China Sea, a difficult U.S. mediation effort that has faced resistance from the communist government undefined although it has endeared the U.S. to once-hostile countries in Southeast Asia. [ Read More ]
A welcoming home for our Troops.
