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NATIONAL SECURITY Military recruiting: Are we passing the test? NPR    Share    Nearly one of every four high school graduates can't pass the basic military entrance exam, a new report shows. Combine that with high obesity rates and a rise in criminal records, and the pool of potential military recruits is getting very shallow. Every branch of the military is still reaching its recruitment goals, but the Pentagon's recruiting chief says he's worried. And a group of former military leaders is calling for significant changes in the educational system, calling the ineligibility rates a matter of national security. More Air Force Village West A retirement community located in Riverside, California for military officers and federal government officials (GS7 and above). AFVW offers great benefits and on-campus health care facilities. MORE Advertisement CONGRESS Defense budget may be more appealing target for cuts in 2011 because of deficit, rising costs and troops leaving Iraq The Huntsville Times    Share    A new Congress under pressure to cut spending and the federal deficit will likely make the defense budget a more appealing target for cuts in 2011 than it has been in years. The withdrawal of troops in Iraq, the scheduled drawdown in Afghanistan and the rising costs of military health care and other programs add to the defense budget's allure for deficit hawks. "There is an atmosphere in the Congress that defense has got to pay in reducing the deficit," said retired Lt. Gen. Theodore Stroup Jr., vice president of education for the Association of the U.S. Army. More In defense spending bill, a map around congressional gridlock The Washington Post    Share    It's quite amazing what Congress can do when there is bipartisan agreement among the leadership and public attention is focused elsewhere. Consider that it passed a single piece of legislation that deals with controversial subjects such as health care costs, gun control and environmental problems, but the bill went through the House and the Senate under unanimous consent agreements - with hardly a murmur during the lame-duck session. More Tim Walz to head House National Guard and Reserve Components Caucus The Minnesota Independent    Share    Rep. Tim Walz will be the new co-chair of the National Guard and Reserve Components Caucus at the start of the new Congress this month. Walz, the highest ranking enlisted soldier to ever serve in the House, will share the post with Republican Rep. Duncan Hunter of California. Walz will join several other members of Minnesota's congressional delegation who also serve as chairs of caucuses in the House. More Senate has treaties up its sleeve Congressional Quarterly via Congress.com    Share    When the Obama administration coaxed a new arms agreement with Russia through the Senate just before adjournment, it was a resounding victory for the White House, and it showed once more that treaty ratification is sometimes a tricky task. Indeed, some of the treaties the administration has indicated it wants the Senate to approve have been sitting on the docket for decades. More BENEFITS No cost-of-living adjustment for veterans in 2011 thetowntalk.com    Share    Veterans, their families and survivors will not see a cost-of-living adjustment in 2011 to their compensation and pension benefits from the Department of Veterans Affairs, according to a news release from the VA. The Social Security Administration has announced that no cost-of-living adjustments will be made to Social Security benefits in 2011 because the consumer price index has not risen since 2008 when the last Social Security increase occurred. More VA urges veterans to sign up for direct deposits U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs    Share    The Department of the Treasury announced a new rule that will extend the safety and convenience of electronic payments to millions of Americans and phase out paper checks for federal benefits by March 1, 2013. Officials at the Department of Veterans Affairs urge Veterans to sign up for electronic payment of their benefits. "Receiving VA benefits electronically will increase the security, convenience and reliability of these vital payments," said Secretary of Veterans Affairs Eric K. Shinseki. "VA encourages Veterans who are now receiving their benefits in paper checks to set up direct deposits before the deadline." More EQUIPMENT With Air Force's gorgon drone 'we can see everything' The Washington Post    Share    In ancient times, Gorgon was a mythical Greek creature whose unblinking eyes turned to stone those who beheld them. In modern times, Gorgon may be one of the military's most valuable new tools. This winter, the Air Force is set to deploy to Afghanistan what it says is a revolutionary airborne surveillance system called Gorgon Stare, which will be able to transmit live video images of physical movement across an entire town. More Air Force mulls change at 167th base The Martinsville Journal    Share    The United States Air Force is considering converting three Air National Guard Units - including the 167th Airlift Wing - from C-5 to C-17 aircraft, a move that could cost 216 jobs in Martinsville, W. Va., if the proposed change gets Congressional approval, according to a draft report now available. More RESERVE & GUARD MOBILIZED National Guard (in federal status) and Reserve activated as of Dec. 28, 2010 U.S. Department of Defense    Share    This week the Army, Navy and Marine Corps announced a decrease in activated reservists while the Air Force announced an increase. The Coast Guard announced no change. The net collective result is 778 fewer reservists activated than last week. At any given time, services may activate some units and individuals while deactivating others, making it possible for these figures to either increase or decrease. More

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