Dec. 15, 2009
DEFENSE BUDGET Congress readies defense budget The Associated Press via Google News    Share    Congress is knocking nearly $1 billion off President Barack Obama's request for Afghanistan's security forces and instead devoting the money to buying more mine-resistant vehicles for U.S. troops there. More Defense spending bill ignores budget cuts pushed by Pentagon The Hill    Share    The defense-spending bill written by Congress ignores cuts to several high-profile Pentagon programs proposed by the Obama administration. The bill, which is expected to come to the House floor this week, includes money for the General Electric-Rolls-Royce alternative engine for the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter and for 10 additional Boeing C-17 cargo planes. More House GOP warns Nancy Pelosi on defense bill Politico    Share    One-hundred-and-seventy-four House Republicans warned House Speaker Nancy Pelosi that they won't vote for the Defense Department's spending bill if a hike of the debt ceiling is tacked on. More Pentagon, CIA eye new threat: Climate change NPR    Share    Global warming is now officially considered a threat to U.S. national security. For the first time, Pentagon planners in 2010 will include climate change among the security threats identified in the Quadrennial Defense Review, the Congress-mandated report that updates Pentagon priorities every four years. More "Balancing act" stresses reservists, general says DVIDS    Share    Reservists face unique challenges that may be tipping their stress level over that of their active-duty counterparts, a health affairs official said. The balancing act of multiple job requirements, coupled with geographic isolation, combine to put a strain on the reserve force, said Army Reserve Brig. Gen. Margaret Wilmoth, assistant for mobilization and reserve affairs for the Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Health Affairs. More NATIONAL SECURITY Obama: Success of strategy evident in a year Army Times    Share    President Barack Obama says he'll know by the end of 2010 if his Afghan strategy is working, and pledges to change direction if the U.S. military is not on course "in terms of securing population centers" from Taliban militants. More U.S. spy drones are latest weapon in fight against Somali piracy The Times Online    Share    U.S. spy drones launched from the Seychelles have joined the fight against Somali piracy as the international community searches for ways to end the threat to global shipping routes. The latest weapon in the battle against the pirates is the remote-controlled MQ9 Reaper surveillance aircraft, with a 20-meter wingspan, capable of flying sorties of up to 18 hours. More DoD to add $100 billion to 2011-15 spending Defense News    Share    The Obama administration will add $100 billion to the Pentagon's 2011-15 base budget plan to cover the rising cost of personnel and pressing modernization needs, officials said. If approved by Congress, the money would allow U.S. defense spending to rise about one percent above projected inflation, analysts said. More SERVICE SECTION NEWS Obama wants QRMC review of Guard, Reserve pay The Navy Times    Share    President Barack Obama has ordered the next year-long Pentagon pay study to concentrate on improvements aimed at troops in combat, Guard and reserve members and those wounded in war, their caregivers and survivors. More Navy establishes new GI bill policy Millitary.com    Share    The Navy established formal policy for transferability of Post-9/11 GI Bill benefits for limited duty Sailors in a message released. NAVADMIN 354/09 states that Sailors in a LIMDU status who require an additional service obligation for transferability must wait for a final determination of their medical status to be completed. More Passing on knowledge JSOnline    Share    Yusuf Khan went through medical school during the Taliban occupation, a time when only men were allowed to study medicine. Medical care in this poor, war-ravaged country resembles nothing of the American system. But a group of Wisconsin-based Army Reserve soldiers are mentoring Khan, 37, and other Afghan doctors through an innovative residency program. More New carrier berth part of Guam expansion The Navy Times    Share    Navy officials want to build a deep-draft wharf in Guam’s main harbor that would better accommodate nuclear-powered aircraft carriers when they visit. The new berth at Polaris Point, on the eastern side of Apra Harbor, is part of the military’s plan to expand naval waterfront facilities, build expeditionary training ranges on the nearby island of Tinian and house a large military force, including 8,600 Marines who will shift to Guam from Okinawa. More RESERVE & GUARD MOBILIZED National Guard (In Federal Status) and Reserve activated as of Dec. 8, 2009 U.S. Department of Defense    Share    This week the Army, Air Force and Marine Corps announced an increase in activated reservists, while the Navy and Coast Guard announced a decrease. The net collective result is 3,743 more 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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