IAVA Daily Brief 11.25.09

Here are some of today's top stories and happenings at IAVA.  Prefer to receive real-time updates about major stories and legislation that IAVA is tracking?  Follow us on Twitter @IAVAPressRoom [1] or subscribe to receive the brief in your inbox each morning at www.iava.org/dailynewsbrief [2].

MUST READS

1) Obama to ‘finish job’ in Afghanistan [3]

President Barack Obama has said it is his intention to "finish the job" in Afghanistan after eight years of conflict there. Obama said he would announce a long-awaited decision over sending more troops to Afghanistan "shortly". Some reports have suggested that the US president is intending to send 34,000 more troops. He has been weighing a request from his top commander in Afghanistan for 40,000 more US troops to aid the war effort. President Obama said an ongoing review of US policy in Afghanistan had been "extremely useful", stressing that it was in the US strategic interest to make sure al-Qaeda cannot operate in the area. "After eight years, some of those years in which we did not have, I think, either the resources or the strategy to get the job done, it is my intention to finish the job," he said. Obama added that he plans to announce his decision on whether to commit tens of thousands of new U.S. forces to the stalemated war in Afghanistan "after Thanksgiving [4]."

2) Official Charged With Closing Guantánamo Resigns [5]

The Defense Department official in charge of closing the military prison at Guantánamo Bay, Cuba, has resigned after only seven months in the job, the Pentagon said Tuesday. Phillip Carter, who was named deputy assistant secretary of defense for detainee policy in April, resigned last Friday because of “personal issues,” a Pentagon official said. Mr. Carter could not be reached for comment and no other reasons were given for his departure. Mr. Carter, 34, a lawyer and an Army adviser to the Iraqi police in Baquba in 2005 and 2006, was in charge of veterans outreach in President Obama’s 2008 campaign. Mr. Carter’s departure comes as the administration has acknowledged that it will not be able to close the prison by Jan. 22, the self-imposed deadline Mr. Obama announced immediately after taking office.

3) Iraq VP's veto threat may delay elections [6]

Iraq's Sunni Arab vice president again threatened to veto legislation that sets the framework for the country's upcoming elections, saying revisions passed after his first veto made the bill worse. Tariq al-Hashimi vetoed the Iraqi parliament's first election law last week, arguing it failed to provide enough seats for Iraqi refugees, many of whom are Sunnis. A revised bill passed by Iraq's parliament on Monday remains "unconstitutional and unfair," al-Hashimi said in a statement issued by his office Tuesday. The previous law "was more fair to Iraqis than the new law, which Mr. al-Hashimi will deal with just like he dealt with the previous one," the statement said. The elections scheduled for January 31 are seen as barometer of Iraqi progress toward stability and are key to U.S. plans to withdraw most American troops by August.

AFGHANISTAN

Afghan President Hamid Karzai could invite militants to attend a "Loya Jirga," [7] or grand council meeting, aiming to seek peace and reconciliation with the Taliban, a spokesman said. The plans signal a more public effort to engage with militants during Karzai's second term as leader, measures that Washington has encouraged in its counter-insurgency strategy. Afghanistan's constitution recognizes the Loya Jirga -- Pashtu for grand assembly -- as "the highest manifestation of the will of the people of Afghanistan." Karzai announced plans for a Loya Jirga in his inauguration speech last week, describing it as a measure to promote peace but giving few details.

Fifteen current and former Afghan ministers are under investigation [8] over allegations of corruption that have plagued the government of President Hamid Karzai, the attorney general's office said Tuesday. In his inaugural address last week for his second term as president, Karzai pledged to arrest those who spread corruption. International leaders, who have threatened to hold back troops and development aid unless Karzai cleans up corruption in his government, are watching closely to see if he keeps his promise. "We are investigating allegations against 15 ministers — three of them in the current Cabinet and the rest of them former ministers," Fazel Ahmad Faqiryar, first deputy attorney general, told The Associated Press on Tuesday.

A remote-controlled bomb [9] exploded in eastern Afghanistan on Tuesday, killing six members of a family, including four children, authorities and relatives said. The victims were caught in the blast as they traveled in a car on a shopping trip ahead of the Muslim holiday of Eid this weekend, a relative, Qimat Khan, told Associated Press Television at the scene of the bombing in the eastern province of Khost. Initial reports indicated the bomb had been beneath a water truck, but officials later clarified it was planted beneath a water tank in the Matun area of Khost city. Wazir Pacha, a spokesman for the provincial police chief of Khost, said authorities were investigating what the target might have been.

IRAQ

Three jailed suspects in October 25 bombings that killed more than 150 people in Iraq said they filmed the targeted buildings before the attack and escorted the car bombs in a convoy into Baghdad, according to confessions shown on Iraqi television [10] Sunday. The men, who were seated and wearing orange jumpsuits while speaking in custody, introduced themselves as members of Saddam Hussein's outlawed Baath party. There was no way to independently verify their accounts of an attack that exposed wide security gaps in the heavily protected center of Baghdad. The coordinated blasts appeared aimed at undermining Iraq's government ahead of 2010 national elections, a key step toward stability after years of war. The vote, scheduled for January, has been thrown into uncertainty by a vice president's veto of an election law that could force a delay in the polling.

The Sunni insurgent group al-Qaeda in Iraq [11] has rebounded in strength in recent months and appears to be launching a concerted effort to cripple the Iraqi government as U.S. troops withdraw, Iraqi and American officials say. The group asserted responsibility for four powerful bombings that targeted five government buildings in Baghdad in August and October -- the deadliest attacks directed at the government in more than six years of war. Authorities say al-Qaeda in Iraq intends to carry out additional high-profile attacks in the months ahead and is attempting to regain its foothold in former strongholds just outside the capital. The strategy represents a shift in tactics from the group's efforts to kindle the kind of sectarian violence that brought Iraq to the brink of anarchy in 2007. The group suffered major setbacks after the "surge" in U.S. troops to Iraq that year, but American and Iraqi officials say that al-Qaeda in Iraq has found more recent success by enlisting other groups in an effort aimed at undermining elections scheduled for January and the formation of a new government.

Iraq’s national soccer team [12] has certainly endured hardship. Saddam Hussein had players beaten after losses. And the war that deposed him forced them into exile, after extremists started killing sports figures. Their first game at home in years was just this summer — against the Palestinians, the only team willing to travel to Iraq during a war. Through all that, the team continued to compete internationally. Now that may be at an end, at least for a time. The International Federation of Association Football, known by its French acronym, FIFA, suspended Iraq’s soccer team on Friday, charging the government with interference in the affairs of the board that oversees the national team. Although the controversy is not nearly as important as the continuing wrangling that is delaying national elections, it has its own poignancy. In fractious Iraq, soccer has always been one thing that traversed its sectarian and political divides.

It houses some of ancient Mesopotamia's rarest artifacts, but what is even harder to find at Iraq's National Museum [13] are visitors. So the museum has teamed up with Google and the U.S. government to create a "virtual museum" that will allow anyone with access to a computer to view its collections. "Mesopotamia is the world's oldest civilization and there's no shortage of archaeological institutions in the United States and around the world, as well as curious individuals, as well as museum curators around the world who'd be interested in getting a chance to visit the museum," explained U.S. State Department official Jared Cohen.

MILITARY AFFAIRS

Commanders in Afghanistan say they will devote the majority of the fresh troops expected from the White House to securing the country's troubled south and will especially target this volatile city, the Taliban's main power base [14]. Even before President Obama takes his case to the public, military commanders on the battlefield are ready to implement a plan that makes a defensive ring around Kandahar a linchpin of the fight to come. The new commander of coalition forces in southern Afghanistan, British Maj. Gen. Nick Carter, and his staff detailed how they will put the Lt. Gen. Stanley McChrystal’s approach into action, in interviews with The Wall Street Journal: They plan to mass thousands of troops now scattered around the south and pack them into a tight cordon around the outskirts of Kandahar city. At the same time, the coalition plans to pour economic, police and political assistance into the urban core to try to persuade residents that the Afghan government serves them better than the Taliban alternative. "We have to regain the initiative, and we have to get some momentum going," said Gen. Carter.

Members of the public are being urged not to send unsolicited Christmas presents [15] to troops in Afghanistan. The Ministry of Defense said mail from relatives was getting lost among gifts addressed simply to "A soldier" or to individuals not known to the sender. It also said many presents were perishable and often went to waste. Capt Charlie Malcolm, who is in charge of post at Camp Bastion in Helmand province, said: "For personnel deployed overseas, personal mail from loved ones is very important. But the system can be completely overwhelmed by the public's generous donations, which results in mail from family and friends being delayed.”

Marines in Afghanistan confront the problem of improvised explosive devices [16] with skill and intuition, while making an extra effort to avoid civilian casualties. Almost 300 U.S. military personnel have been killed in Afghanistan this year. An estimated 70% to 80% of the deaths are attributed to IEDs.  "An IED can do as much psychological damage as physical damage," said Capt. Frank "Gus" Biggio, head of a civil affairs unit that meets every day with Afghan civilians. The U.S. military has spent billions of dollars on studies and new technology to combat the hidden bombs. One effort launched by the Army studies the bombs and works with contractors to develop technology to spot and defuse them. Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates this month announced the formation of a separate task force headed by Ashton Carter, undersecretary of Defense for acquisition, and Marine Lt. Gen. John Paxton. Lessons learned in Afghanistan are circulated among troops and then relayed back to bases such as Twentynine Palms and Camp Pendleton in California, for the next contingent of Marines who will be heading here.

INSIDE WASHINGTON

The Senate has approved a $3.3 billion information technology budget [17] for the Veterans Affairs Department for fiscal 2010. In fiscal 2009, the budget was $2.5 billion.  Most of that 25 percent increase in budget funds will go toward supporting existing programs, although the bill stipulates funds will not be made available until a comprehensive review of programs has been conducted and either the chief information office or the VA secretary has submitted a certification letter to Congress.

The Air Force's chief of staff honored the service's four Capt. Lance P. Sijan Award [18] recipients in a ceremony in the Pentagon's Hall of Heroes. The Sijan Award annually recognizes Airmen who demonstrate outstanding leadership abilities, and this year's recipients are Maj. James Hughes Jr. from Bolling Air Force Base, D.C.; Capt. Thomas Eckel of Eglin AFB, Fla.; Senior Master Sgt. Michael Bobbitt from Yokota Air Base, Japan; and Tech. Sgt. Scott Woodring of Robins AFB, Ga. "We are here to celebrate the legacy of Lance P. Sijan, an epic name, a legendary figure, and a veritable giant on the distinguished roll call of Air Force heroes," Gen. Norton Schwartz said. "And, to recognize four well-deserving individuals who have demonstrated the highest qualities of leadership, and exemplify our core values of integrity, service and excellence, just as Captain Sijan did in the most extraordinary way.

CONGRESSIONAL SCHEDULE

THE SENATE

The Senate will reconvene at 2:00p.m. on Monday, November 30

SENATE FLOOR ACTIVITY of INTEREST

No issues today

COMMITTEE HEARINGS of INTEREST

No issues today

FUTURE COMMITTEE HEARINGS of INTEREST

No issues

THE HOUSE of  REPRESENTATIVES



The House will reconvene at 2:00 p.m. on Tuesday, December 2, 2009

HOUSE FLOOR ACTIVITY of INTEREST

No issues today

HOUSE COMMITTEE HEARINGS of  INTEREST



No issues today

FUTURE  HOUSE COMMITTEE HEARINGS of  INTEREST



December 2, 2009  Veterans’ Affairs Committee Hearing:  VA Health Care Funding: Appropriations to Programs  10:00 a.m.; 334 Cannon HOB

December 3, 2009  Veterans’ Affairs Subcommittee on Economic Opportunity Roundtable  1:00 p.m.; 334 Cannon HOB

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