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3 October 2023

Defense News | Congress avoids government shutdown, drops Ukraine aid

After trying and failing to pass a Republican measure that would slash non-defense spending and enact strict immigration policies, House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., reversed course on early Saturday morning and offered a stopgap funding bill similar to the bipartisan Senate version – minus $6 billion in Ukraine aid.

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Military.com | VA’s automated benefits system made errors in 27% of high blood pressure claims, watchdog report says

An automated system designed to accelerate disability claims decisions at the Department of Veterans Affairs contributed to inaccurate ratings for 27% of claims filed for high blood pressure, a new report from the VA's inspector general has found.

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WFLA | Tampa Bay area veteran forced to prove he was in Vietnam War despite gunshot wound, toxic exposure

“I think that it’s easier to deny, deny and let them die than it is to actually pick up the work and do something,” Sterbinsky said.

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NBC | Thousands of workers leave the VA mid a flood of new cases and quota demands

The PACT Act expanded benefits to millions of veterans exposed to toxic substances when it was enacted in August of last year. But that has stressed the VA workers tasked with moving cases along amid a backlog, mandatory overtime, inadequate training and quota demands, according to two former claims processors and four current processors who spoke to NBC News on the condition of anonymity out of fear of retaliation.

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Politico | Leaked U.S. strategy on Ukraine sees corruption as the real threat

The “sensitive but unclassified” version of the long-term U.S. plan lays out numerous steps Washington is taking to help Kyiv root out malfeasance and otherwise reform an array of Ukrainian sectors. It stresses that corruption could cause Western allies to abandon Ukraine’s fight against Russia’s invasion, and that Kyiv cannot put off the anti-graft effort.

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Stars and Stripes | Pentagon issues 101 recommendations for suicide prevention to be implemented by end of fiscal 2030

Including unit leaders in more suicide prevention training and increasing mental health services are just two of the more than 100 recommendations that the Pentagon said Thursday will be implemented in the next seven years to help address the suicide crisis in the military.

Foreign Policy | Why the Iraq War AUMF is still dangerous

But as legislators prepare for what is certain to be a contentious debate, they are leaving a lower-hanging fruit to wither on the vine: specifically, a long-standing bipartisan proposal to repeal the separate 2002 AUMF that authorized the U.S. invasion of Iraq. While the Senate overwhelmingly passed a repeal measure in March, the House has spent the past several months dawdling on its own proposal, despite substantial bipartisan support.

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World Politics Review | The Saudi-Israel normalization deal doesn’t add up for the U.S.

The real problem with this deal as it is currently being reported is that it would do little to advance U.S. interests on oil prices, regional stability or even geopolitical competition with China.

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Forbes | Congressional budget dysfunction poses a threat to U.S. security

A government shutdown, the failure to pass a defense appropriations bill for fiscal year 2024, or even a continuing resolution, means that the Department of Defense (DOD) will be restricted in how it operates for some period during the next year; will lose critical new initiatives to deal with the array of growing threats to America; and will hasten a decline of U.S. military capability and capacity.

The Overwatch | #VAFail: Unacceptable care deficiencies may have resulted in veteran’s suicide at VA facility

In 2021, a St. Louis area veteran joined these tragic statistics. His death might have been prevented if not for the delays and unacceptable lack of care from VA staff.

Stars and Stripes | ‘Home again’: Marine’s WWII diary returns to his daughter 81 years after final entry

Petty Officer 1st Class Vincent Kitts served in the Navy during WWII, survived the Pearl Harbor attack on Dec. 7, 1941, and the sinking of the USS Astoria off Guadalcanal eight months later.

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Military Times | Petition to retire Pat Tillman’s #40 jersey league-wide gains momentum

In 2002, Tillman stepped aside from his role as a starting defensive back with the Arizona Cardinals and enlisted. Tillman eventually deployed to Afghanistan, where he was killed on April 22, 2004, in a friendly fire incident. He was 27 years old.

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