There have been a raft of articles here recently about PTSD and veterans including one on the difficulty of diagnosing PTSD, the staggering number of new veterans seeking mental health care at the VA, and the both surprising and somewhat sobering news that younger veterans are more willing to ask for mental health care—this is …
Troops
Post-9/11 Vets More Likely To Seek Mental-Health Help From VA Than Older Vets
The share of post-9/11 veterans receiving mental-health care from the Department of Veterans Affairs — as part of the total number of veterans — is slowly but steadily rising. According to this chart (click to enlarge) from a Government Accountability Office report released Friday, U.S. vets from the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq …
1-in-7
Army leaders have been telling us for years that the post-9/11 wars have been chewing up their armor and other weapons. This week, the service’s top docs made clear the same thing is happening to the troops, although much of it isn’t combat-related.
Some 15% of active-duty troops – that’s one out of seven – is undeployable for …
Panetta Tells Super Committee to “Do the Right Thing”
Testifying before the House Armed Services Committee today, Defense Secretary Leon Panetta directly challenged the Congressional “Super Committee” to “do the right thing.” In Panetta’s view, the “right thing” is to solve the debt crisis by going after the drivers of America’s bulging debt. That would be the Big 3 …
Battleland on NPR
I know I’ve been radio silent for the past few weeks. I’ve been getting my ducks in a row for the post-DADT era. Here’s a look into an interview I had with National Public Radio’s Terry Gross on ‘Fresh Air’ which aired this Wednesday. In the interview, OutServe’s Josh Seefried and I discuss what it’s been like living under “Don’t …
“How Can We Avoid a `Hollow Military’ This Time Around?”
Old-timers recall with dread the so-called “hollow Army” the U.S. had following the Vietnam War, which crystallized in 1980’s failed rescue mission of the U.S. hostages held by Iran. Budget cuts are coming, so how can the U.S. avoid hollowing out its military forces once again? John Nagl, of the Center for a New American …
SEAL Chopper Crash Findings
Sometimes a military investigation sets off fireworks. Sometimes it confirms what we already knew. That’s the bottom line in the Pentagon probe into the downing of that CH-47 helicopter in Afghanistan on August 6 that killed 38 military personnel, including 30 Americans and 17 SEALs:
More Military Abuse in Afghanistan, Another Suicide
Photo Op: Foggy Fleet Week in San Francisco
“Can We Cut Pentagon Spending Enough by Eliminating Waste, Fraud and Abuse?”
They’re three of the Pentagon’s perpetual enemies: waste, fraud and abuse. It’s so common it sometimes morphs an acronym – WFA. If it’s such a big part of military spending, can the Defense Department make its needed cuts simply by ridding itself of the trio? John Nagl, of the Center for a New American Security, and I chat …
Beyond the Battlefield…
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David Wood, a one-time Timester, now covers the military for the Huffington Post. He has just launched an ambitious effort into how the nation is tending to the wars’ worst-wounded. It’s well worth your while to check out the video above, and the opening piece of …
Putting Women Aboard Subs…And Tweaking the Blueprints
I finally had the opportunity to tour a Trident-class submarine; you know, the large ballistic missile boats, four of which are soon to be home to several women officers. I was surprised at how big it was inside…yet not. Being a surface sailor, I was trying to visualize how this ship could be configured to accommodate enlisted …
Happy 10th, Afghan War
I vividly recall being in the Pentagon 10 years ago today, awaiting the beginning of the U.S. invasion of Afghanistan, a military counterpunch to the 9/11 attacks that had shocked the nation four weeks earlier. Army General Tommy Franks was in charge as the head of U.S. Central Command, and Don Rumsfeldwas the maestro overseeing …