Military Benefits
Meeting Tomorrow’s Recruits Today
This past weekend, something astonishing happened that made me see repeal of the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy in a new light. I was out shopping with my boyfriend, and as he went to buy a smart looking button-down shirt he asked the store clerk about their military discount. The clerk responded with delight and said he couldn’t …
Walter Reed, In Transit
There was a pretty big movement of U.S. troops this weekend, and here’s betting you didn’t even hear about it. Some 200 wounded military personnel traveled five miles from the Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington, D.C., to Bethesda Naval Hospital in Maryland. That’s because, on September 15, after 102 years in operation, …
Military Retirement Pay: Changes are Coming
The chart makes it clear: military pay — including retirement and health benefits — is no longer small beer. While self-described mega-rich man Warren Buffett said Monday on the op-ed page of the New York Times that “the poor and middle class fight for us in Afghanistan,” the truth is that the average soldier is paid, in cash and …
The Maine Reason Cutting Defense Spending Is So Tough
There was a report out the other day suggesting one thing the Pentagon might have to cut, as it tightens its belt, is the $1.3 billion it provides the Defense Commissary Agency, which runs 252 grocery stores around the world. Sure, those kinds of places made sense when troops and their families were stationed in far-off corners of …
Revolutionary Athletes…
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=wOK2a5UuNEk]
The annual National Veterans Wheelchair Games wrapped up in Pittsburgh this past weekend. More than 600 athletes from 46 states participated in 17 events that challenged their strength and endurance. It’s worth checking out the video to see the grit — and …
Reverse Boot Camp: Pick Me, Drill Sergeant!
The President today announced a series of initiatives to help American service members better assimilate into the civilian world after leaving service. Several of these programs require Congressional approval, and there are already competing bills circulating inside the Dome of Shame. So it’s not clear exactly how these will play out. …
New Rules for Post 9/11 GI Bill Education Benefits
Our friends over at the Vantage Point blog have posted a primer explaining changes to VA’s Post 9/11 education benefits that took effect Monday. Rather than summarize what they’ve already nicely summarized, I’ll just point out that the changes are pretty wide ranging and veterans who are using Chapter 33 benefits should read and …
Panetta: We Can Take the Cuts, But Not the Trigger
The nation’s military can swallow the basic budget cuts in the new debt deal, but not the more drastic slashing that would take place if the “trigger” sets in, according to Defense Secretary Leon Panetta.
The debt deal calls for about $350 billion in Pentagon cuts over the next 10 years. But if by Thanksgiving a special congressional …
The Pentagon Budget Cutter Just Got a Big Promotion
The same day President Obama signed legislation that is likely to dictate future budget cuts at the Pentagon of an unknown, but potentially significant size, the White House nominated the guy who is likely to carry out some of that cutting. The White House announced that Obama intends to nominate Ashton Carter to be the new deputy …
Budget Trigger is Pentagon’s Armageddon, or Maybe Not a Big Deal
The debt deal trigger that could impose a separate round future cuts at the Pentagon will gut the Defense Department budget, dramatically weaken the military, and place national security at risk. Or, the cuts are not that steep and are not that big of a deal, depending on who you ask.
The “trigger” or “enforcement mechanism” everyone …
More Young Veterans Jobless
Some reports are surfacing about worsening employment numbers for veterans. This report claims that among all veterans the unemployment rate is 13% but it’s nearly double that, 24%, for younger veterans. No wonder the military is having no problem meeting its retention goals.
There are several programs run by the federal government …
Defense Lobbyists, Please Help Us with this Debt Thing
Michael Scherer has some interesting insight on this debt deal enforcement mechanism that will take a hatchet to the Pentagon budget starting in 2013 unless Congress gets serious about the deficit. Here is his post in a nutshell:
Both Democratic and Republicans leaders have realized that they don’t have enough political heft on their
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