GI Bill benefits kick off Saturday; Get your paperwork in now

There's still time to enroll in school this fall under the new GI Bill, but you need to act fast to save yourself a lot of hassle.

Tomorrow (Aug. 1) is the official launch of the new GI Bill benefits, passed by Congress last summer as a long-overdue update to the original college benefits plan for troops returning from World War II. The new plan promises a full four years of tuition at state schools for those who qualify, plus a monthly living stipend and yearly books payout.

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In the newsroom: More troops to Afghanistan?

In August, Gen. Stanley McChrystal, the new commander of U.S. forces in Afghanistan, will report back to the defense secretary with his assessmentof Afghanistan, as well as his recommendations for how to move forward. Sources familiar with McChystal's report have told news organizations that it appears likely McChrystal will ask for more U.S. troops to implement a strategy that focuses less on hunting insurgents and more on forging relationships with the local population. But there remains the possibilitythat he may not ask for more after all.

Of course, any call for shipping additional Americans to warlikely won't be well received in the White House, where President Barack has already approved one increase in Afghanistan.

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Personal contact important part of relationship with Iraqi police

Jeff Schogol is currently on assignment in Iraq. In between patrolsand interviews, he'll offer insight on what's happening downrange andwhat officials back in the Pentagon could learn from those experiences.

Army 1st Lt. Albert Vallejos was sitting in an Iraqi police station when the police chief got a call saying U.S. troops had surrounded a building belonging to the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan in Kirkuk.

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VA processing more claims, but backlog is still daunting

Good news from the Government Accountability Office yesterday:The number of disability claims the agency completes annually increased about 60 percent over the last 10 years.

Bad news from the GAO: During the same period, the number of claims pending at year-end increased too, up 65 percent.

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In the newsroom: Do not approach the wild monkey

I repeat: Do not approach the wild monkey.

Stripes' T.D. Flack and Chiyomi Sumida report that a 3-foot, 65-pound Japanese macaque — or snow monkey —has been spottedrunning loose on Misawa Air Base in Japan. Base residents are warned to steer clear of the monkey and to make no attempt tofeed the monkey. As it turns out, this is one elusive creature. Authorities have not been able to catch it, and the latest plan is to chase it off of base property. Should be fun to watch.

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Notes from McHugh's confirmation hearing for Army Sec

No real fireworks are expected today at the confirmation hearing for Rep. John McHugh, R-N.Y.; The opening statements from both Republicans and Democrats on the Senate Armed Services Committee praised his service in the House and as ranking member on the House Armed Services Committee.

Still, McHugh's lengthy questionnaire delivered to the senators earlier this week show the large task before him when he starts the job (likely after a full Senate vote next week). Here are the highlights:

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In the newsroom: The officer and the Obama conspiracy

Army Reserve Maj. Stefan Cook has this theory – that President Obama wasn't actually born in the U.S. and thus is an illegitimate president. The theory has been kicking around since before last fall's election, and has been effectively debunked. Maj. Cook was on the verge of being deployed to Afghanistan this month before he filed a lawsuit – against the Army, against Obama and against Secretary Gates – seeking to have those orders revoked because an illegitimate president cannot legitimately senda soldier to war.

The Army, however, largely sidestepped this potential PR problem. It simply let Cook out of his orders? Why? Because Cook had actually volunteered for the deployment. After Obama was already in office. As such, Cook was within his rights to back out of the whole deal with a phone call, rather than a lawsuit.

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Gates trip to Middle East wraps up in Kurdistan

Secretary Gates made a drop-in visit to the Kurdistan regional capital of Irbil on Wednesday, as he departed a quick overnight visit to Iraq.

The secretary used the trip to hear from ground commanders first hand how the June 30 troop pullout from Iraq's cities. In the southern city, Talil, he met commanders from the 4-1 who have worked well as the country's first "AAB"-type unit, an advisory and assistance brigade.

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Brits not happy with progress in Afghanistan

The world's view of America might be improving, but folks over in the UK aren't feeling any more warm and fuzzy right now. More than half of British citizens surveyed this week said they want out of Afghanistan immediately, with most labeling the war "unwinnable."

According to the UK Independent, 75 percent of survey respondents believe British troops don't have the equipment they need for the fight in Afghanistan, but 60 percent oppose sending any more troops or equipment into the war zone.

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Gates a reluctant diplomat facing Jordanian press

At the U.S. embassy in Amman, Jordan, local journalists waited patiently for U.S. Secretary of Defense Robert Gates to take the podium. After all, there are plenty of military connections between the two countries: the U.S. has showered Jordan with hundreds of millions of dollars in economic and military aid in exchange for a solid Arab partner, Jordan has recently build a special operations training facility, and hardware is always on the move in this region.

But Jordan wasn't on the Jordanian journalists' minds. Instead their questions focused where Arab attention is most focused: Israel and Iraq.

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Troops have astonishing tolerance for hardships

Jeff Schogol is currently on assignment in Iraq. In between patrols and interviews, he'll offer insight on what's happening downrange and what officials back in the Pentagon could learn from those experiences.

The last time I was in Iraq, I went out on a patrol that ended up lasting much longer than expected. Frequently one of the Humvees had to pull over so the turret gunner could get out of the vehicle, fall on his knees and heave.

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In the newsroom: Moving to the fight in Afghanistan

Stripes' Dianna Cahn, reporting from Afghanistan, puts us on the ground with a group of 10th Mountain Division soldiers who have been constantly uprooted during their deployment as they seek to get closer to the Taliban fighters they're trying to eliminate.

Cahn describes their latest abode as a filthy building without running water unless you count the stuff leaking through the roof. There's no electricity and dinner is always an MRE. But being in town is where they need to be to fight the Taliban and win the support of the local population.

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Senate "don't ask, don't tell" hearings set for this fall

Officials at the Senate Armed Services Committee just confirmed they'll hold hearings this fall on the controversial “don’t ask, don’t tell” law banning homosexuals from serving openly in the military.

The hearings will be the first in the chamber since 1993, and represent another big step forward for opponents seeking to overturn the ban.

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U.S. won't release numbers on Taliban, Al Qaida killed in combat

Quietly last week U.S. commanders in Afghanistan stopped releasing the number of enemy fighters killed in skirmishes with NATO forces, part of a larger effort to calm concerns the coalition's goals in the country.

In an e-mail to CNN this morning,new commander Rear Adm. Gregory Smith said the statistics on enemies killed sends the wrong message about U.S. goals in the country.

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The world speaks: We like America again.

"The image of the United States has improved markedly in most parts of the world, reflecting global confidence in Barack Obama."

We may not have needed a social sceince survey to figure that out, but that is the latest assessment by the Pew Center's Global Attitudes Project, which surveyed 26,000 people to determine, America's favorability rating universally has improved, returning to pre-Bush levels.

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In the newsroom: Medevac crews on call during offensive

The offensive in southern Afghanistan hasn't come without its casualties for U.S. and NATO forces there. Stripes reporter Drew Brown tells us that over the last few weeks helicopter ambulance crews from the 2nd Platoon “Gypsies” of Company C, 3rd Battalion, 82nd Combat Aviation Brigade have pulled dozens of wounded — and sometimes dead — U.S., British and Afghan troops from the battlefield. Brown's dispatch takes you to the battlefield and safelyback out again with a group of dedicated medevac crewmembers. Said Spc. Nicole Hyde: “War is bad. Killing someone is bad. But saving someone is good. If I can go out every day and avoid killing somebody, but I get to save someone instead, then kudos for the medevac.”

In Seoul, Stripes' Ashley Rowland stopped in to a job fair targeting North Korean defectors. Escaping the repressive communist regime is only part of their struggle. Once in South Korea, many are finding it difficult to adapt.They find themselves undereducated and undertrained for all but the most menial labor. “Many of them have lived their whole lives in North Korea, working on the farm or in simple labor jobs. They can’t get a good job here,” said Kim Ji-won of the Ministry of Reunification, which organized the job fair.

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Air Force giving bigger role to unmanned systems

The Air Force is looking to expand the prominence of unmanned aircraft - a big step in comingto terms with its changing role in the age of irregular warfare.

It wasn't too long ago that Defense Secretary Robert Gates was publicly chiding the Air Force for resisting a larger focus on unmanned systems and only begrudgingly fulfilling its role in intelligence gathering and surveillance.

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Reserve Chief wants 'virtual installations' for soldiers' families

Earlier this week I sat down with Army Reserve Chief Lt. Gen. Jack Stultz to talk about the readiness and morale of the reserve force. We'll have a full story on those issues up on the front page of the website later this week.

But one item of particular interest for our online audience was Stultz's goal of creating "virtual installations" -- his wife's name for the concept -- where spouses and family members can go online and get updates on their soldiers, information on available aid, and links to all types of available resources.

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In the newsroom: American al-Qaida opens up

A couple of the stories we’ve got our eye on this afternoon: Bryant Neal Vinas was a Catholic boy from Long Island who U.S. officials say grew up to join al-Qaida and launched rockets at a U.S. base in Afghanistan. It was revealed Wednesday that Vinas – otherwise known as Bashir el Ameriki (Bashir the American) – pleaded guilty in January to terror charges and has been an valuable source of information since he was captured in Pakistan.

Also, an Associated Press feature says companies that recruit American translators are sending men in their 60s and 70s to southern Afghanistan, where it’s quickly discovered that they are in no shape to be out on a battlefield. And some don’t even speak the right language.

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Liveblogging: White House Press Conference

I'll be liveblogging President Obama's press conference tonight, starting shortly before he is scheduled to appear at 8 p.m.

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Obama: U.S. troops in Iraq can still do their jobs

President Obama and Iraqi Prime MinisterNouri al-Maliki just wrapped up a brief press conference at the White House a few moments ago. The two men said they spent the afternoon discussing future strategic cooperation between the two nations, as well as long-term solutions to internal Iraqi problems like border disputes and the ongoing hydrocarbon law debate.

But Obama also spoke about recent concerns expressed by some U.S. forces about the change in responsibilities since the June 30 handover of Iraqi cities to national security forces. Yesterday the commander of American forces in Baghdad acknowledged some "friction" since the move, and one Iraqi military official said U.S. forces are essentially under "house arrest" since they left the cities.

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Vets in Congress disgusted by analyst's comments on missing soldier

A group of 23 veterans in Congress -- including Iraq war veterans John Boccieri, D-Ohio; Patrick Murphy, D-Pa.; and Duncan Hunter, R-Calif. -- sent out an angry letter today to the CEO of Fox News blasting retired Lt. Col. Ralph Peters' comments implying that the Taliban should kill Pvt. 1st Class Bowe Bergdahl if he's found to be a deserter.

Veterans groups like VoteVets.com have been bristling at Peters' statements for days; Shortly after Bergdahl went missing, Peters discussed the situation with anchor Julie Banderas and noted the soldier may have been a deserter who fell into enemy hands. Below is an excerpt:

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In the newsroom: Tense elections in Kurdistan

Out of Iraq, reporter Heath Druzin takes a close look at Saturday’s elections in Iraq’s Kurdistan region. With tension simmering between the Kurdish government and the central government in Baghdad, the vote could go a long way toward dictating future relations.

In the Pacific, USFK commander Gen. Walter Sharp says he’s working with Korean companies to encourage them to hire U.S. military spouses. Under the latest U.S. plan to provide more command-sponsored tours, thousands more spouses will be coming to the peninsula. But there are few jobs available to them, and many of the jobs they can find don’t pay enough to offset the cost of child care.

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Senate sides with Pentagon, strips F-22 funding for now

The Senate threw its support behind the Pentagon in a big way on Tuesday, voting 58-40 to cut funding for the F-22.

It's just the latest battle over the fighter's fate and it's a big one. The House already has approved funds for more fighters and the Senate Armed Services Committee supported continuing the F-22.

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In the newsroom: 'Friction' between U.S. and Iraqi troops

Stripes’ Leo Shane reports that Army Maj. Gen. Daniel Bolger, commander of Multi-National Division – Baghdad, said Tuesday that there has been “friction” between U.S. and Iraqi troops in the weeks since the June 30 security handover in cities. But he called it an expected part of the progress as the two militaries work toward giving full responsibilities to the Iraqis.

Meanwhile, Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki is set to arrive in the U.S. on Tuesday for a visit. The Los Angeles Times writes that al-Maliki is reshaping himself as a unifying leader ahead of the coming Iraq elections.

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Military "doing everything we can" to help captured soldier

Pentagon officials released few new details yesterday about the ongoing search for Pvt. 1st Class Bowe Bergdahl, the U.S. solider being held by Taliban fighters in Afghanistan. Adm. Michael Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, acknowledged that experts are combing through the video released this weekend of Bergdahl, looking for any clues to his whereabouts, but would not make any of that research public.

He also described the search for the soldier as "vast" and promised that U.S. forces "are doing absolutely everything we can to get him back."

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BREAKING: Sen. Levin says F-22 vote not until Tuesday

Stripes' Leo Shanehas learned that the F-22 amendment vote will not happen until tomorrow (Tuesday). That, from Sen. Carl Levin's office.

Others reporting the same from other offices, as well.

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Gates: F-22 budget vote expected tonight

In a Pentagon press conference on Monday afternoon, Sectretary Robert Gates said he expects a vote on the F-22 tonight.

Specifically,the Senateis expected to vote this week on thedefense authoriziation bill, which includes $1.8billion to keep F-22 production alive beyond the Pentagon's ask. Authorization bills give the government the power to spend money. Appropriations bills tell the government how much of it they have to spend.

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In the newsroom: Overhauling Afghan prisons

We’re awaiting a 2 p.m. briefing with Secretary of Defense Robert Gates and Joint Chiefs Chairman Michael Mullen. The New York Times reported Monday that Mullen sent a confidential message last week to military service chiefs and field commanders reminding them of the importance of treating detainees properly. The Times noted that the U.S. is planning an overhaul of the prison system in Afghanistan, which currently holds suspected insurgents and common criminals in the same lockup.

The Washington Post takes an in-depth look at the lives of those held in North Korean prison camps, where prisoners subsist on diets of corn and salt and most work 12- to 15-hour days until they die of disease, usually around age 50.

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Lawmakers guaranteeing military ballots will arrive before election day

The new head of the Federal Voting Assistance Program will have a lot of work ahead of him, but last week a Senate panel tried to make that task a little less daunting by advancing a bill to ensure overseas military ballots will be delivered in plenty of time for future elections.

Getting ballots out to places like Iraq and Afghanistan has been a problem for years. A study by the Overseas Vote Foundation earlier this year found that more than half of troops stationed overseas who tried to vote in the 2008 did not received a ballot in time to fill it out and return it. More than one in four never received a ballot at all.

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Sesame Street reaching out to children of fallen troops

Since 2006 officials at the Sesame Workshop have been putting together videos, posters and parent's guides to help young children and their parents get through the tough times that come with a military parent's deployment overseas.

Last year they took the project a step further, making a video where Elmo and his friends learn about the challenges when troops come back home, including the story of one soldier who comes back from war in a wheelchair.

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Give ‘em hell Gates stands firm on Congress - fundamentally

Secretary Robert Gates (right, enroute to Chicago)repeated his main budgetary talking points of the year on Thursday, giving what was billed as an important speech in Chicago on his defense budget and strategy proposal.

In the text, the Pentagon chief spoke to the concerns of Congress, which wants to protect jobs in districts; the defense and aerospace industry, which has big money to make; and the military, with "an influential network of retired generals and admirals, some of whom are paid consultants to the defense industry, and some who often are quoted as experts in the news media."

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Army: Combat stress might have played a role in murders

Although shunning the phrase "post traumatic stress disorder," Army leaders said this week that intense combat exposure could have contributed to the violent behavior of Ft. Carson-based soldiers accused or convicted of murder once returning home from deployment.

That conclusion is from a three-month study of what the service calls "a cluster" of violent crime from 2005 to 2008, in which nearly a dozen slayings were allegedly committed by soldiers from the 4th Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division.

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The Secretary Fights Back: Gates to defend budget in speech tonight

Secretary of Defense Robert Gates (right, at left)will give a "major" speech tonight, his aides say, defending his vision for the defense budget and strategy.

"This building, this government has historically been loathe to make hard choices. He thinks we can no longer wait and push those choices down the road, we've got to make them now. And he's done it. And we need the support of the Congress in order to see it through," said Gates' press secretary Geoff Morrell.

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Gates: Smoke ‘em if you got ‘em!

Military smokers got even more jittery than usual last month when word came out that a study recommended banning smoking and tobacco use in the ranks.

Yes, it would take 20 years to get to a total ban, but still - I'm sure a few people immediately reached for a calming drag on their Camel Lights.

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Is the VA ready for next wave of female veterans?

A Government Accountability Office report released today noted that the VA provided health care to over 281,000 women veterans in 2008 — an increase of about 12 percent in the last two years. The number of female veterans is projected to rise another 17 percent in the next 25 years.

Whether the VA will be prepared for that is another question. A Senate hearing on the study today found major problems with privacy at veterans facilities, particularly in offices treating women veterans.

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A rash of phony vets, fake medal recipients exposed

For those of you not familiar with Doug Sterner, he's one of the top experts on military medals in the U.S. and has made it his personal mission to do all he can to expose military frauds who claim credit for service, honors and heroism they never had.

The Colorado resident regularly tracks cases of fakes giving speeches, hosting parades, and running for public office, and keeps reporters here in D.C. up to speed on the latest scandals. He was also a major force behind the Stolen Valor Act, which allows prosecution of some military fraud cases.

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1,100 schools sign up for GI Bill Yellow Ribbon program

VA officials announced today that more than 1,100 colleges and universities have signed up to take part in the new GI Bill's Yellow Ribbon program, which provides a tuition match at schools whose costs exceed that of the veteran's tuition benefits.

Only about 500 had signed up for the program just weeks before the deadline, so the 1,100 figure is good news for folks concerned about low rates of participation among private colleges. The list of participating institutions now includes seven of the eight Ivy League schools (no Princeton) and other big name private colleges like Duke, Northwestern and Stanford.

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Vets groups praise advance funds for VA

Part of the fiscal 2010 military construction and Veterans Affairs budget bill approved overwhelmingly by the House included a large payout for the VA in fiscal 2011, and could mark the first advance funding for the department in its history.

Veterans groups -- who've made the issue a legislative priority in recent years -- say that's a big deal. It's largely an issue of long-term planning; Funding programs, medical care and benefit rewards depends largely on a steady stream of money, and this effectively pushes the funding deadlines back another 12 months.

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"Hurt Locker" actor hopes troops see past "Hollywood" treatment

Jeremy Renner trained with explosive ordinance disposal specialists at Fort Irwin in California to get ready for his starring role in the movie The Hurt Locker.

So he’s well aware of “what’s true, and what’s just Hollywood.”

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Marine Corps could have too many Marines

The Marine Corps could be a victim of its own success in recruiting and retaining Marines.

The Corps has exceeded its monthly recruiting goal every month this fiscal year, making 114 percent of its June quota with 4,155 new recruits.

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Army has reset more than 480,000 pieces of equipment

During yesterday's reset hearing before the House Armed Services Committee Army and Marine Corps officials outlined just some of the logistical problems with the incredible amounts of equipment and gear overseas.

Beyond the controversy related to how the gear will be handled, the numbers from the hearing paint a picture of just how much work the services face in not only upkeep of the equipment but eventually bringing it all home.

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Army: Nine suspected suicides in June

The Army has reported nine more suspected suicides in June, although none of the deaths have been confirmed yet.

So far this year, 54 soldiers’ deaths have been confirmed as suicides and another 34 are believed to be suicides pending final determination, the Army announced Thursday.

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Pentagon hit by week's cyber attacks, too

Several Defense Department websites were hit by the same cyber attacks that have hampered websites of other U.S. government offices, including the White House, Secret Service, and the FAA, according to a Pentagon spokesman.

But the Pentagon would not confirm the culprit was North Korea.

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Marines use Jolly Ranchers to take ground from Taliban

U.S. Marines are using a new tool as part of the counterinsurgency effort in southern Afghanistan: Jolly Ranchers.

About a week ago, Marines launched an operation in Helmand Province to wrest control of Taliban strongholds.

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DADT opponents plan multi-city tour with gay, straight troops

In a press conference today to relaunch efforts to repeal the "don't ask, don't tell" law, Rep. Patrick Murphy (pictured) and a coalition of gay rights groups announced plans for a multi-city speaking tour to help convince lawmakers and voters that dropping the ban won't hurt military morale.

The tour, dubbed "Voices of Honor," will include town hall forums, news conferences, private meetings with civic leaders and events with veterans groups. Alexander Nicholson, executive director of Servicemembers United, said along with homosexual troops forced out of the services, the tour will include a number of straight servicemembers and veterans who believe the rules needlessly boot qualified people from the ranks.

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PCSing troops, children now eligible for in-state college tuition

While all of the military education focus sits on the impending Aug. 1 deadline for implementing new GI Bill benefits, last week a change in troops' residency requirements could have just as far-reaching effects on military families.

As of July 1 any servicemember or dependent on active-duty anywhere in the U.S. for more than 30 days is eligible for in-state tuition at public universities. The change was part of the Higher Education Opportunity Act signed into law last summer.

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Reservist compensation up 25 percent since 2001

A Government Accountability Office report released this morning notes that despite past concerns that military reservists weren't being recognized financially for their contributions to the war effort, the Pentagon has done a better job in recent years of sharing the wealth.

Total compensation for reservists saw a 25 percent jump from 2001 to 2007, with much of that money going to part-time reservists suddenly serving full-time duty in Iraq and Afghanistan. Part-timers averaged $22,000 in pay and benefits in 2007, up dramatically from a $14,400 average in 2001.

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AFN to provide troops with complete Jacko coverage

Larry Sichter, chief of American Forces Network's Affiliate Relations Division, says that AFN's programming reflects America. So if you have a complaint that the network will carry live all four hours of the Michael Jackson memorial, take it up with your fellow countrymen and their love of the moonwalk.

As the major networks broadcast the service on Tuesday, AFN News will air that feed, starting at 9 a.m. Pacific Daylight Time.

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Airstrike guidance posted on Facebook first in "miscue"

For the latest news on Afghanistan, try Facebook!

The new guidance on airstrikes in Afghanistan was first posted on U.S. Forces – Afghanistan’s Facebook page Monday.

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Mr. Obama goes to Moscow

President Obama's first head-of-state visit to Moscow this Monday through Wednesday is expected to address several major issues including U.S. missile defense structure on Russia's front porch in Eastern Europe, nuclear proliferation of the former Cold War adversaries, NATO, five-party talks on North Korean provocations, and what to do about Iran, Afghanistan, Georgia...oh, and possibly signing the first major military agreement between the nations in who knows when.

"I think that there has been a time over the last several years where Russian-U.S. relations were not as strong as they should be," Obama told Russian press in an interview.

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Staff done "developing" Mullen's Facebook page

When reporters in June asked the Pentagon's two senior leaders if they have Facebook pages, Defense Secretary Robert Gates (right) chuckled, "Absolutely not!"

But Adm. Mike Mullen (left), chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said he did, and explained why he felt it was important that Pentagon leaders know and understand how the kids these days were communicating with each other, with the Twitter and the MySpace and the whatnot.

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U.S. suspends military training, activities in Honduras

Pentagon officials are saying there are no active threats against U.S. troops serving in Honduras, but commanders at Joint Task Force-Bravo are taking precautions.

Last weekthe Honduran Congress, Supreme Court and military ousted President Manuel Zelaya from his post after a battle over revising the country's constitution. World leaders have called for his return, and internal protests have grown over the last week.

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White House to host military family BBQ on July 4th

The White House will announce in just a few minutes that President Obama will host 1,200 military families for a July 4th barbecue this Saturday evening. The event, designed to thank both troops and their loved ones for their service, will be one of the largest events at the White House so far.

Pentagon officials and service leaders are in charge of picking the invitees (most of whom have already received word of their invitation.) White House officials could not say exactly who the guest list includes, but said the crowd will be heavy on recently returned combat veterans.

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No more $2,000 bonus for getting friends to join the Army

Bad news for soldiers hoping to get some quick cash by signing up their buddies: The Army has suspended its referral system program effective July 1.

The program had paid out $2,000 bonuses to active-duty soldiers who referred new recruits to join the service. In a press release from Army officials said troops are still encouraged to get friends and family to enlist, but the payout won't be as impressive:

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"Golden hour" in Afghanistan down to 68 minutes

After a visit to Landstuhl Regional Medical Center in Germany yesterday, Defense Secretary Robert Gates said he's pleased with efforts to speed up medical response time in Afghanistan. The goal for wounded U.S. troops in that country is the same as Iraq: Get them from the field to more advanced medical facilities with an hour, and their chances of survival increase exponentially.

Gates said right now the average for servicemembers in the south and west of Afghanistan is 68 minutes, much better than the 90-plus minutes in the past.

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