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May 21, 2013, 10:33 am
By
Jeremy Herb
The latest bill in Congress to reform the way the military
handles sexual assault would increase the requirements for sexual
assault prevention positions within the military.
The legislation, which will be introduced Tuesday by Sens.
Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.) and Deb Fischer (R-Neb.), comes in response to
allegations of sexual assault in the past month against two service members
tasked with sexual assault prevention.
The bill would require sexual assault prevention officers be
“nominative” positions, which requires applicants to go through a more thorough
screening and interview process.
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May 21, 2013, 10:25 am
By
Erik Wasson
The bill, authored by Rep. Van Hollen, contains $181 billion in replacement deficit reduction over 10 years.
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May 20, 2013, 6:06 pm
By
Jeremy Herb and Carlo Muñoz
The Topline: The public will get its first taste of the 2014 Defense authorization bill Tuesday as four House Armed Services subcommittees will release their initial markups. The Armed Services subcommittee panels will be rolling out their bill texts and markups over the next three days as congressional aides continue to hammer out the details of the full bill. On Tuesday, four bills will be released throughout the day: Strategic Forces, Emerging Threats and Capabilities, Seapower and Personnel. Those will then be marked up on Wednesday. Included in the bills is one key change that the committee is making on the issue of sexual assault to change the military’s judicial code: stripping a commanders’ ability to overturn guilty verdicts. Personnel Chairman Joe Wilson (R-S.C.) is including in his markup the Be Safe Act, sponsored by Reps. Mike Turner (R-Ohio) and Niki Tsongas (D-Mass.), according to congressional aides. That legislation includes the changes preventing commanders from dismissing guilty verdicts, and it requires that any service member convicted of rape or sexual assault receives at a minimum a dismissal or dishonorable discharge. The most important markup, of course, is the full committee’s marathon session in June, in which the bill’s “general provisions” — and often the biggest fights — will be debated.
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May 20, 2013, 4:10 pm
By
Carlo Muñoz
White House officials in Washington and Baghdad are working overtime with the Iraqi government to quell the wave of violence that has left hundreds dead and pushing the country to the brink of civil war.
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May 20, 2013, 3:36 pm
By
Jeremy Herb
A group of lawmakers introduced a bill Monday to require the
Coast Guard (USCG) to follow a series of reforms passed in 2011 tied to military
sexual assault.
The Coast Guard has written to the lawmakers saying it will
follow the sexual assault measure that applies to the military services, but
the lawmakers’ bill would make the commitment solidified into the law.
Sens. Susan Collins (R-Maine), Claire McCaskill (D-Mo.),
Reps. Michael Turner (R-Ohio) and Niki Tsongas (D-Mass.) introduced the bill
Monday as Congress is gearing up to tackle the Defense authorization bill, the
most likely vehicle for the legislation.
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May 20, 2013, 2:59 pm
By
Carlo Muñoz
The Pentagon will restart key tests on the military's ballistic missile arsenal that were initially delayed due to growing tensions between Washington and North Korea. Testing will begin on the Minuteman III intercontinental ballistic missile at Barksdale Air Force Base, La., on Tuesday, according to a statement by Air Force Global Strike Command.
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May 20, 2013, 2:30 pm
By
Jeremy Herb
GOP aides are accusing Democrats of politicizing the issue as Congress weighs changes to the military's judicial code.
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May 20, 2013, 2:20 pm
By
Carlo Muñoz
Washington and Islamabad are clamping down on smuggling of critical bomb-making materials from Pakistan into Afghanistan by insurgents on both sides of the border.
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May 20, 2013, 11:44 am
By
Jeremy Herb
The House will vote Monday on legislation to make it a crime to lie
about military honors.
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May 20, 2013, 6:00 am
By
Carlo Muñoz
Members of the House Armed Services Committee will begin work next week on the Pentagon's fiscal 2014 budget plan. House defense subcommittees are scheduled to begin markups this week, with members of the strategic threats subpanel starting things off on Wednesday.
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