TREA Washington Update for April 11, 2008 

This was an Iraqi week in Washington; in Congress, at DoD and with the President. Everyone was also focused in international affairs with China (the Olympics and Tibet) and Columbia (and the Free Trade Agreement). As it gets closer to the election things get tenser.

1) The Future of the War in Iraq

2) Posthumous Medal of Honor Presented To Navy Seal

3) DoD Studies Shows More Healthcare Providers Accepting TRICARE Standard

4) New Bills Introduced On Education and Guard and Reserve Benefits

5) G.I. Film Festival Set For May 14-17, 2008

************************************

Who Do You GoodSearch for?

TREA My Power Mall

Donate to TREA

**************************************************

Click here for a Printable Version of this Update

*************************************************** 

1) The Future of the War in Iraq-On Tuesday and Wednesday of this week, General David Petreaus and Ambassador Ryan Crocker testified before the Senate and the House about the present conditions in Iraq and what they suggested for the future. The General urged that after the presently planned return home of 20,000 troops by July there be a pause in any further drawdown of American troops in Iraq and that an analysis be made of the condition on the ground. On Thursday, President Bush announced that he was ordering an indefinite halt of troop withdrawals from Iraq after July. He also announced at a speech in the White House, attended by representatives of several VSOs including Deirdre Parke Holleman, TREA’s Executive Director, that on August 1 the length of combat tours in Iraq and Afghanistan would be shortened to 12 months from the present 15. A press release from the White House outlining the full speech and Representative Ike Skelton (D-MO) Chairman of the House Armed Services Committee press release in response to the announcements are below.

*************************

THE WHITE HOUSE
Office of the Press Secretary
For Immediate Release               April 10, 2008
The Way Forward In Iraq

President Bush Accepts Recommendations To Assess Decreased Troop Presence On The Ground Before Making Additional Reductions To U.S. Forces

Today, President Bush announced that -after detailed discussions with the Secretaries of State and Defense and Joint Chiefs of Staff -he is accepting General David Petraeus and Ambassador Ryan Crocker's recommendations on the way ahead in Iraq. General Petraeus reported that security conditions have improved enough to withdraw all five surge brigades by the end of July. This is a 25 percent decrease of U.S. combat brigades in Iraq from the year before. General Petraeus has explained that he then will need time to consolidate his forces and assess the reduced U.S. presence on the ground before making measured recommendations on further reductions.

* President Bush has directed Defense Secretary Robert Gates to reduce deployment lengths for all active Army soldiers deploying to the Central Command area of operations from 15 months to 12 months. These changes will be effective for those deploying after August 1. The President will also ensure that our Army units will have at least a year at home for every year in the field. The stress on our force is real, but the Joint Chiefs of Staff report that the all-volunteer force is strong and resilient enough to fight and win the war on terror.

* President Bush calls on Congress to pass a bill that provides our troops the resources they need -without imposing artificial timelines or attempting to tie the hands of our commanders. This bill must also be fiscally responsible, and not exceed the $108 billion request the President sent to Congress months ago. President Bush will veto any bill that does not meet these requirements.

* The costs of war have been high, but during other major conflicts in history, the relative cost has been even higher. Today, our defense budget accounts for just over four percent of our economy, less than our commitment during four decades of the Cold War. During the Truman and Eisenhower Administrations, our defense budget rose as high as 13 percent of our total economy. Even during the Regan Administration, when our economy expanded significantly, the defense budget accounted for about six percent of GDP.

To Assume More Responsibility For The Welfare Of Their People And The Fate Of Their Country, Iraqis Are Stepping Forward On The Security, Economic, Political, And Diplomatic Fronts

Iraq's economy will increasingly move away from American assistance, rely on private investment, and stand on its own. In their recent budget, Iraqis would outspend the United States on reconstruction by more than 10 to one, and American funding for large-scale reconstruction projects is approaching zero. The U.S. share of Iraq's security costs will drop as well, as Iraqis pay for the vast majority of their own Army and Police. Ultimately, we expect Iraq to shoulder the full burden of these costs.

The U.S. will help Iraqis build on the security gains made during the surge. Currently, U.S. Special Forces are launching multiple operations every night to capture or kill al Qaeda's remaining leaders in Iraq.

Coalition and Iraqi forces are also stepping up conventional operations against al Qaeda in northern Iraq, where terrorists have concentrated after being largely pushed from central and western Iraq.

* The Iraqi Army and Police are increasingly capable, and leading

in the fight to secure their country. As Iraqis assume the primary role in providing security, American forces will increasingly focus on targeted raids against terrorists and extremists, continue training Iraqi forces, and be available to help Iraq's security forces if required. In the period ahead, the U.S. will:

* Continue to train, equip, and support the Iraqi security

forces;

* Continue to transfer security responsibilities to them as

provinces become ready; and

* Move over time into an overwatch role.

On the political front, Iraq has seen bottom-up progress. Tribes and other groups in the provinces who fought terror are now turning to rebuilding local political structures and taking charge of their own affairs.  Progress in the provinces is leading to progress in Baghdad, as Iraqi leaders increasingly act together, share power, and forge compromises on behalf of the nation. Upcoming elections will consolidate this progress and provide a way for Iraqis to settle disputes through the political process instead of through violence.

Iraqis plan to hold provincial elections later this year, and these will be followed by national elections in 2009. Iraq will increase its engagement in the world and the world must increase its engagement with Iraq. A stable, successful, and independent Iraq is in the strategic interests of Arab nations and all who want peace in the Middle East, and we will urge them to increase their support this year.

* President Bush is directing our Nation's senior diplomats to meet with leaders in Jordan, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Kuwait, and Egypt. In each capital, they will brief them on the situation in Iraq and encourage these nations to re-open embassies in Baghdad, and to increase their overall support for Iraq. This engagement effort will be followed by Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice's trip to the Third Expanded Neighbors Conference in Kuwait City and the second International Compact with Iraq meeting in Stockholm.

Improvements In Security Have Helped Clear The Way For Political And Economic Developments In Iraq

U.S. and Iraqi forces have made significant progress bringing down sectarian violence, restoring basic security to Iraqi communities and driving terrorists out of their safe havens. Neighborhoods once controlled by al Qaeda have been liberated. Sectarian violence is down dramatically, and civilian and military deaths are also down.

Cooperation from Iraqis is stronger than ever -they are providing more tips, more Iraqis are joining their security forces, and there is a growing movement against al-Qaeda called the "Sons of Iraq."

Improvements in security have helped clear the way for the political and economic developments. At the local level, businesses are re-opening and provincial councils are meeting. At the national level, there is much work ahead, but the Iraqi government has passed a budget and three major "benchmark" laws. The national government is sharing oil revenues with provinces, and many economic indicators in Iraq -from oil production to inflation -are now pointed in the right direction.

Our National Interests Require Success In Iraq

Success in Iraq would bring us closer to our most important goal -making the American people safer here at home. Success in Iraq would give the U.S. a new partner with a growing economy and a democratic political system in which Sunnis, Shia, and Kurds all work together for the good of their country. It would demonstrate to a watching world that mainstream Arabs reject the ideology of al Qaeda, and mainstream Shia reject the ideology of Iran's radical regime, and deliver a historic blow to the global terrorist movement and a severe setback for Iran.

Failure in Iraq would diminish our Nation's standing, undermine national security, lead to massive humanitarian casualties, and increase the threat of another terrorist attack on our homeland. If we fail in Iraq, al Qaeda would claim a propaganda victory of colossal proportions, and they could gain safe havens in Iraq from which to attack the United States and our friends and allies. Iran would seek to fill the vacuum in Iraq, which would embolden Tehran's radical leaders and fuel their ambitions to dominate the region. The Taliban in Afghanistan and al Qaeda in Pakistan would grow in confidence and boldness.

# # #

House Armed Services Committee
Ike Skelton, Chairman            http://armedservices.house.gov
For Immediate Release: April 10, 2008   

  
Skelton Responds to President’s Announcement On Troop Levels in Iraq

Washington, DC – House Armed Services Committee Chairman Ike Skelton (D-MO) released the following statement concerning the President’s speech on troop levels in Iraq:

“Longer deployments have caused a lot of good people to leave the Army, so I’m glad that the President has decided to reduce active duty Army deployments from 15 to 12 months. This is good news for soldiers and for Army families who are under enormous strain, but I fear this step does not go far enough to repair the readiness problems confronting our Army.

Just yesterday, the Army’s Vice Chief of Staff, General Richard Cody, told the House Armed Services Committee that our Army is out of balance and that the demand for forces in Iraq and Afghanistan exceeds the sustainable supply. Our people do not have enough recovery time between deployments.

By bringing down the number of troops after the surge, we are making a virtue of a necessity because we simply don’t have ready troops available to maintain those force levels. The President’s decision to adopt an open-ended pause in further redeployments from Iraq will make it even more difficult for us to restore military readiness and deal with other urgent national security needs, including the need to bolster our efforts in Afghanistan.

With the lives and the heroic efforts of our troops, we have tried to buy time for the Iraqis to bring their country together through reconciliation. Unfortunately, the Iraqis have failed to take advantage of this opportunity and little progress is apparent. It would help if we could turn over more security to the Iraqis so we could redeploy our troops. In the meantime, our Army has become overstretched and becomes more overextended with each passing day. We cannot afford to take on more strategic risk to buy more time for a government uninterested in reconciliation.”

###

2) Posthumous Medal of Honor Presented to Navy Seal-On September 29, 2006 Navy Seal Michael A. Monsoor, with 2 other American teammates and members of the Iraqi Army were on a mission in Ramadi trying to clear a neighborhood. When a grenade was lobbed into their position Monsoor yelled a warning and then fell onto the grenade protecting his fellow SEALS. He died 30 minutes later. On Tuesday, President Bush presented the Medal of Honor to his parents Sally and George Monsoor. Approximately 250 guest including Monsoor’s sister and 2 brothers watched the ceremony in the White House’s East Room President Bush said: "The Medal of Honor is awarded for an act of such courage that no one could rightly be expected to undertake it. Yet those who knew Michael Monsoor were not surprised when he did." Indeed in May Monsoor earned the Silver Star for running through heavy enemy fire to pull a wounded SEAL to safety.

3) DoD Studies Shows More Healthcare Providers Accepting TRICARE Standard-DoD’s TRICARE Management Activity announced that more civilian medical providers know about, and are accepting, TRICARE Standard. But it is also clear that there are still many areas of the country where it is still extremely difficult to find a healthcare provider that will accept TRICARE Standard. The findings are part of a three year study that found that in Fiscal Year (FY) 2007, almost 93 percent of responding physicians in 53 hospital service areas (HSAs) were aware of the TRICARE program, with 84 percent of physicians in those 53 HSAs accepting new TRICARE Standard patients. The study also found that:

1) Approximately 87 percent of all physicians surveyed are aware of the TRICARE program.

2) About 81 percent of physicians that accept new patients also accept new TRICARE Standard patients.

3) Of those accepting new TRICARE Standard patients, almost 91 percent do so for all patients, rather than on a case-by-case basis, and

4) Reimbursement rates were among the most commonly cited reasons for not accepting TRICARE Standard.

TRICARE Standard is critically important for retirees as well as members of the Guard and Reserve. Maryland, Colorado, Hawaii, Oklahoma, New York, New Jersey, and Texas are states where there are problems in finding civilian providers. Many western state governments are trying to encourage providers to accept TRICARE. According to TMA:” The Oregon legislature approved incentives including a one-time tax credit for new providers in the TRICARE network, plus an additional annual credit for treating patients enrolled in TRICARE. Since 2004, Oregon’s TRICARE provider network has increased by 35 percent.

In addition, the governors of 20 Western States have supported TRICARE’s efforts to encourage more health care providers to accept new TRICARE patients. Their combined efforts led to an overall increase in western region TRICARE network doctors from approximately 80,000 in 2004 to more than 125,000 today.”

4) New Bills Introduced on Education and Guard and Reserve Benefits-This week, two new bills were introduced in Congress that would help move forward two of TREA’s goals. In the House of Representatives HR5740 is the new companion bill to S22. The“Post 9/11 Veterans Education Assistance Act” would update the Montgomery GI Bill’s educational benefits. And on the Senate side Senator Saxby Chambliss (R-GA) introduced S2836. This bill would direct all activated service by Guard and Reserve members after 9/11/01 to be counted in qualifying for the newly created right to receive National Guard and Reserve retirement age before the age of 60. It already has 12 co-sponsors. Both of these are important pieces of legislation. Please call your House and Senate members.

5) G.I. Film Festival set for May 14-17. 2008-Next month the G.I. Film Festival will be showing films about the American Military for 4 full days. The Festival will be held in Washington DC at the Carnegie Institute, 15th and P Street NW. The presentations will include full length films and short subjects by filmmakers around the world. To find out more you can go to: http://www.gifilmfestival.com.

*******************************************

What if TREA earned a penny every time you searched the Internet? Or how about if a percentage of every purchase you made online went to support our cause? Well, now it can!

GoodSearch.com is a new Yahoo-powered search engine that donates half its advertising revenue, about a penny per search, to the charities its users designate. Use it just as you would any search engine, get quality search results from Yahoo, and watch the donations add up!

GoodShop.com is a new online shopping mall which donates up to 37 percent of each purchase to your favorite cause! Hundreds of great stores including Amazon, Target, Gap, Best Buy, ebay, Macy's and Barnes & Noble have teamed up with GoodShop and every time you place an order, you’ll be supporting your favorite cause.

Just go to www.goodsearch.com and be sure to enter Retired Enlisted Association (Aurora, CO) as the charity you want to support. And, be sure to spread the word!

********************************

SHOP FOR CHARITY DAY HAS CHANGED TO MY POWER MALL.  MAKE A DONATION TO TREA, JUST BY SHOPPING!  CLICK BELOW:

http://www.mypowermall.com/mall/111349

**********************************************************

AS YOU ARE PLANNING YOUR 2008 CHARITABLE DONATIONS, PLEASE CONSIDER A DONATION TO THE RETIRED ENLISTED ASSN. MAKE YOUR DONATION ONLINE AT: www.trea.org/DonationPage.html

OR MAIL YOUR DONATION TO: TREA HQ, 1111 S ABILENE CT., AURORA, CO 80012

YOU MAY EARMARK YOUR DONATION TO SUPPORT WHATEVER YOU WOULD LIKE. (GENERAL FUND, THE VOICE/WEB, MEMORIAL FOUNDATION, SCHOLARSHIP, OR JUST MARK "WHERE IT IS NEEDED MOST")!  DONATIONS TO TREA ARE DEDUCTIBLE.

THANK YOU FOR YOUR CONTINUED SUPPORT!!!

If you need to change the email address that receives the Legislative Update, go to: http:/www.capwiz.com/trea/mlm/signup/

At the bottom of the page, enter the email address that currently receives the update, verify who you are, and change your email address.  If you have any problems email editor@trea.org

Continue to send emails to your Senators and Representatives about the bills that are of interest to you.  Remember we have prepared emails available for you.

If you do not receive the Legislative Update delivered to your email box, click the above link, and sign up!

Don’t forget to "Tell A Friend” about our Legislative Updates and Shopping for Charity E-Mall.