It’s not just about getting the votes in, it’s educating the voters and telling them how to do it, said Polli Brunelli, Director of the Federal Voting Assistance Program (FVAP), during a briefing at the Pentagon. There are anywhere between four to six million potential absentee voters in the world, and we want them to be able to vote.

The numbers include “stateside” military- military personnel stationed in states other than the one they are registered in-, civilian Government workers overseas, and overseas military members and their families. The FVAP has set up a website, www.fvap.gov, to assist in their efforts to get all those votes counted.

But what happens after their votes are cast? FVAP has assisted in setting up expedited mail delivery of ballots, and also made sure that people are aware of the existence of the “backup ballot,” a ballot that allows a registered voter to cast a vote for Federal Offices in case their regular ballot isn’t available for them to use. The ballots are sent back to the respective states utilizing green tagged transports and are marked and tracked as a priority on regular transports.

“Absentee Voting Week” is October 12-18, 2008, and that is when a Department of Defense-wide email will be sent out, and comprehensive voting awareness and assistance programs will begin, to encourage voters to vote and return their state ballots as soon as possible. Express mail (via the United States Postal Service, through the military APO, FPO offices) will be used for returning cast ballots between the dates of October 29 and November 4, 2008.

There are also electronic alternatives available to receive a ballot, and some states will even allow a ballot to be returned that way. Arizona, for example, will allow a scanned ballot to be returned via a secure state server. Eleven states allow a voted ballot to be returned this way, and 26 states allow a voted ballot to be returned by fax (up from 17 states in 2000). It is up to the states to ensure via registration rolls that absentee ballots are on their lists and that no one is able to vote more than once.

The primary mission of FVAP is to inform and educated United States citizens of their right to vote, and to encourage all Uniformed and Overseas Citizens to participate in the elections.

At a live brief from Iraq, Dan Foot of the PRT says the reception [of the Iraqi people] is “surprisingly embracing.” He says in the smaller towns where that hasn’t been a big presence in the past they look at us more curiously but as soon as we say hello they greet us with typical Arab cordiality. (0:53)

 

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At a live brief from Iraq, Army Col. Philip Battaglia, commander of the 4th Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division says the people throughout the province, are very appreciative of the Iraqi forces that are out there, and of the soldiers that are out there working with the police and army. Across the board, he says, they tell us there is an greater sense of security in the area. (0:33)

 

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The ability to influence the Iraqi people depends on being able to deliver something tangible, said Army Col. Philip Battaglia, commander of the 4th Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division, during a live brief from Iraq at the Pentagon. They’ve made considerable progress in using Iraqi monies for reconstruction, and the improved security throughout Iraq has made it possible to coordinate more Iraqi seizures of IEDs (Improvised Explosive Devices) and other weapons.

Also present was Dan Foot of PRT, who said that the Iraqi people’s appreciation of the Iraqi Security Forces and the United States’ forces was “surprisingly embracing.” He said in the marketplaces people smile and stop to chat, but that the smaller towns the people are more reserved and don’t approach them. After they say hello, however, the people display typical Arab Cordiality and are very friendly. The PRT, he said, expects to be in Iraq till through the end of next year. In the police force of Iraq, Foot said, there is “a certain amount of bribery” that is part of the culture and is to be expected.

A question raised to Col. Battaglia was if the troops were having any problems with their absentee ballots, as this is election season. Battaglia looked very pleased that the question was asked, and said that in the past week, he’s seen absentee ballots, they’ve been received, and they are voting. He hasn’t heard any complaints for his brigade.

At the Pentagon press briefing the Commander, U.S. Forces Korea, Gen Walter L. Sharp says the US will remain committed to the defense of Korea. We will give any additional support as required highlighted by significant naval and air support. (0:16)

 

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At the Pentagon press briefing the Commander, U.S. Forces Korea, Gen Walter L. Sharp says while the purpose is to deter aggression on the Korean peninsula, we’re prepared to react with overwhelming firepower to defeat any threat should it become necessary. (0:14)

 

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The commander of the International Assistance Force in Afghanistan wants it known– Afghanistan is not Iraq.

“I find it sometimes, not very helpful to compare Iraq and Afghanistan. I think they are two very different environments,” said Gen. David McKiernan during a press briefing at the Pentagon.

McKiernan has been the ISAF commander for four months at a time when political attention seems to be returning to Afghanistan. “The environment there is even more complex than I would have thought prior to my arrival. It’s complex in terms of geography, it’s complex in terms of demographics, of resources, or more specifically the lack of resources…the lack of the availability of people who can provide governance in Afghanistan…”

There is a growing acknowledgement in the U.S. government and the Department of Defense that there can not be a solution in Afghanistan without addressing growing problems with terrorism and unrestrained lawlessness in the tribal areas of Pakistan. McKiernan said that the heaviest fighting in Afghanistan is along the border regions with Pakistan, in Regional Commands East and South. “We’re at a higher level of violence this time this year than we were last year. In the east and south we are seeing a greater amount of insecurity in certain areas…The idea that it might get worse before it gets better is certainly a possibility in Afghanistan.”

In eastern Afghanistan, McKiernan reported violence is up and there has been an increase in foreign fighters. Because of this change, McKeirnan said, “the additional military capabilities that have been asked for are needed as quickly as possible.” McKiernan has asked for four brigade combat teams, including enabling parts such as helicopters and logistics support for Afghanistan, adding to the request made by his predecessor Gen. Daniel McNeil.

The Secretary of Defense Robert Gates recently testified to the Senate Armed Services Committee that three to four additional combat brigade teams may be deployed to Afghanistan in the summer of 2009.

McKeirnan said that because of the nature of the conflict in Afghanistan he can’t define what success should look like. “It’s important that winning is seen in Afghan terms,” he cautioned. “Winning in Afghanistan is about the future of the Afghan government and it’s about extending the authority of a legitimate Afghan government that meets the needs the meets of the people there. It’s not about the future of NATO. It’s not about any coalition success. It’s about Afghans.”

The interrogation techniques used against detainees in Guantanamo Bay and Iraq, including those that lead to the prisoner abuse at Abu Ghraib, originated from a Joint Personnel Recovery Agency (JPRA) program that trained U.S. military personnel in resistance to torture known as Survival Evasion Resistance and Escape (SERE) .

“Deputy General Counsel for Intelligence [for the Defense Department] Richard Shiffrin called and asked for a list of psychological and physical pressures used in SERE training..JPRA provided a list of techniques that included stress position, waterboarding, slapping, sleep disruption, and sensory deprivation,” said Senator Carl Levin (D-Mich).

“Mr. Shiffrin testified that part of the reason the general counsels office sought the information was its interest in reverse engineering the techniques for use offensively in detainee interrogations.”

Colonel Steven M. Kleinman, who spent a substantial portion of his career focusing on interrogation and human intelligence, said that this approach did not work properly. The SERE model was based on combatting a Cold War method that was designed to aid in the creation of propaganda and not the eliciting of information.

“Our approach to interrogation has failed to keep pace with our understanding of the operation environment and behaviorial sciences. Interrogation continues to be viewed as a relatively simple task that can be assigned to our most junior personnel,” said Kleinman.

Pentagon spokesman Geoff Morrell explains that the Defense Department budget is usually unaffected by fluctuations of the market as Congress has always supported the Department in passing their budget. (0:41)

 

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Pentagon press secretary Geoff Morrell says that the U.S. military in Afghanistan is seeking more leverage to go after “kingpins” and “large labs” that use Afghanistan’s huge poppy crop to make heroine. (0:50)

 

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