Sen. Patty Murray (D-Wash.) says Wednesday that “Now that WTO has ruled that what the EU and Airbus are doing is illegal, we don’t think they should be allowed to continue benefitting at the expense of our workers.” (0:46)
By Laura Smith – University of New Mexico/Talk Radio News Service
A bipartisan collection of lawmakers urged the Department of Defense Wednesday not to award a military contract to European based aviation company Airbus following a recent World Trade Organization (WTO) ruling that the company received illegal subsidies from the European Union.
“We need fair competition with fair rules. [The] Department of Defense should not favor Airbus more than the WTO does. This is not a French government decision, this is a U.S. government decision,” Sen. Sam Brownback (R-KS) said.
Airbus is competing for a $40 million contract from the Air Force against U.S. based manufacturer Boeing to replace aerial refueling tankers. The Department of Defense has said in September that they won’t consider the ruling by the WTO that Airbus received illegal subsidies.
Lawmakers, such as Brownback, Sen. Patty Murray (D-WA) and Sen. Kit Bond (R-MO), are asking the Department of Defense to “level the playing field.”
“Airbus and the European Union have refused to allow fair competition,” charged Murray. “They use the Aerospace industry as a jobs program and they use billions of dollars in illegal launch aid to fund it. They don’t even require Airbus to repay the subsidies if the aircraft does unsuccessful. So it’s no risk, all reward for the company.”
“We can’t afford to undercut American companies,” added Bond. “We need a fair competition and a level playing field for American workers and American companies.”
By Courtney Costello- Talk Radio News Service
A number of preparedness experts from the Department of Defense and Department of Homeland Security emphasized the need for a better communication network between all federal agencies that have a hand in disaster prevention and relief during a House Armed Services Subcommittee hearing on “Chemical, Biological, Radiological, Nuclear and High-Yield Explosives (CBRNE) Consequence Management.”
Chairman Rep. Adam Smith (D-WA) detailed the necessity for a “framework of guidance” that would comprehensibly lay out the “roles and responsibilities of local, state and federal responders.” Smith went on to describe that integration of federal agencies like the FBI, DoD, DHS, and FEMA as the cornerstone of efficient disaster prevention and relief in the U.S.
“Our efforts at NorthCom to prepare for and to assist in the aftermath of a CBRNE event, are apart of a combined national response framework. Our collaboration with federal and state partners, government and National Guard are all key to this homeland response strategy and to our level of preparedness as well,” said General Victor Renuart Commander at the U.S. Northern Command.
The panel pointed to the government’s response to Hurricane Katrina as an example of the need for preparedness across all lines of disaster relief.
By Michael Ruhl, University of New Mexico – Talk Radio News Service
Correspondent Michael Ruhl’s investigative report into the recent pandemic of piracy off of the Horn of Africa. The report focuses on why the piracy is taking place and what can be done to stop it. It includes perspectives from Somali Ambassador-at-large Abdi Awallah Jama, George Mason University Political Science Professor Hazel McFerson, Maersk-Alabama Captain Richard Phillips, and CENTCOM Commander General David Petraeus. (07:30)
Jonathan Bronstein talks to Mackenzie Eaglen, an analyst for the Heritage Foundation, about Robert Gates’s announcement to cut the military budget and how what affect it will have on national security. However, Eaglen believes that such a move is dangerous because weapon technology research takes decades to create so any cut in the budget now will undoubtedly affect the future.
Additionally, she questions the critics who complain about the Department of Defense, DOD, overspending as, “the GAO [Government Accountability Office] has been reporting on the top ten DOD weapons systems cost overruns for years,” and only recently has it become a large issue. (1:05)
Pentagon Correspondent Dawn Casey will attend a briefing by Army Col. Dominic Caraccilo, Commander of the 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault), live from Iraq in the Pentagon Briefing Room. UN Correspondent Tala Dowlatshahi will attend a briefing by the Russian Federation. The Washington Bureau will also attend a conference held by Georgetown University’s Center for Contemporary Arab Studies on “Unearthing Iraq: Trajectories of Disintegration and Transformation,” a discussion by the Center for Strategic and International Studies on “Past and Present Challenges for Global Health and AIDS,” the Hudson Institute’s Center for Religious Freedom and the Institute on Religion and Democracy’s discussion on “Promoting Religious Freedom in Sudan,” and a discussion on “The Election and Post-Racial Politics” by the Institute for Policy Studies.
Secretary of Defense Robert M.Gates, speaking at a summit held at the Pentagon for wounded warriors and their families, said he wanted to reflect on an event a few months ago when Frank Buckles, a 107-year-old veteran, was present at a ceremony when a new exhibit was opened. Upon discharge from the military after World War I, Frank Buckles got “sixty bucks and a free pass to the Y[MCA],” as his severance.
To our wounded warriors, Gates said, I’ve been amazed by your grit and resilience. Part of my duties was to visit Walter Reed and other hospitals and I wasn’t sure I could keep it together and if I could handle it, to see the wounded. But I found instead that they lift me up, he said. Gates became emotional, his voice wavering, and looked solemn as he sniffled a bit and looked out at the audience. I will repeat the pledge I made to myself and everyone, he said, that other than winning the wars we are in, my highest priority is caring for those who are wounded.
Gates said they are now converting the disability rating process so that one service member has one exam, and one rating which will be shared between the Department of Defense (DOD) and the Veterans Administration (VA). Working together, the DOD and VA can cut in half the time required to get to the disability payment process completed through the VA.
Many have returned bearing the scars of war, and some of those wounds are not readily apparent, Gates continued. In Iraq and Afghanistan, improvement in techniques and medical care has made it possible to survive an injury that many used to not be able to live through. This, however, has made evident how much we do not know about Traumatic Brain Injuries. We are poised to learn a lot more. We’ve also gone a long way to deal with the psychological effects of what has turned out to be a very long war.
As we all know, Gates said, not everyone returning from Iraq and Afghanistan is getting the mental health care they need. Too often people have avoided help because they were afraid of it affecting their security clearance or even their jobs. They are trying to remove the stigma by keeping counseling not part of the evaluation process, so that having it not affect their jobs is hopefully going to make it more likely to have men and women in uniform seek help.
Although we’ve made significant progress in the last year there is no doubt we still have a lot of work to do. “I thank you from the bottom of my heart,” Gates concluded, and his remarks were received with a round of applause.
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)
Rep. Jane Harman (D-Cali.) says that women serving in the military are more likely to get raped by a fellow solider than killed by enemy fire in Iraq. Harman also said that 41 percent of female veterans said they were victims sexual assault and 29 percent said they were vicitims of rape. (0:42)
During a press briefing Pentagon spokesman Geoff Morrell says that any perception that the DoD or Army contractors are as “negligent” or “callous” as to allow the deaths of U.S. soldiers in Iraq due to electrocution is flat-out wrong. Morrell says that the DoD is concerned with the safety of U.S> soldiers. Sixteen U.S. soldiers have died in Iraq due to electrical accidents.
