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The article observes that the U.S. armed services are serious in tackling the problem of sexual assaults, as evidenced by the dinner hosted by Marine Corps Commandant General James F. Amos with a handful of lawmakers over the summer of 2012. An estimated 19,000 service members are victims of rape or sexual assault each year. The article also mentions that lawmakers and advocates view the issue of prosecution as key to changing attitudes in the U.S. military sector.

The article focuses on the issue of the expected departure of U.S. soldiers and Marines in Iraq in 2011. It states that many U.S. or Iraqi officials do not expect all U.S. troops and Marines to be gone from Iraq after December 2011 because numerous political and security problems in the country remain unsolved. Furthermore, several lawmakers, government officials, and experts are quietly pushing for U.S. troops to remain in Iraq to counter the threat and influence being imposed by Iran.

The article discusses the implications of a Democrat-sponsored bill seeking the withdrawal of U.S. troops from Iraq on Congressional leaders who are caught in the middle. While 6 out of 10 Americans favor the move, the base of Republican voters do not. The author speculates that Republican leaders are likely to support the surge strategy of sending more troops to improve security in Iraq and prevent a potential backlash, but he argues that this may imperil their political career.

The article reports on the plan of U.S. President George W. Bush to send 21,500 more troops to Iraq. Democrat U.S. Senator Edward M. Kennedy of Massachusetts insisted that the U.S. Senate must pass his bill to make Bush ask the permission of the U.S. Congress first before enacting his plan. It says that the Democratic leaders must force a confrontation on the power of the U.S. Congress to limit the ability of a president to wage war.

Presents information on the results of the voting of several legislators on various bills in the U.S. Senate and U.S. House of Representatives in June 2005. Fiscal 2006 Labor-Health and Human Services-Education Appropriations; Military Personnel Financial Services; Eminent Domain Ruling.

Reports on the response of the U.S. Congress to 2004 photographs showing Iraqi prisoners abused by U.S. military personnel. Significance of the mistreatment of prisoners; Challenges limiting the oversight duty of the Congress over the Iraq war; Views of Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi on the leadership of the Department of Defense.

Presents information on the plan of the U.S. Department of Defense to increase the number of soldiers of the U.S. Army as of January 31, 2004. Soldiers to be temporarily added to the Army from 2004 to 2008 according to General Peter J. Schoomaker; Supporters of the plan; Comment from Donald H. Rumsfeld about the plan. INSET: Rangel legislation stirs draft debate.

The article discusses the need to overhaul the Tricare health system for U.S. military troops as of December 2015 that could mean making pay more. Topics include the U.S. Senate and House Armed Services committees' defense policy legislation to create a modern retirement system for new recruits, and the need for major changes in military health care to focus on improving the benefit and maintain the all-volunteer force.

The article reports that the U.S. and Japanese governments announced plans to move American personnel out of U.S. military bases in Okinawa to Guam. This reportedly was the first sign of willingness to adjust major elements of a stalled 2006 base relocation plan to reduce the burden of U.S. bases. U.S. military presence in Okinawa has reportedly been a strain in U.S.-Japan relations, particularly the Futenma Marine base which is widely unpopular among the population of Okinawa.

The article focuses on the plan of Senate leaders to introduce a resolution that would rewrite Congress' 2002 authorization for Iraq War. The legislators also intend to add anti-war language to the legislation that would implement many of the recommendations of the September 11 commission. It cites the actions taken by Democrats to prohibit President George W. Bush from adding troops in Iraq. Representative Jesse L. Jackson of Illinois plans to offer an amendment that would cut off funding from troop levels in Iraq.

The article focuses on the efforts of lawmakers to address the concern of U.S. Army soldiers about their camouflage uniforms. John P. Murtha has written a report ordering the Defense Department to provide combat uniforms to personnel deployed in Afghanistan with a pattern suited to the country's environment. Ike Newton Skelton and Solomon P. Ortiz have called Army officers to take the concerns to heart. Army officers have conducted studies with possible alternative camouflage patterns.

The article offers information on military suicide in the U.S. army. Military leaders express their concerns especially that there is no common reason for the suicide. One-third from those who served in Iraq and Afghanistan suffered from probable traumatic brain injury and or post-traumatic stress disorder. To address the concern, Congress has created a suicide prevention task force in the Department of Defense and a legislation to create a pilot program for social integration has been drafted.

The article focuses on the increasing confusion over the costs of withdrawal of U.S. troops from Iraq. According to the Congressional Budget Office (CBO), the cost of the war in Iraq is $2.4 trillion through 2017. It cites that several observers are warning that the consequences of a rapid withdrawal would be disastrous. Based on CBO estimates, there will be $50 billion spending from 2008 to 2017 on training and equipping indigenous security forces in Iraq and Afghanistan compared with $13 billion in 2007 and $5 billion in 2006.

The article reflects on the anti-war movement in the U.S. An alliance of liberal activists, veterans and political moderates have formed a network of anti-war groups such as MoveOn.org and VoteVets.org pushing Congress to adopt a bill seeking the withdrawal of U.S. troops from Iraq by 2008. Conducting polls, persuading some lawmakers and attacking others like Republican Senators Susan Collins and John Sununu through political advertisements form part of the anti-war efforts.

The article focuses on the mixed views of the U.S. public on Iraq war. Legislators and voters are faced with difficulty of opposing the war and expressing their support for the soldiers. Based on a survey conducted by the television program "ABC News" and the newspaper "Washington Post," only one in four citizens supports the addition of troops in Iraq. In a poll conducted by Pew in January 2007, 48% want soldiers to leave Iraq while 46% support their stay.

Reports that the U.S. House has passed the fiscal 2007 defense authorization bill. Plan of the White House to veto the bill which challenged President George W. Bush's policies affecting military personnel and their families, the conduct of the war and the plans for purchasing weapons; Prohibition imposed by the House bill on the purchasing of items from foreign companies accused before the World Trade Organization of receiving prohibited subsidies; Provisions of the House bill regarding weapons procurement.

Reports on a U.S. legislative bill approved by the House Financial Services Committee on September 29, 2004, on the protection of military personnel from the sale of high-cost life insurance and mutual funds. Sponsor of the bill; Overview of the bill; Information on other provisions related to the sales of insurance and funds.

Focuses on several military issues that will be included in the discussion of the 2005 defense authorization bill by the U.S. House and Senate in 2004. Concerns on military base needed to be discussed by negotiators; Differences in a proposed increase in the number of soldiers in uniform in fiscal 2005 included in the bills passed by the House and Senate; Plan of the U.S. Defense on the Base Realignment and Closure Commission; Opponents of military base closures.

Reports on the refusal of U.S. President George W. Bush to sign a bill repealing the ban on concurrent receipt of military retirement and disability benefits in the U.S. Provisions under the bill; Reaction of lawmakers and lobbyists to the Bush administration's veto threat; Views of many veterans on Bush's action. INSET: Pension--Disability Bill Would Cost Billions.

Highlights the opposition of U.S. Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld to the increasing the number of active-duty personnel in September 2002. Amount of contingency fund sought by Rumsfeld to pay for the continuing war against terrorism; Number of U.S. personnel needed to defeat Iraq; Number of personnel involved in the military operations since the September 11 terrorist attacks.

The article looks at the debate on defense budget allocations in the U.S. for fiscal 2016. The two chambers of Congress are said to have great differences in terms of their stance on costly military benefits. The Military Coalition said in a letter to House and Senate Armed Services committee leaders that an adequate military benefit package should be provided for military personnel. Senators and Department of Defense leaders claim that the cost of such a package is not affordable.

The article reports that the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) will be issuing new rules to protect military personnel from predatory lending. It notes that the DoD has been tasked to define the kinds of lending covered under the 2007 Military Lending Act and restrict the annual interest rate on short-term loans to 36 percent. It mentions that the proposed regulations could also be used as a model to protect all consumers.

The article announces that retired U.S. Army officer Ted Anderson and former Senate aide Chelsea Henderson have joined lobbying firm McBee Strategic.

The article focuses on the debate over whether members of the U.S. Congress should be allowed to serve on active duty with the military. A group of lawmakers still hold active commissions in the armed services, including House member Paul Broun, Senator Scott P. Brown, and Senator Mark Steven Kirk. U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt ended the practice and banned congressional leaders from serving in military until 2006 when Senator Lindsey Graham persuaded officials to let him serve in Iraq.

The article explains the support U.S. President Barack Obama gathered from a Senate panel regarding the authorization of limited use of U.S. military forces in the Libya conflict. The approval from the Foreign Relations Committee arrived three months after the U.S. first attempted to mediate the civil war in Libya. Obama, meanwhile, believes that the said approval is not necessary due to the narrow focus of military operations in Libya.

The article offers the author's insights on the implications of the parliamentary elections in Iraq in the U.S. He notes that the U.S. government is confident on the election wherein it will allow the U.S. troops reduction to continue as promised by U.S. President Barack Obama. Moreover, he says that the anti-war democrats admit that few will stay indefinitely as advisers, but senior members of both parties are starting to speculate that several will be called to stay indefinitely by the Iraqis.

The article reports on the move of the U.S. Congress to increase spending for the military and veterans through a separate benefits bill. It notes that veterans with service-connected disabilities and indemnity compensation for survivors of some disabled veterans are given a cost-of-living benefits each year. It also notes that disabled veterans who are living temporarily with their families are given a program of adaptive housing grants.

The article reports on the challengers faced by the Senate Committee on Veterans' Affairs relative to the plan of President-elect Barack Obama to pull out the troops in Iraq. The Veterans Benefits Administration is concerned that the unprocessed benefits claims would grow by 152,000 when the troops return to the country. Obama would recruit more claims processors and implement an interoperable electronic claims management system.

The article reports that the U.S. House of Representatives has agreed to the Boyda motion to put the rules on hold and adopt House Resolution 1421 to honor the victims of the terrorist bombing of the U.S. Marine Corps Barracks in Beirut, Lebanon, in October 1983. The resolution will also honor the U.S. soldiers who perished in Beirut from 1982 to 1984.

The article reports that a bill, HR 6020, to facilitate the naturalization of immigrants serving in the U.S. Armed Forces was approved by the House Judiciary Committee in September 2008. It analyzes the key stipulations of the bill, which will streamline the citizenship process for foreign-born military personnel who have served the U.S. for at least one year.

The article reflects on U.S. presidential candidate Barack Obama accounts that he had a relative in the U.S. troops that liberate a concentration camp. The author notes that Obama misidentified the camp, remarking that Ohrdruf was liberated by the U.S. not the Auschwitz. The author mentions that Obama campaign did not provide support to confirm Obama's great uncle Charles T. Payne grounds. However, researchers at the National Personnel Record Center confirmed the account on Payne's information.

The article features war deserter Lee Zaslofsky and the Toronto-based War Resisters Support Campaign he leads. Zaslofsky is organizing rallies in Canada to publicize the cases of asylum-seeking American soldiers. The Courage to Resist, a U.S. antiwar group, has also organized a series of protests at Canadian consulates across the U.S. in behalf of exiled U.S. Iraq War resisters.

The article announces that Republican candidate for Houston, Brian Klock, has pledged to lunch on military meals-ready-to-eat until March 4, 2008. The pledge is an effort to illustrate his support for the U.S. troops. Klock, a military veteran, will run against other Republican candidates, including Shelley Sekula-Gibbs, Robert Talton and Pete Olson.

This article discusses the resurgence of the recommendations of the U.S. Iraq Study Group due to talks of a phased withdrawal of U.S. soldiers from Iraq. In an analysis, the study group is in a worse standing in defense and intelligence circles than it was when it was launched in 2006. Concerns regarding the withdrawal talks are described.

An introduction to a cover story by David Nather on the U.S. Congressional debate over setting a deadline for the withdrawal of American troops from Iraq.

The article reports on a legislation passed by the U.S. House of Representatives to improve health care for wounded soldiers returning from Iraq and Afghanistan. The U.S. Congressional Budget Office (CBO) stated that the bill will need a big budget if the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) and the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) decide to create a common computer system to their medical files to establish interoperability.

The article summarizes proposed legislation concerning U.S. involvement in Iraq. Senate Democrats are rewriting the 2002 resolution that authorized the use of force in Iraq. Other amendments propose a troop withdrawal in 2007 and put firm caps on the number of U.S. troops allowed in Iraq. The House Appropriations Committee will start work on a supplemental spending bill that will place restrictions on Iraq spending.

The author focuses on the persistence of U.S. George W. Bush to continue his policy regarding the Iraq war. He says that Bush is not affected by the opposition of the U.S. Congress against his latest Iraqi war plan. He mentions that Bush is confident that the U.S. Congress will approve a bill that provides emergency funding for U.S. troops.

The article focuses on the allegation of the Society of Ethnomusicology that U.S. military and intelligence personnel are using music to torture unresponsive Iraqi detainees. According to a statement by the society, they are committed to the ethical uses of music to further human understanding and to uphold the highest human rights standards. Such torture techniques have grown more sophisticated according to the findings of music professor Suzanne Cusick of New York University.

The article focuses on the Iraq war. It mentions that the plan of U.S. President George W. Bush to send 21,500 soldiers to Iraq is a symbolic gesture to appear decisive and in charge. The need for the U.S. Congress to assert its constitutional powers and de-fund the war has been proposed. It mentions that the decision of Bush to not seek the counsel of new congressional leaders in puzzling.

The article focuses on the involvement of the U.S. Congress in the Iraq war. The power of the funds is considered the most effective tool that can be used by the U.S. Congress to stop the additional troops being planned by U.S. President George W. Bush in Iraq. The U.S. Congress has been offered a role by Bush in managing the funds of the war operations.

The article reports on a verbal fight over the U.S. troop surge in Iraq. A verbal counter-offensive was raised by Democrats that characterize the plan of U.S. President George W. Bush as to reinforce a none-too-subtle association with the increases of forces in Vietnam by former U.S. President Lyndon B. Johnson.

The article expresses views on the lack of alternatives to the anti-war strategy of the administration of U.S. President George W. Bush. The White House has announced plans for reducing the number of soldiers deployed in Iraq. The increase in the number of soldiers deployed to the country before the elections has made an impression that the soldiers are leaving the country. Opponents of war are frustrated about the news regarding the plans of the administration.

Focuses on the partnership of the American Atheists with the Military Association of Atheists and Freethinkers for a rally to support the separation of state and church in the U.S. in November 2005. Response of American Atheists founder Ellen Johnson to remarks from U.S. Navy chaplain Kal McAlexander regarding atheists; Attendance of Hans Kasten, a veteran of the Battle of the Bulge, in the event; Peer pressure experienced by soldiers to convert into religions.

Reports on the approval of a legislation that would prohibit financial services and insurance firms from selling high-cost, low-value products to members of the military at a U.S. House panel on March 16, 2005. Goal of the legislation; Provisions of the bill; Information on an amendment presented for the legislation.

Reports on the meeting of Lieutenant General David Petraeus of the U.S. military and U.S. Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist in Iraq in January 2005. Information on the first encounter of the two; Medical care administered by Frist to Petraeus in September 1991; Introduction used by Petraeus for Frist during a meeting with Iraqi commandos.

Comments on U.S. political issues related to photographs taken in 2004 that show Iraqi prisoners being tortured by U.S. military personnel. Discussion on the political campaign speech of U.S. President George W. Bush; Impact of the images on the political campaign of the president; Challenge in the goal of Bush to instill democratic principles among Islamic nations of the Middle East.

Deals with the approval of a legislative bill to provide tax breaks for members of the U.S. military, by the House and Senate. Reason for the delay of the bill's approval; Disagreement between the House and Senate on the bill; Provisions of the bill.

Presents a graph of the declining number of U.S. troops in the nation's armed forces since the end of the Vietnam War.

Focuses on foreign policy issues about the inclusion of U.S. military troops under the jurisdiction of the International Criminal Court. Stand of Senator John Warner (R-Va.) on the issue; Concerns raised by religious conservative groups.