Posts Tagged ‘Jim Webb’
A Plan in Need of Clarity
By: Senator Jim Webb
December 4, 2009
I have great regard for the careful process the Obama administration employed in its efforts to define a new approach for the long-standing military commitment in Afghanistan and to put an operational framework in place for our responsible withdrawal. I intend, nevertheless, to continue to call on the administration to clarify to the American public and Congress how it defines success and how we reach an end point.
…
On the personnel front, our active-duty military has been deployed repeatedly for combat operations since 2001. Guard and reserve components also have deployed at levels not envisioned when the all-volunteer force was introduced. We are in uncharted territory in terms of the long-term effects these deployments are having on the well-being of our men and women in uniform, especially the Army and Marine Corps. I introduced dwell-time legislation nearly three years ago to ensure that we achieved a better balance in deployment cycles with a minimum interval before follow-on deployments. The new commitment of some 30,000 U.S. troops will put additional strains on our forces and their families. I plan to press the administration on this point to ensure that we are more vigilant in safeguarding the welfare of our men and women in uniform.
Webb Voices Concerns Over Army Testing of Body Armor, Calls for Independent Evaluation of Results
Armor Should Not to be Fielded Until Additional Testing is Completed and Assessed
Washington, DC – Senator Jim Webb (D-VA) today wrote Secretary of Defense Robert Gates to express his concerns over the findings of a Government Accountability Office (GAO) report released Oct. 16, 2009, citing deviations in testing protocols used in the U.S. Army’s testing of body armor conducted last year under a contract solicitation issued in 2007.
Senator Webb and then-Senator Hillary Clinton, both members of the Senate Committee on Armed Services in 2007, requested the GAO investigation in May 2007 in light of their concerns about the effectiveness and reliability of body armor being issued to service members. “I greatly appreciate the audit team’s demonstrated commitment over the past two years,” wrote Senator Webb. “Our men and women in uniform deserve to have the highest degree of confidence that the body armor they are issued meets or exceeds the military’s requirements for ballistic protection.”
GI Bill is Tool for Economic Recovery
President Barack Obama on Monday pitched the new military education benefits not only as a well-deserved reward for young veterans but also as an agent for the nation’s economic recovery, by helping train new leaders in the work force.
“The young post-9/11 veterans around the country can lead the way to a lasting economic recovery and become the glue that holds our communities together,” he told a crowd of servicemembers and educators on campus at George Mason University in Fairfax, Va. “They, too, can become the backbone of a growing American middle class.”
The new education benefits, passed by Congress last year and launched on Saturday, provide four years of tuition at any public university in a veteran’s home state for anyone who served at least three years on active duty since Sept. 11, 2001.
Blinded Vets Honor Senator Webb
WTOP-FM Washington, DC correspondent J.J. Green will be honored alongside two US Senators as The Blinded American Veterans Foundation (BAVF) presents its annual Congressional Awards today (6/16).
US Senators Jim Webb (D-VA) and Thad Cochran (R-MS) will receive BAVF’s Gillispie Award, while Green and artist Tom Nielsen will share the Foundation’s Carlton Sherwood Award.
“We’re honored to recognize Senator Webb for his outstanding service to the residents of Virginia and support of the nation’s defense programs,” said BAVF President John Fales. “We’re equally proud to recognize J.J. Green’s exceptional security and defense broadcast coverage,” he said.