Washington, DC—(ENEWSPF)—March 7, 2014. REAR ADMIRAL JOHN KIRBY: Good afternoon everybody.  Just a couple of comments here at the top and we’ll get right to your questions. First, I wanted to let you know that secretary — Secretary Hagel reached out by phone this morning with his Ukrainian counterpart, Minister[Read More…]

WASHINGTON–(ENEWSPF)–March 7, 2014 – Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) issued the following statement yesterday after the Senate advanced a bill to reform the military justice system but blocked stronger legislation by Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.) to give professional military trial lawyers the power to refer serious crimes to courts-martial: “An estimated[Read More…]

Washington, DC—(ENEWSPF)—March 6, 2014. Presenters: Major General Walter Lee Miller (USMC), former commander, II Marine Expeditionary Force (Forward), and Brigadier Paul A.E. Nanson (British Army), deputy commander, II Marine Expeditionary Force (Forward). LT. COL. MURPHY:  My name is Lt. Col. Neil Murphy.  I’m with the Marine Corps Office of Communication,[Read More…]

Washington, DC—(ENEWSPF)—March 6, 2014. Congressman Dan Kildee (MI-05) and Congresswoman Tammy Duckworth (IL-08) today led the House Democratic Caucus in writing a letter to Speaker of the House John Boehner (OH-08) urging for an up-or-down vote to extend unemployment insurance. Their letter comes after a new report by the Center[Read More…]

Complaint Snapshot Report Shows Military Consumers Not Seeing Protections They Earned WASHINGTON, D.C.—(ENEWSPF)—March 6 2014. The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) announced today that servicemembers, veterans, and their families who complained to the Bureau about financial products or services have recovered more than $1 million. The relief was reported in[Read More…]

Washington, DC—(ENEWSPF)—March 4, 2014. President Barack Obama today sent Congress a proposed defense budget of $495.6 billion in discretionary budget authority to fund base defense programs in fiscal year 2015.    The request is $0.4 billion less than the enacted FY 2014 appropriation and is consistent with the current budget[Read More…]

Bethesda, Maryland–(ENEWSPF)–March 4, 2014.  The largest study of mental health risk and resilience ever conducted among U.S. military personnel yesterday released its first findings related to suicide attempts and deaths in a series of three JAMA Psychiatry articles. Findings from The Army Study to Assess Risk and Resilience in Servicemembers[Read More…]

Washington, DC–(ENEWSPF)–March 3, 2014.  The Department of Defense announced today the death of an airman who was supporting Operation Enduring Freedom. Master Sgt. David L. Poirier, 52, of North Smithfield, R.I., died Feb. 28, from a non-combat related incident currently under investigation. He was assigned to the 157th Operations Support[Read More…]

Washington, DC–(ENEWSPF)–March 3, 2014.  The Department of Defense announced today the death of a Marine who was supporting Operation Enduring Freedom. Lance Cpl. Caleb L. Erickson, 20, of Waseca, Minn., died Feb. 28, while conducting combat operations in Helmand province, Afghanistan. He was assigned to 1st Battalion, 9th Marine Regiment,[Read More…]

Chicago—(ENEWSPF)—March 3, 2014. The National Veterans Art Museum (NVAM) was announced today as a finalist for the National Medal for Museum and Library Service. The National Medal is the nation’s highest honor conferred on museums and libraries for service to the community. “The NVAM fosters a greater understanding of the real[Read More…]