There will be fat-trimming, soldier reduction, and more than likely cuts to military pay and healthcare. On a larger scale, this means that the United States military in undergoing a reconstruction – focusing on maximizing the results of a reduced armed forces. Which, in turn, will mean less soldiers.

President Obama claims he will not repeat mistakes made in the wake of WWII and the Vietnam War by over-reducing the military budget, but is working with military leaders to achieve its part of the proposed $500 billion in cuts to reduce the national deficit.

“These changes will not be painless”, says Secretary of Defence Leon Panetta at the Pentagon’s defense press conference.

Certainly, cuts in soldier’s pay and healthcare will be anything but painless.

For more on this story, read the full article at PBS News Hour.

The Retiring of the US Forces Flag

Granted, there     has not been     much activity from our blog since November, but  the end of the war in Iraq ends our silence.

The nine year     long mission has concluded with a sense of unease and a muddled understanding of what was achieved in Iraq and whether the 9 years of military engagement and more than 4500 American lives lost (not to mention the losses of the Iraqi people) was worth the fragile democracy wrought by the effort. Defense secretary Leon E. Panetta pulls no punch as he states “Let me be clear: Iraq will be tested in the days ahead — by terrorism, and by those who would seek to divide”

But along with discussions assessing the success or necessity of the mission in Iraq, the close of a war brings with it another trial more immediate to the American household: the painful transition of soldiers re-entering civilian life. “With us leaving Iraq, are we going to lose a lot of the focus on the soldiers that are here now and are coming back, and have grave injuries and are going to require the country’s support for years?” asks Troy Denomy, former Captain in the Iraq effort.

For more about the end of the U.S. military involvement in Iraq: New York Times

For more about America’s returning soldiers: ABC News

Olsen was a former U.S. Marine and two-time Iraq war veteran. After his second stint in Iraq, Olsen left the army and joined the Iraq Veterans against the War. Articles on Olsen highlight the irony in the fact that Olsen returned from both stints in Iraq unharmed only to be critically injured on American soil.

The depiction of Olsen that has emerged from recent media coverage is one of a man whose personal journey emulates many of the social dynamics that have given rise to the Occupy movement. These dynamics include the dilemma of veterans forced to join the ranks of the unemployed, police brutality, and income inequality.

The news of Olsen’s injury broke quickly and spread through Twitter, which mobilized OWS protesters to strengthen their unity:

Olsen is in fair condition and is being treated in a local hospital, according to friends and family. Both doctors and family members have declined to comment on the details of his condition saying that he is cognizant after undergoing surgery.

For more information read The Reuters article and the Antiwar.com article.

-Catherine Lee

Although there is no hard evidence of military recruiters using ruthless or aggressive tactics in Portland high schools these days, the board has preceded to adopt the new rule in order to achieve, “a balanced account of military service,” said school board member Matt Morton, one of at least four board members supporting the policy.

In a recent article, the Oregonian reported that the policy is similar to those already in place in Seattle and San Francisco amongst other left-leaning city school districts. School district staff members will write rules governing which peace activists can recruit at schools and under what conditions. They will also develop a counsel packet to handout at every high school, informing students of the horrors of war, the nature of Military contracts, and students’ rights to withhold their contact information from the military. Anti-war counter recruiters are expected to gain access to Portland high schools beginning in January 2012.

Read the Oregonian article for more information.

-Catherine Lee

In December 2010 voting by both the House and Senate repealed the policy of “don’t ask, don’t tell” and the revisions were sent to President Obama to sign. Less than a year later it came to an end on September 20^th at 12:01 AM. It was delayed until Obama could confirm that repealing the ban would not jeopardize the military’s ability to fight.

He was quoted saying, “As commander in chief, I have always been confident that our dedicated men and women in uniform would transition to a new policy in an orderly manner that preserves unit cohesion, recruitment, retention and military effectiveness.”

With the repeal of “don’t ask, don’t tell” comes a larger pool from which to recruit. There is also the possibility of the re-enlistment of the 14,000 openly gay service men and women who were honorably discharged in the past 17 years because of the policy. Though the day-to-day life in the military will not change, it will have a considerable effect on the homosexual and bisexual service members. They will no longer have to live in fear of losing their jobs or being investigated. There will also be zero tolerance for discrimination, violence, and harassment of any kind.

As for one of the Marines top-recruiting trainers for the southwestern United States, Master Sgt. Anthony Henry hit the ground running on the 21^st, the first day of the end of “don’t ask, don’t tell.”  He headed to Dennis R. Neill Equality Center, the biggest gay community center in Tulsa, Oklahoma in search of new recruits. Originally the Marines were the service most opposed to the ending of the policy, but they were the only branch of the five to be at the center recruiting that morning.

Although there was no outpouring of gay and lesbian applicants for the Marines, there was significant media coverage of the event. Of the day only three women came out in hopes of joining. They were all turned away for different reasons. Later in the day the Marines held a panel discussion in this uncharted territory. Sgt. Henry knew that things would start off slow, but in regards to allowing gays and lesbians into the military he said “if they can make it through our boot camp, which is the toughest boot camp in the world, then they ought to have the opportunity to wear the uniform.”

Jacob George and Brook McIntosh, co-founders of AVAW went to Afghanistan last month with a U.S. delegation for nonviolence. Upon meeting with local Afghan peace and social justice organizations, they embarked on a two-part mission.  The first, to understand Afghans’ fears, needs, and desires for their country, and to figure out ways U.S. activists can maintain nonviolent efforts to obtain those goals.

The two will be joining to talk about the recent discussions between Afghanistan Veterans and Afghan Citizens. Also Alejandro Villatoro will be present the at the Midwest stops of the tour. Villatoro recently completed a tour of duty with the Illinois Army National Guard in Afghanistan.

Check out the Events page to find if the tour stops near you!

The event coincided with Veterans for Peace and with the combined conventions, gave way to almost 40 workshops covering a variety of topics. The workshops were streamed live and are available for future screenings at U-stream channel. Some of the workshops included were Media to Counter-Recruitment, Creative Resistance, Military Sexual Trauma, and PTSD.

IVAW members also heard from leaders of successful organizing movements, screened David Zeiger’s new Winter Soldier documentary, “This Is Where We Take Our Stand,” and took part in a strategy meeting. From the election a new resolution on Palestine emerged, as well as a strong, new Board of Directors. The 2011 Election Results can be viewed here.

-By Kaitlyn Plum

By Meaghan Kelley, Connecticut College ’12

U.S. Army recruiters are looking to the future: the year 2032. A new video game-inspired, interactive recruitment apparatus will transport recruits into the future, where their science and technology skills will be put to the test. This new recruitment tool is called the Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) Innovation Asset and it is set to be unveiled in the week before the All-American Bowl, which is scheduled for January 7, 2012 in San Antonio. The STEM Asset will be a tractor-trailer equipped with advanced technologies geared towards engaging recruits in an interactive environment. The trailer will drive across the country to various STEM education outreach events for middle school, high school, and college students. Students will move through three rooms within the trailer where they will interact with TVs, touchscreen computers, and each other to solve a humanitarian crisis centered around a chemical plant attack in Eastern Europe, set in the year 2032. This future-oriented concept will remove students from the present-day conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan that they see on the news constantly, activating their minds in a new and creative way. Katie Everett, a STEM outreach coordinator, states, “This will be a first attempt to assess the interest in recruiting students who want to become civilian engineers and scientists right along uniformed Soldiers.” These science-based positions are often hard to fill. Recruiters hope to incite such an interest in the Army with the new STEM Asset, while simultaneously gauging their relationship with school systems. Read more at the U.S. Army’s website.

By Meaghan Kelley, Connecticut College ’12

By Meaghan Kelley, Connecticut College ’12

In a speech on June 22, President Barack Obama announced plans to withdraw 10,000 troops from Afghanistan by the end of this year and a total of 20,000 troops by the end of next summer. Steady withdrawals would lead up to the United States handing over security to Afghan authorities in 2014. Mr. Obama declared that the United States had achieved many of its goals in Afghanistan and announced a new plan to focus more on targeted counterterrorism operations, like the one that killed Osama bin Laden in early May. While leaders such as Vice President Biden and Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates support Mr. Obama’s decision, others like General David Petraeus and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton have expressed reservations, particularly concerning the scale and rate of the reductions. Representatives of the Afghan government and military support the withdrawals, as long as the Afghan government is strong enough to stand on its own once all American troops have left. One of the major factors affecting President Obama’s decision is the national debt. He stated, “Over the last decade, we have spent a trillion dollars on war at a time of rising debt and hard economic times. Now, we must invest in America’s greatest resource: our people.” These reductions will coincide with Mr. Obama’s re-election campaign next year. Read more at The New York Times.

By Meaghan Kelley, Connecticut College ’12