Found below are a few news items that caught my attention this past week. I am hopeful that the titles and short commentary will encourage our readers to click on the embedded links to read more on subjects that may be of interest to them.

Drop me an email at [email protected] if you believe that there are other subjects that are newsworthy.

Germany Considers Bringing Back Military Service
If ordinary Germans were not traumatized enough by this weekend’s shocking official announcement that they should prepare to stockpile several days of food and water “in case of an attack of catastrophe” as part of the country’s revised “Civil Defense Concept”, then the latest news from German press agency DPA, which cites a confidential document prepared by the government according to which the government is considering “bringing back nationwide conscription in times of crisis”, such as situations in which the country needs to “defend NATO’s external borders,” will surely put them over the edge.  Read more . . .

Iran Pushes Back on Russian Military Base
Iran’s parliament on Tuesday pushed back against the military after it appeared to dismiss civilian oversight following Russia’s use of an Iranian air base to launch airstrikes on Syria. The rare parliamentary response is part of the larger give-and-take between civilians and the country’s powerful security services since Iran’s 1979 Islamic Revolution. It also highlights the public unpopularity of allowing Russia to use the air base — which marked the first time since t he revolution that a foreign military has used Iran as a staging ground.  Read more . . .

New British Study Suggests Veterans of Recent Wars Suffer Neglect
The long-lasting repercussions of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan are evidenced by the tragic mental deterioration of British soldiers who fought in them. Analysis published by The Independent has just revealed that the number of serving and ex-forces personnel being awarded compensation for mental disorders has risen by 379% over a six-year period, reaching a record high. The number of claims has also risen by 35% in the last year.  Read more . . .

Turkish Military Pushes Into Syria
At least nine more Turkish tanks entered northern Syria on Thursday as part of an operation aimed at driving Islamic State out of the border area around Jarablus and stopping Kurdish militia fighters from seizing territory, Reuters witnesses said. A senior Turkish official said there were now more than 20 Turkish tanks inside Syria and that additional tanks and construction machinery would be sent in as required.   Read more . . .

Prison Inmates Produce Thousands of Defective Helmets
Contractors sold the U.S. Army and Marine Corps thousands of ballistic helmets made by prison inmates containing numerous defects including “serious ballistic failures,” according to a new Defense Department Office of Inspector General report.  The IG launched two joint investigations with the Defense Criminal Investigative Service, supported by elements of the U.S. Army, regarding allegations that Federal Prison Industries and ArmorSource LLC manufactured and sold Advanced Combat Helmets, or ACH, and Lightweight Marine Corps Helmets, or LMCH, to the military that failed to meet contract specifications and were ultimately defective, according to the report released Wednesday.  Read more . . .

Trump and Clinton Agree on Helping Veterans
Both candidates call for a “21st century” agency, promise to expand employment opportunities for jobless or under-employed veterans, and focus on the needs of female vets, such as hiring more obstetricians and gynecologists at VA hospitals.The two favor more accountability at the Department of Veterans Affairs, which has been tarred by complaints about long waits for medical appointments and a scandal over falsified records. “They both want to be on the right side of this thing and it is a complex issue,” said Raymond Kelley, national legislative director for the 1.3 million-member Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW).  Read more . . .

Veteran Commits Suicide in VA Parking Lot
The hospital is part of the Veterans Affairs medical system, the nation’s largest integrated health care organization, which has been under scrutiny since 2014, when the department confirmed that numerous patients had died awaiting treatment at a V.A. hospital in Phoenix. Officials there had tried to cover up long waiting times for 1,700 veterans seeking medical care. A study released by the Government Accountability Office in April indicated that the system had yet to fix its scheduling problems.  Read more . . .

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