Latest news with #IraqandAfghanistanVeteransofAmerica
Int'l Business Times
12 hours ago
- Politics
- Int'l Business Times
Veterans Advocate Mocks Hegseth's 'Rattled' Iran Briefing: 'I Wish He Attacked Putin as Aggressively as He Attacks CNN'
A staunch advocate for veterans mocked Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth's Iran briefing, saying the Trump administration official appeared "rattled" and "volatile" while updating reporters on the strikes on Iranian nuclear sites. Paul Rieckhoff, an Iraq war veteran and founder of the veteran advocacy nonprofit Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America , berated Hegseth during a discussion on CNN Thursday night. "To use a military term, it's conduct unbecoming. He looks rattled, he obviously looks thin-skinned, he's extremely aggressive and volatile, and he's attacking the press. We need him to attack our enemies," Reickhoff said. "I wish he attacked Vladimir Putin as aggressively as he attacks CNN and others," he continued. Rieckhoff's comments come after CNN published a report claiming that the Pentagon's own initial report suggested that the Iran strikes had only damaged the sites, not completely destroying them like the president has suggested. The White House railed against the report, calling it "flat-out wrong." During the briefing, Hegseth lashed out at Fox News correspondent Jennifer Griffin, a former colleague of his, during the Thursday Iran briefing after she questioned if the Trump administration was certain that Iran's highly enriched uranium had been hit in the strikes. "Jennifer, you've been about the worst. The one who misrepresents the most intentionally," Hegseth said. "I think what he's doing is continuing to conflate the war with the warriors. It's something we worked hard as a nation across partisan lines to separate after Vietnam, to separate the politics from the people, and they have melded the two together," Rieckhoff explained. "Because the press is asking hard questions of our president, doesn't mean anything about the troops. It's entirely separate, and they're using it consistently as a very dangerous shield which continues to politicize our military, which is their playbook now, which is very, very dangerous," he continued. Attacks on the press have been consistent across various aspects of President Donald Trump's administration. Trump himself has berated specific journalists for their reporting and has branded certain outlets as "fake news." Originally published on Latin Times
Yahoo
28-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Poll shows young vets unhappy with Signal leak, federal program cuts
A new survey of Iraq and Afghanistan veterans released Monday shows significant dissatisfaction with national security officials' recent handling of sensitive military information, as well as broad concerns about potential cuts to federal support services related to White House moves. The poll — from Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America and Columbia University's Center for Veteran Transition and Integration — also found more than half of respondents said they were less confident in America's long-term national security since President Donald Trump's inauguration. More than 1,400 veterans were surveyed in the report, the vast majority of whom (89%) served in Iraq, Afghanistan or Syria during their time in the ranks. More than half described themselves as politically independent, with the remainder split almost evenly between Republicans and Democrats. But study authors found the negative responses in the survey cut across political lines. About 86% of veterans polled said that individuals involved in the leak of sensitive military airstrike information on the messaging platform Signal should be 'held accountable' for those mistakes. That included 76% of veterans who identified as Republicans. The Pentagon's inspector general office is already investigating Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth's use of Signal ahead of March airstrikes in Yemen against Houthi targets. In unsecured messages, Hegseth shared details of the timing of the attack and weapons to be used with a number of administration officials, including Vice President JD Vance and National Security Advisor Mike Walz. Also copied on those messages was a senior editor from The Atlantic, who later publicly shared excerpts of the controversial chats. Security experts and White House officials have sparred since then over whether the unsecure sharing of information constitutes criminal acts. Trump has stood by Hegseth and other officials, even as other potential information security violations have emerged. The latest survey also found that 81% of veterans are concerned that plans for federal cuts to government services could impact veterans benefits and health care, despite promises from Veterans Affairs officials that support programs will be preserved. Related, 42% of veterans in the survey said they are less likely to recommend military service to a friend or family member than they were a year ago. Almost half (48%) said they would discourage potential recruits from joining. IAVA officials said the survey should not be extrapolated to represent the views of all American veterans, since the younger generations of former military members share distinct characteristics from the previous ones. Past work by the group has shown veterans from the Iraq and Afghanistan era are more diverse — both in terms of race and gender — than older generations of veterans, and are less likely to identify with major political parties. They are also more likely to currently be in the workforce than their older peers. About one in five veterans surveyed said they know someone who is unemployed due to recent federal civilian job cuts. The full survey is available on the IAVA web site.
Yahoo
13-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
CEO of Iraq and Afghanistan vets group to step down later this spring
Iraq War veteran Allison Jaslow announced Thursday that she will step down from her role as CEO of Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America later this spring, prompting a search for the next leader of the veterans organization. The group — founded in 2004 — has been a prominent and sometimes controversial voice in the veterans community over the last two decades, focused largely on issues impacting the youngest generation of American veterans. Unlike most of the legacy veterans organizations, which have leadership changes annually, Jaslow is only the third CEO in the organization's history. She is the group's first female leader and its first openly gay chief executive. Her departure comes after two years in the CEO role and more than nine years of work with the organization, including spearheading the organization's 'She Who Borne the Battle' campaign, which highlighted the contributions and needs of women veterans. Jalsow said in recent years the organization has focused more on developing leadership training programs to elevate the voices of post-9/11 veterans and the challenges facing them. 'It's a very rewarding thing to be able to bring veterans to Washington, D.C., invest in them, to train them, and give them the tools not just to advocate for our priorities but also themselves,' she said. 'And those are tools that they take home to their communities where they can help other veterans advocate too.' Jaslow served two combat tours in Iraq with the Army. She has also worked in multiple Capitol Hill posts and recently served as an adjunct professor at Duke University's Sanford School of Public Policy. VA secretary insists massive staff cuts needed to refocus department In testimony before Congress on March 4, she delivered a blistering rebuke of lawmakers from both parties, saying that partisan fighting has blocked sensible compromises that can benefit veterans and all Americans. 'If you really want to get the backs of Post-9/11 generation veterans, how about you stop asking us and our fellow Americans to keep soldiering on when none of us is satisfied with the leadership we have in this country right now?' she said. 'How about you follow my generation of veterans' lead and make sacrifices on behalf of our country that prove that you're worthy of the office that you hold?' Veterans of the Iraq and Afghanistan Wars era now make up about 30% of the nation's veteran population, the second-largest segment behind the Vietnam War era. But they also make up about half of all veterans in the civilian workforce, a percentage that is expected to grow in coming years.
The Hill
26-02-2025
- Business
- The Hill
Should veterans' preference in federal government jobs be on the chopping block
Allison Jaslow, an Iraq War veteran and CEO of Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America, weighs in on how DOGE's spending cuts is hurting military veterans. #military #vets
