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March 4, 2013

News for Reservists

Top Story

Lawmakers have 3 weeks to avert most sequestration cuts
The bulk of sequestration cuts could still be averted if a deal is reached before March 27, the date when most of the cuts must be implemented. Bipartisan discussions happening now could lead to sequester-fix legislation, says Sen. Carl Levin, D-Mich. Defense News (3/3)

In the Pentagon

U.S. must decide which Afghanistan bases to dismantle
Afghan officials are urging the U.S. to leave hundreds of outposts, guard towers, checkpoints and bases intact as it withdraws from Afghanistan. U.S. officials have indicated some installations will be handed over to Afghan authorities, but others will be dismantled because of fears that Afghan forces would be unable to maintain them. Los Angeles Times (tiered subscription model) (3/2)

U.S. drones provide intelligence in Mali
U.S. Reaper drones are providing targeting information for French airstrikes in Mali, officials have disclosed. The move represents a significant expansion of the U.S. role in the region. The Wall Street Journal (3/4)

On the Home Front

Vets' monument can't feature U.S. flag, Calif. transit agency says
Construction of a veterans' monument has been delayed for several years because of a policy by the California Department of Transportation that bars all flags from state roads. Caltrans instituted the no-flag policy after a federal court ruled in 2003 that the agency could not allow U.S. flags while removing other types of banners. Los Angeles Times (tiered subscription model) (3/4)

Service Section News

Navy will implement delays, cutbacks within weeks
The Navy within weeks will begin renegotiating contracts for submarines, as well as deferring deployments to some ships and shutting down Carrier Air Wing Two. The cost-cutting moves in response to sequestration aren't final yet, an official says, but preparations for them have begun. The Navy is holding out hope that the sequester situation will be fixed or that a defense appropriations bill will be passed, the official added. Defense News (3/3)

Reserve Life

Tricare unveils smoking-cessation program
Tricare has announced the launch of a smoking-cessation program available free to all Tricare beneficiaries, except those enrolled in Tricare for Life. The program offers counseling and medications aimed at curbing craving. Air Force Times (free registration) (3/2)

Military school districts prepare for sequestration impacts
Schools near military bases may feel the effects of sequestration before other schools, as a federal program that provides funding for districts that cover federal land is slated to be cut immediately. Most cuts to U.S. Department of Education programs aren't scheduled to take place until fall. Air Force Times (free registration)/The Associated Press (3/2)

Banks reveal more wrongful foreclosures on service members
Several large banks have acknowledged in recent days that they wrongfully foreclosed on at least 700 military service members, many of whom were overseas, during the housing crisis. The banks, which include Wells Fargo and Bank of America, were ordered to analyze their mortgages as part of a settlement deal with federal prosecutors. The New York Times (tiered subscription model)/DealBook blog (3/4)

SmartQuote

The man who insists upon seeing with perfect clearness before he decides, never decides. Accept life, and you must accept regret."

--Henri Frédéric Amiel,
Swiss philosopher, poet and critic

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