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Recent Military and World News
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Contracting: A Sure Bet For Veterans
July 10, 2009
If you are interested in working in contracting once you return to civilian life, the Federal Contractor Program can help you get a jump on your career.
Use Your Military Training to Become an Operations Manager
July 10, 2009
You can translate your supply chain know-how into a successful civilian career as an Operations Manager. All you need is a degree.
Build a Career in Engineering
July 10, 2009
Take your engineering skills to the next level with a bachelor's degree. It can help prepare you for a civilian job as an engineering manager.
A Civilian Career for Military Journalists
July 10, 2009
If you'd like to build a civilian writing career, you may want to look into a degree program in English, communications, or journalism.
Defense Department Contracts for 2,400 More MRAP Vehicles
October 19, 2007
WASHINGTON, Oct. 19, 2007 - The Defense Department has let contracts for an additional 2,400 mine-resistant, ambush-protected vehicles, bringing the total number of the vehicles ordered to 8,800.
Pakistan's Bhutto Ends 8-Year Exile with Jubilant Homecoming
October 18, 2007
Hundreds of thousands of supporters of Pakistan's former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto are cheering her homecoming after eight years in self-imposed exile.
Doonesbury Creator, Military Bloggers Compile New Book
October 18, 2007
WASHINGTON, Oct. 18, 2007 - War can inspire great writing, like a series of superlative dispatches from servicemembers in Iraq and Afghanistan compiled in a new book that offers an arresting glimpse of life on the front lines.
Gates Aims to Resolve Disconnect Between Military, Security Contractors
October 18, 2007
WASHINGTON, Oct. 18, 2007 - Multinational Force Iraq and private security contractors too often are working at cross purposes, Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates told Pentagon reporters today.
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U.S. Military Takes Major Steps To Facilitate Voting by Troops
By Jim Fisher-Thompson
Washington File
Washington, November 3, 2006 -- Just as it does with equipment and weaponry, the U.S. military is employing the latest technology to assist more than 1.4 million active-duty members of the Army, Navy, Marine Corps, Air Force and Coast Guard cast their ballots in the 2006 midterm elections.
Computers, e-mail and express mail all are part of the voter toolbox the U.S. Defense Department has employed to make it easier for troops serving away from home to vote in the November 7 balloting.
All 435 seats in the House of Representatives, 33 Senate seats and 36 governorships are up for election, as are countless public offices at the state, city and county levels. (See related article.)
Marine Major Stewart Upton, a Defense Department public affairs officer, told the Washington File November 2 that a range of voting options now is available to troops, starting with the recent creation of a cadre of voting assistance officers (VAOs) assigned to every military command, including those taking part in operations in Iraq and Afghanistan.
According to Upton, "The VAO is the designated person assigned to assist personnel when they are attempting to exercise their right to vote, including absentee voter registration and voting procedures."
He added the VAOs also are responsible for "disseminating accurate, nonpartisan voting information to include the monthly FVAP (Federal Voter Assistance Program) newsletter, press releases as well as election voter assistance guides."
The FVAP and its Web site were established by the U.S. government to help all members of the U.S. military serving overseas and U.S. citizens residing abroad navigate a sometimes bewildering system of voter regulations and requirements established by the various states. Since it was established in October 2005, the program's staff has conducted 110 voting workshops for troops worldwide.
Unlike many nations, the administration and operation of U.S. elections is decentralized. Even presidential elections essentially are run by individual states, many of which have different residency requirements and voting procedures.
To acquaint troops with electronic voting options, the Defense Department in September set up a computer guide called the Integrated Voting Alternative Web site. One of those options is the secure online absentee voter assistance program called the Interim Voting Assistance System (IVAS) that Upton said, "ensures that [Defense Department] personnel located overseas can participate in the election process."
Actual ballots submitted using the IVAS option are transmitted by the department's Electronic Transmission Service.
Upton explained that with IVAS, troops no longer need to apply for an absentee ballot through the sometimes-slow mail system to their "home of record" - the state in which they established legal residency.
"Through IVAS, the entire process of registering, ordering and receiving a ballot is moved to a secure, online application that can be used anywhere and at any time," Upton said. Acknowledging that IVAS was not perfect, the Marine officer added, "We have taken every precaution to limit those risks."
"Ballots transmitted this way [via e-mail or fax] do not pass through the hands of any government official until they are received by a local election official," Upton said.
It is important, Upton said, that "we've developed these electronic options, in cooperation with the states, to assist those people whose service precludes them from voting at home, or voting absentee using the traditional mails."
On November 1, Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld sent a message via the American Forces Press Service encouraging all DOD personnel to vote. He said, "Your unit commander, your voting assistant officer, and the Federal Voting Assistance Program office are doing everything they can to make it possible for you to have your vote counted in this election. The rest is up to you."
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