The Congressional Research Service has cranked out a 76-page overview of the major issues that lie ahead for the new Congress. Heading the list, of course, is “what to do in Iraq.” The CRS notes that lawmakers must, in addition to evaluating the Iraq Study Group recommendations, decide what role Congress must play, suggesting that the issue of supplemental appropriations for Iraq and Afghanistan could be the pivotal tool in any debate. CRS includes overall defense spending in its list of “major issues.”
Air Force Gen. Jacqueline D. Van Ovost—a trailblazer and one of the first 10 women to reach a four-star rank across the U.S. military—retired and passed control of U.S. Transportation Command to Air Force Gen. Randall Reed on Oct. 4, finishing an eventful tenure at TRANSCOM.