Full video from 2010 MRE Conference

Panel 1: Military Justice: From Gitmo to Hood. Experts from the National Institute for Military Justice talk about everything from trends they’re seeing, to the problems journalists have had at Gitmo, to how Fort Hood is playing out. Speakers: Mike Navarre, special counsel in the Washington office of Steptoe & Johnson LLP; Michelle Linda McCluer, National Institute of Military Justice, American University Washington College of Law. Moderator: Phil Cave Panel 2: When They Come Home: The issues facing Veterans. Speakers: Steve Robinson, Ami Neiberger of Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors (TAPS), Tim Embree legislative associate for Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America. Moderator: Kelly Kennedy, MRE president and reporter for Army Times. Panel 3: Awards / Keynote by Washington Post [...]

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Returning war vets continue to battle health care and employment systems at home

By SARAH CHACKO | Medill News Service WASHINGTON — After facing the challenges of war, returning veterans face hardships dealing with the health care, education and employment systems, veteran advocates said Friday. The health needs of returning veterans are considerable – increased diagnosis of brain cancer, emphysema, traumatic brain injuries, depression and post-traumatic stress disorder. Suicide among war fighters has become an often sought story, said Ami Neiberger-Miller, public affairs officer for the Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors. She spoke on a panel about issues facing returning vets during the Military Reporters and Editors Conference in Washington. The Medill National Security Journalism Initiative and the National Institute of Military Justice at American University were co-sponsors. When Neiberger-Miller started working with [...]

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Increased mental health issues likely to affect military law cases, experts say

By SARAH CHACKO | Medill News Service WASHINGTON — As more is learned about mental health issues faced by war fighters, it is likely that diminished capacity or insanity defenses could become more common in military trials and military leaders may be found at fault, according to experts speaking at the Military Reporters and Editors conference Friday. Attorneys will still have to uphold the legal standard for that defense, said retired Cdr. Phil Cave, formerly a deputy director in the Navy’s Judge Advocate General’s office. For instance, having post traumatic stress disorder is not a good enough reason to plead insanity, Cave said. But sentencing could be more focused on mitigation, on what can be treated and how the person [...]

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Military Reporters & Editors Conference Recap

  Highlights from the 2010 Military Reporters & Editors Conference held Nov. 4-5 in Washington.     Watch Video from all Friday sessions Looking forward, transitioning foreign governments and budget cuts will affect U.S. military As the U.S. warfighting focus shifts from Iraq to Afghanistan, the transition of the Iraqi government is still an important story to watch, said Nancy Youssef, chief Pentagon correspondent for McClatchy Newspapers at Friday’s Military Reporters and Editors conference. Read more. Returning war vets continue to battle health care and employment systems at home After facing the challenges of war, returning veterans face hardships dealing with the health care, education and employment systems, veteran advocates said Friday. The health needs of returning veterans are considerable [...]

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Looking forward, transitioning foreign governments and budget cuts will affect U.S. military

by SARAH CHACKO | Medill News Service WASHINGTON — As the U.S. warfighting focus shifts from Iraq to Afghanistan, the transition of the Iraqi government is still an important story to watch, said Nancy Youssef, chief Pentagon correspondent for McClatchy Newspapers at Friday’s Military Reporters and Editors conference. “The United States may say the war in Iraq is over, but Iraqis know it is far from over. And they’re living it, everyday,” said Youssef, who frequently travels to Iraq and Afghanistan. No one can be seen as a leader if they come in on the backs of Americans, she said. The formation of the government has to be more organic, and it may not come in the form of a [...]

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Growing pains for U.S. CyberCommand

By Grater Slater Medill News Service WASHINGTON – The U.S. Cyber Command will face growing pains as it seeks to define both its mission and limitations in the near future, panelists and a command official said Friday. “There’s so little established law that we can weigh in with our opinions and they might actually matter,” said Col. Gary Brown, staff judge advocate for U.S. Cyber Command. Much of the uncertainty comes in the form of defining the area of responsibility for the command. The heads of Cyber Command are working to map a sort of geography of the cyber realm in which they operate, Brown said. The analysis came during a conference for the Military Reporters and Editors Association held [...]

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