US President George W. Bush signed a record US$401.3-billion defense bill on Monday that includes a 4.15-percent raise for troops as the Iraq occupation puts increasing strain on soldiers and their families.
"In this time of war, our military is facing greater sacrifice," Bush said as he signed the legislation in a ceremony at the Pentagon.
"Your men and women in uniform are facing longer separations. Your families are feeling great pride and sometimes they worry," he said.
Since Bush declared major combat over in Iraq on May 1, 185 soldiers have died as guerrilla attacks have escalated. The administration has extended military deployments in Iraq to a full year and is mustering tens of thousands of regular and reserve troops for rotation into Iraq next year.
Besides raising military wages, the defense authorization bill for fiscal 2004 will continue US$225 per month in imminent danger pay and US$250 in a monthly family separation allowance for troops in Iraq and Afghanistan, including tens of thousands of reserve and national guard troops.
The Pentagon in August said it had considered altering the compensation plan for soldiers in the two countries, but denied in the face of criticism that it intended to cut their pay.
Last year's defense authorization bill totaled US$393 billion and included a 4.1-percent raise for troops.
This year's bill clears the way for the Air Force to acquire 100 Boeing BA.N refueling aircraft, expands veterans' benefits and allows research on new types of nuclear weapons.
It also includes US$9.1 billion for ballistic missile defense and US$12 billion for the purchase of Navy, Marine Corps and Air Force fighters as well as further development of a Joint Strike Fighter program.
Separate legislation is needed to actually spend the money authorized by the bill that Bush signed.
After he signed the measure, Bush left Washington for Fort Carson, Colorado, to hold a rare meeting with families of US troops who have died in Iraq. In a speech to troops at the base, he thanked the families of fallen soldiers and said "our prayers are with you."
Bush has come under increasing criticism for not attending any funerals of soldiers killed in attacks in Iraq and for barring media coverage of the return of dead service members to the US.
Retired General Wesley Clark, a candidate for the Democrat presidential nomination, accused Bush of "the kind of cover-up tactics we saw during Vietnam."
White House aides say Bush has met privately with families of war casualties and writes letters to the families of each soldier who has died.
In Senate testimony last week, Pentagon officials acknowledged reports of morale problems in some units serving in Iraq, and said the Army Reserve had fallen short of its goals for re-enlisting existing members.
"The longer we operate at the tempos we have, the greater the challenge will be in this," said Army Chief of Staff General Peter Schoomaker.
Longer-than-expected call-ups have also pulled many reservists away from regular jobs and fueled discontent among families.
Bush said US troops were "standing between our country and grave danger."
"You're standing for order and hope and democracy in Afghanistan and Iraq. You're standing up for the security of all free nations, and for the advance of freedom," he told the military audience at the Pentagon.
Ten cheetah cubs held in captivity since birth and destined for international wildlife trade markets have been rescued in Somaliland, a breakaway region of Somalia. They were all in stable condition despite all of them having been undernourished and limping due to being tied in captivity for months, said Laurie Marker, founder of the Cheetah Conservation Fund, which is caring for the cubs. One eight-month-old cub was unable to walk after been tied up for six months, while a five-month-old was “very malnourished [a bag of bones], with sores all over her body and full of botfly maggots which are under the
BRUSHED OFF: An ambassador to Australia previously said that Beijing does not see a reason to apologize for its naval exercises and military maneuvers in international areas China set off alarm bells in New Zealand when it dispatched powerful warships on unprecedented missions in the South Pacific without explanation, military documents showed. Beijing has spent years expanding its reach in the southern Pacific Ocean, courting island nations with new hospitals, freshly paved roads and generous offers of climate aid. However, these diplomatic efforts have increasingly been accompanied by more overt displays of military power. Three Chinese warships sailed the Tasman Sea between Australia and New Zealand in February, the first time such a task group had been sighted in those waters. “We have never seen vessels with this capability
A Japanese city would urge all smartphone users to limit screen time to two hours a day outside work or school under a proposed ordinance that includes no penalties. The limit — which would be recommended for all residents in Toyoake City — would not be binding and there would be no penalties incurred for higher usage, the draft ordinance showed. The proposal aims “to prevent excessive use of devices causing physical and mental health issues... including sleep problems,” Mayor Masafumi Koki said yesterday. The draft urges elementary-school students to avoid smartphones after 9pm, and junior-high students and older are advised not
Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) attended a grand ceremony in Lhasa yesterday during a rare visit to Tibet, where he urged “ethnic unity and religious harmony” in a region where China is accused of human rights abuses. The vast high-altitude area on the country’s western edge, established as an autonomous region in 1965 — six years after the 14th Dalai Lama fled into exile — was once a hotbed for protest against Chinese Communist Party rule. Rights groups accuse Beijing’s leaders of suppressing Tibetan culture and imposing massive surveillance, although authorities claim their policies have fostered stability and rapid economic development in
RSS