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Years Later, VA Still Has Still Not Fulfilled Promise to Cover Gender-Affirming Care

Tony
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Tony

Tony

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Three years after Secretary Denis McDonough promised that the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs would begin covering gender-affirming surgery, that commitment has still not been met. And as anti-trans legislation continues to sweep the country, transgender veterans say they see the latest delays by VA as further evidence of politically motivated bias against their community.

“The community has done our job, we have served our country, we have earned the benefits that we have through VA; it’s not our fault that Congress and Capitol Hill can’t stop fighting about whether or not we should even be alive,” said Lindsay Church, executive director of Minority Veterans of America. “All we want is access to care.”

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    1. 0

      NAVY FOREIGN AREA OFFICER (FAO) COMMUNITY CALL FOR APPLICATIONS

      CLASSIFICATION: UNCLASSIFIED// ROUTINE R 261710Z APR 24 MID120001057656U FM CNO WASHINGTON DC TO NAVADMIN INFO SECNAV WASHINGTON DC CNO WASHINGTON DC BT UNCLAS NAVADMIN 085/24 PASS TO OFFICE CODES: FM CNO WASHINGTON DC//N3N5/// INFO CNO WASHINGTON DC//N3N5// SUBJ/NAVY FOREIGN AREA OFFICER (FAO) COMMUNITY CALL FOR APPLICATIONS// REF/A/DOC/CNO WASHINGTON DC/30JUN2016// REF/B/DOC/OPNAV/17JAN19// REF/C/DOC/COMNAVPERSCOM/21JUN22// NARR/REF A IS OPNAVINST 1301.10C, NAVY FOREIGN AREA OFFICER COMMUNITY REF B IS OPNAVINST 1210.5B, LATERAL TRANSFER AND REDESIGNATION OF ACTIVE COMPONENT OFFICERS IN THE NAVY. REF C IS MILPERSMAN 1212-010, LATERAL TRANSFER AND CHANGE OF DESIGNATOR CODES OF REGULAR AND RESERVE OFFICERS. RMKS/1. The Navy Foreign Area Officer (FAO) Community is seeking motivated waterfront leaders to join the Navy's community of strategic operators, who leverage strategic thinking and human connections to deliver outcomes for America's Warfighting Navy and Joint Force. 2. Background. a. Foreign Area Officers are a community of all-domain strategic operators and warfighters who leverage waterfront leadership, strategic thinking, operational acumen, and human connections to deliver integrated deterrence effects, outpace adversaries in foreign theaters, and deliver combined, joint and fleet access to create a geo-strategic posture advantage to promote maritime security, ensure sea control and to project power. b. Keeping the fight forward in today's increasingly complex global security environment requires persistent forward presence, and FAOs provide an indispensable human element of the Navy's global posture. AOs work across all levels of the integrated fleet, the joint force, and the inter-agency as Naval attaches, as the Navy's certified uniformed security cooperation professionals, and as the Navy's community of experts in political-military affairs, strategy, plans, and policy. FAOs focus on delivering strategic and operational outcomes both alongside Allies & Partners and other countries. c. FAOs orient to the five geographic regions that correspond to the Geographic Combatant Command (CENTCOM, INDOPACOM, SOUTHCOM, EUCOM, and AFRICOM) Areas of Responsibility (AOR). The community assigns FAOs to an AOR after selection for lateral transfer, based on the FAO's preferences, career timing, qualifications, and community needs, with approximately 2/3 (or 215) of FAO billets overseas. Typical in-region billets include Embassy Security Cooperation Offices and Defense Attach Offices, and on OCONUS-based Joint and Navy staffs. When not in region, FAOs serve on staff assignments at CONUS-headquartered Geographic Combatant Commands, Navy Component Commands, OPNAV, Office of the Secretary of Defense, Joint Staff, Department of State and other interagency appointments. d. Navy FAOs serve in 82 countries around the world and often conduct missions from remote but strategically important nodes. At times FAOs live and work in non-permissive and oppressive environments where the United States needs a footprint on the ground to watch blind spots, to influence regional or global decisions, and to deepen American understanding of the geo-strategic environment. Multiple overseas postings in such settings require individual and family resilience, high states of readiness, iron-clad ethical behavior, and leadership skills well-suited to lead teams of high- impact interagency and multinational partners. The mission is challenging but highly impactful and personally rewarding. 3. Application and Selection Process. a. Lateral Transfer Board. The FAO Community selects officers applying for lateral transfers semi-annually as part of the regularly scheduled Navy Active Duty Officer Lateral Transfer and Re-designation boards, held in February and August each year. Officers from all designators may apply for lateral transfer into the FAO Community after a minimum of 4 years of commissioned service (YCS). Most applicants enter prior to 12 YCS, with a smaller number of more senior gains filling targeted requirements. Minimum eligibility and application requirements include: (1) Minimum 4 years commissioned service. (2) Current overseas suitability screening for applicant and all dependents, showing world-wide assignability to CENTCOM (NSA Bahrain) standards, documented on NAVPERS 1300/16 'Report of Suitability For Overseas Assignments. (3) Proof of TS/SCI clearance eligibility (letter from SSO). (4) Personal Statement including ranked AOR preferences. (5) Documentation of DLAB score 110 or higher (scores between 95 to 109 will be considered on a case by case basis). (6) Candidates should be within 18 months of PRD to be accepted as a FAO. (7) Officers applying for lateral transfer into the FAO community are required to complete an interview with a designated panel, led by an O6 FAO. b. Surface Warfare Officer (SWO) - FAO Tailored Community Transition (TCT). The SWO-FAO TCT program provides a pathway for SWOs to lateral transfer to the FAO community, following successful completion of their SWO Department Head (DH) tours. Following the annual SWO Department Head Screening Board, PERS-41 will advertise the opportunity to apply for SWO-FAO TCT to all successfully screened officers. Upon selection for SWO-FAO TCT, officers will be assigned to a region in accordance with reference (a), and detailed to complete FAO training requirements in close coordination with the FAO Junior Detailer during the officer's post Division Officer shore tour. Training requirements include an international security affairs master's degree and language training, and will take between 24-36 months depending on the officer's assigned region. Following FAO training, SWO-FAO TCT officers will complete SWO Department Head training requirements and be subsequently detailed to a SWO Department Head billet. SWO-FAO TCT officers will be automatically re-designated to 1710 upon successful completion of their SWO Department Head tours and a favorable record review screening by the FAO OCM. They will be assigned by the FAO Detailer to their next assignment at their normal PRD. 4. FAO Qualifications. Once accepted for lateral transfer, new FAOs' initial orders will typically be to Monterey, CA, Newport, RI, or Washington D.C. to commence training requirements leading to full qualification. Full qualification is conferred through the Additional Qualification Designation (AQD) FA1, FA2, FA3, FA4 or FA5, each of which corresponds to one of the five AORs. Full qualification is based on the following three milestones: a. A Master's degree in International Relations, Strategic Studies, or Regional Studies. b. Score of 2 in at least two of the three modalities (i.e. listening, reading, and speaking) on the Defense Language Proficiency Test (DLPT) or Oral Proficiency Interview (OPI) in a foreign language of the FAO's assigned region. c. One-year experience in a FAO billet in the assigned region. 5. Additional information regarding the FAO community is available at the MyNavyHR FAO Community website at: https://www.mynavyhr.navy.mil/Career- Management/Community-Management/Officer/Active-OCM/Restricted-Line/Foreign- Area-Officer/ and in reference (a). 6. Point of contact is CDR Chris Wallace, FAO Community Manager, (901) 874- 3694 or email christopher.l.wallace30.mil(at)us.navy.mil. 7. Released by VADM E. H. Black, III, Deputy Chief of Naval Operations for Operations, Plans and Strategy (N3N5).// BT #0001 NNNN CLASSIFICATION: UNCLASSIFIED//
      Tony in Navy Officer
    2. 0

      BRAIN INJURY AWARENESS

      CLASSIFICATION: UNCLASSIFIED// ROUTINE R 251816Z APR 24 MID600117382207U FM SECNAV WASHINGTON DC TO ALNAV INFO SECNAV WASHINGTON DC CNO WASHINGTON DC CMC WASHINGTON DC BT UNCLAS ALNAV 035/24 MSGID/GENADMIN/SECNAV WASHINGTON DC/-/APR// SUBJ/BRAIN INJURY AWARENESS// REF/A/BLAST INJURY RESEARCH COORDINATING OFFICE WEB// REF/B/DODINST 6055.01/21APR2021// REF/C/SECNAVINST 5100.10L/09APR2021// REF/D/ASR(R) MEMO/04NOV2022// REF/E/DEPSECDEF MEMO/08JUN2022// REF/F/WARFIGHTER BRAIN HEALTH WEB// REF/G/OPNAVINST 3591.1G/01JUN2021// REF/H/MCO 3570.1C/30JAN2012// REF/I/DOD TRAUMATIC BRAIN INJURY CENTER OF EXCELLENCE WEB// NARR/REF A IS THE BLAST INJURY RESEARCH COORDINATING OFFICE WEBSITE AT https://blastinjuryresearch.health.mil/. REF B IS THE DODINST 6055.01, DOD SAFETY AND OCCUPATIONAL HEALTH (SOH) PROGRAM. REF C IS THE SECNAVINST 5100.10L, DEPARTMENT OF NAVY SAFETY PROGRAM. REF D IS THE ASD (READINESS) MEMORANDUM, INTERIMN GUIDANCE FOR MANAGING BRAIN HEALTH RISK FROM BLAST OVERPRESSURE. REF E DEPSECDEF MEMORANDUM, COMPREHENSIVE STRATEGY AND ACTION PLAN FOR WARFIGHTER BRAIN HEALTH. REF F IS THE WARFIGHTER BRAIN HEALTH WEBSITE HUB AT https://health.mil/military-health-topics/warfighter-brain-health. REF G IS THE OPNAVINST 3591, SMALL ARMS TRAINING AND QUALIFICATION. REF H IS THE MCO 3570.1C, RANGE SAFETY. REF I IS THE DOD TRAUMATIC BRAIN INJURY CENTER OF EXCELLENCE AT https://health.mil/Military-Health-Topics/Centers-of-Excellence/Traumatic- Brain-Injury-Center-of-Excellence. RMKS/1. This message reinforces the Department of the Navy's commitment to safeguarding our personnel by raising awareness of brain injuries and establishing a process of improvement for treatment and management of operational activities that may risk brain injuries. 2. After several decades of combat operations and warfighter-related research, we continue to learn that some injuries are difficult to diagnose. Unlike other types of injuries, traumatic brain injuries (TBI) may not manifest immediately, and exposure to multiple blast overpressure or impacts may have a cumulative effect that we are only now understanding. We are modifying operational procedures to minimize the risk to warfighters. The science regarding these exposures and impact thereof is evolving, but waiting on definitive answers is not an option. 3. As we are learning, TBI may occur from impacts to the head as well as exposures to explosions, blast overpressure, or from the operation of various weapons systems. All of these events may contribute to injuries in a multitude of ways (impulse noise, blast overpressure, body accelerations, and whole body vibration). These exposures may occur in combat, operational, and training environments. The Department of Defense (DoD) Blast Injury Coordinating Office site, shown in reference (a), is a good resource of information that supports the Services. In the training environment, it is critical we maximize weapons proficiency to enhance our readiness and limit unnecessary exposure. References (b) and (c) require the identification and control of hazardous exposures. Reference (d) identifies blast overpressures of four pounds per square inch as a level of concern and directs the Services to keep exposures to as low as reasonably achievable. The Services currently accomplish this level of exposure through increasing stand-off distance from blast events and limiting the time and number of exposures. 4. Reference (e) identifies symptoms and shows that early intervention is paramount in preserving the health and readiness of our personnel. Resources for identification of symptoms are available at reference (f). We must renew our awareness and vigilance in protecting our Sailors and Marines from brain injury threats. Additionally, it is also important to emphasize the entire DoD, Navy, and Marine Corps assets in the medical, occupational health, and medical research communities remain fully committed to working together to minimize the risk of brain injury to Navy and Marine Corps personnel. 5. Commanders and Commanding Officers: a. Incorporate brain injury awareness into your command's safety and health programs and emphasize the importance of brain injury prevention, identification, and treatment. b. Ensure range protocols comply with the limits defined in references (f) and (g). c. Ensure safety offices are identifying hazardous exposures from unit level operations and assessing control measures as required in references (a) and (b). d. Ensure medical departments are aware of symptoms and interventions for brain injuries and resources available from references (h) and (i). e. Discuss brain injury awareness during unit level safety events. Additional resources are available at reference (g). 6. All personnel shall: a. Exercise caution and minimize unnecessary exposure. If exposed and not actively engaged in developing proficiency, take action to minimize exposure. This may be as simple as taking a couple of steps back. b. Be mindful of symptoms of potential brain injuries in oneself and others. c. Report suspected brain injuries to medical department and chain of command. d. Strict adherence to established tactics, techniques, and procedures is critical to ensure exposures are controlled or minimized. 7. It is the responsibility of every Sailor, Marine, and civilian to minimize potential brain injuries. By staying vigilant and being proactive, we enhance our collective ability to protect the mission and the safety of our personnel. 8. Let this serve as a reminder that preventing and treating brain injuries is not a one-time effort but a continuous commitment. Our success relies on the diligence of every Sailor, Marine, civilian, and contractor in safeguarding or operational capability. Together, we can maintain a secure environment that ensures the accomplishment of our mission objectives, maximize readiness, and minimize exposure to ensure the safety of our Nation. 9. I encourage you to learn more and take advantage of the excellent resources available in designated references which are aggregated on the Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Navy Safety webpage (https://www.secnav.navy.mil/eie/Pages/default.aspx) under Blast Overpressure. 10. Released by the Honorable Carlos Del Toro, Secretary of the Navy.// BT #0001 NNNN CLASSIFICATION: UNCLASSIFIED//
      Tony in Medical, Benefits and Tricare Navy Forum
    3. 0

      Milei Allows US to Construct Naval Base in Strategic Southernmost City of Argentina

      The president of Argentina, Javier Milei, announced that the United States will construct an “integrated naval base” in Ushuaia, the southernmost city of Argentina, known as “the city at the end of the world.” The city has an extreme geopolitical importance, as it is located where the Atlantic and the Pacific Oceans meet, in addition to being the “point of entry” to the continent of Antarctica.
      Tony in Navy Bases Forum
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