Today's DOD Early Bird Brief: Gas, ammo, Viagra, steroids, Peace Corps

Selected items from the August 2, 2005, Early Bird Brief compilation.

AUTOMOTIVE NEWS

For Iraq’s Motorists, It’s Abundance By The Drop
Despite sitting on an ocean of oil, the nation plans to ration gasoline. Shortages stem from higher demand and disabled refineries.
[Los Angeles Times, August 2, 2005]
Iraq will ration gasoline over the next several months in order to cope with an ongoing fuel shortage.

I’ve Got Saddam’s Benz---G.I.
[New York Daily News, August 2, 2005]
1st Sgt. William Von Zehle returned from Iraq with an expensive souvenir---an armored Mercedes Benz he thinks belonged to Saddam Hussein. He bought the car last year in Baghdad while serving with the 411th Civil Affairs Battalion.


PHARMACY NEWS

U.S Troops In Iraq Got Steroids, Italian Says
[Los Angeles Times, August 2, 2005]
Police in Rome seized 215,000 doses of prohibited substances as they broke up a ring that supplied steroids and other performance-enhancing drugs to customer around the world, including U.S. troops in Iraq.

Viagra To Cost More For Military Retirees
[Miami Herald, August 2, 2005]
Military retirees will soon have to pay more for two popular erectile-dysfunction drugs. Beginning in October, men who get prescriptions filled outside of a military pharmacy will have to pay $22 for a 30-to-90-day supply of Viagra and Cialis. The price for retirees had been $9.


SUPPLY AND DEMAND

GAO: Army Making Good Efforts To Meet Increase Ammo Needs
[InsideDefense.com, August 1, 2005]
The Army’s efforts to meet increased ammunition needs are praised in a report issued by the Government Accountability Office


RECRUITMENT AND RETENTION

Army Battling Steep Decline In Black Recruits
Trend has worsened since war in Iraq
[Dallas Morning News, August 2, 2005, Pg. 1]
The Army’s ability to recruit blacks has hit a snag. The war in Iraq is seen as the reason why young blacks are not signing up in the same numbers they have in the past.

Peace Corps Option For Military Recruits Sparks Concerns
[Washington Post, August 2, 2005, Pg. 11]
The U.S. military has proposed that recruits could meet part of their military obligations by serving in the Peace Corps, which has resisted any ties to DoD or U.S. intelligence services since it came into existence in 1961.

Commandos Leaving In Record Numbers
Less-experienced soldiers being promoted
[Winston-Salem Journal, July 30, 2005, Pg. 1]
More special-operations troops left the military last year than at any time since the Sept. 11 attacks. That has caused younger, less-experienced special-ops personnel to be promoted to leadership positions more quickly than in the past.