On July 13, Preston M. (Pete) Geren was confirmed as Secretary of the Army. Geren, who was named Acting Secretary in March following the resignation of Francis J. Harvey, becomes the Army's 20th secretary.

The president of the Association of the U.S. Army, Gen. Gordon R. Sullivan, U.S. Army retired, praised Geren's confirmation as an important step in providing continuity of senior leadership for the service.

Gen. Sullivan said the new secretary "has the experience necessary to meet the many challenges the Army faces in this era of persistent conflict. As undersecretary and acting secretary, Pete Geren has shown compassion for soldiers and their families. He has also demonstrated a depth of understanding in addressing critical Army issues, from preserving the all-volunteer force, ensuring the successful completion of base realignment and closure, the movement of forces from Korea and Germany to the United States, the successful implementation of modularizing the force to the continued need for key modernization initiatives such as Future Combat Systems. He and Gen. George Casey, the Chief of Staff, are a very strong leadership team for the Army."

Pete Geren joined the Department of Defense in 2001 as special assistant to then-Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld, with responsibilities in the areas of interagency initiatives, legislative affairs and special projects. Before joining the Department of Defense, Geren was an attorney and businessman in Fort Worth, Texas. From 1989 until his retirement in 1997, Geren was a member of the U.S. Congress, representing the Twelfth Congressional District of Texas for four terms. He served on the Armed Services, Science & Technology and the Public Works and Transportation Committees during his tenure in Congress.


DEFENSE SECRETARY: MORE MRAPS ... QUICKLY
Secretary of Defense Robert M. Gates called for finding ways to produce more mine resistant ambush protected vehicles (MRAPs) faster to meet the military's needs in Iraq.

More than 17,000 MRAPs have been requested by combat leaders to replace Humvees and other vehicles that have proven more vulnerable to improvised explosive devices and explosively formed projectiles, which are the biggest threats to American troops in Iraq and account for most American casualties. Gates estimated that it would be several months before significant numbers of MRAPs would be delivered. "The companies that have been awarded the contracts are ramping up their production capabilities," Secretary Gates said. "I am pressing them very hard to see where they can cut the time scale as well as increase their production."

After production, it has taken an additional 30 days to equip each MRAP with communications equipment and 30 more days for sea shipment to the theater, but a week already has been taken off the post-production outfitting time because of the Secretary's pressure.


FINANCIAL AID FOR WOUNDED SOLDIERS
Two congressionally legislated financial aid programs are available to help soldiers who have suffered serious wartime injuries, and work is being done to add post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) coverage, according to officials. All active and reserve component soldiers are covered by traumatic servicemembers' group life insurance (TSGLI), which Congress established in 2005 and provides up to $100,000 per event. All military personnel covered by the long-established servicemembers' group life insurance program, which provides payments to surviving beneficiaries of military personnel killed while on duty, were automatically enrolled in TSGLI, and coverage is retroactive to 2001. TSGLI pays specific cash compensation for the type of injury received. An official from the U.S. Army Human Resources Command (USAHRC) told reporters that the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) is working to add more types of injuries, including PTSD, to TSGLI coverage. The military also is considering asking for legislation that would add PTSD compensation for Chapter 61 medically retired personnel and those with PTSD and less than 20 years service.


BENCHMARKS ASSESSED/HOUSE CALLS FOR DRAWDOWN
As ARMY Magazine went to press, President Bush delivered a mixed report to Congress on political and military progress in Iraq. Three months ago, in the Supplemental Defense Appropriations Bill, Congress established 18 benchmarks to gauge the progress of the Iraqi government. The President reported that progress is satisfactory in eight areas, unsatisfactory in eight others and that progress in two were too mixed to characterize. Hours after that report, the House, in a 223 to 201 vote, approved legislation to draw down troops in Iraq. The bill calls for troops to begin withdrawal within 120 days of passage, with most of them out by April 1, 2008. The Senate is considering a similar bill. President Bush has stated that he would veto any bill that called for a timeline for withdrawal.