Roger That: Federal government pondering whether to make women eligible for the draft

The federal government is deliberating whether to propose Selective Service changes that would make women eligible for the military draft, the White House said Friday, a day after the Pentagon said it would no longer bar women from combat jobs.

The Defense Department has prepared an analysis of how the Pentagon change could affect the U.S. Military Selective Service Act, said White House spokesman Josh Earnest, according to Military Times.

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The Department of Veterans Affairs has deployed a contingent of mental health helpers to dozens of campuses across the country. Dubbed VITAL — short for Veterans Integration to Academic Leadership — the program is designed to make it easier for student veterans to get help, according to Military Times.

“VITAL focuses on supporting veterans to address any issues or barriers — internal or external — so they may meet their educational goals and be successful in school,” says Kai Chitaphong, VITAL’s national director.

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The Defense Department could slash its enormous health care budget by requiring Tricare beneficiaries not on active duty to get health care coverage through Affordable Care Act exchanges, according to several current and former congressional budget experts.

In the past several budget cycles, the Pentagon has sought to reduce its $52 billion health budget by asking Congress to approve cost-savings measures that include increased Tricare fees for retirees, fees for Tricare For Life beneficiaries and cost-shares for active-duty families, according to a Military Times story.

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While serving as U.S. Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton wrote an email in which she called Saudi Arabia the world's largest source of funds for Islamist militant groups such as the Afghan Taliban and Lashkar-e-Taiba — but the Saudi government is reluctant to stem the flow of money, according to The Guardian newspaper, of Great Britain.

“More needs to be done since Saudi Arabia remains a critical financial support base for al-Qaida, the Taliban, LeT and other terrorist groups,” says a secret December 2009 paper signed by the U.S. secretary of state. Her memo urged U.S. diplomats to redouble their efforts to stop Gulf money reaching extremists in Pakistan and Afghanistan.

“Donors in Saudi Arabia constitute the most significant source of funding to Sunni terrorist groups worldwide,” she said.

Three other Arab countries are listed as sources of militant money: Qatar, Kuwait and the United Arab Emirates.

This story was originally published December 7, 2015 at 11:09 AM with the headline "Roger That: Federal government pondering whether to make women eligible for the draft."