By Debbie Gregory.

By Debbie Gregory.

Of the some 6,000 people in the United States that are diagnosed with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) each year, approximately 16 percent of them are military veterans. In spite of the Ice Bucket Challenge that went viral in 2014, most Americans know very little about the progressive neurodegenerative disease, which is always fatal.

ALS impacts nerve cells in the spinal cord and brain, causing patients to eventually lose all control over their physical faculties. About half of ALS patients die within 2-3 years of diagnosis, but about 4 percent survive more than 10 years.

According to the ALS Association, the risk is increased regardless of which branch of the military you served in, where you were posted, and even whether you served during war or peace. While those who served in the Persian Gulf War in 1991 have double the risk, according to a report from the Institute of Medicine, those who served in Vietnam, Korea, or World War II also have a higher risk of ALS.

The average cost of care is over $300,000 per patient. Of course, that does not include the human toll the disease takes on those affected by the horrible disease and their loved ones.

And while there are many theories as to why there are unusually high rates of ALS in the military, the truth is that at this point, no one knows. One theory is that those in the military have a higher risk of being exposed to environmental pollutants such as lead, pesticides, and other toxins. Another is that the extreme physical exertion that servicemen and women undergo may also heighten the risk. Smoking and alcohol consumption are also thought to increase the risk of the disease.

The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs recognizes ALS as a service-connected disease and provides financial and medical support to those with at least 90 continuous days of military service.

Veteran and Military Business Owners Association, VAMBOA,

By Debbie Gregory.

By Debbie Gregory.

President Trump wants South Korea to pay significantly more money for American troops stationed in South Korea, a demand that has met with total resistance.

As Seoul and Washington negotiate how to shoulder defense costs in the coming years, there are fears that Trump might threaten an abrupt troop drawdown at a time of sensitive diplomacy on the Korean peninsula.

Despite 10 rounds of talks since March of last year, the allies have failed to strike an accord to replace a 2014 deal that expired in 2018.

There are reports that U.S. negotiators have sought an increase of between 50 and 150 percent increase in Seoul’s annual payment, which could result in a price tag upwards of $1.2 billion. The cost last year was approximately $830 million.

Since 1991, the allies have held talks to draw up special-measures agreements on how the allies share the costs of stationing US Forces Korea here in three sectors — payroll, construction and logistics — to support its stable presence and protect against North Korea’s military threats.

“The Koreans want to keep the status quo,” said one U.S. official.

Trump believes that U.S. allies have taken advantage of American military protection for decades. But many South Korean officials feel otherwise, saying that they already pay more to the U.S. than almost every other American ally except Japan.

“If it was reasonable, we’d go along,” said Song Young-gil, a member of the National Assembly. “But the Trumpian way of unilaterally pushing for double, accusing us of free riding — we can’t cave to that … Whether it’s Korean money or American money, it’s taxpayer funds.”

Trump’s ability to withdraw troops is limited. Congress last year passed a law barring the Pentagon from reducing troop levels in Korea below 22,000 unless he certifies to Congress that doing so is in U.S. national security interest.

About 70 percent of South Korea’s contribution covers the salaries of some 8,700 South Korean employees who provide administrative, technical and other services for the U.S. military.

The friction comes as the allies seek to maintain a united front to achieve the denuclearization of North Korea.

Veteran and Military Business Owners Association, VAMBOA,

By Debbie Gregory.

Hundreds of veterans have found improvement for their Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) symptoms and mental disorders through an experimental new electric therapy treatment.

Former U.S. Special Operations Forces personnel have received the treatment at the Newport Brain Research Laboratory, located at the Brain Treatment Center in San Diego, California.

Dr. Erik Won is the president and CEO of the Newport Brain Research Laboratory, the company that has developed the treatment called Magnetic EEG/ECG-guided Resonant Therapy (MeRT).

Former Navy SEALS represent the perfect test group for the experimental brain treatment. They enter the service in superb health and then embark on a course of training that heightens mental and physical strength and alertness. But due to their close range exposure to explosives, they often suffer from Persistent Post-Concussion Symptoms and PTSD

With ongoing FDA clinical trials to judge the efficacy and risks of MeRT, the technique could provide an alternative treatment for debilitating headaches, inability to concentrate, memory problems, depression, anxiety, anger, aggressiveness, attention deficit and difficulty sleeping.

Won’s therapy is administered by placing a flashlight-sized device near the skull and inducing an electromagnetic field that sends a small burst of current to the brain. Over the course of 20 minutes, the device is moved around the cranium, delivering jolts that, at their most aggressive, feel like a firm finger tapping.

Won, a former U.S. Navy Flight Surgeon, and his team have treated more than 650 veterans using MeRT. The therapy has shown big improvements in test subjects who have participated in the course of therapy that runs for five days a week, for about four weeks.

“It’s certainly not a panacea,” said Won. But he believes that MeRT could be used to replace other therapies, including drug therapy.

“I think, in the future, there will be a discussion about whether this should be first-line management. What can we do to address the functional issues at play? There’s a whole lot of science to do before we get there,” he said.

By Debbie Gregory.

During the recent government shut down and the risk of another; while the majority of FBI employees remained on the job, albeit without pay, the 14,000 members of the FBI Agents Association had been hampered from performing their duties, including investigations, travel, training, payments to confidential sources and employee benefits, all due to the government shutdown.

Thomas O’Connor, the FBI special agent who is the volunteer president of the association, said “It’s sad” and “disgusting” that the bureau’s law enforcement professionals “have been let down by our elected officials.”

So the association took the rare step of collecting anonymous, volunteer statements from special agents as to how they have been affected by Washington’s inability to keep the government functioning.

The report, “Voices from the Field: FBI Agent Accounts of the Real Consequences of the Government Shutdown,” identifies the risks that may emerge from another shutdown, and it will be distributed to all lawmakers.

“We are releasing Voices from the Field to ensure that our elected leaders and members of the public are aware that the resources available to support the work of FBI Agents stretched to the breaking point and dwindling day by day,” said O’Connor in regards to the recent government shutdown.

The report details of how a lack of funding caused by the government shutdown had undermined criminal, counter-terrorism and counter-intelligence operations; delayed and complicated child trafficking and exploitation investigations; harmed cooperation with local law enforcement; reduced informant cooperation; and hindered a wide range of other efforts.

“For us, the fight for funding is not political. It is a matter of completing our mission to protect this country from criminal and national security threats,” said O’Connor. “It’s time for Congress and the White House to negotiate an agreement that protects national security and public safety, so that Agents can get back to work,” O’Connor added. “Our message is simple. For FBI Special Agents, financial security is national security. It is critical to fund the FBI.”

For Agents, the fight for funding is not political. It is a matter of completing their mission and protecting the Constitution and the people of our nation.

One overriding fact is clear when you listen to FBI Agents: Financial security is national security.

By Debbie Gregory.

Eric Schmidt will join 14 other tech experts on the National Security Commission on Artificial Intelligence. The commission, created by the 2019 National Defense Authorization Act, will advise government on the national security implications of artificial intelligence and how to maintain U.S. dominance in the tech’s increasingly competitive market. The group is eligible for up to $10 million in funding through fiscal 2020. Former Alphabet Chief Executive Eric Schmidt will head the group, and former Deputy Defense Secretary Robert Work will serve as vice chairman.

Commissioners were appointed by the secretaries of Defense and Commerce, as well as the top Republicans and Democrats on congressional armed services, commerce and intelligence committees. Other members include:

• Andy Jassy, CEO of Amazon Web Services
• Safra Catz, CEO of Oracle
• Chris Darby, CEO of In-Q-Tel
• Jason Matheny, former IARPA director
• Eric Horvitz, director of Microsoft Research Labs
• Mignon Clyburn, Open Society Foundation fellow and former FCC commissioner
• Andrew Moore, head of Google Cloud AI
• Steve Chien, supervisor of the AI Group at Caltech’s Jet Propulsion Lab
• Ken Ford, CEO of the Florida Institute for Human and Machine Cognition
• Jose-Marie Griffiths, president of Dakota State University
• Gilman Louie, partner at Alsop Louie Partners
• William Mark, director of SRI’s Information and Computing Sciences Division
• Katharina McFarland, consultant at Cypress International

The commission is required by law to review the state of artificial intelligence in the U.S. and draft multiple reports on how the government could advance the technology. Among the group’s areas of interest are research funding, workforce reskilling and AI ethics.

Per the NDAA, the commission is supposed to have its first report published by early February.

“Artificial intelligence will have an enormous impact on our future economic and military competitiveness,” Work said in a statement. “I look forward to working with Eric Schmidt and the other distinguished commissioners on how best to exploit this rapidly improving technology for the betterment of our citizens, economy and security.”