The long-sought assistance for Afghan refugees still faces a difficult fight in Congress. Defense and veterans hearings on Capitol Hill for the week of Jan. 22, 2024. As the humanitarian crisis in Gaza mounts, a growing group of Democrats pushes Biden to apply human rights laws to Israel security assistance. NATO policing of its airspace has ramped up since the Russian invasion of Ukraine almost two years ago. A Pentagon Inspector General report found that the Defense Department has not complied with enhanced tracking requirements for $1 billion in Ukraine aid. A new concept would allow a deployed carrier strike group's cruisers and destroyers to be swapped out with fresh ships during deployment. Maj. Gen. Lorna Mahlock now leads a force she said is "competing daily against a threat that is very real, but which few can comprehend, quantify or see.” Administration officials had issued warnings about this outcome for months. An obtained early report illustrates the severe limitations of early accountability measures in tracking and monitoring gear donated to Ukraine. It could be the final package of military aid to Ukraine unless Congress approves supplemental funding legislation that is stalled on Capitol Hill. By Lolita C. Baldor, AP
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