Analysts at the Congressional Budget Office assert that there is no way “to completely eliminate the adverse effects” faced by firms when their reserve employees are activated. The CBO proffers four options “for mitigating the effects,” but a CBO official told lawmakers Monday, that any of the four would help some businesses, but none, even in combination, provides a complete solution. And, there is the price tag to consider: Direct and indirect costs “could be substantial,” says CBO.
The U.S. conducted a drone strike in Iraq on Dec. 3, as the American troops there continue to be targeted by Iranian-backed militants. The strike took place near Kirkuk as the militants were preparing to attack U.S. troops in northern Iraq, a U.S. official told Air & Space Forces Magazine.…