A voice vote in the House secured passage of a bill designed to prevent unauthorized personnel from wearing military medals. Initiated by Sen. Kent Conrad (R-N.D., the Stolen Valor Act, which passed unanimously in the Senate in September, is now with the President for signature. In a statement, Conrad said that S. 1998 corrects the inability of current laws to “stop imposters from identifying themselves as medal recipients,” and makes “it a federal crime to impersonate a decorated veteran.” Conrad noted that Sen. David Vitter (R-La.) and 27 other Senators co-sponsored his legislation, adding that Rep. John Salazar introduced a similar bill in the House.
The Pentagon announced new long-term agreements with four defense companies May 13 to develop and produce large numbers of low-cost cruise missiles. And while the effort will focus mostly on the Army to start, it pairs with Air Force efforts to find more affordable munitions.