The House passed its measure to protect the financial rights of US service members in June. The Senate, on the other hand, has been waiting for the just released Government Accountability report that basically says it is high time to safeguard troops from deceptive financial practices. (Read our coverage of the House action here.) The Senate Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs took up the matter at a hearing Nov. 17.
U.S. Southern Command recently announced its first lethal strike on a suspected narco-trafficking vessel in two months, and the first under a newly formed permanent counter-cartel task force. The U.S. is also reportedly planning to transfer MQ-9 drones to Colombia to bolster its counter-cartel efforts.