The Dutch Are In: After much discussion and dithering, the Dutch parliament has agreed that the Netherlands will send up to 1,700 troops to Afghanistan under the NATO banner. According to the Washington Post, the parliament handily defeated a motion to not send Dutch troops as part of the NATO 6,000-member force that plans to take over from US and coalition troops in southern Afghanistan this summer. Getting the Dutch signed on was a high priority for NATO Secretary General Jaap de Hoop Scheff.
The Air Force has spent more than two years studying cancer risks to Airmen who work with the service's intercontinental ballistic missiles. Now lawmakers in Congress are placing fresh scrutiny on the issue and have prepared legislation that would direct the service to clean silos and launch facilities.