we might better commit resources and staffing. we heard from mr. jenkins but one particular byproduct of broking that we have some regional offices looking for work or creating new were different kind of work that may not be as effective or as efficient provide ideas about the process. what are your views on how we could improve the staffing levels and resources? what are we missing and where are we missing them? >> thank you for the question. ms. scheme 11 was right on that there needed to be some sort of a staffing reassessment. we here in all of these gal reports that when there is mismanagement, but never to come of too, that it is always coupled with a lack of staff. so i would like to personally know what the formula is for deciding the staffing levels. whether they have such a formula

and what it consists of and then how often they view those staff assistance and not just for the vba because they are missing positions and the rating offices across the board. there is a lack of resources but it's hard to decide where to put the money and where to allocate those resources if there's not a prop proper formula deciding where to staffing levels should be and where maybe it might be too much. >> and my perspective, as long as the vba is able to meet the stated goals for timeliness and accuracy, i'm very happy for them to decide where those resources are placed when they are unable to it seems they may need some help from either oversight bodies or the vso to work directly with them. i would welcome you and the others that are here to continue to stay in touch with us. we might see deficiencies where

we are not meeting our goals when it comes to accuracy and timeliness and we might recommend additional resources being placed. i appreciate your perspective on this. i would like to follow up if you have additional comments. with that mr. chair i would yield back. >> another minute or two he >> it looks like you were about to say something else. with the chairs indulgence, we would love to get your answer on that. >> i was just going to say that in the report on the quick start, they pointed out that i believe it was san diego or salt lake city that they had requested additional staff. they provided those staff and in the facility went and used the staff for other purposes so we see that quite often where they say we are going to use the quick start and then they cut them in half and use them for the cases were some sort of case. it shows they may need more stuff than they are asking for

that's being allocated to them. >> thank you. >> i think the gentle man and everyone for being with us today. the panel is excused. i appreciate the time and attention that you spend preparing your remarks. it's obvious there is still much to be done as well as the transitioning disabilities programs. i do not want anyone here to lose sight of these transitioning servicemembers. our newest veterans of any false argument that there is more there's more important priorities until 2015 the va has always had to maintain multiple priorities. and now through 2015 it is no different. i ask unanimous consent all members have five legislative days to revise and extend remarks and include any extraneous material. hearing no objections, so ordered and thank the members for their attendance today and the hearing is now adjourned.

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next a portion of an interview looking how chemical weapons are destroyed. a journalist from popular mechanics joined recently on washington journal. this is about 20 minutes. on the last hour of the washington journal br taking a look at the june cover of popular mechanics, july, excuse me, the american soldier inside an exclusive story about the serious chemical weapons. but interviewed. potential beating editor of the popular mechanics joining us from tallahassee florida this morning to talk about this piece. let's begin the title of the piece is the naturalizer. what are you talking about here? >> guest: it's a machine designed especially to destroy chemical weapons. it's also called the hydrolysis

system the shipping crates are taken anywhere in the world and with the skilled clue that can be put together and run around the clock so essentially it is essentially it is a political debate go portable weapon destroyer that can be anywhere in the world. >> what is it supposed to destroy? >> it can destroy virtually anything that's out there. the correct mission with the two types one of them is a primary weapon if you are able to get it to a battle site as is and the other one is what is known as a secondary precursor chemical. this is the component for these

to be weaponize to david have to be mixed with a catalyst chemical from some kind of alcohol and this takes place in the flight so that's not quite as dangerous at handling itself but these chemicals are pretty dangerous themselves. and there are 600 tons of them currently being processed by the hydrolysis systems. >> the naturalizer as it is called in popular mechanics why was this machine built, how did the government know it was going to need this machine? >> guest: the earliest reference to beginning the research and the building of it mentions the fact that the united states has its own chemical weapons stockpile to destroy and that it would proceed as they capability gap in destroying our own weapons. at the same time it was put on a

fast track. >> host: inside the store you have this graphic of how it works. nearly 560 metric tons of chemical weapons will be destroyed on a u.s. navy vessel using a pair of machines called god for all hydrolysis system. walk us through how this works. >> okay. it begins with the 2200-gallon titanium reactor tank. this is the third agent type of bleaching agent that helps break down the chemical weapons to 194 degrees and then begins to circulate through the 20 feet. at the other end of the machine for the large titanium chemical

weapons agents are fed into the machine they are called static mixers that would help break it up if we look at the mustard gas element. that is what happens in the static mixers and with the gas this goes back to the titanium reactor stirred by large blades and we will spend some time cooking to require breakdown is satisfactory and will be in the interim holding tanks and then the interim holding tanks will be in the extreme but is further neutralized and it's raised so

it's not so distracted and then it goes finally to the holding tank until us to get off the ship. hispanic where is the process being done, where are these chemical weapons being destroyed when its letters that go? >> guest: it is off of italy the hazardous waste was loaded onto and has departed italy and the latest report is 15% complete and it was six days on end than a day for maintenance in the machine.

be affluent which was stirred by the beach above the household this will be two different plants one and then blend and one in germany and this is in a process that was done pretty regularly. it was 99.9% of the weaponize. >> i want to read a quote from your piece in popular mechanics from the technical director of the u.s. army as with the chemical biological center where this machine was created and built. the gas is bug spray for people. how is this safe and how do they know this is safely destroying

these chemical weapons? >> guest: that is a good question and safety is always the first concert. i think it would've the technology into the research and the time and effort went into making this machine as absolutely safe as possible. and the u.s. in particular had a total of 10,000 hours of hydraulics experience destroying tons and tons of u.s. stockpile chemical weapons. that's where most of the lessons were learned and the machines were tested on as stated to me all of the risks have been minimized. >> host: we are talking with the command who has the exclusive popular mechanics july and august edition. the destroying serious chemical

weapons talking about the machine, the technology that was built to do so with your questions and comments we will take those in just a minute. democrats fight hiv 880, republicans you (202)585-3880 and (585)285-3882. democratic caller, go ahead. >> caller: hello. this gas that they have out there why can't it be used for the terrorist? we aren't supposed to use it for other countries but couldn't we use it in small canisters? >> host: what are you talking about? ways of the united states taking these weapons and then using them ourselves? without the security of transporting these chemical weapons and then the united states taking them how do we

know they are being destroyed? >> guest: it's an issue of trade and the plot by the united states alone. china and russia are providing security for the operations. it is multinational with the un and the organization for the prohibition of chemical weapons during the vast majority of the logistics to get the chemicals from 25 different sites and the other slips under the observation of the whole process. so i think there are reasons why it is being done in the international waters is because it would have been some kind of objection taking indirectly anywhere what is this governing

body of chemical weapons you right in that piece about the rules of the road before this machine was built and you were not allowed to transfer chemical weapons from state to state and country to country. >> guest: we are trying to outlaw the existence of the weapons we certainly don't want to see anyone gaining. we try to keep an eye on where the weapons are. >> host: you said 15% they've destroyed about 15%. has serious given up all of their chemical weapons?

>> guest: yes. as of june of this year according to the un and according to the serious declared, the weapons have been removed and have been loaded onto the ships. >> host: middle river maryland democratic caller. go ahead. >> caller: what part does halliburton have in the manufacturing or the disbursement of the chemicals and actually after the arnold fight against baby expelled into the water? test for neither halliburton or bechtel came up in my research on the web. could it be expelled into the water? i don't think that's been an idea that has been planned for them.

>> host: ronald oceanside california independent call. >> caller: this is constantly frustrating and wisely known by people that studied this issue that there was a chemical weapon being funneled into serious to the al qaeda fighters from turkey sponsored and funded by obama and you don't even mention it is not serious using the weapons. it's the freedom fighters using the weapons weapons and anybody that does research already knows this. >> host: told the viewers but your piece is about in case they missed it at the top. >> guest: i'm perfectly familiar with, certainly not completely familiar but the conspiracy theory needs to be found online and the use of the word alleged i think there is a lot that is not known and may

never be known. >> host: talk about the crew that is aboard the ship dealing with the description of the chemical weapons. who are they? >> guest: it's pretty unique because a lot of them are the designers from the chemical biological center. they built the machines themselves and they know it inside and out and a half pretty much put their lives on hold after developing the machine they followed it and they are actually doing it. there are 64 chemist engineers along with the mariners supporting them. >> host: and they are volunteers? >> guest: they are employees of the u.s. army civilian court. they volunteered for the mission certainly. >> host: where they vetted for security reasons? >> guest: absolutely. i was told it is one of the best

dating systems a lot of it for character, the likability come any skeletons in the closet are going to come out. >> host: in washington, d.c. independent called you are on the air with popular mechanics go ahead. >> caller: hello. i had a two-part question. my question was [inaudible] if it is needed how do we dispose the use of the items?

>> host: we are having trouble hearing you. can you repeat your question? >> caller: [inaudible] i appreciate it. my question is [inaudible] and i know can be as accurate. my question is as safe as needed? >> host: is the device as safe as needed? >> guest: i would have to say yes because the experts in the united states say they have 10,000 years of experience they would understand better than anyone how dangerous it would be to set up aboard the cape is totally redundant in terms of protection and the machines are

in a pressurized and. it's like a giant runway to escape if it were to leak and making sure it didn't is number one post for how long is the mission on the ship is writing these weapons how long will they be in international water doing this? >> guest: 60 days to 90 days and they are have to go through the weather and a big storm could force them to shut down a 1 degree roll means they will stop the reaction if the weather holds up we estimate of 60 to 90 days. >> host: what would the plan b. this doesn't work at some point? >> guest: i think it is a very

well-known technology that we've done with the u.s. weapons it's bound to reduce the chemicals to much less toxic than the world has plenty of experience dealing with. there is nothing to stop people but now there is a machine that can go to them. >> host: i guess we should ask what was plan a.? >> guest: the land-based to destroy the weapons in syria and move the lab like this on land somewhere and provide that security and i think that would have been extremely difficult. i don't think it would have been welcome anywhere so that is part

of the political expedient of putting it on the ship was that it's international waters and easier to defend. >> host: gerry go ahead. >> caller: talking about chemical weapons, in 1947, fluoride was condemned as a chemical weapon. and now we have laws in the united states that puts any city over 10,000 people they put fluoride in the water. prozac was 80% fluoride. it drove people in nuts and that's what they are using to control the whole population in these big cities and that is the reason these people don't take an interest in anything but their own lives and just barely get by because they can barely

function because of the fluoride >> host: steve, independent color. what are your question this morning? >> caller: why is there no responsibility with the instruction of the chemicals and that of just saying these manufacturers have no reality in the concept that maybe they should be taking these things in another direction, becoming local debate chemical formulas to any extra impossibility to imagination. >> host: did you research and do you know who is making these chemical weapons, where do they come from and was that important for the adventures of the machines that's destroying them to understand?

>> guest: any country or organization that can build a pesticide plant can make sarin gas because it is closely related to these are not all that sophisticated weapons. as you know they used it in in the tokyo subway and that was a small spectacularly funded organization. so the proliferation is a high risk to the world. >> host: what is the cost of the machine? >> guest: about 5 million they made six. >> host: 5 million there are's. are there plans to make more? >> guest: not at this moment, no. >> host: can technology be used for other purposes? >> guest: it's pretty singular. i think that getting a machine

to do one job and that is to break up these weapons. >> host: issued an independent call what is your question or comment? >> guest: >> caller: is it possible -- i'm sure it's possible but i think the destruction they were looking for in iraq as they shipped them over to serious and that's where they are at right now. do the soldiers carry something when they are under a gas attack of any kind because it is odorless and colorless? do they have the capabilities of making more? >> guest: i don't know the answer to the first question. i think it's a good idea.

i would imagine that the un inspectors had some kind of a device to help assure their safety and that it belongs in the hands of the modern soldier. as for the capability of making more of these weapons, the facilities for the first to be destroyed so that was a huge step in a right direction to prevent the comeback of these chemicals they are not that hard to make said it would be an ongoing task. that's what it's all about trying to keep an eye on it and watch where these things might be manufactured and stored. >> host: there were 25 sites they collected these for destruction before they were destroyed. do you notice the intelligence community analyzed the work to figure out where they came from etc.?

>> guest: there was knowledge on the satellite imagery that has been heavily studied however there are limits to that. it's where the materials can be found and the matter of trying to get to them without getting shot into the destruction with whatever tools were available it could be destroyed on site and the rest in the coast.

we are spending in some communities on education and

incarceration more than we are spending on anything else. we are dropping a lot of money at the backend. some communities 30, 40, $50,000 a year to incarcerate. just imagine if some of these programs that you mostly work and or want to start just imagine if you had $50,000 you could buy them a house per year. but that money just poured down the hole because what happens is we allow the political forces that are going on in the country to come out and say walk them out. three strikes, you're out and then wonder why they are vagabonds when they come out and can't get a job, can't get a student loan, can barely get

access to their own children and then we wonder why. you see how this happens. it's a couple of small decisions that become big. >> that a short portion of the program. you can watch the entire program starting 8 p.m. eastern and that will be on the companion network c-span

told a senate committee recently that he has gaps in his memory after suffering numerous concussions while playing sports. the committee examined the link between sports injuries and picking the brain and whether they lead to diseases like alzheimer's. other witnesses included in your logical researchers calling for limiting young people's participation until high school and more funding for brain injury research. this hearing is one hour and 25 minutes. >> today we are going to have to be a little creative because we are going to have a series of votes have 2:30 so what i will do is recessed the committee and we will go over and vote until the very last vote and we will

cast their vote at the very beginning of the last vote and then race back over here so that we can continue the hearing. there's also some breaking news. just an hour ago they agreed to eliminate the cap on concussion related claims as a part of the major lawsuit. without objection i will enter the nfl statement in the record. part of what we are going to discuss today is traumatic brain injuries, a jolt to the head or penetrating head injury that disrupts the normal function of

the brain more tvi economy referred to as concussions have been at the center of the discussion of the sports community in the sports community in the recent years as a growing number of athletes say that they are suffering from memory loss and other impairments caused by repeated blows to the head. and of course we are seeing them coming home from overseas with our men and women in uniform and the performance of their duties as well. the centers for disease control and prevention have looked at 1.6 to 3.8 million sports and

recreation related tbi and say they occur in the u.s. each year. such head injuries are not limited obviously just one sport. they occur in a wide range of sports, and most recently we were reminded of the story in "the new york times" with the graphic pictures of the games going on in brazil right now in which one of the soccer players was completely knocked out. over the last four years much has been done to increase awareness of the risks posed by sports related concussions. and thanks to a number of partnerships and initiatives, research is underway to help us better understand the cost and

the long-term impact of concussions and these involve a number of organizations. we know that much research is needed and to see all of the links to other things such as alzheimer's. and so today we are going to hear from the two former professional athletes who had their career cut short due to concussions and now they are going to wonder about their function in the future. we are going to take testimony from two prominent medical researchers who will discuss the latest research and i going to

give get the privilege of introduction to the senator after i turn to turned to our great ranking member senator collins. >> thank you very much mr. chairman. i very much appreciate you calling this important hearing so that we can better explore the relationship between traumatic brain injury and disease associated with aging such as alzheimer's, parkinson's and lou gehrig's disease also known as als. traumatic brain injury or tbi affects 5 million americans at an annual cost of more than $76 billion. as the senate cochair of the task force, i'm particularly interested in the research conducted over the past three decades that has linked moderate and severe traumatic brain injury to a greater risk of

developing alzheimer's disease and other forms of dementia. one troubling study cited by the alzheimer's association found that older individuals with a history of moderate traumatic brain injury are more than twice as likely to develop alzheimer's than seniors with no history of brain injury. those with a history of severe traumatic brain injury were found in this study to have a 4.5 times greater risk. finding a way to prevent it effectively treat alzheimer's disease is among my highest priorities as the senator and has been a focus of this committee work. in many ways, alzheimer's is the defining disease of the baby boom generation.

if we are to prevent it from becoming the defining disease of the next generation, we must strengthen our commitment to research leading to a better understanding of this devastating disease while researchers still have a great deal to learn about how the head injuries affect an individual's risks of developing urological diseases like alzheimer's later in life there is increasing evidence of the relationship. women even more than men may be likely to experience long-term symptoms such as cognitive and visual impairments after sustaining a severe head injury. we know that correctly almost two thirds of americans living with alzheimer's are women. there are many important research projects being conducted on tbi and the link to

the urological diseases. for example the national institutes of health and the national football league have and barked upon a $50,000,000.4 year private public partnership to advance research that may lead to the improvement of tbi diagnosis through better imaging technologies and also improved treatment for those that have sustained what serious injuries. the leading cause of tbi among seniors false. according to the cdc, individuals over age 65 highest rate of tbi related hospitalizations and deaths.