Recently eight security guards, employed by ArmourGroup North America to protect the U.S. Embassy in Kabul, Afghanistan, were fired for alleged misconduct. The Commission on Wartime Contracting, a bipartisan body appointed by Congress to investigate reconstruction and security projects, heard from witnesses representing the State Department and its security contractors.

U.S. Ambassador to Iraq Christopher Hill appeared before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee on Capitol Hill to update Congress on the situation in Iraq with an "update from the field." Senator John Kerry (D-MA) chaired the hearing.

Rep. John Tierney (D-MA) chaired a House Oversight and Government Reform Subcommittee on National Security and Foreign Affairs hearing on detecting fraud and waste in Afghanistan and Pakistan. Inspectors general from the State Dept., Defense Dept., and other agencies tetified before the subcommittee.

Gen. McChrystal released his report on the war in Afghanistan. Jeremy Shapiro, Fmr. Adviser to Gen. McChrystal, served on a civilian assessment team contributing to Gen. McChrystal's strategic review process. He discussed the report and his experiences working with Gen. McChrystal.

Joost Hiltermann, Deputy Director of the Middle East and North Africa Program at the International Crisis Group discusses the recently published ICG report, "Iraq and the Kurds: Trouble Along the Trigger Line." Hiltermann, who was responsible for the report, focuses on growing tensions between Iraqi government authorities and the Kurdish Regional government (KRG) over disputed territories, especially in the Kirkuk region.

On day 2, the Commission on Wartime Contracting in Iraq and Afghanistan considered a 5-year, $5 billion translation contract. The members discussed whether Global Linguist Solutions, which provides the U.S. Army with translators, raised costs significantly after a competitor was subcontracted for the project.

Roughly half of the billing systems covering some $43 billion in contracts are inadequate, a commission looking into wartime contracting reported recently. This hearing of the Commission on Wartime Contracting in Iraq and Afghanistan focused on business systems.

Khalid al-Atiya, First Dpty. Speaker of the Council of Representatives of Iraq spoke at the U.S. Institute of Peace in Washington about the voting system for the 2011 Iraqi elections.

State Department Acting Inspector General Harry Geisel discussed the cost of building & operating the U.S. Embassy in Iraq.

President Obama and Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki met in the White House Oval Office and participated in a joint press conference from the Rose Garden following their meeting.