Considering the State of the Union members from all branches of government, the President appoints one member of his cabinet to remain in an undisclosed location as a succession precaution in the event of a catastrophe. Although not the security holdout, Secretary of State Hilary Clinton missed the State of the Union address last night. In accordance with 3 U.S.C. § 19, last night, it was HUD Secretary Shaun Donovan.
Instead, President Obama asked Secretary Clinton to continue with her plans to attend a international conferences on Yemen and Afghanistan in London. Currently, US forces and Yemen are working jointly in combating the al Qaeda threat within Yemen. In addition to this, Yemen is also faced with various social, economic and political troubles, including a secessionist movement. The international delegation of over 20 nations has not donated funds to Yemen but has agreed to form the “Friends of Yemen,” a body which would help the nation spend $5 billion donated to the country in 2006.
In addition to the Yemen conference, Prime Minister Gordon Brown has invited the international community and Afghan President Hamid Karzai to discuss the future of Afghanistan. The meeting started off with a strong start—Germany has pledged to send 850 more troops to Afghanistan. This is the latest addition to President Obama’s 30,000 troop increase. For more, visit here.