Saturday, May 31, 2008

Chairman Upbeat After Meeting Indonesian Leaders

By Jim Garamone
American Forces Press Service

May 30, 2008 - Meetings with Indonesian
leaders here were constructive and friendly, and they hold great promise for the future, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff said yesterday. Navy Adm. Mike Mullen's visit was designed to enhance military-to-military contacts and to discuss progress and challenges in the U.S.-Indonesia relationship.

Mullen praised Indonesian
leaders for making the tough decisions to reform the government and sticking with the program. The chairman met with his counterpart, Indonesian army Gen. Djoko Santoso, Defense Minister Juwono Sudarsono and Coordinating Minister for Political, Legal and Security Affairs Widodo Ady during his visit.

Indonesian civilian and
military leaders have taken steps to transform the military to a professional, external security force that can provide domestic support to civilian security forces as necessary. In 1999, Indonesian leaders decided to separate the police from the army, and they completed that process in 2000. Much like in the United States, the military would step in to a situation only if the local police were overwhelmed. The Indonesian military did great work, for example, following the tsunami that struck the country in December 2004.

As part of this professionalization of the military, successive governments have worked with military
leaders to de-emphasize the role the military plays in the Indonesian congress and to put the military under civilian control.

Mullen called his visit a reaffirmation of the strong military-to-military relationship the United States has with Indonesia, noting that the two countries have worked hard to increase the numbers of activities, exercises and training opportunities.

"A few years ago, the number of activities that took place between the two militaries in a given year was in the single digits," Mullen said during an interview yesterday. "This year it is some 130. It has increased significantly, and it is designed to reaffirm this very important partnership that we feel very strongly about."

International
military education and training is important, Mullen said, "because probably the most significant thing we can do is invest in our young officers and noncommissioned officers, because it won't be too long before they will be leading our militaries, and having that embedded relationship when they are young is very important."

From 1991 to 2005, Indonesia was under some form of U.S.
military sanctions. Training for young Indonesian officers and NCOs in the United States halted, as did bilateral exercises. As a result, the two militaries did not train together and were unfamiliar with how to work together in operations, and that showed through during the tsunami relief operations, officials traveling with Mullen said.

In its push to reform, the Indonesian
military stresses human rights training for its servicemembers. Any U.S. training for the Indonesian military would also stress that, officials said.

After wrapping up his Indonesia visit, the chairman traveled to Singapore to join Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates at the Shangri-La Dialogue, an annual Asia
security conference.

Army Adjusts to New Battlefield, General Says

By Navy Seaman William Selby
Special to American Forces Press Service

May 30, 2008 - The
Army has continued to refine the way it fights in today's modern battlefield, a senior military official said yesterday. "We have an important new concept that is working, that we need to essentially give capability to, and that's the modular force," Army Lt. Gen. Stephen Speakes, the service's deputy chief of staff for programs, said during a conference call with online journalists and bloggers.

"The way that we're going to empower the modular force is through Future Combat Systems," Speakes said.

For almost 10 years, the
Army has researched and developed technology that eventually will replace Cold War–era systems with the modular capability that will be used to fight in today's modern battlefield. Fund shortages in the late 1990s put some programs on hold, and the military has had to restart critical research and development for technologies that the military has known for some time that it needs, Speakes explained.

"It took us time to develop the capabilities that we'll now see the results from," he said. "So, the first point was we had to start a brand-new concept of research, development, and technology investment. The second point is that we had to have the ... new vision of how we're going to fight."

The
Army wants to keep soldiers safer on the battlefield, the general said. "What we want is a concept that through both manned and unmanned systems, aerial and ground systems, all primarily through robotics, that we're able to extend the battlefield and also reduce the risk of soldiers," he explained. But he cautioned that reduced risk won't make soldiers invulnerable on the battlefield.

"What we're going to try to do is extend the battlefield through the network," Speakes said. "Ultimately, our vision is to bring the network to the soldier." It's critical for soldiers to have the capability to communicate through text, voice, and visual images from anywhere to anyone, he said.

"So the concept then, [is one] of robotics, empowered by the network, all designed to reduce soldiers' vulnerability and increase soldiers'
situational awareness," the general said.

Military officials recently introduced the first of eight new vehicles that are part of the modernization plan that harmonizes capabilities using common platforms, Speakes said. The new vehicles use a system that is 70 percent common in order to harmonize their capability or a common platform, Speakes said. And because the new techniques and technology are evolving, he added, there will be no need to keep creating new armor.

"The lessons of the IED battlefield what we've seen over the last three or four years have now been reflected in the important changes," he said.

The
Army has never created a whole new concept for its technology and weapons development, the general said.

"If we did something for a good reason five years ago that is not right today, we'll go ahead and move forward and change that design plan in order to make it relevant for today and tomorrow," he said.

(
Navy Seaman William Selby works for the New Media directorate of the Defense Media Activity.)

MILITARY CONTRACTS

DEFENSE LOGISTICS AGENCY

DOSS Aviation, Inc., Colorado Springs, Colo., is being awarded a minimum $21,518,284.32 firm fixed price contract for government-owned, contractor operated fuel services. Other location of performance is Fla. Using service is
Navy. This proposal was originally FedBizOps solicited with six responses. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. Date of performance completion is Sep. 30, 2016. The contracting activity is Defense Energy Support Center, Fort Belvoir, Va., (SP0600-08-C-5809).

City of Chicopee Inc., Chicopee, Mass.*, is being awarded a maximum $19,913,238.00 firm fixed price, prospective price redetermination contraction for assumption of ownership, operation and maintenance of electric distribution system. Other location of service is Westover ARB, Massachusetts. Using service is
Air Force Reserves. This proposal was originally Web solicited with 2 responses. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. Date of performance completion is Dec. 31, 2058. The contracting activity is Defense Energy Support Center, Fort Belvoir, Va., (SP0600-08-C-8254).

Icaro Diecisiete, LTDA, Colombia, South America is being awarded a minimum $11,459,120.00 fixed price with economic price adjustment contract for fuel. Other locations of performance are in various DoD locations in Colombia, South America. Using services are
Army and Air Force. There were originally nine proposals solicited with nine responses. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. Date of performance completion is Jul. 31, 2011. The contracting activity is Defense Energy Support Center, Fort Belvoir, Va., (SP0600-08-D-1256).

World Fuel Services Corp.,
Miami, Fla.*, is being awarded a minimum $5,890,718 fixed price with economic price adjustment contract for fuel services. Other locations of performance are in various DoD locations in Colombia, South America. Using services are Army and Air Force. There were originally nine proposals solicited with nine responses. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. Date of performance completion is Jul. 31, 2011. The contracting activity is Defense Energy Support Center, Fort Belvoir, Va., (SP0600-08-D-1258).

Public Warehousing Co., Sulaiba, Safat is being awarded a maximum $2,801,334,120 firm fixed price, prime vendor contract for supply and distribution of food and non-food products. There are no other locations of performance. Using services are
Army, Navy, Air Force and Marine Corps. The original proposal was Web solicited with six responses. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. Date of performance completion is Jun. 1, 2009. The contracting activity is Defense Supply Center Philadelphia, Philadelphia, Pa. (SPM300-07-D-3128).

NAVY

BAE Systems Land & Armaments, LP. Ground Systems Division, York, Pa., is being awarded a $162,059,556 firm-fixed-priced modification to Delivery Order #0007 under previously awarded contract (M67854-07-D-5025) for engineering change proposals to support Mine Resistant Ambush Protected (MRAP) vehicles. Work will be performed in York, Pa., and work is expected to be completed by Dec. 2008. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The
Marine Corps Systems Command, Quantico, Va., is the contracting activity.

IBIS TEK,* Butler, Pa., is being awarded a ceiling amount $158,075,500 indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract to purchase 360 Degree Lighting Kits for Mine Resistant Ambush Protected vehicles. This is one of multiple awards under the solicitation. This contract includes options which, if exercised, would bring the cumulative ceiling value of this contract to $474,226,500. Work will be performed in Butler, Pa., and work is expected to be completed by May 2011. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was competitively procured via Navy Electronic Commerce Office, with three offers received. The
Marine Corps Systems Command, Quantico, Va., is the contracting activity (M67854-08-D-5046).

LOM,*
Chicago, Ill., is being awarded a ceiling amount $149,730,000 indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract to purchase 360 Degree Lighting Kits for Mine Resistant Ambush Protected vehicles. This is one of multiple awards under the solicitation. This contract includes options which, if exercised, would bring the cumulative ceiling value of this contract to $449,190,000. Work will be performed in Suwanee, Ga., and work is expected to be completed by May 2011. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The contract was competitively procure via Navy Electronic Commerce Office, with three offers received. The Marine Corps Systems Command, Quantico, Va., is the contracting activity (M67854-08-D-5010).

Bell-Boeing Joint Program Office, Amarillo, Texas, is being awarded a $78,500,000 ceiling-priced indefinite-delivery, indefinite-quantity contract for the analysis, design, development, manufacture, test, installation, upgrade and logistical support of the MV-22 Aircraft Maintenance Trainer (AMT) and CV Flight Training Device/Full Flight Simulator (CV FTD/FFS) Products. Work will be performed in Amarillo, Texas (70 percent); and Philadelphia, Pa. (30 percent), and is expected to be completed in May 2012. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was not competitively procured. The Naval Air Warfare Center, Training Systems Division,
Orlando, Fla., is the contracting activity (N61339-08-D-0007).

McDonnell Douglas Corp., a wholly owned subsidiary of The Boeing Co., St. Louis, Mo., is being awarded a $25,954,182 order against a previously issued Basic Ordering Agreement (N00019-05-G-0026) for F/A-18E/F Service Life Assessment Program support services. Work will be performed in St. Louis, Mo., (68 percent) and
El Segundo, Calif., (32 percent), and work is expected to be completed in Dec. 2011. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Naval Air Systems Command, Patuxent River, Md., is the contracting activity.

Materials Sciences Corp.*, Horsham, Pa., is being awarded a $24,590,613 indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity, cost-plus-fixed-fee contract for engineering services in support of the Phase III Small Business Innovative Research, Topic # N01-078; sonar domes for the AN/SQS-53C sonar system. Efforts will include engineering and technical services for U.S. Naval Fleet support by developing materials, processes, molds, tools, and other parts necessary for the development and fabrication of panels, windows, and sonar domes; specifically the AN/SQS-53C dome. The contractor will also design, fabricate, install, test, and deliver panels, windows, sonar dome sections or full sonar domes utilizing a multi-phase woven hybrid Low Insertion Loss composite material system and a composites resin infusion molding manufacturing process. Work will be performed in Horsham, Pa., (60 percent) and Gulfport, Miss., (40 percent), and work is expected to be completed by May 2013. Contract funds in the amount of $776,845 will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was not competitively procured. The Naval Undersea Warfare Center Division, Newport, Newport, R.I.,is the contracting activity (N66604-08-D-0034).

SFA, Inc., Virginia Beach, Va., is being awarded a $10,636,713 indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity, cost-plus-fixed-fee, performance-based contractto provide support services for integration, upgrade, and testing of Management and Control systems in ship and at shore facilities, including associated engineering, technical, and logistics support services. This contract includes options which, if exercised, would bring the cumulative value of the contract to an estimated $73,874,128. Work will be performed in Charleston, S.C., (70 percent) and San Diego, (30 percent) and is expected to be completed by May 2009. If all options are exercised, work will continue until May 2013. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was competitively procured under full and open competition. The Request for Proposal was posted on the SPAWAR Systems Center E-Commerce website and one offer was received. The Space and Naval Warfare Systems Center Charleston is the contracting activity (N65236-08-D-5801).

Armtec Countermeasures Co., Coachella, Calif., is being awarded a $10,528,066 firm-fixed-price, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract for countermeasures in support of the Naval Air Systems Command Airborne Expendable Countermeasures (AECM) Program Office and the 84th Combat Sustainment Wing, Hill AFB, Utah. Work will be performed in Lillington, N.C., and work is expected to be completed by May 2012. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was competitively procured, with two proposals solicited and one offer received. The Naval Inventory Control Point is the contracting activity (N00104-08-D-K048).

Rolls Royce Corp.,
Indianapolis, Ind., is being awarded a $9,688,495 modification to a previously awarded indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract (N00019-03-D-0002) for logistics support, technical engineering support services, and spare engines and associated parts for the U.S. Marine Corps KC-130J, which includes the AE2100D3 turboprop engine and R391 propeller. Work will be performed at the Marine Corps Air Station, Cherry Point, N.C., and work is expected to be completed in November 2008. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Naval Air Systems Command, Patuxent River, Md., is the contracting activity.

Kollmorgen Corp., Electro-Optical Division, Northampton, Mass., is being awarded a $9,630,153 modification to previously awarded contract (N00024-06-C-6248) for engineering services and the associated support in support of the Photonics Mast Systems. The Photonics Mast is a non-hull penetrating electronic imaging subsystem of the command and control system. The Photonics Mast incorporates visible, infrared (IR) and electronic support measures (ESM) sensors and stealth features that will provide new capabilities for attack submarines. Work will be performed in Northampton, Mass., (70 percent),
Seattle, Wash., (8 percent), Westfield, Mass., (6 percent), Boston, Mass., (6 percent), Joplin, Mo., (4 percent), Cincinnati, Ohio, (2 percent), Orlando, Fla., (2 percent), and Hackensack, N.J., (2 percent), and work is expected to be completed by Sep. 2012. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Naval Sea Systems Command Washington Navy Yard, D.C. is the contracting activity.

CM Technologies Corp.*, Coraopolis, Pa., is being awarded a firm-fixed-price, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract with an estimated value of $9,562,581 for the procurement of up to 2,000 Hand-held Aircraft Wiring Testers (HAWT) and associated data item deliverables for the U.S.
Navy and U.S. Air Force. The initial order under this contract is for six HAWT units and associated data item deliverables for the U.S. Navy. Work will be performed in Coraopolis, Pa., and work is expected to be completed in Jun. 2013. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was competitively procured under an electronic request for proposals, with eight offers received. The Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division, Lakehurst, N.J., is the contracting activity (N68335-08-D-0017).

Camber Corp.,
Huntsville, Ala., is being awarded an $8,575,896 cost-plus-fixed-fee contract for program management, acquisition management, and engineering and technical services in support of the CH-53D, CH-53E, MH-53E, and CH-53K. Work will be performed in Patuxent River, Md., and work is expected to be completed in Nov. 2008. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was not competitively procured. The Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division, Patuxent River, Md., is the contracting activity (N000421-08-C-0044).

AIR FORCE

Booz-Allen and Hamilton, Inc. of Herndon, Va., is being awarded a cost plus fixed fee contract for $50,534,488 (Estimated). This action will provide Naval Network Warfare Command Survivability Analysis. At this time $1,000,152 has been obligated. 55th Contracting Squadron, Offutt AFB, Neb., is the contracting activity (SP0700-03-D-1380, DO 0254).

Battelle Memorial Institute of Columbus, Ohio, is being awarded an indefinite delivery/indefinite quantity contract for $7,016,117 (Estimated). This action will develop biomonitoring methods for chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear agents and other toxic industrial chemicals to measure exposure from terrorist threats and incidents, or other emergency response incidents or exercises. At this time $241,546 has been obligated. AETC 55th Contracting Squadron, Offutt AFB, Neb., is the contracting activity (SP0700-00-D-1380, DO 0542).

The
Air Force is modifying a cost plus fixed fee contract awarded to Aerojet General Corporation, Aerojet Propulsion Division of Redmond, Wash., for $5,788,718. This effort is a modification for the Liquid Engine Alternate Propellant Development Program to provide the development of subsystems and components and efforts to integrate subsystems and components into system prototypes for field experiments and/or tests in a simulated environment. ATD includes concept and technology demonstrations of components and subsystems or system models. The model may be form, fit and function prototypes or scaled models that service the same demonstration purpose. The results of this type of effort are proof of technological feasibility and assessment of subsystem and component operability and producibility rather than the development of hardware for service use. At this time $1,050,000 has been obligated. AFFTC/PK, Edwards AFB, Calif., is the contracting activity (F04611-01-C-0003 P00023).

Lockheed Martin Corp., Lockheed Martin Aeronautical Systems Co., of Fort Worth Texas, is being awarded a firm fixed price contract not to exceed $233.6 million. This action will provide for twenty-four F-16 Block 52 aircraft, along with associated support equipment, alternate mission equipment and support elements for the Government of Morocco. This effort will support foreign
military sales to the Government of Morocco. At this time $124.3 million has been obligated. 312AESG/PK, Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio, is the contracting activity (FA8615-08-C-6050).

DynCorp Technical, LLC of Fort Worth, Texas, is being awarded a fixed price contract for $47,756,568. The subject contract covers responsibility for receipt, inventory, accountability, maintenance, repair, periodic inspection and test, serviceability, marking, storage, security, shipping, and reporting of War Reserve Materiel resources. It required the contractor out-load and reconstitution of pre-positioned War Reserve Materiel in the United States Air Forces Central Area of Responsibility. Pre-positioned equipment includes but is not limited to: harvest falcon; Basic Expeditionary Airfield Resources; medical; munitions; Tanks, Racks, Adapters, and Pylons; Fuels Mobility Support Equipment/Fuels Operational Readiness Capabilities Equipment; vehicles; Aerospace Ground Equipment; Air Base Operability equipment; war consumables; associated Mobility Readiness Spares Packages; and Peacetime Operating Stocks at designed WRM storage sites locations. The contractor is responsible for the maintenance and repair of Government furnished facilities and property while meeting environmental compliance requirements. When requested the contractor shall provide exercise and contingency logistics support by performing all aspects of: serviceability check, deployment out-load, in transit visibility, receipt, set-up, inventory, sustainment, condition sampling, redeployment or onward movement of assets/systems, and assist in tear-down and subsequent reconstitution, refurbishment, and storage of WRM assets/system. At this time no funds have been obligated. ACC AMIC/PKC SunTrust Building, Newport News, Va., is the contracting activity (FA4890-08-C-0004).

Northrop Grumman Information
Technology of Herndon, Va., is being awarded a firm-fixed price contract not to exceed $26,552,441. This action will provide landing gear pistons, quantity of 802, in support to the T-38 aircraft. At this time $13,276,220 has been obligated. Department of the Air Force, Directorate of Contracting, Hill AFB, Utah, is the contracting activity (FA8203-08-C-0106).

McDonnell Douglas Corp., A Wholly-Owned Subsidiary of the Boeing Co. of St Louis, Mo., is being awarded a contract for $17,214,995 (Estimated). This action will provide for Royal Saudi
Air Force F-15C Mission Training System contractor operations, maintenance, and instructor support for calendar years 2008-2010. This effort support foreign military sales to the Royal Saudi Air Force. This action will provide landing gear pistons, quantity of 802, in support to the T-38 aircraft. At this time $17,214,995 has been obligated. 558 ACSG/PK, Hill AFB, Utah, is the contracting activity (FA8223-08-C-0002).

The
Air Force is modifying a firm-fixed price contract with McDonnell Douglas Corp., a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Boeing Co., of St Louis, Mo., for $8,628,700. This action will provide for Joint Direct Attack Munition High Data Rate Compact Telemetry Units, quantity of 300. The HCTMs are flight test instrumentation hardware which is used to gather real-time JDAM weapon data during testing. The JDAM weapon system provides the Air Force and the Navy with an improved aerial delivery capability for existing 500, 1000 and 2000-pound bombs. The JDAM is a strap-on kit with Inertial Navigation System/Global Positioning Systems capability. In addition, this procurement includes 100 HCTM Adapter Kits in support of Test and Integration activities. At this time all funds have been obligated. 678 ARSS/PK (JDAM), Eglin AFB, Fla., is the contracting activity (FA8681-07-C-0002 P00004).

Missile Defense Agency Contract Award

Raytheon Technical Services Co., LLC of Burlington, Mass. is being awarded a $7,233,850 contract modification to repair and flight test the Widebody Airborne Sensor Platform to ensure it meets airworthiness standards. Work will be performed at the contractor's facility and Aeroframe Services LLC, a subcontractor, facilities in Lake Charles, La., and is expected to be complete by Oct. 2008. This is a sole source contract modification. The contract funds will not expire at the end of the fiscal year. The Missile Defense Agency, Washington, D.C. is the contracting activity (HQ0006-08-C-0009). The contract will use FY 08 research and development funds.

ARMY

Stewart & Stevenson TVS, LP, Sealy, Texas, was awarded on May 29, 2008, a $37,356,777 firm-fixed price contract for low signature armor cabs in a box. Work will be performed in Sealy, Texas, and is expected to be completed by Feb. 19, 2009. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. One bid was solicited on Feb. 28, 2007. U.S.
Army TACOM, Warren, Mich., is the contracting activity (W56HZV-07-C-A500).

Sikorsky Aircraft Corp., Stratford, Conn., was awarded on May 29, 2008, a $22,963,325 firm-fixed price contract for UH-60 Blackhawk spares, procurement for blades and rotor wings. Work will be performed in Stratford, Conn., and is expected to be completed by Aug. 31, 2010. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. One bid was solicited on Dec. 13, 2007. U.S.
Army Aviation and Missile Command, Redstone Arsenal, Ala., is the contracting activity (W58RGZ-06-D-0116).

Alliant Lake City Small Caliber Ammunition Co, LLC, Independence, Mo., was awarded on May 28, 2008, an $8,087,459 firm-fixed price contract for small caliber ammunition. Work will be performed in Independence, Mo., and is expected to be completed by Sep. 30, 2009. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. One bid was solicited on Jan. 2, 2008. U.S.
Army Sustainment Command, Rock Island, Ill., is the contracting activity (DAA09-99-D-0016).

Thursday, May 29, 2008

Soldiers Join Forces With Kansas City Runners to Help Brain Injury Victims

By By Army Spc. Jason Jordan
Special to American Forces Press Service

May 29, 2008 - On opposite sides of the globe, two groups of people in very different environments worked together to raise money for individuals suffering from brain injuries. This Memorial Day,
Army soldiers deployed here were joined by an army of volunteer citizens in Kansas City, Kan., and the two fought as one for their causes.

Soldiers with 10th Mountain Division's 3rd Battalion, 6th Field Artillery Regiment, joined the 21st Annual Amy Thompson Run to Daylight. The charity event consists of 2-mile and 8-kilometer events in
Kansas City.

Amy Thompson was a 23-year-old college graduate enjoying her life as a third-grade teacher in
Kansas City when she was shot twice in the head during an attempted robbery at a neighborhood party on Halloween night 1986. After awakening from a six-week coma, Thompson survived against terrible odds, struggling to resume life after a brain injury.

Although she fought valiantly for three years, Thompson died unexpectedly Christmas night 1989. On Memorial Day the previous year, a group of Thompson's closest friends and family began the Run to Daylight in her name.

"When run officials in the states contacted us with their desire for us to participate in their charity event, we immediately discovered that our struggles were very much related," said
Army Capt. Peter Hofman, a chaplain with 3rd Battalion, 6th Field Artillery Regiment. "We were very excited to participate in such a noble cause. And with Memorial Day upon us and the fact that servicemembers are suffering brain injuries in explosions, it just all fit. It made sense for us to join their cause."

Hofman coordinated with
Kansas City officials to help make the run possible for servicemembers in Iraq.

Run officials in
Kansas City were clearly excited about the troop involvement, as well. Newspaper articles and a special on the nightly news segment announced the runners would be joined by servicemembers in Iraq this year.

"The original plan was to have the soldiers conduct the run at the same time as the
Kansas City runners. But ... that would be between 5 and 6 in the evening, which would make it somewhere around 110 degrees or higher in the desert," Mary Thompson O'Connor, Amy's sister and a run official, said on a special segment of Kansas City's KMBC-TV news show.

To show their support for the soldiers on their Memorial Day run, the
Kansas City runners wore T-shirts honoring those serving in combat. Run officials also sent flyers, official city run bibs and T-shirts to those who would be running in Iraq.

O'Connor also insisted on providing the battalion with $1,200 in
Amazon.com gift cards to be awarded to the top three male and female runners in both the 2-mile and 8-kilometer events.

Airmen and civilian contractors serving with 3rd Battalion, 6th Field Artillery Regiment, soldiers ran along side the regiment.

"There was no shortage of volunteers willing to participate in such a good cause," Hofman said. "The average maximum participation has been 100 people in past events on the base. We were delighted to inform those in
Kansas City that 147 people showed up in the early morning hours to participate in the Amy Thompson run."

"What better cause could you find for which to volunteer your time?" said 10th Brigade Support Battalion's Spc. David Andrade, 1st place runner of the 2-mile event. "You are benefiting your body with exercise while participating in a good cause and honoring America's servicemembers. And everyone could use an Amazon gift card."

Both groups of runners on each side of the world held a moment of silence before their run, honoring servicemembers. The 3rd Battalion, 6th Field Artillery Regiment soldiers spoke aloud the names of 11 members of 1st Brigade, 10th Mountain Division, who were killed since their deployment began in September. A moment of silence followed each name.

(
Army Spc. Jason Jordan serves with 1st Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division.)

Army Deploys Prevention Programs to Combat Soldier Suicides

By Gerry J. Gilmore
American Forces Press Service

May 29, 2008 - The
Army is deploying a multitude of prevention programs as part of efforts to stop soldiers from taking their own lives, senior Army officials said here today. The Army should train its soldiers how to cope with psychological challenges as well as physical ones, Army Brig. Gen. Rhonda Cornum, assistant surgeon general for force protection, told reporters during a Pentagon roundtable.

For example, the Battlemind training program prepares soldiers for a combat environment, Cornum said, adding that troops who've taken Battlemind training report fewer psychological health problems.

Last year, the
Army initiated a chain-teaching program to educate all soldiers and leaders about symptoms associated with post-traumatic stress disorder and mild brain injury, Cornum said. More than 900,000 soldiers were trained since July, she noted.

Cornum saluted Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates' decision to change Question 21 of the questionnaire for national
security positions, regarding mental and emotional health. The revised question, she said, now excludes non-court-ordered counseling related to marital, family or grief issues, or counseling for issues related to military service in a combat zone.

"So, the change was made because accessing professional help for those mental health issues should not be perceived to jeopardize your career," Cornum said. "On the contrary, failure to seek care for those kinds of issues might actually increase the likelihood that your psychological distress could escalate to a more serious mental health condition, and that more serious condition could, in fact, preclude an individual from performing those sensitive duties.

"War is hard on soldiers and it can be even harder on families," she observed. "When soldiers return home, most will experience a readjustment period, but they will also experience a successful home transition."

Some returning servicemembers will require short- or long-term counseling to assist in that transition, Cornum said, noting that situation is not unusual.

"We believe there is more to be done, and we are committed to maximizing prevention, as well as treating psychological health problems as they occur," Cornum said.

The
Army's personnel directorate and the Army Surgeon General hosted the initial Suicide Prevention General Officer Steering Committee on Feb. 11. That committee will take a critical look at policies, procedures, climate and culture as they pertain to suicide prevention, according to Army documents.

The 144-page
Army Suicide Event Report released today said 115 soldiers took their lives in calendar year 2007, the highest number of suicides since record-keeping began in 1980, according to officials. Five of the deceased were female soldiers. Ninety-three of the departed soldiers were active-duty troops, and 22 were either in the National Guard or Army Reserve.

Army records show 102 soldiers died by their own hands in 2006, of which 11 were women.

Most soldiers that killed themselves were young and male, according to the report, with failed personal relationships cited as the number one cause. Most soldiers that committed suicide did so at their home stations and not overseas. In fact, of the 115 soldiers who killed themselves last year, 32 died in Iraq, while 4 died in Afghanistan. Drug or alcohol use was cited in 30 percent of the suicide cases.

The majority of the suicide cases last year did not have a known history of a mental disorder, according to
Army documents.

The current active-duty Army suicide rate is 18.8 per 100,000 soldiers, according to officials. The
Army suicide rate goes down to 16.8 per 100,000 soldiers when the reserve components are added. The adjusted U.S. population suicide rate is 19.5 per 100,000 people.

There've been 38 confirmed soldier suicides so far this year, officials said.

"Obviously, suicide is a very complex phenomenon with a lot going on," said Army Col. Elspeth C. Ritchie, director of the
Army Surgeon General's office for behavioral health. "The main motive for suicide is related to breakup of relationships, usually with a partner."

Other soldier-suicide motivators include getting in trouble at work or elsewhere, Ritchie noted.

"We know that the multiple deployments and the length of the deployment are major stressors back at home; so, there're kind of a lot of different factors," Ritchie said. "We certainly would hope that all of our indicators of quality of life get better as the deployments get shorter and there's more 'dwell time' back at home." Dwell time is the time at home station between deployments.

"But, I don't think we would be able to say we predict that at this time," Ritchie continued. "We also know that we're doing a lot of mitigating strategies at (suicide) prevention and resilience, and we hope that those would help, as well."

One soldier suicide is too many, said Lt. Col. Thomas E. Languirand, who works in
Army's deputy chief of staff for personnel office.

"We value each and every soldier, and we look continually ... at how we can put our policies and programs in place to help with the resiliency of our soldiers and their families to better enhance their life-coping skills," Languirand said. "And, we obviously believe that behavioral health is a very important, key part of preventing suicides in the Army."

Languirand observed that high operational tempo is causing stress across the Army's ranks.

"We understand that we are a force under stress, and we do the best that we can to mitigate those risks -- not only the risks that you may associate with persistent conflict, but also the risks that are normal and prevalent in everyday society," Languirand said.

Yet, Ritchie said, there doesn't seem to be a statistical link between wartime operations and an increase in soldier suicides.

"Actually, we're not seeing a clear relationship between conflict increase and suicide," Ritchie said.

America Supports You: Troop-Support Group Added to 'Top-Rated' Charities

American Forces Press Service

May 29, 2008 - After stringent review by one of the country's premier charity watchdogs, a
Massachusetts-based troop-support group has been added to a list of top-rated charities. The American Institute of Philanthropy has reviewed Homes for Our Troops' finances and included the group in their "Top-Rated Veterans & Military Charities" listing.

Homes for Our Troops is a supporter of America Supports You, a Defense Department program connecting citizens and companies with servicemembers and their families serving at home and abroad.

"Homes for Our Troops is proud to be included in [American Institute of Philanthropy's] list of top rated veterans and
military charities," said Tom Benoit, vice president and chief financial officer of Homes for Our Troops. "Our dedicated staff has worked tirelessly to efficiently raise the funds needed to build homes across the country for severely injured veterans.

"The support we receive from our corporate partners and from individuals and companies across the country made it possible for Homes for Our Troops to spend only 7 percent on administration and fundraising in our fiscal year [ending] Sept. 30, 2007, and to complete 11 homes in 2007," he added. "Our goal is to complete 30 homes in 2008."

Founded in 2004, Homes for Our Troops is a nonprofit organization dedicated to providing specially adapted homes to servicemembers severely injured while fighting in the global war on
terrorism. The organization has provided 25 veterans and their families with homes suited to meet the each veteran's individual challenges. Over the next few years, Homes for Our Troops is committed to providing at least 100 additional homes for injured troops, organization officials said.

Only five of the 32 veterans charities listed in the American Institute of Philanthropy's most recent report are included in the top-rated category, according to institute officials.

The watchdog's review process focuses on the percent of costs spent on "program service costs" and the efficiency of organizations in raising funds.

Rather than just using figures reported by charities in financial disclosure forms, the institute adjusts for direct mail, telemarketing and solicitation costs that are sometimes allocated to program service costs. It also excludes the value of donated goods and services, which can be difficult to measure.

Because of their thorough review process, the institute was described as "the pit bull of watchdogs" by the New York Times. Newsweek said, "It's the toughest of the bunch. Because it disregards certain, potentially suspect, expenses and donations, it fails some nonprofits that the other raters approve."

Police Omerta

May 28, 2008, 2008 (San Dimas, CA) On June 4, 2008, Conversations with Cops at the Watering Hole will feature an interview with Joe Sanchez a former NYPD police officer and the author of Latin Blues: A Tale of Police Omerta from the NYPD and A Tale of the Enemy Within.

Program Date: June 4, 2008
Program Time: 2100 hours, Pacific
Topic: An Interview with
Joe Sanchez
Listen Live: http://www.blogtalkradio.com/LawEnforcement

About the Guest
In 1965,
Joe Sanchez was drafted into the United States Army, at the age of 18. On his twentieth birthday, he found himself with the First Air Cavalry Air Mobile Division deployed near the village of Phantiet in South Vietnam. On that day, his unit was engaged in a firefight with Viet Cong. Joe Sanchez and three of his comrades were wounded by a grenade during that firefight.

After discharge,
Joe Sanchez served three years as a police officer with the New York Port Authority Police Department. He then applied for, and was accepted, as a police officer for the New York City Police Department. Joe Sanchez battled crime on the streets of New York, not realizing the most vicious enemy was within the NYPD.

In October of 1983,
Joe Sanchez was indicted by a Special and Extraordinary Grand Jury in Manhattan for one count of Burglary in the First Degree; one count of Grand Larceny in the first Degree; one count of Grand Larceny in the second Degree; six counts of Grand larceny in the Third Degree; and, one count of assault in the Third Degree. Joe Sanchez would ultimately be exonerated of the charges because the true betrayal wasn’t Joe’s, it was his enemies within the NYPD that had set him up.

For a time,
Joe Sanchez became a letter carrier and then reentered the criminal justice field as a correctional officer serving in both Sing Sing and Coxsackie State Prisons. If you ask Joe Sanchez, he will tell you, “It's a true story. I've been trying to tell it for a long time. It's my story, but not mine alone. It is also the story of those who lived and died alongside me, in Viet Nam and in that other battle, for justice and safety under the shield of the law; that is fought daily in the streets of every big city by every honest cop. In this case, the city is the Naked City, and the cop [namely, me] is a Latino. And the battle is neither for the civilians alone, nor just against the bad guys in the street. Some times the bad guys are in the Department. And sometimes the people who need protection are the honest cops.”

Joe Sanchez is the author of Latin Blues: A Tale of Police Omerta from the NYPD and A Tale of the Enemy Within.

About the Watering Hole
The Watering Hole is police slang for a location cops go off-duty to blow off steam and talk about work and life. Sometimes funny; sometimes serious; but, always interesting.

About the Host
Lieutenant
Raymond E. Foster was a sworn member of the Los Angeles Police Department for 24 years. He retired in 2003 at the rank of Lieutenant. He holds a bachelor’s from the Union Institute and University in Criminal Justice Management and a Master’s Degree in Public Financial Management from California State University, Fullerton; and, has completed his doctoral course work. Raymond E. Foster has been a part-time lecturer at California State University, Fullerton and Fresno; and is currently a faculty advisor and lecturer with the Union Institute and University. He has experience teaching upper division courses in law enforcement, public policy, law enforcement technology and leadership. Raymond is an experienced author who has published numerous articles in a wide range of venues including magazines such as Government Technology, Mobile Government, Airborne Law Enforcement Magazine, and Police One. He has appeared on the History Channel and radio programs in the United States and Europe as subject matter expert in technological applications in law enforcement.

Listen, call, join us at the Watering Hole.
http://www.blogtalkradio.com/LawEnforcement

Program Contact Information
Lieutenant Raymond E. Foster, LAPD (ret.), MPA
editor@police-writers.com
909.599.7530

Iowa National Guard Troops Support Tornado-Relief Mission

American Forces Press Service

May 29, 2008 - About 175
Iowa National Guard soldiers and airmen are serving on state active duty in support of tornado-relief and -recovery missions for northeastern Iowa. The servicemembers were activated the evening of May 26 and the next morning following tornadoes and severe storms in the Butler County area May 25. It is estimated the soldiers and airmen will remain on duty for the next several days.

With numerous power lines down, leakage from damaged vehicles, severed natural gas lines, debris, rubble and unstable structures, about 160 soldiers from 1st Battalion, 133rd Infantry, are providing security and aiding local officials in recovery efforts at Parkersburg. The battalion headquarters is in Waterloo, with subordinate units in Dubuque, Oelwein, Charles City, and Iowa Falls.

"I'm no stranger to tornado damage, but I've never seen anything like this," said
Army Spc. Erik A. Borseth, a medic with the 1st Battalion's Headquarters Company. He has been treating Guard soldiers for blisters and minor cuts, and he's been going out on night patrols with other members of the 133rd.

"It feels good to be here," Borseth said, "like we're accomplishing something for these Parkersburg people. That's our job. That's what we're here to do. That's how Iowans are."

The southern half of Parkersburg, a farming community of about 1,700, has been virtually flattened, but the northern half remains largely intact with some damage to the infrastructure, reported Rick Breitenfeldt of the National Guard Bureau.

Most National Guard personnel are performing
security missions, primarily during the curfew hours of 8 p.m. to 6 a.m., Breitenfeldt added. Other duties include providing power to the incident command center at a badly damaged fire station in the town and staffing a communications center for emergency personnel.

"If I could do more, I would. The damage is overwhelming and surreal," said Iowa
Army Guard Maj. Jay W. Lohmann, team chief for the Guard's communications center. "Private citizens keep approaching me, asking for permission to do things. I can't give them that permission, because the Guard is supporting civilian agencies. But it tells me that the public respects and appreciates the job that the National Guard is doing."

About 15 additional soldiers and airmen from 67th Troop Command, from
Iowa City; Joint Forces Headquarters and 734th Regional Support Group, from Johnston; 133rd Test Squadron, from Fort Dodge; 132nd Fighter Wing, from Des Moines; and Iowa Air National Guard Headquarters, also from Johnston, are providing communications support, transporting water, creating emergency electrical power, and providing operational support.

In addition, the
Iowa National Guard armory in Waterloo is being used as an operations center for American Red Cross relief efforts.

Many of the Guard soldiers are veterans of the war in Iraq and other aspects of the global war on
terrorism. "Now we're helping the people in our own state. That feels good," said one soldier who was satisfied to be serving at home.

(From a National Guard Bureau news release.)

Mullen Calls Military Neutrality 'Bedrock' of U.S. Democracy

By Jim Garamone
American Forces Press Service

May 29, 2008 - As the presidential race heats up in the United States, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff is reminding members of the
military that their neutrality is part of the fabric of democracy. Navy Adm. Mike Mullen discussed an article he wrote for the Joint Force Quarterly journal about what is appropriate for military personnel during an election year. The chairman talked to reporters traveling with him today during his flight here.

"It's an exciting time, and it is also a time that will be one of transition for us," Mullen said. "What really moved me on this is in a number of all-hands calls I've had around the world, I've had young soldiers, sailors, airmen and Marines in public forums ask me who I was voting for, who I thought should win, [or] what would happen if this candidate or that candidate won."

The JFQ article puts in writing what he has told those servicemembers: that as serving U.S. soldiers, sailors, airmen and Marines, they must remain neutral. "That's bedrock to us as a country and a democracy," he said. "It is in that neutrality that we generate great strength for this democracy."

The overtly political questions from servicemembers concerned him, Mullen said, so he decided it was important for him as the nation's highest-ranking
military officer to make sure servicemembers understand what they can and can't do.

"It is because of these questions and because of the time that we're in that I thought I would publicly make a statement, so it is clear what my expectations are as a senior military leader," he said.

Mullen said he has remained politically neutral for his almost 40 years in uniform.

"Like any other American, I have my own personal views, but the point is they are my personal views," he said. "I have to be able to detach those personal views from my professional responsibility. I work pretty hard at it. I learned it, and that's why I think it is so important that we talk about it now."

Mullen is here on the first leg of a trip for meetings with representatives of Pacific nations.

Mullen Uses Pacific Visits to Cultivate Understanding, Cooperation

By Jim Garamone
American Forces Press Service

May 29, 2008 - The United States and other countries of the world have to work together to face the challenges of the future, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff said here today on the first stop of a visit to Pacific nations intended to help foster that cooperation.
Navy Adm. Mike Mullen is visiting military and civilian leaders here before moving on to participate in the International Institute of Strategic Studies' Shangri-La Dialogue security conference in Singapore.

The dialogue -- named after the hotel that hosts it -- will give Mullen and Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates, who also will attend, the chance to interact with counterparts from many nations.

"It's the major meeting of those interested in defense in the Pacific and beyond," Mullen said during an interview aboard the Hawaii-based
Air Force C-17 Globemaster III transport named "Spirit of Go For Broke" that carried him here.

Plans call for Mullen to meet with representatives from India, China, Japan, the United Kingdom, Australia, the Philippines, Vietnam and other nations. After the conference, Mullen heads to the Philippines and then to South Korea, where he will participate in the change of command for Combined Forces Command and U.S. Forces Korea.

At his stops, the concerns that top all others are extremism and
terrorism, he said. The United States has worked with the nations of Southeast Asia to build the security and stability that allow economic growth, and it has paid off, the admiral noted.

The chairman said he expects to discuss the situation in Burma both at the Shangri-La conference and in his meetings with representatives of individual nations.

"One thing I need to understand is why the Burmese would be so obstinate about [not] allowing other countries to provide help," Mullen said. "It's pretty tough on us, knowing we can help and have units waiting to help, and have people dying for lack of government wisdom to be able to ask for assistance.

"It's very baffling, and still they persist," he continued. "It's incredibly frustrating. I sure would like to see them open up to this kind of assistance."

Indonesia is an example of progress made in the region. After the Asian economic meltdown in 1997, Indonesia was in tough shape economically. But the nation has recovered from that panic.

"I give the
leadership of Indonesia a great deal of credit, because it is night and day from what it was 10 years ago," Mullen said. "They continue to push forward in reform; they continue to press forward in the human rights area; they continue to press forward to put the military under civilian control."

Indonesia separated the police function from the
military in 2000, and many agencies in the U.S. government worked as one to help Indonesia make these transformations.

"They've made tremendous progress over the last 10 years, and I look forward to making that kind of progress over the next 10 years," the chairman said. "They are very positive steps for facing challenges together, for the continuous development of that strong relationship, for education of both militaries -- ours and theirs -- for the opportunities to work together shoulder-to-shoulder.

"This is a Muslim country -- some 240 million people -- and a strong relationship with this country is really, really important [to the United States]."

The nations of the region are working together to confront mutual problems. Malaysia, Singapore and Indonesia had to work together to confront the menace that piracy caused. Pirates used the seams between nations in the Straits of Malacca to prey on vessels sailing the strategic chokepoint.

Three years ago, there were more than 60 instances of piracy in and around the straits. Shipping insurance rates went through the roof. Each of the three nations invested in radars to track vessels in and around the straits. But more importantly, they established "a command-and-control center where you can merge information and take action," Mullen said.

There has been only one instance of piracy in the area this year, he added.

Other nations in the region can develop the same capabilities. The Philippines and Indonesia are both archipelagos made up of thousands of islands. "There is a commonness there that they share," Mullen said, adding that he believes the two nations can work closely together.

Mullen also discussed Iraq with reporters traveling with him. The Iraqi
military is handling much more of the burden in the country, he said.

"They are operating in Basra, they moved into Sadr City, and they continue to make progress in Mosul," Mullen said. "All of those are good signs, and I think not many people would have given them credit to be able to do this a year ago. I give our forces tremendous credit for setting the conditions to allow this to happen."

But, the chairman cautioned, progress in Iraq is fragile. Al-Qaida is still lethal, and
criminal gangs and unlawful militias continue to pose problems, he noted. "But I'm delighted to see the kind of progress the Iraqi forces have made," he said.

The number of violent incidents in Iraq is the lowest it has been in four years, he said. "I'm encouraged, but there is still a long way to go," Mullen said.

America Supports You: Tiger's Tournament Salutes Military

By Samantha L. Quigley
American Forces Press Service

May 28, 2008 - Professional golfer Tiger Woods understands the sacrifices
military families make and the importance of acknowledging those sacrifices. "I was raised in a military family," said Woods, whose late father, Earl, retired from the Army as a lieutenant colonel. "I know what it takes, the dedication it takes. They don't get enough thanks. And we're here to do that. We're here to say thank you."

He will say "thank you," this Fourth of July holiday when he hosts the second AT&T National golf tournament at Congressional Country Club here.

"We're trying to do whatever we can to showcase the
military and basically give thanks," Woods said in an interview before the news conference.

This year that includes making 30,000 tickets available to servicemembers. Active-duty troops, reservists and National Guardsmen, retired servicemembers, and Defense Department civilian personnel are eligible for two tickets per person per day of the July 2-July 6 tournament.

The tournament also is offering a one-time 10 percent discount on merchandise, though the discount does not apply at Congressional Golf Shop adjacent to the clubhouse, however. In addition, each day will be dedicated to one of the five services.

Honoring the
military and their families doesn't stop there, Woods said.

Twenty-five
military children will accompany Woods to the first tee July 2, where two of them will take ceremonial first shots. But not before servicemembers deployed overseas have taken their swings.

Nike has provided drivers and golf balls that are being shipped to six military locations around the globe. A servicemember at each location will hit the ball, which will then be returned along with video of those shots.

Woods, who has a great respect for the
military, said his father, and the military values he adhered to, have greatly shaped both his view of family and his direction in life. He's taken that to heart at home as well as on a global scale, hoping to be the same kind of father for his daughter, Samantha, that Earl Woods was to him.

"Family comes first," Woods said in the pre-conference interview. "My dad ... always made time for me. I'm looking back upon that, [and] that shaped me in the fact that I want to be there for Sam all the time," he said.

His dad also taught him about success, being a
leader, and the responsibilities that come with that role. That lesson was the foundation upon which he and his father created the Tiger Woods Foundation in 1996.

"My dad, I won't say pushed me, but he always made sure I understood what it took to be a leader, the responsibilities you have to accept -- and sometimes it's not always easy," Woods said. "That's hard for kids to understand who have never experienced it before."

This lack of
leadership and role models for children is not just a local phenomenon, he said. It's global.

"We have so many people around this world who need help, and we're going to do that," he said.

The foundation already has helped 10 million children through its character-development programs, scholarships, grants, junior golf teams, and the Tiger Woods Learning Center. And the gratitude he receives from the kids who are helped by the foundation is his greatest reward, he said.

"Golf is just what I do. It's not who I am," Woods said. "Having kids write letters and say, 'Thank you. I'm going to college. I'm doing things that I never thought I could do in my life,' gives me chills just thinking about it. That's the impact that everyone should have in life."

Proceeds from the 2008 AT&T National will benefit the Tiger Woods Foundation and its desire to expand its programs to the greater Washington area. The hope is to continue positively impacting the lives of future generations for years to come, according to a statement on the AT&T National site.

Fans can affect lives, as well. When purchasing a ticket on the AT&T National Web site, they can choose to make a donation to one of six charitable organizations benefiting
military families.

Proceeds from the "Click and Donate Program" will be equally distributed among the Fisher House Foundation, Military Officers of America's Scholarship Fund, National
Military Family Association, Our Military Kids, United Service Organizations of Metropolitan Washington, and Yellow Ribbon Fund.

All six organizations are supporters of America Supports You, a Defense Department program connecting citizens and companies with servicemembers and their families serving at home and abroad. The title sponsor of the tournament, AT&T, is a corporate supporter of the Defense Department program, as well.

Joint Chiefs Chairman Begins Pacific Trip

By Jim Garamone
American Forces Press Service

May 28, 2008 - The chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff has begun a swing through the Pacific that will take him to Indonesia, Singapore, the Philippines and Korea. After a 30-hour flight from Washington aboard a C-17,
Navy Adm. Mike Mullen will meet with Indonesian leaders in Jakarta. Indonesia is the fourth-largest country in the world and the largest majority Muslim nation. Officials traveling with the chairman said Indonesia has been a firm ally in the war on terror. Jemaah Islamiyah -- a terror group affiliated with al-Qaida -- has launched terror attacks in Bali and in Jakarta. The way forward against such groups and improving military-to-military contacts between Indonesia and the United States will dominate the discussions.

"It's not limited to that," a Joint Staff official, said on background. "We're going to listen to whatever concerns the Indonesians have."

Following the meetings, Mullen will fly to Singapore to participate in the Shangri-La Dialogue. The meeting is the premier defense meeting in the Pacific, and the chairman will meet up with Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates. The two will attend presentations and then hold a number of bilateral meetings with ministers of defense and chiefs of defense who also are attending the conference.

After the meetings end, Mullen will travel to the Philippines, where he will observe anti-terror exercises and meet with senior defense and government officials. The Philippines is a U.S. treaty ally.

The chairman will leave Manila to attend the change-of-command ceremony for Combined Forces Command and U.S. Forces Korea in Seoul. Once again he will meet up with Gates as
Army Gen. Burwell B. Bell turns over command to Army Gen. Walter "Skip" Sharp.

DoD Submits Reprogramming Action to Cover the Absence of Supplemental Funding

The Department of Defense yesterday submitted to the Congress reprogramming actions proposing to transfer a total of $9.7 billion to the Army and defense-wide accounts by borrowing the funds from other service accounts. This emergency action was necessary to extend Army and defense-wide operations in the absence of requested supplemental appropriations funds.

The two reprogramming requests would use transfer authority the Congress has provided the department and, if approved, would allow operations to continue until late July. The first reprogramming action would transfer $5.7 billion from the
military personnel accounts of the other services to the Army's military personnel account; the second would transfer $4 billion from the Operation and Maintenance (O&M) accounts of the other services and the DoD Working Capital Fund to the Army and Special Operations Command (SOCOM) O&M accounts.

The department previously outlined the steps that would be necessary to take to sustain operations, including maximizing the use of all available transfer authority as represented in these reprogramming actions. Without the ability to transfer these funds, the Army will run out of
military personnel funds necessary to pay its soldiers by June 15. Accordingly, the department is requesting that the appropriate Congressional committees act on the reprogramming action by no later than June 9.

Congressional approval of this $9.7 billion reprogramming will only allow another few weeks of operations until the department as a whole runs out of critical funding. Should Congress fail to pass the GWOT supplemental appropriations legislation by mid-July, the department will have exhausted all
military personnel and operations funding and will, at minimum, be unable to make payroll for both military and civilian personnel throughout the department. Service members and selected essential civilian employees, including those engaged in Iraq and Afghanistan, would continue to serve, but without pay. Non-essential civilian employees would be furloughed pursuant to applicable personnel procedures.

Wednesday, May 28, 2008

Gates Begins Asia Swing Focusing on Regional Security

By Donna Miles
American Forces Press Service

May 28, 2008 - Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates today kicked off a six-day swing through the Western Pacific that includes a keynote address at the 7th annual International Institute of Strategic Studies' Asia
Security Summit in Singapore. The visit, which also will take the secretary to Guam, Thailand and South Korea, will underscore the United States' enduring presence in and commitment to the region, a senior defense official traveling with Gates told reporters. It also will amplify the U.S. role in strengthening multilateral security cooperation.

The three-day security conference, known as the Shangri-La Dialogue after the hotel where it's held, will bring together more than 20 major participants for what the official called "the big
security fest in East Asia."

Gates' address at the first plenary session May 31 will set the stage for the next presidential administration, officials said. Pointing to the longstanding U.S. commitment, he will assure regional nations of continued commitment, regardless of who wins the U.S. general election.

The speech "transcends the immediate and looks at the enduring," another official said on background.

Gates will recognize changes within the Asia-Pacific theater, including the emergence of China and India as powers.

The issue of China's growing
military power, and lack of transparency about it, will almost certainly arise, the official said.

But this year, discussions are expected to be less contentious than at past Shangri-La dialogues. That's because the Defense Department released this year's China
Military Power report in early spring, rather than just before the conference as in 2006 and 2007, with unintended consequences, the official said.

"We did not want to step on Shangri-La and to set up this artificial confrontation atmosphere," he said.

Gates is slated to meet with Chinese Lt. Gen. M.A. Xiatian, deputy chief of general staff for the People's Liberation
Army, during a "pull-aside," an informal bilateral meeting during the conference.

The United States and China are moving toward more positive exchanges that transcend old Cold War paradigms, a State Department official traveling with Gates told reporters.

"This is not the competitive relationship of the Cold War," he said. "We are really working together to create the conditions that will be beneficial for all of us and all of the residents of the Asian-Pacific zone."

Gates will emphasize the strength of U.S. alliances and partnerships in maintaining regional
security during the formal Shangri-La sessions, as well as the many bilateral and pull-aside sessions planned.

His keynote speech "will show very convincingly that the alliance structure that is out there is not some Cold War relic, not something that constricts or confines alliance partners, but is very facilitative, very enabling, and also very flexible," an official said.

The United States is approaching
security challenges in the region not only multilaterally, but also as a "whole of government," the State Department official said.

"The face of American power projection in Asia these days isn't just
military. It's not just diplomatic. It's not just public diplomacy. It's not just development assistance," he said. "But it is really all of these things and more, woven together.

"And Secretary Gates has been an ardent advocate in our government back in Washington in making sure that we work and coordinate better as a government in projecting our power (and) in pursuing our security partnerships in Asia," he said. "So not only do we have more foreign countries as partners, but we are also more integrated as a government in engaging with them."

Examples of this cooperation – expected to be a focus at the Shangri-La conference – are ongoing humanitarian assistance missions in both Burma and China.

The Association of Southeast Asian Nations has come up with a new plan to speed up the delivery of aid to Burma and is expected to seek support for it at the conference. "This will be a place where a lot of comment is being exchanged. It is very much the current issue," an official said.

During Gates' first stop of the trip, in Guam, he will witness the massive construction effort under way to prepare for the arrival of
Marine forces being relocated from Okinawa.

An official traveling with Gates emphasized the importance of Guam, with its prime strategic location, its pro-
military population and its status as a U.S. territory. "This is not just another base," he said. "This is a place where you can project power from the continental United States and Hawaii -- ships, aircraft and land troops as well."

But increasingly, Guam is emerging as a node for multilateral
security cooperation in Southeast Asia, and for alliance transformation in Northeast Asia, the official said. "It is integral to the force posture transformation," he said.

MILITARY CONTRACTS May 28, 2008

ARMY

BAE Systems, Ground Systems Division, York, Pa., was awarded on May 23, 2008, a $525,298,032 firm-fixed price contract for remanufacturing of M2A3 and A3 Bradley
Fire Support Team Vehicles. Work will be performed in York, Pa., and is expected to be completed by Oct. 31, 2011. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. One bid was solicited on Sept. 14, 2007. TACOM, Warren, Mich., is the contracting activity (W56HZV-05-G-0005).

Foster-Miller, Inc.,
Waltham, Mass., was awarded on May 25, 2008, a $400,000,000 firm-fixed price contract for the procurement of Foster-Miller robotics system, upgrade kits, spare parts, training and engineering services. Work will be performed in Waltham, Mass., and is expected to be completed by May 25, 2013. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. One bid was solicited on May 23, 2008. Program Executive Office for Simulation, Training and Instrumentation, Orlando, Fla., is the contracting activity (W900KK-08-D-0037).

Harris Corp.,
Rochester, N.Y., was awarded on May 23, 2008, a $41,956,600 firm-fixed price contract for 150 vehicular installation kits for Mine Resistant Armor Protected (MRAP) vehicles. Work will be performed in Rochester, N.Y., and is expected to be completed by Aug. 18, 2008. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. One bid was solicited on May 9, 2008. U.S. Army TACOM Life Cycle Management Command, Warren, Mich., is the contracting activity (W56HZV-08-C-0441).

BAE Systems, Ground Systems Division, York, Pa., was awarded on May 23, 2008, a $13,508,509 firm-fixed price contract for authorized stockage list spares and options for additional spares. Work will be performed in York, Pa., and is expected to be completed by Oct. 31, 2011. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. One bid was solicited on Sept. 14, 2007. TACOM, Warren, Mich., is the contracting activity (W56HZV-05-G-0005).

AIR FORCE

L-3 Communications of Alpharetta, Ga., is being awarded an indefinite delivery/indefinite quantity contract for $6,785,212 (Maximum). This action provides for a five year indefinite delivery/indefinite quantity contract for the C-130 Remote Display Units. This contract minimum is 51 each and contract maximum is 101 each. The order for 51 each will be issued concurrent with the basic award. At this time $2,547,399 (order 0001) has been obligated. Robins AFB, Ga., is the contracting activity (FA8504-08-D-0001 and delivery order 0001).

Raytheon Co., of
Tucson, Ariz., is being awarded a firm fixed price contract for $412,207,351. This action will provide 98 Advanced Medium Range Air-to-Air Missile AIM-120D All-Up-round Missiles, 11 AIM-120D Air Vehicles Instrumented (AAVIs), eight AIM-120D Integrated Test Vehicles (ITVs), 78 AIM-120D Captive Air Training Missiles, 213 AIM-120C7 foreign military sales AURs, five AIM-120C foreign military sales AAVIs, Warranty for 68 AIM-120D AURs (USAF), Warranty for 11 AAVIs USAF, Warranty for 78 CATMs 9USAF/USN), 269 Non-Developmental Item-Airborne Instrumentation Units, Spares (US/FMS), Test Equipment, Obsolescence to include Radome source replacement, Quad Target Detection Device parts replacements, Common Air Launched Navigation System second source. At this time all the funds have been obligated. 695ARSS, Eglin AFB, Fla., is the contracting activity (FA8675-08-C-0049).

Champion Energy Services, LLC of
Houston, Texas, is being awarded a firm fixed price, indefinite term utilities contract for $400,000,000 (estimated for 20 years -- actual costs are dependent on electricity usage). This action will provide for retail electric provider services –contractor will manage a strategic supply portfolio, to provide renewable and non-renewable electricity for Goodfellow AFB, Laughlin AFB, and Sheppard AFB, Texas in the deregulated market. At this time $70,000 has been obligated. AETC CONS/LGCD, Randolph AFB, Texas, is the contracting activity (FA3002-08-D--0026).

L-3 Communications of Alpharetta, Ga., is being awarded a firm fixed price contract for $16,068,051 (maximum). This requirement is to establish repair contract for the Electronics Flight Indicators and Remote Display Units for the C-130 aircraft. At this time $2,268,555 has been obligated. 448SCMG/PKHE, Robins AFB, Ga., is the contracting activity (FA8538-08-D-0009).

NAVY

Alliant Techsystems (ATK) Tactical Systems Co., LLC, Rocket Center, W. Va., is being awarded a $9,982,292 cost-plus-fixed-fee, indefinite-quantity/indefinite-delivery contract for asset development, support for process development, facility and equipment design, and procurement and prove-out for the following products: energetic materials, solid propellant rocket motors and projectiles, air breathing propulsion systems, warheads, fuses, igniters, composite and metallic structures. ATK Propulsion and Controls, and the
Navy have consistently developed, established and modernized the facilities to improve research, development, and production capabilities for the Navy. This facility is one of the world's most modern energetic system production facilities and a center for state-of-the-art production and test of air-breathing and non-air breathing solid propellant rocket motors and composite structures for weapons systems. Work will be performed in Rocket Center, W. Va., and work is expected to be completed by May 2011. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was not competitively procured. The Naval Surface Warfare Center, Indian Head Division, Indian Head, Md., is the contracting activity (N00174-08-D-0009).

Northrop Grumman Corp., Electronic Systems, Defensive Systems Division, Rolling Meadows, Ill., is being awarded a $5,923,723 cost-plus-fixed-fee delivery order against a previously issued basic ordering agreement (N00019-08-G-0012) for Group-A and Group–B testing support on the
Navy CH-53E Large Aircraft Infrared Countermeasures Ultra Violet Engineering Change Proposal (ECP) aircraft including the development, operational and ECP validation and verification, support for personnel in the Safety of Flight Clearance process, and the installation of a Flight Instrumentation package. Work will be performed in Rolling Meadows, Ill., and is expected to be completed in May 2009. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Naval Air Systems Command, Patuxent River, Md. is the contracting activity.

Lockheed Martin Systems Integration-Owego, Owego, N.Y., is being awarded a $5,838,710 modification to a previously awarded cost-plus-incentive-fee contract (N00019-05-C-0076) for non-recurring efforts associated with integration of the Ku-Band Hawklink Common Data Link (CDL) into the MH-60R Block I upgrade. Work will be performed in Owego, N.Y. (80 percent); and Patuxent River, Md.,(20 percent), and is expected to be completed in Dec. 2008. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Naval Air Systems Command, Patuxent River, Md., is the contracting activity.