Wednesday, January 16, 2008

Africa Partnership Station Aims to Boost Maritime Security

By John J. Kruzel
American Forces Press Service

Jan. 15, 2008 - A multinational crew aboard USS Fort McHenry is cruising port to port in the Gulf of Guinea off Africa's west coast, training African volunteers on bolstering regional
security. Roughly halfway through a seven-month mission, the Africa Partnership Station is a U.S.-led response to requests by African nations for military-to-military or civilian-military maritime training, said Navy Vice Adm. Robert T. Moeller, U.S. Africa Command's deputy commander for military operations. AFRICOM is set to become fully functional Oct. 1.

"The concept of the Africa Partnership Station emanates from requests from the Africans themselves to be in a position where they could in fact have established the situational awareness and control over their maritime environment, which they recognized they did not have," the admiral said during an interview at the Pentagon today.

Moeller said the members of the training team -- which comprises U.S. Navy,
Coast Guard and interagency members, plus European allies -- are working to increase the professional capabilities and capacity of their African counterparts.

"We're very much interested in working with our African partners on those
security matters that are of most concern to them, and how we can work more closely with them in response to their desires, their needs that they themselves have identified," he said.

The admiral said maritime threats to the African continent include piracy, oil smuggling and human trafficking, among others. According to a fact sheet published by
Navy Office of Information, 62 piracy attacks were reported in African waters in 2006, illegal oil bunkering in the Niger Delta is a $3 million-per-day industry, and 60-percent of human trafficking occurs in Sub-Saharan Africa.

"Recognizing (these threats) themselves, the Africans have requested that we provide this kind of assistance," Moeller noted.

To date, APS operators have trained more than 600 African sailors from nine countries in various subjects, including
leadership, logistics, navigation, small boat handling, port security and martial arts, according to the Navy fact sheet.

In addition to military-to-military training, APS last month donated 15 pallets of food to AIDS patients and orphans in Cameroon. In concert with partners in Ghana, the APS crew used USS Fort McHenry's landing craft to deliver materials to ports at Tema and Sekondi.

The APS visit, designed to support and strengthen regional capabilities in West and Central Africa, is one in a series of activities aimed at building comprehensive maritime security on the African continent. APS is inspired by the belief that effective maritime safety and security will contribute to development, economic prosperity, and security ashore, Moeller said.

"Allowing (African participants) essentially to police and have control over (the maritime) environment leads directly and contributes directly to assure the ability of those countries to develop economically in a very stable way," he said, "because there's a direct relationship between a secure maritime environment and a secure and stable terrestrial environment."

The admiral said that by responding to specific African requests for assistance, and aligning itself with broad international and U.S. objectives, APS's charter reflects the overarching Africa Command mission.

"I think the Africa Partnership Station precisely epitomizes the kind of activities that AFRICOM will be doing with our African partners in the future," he said. "It is all about building the capacity of our African partners to be able to attend to their own security needs."

Home to a large section of the world's population, Africa is a continent of increasingly important strategic interests, Moeller said. It also is the site of humanitarian need, with regard to widespread instances of HIV, AIDS and malaria, and holds natural resources that haven't found their way to the global market, he added.

The Defense Department currently divides responsibility for Africa among three combatant commands: European Command, Pacific Command and Central Command. AFRICOM is a three-pronged defense, diplomatic and economic effort designed to enable U.S. government elements to work in concert with African partners without bureaucratic divisions created by the shared command structure.

The admiral said AFRICOM will begin to assume responsibilities from EUCOM over the coming months. As Oct. 1 approaches, AFRICOM will begin assuming PACOM and CENTCOM responsibilities.

Moeller said the transition from three combatant commands to one is "a work in progress." Members of the commands involved have held planning conferences over last several months to work through the details of how missions, activities, programs and exercises will be shifted into AFRICOM's purview.

Unlike other commands, AFRICOM will be staffed by a large number of State Department and U.S. Agency for International Development members, including a deputy commander of civilian-
military operations.

Moeller said Africa Command was conceived by President Bush and the Pentagon as a way to maintain a sole focus on the interests of African partners. The consolidation allows for more responsiveness and effectiveness. Additionally, it recognizes the growing strategic importance in "full spectrum" of strategic issues.

"In rolling all that up into one command," Moeller said, "part of our focus was to think through how we could best support other parts of the U.S. government agencies that conduct activities with our African partners across the continent."

Polish Missile-Defense Site Would Benefit All Europe, Official Says

By Gerry J. Gilmore
American Forces Press Service

Jan. 15, 2008 - A proposed anti-ballistic missile defense site in Poland would benefit all of Europe, a senior Pentagon spokesman said here today. Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates and Polish Defense Minister Bogdan Klich discussed Iraq, missile defense and other issues today during meetings held at the Defense Department's headquarters, Pentagon Press Secretary Geoff Morrell told reporters.

Gates and Klich "had a discussion about a range of issues," Morrell reported, including Polish plans to reduce their forces in Iraq while increasing their troop contribution in Afghanistan. There are now about 900 Polish troops in Iraq and around 1,200 in Afghanistan. News reports say Poland is considering withdrawing its forces from Iraq sometime this year, while sending 400 more troops to Afghanistan.

But Gates and Klich spent most of their time together discussing missile-defense issues, Morrell said. American
security experts believe that a missile-defense system should be installed in Eastern Europe, specifically placing an interceptor site in Poland and a related facility in the Czech Republic to counter the threat of a potential ballistic-missile strike from Iran.

A new Polish government was elected in November, and its senior officials have been examining the missile-defense issue, Morrell noted.

"I think we are now at the point where they understand where the previous government has negotiated" on the missile-defense issue, Morrell said of the senior Polish
leaders in the new government. "They have some domestic concerns which they are trying to address."

Meanwhile, Defense Department and other U.S. government officials continue to negotiate the missile-defense issue with Poland's government.

The proposed missile-defense program is "of vital importance, not just for us, but really for Europe, and that's the key here," Morrell emphasized. "Putting these interceptors in Poland does far more to benefit Europe and our allies there than it does for us."

The missile-defense issue also involves the Atlantic Alliance, Morrell pointed out. The United States and Poland are NATO members.

"This is an issue for NATO. Deploying interceptors in Poland will provide NATO with the ability to protect itself from a missile threat virtually everybody recognizes exists today," Morrell said.

America Supports You: Virginia Group Stays True to Military History

By Samantha L. Quigley
American Forces Press Service

Jan. 14, 2008 - During the early days of
World War II, the Bowler's Victory League completed its first project of purchasing two medical evacuation planes to bring wounded troops home. Some 66 years later, the organization's name is slightly different, but the organization's mission is still very much the same.

"The Bowlers to Veterans Link was founded in 1942 as the Bowler's Victory Legion to support the men returning from the battlefields of Europe," said Elizabeth Montanya, a spokeswoman for the group. "(Since then), BVL has provided the extras not funded by the government to our active-duty and veteran servicemen and women to help brighten their days."

To date, the group has raised nearly $36 million to purchase recreational equipment as well as to support therapeutic programs and services, she said.

"Currently, among (the organization's) many efforts, we are sending portable carpet bowling lanes and equipment to men and women on active duty in Iraq and Afghanistan, as well as hundreds of other locales around the globe," Montanya said. "The (kit), packaged in a nylon carrying bag, can be set up in a few minutes' time, whenever a break in the schedule permits."

The kits include a 26-foot-long red, white and blue carpet bowling lane, a 5-pound rubberized bowling ball, and lightweight plastic bowling pins. More than 500 kits already have been shipped, Montanya said.

Stateside, Bowlers to Veterans Link also offers tickets to museum and theater performances, and supports gardening and pet therapy programs.

It also is a longtime sponsor of four major recreation events each year that affect thousands of veterans -- the Golden Age Games, the Winter Sports Clinic, the Creative Arts Festival and the Wheelchair Games, according to the group's Web site.

Bowlers to Veterans Link is a supporter of America Supports You, a Defense Department program connecting citizens and corporations with
military personnel and their families serving at home and abroad.

The affiliation holds promise for the group on several fronts. "We are looking forward to getting a better handle on other programs that are under way and to perhaps find partners to continue our efforts and, subsequently, expand programming," Montanya said.

Face of Defense: Family Bonds Keep Network Controller Going


By Pfc. Samantha Schutz, USA
Special to American Forces Press Service

Jan. 14, 2008 - As the
Army's 4th Infantry Division settles into its recently assumed control of Multinational Division Baghdad, the Ironhorse credo -- "Mission, Soldier, Family, Team" -- remains a strong influence in the unit's everyday flow. For Army Sgt. 1st Class Anthony Rende, a native of Ilion, N.Y., and a network controller with Company C, Special Troops Battalion, being a deployed soldier on the Ivy team is an easy task as long as he knows his mission and has the support of his family.


Rende monitors communication links between the headquarters and its brigades. If a communication link stops working, he must act quickly to coordinate with the brigade and troubleshoot the problem. Communication is crucial, since other Multinational Division Baghdad troops are constantly patrolling various streets throughout Baghdad.

Ensuring continuous communication is an around-the-clock mission, so it is divided into day and night shifts. Rende tends his duties at night, while his family members back in the United States go about their day.

At his work station, Rende's
computer wallpaper is a collage of family photos: pictures of himself with his girlfriend, Lisa; his two daughters, Katelyn, 12, and Renae, 9; and Lisa's children, Alan, 13, Ramon, 8, and Brianna, 3.

"They're the ones who keep me going," Rende said. "Sometimes it seems like my kids are there for me more than I am for them."

From the time he enlisted in the
Army 12 years ago, Rende has been stationed in and deployed to countries all over the world, including Germany, Croatia and Macedonia. This particular deployment has been the most challenging, he said, because his children are beginning to understand the meaning of his absence.

"They're growing up," said Rende. "I hadn't even been here a month yet when Katelyn sent me a message on the Internet saying, 'Daddy, I had my first boyfriend. We broke up already. I don't like boys anymore because they don't know what they want.' She's just not my little girl anymore."

When Rende is relieved of his shift in the morning, the first thing he does when he gets back to his trailer is log on to the Internet so he can communicate with his family via e-mail and instant messaging programs.

Also, Rende said, he stays in touch with friends from all over the world who he met on an online program called PalTalk, on which he hosts his own
Internet radio show. Because of his tendency to make bogus phone calls during the program, he earned the moniker "The Crank Caller" and a fan base to go with it.

"The Internet here is too slow for me to do the show, but all my friends support me and can't wait for me to come back," Rende said.

Although being away from his family and friends is difficult, Rende said, he tries to take advantage of the time he has to himself. He is pursuing an associate's degree in applied science and
technology by taking online courses through Excelsior College.
"It's important to keep your education going," he said, adding that he advises young soldiers to take advantage of any kind of
college or correspondence courses they can while they're deployed.

Rende also tells his fellow deployed soldiers not to get complacent. Some soldiers who work in support of a division are not constantly in the line of fire, but that doesn't mean the danger is gone, he explained. Rende said he also reminds fellow soldiers to stay in good physical condition. He said he's seen people gain 30 to 40 pounds during a deployment because physical training isn't always scheduled into their day.

"But of course, family is the most important thing. Don't shut your family out; have them help push you through," Rende said. "I wear this uniform for my family."

When he and the rest of the Ivy team complete their mission in Iraq, Rende will be eager to enjoy a day of putt-putt golfing and a night of movies with his family, he said. Until then, he said, he continues to always place the mission first.

(
Army Pfc. Samantha Schutz serves with 4th Infantry Division Public Affairs.)

Joint Forces Command Exercise Trains Next Horn of Africa Task Force Leaders

By Donna Miles
American Forces Press Service

Jan. 14, 2008 -
Leaders preparing to deploy to Djibouti as the next headquarters staff at Combined Joint Task Force Horn of Africa are wrapping up a week-long exercise to prepare them for the challenges they'll face. The mission rehearsal exercise is under way at U.S. Joint Forces Command's Joint Warfighting Center in Suffolk, Va. Navy Rear Adm. Philip H. Green Jr., slated to take command of CJTF-HOA next month, called the exercise a welcome opportunity for him and his staff to work together as a team confronting realistic scenarios.

The task force's mission is to prevent conflict, promote regional stability and protect coalition interests in East Africa and Yemen. Green pointed to "three pillars" of the operational environment in Africa – defense, diplomacy and development – and said they work hand in hand in furthering the task force's efforts.

"The three pillars are all served through
military-to-military training engagements, cooperation efforts, (and) civil affairs programs there that add to our ability to build trust and confidence, develop capacity and capability and help forge ... relationships and partnerships with our African friends," he said.

"In the end, our efforts ... increase their security, improve stability and enable sovereignty for our African partners," he explained. "By doing that, we will make them contributors to the
security environment, and we will also hopefully assist and facilitate their own economic and social development that helps to improve the lives of the people that are there."

Green called the training Joint Forces Command provides, particularly its use of best practices and
lessons learned in training scenarios, as key to the task force's success.

Subject-matter experts from U.S. Central Command and several other government organizations, including the State Department and U.S. Agency for International Development, are participating in the mission rehearsal exercise.

Army Maj. Gen. Jason K. Kamiya, commander of the Joint Warfighting Center and JFCOM's joint training director, called the exercise another milestone in a training continuum that began in October with briefings about the Horn of Africa, its culture, ethnic makeup and embassy operations in the region, he explained.

In December, the JFCOM staff began focusing the new headquarters staff on staff functional training, from how the operations directorate would work, to how civil-
military operations coordinate with other efforts, to the combined joint task force's working relationship with embassy staffs.

Much of the emphasis has been on the
interagency nature of the mission in Africa, and the importance of drawing on more than just military capabilities to carry it out, Kamiya said.

More than 250 people, including representatives from Djibouti, Republic of Mauritius, United Kingdom and France, are participating in the mission rehearsal exercise that continues through Jan. 17. The training will continue after the task force deploys, with JFCOM trainers working with the new headquarters staff in the theater to improve their effectiveness and garner lessons for future task force headquarters to build on, Kamiya explained.

Green said he's excited by the challenges the upcoming mission presents.

"For my staff and me, the focus is developing friendships and forging partnerships with our African friends," he said. "We are there because they want us there, and we are in the business of helping them solve African challenges.

"In the end," he continued, "it's about solving African problems, and how we contribute to their efforts and their capacity and capability to do that is a very important role we play."