Tuesday, February 26, 2008

America Supports You: Veterans Get Help With Employment Services

American Forces Press Service

Feb. 25, 2008 - Veterans looking for a job in the
Cincinnati area should have an easier time, thanks to a new partnership. The Thank You Foundation has partnered with Careers in Focus to offer resume services, job coaching and job leads to veterans, the foundation's president said today.

"We hear plenty of stories about (
post-traumatic stress disorder) and the suicide rate among veterans," John Guinn said. "At the same time, many of these men and women are able to think on their feet, cope under pressure, and many possess technical skills valuable to most any employer.

"If we can help just one person through our efforts, it is worth it," he said.

Veterans and their families will receive a special discount from
Careers in Focus, an organization that assists individuals changing careers. This discount is available only through The Thank You Foundation. In addition, the foundation will seek funding to sponsor veterans to receive these services at no cost.

"Over the last year, we have identified areas in which we can be of greater service to veterans. The areas of health care and employment services seem to be the most needed," Guinn said. "It is our hope that we can assist those who are looking (for) employment in the civilian sector by leveraging the network of contacts that
Careers in Focus has, in order to help find jobs for these men and women."

In November, the foundation launched an initiative to build a mobile health unit for the
Cincinnati Veterans Affairs Medical Center. It also has been in discussions with Drake Hospital to explore options for providing quality health care for veterans.

Recently, the foundation partnered with Team Fastrax and Start Skydiving to offer the opportunity for disabled veterans and Purple Heart recipients to go tandem skydiving with the goal of helping them overcome challenges and enjoy a sense of accomplishment.

"We realize that saying 'thank you' is simply not enough. Those words need to be followed up with action and a commitment," Guinn said. "We all should be willing to commit to the betterment of the lives of our nation's heroes.

"We view building partnerships, encouraging cooperation amongst the various support groups and working with the business community as steps towards that commitment," he added.

The Thank You Foundation 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.

(From a Thank You Foundation news release.)

The July issue of the Hi Tech
Criminal Justice newsletter sponsored this entry.

Officials Declare Satellite Mission Successful

American Forces Press Service

Feb. 25, 2008 - Based on debris analysis, officials are confident the Feb. 21 missile intercept and destruction of a nonfunctioning National Reconnaissance Office satellite was successful in destroying the fuel tank and reducing risk to people on Earth, the Defense Department announced today. The satellite's fuel tank contained hydrazine, a hazardous chemical that could have posed a risk to humans if the satellite or its fuel tank had reentered the atmosphere intact.

"By all accounts, this was a successful mission. From the debris analysis, we have a high degree of confidence the satellite's fuel tank was destroyed and the hydrazine has been dissipated,"
Marine Gen. James E. Cartwright, vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said in a DoD news release.

A single modified
tactical Standard Missile-3 was fired from the USS Lake Erie to engage the satellite. Much of the debris from the satellite already has reentered the Earth's atmosphere or will reenter in the coming days and weeks, officials said. The Joint Functional Component Command for Space at the Joint Space Operations Center, at Vandenberg Air Force Base, Calif., is tracking less than 3,000 pieces of debris, all smaller than a football, which have not yet reentered the atmosphere. To date, there have been no reports of debris landing on Earth, and it is unlikely any will remain intact to hit the ground, officials said.

Cartwright praised the collaborative effort from the U.S. government, armed forces, industry and academia to destroy the satellite and reduce risk to human life.

"The
teamwork and interagency accomplishment associated with this operation was tremendous," he said. "Close workings with the National Security Council, State Department, Defense Department, NASA, Missile Defense Agency, National Reconnaissance Office, and Department of Homeland Security was absolutely key to the effort. The U.S. Navy, particularly the Pacific Fleet, was fundamental to the operation and did a superb job. The expertise of people from the U.S. Strategic Command, Air Force Space Command and Army Strategic Command was invaluable."

U.S. Strategic Command space surveillance sensors continue to track and characterize the debris to ensure timely notifications are made, if necessary, with regard to debris-related risk on the ground or to objects in orbit, officials said.

An article on
law enforcement officials sponsored this article and blog.

Gates Pledges U.S. Support to Indonesian Military

By Fred W. Baker III
American Forces Press Service

Feb. 25, 2008 - Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates today heralded Indonesia as a
leader in its region and pledged U.S. support to help the country continue its military reforms and build airlift and maritime capabilities. The secretary landed here this morning to meet with Indonesia's president and its defense and foreign ministers.

He held a short news conference alongside Defense Minister Juwono Sudarsono and later spoke to the Indonesian Council on World Affairs. In both events, the secretary reaffirmed the two countries' friendship and said he considers Indonesia "an important regional
leader with global reach."

"Our relationship with Indonesia has made great strides in the past few years, and I have every expectation that it will continue to do so in the near and far future," Gates said.

Gates' first visit to Indonesia comes at a time when the government here is reforming its
military and national security programs. The country is pulling its military out of domestic policing functions and is backfilling those roles with a police force. It also is revamping its budgeting process and removing much of the military's private business influence, and it is putting more separation between its officers and politics, a senior U.S. defense official said, speaking on background before the visit.

The secretary's visit shows the Defense Department is accepting Indonesia's place as a pivotal country in the region, the official said. The country is key to regional
security because of its strategic location astride a number of key international maritime straits, particularly the Malacca Strait.

Discussions here today centered on ways the United States can work more closely with the Indonesian
military, Gates said, specifically helping the country's military continue its reformation and develop capabilities in the airlift and maritime domains.

Indonesia's armed forces total about 350,000, members, according to U.S. State Department figures. The
army is the largest branch, with about 280,000 active-duty personnel.

The 250,000-member Indonesian National
Police was a branch of the armed forces for several years, but was separated from the military in April 1999.

Indonesia, rebounding after a crippling financial crisis in the late 1990s, has seen a commodity boom, and there is growing self-confidence within in the country. But much of its
military equipment is old and in need of repair or replacement. Gates said U.S. help could come in the form of providing training or equipment.

Indonesia has emerged as the third-largest democracy in the world after decades of
military-dominated rule. In November 2005, the United States normalized military-to-military relations with the country. Gates said the Indonesian military has become more capable and more professional. He lauded its peacekeeping efforts in Lebanon, Congo, Liberia, Georgia, Nepal and Sudan.

Speaking to the Indonesian Council on World Affairs at the end of the day, Gates called Indonesia's shift "remarkable," considering it took place against the backdrop of a devastating tsunami, one of the world's most severe financial crises, a rise in
terrorist activity and a transformation of both the government and military.

These internal changes have played out against the backdrop of overall shifts in the region as a whole, Gates said. Since the end of the Cold War, Asia's security environment has undergone remarkable change, and in recent years, the nations of Asia have, for the most part, achieved unprecedented wealth and stature as they have forged more mature political, economic and
military institutions, he said.

As a result, new centers of power have risen alongside new sources of instability. Piracy, ethnic strife and poverty, as well as emerging
terrorism, pose the region's threats, Gates said. To combat these challenges, countries must work together, the secretary said.

"What these challenges have in common is that they simply cannot be overcome by one, or even two countries, no matter how wealthy or powerful. They require multiple nations acting with uncommon unity developing areas where each partner can bring its unique capabilities to bear," Gates said.

Gates went on to say that there has been a shift, as well, in the U.S. defense strategy in Asia to one that moves away from a permanent presence and direct action by U.S. forces toward building the capacity of partner nations to better defend themselves. He referenced a mix of
military, diplomatic, cultural and humanitarian efforts.

"In this vein, the United States
military -- even with ongoing operations in Afghanistan and Iraq -- is engaged with more Asian governments doing more things in more constructive ways than at any time in our history," Gates said.

During the speech to the council, Gates called for an end to the Cold War model of Asian security that put the United States at the center with a series of bilateral alliances with other countries. He cited the need for multilateral alliances instead, in which all countries cooperate.

"This does not mean any weakening of our bilateral ties, but rather enhancing
security by adding multilateral cooperation," Gates said.

This multilateral approach, Gates said, will be needed to take on the spread of
terrorism and other security threats.

"We live in a world today where the most pressing problems confronting us, ... for the most part, cannot be solved by any single nation," Gates said. "And, therefore, recognition that there are a number of powerful nations and groups of nations that must play a part in solving these problems ... is the first step to begin solving them."

This is the approach the United States has taken in recent years, Gates said.

"I believe that an underlying theme of American history is that we are compelled to defend our
security and our interests in ways that, in the long run, lead to the spread of democratic values and institutions," the secretary said. "That is to say, the spread of freedom and security in places like Indonesia both manifests our ideals and protects our interests."

This is Gates' third stop on a nine-day, around-the-world trip to this region that also will include visits to India and Turkey.

Information on driving and force
simulation was helpful in sponsoring this article.