Monday, October 05, 2020

Esper's Africa Visit Aims to Encourage Stability, Interoperability

 Oct. 5, 2020 | BY Jim Garamone , DOD News

Defense Secretary Dr. Mark T. Esper's visit to Malta and North Africa reminded countries throughout Africa that the United States has interests throughout the continent and will work assiduously with like-minded nations to encourage peace and stability.

Esper visited Malta, Tunisia, Algeria and Morocco. He was the first defense secretary since Melvin Laird in 1971 to visit Malta, the first in Tunisia since Leon Panetta in 2012, and the first in Algeria since Donald Rumsfeld in 2005.

Man meets Marines

In Tunisia and Morocco, the secretary signed "roadmap" documents with leaders to chart bilateral cooperation between the militaries. Morocco, the first nation to recognize the nascent United States in 1777, has a long history of cooperation with America. Tunisia, the site of vicious fighting between Allied and Axis forces during World War II, would like to work closely with the United States to confront the problems that surround them.

Leaders in Algeria discussed ways the United States and Tunisia could work together more effectively to address the problems of the region.

And there are problems.

"Today, our strategic competitors China and Russia continue to intimidate and coerce their neighbors while expanding their authoritarian influence worldwide, including on this continent," Esper said during a speech in Tunisia. "At the same time, violent extremists continue to pose a threat not only to regional stability but also to our homeland. The United States' enduring partnership with like-minded countries — including here in North Africa — is key to addressing these challenges."

Men and women wearing face masks stand in a half circle while conversing.

While violence in Libya has abated, there is still a civil conflict going on. The Islamic State of Iraq and Syria looked to the disrupted state to plant cells and the areas around Sirte and Derna have some remnants of the group. The fear in the region is that ISIS could reconstitute if there isn't a political settlement in the nation.

Russia is looking to establish bases in Libya, and President Vladimir Putin has dispatched Russian units to the country.

Libya shares borders with Egypt, Tunisia, Algeria, Niger, Chad and Sudan, and they are porous. Ungoverned or "under governed" areas anywhere attract violent extremist groups and Libya could be a dangerous training area, staging ground and sanctuary.

The migrant crisis is also straining resources in these frontline states. Many of the migrants are fleeing violence in their lands, and many more are fleeing economic conditions. Hundreds of thousands of migrants have fled their lands and headed north hoping to get asylum somewhere safe. 

Men receive briefing at conference table

Other groups — like Boko Haram in West Africa and al Shabaab in Somalia — try to hide among the refugees to spread their pernicious philosophies and cause violence in new lands.

The United States wants to work with nations on the continent to create the stability that allows true security to emerge. Tunisia and Morocco are committed to the rules-based international order, human rights and the rule of law. The nations want to bring the type of security that allows economic progress. 

The DOD is just a part of the overall whole-of-government approach to these problems. But security makes possible the economic growth that ensures new jobs, new technologies and new opportunities for all.

Two men wearing face masks, sitting in chairs, are turned to each other for a discussion.

Both Morocco and Tunisia signed 10-year roadmaps with Esper. The agreements look for better ways for the nations to work together to fill capability gaps and to improve interoperability with U.S. forces.

U.S. Africa Command will play a large part in this effort. U.S. forces, for example, participate in Exercise African Lion, held yearly and hosted by Morocco. The exercise brings together nations from across the region to work together and learn from each other.

This is important because the problems in the region are multinational in nature. The migrant problem comes from more than just one country. Terrorist groups do not recognize national boundaries. Intelligence must be shared among governments to do any good.

The Esper visit was one of more than 500 visits by U.S. defense personnel to the African continent in the last year, DOD officials said. All of these visits are steps along the path to greater stability and, ultimately, to peace.

Connecticut National Guard Helps Distribute Masks to Schools

 Oct. 5, 2020 | BY Air Force Staff Sgt. Steven Tucker

Airmen and soldiers from the Connecticut National Guard helped both the Connecticut State Department of Education and the Division of Emergency Management and Homeland Security distribute masks to school districts throughout the state as many students and teachers transition back to in-person or hybrid learning.

Connecticut Guardsmen helped distribute approximately 100,000 masks to local school districts at the West Hartford Department of Public Works garage, which has served as a personal protective equipment distribution site for the state throughout the COVID-19 pandemic.

Soldiers and airmen wearing protective equipment load boxes into a vehicle.

A total of 600,000 adult-sized masks for grades 7-12 were distributed between the five DEMHS regions from Sept. 28 through Oct. 2. This was the first of two major mask shipments the state is receiving from the Federal Emergency Management Agency; the second shipment will contain child-sized masks.

The guardsmen expressed gratitude in supporting this mission

"I have three kids that are in school now," said Air Force Senior Airman Corey Brennan, 103rd Logistics Readiness Squadron air transportation specialist. "Knowing that they'll be able to learn in a safe environment is important for me as a parent, and helping the state provide that safe environment for students and teachers is very rewarding to me and all the members helping this operation."

Airmen wearing face masks load boxes into a vehicle.

Many of the guardsmen supporting the distribution have been constantly engaged in domestic operations responses for over six months. They have helped distribute PPE to nursing homes and played a key role in delivering bottled water to towns without power following Tropical Storm Isaias.

"Going around the state and meeting people from different areas and different departments like Public Health and Emergency Management has been really fulfilling," Brennan said. "There's a sense of teamwork between us and the community; everyone is trying to come together to do the best we can in whatever we're tasked with."

(Air Force Staff Sgt. Steven Tucker is assigned to the 103rd Airlift Wing)

Army Reserve Medic Reflects on Federal COVID-19 Response Mobilization

 Oct. 5, 2020

"Being here has shown me the best in humanity, and I am proud to have been a part of this task force," said Army Spc. Okan Pekgil, sharing his experience serving with an urban augmentation medical task force.

A combat medic, Pekgil was part of a team of 85 doctors, nurses, combat medics, respiratory therapists and ancillary personnel mobilized to South Texas. The unit was part of the Defense Department support of the Federal Emergency Management Agency's whole-of-America response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Soldiers wearing face masks walk in a line.

Assigned to assist DHR Health in Edinburg, Texas, the team spent several weeks expanding the capacity of care at the Rio Grande Valley facility.

"This was my first time working in a COVID-19 environment, and the first shift had me on edge," Pekgil said. "But after the first shift, everything sort of fell into place. I realized I was meant to be here and overcame any worry I had about being in the thick of things."

Born and raised in San Francisco, this was Pekgil's first mobilization.

"Working with such ill people was emotionally challenging, but I took solace in the fact that we were helping them heal and providing comfort," Pekgil said. "They knew they were not alone in their time of need."

He enlisted in 2019 at the age of 31.

"I joined the Army to be a part of something bigger than myself," Pekgil continued. "I feel I joined at the right time in my life, and it has been one of the best decisions I have ever made."

Pekgil is a biology major at San Francisco State University when not serving in America's Army Reserve.

"I chose the reserve in order to finish my undergraduate degree and attend graduate school while I care for my mother," he explained. "Being a medic is a wonderful way to care for and protect people I work with and fellow citizens."

A soldier promotes another soldier during a ceremony.

Promoted to the rank of specialist on the mobilization, Pekgil explained that his family is very supportive of his service.

"I am the son of Turkish immigrants, and besides my mother, the rest of my family is in Turkey," he said, sharing that his father is now deceased. "They are all very proud of me and feel that I have made a great choice by joining the U.S. Army."

As he returns from Texas, Pekgil shares a final thought as he prepares to catch up on his studies in order to make his December graduation.

"It was the honor of a lifetime to work alongside such brave and hard-working people. I have learned so much about medicine and appreciate how much I have grown since joining. I am looking forward to the road ahead," he said.

(Army Courtesy Story from Army Reserve Medical Command)

Big Buoy

 

Navy Petty Officer 3rd Class Andrew Cuellar inspects a buoy in the Tinian Harbor in the Northern Mariana Islands, Oct. 1, 2020. Cuellar is assigned to Underwater Construction Team 2, which is conducting inspections as part of a maritime infrastructure assessment of the harbor and surrounding waterfront facilities.

Cleaning Crew

 

Airmen wash a C-40C at Scott Air Force Base, Illinois, Sept. 9, 2020, to meet mission readiness requirements.

Pacific Ops

 

Sailors prepare to recover a rigid-hulled inflatable boat in the well deck of the USS Gabrielle Giffords in the Pacific Ocean, Sept. 21, 2020.

Air Support

 

Air Force Capt. Charlene Sufficool sits in the cockpit of an A-10 Thunderbolt II at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, Ariz., Sept. 17, 2020.

Lunch for Soldiers

 

Staff members with the Arizona USO and a local grocery store provide lunch to soldiers and airmen at the Silverlake Armory in Tucson, Ariz., Oct. 2, 2020. The soldiers and airmen are supporting Arizona’s COVID-19 humanitarian response.

Rosy Outlook

 

A Navy F/A-18E Super Hornet takes off from the flight deck of the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower in the Atlantic Ocean, Oct. 1, 2020. The aircraft carrier is supporting naval operations to maintain maritime stability and security to ensure access, deter aggression and defend U.S., allied and partner interests.