Editor's Note: The author is a former servicemember.
July 14, 2009 (San Dimas, CA) American Heroes Press announced that the co-author of Leadership: Texas Hold ‘em Style, Lieutenant Raymond E. Foster, LAPD (ret.) will be a guest on the internet-based radio program Ask Sharifah, on July 30, 2009 at 2PM Pacific.
Date: July 30, 2009
Time: 2PM Pacific
Listen Live:
http://www.blogtalkradio.com/Sharifah/2009/07/30/Leadership-Texas-Hold-em-Style
ABOUT THE PROGRAM
Sharifah Hardie has over 15 years of online experience, is Google's #1 Ranked "Professional Business Consultant," the host of Ask Sharifah Radio Show and spotlights business owners on her website, "Celebrate Your Online Success." Call in and spotlight your business, ask your online marketing, website design, social network, internet, affiliate program, search engine related questions Monday - Friday at 2:00PM PST. For more information about Sharifah Hardie visit her website: Professional Business Consultant.
ABOUT RAYMOND E. FOSTER
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. He has completed his doctoral studies in business research. Raymond is a graduate of the West Point Leadership program and has attended law enforcement, technology and leadership programs such as the National Institute for Justice, Technology Institute, Washington, DC.
Raymond has been a part-time lecturer at California State University, Fullerton and is currently a faculty advisor and chair of the Criminal Justice Program at the Union Institute and University. He has experience teaching upper division courses in law enforcement, public policy, 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.
His first book, Police Technology is used in over 100 colleges and universities nationwide. He latest book, Leadership: Texas Hold ‘em Style has been adopted by several universities for course work in leadership; by several civil service organizations and required reading for promotion; and, has been well received in the wider market.
ABOUT THE BOOK
Using poker as analogy for leadership, Captain Andrew Harvey, CPD (ret.), Ed.D. and Lieutenant Raymond E. Foster, LAPD (ret.), MPA found the right mix of practical experience and academic credentials to write a definitive book for leaders. Working together, Harvey and Foster have written Leadership: Texas Hold em Style. Most often leaders find they are given a set of resources people, equipment, funds, experience and a mission. As Foster noted, "You're dealt a certain hand. How you play that hand as a leader determines your success."
More than a book: A fun and entertaining journey through leadership that includes an interactive website to supplement knowledge gained from the book.
Proven and Tested: Not an academic approach to leadership, but rather a road-tested guide that has been developed through 50-years of author experience.
High Impact: Through the use of perspective, reflection, and knowledge, provides information that turns leadership potential into leadership practice.
Ease of Application: Theory is reinforced with real-life experience, which results in accessible and practical tools leaders can put to use immediately.
High Road Approach: Personal character and ethical beliefs are woven into each leadership approach, so leaders do the right thing for the right reasons.
Uses Game of Poker: Rather than a dry approach that is all fact and no flavor, the game of poker is used as a lens through which to view leadership concepts.
CONTACT INFORMATION
Lieutenant Raymond E. Foster, LAPD (ret)
909.599.7530
raymond@hitechcj.com
www.police-writers.com
Showing posts with label justice. Show all posts
Showing posts with label justice. Show all posts
Tuesday, July 14, 2009
Wednesday, December 17, 2008
Defense Officials Address Sexual Assault Reporting Issues
By Army Staff Sgt. Michael J. Carden
American Forces Press Service
Dec. 17, 2008 - Three years of data and study have helped Defense Department officials determine that unreported occurrences -- not frequency of assaults -- is the main issue concerning sexual assaults within the three U.S. service academies, the deputy director of the department's sexual assault prevention and response program said. "There's a gap between the number of incidences ... being reported to us anonymously on survey and the actual number of cadets coming forward and reporting those incidences to the authorities at the academies," Air Force Lt. Col. Nathan Galbreath said. "And that gap is what we're most concerned about."
Across the campuses of the three service academies -- the U.S. Military Academy in West Point, N.Y.; the Naval Academy in Annapolis, Md.; and the Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs, Colo. -- only about 10 percent of sexual assault and harassment incidences were reported last year, according to the Defense Department's Academic Program Year 2007-2008 Service Academy Gender Relation Survey released today.
Through anonymous surveys at each academy, Defense Department officials found that 9 percent of women and 1 percent of men experienced some form of unwanted sexual contact last year. The statistics are based off responses from all women cadets and midshipmen and one-third of the men, for a total of 74 percent of the student bodies.
Of the more than 300 incidences, only 34 were reported, which is down from 40 in 2006 and 42 in 2005. Of the 34, 18 were unrestricted reports, and 16 were restricted, a reporting option that allows the victim to receive care without launching a formal investigation.
"We think that reporting that crime is really the first step in restoring cadet resilience, not only as a future leader in the military, but also as an individual to help them cope with the stresses of military life," Galbreath said.
Coming forward gives victims access to "top-notch care" provided at the academies, with counseling and support through the military justice system, if that's what's required, Galbreath said.
"We have some of the best care possible in the world just waiting for them," he added. "We can deliver that care confidentially if they like, so [victims] should not be scared in coming forward ... so they can get back on their feet again and get out and become a real effective war fighter."
Still, getting victims to come forward is a hurdle. The perceived stigma of being a sexual assault victim is one of the bigger reasons so few incidences are reported, Galbreath said.
"They don't want to be the person that causes disruption in the unit," he explained. "And that's a really hard place for a sexual assault victim to be in, but we want them to know they should not be ashamed to come forward and get assistance."
Along with making care available, each academy has been successful in establishing prevention programs, Galbreath said. Almost every student has received some form of awareness and prevention training; 90 percent said the training has made their environments safer and sexual assault less of a problem, he noted.
Galbreath said he's encouraged by the prevention program and the survey's findings. Over the next year, prevention program officials hope to develop new training initiatives and eventually have the service academies apply the changes into their curriculums, he said.
Influencing victims to come forward -- getting the reported numbers to closer reflect the anonymous surveys -- is a long-term initiative, he said, and it may take as long as six to 10 years.
American Forces Press Service
Dec. 17, 2008 - Three years of data and study have helped Defense Department officials determine that unreported occurrences -- not frequency of assaults -- is the main issue concerning sexual assaults within the three U.S. service academies, the deputy director of the department's sexual assault prevention and response program said. "There's a gap between the number of incidences ... being reported to us anonymously on survey and the actual number of cadets coming forward and reporting those incidences to the authorities at the academies," Air Force Lt. Col. Nathan Galbreath said. "And that gap is what we're most concerned about."
Across the campuses of the three service academies -- the U.S. Military Academy in West Point, N.Y.; the Naval Academy in Annapolis, Md.; and the Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs, Colo. -- only about 10 percent of sexual assault and harassment incidences were reported last year, according to the Defense Department's Academic Program Year 2007-2008 Service Academy Gender Relation Survey released today.
Through anonymous surveys at each academy, Defense Department officials found that 9 percent of women and 1 percent of men experienced some form of unwanted sexual contact last year. The statistics are based off responses from all women cadets and midshipmen and one-third of the men, for a total of 74 percent of the student bodies.
Of the more than 300 incidences, only 34 were reported, which is down from 40 in 2006 and 42 in 2005. Of the 34, 18 were unrestricted reports, and 16 were restricted, a reporting option that allows the victim to receive care without launching a formal investigation.
"We think that reporting that crime is really the first step in restoring cadet resilience, not only as a future leader in the military, but also as an individual to help them cope with the stresses of military life," Galbreath said.
Coming forward gives victims access to "top-notch care" provided at the academies, with counseling and support through the military justice system, if that's what's required, Galbreath said.
"We have some of the best care possible in the world just waiting for them," he added. "We can deliver that care confidentially if they like, so [victims] should not be scared in coming forward ... so they can get back on their feet again and get out and become a real effective war fighter."
Still, getting victims to come forward is a hurdle. The perceived stigma of being a sexual assault victim is one of the bigger reasons so few incidences are reported, Galbreath said.
"They don't want to be the person that causes disruption in the unit," he explained. "And that's a really hard place for a sexual assault victim to be in, but we want them to know they should not be ashamed to come forward and get assistance."
Along with making care available, each academy has been successful in establishing prevention programs, Galbreath said. Almost every student has received some form of awareness and prevention training; 90 percent said the training has made their environments safer and sexual assault less of a problem, he noted.
Galbreath said he's encouraged by the prevention program and the survey's findings. Over the next year, prevention program officials hope to develop new training initiatives and eventually have the service academies apply the changes into their curriculums, he said.
Influencing victims to come forward -- getting the reported numbers to closer reflect the anonymous surveys -- is a long-term initiative, he said, and it may take as long as six to 10 years.
Monday, December 01, 2008
Obama Taps Gates to Keep Serving as Defense Secretary
By Jim Garamone
American Forces Press Service
Dec. 1, 2008 - Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates will remain in the Pentagon's top post when President-elect Barack Obama's administration takes office. Obama, who also announced his other nominees for top national security posts today, cited the necessity of continuity as the United States fights wars in Afghanistan and Iraq as his rationale for asking Gates to stay.
In a statement, Gates said he is "deeply honored" that the president-elect asked him to continue serving.
"Mindful that we are engaged in two wars and face other serious challenges at home and around the world, and with a profound sense of personal responsibility to and for our men and women in uniform and their families, I must do my duty -- as they do theirs," Gates said in his statement. "How could I do otherwise?
"Serving in this position for nearly two years -- and especially the opportunity to lead our brave and dedicated soldiers, sailors, airmen, Marines and defense civilians -- has been the most gratifying experience of my life. I am honored to continue to serve them and our country, and I will be honored to serve President-elect Obama," Gates said.
Obama also announced his intent to nominate the following people to serve in his administration:
-- New York Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton to be secretary of state;
-- Retired Marine Corps Gen. James L. Jones Jr. to be national security advisor;
-- Eric H. Holder to be attorney general;
-- Arizona Gov. Janet Napolitano to be secretary of homeland security; and
-- Susan Rice to hold Cabinet rank as U.S. ambassador to the United Nations.
Gates will not have to go through the Senate confirmation process. President George W. Bush nominated Gates as defense secretary in November 2006. The Senate approved the nomination, and he was sworn into office in December 2006 to succeed Donald H. Rumsfeld. Gates will be the first Cabinet officer to continue serving in an administration from a different political party.
Clinton has represented New York since her election in 2000 and has served on the Senate Armed Services Committee. She served as the chairwoman of the Task Force on National Health Care Reform in 1993. She has supported military action in Afghanistan, and has opposed recent actions in Iraq. In the Senate, she sponsored legislation to increase the size of the Army and has consistently worked to help military families. If confirmed, she will replace Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice.
Jones retired in 2007 after serving as NATO's supreme allied commander for Europe and commander of U.S. European Command. Before that assignment, he was the Marine Corps commandant. Jones received his commission through Georgetown University in Washington in 1967 and served in Vietnam. He received the Silver Star for his actions there. As NATO commander, he led the expansion of the International Security Assistance Force in Afghanistan. As national security advisor, he will help to coordinate all aspects of U.S. power in the war on terror. He is currently chairman of the Atlantic Council of the United States. If approved, he would replace Stephen Hadley.
Holder served as deputy attorney general in the Clinton administration. He also has served as a judge, a prosecutor and as a front-line lawyer in the Justice Department. A native New Yorker, Holder received his law degree from Columbia University. If confirmed, he would succeed Michael Mukasey.
If confirmed, Napolitano would be responsible for the Coast Guard as part of her portfolio as homeland security secretary. A lawyer, she served as Arizona's attorney general before being elected as governor in 2002. Napolitano would replace Michael B. Chertoff.
Rice served on the National Security Council in the Clinton administration as assistant secretary of state for African affairs. She will replace Zalmay Khalilzad in the U.N. post.
American Forces Press Service
Dec. 1, 2008 - Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates will remain in the Pentagon's top post when President-elect Barack Obama's administration takes office. Obama, who also announced his other nominees for top national security posts today, cited the necessity of continuity as the United States fights wars in Afghanistan and Iraq as his rationale for asking Gates to stay.
In a statement, Gates said he is "deeply honored" that the president-elect asked him to continue serving.
"Mindful that we are engaged in two wars and face other serious challenges at home and around the world, and with a profound sense of personal responsibility to and for our men and women in uniform and their families, I must do my duty -- as they do theirs," Gates said in his statement. "How could I do otherwise?
"Serving in this position for nearly two years -- and especially the opportunity to lead our brave and dedicated soldiers, sailors, airmen, Marines and defense civilians -- has been the most gratifying experience of my life. I am honored to continue to serve them and our country, and I will be honored to serve President-elect Obama," Gates said.
Obama also announced his intent to nominate the following people to serve in his administration:
-- New York Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton to be secretary of state;
-- Retired Marine Corps Gen. James L. Jones Jr. to be national security advisor;
-- Eric H. Holder to be attorney general;
-- Arizona Gov. Janet Napolitano to be secretary of homeland security; and
-- Susan Rice to hold Cabinet rank as U.S. ambassador to the United Nations.
Gates will not have to go through the Senate confirmation process. President George W. Bush nominated Gates as defense secretary in November 2006. The Senate approved the nomination, and he was sworn into office in December 2006 to succeed Donald H. Rumsfeld. Gates will be the first Cabinet officer to continue serving in an administration from a different political party.
Clinton has represented New York since her election in 2000 and has served on the Senate Armed Services Committee. She served as the chairwoman of the Task Force on National Health Care Reform in 1993. She has supported military action in Afghanistan, and has opposed recent actions in Iraq. In the Senate, she sponsored legislation to increase the size of the Army and has consistently worked to help military families. If confirmed, she will replace Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice.
Jones retired in 2007 after serving as NATO's supreme allied commander for Europe and commander of U.S. European Command. Before that assignment, he was the Marine Corps commandant. Jones received his commission through Georgetown University in Washington in 1967 and served in Vietnam. He received the Silver Star for his actions there. As NATO commander, he led the expansion of the International Security Assistance Force in Afghanistan. As national security advisor, he will help to coordinate all aspects of U.S. power in the war on terror. He is currently chairman of the Atlantic Council of the United States. If approved, he would replace Stephen Hadley.
Holder served as deputy attorney general in the Clinton administration. He also has served as a judge, a prosecutor and as a front-line lawyer in the Justice Department. A native New Yorker, Holder received his law degree from Columbia University. If confirmed, he would succeed Michael Mukasey.
If confirmed, Napolitano would be responsible for the Coast Guard as part of her portfolio as homeland security secretary. A lawyer, she served as Arizona's attorney general before being elected as governor in 2002. Napolitano would replace Michael B. Chertoff.
Rice served on the National Security Council in the Clinton administration as assistant secretary of state for African affairs. She will replace Zalmay Khalilzad in the U.N. post.
Sunday, November 09, 2008
Staying Power: Army's Wounded Care Program Transformed for Future, General Says
By Fred W. Baker III
American Forces Press Service
Nov. 7, 2008 - Brig. Gen. Gary Cheek, the Army's assistant surgeon general for warrior care and transition, recently spoke with American Forces Press Service about the Army's transformed wounded warrior care program. What follows is a question-and-answer session from that interview.
Q. It has been a little more than a year since the first wounded warrior brigade was stood up at Walter Reed Army Medical Center. Tell me how you think the model is doing and, overall, how you think the Army is doing in taking care of wounded warriors.
A. It is a tremendous program. We have literally completely transformed our rehabilitative care ... as we transition the soldier from inpatient care to either going back to the Army or civilian life.
To some degree we've never really fully had what I would call a rehabilitative capability in the Army on the scale of what we're doing now. Once we became engaged in the two wars now, when we started to look for those rehabilitative capabilities, they really didn't exist. I don't know that we have it exactly the way we want it yet, but I think we're at a point of irreversible momentum to where we will get these things really up, designed, functioning with the policies in place to make them a terrific system.
Q. So, do you think the triad of care and the warrior transition unit models are working for the Army?
A. Really when you look at what was going on at Walter Reed [before February 2007 when the Washington Post news articles exposed a breakdown in wounded warrior care there] it was really just a microcosm of the entire Army and our systems. I don't want to point too sharp a stick at it ... but it was not a system that we needed to properly take care of soldiers.
We were hit pretty hard about the facilities. But that's really only a small part of it. We had really no leadership structure. We were actually using an NCO that was in charge of those soldiers who was himself a cancer patient. We had no structure, no military discipline, no requirements for formation. We had soldiers that were not wearing uniforms, not getting hair cuts, growing beards, and really left to their own devices.
If you were a soldier trying to work the system and hang out there as long as you want, that was great. If you were a soldier who wanted to get better and get back to his unit, it was frustrating. It was difficult.
We didn't take good care of the families. We weren't watching out for the soldiers. We did not have the traditional military structure and leadership that soldiers are accustomed to. We also really didn't know what was going on. We weren't really checking and measuring how we were doing.
And that has completely changed. Now, by contrast, we have the 35 warrior transition units. We did consider going back to the rehab center concept ... but the reason we didn't want to do that is because we felt that to properly rehabilitate a soldier, it's best to have him close to his home, his family, his comrades. We wanted a system that was more adaptable.
We stood up the military unit with the familiar things like company commanders, and first sergeants and squad leaders and platoon sergeants and added to that some medical management capability with a nurse case manager and primary care physician.
All in all, I think we are off to a tremendous start to this program and we continue to adjust and revise.
Q. Do you think that that discipline helps them re-associate with the Army and focuses their intent on healing?
A. Absolutely. These are soldiers. And for a soldier, the things like the Uniform Code of Military Justice, the standards, the customs and the courtesies all apply. That leadership has to take into account the conditions ... unique to that soldier. Of course they will use judgment when dealing with those soldiers. We want to have discipline. We don't want it to be overly harsh. We want it to be appropriate.
The discipline I think is key and it is a big part of their rehabilitation and healing. That same discipline is also going to be pushing them to follow the instructions of their providers, their therapists and making their appointments.
Q. You've had some difficulty with the staffing the transition units. I know there are some initiatives to get that up to 100 percent. How is that going?
A. Is important for us to have the cadre right and the ratios should be at 100 percent and that's what we're moving toward. But I think there are some key misperceptions. The first one is, yes we have over 12,000 soldiers in this program ... but it is not 12,000 catastrophically wounded soldiers from theater. About one-third were evacuated from theater ... the other 66 percent really have come from our units ... a soldier in a car accident, a soldier who has cancer, a soldier with a sports injury, a soldier injured in training. Seventy-five percent of those 12,000 are combat veterans. We have a moral obligation to take care of all of them and that's what we'll do.
But the important thing is the cadre that looks after those soldiers is more to manage their care. It's not that they're being denied medical care. It's not that they're not being taken care of or supervised. They are.
The methods we were using to staff those cadres ... were just not agile enough to keep up with the growth. We've changed the way we're doing that. We have mandated to stay up with these ratios based on the population. We have brought in our commanders at the major command level ... all around the world, all of our installation commanders ... and we really came to a common azimuth that we're all responsible for this and we're going to keep this straight.
The main thing I would say is that even when the cadre's strengths were below the ratios we had set, I do not believe that had a major impact on the care provided to those soldiers.
As every day passes, the warrior transition units and the services, the medical care, the discipline, all the things we provide will get better and stronger with time.
Q. What was the rationale behind bringing in all wounded, ill and injured soldiers into the program, because it would seem to create more of an issue with barracks and staffing?
A. I suppose we could consider a special program for only our wounded soldiers, but then when I have a soldier who has three combat tours and he's injured in a motorcycle accident, he's not eligible. Do we not have an obligation to take care of him?
It is really about the severity of the wound, the illness or the injury. How bad is the medical condition of that soldier? That's what gains entry into this system.
We're going to tighten our criteria a bit. We have a significant number of soldiers in our warrior transition units that have a long-term problem, but with rather routine rehabilitative needs. In the future, we will more than likely keep that soldier in his unit and use traditional leadership to supervise him and the medical care provided to do that. We want to make our warrior transition units focus on those that need that intense managed care.
In the end, ...we didn't stand them up to ride focused, intense management of soldiers with fairly simple issues that don't require that. As the pendulum swings, we're going to bring it back but we're going to bring it back very carefully.
Q. How is your access to senior Army leadership and what is the priority for wounded warrior care?
A. I would say our support from the senior leaders of the Army is enormous. I easily have direct access to any of them should I need to bring up an issue. Typically it works the other way around. They typically call me and I go there quite often.
Q. Is the Army able to change its policies and procedures fast enough to accommodate the needs of wounded warriors?
A. I would say yes, but I would also say we have to be very careful. You want to be very wary of a knee-jerk reaction.
We are pretty agile, but we have to be very careful I think because the second- and third-order effects of making policy changes sometimes are not apparent. Our decision, for example, to bring a lot of our medical evaluation board soldiers into the WTUs had that beneficial effect for deploying units in that it removed them from their books and allowed them to get more personnel. And to some degree it brought these soldiers together where we could help expedite their board process .... The second-order effects were we had this explosion in our population and we had this great challenge of getting our cadre up to strength. And when we finally stepped back and looked at this population, we determined that ... this was designed to provide focused managed care and a lot of soldiers we brought in don't need that.
Q. Can you talk about streamlining the board process and where the Army is with its pilot program?
A. This is a process that's been around for probably 50 years. It's a very deliberate process that makes sure we do it right and that the best interests of the soldier are protected. So that process has got a lot of checks along the way to make sure we don't misstep.
We have looked hard at eliminating some of the duplicative paperwork. We're also going to automate this system. By January, we will be able to do this in an automated fashion which should help us considerably. The pilot brings the VA and the Army together to do a single physical. We used to do two.
What we would really like to see is the Army not to be in the disability business. The Army's decision really ought to be about fitness to serve or not. You can either stay in the Army or not, based upon your physical condition. The disability decision, we would rather have that be in the Veterans Affairs. Let them make the decision of the disability and work that.
For the soldier, he or she wants to make sure that they retain medical benefits for the family, to not have any degradation of pay ... and be as physically capable as they can. The MEB and our process really doesn't necessarily look after those interests. There will be some disappointed ... soldiers.
So until we can resolve that, we are left with this system which unfortunately puts us in a bit of an adversarial relationship with the solder.
Q. So are you saying that you would like to see that fall entirely to the VA? The soldier transitions to the VA, and the VA assigns the benefits and the compensation?
A. Right, and of course that's a sticky point because that gives the VA to some degree the keys to the kingdom to get into the ... Department of Defense's money. But ... it is the way the law is structured right now, so this is not a policy we can change. But it is one we often discuss with Congress and we say we would like this law changed.
But as long as we cooperate on the physical, it seems to me we can make some progress here, but within limits.
Q. The Army has begun leaning forward in allowing [seriously wounded] soldiers to stay on active duty if they choose. Why?
A. For any soldier who has been wounded in combat who wants to continue on active duty, we have yet to say 'no.' That's not a policy. I just know that to be a fact. Every one of those is done on a case-by-case basis.
We have a tremendous positive track record for great servants who have been grievously wounded in combat [and continued on active duty]. When we look at the history of the service that has been done by some of those who have made those kinds of sacrifices, I think keeping them in the Army has a lot of merit. They have a lot to offer.
I was sitting at lunch with a group of soldiers and one soldier told me how deeply appreciative he was of the transition assistance he was getting. He was being medically separated from the Army, but in the time he was in the WTU, he was able to take college courses and he was able to get coordinated to attend college [after he separated]. And he really was very complimentary of how he had been treated and helped and counseled through that process.
Across the table, another soldier said, "You know I am returning to duty and I really didn't get much at all."
From his perspective, we were putting more effort to get soldiers out of the Army than we were to keep soldiers in the Army. Boy, that was like a smack right on the forehead.
This gave me new energy to work that. We want to place a retention NCO in each of our WTU battalions and build a retention program to encourage our soldiers to stay in the Army. In particular, we may have a soldier who is medically unqualified for his current specialty, but we may be able to find another way to use his or her talents in another specialty.
We went to the AW2 symposium ... I spoke to those soldiers there and asked how many would like to be a cadre member. And a number of them were very interested in doing that. So I think we have a resource right there alone just for our own warrior transition units where these soldiers can serve. They can teach in schools. In many cases, they do continue to serve in their MOS and deploy to combat.
Q. What feedback are you getting from the troops and the families?
A. The feedback I get from families ... is really spectacular. I think especially for those families when they first arrive ... There's a lot of reticence and uneasiness about the condition of their loved one. But they are embraced immediately. So they are put at ease very quickly and taken great care of. For many of them, their challenges lie ahead, but at least we get them through that very difficult period where there's a lot of unfamiliarity with the military and the situation they're stepping into. We're doing a great job there.
From the soldiers, it's not all milk and honey. Soldiers are going to tell you the things they like and don't like. For many of them, they are greatly appreciative of this concept. Many of them are very, very complimentary of their cadre. Others are perhaps less so. But you will find that anywhere in the Army. But, by and large, they recognize the investment, the attention and the focus of the Army.
We also ask them about their level of care. Generally speaking, from the surveys we do, we range just under 80 percent satisfaction. Our goal is to get everybody over 80 percent and we have made incremental progress towards that.
Q. You talk about building an enduring program. Can you define that and tell me why you are designing the program this way?
A. We need an enduring program for the Army that is adaptable, expandable, collapsible and responsive to the needs of the soldiers.
We have a program that is fairly adaptable. And we've proven we can expand it, though it was uneven for sure. I think we're in a much better position now to handle future growth. We really haven't done much to figure out how to collapse this down. When Iraq and Afghanistan go away, we should return to the steady state of illnesses and injuries that soldiers typically get ....
Right now we have 35 warrior transition units and nine communities based healthcare organizations. We are fairly confident that about 26 of those 35 are what I would call permanent warrior transition units. The other nine we're not so sure about.
I want to look harder at the community based health care organizations approach. That's one that is very easily expandable provided those civilian capabilities are there.
We've asked for funding to build 21 warrior transition complexes at various posts, camps and stations in the United States. Right now, the office of the Secretary of Defense supports us for about half of those. Ultimately, Congress will decide how they would fund that.
Nothing says it's enduring like a complex that's built to be dedicated for this mission. And the first one will be started at the end of this fiscal year at Fort Riley, Kan., where we will build the barracks, the administrative headquarters and the soldier and family assistance center in close proximity to the hospital. We will have an excellent facility that takes care of wounded, ill and injured soldiers at that installation. We will get another major start on at least another eight in fiscal year 2009.
Q. Is there anything else you would like to add?
A. I'm just very concerned that America is getting a false impression. They think we have hundreds of thousands of wounded soldiers. They think we have 12,000 amputees or worse in our warrior transition units. There are only 1,500 Purple Heart recipients. The number of amputees for the Army is less than 800.
Yeah, we have challenges out there. But the progress we've made is just spectacular. And the care we're providing the soldiers, the organization, the cadre, is all superb.
I think there's basically a misunderstanding of Army culture. We open ourselves up. We candidly ask for criticism. We work to improve it because that's what we want to do. No one seems to want to believe that we could love soldiers as much as we do. We are soldiers. This is a spectacular program and it's going to get better and better all the time.
(Editor's note: This is the third article an AFPS special report, Staying Power: Seriously Wounded Warriors Return to the Fight).
American Forces Press Service
Nov. 7, 2008 - Brig. Gen. Gary Cheek, the Army's assistant surgeon general for warrior care and transition, recently spoke with American Forces Press Service about the Army's transformed wounded warrior care program. What follows is a question-and-answer session from that interview.
Q. It has been a little more than a year since the first wounded warrior brigade was stood up at Walter Reed Army Medical Center. Tell me how you think the model is doing and, overall, how you think the Army is doing in taking care of wounded warriors.
A. It is a tremendous program. We have literally completely transformed our rehabilitative care ... as we transition the soldier from inpatient care to either going back to the Army or civilian life.
To some degree we've never really fully had what I would call a rehabilitative capability in the Army on the scale of what we're doing now. Once we became engaged in the two wars now, when we started to look for those rehabilitative capabilities, they really didn't exist. I don't know that we have it exactly the way we want it yet, but I think we're at a point of irreversible momentum to where we will get these things really up, designed, functioning with the policies in place to make them a terrific system.
Q. So, do you think the triad of care and the warrior transition unit models are working for the Army?
A. Really when you look at what was going on at Walter Reed [before February 2007 when the Washington Post news articles exposed a breakdown in wounded warrior care there] it was really just a microcosm of the entire Army and our systems. I don't want to point too sharp a stick at it ... but it was not a system that we needed to properly take care of soldiers.
We were hit pretty hard about the facilities. But that's really only a small part of it. We had really no leadership structure. We were actually using an NCO that was in charge of those soldiers who was himself a cancer patient. We had no structure, no military discipline, no requirements for formation. We had soldiers that were not wearing uniforms, not getting hair cuts, growing beards, and really left to their own devices.
If you were a soldier trying to work the system and hang out there as long as you want, that was great. If you were a soldier who wanted to get better and get back to his unit, it was frustrating. It was difficult.
We didn't take good care of the families. We weren't watching out for the soldiers. We did not have the traditional military structure and leadership that soldiers are accustomed to. We also really didn't know what was going on. We weren't really checking and measuring how we were doing.
And that has completely changed. Now, by contrast, we have the 35 warrior transition units. We did consider going back to the rehab center concept ... but the reason we didn't want to do that is because we felt that to properly rehabilitate a soldier, it's best to have him close to his home, his family, his comrades. We wanted a system that was more adaptable.
We stood up the military unit with the familiar things like company commanders, and first sergeants and squad leaders and platoon sergeants and added to that some medical management capability with a nurse case manager and primary care physician.
All in all, I think we are off to a tremendous start to this program and we continue to adjust and revise.
Q. Do you think that that discipline helps them re-associate with the Army and focuses their intent on healing?
A. Absolutely. These are soldiers. And for a soldier, the things like the Uniform Code of Military Justice, the standards, the customs and the courtesies all apply. That leadership has to take into account the conditions ... unique to that soldier. Of course they will use judgment when dealing with those soldiers. We want to have discipline. We don't want it to be overly harsh. We want it to be appropriate.
The discipline I think is key and it is a big part of their rehabilitation and healing. That same discipline is also going to be pushing them to follow the instructions of their providers, their therapists and making their appointments.
Q. You've had some difficulty with the staffing the transition units. I know there are some initiatives to get that up to 100 percent. How is that going?
A. Is important for us to have the cadre right and the ratios should be at 100 percent and that's what we're moving toward. But I think there are some key misperceptions. The first one is, yes we have over 12,000 soldiers in this program ... but it is not 12,000 catastrophically wounded soldiers from theater. About one-third were evacuated from theater ... the other 66 percent really have come from our units ... a soldier in a car accident, a soldier who has cancer, a soldier with a sports injury, a soldier injured in training. Seventy-five percent of those 12,000 are combat veterans. We have a moral obligation to take care of all of them and that's what we'll do.
But the important thing is the cadre that looks after those soldiers is more to manage their care. It's not that they're being denied medical care. It's not that they're not being taken care of or supervised. They are.
The methods we were using to staff those cadres ... were just not agile enough to keep up with the growth. We've changed the way we're doing that. We have mandated to stay up with these ratios based on the population. We have brought in our commanders at the major command level ... all around the world, all of our installation commanders ... and we really came to a common azimuth that we're all responsible for this and we're going to keep this straight.
The main thing I would say is that even when the cadre's strengths were below the ratios we had set, I do not believe that had a major impact on the care provided to those soldiers.
As every day passes, the warrior transition units and the services, the medical care, the discipline, all the things we provide will get better and stronger with time.
Q. What was the rationale behind bringing in all wounded, ill and injured soldiers into the program, because it would seem to create more of an issue with barracks and staffing?
A. I suppose we could consider a special program for only our wounded soldiers, but then when I have a soldier who has three combat tours and he's injured in a motorcycle accident, he's not eligible. Do we not have an obligation to take care of him?
It is really about the severity of the wound, the illness or the injury. How bad is the medical condition of that soldier? That's what gains entry into this system.
We're going to tighten our criteria a bit. We have a significant number of soldiers in our warrior transition units that have a long-term problem, but with rather routine rehabilitative needs. In the future, we will more than likely keep that soldier in his unit and use traditional leadership to supervise him and the medical care provided to do that. We want to make our warrior transition units focus on those that need that intense managed care.
In the end, ...we didn't stand them up to ride focused, intense management of soldiers with fairly simple issues that don't require that. As the pendulum swings, we're going to bring it back but we're going to bring it back very carefully.
Q. How is your access to senior Army leadership and what is the priority for wounded warrior care?
A. I would say our support from the senior leaders of the Army is enormous. I easily have direct access to any of them should I need to bring up an issue. Typically it works the other way around. They typically call me and I go there quite often.
Q. Is the Army able to change its policies and procedures fast enough to accommodate the needs of wounded warriors?
A. I would say yes, but I would also say we have to be very careful. You want to be very wary of a knee-jerk reaction.
We are pretty agile, but we have to be very careful I think because the second- and third-order effects of making policy changes sometimes are not apparent. Our decision, for example, to bring a lot of our medical evaluation board soldiers into the WTUs had that beneficial effect for deploying units in that it removed them from their books and allowed them to get more personnel. And to some degree it brought these soldiers together where we could help expedite their board process .... The second-order effects were we had this explosion in our population and we had this great challenge of getting our cadre up to strength. And when we finally stepped back and looked at this population, we determined that ... this was designed to provide focused managed care and a lot of soldiers we brought in don't need that.
Q. Can you talk about streamlining the board process and where the Army is with its pilot program?
A. This is a process that's been around for probably 50 years. It's a very deliberate process that makes sure we do it right and that the best interests of the soldier are protected. So that process has got a lot of checks along the way to make sure we don't misstep.
We have looked hard at eliminating some of the duplicative paperwork. We're also going to automate this system. By January, we will be able to do this in an automated fashion which should help us considerably. The pilot brings the VA and the Army together to do a single physical. We used to do two.
What we would really like to see is the Army not to be in the disability business. The Army's decision really ought to be about fitness to serve or not. You can either stay in the Army or not, based upon your physical condition. The disability decision, we would rather have that be in the Veterans Affairs. Let them make the decision of the disability and work that.
For the soldier, he or she wants to make sure that they retain medical benefits for the family, to not have any degradation of pay ... and be as physically capable as they can. The MEB and our process really doesn't necessarily look after those interests. There will be some disappointed ... soldiers.
So until we can resolve that, we are left with this system which unfortunately puts us in a bit of an adversarial relationship with the solder.
Q. So are you saying that you would like to see that fall entirely to the VA? The soldier transitions to the VA, and the VA assigns the benefits and the compensation?
A. Right, and of course that's a sticky point because that gives the VA to some degree the keys to the kingdom to get into the ... Department of Defense's money. But ... it is the way the law is structured right now, so this is not a policy we can change. But it is one we often discuss with Congress and we say we would like this law changed.
But as long as we cooperate on the physical, it seems to me we can make some progress here, but within limits.
Q. The Army has begun leaning forward in allowing [seriously wounded] soldiers to stay on active duty if they choose. Why?
A. For any soldier who has been wounded in combat who wants to continue on active duty, we have yet to say 'no.' That's not a policy. I just know that to be a fact. Every one of those is done on a case-by-case basis.
We have a tremendous positive track record for great servants who have been grievously wounded in combat [and continued on active duty]. When we look at the history of the service that has been done by some of those who have made those kinds of sacrifices, I think keeping them in the Army has a lot of merit. They have a lot to offer.
I was sitting at lunch with a group of soldiers and one soldier told me how deeply appreciative he was of the transition assistance he was getting. He was being medically separated from the Army, but in the time he was in the WTU, he was able to take college courses and he was able to get coordinated to attend college [after he separated]. And he really was very complimentary of how he had been treated and helped and counseled through that process.
Across the table, another soldier said, "You know I am returning to duty and I really didn't get much at all."
From his perspective, we were putting more effort to get soldiers out of the Army than we were to keep soldiers in the Army. Boy, that was like a smack right on the forehead.
This gave me new energy to work that. We want to place a retention NCO in each of our WTU battalions and build a retention program to encourage our soldiers to stay in the Army. In particular, we may have a soldier who is medically unqualified for his current specialty, but we may be able to find another way to use his or her talents in another specialty.
We went to the AW2 symposium ... I spoke to those soldiers there and asked how many would like to be a cadre member. And a number of them were very interested in doing that. So I think we have a resource right there alone just for our own warrior transition units where these soldiers can serve. They can teach in schools. In many cases, they do continue to serve in their MOS and deploy to combat.
Q. What feedback are you getting from the troops and the families?
A. The feedback I get from families ... is really spectacular. I think especially for those families when they first arrive ... There's a lot of reticence and uneasiness about the condition of their loved one. But they are embraced immediately. So they are put at ease very quickly and taken great care of. For many of them, their challenges lie ahead, but at least we get them through that very difficult period where there's a lot of unfamiliarity with the military and the situation they're stepping into. We're doing a great job there.
From the soldiers, it's not all milk and honey. Soldiers are going to tell you the things they like and don't like. For many of them, they are greatly appreciative of this concept. Many of them are very, very complimentary of their cadre. Others are perhaps less so. But you will find that anywhere in the Army. But, by and large, they recognize the investment, the attention and the focus of the Army.
We also ask them about their level of care. Generally speaking, from the surveys we do, we range just under 80 percent satisfaction. Our goal is to get everybody over 80 percent and we have made incremental progress towards that.
Q. You talk about building an enduring program. Can you define that and tell me why you are designing the program this way?
A. We need an enduring program for the Army that is adaptable, expandable, collapsible and responsive to the needs of the soldiers.
We have a program that is fairly adaptable. And we've proven we can expand it, though it was uneven for sure. I think we're in a much better position now to handle future growth. We really haven't done much to figure out how to collapse this down. When Iraq and Afghanistan go away, we should return to the steady state of illnesses and injuries that soldiers typically get ....
Right now we have 35 warrior transition units and nine communities based healthcare organizations. We are fairly confident that about 26 of those 35 are what I would call permanent warrior transition units. The other nine we're not so sure about.
I want to look harder at the community based health care organizations approach. That's one that is very easily expandable provided those civilian capabilities are there.
We've asked for funding to build 21 warrior transition complexes at various posts, camps and stations in the United States. Right now, the office of the Secretary of Defense supports us for about half of those. Ultimately, Congress will decide how they would fund that.
Nothing says it's enduring like a complex that's built to be dedicated for this mission. And the first one will be started at the end of this fiscal year at Fort Riley, Kan., where we will build the barracks, the administrative headquarters and the soldier and family assistance center in close proximity to the hospital. We will have an excellent facility that takes care of wounded, ill and injured soldiers at that installation. We will get another major start on at least another eight in fiscal year 2009.
Q. Is there anything else you would like to add?
A. I'm just very concerned that America is getting a false impression. They think we have hundreds of thousands of wounded soldiers. They think we have 12,000 amputees or worse in our warrior transition units. There are only 1,500 Purple Heart recipients. The number of amputees for the Army is less than 800.
Yeah, we have challenges out there. But the progress we've made is just spectacular. And the care we're providing the soldiers, the organization, the cadre, is all superb.
I think there's basically a misunderstanding of Army culture. We open ourselves up. We candidly ask for criticism. We work to improve it because that's what we want to do. No one seems to want to believe that we could love soldiers as much as we do. We are soldiers. This is a spectacular program and it's going to get better and better all the time.
(Editor's note: This is the third article an AFPS special report, Staying Power: Seriously Wounded Warriors Return to the Fight).
Wednesday, July 23, 2008
Truman's Military Desegregation Order Reflects American Values, Gates Says
By Gerry J. Gilmore
American Forces Press Service
July 23, 2008 - President Harry S. Truman's 1948 executive order that desegregated the U.S. military was a definitive statement of equality that declared all servicemembers must be judged by individual merit instead of their racial background, Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates said here today. "No aspect of black Americans' quest for justice and equality under the law has been nobler than what has been called, "the fight for the right to fight," Gates said at the commemoration of the 60th anniversary of the integration of the armed forces held in the Capitol Rotunda.
"Our commemoration today of the racial integration of the armed forces makes us reflect on how far we have come toward living up to our founding ideals and yet how much remains to be done," Gates said.
The Defense Department began breaking down the barriers of race at the conclusion of World War Two in 1945, Gates said. As in past wars, African-American troops had served in World War Two with honor and distinction, he noted. However, African-American troops had to fight and live separately from all-white units.
America's sons and daughters fought in World War Two to preserve freedom and human dignity for the world's people, Gates said. Yet, African-Americans who'd served with distinction in that war, he noted, "returned to face segregation and harassment at home," as so-called Jim Crow segregation laws in place across the South relegated African-Americans to second-class-citizen status.
Truman's Executive Order 9981, signed July 26, 1948, was an important statement and an important step, Gates said. However, he said, Truman's directive "had to overcome stiff institutional resistance, as deeply entrenched attitudes were hard to change."
For example, "segregated units remained the norm and integrated units the exception," Gates noted, for several years after the integration order was issued.
The start of the Korean War in June 1950 prompted the need to put hundreds of thousands of Americans into uniform after the U.S. military had demobilized following the end of World War Two.
"With the sudden outbreak of war in Korea, the urgent demands of the battlefield trumped the old habit of Jim Crow," Gates said.
Before the start of the Korean War, he said, 50 percent of African-Americans in the Marine Corps -- about 750 men -- served as stewards. At the end of the Korean War in 1953, Gates said, there were 17,000 African-American Marines, and only 3 percent served as stewards.
"By 1954, the Korean War was over, the last of the segregated units were dissolved, and the momentum for equality and civil rights was carrying over into American society as a whole," Gates said.
In the ensuing decades after Truman's directive took effect, "black and white Americans trained, served, and fought together with honor and distinction," Gates said.
Today's integrated U.S. military continues to "put merit and integrity above all," Gates said, noting there's still more to achieve.
"My hope and expectation is that, in the years ahead, more African-Americans will staff the armed forces at the highest levels," Gates said. "We must make sure the American military continues to be a great engine of progress and equality -- all the better to defend our people and our values against adversaries around the globe."
American Forces Press Service
July 23, 2008 - President Harry S. Truman's 1948 executive order that desegregated the U.S. military was a definitive statement of equality that declared all servicemembers must be judged by individual merit instead of their racial background, Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates said here today. "No aspect of black Americans' quest for justice and equality under the law has been nobler than what has been called, "the fight for the right to fight," Gates said at the commemoration of the 60th anniversary of the integration of the armed forces held in the Capitol Rotunda.
"Our commemoration today of the racial integration of the armed forces makes us reflect on how far we have come toward living up to our founding ideals and yet how much remains to be done," Gates said.
The Defense Department began breaking down the barriers of race at the conclusion of World War Two in 1945, Gates said. As in past wars, African-American troops had served in World War Two with honor and distinction, he noted. However, African-American troops had to fight and live separately from all-white units.
America's sons and daughters fought in World War Two to preserve freedom and human dignity for the world's people, Gates said. Yet, African-Americans who'd served with distinction in that war, he noted, "returned to face segregation and harassment at home," as so-called Jim Crow segregation laws in place across the South relegated African-Americans to second-class-citizen status.
Truman's Executive Order 9981, signed July 26, 1948, was an important statement and an important step, Gates said. However, he said, Truman's directive "had to overcome stiff institutional resistance, as deeply entrenched attitudes were hard to change."
For example, "segregated units remained the norm and integrated units the exception," Gates noted, for several years after the integration order was issued.
The start of the Korean War in June 1950 prompted the need to put hundreds of thousands of Americans into uniform after the U.S. military had demobilized following the end of World War Two.
"With the sudden outbreak of war in Korea, the urgent demands of the battlefield trumped the old habit of Jim Crow," Gates said.
Before the start of the Korean War, he said, 50 percent of African-Americans in the Marine Corps -- about 750 men -- served as stewards. At the end of the Korean War in 1953, Gates said, there were 17,000 African-American Marines, and only 3 percent served as stewards.
"By 1954, the Korean War was over, the last of the segregated units were dissolved, and the momentum for equality and civil rights was carrying over into American society as a whole," Gates said.
In the ensuing decades after Truman's directive took effect, "black and white Americans trained, served, and fought together with honor and distinction," Gates said.
Today's integrated U.S. military continues to "put merit and integrity above all," Gates said, noting there's still more to achieve.
"My hope and expectation is that, in the years ahead, more African-Americans will staff the armed forces at the highest levels," Gates said. "We must make sure the American military continues to be a great engine of progress and equality -- all the better to defend our people and our values against adversaries around the globe."
Friday, July 04, 2008
National Security Archive Update, July 2, 2008
New! National Security Archive launches Guatemala Project Web site
For more information contact:
Project Director Kate Doyle, kadoyle@gwu.edu
http://www.nsarchive.org/guatemala
Washington, DC, July 2, 2008 - The National Security Archive launches its new Web page for The Guatemala Project today, with links to information, analysis and declassified documents relating to all the Archive's Guatemala work over the past 14 years. After decades of civil war and genocide, Guatemala has become a virtual laboratory of international and transitional justice, with a genocide case underway in a Spanish court, another about a Guatemalan Army death squad logbook before the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights, and teams of researchers combing through the dilapidated archives of the former Guatemalan National Police for evidence of human rights violations committed during the internal conflict.
The new site includes information on:
* The Genocide Case, with summaries of testimonies given this year to the Spanish judge
* The Death Squad Dossier: Military logbook of the disappeared
* The Guatemalan National Police Archives
* Drugs and the Guatemalan Military
* The CIA and plans for assassinations during the 1954 coup
The Guatemala Project, directed by Archive senior analyst Kate Doyle, has been pressing for the release of secret U.S. files on Guatemala since 1994. The project's first objective was to support the investigations of the UN-sponsored truth commission that was charged with analyzing the origins of the country's brutal 36-year civil conflict. After the commission published its report in 1999, the Archive began working with Guatemalan human rights organizations to mine the U.S. records for use in pivotal human rights cases. In the years that followed, the project also assisted in the dissemination and analysis of the first records to emerge from Guatemala's secret archives, including the notorious "death squad dossier."
Visit the new Guatemala Project Web page to read original declassified documents, check out photographs of the recovery of the National Police files, watch videotaped testimony given in the "death squad dossier" case before the Inter-American Human Rights Commission last October, and more.
http://www.nsarchive.org/guatemala
THE NATIONAL SECURITY ARCHIVE is an independent non-governmental research institute and library located at The George Washington University in Washington, D.C. The Archive collects and publishes declassified documents acquired through the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA). A tax-exempt public charity, the Archive receives no U.S. government funding; its budget is supported by publication royalties and donations from foundations and individuals.
For more information contact:
Project Director Kate Doyle, kadoyle@gwu.edu
http://www.nsarchive.org/guatemala
Washington, DC, July 2, 2008 - The National Security Archive launches its new Web page for The Guatemala Project today, with links to information, analysis and declassified documents relating to all the Archive's Guatemala work over the past 14 years. After decades of civil war and genocide, Guatemala has become a virtual laboratory of international and transitional justice, with a genocide case underway in a Spanish court, another about a Guatemalan Army death squad logbook before the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights, and teams of researchers combing through the dilapidated archives of the former Guatemalan National Police for evidence of human rights violations committed during the internal conflict.
The new site includes information on:
* The Genocide Case, with summaries of testimonies given this year to the Spanish judge
* The Death Squad Dossier: Military logbook of the disappeared
* The Guatemalan National Police Archives
* Drugs and the Guatemalan Military
* The CIA and plans for assassinations during the 1954 coup
The Guatemala Project, directed by Archive senior analyst Kate Doyle, has been pressing for the release of secret U.S. files on Guatemala since 1994. The project's first objective was to support the investigations of the UN-sponsored truth commission that was charged with analyzing the origins of the country's brutal 36-year civil conflict. After the commission published its report in 1999, the Archive began working with Guatemalan human rights organizations to mine the U.S. records for use in pivotal human rights cases. In the years that followed, the project also assisted in the dissemination and analysis of the first records to emerge from Guatemala's secret archives, including the notorious "death squad dossier."
Visit the new Guatemala Project Web page to read original declassified documents, check out photographs of the recovery of the National Police files, watch videotaped testimony given in the "death squad dossier" case before the Inter-American Human Rights Commission last October, and more.
http://www.nsarchive.org/guatemala
THE NATIONAL SECURITY ARCHIVE is an independent non-governmental research institute and library located at The George Washington University in Washington, D.C. The Archive collects and publishes declassified documents acquired through the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA). A tax-exempt public charity, the Archive receives no U.S. government funding; its budget is supported by publication royalties and donations from foundations and individuals.
Friday, June 27, 2008
Mullen Offers Encouragement as New Africa Command Takes Shape
By Donna Miles
American Forces Press Service
June 26, 2008 - The top U.S. military officer challenged the U.S. Africa Command staff today to seize the opportunities presented as they stand up a new, uniquely organized command that brings more focus to a vital part of the world. Navy Adm. Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, visited the AfriCom headquarters at Kelley Barracks here to assess progress leading up to Oct. 1, when the command reaches full operational capability.
AfriCom stood up Oct. 1, 2007, but currently operates as a sub-command of U.S. European Command. As it prepares to reach full operational capability, AfriCom's staff is integrating responsibilities and missions previously carried out by EuCom, U.S. Central Command and U.S. Pacific Command.
Mullen told about 400 AfriCom staffers during a town hall meeting today they're laying important groundwork that will have a far-reaching impact on the way the United States engages with the African continent.
"I can't overstate the importance of this command," he told the group. "[You're] laying the groundwork for what will become, 10 or 20 years from now, an institution that has great relevance and great impact."
Fast-forwarding one or two decades, Mullen said, he envisions AfriCom engaging in close, comfortable relationships with African nations the way PaCom and other geographic commands engage today with countries in their operating areas.
In the meantime, Mullen said, AfriCom will bring renewed focus to a region that three regional combatant commands couldn't properly address.
"I believe strongly in the mission," Mullen said after opening up today's session to questions from the audience. "It is certainly due and overdue to have this kind of focus on Africa."
Mullen said he's excited about the work AfriCom is doing and will build on in the future. "This is a huge new mission for us in terms of focusing on a continent that we need to focus on in ways we haven't done in the past," he said. "It's critical that we get it right."
The chairman challenged the group to ensure that happens. "We are relying heavily on you," he said. "You are literally the center of gravity for us as a military and a government for what's going on in Africa."
Looking out at the audience, a mix of military and civilian employees who reflect the command's unique interagency makeup and the diverse missions it will carry out, Mullen said they're a sign of things to come.
"I think you, in many ways, represent the face of the future with respect that our combatant commands," he said. "You may be leading what we are doing in our government."
Army Gen. William E. "Kip" Ward serves as AfriCom's first commander, with two deputies. Navy Vice Adm. Robert T. Moeller is the deputy for military operations, and Ambassador Mary Carlin Gates, a State Department employee, is the deputy for civil-military activities. The staff includes representatives of the State, Treasury, Justice, Agriculture, Commerce and Justice departments, as well as the Department of Homeland Security and U.S. Agency for International Development.
The command structure represents "a much more integrated effort" as the United States increases its engagement with Africa and builds or strengthens relationships across the entire spectrum, Mullen said.
"It's an exciting time standing up a new command," Mullen said, noting the tremendous possibilities it will open up. The work of AfriCom will "make a difference" in the lives of the African people and create opportunities for them that didn't exist in the past, he said.
But Mullen also acknowledged the challenges as well as inconveniences involved in standing up a command able to have that kind of impact. New arrivals at the command are squeezed into temporary workspaces and shuffled from one building to another as old 7th U.S. Army headquarters facilities that will house them undergo renovation.
Forces of change – common throughout the military – are in hyperdrive here as AfriCom stands up a brand-new command with a new composition and new type of strategic mission. "I can't think of anywhere things are changing more rapidly than here in this command," Mullen said, noting that the phenomenon is likely to continue as AfriCom increases its regional engagements.
Mullen said he's not concerned that the AfriCom headquarters is in Europe, and said the Defense Department has committed to keeping it here for several years. "It is my view that it is much more important to emphasize projects and engagement than it is footprint," he said.
Once countries in the region or with ties to it begin to fully understand AfriCom's focus, Mullen said, he's confident any misconceptions they might have about it will be resolved. For now, it's the newness of the concept that causes some concern, he said.
Mullen emphasized the need to "constantly repeat the message about what the intent is: ... to have an engagement plan for a really vital continent in a way to meet the challenges that are clearly there."
As he toured the makeshift facilities at Kelley Barracks, shaking hands with every staffer he met and presenting his military coin, Mullen promised that AfriCom will get the funding and personnel it needs to face those challenges.
"We are committed to making sure you have the resources you need to stand up this command," both funding and people, he said. "You just can't move forward without those two. We understand that."
Ward called Mullen's visit a great opportunity to reinforce to his people the importance the Defense Department leadership places on AfriCom.
"When the admiral comes here and expresses his support for the command, his support for the mission and his efforts in ensuring we get what we need to get this thing started, it just reinforces all the things I've been saying," Ward said.
But Ward said he also hopes the visit will give Mullen a personal perspective of AfriCom, its mission and the dedication of its people that will help him be an advocate for the command as it stands up. He said he purposely steered clear of PowerPoint presentations to give Mullen the opportunity to "meet and talk with the men and women who are doing the work and seeing their commitment to it."
Ward said he shares Mullen's excitement about standing up a new unified command. "It is a once-in-a-lifetime venture that I am very happy to be a part of," he said.
Army Command Sgt. Maj. Mark Ripka said Mullen's visit validates the work under way at AfriCom and assured the staff that they're on the right path.
"I think it was tremendous for all of our people to come together today and listen to our chairman talk about the United States Africa Command how important it is, ... and the value that we will have in sustained security cooperation in the future," he said.
Ripka said he's found the African nations he engages with "very receptive" to strengthening existing relationships or building new ones. It's a slow process that will take time, Ripka said, bute he added that he sees great value in the personal-level interactions AfriCom will advance. "It is all about people and relationships," he said.
Like Ward, Ripka said he's excited by the possibilities as he helps build the new Africa Command from the ground up. "For me it is tremendous," he said. "I wouldn't trade this for the world."
American Forces Press Service
June 26, 2008 - The top U.S. military officer challenged the U.S. Africa Command staff today to seize the opportunities presented as they stand up a new, uniquely organized command that brings more focus to a vital part of the world. Navy Adm. Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, visited the AfriCom headquarters at Kelley Barracks here to assess progress leading up to Oct. 1, when the command reaches full operational capability.
AfriCom stood up Oct. 1, 2007, but currently operates as a sub-command of U.S. European Command. As it prepares to reach full operational capability, AfriCom's staff is integrating responsibilities and missions previously carried out by EuCom, U.S. Central Command and U.S. Pacific Command.
Mullen told about 400 AfriCom staffers during a town hall meeting today they're laying important groundwork that will have a far-reaching impact on the way the United States engages with the African continent.
"I can't overstate the importance of this command," he told the group. "[You're] laying the groundwork for what will become, 10 or 20 years from now, an institution that has great relevance and great impact."
Fast-forwarding one or two decades, Mullen said, he envisions AfriCom engaging in close, comfortable relationships with African nations the way PaCom and other geographic commands engage today with countries in their operating areas.
In the meantime, Mullen said, AfriCom will bring renewed focus to a region that three regional combatant commands couldn't properly address.
"I believe strongly in the mission," Mullen said after opening up today's session to questions from the audience. "It is certainly due and overdue to have this kind of focus on Africa."
Mullen said he's excited about the work AfriCom is doing and will build on in the future. "This is a huge new mission for us in terms of focusing on a continent that we need to focus on in ways we haven't done in the past," he said. "It's critical that we get it right."
The chairman challenged the group to ensure that happens. "We are relying heavily on you," he said. "You are literally the center of gravity for us as a military and a government for what's going on in Africa."
Looking out at the audience, a mix of military and civilian employees who reflect the command's unique interagency makeup and the diverse missions it will carry out, Mullen said they're a sign of things to come.
"I think you, in many ways, represent the face of the future with respect that our combatant commands," he said. "You may be leading what we are doing in our government."
Army Gen. William E. "Kip" Ward serves as AfriCom's first commander, with two deputies. Navy Vice Adm. Robert T. Moeller is the deputy for military operations, and Ambassador Mary Carlin Gates, a State Department employee, is the deputy for civil-military activities. The staff includes representatives of the State, Treasury, Justice, Agriculture, Commerce and Justice departments, as well as the Department of Homeland Security and U.S. Agency for International Development.
The command structure represents "a much more integrated effort" as the United States increases its engagement with Africa and builds or strengthens relationships across the entire spectrum, Mullen said.
"It's an exciting time standing up a new command," Mullen said, noting the tremendous possibilities it will open up. The work of AfriCom will "make a difference" in the lives of the African people and create opportunities for them that didn't exist in the past, he said.
But Mullen also acknowledged the challenges as well as inconveniences involved in standing up a command able to have that kind of impact. New arrivals at the command are squeezed into temporary workspaces and shuffled from one building to another as old 7th U.S. Army headquarters facilities that will house them undergo renovation.
Forces of change – common throughout the military – are in hyperdrive here as AfriCom stands up a brand-new command with a new composition and new type of strategic mission. "I can't think of anywhere things are changing more rapidly than here in this command," Mullen said, noting that the phenomenon is likely to continue as AfriCom increases its regional engagements.
Mullen said he's not concerned that the AfriCom headquarters is in Europe, and said the Defense Department has committed to keeping it here for several years. "It is my view that it is much more important to emphasize projects and engagement than it is footprint," he said.
Once countries in the region or with ties to it begin to fully understand AfriCom's focus, Mullen said, he's confident any misconceptions they might have about it will be resolved. For now, it's the newness of the concept that causes some concern, he said.
Mullen emphasized the need to "constantly repeat the message about what the intent is: ... to have an engagement plan for a really vital continent in a way to meet the challenges that are clearly there."
As he toured the makeshift facilities at Kelley Barracks, shaking hands with every staffer he met and presenting his military coin, Mullen promised that AfriCom will get the funding and personnel it needs to face those challenges.
"We are committed to making sure you have the resources you need to stand up this command," both funding and people, he said. "You just can't move forward without those two. We understand that."
Ward called Mullen's visit a great opportunity to reinforce to his people the importance the Defense Department leadership places on AfriCom.
"When the admiral comes here and expresses his support for the command, his support for the mission and his efforts in ensuring we get what we need to get this thing started, it just reinforces all the things I've been saying," Ward said.
But Ward said he also hopes the visit will give Mullen a personal perspective of AfriCom, its mission and the dedication of its people that will help him be an advocate for the command as it stands up. He said he purposely steered clear of PowerPoint presentations to give Mullen the opportunity to "meet and talk with the men and women who are doing the work and seeing their commitment to it."
Ward said he shares Mullen's excitement about standing up a new unified command. "It is a once-in-a-lifetime venture that I am very happy to be a part of," he said.
Army Command Sgt. Maj. Mark Ripka said Mullen's visit validates the work under way at AfriCom and assured the staff that they're on the right path.
"I think it was tremendous for all of our people to come together today and listen to our chairman talk about the United States Africa Command how important it is, ... and the value that we will have in sustained security cooperation in the future," he said.
Ripka said he's found the African nations he engages with "very receptive" to strengthening existing relationships or building new ones. It's a slow process that will take time, Ripka said, bute he added that he sees great value in the personal-level interactions AfriCom will advance. "It is all about people and relationships," he said.
Like Ward, Ripka said he's excited by the possibilities as he helps build the new Africa Command from the ground up. "For me it is tremendous," he said. "I wouldn't trade this for the world."
Monday, June 02, 2008
Mullen Views Interagency Success in Philippines
By Jim Garamone
American Forces Press Service
June 1, 2008 - The chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff saw firsthand here today how the U.S. interagency fight is making progress in this island nation. Navy Adm. Mike Mullen met American servicemembers of the Joint Special Operations Task Force here, and saw how the U.S. Agency for International Development is helping the Philippine government battle an insurgency.
Civilian agencies of the U.S. government are important assets in the effort to combat terrorism, Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates and Mullen both have said. They have testified before Congress on the need for more people and money for U.S. civilian agencies, saying long-term aid to at-risk nations is the answer to the question many U.S. legislators ask: "Are we creating more terrorists than we are killing?"
Stopping groups like Jemaah Islamiyah and Abu Sayyaf – both al-Qaida affiliates – from recruiting new members on this Philippine island of Mindanao is a priority of the Philippine government and the United States.
"That's the path in a place like this," Mullen said during an all-hands call here. "What has become very evident to me as it should be to you here is security is a necessary condition, but security is not going to get you across home plate. You've got to be able to create an economic underpinning. You've got to have good governance. You've got to have the rule of law -- all these things that start to sustain themselves."
U.S. civilian aid to the people of Mindanao dwarfs the military funds. USAID spends $50 million to $60 million a year in the Philippines, with 60 percent coming to this impoverished area. U.S. military aid is pegged at roughly $5 million to $6 million a year.
USAID works with Philippine national and local leaders to develop projects that benefit all the people. The agency has financed digging wells, building roads, rebuilding bridges and constructing schools. "We work closely with the joint task force here," Jon Lindborg, USAID's mission director in the Philippines, said in an interview. "We're able to leverage our money to the best uses."
The agency is financing improvements to the airports at Tawi-Tawi and in Jolo – both of which also benefit the Philippine armed forces.
USAID works with the joint task force in scheduling medical, dental and veterinary exercises that provide health care to thousands of people. They also work with Navy Seabees who deploy to the islands to build schools and medical clinics. The agency also acts as a bridge for nongovernmental organizations that, for whatever reason, don't want to work directly with the military.
But USAID is stretched. When the Berlin Wall came down in 1989, the United States took a "peace dividend," Mullen said. While the U.S. military was cut 35 to 40 percent, civilian agencies also were slashed. USAID went from 15,000 employees worldwide to 4,000.
"The U.S. government is not set up for the wars of the 21st century," Mullen said. "It doesn't reflect the expeditionary world we're living in. We haven't recruited, hired, promoted, trained, educated the people in our civilian agencies for the kind of expeditionary requirements and rotations that we are actually doing right now."
Both Gates and Mullen have testified that the State Department needs 1,000 more employees and $1 billion more in budget.
USAID, State Department programs that help nations build governance and security assistance to help nations build military capabilities are crucial to the fight in the Philippines and go together in many other poorer nations that face the same problems. The civilian departments need to grow; they need more people, and those people need to deploy at a moment's notice, Mullen said.
"Until we can do that, the military will pick up the slack, because we can," Mullen said.
The capability to help nations build good governance is not a core mission for the Defense Department, but it is something the State Department can and does do. Building infrastructure is a mission USAID has done since it started in 1961. Legal attaches from the Justice Department have the expertise to help countries establish the rule of law. The Agriculture Department can help farmers be more bountiful and develop new crops.
Officials at the military joint task force and the U.S. embassy would like to see the group get commanders' emergency relief program funds.
"We had an incident where Abu Sayyaf burned down homes in central Mindanao, Lee McClenny, the U.S. Embassy spokesman in Manila, said. "If we'd had CERP funds, we could have helped rebuild those houses and made a huge statement against the terrorists."
Mullen listened to the words of the civilian and military leaders on the ground – "where the rubber meets the road," he said -- and promised to take their concerns back to Washington.
"The days where a single service, a single department, a single anything can make things happen are behind us," Mullen said. "It's got to be integrated, and it's got to be all of us doing this together."
American Forces Press Service
June 1, 2008 - The chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff saw firsthand here today how the U.S. interagency fight is making progress in this island nation. Navy Adm. Mike Mullen met American servicemembers of the Joint Special Operations Task Force here, and saw how the U.S. Agency for International Development is helping the Philippine government battle an insurgency.
Civilian agencies of the U.S. government are important assets in the effort to combat terrorism, Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates and Mullen both have said. They have testified before Congress on the need for more people and money for U.S. civilian agencies, saying long-term aid to at-risk nations is the answer to the question many U.S. legislators ask: "Are we creating more terrorists than we are killing?"
Stopping groups like Jemaah Islamiyah and Abu Sayyaf – both al-Qaida affiliates – from recruiting new members on this Philippine island of Mindanao is a priority of the Philippine government and the United States.
"That's the path in a place like this," Mullen said during an all-hands call here. "What has become very evident to me as it should be to you here is security is a necessary condition, but security is not going to get you across home plate. You've got to be able to create an economic underpinning. You've got to have good governance. You've got to have the rule of law -- all these things that start to sustain themselves."
U.S. civilian aid to the people of Mindanao dwarfs the military funds. USAID spends $50 million to $60 million a year in the Philippines, with 60 percent coming to this impoverished area. U.S. military aid is pegged at roughly $5 million to $6 million a year.
USAID works with Philippine national and local leaders to develop projects that benefit all the people. The agency has financed digging wells, building roads, rebuilding bridges and constructing schools. "We work closely with the joint task force here," Jon Lindborg, USAID's mission director in the Philippines, said in an interview. "We're able to leverage our money to the best uses."
The agency is financing improvements to the airports at Tawi-Tawi and in Jolo – both of which also benefit the Philippine armed forces.
USAID works with the joint task force in scheduling medical, dental and veterinary exercises that provide health care to thousands of people. They also work with Navy Seabees who deploy to the islands to build schools and medical clinics. The agency also acts as a bridge for nongovernmental organizations that, for whatever reason, don't want to work directly with the military.
But USAID is stretched. When the Berlin Wall came down in 1989, the United States took a "peace dividend," Mullen said. While the U.S. military was cut 35 to 40 percent, civilian agencies also were slashed. USAID went from 15,000 employees worldwide to 4,000.
"The U.S. government is not set up for the wars of the 21st century," Mullen said. "It doesn't reflect the expeditionary world we're living in. We haven't recruited, hired, promoted, trained, educated the people in our civilian agencies for the kind of expeditionary requirements and rotations that we are actually doing right now."
Both Gates and Mullen have testified that the State Department needs 1,000 more employees and $1 billion more in budget.
USAID, State Department programs that help nations build governance and security assistance to help nations build military capabilities are crucial to the fight in the Philippines and go together in many other poorer nations that face the same problems. The civilian departments need to grow; they need more people, and those people need to deploy at a moment's notice, Mullen said.
"Until we can do that, the military will pick up the slack, because we can," Mullen said.
The capability to help nations build good governance is not a core mission for the Defense Department, but it is something the State Department can and does do. Building infrastructure is a mission USAID has done since it started in 1961. Legal attaches from the Justice Department have the expertise to help countries establish the rule of law. The Agriculture Department can help farmers be more bountiful and develop new crops.
Officials at the military joint task force and the U.S. embassy would like to see the group get commanders' emergency relief program funds.
"We had an incident where Abu Sayyaf burned down homes in central Mindanao, Lee McClenny, the U.S. Embassy spokesman in Manila, said. "If we'd had CERP funds, we could have helped rebuild those houses and made a huge statement against the terrorists."
Mullen listened to the words of the civilian and military leaders on the ground – "where the rubber meets the road," he said -- and promised to take their concerns back to Washington.
"The days where a single service, a single department, a single anything can make things happen are behind us," Mullen said. "It's got to be integrated, and it's got to be all of us doing this together."
Tuesday, May 27, 2008
President Bush, Defense Leaders Commemorate Memorial Day
By Fred W. Baker III
American Forces Press Service
May 26, 2008 - Under sunny skies and before a multitude gathered at the Tomb of the Unknowns on Arlington National Cemetery here, President Bush today honored the sacrifices of American men and women in uniform who gave their lives in the service of their country. Hundreds packed into the amphitheater near the tomb nestled among green, rolling hills dotted with white crosses and headstones. Some waved miniature flags, others donned patriotic garb. All came on this Memorial Day to pay tribute to servicemembers who have fought and died.
Just before his remarks, the president laid a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknowns.
"Today, we gather to honor those who gave everything to preserve our way of life. The men and women we honor here served for liberty. They sacrificed for liberty. And in countless acts of courage, they died for liberty," Bush said.
"From faraway lands, they were returned to cemeteries like this one, where broken hearts received their broken bodies -- they found peace beneath the white headstones in the land they fought to defend," he said.
Bush said that the fresh headstones in the cemetery are a solemn reminder of the cost of freedom that is paid by those "who serve a cause greater than themselves."
"Today we mourn and remember all who have given their lives in the line of duty. Today we lift up our hearts especially those who've fallen in the past year," he said.
In his address, the president highlighted the service of Army Spc. Ronald Tucker of Fountain, Colo., and Chief Petty Officers Nathan Hardy of Durham, N.H., and Michael Koch of State College, Penn.
Bush called Tucker "a dutiful son who called his mother every day" from Iraq. Less than a month ago, Tucker and other members of his unit built a soccer field for Iraqi children. As he drove back to his base, he was killed by an enemy bomb.
Hardy and Koch were Navy SEALs and close friends who shared a battlefield tradition of going on missions with American flags underneath the shirts of their uniforms. They died in Iraq Feb. 4 after being ambushed by terrorists. Hardy and Koch are buried next to each other in Arlington National Cemetery.
"The men and women of American armed forces perform extraordinary acts of heroism every single day. Like the nation they serve, they do not glory in the devastation of war. They also do not flinch from combat when liberty and justice are embattled," Bush said.
"We will forever honor their memories. We will forever search for their comrades .... And ... we offer a solemn pledge to persevere and to provide the security for our citizens and secure the peace for which they fought," he said.
Bush received two standing ovations during the speech. He got the he first one when he took the stage, and he got the second when he spoke about his feelings for those who serve in the military.
"On this Memorial Day, I stand before you as the commander-in-chief and try to tell you how proud I am at the sacrifice and service of the men and women who wear our uniform. They're an awesome bunch of people and the United States is blessed to have such citizens," he said.
The president was introduced by Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates, who also made remarks. He said that those who died still remain near.
"We hold them to us, every day, and especially on this day. We gather to remember," Gates said.
Gates said the nation's war dead come from every part of America and from every generation, and that we owed our liberty to those who have fought and died.
"We have our liberty because of what they did. Liberty has come to other peoples because of what they did, and are doing, in Afghanistan, Iraq, and in other places around the world," he said.
"Mourning the war dead calls forth many emotions: remorse that they suffered; awe at how they bore that suffering; pride in the fine people they were; gratitude for their willingness to be the guarantors of our freedom," Gates said. "Their sacrifice is a reminder that we must go on, and be worthy of them, and finish their work."
Navy Adm. Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, also spoke briefly at the service. He called the freedoms earned by those who died precious but fragile.
"The precious gift of freedom they have given us is fragile and has to be safeguarded, worked for, fought for, and ... even died for," he said.
The chairman said every headstone in the cemetery represents a promise, a commitment, and a willingness of every one buried there to give their lives to preserve our way of life.
American Forces Press Service
May 26, 2008 - Under sunny skies and before a multitude gathered at the Tomb of the Unknowns on Arlington National Cemetery here, President Bush today honored the sacrifices of American men and women in uniform who gave their lives in the service of their country. Hundreds packed into the amphitheater near the tomb nestled among green, rolling hills dotted with white crosses and headstones. Some waved miniature flags, others donned patriotic garb. All came on this Memorial Day to pay tribute to servicemembers who have fought and died.
Just before his remarks, the president laid a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknowns.
"Today, we gather to honor those who gave everything to preserve our way of life. The men and women we honor here served for liberty. They sacrificed for liberty. And in countless acts of courage, they died for liberty," Bush said.
"From faraway lands, they were returned to cemeteries like this one, where broken hearts received their broken bodies -- they found peace beneath the white headstones in the land they fought to defend," he said.
Bush said that the fresh headstones in the cemetery are a solemn reminder of the cost of freedom that is paid by those "who serve a cause greater than themselves."
"Today we mourn and remember all who have given their lives in the line of duty. Today we lift up our hearts especially those who've fallen in the past year," he said.
In his address, the president highlighted the service of Army Spc. Ronald Tucker of Fountain, Colo., and Chief Petty Officers Nathan Hardy of Durham, N.H., and Michael Koch of State College, Penn.
Bush called Tucker "a dutiful son who called his mother every day" from Iraq. Less than a month ago, Tucker and other members of his unit built a soccer field for Iraqi children. As he drove back to his base, he was killed by an enemy bomb.
Hardy and Koch were Navy SEALs and close friends who shared a battlefield tradition of going on missions with American flags underneath the shirts of their uniforms. They died in Iraq Feb. 4 after being ambushed by terrorists. Hardy and Koch are buried next to each other in Arlington National Cemetery.
"The men and women of American armed forces perform extraordinary acts of heroism every single day. Like the nation they serve, they do not glory in the devastation of war. They also do not flinch from combat when liberty and justice are embattled," Bush said.
"We will forever honor their memories. We will forever search for their comrades .... And ... we offer a solemn pledge to persevere and to provide the security for our citizens and secure the peace for which they fought," he said.
Bush received two standing ovations during the speech. He got the he first one when he took the stage, and he got the second when he spoke about his feelings for those who serve in the military.
"On this Memorial Day, I stand before you as the commander-in-chief and try to tell you how proud I am at the sacrifice and service of the men and women who wear our uniform. They're an awesome bunch of people and the United States is blessed to have such citizens," he said.
The president was introduced by Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates, who also made remarks. He said that those who died still remain near.
"We hold them to us, every day, and especially on this day. We gather to remember," Gates said.
Gates said the nation's war dead come from every part of America and from every generation, and that we owed our liberty to those who have fought and died.
"We have our liberty because of what they did. Liberty has come to other peoples because of what they did, and are doing, in Afghanistan, Iraq, and in other places around the world," he said.
"Mourning the war dead calls forth many emotions: remorse that they suffered; awe at how they bore that suffering; pride in the fine people they were; gratitude for their willingness to be the guarantors of our freedom," Gates said. "Their sacrifice is a reminder that we must go on, and be worthy of them, and finish their work."
Navy Adm. Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, also spoke briefly at the service. He called the freedoms earned by those who died precious but fragile.
"The precious gift of freedom they have given us is fragile and has to be safeguarded, worked for, fought for, and ... even died for," he said.
The chairman said every headstone in the cemetery represents a promise, a commitment, and a willingness of every one buried there to give their lives to preserve our way of life.
Wednesday, May 21, 2008
Nations Discuss Maritime Security at Denmark Conference
By Jim Garamone
American Forces Press Service
May 20, 2008 - Terrorism, piracy and other transnational threats were among topics military planners from around the world discussed at a recent conference in Copenhagen, Denmark. Marine Lt. Gen. John F. Sattler, the Joint Staff's director for strategic plans and policy, said the meeting examined ways countries can work together to address these threats.
"Trust" and "will" were two words Sattler continually emphasized during a briefing with Pentagon reporters yesterday following his return from Denmark. Nations must trust one another to share information, and they must exercise the will to stop illegal activities on the seas, he said, adding that the conference was a place to build that trust and show that will.
The multilateral planning conference attracted 234 participants from 61 countries. "Global maritime security cooperation was the over-arching theme," Sattler said. He added that the nations also worked together in anticipation of a United Nations Security Council resolution on piracy that the world body is considering.
Adm. Gary Roughead, chief of naval operations, and Adm. Thad Allen, commandant of the Coast Guard, were keynote speakers at the event.
Sattler said the conference participants all recognize the importance of maritime security. "They know that 90 percent of the commerce carried in the world goes by ships," he said, and so land-locked countries, as well as maritime nations, have a stake in the issue.
The conference looked at likely maritime threats and examined emerging challenges. Participants worked toward building future partnership initiatives and policy recommendations, Sattler said.
Scott Norwood, Sattler's deputy, said the conference also helped nations understand the roles they play, the importance of regional and global cooperation, and the applicability of law of the sea agreements, treaties and protocols.
Break-out sessions grouped countries from around the world to work on proposals and discuss issues. They briefed the discussions to the conference as a whole. All those discussions have been gathered and will be published in the weeks ahead, Norwood said.
Building maritime capacity was another important part of the conference. Sattler said nations recognize the need for discussions within their own governments about the role of their justice departments, coast guard, navies and so on.
Operationally, the conferees discussed the importance of maritime situational awareness and sharing that information. Sattler cited cooperation among Singapore, Malaysia and Indonesia as an example.
Four years ago, insurance companies raised the rates for ships transiting the Straits of Malacca, which the three countries share. Sixty cases of piracy were taking place per year in and near the straits. The three countries began sharing maritime information and working together, and only one case of piracy has taken place in the region so far this year, Sattler said.
"No nation can do all this alone," he said. "If we work together, we can stop problems from growing into crises. It boils down to trust that allows us to work together, and we need to build that now. Trust cannot be surged."
American Forces Press Service
May 20, 2008 - Terrorism, piracy and other transnational threats were among topics military planners from around the world discussed at a recent conference in Copenhagen, Denmark. Marine Lt. Gen. John F. Sattler, the Joint Staff's director for strategic plans and policy, said the meeting examined ways countries can work together to address these threats.
"Trust" and "will" were two words Sattler continually emphasized during a briefing with Pentagon reporters yesterday following his return from Denmark. Nations must trust one another to share information, and they must exercise the will to stop illegal activities on the seas, he said, adding that the conference was a place to build that trust and show that will.
The multilateral planning conference attracted 234 participants from 61 countries. "Global maritime security cooperation was the over-arching theme," Sattler said. He added that the nations also worked together in anticipation of a United Nations Security Council resolution on piracy that the world body is considering.
Adm. Gary Roughead, chief of naval operations, and Adm. Thad Allen, commandant of the Coast Guard, were keynote speakers at the event.
Sattler said the conference participants all recognize the importance of maritime security. "They know that 90 percent of the commerce carried in the world goes by ships," he said, and so land-locked countries, as well as maritime nations, have a stake in the issue.
The conference looked at likely maritime threats and examined emerging challenges. Participants worked toward building future partnership initiatives and policy recommendations, Sattler said.
Scott Norwood, Sattler's deputy, said the conference also helped nations understand the roles they play, the importance of regional and global cooperation, and the applicability of law of the sea agreements, treaties and protocols.
Break-out sessions grouped countries from around the world to work on proposals and discuss issues. They briefed the discussions to the conference as a whole. All those discussions have been gathered and will be published in the weeks ahead, Norwood said.
Building maritime capacity was another important part of the conference. Sattler said nations recognize the need for discussions within their own governments about the role of their justice departments, coast guard, navies and so on.
Operationally, the conferees discussed the importance of maritime situational awareness and sharing that information. Sattler cited cooperation among Singapore, Malaysia and Indonesia as an example.
Four years ago, insurance companies raised the rates for ships transiting the Straits of Malacca, which the three countries share. Sixty cases of piracy were taking place per year in and near the straits. The three countries began sharing maritime information and working together, and only one case of piracy has taken place in the region so far this year, Sattler said.
"No nation can do all this alone," he said. "If we work together, we can stop problems from growing into crises. It boils down to trust that allows us to work together, and we need to build that now. Trust cannot be surged."
Friday, May 16, 2008
Gates Extols Public Service to VMI Graduates
By Jim Garamone
American Forces Press Service
May 16, 2008 - America needs dedicated public servants now more than ever, Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates told graduates at the Virginia Military Institute, in Lexington, Va., today. Gates congratulated the 246 graduates of the state military college on their accomplishments and said the institute has taught them lessons on the importance of public service and duty to their fellow citizens.
"For generations, VMI has graduated young people ready to raise their right hands and defend their homeland," the secretary said. "This is something to be grateful for in any time period, but never more so than in a time of war."
Since Sept. 11, 2001, the number of VMI graduates taking commissions in the armed forces has risen. More than half of the class of 2008 will serve. Gates said.
"One of the strengths of America is that we have institutions like VMI, and young men and women like those sitting here today, who are answering this generation's challenge," he said. "From Kabul to Kirkuk, former VMI cadets are serving throughout the armed forces and the U.S. government in many roles: in military intelligence, organizing reconstruction efforts, building infrastructure, and commanding troops in the field."
Since 2001, 75 VMI cadets have been mobilized for active duty, and 41 have been deployed to Iraq or Afghanistan. "More than 1,200 graduates of VMI have been deployed to Iraq or Afghanistan since the start of the war on terror," Gates said. "Eight of them have not returned."
In Iraq and Afghanistan, initial military success has given way to stability and reconstruction campaigns against brutal and adaptive insurgents, the secretary said. "This has tested the mettle of our government, our military, and the patience of our people in ways we haven't seen in a generation," he said.
Not all graduates of the institute serve in the military, but all serve the nation in some way. Gates quoted from Gen. George C. Marshall, the most distinguished graduate of the college, who said, "Our graduates seldom amass great wealth, but just as seldom do they display weakness or indifference to their duties as citizens. They are trained to be soldiers, if there be need for soldiers. ... But what is far more important, they are trained to be good citizens."
Working as a public servant is not easy, as even Marshall found out. Following his service as the "architect of victory" in World War Two, he was pilloried by some Americans for his actions while serving as secretary of state and secretary of defense, Gates said. Benjamin Franklin called the carping critics "bugwriters," the secretary said.
Today, the United States faces many challenges at home and abroad. "We live in a time of great necessities, a time in which we cannot avoid the burdens of global leadership," he said. "The stakes are too high. And it is precisely during these times that America needs its best and brightest from all walks of life to step forward and commit to public service -- to exchange the life of ease and contentment and take on the burdens and the bugwriters."
If America is to continue to be a force for good and justice and the rule of law in the world, "if America is to exercise global leadership consistent with our better angels, then the most able and idealistic of today's young people must step forward and agree to serve their country with the same honor and courage and dignity that marked the service of the long line of patriots that came before them," Gates said.
"Your country asks nothing more than that you live up to the values you have learned and lived in this place for these past four years. You owe yourself nothing less."
American Forces Press Service
May 16, 2008 - America needs dedicated public servants now more than ever, Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates told graduates at the Virginia Military Institute, in Lexington, Va., today. Gates congratulated the 246 graduates of the state military college on their accomplishments and said the institute has taught them lessons on the importance of public service and duty to their fellow citizens.
"For generations, VMI has graduated young people ready to raise their right hands and defend their homeland," the secretary said. "This is something to be grateful for in any time period, but never more so than in a time of war."
Since Sept. 11, 2001, the number of VMI graduates taking commissions in the armed forces has risen. More than half of the class of 2008 will serve. Gates said.
"One of the strengths of America is that we have institutions like VMI, and young men and women like those sitting here today, who are answering this generation's challenge," he said. "From Kabul to Kirkuk, former VMI cadets are serving throughout the armed forces and the U.S. government in many roles: in military intelligence, organizing reconstruction efforts, building infrastructure, and commanding troops in the field."
Since 2001, 75 VMI cadets have been mobilized for active duty, and 41 have been deployed to Iraq or Afghanistan. "More than 1,200 graduates of VMI have been deployed to Iraq or Afghanistan since the start of the war on terror," Gates said. "Eight of them have not returned."
In Iraq and Afghanistan, initial military success has given way to stability and reconstruction campaigns against brutal and adaptive insurgents, the secretary said. "This has tested the mettle of our government, our military, and the patience of our people in ways we haven't seen in a generation," he said.
Not all graduates of the institute serve in the military, but all serve the nation in some way. Gates quoted from Gen. George C. Marshall, the most distinguished graduate of the college, who said, "Our graduates seldom amass great wealth, but just as seldom do they display weakness or indifference to their duties as citizens. They are trained to be soldiers, if there be need for soldiers. ... But what is far more important, they are trained to be good citizens."
Working as a public servant is not easy, as even Marshall found out. Following his service as the "architect of victory" in World War Two, he was pilloried by some Americans for his actions while serving as secretary of state and secretary of defense, Gates said. Benjamin Franklin called the carping critics "bugwriters," the secretary said.
Today, the United States faces many challenges at home and abroad. "We live in a time of great necessities, a time in which we cannot avoid the burdens of global leadership," he said. "The stakes are too high. And it is precisely during these times that America needs its best and brightest from all walks of life to step forward and commit to public service -- to exchange the life of ease and contentment and take on the burdens and the bugwriters."
If America is to continue to be a force for good and justice and the rule of law in the world, "if America is to exercise global leadership consistent with our better angels, then the most able and idealistic of today's young people must step forward and agree to serve their country with the same honor and courage and dignity that marked the service of the long line of patriots that came before them," Gates said.
"Your country asks nothing more than that you live up to the values you have learned and lived in this place for these past four years. You owe yourself nothing less."
Thursday, May 15, 2008
Gates Lauds Moves to Bolster Civilian Agencies
By Jim Garamone
American Forces Press Service
May 15, 2008 - Calling civilian government agencies a "combat multiplier," Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates said last night that he's encouraged by moves to bolster the support agencies can provide to fight the war on terror. Speaking at the Academy of American Diplomats here, the secretary said there is bipartisan support on Capitol Hill to devote more resources to the State Department and other civilian agencies.
Since the war on terror began, President Bush, defense officials and military officers have stressed that all parts of the federal government must work together to combat extremists -- that the military can put in place conditions for security, but civilian agencies are the repositories of expertise on governance, economics, agriculture and so on. Countries like Iraq and Afghanistan need these skills to cement progress in place.
"There is a need for a much greater integration of our efforts," Gates said. "There is clearly a need for a better way to organize interagency collaboration."
Defense personnel have always worked in the State Department, but now State Department personnel are assigned to DoD, especially with the combatant commands. The newly formed U.S. Africa Command, for example, has a large number of State Department personnel assigned to the organization. U.S. Southern Command also has a large number of personnel from civilian agencies as integral members of the command.
The civilian expertise is especially needed "when we're being out-communicated by a guy in a cave," Gates said.
The problem with the civilian agencies providing the personnel has not been a lack of will, but a lack of capabilities, Gates said. The State Department has about 6,600 Foreign Service officers. To put it in perspective, that's barely enough to crew one carrier battle group in the Navy, the secretary said.
The upshot is that when civilian agencies cannot deploy personnel, servicemembers step in to take up the slack. The provincial reconstruction teams in Afghanistan and Iraq are primary examples of this, Gates said. The teams, which have slots for officials from the departments of agriculture, commerce, treasury, justice and so on, were staffed by military personnel so they effort could get up and running quickly.
"There aren't deployable people in agriculture and commerce and treasury and so on that are prepared to go overseas," Gates said.
And these skills are desperately needed, he emphasized. "My view is we are not properly structured to deal with the challenges of the 21st century, which are very complex and have to do not only with security issues but economic development, rule of law, governance and so on," Gates said.
The State Department has asked for a further 1,000 Foreign Service officers and a significant increase in budget for fiscal 2009. Legislation on Capitol Hill would establish a Civilian Reserve Corps. The proposal is in three parts: a couple of hundred full-time people ready to respond at a moment's notice, a cadre of civilians in agencies around the federal government who could be called up to serve anywhere in the world, and civilians in private life who could -- like the National Guard -- serve when "federalized."
"The military calls it a force multiplier when they get these civilians on the ground," Gates said.
The national security organization is essentially unchanged since it was enacted in 1947. DoD has let a contract to see what a new National Security Act would look like if it were enacted this year, the secretary said.
"I, frankly, don't have the answers," he said. "We've got a contract out ... to some academic institutions and think tanks to see if we can't come up with some ideas."
He said he hopes the results from the study will give the new administration some options to pursue in the challenging security environment.
American Forces Press Service
May 15, 2008 - Calling civilian government agencies a "combat multiplier," Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates said last night that he's encouraged by moves to bolster the support agencies can provide to fight the war on terror. Speaking at the Academy of American Diplomats here, the secretary said there is bipartisan support on Capitol Hill to devote more resources to the State Department and other civilian agencies.
Since the war on terror began, President Bush, defense officials and military officers have stressed that all parts of the federal government must work together to combat extremists -- that the military can put in place conditions for security, but civilian agencies are the repositories of expertise on governance, economics, agriculture and so on. Countries like Iraq and Afghanistan need these skills to cement progress in place.
"There is a need for a much greater integration of our efforts," Gates said. "There is clearly a need for a better way to organize interagency collaboration."
Defense personnel have always worked in the State Department, but now State Department personnel are assigned to DoD, especially with the combatant commands. The newly formed U.S. Africa Command, for example, has a large number of State Department personnel assigned to the organization. U.S. Southern Command also has a large number of personnel from civilian agencies as integral members of the command.
The civilian expertise is especially needed "when we're being out-communicated by a guy in a cave," Gates said.
The problem with the civilian agencies providing the personnel has not been a lack of will, but a lack of capabilities, Gates said. The State Department has about 6,600 Foreign Service officers. To put it in perspective, that's barely enough to crew one carrier battle group in the Navy, the secretary said.
The upshot is that when civilian agencies cannot deploy personnel, servicemembers step in to take up the slack. The provincial reconstruction teams in Afghanistan and Iraq are primary examples of this, Gates said. The teams, which have slots for officials from the departments of agriculture, commerce, treasury, justice and so on, were staffed by military personnel so they effort could get up and running quickly.
"There aren't deployable people in agriculture and commerce and treasury and so on that are prepared to go overseas," Gates said.
And these skills are desperately needed, he emphasized. "My view is we are not properly structured to deal with the challenges of the 21st century, which are very complex and have to do not only with security issues but economic development, rule of law, governance and so on," Gates said.
The State Department has asked for a further 1,000 Foreign Service officers and a significant increase in budget for fiscal 2009. Legislation on Capitol Hill would establish a Civilian Reserve Corps. The proposal is in three parts: a couple of hundred full-time people ready to respond at a moment's notice, a cadre of civilians in agencies around the federal government who could be called up to serve anywhere in the world, and civilians in private life who could -- like the National Guard -- serve when "federalized."
"The military calls it a force multiplier when they get these civilians on the ground," Gates said.
The national security organization is essentially unchanged since it was enacted in 1947. DoD has let a contract to see what a new National Security Act would look like if it were enacted this year, the secretary said.
"I, frankly, don't have the answers," he said. "We've got a contract out ... to some academic institutions and think tanks to see if we can't come up with some ideas."
He said he hopes the results from the study will give the new administration some options to pursue in the challenging security environment.
Tuesday, May 06, 2008
England Cites U.S., Australia, New Zealand Security Partnership
By Gerry J. Gilmore
American Forces Press Service
May 6, 2008 - The deputy defense secretary praised the nations of Australia and New Zealand for their long-time friendship and security partnership with the United States during a Pentagon ceremony here today. Deputy Defense Secretary Gordon R. England, accompanied by Australian Ambassador to the United States Dennis Richardson and New Zealand Ambassador to the United States Roy Ferguson, hosted the opening of the refurbished Australia, New Zealand and United States, or ANZUS, corridor exhibit that's located in the Pentagon's "A" ring hallway between the eighth and ninth corridors.
The exhibit features artwork, statuary, weaponry, uniforms and other items that signify the three countries' security partnership throughout the decades.
The display "does reflect the historic bonds of friendship and respect between Australia, New Zealand and the United States," England said. The exhibit includes the contributions of American, Australian and New Zealand artisans and craftspeople, the deputy defense secretary observed.
The alliance among the United States, Australia and New Zealand predates the war on terrorism, England said. President Theodore Roosevelt in 1907 dispatched a squadron of U.S. Navy vessels to circumnavigate the world as a display of U.S. maritime flexibility, he noted. The white-painted flotilla, later nicknamed the Great White Fleet, paid nearly a dozen friendly ports-of-call visits to nations worldwide, including visits to Sydney, Melbourne and Albany, Australia, and Auckland, New Zealand, in 1908.
"Behind me is a panorama of the Great White Fleet when it visited in Auckland and Sydney harbors," England said, indicating one of the displays. "But, while the harbors look different today, Australia, New Zealand and the United States still share close bonds of friendship and that is because we share common values -- freedom, liberty, justice and human dignity."
Those values are preserved today in all three nations, thanks to the efforts and selfless service of their military members, England said.
"We thank all who serve today and all those who have served for this great gift of freedom," he said.
On Sept. 1, 1951, Australia, New Zealand and the United States signed the ANZUS mutual security agreement. That treaty was invoked for the first time following the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks on the United States.
The refurbished exhibit "is testimony to the enduring bonds between our two countries and people, especially those bonds forged in battle," Australian Ambassador Richardson remarked, noting U.S. and Australian troops fought together for the first time on July 4, 1918, during the Battle of Hamel Wood in France during World War I.
"This corridor tells the story of that battle; it tells the story of the other conflicts in which we have been joined," Richardson said.
The Pentagon display commemorates the friendship and security partnership among New Zealand, Australia and the United States during times of war and peace over the past century, New Zealand Ambassador Ferguson remarked.
"This is an occasion to reflect on our history, celebrate our successes and, above all, to remember the service and sacrifice of our respective armed forces," Ferguson said.
The militaries of New Zealand, Australia and the United States, Ferguson observed, have fought "steadfastly, together" as friends and allies for decades during conflicts to preserve freedom and the rule of law.
"New Zealand places great value on the important role the United States continues to play in supporting security and prosperity in the Asia-Pacific region, and we are very grateful for that role," Ferguson said.
American Forces Press Service
May 6, 2008 - The deputy defense secretary praised the nations of Australia and New Zealand for their long-time friendship and security partnership with the United States during a Pentagon ceremony here today. Deputy Defense Secretary Gordon R. England, accompanied by Australian Ambassador to the United States Dennis Richardson and New Zealand Ambassador to the United States Roy Ferguson, hosted the opening of the refurbished Australia, New Zealand and United States, or ANZUS, corridor exhibit that's located in the Pentagon's "A" ring hallway between the eighth and ninth corridors.
The exhibit features artwork, statuary, weaponry, uniforms and other items that signify the three countries' security partnership throughout the decades.
The display "does reflect the historic bonds of friendship and respect between Australia, New Zealand and the United States," England said. The exhibit includes the contributions of American, Australian and New Zealand artisans and craftspeople, the deputy defense secretary observed.
The alliance among the United States, Australia and New Zealand predates the war on terrorism, England said. President Theodore Roosevelt in 1907 dispatched a squadron of U.S. Navy vessels to circumnavigate the world as a display of U.S. maritime flexibility, he noted. The white-painted flotilla, later nicknamed the Great White Fleet, paid nearly a dozen friendly ports-of-call visits to nations worldwide, including visits to Sydney, Melbourne and Albany, Australia, and Auckland, New Zealand, in 1908.
"Behind me is a panorama of the Great White Fleet when it visited in Auckland and Sydney harbors," England said, indicating one of the displays. "But, while the harbors look different today, Australia, New Zealand and the United States still share close bonds of friendship and that is because we share common values -- freedom, liberty, justice and human dignity."
Those values are preserved today in all three nations, thanks to the efforts and selfless service of their military members, England said.
"We thank all who serve today and all those who have served for this great gift of freedom," he said.
On Sept. 1, 1951, Australia, New Zealand and the United States signed the ANZUS mutual security agreement. That treaty was invoked for the first time following the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks on the United States.
The refurbished exhibit "is testimony to the enduring bonds between our two countries and people, especially those bonds forged in battle," Australian Ambassador Richardson remarked, noting U.S. and Australian troops fought together for the first time on July 4, 1918, during the Battle of Hamel Wood in France during World War I.
"This corridor tells the story of that battle; it tells the story of the other conflicts in which we have been joined," Richardson said.
The Pentagon display commemorates the friendship and security partnership among New Zealand, Australia and the United States during times of war and peace over the past century, New Zealand Ambassador Ferguson remarked.
"This is an occasion to reflect on our history, celebrate our successes and, above all, to remember the service and sacrifice of our respective armed forces," Ferguson said.
The militaries of New Zealand, Australia and the United States, Ferguson observed, have fought "steadfastly, together" as friends and allies for decades during conflicts to preserve freedom and the rule of law.
"New Zealand places great value on the important role the United States continues to play in supporting security and prosperity in the Asia-Pacific region, and we are very grateful for that role," Ferguson said.
Monday, May 05, 2008
President's Proclamation Honors Troops' Spouses
American Forces Press Service
May 5, 2008 - Military spouses embody the courage, nobility of duty, and love of country that inspire every American. On Military Spouse Day, we pay tribute to the husbands and wives who support their spouses in America's Armed Forces during times of war and peace. The legacy of military spouses began when colonial Americans were fighting for independence. Martha Washington boosted the morale of her husband's troops by visiting battlefields and tending to the wounded. Since then, members of our Armed Forces have served our Nation accompanied by the steadfast love and support of their spouses and families.
While our men and women in uniform are protecting our country's founding ideals of liberty, democracy, and justice, their spouses live with uncommon challenges, endure sleepless nights, and spend long periods raising children alone. Many military spouses are also committed volunteers, serving other military families and local communities. Our Nation benefits from the sacrifices of our military families, and we are inspired by their courage, strength, and leadership.
On Military Spouse Day and throughout the year, we honor the commitment spouses have made to freedom's cause. To learn about ways to support our troops and their spouses and families, I encourage all Americans to visit www.americasupportsyou.mil.
NOW, THEREFORE, I, GEORGE W. BUSH, President of the United States of America, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and laws of the United States, do hereby proclaim May 9, 2008, as Military Spouse Day. I call upon the people of the United States to observe this day with appropriate ceremonies and activities and by expressing their gratitude to the husbands and wives of those serving in the United States Armed Forces.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this fifth day of May, in the year of our Lord two thousand eight, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and thirty-second.
May 5, 2008 - Military spouses embody the courage, nobility of duty, and love of country that inspire every American. On Military Spouse Day, we pay tribute to the husbands and wives who support their spouses in America's Armed Forces during times of war and peace. The legacy of military spouses began when colonial Americans were fighting for independence. Martha Washington boosted the morale of her husband's troops by visiting battlefields and tending to the wounded. Since then, members of our Armed Forces have served our Nation accompanied by the steadfast love and support of their spouses and families.
While our men and women in uniform are protecting our country's founding ideals of liberty, democracy, and justice, their spouses live with uncommon challenges, endure sleepless nights, and spend long periods raising children alone. Many military spouses are also committed volunteers, serving other military families and local communities. Our Nation benefits from the sacrifices of our military families, and we are inspired by their courage, strength, and leadership.
On Military Spouse Day and throughout the year, we honor the commitment spouses have made to freedom's cause. To learn about ways to support our troops and their spouses and families, I encourage all Americans to visit www.americasupportsyou.mil.
NOW, THEREFORE, I, GEORGE W. BUSH, President of the United States of America, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and laws of the United States, do hereby proclaim May 9, 2008, as Military Spouse Day. I call upon the people of the United States to observe this day with appropriate ceremonies and activities and by expressing their gratitude to the husbands and wives of those serving in the United States Armed Forces.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this fifth day of May, in the year of our Lord two thousand eight, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and thirty-second.
Tuesday, April 29, 2008
Chairman Accepts Award on Behalf of Servicemembers
By Jim Garamone
American Forces Press Service
April 29, 2008 - The chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff accepted the Gold Medal of the Union League of Philadelphia here last night on behalf of the men and women of the U.S. military, who he said make America's freedom possible. Navy Adm. Mike Mullen told the league members that he was honored and humbled to receive the award, but that the men and women of the armed forces are the real honorees.
"We should remember tonight those who serve around the world, particularly those who serve in harm's way," Mullen said. "It is their service that is the foundation for us as a nation. They make such a difference, and they make all of us proud."
The chairman told the black-tie crowd that, while the world is full of challenges, U.S. servicemembers have risen to surmount them. He told of a recent visit he made to Iraq and the fact that he walked through neighborhoods in Baghdad and northern Iraq. "This is something you couldn't do just weeks earlier," Mullen said. "It is like that in many places in Iraq, and it wasn't that way a year ago."
Army Gen. David H. Petraeus, commander of Multinational Force Iraq, deservedly gets credit for turning the country around, the chairman said. "But the individuals who really get the credit in my book are the soldiers, the Marines, sailors and airmen who are on the streets making that happen," he added. "They're the ones who made the surge succeed. They're the ones that get the credit. They have done it with their blood, with their sacrifices and with the American spirit, which has tied them to those who first served when our country was formed."
Mullen said he spends a lot of his time trying to understand the pressure the ground forces are under. He said he has traveled to visit servicemembers stateside and overseas "to be in touch with what's on the ground," so he can use that input in the decisions he makes or when he recommends courses of action.
Servicemembers are not shy about telling him their feelings, especially when they are in a combat environment, he said. "I treasure that," he told the audience. He said he has seen that troops are under pressure, "but they are performing at an exceptional level."
"They are resilient, and they are proud of what they are doing," he added. "They are seeing themselves succeed in a way they weren't a year ago, and they have a skip in their step."
The chairman said that, although work remains to be done in Iraq and a growing insurgency in Afghanistan isn't going to go away, the military must manage the conflicts in such a way that servicemembers have more time between deployments with their families.
"It is in getting it right for the immediate future that consumes a great deal of my time," he said. "But it is not just the immediate future that I am concerned about, because this war we're in, and the extremists that we are fighting, is going to be around for decades, not for months or years. And we're going to have to stay focused on this."
The United States has to build a military for the future that can handle the unconventional enemies of today and conventional threats that may crop up, the chairman said, and the country cannot do it alone. "We've got to build relationships and partnerships with countries around the world," Mullen said.
During and after World War Two, the admiral noted, U.S. leaders understood the need for allies in the struggle against fascism and communism, and the same is true today. "We need those partners. We need those relationships," he said.
The United States must continue to bolster on-going relationships and cultivate emerging relationships with other nations, Mullen said.
"We live in an incredible time, a time of great uncertainty, very unpredictable, and the only way I can see us moving ahead is together -- with allies and partners who have the same objectives in mind," he said.
Mullen stood in the footsteps of Abraham Lincoln, who received the league's first Gold Medal in 1863. Since Lincoln received the honor at the height of the Civil War, 35 Americans have been so honored, including Army Maj. Gen. George G. Meade in 1866, Secretary of War Elihu Root in 1915, President Calvin Coolidge in 1927, General of the Armies John J. Pershing in 1928, President Dwight D. Eisenhower in 1962, Chief Justice Warren E. Burger in 1986, and Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld in 2006.
American Forces Press Service
April 29, 2008 - The chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff accepted the Gold Medal of the Union League of Philadelphia here last night on behalf of the men and women of the U.S. military, who he said make America's freedom possible. Navy Adm. Mike Mullen told the league members that he was honored and humbled to receive the award, but that the men and women of the armed forces are the real honorees.
"We should remember tonight those who serve around the world, particularly those who serve in harm's way," Mullen said. "It is their service that is the foundation for us as a nation. They make such a difference, and they make all of us proud."
The chairman told the black-tie crowd that, while the world is full of challenges, U.S. servicemembers have risen to surmount them. He told of a recent visit he made to Iraq and the fact that he walked through neighborhoods in Baghdad and northern Iraq. "This is something you couldn't do just weeks earlier," Mullen said. "It is like that in many places in Iraq, and it wasn't that way a year ago."
Army Gen. David H. Petraeus, commander of Multinational Force Iraq, deservedly gets credit for turning the country around, the chairman said. "But the individuals who really get the credit in my book are the soldiers, the Marines, sailors and airmen who are on the streets making that happen," he added. "They're the ones who made the surge succeed. They're the ones that get the credit. They have done it with their blood, with their sacrifices and with the American spirit, which has tied them to those who first served when our country was formed."
Mullen said he spends a lot of his time trying to understand the pressure the ground forces are under. He said he has traveled to visit servicemembers stateside and overseas "to be in touch with what's on the ground," so he can use that input in the decisions he makes or when he recommends courses of action.
Servicemembers are not shy about telling him their feelings, especially when they are in a combat environment, he said. "I treasure that," he told the audience. He said he has seen that troops are under pressure, "but they are performing at an exceptional level."
"They are resilient, and they are proud of what they are doing," he added. "They are seeing themselves succeed in a way they weren't a year ago, and they have a skip in their step."
The chairman said that, although work remains to be done in Iraq and a growing insurgency in Afghanistan isn't going to go away, the military must manage the conflicts in such a way that servicemembers have more time between deployments with their families.
"It is in getting it right for the immediate future that consumes a great deal of my time," he said. "But it is not just the immediate future that I am concerned about, because this war we're in, and the extremists that we are fighting, is going to be around for decades, not for months or years. And we're going to have to stay focused on this."
The United States has to build a military for the future that can handle the unconventional enemies of today and conventional threats that may crop up, the chairman said, and the country cannot do it alone. "We've got to build relationships and partnerships with countries around the world," Mullen said.
During and after World War Two, the admiral noted, U.S. leaders understood the need for allies in the struggle against fascism and communism, and the same is true today. "We need those partners. We need those relationships," he said.
The United States must continue to bolster on-going relationships and cultivate emerging relationships with other nations, Mullen said.
"We live in an incredible time, a time of great uncertainty, very unpredictable, and the only way I can see us moving ahead is together -- with allies and partners who have the same objectives in mind," he said.
Mullen stood in the footsteps of Abraham Lincoln, who received the league's first Gold Medal in 1863. Since Lincoln received the honor at the height of the Civil War, 35 Americans have been so honored, including Army Maj. Gen. George G. Meade in 1866, Secretary of War Elihu Root in 1915, President Calvin Coolidge in 1927, General of the Armies John J. Pershing in 1928, President Dwight D. Eisenhower in 1962, Chief Justice Warren E. Burger in 1986, and Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld in 2006.
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