By Donna Miles
American Forces Press Service
April 23, 2008 - One hundred Army Reserve soldiers representing every state in the union raised their hands today and re-enlisted on the U.S. Capitol steps during a ceremony marking the Army Reserve's 100th anniversary. Army Lt. Gen. Jack C. Stultz, Army Reserve chief, and Command Sgt. Maj. Leon Caffie, his top enlisted soldier, administered the re-enlistment oath, marking the Army Reserve's century of service.
Later in the day, they'll lay a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknowns at Arlington National Cemetery to honor the contributions and sacrifices Army Reserve soldiers have made. Afterward, they will honor today's Army Reserve soldiers by planting a tree and dedicating a plaque at Arlington.
Stultz noted the service Army Reservists have contributed since it was founded April 23, 1908, as a small strategic force. He called today's Army Reserve is an operational, expeditionary and domestic force that's an essential part of the Army.
Since the Sept. 11, 2001, terror attacks, the Army Reserve has mobilized more than 216,000 soldiers. Today, more than 26,000 Army reservists are deployed around the world, he said.
This weekend, Stultz will further honor the sacrifices they have made when he attends the funeral of Army Reserve Sgt. Matt Maupin. The 20-year-old soldier went missing outside Baghdad April 9, 2004, when his convoy came under attack. He had been listed as a prisoner of war after a videotape was released showing him in captivity.
The Army announced March 31 that Maupin's remains had been positively identified through DNA.
Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates expressed condolences to Maupin's family. "Every single one of these (deaths) is a tragedy, both for the individual and for their families, but this has been especially difficult for the Maupin family because of not knowing for almost exactly four years," Gates told reporters traveling with him the day of the announcement.
Maupin was a 20-year-old private first class when he was captured. He was a member of 724th Transportation Company, from Bartonville, Ill., but was assigned to the 88th Regional Readiness Command for the deployment. He was promoted to staff sergeant in August 2006, his third promotion since his capture.
Stultz expressed appreciation for the commitment, selfless service and personal courage Army reservists have demonstrated as they put their lives on hold – and on the line – to defend the United States and its freedoms.
Thursday, April 24, 2008
America Supports You: Festival Queens Undertake 'Operation Rhinestone'
By Samantha L. Quigley
American Forces Press Service
April 23, 2008 - In celebration of Military Appreciation Month, more than 100 festival queens will gather in Opelousas, La., on May 10 for "Operation Rhinestone." The ladies, ages 7 to 23, will record messages of support for a DVD the Thank You Foundation will send to troops serving in Iraq and Afghanistan throughout May. In addition to their verbal messages, each festival queen will write a note of support to be included with the discs.
"We are very excited to be a part of this project," said John Guinn, president and founder of The Thank You Foundation. "These girls spend so much of their own money and time to serve their communities, and now they are going above and beyond to help say 'Thank you' to those who have given so much for our freedom."
The foundation, which expresses appreciation and gratitude for those who serve or have served in the military, found inspiration for Operation Rhinestone in someone just barely old enough to participate in a pageant herself.
Morgan Landry, 7, grew up in a military family and wanted to do something special for Louisiana soldiers.
Her parents, Miranda and Michael Landry Sr., wanted to encourage her and began searching for help. Their quest led them to The Thank You Foundation, which orchestrated a similar project with professional athletes in Cincinnati last year. It also worked with Pennsylvania Online Learners to produce and send a special multimedia presentation to troops serving overseas earlier this year.
"I am so touched and proud of this young girl," said Robin Abshire, director of Louisiana's Spice and Music Festival. "She realizes that her daddy spent much of her life away and has learned he did it not only for us to be free and safe but to keep his baby girls free and safe.
"Our soldiers have given so much for total strangers and as we all know, here in Louisiana, we find just about anything to celebrate with our festivals, and our soldiers are missing out," Abshire added. "This is Morgan's way of sending our festivals to our soldiers."
Once the DVDs are produced, volunteers from the Thank You Foundation will pack them into care packages along with items such as soap, toothpaste and food. Each box also will include the cards signed by the festival queens.
The Thank You Foundation, a supporter of the Defense Department's "America Supports You" program, has sent more than 25,000 cards signed by school children to troops in Iraq and Afghanistan and to veterans in the states.
America Supports You connects citizens and companies with servicemembers and their families serving at home and abroad.
American Forces Press Service
April 23, 2008 - In celebration of Military Appreciation Month, more than 100 festival queens will gather in Opelousas, La., on May 10 for "Operation Rhinestone." The ladies, ages 7 to 23, will record messages of support for a DVD the Thank You Foundation will send to troops serving in Iraq and Afghanistan throughout May. In addition to their verbal messages, each festival queen will write a note of support to be included with the discs.
"We are very excited to be a part of this project," said John Guinn, president and founder of The Thank You Foundation. "These girls spend so much of their own money and time to serve their communities, and now they are going above and beyond to help say 'Thank you' to those who have given so much for our freedom."
The foundation, which expresses appreciation and gratitude for those who serve or have served in the military, found inspiration for Operation Rhinestone in someone just barely old enough to participate in a pageant herself.
Morgan Landry, 7, grew up in a military family and wanted to do something special for Louisiana soldiers.
Her parents, Miranda and Michael Landry Sr., wanted to encourage her and began searching for help. Their quest led them to The Thank You Foundation, which orchestrated a similar project with professional athletes in Cincinnati last year. It also worked with Pennsylvania Online Learners to produce and send a special multimedia presentation to troops serving overseas earlier this year.
"I am so touched and proud of this young girl," said Robin Abshire, director of Louisiana's Spice and Music Festival. "She realizes that her daddy spent much of her life away and has learned he did it not only for us to be free and safe but to keep his baby girls free and safe.
"Our soldiers have given so much for total strangers and as we all know, here in Louisiana, we find just about anything to celebrate with our festivals, and our soldiers are missing out," Abshire added. "This is Morgan's way of sending our festivals to our soldiers."
Once the DVDs are produced, volunteers from the Thank You Foundation will pack them into care packages along with items such as soap, toothpaste and food. Each box also will include the cards signed by the festival queens.
The Thank You Foundation, a supporter of the Defense Department's "America Supports You" program, has sent more than 25,000 cards signed by school children to troops in Iraq and Afghanistan and to veterans in the states.
America Supports You connects citizens and companies with servicemembers and their families serving at home and abroad.
Petraeus-Odierno Team Nominated to Lead in CentCom, Iraq
By Donna Miles
American Forces Press Service
April 23, 2008 - The White House will nominate Army Gen. David H. Petraeus, currently commander of Multinational Force Iraq, to be the next U.S. Central Command commander, Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates announced today. "I recommended him to the president because I am absolutely confident he is the best man for the job," Gates told reporters. He cited Petraeus' in-depth understanding of the situation in Iraq as well as counterinsurgency operations, and the successes seen in Iraq under his leadership.
"The kinds of conflicts we are dealing with not just in Iraq, but in Afghanistan and some of the challenges that we face elsewhere in the region in the CentCom area, are very much characterized by asymetric warfare," he said. "And I don't know anybody in the United States military better qualified to lead that effort."
Gates also announced today that the White House will nominate Army Gen. Raymond T. Odierno, who commanded Multinational Corps Iraq until just two months ago, to succeed Petraeus as Multinational Force Iraq commander.
Odierno served as Petraeus' right-hand man in Iraq, Gates said, and like Petraeus, has the experience required for the job.
"I believe in most parts of the world, especially the Middle East, personal relationships make a difference," Gates said. "And General Odierno is known recently to the Iraqi leadership, he's known to the Iraqi generals, he's known to our own people. He has current experience, so the likelihood of him being able to pick up for this baton-passing to be smooth – the odds of that are better with him than with anybody else I could identify."
Odierno had been nominated as Army vice chief of staff. That nomination will be withdrawn, with Army Lt. Gen. Peter Chiarelli, currently Gates' senior military advisor, to be nominated for a fourth star and to serve in that position, the secretary announced.
Gates said Navy Adm. William J. Fallon's decision in March to step down as CentCom commander came unexpectedly, creating a big hole at "one of our most important combatant commands, one engaged in two wars and on many fronts and perhaps the most sensitive part of the world."
Gates said he turned to the person most up to speed on the region to fill the post quickly without losing momentum.
Petraeus said he is "honored to be nominated for this position and to have an opportunity to continue to serve with America's soldiers, sailors, airmen, Marines, Coast Guardsmen and civilians."
Gates said he expects the Petraeus-Odierno team to work together to continue building on progress taking place in Iraq. "I think the course ... that General Petraeus has set has been a successful course, so frankly I think staying that course is not a bad idea," he said. "I would say it's a good idea."
Because Odierno served directly under Petraeus for the past year, his assumption of the Iraq command with Petraeus at CentCom "probably preserves the likelihood of continued momentum and progress," Gates said.
The secretary urged the Senate to move quickly on the nominations, confirming them by Memorial Day, if possible, to pave the way for Petraeus to take the CentCom helm. Gates cited the "high respect" many Senate leaders have for Petraeus and said he expects a fairly smooth confirmation process.
Meanwhile, Petraeus will remain in the Multinational Force Iraq job through late summer or early fall to ensure a smooth hand-off to Odierno. Gates said he expects Petraeus to be on site to evaluate ground conditions following a 45-day pause to begin after the final surge forces withdraw from Iraq.
"I would expect that General Petraeus would carry out not only the evaluation, but that first decision in terms of are we able to draw down another brigade combat team or not, depending on conditions on the ground," Gates said.
At CentCom, Petraeus will broaden his responsibilities to address challenges not only in Iraq, but also in Afghanistan and elsewhere in the region. Gates said he expects Petraeus to follow in Fallon's footsteps building relationships throughout the region.
Gates said he believes Petraeus, Odierno and Fallon all share the same views about the dangers of Iranian interference in Iraq. "What the Iranians are doing is killing American servicemen and women inside Iraq," he said.
The secretary expressed special appreciation to Odierno for his willingness to accept another tour in Iraq so soon after returning home, and to his family for supporting the decision.
"I think his extraordinary sense of duty that has led him to accept this tough assignment," he said. "I am personally very grateful to him and to his family for their remarkable service to this country."
Army Lt. Gen. Martin E. Dempsey, who was Fallon's deputy commander, has served as acting CentCom commander since Fallon handed over the reins March 28.
American Forces Press Service
April 23, 2008 - The White House will nominate Army Gen. David H. Petraeus, currently commander of Multinational Force Iraq, to be the next U.S. Central Command commander, Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates announced today. "I recommended him to the president because I am absolutely confident he is the best man for the job," Gates told reporters. He cited Petraeus' in-depth understanding of the situation in Iraq as well as counterinsurgency operations, and the successes seen in Iraq under his leadership.
"The kinds of conflicts we are dealing with not just in Iraq, but in Afghanistan and some of the challenges that we face elsewhere in the region in the CentCom area, are very much characterized by asymetric warfare," he said. "And I don't know anybody in the United States military better qualified to lead that effort."
Gates also announced today that the White House will nominate Army Gen. Raymond T. Odierno, who commanded Multinational Corps Iraq until just two months ago, to succeed Petraeus as Multinational Force Iraq commander.
Odierno served as Petraeus' right-hand man in Iraq, Gates said, and like Petraeus, has the experience required for the job.
"I believe in most parts of the world, especially the Middle East, personal relationships make a difference," Gates said. "And General Odierno is known recently to the Iraqi leadership, he's known to the Iraqi generals, he's known to our own people. He has current experience, so the likelihood of him being able to pick up for this baton-passing to be smooth – the odds of that are better with him than with anybody else I could identify."
Odierno had been nominated as Army vice chief of staff. That nomination will be withdrawn, with Army Lt. Gen. Peter Chiarelli, currently Gates' senior military advisor, to be nominated for a fourth star and to serve in that position, the secretary announced.
Gates said Navy Adm. William J. Fallon's decision in March to step down as CentCom commander came unexpectedly, creating a big hole at "one of our most important combatant commands, one engaged in two wars and on many fronts and perhaps the most sensitive part of the world."
Gates said he turned to the person most up to speed on the region to fill the post quickly without losing momentum.
Petraeus said he is "honored to be nominated for this position and to have an opportunity to continue to serve with America's soldiers, sailors, airmen, Marines, Coast Guardsmen and civilians."
Gates said he expects the Petraeus-Odierno team to work together to continue building on progress taking place in Iraq. "I think the course ... that General Petraeus has set has been a successful course, so frankly I think staying that course is not a bad idea," he said. "I would say it's a good idea."
Because Odierno served directly under Petraeus for the past year, his assumption of the Iraq command with Petraeus at CentCom "probably preserves the likelihood of continued momentum and progress," Gates said.
The secretary urged the Senate to move quickly on the nominations, confirming them by Memorial Day, if possible, to pave the way for Petraeus to take the CentCom helm. Gates cited the "high respect" many Senate leaders have for Petraeus and said he expects a fairly smooth confirmation process.
Meanwhile, Petraeus will remain in the Multinational Force Iraq job through late summer or early fall to ensure a smooth hand-off to Odierno. Gates said he expects Petraeus to be on site to evaluate ground conditions following a 45-day pause to begin after the final surge forces withdraw from Iraq.
"I would expect that General Petraeus would carry out not only the evaluation, but that first decision in terms of are we able to draw down another brigade combat team or not, depending on conditions on the ground," Gates said.
At CentCom, Petraeus will broaden his responsibilities to address challenges not only in Iraq, but also in Afghanistan and elsewhere in the region. Gates said he expects Petraeus to follow in Fallon's footsteps building relationships throughout the region.
Gates said he believes Petraeus, Odierno and Fallon all share the same views about the dangers of Iranian interference in Iraq. "What the Iranians are doing is killing American servicemen and women inside Iraq," he said.
The secretary expressed special appreciation to Odierno for his willingness to accept another tour in Iraq so soon after returning home, and to his family for supporting the decision.
"I think his extraordinary sense of duty that has led him to accept this tough assignment," he said. "I am personally very grateful to him and to his family for their remarkable service to this country."
Army Lt. Gen. Martin E. Dempsey, who was Fallon's deputy commander, has served as acting CentCom commander since Fallon handed over the reins March 28.
MILITARY CONTRACTS April 23, 2008
NAVY
Tatitlek Support Services, Inc., Anchorage, Alaska, is being awarded a $319,246,604 firm-fixed-price, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract to provide civilians on the battlefield foreign language specialist role players to support United States Marine Corps pre-deployment training at Twentynine Palms, Calif. The preponderance of the work will be performed at Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center, Marine Corps Base Twentynine Palms, Calif., and work is expected to be completed Mar. 2013. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Marine Corps System Command, Orlando, Fla., is the contracting activity (M67854-08-D-8029).
Bell Boeing Tiltrotor Team, Amarillo, Texas, is being awarded $14,396,743 for ceiling priced delivery order #0264 under previously awarded contract (N00383-03-G-001B) for spare components of the V-22 aircraft. Work will be performed in Ridley Park, Pa., and work is expected to be completed by Jul. 2011. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was not competitively procured. The Naval Inventory Control Point is the contracting activity.
Maine Secure Composites, LLC,* Orono, Maine, is being awarded a $12,970,884 indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity, cost-plus-fixed-fee contract for development and prototyping of Composite Anti-Tamper Containers (CATM). CATM will be used for increasing container security under the Department of Homeland Security Advanced Container Security Device program. Work will be performed in Orono, Maine, and work is expected to be complete April 2013. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was not competitively procured because the initial development of CATM performed by Maine Secure Composites, LLC, provides for unique qualifications. Maine Secure Composites, LLC, is the only source that would not result in the duplication of cost, which because of the short-term development schedule would not be recovered through competition. A sole-source justification and approval was signed in accordance with FAR Subpart 6.302-1 and 10 U.S.C. 2304(c)(1) for Only One Responsible Source. The sole-source synopsis was published on the Federal Business Opportunities web site and the Space and Naval Warfare Systems Command e-Commerce web site. The Space and Naval Warfare Systems Center, San Diego, Calif., is the contracting activity (N66001-08-D-0010).
Booz Allen Hamilton, Inc., Lexington Park, Md., is being awarded a $9,861,283 modification to a previously awarded cost-plus-fixed-fee contract (N00421-04-C-0058) to exercise an option for technical and engineering services for Communications-Electronics Advanced Technologies (CEAT), supporting the Special Communications Requirements Division of the Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division, Patuxent River, Maryland. These services and supplies shall provide research, design, development, integration, test and evaluation, installation, fielding, analysis, maintenance, material procurements, training, and logistics of CEAT Systems. The estimated level of effort for this option is 79,361 man-hours. Work will be performed in Lexington Park, Md., (60 percent); Tampa, Fla., (20 percent); and Crystal City, Va., (20 percent), and work is expected to be completed in Oct. 2008. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the fiscal year. The Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division, Patuxent River, Md., is the contracting activity.
Ocean Systems Engineering Corp., Oceanside, Calif., is being awarded $9,360,439 for task order #0043 under previously awarded firm-fixed-price contract (M67854-02-A-9020) to provide Marine Corps Systems Command's SIAT (Systems Engineering, Interoperability, Architectures and Technology Support) staff the detailed technical and analytical support required to define, integrate, certify, plan and oversee the development and delivery of Marine Air-Ground Task Force (MAGTF) systems. This effort consists of four areas: MAGTF Systems Engineering and Integration; Program Engineering and Technology; Joint Certification; and Architecture Design and Development. Work will be performed in Stafford, Va., and work is expected to be completed in Apr. 2009. Contract funds in the amount of $6,835,439 will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Marine Corps System Command, Quantico, Va., is the contracting activity.
ARMY
Yellowstone Electric Co., Billings, Mont., was awarded on Apr. 22, 2008, a $6,039,049 firm-fixed price contract for transformers for the garrison dam. Work will be performed in Riverdale, N.D., and work is expected to be completed by Apr. 22, 2010. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. Five bids were solicited on Nov. 28, 2007, and two bids were received. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Portland, Ore., is the contracting activity (W9127N-08-C-0011).
Tatitlek Support Services, Inc., Anchorage, Alaska, is being awarded a $319,246,604 firm-fixed-price, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract to provide civilians on the battlefield foreign language specialist role players to support United States Marine Corps pre-deployment training at Twentynine Palms, Calif. The preponderance of the work will be performed at Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center, Marine Corps Base Twentynine Palms, Calif., and work is expected to be completed Mar. 2013. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Marine Corps System Command, Orlando, Fla., is the contracting activity (M67854-08-D-8029).
Bell Boeing Tiltrotor Team, Amarillo, Texas, is being awarded $14,396,743 for ceiling priced delivery order #0264 under previously awarded contract (N00383-03-G-001B) for spare components of the V-22 aircraft. Work will be performed in Ridley Park, Pa., and work is expected to be completed by Jul. 2011. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was not competitively procured. The Naval Inventory Control Point is the contracting activity.
Maine Secure Composites, LLC,* Orono, Maine, is being awarded a $12,970,884 indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity, cost-plus-fixed-fee contract for development and prototyping of Composite Anti-Tamper Containers (CATM). CATM will be used for increasing container security under the Department of Homeland Security Advanced Container Security Device program. Work will be performed in Orono, Maine, and work is expected to be complete April 2013. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was not competitively procured because the initial development of CATM performed by Maine Secure Composites, LLC, provides for unique qualifications. Maine Secure Composites, LLC, is the only source that would not result in the duplication of cost, which because of the short-term development schedule would not be recovered through competition. A sole-source justification and approval was signed in accordance with FAR Subpart 6.302-1 and 10 U.S.C. 2304(c)(1) for Only One Responsible Source. The sole-source synopsis was published on the Federal Business Opportunities web site and the Space and Naval Warfare Systems Command e-Commerce web site. The Space and Naval Warfare Systems Center, San Diego, Calif., is the contracting activity (N66001-08-D-0010).
Booz Allen Hamilton, Inc., Lexington Park, Md., is being awarded a $9,861,283 modification to a previously awarded cost-plus-fixed-fee contract (N00421-04-C-0058) to exercise an option for technical and engineering services for Communications-Electronics Advanced Technologies (CEAT), supporting the Special Communications Requirements Division of the Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division, Patuxent River, Maryland. These services and supplies shall provide research, design, development, integration, test and evaluation, installation, fielding, analysis, maintenance, material procurements, training, and logistics of CEAT Systems. The estimated level of effort for this option is 79,361 man-hours. Work will be performed in Lexington Park, Md., (60 percent); Tampa, Fla., (20 percent); and Crystal City, Va., (20 percent), and work is expected to be completed in Oct. 2008. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the fiscal year. The Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division, Patuxent River, Md., is the contracting activity.
Ocean Systems Engineering Corp., Oceanside, Calif., is being awarded $9,360,439 for task order #0043 under previously awarded firm-fixed-price contract (M67854-02-A-9020) to provide Marine Corps Systems Command's SIAT (Systems Engineering, Interoperability, Architectures and Technology Support) staff the detailed technical and analytical support required to define, integrate, certify, plan and oversee the development and delivery of Marine Air-Ground Task Force (MAGTF) systems. This effort consists of four areas: MAGTF Systems Engineering and Integration; Program Engineering and Technology; Joint Certification; and Architecture Design and Development. Work will be performed in Stafford, Va., and work is expected to be completed in Apr. 2009. Contract funds in the amount of $6,835,439 will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Marine Corps System Command, Quantico, Va., is the contracting activity.
ARMY
Yellowstone Electric Co., Billings, Mont., was awarded on Apr. 22, 2008, a $6,039,049 firm-fixed price contract for transformers for the garrison dam. Work will be performed in Riverdale, N.D., and work is expected to be completed by Apr. 22, 2010. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. Five bids were solicited on Nov. 28, 2007, and two bids were received. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Portland, Ore., is the contracting activity (W9127N-08-C-0011).
Future Leaders Must Follow Conscience, Gates Says
By Donna Miles
American Forces Press Service
April 22, 2008 - Success on today's and tomorrow's battlefields requires military leaders guided by conscience who refuse to be "yes men," Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates said in a speech last night to future Army officers at the U.S. Military Academy. Gates told the cadets at West Point, N.Y., that he considers principled dissent a sign of a healthy organization, but he also encouraged loyalty among the dissenters.
The Army will need leaders of "uncommon agility, resourcefulness and imagination, leaders willing and able to think and act creatively and decisively in a different kind of world and a different kind of conflict than we have prepared for over the last six decades," Gates said.
But one factor remains constant, Gates continued. "We will still need men and women in uniform to call things as they see them and tell their subordinates and superiors alike what they need to hear, not what they want to hear."
Gates pressed his point to the cadets, some to become commissioned officers next month.
"Listen very carefully," he said. "If, as an officer, you don't tell blunt truths or create an environment where candor is encouraged, then you've done yourself and the institution a disservice."
Gates noted that during 16 months as defense secretary, he's changed his stance on several key issues because general officers disagreed with him and persuaded him of better courses of action.
He said he also seeks ground truth from junior- and mid-grade soldiers and officers during his travels to the front lines.
"Their input has been invaluable and shaped my thinking and decisions, as well," he said. "All in senior positions would be well advised to listen to their enlisted soldiers, (noncommissioned officers), and company- and field-grade officers. They are the ones on the front line, and they know the real story."
Telling the real story has never been easy, Gates conceded. He drew an example from history, sharing the story of George C. Marshall -- an Army captain in late 1917 -- telling Gen. John J. Pershing directly that his headquarters hadn't provided the training manual the U.S. military staff in France needed to succeed.
Rather than firing Marshall from his staff and sending him to the front lines as many expected, Pershing came to rely on him as a trusted advisor, Gates said.
General Marshall showed the same audacity 20 years later when he became the lone voice telling President Roosevelt he disagreed with plans to place building the Army an a back burner. Roosevelt's Cabinet was sure Marshall would go, but instead, he became Army chief of staff.
And even when the two men clashed, Roosevelt could always count on Marshall's candor and commitment to making a decision work, even if he disagreed with it, Gates said.
This leads to another lesson by example, Gates said. When Roosevelt made a decision regarding support for Britain that Marshall disagreed with, the general didn't go behind the president's back, trying to curry favor for his own viewpoints.
"There were no overtures to friendly committee chairmen, no leaks to sympathetic reporters, no ghostwritten editorials in newspapers, no coalition building with advocacy groups," Gates said. "Marshall and his colleagues made the policy work."
Gates conceded that in the years since, senior offices often have been tempted to "do end runs around the civilian leadership," particularly regarding major weapons-system purchases.
"This temptation should and must be resisted," he said.
Marshall represented "the textbook model for the way military officers should handle disagreements with superiors," he said. "Your duties as an officer are: to provide blunt and candid advice always, to keep disagreements private, and to implement faithfully decisions that go against you."
Gates called these principles "a solid starting point for dealing with issues of candor, dissent and duty." But he acknowledged that applying them can be pretty complicated, especially during irregular and difficult conflicts like those seen today in Iraq and Afghanistan.
In these conflicts, the American public must be able to rely on its military leaders' candor and credibility to gauge how a conflict is going and if it should continue.
Gates said he's been impressed that the Army's professional journals provide a forum in which some of the brightest, most innovative officers can critique the way the Army operates or decisions by its civilian or military leaders.
"I believe this is a sign of institutional vitality and health and strength," he said.
He encouraged the cadets to "take on the mantle of fearless, thoughtful but loyal dissent when the situation calls for it." Senior leaders, in turn, should "embrace such dissent as a healthy dialogue" and protect those willing to express divergent views.
West Point focuses on teamwork, consensus building and collaboration. "Yet make no mistake, the time will come when you must stand alone in making a difficult, unpopular decision," Gates warned the cadets.
That may mean challenging superiors' opinions, telling them it's not possible to get a job done with the available time and resources, or standing up to inaccuracies when hearing them uttered.
"There will be moments when your entire career is at risk," Gates said. "What will you do? What will you do?"
The answers aren't easy, he said. "but if you follow the dictates of your conscience and the courage of your convictions, while being respectfully candid with your superiors while encouraging candor in others, you will be in good stead for the challenges you will face as officers and leaders in the years ahead," he said.
Gates noted that the cadets will soon be in leadership positions, making decisions in a "captain's war" in which junior officers' judgment and initiative can have strategic ramifications. He urged them to draw on their consciences as they face that huge responsibility in challenging circumstances.
"Defend your integrity as you would your life," Gates said. "If you do this, I am confident that, when you face those tough dilemmas, you will, in fact, know the right thing to do."
American Forces Press Service
April 22, 2008 - Success on today's and tomorrow's battlefields requires military leaders guided by conscience who refuse to be "yes men," Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates said in a speech last night to future Army officers at the U.S. Military Academy. Gates told the cadets at West Point, N.Y., that he considers principled dissent a sign of a healthy organization, but he also encouraged loyalty among the dissenters.
The Army will need leaders of "uncommon agility, resourcefulness and imagination, leaders willing and able to think and act creatively and decisively in a different kind of world and a different kind of conflict than we have prepared for over the last six decades," Gates said.
But one factor remains constant, Gates continued. "We will still need men and women in uniform to call things as they see them and tell their subordinates and superiors alike what they need to hear, not what they want to hear."
Gates pressed his point to the cadets, some to become commissioned officers next month.
"Listen very carefully," he said. "If, as an officer, you don't tell blunt truths or create an environment where candor is encouraged, then you've done yourself and the institution a disservice."
Gates noted that during 16 months as defense secretary, he's changed his stance on several key issues because general officers disagreed with him and persuaded him of better courses of action.
He said he also seeks ground truth from junior- and mid-grade soldiers and officers during his travels to the front lines.
"Their input has been invaluable and shaped my thinking and decisions, as well," he said. "All in senior positions would be well advised to listen to their enlisted soldiers, (noncommissioned officers), and company- and field-grade officers. They are the ones on the front line, and they know the real story."
Telling the real story has never been easy, Gates conceded. He drew an example from history, sharing the story of George C. Marshall -- an Army captain in late 1917 -- telling Gen. John J. Pershing directly that his headquarters hadn't provided the training manual the U.S. military staff in France needed to succeed.
Rather than firing Marshall from his staff and sending him to the front lines as many expected, Pershing came to rely on him as a trusted advisor, Gates said.
General Marshall showed the same audacity 20 years later when he became the lone voice telling President Roosevelt he disagreed with plans to place building the Army an a back burner. Roosevelt's Cabinet was sure Marshall would go, but instead, he became Army chief of staff.
And even when the two men clashed, Roosevelt could always count on Marshall's candor and commitment to making a decision work, even if he disagreed with it, Gates said.
This leads to another lesson by example, Gates said. When Roosevelt made a decision regarding support for Britain that Marshall disagreed with, the general didn't go behind the president's back, trying to curry favor for his own viewpoints.
"There were no overtures to friendly committee chairmen, no leaks to sympathetic reporters, no ghostwritten editorials in newspapers, no coalition building with advocacy groups," Gates said. "Marshall and his colleagues made the policy work."
Gates conceded that in the years since, senior offices often have been tempted to "do end runs around the civilian leadership," particularly regarding major weapons-system purchases.
"This temptation should and must be resisted," he said.
Marshall represented "the textbook model for the way military officers should handle disagreements with superiors," he said. "Your duties as an officer are: to provide blunt and candid advice always, to keep disagreements private, and to implement faithfully decisions that go against you."
Gates called these principles "a solid starting point for dealing with issues of candor, dissent and duty." But he acknowledged that applying them can be pretty complicated, especially during irregular and difficult conflicts like those seen today in Iraq and Afghanistan.
In these conflicts, the American public must be able to rely on its military leaders' candor and credibility to gauge how a conflict is going and if it should continue.
Gates said he's been impressed that the Army's professional journals provide a forum in which some of the brightest, most innovative officers can critique the way the Army operates or decisions by its civilian or military leaders.
"I believe this is a sign of institutional vitality and health and strength," he said.
He encouraged the cadets to "take on the mantle of fearless, thoughtful but loyal dissent when the situation calls for it." Senior leaders, in turn, should "embrace such dissent as a healthy dialogue" and protect those willing to express divergent views.
West Point focuses on teamwork, consensus building and collaboration. "Yet make no mistake, the time will come when you must stand alone in making a difficult, unpopular decision," Gates warned the cadets.
That may mean challenging superiors' opinions, telling them it's not possible to get a job done with the available time and resources, or standing up to inaccuracies when hearing them uttered.
"There will be moments when your entire career is at risk," Gates said. "What will you do? What will you do?"
The answers aren't easy, he said. "but if you follow the dictates of your conscience and the courage of your convictions, while being respectfully candid with your superiors while encouraging candor in others, you will be in good stead for the challenges you will face as officers and leaders in the years ahead," he said.
Gates noted that the cadets will soon be in leadership positions, making decisions in a "captain's war" in which junior officers' judgment and initiative can have strategic ramifications. He urged them to draw on their consciences as they face that huge responsibility in challenging circumstances.
"Defend your integrity as you would your life," Gates said. "If you do this, I am confident that, when you face those tough dilemmas, you will, in fact, know the right thing to do."
Mom Sees What Navy Life Could be Like for Son
By Fred W. Baker III
American Forces Press Service
April 22, 2008 - Since the fourth grade, Wendy Wachtell's son, Jameson, has wanted to attend the U.S. Naval Academy. She thought his desire would wane with age, like wanting to be a fireman in the fourth grade. But it soon became clear that was what he wanted, she said. Now, with Jameson a sophomore in high school, conversations and considerations for his future are taking a more serious tone.
Naturally, she conceded, as a mother, Wachtell is concerned about her son joining a military force while the nation is at war.
But, yesterday, as part the Joint Civilian Orientation Conference, Wachtell stood on the deck of the USS George Washington about 80 miles off the coast of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, and watched some of the Navy's finest at work.
Wachtell is vice president and program director of the Joseph Drown Foundation, which distributes $7 million annually to non-profit groups in the Los Angeles area. She is among 48 business, civic and educational leaders participating in the 75th Joint Civilian Orientation Conference, a secretary of defense-sponsored program for America's leaders interested in expanding their knowledge of the military and national defense.
"It gives me more confidence," Wachtell said of her visit to the ship. "It is clear that everybody there understands their mission, understands their role, does their job well.
"They are impressive. They are confident. They are remarkable young men and women given incredible opportunities at very young ages," she said. "If that is what [my son] chooses to do, as a mother I would support that entirely."
A bit of bad luck turned around for her and about a dozen others who were to visit the ship on the second day of their journey. The Joint Civilian Orientation Conference group of about 50 was divided, with most leaving early in the morning after landing here from Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.
They flew to the nuclear-powered aircraft carrier on planes used to shuttle mail, parts and personnel. But Wachtell and her group of about a dozen were left stranded when their delivery plane suffered electronic problems. While the problems didn't affect the plane's flight capabilities, the safety standards of the maintenance staff wouldn't allow it off the ground.
As the crew worked to fix the problem, Wachtell and her group experienced another common aspect of military life: They sat in the airport and waited. And waited. And waited.
Because of logistics conflicts, no other planes or helicopters could return to retrieve the stranded crew. Late in the day, a deal was struck by the leaders of the ship and conference. The remaining participants could catch a ride to the ship via the same plane that took the others out.
But, the group would have to bypass their night's stay and fancy dinner plans in a resort hotel to sleep in quarters on the ship for the night and dine with sailors in the galley. They would return to port when the ship docked the next day.
The group also was to get a front-row seat to watch the dangerous night takeoffs and landings on the aircraft carrier. It was a rare treat for civilians.
There was no hesitation. The group jumped at the opportunity.
As a result, Wachtell ate where Navy officers eat, slept where Navy officers sleep, and saw firsthand what life in the Navy would be like for her son. She and the others were able to talk with many sailors, enlisted and officer alike, and were given a rare glimpse at some of the more intimate details of sailors' work and living conditions.
"Do I wish for my son to be like those young men and women? Absolutely," Wachtell said yesterday after her night on the ship. "As a mother, there will be nothing that will take away the fear. These are men and women who choose to put themselves in harm's way to defend their country. That doesn't mean that I don't understand that it is critically important role and would be really proud of my son to do that.
"I would be extraordinarily proud if he chose to join these men and women," she said.
Though, after standing on the flight deck only feet from where some the nation's fastest and fiercest jets come screaming in for a landing and are yanked to a screeching halt in only 180 feet, Wachtell said she wasn't sure if she wanted her son to become an aviator.
"They may be crazy," she said with a laugh. "It takes a very particular personality to be able to do what those men and women do. It's pretty extraordinary."
American Forces Press Service
April 22, 2008 - Since the fourth grade, Wendy Wachtell's son, Jameson, has wanted to attend the U.S. Naval Academy. She thought his desire would wane with age, like wanting to be a fireman in the fourth grade. But it soon became clear that was what he wanted, she said. Now, with Jameson a sophomore in high school, conversations and considerations for his future are taking a more serious tone.
Naturally, she conceded, as a mother, Wachtell is concerned about her son joining a military force while the nation is at war.
But, yesterday, as part the Joint Civilian Orientation Conference, Wachtell stood on the deck of the USS George Washington about 80 miles off the coast of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, and watched some of the Navy's finest at work.
Wachtell is vice president and program director of the Joseph Drown Foundation, which distributes $7 million annually to non-profit groups in the Los Angeles area. She is among 48 business, civic and educational leaders participating in the 75th Joint Civilian Orientation Conference, a secretary of defense-sponsored program for America's leaders interested in expanding their knowledge of the military and national defense.
"It gives me more confidence," Wachtell said of her visit to the ship. "It is clear that everybody there understands their mission, understands their role, does their job well.
"They are impressive. They are confident. They are remarkable young men and women given incredible opportunities at very young ages," she said. "If that is what [my son] chooses to do, as a mother I would support that entirely."
A bit of bad luck turned around for her and about a dozen others who were to visit the ship on the second day of their journey. The Joint Civilian Orientation Conference group of about 50 was divided, with most leaving early in the morning after landing here from Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.
They flew to the nuclear-powered aircraft carrier on planes used to shuttle mail, parts and personnel. But Wachtell and her group of about a dozen were left stranded when their delivery plane suffered electronic problems. While the problems didn't affect the plane's flight capabilities, the safety standards of the maintenance staff wouldn't allow it off the ground.
As the crew worked to fix the problem, Wachtell and her group experienced another common aspect of military life: They sat in the airport and waited. And waited. And waited.
Because of logistics conflicts, no other planes or helicopters could return to retrieve the stranded crew. Late in the day, a deal was struck by the leaders of the ship and conference. The remaining participants could catch a ride to the ship via the same plane that took the others out.
But, the group would have to bypass their night's stay and fancy dinner plans in a resort hotel to sleep in quarters on the ship for the night and dine with sailors in the galley. They would return to port when the ship docked the next day.
The group also was to get a front-row seat to watch the dangerous night takeoffs and landings on the aircraft carrier. It was a rare treat for civilians.
There was no hesitation. The group jumped at the opportunity.
As a result, Wachtell ate where Navy officers eat, slept where Navy officers sleep, and saw firsthand what life in the Navy would be like for her son. She and the others were able to talk with many sailors, enlisted and officer alike, and were given a rare glimpse at some of the more intimate details of sailors' work and living conditions.
"Do I wish for my son to be like those young men and women? Absolutely," Wachtell said yesterday after her night on the ship. "As a mother, there will be nothing that will take away the fear. These are men and women who choose to put themselves in harm's way to defend their country. That doesn't mean that I don't understand that it is critically important role and would be really proud of my son to do that.
"I would be extraordinarily proud if he chose to join these men and women," she said.
Though, after standing on the flight deck only feet from where some the nation's fastest and fiercest jets come screaming in for a landing and are yanked to a screeching halt in only 180 feet, Wachtell said she wasn't sure if she wanted her son to become an aviator.
"They may be crazy," she said with a laugh. "It takes a very particular personality to be able to do what those men and women do. It's pretty extraordinary."
Mullen Receives Atlantic Council's Military Leadership Award
By John J. Kruzel
American Forces Press Service
April 22, 2008 - Navy Adm. Mike Mullen was one of four leaders spotlighted last night during a who's who of policymakers and policy enforcers that included scores of former heads of state, department secretaries, ambassadors and high-ranking military officers. Mullen, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, joined former British Prime Minister Tony Blair, media magnate Rupert Murdoch and Russian piano virtuoso Evgeny Kissin in accepting the Atlantic Council's award for Distinguished Military, International, Business and Artistic Leadership, respectively, in a gala here.
"Let there be no doubt that Adm. Mike Mullen is the right man in the right job at the right time for our nation, and his entire career has contributed to leading him to this point," retired Marine Gen. James L. Jones, chairman of the Atlantic Council, said before presenting the chairman the award.
Mullen, one of few senior naval officers to hold four four-star assignments, oversaw one of the most transformative eras in naval history while serving as vice chief of naval operations, Jones said. The period recognized that family readiness was critical to the Navy's readiness.
"The policies put in place under his watch ... led to historically high retention rates and significantly higher operational readiness rates Navywide," Jones said, describing Mullen's tenure from August 2003 to October 2004, as he served under then-Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Vernon E. Clark.
Jones added that Mullen also showed exceptional leadership serving as commander of NATO's Allied Joint Force Command, in Naples, and U.S. Naval Forces Europe, and as the 28th chief of naval operations.
"Ladies and gentleman, we can all be thankful Mike Mullen is at the helm," Jones said. "He's calm; he's thoughtful; he's reasonable; he's insightful; and he fully understands the magnitude of that task before him."
Apparently, he also has a sense of humor and humility.
Mullen, the last speaker to address the high-caliber international audience, began his remarks, "Good evening. I certainly recognize my place in the order tonight." But as the laughter subsided, the top military officer tempered the revelry by honoring deployed servicemembers of the United States and its allies.
"As we are here this evening enjoying this celebration, I am mindful of all those men and women who are serving in all of our countries around the world," he said. "Many of them are in harm's way this evening so that we might enjoy the freedom, the privileges, the opportunity that their service, in fact, provides."
The chairman then provided a sweeping assessment of global security, including countries where troops are stationed currently and where he expects they'll be needed in future operations.
Echoing comments made this month by Army Gen. David H. Petraeus, the top U.S. commander in Iraq, Mullen said security there is improved but fragile. Furthermore, he said, security is a necessary condition, but not sufficient, as diplomatic, political and economic progress is imperative for long-term stability.
Mullen said Iran routinely pushes its way into "realms of instability," and advocated that allied countries address Iran's variform influence in the Middle East: in Hezbollah, Hamas and in southern Iraq.
"I think for the ability to create stability in that part of the world, that not just this alliance but those who are allied will have to deal with Iran in the very near future," he said.
Afghanistan is "front and center" for allied Atlantic countries, Mullen said. He added that NATO countries must ensure that their contributions are sufficient in helping establish security in Afghanistan. In related comments, he stressed the need for allied countries to address threats emanating from Pakistan.
"We also must work hard, I think, to build non-NATO relationships," he added. "And there are those countries, those allies, who have joined us in both Iraq and Afghanistan.
"They represent the best of those relationships," he continued, "countries who are responsible and who recognize in that responsibility that we can meet these challenges head on together much better than we can meet them individually."
In closing, Mullen said, the strength of international partnership lies in nations' shared hope for the future.
"As a community of nations, we've elected to lead, and we've chosen to work together to create a future where parents can raise their children without fear, with dignity and with hope," he said.
The Atlantic Council of the United States promotes constructive U.S. leadership and engagement in international affairs based on the central role of the Atlantic community in meeting the international challenges of the 21st century, according the organization's official Web site.
American Forces Press Service
April 22, 2008 - Navy Adm. Mike Mullen was one of four leaders spotlighted last night during a who's who of policymakers and policy enforcers that included scores of former heads of state, department secretaries, ambassadors and high-ranking military officers. Mullen, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, joined former British Prime Minister Tony Blair, media magnate Rupert Murdoch and Russian piano virtuoso Evgeny Kissin in accepting the Atlantic Council's award for Distinguished Military, International, Business and Artistic Leadership, respectively, in a gala here.
"Let there be no doubt that Adm. Mike Mullen is the right man in the right job at the right time for our nation, and his entire career has contributed to leading him to this point," retired Marine Gen. James L. Jones, chairman of the Atlantic Council, said before presenting the chairman the award.
Mullen, one of few senior naval officers to hold four four-star assignments, oversaw one of the most transformative eras in naval history while serving as vice chief of naval operations, Jones said. The period recognized that family readiness was critical to the Navy's readiness.
"The policies put in place under his watch ... led to historically high retention rates and significantly higher operational readiness rates Navywide," Jones said, describing Mullen's tenure from August 2003 to October 2004, as he served under then-Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Vernon E. Clark.
Jones added that Mullen also showed exceptional leadership serving as commander of NATO's Allied Joint Force Command, in Naples, and U.S. Naval Forces Europe, and as the 28th chief of naval operations.
"Ladies and gentleman, we can all be thankful Mike Mullen is at the helm," Jones said. "He's calm; he's thoughtful; he's reasonable; he's insightful; and he fully understands the magnitude of that task before him."
Apparently, he also has a sense of humor and humility.
Mullen, the last speaker to address the high-caliber international audience, began his remarks, "Good evening. I certainly recognize my place in the order tonight." But as the laughter subsided, the top military officer tempered the revelry by honoring deployed servicemembers of the United States and its allies.
"As we are here this evening enjoying this celebration, I am mindful of all those men and women who are serving in all of our countries around the world," he said. "Many of them are in harm's way this evening so that we might enjoy the freedom, the privileges, the opportunity that their service, in fact, provides."
The chairman then provided a sweeping assessment of global security, including countries where troops are stationed currently and where he expects they'll be needed in future operations.
Echoing comments made this month by Army Gen. David H. Petraeus, the top U.S. commander in Iraq, Mullen said security there is improved but fragile. Furthermore, he said, security is a necessary condition, but not sufficient, as diplomatic, political and economic progress is imperative for long-term stability.
Mullen said Iran routinely pushes its way into "realms of instability," and advocated that allied countries address Iran's variform influence in the Middle East: in Hezbollah, Hamas and in southern Iraq.
"I think for the ability to create stability in that part of the world, that not just this alliance but those who are allied will have to deal with Iran in the very near future," he said.
Afghanistan is "front and center" for allied Atlantic countries, Mullen said. He added that NATO countries must ensure that their contributions are sufficient in helping establish security in Afghanistan. In related comments, he stressed the need for allied countries to address threats emanating from Pakistan.
"We also must work hard, I think, to build non-NATO relationships," he added. "And there are those countries, those allies, who have joined us in both Iraq and Afghanistan.
"They represent the best of those relationships," he continued, "countries who are responsible and who recognize in that responsibility that we can meet these challenges head on together much better than we can meet them individually."
In closing, Mullen said, the strength of international partnership lies in nations' shared hope for the future.
"As a community of nations, we've elected to lead, and we've chosen to work together to create a future where parents can raise their children without fear, with dignity and with hope," he said.
The Atlantic Council of the United States promotes constructive U.S. leadership and engagement in international affairs based on the central role of the Atlantic community in meeting the international challenges of the 21st century, according the organization's official Web site.
MILITARY CONTRACTS April 22, 2008
NAVY
Northrop Grumman Corp., Integrated Systems, Bethpage, N.Y., is being awarded a cost-plus-award-fee contract with an estimated value of $1,164,011,648 for the system development and demonstration of Broad Area Maritime Surveillance (BAMS) Unmanned Aircraft System (UAS). The System Development and Demonstration (SDD) Phase includes the design, fabrication, and delivery, of two unmanned aircraft with mission payloads and communications suites; one Forward Operating Base Mission Control System; one Systems Integration Laboratory; and one Main Operating Base Mission Control System. The BAMS UAS will provide persistent Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR) data collection and dissemination capability to the Fleet. BAMS UAS will deliver capability enabling the Maritime Patrol and Reconnaissance Force (MPRF) Family of Systems to meet the Navy's maritime ISR requirements. Work will be performed in Bethpage, N.Y., (30 percent); San Diego, Calif., (25 percent); various locations throughout the United States (13 percent); W. Salt Lake City, Utah (9 percent); Rolling Meadows, Ill., (7 percent); Falls Church, Va., (6 percent); Baltimore, Md., (5 percent); and Norwalk, Conn., (5 percent), and work is expected to be completed in Sep 2014. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was competitively procured through a request for proposals; three firms were solicited and three proposals were received. The Naval Air Systems Command, Patuxent River, Md., is the contracting activity (N00019-08-C-0023).
Kiewit-General a Joint Venture, Poulsbo, Wash., is being awarded a $27,869,606 modification to a previously awarded firm-fixed price contract for construction of the Limited Area Production and Storage Complex at the Strategic Weapons Facility Pacific, Naval Base Kitsap. The facility includes vehicular access; support buildings; a lightning protection system, grounding system and utilities for the facility. This project will also provide an observation tower, perimeter fencing, roadwork, and other site improvements. Work will be performed in Silverdale, Wash., and is expected to be completed by Nov. 2011. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was competitively procured via the Naval Facilities Engineering Command e-solicitation website with two proposals received. The Naval Facilities Engineering Command, Northwest, Silverdale, Wash., is the contracting activity (N44255-08-C-6003).
Force Protection Industries, Inc., Ladson, S.C., is being awarded a $12,635,801 firm-fixed-priced modification under Delivery Order #0004 to previously awarded contract (M67854-07-D-5031) for the purchase of Mine Resistant Ambush Protected (MRAP) Vehicle logistics support to include technical data, provisioning data, Outside the Continental United States field service representatives, one-year maintenance workshop block and one-year forward deployment block. Work will be performed in the combat area of operations and Ladson, S.C., and work is expected to be completed by Nov. 2008. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was competitively procured. The Marine Corps Systems Command, Quantico, Va., is the contracting activity.
UNITED STATES TRANSPORTATION COMMAND
Federal Express Charter Programs Team Arrangement of Memphis, Tenn., is being awarded an estimated $1,676,857,474 (revised) firm fixed-price contract for international airlift services with a minimum guarantee of $158,493,329. Team members include: Air Transport International LLC of, Little Rock, Ark.; ATA Airlines, Inc., of Indianapolis, Ind.; Atlas Air, Inc., of Purchase, N.Y.; Federal Express Corp., of Memphis, Tenn.; Northwest Airlines, Inc., of St. Paul, Minn.; Omni Air International, Inc., of Tulsa, Okla.; and Polar Air Cargo Worldwide, Inc., of Purchase, N.Y. This is a revision to the original announcement to include dollars associated with urgent missions to move Mine Resistant, Ambush Protected vehicles. The United States Transportation Command Acquisition Directorate, Scott Air Force Base, Ill., is the contracting activity (HTC711-07-D-0021).
ARMY
Daimler Trucks North America, LLC, Portland, Ore., was awarded on Apr. 18, 2008, a $169,990,717 firm-fixed price contract for 600 each of M916A3 light equipment transporters, 150 each, M917A2 dump trucks and 50 each, M917A2 W/MCS dump trucks. Work will be performed in Portland, Ore., and is expected to be completed by Oct. 31, 2009. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. Web bids were solicited on Apr. 21, 2000, and two bids were received. TACOM, LCMC, Warren, Mich., is the contracting activity (DAAE07-00-D-S022).
University of Southern Calif., Los Angeles, was awarded on Apr. 21, 2008, a $40,000,000 increase on an existing cost-reimbursable-type contract for the university as an affiliated research center. Under the contract, USC established a separate institute called the Institute for Creative Technologies to conduct research in advanced modeling and simulation. Work will be performed in Los Angeles. One bid was solicited. U.S. Army Research Development Engineering Command, Durham, N.C., is the contracting activity (W911NF-04-D-0005).
Washington Harris Group, Inc;, Greenbelt, Md., was awarded on Apr. 21, 2008, a $12,514,213 firm-fixed price contract for medical and dental case-management support for Army National Guard State Surgeons' Offices. Work will be performed in Greenbelt, Md., and is expected to be completed by Apr. 30, 2013. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. Web bids were solicited on Jan. 17, 2008, and six bids were received. National Guard Bureau, Arlington, Va., is the contracting activity (W9133L-08-F-0078).
CSS Global, Ada, Mich., was awarded on Apr. 19, 2008, a $6,429,113 firm-fixed price contract for construction equipment for the engineer and infrastructure battalions. Work will be performed in Baghdad, Iraq, and is expected to be completed by Oct. 16, 2008. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. Web bids were solicited on Feb. 16, 2008, and 26 bids were received. Joint Contracting Command, Baghdad, Iraq, is the contracting activity (W91GY0-08-M-0215).
Daimler Trucks, North America LLC, Portland, Ore., was awarded on Apr. 18, 2008, a $5,991,503 firm-fixed price contract for the addition of M915 test vehicles, test assets, test support design engineering and other non-recurring tooling costs to the contract. Work will be performed in Portland, Ore., and is expected to be completed by Jan. 31, 2009. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. Web bids were solicited on Apr. 21, 2000, and two bids were received. TACOM, Warren, Mich. is the contracting activity (DAAE07-00-D-S022).
AIR FORCE
United Technologies Corp., Pratt and Whitney Aircraft Group of East Hartford, Conn., is being awarded a modified contract for $6,903,409. This action will provide refurbishment of three F-22 Raptor F119 Test Engines. At this time $6,903,409 has been obligated. Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio, is the contracting activity (FA8611-05-C-2851).
Northrop Grumman Corp., Integrated Systems, Bethpage, N.Y., is being awarded a cost-plus-award-fee contract with an estimated value of $1,164,011,648 for the system development and demonstration of Broad Area Maritime Surveillance (BAMS) Unmanned Aircraft System (UAS). The System Development and Demonstration (SDD) Phase includes the design, fabrication, and delivery, of two unmanned aircraft with mission payloads and communications suites; one Forward Operating Base Mission Control System; one Systems Integration Laboratory; and one Main Operating Base Mission Control System. The BAMS UAS will provide persistent Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR) data collection and dissemination capability to the Fleet. BAMS UAS will deliver capability enabling the Maritime Patrol and Reconnaissance Force (MPRF) Family of Systems to meet the Navy's maritime ISR requirements. Work will be performed in Bethpage, N.Y., (30 percent); San Diego, Calif., (25 percent); various locations throughout the United States (13 percent); W. Salt Lake City, Utah (9 percent); Rolling Meadows, Ill., (7 percent); Falls Church, Va., (6 percent); Baltimore, Md., (5 percent); and Norwalk, Conn., (5 percent), and work is expected to be completed in Sep 2014. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was competitively procured through a request for proposals; three firms were solicited and three proposals were received. The Naval Air Systems Command, Patuxent River, Md., is the contracting activity (N00019-08-C-0023).
Kiewit-General a Joint Venture, Poulsbo, Wash., is being awarded a $27,869,606 modification to a previously awarded firm-fixed price contract for construction of the Limited Area Production and Storage Complex at the Strategic Weapons Facility Pacific, Naval Base Kitsap. The facility includes vehicular access; support buildings; a lightning protection system, grounding system and utilities for the facility. This project will also provide an observation tower, perimeter fencing, roadwork, and other site improvements. Work will be performed in Silverdale, Wash., and is expected to be completed by Nov. 2011. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was competitively procured via the Naval Facilities Engineering Command e-solicitation website with two proposals received. The Naval Facilities Engineering Command, Northwest, Silverdale, Wash., is the contracting activity (N44255-08-C-6003).
Force Protection Industries, Inc., Ladson, S.C., is being awarded a $12,635,801 firm-fixed-priced modification under Delivery Order #0004 to previously awarded contract (M67854-07-D-5031) for the purchase of Mine Resistant Ambush Protected (MRAP) Vehicle logistics support to include technical data, provisioning data, Outside the Continental United States field service representatives, one-year maintenance workshop block and one-year forward deployment block. Work will be performed in the combat area of operations and Ladson, S.C., and work is expected to be completed by Nov. 2008. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was competitively procured. The Marine Corps Systems Command, Quantico, Va., is the contracting activity.
UNITED STATES TRANSPORTATION COMMAND
Federal Express Charter Programs Team Arrangement of Memphis, Tenn., is being awarded an estimated $1,676,857,474 (revised) firm fixed-price contract for international airlift services with a minimum guarantee of $158,493,329. Team members include: Air Transport International LLC of, Little Rock, Ark.; ATA Airlines, Inc., of Indianapolis, Ind.; Atlas Air, Inc., of Purchase, N.Y.; Federal Express Corp., of Memphis, Tenn.; Northwest Airlines, Inc., of St. Paul, Minn.; Omni Air International, Inc., of Tulsa, Okla.; and Polar Air Cargo Worldwide, Inc., of Purchase, N.Y. This is a revision to the original announcement to include dollars associated with urgent missions to move Mine Resistant, Ambush Protected vehicles. The United States Transportation Command Acquisition Directorate, Scott Air Force Base, Ill., is the contracting activity (HTC711-07-D-0021).
ARMY
Daimler Trucks North America, LLC, Portland, Ore., was awarded on Apr. 18, 2008, a $169,990,717 firm-fixed price contract for 600 each of M916A3 light equipment transporters, 150 each, M917A2 dump trucks and 50 each, M917A2 W/MCS dump trucks. Work will be performed in Portland, Ore., and is expected to be completed by Oct. 31, 2009. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. Web bids were solicited on Apr. 21, 2000, and two bids were received. TACOM, LCMC, Warren, Mich., is the contracting activity (DAAE07-00-D-S022).
University of Southern Calif., Los Angeles, was awarded on Apr. 21, 2008, a $40,000,000 increase on an existing cost-reimbursable-type contract for the university as an affiliated research center. Under the contract, USC established a separate institute called the Institute for Creative Technologies to conduct research in advanced modeling and simulation. Work will be performed in Los Angeles. One bid was solicited. U.S. Army Research Development Engineering Command, Durham, N.C., is the contracting activity (W911NF-04-D-0005).
Washington Harris Group, Inc;, Greenbelt, Md., was awarded on Apr. 21, 2008, a $12,514,213 firm-fixed price contract for medical and dental case-management support for Army National Guard State Surgeons' Offices. Work will be performed in Greenbelt, Md., and is expected to be completed by Apr. 30, 2013. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. Web bids were solicited on Jan. 17, 2008, and six bids were received. National Guard Bureau, Arlington, Va., is the contracting activity (W9133L-08-F-0078).
CSS Global, Ada, Mich., was awarded on Apr. 19, 2008, a $6,429,113 firm-fixed price contract for construction equipment for the engineer and infrastructure battalions. Work will be performed in Baghdad, Iraq, and is expected to be completed by Oct. 16, 2008. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. Web bids were solicited on Feb. 16, 2008, and 26 bids were received. Joint Contracting Command, Baghdad, Iraq, is the contracting activity (W91GY0-08-M-0215).
Daimler Trucks, North America LLC, Portland, Ore., was awarded on Apr. 18, 2008, a $5,991,503 firm-fixed price contract for the addition of M915 test vehicles, test assets, test support design engineering and other non-recurring tooling costs to the contract. Work will be performed in Portland, Ore., and is expected to be completed by Jan. 31, 2009. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. Web bids were solicited on Apr. 21, 2000, and two bids were received. TACOM, Warren, Mich. is the contracting activity (DAAE07-00-D-S022).
AIR FORCE
United Technologies Corp., Pratt and Whitney Aircraft Group of East Hartford, Conn., is being awarded a modified contract for $6,903,409. This action will provide refurbishment of three F-22 Raptor F119 Test Engines. At this time $6,903,409 has been obligated. Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio, is the contracting activity (FA8611-05-C-2851).
Campaign Stars Honor Service in Afghanistan, Iraq
By Donna Miles
American Forces Press Service
April 22, 2008 - New campaign stars authorized for wear on the Afghanistan and Iraq campaign medals represent tangible recognition and honor for the sacrifices and contributions servicemembers have made in support of operations in Afghanistan and Iraq, a senior defense official said today. The Defense Department announced the campaign stars yesterday to recognize participation in specific campaigns in both Iraq and Afghanistan. Servicemembers who quality for the Afghanistan Campaign Medal or Iraq Campaign Medal may now display a bronze campaign star on their medals for each designated campaign phase in which they participated.
In keeping with military tradition, the Defense Department established designated campaign phases and inclusive dates, explained Bill Carr, acting deputy undersecretary for military personnel policy.
The Afghanistan medal is divided into three distinct campaign phases. The "Liberation of Afghanistan" ranfrom Sept. 11 to Nov. 30, 2001. The "Consolidation 1" phase ran from Dec. 1, 2001, to Sept. 30, 2006. The "Consolidation II" phase began Oct. 1, 2006, and continues through a yet-undesignated end date.
The Iraq medal has four campaign phases. The "Liberation of Iraq" extended from March 19 to May 1, 2003. The "Transition of Iraq" ran from May 2, 2003, to June 28, 2004. The "Iraq Governance" phase went from June 29, 2004, to Dec. 15, 2005. The "National Resolution" phase begans Dec. 16, 2005, and continues to a date to be determined.
To qualify for a star, a servicemember must have served 30 consecutive days or 60 nonconsecutive days in the area, Carr said.
Troops who served the required days during more than one phase, or in both Iraq and Afghanistan, qualify for two stars, he said. However, a servicemember who served two tours during one designated campaign phase qualifies for just one star.
Servicemembers who qualified for the Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal based on service in direct support of operations Enduring Freedom or Iraqi Freedom between Sept. 11, 2001, and April 30, 2005, remain qualified for that medal, Carr explained. However, no servicemember is entitled to both the Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal and either an Afghanistan or Iraq campaign medal for the same act, achievement or service period.
On the uniform, the ACM, then the ICM, follow the Kosovo Campaign Medal in precedence.
"The presence of a campaign medal on a uniform represents that the member participated long and well in multiple stages of the operation," Carr said. "They take pride in having invested that much of themselves and their families in those phases.
"And that should be reflected on their uniform so we can all recognize and honor it."
American Forces Press Service
April 22, 2008 - New campaign stars authorized for wear on the Afghanistan and Iraq campaign medals represent tangible recognition and honor for the sacrifices and contributions servicemembers have made in support of operations in Afghanistan and Iraq, a senior defense official said today. The Defense Department announced the campaign stars yesterday to recognize participation in specific campaigns in both Iraq and Afghanistan. Servicemembers who quality for the Afghanistan Campaign Medal or Iraq Campaign Medal may now display a bronze campaign star on their medals for each designated campaign phase in which they participated.
In keeping with military tradition, the Defense Department established designated campaign phases and inclusive dates, explained Bill Carr, acting deputy undersecretary for military personnel policy.
The Afghanistan medal is divided into three distinct campaign phases. The "Liberation of Afghanistan" ranfrom Sept. 11 to Nov. 30, 2001. The "Consolidation 1" phase ran from Dec. 1, 2001, to Sept. 30, 2006. The "Consolidation II" phase began Oct. 1, 2006, and continues through a yet-undesignated end date.
The Iraq medal has four campaign phases. The "Liberation of Iraq" extended from March 19 to May 1, 2003. The "Transition of Iraq" ran from May 2, 2003, to June 28, 2004. The "Iraq Governance" phase went from June 29, 2004, to Dec. 15, 2005. The "National Resolution" phase begans Dec. 16, 2005, and continues to a date to be determined.
To qualify for a star, a servicemember must have served 30 consecutive days or 60 nonconsecutive days in the area, Carr said.
Troops who served the required days during more than one phase, or in both Iraq and Afghanistan, qualify for two stars, he said. However, a servicemember who served two tours during one designated campaign phase qualifies for just one star.
Servicemembers who qualified for the Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal based on service in direct support of operations Enduring Freedom or Iraqi Freedom between Sept. 11, 2001, and April 30, 2005, remain qualified for that medal, Carr explained. However, no servicemember is entitled to both the Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal and either an Afghanistan or Iraq campaign medal for the same act, achievement or service period.
On the uniform, the ACM, then the ICM, follow the Kosovo Campaign Medal in precedence.
"The presence of a campaign medal on a uniform represents that the member participated long and well in multiple stages of the operation," Carr said. "They take pride in having invested that much of themselves and their families in those phases.
"And that should be reflected on their uniform so we can all recognize and honor it."
NCOs' Service Vital to Nation During Dangerous Time, Mullen Says
By Jim Garamone
American Forces Press Service
April 22, 2008 - Navy Adm. Mike Mullen told noncommissioned officers here today that this is the most dangerous period he has seen in his more than 40 years in uniform. Mullen, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said the threats of extremism and changes happening around the world associated with energy and resources make the present day "the most uncertain and potentially the most dangerous time since I've been serving," he said at a noncommissioned officer quarterly breakfast.
Mullen told the NCOs that their service at this time is absolutely vital. "(Your service) is bedrock to this country," he said. "Without that service and without that dedication, we could not be the country that we are; that's just flat-out the truth. We shouldn't take that for granted."
The increasing pace of change also puts challenges to all military leaders, Mullen said.
"I can rack and stack it: whether it's the missions, whether it's where we are, whether it's what we're doing, how we're doing it, the skills that we are evolving -- this kind of change will continue as far as I can see in the future," he said.
The changes are not limited to warfighting, but are systemic, he said. "It's how we're going to recruit, how we're going to train, how we're going to educate, what our career paths are, how do we incentivize our people now and in the future," he said.
It can be difficult to adapt to change, but change also can lead to tremendous opportunities, the chairman said.
"For our younger people, it's an exciting time," he said. "We bring more and more young people in who quickly adapt to change, who see opportunity, and we need to figure out how to adapt the institutions ... as rapidly as possible."
Change is happening particularly fast within the military reserve components and in health care. These areas are evolving "almost as fast as the clock ticks," Mullen said.
He told the NCOs to think back to the way the military did business in 2001 and to look at the services today. He said that change was "probably not possible without the sense of urgency that war brings."
The world has entered an era of persistent conflict, he said, and NCOs must be ready to confront and lead change. NCO experiences will be important to the force of the future.
"This is the most battle-hardened force we have ever had," and retaining and capitalizing on that experience will be essential to the armed services' future, he said.
Mullen also addressed President Bush's decision to reduce Army deployments from 15 months to 12. "That's a big deal," he said. "(My) view was that 15 months was just too long."
In addition, the admiral said, the military must work to build dwell time, the amount of time at home station between deployments. "I believe we're not home enough right now," he said.
Ultimately, soldiers will be 24 months at home station for every year deployed and Marines will look to 14 months at home station for every seven months deployed, Mullen said.
He said he is "cautiously optimistic" a modification of the Montgomery G.I. Bill would allow servicemembers to transfer their benefits to their spouses or children.
"There is broad bipartisan support, as far as I can tell, to push this through, and it speaks to the recognition that the support of our families is so vital," Mullen said. "I'm cautiously optimistic. What's different is we've never had this kind of proposal on the Hill before."
Mullen challenged the NCOs to think of ways to better serve their fellow servicemembers. Keeping servicemembers connected was one example. He said a reserve-component soldier, for example, serves in Iraq or Afghanistan and then comes home.
"You get off a plane and your transition time is zilch: Boom! You are back in Minneapolis, and you are going back to work in two, three weeks," he said. "You've been in 15 months of combat, and you've seen things you never thought you would see that again have changed your life forever. Where is your contact with people who have been through what you've been through?"
Young servicemembers who separate from the service shortly after leaving a war zone are another example. "They cross that bridge, and they are standing on the other side of that bridge alone without any support mechanisms," the chairman said. "How do you know they will be okay? How do you know? We owe them connectivity."
The services track those who get out for 120 days after their separations, but then lose touch. He said the military can and should do a better job of ensuring servicemembers make good transitions to civilian life.
American Forces Press Service
April 22, 2008 - Navy Adm. Mike Mullen told noncommissioned officers here today that this is the most dangerous period he has seen in his more than 40 years in uniform. Mullen, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said the threats of extremism and changes happening around the world associated with energy and resources make the present day "the most uncertain and potentially the most dangerous time since I've been serving," he said at a noncommissioned officer quarterly breakfast.
Mullen told the NCOs that their service at this time is absolutely vital. "(Your service) is bedrock to this country," he said. "Without that service and without that dedication, we could not be the country that we are; that's just flat-out the truth. We shouldn't take that for granted."
The increasing pace of change also puts challenges to all military leaders, Mullen said.
"I can rack and stack it: whether it's the missions, whether it's where we are, whether it's what we're doing, how we're doing it, the skills that we are evolving -- this kind of change will continue as far as I can see in the future," he said.
The changes are not limited to warfighting, but are systemic, he said. "It's how we're going to recruit, how we're going to train, how we're going to educate, what our career paths are, how do we incentivize our people now and in the future," he said.
It can be difficult to adapt to change, but change also can lead to tremendous opportunities, the chairman said.
"For our younger people, it's an exciting time," he said. "We bring more and more young people in who quickly adapt to change, who see opportunity, and we need to figure out how to adapt the institutions ... as rapidly as possible."
Change is happening particularly fast within the military reserve components and in health care. These areas are evolving "almost as fast as the clock ticks," Mullen said.
He told the NCOs to think back to the way the military did business in 2001 and to look at the services today. He said that change was "probably not possible without the sense of urgency that war brings."
The world has entered an era of persistent conflict, he said, and NCOs must be ready to confront and lead change. NCO experiences will be important to the force of the future.
"This is the most battle-hardened force we have ever had," and retaining and capitalizing on that experience will be essential to the armed services' future, he said.
Mullen also addressed President Bush's decision to reduce Army deployments from 15 months to 12. "That's a big deal," he said. "(My) view was that 15 months was just too long."
In addition, the admiral said, the military must work to build dwell time, the amount of time at home station between deployments. "I believe we're not home enough right now," he said.
Ultimately, soldiers will be 24 months at home station for every year deployed and Marines will look to 14 months at home station for every seven months deployed, Mullen said.
He said he is "cautiously optimistic" a modification of the Montgomery G.I. Bill would allow servicemembers to transfer their benefits to their spouses or children.
"There is broad bipartisan support, as far as I can tell, to push this through, and it speaks to the recognition that the support of our families is so vital," Mullen said. "I'm cautiously optimistic. What's different is we've never had this kind of proposal on the Hill before."
Mullen challenged the NCOs to think of ways to better serve their fellow servicemembers. Keeping servicemembers connected was one example. He said a reserve-component soldier, for example, serves in Iraq or Afghanistan and then comes home.
"You get off a plane and your transition time is zilch: Boom! You are back in Minneapolis, and you are going back to work in two, three weeks," he said. "You've been in 15 months of combat, and you've seen things you never thought you would see that again have changed your life forever. Where is your contact with people who have been through what you've been through?"
Young servicemembers who separate from the service shortly after leaving a war zone are another example. "They cross that bridge, and they are standing on the other side of that bridge alone without any support mechanisms," the chairman said. "How do you know they will be okay? How do you know? We owe them connectivity."
The services track those who get out for 120 days after their separations, but then lose touch. He said the military can and should do a better job of ensuring servicemembers make good transitions to civilian life.
Civilian Visitors Get Feel for Navy Life on USS George Washington
By Fred W. Baker III
American Forces Press Service
April 22, 2008 - Forty-eight business, civic and local government leaders visited the USS George Washington about 80 miles off shore from here April 20, and a lucky dozen got to spend the night on the ship. "It reminds me that the best and the brightest are right here representing our country," said Neal Denton, a senior vice president of government relations and strategic partnerships for the American Red Cross, based in Washington, D.C.
Denton and the other visitors are participating in the 75th iteration of the Joint Civilian Orientation Conference, a defense secretary-sponsored program for America's leaders interested in expanding their knowledge of the military and national defense. JCOC is the oldest existing Pentagon outreach program.
The USS George Washington is here on its way to its eventual new home port in Japan. It will replace the USS Kitty Hawk based there now. JCOC participants toured the ship talking to sailors and meeting its leaders.
An aircraft glitch led to a small group of participants spending the night on the ship and having the rare opportunity to watch night operations aboard the aircraft carrier.
One participant likened the incredible synchronicity of the flight operations to a "high-risk ballet."
But, equally fascinating for the group was walking up to the bridge and finding Seaman James Holzmann, a 19-year-old from Arizona with only two years in the Navy, driving the ship.
The George Washington's flight deck is 4.5 acres. The ship can accommodate about 6,000 sailors. It can distill 400,000 gallons of water a day, serves 18,000 meals daily, and is held together by 60,000 tons of structural steel.
Denton said that he was struck by how everyone on the ship worked together despite the enormity of its daily operations.
"This is a city, and everyone has a job and everyone has a responsibility and knows each other and knows what their jobs are and how they rely on each other," Denton said. "I guess I just didn't perceive it like that, as a city where everyone here has a role to play in making sure this thing ticks from the first thing in the morning until they all go down to bed at night."
A former Army enlisted man, Denton said the best part of his visit was in the galley with the sailors. In fact, he said, getting back in touch with the troops was one of his main motivations for joining the JCOC trip, he said.
"I love some of these guys here. I had some of the best conversations. That was my favorite part. Sitting at the tables talking with them," Denton said. "This was a chance to sort of reconnect with what is going on in today's service.
"There has been so much discussion in Washington -- public policy decision makers who are trying to find their way into making the right decisions now -- and I like to be engaged in their conversations. Now I feel like I'm engaged in those conversations with a different pool of knowledge than I had before.
"I feel as though I know a heck of a lot more now than I did before," Denton said.
John Stross, the owner of Leverock's Restaurant, in St. Petersburg, Fla., said he was impressed with the efficiency of the air operations. It takes only 45 seconds for crews to clear the landing strip between planes during the day. At night it still takes only minutes.
Crews in different colored shirts, each with their own meaning, move around the deck with precision speed, moving planes, pulling chains and cables, and sending signals with colored flash cones.
No detail is too small on the spotless ship. Sailors on their hands and knees scrub the insides of divots in the deck to secure chains tied to the planes. Dirt can settle inside the indentations and stick to the planes' tires.
Debris on a tire could find its way onto the landing strip and into one of the jet engines, causing a "blowout" requiring the engine to be rebuilt. Each engine costs more than $1 million, an officer explained.
"If I could run my restaurant as efficiently as they run their flight operations, I would never put out a bad meal," Stross said.
The longtime business owner used a seafood restaurant analogy to give credit to the ship's leaders.
"I believe the fish stinks from the head down. I think that great leaders make great organizations," Stross said. "My hat is off not only to the enlisted people, but especially to the officers and the [noncommissioned officers] who, to use Army terms, have made these enlisted people the best that they can be.
"I think, in interacting with the people, at times if you didn't see ... the rank or the brass they wore on their uniforms, you might not know the difference," said he added.
Karen Johnson, senior vice president with Valente and Associates, a government affairs firm based in Washington, D.C., was all smiles when she came off the flight deck after the night operations ended.
"I thought it was incredible. Seriously, you could just feel it in your gut when they landed and when they took off. It was the most amazing feeling," Johnson said as she tried in vain to put her hair back in some sort of order.
At this point, it was nearly 10 p.m. local time. The group had left at 4 a.m. two days earlier and had not seen a bed since. They spent the first day of their trip in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, reviewing military operations there, before boarding an all-night flight to Rio de Janeiro, where they waited all day for their flight to the ship.
But, Johnson summed up her opportunity on the ship in one sentence as she wrestled to shove her hair up under the souvenir conference hat.
"It was worth a bad hair day," she said.
American Forces Press Service
April 22, 2008 - Forty-eight business, civic and local government leaders visited the USS George Washington about 80 miles off shore from here April 20, and a lucky dozen got to spend the night on the ship. "It reminds me that the best and the brightest are right here representing our country," said Neal Denton, a senior vice president of government relations and strategic partnerships for the American Red Cross, based in Washington, D.C.
Denton and the other visitors are participating in the 75th iteration of the Joint Civilian Orientation Conference, a defense secretary-sponsored program for America's leaders interested in expanding their knowledge of the military and national defense. JCOC is the oldest existing Pentagon outreach program.
The USS George Washington is here on its way to its eventual new home port in Japan. It will replace the USS Kitty Hawk based there now. JCOC participants toured the ship talking to sailors and meeting its leaders.
An aircraft glitch led to a small group of participants spending the night on the ship and having the rare opportunity to watch night operations aboard the aircraft carrier.
One participant likened the incredible synchronicity of the flight operations to a "high-risk ballet."
But, equally fascinating for the group was walking up to the bridge and finding Seaman James Holzmann, a 19-year-old from Arizona with only two years in the Navy, driving the ship.
The George Washington's flight deck is 4.5 acres. The ship can accommodate about 6,000 sailors. It can distill 400,000 gallons of water a day, serves 18,000 meals daily, and is held together by 60,000 tons of structural steel.
Denton said that he was struck by how everyone on the ship worked together despite the enormity of its daily operations.
"This is a city, and everyone has a job and everyone has a responsibility and knows each other and knows what their jobs are and how they rely on each other," Denton said. "I guess I just didn't perceive it like that, as a city where everyone here has a role to play in making sure this thing ticks from the first thing in the morning until they all go down to bed at night."
A former Army enlisted man, Denton said the best part of his visit was in the galley with the sailors. In fact, he said, getting back in touch with the troops was one of his main motivations for joining the JCOC trip, he said.
"I love some of these guys here. I had some of the best conversations. That was my favorite part. Sitting at the tables talking with them," Denton said. "This was a chance to sort of reconnect with what is going on in today's service.
"There has been so much discussion in Washington -- public policy decision makers who are trying to find their way into making the right decisions now -- and I like to be engaged in their conversations. Now I feel like I'm engaged in those conversations with a different pool of knowledge than I had before.
"I feel as though I know a heck of a lot more now than I did before," Denton said.
John Stross, the owner of Leverock's Restaurant, in St. Petersburg, Fla., said he was impressed with the efficiency of the air operations. It takes only 45 seconds for crews to clear the landing strip between planes during the day. At night it still takes only minutes.
Crews in different colored shirts, each with their own meaning, move around the deck with precision speed, moving planes, pulling chains and cables, and sending signals with colored flash cones.
No detail is too small on the spotless ship. Sailors on their hands and knees scrub the insides of divots in the deck to secure chains tied to the planes. Dirt can settle inside the indentations and stick to the planes' tires.
Debris on a tire could find its way onto the landing strip and into one of the jet engines, causing a "blowout" requiring the engine to be rebuilt. Each engine costs more than $1 million, an officer explained.
"If I could run my restaurant as efficiently as they run their flight operations, I would never put out a bad meal," Stross said.
The longtime business owner used a seafood restaurant analogy to give credit to the ship's leaders.
"I believe the fish stinks from the head down. I think that great leaders make great organizations," Stross said. "My hat is off not only to the enlisted people, but especially to the officers and the [noncommissioned officers] who, to use Army terms, have made these enlisted people the best that they can be.
"I think, in interacting with the people, at times if you didn't see ... the rank or the brass they wore on their uniforms, you might not know the difference," said he added.
Karen Johnson, senior vice president with Valente and Associates, a government affairs firm based in Washington, D.C., was all smiles when she came off the flight deck after the night operations ended.
"I thought it was incredible. Seriously, you could just feel it in your gut when they landed and when they took off. It was the most amazing feeling," Johnson said as she tried in vain to put her hair back in some sort of order.
At this point, it was nearly 10 p.m. local time. The group had left at 4 a.m. two days earlier and had not seen a bed since. They spent the first day of their trip in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, reviewing military operations there, before boarding an all-night flight to Rio de Janeiro, where they waited all day for their flight to the ship.
But, Johnson summed up her opportunity on the ship in one sentence as she wrestled to shove her hair up under the souvenir conference hat.
"It was worth a bad hair day," she said.
Recruiting Standards Remain High Despite Waivers
By Donna Miles
American Forces Press Service
April 22, 2008 - The Defense Department maintains stringent standards for its recruits, despite an increase in felons the military services accept. A senior defense official said waivers sometimes are granted to people who commit "youthful pranks that went way too far," but not to dangerous criminals.
The military granted waivers to 903 felons in 2007, 511 of them for the Army and 350 for the Marine Corps, Bill Carr, acting deputy under secretary for military personnel policy, told American Forces Press Service. These numbers, up from 249 in the Army and 208 for the Marine Corps in 2006, constitute a tiny fraction of all incoming recruits -- one half of one percent, Carr said.
Contrary to what media reports imply, the waivers weren't granted to hardened criminals fresh out of prison, Carr said. Mostly they're granted to people who made mistakes when they were younger, but then straightened up to become responsible citizens, he said.
The military is extremely judicious in granting the waivers and limits the number granted each year. A general officer must approve all such applications. Those with "sinister crimes" are automatically eliminated. Only those who show they've turned around and have potential in the military get a chance to enlist.
"The military determines that they're worth betting on and gives them a second chance," Carr said.
In a tough recruiting environment, the practice serves the military too. Two-thirds of the American youth population is disqualified to enlist by today's military entrance standards, said Army Lt. Col. Jonathan Withington, a Pentagon spokesman. Medical conditions account for most of the disqualifications, and medical waivers make up the biggest percentage of waivers granted.
Of waivers granted to felons, most were to individuals involved in crimes against property. Typically, the offenses occurred years before the waivers were granted, Withington said.
One recruit described in news reports as a "bomber" actually was a young person who blew up a mailbox using a soda bottle full of gunpowder, Carr said. "It was more of a youthful prank than the sinister activity that some of the media suggest," he said. That offense occurred two years before the waiver was granted.
Another recruit had been convicted of involuntary manslaughter resulting from driving under the influence of alcohol three years before receiving the waiver. Several recruits had been convicted of sexual offenses, most involving consensual sex with a minor and typically years before the military waiver was granted.
Carr has a message to parents concerned about who their son or daughter joining the military may serve with.
"They should feel assured that we are very careful about who their children serve alongside," he said. "These are generally people of respectable character who made a terrible move in their youth, but have made a dramatic turnaround."
American Forces Press Service
April 22, 2008 - The Defense Department maintains stringent standards for its recruits, despite an increase in felons the military services accept. A senior defense official said waivers sometimes are granted to people who commit "youthful pranks that went way too far," but not to dangerous criminals.
The military granted waivers to 903 felons in 2007, 511 of them for the Army and 350 for the Marine Corps, Bill Carr, acting deputy under secretary for military personnel policy, told American Forces Press Service. These numbers, up from 249 in the Army and 208 for the Marine Corps in 2006, constitute a tiny fraction of all incoming recruits -- one half of one percent, Carr said.
Contrary to what media reports imply, the waivers weren't granted to hardened criminals fresh out of prison, Carr said. Mostly they're granted to people who made mistakes when they were younger, but then straightened up to become responsible citizens, he said.
The military is extremely judicious in granting the waivers and limits the number granted each year. A general officer must approve all such applications. Those with "sinister crimes" are automatically eliminated. Only those who show they've turned around and have potential in the military get a chance to enlist.
"The military determines that they're worth betting on and gives them a second chance," Carr said.
In a tough recruiting environment, the practice serves the military too. Two-thirds of the American youth population is disqualified to enlist by today's military entrance standards, said Army Lt. Col. Jonathan Withington, a Pentagon spokesman. Medical conditions account for most of the disqualifications, and medical waivers make up the biggest percentage of waivers granted.
Of waivers granted to felons, most were to individuals involved in crimes against property. Typically, the offenses occurred years before the waivers were granted, Withington said.
One recruit described in news reports as a "bomber" actually was a young person who blew up a mailbox using a soda bottle full of gunpowder, Carr said. "It was more of a youthful prank than the sinister activity that some of the media suggest," he said. That offense occurred two years before the waiver was granted.
Another recruit had been convicted of involuntary manslaughter resulting from driving under the influence of alcohol three years before receiving the waiver. Several recruits had been convicted of sexual offenses, most involving consensual sex with a minor and typically years before the military waiver was granted.
Carr has a message to parents concerned about who their son or daughter joining the military may serve with.
"They should feel assured that we are very careful about who their children serve alongside," he said. "These are generally people of respectable character who made a terrible move in their youth, but have made a dramatic turnaround."
Army Reserve Looks Forward to Further Transformation on 100th Anniversary
By John J. Kruzel
American Forces Press Service
April 22, 2008 - After undergoing a century of change, the Army Reserve is now in the midst of its biggest transformation, the component's chief said. Lt. Gen. Jack C. Stultz characterized the first 100 years of the Army Reserve as a metamorphosis from an Army medical reserve corps to a strategic force and toward an operational force. The future of the service, however, will usher in an ever-greater period of transformation, he said.
"Throughout the 100 years, as the Army has changed, the Army Reserve has changed," he said. "Most significantly, I would say, is after Sept. 11, after we've gotten into an extended conflict in the war on terror, the Army Reserve is in the midst of the biggest transformation we've ever had."
To illustrate the current state of flux, Stultz recalled the differences between now and his early days in the reserves. "When I first entered the Army Reserve (after) leaving the active duty in 1979, our mantra was: 'One weekend a month, two weeks in the summer -- that's all we ask," he said.
"(But) our mantra right now is: When called upon, you're expected to mobilize, deploy and defend your nation," he said. "And if you're a member of the Army Reserve then it will occur during your career, and it will occur in multiple locations."
The Army Reserve of today is engaged with the combat force on an "extended basis" in Iraq, Afghanistan and other parts of the world where U.S. operations are ongoing.
"Now (the Army Reserve's) combat support, service support has to be mobilized on an extended or persistent basis," he said. "That means the Army Reserve is no longer strategic; it's operational."
Reserve members' adaptation is a good news story, Stultz said, because the corps is consolidated into a more committed force that is more prepared, capable and willing to deploy.
"We have grown from 188,000 this time last year, to right now 195,000," he said. "We've increased end strength by 4,000 this fiscal year already, but we're doing with the people who say, 'I know what I'm getting into.'"
The reserve chief's comments were echoed by his senior enlisted advisor, Command Sgt. Maj. Leon Caffie. The transformed force is endowed with training, leadership and skills comparable to the active-duty component, Caffie told American Forces Press Service.
Caffie said he was impressed by the quality of reservists he met over the holidays in Afghanistan and Iraq and during a massive reenlistment ceremony in Iraq in which he participated in January.
"You can go to the theater ... and you can't distinguish between the active-duty, National Guard or Army Reserve soldiers because that skill set and that quality is so much higher (than in the past)," he said.
The top reserve officer and enlisted member agree that the reserve's turning point came in the early 1990s, when Army Reserve soldiers started being mobilized into operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm. Caffie said the operations revealed an Army Reserve that was ill-equipped, poorly trained and insufficiently led.
"We had created this strategic force that was really not relevant at all. You had a bunch of numbers, but as far as training and capability, performance at that level wasn't expected," he said. "That changed drastically when the Army Reserve as a whole went from a strategic force to an operational force, and you have seen a significant change in how we do stuff as Army Reserve soldiers."
In a dramatic departure from the "summer camp" era, today's reservists have been deployed up to four times, Caffie said. Others have made significant personal sacrifices by deploying for a year at a time, he said.
"The combat experience of Army Reserve soldiers is phenomenal," he said. "Today's Army Reserve force is by far the best-led, -skilled and -equipped Army Reserve I have ever been associated with."
American Forces Press Service
April 22, 2008 - After undergoing a century of change, the Army Reserve is now in the midst of its biggest transformation, the component's chief said. Lt. Gen. Jack C. Stultz characterized the first 100 years of the Army Reserve as a metamorphosis from an Army medical reserve corps to a strategic force and toward an operational force. The future of the service, however, will usher in an ever-greater period of transformation, he said.
"Throughout the 100 years, as the Army has changed, the Army Reserve has changed," he said. "Most significantly, I would say, is after Sept. 11, after we've gotten into an extended conflict in the war on terror, the Army Reserve is in the midst of the biggest transformation we've ever had."
To illustrate the current state of flux, Stultz recalled the differences between now and his early days in the reserves. "When I first entered the Army Reserve (after) leaving the active duty in 1979, our mantra was: 'One weekend a month, two weeks in the summer -- that's all we ask," he said.
"(But) our mantra right now is: When called upon, you're expected to mobilize, deploy and defend your nation," he said. "And if you're a member of the Army Reserve then it will occur during your career, and it will occur in multiple locations."
The Army Reserve of today is engaged with the combat force on an "extended basis" in Iraq, Afghanistan and other parts of the world where U.S. operations are ongoing.
"Now (the Army Reserve's) combat support, service support has to be mobilized on an extended or persistent basis," he said. "That means the Army Reserve is no longer strategic; it's operational."
Reserve members' adaptation is a good news story, Stultz said, because the corps is consolidated into a more committed force that is more prepared, capable and willing to deploy.
"We have grown from 188,000 this time last year, to right now 195,000," he said. "We've increased end strength by 4,000 this fiscal year already, but we're doing with the people who say, 'I know what I'm getting into.'"
The reserve chief's comments were echoed by his senior enlisted advisor, Command Sgt. Maj. Leon Caffie. The transformed force is endowed with training, leadership and skills comparable to the active-duty component, Caffie told American Forces Press Service.
Caffie said he was impressed by the quality of reservists he met over the holidays in Afghanistan and Iraq and during a massive reenlistment ceremony in Iraq in which he participated in January.
"You can go to the theater ... and you can't distinguish between the active-duty, National Guard or Army Reserve soldiers because that skill set and that quality is so much higher (than in the past)," he said.
The top reserve officer and enlisted member agree that the reserve's turning point came in the early 1990s, when Army Reserve soldiers started being mobilized into operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm. Caffie said the operations revealed an Army Reserve that was ill-equipped, poorly trained and insufficiently led.
"We had created this strategic force that was really not relevant at all. You had a bunch of numbers, but as far as training and capability, performance at that level wasn't expected," he said. "That changed drastically when the Army Reserve as a whole went from a strategic force to an operational force, and you have seen a significant change in how we do stuff as Army Reserve soldiers."
In a dramatic departure from the "summer camp" era, today's reservists have been deployed up to four times, Caffie said. Others have made significant personal sacrifices by deploying for a year at a time, he said.
"The combat experience of Army Reserve soldiers is phenomenal," he said. "Today's Army Reserve force is by far the best-led, -skilled and -equipped Army Reserve I have ever been associated with."
Gates Urges Unconventional Thinkers to Address Unconventional Challenges
By Donna Miles
American Forces Press Service
April 21, 2008 - Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates today challenged military officers to become forward thinkers with the courage to advance new approaches needed to confront current and emerging threats. "An unconventional era of warfare requires unconventional thinkers," Gates told Air War College students at Maxwell Air Force Base, Ala.
He challenged the officers to think outside the box to help the military adapt to a constantly changing strategic environment characterized by persistent conflict.
While addressing an Air Force audience, Gates' challenge applies militarywide.
"For the kinds of challenges America will face, the armed forces will need principled, creative, reform-minded leaders," he said.
Bucking convention isn't easy, Gates conceded. "Virtually every institution is organized in a way to stifle out-of-the-box thinking," he said.
Ideas that break with the status quo aren't always met with open arms, he added.
Gates noted the example set by the late Air Force Col. John Boyd, a maverick reformer who turned traditional approaches to air-to-air conflict and principles of maneuver warfare on their head. To do so, Boyd had to overcome "a large measure of bureaucratic resistance and institutional hostility," Gates said.
The way Boyd saw it, everyone faces a fork in the road in his military career. People choose to "be somebody," Gates said, making compromises and turning their backs on their friends to get ahead. Or they choose to "do something" -- sticking their neck out for their country, their military and themselves -- while recognizing that it's not likely to garner them favor or career advantage.
Pressing security challenges require people in the armed forces who "want to do something, not be somebody," Gates said.
New challenges, realities and requirements have meant "a wrenching set of changes for our military establishment that, until recently, was almost completely oriented toward winning the big battles in the big wars," Gates said.
He cited vast transformations within the military and the need for more. The Army is taking lessons learned and capabilities built from the Iraq and Afghanistan campaigns and institutionalizing them into its core doctrine, funding priorities and personnel policies.
Similarly, the Air Force has adopted recent lessons, setting the stage for the expeditionary culture and mindset to take root, Gates said. It has accepted new, nontraditional combat missions, new ways of doing things and new battlefield responses, including small-diameter munitions that can strike enemies with less chance of collateral damage.
Gates urged the officers to come up with more ways the Air Force can evolve to meet asymmetric threats.
"I would ask you to think through how we can build the kinds of air capabilities most likely to be needed while continuing to offer a strategic hedge against rising powers," he said.
Gates also challenged to officers to:
-- Come up with better ways to address the air, space and cyberspace roles in counterinsurgency operations;
-- Enhance partners' airpower capabilities;
-- Conduct civil-military or humanitarian missions with interagency, nongovernmental organizations and other partners;
-- Rethink the way the service is organized, manned and equipped;
-- Determine what new priorities should drive issues ranging from promotions to procurement; and
-- Come up with ways to accomplish future missions ranging from strike to surveillance in the most affordable, sensible way.
"I have raised difficult questions with perhaps difficult answers," Gates said. "I am asking you to be part of the solution and part of the future."
The secretary urged the officers to be willing to think beyond the status quo when they approach Boyd's proverbial fork in the road. He also emphasized the need for senior leaders to recognize the value of out-of-the-box thinking and to support the people who do it.
"For the good of the Air Force, for the good of the armed services, and for the good of our country, I urge you to reject convention and careerism and to make decisions that will carry you closer toward -- rather than farther from -- the officer you want to be and the thinker who advances air-power strategy in meeting the complex challenges to our national security," he said.
American Forces Press Service
April 21, 2008 - Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates today challenged military officers to become forward thinkers with the courage to advance new approaches needed to confront current and emerging threats. "An unconventional era of warfare requires unconventional thinkers," Gates told Air War College students at Maxwell Air Force Base, Ala.
He challenged the officers to think outside the box to help the military adapt to a constantly changing strategic environment characterized by persistent conflict.
While addressing an Air Force audience, Gates' challenge applies militarywide.
"For the kinds of challenges America will face, the armed forces will need principled, creative, reform-minded leaders," he said.
Bucking convention isn't easy, Gates conceded. "Virtually every institution is organized in a way to stifle out-of-the-box thinking," he said.
Ideas that break with the status quo aren't always met with open arms, he added.
Gates noted the example set by the late Air Force Col. John Boyd, a maverick reformer who turned traditional approaches to air-to-air conflict and principles of maneuver warfare on their head. To do so, Boyd had to overcome "a large measure of bureaucratic resistance and institutional hostility," Gates said.
The way Boyd saw it, everyone faces a fork in the road in his military career. People choose to "be somebody," Gates said, making compromises and turning their backs on their friends to get ahead. Or they choose to "do something" -- sticking their neck out for their country, their military and themselves -- while recognizing that it's not likely to garner them favor or career advantage.
Pressing security challenges require people in the armed forces who "want to do something, not be somebody," Gates said.
New challenges, realities and requirements have meant "a wrenching set of changes for our military establishment that, until recently, was almost completely oriented toward winning the big battles in the big wars," Gates said.
He cited vast transformations within the military and the need for more. The Army is taking lessons learned and capabilities built from the Iraq and Afghanistan campaigns and institutionalizing them into its core doctrine, funding priorities and personnel policies.
Similarly, the Air Force has adopted recent lessons, setting the stage for the expeditionary culture and mindset to take root, Gates said. It has accepted new, nontraditional combat missions, new ways of doing things and new battlefield responses, including small-diameter munitions that can strike enemies with less chance of collateral damage.
Gates urged the officers to come up with more ways the Air Force can evolve to meet asymmetric threats.
"I would ask you to think through how we can build the kinds of air capabilities most likely to be needed while continuing to offer a strategic hedge against rising powers," he said.
Gates also challenged to officers to:
-- Come up with better ways to address the air, space and cyberspace roles in counterinsurgency operations;
-- Enhance partners' airpower capabilities;
-- Conduct civil-military or humanitarian missions with interagency, nongovernmental organizations and other partners;
-- Rethink the way the service is organized, manned and equipped;
-- Determine what new priorities should drive issues ranging from promotions to procurement; and
-- Come up with ways to accomplish future missions ranging from strike to surveillance in the most affordable, sensible way.
"I have raised difficult questions with perhaps difficult answers," Gates said. "I am asking you to be part of the solution and part of the future."
The secretary urged the officers to be willing to think beyond the status quo when they approach Boyd's proverbial fork in the road. He also emphasized the need for senior leaders to recognize the value of out-of-the-box thinking and to support the people who do it.
"For the good of the Air Force, for the good of the armed services, and for the good of our country, I urge you to reject convention and careerism and to make decisions that will carry you closer toward -- rather than farther from -- the officer you want to be and the thinker who advances air-power strategy in meeting the complex challenges to our national security," he said.
Camp Stryker Soldiers Run for the Cure in Iraq
By Army Staff Sgt. Tony M. Lindback
Special to American Forces Press Service
April 21, 2008 - Soldiers on Camp Striker ran a 5-kilometer race that kicked off simultaneously with a Ride for the Cure bicycle race in Clarksville, Tenn., April 19. The idea to do a run for the cure of breast cancer in Iraq came from Army Capt. Troy King's wife, a breast cancer survivor.
King, commander of the 101st Airborne Division's Company B, 626th Brigade Support Battalion, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, said he was happy to help the cause, but he was planning the run on a smaller scale at first, like a company run. When word spread, however, more people wanted to take part.
"At first we started off small with a company run and a few other folks," King said. "But then we signed up as a team. Then we set up the Rakkasan Run for the Cure, and it just sort of blossomed from there."
The support of his battalion commander, Lt. Col. Mathew Redding, and brigade commander, Col. Dominic Caraccilo, made it easier for King to take the run to another level, he said.
The Rakkasans showed their support and responded in the form of 196 registered runners, more than $6,400 in donations and about $4,500 from the sale of t-shirts and registration fees. In all, more than 300 people participated in the event on Camp Striker.
As the crowd gathered for the race, runners stretched and laughed, and a bit of the Rakkasans' competitive nature surfaced as people set their sights on other runners.
Cellular phones were used to synchronize the start times of the run at Camp Striker and the Ride for the Cure race in Clarksville.
Upon hearing "go," the runners took off. After jockeying for position, it occurred to some of the runners why they were really running.
"When I was a little kid, my grandmother died of breast cancer, and my mom had a scare a few years back, so I had that on my mind," said 1st Lt. Brendan Crane, a distribution platoon leader with Company A, 626th BSB.
Crane said he was moved by signs along the race route that showed how many have been affected by breast cancer. "It really hit me as I ran by, so getting tired really wasn't an option," he said.
His resilience carried Crane to a first place finish with a time of 19:15. Though the race had prizes for the first and second place finishers for men and women, the race had no losers.
Army Command Sgt. Maj. Gregory Patton, of 3rd Brigade Combat Team, greeted everyone who finished after him with cheers and high-fives. With his own mother being a breast cancer survivor, the run itself meant more to him than who placed first.
"The run was in remembrance of ... all the women who are survivors of breast cancer -- the daughters, the sisters, the wives and the mothers -- everyone who has been subjected to the disease," Patton said. "We're trying to ensure our daughters and their daughters don't have to go through the things our generation has gone through."
(Army Staff Sgt. Tony M. Lindback is assigned to 101st Airborne Division's 3rd Brigade Combat Team.)
Special to American Forces Press Service
April 21, 2008 - Soldiers on Camp Striker ran a 5-kilometer race that kicked off simultaneously with a Ride for the Cure bicycle race in Clarksville, Tenn., April 19. The idea to do a run for the cure of breast cancer in Iraq came from Army Capt. Troy King's wife, a breast cancer survivor.
King, commander of the 101st Airborne Division's Company B, 626th Brigade Support Battalion, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, said he was happy to help the cause, but he was planning the run on a smaller scale at first, like a company run. When word spread, however, more people wanted to take part.
"At first we started off small with a company run and a few other folks," King said. "But then we signed up as a team. Then we set up the Rakkasan Run for the Cure, and it just sort of blossomed from there."
The support of his battalion commander, Lt. Col. Mathew Redding, and brigade commander, Col. Dominic Caraccilo, made it easier for King to take the run to another level, he said.
The Rakkasans showed their support and responded in the form of 196 registered runners, more than $6,400 in donations and about $4,500 from the sale of t-shirts and registration fees. In all, more than 300 people participated in the event on Camp Striker.
As the crowd gathered for the race, runners stretched and laughed, and a bit of the Rakkasans' competitive nature surfaced as people set their sights on other runners.
Cellular phones were used to synchronize the start times of the run at Camp Striker and the Ride for the Cure race in Clarksville.
Upon hearing "go," the runners took off. After jockeying for position, it occurred to some of the runners why they were really running.
"When I was a little kid, my grandmother died of breast cancer, and my mom had a scare a few years back, so I had that on my mind," said 1st Lt. Brendan Crane, a distribution platoon leader with Company A, 626th BSB.
Crane said he was moved by signs along the race route that showed how many have been affected by breast cancer. "It really hit me as I ran by, so getting tired really wasn't an option," he said.
His resilience carried Crane to a first place finish with a time of 19:15. Though the race had prizes for the first and second place finishers for men and women, the race had no losers.
Army Command Sgt. Maj. Gregory Patton, of 3rd Brigade Combat Team, greeted everyone who finished after him with cheers and high-fives. With his own mother being a breast cancer survivor, the run itself meant more to him than who placed first.
"The run was in remembrance of ... all the women who are survivors of breast cancer -- the daughters, the sisters, the wives and the mothers -- everyone who has been subjected to the disease," Patton said. "We're trying to ensure our daughters and their daughters don't have to go through the things our generation has gone through."
(Army Staff Sgt. Tony M. Lindback is assigned to 101st Airborne Division's 3rd Brigade Combat Team.)
Education Compact Helps Retain Military Families, Official Says
By John J. Kruzel
American Forces Press Service
April 21, 2008 - A piece of legislation aimed at easing transitions for military children switching schools adheres to an armed forces adage: Recruit the servicemember, but retain the family, a Pentagon official said today. Developed by the Council of State Governments, education experts and the Defense Department, the Compact on Education Transition for Military Children addresses common problems that affect military students as a result of frequent moves and deployments.
"The interstate compact is a major new tool and opportunity for the nation really to show its appreciation to military families," Leslye A. Arsht, deputy undersecretary of defense for military community and family policy, said during an interview today.
States that pass the bill agree to work collectively with other participating states to create uniform standards of practice, including the transfer of records, course placement, graduation requirements, redundant or missed testing, entrance-age variations, and other transition issues.
Kansas and Kentucky signed onto the bill this month, and 21 other states actively are considering the measure; 14 of those state legislatures have bills submitted in one or both chambers. In order for the compact to become operational, 10 states must adopt it, Arsht said.
"We are thrilled that Kansas and Kentucky are leading the nation in seeking uniform standards for school transition for military children," she said after the two states adopted the bill.
She emphasized today that the Defense Department hopes the compact is made operational during the current Congressional session.
About 1.5 million children of military families attend schools other than those sponsored by the Defense Department, and military families move about three times as often as their civilian counterparts, Arsht said in an earlier interview. This legislation will ease transitions of the 19,000 school-age children of military families residing in Kansas and 30,834 school-age children in Kentucky, she added.
David S. C. Chu, undersecretary of defense for personnel and readiness, said in an interview that passage of the interstate compact will have a lasting, positive impact on American military families.
"Quality education is a primary quality-of-life concern. In fact, education is so important that it directly impacts military recruitment, satisfaction with assignments, readiness and, ultimately, retention," he said.
"We ask a lot of our military families," he continued. "Easing this burden is the right thing to do. We appreciate all the support and effort to implement the compact. We look forward to more states signing on."
American Forces Press Service
April 21, 2008 - A piece of legislation aimed at easing transitions for military children switching schools adheres to an armed forces adage: Recruit the servicemember, but retain the family, a Pentagon official said today. Developed by the Council of State Governments, education experts and the Defense Department, the Compact on Education Transition for Military Children addresses common problems that affect military students as a result of frequent moves and deployments.
"The interstate compact is a major new tool and opportunity for the nation really to show its appreciation to military families," Leslye A. Arsht, deputy undersecretary of defense for military community and family policy, said during an interview today.
States that pass the bill agree to work collectively with other participating states to create uniform standards of practice, including the transfer of records, course placement, graduation requirements, redundant or missed testing, entrance-age variations, and other transition issues.
Kansas and Kentucky signed onto the bill this month, and 21 other states actively are considering the measure; 14 of those state legislatures have bills submitted in one or both chambers. In order for the compact to become operational, 10 states must adopt it, Arsht said.
"We are thrilled that Kansas and Kentucky are leading the nation in seeking uniform standards for school transition for military children," she said after the two states adopted the bill.
She emphasized today that the Defense Department hopes the compact is made operational during the current Congressional session.
About 1.5 million children of military families attend schools other than those sponsored by the Defense Department, and military families move about three times as often as their civilian counterparts, Arsht said in an earlier interview. This legislation will ease transitions of the 19,000 school-age children of military families residing in Kansas and 30,834 school-age children in Kentucky, she added.
David S. C. Chu, undersecretary of defense for personnel and readiness, said in an interview that passage of the interstate compact will have a lasting, positive impact on American military families.
"Quality education is a primary quality-of-life concern. In fact, education is so important that it directly impacts military recruitment, satisfaction with assignments, readiness and, ultimately, retention," he said.
"We ask a lot of our military families," he continued. "Easing this burden is the right thing to do. We appreciate all the support and effort to implement the compact. We look forward to more states signing on."
Face of Defense: Samoan Teacher Becomes U.S. Soldier
By Army Sgt. Brandon Little
Special to American Forces Press Service
April 21, 2008 - More than 10 years ago, Maranata Temese was an elementary school teacher living in American Samoa with his wife, Leaiseaiga, and their three children. Wanting to provide a better life for his family, he decided to join the military. But there was one problem: He was not a U.S. citizen. American Samoa is a U.S. territory, and its natives have the same U.S. rights and privileges as natives of Guam and Puerto Rico. Temese's wife and children were born in American Samoa. Temese, however, was born in the independent country of Samoa.
"When I walked into the recruiting office to ask if I could join the Army, I even told them my wife was a U.S. citizen," said Temese, a platoon sergeant in Company G, Task Force 12. "The recruiter, knowing that I was from Samoa, told me no, I cannot join the Army. It was because of [biased views] held by some people born in American Samoa against people born in Samoa."
His desire to provide a better life for his family through service in the military was now fueled by a determination to prove his recruiter wrong, he said. His next step was to write a letter to the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services and find out what he needed to do to join the Army.
"The USCIS wrote me back and told me the process I needed to follow [to get a visa] since I was married to a U.S. citizen," he said. "After I filled out all the paperwork and they accepted my application, I received a quota number, and I was now able to move to the U.S. and live."
Instead of moving to the United States, Temese took his paperwork and went back to that same recruiting station to see the recruiter who told him he couldn't join the Army because he wasn't a citizen.
"Now that I had a [visa], they wanted to help me," Temese said. "After [the recruiter] made a few phone calls, he said, 'You can join the military,' And I told him I'd be more than happy to join."
He enlisted as a light-wheeled-vehicle mechanic and deployed a few years later in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom. By then his family had grown from three children to six children, and he had provided a better life for his family. But he was still not a U.S. citizen.
"Every time we went to the airport, I got stopped because of my island passport," he said. "My wife got tired of waiting with the kids while I got checked, and she finally said, 'This has got to stop; you need to get your citizenship and a U.S. passport.'"
He decided to talk to his chain of command and Task Force 12's top enlisted soldier, Command Sgt. Maj. H. Lee Kennedy, to get help.
"While I was in Kuwait, waiting to enter Iraq, I saw [Kennedy] and explained my situation to him," Temese said. "As soon as I asked for his help, he took out a piece of paper and pen and promised he would help make this happen for me. He was really on top of things."
With a little persistence and a lot of help from soldiers working in the Task Force 12 legal office, Kennedy kept his promise. Temese was one of several soldiers in Task Force 12 to become a citizen during a Multinational Corps Iraq naturalization ceremony at Camp Victory on April 12.
"[Temese] is a very special soldier, and it was a real privilege to watch him walk across that stage and become a U.S. citizen," Kennedy said.
Although his journey to citizenship may have taken a little longer than expected, Temese said his original goal of providing a better life for his family happened without delay and he tries to help others do the same.
"Every time I go back to my island, I go to the school I used to teach in and tell the children some of the things the Army has done for me," Temese said. "I think they appreciate the information I give them, and some of them are actually joining the military. I know that by [serving in the Army] I am helping my country of Samoa be a better place, because the United States always tries to fight for little people who get overlooked -- just like my tiny island."
Special to American Forces Press Service
April 21, 2008 - More than 10 years ago, Maranata Temese was an elementary school teacher living in American Samoa with his wife, Leaiseaiga, and their three children. Wanting to provide a better life for his family, he decided to join the military. But there was one problem: He was not a U.S. citizen. American Samoa is a U.S. territory, and its natives have the same U.S. rights and privileges as natives of Guam and Puerto Rico. Temese's wife and children were born in American Samoa. Temese, however, was born in the independent country of Samoa.
"When I walked into the recruiting office to ask if I could join the Army, I even told them my wife was a U.S. citizen," said Temese, a platoon sergeant in Company G, Task Force 12. "The recruiter, knowing that I was from Samoa, told me no, I cannot join the Army. It was because of [biased views] held by some people born in American Samoa against people born in Samoa."
His desire to provide a better life for his family through service in the military was now fueled by a determination to prove his recruiter wrong, he said. His next step was to write a letter to the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services and find out what he needed to do to join the Army.
"The USCIS wrote me back and told me the process I needed to follow [to get a visa] since I was married to a U.S. citizen," he said. "After I filled out all the paperwork and they accepted my application, I received a quota number, and I was now able to move to the U.S. and live."
Instead of moving to the United States, Temese took his paperwork and went back to that same recruiting station to see the recruiter who told him he couldn't join the Army because he wasn't a citizen.
"Now that I had a [visa], they wanted to help me," Temese said. "After [the recruiter] made a few phone calls, he said, 'You can join the military,' And I told him I'd be more than happy to join."
He enlisted as a light-wheeled-vehicle mechanic and deployed a few years later in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom. By then his family had grown from three children to six children, and he had provided a better life for his family. But he was still not a U.S. citizen.
"Every time we went to the airport, I got stopped because of my island passport," he said. "My wife got tired of waiting with the kids while I got checked, and she finally said, 'This has got to stop; you need to get your citizenship and a U.S. passport.'"
He decided to talk to his chain of command and Task Force 12's top enlisted soldier, Command Sgt. Maj. H. Lee Kennedy, to get help.
"While I was in Kuwait, waiting to enter Iraq, I saw [Kennedy] and explained my situation to him," Temese said. "As soon as I asked for his help, he took out a piece of paper and pen and promised he would help make this happen for me. He was really on top of things."
With a little persistence and a lot of help from soldiers working in the Task Force 12 legal office, Kennedy kept his promise. Temese was one of several soldiers in Task Force 12 to become a citizen during a Multinational Corps Iraq naturalization ceremony at Camp Victory on April 12.
"[Temese] is a very special soldier, and it was a real privilege to watch him walk across that stage and become a U.S. citizen," Kennedy said.
Although his journey to citizenship may have taken a little longer than expected, Temese said his original goal of providing a better life for his family happened without delay and he tries to help others do the same.
"Every time I go back to my island, I go to the school I used to teach in and tell the children some of the things the Army has done for me," Temese said. "I think they appreciate the information I give them, and some of them are actually joining the military. I know that by [serving in the Army] I am helping my country of Samoa be a better place, because the United States always tries to fight for little people who get overlooked -- just like my tiny island."
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