Army
AM General, LLC, South Bend, Ind., was awarded on Aug. 8, 2008, a $247,546,000 firm-fixed price contract for high-mobility multi-purpose wheeled vehicles. Work will be performed in Mishawaka, Ind., and is expected to be completed by Dec. 31, 2009. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. One bid was solicited on Mar. 17, 2006. TACOM, Warren, Mich., is the contracting activity (DAAE07-01-C-S001).
BAE Systems, Ground Systems Division, York, Pa., was awarded on Aug. 8, 2008, a $76,185,539 firm-fixed price contract for the procurement of Operation Desert Storm situational awareness kits in support of the Bradley Fighting Vehicle. Work will be performed in York, Pa., and is expected to be completed by Mar. 30, 2010. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. One bid was solicited on Jun. 3, 2008. U.S. Army TACOM, Warren, Mich., is the contracting activity (W56HZV-05-G-0005).
Sodexho Management Inc., Gaithersburg, Md., was awarded on Aug. 11, 2008, a $8,475,017 firm-fixed price contract for nutrition care services at military treatment facilities. Work will be performed at military installations across the United States and is expected to be completed by Oct. 17, 2013. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. Web bids were solicited on Jun. 28, 2007, and five bids were received. U.S. Army Medical Command, Fort Sam Houston, Texas, is the contracting activity (W81K04-08-C-0003).
Mantech Telecommunications and Info System, Chantilly, Va., was awarded on Aug. 8, 2008, a $8,053,055 time and materials contract for logistics and information technology services in support of program manager intelligence and effects. Work will be performed in West Fort Hood, Texas and Iraq, Afghanistan, Korea and Germany, and is expected to be completed by Aug. 7, 2010. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. One bid was solicited on Apr. 28, 2008. LCMC Acquisition Center, Alexandria, Va., is the contracting activity (W909MY-08-C-0045).
Air Force
Syracuse Research Corp., North Syracuse, N.Y., is being awarded an indefinite delivery requirements contract for $95,000,000. The purpose of this contract is to obtain the expertise to support the 453rd Electronic Warfare Squadron in developing and maintaining the Sensor Beam program. At this time, no dollar amount has been obligated. Air Force Intelligences Surveillance and reconnaissance Agency at Lackland AFB is the contracting activity (FA7037-08-D-0002).
DEFENSE ADVANCED RESEARCH PROJECTS AGENCY
Siemens Corp., Research Inc., Princeton, N.J., is being awarded a $500,338 increment of a $11,256,966 technology investment agreement for the development of deep bleeder acoustic coagulation technology and prototype devices. Work will be performed in Princeton, N.J., (31 percent), Issaquah, Wash., (26 percent), Seattle, Wash., (15 percent) and College Station, Texas, (3 percent) and is expected to be completed in Feb. 2010. A portion of the funds ($500,338) will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. DARPA issued a solicitation in Federal Business Opportunities on Feb. 29, 2008, and over 10 proposals were received. The contracting activity is the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, Arlington, Va., (HR0011-08-3-0004).
U.S. SPECIAL OPERATIONS COMMAND
Raytheon Co., from McKinney, Texas, was awarded a $15,280,290 firm fixed-price requirements contract for continued life cycle contractor support to sustain Forward Looking Infrared Radar systems and subsystems for the Army, Air Force, Navy, and Marine Corps for a period of performance of 18 months after contract award. Variations of the FLIR systems are used on the MH-60, MH-47, MH-6, and CV-22 aircraft. This requirement is a follow-on contract to the existing contract, USZA95-03-C-0004. This contract was awarded in accordance with sole source procedures. The contract number for this effort is H92241-08-D-0007.
Tuesday, August 12, 2008
Official Travelers Can Claim Reimbursement for Excess Baggage Fees
By Donna Miles
American Forces Press Service
Aug. 12, 2008 - Servicemembers traveling for official business, including deployments, will continue to receive full reimbursement for reasonable, authorized excess baggage fees, defense officials said. A recently updated fact sheet from the Department of Defense Per Diem, Travel and Transportation Committee explains department policy regarding excess baggage in light of new charges many airlines have imposed for checked baggage.
As airlines struggle to offset increased fuel and operating costs, many have started charging additional fees for services such as baggage shipment, the fact sheet explains. Commercial airline practices vary widely regarding fees for shipped baggage. Some charge for each bag, others for a second or third bag, and others for any bag over a specified weight limit.
Many airlines waive some or all excessive baggage fees for military members traveling on official orders, said Dave Castelveter, vice president of communications for the Air Transport Association.
But for those who don't, the fees are reimbursable if authorized on the travel order, according to the DoD fact sheet.
Servicemembers' commands will reimburse any fees charged for the first checked bag. However, the command may opt to limit how much it will pay for additional luggage in light of the length of the travel and mission requirements, the fact sheet explains.
To claim reimbursement, the traveler must submit the receipt and claim the charge on a travel voucher.
The excess baggage fee issue gained widespread attention after news reports that a commercial airline had charged a soldier deploying to Iraq $100 to cover the cost of a third piece of luggage. The incident prompted Veterans of Foreign Wars National Commander George J. Lisicki to fire off a letter to the Air Transport Association asking for a break. Lisicki asked the ATA to negotiate an agreement with its member airlines to exempt servicemembers traveling on official orders from paying fees on a third piece of luggage.
"I completely understand the financial constraints the airline industry is in, but I also know the military traveler is an extremely small fraction of the total passengers carried," he wrote. "Those who wear the uniform today are a special class of citizen who enables everyone else to enjoy every liberty our great country holds dear. They deserve special treatment because they have earned it."
Lisicki emphasized that he wasn't asking the airlines to give military travelers first-class lounge privileges or other executive perks. "What I am requesting is for your member airlines to begin allowing all military personnel traveling on orders to check a third bag without being charged," he said. "This should not be a difficult decision to reach, but it is one that needs to be made."
James C. May, Air Transport Association president and chief executive officer, explained in his response to Lisicki that military members on official duty travel at rates negotiated between General Services Administration and individual airlines. May said he expects those contractual arrangements -- reached before spiraling fuel prices forced the airlines to begin charging fees for excess baggage and other services -- to be renegotiated in the future.
Until then, many individual airlines have established policies creating special exceptions from certain baggage limitations for Defense Department travelers on official orders, he told Lisicki.
May said he would forward Lisicki's letter to ATA's member airlines, which by law must make all fare-setting and service-policy determinations independently. These policies include excess-baggage fees. Meanwhile, May emphasized the commercial airline industry's "long and proud history of supporting our nation's military men and women."
"They routinely offer special fares for military personnel and families, attempt when possible to accommodate unplanned schedule changes and generally seek to do what they can to show their appreciation," he wrote.
May said the airlines also support the Fisher House Foundation and various other programs that support the military.
American Forces Press Service
Aug. 12, 2008 - Servicemembers traveling for official business, including deployments, will continue to receive full reimbursement for reasonable, authorized excess baggage fees, defense officials said. A recently updated fact sheet from the Department of Defense Per Diem, Travel and Transportation Committee explains department policy regarding excess baggage in light of new charges many airlines have imposed for checked baggage.
As airlines struggle to offset increased fuel and operating costs, many have started charging additional fees for services such as baggage shipment, the fact sheet explains. Commercial airline practices vary widely regarding fees for shipped baggage. Some charge for each bag, others for a second or third bag, and others for any bag over a specified weight limit.
Many airlines waive some or all excessive baggage fees for military members traveling on official orders, said Dave Castelveter, vice president of communications for the Air Transport Association.
But for those who don't, the fees are reimbursable if authorized on the travel order, according to the DoD fact sheet.
Servicemembers' commands will reimburse any fees charged for the first checked bag. However, the command may opt to limit how much it will pay for additional luggage in light of the length of the travel and mission requirements, the fact sheet explains.
To claim reimbursement, the traveler must submit the receipt and claim the charge on a travel voucher.
The excess baggage fee issue gained widespread attention after news reports that a commercial airline had charged a soldier deploying to Iraq $100 to cover the cost of a third piece of luggage. The incident prompted Veterans of Foreign Wars National Commander George J. Lisicki to fire off a letter to the Air Transport Association asking for a break. Lisicki asked the ATA to negotiate an agreement with its member airlines to exempt servicemembers traveling on official orders from paying fees on a third piece of luggage.
"I completely understand the financial constraints the airline industry is in, but I also know the military traveler is an extremely small fraction of the total passengers carried," he wrote. "Those who wear the uniform today are a special class of citizen who enables everyone else to enjoy every liberty our great country holds dear. They deserve special treatment because they have earned it."
Lisicki emphasized that he wasn't asking the airlines to give military travelers first-class lounge privileges or other executive perks. "What I am requesting is for your member airlines to begin allowing all military personnel traveling on orders to check a third bag without being charged," he said. "This should not be a difficult decision to reach, but it is one that needs to be made."
James C. May, Air Transport Association president and chief executive officer, explained in his response to Lisicki that military members on official duty travel at rates negotiated between General Services Administration and individual airlines. May said he expects those contractual arrangements -- reached before spiraling fuel prices forced the airlines to begin charging fees for excess baggage and other services -- to be renegotiated in the future.
Until then, many individual airlines have established policies creating special exceptions from certain baggage limitations for Defense Department travelers on official orders, he told Lisicki.
May said he would forward Lisicki's letter to ATA's member airlines, which by law must make all fare-setting and service-policy determinations independently. These policies include excess-baggage fees. Meanwhile, May emphasized the commercial airline industry's "long and proud history of supporting our nation's military men and women."
"They routinely offer special fares for military personnel and families, attempt when possible to accommodate unplanned schedule changes and generally seek to do what they can to show their appreciation," he wrote.
May said the airlines also support the Fisher House Foundation and various other programs that support the military.
Rice Urges Ceasefire, Diplomatic Solution in Georgia
American Forces Press Service
Aug. 12, 2008 - Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice today urged Russia to deliver on its pledge to cease fire in Georgia, as the United States draws up humanitarian aid plans in the wake of recent fighting in the former Soviet republic. Rice spoke to reporters at the White House after briefing President Bush on diplomatic efforts to resolve the crisis in Georgia, where clashes with Russia broke out last week in the breakaway region of South Ossetia and escalated over ensuing days.
"The Russians need to stop their military operations, as they have apparently said that they will, but those military operations really do now need to stop because calm needs to be restored," said Rice, emphasizing the need for a cease-fire by both sides.
"There then will be international efforts to facilitate the withdrawal of forces from the zone of conflict," she said. Rice added
Following troop withdrawal, the focus can then center on resolving what Rice described as "the long-standing frozen conflicts" of South Ossetia and Abkhazia, two pro-Russian enclaves inside Georgia that bore much of the recent violence.
Rice said the United States will continue to work diplomatically with all involved parties and welcomed efforts by the European Union and France to negotiate a peaceful settlement.
"But the most important thing right now is that these military operations need to stop," she said.
Meanwhile, the secretary reiterated U.S. support of Georgian territorial integrity, sovereignty and its democratically elected government.
"We are reviewing our options for humanitarian and reconstruction assistance to Georgia," she said.
Aug. 12, 2008 - Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice today urged Russia to deliver on its pledge to cease fire in Georgia, as the United States draws up humanitarian aid plans in the wake of recent fighting in the former Soviet republic. Rice spoke to reporters at the White House after briefing President Bush on diplomatic efforts to resolve the crisis in Georgia, where clashes with Russia broke out last week in the breakaway region of South Ossetia and escalated over ensuing days.
"The Russians need to stop their military operations, as they have apparently said that they will, but those military operations really do now need to stop because calm needs to be restored," said Rice, emphasizing the need for a cease-fire by both sides.
"There then will be international efforts to facilitate the withdrawal of forces from the zone of conflict," she said. Rice added
Following troop withdrawal, the focus can then center on resolving what Rice described as "the long-standing frozen conflicts" of South Ossetia and Abkhazia, two pro-Russian enclaves inside Georgia that bore much of the recent violence.
Rice said the United States will continue to work diplomatically with all involved parties and welcomed efforts by the European Union and France to negotiate a peaceful settlement.
"But the most important thing right now is that these military operations need to stop," she said.
Meanwhile, the secretary reiterated U.S. support of Georgian territorial integrity, sovereignty and its democratically elected government.
"We are reviewing our options for humanitarian and reconstruction assistance to Georgia," she said.
Soldier Wins Gold Medal, Sets Olympic Record
By Mary Beth Vorwerk and Tim Hipps
American Forces Press Service
Aug. 12, 2008 - Army Spc. Glenn Eller won the gold medal in double trap shooting at the Summer Olympics here today, setting an Olympic record with a total score of 190. Eller's teammate, Army Spc. Jeff Holguin, finished fourth. Both soldiers are members of the U.S. Army Marksmanship Unit, based at Fort Benning, Ga.
Eller went into the final round leading by four shots and hit 45 out of 50 targets to win the first shooting gold for Team USA in Beijing.
Eller is a three-time Olympian. He finished 15th in 2000 and 17th in the last summer Olympic Games. He claimed the gold medal at the 2007 Korea World Cup as well as the 2007 World Cup Final. He also took the Silver Medal at the 2008 "Good Luck Beijing" International Shooting Sport Federation World Cup. Holguin claimed the silver medal in men's double trap at the 2007 Pan-American Games and won the bronze medal at the World Cup USA in May.
In the men's 10-meter air rifle event over the weekend, two-time Olympian and U.S. Army Marksmanship Unit member Sgt. 1st Class Jason Parker placed 23rd with a total score of 591, while 19-year old U.S. Military Academy Cadet Stephen Scherer took the 27th spot with 590.
Parker will compete Aug. 17, the final day of the shooting competition, in the men's 50-meter three-position rifle, his second event of the 2008 Olympic Games.
Along with double trap, shooters are competing today in the men's 50-meter free pistol event at the Beijing Shooting Range Hall.
Sgt. 1st Class Daryl Szarenski, a three-time Olympian, will compete for the United States in men's free pistol. Szarenski claimed the bronze medal at the "Good Luck Beijing" 2008 International Shooting Sport Federation World Cup in April, the first World Cup medal won by a U.S. shooter in men's free pistol since 2000.
World Class Athlete Program shooter Staff Sgt. Keith Sanderson, 33, of San Antonio, is scheduled to compete Aug. 16 in the 25-meter rapid-fire pistol event.
Army Reserve Staff Sgt. Elizabeth "Libby" Callahan, 56, of Columbia, S.C., will make her fourth Olympic appearance in the women's sport pistol event tomorrow.
Army Marksmanship Unit shotgun shooter Pfc. Vincent Hancock, 19, of Eatonton, Ga., set a world record in every skeet-shooting event at age 18. He will toe the line Aug. 16 in Beijing.
U.S. Army World Class Athlete Program Greco-Roman heavyweight wrestler Staff Sgt. Dremiel Byers will compete in the 264.5-pound weight class Aug. 14.
Byers, a world champion in 2002, is accompanied in China by World Class Athlete Program teammate and training partner Spc. Timothy Taylor, whom Byers defeated in the Olympic team trials.
"I was at the Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, and Glenn Eller was in Houston shooting by himself," said Holguin, who joined the marksmanship unit in the spring of 2007. "All of us are now shooting together in the marksmanship unit with great competition day in and out among us, and it's just improved all of our games.
"The hardest part of this Olympic experience is waiting for the day to get here," he continued. "I wanted to compete at the highest level of clay target shooting. To do that, I had to commit myself to the sport. The U.S. Army and the USAMU have given me the necessary resources to compete and win at the level required to win an Olympic medal."
As Holguin makes his Olympic debut, Eller, who joined the Army in 2006, is competing in this third Olympics. He placed 17th in 2004 and 12th in 2000.
"Growing up, I always wanted to be an Olympian," Eller said. "The Olympics were greater in every aspect than I had anticipated, both in highs and lows. The emotions involved are so great because of the years of training that go into that one day of competition."
World Class Athlete Program boxing coach retired Staff Sgt. Basheer Abdullah, the U.S. head coach in the Athens games, will serve as a technical advisor for Team USA.
WCAP boxer Sgt. 1st Class Christopher Downs won Team USA's light-heavyweight spot at the U.S. Olympic Team Trials in Houston but did not get the weight class qualified to compete in Beijing. He made the trip to China to serve as a training partner. WCAP fencer Spc. Cody Nagengast also is serving as a training partner for Team USA's squad.
(Mary Beth Vorwerk works with Shooting USA. Tim Hipps works for the U.S. Army Family, Morale, Welfare and Recreation Command.)
American Forces Press Service
Aug. 12, 2008 - Army Spc. Glenn Eller won the gold medal in double trap shooting at the Summer Olympics here today, setting an Olympic record with a total score of 190. Eller's teammate, Army Spc. Jeff Holguin, finished fourth. Both soldiers are members of the U.S. Army Marksmanship Unit, based at Fort Benning, Ga.
Eller went into the final round leading by four shots and hit 45 out of 50 targets to win the first shooting gold for Team USA in Beijing.
Eller is a three-time Olympian. He finished 15th in 2000 and 17th in the last summer Olympic Games. He claimed the gold medal at the 2007 Korea World Cup as well as the 2007 World Cup Final. He also took the Silver Medal at the 2008 "Good Luck Beijing" International Shooting Sport Federation World Cup. Holguin claimed the silver medal in men's double trap at the 2007 Pan-American Games and won the bronze medal at the World Cup USA in May.
In the men's 10-meter air rifle event over the weekend, two-time Olympian and U.S. Army Marksmanship Unit member Sgt. 1st Class Jason Parker placed 23rd with a total score of 591, while 19-year old U.S. Military Academy Cadet Stephen Scherer took the 27th spot with 590.
Parker will compete Aug. 17, the final day of the shooting competition, in the men's 50-meter three-position rifle, his second event of the 2008 Olympic Games.
Along with double trap, shooters are competing today in the men's 50-meter free pistol event at the Beijing Shooting Range Hall.
Sgt. 1st Class Daryl Szarenski, a three-time Olympian, will compete for the United States in men's free pistol. Szarenski claimed the bronze medal at the "Good Luck Beijing" 2008 International Shooting Sport Federation World Cup in April, the first World Cup medal won by a U.S. shooter in men's free pistol since 2000.
World Class Athlete Program shooter Staff Sgt. Keith Sanderson, 33, of San Antonio, is scheduled to compete Aug. 16 in the 25-meter rapid-fire pistol event.
Army Reserve Staff Sgt. Elizabeth "Libby" Callahan, 56, of Columbia, S.C., will make her fourth Olympic appearance in the women's sport pistol event tomorrow.
Army Marksmanship Unit shotgun shooter Pfc. Vincent Hancock, 19, of Eatonton, Ga., set a world record in every skeet-shooting event at age 18. He will toe the line Aug. 16 in Beijing.
U.S. Army World Class Athlete Program Greco-Roman heavyweight wrestler Staff Sgt. Dremiel Byers will compete in the 264.5-pound weight class Aug. 14.
Byers, a world champion in 2002, is accompanied in China by World Class Athlete Program teammate and training partner Spc. Timothy Taylor, whom Byers defeated in the Olympic team trials.
"I was at the Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, and Glenn Eller was in Houston shooting by himself," said Holguin, who joined the marksmanship unit in the spring of 2007. "All of us are now shooting together in the marksmanship unit with great competition day in and out among us, and it's just improved all of our games.
"The hardest part of this Olympic experience is waiting for the day to get here," he continued. "I wanted to compete at the highest level of clay target shooting. To do that, I had to commit myself to the sport. The U.S. Army and the USAMU have given me the necessary resources to compete and win at the level required to win an Olympic medal."
As Holguin makes his Olympic debut, Eller, who joined the Army in 2006, is competing in this third Olympics. He placed 17th in 2004 and 12th in 2000.
"Growing up, I always wanted to be an Olympian," Eller said. "The Olympics were greater in every aspect than I had anticipated, both in highs and lows. The emotions involved are so great because of the years of training that go into that one day of competition."
World Class Athlete Program boxing coach retired Staff Sgt. Basheer Abdullah, the U.S. head coach in the Athens games, will serve as a technical advisor for Team USA.
WCAP boxer Sgt. 1st Class Christopher Downs won Team USA's light-heavyweight spot at the U.S. Olympic Team Trials in Houston but did not get the weight class qualified to compete in Beijing. He made the trip to China to serve as a training partner. WCAP fencer Spc. Cody Nagengast also is serving as a training partner for Team USA's squad.
(Mary Beth Vorwerk works with Shooting USA. Tim Hipps works for the U.S. Army Family, Morale, Welfare and Recreation Command.)
Behavioral Health Conference Looks for Best Ways to Help Veterans
By Samantha L. Quigley
American Forces Press Service
Aug. 12, 2008 - Behavioral health issues affecting veterans returning from deployment took center stage yesterday during the first day of a three-day conference in Bethesda, Md. In collaboration with the departments of Defense and Veterans Affairs, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration is hosting "Paving the Road Home: The National Behavioral Health Conference and Policy Academy on Returning Veterans and Their Families."
"This ... conference and policy academy is really designed, overall, to help states and territories and the District of Columbia think about new approaches, particularly approaches that blend expertise and resources from multiple contributors," said Kathryn Power, director of SAMHSA's Center for Mental Health Services. "It's going to provide framework to consider different approaches, dialogue with colleagues, and work toward a unified plan that they can take to their states to ensure that veterans have the [mental health] services they need and want."
SAMHSA's deputy administrator challenged conference attendees to work together beyond the conference to make that happen.
"Whether we're from the federal government, whether from state [or] local government, the research community or wherever you come from today ... look for ways that we can address the needs that those men and women return with," said Navy Rear Adm. Eric Broderick. "Whether we're from SAMHSA, or the VA, or DoD, we each have a role to play in addressing those needs."
For the director of the Defense Center of Excellence for Psychological Health and Traumatic Brain Injury, the effort to tap any and all best practices for treating veterans returning with behavioral issues officially began in June.
That's when ground was broken for the new National Intrepid Center of Excellence on the grounds of the National Naval Medical Center in Bethesda, said Army Brig. Gen. (Dr.) Loree Sutton. The Intrepid Fallen Heroes Fund will design and build the facility dedicated to research, diagnosis and treatment of military personnel and veterans suffering from traumatic brain injury and psychological health issues, according to the center's Web site. The fund, a nonprofit organization supporting the nation's troops and their families, is scheduled to complete construction in late 2009 and will transfer the center to the Defense Department then.
"We've come up with a 'center of centers' concept because we've realized that none of us have all of the answers," Sutton said. "We brought in four existing centers that have been doing great work for a long time."
The centers Sutton cited as part of National Intrepid Center of Excellence are the Defense and Veterans Brain Injury Center, the Center for Deployment Psychology, the Deployment Health Clinical Center and the Center for the Study of Traumatic Stress.
Providing the resources is not enough, however, said Ellen Embry, deputy assistant secretary of defense for force health protection and readiness. Servicemembers often are hesitant to seek help for behavioral or mental health issues, she said.
The stigma associated with seeking or receiving mental health care is nearly impossible to quantify, Embry noted. "That's why I personally appreciate the expertise and counsel as you formulate better mental care policies, particularly to reduce stigma," she said.
That is the key to encouraging returning veterans to seek the help they may need, former Marine Sgt. Dan Taslitz said. The stigma of seeking help for a mental health issue stems from the thought that those types of problems indicate a lack of strength, something with which servicemembers very strongly identify, he explained.
"Stigma is a huge component in the inability for servicemembers to effectively seek support and care," Taslitz said. "It doesn't matter how good your opportunities are, how effective your integration of community and military and Veterans Affairs programs are if you don't ... [open] the door for participation in a way that men and women will walk through, it's not going to work."
Taslitz is currently with ONE Freedom, a nonprofit organization providing information to combat veterans and their families.
Yesterday's conference included seven concurrent breakout sessions dealing with everything from suicide prevention and meeting the needs of military families and children to addressing mental health and substance abuse in returning veterans and their families.
The policy academy portion of the conference, which began today, will continue tomorrow with financing and benefit structures, setting priorities and integrating best practices among the topics to be covered. Strategies for handling mental health issues among veterans and their families will be developed, and participating state entities will exchange information and ideas they've put into practice.
American Forces Press Service
Aug. 12, 2008 - Behavioral health issues affecting veterans returning from deployment took center stage yesterday during the first day of a three-day conference in Bethesda, Md. In collaboration with the departments of Defense and Veterans Affairs, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration is hosting "Paving the Road Home: The National Behavioral Health Conference and Policy Academy on Returning Veterans and Their Families."
"This ... conference and policy academy is really designed, overall, to help states and territories and the District of Columbia think about new approaches, particularly approaches that blend expertise and resources from multiple contributors," said Kathryn Power, director of SAMHSA's Center for Mental Health Services. "It's going to provide framework to consider different approaches, dialogue with colleagues, and work toward a unified plan that they can take to their states to ensure that veterans have the [mental health] services they need and want."
SAMHSA's deputy administrator challenged conference attendees to work together beyond the conference to make that happen.
"Whether we're from the federal government, whether from state [or] local government, the research community or wherever you come from today ... look for ways that we can address the needs that those men and women return with," said Navy Rear Adm. Eric Broderick. "Whether we're from SAMHSA, or the VA, or DoD, we each have a role to play in addressing those needs."
For the director of the Defense Center of Excellence for Psychological Health and Traumatic Brain Injury, the effort to tap any and all best practices for treating veterans returning with behavioral issues officially began in June.
That's when ground was broken for the new National Intrepid Center of Excellence on the grounds of the National Naval Medical Center in Bethesda, said Army Brig. Gen. (Dr.) Loree Sutton. The Intrepid Fallen Heroes Fund will design and build the facility dedicated to research, diagnosis and treatment of military personnel and veterans suffering from traumatic brain injury and psychological health issues, according to the center's Web site. The fund, a nonprofit organization supporting the nation's troops and their families, is scheduled to complete construction in late 2009 and will transfer the center to the Defense Department then.
"We've come up with a 'center of centers' concept because we've realized that none of us have all of the answers," Sutton said. "We brought in four existing centers that have been doing great work for a long time."
The centers Sutton cited as part of National Intrepid Center of Excellence are the Defense and Veterans Brain Injury Center, the Center for Deployment Psychology, the Deployment Health Clinical Center and the Center for the Study of Traumatic Stress.
Providing the resources is not enough, however, said Ellen Embry, deputy assistant secretary of defense for force health protection and readiness. Servicemembers often are hesitant to seek help for behavioral or mental health issues, she said.
The stigma associated with seeking or receiving mental health care is nearly impossible to quantify, Embry noted. "That's why I personally appreciate the expertise and counsel as you formulate better mental care policies, particularly to reduce stigma," she said.
That is the key to encouraging returning veterans to seek the help they may need, former Marine Sgt. Dan Taslitz said. The stigma of seeking help for a mental health issue stems from the thought that those types of problems indicate a lack of strength, something with which servicemembers very strongly identify, he explained.
"Stigma is a huge component in the inability for servicemembers to effectively seek support and care," Taslitz said. "It doesn't matter how good your opportunities are, how effective your integration of community and military and Veterans Affairs programs are if you don't ... [open] the door for participation in a way that men and women will walk through, it's not going to work."
Taslitz is currently with ONE Freedom, a nonprofit organization providing information to combat veterans and their families.
Yesterday's conference included seven concurrent breakout sessions dealing with everything from suicide prevention and meeting the needs of military families and children to addressing mental health and substance abuse in returning veterans and their families.
The policy academy portion of the conference, which began today, will continue tomorrow with financing and benefit structures, setting priorities and integrating best practices among the topics to be covered. Strategies for handling mental health issues among veterans and their families will be developed, and participating state entities will exchange information and ideas they've put into practice.
“Worth Fighting For: Inspiration From Home”
WAYNE, N.J. – “Thank you.” It’s a small phrase that can make all the difference in the world for U.S. military men and women around the globe, but so often it goes unused, forgotten in the chaos and egotism of everyday life. Author Ashley Ann Serafin, however, is shouting “Thank you!” from the rooftops with her new book, Worth Fighting For: Inspiration From Home (published by AuthorHouse), a tribute to those who serve each day so that “we are able to rest peacefully each night and live the American Dream.”
In each of its 52 chapters – one for each week of the year – Worth Fighting For reminds the men and women of the U.S. military serving both domestically and overseas that they are loved, respected and prayed for.
“Worth Fighting For was written to serve as a reminder that no matter where our military is at the moment, they are forever in our hearts and we will forever be grateful for the sacrifices they make daily,” says Serafin. “Our liberty is of high value and we are so thankful for the dedicated soldiers who have served us in the past and the soldiers that are presently serving our beautiful country.”
It is Serafin’s hope that her book will inspire those in service to continue building their faith in God and remain strong in their convictions.
“When our military prepares to leave the United States, they are given the tools to be stronger, but it is equally important to remain healthy in the mind as it is in body,” says Serafin. “This book is to be a reminder to keep fighting for what we all believe in and to never take their eye off the end result. I hope this book supports all of their hopes and dreams and brings them home safely to their beloved friends and family.”
A graduate of Wayne Valley High School, Ashley Ann Serafin has studied acting with the N.J. School of Dramatic Arts and the Unstoppable Business School in New York City. Worth Fighting For: Inspiration From Home is Serafin’s first published book, although she has also contributed to the book Guerrilla Networking by Jay Conrad Levinson and Monroe Mann. For more information, visit www.50399.authorworld.com.
AuthorHouse is the premier publishing house for emerging authors and new voices in literature. For a complimentary copy of this book for review, members of the media can contact the AuthorHouse Promotional Services Department by calling 888-728-8467 or emailing pressreleases@authorhouse.com. (When requesting a review copy, please provide a street address.)
In each of its 52 chapters – one for each week of the year – Worth Fighting For reminds the men and women of the U.S. military serving both domestically and overseas that they are loved, respected and prayed for.
“Worth Fighting For was written to serve as a reminder that no matter where our military is at the moment, they are forever in our hearts and we will forever be grateful for the sacrifices they make daily,” says Serafin. “Our liberty is of high value and we are so thankful for the dedicated soldiers who have served us in the past and the soldiers that are presently serving our beautiful country.”
It is Serafin’s hope that her book will inspire those in service to continue building their faith in God and remain strong in their convictions.
“When our military prepares to leave the United States, they are given the tools to be stronger, but it is equally important to remain healthy in the mind as it is in body,” says Serafin. “This book is to be a reminder to keep fighting for what we all believe in and to never take their eye off the end result. I hope this book supports all of their hopes and dreams and brings them home safely to their beloved friends and family.”
A graduate of Wayne Valley High School, Ashley Ann Serafin has studied acting with the N.J. School of Dramatic Arts and the Unstoppable Business School in New York City. Worth Fighting For: Inspiration From Home is Serafin’s first published book, although she has also contributed to the book Guerrilla Networking by Jay Conrad Levinson and Monroe Mann. For more information, visit www.50399.authorworld.com.
AuthorHouse is the premier publishing house for emerging authors and new voices in literature. For a complimentary copy of this book for review, members of the media can contact the AuthorHouse Promotional Services Department by calling 888-728-8467 or emailing pressreleases@authorhouse.com. (When requesting a review copy, please provide a street address.)
Retired Army Marksman Finishes 21st in Olympic Trap Shooting
By Tim Hipps
Special to American Forces Press Service
Aug. 12, 2008 - It rained on what might have been four-time Olympian Bret Erickson's final appearance on the world's grandest shotgun shooting stage, literally and figuratively. The retired Army sergeant first class, a former member of the U.S. Army Marksmanship Unit, competed in the Barcelona, Atlanta and Athens Olympic Games, but finished in a four-way tie for 21st place in the trap event here Aug. 10.
"This year, truthfully, I absolutely 100 percent believed was my year," said Erickson, 47, a native of Bennington, Neb., who lives in Muenster, Texas. "I was ahead of schedule all year long. I was going into World Cup events with the goal of just making the finals, and not only made the finals, but won a [World Cup] bronze here in April and a silver in Germany last month.
"I was really on top of my game -- haven't felt this good in 10 or 15 years," he said.
Erickson, however, performed poorly on the Beijing shooting range on Aug. 9 and stood 33rd among 35 competitors entering the next day's second qualification round. The constant rain, therefore, only dampened his spirits.
"It's very disappointing, because I'm shooting as good as I've ever shot," he said. "I'm ranked third in the world, and I was a serious medal contender. To go out there and just lose it in one day, that's the Olympics. You wait four years and hope it's your day. Unfortunately, it wasn't. I ran into some problems with my game and just didn't have time to fix them."
Czech Republic's David Kostelecky won the gold medal by posting an Olympic final record with 25 perfect shots and a total score of 146. Italy's Giovanni Pellielo, who missed two shots in the final, won his second consecutive Olympic silver medal with a 143 total. Russia's Alexey Alipov claimed the bronze medal by prevailing in a shoot-off against two-time Olympic gold medalist Michael Diamond of Australia.
U.S. Air Force Reserve Lt. Col. Dominic Grazioli, of Randolph Air Force Base in San Antonio, was Team USA's other competitor in the event. He finished tied with Erickson with a five-round score of 113, eight points behind the leading finalists.
Erickson temporarily retired from competitive shooting in 1999, but after taking two years off, he "started this whole crazy thing again," he said. Bothered most of the year by shoulder soreness, Erickson said he soon will undergo surgery, take some time off to recover, then decide if he wants to make a run at the 2012 Olympics in London. He runs the Willawalla Creek Shooting Center, where he coaches young shotgun shooters.
"In conjunction with USA Shooting, I'm trying to develop some more junior camps," said Erickson, who retired from the Army in 2005. "We've got to fill the gap. We've got to bring somebody up to replace us old guys."
Erickson suffered a heart attack during a 2-mile run at Fort Benning, Ga., just four weeks before the 2004 Olympics in Athens, where he bounced back to finish 13th in both trap and double trap, his finest Olympic performance.
Then Army Marksmanship Unit teammates Staff Sgt. Mark Weeks, a certified emergency medical technician, and Staff Sgt. William Keever, an Olympic skeet shooter in 2000, saved Erickson's life when he collapsed that day in Georgia.
Weeks will take Team USA's reins from retired Air Force Chief Master Sgt. Lloyd Woodhouse, four-time U.S. Olympic shotgun coach, on Sept. 1. He said he may not let Erickson ride off into the Texas sunset just yet.
"I seriously made up my mind that this was it," Erickson said. "But the new coach, ... you could see inside that he was OK with me shooting badly here. So I asked him what he was so happy about, and he said, 'You can't quit like this. You're going to be back.' And I said, 'No, I'm not.' And he said, 'Oh, yeah, you are.'
"He's the same guy who CPRed me and brought me back to life," Erickson said, "so it's kind of handy to have him around." Likewise, Erickson has been a handy shotgun shooter to have around.
"I've been to China four times, but only twice to this range," said Erickson, a six-time U.S. national champion. "Yesterday is getting foggy, let alone 10 or 15 years ago. I've been doing this so long they all run together after awhile, but this place is beautiful. This is a state-of-the art range and the [Olympic athletes'] village is fantastic. I would put the village probably second to Barcelona, and that's only because in Barcelona you're right on the Mediterranean.
"Here in Beijing," he continued, "the service, the smiles, and the friendly people have been just unbelievable. It's been a great experience. I wish I could go home with a medal, but as I said three times prior, maybe next time."
Somewhat like New York Jets quarterback Brett Favre, Erickson refuses to fully commit to retirement.
"We'll have to talk with him," he said while gesturing toward Weeks. "He's trying to keep me around. He's saying, 'I'm going to take over the coaching job and lose all my veterans. Come on, guys, give me a break. Throw me a bone.'
"So I don't know. I'll be off next year, for sure. I've got to get my shoulder done. I've got to go under the knife. Then in a couple years, we'll see."
(Tim Hipps works in the U.S. Army Family and Morale, Welfare and Recreation Command Public Affairs Office.)
Special to American Forces Press Service
Aug. 12, 2008 - It rained on what might have been four-time Olympian Bret Erickson's final appearance on the world's grandest shotgun shooting stage, literally and figuratively. The retired Army sergeant first class, a former member of the U.S. Army Marksmanship Unit, competed in the Barcelona, Atlanta and Athens Olympic Games, but finished in a four-way tie for 21st place in the trap event here Aug. 10.
"This year, truthfully, I absolutely 100 percent believed was my year," said Erickson, 47, a native of Bennington, Neb., who lives in Muenster, Texas. "I was ahead of schedule all year long. I was going into World Cup events with the goal of just making the finals, and not only made the finals, but won a [World Cup] bronze here in April and a silver in Germany last month.
"I was really on top of my game -- haven't felt this good in 10 or 15 years," he said.
Erickson, however, performed poorly on the Beijing shooting range on Aug. 9 and stood 33rd among 35 competitors entering the next day's second qualification round. The constant rain, therefore, only dampened his spirits.
"It's very disappointing, because I'm shooting as good as I've ever shot," he said. "I'm ranked third in the world, and I was a serious medal contender. To go out there and just lose it in one day, that's the Olympics. You wait four years and hope it's your day. Unfortunately, it wasn't. I ran into some problems with my game and just didn't have time to fix them."
Czech Republic's David Kostelecky won the gold medal by posting an Olympic final record with 25 perfect shots and a total score of 146. Italy's Giovanni Pellielo, who missed two shots in the final, won his second consecutive Olympic silver medal with a 143 total. Russia's Alexey Alipov claimed the bronze medal by prevailing in a shoot-off against two-time Olympic gold medalist Michael Diamond of Australia.
U.S. Air Force Reserve Lt. Col. Dominic Grazioli, of Randolph Air Force Base in San Antonio, was Team USA's other competitor in the event. He finished tied with Erickson with a five-round score of 113, eight points behind the leading finalists.
Erickson temporarily retired from competitive shooting in 1999, but after taking two years off, he "started this whole crazy thing again," he said. Bothered most of the year by shoulder soreness, Erickson said he soon will undergo surgery, take some time off to recover, then decide if he wants to make a run at the 2012 Olympics in London. He runs the Willawalla Creek Shooting Center, where he coaches young shotgun shooters.
"In conjunction with USA Shooting, I'm trying to develop some more junior camps," said Erickson, who retired from the Army in 2005. "We've got to fill the gap. We've got to bring somebody up to replace us old guys."
Erickson suffered a heart attack during a 2-mile run at Fort Benning, Ga., just four weeks before the 2004 Olympics in Athens, where he bounced back to finish 13th in both trap and double trap, his finest Olympic performance.
Then Army Marksmanship Unit teammates Staff Sgt. Mark Weeks, a certified emergency medical technician, and Staff Sgt. William Keever, an Olympic skeet shooter in 2000, saved Erickson's life when he collapsed that day in Georgia.
Weeks will take Team USA's reins from retired Air Force Chief Master Sgt. Lloyd Woodhouse, four-time U.S. Olympic shotgun coach, on Sept. 1. He said he may not let Erickson ride off into the Texas sunset just yet.
"I seriously made up my mind that this was it," Erickson said. "But the new coach, ... you could see inside that he was OK with me shooting badly here. So I asked him what he was so happy about, and he said, 'You can't quit like this. You're going to be back.' And I said, 'No, I'm not.' And he said, 'Oh, yeah, you are.'
"He's the same guy who CPRed me and brought me back to life," Erickson said, "so it's kind of handy to have him around." Likewise, Erickson has been a handy shotgun shooter to have around.
"I've been to China four times, but only twice to this range," said Erickson, a six-time U.S. national champion. "Yesterday is getting foggy, let alone 10 or 15 years ago. I've been doing this so long they all run together after awhile, but this place is beautiful. This is a state-of-the art range and the [Olympic athletes'] village is fantastic. I would put the village probably second to Barcelona, and that's only because in Barcelona you're right on the Mediterranean.
"Here in Beijing," he continued, "the service, the smiles, and the friendly people have been just unbelievable. It's been a great experience. I wish I could go home with a medal, but as I said three times prior, maybe next time."
Somewhat like New York Jets quarterback Brett Favre, Erickson refuses to fully commit to retirement.
"We'll have to talk with him," he said while gesturing toward Weeks. "He's trying to keep me around. He's saying, 'I'm going to take over the coaching job and lose all my veterans. Come on, guys, give me a break. Throw me a bone.'
"So I don't know. I'll be off next year, for sure. I've got to get my shoulder done. I've got to go under the knife. Then in a couple years, we'll see."
(Tim Hipps works in the U.S. Army Family and Morale, Welfare and Recreation Command Public Affairs Office.)
Civil Affairs Sailors Work to Improve Humanitarian Effort Outcomes
By Kristen Noel
American Forces Press Service
Aug. 12, 2008 - The Navy's budding Civil affairs force will help sustain U.S. military humanitarian efforts in developing countries, the force's commander told online journalists and bloggers in an Aug. 8 teleconference. Many past humanitarian missions were completed with little thought to how the country would maintain the project, Navy Capt. Robert S. McKenna, commander of the Maritime Civil Affairs Group, explained. For example, he said, a school would be built without attention to who would attend the school, who would teach, or where the budget for maintenance and teaching materials would come from.
"So now," McKenna said, "instead of doing this in an ad hoc nature, we're building a force that understands Civil affairs and understands effects-based operations."
McKenna explained that the Maritime Civil Affairs Group, which was established in July 2006, spent the past two years creating a training program to develop Civil affairs teams. Since the Navy never had a civil affairs force, he said, officials solicited the assistance of the Army to craft the six-month course.
The training, McKenna said, familiarizes sailors with the 16 functional areas that form the basis of Civil affairs work. Sailors also receive training in foreign languages and port assessment, and they complete a month-long expeditionary combat skills course, he said.
"We can't make experts, obviously, in 16 different areas," he said. "So, they know enough about those areas to be able to go out and do a good assessment." Sailors are considered civil affairs generalists when they complete the training, McKenna explained.
The Maritime Civil Affairs Group already has deployed teams to Africa, Iraq, Southeast Asia, Central America, and the Caribbean to assist with ongoing civil affairs and humanitarian missions.
"We have another team that just departed to go to the Combined Joint Task Force Horn of Africa," he said. "They're going over there to do a 45-day pre-deployment site survey in preparation for a commitment, where we'll send two teams in December for a six-month deployment."
The Civil affairs forces' role, McKenna said, is to provide strategy and planning for humanitarian projects and to advise combatant commanders and Navy component commanders. He added that civil affairs teams should be on the ground long before a ship arrives, assessing the area's needs.
"We need to be out way ahead of the ship so we can establish those relationships that we need, and we can liaison with civil authorities there," he said. "And we can find out where they need help and where we can give help."
Despite involvement in a few current missions, McKenna said, it's going to take time for the Navy to build a professional Civil affairs force.
"I think over the next five to 10 years you're going to see this force grow and become more widely known and more widely used," he said. "And it's going to become a strong force for our national defense."
(Kristen Noel works for the New Media branch of the Defense Media Activity.)
American Forces Press Service
Aug. 12, 2008 - The Navy's budding Civil affairs force will help sustain U.S. military humanitarian efforts in developing countries, the force's commander told online journalists and bloggers in an Aug. 8 teleconference. Many past humanitarian missions were completed with little thought to how the country would maintain the project, Navy Capt. Robert S. McKenna, commander of the Maritime Civil Affairs Group, explained. For example, he said, a school would be built without attention to who would attend the school, who would teach, or where the budget for maintenance and teaching materials would come from.
"So now," McKenna said, "instead of doing this in an ad hoc nature, we're building a force that understands Civil affairs and understands effects-based operations."
McKenna explained that the Maritime Civil Affairs Group, which was established in July 2006, spent the past two years creating a training program to develop Civil affairs teams. Since the Navy never had a civil affairs force, he said, officials solicited the assistance of the Army to craft the six-month course.
The training, McKenna said, familiarizes sailors with the 16 functional areas that form the basis of Civil affairs work. Sailors also receive training in foreign languages and port assessment, and they complete a month-long expeditionary combat skills course, he said.
"We can't make experts, obviously, in 16 different areas," he said. "So, they know enough about those areas to be able to go out and do a good assessment." Sailors are considered civil affairs generalists when they complete the training, McKenna explained.
The Maritime Civil Affairs Group already has deployed teams to Africa, Iraq, Southeast Asia, Central America, and the Caribbean to assist with ongoing civil affairs and humanitarian missions.
"We have another team that just departed to go to the Combined Joint Task Force Horn of Africa," he said. "They're going over there to do a 45-day pre-deployment site survey in preparation for a commitment, where we'll send two teams in December for a six-month deployment."
The Civil affairs forces' role, McKenna said, is to provide strategy and planning for humanitarian projects and to advise combatant commanders and Navy component commanders. He added that civil affairs teams should be on the ground long before a ship arrives, assessing the area's needs.
"We need to be out way ahead of the ship so we can establish those relationships that we need, and we can liaison with civil authorities there," he said. "And we can find out where they need help and where we can give help."
Despite involvement in a few current missions, McKenna said, it's going to take time for the Navy to build a professional Civil affairs force.
"I think over the next five to 10 years you're going to see this force grow and become more widely known and more widely used," he said. "And it's going to become a strong force for our national defense."
(Kristen Noel works for the New Media branch of the Defense Media Activity.)
Air Force Welcomes New Chief of Staff
By Army Staff Sgt. Michael J. Carden
American Forces Press Service
Aug. 12, 2008 - Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates said today that he has no doubt the new Air Force chief of staff will "give his all" to the job. Air Force Gen. Norton A. Schwartz became the Air Force's 19th chief of staff during a ceremony today at Bolling Air Force Base here.
"[Schwartz's] goal is to recommit the Air Force to the high standards of excellence that have always been its hallmark," Gates said. "He is one who has lived the core values of airmen and women: integrity first, service before self, and excellence in all we do."
Gates said Schwartz "is the right man at the right time for this demanding job" because of his experience and expertise to further prepare the Air Force for "challenges on and beyond the horizon."
Some of these challenges include modernizing the Air Force's aging fighter and tanker fleets, restoring trust in the Air Force's stewardship of nuclear weapons and related materiel, protecting space and cyberspace and making the most effective use of air power in counterinsurgency operations while maintaining strategic deterrence and technological superiority, Gates said.
"Airmen and women led by General Schwartz are going after these tasks with zeal and, in so doing, will write new chapters of greatness for the Air Force," he said.
Schwartz said he is "humbled and honored" to serve as Air Force chief of staff. He reflected on the "incredible journey" he and his wife, Suzie, have had in the Air Force and the journey today's airmen have embarked on amid the global war on terror.
"We stand on a foundation built through blood and sweat of those who have gone before us," he said. "Through sacrifice and devotion alongside our joint and coalition partners, we continue to serve together in the defense of liberty."
He also noted the challenges recently faced by the Air Force regarding scrutiny over the service's handling of its nuclear weapons program. This eventually led to the resignation of Schwartz's predecessor, retired Air Force Gen. T. Michael Moseley, and former Air Force Secretary Michael W. Wynne.
"Knowing our nation expects our very, very best, we certainly have some things to fix, some fences to mend and some challenges to overcome," the general said. "We will show ourselves worthy of the sacred trust our leaders, our joint brethren and the American people place in us, because this business is all about trust."
Prior to becoming chief of staff, Schwartz spent nearly three years as commander of U.S. Transportation Command, at Scott Air Force Base, Ill., where he was the single manager for global air, land and sea transportation for the Defense Department.
Schwartz began his Air Force career in 1973 after graduating from the U.S. Air Force Academy with a bachelor's degree in political science and international affairs. During his 35-year career, he has logged more than 4,200 flying hours in a variety of aircraft and participated in war and peacetime operations in Vietnam, Iraq and Cambodia.
Schwartz served in several other command assignments, including Special Operations Command Pacific, Alaskan Command, Alaskan North American Aerospace Defense Command Region, and 11th Air Force. He also served as director of the Joint Staff at the Pentagon.
American Forces Press Service
Aug. 12, 2008 - Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates said today that he has no doubt the new Air Force chief of staff will "give his all" to the job. Air Force Gen. Norton A. Schwartz became the Air Force's 19th chief of staff during a ceremony today at Bolling Air Force Base here.
"[Schwartz's] goal is to recommit the Air Force to the high standards of excellence that have always been its hallmark," Gates said. "He is one who has lived the core values of airmen and women: integrity first, service before self, and excellence in all we do."
Gates said Schwartz "is the right man at the right time for this demanding job" because of his experience and expertise to further prepare the Air Force for "challenges on and beyond the horizon."
Some of these challenges include modernizing the Air Force's aging fighter and tanker fleets, restoring trust in the Air Force's stewardship of nuclear weapons and related materiel, protecting space and cyberspace and making the most effective use of air power in counterinsurgency operations while maintaining strategic deterrence and technological superiority, Gates said.
"Airmen and women led by General Schwartz are going after these tasks with zeal and, in so doing, will write new chapters of greatness for the Air Force," he said.
Schwartz said he is "humbled and honored" to serve as Air Force chief of staff. He reflected on the "incredible journey" he and his wife, Suzie, have had in the Air Force and the journey today's airmen have embarked on amid the global war on terror.
"We stand on a foundation built through blood and sweat of those who have gone before us," he said. "Through sacrifice and devotion alongside our joint and coalition partners, we continue to serve together in the defense of liberty."
He also noted the challenges recently faced by the Air Force regarding scrutiny over the service's handling of its nuclear weapons program. This eventually led to the resignation of Schwartz's predecessor, retired Air Force Gen. T. Michael Moseley, and former Air Force Secretary Michael W. Wynne.
"Knowing our nation expects our very, very best, we certainly have some things to fix, some fences to mend and some challenges to overcome," the general said. "We will show ourselves worthy of the sacred trust our leaders, our joint brethren and the American people place in us, because this business is all about trust."
Prior to becoming chief of staff, Schwartz spent nearly three years as commander of U.S. Transportation Command, at Scott Air Force Base, Ill., where he was the single manager for global air, land and sea transportation for the Defense Department.
Schwartz began his Air Force career in 1973 after graduating from the U.S. Air Force Academy with a bachelor's degree in political science and international affairs. During his 35-year career, he has logged more than 4,200 flying hours in a variety of aircraft and participated in war and peacetime operations in Vietnam, Iraq and Cambodia.
Schwartz served in several other command assignments, including Special Operations Command Pacific, Alaskan Command, Alaskan North American Aerospace Defense Command Region, and 11th Air Force. He also served as director of the Joint Staff at the Pentagon.
Monday, August 11, 2008
America Supports You: Troops Offered Chance to Gain Civilian Work Experience
By Samantha L. Quigley
American Forces Press Service
Aug. 11, 2008 - A California group is offering active-duty servicemembers the chance to secure a key component to finding a job before they reenter civilian life: experience. The group, Military Civilian Experience, created by active-duty servicemembers for their fellow troops, was partly inspired by the Military's practice of thoroughly training servicemembers before sending them to the battlefield, according to the organization's Web site. The group's officials feel it shouldn't stop there, and they're working to give servicemembers a head start on finding their civilian careers.
"In our spare time since 2006, we have helped 96 servicemembers obtain civilian career experience or some kind of civilian career counseling," said Navy Cmdr. Calvin Hill, the organization's chief executive officer. "Once active-duty members sign up at MilCivEx.org, we match them with a local civilian company according to the information that is given in the application."
Conversely, the organization is always seeking civilian companies offering on-the-job training, internships or volunteer opportunities, he said.
The organization also has decided to turn its fundraiser into a reality TV series. Members of each branch of Military service would compete for the honor of being chosen as top man and woman of each service earning the title of being called Mr. or Mrs. Army, for instance.
"The best thing about it is that America's votes will determine the winners," Hill said.
Military Civilian Experience is a new supporter of America Supports You, a Defense Department program connecting citizens and companies with servicemembers and their families serving at home and abroad.
"I believe our group will benefit from any networking, exposure, and credibility that [America Supports You] will bring our way," Hill said. "All of it will be greatly appreciated."
American Forces Press Service
Aug. 11, 2008 - A California group is offering active-duty servicemembers the chance to secure a key component to finding a job before they reenter civilian life: experience. The group, Military Civilian Experience, created by active-duty servicemembers for their fellow troops, was partly inspired by the Military's practice of thoroughly training servicemembers before sending them to the battlefield, according to the organization's Web site. The group's officials feel it shouldn't stop there, and they're working to give servicemembers a head start on finding their civilian careers.
"In our spare time since 2006, we have helped 96 servicemembers obtain civilian career experience or some kind of civilian career counseling," said Navy Cmdr. Calvin Hill, the organization's chief executive officer. "Once active-duty members sign up at MilCivEx.org, we match them with a local civilian company according to the information that is given in the application."
Conversely, the organization is always seeking civilian companies offering on-the-job training, internships or volunteer opportunities, he said.
The organization also has decided to turn its fundraiser into a reality TV series. Members of each branch of Military service would compete for the honor of being chosen as top man and woman of each service earning the title of being called Mr. or Mrs. Army, for instance.
"The best thing about it is that America's votes will determine the winners," Hill said.
Military Civilian Experience is a new supporter of America Supports You, a Defense Department program connecting citizens and companies with servicemembers and their families serving at home and abroad.
"I believe our group will benefit from any networking, exposure, and credibility that [America Supports You] will bring our way," Hill said. "All of it will be greatly appreciated."
Native American Tribe Supports Troops, Families
By Sara Moore
American Forces Press Service
Aug. 11, 2008 - During World War I, the Choctaw Nation began a long tradition of service to the country when a group of Choctaws volunteered as "code talkers," sending messages for the military in a code derived from their own language to confuse German spies. Today, the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma continues that tradition of service, extending it to include support of its members and employees who serve in the National Guard and reserves and families of military members. The organization is being recognized for its efforts with the 2008 Secretary of Defense Employer Support Freedom Award.
Serving in the military and supporting others who serve come naturally for the people of the Choctaw Nation because they have strong ties to the country and are passionate about protecting their families and homes, said Gregory Pyle, chief of the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma.
"There's a basic principle we have here that you always support your military," Pyle said. "They're literally fighting for our freedom, and many lose their lives, so it's the least we can do."
The Choctaw Nation is sovereign, and therefore exempt from legal requirements to support its employees in the National Guard and reserves, but it voluntarily complies with those laws. The Choctaw Nation provides full pay and benefits for its Guard and reserve members and provides emergency assistance for their families while military members are on deployment.
The Choctaw Nation also supports its members who have served in the military with its veterans advocacy program, and it supports local military units. Last year during the holiday season, the Choctaw Nation chartered 14 buses to provide free round-trip transportation for Oklahoma National Guard members training at Fort Bliss, Texas, so they could spend time with their families.
It's this kind of support that motivated Anton Pavlovsky, Pyle's son-in-law, to nominate the Choctaw Nation for the Freedom Award. Pavlovsky served in the Army Reserve and was deployed to Iraq in 2003. During his deployment, the Choctaw Nation sent him many care packages, he said, and even sent crucial equipment for his unit. Pavlovsky was a truck driver whose unit transported heavy equipment, and in the searing desert temperatures, he and his colleagues found their gloves wearing out very quickly. When Pyle heard about their situation, he coordinated an effort to send over six cases of gloves.
The Choctaw Nation also has sent to Iraq walkie-talkies to help units communicate in the thick dust and an ultrasound machine to help troops in the field detect shrapnel. The Choctaw Nation also provides mailing service, complete with paid postage, for anyone who wants to send a care package to troops serving overseas.
"Chief Pyle and the people of the Choctaw Nation are amazing patriots," Pavlovsky said. "They have done so much throughout the course of this conflict."
Pavlovsky said that, as a family member, he has seen firsthand the willingness of the Choctaw Nation to support not only its members, but also family members and friends who serve in the military. He specifically praised Pyle for his dedication to the troops.
"He truly is a person who wakes up in the morning and goes to bed at night thinking about the soldiers serving our country," Pavlovsky said of the chief.
For his part, Pyle said that he and the rest of the Choctaw Nation are just doing what they feel is their duty, and they were very surprised to be recognized for their efforts. "It's a huge honor; ... it was overwhelming for many of our tribal members," he said. "It's nice for the Indian people that have fought for so many years to be recognized."
Pavlovsky said he was thrilled to hear the Choctaw Nation would receive the Freedom Award. When he heard the news, he had a "grin from ear to ear," he said.
"I think it's amazing," Pavlovsky said. "They truly are doing wonderful things for military members and veterans in Oklahoma and in the area."
The Choctaw Nation will continue to do what it can to support military members and their families, Pyle said. "Whatever comes up, we're happy to help," he said.
The Choctaw Nation will be honored along with 14 other companies receiving the Freedom Award in a ceremony Sept. 18 at the Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center here. The Freedom Award was instituted in 1996 under the auspices of the National Committee for Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve to recognize exceptional support from the employer community.
American Forces Press Service
Aug. 11, 2008 - During World War I, the Choctaw Nation began a long tradition of service to the country when a group of Choctaws volunteered as "code talkers," sending messages for the military in a code derived from their own language to confuse German spies. Today, the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma continues that tradition of service, extending it to include support of its members and employees who serve in the National Guard and reserves and families of military members. The organization is being recognized for its efforts with the 2008 Secretary of Defense Employer Support Freedom Award.
Serving in the military and supporting others who serve come naturally for the people of the Choctaw Nation because they have strong ties to the country and are passionate about protecting their families and homes, said Gregory Pyle, chief of the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma.
"There's a basic principle we have here that you always support your military," Pyle said. "They're literally fighting for our freedom, and many lose their lives, so it's the least we can do."
The Choctaw Nation is sovereign, and therefore exempt from legal requirements to support its employees in the National Guard and reserves, but it voluntarily complies with those laws. The Choctaw Nation provides full pay and benefits for its Guard and reserve members and provides emergency assistance for their families while military members are on deployment.
The Choctaw Nation also supports its members who have served in the military with its veterans advocacy program, and it supports local military units. Last year during the holiday season, the Choctaw Nation chartered 14 buses to provide free round-trip transportation for Oklahoma National Guard members training at Fort Bliss, Texas, so they could spend time with their families.
It's this kind of support that motivated Anton Pavlovsky, Pyle's son-in-law, to nominate the Choctaw Nation for the Freedom Award. Pavlovsky served in the Army Reserve and was deployed to Iraq in 2003. During his deployment, the Choctaw Nation sent him many care packages, he said, and even sent crucial equipment for his unit. Pavlovsky was a truck driver whose unit transported heavy equipment, and in the searing desert temperatures, he and his colleagues found their gloves wearing out very quickly. When Pyle heard about their situation, he coordinated an effort to send over six cases of gloves.
The Choctaw Nation also has sent to Iraq walkie-talkies to help units communicate in the thick dust and an ultrasound machine to help troops in the field detect shrapnel. The Choctaw Nation also provides mailing service, complete with paid postage, for anyone who wants to send a care package to troops serving overseas.
"Chief Pyle and the people of the Choctaw Nation are amazing patriots," Pavlovsky said. "They have done so much throughout the course of this conflict."
Pavlovsky said that, as a family member, he has seen firsthand the willingness of the Choctaw Nation to support not only its members, but also family members and friends who serve in the military. He specifically praised Pyle for his dedication to the troops.
"He truly is a person who wakes up in the morning and goes to bed at night thinking about the soldiers serving our country," Pavlovsky said of the chief.
For his part, Pyle said that he and the rest of the Choctaw Nation are just doing what they feel is their duty, and they were very surprised to be recognized for their efforts. "It's a huge honor; ... it was overwhelming for many of our tribal members," he said. "It's nice for the Indian people that have fought for so many years to be recognized."
Pavlovsky said he was thrilled to hear the Choctaw Nation would receive the Freedom Award. When he heard the news, he had a "grin from ear to ear," he said.
"I think it's amazing," Pavlovsky said. "They truly are doing wonderful things for military members and veterans in Oklahoma and in the area."
The Choctaw Nation will continue to do what it can to support military members and their families, Pyle said. "Whatever comes up, we're happy to help," he said.
The Choctaw Nation will be honored along with 14 other companies receiving the Freedom Award in a ceremony Sept. 18 at the Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center here. The Freedom Award was instituted in 1996 under the auspices of the National Committee for Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve to recognize exceptional support from the employer community.
MILITARY CONTRACTS August 11, 2008
Army
Mantech Telecommunications and Information Systems Corp., Chantilly, Va., was awarded on July 31, 2008, a $106,000,000 time & materials contract for one lot of route clearance equipment contractor logistics support services. Work will be performed in Iraq and Afghanistan, and is expected to be completed by Oct. 31, 2010. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. There was one bid solicited on Mar. 15, 2008, and one bid was received. TACOM, Warren, Mich., is the contracting activity (W56HZV-08-C-0516).
Harris Corp., Rochester, N.Y., was awarded on Aug. 7, 2008, a $77,919,400 firm fixed price contract for vehicular installation kits, for Mine Resistant Ambush Protected vehicles. Work will be performed in Rochester, N.Y., and is expected to be completed by Jan. 18, 2009. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. There was one bid solicited on Aug. 1, 2008, and one bid was received. TACOM, Warren, Mich., is the contracting activity (W56HZV-08-C-0611).
Garco Construction, Spokane, Wash., was awarded on Aug. 7, 2008, a $44,560,000 firm-fixed price construction contract for replacement of family housing, Malmstrom AFB, Mont. Work will be performed in Malmstrom Air Force Base, Mont., and is expected to be completed by Jul. 16, 2010. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. Two bids were received on May 16, 2008. US Army Corps of Engineers, Seattle, Wash., is the contracting activity (W912DW-08-C-0014).
General Dynamics Land Systems, Sterling Heights, Mich., was awarded on Aug. 8, 2008, a $20,995,000 cost plus fixed fee contract for systems technical support for the Abrams Tank program. Work will be performed in Sterling Heights, Mich., and is expected to be completed by Dec. 31, 2011. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. There was one bids solicited on Jun. 8, 2006, and one bid was received. TACOM, Warren, Mich., is the contracting activity (W56HZV-07-C-0046).
Atlantic Diving Supply, Inc., Virginia Beach, Va., was awarded on Aug. 8, 2008, a $20,405,064 firm fixed price , contract for hand held thermal Imagers. Work will be performed in Londonderry, N.H., and is expected to be completed by Sept. 2, 2009. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. Seven bids were received on July 7, 2008. U.S. Army Research, Development and Engineering Command, Aberdeen Proving Ground, Md., is the contracting activity (W91CRB-08-F-0073).
DTC Engineers & Constructors, LLC, North Haven, Conn., was awarded on Aug. 4, 2008, a $12,164,809 Firm fixed price for Construction, contract for an Air Sovereignty Alert Complex. Work will be performed in Barnes Army National Guard Bureau, Westfield, Mass., and is expected to be completed by Dec. 15, 2010. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. Eight bids were received on Apr. 14, 2008. National Guard Bureau, Westfield, Mass., is the contracting activity (W912SV-08-C-0009).
Raytheon Co., Bedford, Mass., was awarded on Aug. 7, 2008, a $7,511,135 cost plus fixed fee, level-of-effort, contract for fy08 PATRIOT engineering services contract option award. Work will be performed in Burlington, Mass., and across the continental United States, and is expected to be completed by Jan. 31, 2009. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. There was one bid solicited on Aug. 26, 2003 and one bid was received. US Army Aviation and Missile Command, Redstone Arsenal, Ala., is the contracting activity (W31P4Q-04-C-0020).
US Divers Co., Inc., Vista, Calif., was awarded on Aug. 8, 2008, a $5,478,180 firm fixed price indefinite delivery/ indefinite quantity contract, contract for purchase of portable helicopter oxygen delivery systems. Work will be performed in Vista, Calif., and is expected to be completed by Aug. 31, 2013. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. There was one bid solicited on Sept. 20, 2007, and one bid was received. US Army Research, Development and Engineering Command, Aberdeen Proving Ground, Md., is the contracting activity (W91CRB-08-D-0048).
Navy
Watts-Healy Tibbitts, (joint venture), Honolulu, Hawaii, is being awarded an $84,842,140 firm-fixed-price contract for construction of a submarine drive-in magnetic silencing facility at Beckoning Point, Naval Station, Pearl Harbor. The contract is incrementally funded with the first increment of $42,421,000 being allocated at the time of award. The second increment will be funded in FY 09 at $35,850,220. An additional third increment will be funded in FY 10 at $6,570,920. The contract also contains one unexercised option, which if exercised would increase cumulative contract value to $86,062,140. Work will be performed in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, and is expected to be completed by Oct. 2010. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was competitively procured with 41 offers solicited and four proposals received. The Naval Facilities Engineering Command, Pacific, Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, is the contracting activity (N62742-08-C-1311).
The Harris Corp., Rochester, N.Y., is being awarded a $62,110,538 modification to a previously awarded contract (N66001-07-D-0054). The modification (#P00003) will include additional contract line items for maritime single-channel, handheld radios and maritime handheld and vehicular components and accessories for the U.S. military. The Harris Corp., software-definable radio supports interoperability in joint operations of the U.S. military as well as among other government personnel. This modification brings the cumulative value of this contract to $4,447,504,598. Work will be performed in Rochester, N.Y., and work is expected to be completed Jun. 2009. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This modification was negotiated as a supplemental agreement on a sole source basis in accordance with 10 U.S.C. 2304(c)(1), Only One Responsible Source (FAR Subpart 6.302-1). The Space and Naval Warfare Systems Center, San Diego, Calif., is the contracting activity.
Thales Communications, Inc., Clarksburg, Md., is being awarded a $56,602,845 modification to a previously awarded contract (N66001-07-D-0107). The modification (#P00003) will include additional contract line items for maritime single-channel, handheld radios and maritime handheld and vehicular components and accessories for the U.S. military. Thales Communications Inc.'s software-definable radio supports interoperability in joint operations of the U.S. military as well as among other government personnel. This modification brings the cumulative value of this contract to $5,685,055,263. Work will be performed in Clarksburg, Md., and work is expected to be completed Jun. 2009. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This modification was negotiated as a supplemental agreement on a sole source basis in accordance with 10 U.S.C. 2304(c)(1), Only One Responsible Source (FAR Subpart 6.302-1). The Space and Naval Warfare Systems Center, San Diego, Calif., is the contracting activity.
Cubic Applications, Inc., Lacey, Wash., a member of the Cubic Corp., family of companies, is being awarded a $31,711,289 firm-fixed-price contract. The Security Cooperation Education and Training Center (SCETC) provide the Training and Education Command oversight of the Marine Corps advisor pre-deployment Training Program for military advisor transition teams and also for training of other security cooperation teams. SCETC is also responsible for ensuring security cooperation teams deployed to various countries throughout the world who receive customized pre-deployment training. Work will be performed at Camp Pendleton, Calif; Camp Lejeune, N.C.; and Twenty Nine Palms, Calif., and work is expected to be completed Dec. 2012. Contract funds will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This effort was competed as a full and open competition procurement, with seven offers received to the solicitation. The Marine Corps Systems Command, Orlando, Fla., is the contracting activity (M67854-08-C-8006).
Dell Federal Systems L.P., Round Rock, Texas, is being awarded $13,969,235 for delivery order MU66 under previously awarded indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity Army contract (W91QUZ-06-D-0002) for Marine Corps Systems Command (MCSC) to provide Marine Corps hardware suite support for the MCSC program manager for training systems (PMTRASYS), in essence providing PMTRASYS high performance laptop configuration hardware suite for the MCSC environment utilizing the MCHS delivery processes. Delivery of Laptops will be performed as follows: Minimum of 500 laptops delivered every 30 days with initial delivery of 500 each 30 days from award. Work will be performed in Round Rock, Texas, and is expected to be completed Nov. 2009. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Marine Corps Systems Command, Quantico, Va., is the contracting activity.
Puget Sound & Pacific Railroad Co.*, Elma, Wash., is being awarded $12,599,763 for modification P00022 under a previously awarded firm-fixed price contract (N44255-01-C-1002) for Shelton-Bangor-Bremerton Navy railroad repairs at Navy Region Northwest, West Sound area. The work to be performed provides for all labor, materials, equipment, management and administration, public safety, supply, housing, facilities support, utilities, support vehicles, environmental services, and other incidental work required to perform simultaneous low complexity, minor construction, repair, and alteration. The current total contract value after award of this modification will be $16,262,721. Work will be performed on the Bangor-Shelton-Bremerton Navy Railroad, and is expected to be completed by Sept. 2009. Contract funds will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Naval Facilities Engineering Command, Northwest, Silverdale, Wash., is the contracting activity.
Teza Design*, San Diego, Calif., is being awarded a maximum $7,500,000 (base and options - with a guaranteed minimum of $5,000) firm-fixed-price, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity architect/engineering contract for mechanical, electrical and plumbing engineering services in the Naval Facilities Engineering Command (NAVFAC) Southwest area of responsibility (AOR). The work to be performed provides for engineering studies and reports, site investigation reports, preparation of requests for proposals for design-build projects, preparation of fully designed plans and specifications for invitation for bid projects, cost estimates, evaluations and construction support services. Work will be performed at various Navy and Marine Corps facilities and other government facilities within the NAVFAC Southwest AOR including, but not limited to Calif., (87 percent), Ariz., (5 percent), Nev., (5 percent), Colo., (1 percent), N.M., (1 percent) and Utah, (1 percent), and work is expected to be completed Aug. 2009 (Mar. 2013 with options exercised). Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was competitively procured as an 8(a) Small Business set-aside via the NAVFAC e-solicitation website,with six proposals received. The Naval Facilities Engineering Command, Southwest, San Diego, Calif., is the contracting activity (N62473-08-D-8605).
DEFENSE LOGISTICS AGENCY
Wolverine World Wide, Rockford, Mich., is being awarded a maximum $11,887,628 fixed price with economic adjustment, indefinite delivery and indefinite quantity contract for hot and temperate weather boots. Using service is Marine Corps. Other locations of performance are Jonesboro, Ark., and Big Rapids and Howard City, Mich. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This proposal was originally Web solicited with 11 responses. The date of performance completion is Aug. 11, 2009. The contracting activity is Defense Supply Center Philadelphia, Philadelphia, Pa., (SPM1C1-08-D-1099).
Belleville Shoe Manufacturing, Co., Belleville, Ill., is being awarded a maximum $11,387,660 fixed price with economic price adjustment, indefinite delivery and indefinite quantity contract for hot weather boots. Using service is Marine Corps. Other location of performance is Dewitt, Ark. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This proposal was originally Web solicited with 11 responses. The date of performance completion is Aug. 11, 2009. The contracting activity is Defense Supply Center Philadelphia, Philadelphia, Pa., (SPM1C1-08-D-1098).
Ram Dis Ticaret A.S., Istanbul, Turkey, is being awarded a maximum $25,165,000 fixed price with economic price adjustment contract for unleaded gasoline. Other locations of performance are in Iraq. Using service is Army. This proposal was originally Web solicited with eight responses. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The date of performance completion is Feb. 28, 2011. The contracting activity is Defense Energy Support Center, Fort Belvoir, Va., (SPO600-08-D-1022).
Mantech Telecommunications and Information Systems Corp., Chantilly, Va., was awarded on July 31, 2008, a $106,000,000 time & materials contract for one lot of route clearance equipment contractor logistics support services. Work will be performed in Iraq and Afghanistan, and is expected to be completed by Oct. 31, 2010. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. There was one bid solicited on Mar. 15, 2008, and one bid was received. TACOM, Warren, Mich., is the contracting activity (W56HZV-08-C-0516).
Harris Corp., Rochester, N.Y., was awarded on Aug. 7, 2008, a $77,919,400 firm fixed price contract for vehicular installation kits, for Mine Resistant Ambush Protected vehicles. Work will be performed in Rochester, N.Y., and is expected to be completed by Jan. 18, 2009. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. There was one bid solicited on Aug. 1, 2008, and one bid was received. TACOM, Warren, Mich., is the contracting activity (W56HZV-08-C-0611).
Garco Construction, Spokane, Wash., was awarded on Aug. 7, 2008, a $44,560,000 firm-fixed price construction contract for replacement of family housing, Malmstrom AFB, Mont. Work will be performed in Malmstrom Air Force Base, Mont., and is expected to be completed by Jul. 16, 2010. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. Two bids were received on May 16, 2008. US Army Corps of Engineers, Seattle, Wash., is the contracting activity (W912DW-08-C-0014).
General Dynamics Land Systems, Sterling Heights, Mich., was awarded on Aug. 8, 2008, a $20,995,000 cost plus fixed fee contract for systems technical support for the Abrams Tank program. Work will be performed in Sterling Heights, Mich., and is expected to be completed by Dec. 31, 2011. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. There was one bids solicited on Jun. 8, 2006, and one bid was received. TACOM, Warren, Mich., is the contracting activity (W56HZV-07-C-0046).
Atlantic Diving Supply, Inc., Virginia Beach, Va., was awarded on Aug. 8, 2008, a $20,405,064 firm fixed price , contract for hand held thermal Imagers. Work will be performed in Londonderry, N.H., and is expected to be completed by Sept. 2, 2009. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. Seven bids were received on July 7, 2008. U.S. Army Research, Development and Engineering Command, Aberdeen Proving Ground, Md., is the contracting activity (W91CRB-08-F-0073).
DTC Engineers & Constructors, LLC, North Haven, Conn., was awarded on Aug. 4, 2008, a $12,164,809 Firm fixed price for Construction, contract for an Air Sovereignty Alert Complex. Work will be performed in Barnes Army National Guard Bureau, Westfield, Mass., and is expected to be completed by Dec. 15, 2010. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. Eight bids were received on Apr. 14, 2008. National Guard Bureau, Westfield, Mass., is the contracting activity (W912SV-08-C-0009).
Raytheon Co., Bedford, Mass., was awarded on Aug. 7, 2008, a $7,511,135 cost plus fixed fee, level-of-effort, contract for fy08 PATRIOT engineering services contract option award. Work will be performed in Burlington, Mass., and across the continental United States, and is expected to be completed by Jan. 31, 2009. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. There was one bid solicited on Aug. 26, 2003 and one bid was received. US Army Aviation and Missile Command, Redstone Arsenal, Ala., is the contracting activity (W31P4Q-04-C-0020).
US Divers Co., Inc., Vista, Calif., was awarded on Aug. 8, 2008, a $5,478,180 firm fixed price indefinite delivery/ indefinite quantity contract, contract for purchase of portable helicopter oxygen delivery systems. Work will be performed in Vista, Calif., and is expected to be completed by Aug. 31, 2013. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. There was one bid solicited on Sept. 20, 2007, and one bid was received. US Army Research, Development and Engineering Command, Aberdeen Proving Ground, Md., is the contracting activity (W91CRB-08-D-0048).
Navy
Watts-Healy Tibbitts, (joint venture), Honolulu, Hawaii, is being awarded an $84,842,140 firm-fixed-price contract for construction of a submarine drive-in magnetic silencing facility at Beckoning Point, Naval Station, Pearl Harbor. The contract is incrementally funded with the first increment of $42,421,000 being allocated at the time of award. The second increment will be funded in FY 09 at $35,850,220. An additional third increment will be funded in FY 10 at $6,570,920. The contract also contains one unexercised option, which if exercised would increase cumulative contract value to $86,062,140. Work will be performed in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, and is expected to be completed by Oct. 2010. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was competitively procured with 41 offers solicited and four proposals received. The Naval Facilities Engineering Command, Pacific, Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, is the contracting activity (N62742-08-C-1311).
The Harris Corp., Rochester, N.Y., is being awarded a $62,110,538 modification to a previously awarded contract (N66001-07-D-0054). The modification (#P00003) will include additional contract line items for maritime single-channel, handheld radios and maritime handheld and vehicular components and accessories for the U.S. military. The Harris Corp., software-definable radio supports interoperability in joint operations of the U.S. military as well as among other government personnel. This modification brings the cumulative value of this contract to $4,447,504,598. Work will be performed in Rochester, N.Y., and work is expected to be completed Jun. 2009. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This modification was negotiated as a supplemental agreement on a sole source basis in accordance with 10 U.S.C. 2304(c)(1), Only One Responsible Source (FAR Subpart 6.302-1). The Space and Naval Warfare Systems Center, San Diego, Calif., is the contracting activity.
Thales Communications, Inc., Clarksburg, Md., is being awarded a $56,602,845 modification to a previously awarded contract (N66001-07-D-0107). The modification (#P00003) will include additional contract line items for maritime single-channel, handheld radios and maritime handheld and vehicular components and accessories for the U.S. military. Thales Communications Inc.'s software-definable radio supports interoperability in joint operations of the U.S. military as well as among other government personnel. This modification brings the cumulative value of this contract to $5,685,055,263. Work will be performed in Clarksburg, Md., and work is expected to be completed Jun. 2009. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This modification was negotiated as a supplemental agreement on a sole source basis in accordance with 10 U.S.C. 2304(c)(1), Only One Responsible Source (FAR Subpart 6.302-1). The Space and Naval Warfare Systems Center, San Diego, Calif., is the contracting activity.
Cubic Applications, Inc., Lacey, Wash., a member of the Cubic Corp., family of companies, is being awarded a $31,711,289 firm-fixed-price contract. The Security Cooperation Education and Training Center (SCETC) provide the Training and Education Command oversight of the Marine Corps advisor pre-deployment Training Program for military advisor transition teams and also for training of other security cooperation teams. SCETC is also responsible for ensuring security cooperation teams deployed to various countries throughout the world who receive customized pre-deployment training. Work will be performed at Camp Pendleton, Calif; Camp Lejeune, N.C.; and Twenty Nine Palms, Calif., and work is expected to be completed Dec. 2012. Contract funds will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This effort was competed as a full and open competition procurement, with seven offers received to the solicitation. The Marine Corps Systems Command, Orlando, Fla., is the contracting activity (M67854-08-C-8006).
Dell Federal Systems L.P., Round Rock, Texas, is being awarded $13,969,235 for delivery order MU66 under previously awarded indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity Army contract (W91QUZ-06-D-0002) for Marine Corps Systems Command (MCSC) to provide Marine Corps hardware suite support for the MCSC program manager for training systems (PMTRASYS), in essence providing PMTRASYS high performance laptop configuration hardware suite for the MCSC environment utilizing the MCHS delivery processes. Delivery of Laptops will be performed as follows: Minimum of 500 laptops delivered every 30 days with initial delivery of 500 each 30 days from award. Work will be performed in Round Rock, Texas, and is expected to be completed Nov. 2009. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Marine Corps Systems Command, Quantico, Va., is the contracting activity.
Puget Sound & Pacific Railroad Co.*, Elma, Wash., is being awarded $12,599,763 for modification P00022 under a previously awarded firm-fixed price contract (N44255-01-C-1002) for Shelton-Bangor-Bremerton Navy railroad repairs at Navy Region Northwest, West Sound area. The work to be performed provides for all labor, materials, equipment, management and administration, public safety, supply, housing, facilities support, utilities, support vehicles, environmental services, and other incidental work required to perform simultaneous low complexity, minor construction, repair, and alteration. The current total contract value after award of this modification will be $16,262,721. Work will be performed on the Bangor-Shelton-Bremerton Navy Railroad, and is expected to be completed by Sept. 2009. Contract funds will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Naval Facilities Engineering Command, Northwest, Silverdale, Wash., is the contracting activity.
Teza Design*, San Diego, Calif., is being awarded a maximum $7,500,000 (base and options - with a guaranteed minimum of $5,000) firm-fixed-price, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity architect/engineering contract for mechanical, electrical and plumbing engineering services in the Naval Facilities Engineering Command (NAVFAC) Southwest area of responsibility (AOR). The work to be performed provides for engineering studies and reports, site investigation reports, preparation of requests for proposals for design-build projects, preparation of fully designed plans and specifications for invitation for bid projects, cost estimates, evaluations and construction support services. Work will be performed at various Navy and Marine Corps facilities and other government facilities within the NAVFAC Southwest AOR including, but not limited to Calif., (87 percent), Ariz., (5 percent), Nev., (5 percent), Colo., (1 percent), N.M., (1 percent) and Utah, (1 percent), and work is expected to be completed Aug. 2009 (Mar. 2013 with options exercised). Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was competitively procured as an 8(a) Small Business set-aside via the NAVFAC e-solicitation website,with six proposals received. The Naval Facilities Engineering Command, Southwest, San Diego, Calif., is the contracting activity (N62473-08-D-8605).
DEFENSE LOGISTICS AGENCY
Wolverine World Wide, Rockford, Mich., is being awarded a maximum $11,887,628 fixed price with economic adjustment, indefinite delivery and indefinite quantity contract for hot and temperate weather boots. Using service is Marine Corps. Other locations of performance are Jonesboro, Ark., and Big Rapids and Howard City, Mich. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This proposal was originally Web solicited with 11 responses. The date of performance completion is Aug. 11, 2009. The contracting activity is Defense Supply Center Philadelphia, Philadelphia, Pa., (SPM1C1-08-D-1099).
Belleville Shoe Manufacturing, Co., Belleville, Ill., is being awarded a maximum $11,387,660 fixed price with economic price adjustment, indefinite delivery and indefinite quantity contract for hot weather boots. Using service is Marine Corps. Other location of performance is Dewitt, Ark. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This proposal was originally Web solicited with 11 responses. The date of performance completion is Aug. 11, 2009. The contracting activity is Defense Supply Center Philadelphia, Philadelphia, Pa., (SPM1C1-08-D-1098).
Ram Dis Ticaret A.S., Istanbul, Turkey, is being awarded a maximum $25,165,000 fixed price with economic price adjustment contract for unleaded gasoline. Other locations of performance are in Iraq. Using service is Army. This proposal was originally Web solicited with eight responses. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The date of performance completion is Feb. 28, 2011. The contracting activity is Defense Energy Support Center, Fort Belvoir, Va., (SPO600-08-D-1022).
Travel Regulation Change Protects Renters Whose Landlords Default
By Donna Miles
American Forces Press Service
Aug. 11, 2008 - A new change to the Joint Federal Travel Regulations authorizes the military to pay to move servicemembers and their families whose landlords default on property the military members are renting. Bill Carr, deputy undersecretary of defense for military personnel policy and chairman of the Per Diem, Travel and Transportation Allowance Committee, approved the change Aug. 8, said Eileen Lainez, a Defense Department spokeswoman.
The change is retroactive to July 30, the date President Bush signed the Housing and Economic Recovery Act of 2008. That law strengthened regulation of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac government-backed mortgage companies and created a new program to help about 400,000 families save their homes from foreclosure.
The federal regulation change is designed to help military servicemembers forced to relocate locally when landlords default on their mortgages, Lainez said. It does not apply to military members who own their own homes and default on their loans.
Army Lt. Col. Les Melnyk, a Pentagon spokesman, said the change will come as welcome news to the high percentage of servicemembers who rent rather than buy their homes due to frequent moves. While more than 65 percent of Americans own their homes, only about 25 percent of servicemembers are homeowners, he said.
Because they rent their residences at disproportionately high numbers, servicemembers haven't been impacted as heavily by the foreclosure crisis facing many communities, he said. But anecdotal evidence indicates that a growing number experience the second-hand effects of the crisis when their landlords default and they are forced to quickly find new housing nearby.
"When that happens, the servicemember should not have to incur the cost of the move," Melnyk said. "This change in the Joint Federal Travel Regulation ensures that they are financially protected when this happens and shows that we as a department care about our troops and their welfare."
Melnyk encouraged servicemembers who believe the new JFTR change may help them to contact their housing or administrative officers. In addition, he urged all servicemembers to take advantage of free legal and financial counseling offered at all military installations and through the Military OneSource Web site.
American Forces Press Service
Aug. 11, 2008 - A new change to the Joint Federal Travel Regulations authorizes the military to pay to move servicemembers and their families whose landlords default on property the military members are renting. Bill Carr, deputy undersecretary of defense for military personnel policy and chairman of the Per Diem, Travel and Transportation Allowance Committee, approved the change Aug. 8, said Eileen Lainez, a Defense Department spokeswoman.
The change is retroactive to July 30, the date President Bush signed the Housing and Economic Recovery Act of 2008. That law strengthened regulation of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac government-backed mortgage companies and created a new program to help about 400,000 families save their homes from foreclosure.
The federal regulation change is designed to help military servicemembers forced to relocate locally when landlords default on their mortgages, Lainez said. It does not apply to military members who own their own homes and default on their loans.
Army Lt. Col. Les Melnyk, a Pentagon spokesman, said the change will come as welcome news to the high percentage of servicemembers who rent rather than buy their homes due to frequent moves. While more than 65 percent of Americans own their homes, only about 25 percent of servicemembers are homeowners, he said.
Because they rent their residences at disproportionately high numbers, servicemembers haven't been impacted as heavily by the foreclosure crisis facing many communities, he said. But anecdotal evidence indicates that a growing number experience the second-hand effects of the crisis when their landlords default and they are forced to quickly find new housing nearby.
"When that happens, the servicemember should not have to incur the cost of the move," Melnyk said. "This change in the Joint Federal Travel Regulation ensures that they are financially protected when this happens and shows that we as a department care about our troops and their welfare."
Melnyk encouraged servicemembers who believe the new JFTR change may help them to contact their housing or administrative officers. In addition, he urged all servicemembers to take advantage of free legal and financial counseling offered at all military installations and through the Military OneSource Web site.
Stress Management Important Throughout Military Careers
By Navy Lt. Jennifer Cragg
Special to American Forces Press Service
Aug. 11, 2008 - The Naval Center for Combat and Operational Stress Control is teaching sailors and Marines how to deal with everyday and combat-related stress starting at the beginning of their military careers, a senior Navy official said. The center recently was established at Naval Medical Center San Diego to address the issues of psychological health by improving care for post-traumatic stress disorder and traumatic brain injury, but also how to effectively teach sailors and Marines to recognize the signs of stress.
"The idea of the center is ... not only to help sailors and Marines in distress, but to promote good stress management and promote psychological health so it starts when ... people come into boot camp and [lasts] all of the way until they graduate from war college," Navy Capt. (Dr.) Paul Hammer, the center's director, said Aug. 7 in an interview on Dot-Mil-Docs radio show hosted on BlogTalkRadio.com.
"The idea is that we get past the concept of just dealing with things when they are in crisis and hopefully promote a system of addressing stress and addressing our ability to cope with it so we rarely get into a crisis mode," Hammer said.
He added that the routine stressors that sailors and Marines undergo on a routine basis, not looking at when they are in a combat zone, are extremely dangerous at times and require that leaders manage their stress well.
One of the center's missions is to determine where officials might have the most impact to help educate sailors and Marines, for example in the curriculum they are taught in military training, Hammer said.
"One of the things that I like to look at, when people are training and they go through drills is, 'How can we incorporate stress training into that so that they are more aware of when they are dealing with stress?'" Hammer said.
The center is the first of its kind in the Navy to incorporate stress training during both pre- and post-deployment periods. With more than 14,000 sailors and Marines currently serving as individual augmentees around the world in combat areas, learning how to recognize operational stress is important for everyone's' well-being.
"When we talk about operational stress, we're talking about that unique set of circumstances that people have when they are deployed or when they are in the jobs that they do," Hammer said. "For example, somebody who works on the deck of an aircraft carrier has a much different level of stress than someone who is a civilian and works in an office building downtown."
According to the Navy Bureau of Medicine's Combat/Operational Stress Cell, the signs of operational stress can be sudden or build up over time. Combat stress can happen suddenly when a sailor or Marine encounters immediate danger or it can build up from things such as lack of adequate sleep, loud or constant noise, extreme heat or cold -- things that make life in combat stressful. Stress can have harmful effects on a sailors' or Marines' bodies, minds and actions, he said. It also can directly affect how sailors or Marines deal with others—friends or enemies.
"Combat stress, of course, is the stress that occurs when you are in combat -- the extreme set of circumstances when your life is in danger and when you have to [make] life and death ... decisions quickly ... and when you are under extreme pressure," Hammer said.
Some common signs of combat stress can include extreme restlessness, staring into the distance, shallow breathing, trembling or sweaty hands, and feeling detached from others or even feeling sick or nauseated.
Dealing with both routine and operational stress is handled by the center's four major divisions to address how to recognize stress and look at methods to improve treatment. "The center has four major divisions: knowledge management, programs, research facilitation, and strategic communications," Hammer said.
Knowledge management looks at what is currently known about PTSD and TBI; programs looks at ways to improve the level of care provided to servicemembers; research facilitation is designed to examine causes of stress; and strategic communications focuses on ways to communicate and educate servicemembers about these issues, he explained.
(Navy Lt. Jennifer Cragg works in the New Media Directorate for the Defense Media Activity)
Special to American Forces Press Service
Aug. 11, 2008 - The Naval Center for Combat and Operational Stress Control is teaching sailors and Marines how to deal with everyday and combat-related stress starting at the beginning of their military careers, a senior Navy official said. The center recently was established at Naval Medical Center San Diego to address the issues of psychological health by improving care for post-traumatic stress disorder and traumatic brain injury, but also how to effectively teach sailors and Marines to recognize the signs of stress.
"The idea of the center is ... not only to help sailors and Marines in distress, but to promote good stress management and promote psychological health so it starts when ... people come into boot camp and [lasts] all of the way until they graduate from war college," Navy Capt. (Dr.) Paul Hammer, the center's director, said Aug. 7 in an interview on Dot-Mil-Docs radio show hosted on BlogTalkRadio.com.
"The idea is that we get past the concept of just dealing with things when they are in crisis and hopefully promote a system of addressing stress and addressing our ability to cope with it so we rarely get into a crisis mode," Hammer said.
He added that the routine stressors that sailors and Marines undergo on a routine basis, not looking at when they are in a combat zone, are extremely dangerous at times and require that leaders manage their stress well.
One of the center's missions is to determine where officials might have the most impact to help educate sailors and Marines, for example in the curriculum they are taught in military training, Hammer said.
"One of the things that I like to look at, when people are training and they go through drills is, 'How can we incorporate stress training into that so that they are more aware of when they are dealing with stress?'" Hammer said.
The center is the first of its kind in the Navy to incorporate stress training during both pre- and post-deployment periods. With more than 14,000 sailors and Marines currently serving as individual augmentees around the world in combat areas, learning how to recognize operational stress is important for everyone's' well-being.
"When we talk about operational stress, we're talking about that unique set of circumstances that people have when they are deployed or when they are in the jobs that they do," Hammer said. "For example, somebody who works on the deck of an aircraft carrier has a much different level of stress than someone who is a civilian and works in an office building downtown."
According to the Navy Bureau of Medicine's Combat/Operational Stress Cell, the signs of operational stress can be sudden or build up over time. Combat stress can happen suddenly when a sailor or Marine encounters immediate danger or it can build up from things such as lack of adequate sleep, loud or constant noise, extreme heat or cold -- things that make life in combat stressful. Stress can have harmful effects on a sailors' or Marines' bodies, minds and actions, he said. It also can directly affect how sailors or Marines deal with others—friends or enemies.
"Combat stress, of course, is the stress that occurs when you are in combat -- the extreme set of circumstances when your life is in danger and when you have to [make] life and death ... decisions quickly ... and when you are under extreme pressure," Hammer said.
Some common signs of combat stress can include extreme restlessness, staring into the distance, shallow breathing, trembling or sweaty hands, and feeling detached from others or even feeling sick or nauseated.
Dealing with both routine and operational stress is handled by the center's four major divisions to address how to recognize stress and look at methods to improve treatment. "The center has four major divisions: knowledge management, programs, research facilitation, and strategic communications," Hammer said.
Knowledge management looks at what is currently known about PTSD and TBI; programs looks at ways to improve the level of care provided to servicemembers; research facilitation is designed to examine causes of stress; and strategic communications focuses on ways to communicate and educate servicemembers about these issues, he explained.
(Navy Lt. Jennifer Cragg works in the New Media Directorate for the Defense Media Activity)
U.S. to Complete Redeployment of Georgian Forces from Iraq
By John J. Kruzel
American Forces Press Service
Aug. 11, 2008 - The U.S.-assisted redeployment of Georgian troops from Iraq to their home country should be completed today, a Pentagon spokesman said. American military aircraft began shuttling the brigade of Georgian forces yesterday, as clashes with Russian forces intensified since fighting broke out last week in the breakaway region of South Ossetia in Georgia, a former Soviet republic.
The U.S.-provided transport of the 2,000-strong contingent adheres to an agreement that U.S. and Georgian government officials arranged before Russian tanks and troops crossed Georgia's border on Aug. 8, Pentagon Spokesman Bryan Whitman said today.
"We are fulfilling our agreement with the Georgian government that in an emergency we would assist them in redeploying their troops," Whitman said. "We are honoring that commitment and we are following through with that."
At the same time, U.S. military commanders in Iraq are adapting to the departure of Georgian troops, which primarily occupied infantry roles and represented the third-largest foreign contingent in Iraq.
"Commanders on the ground are making necessary adjustments to mitigate any of the impact of the loss of Georgian forces," said Whitman, who declined to specify where Georgian troops were landing, but added that the contingent is not being sent directly into combat against Russia.
Army Maj. Gen. Mark Hertling, the commander of Multinational Division North and 1st Armored Division, said the redeployment of Georgian forces will affect some U.S. commands more than others.
"Quite frankly, these were good soldiers, but we've been able to adapt at the battle space to account for their loss," he told Pentagon reporters today via video teleconference from Forward Operating Base Speicher, near Tikrit, Iraq.
With roughly 80 Georgian troops departing from his contingency, Hertling said their absence will not have as significant an impact on his unit as it will in areas of operation like Multinational Division Central, where the foreign troops were split across several U.S. brigades.
Meanwhile, some 130 U.S. military personnel serving as trainers to national forces in Georgia will remain in the war-torn country, Whitman said. He added that all U.S. trainers there are safe and accounted for, and that presently there are no plans to remove them from Georgia.
Georgia declared its independence from the then-Soviet Union in 1991. However, many South Ossetia residents continue to profess Russian allegiance.
The situation was already tense when Russian tanks and troops crossed the border into South Ossetia, where they were aided by regional separatists. Fighting escalated a day later in and around Tskhinvali, South Ossetia's capital, as Russian aircraft were reported to have bombed that city, as well as parts of Georgia.
President Bush and other world leaders have called for a peaceful resolution to end the fighting, which has broadened beyond the breakaway regions of South Ossetia and Abkhazia, according to media reports today.
In Beijing to view the start of the Summer Olympic Games hosted by China, President Bush today denounced fighting in Georgia.
"I said this violence is unacceptable," Bush said during an interview with NBC. "I not only said it to [Russian Prime Minister] Vladimir Putin, I've said it to the president of the country, Dmitriy Medvedev.
"I expressed my grave concern about the disproportionate response of Russia and that we strongly condemn bombing outside of South Ossetia," he said.
The Bush administration has been engaged with both sides of the conflict in attempts to broker a ceasefire that would return forces to pre-invasion levels, the president said.
"Hopefully this will get resolved peacefully," he said, adding: "There needs to be an international mediation there for the South Ossetia issue."
American Forces Press Service
Aug. 11, 2008 - The U.S.-assisted redeployment of Georgian troops from Iraq to their home country should be completed today, a Pentagon spokesman said. American military aircraft began shuttling the brigade of Georgian forces yesterday, as clashes with Russian forces intensified since fighting broke out last week in the breakaway region of South Ossetia in Georgia, a former Soviet republic.
The U.S.-provided transport of the 2,000-strong contingent adheres to an agreement that U.S. and Georgian government officials arranged before Russian tanks and troops crossed Georgia's border on Aug. 8, Pentagon Spokesman Bryan Whitman said today.
"We are fulfilling our agreement with the Georgian government that in an emergency we would assist them in redeploying their troops," Whitman said. "We are honoring that commitment and we are following through with that."
At the same time, U.S. military commanders in Iraq are adapting to the departure of Georgian troops, which primarily occupied infantry roles and represented the third-largest foreign contingent in Iraq.
"Commanders on the ground are making necessary adjustments to mitigate any of the impact of the loss of Georgian forces," said Whitman, who declined to specify where Georgian troops were landing, but added that the contingent is not being sent directly into combat against Russia.
Army Maj. Gen. Mark Hertling, the commander of Multinational Division North and 1st Armored Division, said the redeployment of Georgian forces will affect some U.S. commands more than others.
"Quite frankly, these were good soldiers, but we've been able to adapt at the battle space to account for their loss," he told Pentagon reporters today via video teleconference from Forward Operating Base Speicher, near Tikrit, Iraq.
With roughly 80 Georgian troops departing from his contingency, Hertling said their absence will not have as significant an impact on his unit as it will in areas of operation like Multinational Division Central, where the foreign troops were split across several U.S. brigades.
Meanwhile, some 130 U.S. military personnel serving as trainers to national forces in Georgia will remain in the war-torn country, Whitman said. He added that all U.S. trainers there are safe and accounted for, and that presently there are no plans to remove them from Georgia.
Georgia declared its independence from the then-Soviet Union in 1991. However, many South Ossetia residents continue to profess Russian allegiance.
The situation was already tense when Russian tanks and troops crossed the border into South Ossetia, where they were aided by regional separatists. Fighting escalated a day later in and around Tskhinvali, South Ossetia's capital, as Russian aircraft were reported to have bombed that city, as well as parts of Georgia.
President Bush and other world leaders have called for a peaceful resolution to end the fighting, which has broadened beyond the breakaway regions of South Ossetia and Abkhazia, according to media reports today.
In Beijing to view the start of the Summer Olympic Games hosted by China, President Bush today denounced fighting in Georgia.
"I said this violence is unacceptable," Bush said during an interview with NBC. "I not only said it to [Russian Prime Minister] Vladimir Putin, I've said it to the president of the country, Dmitriy Medvedev.
"I expressed my grave concern about the disproportionate response of Russia and that we strongly condemn bombing outside of South Ossetia," he said.
The Bush administration has been engaged with both sides of the conflict in attempts to broker a ceasefire that would return forces to pre-invasion levels, the president said.
"Hopefully this will get resolved peacefully," he said, adding: "There needs to be an international mediation there for the South Ossetia issue."
Face of Defense: Sergeant Improves Process, Saves Time
By Air Force Staff Sgt. Jennifer Arredondo
Special to American Forces Press Service
Aug. 11, 2008 - An airman with the 437th Maintenance Squadron wheel and tire shop has helped save man-hours with a better way of cleaning C-17 Globemaster III nose-wheel bolts that need to be inspected. Air Force Tech. Sgt. Eddie Melendez, an aircraft maintenance craftsman, realized airmen in the shop were spending too many hours cleaning and preparing the nose bolts to be inspected by airmen in the unit's "non-destructive inspection" shop.
Airmen in the wheel and tire shop typically have more than 450 bolts a week to be inspected by non-destructive inspection. To get them ready for inspection, anti-seize graphite has to be removed from the bolts. Anti-seize graphite is a compound that keeps the bolts from seizing up when nuts are screwed on to a bolt.
Before the new process was introduced, the bolts would have to soak in a parts-cleaning tank for 60 minutes. After that, 10 minutes would be spent manually cleaning one set, consisting of 12 bolts, with a wire brush to remove remaining anti-seize from the threads.
In total, the airmen manually clean about 1,260 bolts, spending more than 200 hours a year cleaning and more than 105 hours waiting for the bolts to be cleaned in the parts washers.
"Our objective was to increase the efficiency of cleaning the bolts," Melendez said.
To add to the time spent on cleaning the bolts, if the bolts were not entirely cleaned after being sent to non-destructive inspection, they could be sent back to the wheel and tire shop for additional cleaning, which would add to the time spent on a set of bolts.
To help decrease the time spent on cleaning a set of bolts, Melendez devised a way of speeding up the process by using a powered cleaning device to clean the bolts more efficiently.
Melendez decided the best way to create such an item was to use materials readily available and fabricate tools that could help with the process. A power drill was purchased along with a bolt cleaner that is cylindrical with soft bristles in the middle. He also asked the 437th Maintenance Squadron fabrication shop to make a jig, or small platform, with 12 holes and sockets to safely secure the bolts for cleaning.
With items purchased and made, the airmen now just need to brush off the anti-seize with the bolt cleaner without having to deal with the parts cleaner, and taking less time to do it.
With the new tool and jig, it now takes one minute, 15 seconds to clean a set of bolts. Because of the thorough cleaning the bolts now receive, the process also has cut back on the number of bolts that are returned from non-destructive inspection due to not be clean enough.
"We set out with one goal in mind: take one task that was both difficult and time-consuming and improve it," Melendez said. "What we found was a better way of doing the same job in less time and more efficiently."
Because of the introduction of the new process for cleaning the nose-wheel bolts, one airman said he thinks the new process is a great improvement.
"The old process just took so long, and it required more than one person to get the bolts cleaned in a reasonable time," said Airman 1st Class Quinton Valentine, 437th Maintenance Squadron wheel and tire shop crew chief. "With the new process, it has cut down the time dramatically. We don't have to use wire brushes, and there is no solvent that has to be used."
Because of the change in the way the bolts are prepared for inspection and the affects it has had on airmen, Tech. Sgt. Lamont Butler, 437th Maintenance Squadron wheel and tire shop section chief, also sees how the improvement has affected the way airmen are now looking at other areas for improvement.
"This trend has proven to be contagious," Butler said. "The airmen now actually see tangible results from thinking smarter. They are now looking at each shop-related task and brainstorming on how to improve it."
(Air Force Staff Sgt. Jennifer Arredondo is assigned to 437th Airlift Wing Public Affairs.)
Special to American Forces Press Service
Aug. 11, 2008 - An airman with the 437th Maintenance Squadron wheel and tire shop has helped save man-hours with a better way of cleaning C-17 Globemaster III nose-wheel bolts that need to be inspected. Air Force Tech. Sgt. Eddie Melendez, an aircraft maintenance craftsman, realized airmen in the shop were spending too many hours cleaning and preparing the nose bolts to be inspected by airmen in the unit's "non-destructive inspection" shop.
Airmen in the wheel and tire shop typically have more than 450 bolts a week to be inspected by non-destructive inspection. To get them ready for inspection, anti-seize graphite has to be removed from the bolts. Anti-seize graphite is a compound that keeps the bolts from seizing up when nuts are screwed on to a bolt.
Before the new process was introduced, the bolts would have to soak in a parts-cleaning tank for 60 minutes. After that, 10 minutes would be spent manually cleaning one set, consisting of 12 bolts, with a wire brush to remove remaining anti-seize from the threads.
In total, the airmen manually clean about 1,260 bolts, spending more than 200 hours a year cleaning and more than 105 hours waiting for the bolts to be cleaned in the parts washers.
"Our objective was to increase the efficiency of cleaning the bolts," Melendez said.
To add to the time spent on cleaning the bolts, if the bolts were not entirely cleaned after being sent to non-destructive inspection, they could be sent back to the wheel and tire shop for additional cleaning, which would add to the time spent on a set of bolts.
To help decrease the time spent on cleaning a set of bolts, Melendez devised a way of speeding up the process by using a powered cleaning device to clean the bolts more efficiently.
Melendez decided the best way to create such an item was to use materials readily available and fabricate tools that could help with the process. A power drill was purchased along with a bolt cleaner that is cylindrical with soft bristles in the middle. He also asked the 437th Maintenance Squadron fabrication shop to make a jig, or small platform, with 12 holes and sockets to safely secure the bolts for cleaning.
With items purchased and made, the airmen now just need to brush off the anti-seize with the bolt cleaner without having to deal with the parts cleaner, and taking less time to do it.
With the new tool and jig, it now takes one minute, 15 seconds to clean a set of bolts. Because of the thorough cleaning the bolts now receive, the process also has cut back on the number of bolts that are returned from non-destructive inspection due to not be clean enough.
"We set out with one goal in mind: take one task that was both difficult and time-consuming and improve it," Melendez said. "What we found was a better way of doing the same job in less time and more efficiently."
Because of the introduction of the new process for cleaning the nose-wheel bolts, one airman said he thinks the new process is a great improvement.
"The old process just took so long, and it required more than one person to get the bolts cleaned in a reasonable time," said Airman 1st Class Quinton Valentine, 437th Maintenance Squadron wheel and tire shop crew chief. "With the new process, it has cut down the time dramatically. We don't have to use wire brushes, and there is no solvent that has to be used."
Because of the change in the way the bolts are prepared for inspection and the affects it has had on airmen, Tech. Sgt. Lamont Butler, 437th Maintenance Squadron wheel and tire shop section chief, also sees how the improvement has affected the way airmen are now looking at other areas for improvement.
"This trend has proven to be contagious," Butler said. "The airmen now actually see tangible results from thinking smarter. They are now looking at each shop-related task and brainstorming on how to improve it."
(Air Force Staff Sgt. Jennifer Arredondo is assigned to 437th Airlift Wing Public Affairs.)
Saturday, August 09, 2008
Bush Calls for End of Hostilities in South Ossetia Conflict
By Gerry J. Gilmore
American Forces Press Service
Aug. 9, 2008 - President Bush today called for an end to hostilities in South Ossetia that's pitting Georgian forces against Russian troops and regional separatists. In Beijing to view the start of the Summer Olympic Games hosted by China, Bush said the conflict in South Ossetia, a part of the former Soviet republic of Georgia, threatens peace across the region.
"We have urged an immediate halt to the violence," Bush told reporters in Beijing. He also called for an end to Russian air strikes that reportedly have bombed targets in South Ossetia and Georgia.
Bush reportedly has discussed events in South Ossetia with Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin, who was also in Beijing.
Georgia declared its independence from the then-Soviet Union in 1991. However, many South Ossetia residents continued to profess Russian allegiance.
Yesterday, Russian tanks and troops crossed the border into South Ossetia. Fighting escalated in and around Tskhinvali, South Ossetia's capital city and reportedly has reached into parts of Georgia.
Defense Department spokesman Bryan Whitman told Pentagon reporters yesterday the Pentagon was closely monitoring the situation in South Ossetia. Whitman said about 130 U.S. military and civilian personnel were located near the Georgian capital of Tbilisi helping to train Georgian troops for an upcoming deployment to Iraq. All of the Americans have been accounted for, and none had been injured, he said.
The U.S. State Department is the lead U.S. agency regarding the situation in South Ossetia, Whitman said yesterday.
"The United States calls for an immediate ceasefire to the armed conflict in Georgia's region of South Ossetia," U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said in a statement released yesterday. "We call on Russia to cease attacks on Georgia by aircraft and missiles, respect Georgia's territorial integrity, and withdraw its ground combat forces from Georgian soil."
Rice said she and other senior U.S. officials "have spoken with the parties and continue to work with them to seek an end to hostilities." The United States, she continued, is working with its European partners to launch international mediation to end the conflict.
"We urgently seek Russia's support of these efforts," Rice said in her statement.
Meanwhile, the U.S. State Department reportedly has dispatched a senior envoy, deputy assistant secretary of state Matthew Bryza, to the region to try to arrange a peace agreement.
Senior UN and NATO leaders have also called to end the fighting in South Ossetia and urged that a peaceful settlement be found.
American Forces Press Service
Aug. 9, 2008 - President Bush today called for an end to hostilities in South Ossetia that's pitting Georgian forces against Russian troops and regional separatists. In Beijing to view the start of the Summer Olympic Games hosted by China, Bush said the conflict in South Ossetia, a part of the former Soviet republic of Georgia, threatens peace across the region.
"We have urged an immediate halt to the violence," Bush told reporters in Beijing. He also called for an end to Russian air strikes that reportedly have bombed targets in South Ossetia and Georgia.
Bush reportedly has discussed events in South Ossetia with Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin, who was also in Beijing.
Georgia declared its independence from the then-Soviet Union in 1991. However, many South Ossetia residents continued to profess Russian allegiance.
Yesterday, Russian tanks and troops crossed the border into South Ossetia. Fighting escalated in and around Tskhinvali, South Ossetia's capital city and reportedly has reached into parts of Georgia.
Defense Department spokesman Bryan Whitman told Pentagon reporters yesterday the Pentagon was closely monitoring the situation in South Ossetia. Whitman said about 130 U.S. military and civilian personnel were located near the Georgian capital of Tbilisi helping to train Georgian troops for an upcoming deployment to Iraq. All of the Americans have been accounted for, and none had been injured, he said.
The U.S. State Department is the lead U.S. agency regarding the situation in South Ossetia, Whitman said yesterday.
"The United States calls for an immediate ceasefire to the armed conflict in Georgia's region of South Ossetia," U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said in a statement released yesterday. "We call on Russia to cease attacks on Georgia by aircraft and missiles, respect Georgia's territorial integrity, and withdraw its ground combat forces from Georgian soil."
Rice said she and other senior U.S. officials "have spoken with the parties and continue to work with them to seek an end to hostilities." The United States, she continued, is working with its European partners to launch international mediation to end the conflict.
"We urgently seek Russia's support of these efforts," Rice said in her statement.
Meanwhile, the U.S. State Department reportedly has dispatched a senior envoy, deputy assistant secretary of state Matthew Bryza, to the region to try to arrange a peace agreement.
Senior UN and NATO leaders have also called to end the fighting in South Ossetia and urged that a peaceful settlement be found.
Friday, August 08, 2008
VA Official: Political Changes Won't Sideline Progress in Wounded Warrior Transition
By Donna Miles
American Forces Press Service
Aug. 8, 2008 - Strides made or under way to improve care for wounded warriors transitioning from Defense Department care to the Veterans Affairs system won't be disrupted by upcoming changes in both departments' leadership, the No. 2 VA official said. Gordon H. Mansfield, deputy secretary of veterans affairs, said he's confident whichever candidate wins the November elections will build on successes made to provide the best support possible for wounded troops and veterans.
Mansfield spoke with American Forces Press Service during the 28th National Veterans Wheelchair Games, which wrapped up last week in Omaha, Neb.
Citing closer DoD-VA cooperation and collaboration than ever before, Mansfield said he expects the momentum to continue as new initiatives take shape.
DoD and VA are in the process of implementing more than 400 recommendations of five major studies. The commissions and task forces were formed to examine servicemembers' and veterans' health care after a February 2007 Washington Post series shed light on administrative shortfalls at Washington's Walter Reed Army Medical Center.
A year and a half later, Mansfield said he believes both departments are on the right track, building on efforts dating back to 2002 and paving the way to a more seamless transition between their two systems.
Senior non-political staff members at both departments are working to ensure these and other initiatives continue without interruption as the political changeover takes place, he said.
Meanwhile, Navy Adm. Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, has started attending meetings of the joint senior oversight committee designed to improve the two departments' cooperation. Mansfield and Deputy Defense Secretary Gordon England co-chair the committee, which includes all service secretaries and meets frequently to review progress and eliminate any roadblocks.
Mansfield said he and England have established "a very positive and open and cooperative effort" that is bearing fruit.
In a joint prepared statement submitted to the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee in April, the two outlined specific improvements in their two departments' cooperation. "Specifically, we have endeavored to improve the disability evaluation system, established the Federal Recovery Coordination Program, improved data sharing between the departments of Defense and Veterans Affairs, developed housing facility-inspection standards, and improved delivery of pay and benefits," they said.
Mansfield called fixes to the disability-evaluation process, including one in which both DoD and VA would use a single physical exam and give a single disability rating, one of the biggest steps forward. The process, he said, will reduce delays and uncertainty for transitioning veterans.
A pilot program under way at three major medical hospitals in the Washington, D.C., area is testing the concept, which would eliminate the often confusing elements of the two disability processes. Its goal is to cut by half the time it takes to transition a wounded troop to veteran status and to receive VA benefits and compensation.
The pilot is proving so successful that, Mansfield said, other regions are being eyed as additional test beds. "We have laid the groundwork, and now we are getting ready to choose other regions and to move forward from there," he said.
In addition, case management has improved dramatically, with VA staff members posted in military medical centers to assess patients' needs before they transfer to a VA facility.
"VA people are in military treatment facilities to an extent they have never been in the past, so we can pick up these people and know who they are and what their needs are and what their families' needs are before they wind up in the VA," Mansfield said. "That way, we can work on the transfer to anticipate the needs and make the necessary arrangements for them."
The two departments signed a partnership agreement in October that put 10 federal recovery coordinators in place to manage the care of severely injured servicemembers and their families. These coordinators are based at Walter Reed Army Medical Center; the National Naval Medical Center, in Bethesda, Md.; Brooke Army Medical Center, in San Antonio; and Naval Medical Center San Diego.
The coordinators are responsible for managing the needs of servicemembers as they move through the recovery and rehabilitation process and back to their communities.
In addition to caring for newly wounded veterans, the coordinators are beginning to pick up the cases of veterans processed through the system before the federal recovery-coordinator program started. "We have to do a little more work there," Mansfield said. "We're in the first phase of this effort, but we're taking the lessons learned from it and going into the second phase."
Mansfield cited steps toward improving the sharing of medical information between the two departments to develop a seamless health information system. DoD and VA are sharing more electronic health information through secure networks than ever before. For transitioning servicemembers, this means less hassle and fewer delays as they enter the VA system and begin receiving care and benefits, he said.
The VA is committed to ensuring all 7.8 million veterans eligible for care continue to receive the best-quality support they deserve, Mansfield said. "We need to do it accurately, kindly and get them what they need," he said. "So the closer we work with DoD, the easier it is going to be, once they cross the line [from DoD into VA], for us to be prepared to serve them."
American Forces Press Service
Aug. 8, 2008 - Strides made or under way to improve care for wounded warriors transitioning from Defense Department care to the Veterans Affairs system won't be disrupted by upcoming changes in both departments' leadership, the No. 2 VA official said. Gordon H. Mansfield, deputy secretary of veterans affairs, said he's confident whichever candidate wins the November elections will build on successes made to provide the best support possible for wounded troops and veterans.
Mansfield spoke with American Forces Press Service during the 28th National Veterans Wheelchair Games, which wrapped up last week in Omaha, Neb.
Citing closer DoD-VA cooperation and collaboration than ever before, Mansfield said he expects the momentum to continue as new initiatives take shape.
DoD and VA are in the process of implementing more than 400 recommendations of five major studies. The commissions and task forces were formed to examine servicemembers' and veterans' health care after a February 2007 Washington Post series shed light on administrative shortfalls at Washington's Walter Reed Army Medical Center.
A year and a half later, Mansfield said he believes both departments are on the right track, building on efforts dating back to 2002 and paving the way to a more seamless transition between their two systems.
Senior non-political staff members at both departments are working to ensure these and other initiatives continue without interruption as the political changeover takes place, he said.
Meanwhile, Navy Adm. Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, has started attending meetings of the joint senior oversight committee designed to improve the two departments' cooperation. Mansfield and Deputy Defense Secretary Gordon England co-chair the committee, which includes all service secretaries and meets frequently to review progress and eliminate any roadblocks.
Mansfield said he and England have established "a very positive and open and cooperative effort" that is bearing fruit.
In a joint prepared statement submitted to the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee in April, the two outlined specific improvements in their two departments' cooperation. "Specifically, we have endeavored to improve the disability evaluation system, established the Federal Recovery Coordination Program, improved data sharing between the departments of Defense and Veterans Affairs, developed housing facility-inspection standards, and improved delivery of pay and benefits," they said.
Mansfield called fixes to the disability-evaluation process, including one in which both DoD and VA would use a single physical exam and give a single disability rating, one of the biggest steps forward. The process, he said, will reduce delays and uncertainty for transitioning veterans.
A pilot program under way at three major medical hospitals in the Washington, D.C., area is testing the concept, which would eliminate the often confusing elements of the two disability processes. Its goal is to cut by half the time it takes to transition a wounded troop to veteran status and to receive VA benefits and compensation.
The pilot is proving so successful that, Mansfield said, other regions are being eyed as additional test beds. "We have laid the groundwork, and now we are getting ready to choose other regions and to move forward from there," he said.
In addition, case management has improved dramatically, with VA staff members posted in military medical centers to assess patients' needs before they transfer to a VA facility.
"VA people are in military treatment facilities to an extent they have never been in the past, so we can pick up these people and know who they are and what their needs are and what their families' needs are before they wind up in the VA," Mansfield said. "That way, we can work on the transfer to anticipate the needs and make the necessary arrangements for them."
The two departments signed a partnership agreement in October that put 10 federal recovery coordinators in place to manage the care of severely injured servicemembers and their families. These coordinators are based at Walter Reed Army Medical Center; the National Naval Medical Center, in Bethesda, Md.; Brooke Army Medical Center, in San Antonio; and Naval Medical Center San Diego.
The coordinators are responsible for managing the needs of servicemembers as they move through the recovery and rehabilitation process and back to their communities.
In addition to caring for newly wounded veterans, the coordinators are beginning to pick up the cases of veterans processed through the system before the federal recovery-coordinator program started. "We have to do a little more work there," Mansfield said. "We're in the first phase of this effort, but we're taking the lessons learned from it and going into the second phase."
Mansfield cited steps toward improving the sharing of medical information between the two departments to develop a seamless health information system. DoD and VA are sharing more electronic health information through secure networks than ever before. For transitioning servicemembers, this means less hassle and fewer delays as they enter the VA system and begin receiving care and benefits, he said.
The VA is committed to ensuring all 7.8 million veterans eligible for care continue to receive the best-quality support they deserve, Mansfield said. "We need to do it accurately, kindly and get them what they need," he said. "So the closer we work with DoD, the easier it is going to be, once they cross the line [from DoD into VA], for us to be prepared to serve them."
National Guard Supporters Sample Leapfest Adventure
By Army Master Sgt. Bob Haskell
Special to American Forces Press Service
Aug. 8, 2008 - No, they did not jump out of a perfectly good helicopter. But 16 civilians involved with Rhode Island's Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve program did get an idea of what an international group of military paratroopers would experience during Leapfest 2008 two days before the 26th annual international competition takes place here tomorrow.
The civilians, including an assistant U.S. attorney, a U.S. Naval War College professor, and the owner of a North Kingston pest control business, were flown aboard an Army National Guard UH-60 Blackhawk helicopter over the Rhode Island countryside on that heavily overcast Thursday morning.
They saw for themselves the terrain the airborne soldiers would glimpse during the couple of minutes it would take them to parachute onto a landing zone beside the University of Rhode Island after jumping out of larger helicopters at 1,500 feet.
"We had a good mix of educators, public officials and small-business people who support our National Guard and reserve troops," said Donna Callahan, executive director for Rhode Island's Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve committee. "We wanted to give them an idea of what Leapfest, which is hosted by the Rhode Island Guard, is all about."
ESGR officials frequently escort civilian employers or supervisors for National Guardmembers and reservists to events such as Leapfest to give them an idea of what citizen-servicemembers do when they are in uniform and away from their jobs. It is one way that ESGR, whose national committee is based in Arlington, Va., attempts to avoid conflicts arising from employees' military commitments.
Ironically, the ESGR participants in Rhode Island were the only ones to get off the ground that day. The paratroopers from 11 countries were grounded by rain clouds that were too low to safely make the friendship jumps that were also intended to familiarize the foreign troops with the equipment used for the competition, explained Air National Guard Lt. Col. Denis Riel, the Rhode Island National Guard's state spokesman.
"I got interested in ESGR because First Lieutenant Kate Auxier, in the Army National Guard, used to work for me," explained Tom Alarie, manager of a graduate-level population studies and training program at Brown University in Providence.
"I wanted to see this because we teach National Guard and reserve officers at the Naval War College in Newport," said Jeffrey Norwitz, a professor of national security decision making. "We have always had a good relationship with the National Guard and Reserve."
Special to American Forces Press Service
Aug. 8, 2008 - No, they did not jump out of a perfectly good helicopter. But 16 civilians involved with Rhode Island's Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve program did get an idea of what an international group of military paratroopers would experience during Leapfest 2008 two days before the 26th annual international competition takes place here tomorrow.
The civilians, including an assistant U.S. attorney, a U.S. Naval War College professor, and the owner of a North Kingston pest control business, were flown aboard an Army National Guard UH-60 Blackhawk helicopter over the Rhode Island countryside on that heavily overcast Thursday morning.
They saw for themselves the terrain the airborne soldiers would glimpse during the couple of minutes it would take them to parachute onto a landing zone beside the University of Rhode Island after jumping out of larger helicopters at 1,500 feet.
"We had a good mix of educators, public officials and small-business people who support our National Guard and reserve troops," said Donna Callahan, executive director for Rhode Island's Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve committee. "We wanted to give them an idea of what Leapfest, which is hosted by the Rhode Island Guard, is all about."
ESGR officials frequently escort civilian employers or supervisors for National Guardmembers and reservists to events such as Leapfest to give them an idea of what citizen-servicemembers do when they are in uniform and away from their jobs. It is one way that ESGR, whose national committee is based in Arlington, Va., attempts to avoid conflicts arising from employees' military commitments.
Ironically, the ESGR participants in Rhode Island were the only ones to get off the ground that day. The paratroopers from 11 countries were grounded by rain clouds that were too low to safely make the friendship jumps that were also intended to familiarize the foreign troops with the equipment used for the competition, explained Air National Guard Lt. Col. Denis Riel, the Rhode Island National Guard's state spokesman.
"I got interested in ESGR because First Lieutenant Kate Auxier, in the Army National Guard, used to work for me," explained Tom Alarie, manager of a graduate-level population studies and training program at Brown University in Providence.
"I wanted to see this because we teach National Guard and reserve officers at the Naval War College in Newport," said Jeffrey Norwitz, a professor of national security decision making. "We have always had a good relationship with the National Guard and Reserve."
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