Geren Highlights Soldiers, Families as He Prepares to Step Down

By Jim Garamone
American Forces Press Service

July 8, 2009 - To Army Secretary Pete Geren, the Army is not some amorphous entity that the country calls on in time of crisis. To him, the Army is people – soldiers and families – serving something larger than themselves. He knows this from visiting soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan. He knows this from meeting with families as they cope with long-term and repeated deployments. And he knows this from attending funerals and burials at Arlington National Cemetery's Section 60 for young men and women killed fighting America's wars.

As Geren prepares to step down as secretary, he can look back on solid accomplishments – all centered on soldiers and their families. "They are truly the strength of our nation," he said during a recent interview. President Barack Obama has nominated U.S. Rep. John McHugh of New York to succeed Geren as Army secretary.

Geren, who had been serving as Army undersecretary, took over as acting secretary in March 2007 after the resignation of Francis Harvey, who left office after revelations of systemic shortfalls in outpatient care at military health care facilities. He took office in his own right in four months later, and the Obama administration kept him on when it took office in January.

His tenure has been eventful. In March 2007, the surge in Iraq was continuing, and it featured heavy fighting and casualties. Soldiers sent to the U.S. Central Command region – including those in Afghanistan – served 15-month deployments.

The Army was having problems meeting its recruiting goals. The service had to improve care to wounded warriors, including improving treatment of the signature injuries of the wars – post-traumatic stress and traumatic brain injuries. Support to families had to increase. "On top of this, we needed to take care of the long-term goals for the Army," Geren said.

In short, the Army had to fight today's wars while positioning the service to maintain its edge in the future.

Balance for soldiers is key to maintaining the foremost combat force in the world, Geren said. "This is the first time since we've had an all-volunteer force that we've gone through extended deployments," the secretary said. The Army of World War II, Korea and Vietnam were mostly single, male draftees. The soldiers of today's force are volunteers and are married, and women serve in large numbers.

The stresses and strains on the all-volunteer force became apparent soon after beginning this conflict, Geren said. Over the past several years, the Army has devoted more and more resources to families.

"Soldiers who are married have expectations for their families, and we've been trying to meet those expectations," he said. "Over the past two years, we've doubled the amount of money that goes into family programs – [from] $700 million to $1.4 billion.

In his travels around the Army, Geren said, he has heard a lot of concern about the availability and affordability of quality child care. The Army has stepped up construction and manning of child care centers and is working to reduce the cost for enlisted families.

The service is stressed, Geren acknowledged, but he said soldiers continue to meet the challenges. Many of the soldiers have served three and four deployments, and some are gone as much as they are home. Increasing dwell time – the time soldiers are at home stations with families – is a priority. "The Army is growing, and we hope to meet the 1-to-2 goal [of one year deployed followed by two years at home station] by 2011," the secretary said.

Part of the problem is demand. Some 130,000 U.S. troops are in Iraq, and almost 60,000 servicemembers are in Afghanistan. The current dwell ratio is a bit over 1-to-1. "This is a work in progress," Geren said. "We must do more."

The role of reserve-component soldiers and the support provided to them increased during Geren's tenure. "It is clear that the reserves' role in the war has been crucial," he said. "We could not do what we have done without the reserves."

Yet equipping and training Army National Guard and Army Reserve units was far below that of active duty forces. Coordination with Congress has led to a significant increase in equipment funding. National Guard units are receiving the same equipment – often at the same time – as their active duty counterparts. The last "deuce and a half" – the trucks driven by Army forces since World War II – will be out of the service in fiscal 2011, all replaced by medium tactical trucks.

Personal protective equipment, night-vision goggles, communications systems, helicopters and much more are flowing to reserve-component units. Funding for Army National Guard equipment was $1 billion in fiscal 2001. Today, it is $3.9 billion yearly.

The reserves are valuable for another reason: their civilian experiences. Army Reserve and National Guardsmen take lessons learned in their civilian jobs to the battlefield, Geren noted. "We have units of soldiers who are farmers from states in the Midwest," he said. "They are working with Afghan farmers." The units are helping Afghan farmers cope with drought, plant crops other than the poppy that fuels the illicit drug trade and finances terrorist activities, and in keeping livestock alive and producing.

Other reservists are lawyers, city managers, firefighters and police, and they work with Afghan and Iraqi counterparts to build governance and economic bases.

"We need to do better in identifying these skills and putting them to work," Geren said.

But again, he emphasized, families matter.

"We must do a better job getting assistance to the families of our deployed reservists," he said. Reserve-component servicemembers are not centered at a base, as active duty units are. Updating family programs for reservists is important. Making programs available where they live is a priority that the Army is working on, the secretary said.

Caring for the wounded or the families of those killed in service is a promise the Army and the country must fulfill, Geren said. Under Geren's watch, the Army has set up 36 warrior transition units that allow soldiers to focus on getting better, or – if they are not returning to their units– what they will do with the rest of their lives. "We have to get rid of administrative rules that make no sense," he said. "Two years later, I still hear of these."

Transitioning from the Defense Department health care system to the Department of Veterans Affairs system remains a problem, Geren said. "The Army continues to work with VA to streamline the system, and it's better than it was, but it needs to be better [than it is now]," he said.

The service has also established soldier and family assistance centers to centralize services for transition. "If soldiers want educational opportunities, here's the place to get them," he said. "If they need help with housing or getting a job or signing up for VA benefits, it's all there."

The Warrior Care and Transition Program is the way the service will take the hard-won lessons and translate them to results. This past year, the Army spent $751 million on the program, and anticipates spending $1.2 billion this year. "This is the least we can do, given the tremendous sacrifices these soldiers and their families have made for us," Geren said.

The secretary said he appreciates that the American people support their soldiers, "but I don't think they understand the scope of their sacrifices," he said.

"They come up and shake their hands when walking through airports, but they don't fully understand what it is that these soldiers do for us every day," the secretary said. "We need to communicate that better, because just a small percentage of Americans volunteer for military service."

Geren, a former congressman from Texas, first started working at the Defense Department as a special assistant in 2001. "I was just going to spend two years and go home," he said. He served as acting secretary of the Air Force before becoming undersecretary of the Army, and ultimately secretary.

"For nearly eight years, I have watched soldiers go off to war and their families stand with them," he said. "I always will remember that I had the privilege to work for them when our nation was asking so much of them - truly the privilege of a lifetime.”

Air Force Office of Special Investigations

On August 7, 2009, Conversations with American Heroes at the Watering Hole will feature a discussion with Colonel Michael Angley, USAF (ret.), formerly of the Air Force Office of Special Investigations.

Program Date: August 7, 2009
Program Time: 2100 hours, Pacific
Topic: Air Force Office of Special Investigations
Listen Live:
http://www.blogtalkradio.com/LawEnforcement/2009/08/08/Air-Force-Office-of-Special-Investigations

About the Guest
Colonel Michael Angley, USAF (ret.) is a retired Special Agent of the Air Force Office of Special Investigations (OSI). The OSI is the Air Force equivalent of the Naval Criminal Investigative Service (NCIS), was modeled after the FBI, and has dual missions: felony-level criminal investigations and counterintelligence operations.

During Colonel Michael Angley’s 25-year OSI career, he has literally “seen it all.” When he was a young Special Agent in northern California he worked a number of undercover narcotics operations targeting Air Force jet mechanics that were using, selling, and distributing a variety of narcotics. Following a firm grounding in criminal investigations, to include, murder, arson, and child crime cases, Michael Angley began to specialize in counterintelligence operations. During his career he held thirteen different assignments worldwide, with most of his overseas time in the Far East and Middle East. In 1996 Michael Angley took command of all OSI units in the Middle East where he was responsible for operations in 23 countries. He established groundbreaking concepts for the conduct of counterterrorism programs that led the way to current operations in Iraq and Afghanistan. When Michael Angley retired in 2007, he was the Commander of OSI Region 8, Air Force Space Command, Peterson AFB, Colorado. He was responsible for all OSI criminal investigations and counterintelligence operations at thirteen Air Force Space Command locations in the United States. Colonel Michael Angley is the author of Child Finder.

About the Watering Hole
The Watering Hole is Police slang for a location cops go off-duty to blow off steam and talk about work and life. Sometimes funny; sometimes serious; but, always interesting.

About the Host
Lieutenant Raymond E. Foster was a sworn member of the Los Angeles Police Department for 24 years. He retired in 2003 at the rank of Lieutenant. He holds a bachelor’s from the Union Institute and University in Criminal Justice Management and a Master’s Degree in Public Financial Management from California State University, Fullerton; and, has completed his doctoral course work. Raymond E. Foster has been a part-time lecturer at California State University, Fullerton and Fresno; and is currently a Criminal Justice Department chair, faculty advisor and lecturer with the Union Institute and University. He has experience teaching upper division courses in Law Enforcement, public policy, Public Safety Technology and leadership. Raymond is an experienced author who has published numerous articles in a wide range of venues including magazines such as Government Technology, Mobile Government, Airborne Law Enforcement Magazine, and Police One. He has appeared on the History Channel and radio programs in the United States and Europe as subject matter expert in technological applications in Law Enforcement.

Listen, call, join us at the Watering Hole:
http://www.blogtalkradio.com/LawEnforcement/2009/08/08/Air-Force-Office-of-Special-Investigations

Program Contact Information
Lieutenant Raymond E. Foster, LAPD (ret.), MPA
editor@police-writers.com
909.599.7530

Ceremony Commemorates Vietnam War's First Combat Casualties

By Samantha L. Quigley
American Forces Press Service

July 8, 2009 - Bright blue skies above the National Mall today belied the solemnity of the ceremony commemorating the first two American combat casualties of the Vietnam War. "On this date 50 years ago, two men lost their lives in a country that most of us here in the United States had never heard of at the time," said Jan C. Scruggs, founder of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund. "The deaths of U.S. Army military advisors Maj. Dale Buis and Master Sgt. Chester Ovnand marked the beginning of a lengthy war, which became a very divisive event for our society."

U.S. involvement in Vietnam ended in 1975. By then, the fighting had claimed the lives of more than 58,000 U.S. servicemembers and nearly 2 million Vietnamese.

Pulitzer Prize-winning author Stanley Karnow, a World War II veteran, was there from the beginning, covering Asia for Time and Life magazines. In July 1959, he happened to be in Saigon, then the capital of South Vietnam and now known as Ho Chi Minh City, when he heard about an incident at a South Vietnamese army camp in the small town of Bien Hoa, about 25 miles to the north.

After a taxi ride to the camp, he discovered two Americans had been killed in an ambush as they watched a movie during a break in their duties as part of the U.S. Military Assistance Advisory Group.

The movie, "The Tattered Dress," was two reels long, and when Ovnand turned on the lights to change the reel, the enemy, who had surrounded the building and pushed gun muzzles through windows, opened fire.

Buis, 38, of California, had been in Bien Hoa just two days when he died in the hail of bullets. Ovnand, of Texas, was a hair's breadth from retirement and exactly two months shy of his 45th birthday.

Army Capt. Howard Boston of Iowa was seriously wounded in the incident, and two Vietnamese guards were killed.

Karnow wrote in his Time article that if it hadn't been for Army Maj. Jack Hellet of Baton Rouge, La., who turned the lights out again, all six Americans in the room might have died.

"I was quite astonished, but ... I'd been around wars for awhile, so the idea of a couple of guys getting killed in a remote place that nobody's ever heard of in America struck me as an interesting story," Karnow told those gathered for today's ceremony.

His dispatch to Time magazine ended up as a three-paragraph summary when the magazine was published, and as all Time stories were then, it was anonymous.

"It was just a minor incident in a faraway place. Here I was at the beginning of one of America's longest wars," Karnow said, noting that witnesses to history often don't recognize it at the time.

"I have a lot of experience of being at historic occasions, which at the time they occurred, I did not know they were historic," he said.

When Scruggs and his Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund were authorized by Congress in the late 1970s to build the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, the decision was made to list the casualties in chronological order. The question then became where to start.

Retired Army Col. Nathaniel P. Ward III, the advisory group's chief of staff at the time of the Bien Hoa incident, took an active role in ensuring Buis and Ovnand were properly recognized as the first U.S. casualties.

Initially, the Defense Department was considering an Army captain killed in 1961 as the first name to be inscribed on The Wall, retired Army Capt. Nathaniel P. Ward IV said during the ceremony. That didn't set well with his father, who had worked with Buis and Ovnand in Bien Hoa.

"[My father] petitioned for about a year, and they finally agreed to go with Major Buis and Sergeant Ovnand," the younger Ward said.

Ovnand's name appears on The Wall twice. The first time is on the first line of panel 1E, next to Buis's name. It later was re-inscribed on panel 7E, Row 46 because of a misspelling in the original inscription.

The ceremony concluded with the playing of "Taps," and the placing of a wreath at the apex of The Wall, below the names of the first two U.S. combat casualties of the Vietnam War.

MILITARY CONTRACTS July 8, 2009

AIR FORCE
Northrop Grumman Space and Mission Systems Corp., Van Nuys, Calif.; Ball Aerospace & Technologies Corp., Boulder, Co.; and General Dynamic Advanced Information Systems, Dayton, Ohio are awarded a combined $600,000,000 indefinite delivery/quantity contract to support the National Air and Space Intelligence Center's Advanced Technical Exploitation Program. At this time, $64,969 has been obligated to both Northrop Grumman and Ball Aerospace; and $64,919 has been obligated to General Dynamics. ASC/PKESI is the contracting activity (FA8604-09-D-7975; FA5604-09-D-7976; FA8604-09-D-7977).

DEFENSE LOGISTICS AGENCY
Sikorsky Aircraft Corp., Stratford, Conn., is being awarded a maximum $52,167,673 firm fixed price, sole source contract for spare parts supply to support numerous aircraft platforms. There are no other locations of performance. Using services are Army, Navy, Air Force and Marine Corps. There was originally one proposal solicited with one response. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract is exercising the fourth one-year option period. The date of performance completion is July 7, 2010. The contracting activity is the Defense Supply Center Richmond, Richmond, Va.,

NAVY
General Atomics, San Diego, Calif., is being awarded a $32,727,170 not to exceed, cost-plus-fixed-fee contract for development of a prototype hybrid electric drive (HED) system for a full-scale demonstration. HED is aimed at improving the operating efficiency of the engineering plant on DDG 51 Class Ships and is intended to demonstrate the capability for significant fuel savings by incorporating advanced electric machine technology. This supports the national defense imperative to reduce dependence on foreign non-renewable energy resources. Work will be performed in San Diego, Calif., (50 percent); Milwaukee, Wis., (24 percent), and Hudson, Mass., (26 percent), and is expected to be completed by June 2014. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was competitively procured under a Broad Agency Announcement, with 23 offers received. The Naval Sea Systems Command, Washington Navy Yard, D.C., is the contracting activity (N00024-09-C-4222).

General Dynamics, Electric Boat Corp., Groton, Conn., is being awarded a $21,600,000 modification to previously awarded delivery order N00024-08-G-6321 for off-hull fabrication of the port retractable bow plane, and material procurement and off-hull fabrication of the sail for the USS Hartford (SSN 768). Work will be performed in Groton, Conn., (30 percent) and Quonset Point, R.I., (70 percent), and is expected to be completed by January 2010. Contract funds in the amount of $21,600,000 will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Naval Sea Systems Command, Washington Navy Yard, D.C., is the contracting activity.

The Lockheed Martin Space Systems Co., Strategic Missile Programs, Sunnyvale, Calif., is being awarded a $13,843,373 cost-plus-fixed-fee contract to provide the nuclear weapons security (NWS) equipment installation and maintenance and training services for various NWS projects. Work will be performed in Sunnyvale, Calif., (54 percent); Pittsfield, Mass., (19 percent); Denver, Colo., (2 percent); St. Marys, Ga., (8 percent); Cocoa Beach, Fla., (8 percent); Silverdale, Wash., (8 percent); New York, N.Y., (1 percent), and work is expected to be completed Sept. 30, 2011. Contract funds in the amount of $1,801,239 will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was not competitively procured. The Navy's Strategic Systems Programs, Arlington, Va., is the contracting agency (N00030-09-C-0019).

Sippican/GSM Submarine Antenna Joint Venture, LCC, Marion, Mass., is being awarded a $6,925,993 cost-plus-incentive-fee/cost-plus-fixed fee contract (N00039-09-C-0038) for design and development of an Increment 2 capability of the multi-function mast (OE-538) antenna system. SPAWAR awarded the contract on behalf of its organizational partner, the Navy's program executive office for command, control, communications, computers, and intelligence systems. This contract includes options for low rate initial production and full rate production quantities of OE-538 Increment 2 hardware, as well as options for engineering/depot repair services and provisioning item orders, which, if exercised, would bring the cumulative value of this contract to an estimated $57,638,081. Work will be performed in Marion, Mass., (97 percent) and Manchester, N.H., (3 percent), and is expected to be completed by December 2011. If all options are exercised, work could continue until September 2017. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was competitively procured with one offer received via the Commerce Business Daily's Federal Business Opportunities website, and the SPAWAR e-Commerce Central website. The Space and Naval Warfare Systems Command, San Diego, Calif., is the contracting activity (N00039-09-C-0038).

Face of Defense: Soldier Prepares for President's Ghana Visit

American Forces Press Service

July 8, 2009 - A North Dakota Army National Guard officer is on the front end of President Barack Obama's visit to the country later this week. Maj. Michael A. Holly is assigned here as the bilateral affairs officer for North Dakota's State Partnership Program with Ghana. He and his family relocated to Ghana last year, and he works out of the U.S. Embassy here in Ghana's capital.

For the past month, he also has served as the deputy arrival and departure contact officer for the upcoming presidential visit.

"This includes everything from meeting the aircraft to coordinating Ghana armed forces' honor guard, 21-gun salute and band," Holly said. "We also work the customs and immigration clearance of all personnel. This includes the press corps and all other affiliated travelers."

It's another unique mission for Holly, who worked as an observer during Ghana's January elections. His main missions directly involve the State Partnership Program, which North Dakota began with Ghana in 2004 as part of a Defense Department-sponsored initiative that aligns states with partner countries to encourage the development of economic, political and military ties.

Building these relationships helps Guardsmen learn to interact within cultures with which they are unfamiliar, an increasingly important skill, while also bringing expertise and knowledge to a country anxious to prosper, Guard officials say.

"Ghanaians are very excited about this event," Holly said of the president's visit. "While it will be short, they consider it a fantastic honor that President Obama has chosen to visit Ghana."

The trip will be the president's first to sub-Saharan Africa. According to a White House news release, the trip to Accra will highlight "the critical role that sound governance and civil society play in promoting lasting development."

"At times my friends kid me about being just a tooth on a cog in a large machine," Holly said. "But from my perspective, being a part of something like this is another way to develop relationships with Ghanaians; and that allows me to better support the programs of our ambassador, Africa Command and North Dakota."

(From a North Dakota National Guard news release.)

Defense Schools Work to Raise Awareness, Prevent Suicides

By Samantha L. Quigley
American Forces Press Service

July 8, 2009 - Defense Department schools are taking on the tough topic of suicide to prevent what is a leading cause of death among teens. Suicide is the third-leading cause of death among 15- to 19-year-olds, according to the American Academy of Pediatrics. That makes it an important topic for the Department of Defense Education Activity, which runs a school system that serves the children of servicemembers and the department's civilian employees overseas and at many stateside locations.

The activity's schools use "SOS Signs of Suicide," a program developed by Screening for Mental Health, a private company that provides age-appropriate materials for students in Grades 6 through 12.

"It's a wonderful program [that] goes through all of the typical things that a student should see in other students when they are considering hurting themselves," said Mary Patton, the activity's pupil personnel service coordinator.

The middle school program teaches students how to identify symptoms of depression, self-injury and suicidal indicators in themselves and friends. The high school program builds on that, educating students that depression is treatable and equipping them to deal with a friend or family member at risk of committing suicide.

Students learn which behaviors signal that a friend or family member might be in trouble, and what to do if they encounter someone exhibiting those behaviors.

"They're now very attuned to what to look for," Patton said. "They don't go looking for it, but if they have a friend that all of a sudden starts giving away all his prized possessions, they know that's an immediate sign. Students learn to notify an adult – a teacher, principal or school counselor – if they notice danger signs.

"A child cannot have that responsibility of doing something," Patton said. "They have to tell somebody who has the skills and the knowledge and the resources to do something for that child [in crisis]."

Patton suggests the same approach if a parent is concerned about a child. Talking to the school nurse, principal or counselor is always the best thing to do, she said.

"You can read all you want, but sitting down and describing it [is more effective]," she said. "I don't think a parent ever needs to be embarrassed that their child has strange behaviors, and if it turns out it's just teenage strange behavior, good."

Officials are making a concerted effort to prevent suicide among the activity's students, Patton said. In addition to the suicide prevention programs, she explained, the Defense Department schools have the nationally recommended number of school counselors and psychologists: a counselor for every 300 students, and a psychologist for every 1,000 students within the system.

"Military family life consultants who work under contract also are part of the effort. "They're licensed social workers and psychologists who rotate in and out of our schools," Patton said.

That rotation allows for fresh perspectives on how to help those who may be struggling with mental health issues, she added. The consultants serve in areas with high deployment rates and other areas where issues that seem to cause mental health problems exist.

Commanders at Fort Campbell, Ky., took three days in May to address the high number of suicides on the post this year, but the schools aren't seeing a correlation between the wars and students' risk for suicide, Patton said.

The education activity doesn't keep statistics on suicides among students, she said, but does track serious-incident reports. Among those, data does not indicate increased suicides among students since the start of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, she said.

While she can't say for certain, Patton said, the lack of increases in student suicides or attempted suicides would lead officials to consider the prevention programs successful.

But that doesn't mean students can't become "at risk," she emphasized.

"Any time there's a change in a student's behavior, that's one of the first indicators," Patton said. "Any time there's a drop in grades, we look at that.

An increase in absences, physical ailments that seem to defy definition or diagnosis, depression of any kind, or a lack of interest in things that usually brought happiness -- all are indicators that a child may be at risk, she added.

Friends and family also should note if a depressed child suddenly becomes cheerful, which could indicate a decision to commit suicide, Patton said.

Defense schools do much to stave off situations that may lead a child to become depressed enough to consider suicide, she said. The schools offer a variety of activities such as sports, clubs and places where students can feel that they fit in.

If they have a place where they belong, Patton said, children feel more secure and are happier.

"I would never minimize the importance of family time," she added, noting that family doesn't have to just be blood relatives. "Kids need a place to belong, and usually the family is the safest place. [But] families don't necessarily include a mom or a dad. A lot of military families have friends that are family members."

The American Academy of Pediatrics suggests keeping lines of communication open as another way to prevent suicide. Asking the child's pediatrician for guidance also can be helpful, Patton said.

'Patriot' Walks for Deployed Troops

By Donna Miles
American Forces Press Service

July 7, 2009 - The best way to show deployed troops you care, says Cody Anderson, is to send them prepaid international phone cards so they can call home to their friends and loved ones. Today, Anderson, 54, of Mineral Bluff, Ga., is wrapping a four-and-a-half-week personal sojourn, walking back and forth from the U.S. Capitol to the White House to raise awareness about the troops and encourage people to donate phone cards for them.

Yesterday, Anderson's walking shoes were showing signs of his 1,000-mile personal walkathon as he plodded back and forth between the two national icons, passing out white business cards to everyone he encountered to promote his cause. "What better cause than to support our troops?" he asked.

Anderson's goal is to generate one international phone card for every servicemember deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan.

"I do this because I'm a patriot. I love our country and support our troops," he said. "I figure that this is one thing I can do to make their life a little better."

So six days a week – from 9 each morning to 5 at night -- he has walked nonstop, through rain, blazing heat, aching legs and even on his birthday, July 4, as Independence Day crowds descended on the nation's capital. On Sundays, he took a break to attend church and rest his weary bones.

Anderson is no stranger to unusual ways of showing support for the troops. He did a 45-mile walk between Naples and Fort Myers City, Fla., in December 2003 to encourage people to "adopt" deployed troops by sending cards and letters of encouragement. For several years, he's collected, packed, shipped and delivered care packages and phone cards to troops stationed around the world.

"I love doing this," he said. "We owe our troops so much for what they do for us."

As he conducted his Washington walk, Anderson already had his sights set on his next one: between Atlanta and Fort Benning, Ga.

"I'm going to keep doing whatever I can to get phone cards to the troops," he said. "I'm still at it, working hard."

Obama Proposes New Security Relationship with Russia

By John J. Kruzel
American Forces Press Service

July 7, 2009 - President Barack Obama today called on current generations free from Cold War antipathy to chart a new course of U.S.-Russian relations that focuses on areas of mutual interests. Addressing an audience at the New Economic School in Moscow, Obama spoke about reducing nuclear arsenals, negotiating a missile defense program in Europe, and security topics such as Afghanistan and NATO.

"Together, we can build a world where people are protected, prosperity is enlarged, and our power truly serves progress," he said. "And it is all in your hands."

On nuclear weapon reduction, Obama noted that he and Russian President Dmitri Medvedev agreed yesterday to reduce U.S. and Russian nuclear weapons stockpiles by up to a third. In a meeting at the Kremlin, the leaders signed a pact to follow up the Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty, known as START.

"America has an interest in reversing the spread of nuclear weapons and preventing their use. That is why America is committed to stopping nuclear proliferation, and ultimately seeking a world without nuclear weapons," Obama said. "And while I know this goal won't be met soon, pursuing it provides the legal and moral foundation to prevent the proliferation and eventual use of nuclear weapons."

As the United States and Russia stick to their own commitments, Obama said, they must also hold other nations accountable for meeting their obligations. He warned that Iranian or North Korean nuclear capabilities could spark an arms race in East Asia or the Middle East.

"I'm pleased that President Medvedev and I agreed upon a joint threat assessment of the ballistic missile challenges of the 21st century, including from Iran and North Korea," he said.

But Obama said nuclear nonproliferation is a concern for the international community writ large – an issue that's not solved by singling out individual nations.

"If we fail to stand together, then the [Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty] and the [United Nations] Security Council will lose credibility, and international law will give way to the law of the jungle," he said.

Acknowledging that U.S. plans to configure a missile defense in Europe has been met with opposition in Russia, the president reiterated that the system is designed to defend against an Iranian attack, not to weaken Moscow. He also proposed working with Moscow on creating acceptable missile defense architecture.

"I want us to work together on a missile defense architecture that makes us all safer," he said. "But if the threat from Iran's nuclear and ballistic missile programs is eliminated, the driving force for missile defense in Europe will be eliminated. That is in our mutual interest."

Speaking about Afghanistan, Obama highlighted another pact signed yesterday – one that permits the United States to transit troops and weapons across Russian territory en route to Afghanistan. The agreement allows for 4,500 flights per year through Russian airspace, and saves the U.S. government $133 million annually in transportation costs while boosting logistical efficiency.

He underscored America's goal in the region: to disrupt, dismantle, and defeat al-Qaida and its allies in Afghanistan and Pakistan.

"I'm pleased that Russia has agreed to allow the United States to supply our coalition forces through your territory," Obama said. "Neither America nor Russia has an interest in an Afghanistan or Pakistan governed by the Taliban.

"It is time to work together on behalf of a different future – a future in which we leave behind the great game of the past and the conflict of the present; a future in which all of us contribute to the security of Central Asia," he said, alluding to the 19th and early 20th century geopolitical competition for Central Asian dominance known as the "Great Game."

Addressing a controversial topic, Obama said state sovereignty must be a cornerstone of international order – a reference to the five-day conflict last August during which Russia invaded an enclave within the borders of the former Soviet satellite of Georgia. The government in Tbilisi is seeking membership to NATO, which would guarantee protection under Article 5 of the Washington Treaty, which created the alliance. The article states that an attack against one NATO member is an attack against all.

But Obama underscored that NATO, a political and military alliance that came to rise during the Cold War, now seeks collaboration with Russia, not confrontation.

"For any country to become a member of NATO, a majority of its people must choose to, they must undertake reforms, and they must be able to contribute to the alliance's mission," he said. "And let me be clear: NATO seeks collaboration with Russia, not confrontation."

Chairman Cites Dialogue as Key to Middle East Strategy

By Jim Garamone
American Forces Press Service

July 7, 2009 - The strategy in the greater Middle East "is not about how many enemy we kill, but about how many civilians we protect," the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff said here today. Navy Adm. Mike Mullen made the observation during a talk at the Center for Strategic and International Studies.

Dialogue and building partnerships across the greater Middle East is the U.S. strategy in the region, Mullen said, citing Iran as a particular challenge in the region. The United States and international community should engage in dialogue with Tehran, the chairman said.

"On the security side, I am very concerned with [Iran's] development of nuclear weapons, their funding and sponsoring of terrorism and focusing that support of Hezbollah and Hamas, and being a destabilizing influence in the region," he said.

The chairman said he believes Iranian possession of nuclear weapons would spur an arms race in the greater Middle East, just as India acquiring nuclear weapons spurred an arms race on the subcontinent. If Iran develops a deliverable nuclear weapon – and the country is building longer-range missiles – then neighboring countries would feel the need to develop their own nuclear arsenals, he explained.

"I don't see a lot of space between where Iran is headed and then potentially what might happen," the admiral said. "There is a great deal that depends on the dialogue and engagement, and I think we ought to do that with all options remaining on the table, including, certainly, the military options."

Terrorists conceivably could get nuclear weapons, and with no "return address" deliver one without fear of mutually assured destruction, Mullen said. "I know al-Qaida still seeks that," he added. "I think our broad-term engagement across the Middle East ... is to create partnerships and dialogue and understanding."

All nations must realize the danger of this proliferation and do everything in their power to ensure it does not happen, he said.

Mullen noted that when he took over as chairman in October 2007, the priority was Iraq. U.S. casualty lists were mounting, and while the "surge" that ultimately improved security had taken place, its full effect had not yet been felt.

Last week was a big week in Iraq, Mullen noted, with the last U.S. combat troops leaving the cities and towns. These troops are now posted outside the cities, on call if their Iraqi allies need them. While some large attacks have taken place, June had the lowest number of attacks since the war began, the chairman said.

Major elections are planned in Iraq at the beginning of next year, and U.S. troops levels will stay at about 130,000 through those elections. After that, commanders expect the force level to drop in the spring to around 35,000 to 50,000, with all U.S. troops coming out of Iraq by the end of 2011, Mullen said.

Iraq poses many political challenges, Mullen acknowledged, but he said he's encouraged by Vice President Joe Biden's visit to Iraq in recent days and the U.S. commitment it represents.

But because Iraq cannot be viewed alone, the chairman said, he has started working on strategic issues pertaining to the broader Middle East. He called that region the most volatile area of the world and said all nations must cooperate to solve its problems. "We must do this across the full spectrum of national and international power," he said.

The main military effort has now shifted to Afghanistan, but also includes Pakistan in any strategic appraisal, Mullen said. Still, he added, the challenges are more than simply Iraq and Afghanistan. From Beirut to Tehran and Islamabad to Gaza, he said, the United States must forge ties with governments and with people.

The United States must "understand how we proceed in the future and how we engage and address the countries that are involved in this," Mullen said.

The chairman said the situation in the region is urgent, but that does not mean the United States can forgo a long-term approach to its relations around the greater Middle East.

"There needs to be a long-term view and an element of patience that recognizes you are not going to solve these things overnight," he said. "Any solution is going to take constant engagement, constant pressure and a comprehensive approach across all aspects of what we do."

In Afghanistan, the new U.S. leaders – Ambassador Karl Eikenberry and Army Gen. Stanley A. McChrystal, who recently took command of NATO and U.S. forces in Afghanistan – are working to understand the situation, Mullen said. Additional American troops in the south and east have brought the fight to the enemy. The United States lost seven soldiers in combat in Afghanistan yesterday, and the fight is going to get tougher, he said.

Instilling security, separating terrorists and extremists from the Afghan people, and protecting them from the ravages of war is the counterinsurgency strategy, the chairman said. "But it is just beginning, and we don't know how this will go," he said. "I'm comfortable that strategically we know how to do this."

The effort in Afghanistan is fully resourced, the chairman said. The effort will create the security needed to hold the Taliban out of cleared areas, he said, and will allow the economy and governance portion of the effort to take hold and succeed. The coalition also is working to train Afghan security forces rapidly so they can assume the responsibility for defense of their own country.

The greater Middle East is a vital area to American and international interests, Mullen said. "Responsible leadership throughout the world must generate peaceful outcomes and not ones that generate more conflict with so many challenges in that part of the world," he added.

MILITARY CONTRACTS July 7, 2009

U.S. SPECIAL OPERATIONS COMMAND
Contract H92222-06-D-0007 with L-3 Global Communications Solutions, Inc., of Victor, N.Y., is being modified to increase the not-to-exceed ceiling from $60,000,000 to $117,000,000. This modification does not change the period of performance or the current negotiated prices. This indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract is for the procurement of satellite communication terminals, including equipment and services such as spares kits, training, and logistical support, in support of USSOCOM Special Operations Forces Deployable Node - Medium program. The work will continue to be performed in Victor. The original contract was awarded through full and open competitive procedures.

NAVY
Navistar Defense LLC, Warrenville, Ill., is being awarded $39,220,048 for firm-fixed-priced delivery order #0004 modification under previously awarded contract (M67854-07-D-5032) for the procurement of OCONUS field service representatives, new equipment training instructors, CONUS FSR instructors, and senior FSRs. This order is in support of the Mine Resistant Ambush Protected (MRAP) vehicle program. The MRAP vehicles are armored vehicles with blast resistant underbodies designed to protect the crew from mine blasts, fragmentary, and direct fire weapons. Work will be performed in the United States and Iraq, and work is expected to be completed by the end of September 2010. Procurement funds in the amount of $38,068,109 will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The base contract was competitively awarded, and the new requirements are sole source additions to the contract. The Marine Corps Systems Command, Quantico, Va., is the contracting activity.

Trijicon, Inc.*, Wixom, Mich., is being awarded a $33,000,000 not-to-exceed ceiling, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract for the procurement, delivery, maintenance, and logistical support of the M240B medium machine gun day optic (MDO). The MDO is a magnified day optic that mounts onto the M240B medium machine gun. The MDO is to aid the machine gunner in target detection, recognition, and identification, thereby increasing the combat effectiveness and lethality of the user. This contract is a five-year contract with a minimum buy of 25 MDO systems within the first contract year. Work will be performed in Wixom, Mich., and is expected to be completed by July 2014. Contract funds in the amount of $16,418,551 will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was competitively procured, with proposals solicited via the Navy Electronic Commerce Online, with two offers received. The Marine Corps Systems Command, Quantico, Va., is the contracting activity for contract number M67854-09-D-1015.

Navistar Defense LLC, Warrenville, Ill., is being awarded $9,902,450 for firm-fixed-priced modification to delivery order #0010 under previously awarded contract (M67854-07-D-5032) for the procurement of additional initial sustainment items in support of Mine Resistant Ambush Protected (MRAP) MaxxPro Dash vehicles. Work will be performed in WestPoint, Miss., and work is expected to be completed by the end of December 2009. Procurement funds in the amount of $4,205,473 will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was competitively procured. The Marine Corps Systems Command, Quantico, Va., is the contracting activity.

Barnhart, Inc., San Diego, Calif., is being awarded $8,843,447 for firm-fixed price task order #0003 under a previously awarded multiple award construction contract (N62473-08-D-8614) for design and construction of a large fire crash rescue station at Travis Air Force Base. The task order also contains one unexercised option and one planned modification, which if exercised would increase the cumulative task order value to $10,329,235. Work will be performed in Fairfield, Calif., and is expected to be completed by December 2010. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. Four proposals were received for this task order. The Naval Facilities Engineering Command, Southwest, San Diego, Calif., is the contracting activity.

ARMY
Apptis, Inc., Chantilly, Va., was awarded on Jul. 1, 2009 a $132,891,928 time and material contract for information technology telecommunications support services for worldwide command center upgrades in support of the project manager Defense Communications and Army Transmission Systems Command Centers upgrades special project office. Work is to be determined by mission requirements with an estimated completion date of Jun. 30, 2011. Sixteen bids solicited and 3 bids received. Army Contracting Command, Alexandria, Va., is the contracting activity (W91QUZ-06-D-0014).

Clark Construction Group, LLC Tampa, Fla. was awarded on June 30, 2009 a $61,068,000 form-fixed-contract for a new 4-story, 257,000 square foot building. The facility will utilize pile and reinforced concrete foundations, steel frame with insulated pre-cast concrete panels, metal decking, standing seam mental roof, raised access flooring throughout, laminated force protection glass, elevators, underground utilities, parking, landscaping, exterior walkways, paving, large entrance plaza, security fencing, backup generator power, uninterruptible power supply system, telecommunication wiring infrastructure, and audio visual infrastructure. Work is to be performed in Macdill Air Force Base, Fla., with an estimated completion date of June 24, 2013. Bids were solicited using Fed Bid Opps with sixteen bids received. Corps of Engineers-Mobile Regional Contracting Center, Mobile, Ala., is the contracting activity (W91278-09-C-0031).

Softmart Government Services, Inc., Downing Pa., was awarded on June 30, 2009 a $42,300,300 firm-fixed-price order off of a single award Blanket Purchase Agreement contract. This contract is for the Microsoft Enterprise License Agreement- 2 (MS ELA-2) is for the acquisition of Microsoft (MS) software assurance (SA) and MS software product licenses through an order under the single award MS ELA-2 BPA. The Army has perpetual licenses for all MS software purchased to date and SA for all those licenses. Microsoft SA provides licensed users with the ability to upgrade their current version of Microsoft products as new versions are made available by Microsoft. Work is to be performed worldwide in Continental United States and outside Continental United States locations with an estimated completion date of Oct. 31, 2014. Bids were solicited using GSA e-buy website with four bids received. Department of the Army, Army Contracting Command, NCRCC, Information Technology, E-Commerce and Commercial Contracting Center is the contracting activity (W91QUZ-09-A-004).

Nitek, Inc., Sterling, Va., was awarded in Jun. 30, 2009 a $ 38,218,413 firm-fixed-price contract for 50 Husky Mounted Detection Systems (HMDS), initial spare parts, and HMDS support is for an urgent requirement in support of counter-Improvised Explosive Device (IED) operations in Afghanistan, providing precise marking of the location of buried threats. Executing the undefinitized contract action under urgent and compelling authority substantially reduced the risk to soldiers by providing the enhanced capabilities in an expedited timeframe. Work is to be performed in Sterling, Va., with an estimated completion date of June 30, 2010. One bid solicited with one bid received. Communications-Electronic Command Contracting Center-Washington, Alexandria, Va., is the contracting activity (W909MY-09-C-0069).

RQ Construction, Inc. Carlsbad, Calif., was awarded on Jun. 30, 2009 a $35,740,000 firm-fixed-price contract for the design/build of a new single story, pre-engineered, repair facility. This facility will repair a variety of aircraft power components. Work is to be performed in Fort Bliss, Texas with an estimated completion date of Sept. 31, 2010. Bids were solicited on the World Wide Web with sixteen bids received. U.S. Army Engineer District Sacramento, Calif., was the contracting activity (W9123-09-C-0012).

AECOM Government Services Inc., Fort Worth, Texas. was awarded on July 3, 2009 a $28,272,411 cost-plus-fixed-fee contract for maintenance and repair of final 2,200 1114 up-armored vehicles for transfer to the Iraqi Army. Work is to be performed in Iraq with an estimated completion date of Jan. 31, 2010. One bid solicited with one bid received. Rock Island Contracting Center , Rock Island, Ill. is the contracting activity (W52P1J-05-D-0004).

DRS Test & Energy Management, Inc., Huntsville, Ala. was awarded on Jun. 30, 2009 a $26,200,000 firm-fixed-price contract for various hardware kits to support direct support electrical system test sets. Work is to be performed in Huntsville, Ala., with an estimated completion date of Sept 30, 2011. One bids solicited with one bid received. U.S. Army TACOM LCMC (RI), AMSCC-TAC-ARV-B Rock Island, Ill., is the contracting activity (W52H09-06-G-0001).

General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Inc., San Diego, Calif., was awarded on June 30, 2009 a $ 24,405,260 cost-plus- incentive fee contract for the acquisition of additional extended range multi-purpose unmanned aircraft systems hardware to support Army system integration laboratory and training at Fort Huachuca, Ariz. Work is to be performed in San Diego, Calif., (46 percent); Adelanto, Calif., (14 percent); Palmdale, Calif., (8 percent); Salt Lake City, Utah (18 percent); Hunt Vallley, Md. (14 percent) with an estimated date of Mar. 31, 2011. U.S. Army Aviation and Missile Command, Redstone Arsenal, Ala., is the contracting activity (W58RGZ-05-C-0069).

W.M. Jordan Co., Newport News, Va., was awarded on Jul. 1, 2009, a $ 15,000,000 firm-fixed-price contract for the design-build project for the Center Campus Part 2 at Fort Lee, Virginia. The project includes construction of four ordnance training facilities and associated site work. The building will be comprised of the following spaces: administrative, general instruction, compact item repair instruction; general item repair instruction; vehicle maintenance instruction auto-aided instruction, and organizational storage. Work is to be performed in Fort Lee, Va., with an estimated completion date of Dec. 10, 2010. U.S. Army Corps of Engineer, Norfolk District, Norfolk, Va., is the contracting activity (W91236-09-C-0059).

Great Lakes Dredge and Dock Co., Oakbrook, Ill., was awarded on Jun. 30, 2009 a $14,258,800 construction contract for maintenance dredging Manteo Bay, Orgen Inlet Bridge Vicinity and Ocean Bar, Dare County, N.C. . Work is to be performed in Dare County, N.C., with an estimated completion date of Nov. 15, 2009. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Savannah, Ga., is the contracting activity (W912HN-09-C-0032).

Snap-On Industrial, A Div. of IDSC Holding, LLC, St. Kenosha, Wis., was awarded on Jul. 1, 2009 a $ 12,126,087 IDIQ firm-fixed-price contract to forward repair system tool load. Work is to be performed in Kenosha, Wis., with an estimated completion date of May 31, 2014. One bid solicited with one bid received. TACOM Contracting Command, Rock Island Arsenal, Rock Island, Ill., is the contracting activity (W56HZV-09-D-0157).

R.T. Milord, Co. Bridgeview, Ill., was awarded on Jun. 30, 2009 a $11,997,202 construction, firm-fixed-price contract for earth work for Union Pacific Railroad to build a new main line in order to use their old one to stage deployments faster and more efficiently. Work is to be performed in Fort Riley, Kansas with an estimated completion date of Sept. 30, 2010. Bids were solicited on the World Wide Web with six bids received. U.S. Army Corp of Engineers, Kansas City, Mo., is the contracting activity (W912DQ-09-C-4023).

Lecon, Inc., Houston, Texas. was awarded on July 2, 2009 a $ 9,749,995 firm-fixed-price contract for Sims Bayou, Houston, Texas in Harris County, Texas downstream of South Post Oak to Bathurst drive, channel recertification. The work consist of channel excavation, backfill, storm drains, articulated concrete blocks, metal sheet piling, relief wells, sub drainage system, and storm drains. Work is to be performed in Harris County, Texas. with an estimated completion date of Jan. 20, 2011. Sixty-one (61) bids were solicited with nine (9) bids received. U.S.A. Engineer District Galveston, Texas. is the contracting activity (W912HY-09-C-0026).

T.W. Laquay Dredging Inc., Port Lavaca, Texas was awarded on Jul. 1, 2009 a $9,712,080 firm-fixed-price contract for a Houston ship Channel, Texas, Sims to turning basin with light draft in Harris County, Texas, pipeline dredging. The work consists of dredging approximately 981,000 cubic yards of maintenance material, debris removal, drop outlet structure repair, and removal of sunken vessel. Work is to be performed in Harris County, Texas. with an estimated completion date of Feb. 28, 2010. Thirty-three bids solicited and four bids received. U.S. Army Engineer District, Galveston, Texas is the contracting activity (W912HY-09-C-0024).

Eyak Development Corp., Falls Church, Va., was awarded on July 2, 2009 a $8,892,293 firm-fixed-price contract to procure support for the Automated Neurocognitive Assessment Metrics (ANAM) program office on the performance of baseline neurocognitive testing for deploying service members of the Army, Navy, Air Force, and Marines within 12 months prior to deployment platforms, embedded ANAM testing sites, and isolated ANAM testing sites. With the exception of the government furnished items and services identified in the performance work statement, the contractor shall provide the professional, technical, and administrative personnel, services, materials, facilities, and supplies necessary to provide ANAM testing services. The contractor shall provide functional and technical support; training of government personnel to properly administer the ANAM test to service members; data collection and reporting; information management; operational reviews; test results tracking and trending; ANAM reports; and overall maintenance for the ANAM program. Work is to be performed worldwide with an estimated completion date of Jul. 02, 2010. One bid solicited with one bid received. U.S.A. Medical Command, Center for Health Care Contracting, Fort Sam, Houston Texas is the contracting activity (W81K04-09-C-0002).

L-3 Services, Inc., San Diego, Calif., was awarded on July 2, 2009 a $ 8,554,303 firm-fixed-price, time and material contract for recurring engineering and production unit delta to incorporate a new receiver with satellite on-the-move system capability into the current Prophet Spiral I production systems. Work is to be performed in San Diego, Calif. with an estimated completion date of Dec. 31, 2010. One Sole Source bid was solicited with one bid received . CECOM Acquisition Center, Fort Monmouth, N.J., was the contracting activity (DAAB07-01-C-L539).

Military Truck Parts, Inc., Many, La., was awarded on July 2, 2009 a $7,144,364 firm-fixed-contract for 80 each Ford E-350 16-passenger vans, 10 each Ford E-350 8-passenger vans, 10 each Ford E-450 refrigerator vans, 33 diesel engines, square parts, diagnostic tools and training. Work is to be performed in Many, La.,with an estimated completion date of Feb. 2, 2011. One bid solicited with one bid received. TACOM, AMSCC-TAC-ADBA, Warren, Mich., is the contracting activity (W56HZV-09-C-0493).

Ballistie Recovery Systems, Inc., South Saint Paul, M.N. was awarded on July 1, 2009 a $ 6,103,699 firm-fixed-price contract for the procurement of 1800 each G12 cargo parachutes with an option for an additional quantity of 1500 each NSN 1670-01-065-3755. Work is to be performed in Pinebluff, N.C., with an estimated completion date of Mar. 30, 2012. Bids were solicited on the World Wide Web with seven bids received. Research, Development and Engineering Command Contracting Center, Natick, Mass., is the contracting activity (W58P05-09-C-0012).

Gentex Corp., Rancho Cucamonga, Calif., was awarded on Jun. 29, 2009 a $6,081,302 cost-plus-fixed-fee contract for an award of a cost-plus-incentive fee delivery order to design, develop, test, prepare associated documentation and deliver the Joint Services Aircrew Mask-Fixed Wing Joint Strike Fighter Variant Integration. Work is to be performed in Rancho Cucamonga, Calif., (95 percent) and Federica, DE (5 percent) with an estimated completion date of Sept. 30, 2011. One bid solicted with one bid received. U.S. Army Research, Development and Engineering Command Acquisition Center, Aberdeen Proving Ground, Md., is the contracting activity (FA8902-06-D-0001).

Great Lakes Dredge & Dock Co., Oak Brook, Ill. was awarded on July 2, 2009 a $5,874,741 firm-fixed-price contract for dredging-Brunswick Harbor entrance channel (ARRA funds). Work is to be performed in Brunswick, Ga., with an estimated completion date of Sept. 30, 2009. Bids were solicited on the World Wide Web with three bids received. U.S. Army Engineer District, Savannah, Ga., is the contracting activity (W912HN-09-D-0002).

DEFENSE LOGISTICS AGENCY
McDonnell Douglas Corp., St. Louis, Mo., is being awarded a maximum $7,900,000 firm-fixed-price, sole source contract for line items to support depot stand up effort. There are no other locations of performance. Using service is Navy. There was originally one proposal solicited with one response. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The date of performance completion is July 31, 2012. The contracting activity is the Defense Logistics Agency (DSCR-ZC), Philadelphia, Pa., (N00383-06-D-0011-TH03).

During his visit to Russia, President Obama has sung Putin's praises (does anyone really believe Medvedev is calling the shots?) and declared that the United States and Russia are "destined to be antagonists."

Russia may have other ideas. Under Putin Russia has begun a military transformation and modernization program which will leave it with a streamlined army of 60 brigades equipped with state of the art T-90 tanks and BMPT fighting vehicles. Russia also plans a massive naval expansion with as many as six aircraft carriers. Most ominously, the Russians are upgrading their strategic rocket forces.

Will's book about the 2nd Armored Cavalry Regiment and the Battle of 73 Easting, is called A Line Through the Desert. It may be purchased at Amazon.

Obama, Medvedev Agree to Reduce Nuclear Stockpiles

By Jim Garamone
American Forces Press Service

July 6, 2009 - President Barack Obama and Russian President Dmitri Medvedev agreed in Moscow today to reduce U.S. and Russian nuclear weapons stockpiles by up to a third. Medvedev said during a news conference with Obama at the Kremlin that the two leaders have forged an understanding on a pact to follow up the Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty, known as START.

"We agreed on the levels of carriers and warheads, meaning that this is a very concrete subject," the Russian president said. "In the mutual understanding, as we have just signed with the president of the United States, it is said that our two countries can have from 500 to 1,100 carriers of strategic arms, and from 1,500 to 1,675 warheads."

The leaders agreed that offensive and defensive systems should be considered together. The two also adopted a joint statement on anti-ballistic missile programs.

Obama said the meetings helped to correct the "sense of drift" in the relationship between the two nations. Russia damaged the relationship with its August incursion into the former Soviet republic of Georgia.

Still, the two nations must talk and must work together, the leaders said. "We've taken important steps forward to increase nuclear security and to stop the spread of nuclear weapons," Obama said at the news conference.

"We have signed a joint understanding for a follow-on treaty to the START agreement that will reduce our nuclear warheads and delivery systems by up to a third from our current treaty limitations," Obama said. "This legally binding treaty will be completed this year."

The leaders also agreed on a joint statement on nuclear security cooperation that calls on the two nations to cooperate in securing vulnerable nuclear materials.

"As we keep our commitments, so we must ensure that other nations keep theirs," the U.S. president said. "To that end, we had constructive discussions about North Korea and Iran."

Obama praised Russia for its help in passing a U.N. Security Council resolution that calls for strong steps to block North Korea's nuclear and ballistic missile programs, and noted that Iran also continues to develop nuclear capabilities and the means to deliver them.

"This is not just a problem for the United States," Obama said. "It raises the prospect of a nuclear arms race in the Middle East, which would endanger global security, while Iran's ballistic missile program could also pose a threat to the broader region."

Obama said he is pleased with the U.S.-Russian statement on cooperation on missile defense, and the agreement to conduct a joint threat assessment of the ballistic missile challenges of the 21st century that will include Iran and North Korea.

MILITARY CONTRACTS July 6, 2009

NAVY
Northrup Grumman Space and Missions Systems Corp., Redondo Beach, Calif., is being awarded a $98,000,000 indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract for the Maritime Laser Demonstration (MLD) Program. The MLD Program seeks to mature technologies through and beyond a technical readiness level of six, in a technology demonstration (TD) phase with an anticipated contract duration period of between 12 and 18 months. There will be a final demonstration phase of a demonstrator/prototype. The prototype system installation envisioned and desired not to be limited to installation on a specific or particular class of ship, but at the very minimum shall support the US Navy DDG, LCS, CG, LSD, LPD, LHA, LHD, and FFG ship classes. Incremental land based live-fire tests for safety and range readiness reviews and testing will be considered as part of the overall program, leading to a real-time, "at sea" dynamic demonstration showing a counter-material capability against small boats. On successful completion of the TD, additional task orders for a subsequent acquisition oriented system development and demonstration phase may extend the life of the contract. These capabilities define its relevance to the Office of Naval Research mission since they are key thrusts of the survivability & self defense and power projection S&T focus areas at ONR. The contract allows for the placement of firm-fixed-price and cost-plus-fixed-fee task orders. At the time of award, $499,999 will be obligated. Work will be performed in Redondo Beach, Calif., and the expected date of completion is June 2014. Contract funds in the amount of $499,999 will expire at end of current fiscal year. The contract was competitively procured via the internet under a Request For Proposals. The Office of Naval Research, Arlington, Va., is the contracting activity (N00014-09-D-0077).

Kiewit Building Group, Inc., Honolulu, Hawaii, is being awarded a $24,380,777 firm-fixed price contract for the construction of a fitness center at Naval Base, Pearl Harbor. A new paved parking area with new access driveways, landscaping, and the demolition of four existing building structures are also included in this project. Work will be performed in Oahu, Hawaii, and is expected to be completed by November 2011. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was competitively procured via the Navy Electronic Commerce Online website, with six proposals received. The Naval Facilities Engineering Command, Pacific, Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, is the contracting activity (N62742-09-C-1304).


T.B Penick & Sons, Inc., San Diego, Calif., is being awarded $14,970,106 for firm-fixed price task order #0006 under a previously awarded multiple award construction contract (N62473-08-D-8612) for the design and construction of an applied instruction facility at Marine Corps Air Station Yuma. The contract also contains two unexercised options, which if exercised would increase the cumulative task order value to $18,703,081. Work will be performed in Yuma, Ariz., and is expected to be completed by November 2010. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. Six proposals were received for this task order. The Naval Facilities Engineering Command, Southwest, San Diego, Calif., is the contracting activity.

Hawthorne Machinery Co., San Diego, Calif., is being awarded a ceiling $14,200,000 indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract to accomplish maintenance and Class "B" overhauls on Caterpillar brand diesel engines on torpedo weapon retrievers and other small boats and crafts for the Navy. Work will be performed in San Diego, Calif., and is expected to be completed by July 2014. Contract funds in the amount of $20,000 will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The contract was competitively procured with four proposals solicited and one offer received via the Federal Business Opportunities website. The Southwest Regional Maintenance Center, San Diego, Calif. is the contracting activity (N55236-09-D-0019).

CACI, Inc.-Federal, Chantilly, Va., is being awarded a $8,706,093 indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract with fixed-priced task orders for the enhancement, maintenance and support of Military Sealift Command information technology systems used for maintenance and supply processes. This contract includes options which, if exercised, would bring the cumulative value of the contract to $69,985,284. At the time of award, $1,000,000 will be obligated. Work will be performed in Chantilly, Va., (40 percent); Arlington, Va., (20 percent); San Diego, Calif., (20 percent); and Hampton Roads, Va., (20 percent), and is expected to be completed by January 2017. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was competitively procured with more than 100 proposals solicited with four offers received. Military Sealift Command, Washington, D.C., is the contracting activity (N00033-09-D-6503).

AIR FORCE
The Air Force is awarding an indefinite delivery/indefinite quantity contract to Choctaw Professional Resources Enterprise, Durant, Okla., for $16,900,386. This action will provide for a family advocacy program, East CONUS. The location of performance is 23 various medical treatment facilities within the Eastern Continental United States. No funds have been obligated at this time. AFDW/A7KM-S, Brooks City-Base, Texas, is the contracting activity (FA7014-09-D-0001).

The Air Force is awarding a contract to Vision Systems International, San Jose, Calif., for $10,205,915. This action will provide the equipment, data and technical support necessary to stand-up an organic repair capability for the helmet vehicle interface cables supporting the Joint Helmet Mounted Cueing System at Robins AFB. The system provides the war fighter an ejection-compatible, helmet-mounted display with the capability to cue and verify high off-axis sensors and weapons on USAF/USN single and dual seat fighter aircraft. The entire amount has been obligated at this time. The 448 SCMG/PKHCB, Robins AFB, Ga., is the contracting activity (FA8522-09-C-0012).

U.S., Russia Resume Military Relations

By John J. Kruzel
American Forces Press Service

July 6, 2009 - The United States and Russia today agreed to resume bilateral military cooperation, which has been on hold since the conflict between Russia and Georgia erupted in August. In a strategic framework agreement signed by Navy Adm. Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and his Russian counterpart, the two countries pledged to engage in a range of military-to-military exchanges and also to restore a joint commission on prisoners of war and servicemembers missing in action.

"This provides a framework for improved cooperation and interoperability between our armed forces, so that we can better address the threats that we face, from terrorism to piracy," President Barack Obama said during a news conference in Moscow today.

"We've also agreed to restore a joint commission on prisoners of war and missing in action, which will allow our governments to cooperate in our unwavering commitment to our missing servicemen and -women," he added.

The framework of understanding signed today by Mullen and Russian Gen. Nikolai Makarov, chief of the General Staff, entails the following U.S.-Russian military-to-military operations:

-- Conducting nearly 20 exchanges and operational events before the end of 2009, including a strategic discussion between the U.S. Joint Staff and the Russian General Staff;

-- Orientation for Russian military cadets at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, N.Y.;

-- Planning for a joint exercise to respond to a hijacked aircraft in national and international airspace;

-- Visiting of the faculty of the Russian Combined Arms Academy to the U.S. Army Combined Arms Center at Fort Leavenworth, Kan.; and

-- A naval war game conducted by the Kuznetsov Naval Academy and the U.S. Naval War College.

Additionally, U.S. European Command and the Russian Defense Ministry have agreed to meet to plan a robust and more ambitious work plan for 2010.

"As global powers, the United States and Russia have a special responsibility for ensuring peace and stability in the world," a White House statement reads. "Re-establishing our military-to-military bonds will enhance transparency, establish clear paths of communication, and focus our collective efforts on today's global strategic challenges."

Following their meeting, Obama told reporters that he and Russian President Dmitri Medvedev held frank discussions, which included topics where the two leaders' views part.

"For instance, we had a frank discussion on Georgia, and I reiterated my firm belief that Georgia's sovereignty and territorial integrity must be respected," Obama said, alluding to Moscow's invasion of Georgia in August, which drew rebukes from the United States and NATO. "Yet even as we work through our disagreements on Georgia's borders, we do agree that no one has an interest in renewed military conflict."

Both leaders also are committed to leaving behind the suspicion and rivalry of the past to advance the countries' mutual interests, Obama said.

"Today, we've made meaningful progress in demonstrating through deeds and words what a more constructive U.S.-Russian relationship can look like in the 21st century," he said.

Defense Secretary During Vietnam Build-up Dies at 93

By Jim Garamone
American Forces Press Service

July 6, 2009 - The defense secretary who presided over the department during the Cuban Missile Crisis and the U.S. involvement in Vietnam died today. Robert S. McNamara, the nation's eighth defense secretary who served in the Kennedy and Johnson administrations, died here following a long illness. He was 93.

McNamara became defense secretary on Jan. 21, 1961, and served as such during the coldest part of the Cold War. In 1962, the Soviet Union began building missile sites in Cuba. The sites would have Soviet nuclear missiles capable of hitting any city in the United States in minutes. President John F. Kennedy and his advisors challenged Soviet Premier Nikita Kruschev.

McNamara was a member of the small group of advisors called the Executive Committee who counseled Kennedy on the matter. In the view of many historians, the United States and the Soviet Union came closer to a nuclear war during this time than at any other in history. McNamara supported the president's decision to quarantine Cuba to prevent Soviet ships from bringing in more offensive weapons. During the crisis, the Pentagon placed U.S. military forces on alert, ready to back up the administration's demand that the Soviet Union withdraw its offensive missiles from Cuba.

Vietnam was the major issue for McNamara. During the Kennedy administration, U.S. involvement in South Vietnam was limited to American Special Forces advisor teams and their support. The numbers of U.S. troops in Vietnam reached 17,000 by the time Kennedy was assassinated in November 1963.

In 1964, the so-called "Gulf of Tonkin incident" – in which North Vietnamese ships fired on U.S. Navy vessels – caused President Lyndon B. Johnson to retaliate by bombing North Vietnam. Congress passed the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution, giving the president the authority to increase the number of U.S. troops and missions in South Vietnam.

The number of American troops in South Vietnam hit 485,000 by the end of 1967, and it reached almost 535,000 by June 1968.

McNamara loyally supported the war in Vietnam, but grew disillusioned. By 1966, he questioned whether the war could be won by deploying more troops to South Vietnam and intensifying the bombing of North Vietnam. McNamara traveled to Southeast Asia many times to assess the war first-hand. North Vietnam's Tet Offensive, launched in February 1968, was a strategic victory for the enemy. American servicemembers won every battle, but the heart had gone out of U.S. determination to win the war.

By the end of the Tet Offensive, McNamara had resigned, leaving office on Feb. 29, 1968. Johnson presented him with both the Medal of Freedom and the Distinguished Service Medal.

McNamara was born June 9, 1916, in San Francisco. In 1937, he graduated from the University of California at Berkeley with a degree in economics and philosophy, and he earned a master's degree in business administration from Harvard in 1939. In 1940, he married Margaret Craig, who founded the Reading is Fundamental program in the 1960s and died in 1981. He entered the Army Air Forces as a captain in early 1943 and left active duty three years later with the rank of lieutenant colonel.

After the war, McNamara joined the Ford Motor Co. as manager of planning and financial analysis. He rose through the ranks and was named the president of Ford on November 9, 1960. Less than five weeks after becoming president of Ford, McNamara accepted Kennedy's invitation to join his Cabinet. After leaving the Pentagon, he served as president of the World Bank.

The former defense secretary is survived by a son, Robert Craig; two daughters, Margaret Elizabeth and Kathleen; and his wife, Diana Masieri Byfield, whom he married in San Francisco in 2004.

Don't Hate Sarah Palin Because She's Beautiful

This weekend Sarah Palin announced she would resign her position as Governor of Alaska.

This of course led to a snobby, bitchy, column by the perennially unsatisfied and in desperate need of male attention Maureen Dowd. I won't bother linking.

The shrews of Manhattan and Georgetown, not to mention the State Department, could never accept that Sarah Palin has a career, family, and husband, all while being prettier than them.

Actually, I think Todd Palin may have been the greatest source of anguish for the dissapointed and angry feminist. Most of the sisters have husbands too, but they're not the kind to kill an intruder, let alone fix something around the house. These men most likely pee sitting down. Todd Palin is married to a pretty, successful woman; all while racing dog sleds, hunting, and being a member of the steel workers union. What's worse, Sarah Palin can take care of her man. They have five kids after all. This is something we know Maureen Dowd can't do.

Will's book about the 2nd Armored Cavalry Regiment and the Battle of 73 Easting, is called A Line Through the Desert. It may be purchased at Amazon.

On what planet do these people live?

Lord Bingham, described as Britain's 'Top Judge' by the Independent, deplores the use of unmanned drones against the Taliban, describing them as, "cruel as to be beyond the pale of human tolerance". The Independent goes on to note that, 'International lawyers also argue that air strikes using drones are state-sanctioned assassinations where the targeted suspected terrorist has no opportunity to defend the case against him,' a right denied to the victims of the 7/7 London Tube Bombings, victim's of the Passover Massacre, and those targeted in the Bali Bombings.

Remember, were the war on radical Islam treated as a law enforcement matter, as Lord Bingham (henceforth to be known as Lord Haw Haw) and former presidential candidates wish, the terrorists will have more legal rights than you or I.

Pray tell, Lord Haw Haw, what is the proper way to kill someone?

I seem to recall 'human rights' advocates making a stink during Operation Desert Storm because the U.S. Army was bulldozer bunkers held by Iraqi troops. The alternative was going in with hand grenades and bayonets, you lead the way though.

Most famously, international campaigners have banned land mines and are now moving on to other areas, inbcluding white phosphorous (smoke bombs) cluster bombers, and now apparently, UAVs.

Where are the campaigns to end suicide bombings and slitting the throughts of flight attendants?

Will's book about the 2nd Armored Cavalry Regiment and the Battle of 73 Easting, is called A Line Through the Desert. It may be purchased at Amazon

Face of Defense: Iraqi-born Soldier Becomes U.S. Citizen

By Army Lt. Col. Pat Simon
Special to American Forces Press Service

July 6, 2009 - Red, white and blue are the colors associated with American independence, but this year, we can add another color: brown. Army Spc. "Brown," an interpreter with the 225th Engineer Brigade, joined 236 other servicemembers who raised their right hands and recited the oath of citizenship as new Americans at Al Faw palace here July 4.

Brown isn't the soldier's real name; it's a nickname given to him by an Army officer, and he's kept it to protect the lives of his family members who live in Baghdad.

Vice President Joe Biden and Multinational Force Iraq Commander Army Gen. Raymond T. Odierno participated in the citizenship ceremony. Biden commended the newly sworn-in citizens for their service and their decision to become Americans.

"You represent what America always stood for: strength, freedom, and resolve, [and] also remarkable diversity," Biden said.

"It is an amazing feeling," Brown said soon after shaking Biden's and Odierno's hands. "I was shaking -- nervous."

Brown recalled growing up and living under the brutal dictatorship of Saddam Hussein.

"As a student, I remembered that we had to stay behind the wall to stay safe from the former Baath Party," he said. "You could not talk about politics. Those that did disappeared."

Brown received his education in civil engineering and got a job in Baghdad as a supervisor for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. He quickly found that his daily commute to Tikrit to check on water, sewer and electrical projects would become a frightening trek.

"The security was very bad," he recalled. "There were many sectarian problems over here. It was not easy moving from area to area. It was very dangerous."

He also became emotionally scarred by the way some fellow Iraqis treated him because of his tenure working for the U.S. Army.

"Many of them thought I was a traitor," Brown said. "They called us very bad names. They did not realize that when we did our jobs, we did them for the Iraqi people."

Brown said he felt he no longer had a future in his war-torn country. He had to leave his father, brother and two sisters behind to set a new course for freedom and opportunity in America.

Brown was granted a special immigrant visa. His first stop was in Denver, to live with his uncle. Brown tried to find a job in engineering, but he found nothing. He remembered a friend who was a former associate of his in Iraq. He called her, and within a few days, Brown and his wife were in St. Louis, staying with his friend, who suggested that he apply for a program that would change his life. He didn't know it at the time, but it would put him back on his homeland's soil.

Within weeks, Brown was at U.S. Army basic training as a new recruit. As a qualified interpreter, he was on the fast track to deployment to Iraq. The program also expedited his ability to receive his U.S. citizenship.

"It's truly amazing to have this new opportunity," Brown said.

Four months ago, Brown was attached to the 225th Engineer Brigade. He found himself right in the middle of history, engaging in conversations between military leaders from both countries. As a military engineer interpreter, Brown literally has bridged the gap between two worlds, and he has finally come to grips with his past and his future.

"It's a big responsibility," he said. "I know I am making a difference. This is important for me."

By the end of the year, Brown will again have to leave his beloved birthplace behind, but the circumstances are different this time.

"My old life is over for me here, but I would like to return and visit one day as an American citizen," he said.

(Army Lt. Col. Pat Simon serves in Multinational Division Baghdad with the 225th Engineer Brigade public affairs office.)

Nonlethal Capabilities Provide Alternative to Deadly Force

By Ian Graham
Special to American Forces Press Service

July 6, 2009 - When shouting isn't enough to stop someone who poses a threat, nonlethal weapons provide an alternative to lethal force. "Nonlethal weapons give warfighters crucial escalation-of-force options between shouting and shooting," said Kelley Hughes, strategic communications officer for the Joint Non-Lethal Weapons Program at Marine Corps Base Quantico, Va.

"They help minimize casualties and collateral damage across the full spectrum of military operations -- everything from full-scale combat to humanitarian and disaster relief missions," Hughes said during a July 1 webcast of "Armed with Science: Research and Applications for the Modern Military" on Pentagon Web Radio.

The nonlethal weapons program has been advising the services since 1996.

Hughes said nonlethal weapons are designed to incapacitate targeted people or equipment immediately while minimizing casualties and damage. They're intended to have reversible effects, she added.

Alicia Owsiak, deputy chief of the program's Technology Division, spoke about optical distracters, popularly known as "laser dazzlers," which are used by servicemembers in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Optical distractors employ a green laser that can be used as a warning or distraction to give servicemembers at least one option to quell a situation before escalating force. They commonly are used at roadside checkpoints.

"The warfighter can actually shine the laser in an approaching vehicle's windshield to hail, warn and even suppress vehicle drivers," Owsiak said. "If the driver is an innocent civilian who just happens to be in the wrong place at the wrong time, this gives them a very clear signal, and will likely make them stop. But if that person ... keeps coming at full speed ... the warfighter then knows that the driver likely has malicious intent."

Lasers are safe when properly employed from prescribed distances, Owsiak said. The programs tests extensively to discern the parameters under which nonlethal weapons can be used without causing irreversible injury, she said.

The program also involves modifying previously developed weapons, to prevent injury to civilians and U.S. troops, Owsiak said. For example, the Green Beam Dazzler III Custom -- known as GBD-IIIC -- one of the green lasers the services use, is being retrofitted to include a safety control module that will prevent inadvertent lasing by shutting off the system when the target gets too close to the user.

Hughes said optical distractors have been "extremely effective" in the field.

"Anecdotal reports suggest that fielded green laser devices have been extremely effective in providing a means for warfighters to engage personnel at significant standoff distances, allowing them to determine the intent of personnel before the warfighter comes in harm's way," Hughes said. "In cases where innocent vehicle drivers misunderstand or misinterpret initial signals and signs to stop or move away from a protected asset, using a green laser for unequivocal warning prevents further unnecessary escalation of force and saves lives."

(Ian Graham works in the Defense Media Activity's emerging media directorate.)

Chairman Addresses Iraq, North Korea, 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell'

By Jim Garamone
American Forces Press Service

July 5, 2009 - The chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff addressed the situation in Iraq, relations with North Korea, China and Russia and possible changes to the "don't ask, don't tell" policy during an appearance on a television news show today. Navy Adm. Mike Mullen told CNN's John King, on the network's State of the Union program, he is confident that the withdrawal of American forces out of Iraqi cities and towns has been a very positive step.

Mullen said U.S. forces are alert during this period of transition, but there has been no indication that sectarian violence is returning.

"We have had an uptick in some major, high-profile attacks, but June of this year was the lowest level of violence (in Iraq) since the war started," he said.

Leaders in Iraq are pleased with the start of the transition, but the chairman reminded people that the transition is only five days old.

"We're aware of this period of vulnerability, but up to now it's gone pretty well," he said.

There are 130,000 American troops in Iraq today. By this time next year, plans call for that number to be down to 35,000 to 50,000, with all American forces out of the country by the end of 2011. The next big events in Iraq are the elections at the beginning of 2010, and Mullen said he sees nothing that will change these plans.

The chairman discussed North Korea's missile program. North Korea fired seven missiles yesterday in violation of United Nations resolutions.

"They continue to thumb their noses at the international community," Mullen said.

The international community – including long-time North Korean allies Russia and China – are continuing to put pressure on North Korean dictator Kim Jong-il, and that must continue, he said.

The U.S. military is working to maintain dialogue with the Chinese, the chairman said.
The chairman will accompany President Obama to Russia for talks with President Dmitriy Medvedev. They will discuss cutting nuclear arsenals and other issues.

"We have areas where we have common interests – Iran is certainly one of those areas," Mullen said.

Russia also has common interests with the United States in Afghanistan, in regards to piracy and in counterterrorism writ large. "We have things that we can discuss and are very positive and can move forward on," Mullen said.

Mullen also spoke about the "don't ask, don't tell" policy. The U.S. military will continue to carry out the law until the law changes, he said.

The Defense Department is reviewing the law to ensure it is being enforced fairly to all concerned, Mullen said.

"It's very clear that President Obama intends to see this law changed," he said.

Mullen said he told the president the military needs to move in a measured way given the military is fighting two conflicts. The chairman is discussing the issue with his staff and ways to move forward.

"What I feel most obligated about is to give the president my best advice should this law change, and the impact of that change on our people and their families at these very challenging times," Mullen said.

Obama Thanks Military Families With Independence Day Bash

By Elaine Sanchez
American Forces Press Service

July 5, 2009 - As Americans celebrated Independence Day in homes throughout the nation, President Barack Obama invited about 1,200 military families to his home for a July Fourth bash yesterday to personally thank them for their service and sacrifice. "Michelle and I are honored and proud to have you here on the Fourth," said Obama, addressing the audience from a balcony overlooking the White House's South Lawn, which had been transformed into a sea of red, white and blue for the event.

"It is, after all, your service -- the service of generations of soldiers, sailors, airmen, Marines and Coast Guardsmen -- that makes our annual celebration of this day possible," he said.

The commander in chief called today's men and women in uniform the "latest, strongest link" in a chain that can be traced to the Continental Army.

"You're the heirs of that legacy of proud men and women who strained to hold together a young union; who rolled back the creeping tide of tyranny; who stood post through a long twilight struggle; who have taken on the terror and extremism that threatens the world's stability," he said.

The nation's defenders are making headway in that battle, Obama said, noting recent events in Iraq.

"... Because of your brave efforts, American troops this week transferred control of all Iraqi cities and towns in Iraq's government to Iraqi security forces," he said. "Because of what you did -- because of the courage and capability and commitment of every single American who has served in Iraq -- a sovereign and united Iraq is taking control of its own destiny.

Iraq's future rests in the hands of the Iraqis now, the president said. "As extraordinary an accomplishment as that is, we know that this transition won't be without problems," he acknowledged. "We know there will be difficult days ahead. And that's why we will remain a strong partner to the Iraqi people on behalf of their security and prosperity."

Obama was joined at the podium by 22 servicemembers, handpicked by each military branch for their heroism and sacrifice. Among them were Army Reserve Sgt. Gregory Ruske and Army Reserve Spc. David Hutchinson, both Silver Star medal recipients singled out for extraordinary heroism in Afghanistan last year.

"... We're humbled to be joined up here by heroes -- men and women who went beyond the call of duty in battle, some selflessly risking their lives again and again so that others might live," the president said.

"True to form, they -- like all of you -- say they were just doing their job," he continued. "That's what makes you the best of us, and that's why we simply want to say thank you to each and every one of you for your extraordinary service to our country."

After his remarks, the president and first lady walked onto the lawn to personally greet – and thank -- their military guests.

Air Force Capt. Ed Yonce, assigned to Dover Air Force Base, Del., and his wife Wendy were among the lucky few who scored a handshake with the president and first lady.

"It's an honor to serve our country and an honor to be here," Yonce said.

"This has been so exciting," said Wendy, who made sure her four children had an unobstructed view of the famous couple.

Marine Corps Cpl. Jonathon Fortune attended the festivities with his wife Kyrie and 11-month-old son Carson. Fortune is a wounded warrior from Bethesda, Md.

"It's been great to meet new people and, of course, be at the White House," Fortune said. "I was pretty excited to be invited here."

The event included a barbecue, with food supplied by the USO, and entertainment by the U.S. Marine Corps Band, Foo Fighters, Michelle Branch and Jimmy Fallon. The Independence Day bash culminated with a prime view of the fireworks set off over the Washington Monument.

Developing Subordinate Leaders

Gunnery Sergeant Darnell E. Patton, USMC
There are many great leaders who lead things from small businesses to large countries. Each of those leaders had to start somewhere. Leadership starts at different stages for different people; some start learning as a small child while others may not start until adulthood. But regardless of when they start, its how they get there and where they finish that matters.

READ ON
www.military-writers.com/articles/developing_subordinate_leaders.html

Crime Scene Investigation: A Guide for Law Enforcement

Editor's Note: Intended for military personnel charged with investigating criminal activity.

Physical evidence has the potential to play a critical role in the overall investigation and resolution of a suspected criminal act. Crime Scene Investigation: A Guide for Law Enforcement discusses the fundamental principles of investigating a crime scene and preserving evidence that need to be practiced in order to yield reliable information. This research report is intended for use by law enforcement and other responders who have responsibilities for protecting crime scenes, preserving physical evidence, and collecting and submitting the evidence for scientific examination.

DOWNLOAD THE GUIDE
www.police-writers.com/articles/crime_scene_investigation_guide.html

Michael Jackson and other Crime Scenes

Editor's Note: The article is about crime scenes. The information is applicable to military personnel investigating criminal activity.

Michael Jackson is dead, but the controversies have just begun. Among the growing issues surrounding his death are the actions of the first responders and investigators. On July 3, 2009, the Associated Press ran an article which asked several pointed questions; “Why didn’t the police seal the mansion where he had been living? Why didn’t they get immediate search warrants? Why did they tow away a doctor’s car right after the death but not declare the home a crime scene?” These questions point to serious question for all law enforcement personnel - what is a crime scene?

READ ON
www.police-writers.com/articles/definition_crime_scene.html