New PTSD Program Answers Nee

|by Capt. Bryan Lewis

LANDSTUHL REGIONAL MEDICAL CENTER, Germany - Symptoms of combat stress and post-traumatic stress disorder include continual nightmares, avoidance behaviors, denial, grief, anger and fear.

Some Soldiers, battling these and other symptoms, can be treated successfully as an outpatient while assuming their normal duties. For others, however, returning to work and becoming their old selves again were challenges recognized by several mental health professionals across the European theater.

"We were looking at how we can best meet the needs of our clientele, and we were identifying that a lot of the Soldiers needed more than once-a-week outpatient, individual therapy and probably needed more than once- or twice-a-week group therapy," said Joseph Pehm, chief of Medical Social Work at Landstuhl Regional Medical Center.

The solution came in the creation of an intensive eight-week therapeutic Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder Day Treatment Program called "evolution" that began in March 2009 at LRMC. During the eight-hour days, patients enrolled in the program participate in multiple disciplines and interests, including art therapy, yoga and meditation classes, substance abuse groups, anger and grief management, tobacco cessation, pain management and multiple PTSD evidence-based practice protocols.

"I am a great believer in the kitchen sink, meaning I throw everything, including the kitchen sink, and something will stick," said Dr. Daphne Brown, chief of the Division of Behavioral Health at LRMC. "And so we've come with all the evidence-based treatment for PTSD that we know about ... We've taken everything that we can think of that will be of use in redirecting symptoms for these folks and put it into an eight-week program."

Brown, Pehm and Sharon Stewart, a Red Cross volunteer who recently received a doctorate in psychology, said the program is designed from research into the effects of traumatic experience and mirrors successful PTSD programs at Walter Reed Army Medical Center and the Department of Veterans Affairs, as well as programs run by psychologists in the U.S.

"We are building on the groundbreaking work that some of our peers and colleagues have done and just expanding it out," said Brown.

During treatment, patients begin the day with a community meeting where they discuss how well they feel and any additional issues or concerns since their last meeting. The remainder of the day depends on the curriculum scheduled for that week.

The first few weeks focus on learning basic coping skills such as how to reduce anxiety and fight fear, as well as yoga and meditation for relaxation. Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing, or EMDR, an evidence-based practice for treating PTSD, is also conducted during the early phases of the treatment program.

"The concept behind EMDR is that, essentially, memories become fixed in one part of our brain and they maintain their power and control over our emotions as long as they are fixed there," said Brown. "And if we can activate a different part of the brain while we're experiencing that memory, we can help to remove some of that emotional valence from it. So we use physiological maneuvers to activate both sides of the brain."

The goal at the beginning of the PTSD program is to provide patients with a number of tools they can use to help them calm down when feeling overwhelmed, especially before more intense therapy begins in the latter weeks. Cognitive processing therapy is used throughout the program. EMDR and prolonged exposure therapy are also available on an individual basis at the Soldier's request. All three techniques are research-based treatments.

When life-changing events occur, Brown said perceptions about the world may change. For example, before Soldiers experience combat trauma they may think the world is safe. Following combat, a Soldier's perceptions may change - a majority of the world may now seem unsafe. Cognitive processing therapy attempts to re-address experiences and reshift a Soldier's perceptions.

Prolonged exposure therapy is behaviorally based and addresses a Soldier's fears, which are seen as reflex reactions to a stimulus. To decondition the reactions, a patient is continually exposed to the stimulus by retelling the story repeatedly, minus the negative outcome. Brown compared it to riding a roller coaster over and over again to overcome a fear of roller coasters.

"So they're getting EMDR, they're getting cognitive processing therapy, they're getting individual therapy, they're getting group therapy, they're getting education, anger management, self-esteem, relationship issues, grief and loss, yoga, meditation exercise, skill building -- a little bit of everything across the board," said Brown. "Not everything's going to resonate with everyone who comes through, but something's going to resonate for everyone who comes through."

In addition to the overall core curriculum, Brown and her staff have programs such as pain management, relationship enrichment and tobacco cessation to help individualize treatment.

"The core of the group and individual education is consistent for everyone," said Brown. "But we recognize that every patient is different, and we have to tailor-make it to give an individualized treatment plan. We don't keep people in pain management if they're not in pain. We don't give them tobacco cessation if they're not smoking. So we do try and tailor as much of it as we can."

Spirituality, relationship enrichment and gender-specific issues are also areas of focus.
"The program is holistic," said Pehm. "It looks at people from different spheres, not just the medical model, because everything is impacted when someone has combat stress or PTSD - not just the individual Soldier, but everybody who comes in contact with them."

The intensity, length and "kitchen sink" qualities are not the only aspects that make this program unique, said Brown. It is a joint military and civilian effort accomplished entirely by volunteers. The staff is as diverse as the therapy options, and includes chaplains, social workers, Red Cross volunteers, psychiatrists, a nurse practitioner, enlisted psychiatric technicians, and graduate students. Brown said having a sundry of personnel keeps the program fresh and the staff excited.

"The patients get perspectives from people from a number of different backgrounds," said Brown.

Thus far, the staff outnumbers the program's participants.

"By design we started out small, and we were able to establish a really good working relationship with the local Warrior Transition Unit people ... It's been a wonderful working relationship with them," said Pehm.

Evolution is currently on it second eight-week course, with five patients enrolled. The first class had four. The goal is to keep the class size small in order to benefit from the program's intensity. Thinking small also helps keep the impact large by successfully returning Soldiers to their units, while also expanding access outside the WTUs. However, Pehm said they would like to expand the program to include patients from throughout the European Command.

"Ideally, we'd like to max it at about 10 because it is so intensive," said Brown. "These are folks we hope to remediate and return to the Army to be functional members again. Also, if they go back to their communities and their providers or spouses see the changes that have come about, that will increase the willingness or desire of more people to be here."

Though few have completed this young program, signs of success have already started to surface.

"With the last group, the shift from 'I have to be here' to 'I'm so glad I came' was really phenomenal," said Pehm.

"One of them said that he didn't think he was getting anything out of the program," Brown said. "It was about week six until he saw himself react differently to a situation that came up, and watched himself do it differently using skills that he didn't know he learned. He went 'Wow,' maybe I am getting something out of this."

It is too early, and the numbers are too small, to generalize the early trends, but self-completed PTSD checklists showed a significant decrease in reported symptoms for three of the four patients in the first cohort. Additionally, anxiety and depression symptom measures decreased.

"The whole idea is that we know all the changes aren't going to take place here," said Brown. "But we hope we give them enough learning to send them in a different direction. My hope is that we can build a program to provide valid, effective treatment to folks who have put themselves in harm's way at the request of their country, and help them live happier and better lives."

Southcom Embraces Two-Way Impact of Social Media

By Donna Miles
American Forces Press Service

Aug. 4, 2009 - Social media has become all the rage throughout the military as a growing number of senior leaders turn to blogs, Facebook pages, Twitter entries and other social networking venues to get word out about their activities and engage new audiences. Commands exploring the best way to get involved in social media might want to consider the experience of U.S. Southern Command, the first combatant command to embrace these new communication forms.

Sarah Nagelmann, who served as Southcom's strategic communications director, had a receptive audience when she first pitched the concept of a commander's blog last fall to Navy Adm. James G. Stavridis.

Nagelmann didn't envision a blog posted under Stavridis' name, but filled with other people's entries. She wanted the commander, who moved on last month to the top posts at U.S. European Command and Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe, to do the writing.

"The commander has to own his or her own voice," Nagelmann told American Forces Press Service. "As soon as you delegate that communication platform, it loses its impact."

Readers are too savvy to confuse material written by a staffer, particularly a public affairs person, with the words of the commander, she said. The language becomes stilted. The leader's personality is lost, and with it, the authenticity of the message.
"And once you lose that authenticity, I think people are more hesitant to engage on that platform," Nagelmann said.

That misses the whole point of social media: generating a dialogue with audiences the commander might never have had the opportunity to interact with otherwise.

"Once you lose that authenticity, their incentive to participate goes down," Nagelmann said. "You have lost the utility of the platform."

Nagelmann can't imagine why a military command would elect not to engage in the increasingly popular social media. By some estimates, more than 60 million people maintain a blog. Meanwhile, the MySpace and Facebook social networking sites have quickly risen to become the most-visited U.S. Web sites.

"If we choose not to engage in this platform, we will be represented by others, and we lose the opportunity to represent ourselves," she said. "That cost is just too high to ignore. There is absolutely an opportunity cost in not engaging."

In fact, Nagelmann recommends that commanders compound the effectiveness of their social media outreach by empowering their people to represent the organization through their social networking efforts.

"If we can ensure everyone affiliated with an organization understands what we do, why we do it and why it matters, and give them the ability -- empower them -- to communicate that, then we have created a really strong capability, and one that will touch a lot more corners than relying on one voice alone," she said. "It can become a really powerful mechanism."

But Nagelmann, who accompanied Stavridis to Eucom and SHAPE as his strategic communications advisor, also recommends that commands formulate at least a basic plan before launching a social networking effort.

"We have to think deliberately about what we want out of these platforms before we just jump in willy-nilly," she said. "Using them the wrong way isn't advantageous because you're not generating the response or reaction you are looking to create."

Engagement, she emphasized, is what social media is all about. Unlike traditional media, social media opens the dialogue to a broader population, eliminating barriers so more people are able to offer ideas and share their expertise and experience.

"We are looking to provide information and to create dialogue," she said. "If we don't do that in a way that enables others to participate, if it is always one-way transmit, then I think that's a danger. We've lost the effectiveness."

Nagelmann said she's satisfied with the results of Southcom's initial foray into social media, but sees more opportunity yet to be tapped.

"What we have enabled is a way for others who do not know how to interact with Southcom to send us comments, questions, thoughts, reactions to any number of things," she said. "We have provided a mechanism that is accessible globally and allows others to find us and enter into conversation with us where, before, the barriers to entry were incredibly high."

Looking at the feedback Southcom received through its early social networking efforts, Nagelmann has one complaint: it's been too positive. She'd like to see more constructive criticism.

"We want feedback about where our strategies are working and where we can do better," she said. "Critical feedback is the point. We are giving people the opportunities to say, 'I understand what you are doing and I appreciate the perspective. Here is an alternative one.

"Once we get to that point, I think we will have a meaningful platform."

As more commands enter social networking, Nagelmann urges them to be willing to try new things and recognize that mistakes are an inevitable part of the process.

"We have to be open to experimenting and occasionally making mistakes and learning from them," she said.

She also reminds commands not to forget that social networking is just one of many tools for communicating their messages.

"A lot of us are jumping at 'bright and shiny objects' because this new media space is interesting and fun, it's exciting and changing," she said. "But in reality, it's simply another venue. It doesn't replace anything. It's an additional mechanism to transmit and receive information."

Social media isn't for everyone, and doesn't reach the entire audience, she said. "It's complementary to all those other mediums out there, just one more way to reach out, engage and initiate dialogue," she said.

"But if we choose not to participate, and cede our voice to others in this environment, that is going to do us no good," she said. "We are finally beginning to understand the power of this platform. And the uses are almost endless."

Face of Defense: Soldier to be First Female Head of Drill Sergeant School

By Crystal Lewis Brown
Special to American Forces Press Service

Aug. 4, 2009 - Army Command Sgt. Maj. Teresa King of the 369th Adjutant General Battalion has been selected the next commandant of the U.S. Army Drill Sergeant School. When she assumes responsibility in September, the ceremony not only will be commemorating a new school leader, but also the school's first female commandant.

King, who learned of the selection in June, will replace Army Command Sgt. Maj. Gary Newsome as head of the school.

King enlisted in 1980, and, soon after, attended the same school she later would be slated to lead.

"I went to Drill Sergeant School before I went to my basic school for my [military occupational specialty]," the Clinton, N.C. native said. "The Drill Sergeant School has set the foundation for my training, so it's ironic that I'm going home."

Despite her rank as a specialist, she said she was expected to perform to the same level as the rest of the students. "They held me to the same standards that they held the [other] drill sergeants," she said.

Her graduation was held in the morning, she said, "and I was on the trail that afternoon."

King said it is important to note that a hard worker will shine, regardless of gender. "It really doesn't matter if you're male or female," she said. "If you...enforce standards, people will respect you."

King said it has not really set in that she will be the first woman to hold the school's top spot, but said she hopes the selection will encourage other women.

"Because I'm doing it ... that means another female command sergeant major can do it," she said. "I think it's going to set the bar higher for them, not just for drill sergeants, but for other female soldiers."

Even now, King said, being selected as commandant is a surprise. "It's sort of one of those moments of ... utter disbelief," she said.

King added that she is honored and humbled by the selection, and is grateful for the chance to take the reins.

"I feel like I'm chosen to lead a noncommissioned officer who is charged with a high degree of responsibility," she said. "I'm responsible for them as they lead, mentor, counsel and train America's finest.

"There's nothing else that can compare to that."

(Crystal Lewis Brown works in the Fort Jackson, S.C., public affairs office.)

MILITARY CONTRACTS August 4, 2009

NAVY
Arise Scaffolding and Equipment, Cleveland, Ohio is being awarded a $57,000,160 ceiling firm-fixed-price, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract to provide scaffolding services for the Southwest Regional Maintenance Center's commercial industrial services code in support of Navy ships and other government vessels within a 50-mile radius of San Diego, Calif. Work will be performed in San Diego, Calif., and is expected to be completed by July 2014. Contract funds in the amount of $3,000 will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The contract was competitively procured as a full and open competition via the Federal Business Opportunities website, with four offers received. The Southwest Regional Maintenance Center, San Diego, Calif., is the contracting activity (N55236-09-D-0020).

3001, Inc. is being awarded an indefinite delivery indefinite quantity architect/ engineering contract with a maximum amount of $15,000,000 for geographic information systems, professional surveying and mapping services in the NAVFAC Atlantic area of responsibility. Work will be performed at various Navy and Marine Corps facilities and other government facilities predominantly in the eastern United States but also worldwide. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was competitively procured via Federal Business Opportunities on a unrestricted basis with eleven (11) proposals received. The Naval Facilities Engineering Command, Atlantic, Norfolk, Va., is the contracting activity (contract number N62470-09-D-9013).

Boeing Co., Huntington Beach, Calif., is being awarded $14,557,563 firm-fixed-price contract for a Gigabit Ethernet Data Multiplex System (GEDMS) for the DDG51, a land-based GEDMS trainer, GEDMS hardware, and installation and checkout repair for the DDG51 GEDMS and GEDMS shipsets for the Royal Australian Navy. GEDMS is a ship-wide data transfer network for a ship's machinery, steering, navigation, combat, alarm and indicating, and damage control systems. It was designed to replace the miles of point-to-point cabling, signal converters, junction boxes, and switchboards associated with conventional ship's cabling. This contract contains three time and material options which, if exercised, will bring the total contract value to $14,872,563. Work will be performed in Huntington Beach, Calif., and is expected to be completed by January 2011. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was competitively procured with two proposals solicited and two offers received via the Federal Business Opportunities website. The Naval Surface Warfare Center, Dahlgren Division, Dahlgren, Va., is the contracting activity (N00178-09-C-2003).

DEFENSE LOGISTICS AGENCY
US Foodservice/Joseph Webb Division, Vista, Calif., is being awarded a maximum $51,877,500 firm-fixed price, prime vendor contract for full line food distribution. There are no other locations of performance. Using services are Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps and Coast Guard. The proposal was originally Web solicited with three responses. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract is exercising the third option year period. The date of performance completion is Aug. 17, 2010. The contracting activity is the Defense Supply Center Philadelphia (DSCP), Philadelphia, Pa. (SPM300-08-D-3206).

Abaxis Inc., Union City, Calif.*, is being awarded a maximum $38,338,817 fixed price with economic price adjustment, indefinite delivery and indefinite quantity contract for chemistry analyzer accessories and reagents. There are no other locations of performance. Using services are Army, Navy, Air Force and Marine Corps. There were originally 455 proposals solicited with 61 responses. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The date of performance completion is Aug. 4, 2014. The contracting activity is the Defense Supply Center Philadelphia (DSCP), Philadelphia, Pa. (SPM200-09-D-8207).

AIR FORCE
Colorado Springs Utilities, Colorado Springs, Colo., was awarded a $18,300,000 contract to provide connection charge; provide dependable renewable solar photovoltaic solar electrical energy, a 3MW solar farm. At this time, the entire amount has been obligated. 10th Contracting Squadron, United States Air Force Academy, Colo., is the contracting activity (FA700-09-F-0023) .

DEFENSE ADVANCED RESEARCH PROJECTS AGENCY
Hardwire, LLC, Pocomoke, Md., is being awarded a $6,370,392 other transaction for prototypes agreement for development and testing of armored vehicle hull bottoms. Work will be performed in Pocomoke City, Md., and is expected to be completed in September 2010. Funds will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. DARPA issued a solicitation in Federal Business Opportunities on March 6, 2009 and more than 50 bids have been received. The contracting activity is the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, Arlington, Va. (HR0011-09-9-0001).

Officials Urge Parents to Check Students' Immunization Records

By Samantha L. Quigley
American Forces Press Service

Aug. 4, 2009 - Department of Defense Education Activity officials are reminding parents to review their children's immunization records to ensure they're up to date by the first day of the school year. "Updating students' immunizations is an important part of back-to-school preparations," said Mary Patton, chief of the activities' Pupil Personnel Services branch. "We want all students to be ready to learn, and in order for them to be ready to learn, they need to be healthy.

"Requiring children to be immunized protects the rest of the school, and the staff and other families as well," she added.

All the usual childhood vaccinations are required including those used to protect against measles, mumps and rubella, polio and diphtheria, tetanus and pertussis.

The DoDEA Immunization Requirements Form, available on the activity's Web site, includes a list of required immunizations for students enrolled in an activity school.

"The one vaccine that we don't require right now ... is the HPV [to prevent] cervical cancer," Patton said. "The reason for that is pretty simple. It's not a communicable disease in schools."

If a school nurse notifies a principal that a student is not up to date on immunizations, the principal will send a letter to the student's parents informing them. Students won't be allowed to attend school until they have received the needed immunizations or an appointment is scheduled to receive them.

Military treatment facilities provide students with needed immunizations, and parents can coordinate with their child's physician to obtain the required vaccinations prior to the start of the school year. If required vaccines are temporarily unavailable, the military treatment facility will notify the school superintendent, and students will be allowed to attend school until the vaccine becomes available.

Students may attend school without being immunized due to religious beliefs.

"Parents can write a letter," Patton said. "They don't have to give us their religious beliefs, but [just say] that they do believe it is against their religion."

The minute there's a outbreak of anything, though, children who have not been immunized have to be sent home, she added. The same is true of those children who have a medical waiver for immunizations, Patton said.

Military Music

On August 6, 2009, Conversations with American Heroes at the Watering Hole will feature a two hour special exploring music performed, and in some instances created by, active duty military personnel.

Program Date: August 6, 2009
Program Time: 1700 hours, Pacific
Topic: Military Music
Listen Live: http://www.blogtalkradio.com/LawEnforcement/2009/08/07/Military-Music

About the Program
Music from the United States Marine Corps, United States Army, United States Navy, United States Air Force and United States Coast Guard will be presented along with historical information and commentary. Listeners are encouraged to call in and dedicate a song to current, former or retired member of the United States Military. Music will include:

Allons Allons!! US Army Chorus
Big Jim Blues US Army Jazz Ambassadors
American: A Musical Memorial US Army Band
Big Red One US Army Chorus
Red Bulls 34th Division Band & Chorus
Back Bay Boogie US Army Jazz Ambassadors
Washington Post March US Army Band
Yellow Ribbon US Army Chorus
Stars and Stripes Forever US Army Band
US Army Song US Army Chorus
Caisson Song US Army Chorus
Armed Forces Medley US Army Band
Semper Paratus US Coast Guard Band
St. Louis Blues US Coast Guard Band
Air Force Song US Air Force Band
A Change in Elevation US Air Force Band
Big Mama Louise US Air Force Band
Anchors Aweigh US Navy Band
US Navy Hymn US Navy Sea Chanters
If the Shoe Fits US Navy Commodores
Marine Corps Hymn US Marine Corps Band
Comes Autumn Time US Marine Corps Band
Bullets and Bayonets US Marine Corps Band
Adagio, and Fugue in C Major US Marine Corps Band
William Tell Overture US Marine Corps Band
Star Spangled Banner US Marine Corps Band

About American Heroes Radio
American Heroes Radio broadcasts from “The Watering Hole.” The Watering Hole is a location heroes 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

Tricare Deputy Director Highlights New Programs

By Navy Lt. Jennifer Cragg
Special to American Forces Press Service

Aug. 4, 2009 - Tricare is enhancing its programs and services as part of an ongoing commitment to provide quality health care for military families, the new deputy director of Tricare Management Activity said. One of Tricare's key initiatives is to enhance the contact beneficiaries and their family members have with their primary health care provider, Navy Rear Adm. Christine S. Hunter told "DotMilDocs" listeners July 30 on Pentagon Web Radio.

"The 'medical home' concept is an exciting way of looking at an individual's relationship with their primary care provider," she said.

The medical home concept emphasizes four health care pillars: accessibility, continuity, coordination and comprehensiveness. Hunter said that it takes the doctor-patient relationship to a new level.

"It creates an enhanced relationship with that health care provider to ensure access, continuity and trust," Hunter said. "We need to offer care that is coordinated and comprehensive. In order to do that, we will emphasize preventive care and wellness, ensuring that people are in a partnership with their provider that allows them to get the preventive care that they need, and manage any chronic medical conditions that they have."

Hunter also addressed Tricare programs, and how beneficiaries can make the best use of their benefits by highlighting four main goals of the Tricare health plan: providing beneficiaries and their families with access to the best health care, ensuring satisfaction with their health care, managing health care costs responsibly, and last, but most important, she said, maintaining military readiness.

Part of military readiness, Hunter said, is maintaining family readiness. "We see family readiness as an important part of overall readiness. Secretary of the Navy [Ray] Mabus recently said 'they who wait also serve' and we have a strong commitment to them," Hunter said.

Tricare also is providing to its beneficiaries access to a Web-based Tricare Assistance Program that will provide online counseling.

The program launched Aug. 1, Hunter said, and is for active-duty servicemembers and their families, people in the Transitional Assistance Management Program, and selected reserve members who purchase Tricare Reserve Select and their eligible family members.

"The Tricare Assistance Program provides Web-based supportive counseling; you can dial in on your home webcam to talk to a counselor and get the assistance you need in the privacy and comfort of your own home," Hunter said.

The program enables visitors to obtain an unlimited number of sessions with the same counselor. "We think this will go a long way to making folks feel more comfortable and reducing stigma," she said.

Hunter also discussed electronic health records as a priority. One of the advantages of Tricare is the ability to keep track of the quality of health care beneficiaries receive through the use of electronic medical health records, she said.

She noted that Tricare is fully supportive of President Barack Obama's initiative to help manage health care in America through the use of electronic health records. These records provide long-term health information that can be used to predict trends.

"We think this really improves the quality of care because you don't have to waste valuable time during personal interactions repeating your past medical or family history," Hunter said.

(Navy Lt. Jennifer Cragg is assigned to the Emerging Media Directorate of Defense Media Activity.)

Pentagon Weighs Social Networking Benefits, Vulnerabilities

By John J. Kruzel
American Forces Press Service

Aug. 4, 2009 - A Defense Department review is weighing the benefits of social networking and other Web 2.0 platforms against potential security vulnerabilities they create. In a memo issued last week, Deputy Defense Secretary William J. Lynn III directed a study of social media sites like Twitter, Facebook and YouTube in hopes of establishing a policy by October, Pentagon Spokesman Bryan Whitman told reporters today.

"We're addressing the challenges from a security standpoint, but also the impact and the value that they have to the department to be able to communicate in a 21st century environment," Whitman said.

Per his deputy's memo, Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates is slated to receive a report on the threats and benefits of Web 2.0 tools before the end of the month. Both Gates and Navy Adm. Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, have embraced the new technologies.

The Pentagon's chief information officer is taking the lead on the review, which was catalyzed by concerns raised at U.S. Strategic Command, Whitman said. Stratcom is responsible for overseeing the use of the "dot-mil" network.

In the meantime, there are no department-wide orders banning the use of social networking and other Web 2.0 applications, Whitman said, adding that standard local restrictions to such sites may occur due to bandwidth or security concerns.

"But as a department, we recognize the importance of taking a look at this issue because there are legitimate security concerns," he said.

In an interview with a blog site yesterday, Price Floyd, the principal deputy assistant secretary of defense for public affairs, emphasized the importance of maintaining operational security, or Opsec, in an era of Web-based social networking.

"Opsec is paramount. We will have procedures in place to deal with that," Floyd told Wired's "Danger Room." "The [Defense Department] is, in that sense, no different than any big company in America. What we can't do is let security concerns trump doing business. We have to do business. ... Companies in the private sector that have policies like us don't dare shut down their Web sites. They have to sell their products and ideas -- and this is how it's done.

"Opsec needs to catch up with this stuff. This is the modern equivalent of sending a letter home from the front lines," he added. "Opsec needs to be considered on this stuff, but the more our troops do this stuff, the better off we are."

MILITARY CONTRACTS August 3, 2009

NAVY
Allen Engineering Contractor, Inc.*, San Bernardino, Calif., (N62473-09-D-1644); Granite Construction Co., Watsonville, Calif., (N62473-09-D-1645); Hal Hays Construction, Inc.*, Riverside, Calif., (N62473-09-D-1646); Kiewit Pacific Co. Vancouver, Wash., (N62473-09-D-1647); Reyes Construction, Inc., Pomona, Calif., (N62473-09-D-1648); Shaw Environmental & Infrastructure, Inc., San Diego, Calif., (N62473-09-D-1649); Sundt Construction, Inc., Tempe, Ariz., (N62473-09-D-1650); T.B. Penick & Sons, Inc., San Diego, Calif., (N62473-09-D-1651), are each being awarded a firm-fixed price, indefinite-delivery/indefinite quantity multiple award construction contract for heavy horizontal and civil engineering construction at various locations within the NAVFAC Southwest area of responsibility (AOR). The work to be performed provides for the design, construction, supervision, equipment, materials, labor, and all means necessary to provide complete and usable facilities. The total contract amount for all eight contracts is not to exceed $500,000,000 for all contracts combined. Work will be performed in the Southwest AOR, including but not limited to California (80 percent), Arizona (12 percent), Nevada (5 percent), New Mexico (1 percent), Utah (1 percent), and Colorado (1 percent), and work is expected to be completed July 2014. 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 21 proposals received. These eight contractors may compete for future task orders under the terms and conditions of the awarded contract. The Naval Facilities Engineering Command, Southwest, San Diego, Calif., is the contracting activity.

BAE Systems Technology Solutions & Services, Rockville, Md., is being awarded a $76,000,000 modification to previously awarded indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity, cost-plus-fixed-fee firm-fixed-price, performance-based contract (N65236-05-D-7861) to provide engineering development, design, procurement, fabrication, configuration, installation, integration, logistics, maintenance, and life cycle support services for security, automation and law enforcement technology support. The cumulative value of this contract, including this modification, is $390,888,823. Work will be performed worldwide, and is expected to be completed by January 2010. This contract was competitively procured through the SPAWAR Systems Command E-commerce website, with four offers received. The Space and Naval Warfare Systems Center Atlantic is the contracting activity.

PKL Services, Inc.*, Poway, Calif., is being awarded a $16,983,249 modification to a previously awarded firm-fixed-price contract (N00421-09-C-0023) to exercise an option for selected organizational level maintenance (reset) for U.S. Marine Corps AH-1W, UH-1N, CH-53D/E, and CH-46E aircraft. Work will be performed in Camp Pendleton, Calif., (30 percent); New River, N.C., (25 percent); Iraq/Afghanistan (22 percent); Miramar, Calif., (18 percent); and Kaneohe Bay, Hawaii (5 percent), and is expected to be completed in January 2010. Contract funds in the amount of $16,983,249 will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division, Patuxent River, Md., is the contracting activity.

American Science and Engineering, Inc., Billerica, Mass., is being awarded an $11,500,000 firm-fixed-priced modification to previously awarded contract (M67854-06-C-5163) for the AS&E Z-BackScatter (ZBV) military trailer and the Z-BackScatter van (legacy ZBV) sustainment to include field service representatives support, maintenance, training, and warranty parts to the United States Marine Corps in the continental United States and outside the continental United States. Work will be performed in Afghanistan and Iraq (95.3 percent) and Twentynine Palms, Calif., (4.7 percent), and work is expected to be completed August 2010. Contract funds will not expire by the end of the current fiscal year. The Marine Corps Systems Command, Quantico, Va., is the contracting activity.

General Dynamics Advanced Information Systems, Pittsfield, Mass., is being awarded an $11,309,500 Undefinitized Contract Action (UCA) modification under previously awarded cost-plus-incentive-fee contract (N00030-08-C-0041) for strategic systems programs alternations for the SSP shipboard integration program, specifically the development of the SSI Increment 2 shipboard data system and the SSI Increment 4 US Mod 8 and UK Mod 9 fire control systems. The contractor shall also perform the additional formal qualification testing required for the U.S. 944 fire control Software revision. This UCA is being processed in order to meet the lead boat installation schedule, which requires development of said requirements to begin immediately. Work will be performed in Pittsfield, Mass., and work is expected to be completed Sept. 30, 2011. Contract funds in the amount of $23,175 will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Navy's Strategic Systems Programs, Arlington, Va., is the contracting activity.

Northrop Grumman Shipbuilding, Inc., Newport News, Va., is being awarded a $7,000,000 modification to previously awarded contract (N00024-08-C-2100) for planned and growth supplemental work for the extended drydocking selected restricted availability (EDSRA) of USS Enterprise (CVN 65). The CVN 65 FY08 EDSRA is a ship depot availability of approximately 16-month duration. EDSRAs are similar to overhauls in that they restore the ship, including all subsystems that affect combat capability and safety, to established performance standards. Additionally, an EDSRA provides an opportunity to perform hull inspections and recoating, and other maintenance related evolutions below the waterline that cannot be accomplished while the ship is waterborne. The EDSRA provides sufficient time to perform more extensive repairs and testing than is possible during an extended selected restricted aAvailability. Work will be performed in Newport News, Va., and is expected to be completed by December 2009. Contract funds in the amount of $7,000,000 will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Naval Sea Systems Command, Washington, D.C., is the contracting activity.

Bell Helicopter Textron, Inc., Fort Worth, Texas, is being awarded a $6,281,799 cost-plus-fixed-fee delivery order against a previously issued basic ordering agreement (N00019-05-G-0001) to provide 3D modeling in support of the AH-1Z build new program, including associated technical data for the Marine Corps. Work will be performed in Fort Worth, Texas, and is expected to be completed in February 2010. Contract funds in the amount of $6,281,799 will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Naval Air Systems Command, Patuxent River, Md., is the contracting activity.

AIR FORCE
Lockheed Martin Corp., Lockheed Martin Missile and Fire Control, Orlando Fla., was awarded a $30,300,000 contract for the purchase of sniper advanced targeting pods, in support of the foreign military sales customer, Morroco. At this time, $15,150,000 has been obligated. Warner-Robins Air Logistics Center/448 SCMG/PKHCB, Robins Air Force Base, Ga., is the contracting activity (FA8522-09-C-0013).

Rockwell Collins, Inc., Cedar Rapids, Idaho was awarded a$20,234,414 modified contract to provide 81,622 defense advanced GPS receiver (DAGR) units and assorted accessories through the exercise of 30 corresponding options on the DAGR follow on contract. At this time, the entire amount has been obligated. GPSW/PK, El Segundo, Calif., is the contracting activity (FA8807-09-C-0002).

Raytheon Co., Marlborough, Mass.. was awarded a $9,883,000 modified contract to the Digital Airport Surveillance Radar, a combined Department of Defense and Federal Aviation Administration activity to replace existing radar facilities at military and civilian airfields located worldwide. At this time, no funds have been obligated. 853rd ELSG/PK, Hanscom Air Force Base, Mass., is the contracting activity (F19628-96-D-0038).

Alion Science and Technology Co., Chicago, Ill. was awarded a $6,292,579 contract for the Weapons Systems Technology Information Analysis Center to provide capability to monitor and improve systems operational effectiveness through the life cycle of weapon systems and equipment. At this time, $709,844 has been obligated. 55th Contracting Squadron, Offutt Air Force Base is the contracting activity (SP0700-99-D-0301).

ARMY
AM General, LLC, South Bend, Ind. was awarded on July 27, 2009 a $27,185,129 firm-fixed-price contract for the procurement of 7,178 improved vehicle emergency escape (production) vehicle windshield kits for the high mobility multi-purpose wheeled vehicle. Work is to be performed in South Bend, Ind. with an estimated completion date of Dec. 31, 2009. One bid solicited with one bid received. TACOM LCMC-Warren, Mich. is the contracting activity (DAAE07-01-C-S001).

Lobar, Inc., Dillsburg, Pa., was awarded on July 30, 2009 a $17,269,000 firm-fixed-price contract for the design and construction of the U.S. Armed Forces Reserve Center. Work is to be performed in Lewisburg, Pa., with an estimated completion date of Jun. 30, 2011. Bids were solicited on the World Wide Web with seventeen (17) bids received. Corps of Engineers, Louisville District, Louisville, Ky., is the contracting activity (W912QR-09-C-0059).

Clark Construction Group, LLC, Bethesda, Md., was awarded on Jul. 30, 2009 a $7,498,000 firm-fixed-price task order for the recovery-AJXF 069112 construction of Air National Guard Readiness Center Operation Center at Andrews Air Force Base, Md. Work is to be performed in Andrews Air Force Base, Md., with an estimated completion date of Sept. 10, 2010. Twenty (20) bids were solicited, with three (3) bids received . National Guard Bureau-PARC-S, Selfridge Air National Guard Base, Mich., is the contracting activity (W90FYQ-07-D-0001).

B-Way Co., Atlanta, Ga., was awarded on July 30, 2009 a $6,057,544 firm-fixed-price contract for the re-procurement of the M2A1 metal ammunition container under the authority of FAR clause 52.249-8 default. Work is to be performed in Atlanta, Ga., with an estimated completion date of Aug. 30, 2013. Bids were solicited on the World Wide Web with two bids received. Army Contracting Commands, Rock Island Contracting Center, Rock Island Arsenal, Rock Island, Ill., is the contracting activity (W52P1J-09-C-0030).

The Boeing Co., Ridley Park, Pa., was awarded on Jul. 28, 2009 a $108,815,000 firm-fixed-price contract for CH-47F multiyear contract for second year, production lot 7, option for five (5) each CH-47F new build aircraft. Work is to be performed in Ridley Park, Pa., with an estimated completion date of Sept. 30, 2013. One bid solicited with one bid received. U.S. Army Contracting Command, Aviation and Missile, CCAM-CH-A, Redstone Arsenal, Ala., is the contracting activity (W58RGZ-08-C-0098).

Eagle Applied Sciences, LLC, San Antonio, Texas was awarded on Jul. 28, 2009 a $8,453,254 Time & Materials, Commercial contract for the Army Warrior in Transition Program, with non-personal services by contract services providers to assist soldiers and their families with medical, travel, and any other issues. Work is to be performed in Fort Benning, Ga., (2.85 percent), Fort Bliss, Texas (2.07 percent), Fort Bragg, N.C., (3.54 percent), Fort Buchanan, Puerto Rico (1.48p ercent), Fort Campbell, Ky., (3.05 percent), Fort Carson, Colo., (4.03percent), Fort Dix, N.J. (1.36 percent), Fort Drum, N.Y., (3.35 percent), Fort Eustis, Va., (1.25 percent), Fort Gordon, Ga., (2.07 percent), Fort Hood, Texas (5.31 percent), Fort Knox, Ky. (2.07 percent), Fort Lewis, Wash., (2.46 percent), Fort Sam Houston, Texas (28.40 percent), Fort Polk, L.A., (2.07 percent), Fort Stewart, Ga., (3.05 percent), Tripler Medial Center, Hawaii (2.48 percent), Walter Reed Medical Center, D.C., (5.03 percent), Fort Richardson, Ark., (1.31 percent), Fort Riley, Kan., (2.07 percent), Fort Sill, Okla., (1.09 percent), West Point, N.Y,. (1.68 percent), Fort Jackson, S.C., (1.09 percent), Fort Leonard Wood, Mo., (1.09 percent), Fort Wainwright, Ark., (1.31percent), Balboa Naval Hospital, San Diego, Calif., (1.56 percent), Fort Huachuca, Ariz., (1.29 percent), Fort Lee, Va., (1.25 percent), Fort Belvoir, Va., (1.68 percent), Landstuhl, Germany (1.96 percent), Vilseck, Germany (1.96 percent), Heidelberg, Germany (2.32 percent), and Vicenza, Italy (2.42 percent), with an estimated completion date of Aug. 7, 2010. One bid solicited with one received. U.S. Army Medical Command, Center for Health Care Contracting, Fort Sam Houston, Texas is the contracting activity (W81K04-08-D-0018).

Northrop Grumman, Orlando, Fla., was awarded Jul, 27, 2009 a $21,930,193 cost-plus-fixed-fee contract for the lightweight laser designator rangefinder field level reset. Work is to be performed in Orlando, Fla., with an estimated completion date of Sept. 30, 2014. One bid solicited with one bid received. U.S. Army Research, Development & Engineering Command (RDECOM), Aberdeen Proving Ground, Md., is the contracting activity (W91CRB-09-D-0038).

IBM Corp., San Jose, Calif. was awarded on July 27, 2009 a $16,144,399 cost-no-fee contract. The SyNAPSE program seeks to break the programmable machine paradigm and define a new path forward for creating useful, intelligent machines. The vision for the anticipated Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency Systems of neuromorphic adaptive plastic scalable electronics (SyNAPSE) program is the enabling of electronic neuromorphic machine technology that is scalable to biological levels. The SyNAPSE program will be an unprecedented multidisciplinary approach that can coordinate aggressive technology development activities in the following areas: 1) hardware; 2) architecture; 3) simulation; and 4) environment. Work is to be performed in San Jose, Calif., (78.2 percent), New York, N.Y., (2.5percent), Ithaca, N.Y., (2.8 percent), Merced, Calif., (1.3 percent), Madison, Wisc., (2 percent), and Stanford, Calif., (13.2 percent) with an estimated completion date of Jan. 31, 2011. Bids were solicited on the World Wide Web with thirteen (13) bids received. Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency Contracts Management Office, Arlington, Va., is the contracting activity (HR0011-09-C-0002).

Kidde Technologies, Inc., Camino Goleta, Calif., was awarded on July 29, 2009 a $12,547,225 firm-fixed-price contract for 1,300 automatic fire extinguishing system kits for the armored security vehicle 10 AFES test kits. Work is to be performed in Wilson, N.C., with an estimated completion date of Mar. 31, 2010. One bid solicited with one bid received. TACOM Contracting Center, Warren, Mich., is the contracting activity (W56HZV-09-C-0577).

HRL Laboratories, LLC, Malibu, Calif.,was awarded on Jul. 29, 2009 a $10,715,152 cost-plus-fixed-fee contract for the Cognitive Technology Threat Warning System. Work is to be performed in Malibu, Calif., with an estimated completion date of Jul. 31, 2010. One bid solicited with one bid received. U.S. Army Contracting Command, Aviation & Missile Command Contracting Center, Redstone Arsenal, Ala., is the contracting activity (W31P4Q-08-C-0264).

CORRECTION: Two contract announcements were made Friday, July 31, 2009, regarding Mine Resistant Ambush Protected (MRAP) All Terrain Vehicles (M-ATVs) and Oshkosh Corp., Oshkosh, Wis., one listed under Navy and the other listed under Army. There is only one delivery order and there should have been only one announcement, as this is a joint program involving both the Army and the Department of the Navy (U.S. Marine Corps). Contract delivery order #0002 modification 02 awarded to Oshkosh Corp., under contract W56HZV-09-D-0111, should now reflect the finalized dollar amount as $1,063,713,518.00. The work is being completed in two locations, 34.7 percent in McConnellsburg, Pa., and 65.3 percent in Oshkosh, Wis.

New GI Bill Renews Commitment to Troops, Obama Says

By Gerry J. Gilmore
American Forces Press Service

Aug. 3, 2009 - President Barack Obama today saluted the implementation of the Post-9/11 GI Bill during a ceremony at George Mason University in Fairfax, Va. Signed into law on June 20, 2008, the new GI Bill is a Department of Veteran Affairs-sponsored program that provides the most comprehensive educational benefit package for veterans since the original GI Bill -- the Servicemen's Readjustment Act of 1944 -- was authorized toward the end of World War II.

Today's new GI Bill, Obama said, was implemented "to renew our commitment to ensure that the men and women who wear the uniform of the United States of America get the opportunities that they have earned."

Obama observed that his grandfather, who served under Army Gen. George S. Patton during World War II, was a beneficiary of the original 1944 to 1956 GI Bill, which helped to produce a strong post-war economy, as well as the largest middle class in U.S. history. By 1947, Obama noted, half of all Americans enrolled in colleges were military veterans.

The Post-9/11 GI Bill is just as important as the original, Obama said, as it also recognizes servicemembers for their wartime service and represents "an investment in our own country."

Obama said the new program will provide today's veterans "the skills and training they need to fill the jobs of tomorrow."

"Education is the currency that can purchase success in the 21st century," the president said, "and this is the opportunity that our troops have earned."

With the Post-9/11 GI Bill, qualified active-duty and selected reserve servicemembers who have served after Sept. 10, 2001, are eligible for 36 months of state-school educational benefits -- the equivalent of four nine-month academic years. Benefits include tuition and fees that are paid directly to the school, a monthly living allowance paid to the participant, and a books and supplies stipend paid to the individual.

And as of Aug. 1, qualified career servicemembers have the option to transfer benefits to their spouses or children. Most servicemembers who have at least six years of military service and are in the armed forces on or after Aug. 1 and agree to serve an additional four years qualify to transfer their benefits.

"We are including the family members who have sacrificed so much by allowing the transfer of unused benefits to family members," Obama said. "And we are including those who pay the ultimate price by making this benefit available to the children of those who lost their life in service to their country."

Veterans Affairs Secretary Eric K. Shinseki, who also spoke at the ceremony, exhorted Post-9/11 GI Bill participants to "make it count; make it count for all of us. Make it count for our country."

Shinseki observed that more than 1,100 private educational institutions have elected to participate in the supplemental Yellow Ribbon Program that permits eligible servicemembers and veterans to attend private colleges and universities whose costs exceed the highest in-state rates at public undergraduate institutions.

Under the Yellow Ribbon Program, VA "will match whatever is contributed by those private colleges and universities, up to 50 percent of those total costs," Shinseki said. "We are grateful that so many schools have joined this effort and we thank them for their support of our veterans."

Former Marine Staff Sgt. James Miller, an Iraqi war veteran who introduced Obama at the ceremony, is taking Shinseki's advice. Miller has enrolled as a full-time student at George Mason University under the Post-9/11 GI Bill. He is pursuing a bachelor's degree in business communications.

"Thanks to the Post-9/11 GI Bill, the young veterans of the wars in the Middle East are united here," Miller said. "We have come to gain new skills and to learn new subjects. We are here to pursue educational goals that will prepare us for success in our professional careers."

Navy Announces Decision On Undersea Warfare Training Range

The Department of the Navy announced today that it will locate an undersea warfare training range (USWTR) in the Jacksonville, Fla. operating area. BJ Penn, assistant secretary of the Navy for installations and environment, signed the record of decision (ROD), which follows consultation with federal regulators and the completion of an overseas environmental impact statement/environmental impact statement (OEIS/EIS) in June.

While the Navy's OEIS/EIS thoroughly analyzed both installation and use of the USWTR for training, the Navy has decided to implement only a portion of the proposed action, installation of the USWTR. Because use of the USWTR for training is not anticipated to occur until at least 2014, due to its construction, the department will update the analysis contained in the OEIS/EIS and its consultations with federal agencies during that period. Decisions regarding the use of the USWTR will be conducted closer in time to the date when training will begin.

Installation consists of the range's planning, design, and construction. When completed, the USWTR will cover an approximately 500-square-nautical mile area within the waterspace commonly referred as the Jacksonville OPAREA, where a variety of Navy training already occurs. The USWTR location is well outside the areas designated as critical habitat for the North Atlantic right whale.

The USWTR's instrumentation will gather real-time data that will enable the Navy to analyze and improve their anti-submarine warfare training scenarios, tactics, and procedures. The range's location will provide ships, submarines, and aircraft with a realistic and challenging littoral training environment that mirrors the areas in which the Navy finds itself increasingly operating.

"The Department of the Navy is committed to protecting the ocean while maintaining readiness in this critical mission area," explained Donald Schregardus, deputy assistant secretary of the Navy for environment. "This decision satisfies both of these vitally important objectives."

The department's decision conforms to the process outlined in the National Environmental Protection Act and Executive Order 12114, which require analysis of the environmental consequences of federal actions such as the USWTR construction. Throughout the USWTR environmental impact analysis, Navy planners and scientists worked closely with federal regulators from the National Marine Fisheries Service.


The ROD document, as well as the EIS and other supporting documentation, are available at http://projects.earthtech.com/uswtr/USWTR_index.htm. For further information related to this release, contact Navy Public Affairs at (703) 697-5342.

Face of Defense: NCO Tackles Tough Job to Protect Soldiers

By Renita Foster
Special to American Forces Press Service

Aug. 3, 2009 - Army Sgt. 1st Class Debra Tanacea was eager to begin her first deployment in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom. She had been wearing the Army uniform for 16 years, she said, and felt more than ready to accept the challenge of serving in a hostile environment. But after learning the requirements of one particular project, she wasn't sure it was a mission she could accomplish.

Her job was to collect personal protective equipment, or PPE, damaged by improvised explosive devices for forensic testing so that it could be improved. But it was the method that she would have to use, and the soldiers and units she would have to retrieve the equipment from, that overwhelmed her, she said.

Tenacea was, at the time, a member of the Field Assistance in Science and Technology team, sponsored by the Army's Research Development and Engineering Command.

"The unit consists mostly of civilians who are engineers, computer scientists, analysts and researchers," she explained. "And to get the kind of items the laboratory needed for testing would obviously have to come directly from the combat arms units.

"I knew this would require nothing short of tremendous understanding and compassion, because you're talking about soldiers whose PPE had become unserviceable after an enemy confrontation, resulting in personal injury," she said.

As a servicemember, she had come to understand the importance soldiers attach to personal field gear. It literally is an extension of themselves -- as much a part of them as their skin.

"It's also important to understand soldiers know they are personally and financially accountable for all gear they are issued; therefore, they look out for each other," Tanacea said.

For example, if soldiers are wounded and must be medically evacuated from an area, their battle buddies secure their equipment and make sure it gets back to base camp, where it is either held for the servicemember or destroyed, she said.

"That decision is based on the gear's condition and serviceability," Tenacea said. "All soldiers live with their equipment 24/7."

Requesting personal gear that had been damaged and soiled by explosives and firefights from a unit's wounded was a tall order -- one that Tanacea said she knew would have to be handled delicately.

Relying on her experience as a soldier, Tanacea visited several company commanders and first sergeants to explain the need to collect damaged PPE, and how her doing so would increase survival rates for soldiers assigned to hostile areas.

"As distasteful as it might have initially seemed, units we contacted came to understand our efforts were for their benefit, and they became comfortable with turning over damaged equipment to us," Tanacea said. "At times, it could be devastating for the unit as well as for us, but they realized that their cooperation, for the sake of research and development, was to their benefit, and they recognized the project's value and worth for better future equipment."

Tanacea's persistent collection quest resulted in 20 PPE items of various types. Carefully boxed, they then were shipped for forensic analysis. Testing provided crucial information -- such as how the pieces were damaged -- which in turn led to adjustments in how PPE could provide better defense.

Tanacea has deployed three more times in four years since that first mission, and she has witnessed firsthand significant improvements in PPE, such as improved neck shields and better shoulder and side protection in the body armor, as well as improvements to the new advanced combat helmet.

"I know that what I did was key to the scientists and engineers being able to make the redesigns and improvements to the PPE we have today," Tanacea said. "As painful as it was at the time, I felt I had to do it. I got depressed and upset occasionally, as it was very emotionally consuming, but I had to work through that because I knew this project would have a direct, immediate impact on whether a soldier lived or died.

"And I'd do it again, because I was helping the soldiers out there who are risking their lives every day," she continued. "I never knew I'd be so fortunate to have a mission that would make such a profound contribution to the Army."

(Renita Foster works in the Fort Monmouth, N.J., public affairs office.)

First Lady Welcomes Sailors Home, Thanks Families

By Navy Petty Officer 2nd Class Gina Wollman
Special to American Forces Press Service

July 31, 2009 - First lady Michelle Obama welcomed home the crews of two Navy ships and expressed her support for their families while speaking to more than 500 servicemembers at Naval Station Norfolk here today. Obama commended the crews of the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower and the hospital ship USNS Comfort for a job well done. Eisenhower had been deployed to the Persian Gulf, and Comfort to Central and South America.

"I am delighted to be here in Norfolk today to welcome home so many heroes," the first lady said. "This is a happy day for the community of Norfolk and families of these brave men and women. We are standing here among heroes -- military, civilian, American and foreign."

Obama expressed her gratitude for all that has been accomplished by the military and for Comfort's civic and humanitarian-aid mission. She also acknowledged Eisenhower's contributions to maritime security.

"The Comfort embodies our values by changing lives around the world," she said. "The Eisenhower defends our values in the world's most dangerous places.

"To the nearly 6,000 sailors who deployed with the Eisenhower Strike Group to Afghanistan and the Middle East and are now returning to their homeports, we thank you for your service," she continued. "Each of you have courageously served our country and demonstrated your commitment to uphold America's highest ideas."

Obama also acknowledged the importance of military families' support.

"We must all remember that when our troops are deployed, their families are left behind and faced with an entirely different set of duties -- mothers who tuck their kids in at night and struggle to answer the question, 'When's daddy coming home?;' fathers who wonder how they are going to keep their families together while they juggle ballet recitals, homework and mowing the lawn, all while their wives are serving their country abroad," she said, "and spouses and parents caring for a wounded warrior or struggling to move forward after losing a loved one."

The first lady has traveled throughout the world to thank servicemembers for their commitment to the nation.

"I have seen the sacrifices [of] our military families up close. They are the quiet heroes who represent the best in our country," she said.

(Navy Petty Officer 2nd Class Gina Wollman serves with the Navy Public Affairs Support Element East.)

Officials Identify Gulf War Pilot's Remains

American Forces Press Service

Aug. 2, 2009 - Remains found last month in Iraq's Anbar province are those of Navy Capt. Michael Scott Speicher, who was shot down flying a combat mission in an F/A-18 Hornet on Jan. 17, 1991, and whose fate until now had been uncertain, Defense Department officials reported today. Acting on information provided by Iraqi civilians, Marines stationed in Anbar province went to a desert location believed to be the crash site of Speicher's jet, and the Armed Forces Institute of Pathology positively identified remains recovered there Speicher's.

"Our thoughts and prayers are with Captain Speicher's family for the ultimate sacrifice he made for his country," Navy Secretary Ray Mabus said. "I am also extremely grateful to all those who have worked so tirelessly over the last 18 years to bring Captain Speicher home."

The Navy's top uniformed officer also praised the effort to determine Speicher's fate and expressed gratitude for the fallen aviator's sacrifice. "Our Navy will never give up looking for a shipmate, regardless of how long or how difficult that search may be," said Adm. Gary Roughead, chief of naval operations. "We owe a tremendous debt of gratitude to Captain Speicher and his family for the sacrifice they have made for our nation and the example of strength they have set for all of us."

In early July, an Iraqi civilian told Marines he knew twotwo people who recalled an American jet crashing and the remains of the pilot being buried. One of those people said he was present when Bedouins found Speicher dead and buried his remains. The Iraqis led Marines to the site, and the Marines searched the area. Remains were recovered over several days during the past week and were flown to Dover Air Force Base, Del., for scientific identification by the Armed Forces Institute of Pathology's Office of the Armed Forces Medical Examiner.

The recovered remains include bones and skeletal fragments. Positive identification was made by comparing Speicher's dental records with the jawbone recovered at the site. The teeth are a match, both visually and radiographically, officials said.

While dental records have confirmed the remains to be Speicher's, officials said, the Armed Forces Institute of Pathology DNA Lab in Rockville, Md., is running DNA tests on the remains and comparing them to DNA reference samples previously provided by his family. Results are expected tomorrow.

(From a Defense Department news release.)

MILITARY CONTRACTS July 31, 2009

ARMY
Oshkosh Corp., Oshkosh, Wis., was awarded on Jul. 31, 2009 a $1,063,700,000 firm-fixed-price for 1,700 Mine Resistant Ambush Protected (MRAP) All Terrain Vehicles (M-ATV's), Field Service Representative Support, and associated parts support packages to include Authorized Stockage Lists (ASL), Prescribed Load List (PLL), Reprocessing Spares, Battle Damage Repair parts (BDR) and Basic Issue Items (BII). Work is to be performed in McConnellsburg, Pa., with an estimated completion date of Jul. 31, 2010. U.S. Army TACOM LCMC, Warren, Mich., is the contracting activity (W56HZV-09-D-0111).

NAVY
Oshkosh Corp., Oshkosh, Wis., is being awarded a $1,064,463,100 firm-fixed-priced delivery order #0002 modification 02 under previously awarded firm-fixed-price contract W56HZV-09-D-0111 to exercise an option for 1,700 Mine Resistant Ambush Protected (MRAP) All Terrain Vehicles (M-ATVs), Field Service Representative Support, and associated parts support packages to include Authorized Stockage Lists (ASL), Prescribed Load Lists (PLL), Deprocessing Spares, Battle Damage Repair parts (BDR) and Basic Issue Items (BII). Vehicles and parts support packages will be fielded to Afghanistan in support of Operation Enduring Freedom. Field Service Representatives will be providing support in Kuwait and Afghanistan. This order is for Marine Corps, Army, Special Operations Command and some test vehicles. Work will be performed in McConnellsburg, Pa., and work is expected to be completed by Jul. 31, 2010. Contract funds in the amount of $15,000,000 will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The US Army TACOM Life Cycle Management Command, Warren, Mich., is the contracting activity.

AMEC-Nan Joint Venture, LLC, Honolulu, Hawaii, (N62742-09-D-1171); dck/TtEC, LLC, Honolulu, Hawaii (N62742-09-D-1172); Environmental Chemical Corp., Burlingame, Calif., (N62742-09-D-1173); and URS Group, Inc., San Antonio, Texas (N62742-09-D-1174), are being awarded a cost reimbursement and firm-fixed price with award fee, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity multiple award construction contract for construction projects at DOD installations worldwide. The work to be performed provides for new construction, repair, and renovation projects at various DOD installations worldwide. Types of projects include, but are not limited to: new construction, repair, demolition, and renovation including utilities and waterfront work, and construction of medical facilities (hospitals, medical clinics, and/or dental clinics). Work may also include energy and water conservation projects. The maximum dollar value for all four contracts combined is $900,000,000. Work will be performed at various DOD installations worldwide, and work is expected to be completed July 2014. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was competitively procured via the Navy Electronic Commerce Online with 10 proposals received. The Naval Facilities Engineering Command, Pacific, Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, is the contracting activity.

Northrop Grumman Shipbuilding Inc., Newport News, Va., is being awarded a $49,940,340 modification to previously awarded contract (N62793-03-G-0001) for modernization, ship alterations, repairs, maintenance, and deferred work on board the USS Carl Vinson (CVN 70) during the Post Shakedown Availability (PSA)/Selected Restricted Availability (SRA). Work will be performed in Newport News, Va., and is expected to be completed by December 2009. Contract funds in the amount of $30,726,718 will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Supervisor of Shipbuilding, Conversion and Repair, Newport News, Va., is the contracting activity.

Mid Eastern Builders, Inc., Chesapeake, Va., is being awarded a $36,371,486 firm-fixed-price contract for replacement of fuel storage tanks at Craney Island Fuel Terminal. The work to be performed provides for the demolition of nineteen aged bulk storage tanks and the construction of six new tanks. Work will be performed in Portsmouth, Va., and is expected to be completed by August 2012. 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, Mid-Atlantic, Norfolk, Va., is the contracting activity (N40085-09-C-5037).

General Dynamics Advanced Information Systems, Fairfax, Va., is being awarded a $21,317,709 cost-plus-incentive-fee contract for engineering services in support of the AN/BYG-1 Tactical Control System. The 228,000 engineering service hours will be used to migrate the AN/BYG-1 Tactical Control System from a Technology Insertion (TI-08) baseline to a TI-10 baseline and integrate Advanced Processing Build (APB-09) and deliver this capability to multiple variants to be delivered to multiple submarine platforms. Work will be performed in Fairfax, Va., (58.6 percent); Middleton, R.I., (26 percent); Fairfax Station, Va., (4 percent); San Diego, Calif., (3.4 percent); Hampton, Va., (2.2 percent); McLean, Va., (1.8 percent); Shoreview, Minn. (1.3 percent); Brigham City, Utah (1 percent); Manassas, Va. (1 percent); Greensboro, N.C. (.5 percent); Arlington, Va. (.1 percent); Breaverton, Ore. (.1 percent), and is expected to be completed by July 2010. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was competitively procured with three proposals solicited and three offers received via the Federal Business Opportunities. The Naval Sea Systems Command, Washington, D.C., is the contracting activity (N00024-09-C-6250).

Clayco, Inc., Livonia, Mich., is being awarded a $19,475,000 firm-fixed price contract for design and construction of two dining facilities at Marine Corps Base, Camp Lejeune. The contract also contains two unexercised options, which if exercised would increase cumulative contract value to $22,076,412. Work will be performed in Jacksonville, N.C., and is expected to be completed by April 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, Mid Atlantic, Norfolk, Va., is the contracting activity (N40085-09-C-3210).

Complex Solutions, Inc., Kailua, Hawaii, is being awarded an $18,511,475 time and materials, indefinite-delivery modification to previously awarded contract (N00244-07-D-0035) to exercise option year two for technical and educational support services to the Naval Postgraduate School's Center for Civil Military Relations education and training program. Work will be performed at Monterey, Calif., (6 percent); Kailua, Hawaii or Huntsville, Ala., (4 percent); Army posts around the United States (17 percent); and various locations outside the continental United States (73 percent), and work is expected to be completed by July 2010. Contract funds will not expire before the end of the current fiscal year. This announcement includes efforts for the Governments of Austria, Egypt and Singapore (less than 1 percent each) under the Foreign Military Sales Program. This contract was awarded competitively through Navy Electronic Commerce Online website, with two offers received. The Fleet and Industrial Supply Center San Diego, Calif., is the contracting activity.

General Microwave, D/B/A Herley Farmingdale, Farmingdale, N.Y., is being awarded a $16,610,728 firm-fixed-price, time and material, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract for 450 Radio Frequency (RF) Module units including engineering, technical and repair support services for the U.S Navy, Air Force, and Army. Work will be performed in Jerusalem, Israel, and is expected to be completed in July 2014. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was competitively procured through an electronic request for proposals and two offers were received. The Naval Air Warfare Center Weapons Division, China Lake, Calif., is the contracting activity (N68936-09-D-0046).

Space Ground Systems Solutions, Inc., Melbourne, Fla., is being awarded a $10,929,037 cost-plus-fixed-fee contract for Spacecraft Engineering, Software Research, Development and Support for design, development, test, launch and mission operations of Department of Defense assets. This is a new requirement for highly-skilled personnel to support the Navy space programs development, enhancement, testing and configuration management of a collection of software, which is constantly being enhanced to provide state of the art solutions to space applications. This contract contains options, which if exercised, will bring the total cumulative value of the contract to $57,978,456. Work will be performed at the Naval Research Laboratory, Washington, D.C., and is expected to be completed July 2010 (July 2014 with options exercised). Contract funds in the amount of $152,500 will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was competitively procured under Request for Proposal (N000173-08-R-SER02), with two offer received. The Naval Research Laboratory, Washington, D.C., is the contracting activity (N00173-09-C-6001).

Group W Inc.,* Fairfax, Va., is being awarded a $10,747,352 cost-plus-fixed-fee contract for the procurement of analytical support services for the Combined Forces Command (CFC) and United States Forces Korea (USFK) Operations Analysis Branch/CJ35 Plans Division. This analytical support covers a wide range of analytical, data development, post-processor, joint interface, and collaborative analysis and exercise/war gaming support requirements for the Commander, CFC/USFK. Work will be performed in Korea, and is expected to be completed by July 2014. Contract funds in the amount of $1,209,562 will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was competitively procured via the Navy Electronic Commerce Online and Federal Business Opportunities websites, with three proposals solicited and three offers. The Naval Surface Warfare Center, Indian Head, Md., is the contracting activity (N00174-09-C-0028).

AMEC-Nan Joint Venture, LLC, Honolulu, Hawaii, is being awarded a $9,643,900 firm-fixed-price award fee task order #0001 under a previously awarded Global Multiple-Award Construction contract (N62742-09-D-1171) for a Child Development Center located at Marine Corps Base Hawaii. Funds provided by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009. Work will be performed in Kaneohe, Hawaii, and is expected to be completed by January 2010. The funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This task order was competitively procured with ten proposals received. The Naval Facilities Engineering Command, Pacific, Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, is the contracting activity (N62742-09-D-1171).

Lockheed Martin, Maritime Systems & Sensors, Moorestown, N.J., is being awarded an $8,132,702 modification to previously awarded contract (N00024-07-C-5101) for updated Aegis computer program maintenance effort in support of the Norwegian Fridtjof Nansen (F310) Class Frigates. This contract provides a limited in-service support program for the Norwegian New Frigate (NNF) SPY-1F derived Aegis Weapon System (NF-AWS) computer program procured under NAVSEA Contract N00024-00-C-5147. This contract will assist Norway in the maintenance of its NF-AWS which recently underwent a successful Aegis Combat System Ship Qualification Trial. Work will be performed in Moorestown, N.J., and is expected to be completed by December 2010. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Naval Sea Systems Command, Washington, D.C., is the contracting activity.

Pioneer Contracting Co., Ltd.*, Wahiawa, Hawaii, is being awarded $7,324,060 for firm-fixed-price task order #0002 under a previously awarded multiple award construction contract (N62478-08-D-4011) for construction to repair and renovate Building 503 at Marine Corps Base Hawaii. Work to provide for the replacement of deteriorated windows with metal framed anti-terrorism force protection compliant windows; re-roofing of the building; upgrading the existing fire alarm systems; providing a fire suppression system; exterior repairs to include replacing exterior doors; exterior painting; interior repairs to include replacement of floor coverings and ceilings at common areas; painting; replacement of bathroom and toilet fixtures; and proper fire exiting configuration at the stairs and corridors to comply with life/safety codes. Work will be performed in Kaneohe Bay, Hawaii, and is expected to be completed by April 2011. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. Three proposals were received for this task order. The Naval Facilities Engineering Command, Hawaii, Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, is the contracting activity. The work to be performed provides for all design, construction to repair and renovate Building 503 at Marine Corps Base Hawaii. Work to provide for the replacement of deteriorated windows with metal framed anti-terrorism force protection compliant windows; re-roofing of the building; upgrading the existing fire alarm systems; providing a fire suppression system; exterior repairs to include replacing exterior doors; exterior painting; interior repairs to include replacement of floor coverings and ceilings at common areas; painting; replacement of bathroom and toilet fixtures; and proper fire exiting configuration at the stairs and corridors to comply with life/safety codes.

Northrop Grumman Technical Services Sector, Herndon, Va., is being awarded a $7,007,705 modification to a previously awarded cost-plus-fixed-fee, firm-fixed-price contract (N00421-08-C-0065) to exercise an option for approximately 89,886 hours of engineering and logistics services in support of E-2C, C-2A test and E-2D System Design and Development (SDD) aircraft located at the Air Test and Evaluation Squadron TWO ZERO (VX-20), Patuxent River, Md. Services to be provided include modification and preparation of the aircraft for test operations, correction of safety of flight discrepancies, quality control inspections, engineering investigations, and logistics and parts support. Work will be performed in Patuxent River, Md., and is expected to be completed in July 2010. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division, Patuxent River, Md., is the contracting activity.

DEFENSE LOGISTICS AGENCY
Universal Sodexho, Tacoma, Wash., is being awarded a maximum $180,000,000 fixed-price with economic price adjustment, indefinite- delivery and indefinite-quantity, maintenance, repair, and operations prime vendor contract. There are no other locations of performance. Using services are Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps and Federal Civilian Agencies. The proposal was originally Web solicited with four responses. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract is exercising the third option year period. The date of performance completion is July 31, 2010. The contracting activity is the Defense Supply Center Philadelphia (DSCP), Philadelphia, Pa., (SPM500-05-D-BP07).

Valero Marketing & Supply Co., San Antonio, Texas is being awarded a maximum $28,598,990 fixed-price with economic price adjustment, indefinite-delivery and indefinite-quantity contract for fuel. Other location of performance is in Corpus Christi, Texas. Using service is Foreign Military Sales, Israel. The proposal was originally Web solicited with three responses. Contract funds will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The date of performance completion is October 31, 2009. The contracting activity is the Defense Energy Support Center (DESC), Fort Belvoir, Va., (SP0600-08-D-0454).

Science Applications International Corp., Fairfield, N.J., is being awarded a maximum $26,818,289 firm-fixed price, sole source contract for axle assembly parts. Other locations of performance are in Michigan, Wisconsin and Pennsylvania. Using service is Marine Corps. The proposal was originally Web solicited with two responses. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The date of performance completion is June 28, 2010. The contracting activity is the Defense Logistics Agency, Warren (DSCC-ZG), Warren, Mich., (SPRDL1-09-C-0126).

Woodward HRT, Inc., Valencia, Calif., is being awarded a maximum $15,328,968 firm fixed price, sole source, requirements type contract for parts. There are no other locations of performance. Using services are Army, Navy and Air Force. The proposal was originally DIBBS solicited with one response. Contract funds will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract contains a one year base with four one-year option periods. The date of performance completion is August 3, 2010. The contracting activity is the Defense Supply Center Richmond (DSCR), Richmond, Va., (SPM4A2-09-D-0029).

AIR FORCE
McDonnell Douglass Corp., Long Beach, Calif., was awarded a $64,400,000 modified contract to the C-17 Globemaster III Sustainment Partnership contract to incorporate the sustainment support for two Qatar Emiri Air Force C-17 aircraft for FY09-11. At this time, $6,678,700 has been obligated. MSWE/516 AESG/PK, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio is the contracting activity (FA8614-04-V-2004).

Boeing Co., Wichita, Kansas, was awarded a $70,592,076 modified contract to provide for new communication and data management updates to the B-52H Air Frame. At this time, $4,372,000 has been obligated. 651 AESS/SYK, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio is the contracting activity (FA8107-05-C-0001 P00037).

Lockheed Martin Corp., Space Systems Co., Sunnyvale, Calif., was awarded a $20,000,000 modified contract for the Advanced Extremely High Frequency Satellite and will study the technology necessary to potentially support future enhancements to the AEHF system. At this time, no funding has been obligated. Air Force Space & Missile Systems Center, Military Satellite Communications Systems Wing, El Segundo, Calif., is the contracting activity (F04701-02-C-0002).

Honeywell International, Inc., Defense & Space Electronic Systems, Clearwater, Fla., was award a $9,744,953 modified contract for 126 Embedded GPS/Inertial Navigation System Production Units for the U.S. Army CH47F, P31 EGI +429 SAASM and AH64. At this time, the entire amount has been obligated. 647 AESS/PK, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio is the contracting activity (F8626-06-C-2065).

Battelle Memorial Institute, Columbus, Ohio, was awarded a $8,757,992 modified contract to conduct in vitro screening studies to identify active chemicals and select active candidates for efficacy and nonclinical safety testing. At this time, $465,394 has been obligated. 55 Contracting Squadron, Offutt Air Force Base, Neb., is the contracting activity (SP0700-00-D-3180).

Battelle Memorial Institute, Columbus, Ohio was awarded a $8,741,664 modified contract to conduct analyses to support continued research and development of oximes intended for replacement of 2-PAM. At this time, $579,710 has been obligated. 55 Contracting Squadron, Offutt Air Force Base, Neb., is the contracting activity (SP0700-00-D-3180).

Northrop-Grumman Space and Mission Systems, Clearfield, Utah, was awarded a $7,930,219 modified contract to provide Minuteman Enhancement Reliability Accelerometer engineering and feasibility study. At this time, the entire amount has been obligated. 526th ICBMSG/PKE, Hill Air Force Base, is the contracting activity (F42610-98-C-0001).

Navy Task Force Assesses Changing Climate

By Bob Freeman
Special to American Forces Press Service

July 31, 2009 - Rapidly diminishing sea ice, melting glaciers, rising sea levels, increased storm severity -- all are possible consequences of a climate that mounting evidence suggests is changing significantly. As the scientific community works to understand the changing climate, the chief of naval operations has created a task force, headed by Rear Adm. David Titley, the Navy's senior oceanographer, to better understand and evaluate its implications for maritime security.

"Task Force Climate Change was initiated ... to assess the Navy's preparedness to respond to emerging requirements, and to develop a science-based timeline for future Navy actions regarding climate change," Titley explained in a July 28 interview on Pentagon Web Radio's audio webcast "Armed with Science: Research and Applications for the Modern Military."

"Because the Arctic is changing faster than any other place on the planet, our first deliverable will be a strategic roadmap proposing actions for the Navy regarding the Arctic region," Titley said.

This may include an assessment of how maritime strategy applies to the Arctic region, potential improvements in infrastructure, and recommended investments in force structure and capabilities to prepare for the challenges presented by the changing climate, he explained.

Titley was interviewed while staying in Barrow, Alaska, the northernmost city in the United States, located 350 miles north of the Arctic Circle, where he was joining Rear Adm. Nevin Carr, chief of naval research, for a visit to the Coast Guard Cutter Healy, an icebreaker supporting scientific research in the Arctic Ocean. The visit was intended to observe retrieval of several bottom-moored buoy sensors funded by the Office of Naval Research.

"Observations from these buoys will give us a better science-based and fact-based understanding of what is going on in the Arctic," Titley explained.

Global climate change may present many challenges to national security, Titley said. Rising sea levels from the melting of glacial and sea ice are of specific interest to the Navy due to the coastal location of many of its bases. "We need to understand what it will take to protect these valuable investments," he said.

Increasing ocean temperatures may compound the problem. "As the ocean temperature warms, thermal expansion may be a significant ... and under-estimated component of sea level rise," Titley commented.

"We are also very interested in the distribution of extreme weather events," Titley said, explaining that while the mean global temperature may be rising, some regions may experience extreme heating while others are seeing colder-than-normal temperatures.

Titley explained that changing ocean currents and precipitation patterns may produce regional droughts and floods that could have severe consequences for stressed and poor populations, who have the least ability to adapt to a quickly changing environment. "This could result in an increased potential for large-scale humanitarian assistance and disaster relief efforts," he noted.

The Arctic already is experiencing dramatic changes. "Since satellite observations began in 1979, we have seen a 40 percent decrease in perennial, or multiyear, sea ice," Titley said. This decline in sea ice, he added, is opening up the Arctic for more human activity, including resource exploration and ecotourism in the near term, and the potential for increased commercial shipping and fishing in the decades to come.

"As the climate changes and the sea lanes start to open, the United States Navy has a role to play in maritime security, working with our Coast Guard and international partners to ensure the sea lanes remain open and navigation is free for all," Titley said.

Titley discussed the intricate dynamics of ocean currents influencing the changes that are occurring in the Arctic. "The more I learn about the complex Arctic environment," he said, "the more I realize that we still have significant aspects of the basic oceanography to understand before we are going to be able to accurately forecast and model these interactions."

The Navy has a long history of polar operations, Titley noted, and the earliest indications of decreasing ice thickness were reported by Navy submarines in the 1990s. Since then, he added, the Navy has funded various scientific studies there in collaboration with other federal agencies and numerous partners in the world of academia and research.

Titley pointed out that another example of collaboration is the National Ice Center, a joint operation among the Navy, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the Coast Guard. The center charts sea ice worldwide for safety of navigation and operations, and their measurements have been crucial to quantifying the changes that are occurring in the Arctic, he said.

Titley said the Navy has many assets that can assist in understanding the changing climate. From a wide array of data-gathering sensors and platforms to super-computing facilities that process the data and create predictions, Navy assets continuously work to provide comprehensive knowledge of the physical environment.

"The naval oceanography program exists to provide environmental information to the operating fleet, allowing it to operate more safely and effectively," Titley said.

"I like to say that we are operating in nature's casino; I intend to count the cards," he quipped.

(Bob Freeman works in the Office of the Oceanographer of the Navy.)

GI Bill Transferability Set to Begin

By Army Sgt. 1st Class Michael J. Carden
American Forces Press Service

July 31, 2009 - With the Post-9/11 GI Bill's option to transfer unused educational benefits to eligible family members taking effect tomorrow, it's no surprise that more than 25,000 servicemembers have pre-applied, a Pentagon official said today. The wave of applicants has far exceeded the Defense and Veterans Affairs departments' expectations, said Bob Clark, the Pentagon's assistant director for accessions policy.

What's even more impressive is that the Defense Department's Web site for requesting the benefit has been live only since June 29, he added.

"We've seen, roughly, a thousand applications a day for the past week or so, and we expect that to continue," Clark said. "Transferability of these educational benefits has been one of the most requested provisions by family support groups, family advocacy groups and the troops out in the field and fleet, and we're just happy that it starts on the first of August."

The site, https://www.dmdc.osd.mil/TEB/, is accessible using a common access card, Defense Department self-service user identification or a Defense Finance and Accounting Service personal identification number. Spouses and family members must be enrolled under their servicemember sponsor in the Defense Eligibility Enrollment Reporting System, also known as DEERS, to be eligible for the transfer benefit. Military members also can link to the site through http://www.defenselink.mil/gibill.

With the Post-9/11 GI Bill, servicemembers are eligible for 36 months of educational benefits -- the equivalent of four nine-month academic years. To qualify for the transfer benefit, servicemembers must have six years of service on active duty or in the Selected Reserve on or after Aug. 1 and commit to an additional four years of service.

Servicemembers have the option to use or transfer as much of their benefits as they want to, and they can revoke or redesignate who receives the benefit at any time, Clark said.

He added that servicemembers can add and change names only while on active duty, and not after separating or retiring from active-duty service.

The unused benefits can be transferred to a spouse, two children or any combination, he said. But children cannot start using the benefit until they're 18 or have a high school diploma or equivalent. Clark noted that children enrolled in DEERS lose their military benefits at age 21 unless they are full-time students.

Only eligible dependents' names will appear on the registration Web site, he explained. Once servicemembers register on the site and designate who the benefits will be transferred to, the application will be processed through their appropriate service branch.

After the service verifies eligibility to transfer the benefits, the application will be forwarded and processed again through VA. And finally, when the selected dependent decides to use the benefit, he or she must go to the Department of Veterans Affairs Web site and fill out an online application to request a certificate of eligibility, Clark said.

The certificate then can be taken to the school to be processed by its Veterans Affairs representative and used to request tuition, payment for books and the living stipend, which varies by institution and location, he continued.

Of the 25,000 who've already applied, more than 15,000 have been approved, and of those, 5,500 dependents already have requested certificates to start their education.

"It has been a very fast, long run-up to the first of August, which is upon us. I see this as a wonderful opportunity for our veterans, our servicemembers, in particular, the families of our career members to give them the opportunity to further their education and reach their dreams," Clark said.

Most servicemembers who have at least six years of military service as of Aug. 1 and agree to serve an additional four years qualify, he said. Department officials have proposed measures to support servicemembers who have at least 10 years of active service but can't serve the additional four because of service or department policy. They would, however, have to serve the maximum time allowed before separating from the military, he said.

Another provision will cover servicemembers who will reach the 20-year service mark, making them retirement-eligible, between Aug. 1, 2009, and Aug. 1, 2013.

Clark explained how servicemembers who complete 20 years of service will be able to transfer the benefits:

-- Those eligible for retirement on Aug. 1, 2009, will be eligible to transfer their benefits with no additional service requirement.

-- Those with an approved retirement date after Aug. 1, 2009, and before July 1, 2010, will qualify with no additional service.

-- Those eligible for retirement after Aug. 1, 2009, but before Aug. 1, 2010, will qualify with one additional year of service after approval to transfer their Post-9/11 GI Bill benefits.

-- Those eligible for retirement between Aug. 1, 2010, and July 31, 2011, will qualify with two additional years of service after approval to transfer.

-- Those eligible to retire between Aug. 1, 2011, and July 31, 2012, will qualify with three additional years of service after approval to transfer.

Principles, Innovation Reveal Marines' Success, Petraeus Says

By John J. Kruzel
American Forces Press Service

July 31, 2009 - The secret to the U.S. Marine Corps' success is a blending of bedrock principles with innovation, the commander of U.S. Central Command said here last night. Using two examples from recent history -- the heroism of the last Marine Medal of Honor recipient and the turnaround in Iraq's Anbar province, -- Army Gen. David H. Petraeus shared his view at an event hosted by the Marine Association Foundation.

"On the one hand, Marines display a stalwart resistance to change in those bedrock values that form the very foundation of what it means to be Marine," he said. "On the other hand, Marines demonstrate a ready embrace of innovation that allows them to adapt to the environments in which they operate and to the enemies they face."

Some of those timeless, unchanging truths that describe the Marine Corps include an unflinching devotion to one's fellow Marines, a ready embrace of hardship and a universal emphasis on the skills and the spirit of the rifleman, he said.

Petraeus said these underlying principles are illustrated in the story of Marine Corps Cpl. Jason Dunham. In 2004, the 22-year-old Marine was killed in action in Karabilah, Iraq, when he used his body to cover a grenade and shield his fellow Marines from the ensuing blast.

Dunham became the 295th Marine to receive the Medal of Honor, the nation's highest military decoration, which is bestowed for gallantry in action. The Navy will christen a ship named in the fallen Marine's honor -- the USS Jason Dunham -- next week during a ceremony at Bath Iron Works, Bath, Maine.

Petraeus said the Marines' actions in Anbar province illustrate their ability to adapt their strategy to meet unique challenges.

In 2006, Anbar province was one of Iraq's most contentious regions. It was a society that had collapsed under the weight of an endemic insurgency with an infrastructure dilapidated by years of infighting and neglect. But amid the surge of U.S. forces in 2007, al-Qaida operatives overplayed their hands in Anbar, alienating local residents. Meanwhile, the influx of U.S. Marines helped to tamp down violence and create political breathing room, which in turn allowed the forging of key alliances between local tribal sheiks and coalition operators.

"As a result, sheiks started coming forward to coalition forces to discuss an alliance to throw off al-Qaida," Petraeus said. "And this was the opening we needed."

The "Anbar Awakening," a societal purging of extremism by Anbaris, and formation of a civilian security group known as "Sons of Iraq" ushered in a level of stability unprecedented since U.S. operations in Iraq began.

"It is not an exaggeration to say that the Anbar Awakening helped alter the course of events in Iraq," Petraeus said. "And I believe that generations from now, historians will continue to view it as a great example of the principled application of long-standing counterinsurgency principles."