By Jim Garamone
American Forces Press Service
May 24, 2007 – The undersecretary of defense for intelligence will also now serve as the director of defense intelligence. James R. Clapper Jr. is being "dual-hatted" as part of a memorandum of agreement signed by Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates and Director of National Intelligence John M. "Mike" McConnell.
Clapper will help coordinate the seamless flow of intelligence between the Defense Department and the Office of the Director of National Intelligence.
"The idea remains to provide the best intelligence possible to the warfighters," said Amanda Cashwell, deputy director for policy, strategy and doctrine at the Office of the Undersecretary for Intelligence.
The two organizations made this move to improve sharing between the military and other national intelligence users, defense officials said. The new position will mean that Clapper will serve on the director of national intelligence's executive committee. In that position, he will help coordinate intelligence-gathering efforts and serve as an advocate for defense customers to the greater intelligence community, and vice versa.
Cashwell said the change should have little impact on day-to-day operations within the defense intelligence agencies.
"There will be more sharing of intelligence and more cooperation among the agencies," she said. "If this is done at the highest levels, it should make it easier for everyone to work together more closely."
There will be no changes to statutory requirements from the creation of the Office of National Intelligence, nor any immediate effect on intelligence budget priorities, Defense Department officials said.
Clapper assumed his undersecretary duties April 11. He is a retired Air Force lieutenant general whose last duty assignment was as director of the Defense Intelligence Agency. He also served as the director of the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency from September 2001 to June 2006.
Article sponsored by criminal justice online leadership; and, police and military personnel who have authored books.
Saturday, May 26, 2007
Golfer Vows Support to Operation Homefront
By Samantha L. Quigley
American Forces Press Service
May 24, 2007 – Professional golfer Corey Pavin hit a hole-in-one with Operation Homefront when he announced his support of the troop-support group May 22. "Over the last few months, I've been talking to the PGA Tour and looking for a charity that helps out the military in some way," Pavin said. "I chose Operation Homefront as the one that I would like to get involved with.
"It was a tough choice," he said. "There are a lot of great charities out there that help the military."
Operation Homefront appealed to Pavin because of its diversity of services. The group provides emergency support and morale to servicemembers, the families they leave behind during deployments, and wounded warriors when they return.
It is a member of America Supports You, a Defense Department program connecting citizens and corporations with military personnel and their families serving at home and abroad. The PGA Tour is a corporate supporter of the Defense Department program.
Pavin, a 15-time PGA Tour winner, decided to get involved with a troop-support group after a trip to Iraq at Thanksgiving 2006. He said it was the first time he'd actually seen what the military does and that he enjoyed talking to the troops.
"It was a great experience," he said. "It just makes you think (of) everything they give up.
"We may give up a nice meal somewhere," he added. "These troops may give up a life. It's nice to be able to help them out."
Operation Homefront is thrilled with Pavin's decision to support its efforts, Amy Palmer, the group's executive vice president, said. Founded after the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, the group leads more than 2,500 volunteers in 26 chapters across the country. Those chapters have provided critical assistance to more than 40,000 military families.
"Operation Homefront is honored that Corey Pavin would not only personally help us support the troops, but also spread the word to his fans worldwide," Palmer said. "Servicemembers watching Mr. Pavin this season from tents in Iraq or mess halls on board ships now have extra reason to cheer him on."
Pavin joins other PGA golfers in his support of the troops through America Supports You team members.
"Corey's commitment to Operation Homefront is consistent with the PGA Tour's philosophy of 'giving back,'" Henry Hughes, PGA Tour executive vice president and chief of operations, said in a joint news release. "We're proud of Corey for joining other players like Phil Mickelson, Frank Lickliter II and Rory Sabbatini in pledging support to an America Supports You organization in order to assist our military men and women."
Lickliter sponsors the Wounded Warrior Project; Sabbatini supports the Intrepid Fallen Heroes Fund; and Mickelson offers his support to Homes For Our Troops and the Special Operations Warrior Foundation.
Article sponsored by criminal justice online leadership; and, police and military personnel who have authored books.
American Forces Press Service
May 24, 2007 – Professional golfer Corey Pavin hit a hole-in-one with Operation Homefront when he announced his support of the troop-support group May 22. "Over the last few months, I've been talking to the PGA Tour and looking for a charity that helps out the military in some way," Pavin said. "I chose Operation Homefront as the one that I would like to get involved with.
"It was a tough choice," he said. "There are a lot of great charities out there that help the military."
Operation Homefront appealed to Pavin because of its diversity of services. The group provides emergency support and morale to servicemembers, the families they leave behind during deployments, and wounded warriors when they return.
It is a member of America Supports You, a Defense Department program connecting citizens and corporations with military personnel and their families serving at home and abroad. The PGA Tour is a corporate supporter of the Defense Department program.
Pavin, a 15-time PGA Tour winner, decided to get involved with a troop-support group after a trip to Iraq at Thanksgiving 2006. He said it was the first time he'd actually seen what the military does and that he enjoyed talking to the troops.
"It was a great experience," he said. "It just makes you think (of) everything they give up.
"We may give up a nice meal somewhere," he added. "These troops may give up a life. It's nice to be able to help them out."
Operation Homefront is thrilled with Pavin's decision to support its efforts, Amy Palmer, the group's executive vice president, said. Founded after the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, the group leads more than 2,500 volunteers in 26 chapters across the country. Those chapters have provided critical assistance to more than 40,000 military families.
"Operation Homefront is honored that Corey Pavin would not only personally help us support the troops, but also spread the word to his fans worldwide," Palmer said. "Servicemembers watching Mr. Pavin this season from tents in Iraq or mess halls on board ships now have extra reason to cheer him on."
Pavin joins other PGA golfers in his support of the troops through America Supports You team members.
"Corey's commitment to Operation Homefront is consistent with the PGA Tour's philosophy of 'giving back,'" Henry Hughes, PGA Tour executive vice president and chief of operations, said in a joint news release. "We're proud of Corey for joining other players like Phil Mickelson, Frank Lickliter II and Rory Sabbatini in pledging support to an America Supports You organization in order to assist our military men and women."
Lickliter sponsors the Wounded Warrior Project; Sabbatini supports the Intrepid Fallen Heroes Fund; and Mickelson offers his support to Homes For Our Troops and the Special Operations Warrior Foundation.
Article sponsored by criminal justice online leadership; and, police and military personnel who have authored books.
Public Sends 201,000-Plus Phone Cards to Troops
American Forces Press Service
May 24, 2007 – The American public has sent more than 201,000 prepaid phone cards to servicemembers through the Army and Air Force Exchange Service's "Help Our Troops Call Home" program. "Making sure our deployed troops are in a position to hear voices from home is critical to morale," AAFES Chief of Contingency Operations Army Lt. Col. Steven Dean said. "By working together, the American public and AAFES, through "Help Our Troops Call Home," have provided nearly $5 million in calls home since the program began in April 2004."
As a military command with a retail mission, Army and Air Force Exchange Service understands how important a phone call can be to troops serving their country far from home, AAFES officials said. In fact, the command mobilized telecommunication support for troops in Operation Iraqi Freedom as early as April 15, 2003.
"We had phone services available in those early days," Dean said. "The only problem was that the complete and total lack of a preexisting telecommunications infrastructure meant the cost of a call home was 90 cents a minute."
When AAFES opened its first phone center in Iraq on June 24, 2003, the per-minute cost for a call to America dropped to 35 cents a minute. Less than 12 months later, the rate had dropped to 25 cents. By April 2004, AAFES had received Department of Defense approval to do something the command had never been done before -- sell exchange merchandise to "civilians" on behalf of troops serving in war zones halfway around the world.
Three years later, deployed troops are receiving rates as low as 19 cents a minute.
By logging on to www.aafes.org or calling 800-527-2345, moms, uncles, neighbors and civic groups can take part in the "Help Our Troops Call Home" effort by sending any one of three Military Exchange Global Prepaid Phone cards, including a 550-minute denomination card capable of providing more than two hours of call time from any of 72 phone centers in operations Enduring and Iraqi Freedom to the United States.
Phone cards may be sent to an individual servicemember designated by the sender or distributed to "any servicemember" through the American Red Cross, Air Force Aid Society, Fisher House Foundation, Navy-Marine Corps Relief, Soldier & Family Assistance Center, and United Service Organizations.
(From an Army and Air Force Exchange Service news release.)
Article sponsored by criminal justice online leadership; and, police and military personnel who have authored books.
May 24, 2007 – The American public has sent more than 201,000 prepaid phone cards to servicemembers through the Army and Air Force Exchange Service's "Help Our Troops Call Home" program. "Making sure our deployed troops are in a position to hear voices from home is critical to morale," AAFES Chief of Contingency Operations Army Lt. Col. Steven Dean said. "By working together, the American public and AAFES, through "Help Our Troops Call Home," have provided nearly $5 million in calls home since the program began in April 2004."
As a military command with a retail mission, Army and Air Force Exchange Service understands how important a phone call can be to troops serving their country far from home, AAFES officials said. In fact, the command mobilized telecommunication support for troops in Operation Iraqi Freedom as early as April 15, 2003.
"We had phone services available in those early days," Dean said. "The only problem was that the complete and total lack of a preexisting telecommunications infrastructure meant the cost of a call home was 90 cents a minute."
When AAFES opened its first phone center in Iraq on June 24, 2003, the per-minute cost for a call to America dropped to 35 cents a minute. Less than 12 months later, the rate had dropped to 25 cents. By April 2004, AAFES had received Department of Defense approval to do something the command had never been done before -- sell exchange merchandise to "civilians" on behalf of troops serving in war zones halfway around the world.
Three years later, deployed troops are receiving rates as low as 19 cents a minute.
By logging on to www.aafes.org or calling 800-527-2345, moms, uncles, neighbors and civic groups can take part in the "Help Our Troops Call Home" effort by sending any one of three Military Exchange Global Prepaid Phone cards, including a 550-minute denomination card capable of providing more than two hours of call time from any of 72 phone centers in operations Enduring and Iraqi Freedom to the United States.
Phone cards may be sent to an individual servicemember designated by the sender or distributed to "any servicemember" through the American Red Cross, Air Force Aid Society, Fisher House Foundation, Navy-Marine Corps Relief, Soldier & Family Assistance Center, and United Service Organizations.
(From an Army and Air Force Exchange Service news release.)
Article sponsored by criminal justice online leadership; and, police and military personnel who have authored books.
Service Academies Retain Principles, Embrace Change to Train Future Leaders
By Donna Miles
American Forces Press Service
May 24, 2007 – As "ruffles and flourishes" rings through the three U.S. military academies over the next few days, several thousand new graduates will accept their commissions and join the military ranks. These young second lieutenants and ensigns all enrolled in their respective schools -- the U.S. Military Academy in West Point, N.Y.; the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis, Md.; and the U.S. Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs, Colo. -- recognizing they'd graduate into a wartime force.
Most were sophomores in high school when they watched televised images of the Twin Towers falling and the Pentagon burning, then the U.S. going to war in Afghanistan. Most hadn't yet been to their senior proms when the country entered Iraq. This week they'll leave their schoolhouses behind to join their fellow soldiers, sailors, airmen and Marines serving around the world in the war on terror.
To get a better picture of how their schools have prepared them for this calling, American Forces Press Service spoke with their academic deans and alumni who have risen to the senior military ranks.
Here's what they had to say about what has changed at their institutions and what remains fundamental, and how they're helping ensure their graduates are ready for the challenges they'll confront as military officers.
The Basics
Although they're four-year schools like thousands of others that dot the United States, the U.S. service academies stand uniquely apart. All were founded with the specific goal of educating military leaders -- people who understand not just the art and science of war, but also the fundamentals of leadership.
That's a principle the academies have held at their core as they strive to develop what Army Col. Dan Ragsdale, vice dean at West Point and a 1981 graduate, calls "critical thinkers" armed with the education and training they need to think on their feet.
"Our expectations are that these future leaders are going to have to draw on a relatively broad set of skills, backgrounds and experiences to help solve the problems that they are going to confront in ... a greatly ambiguous world in which they are going to have to operate," he said.
To develop those skills, the academies offer curricula that recently retired Army Gen. John Abizaid, a 1973 West Point graduate who went on to lead U.S. Central Command, described as "some of the most challenging in the nation today."
The coursework is steeped in science, math and engineering so graduates are prepared to enter a highly technical military, whether they'll be flying aircraft, serving on nuclear-powered submarines or calling in air strikes as they lead ground forces in combat, explained William Miller, academic dean and provost at the Naval Academy and a 1962 graduate.
"We want to ensure all our graduates have a good, solid technical foundation for serving as an officer in a very, very technically demanding environment," he said.
Equally important, officials agree, is an understanding of the world in which they'll operate. All three academies have expanded their curricula to increasingly focus on regional studies and language skills.
"The kinds of problems that our ... graduates will face are across a broad spectrum, so we have to give them a technological foundation," Ragsdale said. "But we also have to give them a social and cultural perspective around which to address and solve problems. We have to help them understand and appreciate the political aspects of any problem they are trying to address."
More Than Academics
There may be no pat formula for preparing new officers to serve in wartime, but officials agreed it requires more than mastery of academics.
"Our graduates are not going to be historians and mechanical engineers," Miller said. "They are going to be leaders and problem solvers in a very demanding environment."
There's no possible way to train students for every possible situation they'll encounter when they enter military service, the officials agreed.
"That's a given," Ragsdale said. "But because we know that, we have worked to create an environment where they can develop as the adaptable, agile, critical thinkers they need to be to lead the soldiers who will be entrusted to their care."
The academies strive to prepare cadets and midshipmen to look at problems from multiple dimensions and to juggle priorities.
Marine Gen. Peter Pace, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said that's one of the biggest lessons he took away from his Naval Academy experience.
"At school, there was always too much to do, and in the Marine Corps, there has always been too much to do," Pace said. "Therefore, you really have to take the important and set it aside to do the critical."
Pace said being bombarded with myriad demands as a midshipman reinforced the importance of teamwork, another principle he said he's carried throughout his career. "In combat, there is nothing you do as an individual," he said. "It's all based on teamwork."
Developing Leaders
While developing their cadets and midshipmen intellectually, the academies also focus on developing them as leaders.
Abizaid said the most important lesson the academies need to instill is "the ability to lead people in a positive, inspirational way."
From their first days at their respective schools, cadets and midshipmen get exposed to valuable lessons in leadership. Initially they observe upperclassmen serving in various leadership positions -- some successfully, some less so. Later, students try their own hand at leadership posts. Through this process, they begin to understand what leadership style works for them, what doesn't, and how they can improve their leadership skills.
Gen. John Corley, Air Force vice chief of staff and a 1973 graduate of the Air Force Academy, described his alma mater as a "leadership laboratory" where cadets exposed him and his fellow cadets to "a set of experiences that you just don't find in other places."
"They also provided challenges," Corley said. "It was a test ... in terms of your development (and) ... your ability to grow and become a leader of character."
"I learned a lot from observing good leadership, and from observing bad leadership, and through experimentation on my own part, trying things that worked or didn't work for me," Pace said of his time at the Naval Academy.
That's the single biggest difference between the military academies and traditional civilian colleges and universities, the deans and alumni agreed.
"Our first and foremost overarching outcome is to commission ... leaders of character who embody our ... core values of integrity first, service before self, and excellence in all we do," said Brig. Gen. Dana Born, dean of faculty for the Air Force Academy and a 1983 graduate. "It stands at the very foundation of what we do."
Miller said leadership lessons learned at the academies have a long-lasting impact on how graduates confront problems.
"No matter what (military) community our graduates enter, ... they are going to be leaders, and we want to ensure they have a good ethical foundation for the decisions they are going to make," he said.
Educating for the Future
While preparing their cadets and midshipmen for the immediate requirements they'll face as graduates, academy officials say they recognize the need to keep their eyes focused on the horizon.
"We try to stay balanced and not hyper-reactive," Ragsdale said. "We recognize that we're providing a foundation upon which they can develop as successful officers."
"We can't just focus on the fact that we are currently engaged in a shooting war ... and think only about what (midshipmen) are going to need right after graduation," agreed Miller. "We need to look at what (future officers) are going to need for the longer term and recognize that we're preparing them for a career of service."
By approaching education as a "strategic investment," Miller said, the academies are helping students recognize that their education will be just beginning as they accept their commissions.
"We are trying to lay a foundation on which they can build over their career and continue to learn," he said. "That's important, because being in the armed services demands lifetime learning."
Change
The biggest misconception about the academies is that they're so embedded in tradition that they can't or won't change with the times, officials said.
"That is about as far from the truth as you can get," Ragsdale said. "On the contrary, we understand ... that our graduates have to be prepared for a changing world. So while we hold on to our firm foundations upon which the institution was built, we have embraced change to ensure we are providing the kinds of experiences our cadets need to be successful in the world they are going to face when they graduate."
Born described sweeping changes in the Air Force Academy's core curriculum so courses build on previous lessons and broaden students' exposure to new concepts and approaches. The other academies have instituted similar changes.
These changes are helping ensure students have a foundation from which to draw when they graduate into a wartime environment. "We need students to learn and be able to build upon prior learning, as opposed to just teaching and hoping that they remember it when they need it when they are in downtown Baghdad making decisions," Born said.
Intraservice Cooperation
An intensive system of sharing and cooperation is helping the academies evolve to better serve their students' and services' needs. Staffs meet in person and share e-mails regularly to keep each other informed about new initiatives they're trying and what they've learned along the way.
"We are trying to learn from each other in a leap-frog fashion rather than all of us learning linearly and stumbling over the same obstacles," Miller said.
"We have very common goals and a common set of outcomes that we would like all our graduates to achieve," Ragsdale agreed. "So we share those things that have worked, and on the flip side, those initiatives that have not been successful so they can learn from our mistakes."
Born said the academies recognize their similarities and build on each others' strengths. "We ... team together to share lessons learned and best practices. We learn from each other and are able to progress more quickly by sharing our lessons learned," she said.
So despite infamous interservice rivalry in the sports arena, Born said, there's a healthy respect and common understanding among academy students, graduates and staffs.
"When it comes to the football field, there is all kinds of talk and all kinds of competition," she said. "But when it comes right down to it, we are all working toward commissioning officers and leaders of character for our nation."
Article sponsored by criminal justice online leadership; and, police and military personnel who have authored books.
American Forces Press Service
May 24, 2007 – As "ruffles and flourishes" rings through the three U.S. military academies over the next few days, several thousand new graduates will accept their commissions and join the military ranks. These young second lieutenants and ensigns all enrolled in their respective schools -- the U.S. Military Academy in West Point, N.Y.; the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis, Md.; and the U.S. Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs, Colo. -- recognizing they'd graduate into a wartime force.
Most were sophomores in high school when they watched televised images of the Twin Towers falling and the Pentagon burning, then the U.S. going to war in Afghanistan. Most hadn't yet been to their senior proms when the country entered Iraq. This week they'll leave their schoolhouses behind to join their fellow soldiers, sailors, airmen and Marines serving around the world in the war on terror.
To get a better picture of how their schools have prepared them for this calling, American Forces Press Service spoke with their academic deans and alumni who have risen to the senior military ranks.
Here's what they had to say about what has changed at their institutions and what remains fundamental, and how they're helping ensure their graduates are ready for the challenges they'll confront as military officers.
The Basics
Although they're four-year schools like thousands of others that dot the United States, the U.S. service academies stand uniquely apart. All were founded with the specific goal of educating military leaders -- people who understand not just the art and science of war, but also the fundamentals of leadership.
That's a principle the academies have held at their core as they strive to develop what Army Col. Dan Ragsdale, vice dean at West Point and a 1981 graduate, calls "critical thinkers" armed with the education and training they need to think on their feet.
"Our expectations are that these future leaders are going to have to draw on a relatively broad set of skills, backgrounds and experiences to help solve the problems that they are going to confront in ... a greatly ambiguous world in which they are going to have to operate," he said.
To develop those skills, the academies offer curricula that recently retired Army Gen. John Abizaid, a 1973 West Point graduate who went on to lead U.S. Central Command, described as "some of the most challenging in the nation today."
The coursework is steeped in science, math and engineering so graduates are prepared to enter a highly technical military, whether they'll be flying aircraft, serving on nuclear-powered submarines or calling in air strikes as they lead ground forces in combat, explained William Miller, academic dean and provost at the Naval Academy and a 1962 graduate.
"We want to ensure all our graduates have a good, solid technical foundation for serving as an officer in a very, very technically demanding environment," he said.
Equally important, officials agree, is an understanding of the world in which they'll operate. All three academies have expanded their curricula to increasingly focus on regional studies and language skills.
"The kinds of problems that our ... graduates will face are across a broad spectrum, so we have to give them a technological foundation," Ragsdale said. "But we also have to give them a social and cultural perspective around which to address and solve problems. We have to help them understand and appreciate the political aspects of any problem they are trying to address."
More Than Academics
There may be no pat formula for preparing new officers to serve in wartime, but officials agreed it requires more than mastery of academics.
"Our graduates are not going to be historians and mechanical engineers," Miller said. "They are going to be leaders and problem solvers in a very demanding environment."
There's no possible way to train students for every possible situation they'll encounter when they enter military service, the officials agreed.
"That's a given," Ragsdale said. "But because we know that, we have worked to create an environment where they can develop as the adaptable, agile, critical thinkers they need to be to lead the soldiers who will be entrusted to their care."
The academies strive to prepare cadets and midshipmen to look at problems from multiple dimensions and to juggle priorities.
Marine Gen. Peter Pace, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said that's one of the biggest lessons he took away from his Naval Academy experience.
"At school, there was always too much to do, and in the Marine Corps, there has always been too much to do," Pace said. "Therefore, you really have to take the important and set it aside to do the critical."
Pace said being bombarded with myriad demands as a midshipman reinforced the importance of teamwork, another principle he said he's carried throughout his career. "In combat, there is nothing you do as an individual," he said. "It's all based on teamwork."
Developing Leaders
While developing their cadets and midshipmen intellectually, the academies also focus on developing them as leaders.
Abizaid said the most important lesson the academies need to instill is "the ability to lead people in a positive, inspirational way."
From their first days at their respective schools, cadets and midshipmen get exposed to valuable lessons in leadership. Initially they observe upperclassmen serving in various leadership positions -- some successfully, some less so. Later, students try their own hand at leadership posts. Through this process, they begin to understand what leadership style works for them, what doesn't, and how they can improve their leadership skills.
Gen. John Corley, Air Force vice chief of staff and a 1973 graduate of the Air Force Academy, described his alma mater as a "leadership laboratory" where cadets exposed him and his fellow cadets to "a set of experiences that you just don't find in other places."
"They also provided challenges," Corley said. "It was a test ... in terms of your development (and) ... your ability to grow and become a leader of character."
"I learned a lot from observing good leadership, and from observing bad leadership, and through experimentation on my own part, trying things that worked or didn't work for me," Pace said of his time at the Naval Academy.
That's the single biggest difference between the military academies and traditional civilian colleges and universities, the deans and alumni agreed.
"Our first and foremost overarching outcome is to commission ... leaders of character who embody our ... core values of integrity first, service before self, and excellence in all we do," said Brig. Gen. Dana Born, dean of faculty for the Air Force Academy and a 1983 graduate. "It stands at the very foundation of what we do."
Miller said leadership lessons learned at the academies have a long-lasting impact on how graduates confront problems.
"No matter what (military) community our graduates enter, ... they are going to be leaders, and we want to ensure they have a good ethical foundation for the decisions they are going to make," he said.
Educating for the Future
While preparing their cadets and midshipmen for the immediate requirements they'll face as graduates, academy officials say they recognize the need to keep their eyes focused on the horizon.
"We try to stay balanced and not hyper-reactive," Ragsdale said. "We recognize that we're providing a foundation upon which they can develop as successful officers."
"We can't just focus on the fact that we are currently engaged in a shooting war ... and think only about what (midshipmen) are going to need right after graduation," agreed Miller. "We need to look at what (future officers) are going to need for the longer term and recognize that we're preparing them for a career of service."
By approaching education as a "strategic investment," Miller said, the academies are helping students recognize that their education will be just beginning as they accept their commissions.
"We are trying to lay a foundation on which they can build over their career and continue to learn," he said. "That's important, because being in the armed services demands lifetime learning."
Change
The biggest misconception about the academies is that they're so embedded in tradition that they can't or won't change with the times, officials said.
"That is about as far from the truth as you can get," Ragsdale said. "On the contrary, we understand ... that our graduates have to be prepared for a changing world. So while we hold on to our firm foundations upon which the institution was built, we have embraced change to ensure we are providing the kinds of experiences our cadets need to be successful in the world they are going to face when they graduate."
Born described sweeping changes in the Air Force Academy's core curriculum so courses build on previous lessons and broaden students' exposure to new concepts and approaches. The other academies have instituted similar changes.
These changes are helping ensure students have a foundation from which to draw when they graduate into a wartime environment. "We need students to learn and be able to build upon prior learning, as opposed to just teaching and hoping that they remember it when they need it when they are in downtown Baghdad making decisions," Born said.
Intraservice Cooperation
An intensive system of sharing and cooperation is helping the academies evolve to better serve their students' and services' needs. Staffs meet in person and share e-mails regularly to keep each other informed about new initiatives they're trying and what they've learned along the way.
"We are trying to learn from each other in a leap-frog fashion rather than all of us learning linearly and stumbling over the same obstacles," Miller said.
"We have very common goals and a common set of outcomes that we would like all our graduates to achieve," Ragsdale agreed. "So we share those things that have worked, and on the flip side, those initiatives that have not been successful so they can learn from our mistakes."
Born said the academies recognize their similarities and build on each others' strengths. "We ... team together to share lessons learned and best practices. We learn from each other and are able to progress more quickly by sharing our lessons learned," she said.
So despite infamous interservice rivalry in the sports arena, Born said, there's a healthy respect and common understanding among academy students, graduates and staffs.
"When it comes to the football field, there is all kinds of talk and all kinds of competition," she said. "But when it comes right down to it, we are all working toward commissioning officers and leaders of character for our nation."
Article sponsored by criminal justice online leadership; and, police and military personnel who have authored books.
CBS Highlights Defense Department Program
By Samantha L. Quigley
American Forces Press Service
May 24, 2007 – "The Early Show" on CBS took advantage of the New York's 20th annual Fleet Week to share its support and appreciation for the thousands of sailors and Marines enjoying the city, as well as for military members serving around the world. John Bolaris, who was filling in for The Early Show's regular meteorologist, introduced viewers to the Defense Department's America Supports You program.
"We want to tell you about a special program devoted to the sacrifice that the servicemen and women do for our country and how much the American people appreciate their sacrifice," Bolaris said.
America Supports You connects citizens and corporations with military personnel and their families serving at home and abroad. It began in November 2004, and boasts dozens of corporate supporters and more than 250 home-front groups that work to support servicemembers worldwide.
"You probably understand how important it is for our military men and women to know that America supports them (and) appreciates the sacrifices that they're making," Roxie Merritt, an America Supports You spokeswoman and a retired Navy captain, said. "(It's) hard to tell sometimes when you're overseas and watching the news that you really are truly supported back here."
The program's corporate supporters and home-front groups work hard to make sure servicemembers know just how much appreciation they have from home. Among other forms of support, groups send care packages and provide assistance to deployed servicemembers' families and injured servicemembers working to reintegrate into civilian life.
"America Supports You groups do all kinds of wonderful things for us," Merritt said against a backdrop of sailors, Marines and an America Support You banner. Her comments were met with cheers from the servicemembers gathered outside the CBS studios.
"And that support, that morale, is much needed right now," Bolaris said.
Article sponsored by criminal justice online leadership; and, police and military personnel who have authored books.
American Forces Press Service
May 24, 2007 – "The Early Show" on CBS took advantage of the New York's 20th annual Fleet Week to share its support and appreciation for the thousands of sailors and Marines enjoying the city, as well as for military members serving around the world. John Bolaris, who was filling in for The Early Show's regular meteorologist, introduced viewers to the Defense Department's America Supports You program.
"We want to tell you about a special program devoted to the sacrifice that the servicemen and women do for our country and how much the American people appreciate their sacrifice," Bolaris said.
America Supports You connects citizens and corporations with military personnel and their families serving at home and abroad. It began in November 2004, and boasts dozens of corporate supporters and more than 250 home-front groups that work to support servicemembers worldwide.
"You probably understand how important it is for our military men and women to know that America supports them (and) appreciates the sacrifices that they're making," Roxie Merritt, an America Supports You spokeswoman and a retired Navy captain, said. "(It's) hard to tell sometimes when you're overseas and watching the news that you really are truly supported back here."
The program's corporate supporters and home-front groups work hard to make sure servicemembers know just how much appreciation they have from home. Among other forms of support, groups send care packages and provide assistance to deployed servicemembers' families and injured servicemembers working to reintegrate into civilian life.
"America Supports You groups do all kinds of wonderful things for us," Merritt said against a backdrop of sailors, Marines and an America Support You banner. Her comments were met with cheers from the servicemembers gathered outside the CBS studios.
"And that support, that morale, is much needed right now," Bolaris said.
Article sponsored by criminal justice online leadership; and, police and military personnel who have authored books.
Guard's Lack of Equipment Puts U.S. at Risk, Chief Says
By Fred W. Baker III
American Forces Press Service
May 24, 2007 – Congress must either fund equipment for the National Guard or accept the risks of an under-equipped strategic reserve, the Guard's top officer said today. The Guard has only about half of the equipment it needs, Army National Guard Lt. Gen. H Steven Blum, chief of the National Guard Bureau, testified before the House of Representatives Committee on Homeland Security's subcommittee on management, investigations and oversight.
Flanked by three states' adjutants general, Blum told committee members that having the nation's only strategic reserve equipped at 50 percent sends a message "that could be miscalculated by our adversaries overseas."
"It's really now the job of the Congress to fund the equipment or accept the risk," Blum said.
The Defense Department has proposed spending $22 billion for National Guard equipment purchases over the next five years, Blum said.
Even so, that would equip the Guard to only 75 percent, its level before the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001. Blum questioned whether that is enough.
"We are in a post-9/11 world, and I am not certain that those levels still apply," Blum said.
Air National Guard Maj. Gen. Roger P. Lempke, the adjutant general of Nebraska and president of the Adjutants General Association, told committee members that there needs to be better accounting at the Defense Department level for states' equipping needs.
Currently, equipping the Army and Air National Guard is managed by the respective services, and levels are based on units' wartime missions. This causes problems when states respond to multiple requirements -- state and federal -- forcing them to cross-level equipment, or take it from one unit to give to another. In addition, much Guard equipment deployed overseas has not returned.
Army National Guard Maj. Gen. Robert P. French, deputy adjutant general for the Pennsylvania Army National Guard, said that leaves his state falling short. "What happens today because of the war effort ... leaves us with substitute equipment at home or no equipment at home," he said.
Blum conceded that the Guard does not need full equipping of its lethal systems, such as tanks and artillery systems. Units need only enough of those for training. But, he outlined an "essential 10" categories that list 342 dual-service items needed both to respond to U.S. disasters and tov support units' wartime missions. The categories include maintenance, aviation, medical and power generation. States need more equipment such as trucks, helicopters and communications equipment, Blum said.
The Guard chief also was critical of the equipment most states have left at home, saying some of it is decades old and not fit for war, to sell or even to give away.
"Those 40-year-old trucks are here in the U.S. because they are not good enough to go to the war. But someone thinks they are good enough to be used to save American lives," Blum said. "I say they're not good enough."
When Guard members deploy overseas, they are fully equipped for their mission, Blum said. It should be same here, he told the committee. If America were to suffer a terrorist attack simultaneously with a natural disaster combined with supporting the war, the force could easily become overwhelmed, he said.
"We're doing every single mission that we can possibly be doing, and we're doing it simultaneously, and we're trying to do it with 50 percent of our equipment," Blum said.
"We need to make sure that the troops that are back here have everything they need," he said.
Article sponsored by criminal justice online leadership; and, police and military personnel who have authored books.
American Forces Press Service
May 24, 2007 – Congress must either fund equipment for the National Guard or accept the risks of an under-equipped strategic reserve, the Guard's top officer said today. The Guard has only about half of the equipment it needs, Army National Guard Lt. Gen. H Steven Blum, chief of the National Guard Bureau, testified before the House of Representatives Committee on Homeland Security's subcommittee on management, investigations and oversight.
Flanked by three states' adjutants general, Blum told committee members that having the nation's only strategic reserve equipped at 50 percent sends a message "that could be miscalculated by our adversaries overseas."
"It's really now the job of the Congress to fund the equipment or accept the risk," Blum said.
The Defense Department has proposed spending $22 billion for National Guard equipment purchases over the next five years, Blum said.
Even so, that would equip the Guard to only 75 percent, its level before the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001. Blum questioned whether that is enough.
"We are in a post-9/11 world, and I am not certain that those levels still apply," Blum said.
Air National Guard Maj. Gen. Roger P. Lempke, the adjutant general of Nebraska and president of the Adjutants General Association, told committee members that there needs to be better accounting at the Defense Department level for states' equipping needs.
Currently, equipping the Army and Air National Guard is managed by the respective services, and levels are based on units' wartime missions. This causes problems when states respond to multiple requirements -- state and federal -- forcing them to cross-level equipment, or take it from one unit to give to another. In addition, much Guard equipment deployed overseas has not returned.
Army National Guard Maj. Gen. Robert P. French, deputy adjutant general for the Pennsylvania Army National Guard, said that leaves his state falling short. "What happens today because of the war effort ... leaves us with substitute equipment at home or no equipment at home," he said.
Blum conceded that the Guard does not need full equipping of its lethal systems, such as tanks and artillery systems. Units need only enough of those for training. But, he outlined an "essential 10" categories that list 342 dual-service items needed both to respond to U.S. disasters and tov support units' wartime missions. The categories include maintenance, aviation, medical and power generation. States need more equipment such as trucks, helicopters and communications equipment, Blum said.
The Guard chief also was critical of the equipment most states have left at home, saying some of it is decades old and not fit for war, to sell or even to give away.
"Those 40-year-old trucks are here in the U.S. because they are not good enough to go to the war. But someone thinks they are good enough to be used to save American lives," Blum said. "I say they're not good enough."
When Guard members deploy overseas, they are fully equipped for their mission, Blum said. It should be same here, he told the committee. If America were to suffer a terrorist attack simultaneously with a natural disaster combined with supporting the war, the force could easily become overwhelmed, he said.
"We're doing every single mission that we can possibly be doing, and we're doing it simultaneously, and we're trying to do it with 50 percent of our equipment," Blum said.
"We need to make sure that the troops that are back here have everything they need," he said.
Article sponsored by criminal justice online leadership; and, police and military personnel who have authored books.
Gates, Pace Call Memorial Day Time to Honor, Remember, Rededicate
By Donna Miles
American Forces Press Service
May 24, 2007 – The top U.S. military officer today urged men and women in uniform to honor Memorial Day by remembering those who gave their lives for the country and to rededicate themselves to service. "This weekend is not only a time for us to reflect on the sacrifices that those who went before us have made, but on the current sacrifices of those in uniform," Marine Gen. Peter Pace, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, told reporters.
Pace said it's also an opportunity for those in the military to rededicate themselves to defending the U.S. Constitution and honor the legacy of the millions of troops who have protected the country's freedoms for more than 200 years.
"There is fear on the battlefield, but I think the truth is that soldiers and Marines in battle fear most that they would either let their fellow soldier or Marine down or somehow let down the legacy that they have inherited," the general said. "And this weekend is a chance for each of us who have the privilege of wearing the uniform to rededicate ourselves to our oath of office and to the legacy that we have inherited."
Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates joined Pace in noting the importance of Memorial Day.
"It's a time to honor those who gave their lives in service to this country," he said. "It is also a time to thank those who are currently serving and sacrificing here and overseas, and to their families who make daily sacrifices in service to our country."
Gates said it's also a time "to reflect on the dangers that threaten us, our freedoms and our liberties."
The secretary noted that he will address the U.S. Naval Academy Class of 2007 at its graduation tomorrow in Annapolis, Md. On May 30, he will speak to graduating U.S. Air Force Academy graduates in Colorado Springs, Colo.
"These young men and women represent some of our nation's best and brightest who made a choice four years ago to serve at a time of war," he said. "We are deeply indebted to them and to all the men and women who have stepped forward to defend our nation."
Article sponsored by criminal justice online leadership; and, police and military personnel who have authored books.
American Forces Press Service
May 24, 2007 – The top U.S. military officer today urged men and women in uniform to honor Memorial Day by remembering those who gave their lives for the country and to rededicate themselves to service. "This weekend is not only a time for us to reflect on the sacrifices that those who went before us have made, but on the current sacrifices of those in uniform," Marine Gen. Peter Pace, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, told reporters.
Pace said it's also an opportunity for those in the military to rededicate themselves to defending the U.S. Constitution and honor the legacy of the millions of troops who have protected the country's freedoms for more than 200 years.
"There is fear on the battlefield, but I think the truth is that soldiers and Marines in battle fear most that they would either let their fellow soldier or Marine down or somehow let down the legacy that they have inherited," the general said. "And this weekend is a chance for each of us who have the privilege of wearing the uniform to rededicate ourselves to our oath of office and to the legacy that we have inherited."
Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates joined Pace in noting the importance of Memorial Day.
"It's a time to honor those who gave their lives in service to this country," he said. "It is also a time to thank those who are currently serving and sacrificing here and overseas, and to their families who make daily sacrifices in service to our country."
Gates said it's also a time "to reflect on the dangers that threaten us, our freedoms and our liberties."
The secretary noted that he will address the U.S. Naval Academy Class of 2007 at its graduation tomorrow in Annapolis, Md. On May 30, he will speak to graduating U.S. Air Force Academy graduates in Colorado Springs, Colo.
"These young men and women represent some of our nation's best and brightest who made a choice four years ago to serve at a time of war," he said. "We are deeply indebted to them and to all the men and women who have stepped forward to defend our nation."
Article sponsored by criminal justice online leadership; and, police and military personnel who have authored books.
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