By Gerry J. Gilmore
American Forces Press Service
May 31, 2007 – This fall, a U.S. Navy ship will embark on a six-month deployment to the Gulf of Guinea region, part of a multinational maritime security and safety initiative that partners with several west- and central-African nations, a senior U.S. Navy officer said here today. The yet-to-be designated amphibious ship will carry 200 to 300 sailors and U.S. Coast Guard members who will man training teams that will work with eleven Gulf of Guinea nations, helping them to build their maritime security capabilities, Navy Adm. Henry G. Ulrich III, commander of U.S. Naval Forces, Europe -- based in Naples, Italy -- told reporters today at a news conference held at Fort Lesley J. McNair here.
The news conference followed a meeting of African, American, French, Portuguese and other military and diplomatic representatives. The meeting was hosted by the Africa Center for Strategic Studies, which falls under the Defense Security Cooperation Agency, an element of the Office of the Secretary of Defense's policy directorate.
At a ministerial conference in Cotonou, Benin, in November, ministers and representatives of Angola, Benin, Cameroon, the Republic of the Congo, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Ghana, Nigeria, Sao Tome and Principe, and Togo committed themselves to improve their nations' maritime security and safety systems.
Piracy, illegal fishing, unlawful immigration and smuggling plague several Gulf of Guinea countries, Ulrich said, noting such unlawful activities can attract other undesirable elements, including terrorists.
"Security means that there's governance," Ulrich explained. "And, where there's security and governance is not where people who we describe as terrorists like to go.
"We're trying to eliminate voids (of law and order)," the admiral continued, noting Gulf of Guinea nations also are interested in establishing their own Coast Guards.
Ulrich said he was very pleased by participant African nations' reaction to the planned six-month deployment to the Gulf of Guinea, a version of the Navy's Global Fleet Station concept. The pilot GFS deployment began April 25 when High Speed Vessel 2 Swift and Task Group 40.9 departed Naval Station Mayport, Fla., for Central South American ports-of-call.
"I'm really, really optimistic that this is going to be the tipping point for us and move this whole initiative of maritime safety and security ahead," Ulrich said.
It's paramount for the United States to follow through with the Gulf of Guinea initiative, retired U.S. Ambassador Peter R. Chaveas, director of the Africa Center for Strategic Studies, emphasized at the news conference.
"One aspect of Africans' experience with the United States going back decades is that the United States has shown a great tendency to start some great initiatives and too often the experience is that we're not there five years later, we don't follow through on it." Chaveas explained. "And so, Africans look at these things skeptically with that in mind. So, it's very, very important as has been going on in this particular context, to keep at this.
"We have to keep communicating with them, consulting with them, making the case that we're in this with them for the longer term," Chaveas said.
Article sponsored by criminal justice online leadership; and, police and military personnel who have authored books.
Thursday, May 31, 2007
Gates Says Asia Remains Critical to U.S. Security Interests
By Donna Miles
American Forces Press Service
May 31, 2007 – The United States has "no intention of neglecting Asia" as it focuses on fighting the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and the global war on terror, Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates said here today. Gates spoke with reporters after meeting with Adm. Timothy J. Keating, commander of U.S. Pacific Command, to discuss U.S.-Pacific security issues.
The secretary stopped here while en route to Singapore to attend the International Institute for Strategic Studies' Asia Security Conference. Defense and military leaders from 25 nations are slated to attend this year's conference, the sixth since 2002.
Gates praised the "critical role" many Asian and Pacific nations are playing in the war on terror, noting that many have experienced terrorism within their own borders. These countries have been "strong allies in pursuing al Qaeda" and other terrorist organizations, he said.
Australia, Japan, South Korea, Thailand, Singapore, Fiji, Mongolia, Tonga and New Zealand are making or have made significant contributions to the efforts in both Iraq and Afghanistan.
Gates is expected to recognize those contributions in his keynote speech June 2 at the Asia Security Conference, known as the Shangri-La Dialogue. The annual three-day conference will be the secretary's first, and he has a full schedule of bilateral meetings and other sessions planned.
Gates said he will summarize the variety of activities and initiatives the United States is participating in in the region during his address. Pacific Command is "deeply engaged and actively engaged," he said.
Today he cited cooperation in maritime security and counter-proliferation, as well as a robust exercise program that includes humanitarian relief exercises to prepare for another tsunami or other natural disaster in the region. "So there is just a lot going on," he said.
Gates noted that USS Peleliu, an amphibious assault ship homeported in San Diego, will soon travel through the region providing medical care.
In addition to highlighting these efforts, the secretary is also expected to touch on China's military expansion program during his keynote address in Singapore. He told reporters today it's evident that China is bolstering its capacity. "Our concern is their intent," he said.
The last time Gates was here, in late March, was for Keating's ceremony as he took the helm of Pacific Command. The largest U.S. combatant command, it includes 43 countries, more than half the Earth's surface and nearly 60 percent of its population.
During testimony last month before the Senate Armed Services Committee, Keating pointed to events like the Shangri-La Dialogue as the key to enhancing U.S. relationships in the region.
"Meaningful and frequent engagement with the nations in the Asia-Pacific - characterized by the transparent expression of views and intent - contributed to considerable progress across a broad range of security issues this past year," he told the committee.
Article sponsored by criminal justice online leadership; and, police and military personnel who have authored books.
American Forces Press Service
May 31, 2007 – The United States has "no intention of neglecting Asia" as it focuses on fighting the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and the global war on terror, Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates said here today. Gates spoke with reporters after meeting with Adm. Timothy J. Keating, commander of U.S. Pacific Command, to discuss U.S.-Pacific security issues.
The secretary stopped here while en route to Singapore to attend the International Institute for Strategic Studies' Asia Security Conference. Defense and military leaders from 25 nations are slated to attend this year's conference, the sixth since 2002.
Gates praised the "critical role" many Asian and Pacific nations are playing in the war on terror, noting that many have experienced terrorism within their own borders. These countries have been "strong allies in pursuing al Qaeda" and other terrorist organizations, he said.
Australia, Japan, South Korea, Thailand, Singapore, Fiji, Mongolia, Tonga and New Zealand are making or have made significant contributions to the efforts in both Iraq and Afghanistan.
Gates is expected to recognize those contributions in his keynote speech June 2 at the Asia Security Conference, known as the Shangri-La Dialogue. The annual three-day conference will be the secretary's first, and he has a full schedule of bilateral meetings and other sessions planned.
Gates said he will summarize the variety of activities and initiatives the United States is participating in in the region during his address. Pacific Command is "deeply engaged and actively engaged," he said.
Today he cited cooperation in maritime security and counter-proliferation, as well as a robust exercise program that includes humanitarian relief exercises to prepare for another tsunami or other natural disaster in the region. "So there is just a lot going on," he said.
Gates noted that USS Peleliu, an amphibious assault ship homeported in San Diego, will soon travel through the region providing medical care.
In addition to highlighting these efforts, the secretary is also expected to touch on China's military expansion program during his keynote address in Singapore. He told reporters today it's evident that China is bolstering its capacity. "Our concern is their intent," he said.
The last time Gates was here, in late March, was for Keating's ceremony as he took the helm of Pacific Command. The largest U.S. combatant command, it includes 43 countries, more than half the Earth's surface and nearly 60 percent of its population.
During testimony last month before the Senate Armed Services Committee, Keating pointed to events like the Shangri-La Dialogue as the key to enhancing U.S. relationships in the region.
"Meaningful and frequent engagement with the nations in the Asia-Pacific - characterized by the transparent expression of views and intent - contributed to considerable progress across a broad range of security issues this past year," he told the committee.
Article sponsored by criminal justice online leadership; and, police and military personnel who have authored books.
Tiger Woods to Honor Servicemembers
By Samantha L. Quigley
American Forces Press Service
May 30, 2007 – Thirty thousand active-duty servicemembers and guests will be able to attend the inaugural AT&T National invitational golf tournament July 3-8, professional golfer Tiger Woods announced here yesterday. Woods, who's hosting the event at Congressional Country Club here, made the announcement from the storied venue's clubhouse. He said he understands what it means to be part of a military family and that he wants to acknowledge the sacrifices the nation's servicemembers are making.
"I grew up in that household," Woods, whose late father was a Vietnam veteran, said. "I have friends who are in the military as well, so I know the level of commitment that it takes for them and the things that they do."
It's no coincidence that the tournament incorporates the Fourth of July holiday.
"It's our nation's birthday," he added. "I don't think it could be any better than to have it (then) in D.C. and have all the servicemen and women come out and have it on this golf course."
The newest PGA Tour tournament is working with the military's Pentagon-based Morale, Welfare, and Recreation office to distribute the tickets, 5,000 for each day of the tournament, Greg McLaughlin, president of the Tiger Woods Foundation, said.
"Our intent is to honor and really thank the people that protect us," he said.
As part of that effort, servicemembers attending the tournament will have their own VIP entrance near the 16th green that will lead to a special seating gallery. Their valid military identification card also will garner them discounts on concessions, McLaughlin said.
"We've got about 10 items in cooperation with the PGA Tour and the Pentagon that we've been working on," he added. "These details will come out later this week and in the weeks leading up to the tournament."
The tournament, which has a $6 million purse, will consist of 72 holes of regulation play. Participation is open to 120 players by invitation only. Though many pro golfers set their schedules before the beginning of the year, Jim Furyk, Adam Scott, Davis Love III and Darren Clarke have joined the field in the quest for the winner's $1.08 million prize.
While Phil Mickelson and Ernie Els won't hit the Congressional links, Vijay Singh is "up in the air," Woods said.
Woods, who's ranked No. 1 in the world, said he's intending to play, though Mother Nature may have other plans. His wife, Elin, is expecting the couple's first child and could give birth during the tournament.
That fact gave way to a hypothetical question that drew a good laugh from the crowd gathered for the news conference. A reporter asked what Woods would do if he were on the 18th green, holding a one-stroke lead, and got a call saying Elin had just gone into labor.
"Well, I'll have to play real quick, won't I?" Woods said, breaking into a wide smile as the room burst into laughter. "A (birdie) will win, won't it?"
No matter which player claims the tournament title, the real winners will be the children reached through the programs offered by the Tiger Woods Foundation, one of the tournament's beneficiaries. Other D.C.-based charities also will benefit.
Woods and his father, Earl, established the foundation in 1996 with the mission of empowering young people to dream big and set goals to achieve those dreams through community-based programs, according to the foundation's Web site. An estimated 10 million children have benefited to date.
Article sponsored by criminal justice online leadership; and, police and military personnel who have authored books.
American Forces Press Service
May 30, 2007 – Thirty thousand active-duty servicemembers and guests will be able to attend the inaugural AT&T National invitational golf tournament July 3-8, professional golfer Tiger Woods announced here yesterday. Woods, who's hosting the event at Congressional Country Club here, made the announcement from the storied venue's clubhouse. He said he understands what it means to be part of a military family and that he wants to acknowledge the sacrifices the nation's servicemembers are making.
"I grew up in that household," Woods, whose late father was a Vietnam veteran, said. "I have friends who are in the military as well, so I know the level of commitment that it takes for them and the things that they do."
It's no coincidence that the tournament incorporates the Fourth of July holiday.
"It's our nation's birthday," he added. "I don't think it could be any better than to have it (then) in D.C. and have all the servicemen and women come out and have it on this golf course."
The newest PGA Tour tournament is working with the military's Pentagon-based Morale, Welfare, and Recreation office to distribute the tickets, 5,000 for each day of the tournament, Greg McLaughlin, president of the Tiger Woods Foundation, said.
"Our intent is to honor and really thank the people that protect us," he said.
As part of that effort, servicemembers attending the tournament will have their own VIP entrance near the 16th green that will lead to a special seating gallery. Their valid military identification card also will garner them discounts on concessions, McLaughlin said.
"We've got about 10 items in cooperation with the PGA Tour and the Pentagon that we've been working on," he added. "These details will come out later this week and in the weeks leading up to the tournament."
The tournament, which has a $6 million purse, will consist of 72 holes of regulation play. Participation is open to 120 players by invitation only. Though many pro golfers set their schedules before the beginning of the year, Jim Furyk, Adam Scott, Davis Love III and Darren Clarke have joined the field in the quest for the winner's $1.08 million prize.
While Phil Mickelson and Ernie Els won't hit the Congressional links, Vijay Singh is "up in the air," Woods said.
Woods, who's ranked No. 1 in the world, said he's intending to play, though Mother Nature may have other plans. His wife, Elin, is expecting the couple's first child and could give birth during the tournament.
That fact gave way to a hypothetical question that drew a good laugh from the crowd gathered for the news conference. A reporter asked what Woods would do if he were on the 18th green, holding a one-stroke lead, and got a call saying Elin had just gone into labor.
"Well, I'll have to play real quick, won't I?" Woods said, breaking into a wide smile as the room burst into laughter. "A (birdie) will win, won't it?"
No matter which player claims the tournament title, the real winners will be the children reached through the programs offered by the Tiger Woods Foundation, one of the tournament's beneficiaries. Other D.C.-based charities also will benefit.
Woods and his father, Earl, established the foundation in 1996 with the mission of empowering young people to dream big and set goals to achieve those dreams through community-based programs, according to the foundation's Web site. An estimated 10 million children have benefited to date.
Article sponsored by criminal justice online leadership; and, police and military personnel who have authored books.
Navy Pilot Missing From Vietnam War Is Identified
The Department of Defense POW/Missing Personnel Office (DPMO) announced today that the remains of a U.S. serviceman, missing in action from the Vietnam War, have been identified and will be returned to his family for burial with full military honors. He is Lt. Michael T. Newell, U.S. Navy, of Ellenville, N.Y. He will be buried today in Arlington National Cemetery near Washington, D.C.
On Dec. 14, 1966, Newell was flying an F-8E Crusader aircraft as wingman in a flight of two on a combat air patrol over North Vietnam. During the mission, the flight leader saw a surface-to-air missile explode between the two aircraft. Although Newell initially reported that he had survived the blast, his aircraft gradually lost power and crashed near the border between Nghe An and Thanh Hoa provinces in south central North Vietnam. The flight leader did not see a parachute nor did he hear an emergency beacon signal. He stayed in the area and determined that Newell did not escape from the aircraft prior to the crash.
Between 1993 and 2002, joint U.S./Socialist Republic of Vietnam (S.R.V.) teams, led by the Joint POW/MIA Accounting Command (JPAC), visited the area of the incident five times to conduct investigations and survey the crash site. They found pilot-related artifacts and aircraft wreckage consistent to an F-8 Crusader.
In 2004, a joint U.S./S.R.V. team began excavating the crash site. The team was unable to complete the recovery and subsequent teams re-visited the site two more times before the recovery was completed in 2006. As a result, the teams found human remains and additional pilot-related items.
Among other forensic identification tools and circumstantial evidence, scientists from JPAC also used dental comparisons in the identification of the remains.
For additional information on the Defense Department's mission to account for missing Americans, visit the DPMO Web site at http://www.dtic.mil/dpmo or call (703) 699-1169.
Article sponsored by criminal justice online leadership; and, police and military personnel who have authored books.
On Dec. 14, 1966, Newell was flying an F-8E Crusader aircraft as wingman in a flight of two on a combat air patrol over North Vietnam. During the mission, the flight leader saw a surface-to-air missile explode between the two aircraft. Although Newell initially reported that he had survived the blast, his aircraft gradually lost power and crashed near the border between Nghe An and Thanh Hoa provinces in south central North Vietnam. The flight leader did not see a parachute nor did he hear an emergency beacon signal. He stayed in the area and determined that Newell did not escape from the aircraft prior to the crash.
Between 1993 and 2002, joint U.S./Socialist Republic of Vietnam (S.R.V.) teams, led by the Joint POW/MIA Accounting Command (JPAC), visited the area of the incident five times to conduct investigations and survey the crash site. They found pilot-related artifacts and aircraft wreckage consistent to an F-8 Crusader.
In 2004, a joint U.S./S.R.V. team began excavating the crash site. The team was unable to complete the recovery and subsequent teams re-visited the site two more times before the recovery was completed in 2006. As a result, the teams found human remains and additional pilot-related items.
Among other forensic identification tools and circumstantial evidence, scientists from JPAC also used dental comparisons in the identification of the remains.
For additional information on the Defense Department's mission to account for missing Americans, visit the DPMO Web site at http://www.dtic.mil/dpmo or call (703) 699-1169.
Article sponsored by criminal justice online leadership; and, police and military personnel who have authored books.
Defense Secretary Calls AF Academy Graduates to Higher Standard
By Fred W. Baker III
American Forces Press Service
May 30, 2007 – Today's brand-new Air Force officers need to live up to a higher standard, even though doing so may take them along "a difficult and lonely road," Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates said today. nder blue skies at the Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs, Colo., Gates spoke to the 976-member graduating class during its commencement ceremony in a packed Falcon Stadium.
Gates told the class that relying on elements of personal virtue will leave the graduates above reproach as leaders.
"There is only one way to conduct yourself in this world, only one way to remain always above reproach," he said. "For a real leader, the elements of personal virtue -- self-reliance, self-control, honor, truthfulness, morality -- are absolute."
Gates noted that this class, the academy's 49th, is one of the first whose candidates began their application process after the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001. And, despite an uncertain future, the candidates chose a military career.
"You knew the dangers of the world you were entering, but you still chose to step forward," the secretary said.
The world is more complicated now than when Gates was commissioned as an Air Force second lieutenant in 1966, he said, adding that the challenges the graduates face will test their "spirit and resolve." But, he said, it is now time for the graduates to put into practice the principles of leadership taught at the academy.
"The time for words has now passed. From this day forward, you will have to demonstrate that you can live up to the standards you were taught," Gates said.
He said the U.S. military is unique in the world in terms of how heavily it relies on the judgment and integrity of its junior officers. The secretary warned the newly commissioned officers that their path as leaders will "rarely, if ever, be easy" and called on them to do the right thing, even if it means personal sacrifice.
Failures of leadership, even in the military, are typically not because of leaders' capabilities, Gates said. Instead, they happen because leaders chose personal gain over the long-term interests of the service.
In a light moment, Gates joked about seeing "dancing cadet" Jeffrey Pelehac's Internet video. Pelehac gained dubious renown when he was a sophmore in 2005 after his roommate placed a candid video of him dancing on the Internet. "Yes, I've seen the video. Don't give up your day job," Gates quipped.
Later in his speech, Gates addressed the same technology that made Pelehac infamous, saying it could work against the graduates as leaders and make the decisions they face even more difficult.
"We live in an age where friends and enemies alike will seek out and focus on any and all mistakes made under great stress, where the irregular battlefield will present life-and-death decisions, often with no good choices," Gates said, "where the slightest error in judgment or even the perception of an error can be magnified many times over the Internet and on TV and circulated around the globe in seconds."
Gates warned the graduates that even their supporters will scrutinize their actions and that expectations are high.
"You can never be content to be merely good citizens," he said. "In everything you do, you must always make sure that you are living up to the highest personal and professional standards of duty, service and sacrifice.
"And when you are called to lead, when you are called to stand in defense of your country in faraway lands, you must hold your values and your honor close to your heart," Gates said. "You must remember that the true measure of leadership is not how you react in times of peace or times without peril.
"The true measure of leadership is how you react when the wind leaves your sails, when the tide turns against you," Gates continued. "If at those times you hold true to your standard, then you will always succeed, if only in knowing you stayed true and honorable."
Article sponsored by criminal justice online leadership; and, police and military personnel who have authored books.
American Forces Press Service
May 30, 2007 – Today's brand-new Air Force officers need to live up to a higher standard, even though doing so may take them along "a difficult and lonely road," Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates said today. nder blue skies at the Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs, Colo., Gates spoke to the 976-member graduating class during its commencement ceremony in a packed Falcon Stadium.
Gates told the class that relying on elements of personal virtue will leave the graduates above reproach as leaders.
"There is only one way to conduct yourself in this world, only one way to remain always above reproach," he said. "For a real leader, the elements of personal virtue -- self-reliance, self-control, honor, truthfulness, morality -- are absolute."
Gates noted that this class, the academy's 49th, is one of the first whose candidates began their application process after the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001. And, despite an uncertain future, the candidates chose a military career.
"You knew the dangers of the world you were entering, but you still chose to step forward," the secretary said.
The world is more complicated now than when Gates was commissioned as an Air Force second lieutenant in 1966, he said, adding that the challenges the graduates face will test their "spirit and resolve." But, he said, it is now time for the graduates to put into practice the principles of leadership taught at the academy.
"The time for words has now passed. From this day forward, you will have to demonstrate that you can live up to the standards you were taught," Gates said.
He said the U.S. military is unique in the world in terms of how heavily it relies on the judgment and integrity of its junior officers. The secretary warned the newly commissioned officers that their path as leaders will "rarely, if ever, be easy" and called on them to do the right thing, even if it means personal sacrifice.
Failures of leadership, even in the military, are typically not because of leaders' capabilities, Gates said. Instead, they happen because leaders chose personal gain over the long-term interests of the service.
In a light moment, Gates joked about seeing "dancing cadet" Jeffrey Pelehac's Internet video. Pelehac gained dubious renown when he was a sophmore in 2005 after his roommate placed a candid video of him dancing on the Internet. "Yes, I've seen the video. Don't give up your day job," Gates quipped.
Later in his speech, Gates addressed the same technology that made Pelehac infamous, saying it could work against the graduates as leaders and make the decisions they face even more difficult.
"We live in an age where friends and enemies alike will seek out and focus on any and all mistakes made under great stress, where the irregular battlefield will present life-and-death decisions, often with no good choices," Gates said, "where the slightest error in judgment or even the perception of an error can be magnified many times over the Internet and on TV and circulated around the globe in seconds."
Gates warned the graduates that even their supporters will scrutinize their actions and that expectations are high.
"You can never be content to be merely good citizens," he said. "In everything you do, you must always make sure that you are living up to the highest personal and professional standards of duty, service and sacrifice.
"And when you are called to lead, when you are called to stand in defense of your country in faraway lands, you must hold your values and your honor close to your heart," Gates said. "You must remember that the true measure of leadership is not how you react in times of peace or times without peril.
"The true measure of leadership is how you react when the wind leaves your sails, when the tide turns against you," Gates continued. "If at those times you hold true to your standard, then you will always succeed, if only in knowing you stayed true and honorable."
Article sponsored by criminal justice online leadership; and, police and military personnel who have authored books.
Health Study Uses Data from Global War on Terrorism
By Gerry J. Gilmore
American Forces Press Service
May 29, 2007 – When a landmark Defense Department-sponsored health study was launched six years ago, one of its goals was to evaluate the impact of future deployments on long-term health. The investigators did not know how timely the project would be. Today, the Millennium Cohort Study has enrolled tens of thousands of participants who have deployed in support of the global war on terrorism, said Navy Cmdr. (Dr.) Margaret Ryan, the study's principal investigator and director of the Defense Department Center for Deployment Health Research, part of the Naval Health Research Center, in San Diego.
The study was designed in the late 1990s "in the wake of the first Gulf War to answer some of the most difficult questions that couldn't really be answered retrospectively after that conflict," Ryan said.
The joint-service study was established to evaluate the health risks of military deployments, occupational exposures, and general military service, Ryan explained, noting that about 108,000 servicemembers have signed up to take part since program enrollment began in July 2001.
Participants' health is evaluated over a 21-year period, Ryan said, noting the size of the cohort -- the group participating in the study - likely will total more than 147,000 people.
"About 40 percent of our cohort has deployed to one of the more recent operations, either in Iraq or Afghanistan or surrounding regions, in support of the global war on terrorism," Ryan said.
Involvement in the study is voluntary, and participants are selected randomly, Ryan said. All information is secure and safeguarded, she added.
Participants report their health status every three years and can fill out either paper or online surveys, Ryan said.
"We do strongly encourage people to use the online option," Ryan said. "It's a very secure way to transmit information."
Dr. Tyler C. Smith will replace Ryan as the study's principal investigator later this year, as the Navy physician is slated to take a new duty assignment at Camp Pendleton, Calif.
The study is providing valuable data that will help military epidemiologists understand possible cause-and-effect relationships between combat-zone deployments and problems such as post-traumatic stress disorder, Smith said
"We have the ability to look at a large group of individuals who were deployed and not deployed," Smith said. "And we can see what factors predict new-onset PTSD, and how PTSD evolves over time. That's what we've been focusing on."
Evaluating the incidence of PTSD among servicemembers wasn't possible until recently, "simply because we didn't have a cohort in place like this that's large and population-based," Smith explained.
"So we're learning things that we really haven't been able to investigate in the past," he said.
Article sponsored by criminal justice online leadership; and, police and military personnel who have authored books.
American Forces Press Service
May 29, 2007 – When a landmark Defense Department-sponsored health study was launched six years ago, one of its goals was to evaluate the impact of future deployments on long-term health. The investigators did not know how timely the project would be. Today, the Millennium Cohort Study has enrolled tens of thousands of participants who have deployed in support of the global war on terrorism, said Navy Cmdr. (Dr.) Margaret Ryan, the study's principal investigator and director of the Defense Department Center for Deployment Health Research, part of the Naval Health Research Center, in San Diego.
The study was designed in the late 1990s "in the wake of the first Gulf War to answer some of the most difficult questions that couldn't really be answered retrospectively after that conflict," Ryan said.
The joint-service study was established to evaluate the health risks of military deployments, occupational exposures, and general military service, Ryan explained, noting that about 108,000 servicemembers have signed up to take part since program enrollment began in July 2001.
Participants' health is evaluated over a 21-year period, Ryan said, noting the size of the cohort -- the group participating in the study - likely will total more than 147,000 people.
"About 40 percent of our cohort has deployed to one of the more recent operations, either in Iraq or Afghanistan or surrounding regions, in support of the global war on terrorism," Ryan said.
Involvement in the study is voluntary, and participants are selected randomly, Ryan said. All information is secure and safeguarded, she added.
Participants report their health status every three years and can fill out either paper or online surveys, Ryan said.
"We do strongly encourage people to use the online option," Ryan said. "It's a very secure way to transmit information."
Dr. Tyler C. Smith will replace Ryan as the study's principal investigator later this year, as the Navy physician is slated to take a new duty assignment at Camp Pendleton, Calif.
The study is providing valuable data that will help military epidemiologists understand possible cause-and-effect relationships between combat-zone deployments and problems such as post-traumatic stress disorder, Smith said
"We have the ability to look at a large group of individuals who were deployed and not deployed," Smith said. "And we can see what factors predict new-onset PTSD, and how PTSD evolves over time. That's what we've been focusing on."
Evaluating the incidence of PTSD among servicemembers wasn't possible until recently, "simply because we didn't have a cohort in place like this that's large and population-based," Smith explained.
"So we're learning things that we really haven't been able to investigate in the past," he said.
Article sponsored by criminal justice online leadership; and, police and military personnel who have authored books.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Posts
