By Jim Garamone
American Forces Press Service
March 31, 2008 - The chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff thanked soldiers and airmen based here and at adjoining Fort Bragg for their service during what he called the "most dangerous time" he has seen. Navy Adm. Mike Mullen visited special operations personnel and held an "all-hands call" here today. He told the soldiers and airmen that the United States has never had a better military. The military is so good "because you and people like you made the decision to raise your hands to serve your country and your fellow men," Mullen said.
Mullen said this is an unpredictable and dangerous time for America and its allies. He told the servicemembers that the military is executing its missions flawlessly. The chairman also thanked their families. "You could not do what you do without their support," he said.
America and the military are going through "an extraordinary time of change," Mullen said. "We need to adapt to change and lead that change, because the pace of change is accelerating."
One example of that change is that conventional forces are going to have to "become more Special Forces-like," he said, not only in warfighting, but also in how they are recruited, trained, retained and rewarded.
The chairman also told the troops that it is important that they lead. He said that everyone has a responsibility to lead and to train those coming behind them.
"Someone mentored you," Mullen said. "It's your turn to give back."
Monday, March 31, 2008
Disabled Vets Motivate Each Other at Winter Sports Clinic
By Donna Miles
American Forces Press Service
March 31, 2008 - As disabled veterans test their mettle this week during the National Disabled Veterans Winter Sports Clinic, they're finding motivation not just on the slopes, but also in each other. Four hundred disabled veterans, 67 of them wounded in Iraq and Afghanistan, said coming together for the six-day clinic is helping them push themselves even harder to achieve things they never thought possible.
As they heed the advice of Deputy Veterans Affairs Secretary Gordon H. Mansfield, a disabled veteran himself who opened the clinic last night urging them to reach out to each other, the veterans said they're finding a special brand of camaraderie that's driving them on.
Among them is retired Marine Cpl. Jason Poole, who was on a patrol near Iraq's border with Syria in June 2004 when a massive bomb killed three of his fellow Marines and sent him into a coma. Poole awoke two months later deaf in his left ear, blind in his left eye, riddled with shrapnel and suffering a traumatic brain injury.
Poole admits he was "very scared" to come to the winter sports clinic the first time in 2006, but quickly got over his trepidations. "I had a blast!" he said.
Now back for his third clinic, 25-year-old Poole savors every opportunity the clinic has to offer. "I love it here!" he exclaimed. "This is 110 percent the most fun, craziest, most beautiful time ever!"
What makes the clinic so special, he said, is the chance to spend time with other disabled veterans who understand him and what he's gone through. "It's really fantastic coming together with all these different military members. What we share is why everyone has so much fun."
Now-retired Army Pfc. Adam Lewis was serving in Baghdad with 3rd Infantry Division when a land mine claimed both his legs in July 2003. What scared him the most about his circumstances, he said, was the prospect of never being able to do the things he once loved.
Motivated by his daughter, who was born during his deployment, Lewis became an active athlete, earning top honors in the Wheelchair Games in several categories and returning here for his third winter sports clinic.
"I try to compete in everything," 27-year-old Lewis said. "But this is about more than the competition. It's about the people you're around."
Now considering himself "a seasoned veteran," Lewis said he tries to help more recently wounded veterans adjust to their new situations. "I try to listen and see where they're coming from," he said. "If they ask for advice, I'm happy to give it."
Lewis said disabled veterans, regardless of when they served or which uniform they wore, share a common bond. "A soldier is a soldier always," he said. "It doesn't really matter who you are or what your rank (is). All of us share the same mixed emotions. The wiser the veteran I become, the more I realize that everyone is pretty much the same."
This time last year, Angel Gomez had just been medically retired from the Marine Corps and had to wear a helmet around the clock to protect his skull following surgery to relieve pressure on his brain.
Gomez was driving a 7-ton truck during a night mission in Ramadi, Iraq, in April 2005 when an improvised explosive device hit his vehicle and sent him into a coma. He awoke two weeks later to find the right side of his body paralyzed, a tube holding his windpipe open and his brain damaged by a traumatic injury.
Even as he struggled to recover, with grueling hours developed to regaining his ability to walk and talk, the Mountain View, Calif., native said he felt so self-conscious about his appearance that he withdrew into himself. He turned down opportunities to go on outings that provided a respite from the hospital, hating the way people stared at his helmet, his cane and the pipe sticking out of this throat after his tracheostomy.
Coming to the winter sports clinic last year, where he learned how to snowboard, proved to be a huge boost in Gomez' recovery. "I got motivated going out there," he said. "It was a big step for me."
This year, Gomez is back again, his helmet now gone, and ready to take mono-skiing so he can ski even faster than last year. But he said he's equally excited about the chance to spend time with his fellow veterans.
"There's a big benefit of coming here, because you meet people on the slopes, at the concerts, dancing and at meals," he said. "You spend time together and talk, and it really means a lot."
Marine Corps Reservist Jared Smith was mobilized at Camp Pendleton, Calif., in June when a spinal cord injury from running with a combat rucksack left him in a wheelchair with little hope of ever walking again. Less than nine months later, he's walking with one crutch and planning to try out an adaptive mono-ski here at Snowmass Mountain.
Looking forward to returning to the slopes, 22-year-old Smith said he's confident he can tackle the mountain and return to the skiing level he'd built since he first picked up skiing 10 years ago. "If there's one thing I've learned since this injury, it's that you can do everything you did before," he said. "You just have to do it in an adaptive way."
Now medically retired as a corporal, Smith said he's also excited about the opportunity to meet and mingle with other disabled veterans. "When I look around here, I can see that we all have something in common. That's just not something you find in your hometown," he said. "So just being here and getting to talk with them is pretty amazing."
Alfred Clarke, an Army Gulf War veteran who was medically retired from the Army due to an eye disease, returned this year for his fourth winter sports clinic to ski and snowmobile and spend time with fellow veterans.
"This place gives me motivation," said the Tampa, Fla., native. "It's someplace where I can talk with and hang out with some of the guys. There's a lot of spirit here."
American Forces Press Service
March 31, 2008 - As disabled veterans test their mettle this week during the National Disabled Veterans Winter Sports Clinic, they're finding motivation not just on the slopes, but also in each other. Four hundred disabled veterans, 67 of them wounded in Iraq and Afghanistan, said coming together for the six-day clinic is helping them push themselves even harder to achieve things they never thought possible.
As they heed the advice of Deputy Veterans Affairs Secretary Gordon H. Mansfield, a disabled veteran himself who opened the clinic last night urging them to reach out to each other, the veterans said they're finding a special brand of camaraderie that's driving them on.
Among them is retired Marine Cpl. Jason Poole, who was on a patrol near Iraq's border with Syria in June 2004 when a massive bomb killed three of his fellow Marines and sent him into a coma. Poole awoke two months later deaf in his left ear, blind in his left eye, riddled with shrapnel and suffering a traumatic brain injury.
Poole admits he was "very scared" to come to the winter sports clinic the first time in 2006, but quickly got over his trepidations. "I had a blast!" he said.
Now back for his third clinic, 25-year-old Poole savors every opportunity the clinic has to offer. "I love it here!" he exclaimed. "This is 110 percent the most fun, craziest, most beautiful time ever!"
What makes the clinic so special, he said, is the chance to spend time with other disabled veterans who understand him and what he's gone through. "It's really fantastic coming together with all these different military members. What we share is why everyone has so much fun."
Now-retired Army Pfc. Adam Lewis was serving in Baghdad with 3rd Infantry Division when a land mine claimed both his legs in July 2003. What scared him the most about his circumstances, he said, was the prospect of never being able to do the things he once loved.
Motivated by his daughter, who was born during his deployment, Lewis became an active athlete, earning top honors in the Wheelchair Games in several categories and returning here for his third winter sports clinic.
"I try to compete in everything," 27-year-old Lewis said. "But this is about more than the competition. It's about the people you're around."
Now considering himself "a seasoned veteran," Lewis said he tries to help more recently wounded veterans adjust to their new situations. "I try to listen and see where they're coming from," he said. "If they ask for advice, I'm happy to give it."
Lewis said disabled veterans, regardless of when they served or which uniform they wore, share a common bond. "A soldier is a soldier always," he said. "It doesn't really matter who you are or what your rank (is). All of us share the same mixed emotions. The wiser the veteran I become, the more I realize that everyone is pretty much the same."
This time last year, Angel Gomez had just been medically retired from the Marine Corps and had to wear a helmet around the clock to protect his skull following surgery to relieve pressure on his brain.
Gomez was driving a 7-ton truck during a night mission in Ramadi, Iraq, in April 2005 when an improvised explosive device hit his vehicle and sent him into a coma. He awoke two weeks later to find the right side of his body paralyzed, a tube holding his windpipe open and his brain damaged by a traumatic injury.
Even as he struggled to recover, with grueling hours developed to regaining his ability to walk and talk, the Mountain View, Calif., native said he felt so self-conscious about his appearance that he withdrew into himself. He turned down opportunities to go on outings that provided a respite from the hospital, hating the way people stared at his helmet, his cane and the pipe sticking out of this throat after his tracheostomy.
Coming to the winter sports clinic last year, where he learned how to snowboard, proved to be a huge boost in Gomez' recovery. "I got motivated going out there," he said. "It was a big step for me."
This year, Gomez is back again, his helmet now gone, and ready to take mono-skiing so he can ski even faster than last year. But he said he's equally excited about the chance to spend time with his fellow veterans.
"There's a big benefit of coming here, because you meet people on the slopes, at the concerts, dancing and at meals," he said. "You spend time together and talk, and it really means a lot."
Marine Corps Reservist Jared Smith was mobilized at Camp Pendleton, Calif., in June when a spinal cord injury from running with a combat rucksack left him in a wheelchair with little hope of ever walking again. Less than nine months later, he's walking with one crutch and planning to try out an adaptive mono-ski here at Snowmass Mountain.
Looking forward to returning to the slopes, 22-year-old Smith said he's confident he can tackle the mountain and return to the skiing level he'd built since he first picked up skiing 10 years ago. "If there's one thing I've learned since this injury, it's that you can do everything you did before," he said. "You just have to do it in an adaptive way."
Now medically retired as a corporal, Smith said he's also excited about the opportunity to meet and mingle with other disabled veterans. "When I look around here, I can see that we all have something in common. That's just not something you find in your hometown," he said. "So just being here and getting to talk with them is pretty amazing."
Alfred Clarke, an Army Gulf War veteran who was medically retired from the Army due to an eye disease, returned this year for his fourth winter sports clinic to ski and snowmobile and spend time with fellow veterans.
"This place gives me motivation," said the Tampa, Fla., native. "It's someplace where I can talk with and hang out with some of the guys. There's a lot of spirit here."
U.S. to Push European Missile Defense Plans
By John J. Kruzel
American Forces Press Service
March 31, 2008 - The United States will continue to push for a missile defense system in Europe despite resistance from Russia, a top Pentagon official said ahead of President Bush's visit with Russia's top leader this week. Deputy Defense Secretary Gordon England today said the United States has offered "a wide range of proposals" on working through disagreements with Russia over building U.S. radar and interceptor sites in Poland and the Czech Republic. Construction on missile defense sites could begin once "necessary agreements" are reached with the two nations, he said.
"Despite some Russian reluctance to sign up with these cooperative missile defense activities, we continue to work towards these goals," England told an audience at the sixth annual U.S. Missile Defense Conference here.
Russian senior officials have expressed fears that the extension of the U.S. system into Europe could be used against their country.
In attempts to assuage Russia's concerns, England said, the United States has offered to keep the system inoperative until Iran conducts further missile tests, and has proposed sharing relevant data among countries involved.
"An extraordinary series of transparency measures have also been offered to reassure Russia," England said. He added that sites in Europe would help counter potential threats to the United States, Europe and Russia from Iranian ballistic missiles.
The deputy secretary praised NATO for making progress in developing an "active layer" of the missile defense system capable of protecting deployed alliance forces, which he characterized as a step toward keeping U.S. and allied security "tightly linked."
President Bush, who left today for a four-nation trip, is expected to discuss missile defense with the 26 NATO members and other attendees at the alliance's April 2-4 summit in Bucharest, Romania. In addition, he and Russian President Vladimir Putin are slated to hold talks on the issue when they meet at the Black Sea resort of Sochi following the NATO conference.
"The main issue there is to find a way, in concrete terms, to reassure Russia that the radar and missile installation that is planned in Poland and the Czech Republic are, as we say, about potential threats coming to Europe, coming to Russia, if you will, from the Middle East, and are not aimed at Russia," National Security Advisor Stephen Hadley said March 26 at a White House briefing.
Hadley noted the United States hopes to find "a formula of measures" that would reciprocate Russia for its effort to cooperate in an integrated missile defense system while respecting Czech and Polish sovereignty.
In a meeting at the Bush family home in Kennebunkport, Maine, last July, Putin offered to incorporate a radar and early warning system in southern Russia into the defense system's architecture as an alternative to the other European sites.
Earlier this month, officials expressed optimism in an agreement reached in Moscow to draft a "strategic framework" document that could guide U.S.-Russian negotiations on the European missile defense plan.
"We had the opportunity to elaborate on a number of confidence building measures and measures for transparency to provide assurance to the Russian Republic that our missile sites and radars would not constitute a threat to Russia," Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates said at a March 18 news conference in Moscow.
"I think both President Putin (yesterday) and our Russian colleagues today found these ideas useful and important, ... and they will be studying them further," said Gates, who was joined by U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and Russia's Defense Minister Anatoliy Serdyukov and Foreign Affairs Minister Sergey Lavrov.
Russian officials at the meetings acknowledged the United States was working to assuage fears that the system could threaten Russia. They also agreed on the importance of maintaining continuity while both administrations change their top leadership in the months to come.
But Russia's defense minister remained steadfast against the U.S. proposal.
"In principle, our positions have not changed," Serdyukov said. "We can say that we have a lot of work to do, but we need to see these proposals to look at them, to understand them, and then, following the work at the expert level, we'll make a decision on how to move forward."
Asked today whether Bush's upcoming talks with Putin will yield success, Hadley said U.S. officials remain hopeful at the possibility.
"I think we're moving in a direction where something that some of us have been working for, for a long time, where Russia and the United States could have missile defense as an area of strategic cooperation," he told reporters aboard Air Force One en route to Kyiv, Ukraine.
"Interestingly, that was something that President Putin said when he talked to the press at Kennebunkport last summer," he continued. "And we are trying to see if we can articulate that in concrete terms."
American Forces Press Service
March 31, 2008 - The United States will continue to push for a missile defense system in Europe despite resistance from Russia, a top Pentagon official said ahead of President Bush's visit with Russia's top leader this week. Deputy Defense Secretary Gordon England today said the United States has offered "a wide range of proposals" on working through disagreements with Russia over building U.S. radar and interceptor sites in Poland and the Czech Republic. Construction on missile defense sites could begin once "necessary agreements" are reached with the two nations, he said.
"Despite some Russian reluctance to sign up with these cooperative missile defense activities, we continue to work towards these goals," England told an audience at the sixth annual U.S. Missile Defense Conference here.
Russian senior officials have expressed fears that the extension of the U.S. system into Europe could be used against their country.
In attempts to assuage Russia's concerns, England said, the United States has offered to keep the system inoperative until Iran conducts further missile tests, and has proposed sharing relevant data among countries involved.
"An extraordinary series of transparency measures have also been offered to reassure Russia," England said. He added that sites in Europe would help counter potential threats to the United States, Europe and Russia from Iranian ballistic missiles.
The deputy secretary praised NATO for making progress in developing an "active layer" of the missile defense system capable of protecting deployed alliance forces, which he characterized as a step toward keeping U.S. and allied security "tightly linked."
President Bush, who left today for a four-nation trip, is expected to discuss missile defense with the 26 NATO members and other attendees at the alliance's April 2-4 summit in Bucharest, Romania. In addition, he and Russian President Vladimir Putin are slated to hold talks on the issue when they meet at the Black Sea resort of Sochi following the NATO conference.
"The main issue there is to find a way, in concrete terms, to reassure Russia that the radar and missile installation that is planned in Poland and the Czech Republic are, as we say, about potential threats coming to Europe, coming to Russia, if you will, from the Middle East, and are not aimed at Russia," National Security Advisor Stephen Hadley said March 26 at a White House briefing.
Hadley noted the United States hopes to find "a formula of measures" that would reciprocate Russia for its effort to cooperate in an integrated missile defense system while respecting Czech and Polish sovereignty.
In a meeting at the Bush family home in Kennebunkport, Maine, last July, Putin offered to incorporate a radar and early warning system in southern Russia into the defense system's architecture as an alternative to the other European sites.
Earlier this month, officials expressed optimism in an agreement reached in Moscow to draft a "strategic framework" document that could guide U.S.-Russian negotiations on the European missile defense plan.
"We had the opportunity to elaborate on a number of confidence building measures and measures for transparency to provide assurance to the Russian Republic that our missile sites and radars would not constitute a threat to Russia," Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates said at a March 18 news conference in Moscow.
"I think both President Putin (yesterday) and our Russian colleagues today found these ideas useful and important, ... and they will be studying them further," said Gates, who was joined by U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and Russia's Defense Minister Anatoliy Serdyukov and Foreign Affairs Minister Sergey Lavrov.
Russian officials at the meetings acknowledged the United States was working to assuage fears that the system could threaten Russia. They also agreed on the importance of maintaining continuity while both administrations change their top leadership in the months to come.
But Russia's defense minister remained steadfast against the U.S. proposal.
"In principle, our positions have not changed," Serdyukov said. "We can say that we have a lot of work to do, but we need to see these proposals to look at them, to understand them, and then, following the work at the expert level, we'll make a decision on how to move forward."
Asked today whether Bush's upcoming talks with Putin will yield success, Hadley said U.S. officials remain hopeful at the possibility.
"I think we're moving in a direction where something that some of us have been working for, for a long time, where Russia and the United States could have missile defense as an area of strategic cooperation," he told reporters aboard Air Force One en route to Kyiv, Ukraine.
"Interestingly, that was something that President Putin said when he talked to the press at Kennebunkport last summer," he continued. "And we are trying to see if we can articulate that in concrete terms."
DEFENSE LOGISTICS AGENCY
Valero Marketing & Supply Co., San Antonio, Texas is being awarded a maximum $397,444,621.88 fixed price with economic price adjustment, indefinite delivery and indefinite quantity, partial set-aside contract for aviation fuel. Other location of performance is Texas City, Texas. Using service is Defense Energy Support Center. This proposal was originally Web solicited with 23 responses. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. Date of performance completion is Apr. 30, 2009. The contracting activity is Defense Energy Support Center, Fort Belvoir, Va., (SP0600-08-D-0480).
Placid Refining Co. LLC., Port Allen, La.*, is being awarded a maximum $134,823,041.55 fixed price with economic price adjustment, indefinite delivery and indefinite quantity contract for aviation fuel. There are no other locations of performance. Using service is Defense Energy Support Center. There were 48 proposal originally solicited with 23 responses. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. Date of performance completion is Apr. 30, 2009. The contracting activity is Defense Energy Support Center, Fort Belvoir, Va., (SP0600-08-D-0481).
Gary-Williams Energy Corp, Denver, Colo.*, is being awarded a maximum $127,153,444.80 fixed price with economic price adjustment, indefinite delivery and indefinite quantity, partial set-aside contract for aviation fuel. There are no other locations of performance. Using service is Defense Energy Support Center. This proposal was originally Web solicited with 23 responses. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. Date of performance completion is Apr. 30, 2009. The contracting activity is Defense Energy Support Center, Fort Belvoir, Va., (SP0600-08-D-0477).
Alon USA, LP., Dallas, Texas is being awarded a maximum $111,102,800.00 fixed price with economic price adjustment, indefinite delivery and indefinite quantity, partial set-aside contract for aviation fuel. Other location of performance is Big Spring, Texas. Using service is Defense Energy Support Center. This proposal was originally Web solicited with 23 responses. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. Date of performance completion is Mar. 31, 2009. The contracting activity is Defense Energy Support Center, Fort Belvoir, Va., (SP0600-08-D-0474).
Calumet Sales Co. Inc., Indianapolis, Ind., is being awarded a maximum $37,108,800.00 fixed price with economic price adjustment, indefinite delivery and indefinite quantity, partial set-aside contract for aviation fuel. Other location of performance is Shreveport, La. Using service is Defense Energy Support Center. This proposal was originally Web solicited with 23 responses. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. Date of performance completion is Mar. 31, 2009. The contracting activity is Defense Energy Support Center (DESC), Fort Belvoir, Va., (SP0600-08-D-0475).
General Electric Transportation Aircraft Engines, Lynn, Mass., is being awarded a maximum $8,513,262.15 firm fixed price, requirements type contract for engine line parts. There are no other locations of performance. Using services are Army, Navy, Air Force and Marine Corps. There was one sole source proposal solicited with one response. This contract is for ten years with a two-year base and four two-year options. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. Date of performance completion is Mar. 31, 2009. The contracting activity is Defense Supply Center Richmond, Richmond, Va., (SPM400-00-D-9403).
AIR FORCE
Lockheed Martin Space Systems Co. of Littleton, Colo., is being awarded a modified firm fixed price contract for $124,100,000. This modification is issued to purchase launch services from Lockheed Martin Co. under the Evolved Expendable Launch Vehicle Program and Atlas medium-plus rocket (Atlas 5510 to launch the Mobile Users Objective System (MUOS)-1 Satellite. At this time $124,100,000 has been obligated. El Segundo, Calif., is the contracting activity (FA8816-06-C-0004, Modification Number P00002).
Raytheon Co. Missile Systems of Tucson, Ariz., is being awarded a cost plus fixed fee with performance incentive contract for $80,295,119. This action will provide miniature air-launched decoy JAMMER risk reduction phase II effort to include tasking to support through a Critical Design Review and taking a subsystem development into system level. At this time $21,317,355 has been obligated. Eglin AFB, Fla., is the contracting activity (FAB676-08-C-0062).
General Atomics Aeronautical System, Inc., of San Diego, Calif., is being awarded a firm fixed price contract for $49,870,416. This action provides for 24 Predator MQ-1B Aircraft, Hellfire missile kit installation, IMAs, and core tasks. At this time $49,870,416 has been obligated. Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio, is the contracting activity (FA8620-05-G-3028 0042).
Science Applications International Corp. of San Diego, Calif., is being awarded a contract for $31,162,736. This modification will allow research and development in accordance with the contractor's statement of work entitled risk reduction of the Alternative Infrared Satellite System. The additional effort provides for upgrading the integrated sensor assembly components to yield a space qualifiable configuration of the integrated sensor assembly. These upgrades will allow enhanced ground environmental testing of the sensor assembly in order to determine that it is a "Space Qualified" design and additionally reduce the risk associated with building space qualification satellite units in the future. At this time $18,750,000 has been obligated. Kirtland AFB, N.M., is the contracting activity (FA9453-06-C-0378, P00010).
General Atomics of San Diego, Calif., is being awarded a firm fixed price contract for $28,947,434. This effort is for the manufacture, test, and delivery of four Predator B Reaper MQ-9 Unmanned Aerial Vehicles. At this time $28,947,434 has been obligated. Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio, is the contracting activity (FA8620-05-G-3028 ORDER 0031).
FMC Technologies Airport Division of Orlando, Fla., is being awarded a firm fixed price supply contract for $9,659,316. This action provides for Halvorsen Aircraft Cargo Loaders: Aircraft Cargo Loader 14 each; Production Support 14 each; Packaging 14 each; Data one lot. At this time $6,726,120 has been obligated. Robins AFB, Ga., is the contracting activity (FA8519-08-D-0004 and delivery order 0001).
Booz Allen Hamilton, Inc., of Herndon, Va., is being awarded a cost plus fixed fee contract for $9,630,212. The Information Assurance Technnical Analysis Center will provide research to further the development and integration of confidentially, integrity, and authentication capabilities of the Global Information Grid. At this time $1,091,787 has been obligated. Offutt AFB, Neb., is the contracting activity (SPO700-98-D-4002, DO 0334).
ATK Missile Systems Co. Integrated Systems Division of Clearwater, Fla., is being awarded a modified contract for $9,234,375. This action exercises options to procure multiple Common Munitions Built-In-Test Reprogrammable Equipment (CAMBRE) Plus units and to modify CMBRE units to a CMBRE Plus configuration. CMBRE's Plus is designed to interface with Munitions in an Air Force backshop/flightline or Navy carrier deck environment. CAMBRE Plus will support the fielding of the next generation AMRAAM and Small Diameter Bomb Munitions and allow the war fighter to maintain one configuration for maximum War Fighter flexibility. W-23 Cables (also part of this contract mod) support simultaneous testing of four AMRAAM missiles at one time (which saves time). This action exercising options to purchase 37 CMBRE Plus's; Data for CMBRE Plus Production; 175 Modifications of CMBRE units to CMBRE Plus; 9 W-23 cables; and 6 Initial Spares through the CMBRE Program Office at WPAFB, Ohio (ASC/647 AESS). At this time $9,234,375 has been obligated. Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio, is the contracting activity (FA8626-06-C-2060, P00010).
McDonnell Douglas Corp., A Wholly-Owned Subsidiary of the Boeing Co., of Long Beach, Calif., is being awarded a modified contract for $6,125,000. This contract modification is a Foreign Military Sales requirement for the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) C-17 Globemaster III Sustainment Partnership (GSP) program. This action incorporates the FY08 Quarter III Option Exercise for site activation and material for RAAF aircraft sustainment. At this time $0 has been obligated. Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio, is the contracting activity (FA8614-04-C-2004 P00241).
NAVY
Lockheed Martin Integrated Defense Systems, Owego, N.Y., is being awarded $57,046,566 for firm-fixed-price delivery order #5012 under a previously awarded basic ordering agreement contract (N00383-06-G-016F) for procurement of initial and wholesale spares requirements for six different weapons replaceable assemblies that are required to support the system used on the MH-60R/S helicopter. Work will be performed in Owego, N.Y., and work is expected to be completed by Oct. 2010. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was not competitively procured. The Naval Inventory Control Point is the contracting activity.
L-3 Communications, Titan Group, Panama City Beach, Fla., is being awarded a $44,594,382 cost-plus-fixed-price contract for the procurement of engineering logistics and material support for the mine roller in-service program. Work will be performed in Panama City, Fla., and work is expected to be completed by Sep. 2012. Contract funds will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was competitively procured via Navy Electronic Commerce Online and the Federal Business Opportunities websites, with three offers received. The Naval Surface Warfare Center Panama City Division, Fla., is the contracting activity (N61331-08-C-0007).
McDonnell Douglas Corp., St. Louis, Mo., is being awarded a $38,540,436 firm-fixed-price, definite-delivery/definite-quantity contract modification #0004 under previously awarded basic ordering agreement (N00383-06-D-001J) for new spares to support the F/A-18 AN/APG-79 AESA radar. Work will be performed in El Segundo, Calif., (90 percent) and St. Louis, Mo., (10 percent), and work is expected to be completed by Aug. 2010. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was not awarded competitively. The Naval Inventory Control Point is the contracting activity
Walbridge Aldinger Co. Detroit, Mich., is being awarded a $35,883,000 firm-fixed price contract for an addition and alterations to the Naval Hospital at Naval Air Station Jacksonville. The work to be performed provides for construction of a three-story addition with an eight-story elevator tower and areas of alteration and partial renovation. Work will be performed in Jacksonville, Fla., and work is expected to be completed by Jul. 2010. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was competitively negotiated via the Naval Facilities Engineering Command e-solicitation website two proposals received. The Naval Facilities Engineering Command, Southeast, Jacksonville, Fla., is the contracting activity (N69450-08-C-1271).
Alliant Techsystems, Inc., Integrated Systems Division, Clearwater, Fla., is being awarded a $37,482,191 cost-plus-fixed-fee delivery order against a previously issued Basic Ordering Agreement (N00019-06-G-0014) for the engineering study to modify the AAR-47 Missile Warning Systems in order to improve probability of detection in operational environments. This delivery order will also include the development of a class one engineering change proposal and delivery of modified government furnished equipment for developmental test. Work will be performed in Clearwater, Fla., (50 percent); Austin, Texas (45 percent); Santa Barbara, Calif., (3 percent); Atlanta, Ga., (1 percent); Natanya, Israel (.5 percent); and Hamamatsu, Japan (.5 percent), and work is expected to be completed in Aug. 2008. Contract funds in the amount of $16,000,000 will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Naval Air Systems Command, Patuxent River, Md. is the contracting activity.
Rolls-Royce Corp., Indianapolis, Ind., is being awarded a $20,627,930 modification to a previously awarded firm-fixed-price contract (N00019-07-C-0060) for the procurement of Power By The Hour® maintenance support, including program management, field engineering, and site specific logistical support at V-22 Osprey operating and production sites for the U.S. Navy $17,495,778; 84.8 percent) and the U.S. Air Force ($3,132,152; 15.2 percent). Work will be performed in New River, N.C., (74.9 percent); Kirtland AFB, N.M., (7.4 percent); Hulburt Field, Fla., (7.4 percent); Indianapolis, Ind., (5.2 percent); Patuxent River, Md., (3.6 percent) and Amarillo, Texas (1.5 percent), and is expected to be completed in Dec. 2009. Contract funds in the amount of $19,476,930 will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Naval Air Systems Command, Patuxent River, Md., is the contracting activity.
CACI Systems, Inc., Chantilly, Va., is being awarded a $19,279,281 modification to a previously awarded cost-plus-award-fee contract (N00421-06-C-0074) to exercise an option for technical and engineering services and supplies in support of the Special Communications Requirements Division of the Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division. This modification provides support for various Navy, Army, and Air Force, Special Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (C4ISR) Electronic Systems. The estimated level of effort for this contract is 286,000 man-hours. Work will be performed in Lexington Park, Md., (80 percent) and St. Inigoes, (20 percent) and is expected to be completed in Mar. 2009. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division, St. Inigoes, Md., is the contracting activity.
Pearson Engineering Ltd, Wincomblee Road, Newcastle Upon Tyne, United Kingdom is being awarded $16,910,573 for firm-fixed-price, delivery order #0032 under previously awarded contract (M67854-05-D-5000) for 20 lane marking system, 20 high-lift adapter systems, 21 full width mine plow, and six dozer blade subsystems. Work will be performed in Newcastle Upon Tyne, United Kingdom, and work is expected to be complete Mar. 2009. Contract funds will not expire by the end of the current fiscal year. This contract is a sole source award to Pearson Engineering Ltd for the manufacturing the Assault Breecher Vehicle components. The Marine Corps Systems Command, Quantico, Va., is the contracting activity.
Lockheed Martin Corp., San Diego, Calif., is being awarded a $12,177,810 cost-plus-fixed-fee contract to develop technology that supports the Globally Netted Maritime Headquarters with Maritime Operations Center Component Commander by an applied research program which calls for innovative technologies in support of war fighters. Work will be performed in San Diego, Calif., and work is expected to be completed Mar. 2011. Contract funds will not expire at end of current fiscal year. This contract was competitively procured under Office of Naval Research BAA Number 07-021. The Naval Research Laboratory. Washington, D.C., is the contracting activity (N00173-08-C-4008).
L-3 Services, Inc., Unidyne Division, Norfolk, Va., is being awarded a $11,223,059 cost-plus-fixed fee, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract for engineering and program support services associated with Battle Force Tactical Training (BFTT) legacy shipboard training systems. The BFTT system is a highly flexible, interactive simulation/stimulation tactical combat training system. BFTT is used on all combatant and amphibious ships. Work will be performed in Norfolk, Va., (53 percent) and San Diego, Calif. (47 percent), and work is expected to be completed by Mar.2009. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was not competitively procured. The, Naval Surface Warfare Center, Crane Division, Crane, Ind., is the contracting activity (N00164-08-D-GR02).
The Boeing Co., St. Louis, Mo., is being awarded an $8,406,000 modification to a previously awarded, firm-fixed-price contract (N00019-05-C-0045) to provide persistent Intelligence, Surveillance, Reconnaissance (ISR) Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) services supporting the 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit's Operation Enduring Freedom surge detachment. Work will be performed in Afghanistan (90 percent) and St. Louis, Mo., (10 percent) and is expected to be completed in Oct. 2008. Contract funds in the amount of $8,406,000 will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Naval Air Systems Command, Patuxent River, Md., is the contracting activity.
C. E. Niehoff & AMP, Co., Evanston, Ill., is being awarded an $8,385,720 firm-fixed-price contract for 3,000 N1602-5 Alternators. Work will be performed in Evanston, Ill., and work is expected to be complete by Mar. 2011. Contract funds will not expire by the end of the current fiscal year. This contract is a sole source award as C. E. Niehoff & AMP, Co., is the sole manufacturer of the N1602-5 Alternators. The Marine Corps Systems Command, Quantico, Va., is the contracting activity (M67854-08-C-5025).
Belonger/Blinderman Joint Venture LLC.*, West Bend, Wis., is being awarded a $7,742,000 firm-fixed-price contract for repairs and renovations to building three at Naval Station Great Lakes. The contract contains one option totaling $8,068,200, which may be exercised within 180 calendar days, bringing the total contract amount to $15,810,200. The work to be performed provides for the design and construction for repairing and renovating deficiencies in building three and bringing the facility within all code standards at Naval Station, Great Lakes. Building three is listed as a property of major significance located within the Historic District of the Naval Station. The project will include infrastructure improvements including new heating, ventilation and air conditioning, fire protection, fire alarm, plumbing and electrical systems, new space configuration and architectural finishes, handicap accessibility upgrades, new Anti-Terrorism Force Protection compliant exterior windows and replacement of the existing roof. Work will be performed in Great Lakes, Ill., and is expected to be completed by Mar. 2010. Contract funds will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was competitively negotiated via the Navy Electronic Commerce Online websitewith six proposals received. The Naval Facilities Engineering Command, Midwest, Great Lakes, Ill., is the contracting activity (N40083-08-C-0055).
Niking Corp.*, Wahiawa, Hawaii, is being awarded $6,422,074 for firm-fixed price task order #0004 under a previously awarded indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity, multiple award construction contract (N62478-07-D-4005) for switchgear replacement at Building 112, Main Base Power Plant, at Pacific Missile Range Facility, Barking Sands. The work to be performed provides for removal of existing primary generator and distribution switchgears at the Building 112 power plant and providing new primary generator and distribution switchgears, modern integrated electronic generator and switchgear instrumentation and controls, monitoring, and protection equipment, building extension with general power, lighting, and grounding, adding a redundant primary power feed for the existing station service, fire alarm and suppression, and incidental related work. Work will be performed in Kauai, Hawaii, and is expected to be completed by Jun. 2009. Contract funds will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. Five proposals were received for this task order. The Naval Facilities Engineering Command, Hawaii, Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, is the contracting activity.
BAE Systems, Nashua, N.H., is being awarded a $6,012,934 modification to a previously awarded firm-fixed-price contract (N00019-08-C-0003) to exercise an option for the procurement of five OE-120 Antenna Groups. The OE-120 antenna group is one of two major subsystems that provide a centralized identification system for Fleet tactical ships. Work will be performed in Nashua, N.H., and is expected to be completed in Aug. 2010. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Naval Air Systems Command, Patuxent River, Md., is the contracting activity.
ARMY
Raytheon Co., Andover, Mass., was awarded on Mar. 28, 2008, a $118,092,940 firm-fixed price contract for the design, development, fabrication, production, training, integration, testing and delivery of PATRIOT hardware to be issued to the Republic of Korea Air Force for the PATRIOT program. Work will be performed in Andover, Mass., and is expected to be completed by Dec. 31, 2010. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. One bid was solicited on Feb. 26, 2008. U.S. Army Aviation and Missile Command, Redstone Arsenal, Ala., is the contracting activity (W31P4Q-08-C-0288).
Raytheon Co., AMDS, Andover, Mass., was awarded on Mar. 28, 2008, a $38,710,000 firm-fixed price contract for procurement, installation and testing of three PATRIOT Radar Enhancement Phase 3 classification, discrimination and identification Phase three modification kits. Work will be performed in Andover, Mass., and is expected to be completed by May 31, 2015. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. One bid was solicited on Mar. 12, 2008. U.S. Army Aviation and Missile Command, Redstone Arsenal, Ala., is the contracting activity (W31P4Q-07-C-0151).
L-3 Communications, Linkabit Division, San Diego, Calif., was awarded on Mar. 28, 2008, a $28,913,720 firm-fixed price contract for PROPHET electronic support. Work will be performed in San Diego, Calif. And Melbourne, Fla., and is expected to be completed by Dec. 1, 2010. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. Web bids were solicited on Jun. 12, 2001, and three bids were received. CECOM Acquisition Center, Fort Monmouth, N.J., is the contracting activity (DAAB07-0-C-L539).
General Dynamics Ordnance & Tactical Systems, St. Petersburg, Fla., was awarded on Mar. 27, 2008, a $28, 899,825 firm-fixed price contract for M865 kinetic energy training rounds and M1002 target practice multipurpose tracer cartridges. Work will be performed in Middletown, Iowa, and is expected to be completed by Mar. 31, 2010. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. There were two bids solicited on Jan. 11, 2008, and two bids were received. U.S. Army Sustainment Command, Rock Island, Ill., is the contracting activity (W52P1J-08-C-0010).
ACC Construction, Augusta, Ga., was awarded on Mar. 28, 2008, a $23,755,932 firm-fixed price contract for design and construction of a battalion headquarters, a co. operations facility and a tactical maintenance facility. Work will be performed at Fort Benning, Ga., and is expected to be completed by Apr. 15, 2010. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. Four bids were solicited on Nov. 26, 2007, and three bids were received. U.S. Army Engineer District, Savannah, Ga., is the contracting activity (W912HN-07-D-0042).
L-3 Communications, Corp., was awarded on Mar. 28, 2008, a $20,845,306 firm-fixed price contract for remanufactured Bradley Fighting Vehicle Systems transmissions. Work will be performed in Muskegon, Mich., and is expected to be completed by Aug. 4, 2009. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. Web bids were solicited on Oct. 17, 2007, and one bid was received. U.S. Army TACOM Life Cycle Management Command, Warren, Mich., is the contracting activity (W56HZV-08-C-0119). San Juan Construction, Inc., was awarded on Mar. 27, 2008, a $13,378,020 firm-fixed price contract for design and construction of a C-17 parking ramp. Work will be performed at Hickam Air Force Base, Hawaii, and is expected to be completed by Sep. 1, 2009. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. Web bids were solicited on Dec. 17, 2007, and five bids were received. U.S. Army Engineer District, Fort Shafter, Hawaii, is the contracting activity (W9128A-08-C-0007).
Walbridge Aldinger Co., Inc., Detroit, Mich., was awarded on Mar. 28, 2008, a $13,354,750 firm-fixed price contract for design and construction of a two-story company operations facility of approximately 40,000 square feet. The project includes all utilities, site improvements and demolition of existing buildings. Work will be performed at Hunter Army Airfield, Ga., and is expected to be completed by Mar. 28, 2010. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. Four bids were solicited on Oct. 19, 2007, and three bids were received. U.S. Army Engineer District, Savannah, Ga., is the contracting activity (W912HN-07-D-0054).
Emerson Construction Co., Inc., Temple, Texas, was awarded on Mar. 28, 2008, a $10,865,800 firm-fixed price contract for construction of basic expeditionary airman skill training Phase II. Work will be performed at Lackland, Air Force Base, San Antonio, Texas, and is expected to be completed by Oct. 23, 2009. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. Web bids were solicited on Dec. 8 2007, and four bids were received. U.S. Army Engineer District, Fort Worth, Texas, is the contracting activity (W9126G-08-C-0014).
F – E Contracting, In., Palmer, Alaska, was awarded on Mar. 27, 2008, a $8,880,000 firm-fixed price contract for the construction of the United States Air Force Reserve Group Headquarters facility. Work will be performed in Elmendorf, Alaska, and is expected to be completed by Sep. 30, 2009. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. Web bids were solicited on Jan. 15, 2008, and two bids were received. U.S. Army Engineer District, Alaska, is the contracting activity (W911KB-08-C-0006).
BAE Systems, Ground Systems Division, York, Pa., was awarded on Mar. 28, 2008, a $8,340,793.99 firm-fixed price and cost-plus fixed fee contract for procurement of M88 Counter Remote Electonic Warfare A-Kits and CONUS installation, Paladin CREW II A-Kits and CONUS installation, and Field Artillery Ammunition Supply Vehicle CREW II A-Kits and CONUS installation, and M1113 CREW II A-Kits and CONUS installation. Work will be performed primarily in York, Penn., and is expected to be completed by Sep. 30, 2009. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. One bid was solicited on May 21, 2007. U.S. Army TACOM LCMC, Warren, Mich., is the contracting activity (W56HZV-05-G-0005).
Conoco Inc., Louisville, Ky., was awarded on Mar. 27, 2008, a $8,180,972 firm-fixed price contract for PA161 and PA103A2 metal containers. Work will be performed in Louisville, Ky., and is expected to be completed by Sep. 27, 2009. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. Web bids were solicited on Jun. 11, 2004, and three bids were received. Joint Munitions and Lethality Life Cycle Management Command, Picatinny Arsenal, N.J., is the contracting activity (W15QKN-04-C-1139).
Record Steel & Construction Inc., Meridian, Idaho, was awarded on Mar. 28, 2008, a $6,578,019 firm-fixed price contract for a ground water treatment plant capable of treating arsenic and fluoride. Work will be performed at Hawthorne Army Depot, Nev., and is expected to be completed by Mar. 31, 2009. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. Web bids were solicited on Nov. 6, 2007, and four bids were received. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Sacramento, Calif., is the contracting activity (W91238-08-C-0002).
Valero Marketing & Supply Co., San Antonio, Texas is being awarded a maximum $397,444,621.88 fixed price with economic price adjustment, indefinite delivery and indefinite quantity, partial set-aside contract for aviation fuel. Other location of performance is Texas City, Texas. Using service is Defense Energy Support Center. This proposal was originally Web solicited with 23 responses. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. Date of performance completion is Apr. 30, 2009. The contracting activity is Defense Energy Support Center, Fort Belvoir, Va., (SP0600-08-D-0480).
Placid Refining Co. LLC., Port Allen, La.*, is being awarded a maximum $134,823,041.55 fixed price with economic price adjustment, indefinite delivery and indefinite quantity contract for aviation fuel. There are no other locations of performance. Using service is Defense Energy Support Center. There were 48 proposal originally solicited with 23 responses. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. Date of performance completion is Apr. 30, 2009. The contracting activity is Defense Energy Support Center, Fort Belvoir, Va., (SP0600-08-D-0481).
Gary-Williams Energy Corp, Denver, Colo.*, is being awarded a maximum $127,153,444.80 fixed price with economic price adjustment, indefinite delivery and indefinite quantity, partial set-aside contract for aviation fuel. There are no other locations of performance. Using service is Defense Energy Support Center. This proposal was originally Web solicited with 23 responses. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. Date of performance completion is Apr. 30, 2009. The contracting activity is Defense Energy Support Center, Fort Belvoir, Va., (SP0600-08-D-0477).
Alon USA, LP., Dallas, Texas is being awarded a maximum $111,102,800.00 fixed price with economic price adjustment, indefinite delivery and indefinite quantity, partial set-aside contract for aviation fuel. Other location of performance is Big Spring, Texas. Using service is Defense Energy Support Center. This proposal was originally Web solicited with 23 responses. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. Date of performance completion is Mar. 31, 2009. The contracting activity is Defense Energy Support Center, Fort Belvoir, Va., (SP0600-08-D-0474).
Calumet Sales Co. Inc., Indianapolis, Ind., is being awarded a maximum $37,108,800.00 fixed price with economic price adjustment, indefinite delivery and indefinite quantity, partial set-aside contract for aviation fuel. Other location of performance is Shreveport, La. Using service is Defense Energy Support Center. This proposal was originally Web solicited with 23 responses. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. Date of performance completion is Mar. 31, 2009. The contracting activity is Defense Energy Support Center (DESC), Fort Belvoir, Va., (SP0600-08-D-0475).
General Electric Transportation Aircraft Engines, Lynn, Mass., is being awarded a maximum $8,513,262.15 firm fixed price, requirements type contract for engine line parts. There are no other locations of performance. Using services are Army, Navy, Air Force and Marine Corps. There was one sole source proposal solicited with one response. This contract is for ten years with a two-year base and four two-year options. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. Date of performance completion is Mar. 31, 2009. The contracting activity is Defense Supply Center Richmond, Richmond, Va., (SPM400-00-D-9403).
AIR FORCE
Lockheed Martin Space Systems Co. of Littleton, Colo., is being awarded a modified firm fixed price contract for $124,100,000. This modification is issued to purchase launch services from Lockheed Martin Co. under the Evolved Expendable Launch Vehicle Program and Atlas medium-plus rocket (Atlas 5510 to launch the Mobile Users Objective System (MUOS)-1 Satellite. At this time $124,100,000 has been obligated. El Segundo, Calif., is the contracting activity (FA8816-06-C-0004, Modification Number P00002).
Raytheon Co. Missile Systems of Tucson, Ariz., is being awarded a cost plus fixed fee with performance incentive contract for $80,295,119. This action will provide miniature air-launched decoy JAMMER risk reduction phase II effort to include tasking to support through a Critical Design Review and taking a subsystem development into system level. At this time $21,317,355 has been obligated. Eglin AFB, Fla., is the contracting activity (FAB676-08-C-0062).
General Atomics Aeronautical System, Inc., of San Diego, Calif., is being awarded a firm fixed price contract for $49,870,416. This action provides for 24 Predator MQ-1B Aircraft, Hellfire missile kit installation, IMAs, and core tasks. At this time $49,870,416 has been obligated. Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio, is the contracting activity (FA8620-05-G-3028 0042).
Science Applications International Corp. of San Diego, Calif., is being awarded a contract for $31,162,736. This modification will allow research and development in accordance with the contractor's statement of work entitled risk reduction of the Alternative Infrared Satellite System. The additional effort provides for upgrading the integrated sensor assembly components to yield a space qualifiable configuration of the integrated sensor assembly. These upgrades will allow enhanced ground environmental testing of the sensor assembly in order to determine that it is a "Space Qualified" design and additionally reduce the risk associated with building space qualification satellite units in the future. At this time $18,750,000 has been obligated. Kirtland AFB, N.M., is the contracting activity (FA9453-06-C-0378, P00010).
General Atomics of San Diego, Calif., is being awarded a firm fixed price contract for $28,947,434. This effort is for the manufacture, test, and delivery of four Predator B Reaper MQ-9 Unmanned Aerial Vehicles. At this time $28,947,434 has been obligated. Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio, is the contracting activity (FA8620-05-G-3028 ORDER 0031).
FMC Technologies Airport Division of Orlando, Fla., is being awarded a firm fixed price supply contract for $9,659,316. This action provides for Halvorsen Aircraft Cargo Loaders: Aircraft Cargo Loader 14 each; Production Support 14 each; Packaging 14 each; Data one lot. At this time $6,726,120 has been obligated. Robins AFB, Ga., is the contracting activity (FA8519-08-D-0004 and delivery order 0001).
Booz Allen Hamilton, Inc., of Herndon, Va., is being awarded a cost plus fixed fee contract for $9,630,212. The Information Assurance Technnical Analysis Center will provide research to further the development and integration of confidentially, integrity, and authentication capabilities of the Global Information Grid. At this time $1,091,787 has been obligated. Offutt AFB, Neb., is the contracting activity (SPO700-98-D-4002, DO 0334).
ATK Missile Systems Co. Integrated Systems Division of Clearwater, Fla., is being awarded a modified contract for $9,234,375. This action exercises options to procure multiple Common Munitions Built-In-Test Reprogrammable Equipment (CAMBRE) Plus units and to modify CMBRE units to a CMBRE Plus configuration. CMBRE's Plus is designed to interface with Munitions in an Air Force backshop/flightline or Navy carrier deck environment. CAMBRE Plus will support the fielding of the next generation AMRAAM and Small Diameter Bomb Munitions and allow the war fighter to maintain one configuration for maximum War Fighter flexibility. W-23 Cables (also part of this contract mod) support simultaneous testing of four AMRAAM missiles at one time (which saves time). This action exercising options to purchase 37 CMBRE Plus's; Data for CMBRE Plus Production; 175 Modifications of CMBRE units to CMBRE Plus; 9 W-23 cables; and 6 Initial Spares through the CMBRE Program Office at WPAFB, Ohio (ASC/647 AESS). At this time $9,234,375 has been obligated. Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio, is the contracting activity (FA8626-06-C-2060, P00010).
McDonnell Douglas Corp., A Wholly-Owned Subsidiary of the Boeing Co., of Long Beach, Calif., is being awarded a modified contract for $6,125,000. This contract modification is a Foreign Military Sales requirement for the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) C-17 Globemaster III Sustainment Partnership (GSP) program. This action incorporates the FY08 Quarter III Option Exercise for site activation and material for RAAF aircraft sustainment. At this time $0 has been obligated. Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio, is the contracting activity (FA8614-04-C-2004 P00241).
NAVY
Lockheed Martin Integrated Defense Systems, Owego, N.Y., is being awarded $57,046,566 for firm-fixed-price delivery order #5012 under a previously awarded basic ordering agreement contract (N00383-06-G-016F) for procurement of initial and wholesale spares requirements for six different weapons replaceable assemblies that are required to support the system used on the MH-60R/S helicopter. Work will be performed in Owego, N.Y., and work is expected to be completed by Oct. 2010. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was not competitively procured. The Naval Inventory Control Point is the contracting activity.
L-3 Communications, Titan Group, Panama City Beach, Fla., is being awarded a $44,594,382 cost-plus-fixed-price contract for the procurement of engineering logistics and material support for the mine roller in-service program. Work will be performed in Panama City, Fla., and work is expected to be completed by Sep. 2012. Contract funds will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was competitively procured via Navy Electronic Commerce Online and the Federal Business Opportunities websites, with three offers received. The Naval Surface Warfare Center Panama City Division, Fla., is the contracting activity (N61331-08-C-0007).
McDonnell Douglas Corp., St. Louis, Mo., is being awarded a $38,540,436 firm-fixed-price, definite-delivery/definite-quantity contract modification #0004 under previously awarded basic ordering agreement (N00383-06-D-001J) for new spares to support the F/A-18 AN/APG-79 AESA radar. Work will be performed in El Segundo, Calif., (90 percent) and St. Louis, Mo., (10 percent), and work is expected to be completed by Aug. 2010. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was not awarded competitively. The Naval Inventory Control Point is the contracting activity
Walbridge Aldinger Co. Detroit, Mich., is being awarded a $35,883,000 firm-fixed price contract for an addition and alterations to the Naval Hospital at Naval Air Station Jacksonville. The work to be performed provides for construction of a three-story addition with an eight-story elevator tower and areas of alteration and partial renovation. Work will be performed in Jacksonville, Fla., and work is expected to be completed by Jul. 2010. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was competitively negotiated via the Naval Facilities Engineering Command e-solicitation website two proposals received. The Naval Facilities Engineering Command, Southeast, Jacksonville, Fla., is the contracting activity (N69450-08-C-1271).
Alliant Techsystems, Inc., Integrated Systems Division, Clearwater, Fla., is being awarded a $37,482,191 cost-plus-fixed-fee delivery order against a previously issued Basic Ordering Agreement (N00019-06-G-0014) for the engineering study to modify the AAR-47 Missile Warning Systems in order to improve probability of detection in operational environments. This delivery order will also include the development of a class one engineering change proposal and delivery of modified government furnished equipment for developmental test. Work will be performed in Clearwater, Fla., (50 percent); Austin, Texas (45 percent); Santa Barbara, Calif., (3 percent); Atlanta, Ga., (1 percent); Natanya, Israel (.5 percent); and Hamamatsu, Japan (.5 percent), and work is expected to be completed in Aug. 2008. Contract funds in the amount of $16,000,000 will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Naval Air Systems Command, Patuxent River, Md. is the contracting activity.
Rolls-Royce Corp., Indianapolis, Ind., is being awarded a $20,627,930 modification to a previously awarded firm-fixed-price contract (N00019-07-C-0060) for the procurement of Power By The Hour® maintenance support, including program management, field engineering, and site specific logistical support at V-22 Osprey operating and production sites for the U.S. Navy $17,495,778; 84.8 percent) and the U.S. Air Force ($3,132,152; 15.2 percent). Work will be performed in New River, N.C., (74.9 percent); Kirtland AFB, N.M., (7.4 percent); Hulburt Field, Fla., (7.4 percent); Indianapolis, Ind., (5.2 percent); Patuxent River, Md., (3.6 percent) and Amarillo, Texas (1.5 percent), and is expected to be completed in Dec. 2009. Contract funds in the amount of $19,476,930 will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Naval Air Systems Command, Patuxent River, Md., is the contracting activity.
CACI Systems, Inc., Chantilly, Va., is being awarded a $19,279,281 modification to a previously awarded cost-plus-award-fee contract (N00421-06-C-0074) to exercise an option for technical and engineering services and supplies in support of the Special Communications Requirements Division of the Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division. This modification provides support for various Navy, Army, and Air Force, Special Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (C4ISR) Electronic Systems. The estimated level of effort for this contract is 286,000 man-hours. Work will be performed in Lexington Park, Md., (80 percent) and St. Inigoes, (20 percent) and is expected to be completed in Mar. 2009. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division, St. Inigoes, Md., is the contracting activity.
Pearson Engineering Ltd, Wincomblee Road, Newcastle Upon Tyne, United Kingdom is being awarded $16,910,573 for firm-fixed-price, delivery order #0032 under previously awarded contract (M67854-05-D-5000) for 20 lane marking system, 20 high-lift adapter systems, 21 full width mine plow, and six dozer blade subsystems. Work will be performed in Newcastle Upon Tyne, United Kingdom, and work is expected to be complete Mar. 2009. Contract funds will not expire by the end of the current fiscal year. This contract is a sole source award to Pearson Engineering Ltd for the manufacturing the Assault Breecher Vehicle components. The Marine Corps Systems Command, Quantico, Va., is the contracting activity.
Lockheed Martin Corp., San Diego, Calif., is being awarded a $12,177,810 cost-plus-fixed-fee contract to develop technology that supports the Globally Netted Maritime Headquarters with Maritime Operations Center Component Commander by an applied research program which calls for innovative technologies in support of war fighters. Work will be performed in San Diego, Calif., and work is expected to be completed Mar. 2011. Contract funds will not expire at end of current fiscal year. This contract was competitively procured under Office of Naval Research BAA Number 07-021. The Naval Research Laboratory. Washington, D.C., is the contracting activity (N00173-08-C-4008).
L-3 Services, Inc., Unidyne Division, Norfolk, Va., is being awarded a $11,223,059 cost-plus-fixed fee, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract for engineering and program support services associated with Battle Force Tactical Training (BFTT) legacy shipboard training systems. The BFTT system is a highly flexible, interactive simulation/stimulation tactical combat training system. BFTT is used on all combatant and amphibious ships. Work will be performed in Norfolk, Va., (53 percent) and San Diego, Calif. (47 percent), and work is expected to be completed by Mar.2009. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was not competitively procured. The, Naval Surface Warfare Center, Crane Division, Crane, Ind., is the contracting activity (N00164-08-D-GR02).
The Boeing Co., St. Louis, Mo., is being awarded an $8,406,000 modification to a previously awarded, firm-fixed-price contract (N00019-05-C-0045) to provide persistent Intelligence, Surveillance, Reconnaissance (ISR) Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) services supporting the 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit's Operation Enduring Freedom surge detachment. Work will be performed in Afghanistan (90 percent) and St. Louis, Mo., (10 percent) and is expected to be completed in Oct. 2008. Contract funds in the amount of $8,406,000 will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Naval Air Systems Command, Patuxent River, Md., is the contracting activity.
C. E. Niehoff & AMP, Co., Evanston, Ill., is being awarded an $8,385,720 firm-fixed-price contract for 3,000 N1602-5 Alternators. Work will be performed in Evanston, Ill., and work is expected to be complete by Mar. 2011. Contract funds will not expire by the end of the current fiscal year. This contract is a sole source award as C. E. Niehoff & AMP, Co., is the sole manufacturer of the N1602-5 Alternators. The Marine Corps Systems Command, Quantico, Va., is the contracting activity (M67854-08-C-5025).
Belonger/Blinderman Joint Venture LLC.*, West Bend, Wis., is being awarded a $7,742,000 firm-fixed-price contract for repairs and renovations to building three at Naval Station Great Lakes. The contract contains one option totaling $8,068,200, which may be exercised within 180 calendar days, bringing the total contract amount to $15,810,200. The work to be performed provides for the design and construction for repairing and renovating deficiencies in building three and bringing the facility within all code standards at Naval Station, Great Lakes. Building three is listed as a property of major significance located within the Historic District of the Naval Station. The project will include infrastructure improvements including new heating, ventilation and air conditioning, fire protection, fire alarm, plumbing and electrical systems, new space configuration and architectural finishes, handicap accessibility upgrades, new Anti-Terrorism Force Protection compliant exterior windows and replacement of the existing roof. Work will be performed in Great Lakes, Ill., and is expected to be completed by Mar. 2010. Contract funds will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was competitively negotiated via the Navy Electronic Commerce Online websitewith six proposals received. The Naval Facilities Engineering Command, Midwest, Great Lakes, Ill., is the contracting activity (N40083-08-C-0055).
Niking Corp.*, Wahiawa, Hawaii, is being awarded $6,422,074 for firm-fixed price task order #0004 under a previously awarded indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity, multiple award construction contract (N62478-07-D-4005) for switchgear replacement at Building 112, Main Base Power Plant, at Pacific Missile Range Facility, Barking Sands. The work to be performed provides for removal of existing primary generator and distribution switchgears at the Building 112 power plant and providing new primary generator and distribution switchgears, modern integrated electronic generator and switchgear instrumentation and controls, monitoring, and protection equipment, building extension with general power, lighting, and grounding, adding a redundant primary power feed for the existing station service, fire alarm and suppression, and incidental related work. Work will be performed in Kauai, Hawaii, and is expected to be completed by Jun. 2009. Contract funds will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. Five proposals were received for this task order. The Naval Facilities Engineering Command, Hawaii, Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, is the contracting activity.
BAE Systems, Nashua, N.H., is being awarded a $6,012,934 modification to a previously awarded firm-fixed-price contract (N00019-08-C-0003) to exercise an option for the procurement of five OE-120 Antenna Groups. The OE-120 antenna group is one of two major subsystems that provide a centralized identification system for Fleet tactical ships. Work will be performed in Nashua, N.H., and is expected to be completed in Aug. 2010. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Naval Air Systems Command, Patuxent River, Md., is the contracting activity.
ARMY
Raytheon Co., Andover, Mass., was awarded on Mar. 28, 2008, a $118,092,940 firm-fixed price contract for the design, development, fabrication, production, training, integration, testing and delivery of PATRIOT hardware to be issued to the Republic of Korea Air Force for the PATRIOT program. Work will be performed in Andover, Mass., and is expected to be completed by Dec. 31, 2010. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. One bid was solicited on Feb. 26, 2008. U.S. Army Aviation and Missile Command, Redstone Arsenal, Ala., is the contracting activity (W31P4Q-08-C-0288).
Raytheon Co., AMDS, Andover, Mass., was awarded on Mar. 28, 2008, a $38,710,000 firm-fixed price contract for procurement, installation and testing of three PATRIOT Radar Enhancement Phase 3 classification, discrimination and identification Phase three modification kits. Work will be performed in Andover, Mass., and is expected to be completed by May 31, 2015. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. One bid was solicited on Mar. 12, 2008. U.S. Army Aviation and Missile Command, Redstone Arsenal, Ala., is the contracting activity (W31P4Q-07-C-0151).
L-3 Communications, Linkabit Division, San Diego, Calif., was awarded on Mar. 28, 2008, a $28,913,720 firm-fixed price contract for PROPHET electronic support. Work will be performed in San Diego, Calif. And Melbourne, Fla., and is expected to be completed by Dec. 1, 2010. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. Web bids were solicited on Jun. 12, 2001, and three bids were received. CECOM Acquisition Center, Fort Monmouth, N.J., is the contracting activity (DAAB07-0-C-L539).
General Dynamics Ordnance & Tactical Systems, St. Petersburg, Fla., was awarded on Mar. 27, 2008, a $28, 899,825 firm-fixed price contract for M865 kinetic energy training rounds and M1002 target practice multipurpose tracer cartridges. Work will be performed in Middletown, Iowa, and is expected to be completed by Mar. 31, 2010. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. There were two bids solicited on Jan. 11, 2008, and two bids were received. U.S. Army Sustainment Command, Rock Island, Ill., is the contracting activity (W52P1J-08-C-0010).
ACC Construction, Augusta, Ga., was awarded on Mar. 28, 2008, a $23,755,932 firm-fixed price contract for design and construction of a battalion headquarters, a co. operations facility and a tactical maintenance facility. Work will be performed at Fort Benning, Ga., and is expected to be completed by Apr. 15, 2010. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. Four bids were solicited on Nov. 26, 2007, and three bids were received. U.S. Army Engineer District, Savannah, Ga., is the contracting activity (W912HN-07-D-0042).
L-3 Communications, Corp., was awarded on Mar. 28, 2008, a $20,845,306 firm-fixed price contract for remanufactured Bradley Fighting Vehicle Systems transmissions. Work will be performed in Muskegon, Mich., and is expected to be completed by Aug. 4, 2009. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. Web bids were solicited on Oct. 17, 2007, and one bid was received. U.S. Army TACOM Life Cycle Management Command, Warren, Mich., is the contracting activity (W56HZV-08-C-0119). San Juan Construction, Inc., was awarded on Mar. 27, 2008, a $13,378,020 firm-fixed price contract for design and construction of a C-17 parking ramp. Work will be performed at Hickam Air Force Base, Hawaii, and is expected to be completed by Sep. 1, 2009. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. Web bids were solicited on Dec. 17, 2007, and five bids were received. U.S. Army Engineer District, Fort Shafter, Hawaii, is the contracting activity (W9128A-08-C-0007).
Walbridge Aldinger Co., Inc., Detroit, Mich., was awarded on Mar. 28, 2008, a $13,354,750 firm-fixed price contract for design and construction of a two-story company operations facility of approximately 40,000 square feet. The project includes all utilities, site improvements and demolition of existing buildings. Work will be performed at Hunter Army Airfield, Ga., and is expected to be completed by Mar. 28, 2010. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. Four bids were solicited on Oct. 19, 2007, and three bids were received. U.S. Army Engineer District, Savannah, Ga., is the contracting activity (W912HN-07-D-0054).
Emerson Construction Co., Inc., Temple, Texas, was awarded on Mar. 28, 2008, a $10,865,800 firm-fixed price contract for construction of basic expeditionary airman skill training Phase II. Work will be performed at Lackland, Air Force Base, San Antonio, Texas, and is expected to be completed by Oct. 23, 2009. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. Web bids were solicited on Dec. 8 2007, and four bids were received. U.S. Army Engineer District, Fort Worth, Texas, is the contracting activity (W9126G-08-C-0014).
F – E Contracting, In., Palmer, Alaska, was awarded on Mar. 27, 2008, a $8,880,000 firm-fixed price contract for the construction of the United States Air Force Reserve Group Headquarters facility. Work will be performed in Elmendorf, Alaska, and is expected to be completed by Sep. 30, 2009. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. Web bids were solicited on Jan. 15, 2008, and two bids were received. U.S. Army Engineer District, Alaska, is the contracting activity (W911KB-08-C-0006).
BAE Systems, Ground Systems Division, York, Pa., was awarded on Mar. 28, 2008, a $8,340,793.99 firm-fixed price and cost-plus fixed fee contract for procurement of M88 Counter Remote Electonic Warfare A-Kits and CONUS installation, Paladin CREW II A-Kits and CONUS installation, and Field Artillery Ammunition Supply Vehicle CREW II A-Kits and CONUS installation, and M1113 CREW II A-Kits and CONUS installation. Work will be performed primarily in York, Penn., and is expected to be completed by Sep. 30, 2009. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. One bid was solicited on May 21, 2007. U.S. Army TACOM LCMC, Warren, Mich., is the contracting activity (W56HZV-05-G-0005).
Conoco Inc., Louisville, Ky., was awarded on Mar. 27, 2008, a $8,180,972 firm-fixed price contract for PA161 and PA103A2 metal containers. Work will be performed in Louisville, Ky., and is expected to be completed by Sep. 27, 2009. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. Web bids were solicited on Jun. 11, 2004, and three bids were received. Joint Munitions and Lethality Life Cycle Management Command, Picatinny Arsenal, N.J., is the contracting activity (W15QKN-04-C-1139).
Record Steel & Construction Inc., Meridian, Idaho, was awarded on Mar. 28, 2008, a $6,578,019 firm-fixed price contract for a ground water treatment plant capable of treating arsenic and fluoride. Work will be performed at Hawthorne Army Depot, Nev., and is expected to be completed by Mar. 31, 2009. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. Web bids were solicited on Nov. 6, 2007, and four bids were received. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Sacramento, Calif., is the contracting activity (W91238-08-C-0002).
America Supports You: Indiana YMCA Offers Guard Families Free Membership
By Spc. William E. Henry, USA
Special to American Forces Press Service
March 31, 2008 - The Greater Indianapolis YMCA is offering family members of state National Guardsmen an affordable way to stay active and healthy while their loved ones are deployed. The organization has created "Operation Indiana Partners," which allows the families of deployed Indiana National Guardsmen to enjoy free memberships.
"We want to make sure their families have lots of positive activities during these difficult times," said Eric Ellsworth, president and chief executive officer of Greater Indianapolis YMCA during a recent news conference at the YMCA's Fishers, Ind., branch.
Operation Indiana Partners and the Greater Indianapolis YMCA got favorable reviews from Indiana's adjutant general, Army Maj. Gen. R. Martin Umbarger.
"This is really a special day for us in the Indiana National Guard," he said. "The YMCA has stepped up and offered free memberships to National Guard families. We hope all our families take the opportunity and take advantage of the YMCA's generosity."
Participating facilities also are offered up to two hours of free child care during specified time periods. That's time for mothers like Colleen Curtis to get away for at least a little while.
"I think mostly it helps with him," she said, referring to her son, Jaxon. "It gives me a break to have 'me' time. I just want to say how awesome this is. The overwhelming support is amazing."
New YMCA members taking advantage of the program know that little things can make a difference.
"As a military wife, it's very hard with a loved one being gone, and this definitely helps," said Guard spouse Ashley Witt. "It made my day. Things like this can really change your mood. It's the little things like this that can make the families happy."
About 43 facilities throughout Indiana participate in Operation Indiana Partners, according to YMCA's Web site. Though the years, the YMCA has tended to the needs of servicemembers, prisoners of war and civilians through some of the country's most turbulent times of war and poverty.
The organization established an armed services department in September 1898, and in 1902, YMCA facilities were built on military bases. In 1903, special training was made available for the Army and Navy. By 1914, there were 31 military YMCAs and 180 traveling libraries, allowing almost a quarter of a million men to stay in dormitories.
During World War II, the YMCA gave aid to about 6 million prisoners of war from 36 different countries.
Today, the YMCA still offers its support by lending servicemembers and families an opportunity to participate in structured and positive activities, ensuring emotional and financial preservation.
"This is just one way to help our brave men and women who serve in the National Guard," Indiana Lt. Gov. Becky Skillman said.
(Army Spc. William E. Henry serves with the Indiana National Guard.)
Special to American Forces Press Service
March 31, 2008 - The Greater Indianapolis YMCA is offering family members of state National Guardsmen an affordable way to stay active and healthy while their loved ones are deployed. The organization has created "Operation Indiana Partners," which allows the families of deployed Indiana National Guardsmen to enjoy free memberships.
"We want to make sure their families have lots of positive activities during these difficult times," said Eric Ellsworth, president and chief executive officer of Greater Indianapolis YMCA during a recent news conference at the YMCA's Fishers, Ind., branch.
Operation Indiana Partners and the Greater Indianapolis YMCA got favorable reviews from Indiana's adjutant general, Army Maj. Gen. R. Martin Umbarger.
"This is really a special day for us in the Indiana National Guard," he said. "The YMCA has stepped up and offered free memberships to National Guard families. We hope all our families take the opportunity and take advantage of the YMCA's generosity."
Participating facilities also are offered up to two hours of free child care during specified time periods. That's time for mothers like Colleen Curtis to get away for at least a little while.
"I think mostly it helps with him," she said, referring to her son, Jaxon. "It gives me a break to have 'me' time. I just want to say how awesome this is. The overwhelming support is amazing."
New YMCA members taking advantage of the program know that little things can make a difference.
"As a military wife, it's very hard with a loved one being gone, and this definitely helps," said Guard spouse Ashley Witt. "It made my day. Things like this can really change your mood. It's the little things like this that can make the families happy."
About 43 facilities throughout Indiana participate in Operation Indiana Partners, according to YMCA's Web site. Though the years, the YMCA has tended to the needs of servicemembers, prisoners of war and civilians through some of the country's most turbulent times of war and poverty.
The organization established an armed services department in September 1898, and in 1902, YMCA facilities were built on military bases. In 1903, special training was made available for the Army and Navy. By 1914, there were 31 military YMCAs and 180 traveling libraries, allowing almost a quarter of a million men to stay in dormitories.
During World War II, the YMCA gave aid to about 6 million prisoners of war from 36 different countries.
Today, the YMCA still offers its support by lending servicemembers and families an opportunity to participate in structured and positive activities, ensuring emotional and financial preservation.
"This is just one way to help our brave men and women who serve in the National Guard," Indiana Lt. Gov. Becky Skillman said.
(Army Spc. William E. Henry serves with the Indiana National Guard.)
Sunday, March 30, 2008
Command Aims to Partner With African Nations
By Jim Garamone
American Forces Press Service
March 30, 2008 - U.S. Africa Command wants to work in partnership with African nations, and its establishment does not signal the militarization of U.S. foreign policy, said the organization's commander, Army Gen. William E. "Kip" Ward. Ward spoke to representatives from 43 African nations during the U.S.-Africa Defense Policy Dialogue at the Airlie House here March 27.
"I don't want to take over U.S. foreign policy," Ward told the gathered African defense experts. "(It's) not my job and quite frankly not the value system I possess." The general stressed that U.S. civilian leaders make policy, not the military.
Ward called the command an "innovation" in ways to deliver security assistance to African partners. He said the command will only act after listening to what African nations want. The command will maintain a light footprint on the continent, and American officials are not looking to establish bases on the continent.
Security and economic development are two sides of the same coin, Ward said, and African nations understand that. Africa Command is a unique mix of uniformed personnel and interagency civilians that will help Africans provide their own security.
"This construct is designed to address the complexity of trying to bring stability, and we know it's not a strictly military task," Ward said.
U.S. Africa Command stood up on Oct. 1, 2007 and is scheduled to reach full operating capability on Oct. 1, 2008. It is integrating missions that were the responsibility of three other geographic commands: U.S. European Command, U.S. Central Command and U.S. Pacific Command.
The command, which currently has about 400 military and civilian personnel, is picking up the missions of those three geographic commands while growing to about 1,300 people, said Ambassador Mary Carlin Yates, a career State Department employee who serves as the command's deputy for civil-military activities.
"The military is from Mars and we are from Venus, we are from different worlds," she said. "But when we work together it is clear that the military is not making the foreign policy ... we all are following the U.S. policy. By being integrated in the command, we think we can more effectively support the policies the State Department articulates."
The command will deliver military assistance and facilitate and support other U.S. and African agencies. The key is "sustained security engagement with our partners," Yates said. "If you want us to partner with you, we'll be there with you. We want to stay in the military lane, because what we've heard from you is better security and stability in your nations is what is going to bring economic prosperity."
Yates is the second-highest ranking person in the command, and she is not the only member of the command from outside Defense Department. The Treasury Department, the U.S. Agency for International Development, the Department of Homeland Security, the Department of Agriculture, the Department of Commerce and the Department of Justice all have employees in the command.
The command is bilaterally working with many nations and with pan-African organizations – such as the African Union – to help professionalize their militaries, to help them become more responsive to civilian control and to help them build security. At the core of this is what the command calls active security. This is a concept Ward devised after listening to African leaders.
"When we do something with you that you have asked us to do, you are assured that we're going to be there to help see it through. That's the notion of active security," he said.
Sustaining security is the long-term goal of the nations and the command. "(Sustained security) fosters growth ... that doesn't fade in time and can mature in ways that make a difference to you," Ward said.
"This is not a sprint, it's a marathon," the general said. "And we want to establish a relationship so you know we are in it for the long term. It will be sustained, but in ways that make sense to you."
The command will continue the training and military exercises that the other three geographic commands have in place. It will also work with African nations on plans in case a natural or man-made disaster strikes. AFRICOM will help continental organizations with logistics and with communications – things already being done, Ward said.
U.S. Africa Command is designed to be able to provide that support in a more effective way, the general explained.
"We don't want to control anyone," Ward said. "We want you to be better able to provide the security that you have said you want to do. We want to help you build your security capacity – we don't want to provide it."
Ward pointed out that the command wants to support humanitarian assistance efforts, and do it in a way that fosters dialogue and development.
Africa has many problems, the general said, but he believes it can overcome them. The continent will probably "not get to the perfect condition where there are no conflicts, but does that mean we ought not be working toward that?" Ward said.
American Forces Press Service
March 30, 2008 - U.S. Africa Command wants to work in partnership with African nations, and its establishment does not signal the militarization of U.S. foreign policy, said the organization's commander, Army Gen. William E. "Kip" Ward. Ward spoke to representatives from 43 African nations during the U.S.-Africa Defense Policy Dialogue at the Airlie House here March 27.
"I don't want to take over U.S. foreign policy," Ward told the gathered African defense experts. "(It's) not my job and quite frankly not the value system I possess." The general stressed that U.S. civilian leaders make policy, not the military.
Ward called the command an "innovation" in ways to deliver security assistance to African partners. He said the command will only act after listening to what African nations want. The command will maintain a light footprint on the continent, and American officials are not looking to establish bases on the continent.
Security and economic development are two sides of the same coin, Ward said, and African nations understand that. Africa Command is a unique mix of uniformed personnel and interagency civilians that will help Africans provide their own security.
"This construct is designed to address the complexity of trying to bring stability, and we know it's not a strictly military task," Ward said.
U.S. Africa Command stood up on Oct. 1, 2007 and is scheduled to reach full operating capability on Oct. 1, 2008. It is integrating missions that were the responsibility of three other geographic commands: U.S. European Command, U.S. Central Command and U.S. Pacific Command.
The command, which currently has about 400 military and civilian personnel, is picking up the missions of those three geographic commands while growing to about 1,300 people, said Ambassador Mary Carlin Yates, a career State Department employee who serves as the command's deputy for civil-military activities.
"The military is from Mars and we are from Venus, we are from different worlds," she said. "But when we work together it is clear that the military is not making the foreign policy ... we all are following the U.S. policy. By being integrated in the command, we think we can more effectively support the policies the State Department articulates."
The command will deliver military assistance and facilitate and support other U.S. and African agencies. The key is "sustained security engagement with our partners," Yates said. "If you want us to partner with you, we'll be there with you. We want to stay in the military lane, because what we've heard from you is better security and stability in your nations is what is going to bring economic prosperity."
Yates is the second-highest ranking person in the command, and she is not the only member of the command from outside Defense Department. The Treasury Department, the U.S. Agency for International Development, the Department of Homeland Security, the Department of Agriculture, the Department of Commerce and the Department of Justice all have employees in the command.
The command is bilaterally working with many nations and with pan-African organizations – such as the African Union – to help professionalize their militaries, to help them become more responsive to civilian control and to help them build security. At the core of this is what the command calls active security. This is a concept Ward devised after listening to African leaders.
"When we do something with you that you have asked us to do, you are assured that we're going to be there to help see it through. That's the notion of active security," he said.
Sustaining security is the long-term goal of the nations and the command. "(Sustained security) fosters growth ... that doesn't fade in time and can mature in ways that make a difference to you," Ward said.
"This is not a sprint, it's a marathon," the general said. "And we want to establish a relationship so you know we are in it for the long term. It will be sustained, but in ways that make sense to you."
The command will continue the training and military exercises that the other three geographic commands have in place. It will also work with African nations on plans in case a natural or man-made disaster strikes. AFRICOM will help continental organizations with logistics and with communications – things already being done, Ward said.
U.S. Africa Command is designed to be able to provide that support in a more effective way, the general explained.
"We don't want to control anyone," Ward said. "We want you to be better able to provide the security that you have said you want to do. We want to help you build your security capacity – we don't want to provide it."
Ward pointed out that the command wants to support humanitarian assistance efforts, and do it in a way that fosters dialogue and development.
Africa has many problems, the general said, but he believes it can overcome them. The continent will probably "not get to the perfect condition where there are no conflicts, but does that mean we ought not be working toward that?" Ward said.
Executive Communication Skills: Leading The Process Of Change
Dynamic Presentation of Leadership Theory and Practical Approaches to Improving Your Interpersonal Skills and Relationships
Overview
The fast-paced agenda of this seminar moves between videotaped role-play sessions that build your interpersonal communication skills and leadership sessions that provide tools for overcoming barriers to change in your organization.
The seminar combines practical knowledge of the key concepts of leadership with the interactive skills that are essential to communication. Video sessions involve small teams, each with a skilled facilitator from the Federal Executive Institute’s cadre of experienced team leaders. Scenarios based on real-world experiences highlight key components of interpersonal communication, followed by feedback from colleagues and facilitators. In the leadership sessions, you will learn how to guide your organization into the future. You will focus on your own work experiences and how they relate to your development as a leader; however, you will also learn from others: analyzing video clips from popular films, hearing brief lectures, and participating in large- and small-group discussions. With one faculty member for every four or five executives, you are guaranteed personal attention.
How Will You Benefit
Learn the theory and application of effective leadership and communication skills Practice enhanced listening, probing, and feedback skills
Become better prepared to lead your colleagues in a changing world
Conceptualize events in ways that encourage others to follow
Devise new ways to communicate your vision more effectively
MORE INFORMATION
http://www.leadership.opm.gov/Programs/Executive-Leadership-Development/EXE0010/Index.aspx
Overview
The fast-paced agenda of this seminar moves between videotaped role-play sessions that build your interpersonal communication skills and leadership sessions that provide tools for overcoming barriers to change in your organization.
The seminar combines practical knowledge of the key concepts of leadership with the interactive skills that are essential to communication. Video sessions involve small teams, each with a skilled facilitator from the Federal Executive Institute’s cadre of experienced team leaders. Scenarios based on real-world experiences highlight key components of interpersonal communication, followed by feedback from colleagues and facilitators. In the leadership sessions, you will learn how to guide your organization into the future. You will focus on your own work experiences and how they relate to your development as a leader; however, you will also learn from others: analyzing video clips from popular films, hearing brief lectures, and participating in large- and small-group discussions. With one faculty member for every four or five executives, you are guaranteed personal attention.
How Will You Benefit
Learn the theory and application of effective leadership and communication skills Practice enhanced listening, probing, and feedback skills
Become better prepared to lead your colleagues in a changing world
Conceptualize events in ways that encourage others to follow
Devise new ways to communicate your vision more effectively
MORE INFORMATION
http://www.leadership.opm.gov/Programs/Executive-Leadership-Development/EXE0010/Index.aspx
Saturday, March 29, 2008
Over 1900 Law Enforcement Books
Editor's Note: One of the authors is retired US Military.
March 29, 2008 (San Dimas, CA) Police-Writers.com is a website that lists state and local police officers who have written books. The website now lists over 900 police officers and over 1900 books written by law enforcement officials.
Michael Simonsen is a former police officer for the Los Angeles Police Department. In 1977, as a means to teach children safety Michael Simonsen, developed an entertaining visual presentation through the use of a Macaw. The bird, known as Officer Byrd, No. 007, was the genesis of the book The Adventures of Officer Byrd – Get Help!
According to the book description of The Adventures of Officer Byrd – Get Help!, it “is based on a true-story. It's about a real police bird who helps children and adults. The story is about Officer Byrd helping young people not to keep bad secrets and to get help. The children's book is for ages five to 12 plus.”
Captain Jim Di Giovanna retired as commander of the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department Aero Bureau on March 30, 2006, having been assigned to the aviation unit since January 1989. His 34-year law enforcement career also included assignments as a patrol deputy, patrol and operations sergeant and patrol lieutenant watch commander, along with assignments at the Sheriff’s Information Bureau, Field Operations Headquarters and Custody Division.
Captain Jim Di Giovanna is a commercial pilot, helicopter- and instrument-rated, with over 5,800 flight hours. As unit commander of the Aero Bureau, he was responsible for managing aviation operations for the largest sheriff's department in the United States. While supervising 72 sworn and civilian sheriff's department personnel, Captain Jim Di Giovanna had responsibility for directing and overseeing the operation and maintenance of the department's 15 rotary-wing and three fixed-wing aircraft. He is also a retired colonel from the United States Army Reserve Jim Di Giovanna is the co-author of Tactical Helicopter Missions: How to Fly Safe, Effective Airborne Law Enforcement Missions.
Howard Earle is a retired Assistant Sheriff from the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department. He is the author of Police Community Relations: Crisis in Our Times. According to the book description, “this book continues to present comprehensive, authoritative information on all phases of this complex topic. The text has been expanded and updated, however, to maintain currency with concepts and practices. It begins by reviewing general problems of police community relations (PCR), including the police image and crisis areas.”
Police-Writers.com now hosts 903 police officers (representing 389 police departments) and their 1905 police books in 32 categories, there are also listings of United States federal law enforcement employees turned authors, international police officers who have written books and civilian police personnel who have written books.
March 29, 2008 (San Dimas, CA) Police-Writers.com is a website that lists state and local police officers who have written books. The website now lists over 900 police officers and over 1900 books written by law enforcement officials.
Michael Simonsen is a former police officer for the Los Angeles Police Department. In 1977, as a means to teach children safety Michael Simonsen, developed an entertaining visual presentation through the use of a Macaw. The bird, known as Officer Byrd, No. 007, was the genesis of the book The Adventures of Officer Byrd – Get Help!
According to the book description of The Adventures of Officer Byrd – Get Help!, it “is based on a true-story. It's about a real police bird who helps children and adults. The story is about Officer Byrd helping young people not to keep bad secrets and to get help. The children's book is for ages five to 12 plus.”
Captain Jim Di Giovanna retired as commander of the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department Aero Bureau on March 30, 2006, having been assigned to the aviation unit since January 1989. His 34-year law enforcement career also included assignments as a patrol deputy, patrol and operations sergeant and patrol lieutenant watch commander, along with assignments at the Sheriff’s Information Bureau, Field Operations Headquarters and Custody Division.
Captain Jim Di Giovanna is a commercial pilot, helicopter- and instrument-rated, with over 5,800 flight hours. As unit commander of the Aero Bureau, he was responsible for managing aviation operations for the largest sheriff's department in the United States. While supervising 72 sworn and civilian sheriff's department personnel, Captain Jim Di Giovanna had responsibility for directing and overseeing the operation and maintenance of the department's 15 rotary-wing and three fixed-wing aircraft. He is also a retired colonel from the United States Army Reserve Jim Di Giovanna is the co-author of Tactical Helicopter Missions: How to Fly Safe, Effective Airborne Law Enforcement Missions.
Howard Earle is a retired Assistant Sheriff from the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department. He is the author of Police Community Relations: Crisis in Our Times. According to the book description, “this book continues to present comprehensive, authoritative information on all phases of this complex topic. The text has been expanded and updated, however, to maintain currency with concepts and practices. It begins by reviewing general problems of police community relations (PCR), including the police image and crisis areas.”
Police-Writers.com now hosts 903 police officers (representing 389 police departments) and their 1905 police books in 32 categories, there are also listings of United States federal law enforcement employees turned authors, international police officers who have written books and civilian police personnel who have written books.
Defensive Tactics for Special Operations
March 29, 2008 (San Dimas, CA) Police-Writers.com is a website that lists state and local police officers who have written books. Former Police Officer Jim Wagner recently released his second book titled Defensive Tactics for Special Operations.
During his career with the Costa Mesa Police Department, Jim Wagner earned a place on the SWAT team. It was through this conduit that Jim learned about logistics, command post operations, hostage negotiations, entry team tactics, and sniping. On the job training included courses with LAPD SWAT, the U.S. Army Special Forces, the Orange County Sheriff’s Department Tactical Training Center, and from U.S. Marines Division Schools Camp Pendleton (Advanced Sniper Course, Military Operations Urban Terrain, Helicopter Rope Suspension Training, and Range Safety Officer). Jim Wagner’s second book, Defensive Tactics for Special Operations, was recently released.
According to the book description of Defensive Tactics for Special Operations, “The techniques and methods that form the basis of military and combat defensive training are detailed in this insightful guide from a personal protection expert. Chapters provide instruction on knife defense, unarmed fighting, weapon retention, and arrest and control techniques. Police and military personnel as well as self-defense instructors and students at all levels will benefit from simple instructions and step-by-step exercises.”
Jim Wagner’s first book was Reality Based Personal Protection. According to the book description, “Reality-Based Personal Protection system covers the complete tactical spectrum of pre-conflict, conflict and post-conflict techniques and training methods for a wide variety of worst-case scenarios. Mastering these tactics will educate you on the dangers of the modern world and how to survive them.
Police-Writers.com now hosts 900 police officers (representing 389 police departments) and their 1903 police books in 32 categories, there are also listings of United States federal law enforcement employees turned authors, international police officers who have written books and civilian police personnel who have written books.
More Information on Jim Wagner:
www.police-writers.com/jim_wagner.html
During his career with the Costa Mesa Police Department, Jim Wagner earned a place on the SWAT team. It was through this conduit that Jim learned about logistics, command post operations, hostage negotiations, entry team tactics, and sniping. On the job training included courses with LAPD SWAT, the U.S. Army Special Forces, the Orange County Sheriff’s Department Tactical Training Center, and from U.S. Marines Division Schools Camp Pendleton (Advanced Sniper Course, Military Operations Urban Terrain, Helicopter Rope Suspension Training, and Range Safety Officer). Jim Wagner’s second book, Defensive Tactics for Special Operations, was recently released.
According to the book description of Defensive Tactics for Special Operations, “The techniques and methods that form the basis of military and combat defensive training are detailed in this insightful guide from a personal protection expert. Chapters provide instruction on knife defense, unarmed fighting, weapon retention, and arrest and control techniques. Police and military personnel as well as self-defense instructors and students at all levels will benefit from simple instructions and step-by-step exercises.”
Jim Wagner’s first book was Reality Based Personal Protection. According to the book description, “Reality-Based Personal Protection system covers the complete tactical spectrum of pre-conflict, conflict and post-conflict techniques and training methods for a wide variety of worst-case scenarios. Mastering these tactics will educate you on the dangers of the modern world and how to survive them.
Police-Writers.com now hosts 900 police officers (representing 389 police departments) and their 1903 police books in 32 categories, there are also listings of United States federal law enforcement employees turned authors, international police officers who have written books and civilian police personnel who have written books.
More Information on Jim Wagner:
www.police-writers.com/jim_wagner.html
Command Provides New Way for African Nations to Connect, England Says
By Jim Garamone
American Forces Press Service
March 28, 2008 - In an interconnected world, U.S. Africa Command is another way the United States can connect with the countries of the continent, Deputy Defense Secretary Gordon England told representatives from more than 40 African nations here yesterday. England spoke at the U.S.-Africa Joint Defense Dialogue. The Office of the Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for African Affairs sponsored the conference.
The deputy secretary stressed that the meeting was a chance for U.S. officials to listen to African allies and learn how the United States can help.
"This is an opportunity for us to learn so we can get a better mutual understanding of one another's problems and perspectives and issues and, more important perhaps, the way ahead," England said.
The world today is interconnected on many levels, the former systems engineer told the African and American audience.
"It's pretty obvious to me that policies around the world all have an effect on everybody else," England said. "I will tell you this world is a large, integrated system. I know from my systems experience, you can make changes in that system and they can have large, unanticipated consequences somewhere else. Therefore, it is very important to understand how this system works."
Security is part of the complex, interconnected world. "You can no longer separate countries in terms of the threats that are in the world today," England said. Transnational threats -- such as terrorism, proliferation, ethnic and tribal violence, narcotics trafficking, human trafficking and others -- affect all nations.
"These problems transcend nations, regions, even continental boundaries, and then they are exaggerated and made worse by a number of factors, and that can include economic, agriculture, health and political challenges," the deputy secretary said.
Developed countries have the infrastructure and trained people to be able to survive an economic or security downturn. Many African nations have no such margin, England said. "When you operate relatively close to the margin, things become much more critical, and all these factors become more critical in terms of outcomes," he said.
U.S. defense policy stresses the need for partnerships among nations. These continuing partnerships, England said, may obviate the need for military force. Having cooperation and partnership with nations may forestall the kind of problems that, in the past, the United States or other nations would typically deal with militarily.
Africa is an important developing market for the United States. Africa's economy is growing at about 5 percent a year, England said. Oil and minerals account for much of that growth. Vying for these resources, he noted, can be a potential conflict point among the nations of the continent.
The vast portion of U.S. policy focus on Africa is in the civilian side, the deputy secretary said. U.S. government civilian agencies work to support democratic reform, respect for human rights, free trade, open investment regimes and economic opportunity.
The United States will spend $8.7 billion this year in development assistance. America also has worked to achieve debt relief for African nations. The African Growth and Opportunity Act allows 98 percent of African exports to the United States to enter duty-free.
In addition, the United States government has partnered with many African nations to alleviate hunger, expand education and fight disease.
On the security side, the Defense Department put in place programs that have trained more than 39,000 African peacekeepers from 20 countries. The U.S. military has participated in numerous exercises, medical efforts and operations with allies across the continent.
All of this leads to U.S. Africa Command. "AFRICOM reflects the lessons learned; it is all about working together to accomplish mutual objectives, both for security and economic development," England said.
The deputy secretary said security or stability cannot be viewed alone. Security is inseparable from economic development, he said.
"You have to have security for economic development, and you have to have economic development for security long-term," he told the audience. "You have to work both of these together. In today's highly interconnected world, money moves at the push of a button, the push of a mouse, and security is critically important for economic development."
DoD routinely works in support of many agencies in the U.S. government. Servicemembers work closely with the U.S. Agency for International Development, the U.S. departments of State, Agriculture, Commerce and Justice, and other organizations. The military helps all those organizations in coordinating relief operations, disaster assistance and medical care, England said.
"But we have never focused on Africa -- those 53 nations -- the way we have other parts of the world. It has just not been the focus of the Department of Defense," England said. "AFRICOM will allow us in DoD to work better with our sister agencies and with the countries in Africa to better advance our mutual interests."
The command will provide a better framework for the cooperation and economic development. The civilian and military staff of AFRICOM oversees security cooperation, builds partnership capability and facilitates defense support to nonmilitary missions.
Interagency cooperation is crucial, England said, noting that studies are under way inside the U.S. government to improve interagency cooperation. The result may be that "you will see a much more unified approach to how we deal with countries around the world," he said.
The new command is a chance for all the nations in Africa to come together to improve the security and economic stability of every country in Africa, England said. That will "improve the lives of everyone in Africa and thereby secure the peace and freedom for everybody around the world."
American Forces Press Service
March 28, 2008 - In an interconnected world, U.S. Africa Command is another way the United States can connect with the countries of the continent, Deputy Defense Secretary Gordon England told representatives from more than 40 African nations here yesterday. England spoke at the U.S.-Africa Joint Defense Dialogue. The Office of the Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for African Affairs sponsored the conference.
The deputy secretary stressed that the meeting was a chance for U.S. officials to listen to African allies and learn how the United States can help.
"This is an opportunity for us to learn so we can get a better mutual understanding of one another's problems and perspectives and issues and, more important perhaps, the way ahead," England said.
The world today is interconnected on many levels, the former systems engineer told the African and American audience.
"It's pretty obvious to me that policies around the world all have an effect on everybody else," England said. "I will tell you this world is a large, integrated system. I know from my systems experience, you can make changes in that system and they can have large, unanticipated consequences somewhere else. Therefore, it is very important to understand how this system works."
Security is part of the complex, interconnected world. "You can no longer separate countries in terms of the threats that are in the world today," England said. Transnational threats -- such as terrorism, proliferation, ethnic and tribal violence, narcotics trafficking, human trafficking and others -- affect all nations.
"These problems transcend nations, regions, even continental boundaries, and then they are exaggerated and made worse by a number of factors, and that can include economic, agriculture, health and political challenges," the deputy secretary said.
Developed countries have the infrastructure and trained people to be able to survive an economic or security downturn. Many African nations have no such margin, England said. "When you operate relatively close to the margin, things become much more critical, and all these factors become more critical in terms of outcomes," he said.
U.S. defense policy stresses the need for partnerships among nations. These continuing partnerships, England said, may obviate the need for military force. Having cooperation and partnership with nations may forestall the kind of problems that, in the past, the United States or other nations would typically deal with militarily.
Africa is an important developing market for the United States. Africa's economy is growing at about 5 percent a year, England said. Oil and minerals account for much of that growth. Vying for these resources, he noted, can be a potential conflict point among the nations of the continent.
The vast portion of U.S. policy focus on Africa is in the civilian side, the deputy secretary said. U.S. government civilian agencies work to support democratic reform, respect for human rights, free trade, open investment regimes and economic opportunity.
The United States will spend $8.7 billion this year in development assistance. America also has worked to achieve debt relief for African nations. The African Growth and Opportunity Act allows 98 percent of African exports to the United States to enter duty-free.
In addition, the United States government has partnered with many African nations to alleviate hunger, expand education and fight disease.
On the security side, the Defense Department put in place programs that have trained more than 39,000 African peacekeepers from 20 countries. The U.S. military has participated in numerous exercises, medical efforts and operations with allies across the continent.
All of this leads to U.S. Africa Command. "AFRICOM reflects the lessons learned; it is all about working together to accomplish mutual objectives, both for security and economic development," England said.
The deputy secretary said security or stability cannot be viewed alone. Security is inseparable from economic development, he said.
"You have to have security for economic development, and you have to have economic development for security long-term," he told the audience. "You have to work both of these together. In today's highly interconnected world, money moves at the push of a button, the push of a mouse, and security is critically important for economic development."
DoD routinely works in support of many agencies in the U.S. government. Servicemembers work closely with the U.S. Agency for International Development, the U.S. departments of State, Agriculture, Commerce and Justice, and other organizations. The military helps all those organizations in coordinating relief operations, disaster assistance and medical care, England said.
"But we have never focused on Africa -- those 53 nations -- the way we have other parts of the world. It has just not been the focus of the Department of Defense," England said. "AFRICOM will allow us in DoD to work better with our sister agencies and with the countries in Africa to better advance our mutual interests."
The command will provide a better framework for the cooperation and economic development. The civilian and military staff of AFRICOM oversees security cooperation, builds partnership capability and facilitates defense support to nonmilitary missions.
Interagency cooperation is crucial, England said, noting that studies are under way inside the U.S. government to improve interagency cooperation. The result may be that "you will see a much more unified approach to how we deal with countries around the world," he said.
The new command is a chance for all the nations in Africa to come together to improve the security and economic stability of every country in Africa, England said. That will "improve the lives of everyone in Africa and thereby secure the peace and freedom for everybody around the world."
Face of Defense: Woman Pilots Add to U-2's History
By Senior Airman Ross M. Tweten, USAF
Special to American Forces Press Service
March 28, 2008 - In its 50 years of flight, only six women have flown the U-2 Dragon Lady. Three of those six are currently in the Air Force, and two of those three are currently fighting in operations Enduring Freedom and Iraqi Freedom with the 380th Air Expeditionary Wing's 99th Expeditionary Reconnaissance Squadron, the only U-2 squadron in U.S. Central Command's area of responsibility.
Air Force Maj. Merryl Tengesdal and Capt. Heather Fox, both U-2 pilots with 99th Expeditionary Reconnaissance Squadron deployed from Beale Air Force Base, Calif., continue to add to history while fighting the global war on terror 70,000 feet in the air.
From these altitudes, Tengesdal and Fox along with their wingmen, provide other warfighters with intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance of the battle space. Since its introduction in 1957, the U-2 and the men and women who support it have provided the United States with an unmatched upper hand on the enemy by providing high-altitude intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance to commanders.
"After we've completed a mission and landed the aircraft, it's rewarding to know that we've helped the forces on the ground and kept them safe," Fox said. "Even after 50 years, the U-2 has a significant impact on the mission."
Air Force Lt. Col. Thomas Engle, 99th Expeditionary Reconnaissance Squadron commander, described the U-2 as an unforgiving aircraft that requires exceptional airmanship to fly, and he said it arguably is the most difficult aircraft in the world to land. Pilots are carefully screened before being accepted for training, a process that includes a three-sortie interview profile to determine the applicant's aptitude for flying the "Deuce."
Fewer than half of candidates invited to interview eventually qualify to fly combat reconnaissance missions in the aircraft. Missions of nine or more hours wearing a full pressure suit while flying at extreme altitudes are very fatiguing and require a high degree of professional commitment, Engle said.
"Major Tengesdal and Captain Fox are both experienced U-2 instructor pilots, bringing a high level of maturity and skill to the 99th ERS," he said. "I place a high degree of trust in these officers, as they face tough decisions every day to keep our pilots and aircraft safe while executing the mission, and they do it admirably."
Only about 850 airmen have flown the U-2 since its introduction. Fox said the small number of women whose names are on that list is just another number.
"To be perfectly honest, I really don't think it's that big of a deal," she said. "The aircraft flies the same for women as it does for men. I'm just glad I'm a part of an aircraft with such a great mission."
Tengesdal said every contribution in the military is important to winning the global war on terror.
"As a pilot, all that matters is the mission, no matter if you're male or female," she said. "We get it done out here, and I'm happy to be a contributing member of this team. It's an honor to be a part of the U-2 heritage."
(Air Force Senior Airman Ross M. Tweten serves in the 380th Air Expeditionary Wing Public Affairs Office.)
Special to American Forces Press Service
March 28, 2008 - In its 50 years of flight, only six women have flown the U-2 Dragon Lady. Three of those six are currently in the Air Force, and two of those three are currently fighting in operations Enduring Freedom and Iraqi Freedom with the 380th Air Expeditionary Wing's 99th Expeditionary Reconnaissance Squadron, the only U-2 squadron in U.S. Central Command's area of responsibility.
Air Force Maj. Merryl Tengesdal and Capt. Heather Fox, both U-2 pilots with 99th Expeditionary Reconnaissance Squadron deployed from Beale Air Force Base, Calif., continue to add to history while fighting the global war on terror 70,000 feet in the air.
From these altitudes, Tengesdal and Fox along with their wingmen, provide other warfighters with intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance of the battle space. Since its introduction in 1957, the U-2 and the men and women who support it have provided the United States with an unmatched upper hand on the enemy by providing high-altitude intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance to commanders.
"After we've completed a mission and landed the aircraft, it's rewarding to know that we've helped the forces on the ground and kept them safe," Fox said. "Even after 50 years, the U-2 has a significant impact on the mission."
Air Force Lt. Col. Thomas Engle, 99th Expeditionary Reconnaissance Squadron commander, described the U-2 as an unforgiving aircraft that requires exceptional airmanship to fly, and he said it arguably is the most difficult aircraft in the world to land. Pilots are carefully screened before being accepted for training, a process that includes a three-sortie interview profile to determine the applicant's aptitude for flying the "Deuce."
Fewer than half of candidates invited to interview eventually qualify to fly combat reconnaissance missions in the aircraft. Missions of nine or more hours wearing a full pressure suit while flying at extreme altitudes are very fatiguing and require a high degree of professional commitment, Engle said.
"Major Tengesdal and Captain Fox are both experienced U-2 instructor pilots, bringing a high level of maturity and skill to the 99th ERS," he said. "I place a high degree of trust in these officers, as they face tough decisions every day to keep our pilots and aircraft safe while executing the mission, and they do it admirably."
Only about 850 airmen have flown the U-2 since its introduction. Fox said the small number of women whose names are on that list is just another number.
"To be perfectly honest, I really don't think it's that big of a deal," she said. "The aircraft flies the same for women as it does for men. I'm just glad I'm a part of an aircraft with such a great mission."
Tengesdal said every contribution in the military is important to winning the global war on terror.
"As a pilot, all that matters is the mission, no matter if you're male or female," she said. "We get it done out here, and I'm happy to be a contributing member of this team. It's an honor to be a part of the U-2 heritage."
(Air Force Senior Airman Ross M. Tweten serves in the 380th Air Expeditionary Wing Public Affairs Office.)
Friday, March 28, 2008
Unified Maritime Strategy Aims to Prevent War
By Kristen Noel
Special to American Forces Press Service
March 28, 2008 - The Navy, Marine Corps and Coast Guard have joined forces in an unprecedented effort to create a unified maritime strategy, describing how seapower will be applied in the 21st century to protect America's way of life. The strategy emphasizes six core capabilities, the foremost being "forward presence" of U.S. seapower in volatile regions of the world to prevent war.
"The proactive cost of defense is far more affordable than the reactive cost of war," Navy Vice Adm. John G. Morgan, deputy chief of naval operations for information, plans and strategy, said yesterday in a conference call with online journalists and "bloggers" to discuss the maritime strategy.
Morgan said forward presence provides a layered defense for the United States and is an enduring strategic imperative for the Navy and Marine Corps.
"We do not aspire to be the global policeman," he said. "But we certainly want to be a part of that global neighborhood watch, along with others, helping where we can."
The maritime strategy does not indicate specific regions where concentrated naval power will be deployed. The reason, Morgan said, was concern over how naming regions and countries in the strategy would affect the economic interdependence of the global system. But he noted that the United States has been deploying naval power in the Western Pacific and the Middle East, "because we think that's were the greatest challenge is, perhaps the greatest opportunities exist."
Morgan said forward presence is critical to fulfilling the American public's expectations. He currently is involved in a tour of several U.S. cities to engage with the public, and he said citizens have voiced the same three expectations in every city so far.
"(Americans) expect us to stay strong. They expect us to protect the homeland and our citizens, and they expect us to help, in cooperation with other partners around the world, to prevent war," he said. "The way we think we can do that, to meet those expectations, is to be a forward presence."
The Navy will have to increase the size of its fleet to a minimum of 313 ships to meet the requirements of the maritime strategy, Morgan said. Today, the Navy has about 280 ships, and 104 of those ships currently are deployed worldwide, he said.
The Navy, Marine Corps and Coast Guard reviewed several alternative scenarios for global security in future in developing the maritime strategy, Morgan said. "We considered a wide range of potential grand strategies that might emerge in the United States over the course of the next decade or so," he said.
The other core capabilities emphasized in the strategy are: deterrence, sea control, power projection, maritime security, and humanitarian assistance and disaster response.
(Kristen Noel works for the New Media branch of the American Forces Information Service.)
Special to American Forces Press Service
March 28, 2008 - The Navy, Marine Corps and Coast Guard have joined forces in an unprecedented effort to create a unified maritime strategy, describing how seapower will be applied in the 21st century to protect America's way of life. The strategy emphasizes six core capabilities, the foremost being "forward presence" of U.S. seapower in volatile regions of the world to prevent war.
"The proactive cost of defense is far more affordable than the reactive cost of war," Navy Vice Adm. John G. Morgan, deputy chief of naval operations for information, plans and strategy, said yesterday in a conference call with online journalists and "bloggers" to discuss the maritime strategy.
Morgan said forward presence provides a layered defense for the United States and is an enduring strategic imperative for the Navy and Marine Corps.
"We do not aspire to be the global policeman," he said. "But we certainly want to be a part of that global neighborhood watch, along with others, helping where we can."
The maritime strategy does not indicate specific regions where concentrated naval power will be deployed. The reason, Morgan said, was concern over how naming regions and countries in the strategy would affect the economic interdependence of the global system. But he noted that the United States has been deploying naval power in the Western Pacific and the Middle East, "because we think that's were the greatest challenge is, perhaps the greatest opportunities exist."
Morgan said forward presence is critical to fulfilling the American public's expectations. He currently is involved in a tour of several U.S. cities to engage with the public, and he said citizens have voiced the same three expectations in every city so far.
"(Americans) expect us to stay strong. They expect us to protect the homeland and our citizens, and they expect us to help, in cooperation with other partners around the world, to prevent war," he said. "The way we think we can do that, to meet those expectations, is to be a forward presence."
The Navy will have to increase the size of its fleet to a minimum of 313 ships to meet the requirements of the maritime strategy, Morgan said. Today, the Navy has about 280 ships, and 104 of those ships currently are deployed worldwide, he said.
The Navy, Marine Corps and Coast Guard reviewed several alternative scenarios for global security in future in developing the maritime strategy, Morgan said. "We considered a wide range of potential grand strategies that might emerge in the United States over the course of the next decade or so," he said.
The other core capabilities emphasized in the strategy are: deterrence, sea control, power projection, maritime security, and humanitarian assistance and disaster response.
(Kristen Noel works for the New Media branch of the American Forces Information Service.)
America Supports You: Circus Celebrates Relationship with Military
By Samantha L. Quigley
American Forces Press Service
March 28, 2008 - Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus is proud of its bond with the military, its chairman and chief executive officer said before last night's opening show here. "It's a relationship that we at Ringling Brothers treasure," Kenneth Feld said. "We salute the armed forces before every performance and right before we sing 'The Star-Spangled Banner.'"
The circus began a relationship with the Fisher House Foundation eight years ago. The organization builds homes away from home for family members who want to stay near loved ones recovering at military or Veterans Affairs medical facilities across the country.
Former chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff retired Air Force Gen. Richard B. Myers said honoring that relationship was perhaps the most important part of last night's performance.
"I think the most important thing is that Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus has made recognition of the Fisher House a big deal to them," Myers said. "Every night they recognize this relationship. I think it recognizes the importance of families to our troops."
The circus took it a step further last night, proclaiming the Fisher House Foundation a "Lifetime Circus Celebrity." The proclamation was presented to Myers and his wife, Mary Jo, who both sit on the Fisher House Foundation's board of trustees, in the center ring just before the start of the "Greatest Show on Earth."
The night was extra special for about 100 wounded servicemembers and their families or caregivers. Ringling Bros. presented them with free tickets to the show. The tickets were distributed to the Warrior Transition Brigade, Veterans Affairs and the National Naval Medical Center at Bethesda, Md.
One of the recipients who attended the program with his wife and 2-year-old son said the gesture was good for morale.
"Whenever they're able to do programs like this, for a lot of soldiers, it's really something good," said Army Spc. Tim Turpin, who works in medical logistics at Walter Reed Army Medical Center here. "It gets them away from the monotony of being at the hospital all the time and having to do the routines of everyday life."
Fisher House Foundation is a supporter of America Supports You, a Defense Department program connecting citizens and companies with servicemembers and their families serving at home and abroad. Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus is a corporate supporter of the Defense Department program.
American Forces Press Service
March 28, 2008 - Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus is proud of its bond with the military, its chairman and chief executive officer said before last night's opening show here. "It's a relationship that we at Ringling Brothers treasure," Kenneth Feld said. "We salute the armed forces before every performance and right before we sing 'The Star-Spangled Banner.'"
The circus began a relationship with the Fisher House Foundation eight years ago. The organization builds homes away from home for family members who want to stay near loved ones recovering at military or Veterans Affairs medical facilities across the country.
Former chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff retired Air Force Gen. Richard B. Myers said honoring that relationship was perhaps the most important part of last night's performance.
"I think the most important thing is that Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus has made recognition of the Fisher House a big deal to them," Myers said. "Every night they recognize this relationship. I think it recognizes the importance of families to our troops."
The circus took it a step further last night, proclaiming the Fisher House Foundation a "Lifetime Circus Celebrity." The proclamation was presented to Myers and his wife, Mary Jo, who both sit on the Fisher House Foundation's board of trustees, in the center ring just before the start of the "Greatest Show on Earth."
The night was extra special for about 100 wounded servicemembers and their families or caregivers. Ringling Bros. presented them with free tickets to the show. The tickets were distributed to the Warrior Transition Brigade, Veterans Affairs and the National Naval Medical Center at Bethesda, Md.
One of the recipients who attended the program with his wife and 2-year-old son said the gesture was good for morale.
"Whenever they're able to do programs like this, for a lot of soldiers, it's really something good," said Army Spc. Tim Turpin, who works in medical logistics at Walter Reed Army Medical Center here. "It gets them away from the monotony of being at the hospital all the time and having to do the routines of everyday life."
Fisher House Foundation is a supporter of America Supports You, a Defense Department program connecting citizens and companies with servicemembers and their families serving at home and abroad. Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus is a corporate supporter of the Defense Department program.
Dempsey Becomes Acting Chief of U.S. Central Command
By Gerry J. Gilmore
American Forces Press Service
March 28, 2008 - Army Lt. Gen. Martin E. Dempsey became acting chief of U.S. Central Command during a relinquishment-of-command ceremony here today. Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates passed the command's flag from outgoing commander Navy Adm. William J. Fallon to Dempsey at this Tampa base where CENTCOM has its headquarters.
Gates, accompanied at the ceremony by Navy Adm. Michael G. Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, praised Fallon's achievements and cited the positive impact the admiral has made as CENTCOM's commander.
"Under Admiral Fallon's command, the last year in CENTCOM's area of operation has been one of great progress on a number of fronts," Gates said, referring to reduced levels of violence in Iraq compared to a year ago and rollbacks of Taliban influence in Afghanistan from areas they once controlled.
Victories achieved over the past year against al Qaeda in Iraq insurgents during the surge of forces "have allowed us to begin reducing the number of troops in Iraq, easing the stress on the force," Gates pointed out.
Gates saluted Fallon's military abilities and vision, noting that he and President Bush both were impressed and influenced by the admiral's advice and candor.
Fallon has "played a vital role in our discussions and analyses" during recent senior-level meetings on the way ahead in Iraq, Gates said.
The outgoing CENTCOM commander's leadership ability, strategic thinking and diplomatic skills have benefited the Middle East, Gates said. "We can see it in the increasing willingness of the region to extend diplomatic support to Iraq, and to work together to confront shared threats," Gates said of the fruits of Fallon's diplomatic work in the Mideast.
Fallon's energy, ideas and skill will be missed within the department, Gates said, adding that the admiral's work as CENTCOM chief "has advanced America's interests and security" throughout the command's area of operations.
Gates praised Dempsey's ability to command CENTCOM, even if only on a temporary basis. President Bush has nominated and the Senate has confirmed Dempsey, a three-star general, to take command of U.S. Army, Europe, which is a four-star billet, when he leaves CENTCOM. Gates described Dempsey's elevation at CENTCOM to be "a temporary assumption of command."
"I am confident that he is prepared to lead CENTCOM," Gates said of Dempsey. "His extensive experience on the ground there will be of great value in the coming months," Gates said. As a major general, Dempsey commanded the 1st Armored Division there, and as a lieutenant general, he led Multinational Security Transition Command Iraq before he became CENTCOM's deputy commander.
Mullen described Fallon as a friend and as "a warfighter's warfighter." Fallon has always "led from the front," Mullen added, noting his friend's leadership ability is "spectacular."
During his remarks, Fallon praised and thanked President Bush and Gates for their leadership and for providing him the opportunity to serve as CENTCOM's commander. Fallon saluted Multinational Force Iraq commander Army Gen. David H. Petraeus as a superb officer and as "the principal instrument of success in our efforts in Iraq."
The outgoing CENTCOM commander said he's "in awe" of the outstanding teamwork and performance exhibited by the command's servicemembers and civilians.
Fallon described his life's philosophy as: "When you have a job to do, try to make a difference," and to leave things better than when you found them. Of Dempsey, Fallon said: "I can think of no one more qualified to lead CENTCOM."
Dempsey noted that a quarter-million U.S. servicemembers are deployed overseas in CENTCOM's operational region in support of the global war against terrorism.
"The tasks before us remain clear; we are a command at war," Dempsey said. "And, as a command at war, we have a sacred duty to provide the 250,000 soldiers, sailors, airmen and Marines in the CENTCOM area of responsibility with whatever resources, direction and support they need to prevail on the battlefield."
Fallon succeeded Army Gen. John Abizaid as CENTCOM's commander on March 16, 2007. The admiral resigned his position on March 11 of this year after a controversial Esquire Magazine article inferred that he opposed some aspects of the Bush administration's policy in the Middle East.
Fallon has about 41 years of military service. He is slated to retire May 1.
American Forces Press Service
March 28, 2008 - Army Lt. Gen. Martin E. Dempsey became acting chief of U.S. Central Command during a relinquishment-of-command ceremony here today. Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates passed the command's flag from outgoing commander Navy Adm. William J. Fallon to Dempsey at this Tampa base where CENTCOM has its headquarters.
Gates, accompanied at the ceremony by Navy Adm. Michael G. Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, praised Fallon's achievements and cited the positive impact the admiral has made as CENTCOM's commander.
"Under Admiral Fallon's command, the last year in CENTCOM's area of operation has been one of great progress on a number of fronts," Gates said, referring to reduced levels of violence in Iraq compared to a year ago and rollbacks of Taliban influence in Afghanistan from areas they once controlled.
Victories achieved over the past year against al Qaeda in Iraq insurgents during the surge of forces "have allowed us to begin reducing the number of troops in Iraq, easing the stress on the force," Gates pointed out.
Gates saluted Fallon's military abilities and vision, noting that he and President Bush both were impressed and influenced by the admiral's advice and candor.
Fallon has "played a vital role in our discussions and analyses" during recent senior-level meetings on the way ahead in Iraq, Gates said.
The outgoing CENTCOM commander's leadership ability, strategic thinking and diplomatic skills have benefited the Middle East, Gates said. "We can see it in the increasing willingness of the region to extend diplomatic support to Iraq, and to work together to confront shared threats," Gates said of the fruits of Fallon's diplomatic work in the Mideast.
Fallon's energy, ideas and skill will be missed within the department, Gates said, adding that the admiral's work as CENTCOM chief "has advanced America's interests and security" throughout the command's area of operations.
Gates praised Dempsey's ability to command CENTCOM, even if only on a temporary basis. President Bush has nominated and the Senate has confirmed Dempsey, a three-star general, to take command of U.S. Army, Europe, which is a four-star billet, when he leaves CENTCOM. Gates described Dempsey's elevation at CENTCOM to be "a temporary assumption of command."
"I am confident that he is prepared to lead CENTCOM," Gates said of Dempsey. "His extensive experience on the ground there will be of great value in the coming months," Gates said. As a major general, Dempsey commanded the 1st Armored Division there, and as a lieutenant general, he led Multinational Security Transition Command Iraq before he became CENTCOM's deputy commander.
Mullen described Fallon as a friend and as "a warfighter's warfighter." Fallon has always "led from the front," Mullen added, noting his friend's leadership ability is "spectacular."
During his remarks, Fallon praised and thanked President Bush and Gates for their leadership and for providing him the opportunity to serve as CENTCOM's commander. Fallon saluted Multinational Force Iraq commander Army Gen. David H. Petraeus as a superb officer and as "the principal instrument of success in our efforts in Iraq."
The outgoing CENTCOM commander said he's "in awe" of the outstanding teamwork and performance exhibited by the command's servicemembers and civilians.
Fallon described his life's philosophy as: "When you have a job to do, try to make a difference," and to leave things better than when you found them. Of Dempsey, Fallon said: "I can think of no one more qualified to lead CENTCOM."
Dempsey noted that a quarter-million U.S. servicemembers are deployed overseas in CENTCOM's operational region in support of the global war against terrorism.
"The tasks before us remain clear; we are a command at war," Dempsey said. "And, as a command at war, we have a sacred duty to provide the 250,000 soldiers, sailors, airmen and Marines in the CENTCOM area of responsibility with whatever resources, direction and support they need to prevail on the battlefield."
Fallon succeeded Army Gen. John Abizaid as CENTCOM's commander on March 16, 2007. The admiral resigned his position on March 11 of this year after a controversial Esquire Magazine article inferred that he opposed some aspects of the Bush administration's policy in the Middle East.
Fallon has about 41 years of military service. He is slated to retire May 1.
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