Thursday, January 07, 2010

Wounded Vets to Participate in First Warrior Games

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

Jan. 7, 2010 - Some 200 wounded active duty members and military veterans will compete in the inaugural Warrior Games May 10-14 in Colorado Springs, Colo., Defense Department officials announced today. The U.S. Olympic Committee will host the games, and events will include shooting, swimming, archery, track, discus, shot put, cycling, sitting volleyball and wheelchair basketball, Army Brig. Gen. Gary Cheek, commander of the U.S. Army Warrior Transition Command, said at a Pentagon news conference.

Athletes will be recruited from each of the military services, including the Coast Guard, through an independent selection processes. Many already participate in some kind of training with Paralympics coordinators, but the competitors also will train with Olympic and Paralympics coaches at the Olympic training facilities in Colorado for about a month before the actual competitions, Cheek said.

The competition is open to military members and veterans with bodily injuries as well as mental wounds of war, such as post-traumatic stress and traumatic brain injury.

The Army will be represented by 100 soldiers chosen out of a pool of almost 9,000 wounded warriors. The Marine Corps will send 50 competitors, while the Navy, the Air Force and the Coast Guard will send 25 each, Cheeks said.

"The value of sports and athletic competition and the fact that you can get great satisfaction from what you do is really what we're after," he said. "And we're really looking for this opportunity to germinate this program in May and have it get bigger and stronger."

The goal isn't necessarily to determine the best athletes, but rather to maximize wounded veterans' abilities, and to show them their true potential through competitive sports, he explained.

"While we've made enormous progress in all the military services in our warrior care, ... it's not enough," the general said. "And what we have to do with our servicemembers is inspire them to reach for and achieve a rich and productive future -- to defeat their illness or injury to maximize their abilities and know that they can have a rich and fulfilling life beyond what has happened to them in service to their nation."

The general added that an Olympic-style event will challenge those servicemembers to prove to themselves that they have abilities within them that they can carry over into everyday life.

"Our hope is that, by doing this every year, we can extend that down into all of our warrior care programs ... of increasing adaptive sports and physical activity and defeating these wounds," he said. "From that, it becomes part of the life of that servicemember, and it will expand into their everyday life and all the things that they do."

Adaptive sports rehabilitation has proven time and again to have a positive, long-lasting effect on wounded warriors, said Charlie Huebner, Paralympics chief for the U.S. Olympic Committee.

Huebner noted that adaptive sports have positive effects on wounded veterans in their continued education, family life and in the work force, though that's not the Paralympics' goal.

"The outcomes that we see every day utilizing physical activity as part of the rehab process -- higher self-esteem, lower stress levels, lower secondary medical conditions ... young men and women pursuing higher education at a higher level, young men and women being employed at a higher level -- those are outcomes we see every day with the population we serve," he said.

Since 2003, the Paralympics have worked in partnership with the Veterans Affairs Department, providing adaptive sports therapy to veterans. And through the annual Warrior Games, Huebner said, he hopes to expand their standing commitment to veterans and servicemembers.

"Our armed forces are the best in the world," he said. "And our athletes want to be the best in the world at the Olympic and Paralympics games. That is a core part of what we do at the U.S. Olympic Committee."

Sons Follow in Father's Footsteps


By Army Sgt. Neil Gussman
Special to American Forces Press Service

Jan. 7, 2010 - Any parent whose child follows him into his profession will feel pride. A Pennsylvania National Guard soldier here can be doubly proud, then, as one son has followed in his military footsteps while another is pursuing his civilian career.

Army Sgt. 1st Class Gary Williard of Company D, Task Force Diablo, is a retired police officer and an Army National Guard aircraft maintenance platoon sergeant.

His older son, Gary Jr., joined the Tower City Police Force in Pennsylvania, where his father retired in 2006 as chief of police. Williard's younger son, Army Sgt. Joshua Williard of 628th Aviation Support Battalion's Company B, worked in the next hangar over from his dad during much of their recent deployment here and is now completing his deployment with final processing in the United States.

"I pinned on Joshua's sergeant stripes when he got promoted here on Aug. 27," Williad said. "That was quite a moment for me."

Williard began his military career in 1976 as a propeller and rotor mechanic for the Pennsylvania Army National Guard. After a break in service from 1982 to 1990, he returned to the Guard and has worked in maintenance on many aircraft. His younger son said he plans on a career in aviation maintenance with the Army National Guard.

Gary Jr. worked for his father for five years in the Tower City Police Department before moving to the Pennsylvania State Police, where he has worked for seven years.

Williard and his wife, Dina, ran an automotive repair business together. Now they own rental apartments.

"Dina runs the apartments while I am away," Williard said. "With Joshua and I deployed and Gary Jr. busy with work, she'll be very happy for us to come home."

Williard deployed from 2003 to 2004 to Kuwait in both aviation maintenance and security roles.

"Even on deployment, I was still a cop," he said.

(Army Sgt. Neil Gussman serves with Task Force Diablo.)

MILITARY CONTRACTS January 7, 2010

NAVY

Environmental Management, Inc., dba EMI Services*, Idaho Falls, Idaho, is being awarded a combination firm-fixed-price (FFP), indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity (IDIQ) contract for facilities maintenance and repair and heavy equipment repair at Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune, Marine Corps Air Station New River, and other outlying properties in the eastern North Carolina area. The maximum dollar value, including the base period, four one-year options, and five one-year award options, is $187,326,438 ($161,540,726 FFP and $25,785,712 IDIQ). Task order 0001 is being awarded at $16,252,747 to provide funding for the base year, firm-fixed priced services, which are expected to be performed from April 1, 2010, through March 31, 2011. Work will be performed in Jacksonville, N.C., and is expected to be completed by March 2020. Contract funds for task order 0001 will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was competitively procured via the Navy Electronic Commerce Online website, with 12 proposals received. The Naval Facilities Engineering Command, Mid-Atlantic, Norfolk, Va., is the contracting activity (N40085-10-D-0213).

RBF Consulting, San Diego, Calif., is being awarded a maximum $20,000,000 firm-fixed-price, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity architect/engineering contract for civil engineering services in the Southwest area of responsibility (AOR) of the Naval Facilities Engineering Command (NAVFAC). The work to be performed provides for engineering design, studies, and site investigations to support new development on raw land or re-development of existing developed sites; preparation of request for proposal for design-build projects; fully designed plans and specifications for invitation for bid projects; other civil engineering analysis, reports, cost estimates, and evaluations; preparation of facility planning documents, such as DD Form 1391; construction inspection; and construction support services including incidental surveying, geotechnical, structural, cost estimating, specification writing, and environmental engineering services. Work will be performed at various Navy and Marine Corps facilities and other government facilities within the NAVFAC Southwest AOR including, but not limited to, California (87 percent), Arizona (5 percent), Nevada (5 percent), Colorado (1 percent), New Mexico (1 percent), and Utah (1 percent). Work is expected to be completed by January 2015. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was competitively procured via the NAVFAC E-solicitation website with 21 proposals received. The Naval Facilities Engineering Command, Southwest, San Diego, Calif., is the contracting activity (N62473-10-D-5402).

Optics 1, Inc., Westlake Village, Calif., is being awarded a $9,650,070 cost-plus-fixed-fee contract for a Phase III Small Business Innovation Research project under Topic N99-192 entitled "Single Aperture Multiband Sensor." The contractor will provide services and materials for the design and development of multi-spectral imaging technology with specific requirements for the development, prototyping and production of the optics and sensors of the Advanced Multi-Band Optical Surveillance System. Work will be performed in Manchester, N.H., and is expected to be completed in January 2015. Contract funds in the amount of $77,000 will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was not competitively procured pursuant to FAR 6.3. Optics 1, Inc., was a small business, and accepted for the SIBR program, until Dec. 1, 2009, when its acquisition by Sagem, through Sagem's Swiss subsidiary Vectronix AG, was completed. A Special Security Agreement is in place and has been approved by the State Department and other government agencies. The Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division, Lakehurst, N.J., is the contracting activity (N68335-10-C-0072).

MISSILE DEFENSE AGENCY

Orbital Sciences Corp., Chandler, Ariz., was awarded a definitization modification under its previously awarded firm-fixed-price contract (HQ0147-08-C-0003). Under this contract modification, Orbital Sciences will perform medium range target system integration, mission planning, and launch services in support of the Aegis flight target mission event 16E2. The work will be performed in Chandler, Ariz., with launch services at the Pacific Missile Range Facility with an estimated completion date of March 2011. The obligated amount of $10,824,205 used fiscal year 2009 research, development, test and evaluation funds.

DEFENSE LOGISTICS AGENCY

Special T. Hosiery Mills, Inc.*, Burlington, N.C., is being awarded a maximum $7,192,800 firm-fixed-price, total set-aside contract for boot socks. Other location of performance is Burlington, N.C. Using service is Army. The original proposal was Web solicited with 12 responses. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract includes a base and three one-year options. The date of performance completion is Jan. 6, 2011. The contracting activity is the Defense Supply Center Philadelphia, Philadelphia, Pa (SPM1C1-10-D-1033).

Mullen Lays Out Progress, Challenges in Middle East

By Jim Garamone
American Forces Press Service

Jan. 7, 2010 - Stability in the greater Middle East remains the highest security priority for the United States, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff said here today. Navy Adm. Mike Mullen spoke to the Washington Institute for Near East Policy, where he also addressed the terror challenges facing Yemen.

The chairman said he has been concerned about the situation in Yemen for years. "We've engaged with their military, we've been engaged in terms of support, and Yemen is a country – along with Somalia – that I have been concerned with for some time in terms of becoming the next safe haven for al-Qaida," he said.

Mullen praised the Yemeni government and military, which the U.S. military supports with training and equipment, for their actions against al-Qaida.

Even with increased U.S. support, the chairman said the likelihood of large numbers of U.S. forces being needed elsewhere in the U.S. Central Command region – including Yemen – is very low.

Mullen spoke about his recent trip to Iraq, Afghanistan and Pakistan. He said he was encouraged by the response of local officials in Iraq. In the past, Iraqis wanted to talk about security, "now they wanted to talk about development and investment," Mullen said.

That change occurs as Iraq heads into national election scheduled for March 7. Following the elections, the United States will begin pulling out a significant number of troops, Mullen said. There are about 112,000 U.S. servicemembers in Iraq today; by August that number is to be below 50,000.

"That is not to say that there won't be challenges or that it will be easy," he said. "There are huge political challenges there, we understand that."

The al-Qaida bombings in Iraq that have killed hundreds of innocent men, women and children, have not set off sectarian or ethnic civil war, as the terror group wants, and that is encouraging, Mullen said. "The government there has learned from these bombings and is moving forward," he said.

The United States is intensely interested in Iraq and "will not take our eye off the ball" there, he said. "We're very vigilant there, but I am pleased with the progress."

The chairman discussed Pakistan and the problems confronting that nation. His visit before the holidays was his 14th since taking office in October 2007.

"It's speaks to the priority ... and the need to continue building a relationship on the basis of re-learned trust, because we lost trust there," he said. U.S.-Pakistani military-to-military ties were non-existent from 1990 to 2002, and it will take time to rebuild those ties, he said.

Mullen was impressed with the progress the Pakistani military has made in taking on the Pakistani Taliban in the Swat region. The chairman visited the region north of the capital of Islamabad in December with Pakistani Army Chief of Staff Gen. Ashfaq Kiyani.

The Pakistani military conducted a textbook counterinsurgency campaign in the region, he said. There was minimal collateral damage, the army handled the refugee problems well and the military is reaching out to the people of the region.

"A year ago, it was going so badly in Swat that none of us would have expected this" result, he said.

Mullen told the group that the Pakistani military has taken many casualties during the operations against insurgents in the tribal regions, but they are continuing the mission.

"We are working hard to form a mutual path to eliminate the terrorists ... and get at those safe havens where al-Qaida leadership still lives and plans," he said.

President Barack Obama's decision on the Afghanistan-Pakistan strategy was the right one, Mullen said, and one he fully supports. The plan calls for 30,000 more American troops in Afghanistan and focuses U.S. aid on building governance and infrastructure at all levels.

"I believe we have the right leadership there now, so our main goal over the next couple of years is to execute that strategy," the admiral said.

Iran continues to be a concern in the greater Middle East. "Iran's continuing strategic intent to have nuclear weapons would be incredibly de-stabilizing – not least because an arms race in that part of the world is exactly what we don't need," he said. Iran is believed to support terrorist groups such as Hamas and Hezbollah.

Mullen noted the importance of continuing relations between the United States and Middle East nations. The 12-year gap in relations with Pakistan was incredibly damaging to U.S. interests, he said. With Iran, there has been no relationship for 30 years.

"There's a lot of concern, potential and ... focus that needs to be sustained in that part of the world," Mullen said.

Air Force dedicates Center for Families of Fallen at Dover

By Air Force Master Sgt. Russell P. Petcoff

Air Force Mortuary Affairs Operations Center

(1/7/10) - Air Force officials dedicated the new Center for Families of the Fallen at the Air Force Mortuary Affairs Operations Center here yesterday.

Since its activation Jan. 6, 2009, the Air Force Mortuary Affairs Operations Center has provided dignity, honor and respect for fallen warriors and care, service and support for their families. And on the center's one-year anniversary, officials said the new facility would carry that family support even further.

"For many of us, this dedication is a bittersweet event," said Gen. Norton A. Schwartz, Air Force chief of staff. "This center is emblematic of our genuine gratitude to the families of our fallen servicemembers.

"In an ideal world – one that is universally committed to resolving disputes in a peaceful manner – a Center for the Families of the Fallen perhaps would not be necessary," the general added. "But alas, it is, as all here know very well."

Schwartz dedicated the center alongside Air Force Col. Bob Edmondson, Air Force Mortuary Affairs Operations Center commander. Dignitaries on hand included Dr. Jill Biden, wife of Vice President Joe Biden, and Delaware's congressional delegation of U.S. Sens. Thomas R. Carper and Edward E. Kaufman and U.S. Rep. Mike Castle, as well as other state, local and Air Force officials.

Schwartz said the new center represents a commitment by military leaders to care for fallen servicemembers and their families.

"Our most serious obligation is to lead in a way that minimizes the likelihood of losing a teammate," he said. "But, when we properly honor our fallen, we must also properly care for the families.

"This center is one manifestation of our fidelity to this commitment," the general continued, "so that when families from all over the country come to receive their loved ones for the last time, they do so in a place that befits their grief, and can begin to offer them comfort, support, and the sincere thanks of a grateful nation."

Biden said she and the vice president are proud to have such a facility in their home state of Delaware. She praised the initiative, saying the center will be a place of comfort for families "as they come to meet their fallen angels."

The number of families coming to meet their fallen warriors has increased since an April 2009 Defense Department policy change that provides aid to families attending dignified transfers of remains of their fallen military members. As participation grew, Air Force senior leadership and spouses recognized that the facilities here could benefit from additional resources. Previously, chaplains and support staff shared a facility with base chaplains serving Dover's 436th Airlift Wing and the reserve 512th Airlift Wing.

An idea to transform a former base convenience store was conceived, and a renovation contract was awarded in the fall. Construction on the center began Nov. 9, and contractors completed the job within 60 days.

The result: a 6,000-square-foot center that offers a comfortable and quiet environment with dedicated sitting areas for the families, as well as private rooms that can be used for counseling or meditation. The center will allow mortuary affairs specialists, chaplains and mental health technicians to better assist families of the fallen, Edmondson said.

Schwartz acknowledged the vision and hard work it took to open the center so quickly, noting the dedication of everyone involved was a true "labor of love."

The center will play a part in helping the nation fulfill "its most sacred of obligations," he said, and servicemembers can know "that their families will be cared for in the way that they would hope in the most difficult of circumstances."

The center's staff will oversee the appointment of family liaison officers – members of fallen servicemembers' units who help the family work through the paperwork and problems that come with their loved one's death, said Todd Rose, mortuary affairs division director. The staff also will provide "reach-back" help for families, especially those who don't live near a military installation.

"The intent is for the staff to be proactive, to reach out to families," Rose said. "The team will develop a package of information on resources available for the next of kin. They can provide support over the phone or help them find that support in their local community."

Rose said the center supervisor will be a certified counselor who will be available to help families work through their grief. Staff members will be available to help a family from the time they arrive at the airport until the family decides help no longer is needed.

Air Force Dedicates Center for Families of Fallen


By Air Force Master Sgt. Russell P. Petcoff
Special to American Forces Press Service

Jan. 7, 2010 - Air Force officials dedicated the new Center for Families of the Fallen at the Air Force Mortuary Affairs Operations Center here yesterday. Since its activation Jan. 6, 2009, the Air Force Mortuary Affairs Operations Center has provided dignity, honor and respect for fallen warriors and care, service and support for their families. And on the center's one-year anniversary, officials said the new facility would carry that family support even further.

"For many of us, this dedication is a bittersweet event," said Gen. Norton A. Schwartz, Air Force chief of staff. "This center is emblematic of our genuine gratitude to the families of our fallen servicemembers.

"In an ideal world – one that is universally committed to resolving disputes in a peaceful manner – a Center for the Families of the Fallen perhaps would not be necessary," the general added. "But alas, it is, as all here know very well."

Schwartz dedicated the center alongside Air Force Col. Bob Edmondson, Air Force Mortuary Affairs Operations Center commander. Dignitaries on hand included Dr. Jill Biden, wife of Vice President Joe Biden, and Delaware's congressional delegation of U.S. Sens. Thomas R. Carper and Edward E. Kaufman and U.S. Rep. Mike Castle, as well as other state, local and Air Force officials.

Schwartz said the new center represents a commitment by military leaders to care for fallen servicemembers and their families.

"Our most serious obligation is to lead in a way that minimizes the likelihood of losing a teammate," he said. "But, when we properly honor our fallen, we must also properly care for the families.

"This center is one manifestation of our fidelity to this commitment," the general continued, "so that when families from all over the country come to receive their loved ones for the last time, they do so in a place that befits their grief, and can begin to offer them comfort, support, and the sincere thanks of a grateful nation."

Biden said she and the vice president are proud to have such a facility in their home state of Delaware. She praised the initiative, saying the center will be a place of comfort for families "as they come to meet their fallen angels."

The number of families coming to meet their fallen warriors has increased since an April 2009 Defense Department policy change that provides aid to families attending dignified transfers of remains of their fallen military members. As participation grew, Air Force senior leadership and spouses recognized that the facilities here could benefit from additional resources. Previously, chaplains and support staff shared a facility with base chaplains serving Dover's 436th Airlift Wing and the reserve 512th Airlift Wing.

An idea to transform a former base convenience store was conceived, and a renovation contract was awarded in the fall. Construction on the center began Nov. 9, and contractors completed the job within 60 days.

The result: a 6,000-square-foot center that offers a comfortable and quiet environment with dedicated sitting areas for the families, as well as private rooms that can be used for counseling or meditation. The center will allow mortuary affairs specialists, chaplains and mental health technicians to better assist families of the fallen, Edmondson said.

Schwartz acknowledged the vision and hard work it took to open the center so quickly, noting the dedication of everyone involved was a true "labor of love."

The center will play a part in helping the nation fulfill "its most sacred of obligations," he said, and servicemembers can know "that their families will be cared for in the way that they would hope in the most difficult of circumstances."

The center's staff will oversee the appointment of family liaison officers – members of fallen servicemembers' units who help the family work through the paperwork and problems that come with their loved one's death, said Todd Rose, mortuary affairs division director. The staff also will provide "reach-back" help for families, especially those who don't live near a military installation.

"The intent is for the staff to be proactive, to reach out to families," Rose said. "The team will develop a package of information on resources available for the next of kin. They can provide support over the phone or help them find that support in their local community."

Rose said the center supervisor will be a certified counselor who will be available to help families work through their grief. Staff members will be available to help a family from the time they arrive at the airport until the family decides help no longer is needed.

(Edward Drohan of the Air Force Mortuary Affairs Operations Center public affairs office contributed to this article. Air Force Master Sgt. Russell P. Petcoff serves in the secretary of the Air Force public affairs office.)

Army Announces Force Structure Actions

The Army announced today the decision to relocate Headquarters, Army Contracting Command and Headquarters, Expeditionary Contracting Command from Fort Belvoir, Va., to Redstone Arsenal, Ala. These force structure actions will result in the reassignment of 79 soldiers and 234 civilians to Redstone Arsenal. The move is expected to be completed in August 2011. Headquarters, Army Contracting Command provides global contracting support to combatant commanders, and Headquarters, Expeditionary Contracting Command plans and executes contracting support for Army service component commanders in support of Army and joint operations. Headquarters, Expeditionary Contracting Command also provides support for multi-national contracting requirements.

Both contracting commands will collocate with the U.S. Army Materiel Command and the U.S. Army Security Assistance Command, which are also moving to Redstone Arsenal as a result of the Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) process.

The collocation of these organizations will serve to improve the integration of contracting services within the continental United States, overseas installations, and theater operations.

Point of contact for this notification is Lt. Col. Lee M. Packnett, 703-614-2487, Office of the Chief of Public Affairs, Office of the Secretary of the Army

F-15s Scramble to Escort Hawaiian Airlines Flight



American Forces Press Service

Jan. 7, 2010 - Two Oregon Air National Guard F-15 fighters, under the direction of North American Aerospace Defense Command, intercepted Hawaiian Airlines Flight 39 yesterday after a passenger caused a disturbance on the plane and the pilot decided to return the aircraft to Portland. The F-15s, stationed at Portland Air National Guard Base, escorted the aircraft until it landed at Portland International Airport without incident at about 1:15 p.m. PST, where the plane was met by law enforcement and the Transportation Security Administration.

The Oregon National Guard's 142nd Fighter Wing guards the skies from northern California to the Canadian border on 24-hour alert as part of the North American Air Defense system. The F-15 fighter jets become a federal asset once alerted, placing them under presidential authority, officials said.

(From an Oregon National Guard news release.)

U.S. Army Africa Focuses on Long-term Threat Reduction

By Ian Graham
Special to American Forces Press Service

Jan. 6, 2010 - Since the thwarted terrorist attack against Northwest Airlines Flight 253 on Christmas Day, news reports detailed the possibilities of security threats from Africa. Maj. Gen. William B. Garrett III, commander of U.S. Army Africa, spoke to that topic and his unit's ongoing initiatives during a Jan. 5 "DoDLive" Blogger's Roundtable.

In the past year, U.S. Army Africa has built relationships with African partner nations that will set conditions for ongoing security threats on the continent, said Garrett, speaking via teleconference from the command's headquarters in Vicenza, Italy.

"U.S. Army Africa, as the Army service component command for U.S. Africa Command, enables full-spectrum operations while conducting sustained security engagement with African land forces to promote security, stability and peace," Garrett said.

The work of U.S. Army Africa soldiers and civilians includes small advise-and-assist teams with niche capabilities to help partner nations in a variety of mentorship programs that build African capacity in everything from security and logistics to small-unit operations and leadership development.

With some African countries in on-going turmoil, assisting partner nations to establish effective security is key to U.S. Army Africa's efforts, Garrett said. The command shares its responsibilities with a host of partners, including national and international agencies, non-governmental organizations, the United Nations and the African Union.

The command conducts sustained security engagements in Africa as part of a comprehensive approach to making the nations self-sustaining in their security, Garrett said.

"This approach is especially important when we're discussing transnational threats that can form parasitic relationships with weak or ineffective governments, insurgencies or criminal organizations," he said.

U.S. Army Africa's job, however, is not to take over security operations across the continent. Nor is it to make African land forces into U.S. Army-style military units, which might be inappropriate or counterproductive to a partner nation's needs, the general said.

The U.S. Army's role is to help strengthen the capabilities and capacity of its partners in Africa.

"Professional military education is and will be the U.S. Army's Number One engagement tool in Africa," he said. "[It] gives us the biggest bang for the buck, allowing us to help build entire generations of leaders at relatively low costs."

Such education programs are "a hit," Garrett said, whether conducted in the United States during immersion programs or in classrooms in Africa. Often that means peer-to-peer environments.

"Wherever we go, our soldiers typically teach, coach, mentor, advise and assist," he said.

No single approach is correct when facing threats on a continent as diverse as Africa, Garrett said. During interactions with African forces, learning extends to both sides of the partnership, with U.S. soldiers often gaining a broader perspective from their African counterparts, he said.

"In the end, our partners may not choose to emulate us, but my bet is some mutual respect is in place," he said. "More importantly, we've built up some trust, the one thing that can change everything."

(Ian Graham is assigned to Defense Media Activity's Emerging Media Directorate.)