Today in the Department of Defense, Wednesday, March 30, 2011

Secretary of Defense Robert M. Gates hosts an honor cordon to welcome Portugal's Minister of National Defense Augusto Santos Silva to the Pentagon today at 10:45 a.m. EDT.  The cordon will be held on the steps of the Pentagon River Entrance.  Journalists without a Pentagon building pass will be picked up at the Pentagon River Parking Entrance only.  Plan to arrive no later than 30 minutes prior to the event; have proof of affiliation and two forms of photo identification.  Please call 703-697-5131 for escort to the cordon.

Deputy Secretary of Defense William J. Lynn has no public or media events on his schedule.

Chief, National Guard Bureau Gen. Craig R. McKinley; Director, Air National Guard Lt. Gen. Harry M. Wyatt III; Chief, Army Reserve and Commanding General, U.S. Army Reserve Command Lt. Gen. Jack C. Stultz and Director, Army National Guard (Acting) Maj. Gen. Raymond W. Carpenter testify at a hearing of the House Appropriations Committee on the guard and reserve budget at 10 a.m. EDT in room H-140 Capitol.

Commander, U.S. European Command and NATO Supreme Allied Commander - Europe, Navy Adm. James G. Stavridis; Commander, U.S. Northern Command and North American Aerospace Defense Command, Navy Adm. James A. Winnefeld Jr.; and Commander, U.S. Southern Command Air Force Gen. Douglas M. Fraser testify at a hearing of the House Armed Services Committee on fiscal 2012 national defense authorization budget requests from EUCOM, NORTHCOM, and SOUTHCOM at 10 a.m. EDT in room 2118, Rayburn House Office Building.

Secretary of the Air Force Michael B. Donley and Chief of Staff of the Air Force, Gen. Norton A. Schwartz testify at a hearing of the Senate Appropriations Committee on fiscal 2012 Air Force budget at 10:30 a.m. EDT in room SD-192, Dirksen Senate Office Building.

Under Secretary of Defense (Personnel and Readiness) Clifford L. Stanley; Deputy Chief of Staff G-1 (Personnel) Army Lt. Gen. Thomas P. Bostick; Chief of Naval Personnel Navy Vice Adm. Mark E. Ferguson III; Deputy Commandant for Manpower and Reserve Affairs Marine Corps Lt. Gen. Robert E. Milstead Jr. and Deputy Chief of Staff for Manpower, Personnel and Services Air Force Lt. Gen. Darrell D. Jones testify at a hearing of the Senate Armed Services Committee on the active, guard, reserve, and civilian personnel programs in review of the defense authorization request for fiscal 2012 and the future years defense program at 1 p.m. EDT in room SR-222, Russell Senate Office Building.

Gen. Douglas Fraser, commander, U.S. Southern Command, will brief the media live at 2 p.m. EDT, in the Pentagon Briefing Room (2E973) to provide an update on the Caribbean, Central and South America.  Journalists without a Pentagon building pass will be picked up at the River Entrance only.  Plan to arrive no later than 45 minutes prior to the event; have proof of affiliation and two forms of photo identification.  Please call 703-697-5131 for escort into the building.