North Carolina Guard Helps to Feed the Hungry

July 7, 2020 | BY Army Spc. Hannah Tarkelly

Soldiers from the North Carolina Army National Guard's 875th and 883rd Engineer Companies helped to sort, prepare and distribute food at the Mountain Area Nutritional Needs Alliance Foodbank.

Eight soldiers from the Tar Heel state joined together in the mountainous terrain of Asheville to aid in providing emergency relief to families struggling during COVID-19. The food bank is a nonprofit organization that works with more than 200 agencies to distribute food and basic necessities to 16 counties across western North Carolina.

"Our mission is to get food out to anyone who needs it across these 16 counties, reaching even the most remote areas of our region," Mary Nesbit, the food bank's chief development officer, said. "The National Guard stepped in almost immediately to help us."

The guardsmen have been working for more than 60 days to help process donated products, conduct inventory, sort and prepare produce and distribute it to partnered agencies and local families. The donated products include fresh produce, canned and bagged goods and basic necessities such as cleaning and hygiene products.

"It's more than just food," Army Sgt. Jonathan Greene of the 883rd Engineer Company, the noncommissioned officer in charge for the Asheville emergency relief team, said. "It's a joy and a privilege. We're making a difference. … We're helping a community."

We are delighted to have this opportunity to thank all of the members of the National Guard who have come out to help us during this pandemic."

Mary Nesbit, chief development officer, Mountain Area Nutritional Needs Alliance Foodbank

The soldiers' daily efforts also include serving packaged meals during food drives as well as serving local schools to help feed the children of Buncombe County. They work closely with cafeteria workers and administrators to help in packaging and distributing meals.

"We are operating beyond maximum capacity through this crisis, so had it not been for the National Guard, ... we would not have been able to do what we have been able to do," Nesbitt said.

The pandemic brought an astronomical hardship, particularly to the Asheville community. The MANNA Food Helpline experienced a 73% increase in calls compared to the pre-pandemic weekly average.

"When COVID hit hard in mid-March — with the necessary closing of non-essential businesses — we saw the need across our region skyrocket nearly overnight with so many people plunged into economic crisis," Nesbitt said.

An average of 95,000 people were served weekly in March through May, including a distribution of 6 millions pounds of food and 5 million meals.

"We're breaking records," Nesbitt said.

The food bank's operations and workload have skyrocketed as a result of COVID-19. The Guard has been able to help support this large increase and help make the mission possible by reaching every individual in need across western North Carolina.

"We are delighted to have this opportunity to thank all of the members of the National Guard who have come out to help us during this pandemic," Nesbitt said.

(Army Spc. Hannah Tarkelly is assigned to the 382nd Public Affairs Detachment.)

New Special Operations Outdoor Training Facility Allows Safe Workouts

July 7, 2020 | BY ARMY STAFF SGT. STEVEN COLVIN

U.S. Special Operations Command Central has opened a new outdoor human performance facility at MacDill Air Force Base, Florida, providing the opportunity for safe and socially distant workouts while allowing a venue to maintain personal wellness.

Officials deemed it necessary to open the outdoor facility during a time where most public fitness facilities were closed due to COVID-19.

Navy Rear Adm. H. Wyman Howard III, the Soccent commander, cut the ribbon to open the facility June 3.

''This is a great moment for us to be able to expand the [human performance] facilities,'' Howard said. ''With this new workout area, our teammates will have ample room to perform workouts necessary to keep the team fit for the fight.''

The facility is nearly the length of an American football field; stretching 247 feet, with half of the flooring made of synthetic turf and the remainder made of rubber matting for the equipment workout area. New lighting and industrial fans were installed throughout the facility, which also includes a purified drinking station. The open-air, yet covered, space allows athletes to work out without being exposed to the direct sunlight.

After the ceremony, Mike Renteria, Soccent's strength and conditioning coach, invited a small group of personnel to stay for the initial workout session at the new facility.

This workout area is the first expansion phase of the human performance facilities, with plans for two more buildings on the Soccent campus to be converted as indoor facilities.

''The expansion of our Human Performance Training Center is going to be a world-class facility, with the best trainers, for the best warriors in the world,'' said Army Maj. Juan Salas, the headquarters commandant for Soccent. ''It will serve as the pinnacle for all special operations forces while stationed at MacDill Air Force Base.''

The expansion and renovation project for the workout areas, physical therapy and rehabilitation facilities will span three fiscal years: 2019, 2020 and 2021.

''The project is moving nicely,'' Salas said. ''The gym equipment will be installed in the new buildings by September of this year.'' The project is scheduled to be completed before the end of 2020.

(Army Staff Sgt. Steven Colvin is assigned to U.S. Special Operations Command Central.)

Sports Heroes Who Served: WWI Soldier Helped Desegregate Baseball

July 7, 2020 | BY David Vergun , DOD News

Almost every sporting event in the United States has been postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. To help fill the void, this series looks at sports heroes who also served in the military.

Branch Rickey was an Army officer in the Chemical Warfare Service during World War I. In his unit, coincidentally, were future baseball greats Ty Cobb and Christy Mathewson. Rickey would also take a place in baseball history, thanks to his decision to do the right thing.

In October 1945, as general manager of the Brooklyn Dodgers, Rickey signed infielder Jackie Robinson, an African American, for the Dodgers' minor league organization. Robinson's later success with the Dodgers from 1947 to 1956 led other owners to seek Black talent.

This was before the U.S. military integrated, which happened July 26, 1948, after President Harry S. Truman signed an executive order establishing the President's Committee on Equality of Treatment and Opportunity in the Armed Services, committing the government to integrating the then-segregated military.

At the time, no statute barred Blacks from playing professional baseball. However, it was an unwritten rule among club owners that they were not welcome.

Rickey was said to have appreciated the service and sacrifices African Americans made during World War I and II, and he was eager to enlist their services in baseball.

He also remembered a Black player from the baseball team he coached at Ohio Wesleyan University in 1903 and 1904 who was denied hotel accommodations. The incident was said to have made him furious, and he personally intervened to let the player spend the night there.

Rickey later said: ''I may not be able to do something about racism in every field, but I can sure do something about it in baseball.'' Then there was the business-practical element. The Negro leagues had a lot of talent, and this didn't go unnoticed by Rickey.

Incidentally, Rickey and Robinson were brothers — that is, brothers in arms. Robinson served in the Army during World War II.

Among Rickey's many accomplishments and milestones:

•  In 1902, he played professional football for the Shelby Blues of the Ohio League, which later became known as the National Football League.
•  In 1904 and 1905, he stayed busy at Allegheny College in Pennsylvania, coaching baseball, basketball and football, as well as teaching English literature and history.
•  He played in the major leagues in 1905 and 1906 with the St. Louis Browns.
•  He was manager and general manager of the St. Louis Browns from 1913 to 1915 and in 1919.
•  He helped to devise the farm system of training ballplayers in 1919.
•  He was manager and general manager of the St. Louis Cardinals from 1919 to 1942 and helped to create the team’s logo, which is still in use today.
•  He was general manager of the Brooklyn Dodgers 1943 to 1950 and of the Pittsburgh Pirates from 1950 to 1955.
•  His teams won World Series championships in 1926, 1931, 1934 and 1942 and National League pennants in 1928, 1930, 1947 and 1949

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More Stories of Sports Heroes Who Served

Sea Crossing

The USS Ronald Reagan steams through the San Bernardino Strait, July 3, 2020, crossing from the Philippine Sea into the South China Sea.

Secretary Mark T. Esper Message to the Force on Accomplishments in Implementation of the National Defense Strategy

July 7, 2020

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Today, Secretary of Defense Mark T. Esper released a video address to thank the members of the Department for their hard work and contributions as a team to achieve the goals of the National Defense Strategy over the past year. The Secretary addressed the progress made through three main lines of efforts: lethality and readiness of the force; strengthening allies and build partners; reforming the Department for greater efficiency and accountability. He also addresses his personal priority line of effort: service members and their families.

In addition, the Secretary outlined ten targeted goals to support implementation of these lines of efforts.

“Soon after I came into office, civilian and uniformed leaders across the Department and I met to develop detailed plans to implement these lines of effort.  We created a list of ten targeted goals, each with sub tasks, and we set out to accomplish most of these by the end of 2020. They are as follows:

1. Review, update, and approve all China and Russia plans;
2. Implement the Immediate Response Force, Contingency Response Force, and Dynamic Force Employment enhanced readiness concepts;
3. Reallocate, reassign, and redeploy forces in accordance with the NDS;
4. Achieve a higher level of sustainable readiness;
5. Develop a coordinated plan to strengthen allies and build partners;
6. Reform and manage the 4th Estate and DoD;
7. Focus the Department on China;
8. Modernize the force—invest in game changing technologies;
9. Establish realistic joint war games, exercises, and training plans; and,
10. Develop a modern joint warfighting concept, and ultimately, doctrine.

I am proud to report that we’ve made real progress on these goals, with most on track to be accomplished on time. I will soon be posting an extended list of what we’ve achieved over the past year on the DoD website, but today I want to highlight several standouts, and celebrate what we have accomplished together.”

Secretary Esper’s full video message can be found here. The transcript can be found here.

Australia-Japan-United States Defense Ministers’ Meeting Joint Statement

July 7, 2020

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Australian Minister for Defence Linda Reynolds, Japanese Minister of Defense KONO Taro, and U.S. Secretary of Defense Mark Esper convened a virtual trilateral defense ministerial meeting on July 7 (Washington).  The ministers reaffirmed their joint commitment to enhance security, stability, and prosperity in the Indo-Pacific region in keeping with their shared values and longstanding alliances and close partnerships.  This was the ninth meeting among the three nations’ defense leaders.

The ministers concurred that the COVID-19 pandemic underscored the importance of a rules-based international order in setting the conditions for our nations to address this shared threat in a way that is transparent, accountable, and resilient.  As a measure of the strength and adaptability of the trilateral partnership, the ministers discussed collaborative efforts to mitigate the impacts of COVID-19.  They committed to:

(1) Continue to share information, best practices, and lessons learned about measures taken by defense authorities toward mitigating the impacts of COVID-19, including as part of whole-of-government efforts;

(2) Further develop a mutual understanding of the threat environment in the Indo-Pacific region, including the potential effects of the spread of COVID-19 on their respective defense policies and preparedness; and

(3) Promote vigorous trilateral defense cooperation and exchanges that make tangible contributions in support of a free, open, inclusive, and prosperous Indo-Pacific region.

The ministers reinforced their strong opposition to any destabilizing or coercive unilateral actions that could alter the status quo and increase tensions in the East China Sea.  They expressed their intention to continue to coordinate closely on the security environment in this region, with a view to deterring such actions.

With regard to the South China Sea, the ministers reinforced strong opposition to the use of force or coercion to alter the status quo, and reaffirmed the importance of upholding freedom of navigation and overflight.  They expressed serious concern about recent incidents, including the continued militarization of disputed features, dangerous or coercive use of coast guard vessels and “maritime militia,” and efforts to disrupt other countries’ resource exploitation activities.  They emphasized the importance of peaceful resolution of disputes in accordance with international law, in particular as reflected in the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), and called for all countries in the region to take meaningful steps to ease tension and build trust.  The ministers also called for any Code of Conduct in the South China Sea to be consistent with existing international law, in particular as reflected in UNCLOS; not to prejudice the interests of third parties or the rights of any State under international law; and to reinforce existing inclusive regional architecture.

The ministers also expressed their deep concern over Beijing’s imposition of a national security law upon Hong Kong.

The ministers shared their strong concern that North Korea’s series of ballistic missile launches pose a serious threat to international security and condemned the repeated violations of multiple United Nations Security Council Resolutions (UNSCRs).  They expressed concern about North Korea’s announcement that it no longer considered itself bound by its moratorium on nuclear tests and launches of intercontinental ballistic missiles.  The ministers again called upon North Korea to cease actions that increase tensions and undermine regional stability, to comply with its international obligations, and to take clear steps to achieve the complete, verifiable, and irreversible dismantlement of its weapons of mass destruction and ballistic missiles programs of all ranges in accordance with UNSCRs.  To this end, they commended ongoing diplomatic efforts to engage North Korea, and called on North Korea to return to the negotiating table and make a sustained commitment to dialogue.  In the meantime, they reaffirmed their commitment to implement and enforce sanctions against North Korea, including through ongoing cooperation to monitor and deter illegal ship-to-ship transfers of refined petroleum, coal, and other sanctioned goods.

The ministers underlined the instrumental role of ASEAN in facilitating regional dialogue and establishing norms of behavior that support stability, security, and prosperity in the Indo-Pacific region, and recognized the importance of supporting partners in South and South East Asia.  The ministers emphasized their ongoing support for ASEAN centrality as a key contributor to regional security and prosperity.  The ministers undertook to continue to coordinate closely on their support to the region, in order to maximize the benefits of their national and combined engagement activities in a transparent, efficient, and effective manner under their shared strategic vision.

The ministers underscored their unwavering commitment to work closely with their Pacific partners to support a Pacific region that is prosperous, secure, and respectful of sovereignty.  They decided to continue their trilateral capacity-building efforts in the Pacific through joint defense initiatives with regional partners.  The ministers welcomed and acknowledged the significance of each country’s military-to-military activities, particularly when those activities contributed to whole-of-government engagement with Pacific nations.

In reference to the 2019 Australia-Japan-United States Trilateral Strategic Action Agenda, the ministers directed their respective officials to continue to pursue avenues for practical engagement, cooperation, and interoperability in a time of geostrategic change.  

Norfolk Naval Shipyard Uses Misting Disinfectant to Protect Employees

July 7, 2020 | BY KRISTI R. BRITT

During the early stages of combating the spread of COVID-19 at Norfolk Naval Shipyard, Virginia, many people stepped up to provide innovative, safe solutions that would help ensure the safety of employees. One such group was the Facilities Support Branch (Code 985), which was enlisted to help address high-traffic and high-touch areas in need of regular disinfecting.

''We have areas like drydock handrails, turnstiles and break rooms that are constantly in use,'' said Caleb Steckmann, a facilities support engineer. ''The safety of our employees is our No. 1 priority, and we wanted to establish something that could directly help those who were continuing to serve our mission and utilizing these high-traffic areas.''

In an emergent response to minimize the potential spread of COVID-19, Code 985 employees worked with a local contractor that specializes in environmental cleaning to begin applying preventive misting and disinfectants to high-traffic areas. For four weeks, Code 985 worked diligently with contractor personnel, escorting, scheduling and collecting pertinent data to work on providing the safest environment possible for shipyard employees.

''The initial response team included those from the contracting company; as well as Code 985 employees — facilities support engineers Joseph Marousas, Caleb Steckmann and myself,'' said Bobby Truitt, the TF-1 program manager. ''We worked as a unit, making sure these areas were continuously addressed and handled so 'America's Shipyard' could keep moving forward while remaining as safe as possible.''

Because of their response and the data they collected, he added, Naval Facilities expanded the cleaning contracts to include preventive disinfecting.

''We exhibit our CORE values – Care, Ownership, Respect and Excellence – in everything we do here,'' Marousas said. ''We wanted to help flatten the curve of COVID-19 any way we could. We wanted to help minimize the spread while maximizing the mission.''

 Because the shipyard needs to continue to serve the fleet and the nation, he said, taking care of its people is paramount.

(Kristi R. Britt is assigned to Norfolk Naval Shipyard.)

Urgent Acquisition Effort Provides Safe COVID-19 Patient Transport in 95 Days

July 7, 2020 | BY C. Todd Lopez , DOD News

The Air Force, Air Mobility Command and U.S. Transportation Command have a new capability to bring large numbers of COVID-19 patients home via airlift without putting associated flight crews at risk — and the solution arrived quicker than expected.

The "Negatively Pressurized CONEX," or NPC, flew its first operational mission June 30 out of Ramstein Air Base, Germany, just 95 days after Transcom published a joint urgent operational need statement that spelled out a requirement to transport as many as 4,000 individuals a month who might be infected with COVID-19.

The NPC is a 40-foot metal container outfitted with air-handling and other equipment that can be carried aboard a C-17 transport jet. The NPC can be used to move 23 COVID-19 patents who need the attention of medical personnel. The system's onboard equipment ensures negative air pressure on the inside so that the aircrew responsible for transporting it and its patients won't be put at risk for infection.

The system also can be configured to hold as many as 30 ambulatory personnel who might potentially be infected with COVID-19 and need to be kept quarantined during an airlift operation, but who don't need the attention of medical personnel.

Navy Capt. Jeff Stebbins, deputy director of the Joint Rapid Acquisition Cell, commended the Joint Staff, Air Force, Air Mobility Command and Transcom for taking a requirement spelled out March 28 and turning it into a product that meets warfighter needs in just 95 days, when the process might normally take more than a year to complete.

"Our work with the Joint Staff and Transcom was done in parallel, not sequentially," Stebbins explained. "That allowed us to move faster."

Stebbins said Transcom sent the joint urgent operational need statement to the Joint Staff for validation on the same day that the Joint Rapid Acquisition Cell assigned it for execution to the Air Force.   

"Everybody was working together, and there was a lot of crosstalk," he said. "Because we all worked effectively together and in parallel across departments, across agencies, we were able to move all of the authorities necessary to execute this mission quickly."

Within the Air Force, it was Air Force Lt. Col. Paul Hendrickson, the materiel leader for chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear defense, who first conceived of the NPC.

"When the COVID crisis kicked off, Transcom and Air Mobility Command began to see a need for the transport of COVID patients," Hendrickson said. "They took a look at their inventory. And the only system that they had readily available was the 'transportable isolation system,' or TIS. It was developed through a JUON for the Ebola crisis."

The TIS, Hendrickson said, is basically a wire frame with plastic sheeting over the top. It's fragile, and it can accommodate only about six people.

Another option was the Portable Bio-Containment Module, a product of the State Department, Hendrickson said. At the time, the Joint Program Executive Office was working to get the PCBM its flight-worthiness certification for transport on the C-17 aircraft. The PCBM carries only three people, only four of the systems exist, and it would take a long time to get more of them purchased, he said.

Neither solution was ideal to meet the needs to move so many COVID-19 patients.

Hendrickson said his office was working on a solution for "collective protection" to provide CBRN protection to groups of people. For example, he said, airmen who perform aircraft maintenance while required to wear the full array of individual chemical protection equipment might eventually suffer exhaustion due to the heat burden. They would need a place to go between tasks where they could be safe from a chemical attack, but at the same time be able to remove their individual chemical protection suits so they could recover.

"We had been working with Osan Air Base and the 51st Aircraft Maintenance Squadron [in South Korea] to figure out how to get them more agile collective protection," he said. "We were working on a rapid technology demo of what we call the 'Collective Protection CONEX,' which is taking a 40-foot ISO container and retrofitting it to be a collective protection facility."

The "Collective Protection CONEX" or CoPro CONEX, was conceived to keep people inside it safe from dangers that might be outside.

The concept of the CoPro CONEX might be flipped on its head, Hendrickson thought, to keep people on the outside safe from people on the inside who might be contagious. He asked one of the officers within his own agency if such a thing could be done — and within just a few hours, he said, there was a mock-up of what would eventually be the NPC.

Air Mobility Command liked the idea, he said, and briefed it to the Joint Rapid Acquisition Cell. They approved the plan and by April 7 Air Mobility Command awarded a contract using the "other transaction authority" process.

Hendrickson cited the contractors involved in building the NPC, along with the C-17 program office; the Air Force Lifecycle Management Center's engineering directorate; personnel at Joint Base Charleston, South Carolina; members of Detachment 2, Air Force Operational Test and Evaluation Center; the 28th Test and Evaluation Squadron out of Eglin Air Force Base; the Air Mobility Command surgeon general and aeromedical standards evaluation shop; three bio-containment pathologists and others as being instrumental in getting the NPC developed, and then proven airworthy and safe to fly.

The NPC was delivered to Joint Base Charleston, South Carolina, on June 7, where it was subjected to a rigorous series of tests, Hendrickson said. It had its test flight June 15, and flew its first operational mission June 30.

Only one NPC exists, but officials expect that the Air Force will get 30 of the systems and that the first of those will roll off the assembly line in mid-July. Hendrickson said he thinks the manufacturer could produce at a rate of one NPC every eight days.

In addition to the NPC, there will also be 30 "NPC-Light" models, which will be about 12 feet shorter than the NPC, carry fewer passengers, and will fit on the smaller C-130 aircraft. The NPCL, he said, is expected to move patients inside a theater of operations, while the NPC will be used to move patients out of theater.

"The Air Force and what Lieutenant Colonel Hendricks' team has done is a phenomenal job at developing an initial capability," Stebbins said. "We believe this serves as an excellent case study for urgent capability acquisition — that when a combatant command has an urgent need, we use every tool available to rapidly develop and field a capability."

Ocean Ops

Navy Seaman Elijah Butsko and Petty Officer 2nd Class Joel Lazo attach a cargo leg to an MH-60S Seahawk on the flight deck of the USS Bunker Hill in the Pacific Ocean, July 1, 2020.

Former Air Force Employee Facing Federal Indictment for Stealing More Than $774,000 in Government Funds

Coordinated Congressional Travel in the Office of the Secretary of the Air Force, Office of Legislative Liaison

Greenbelt, Maryland – A federal grand jury has indicted Eddie Ray Johnson, Jr., age 59, of Brandywine, Maryland, on federal charges of theft of government property and money laundering.  The indictment was returned on July 6, 2020.

The indictment was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Robert K. Hur; Brigadier General Terry Bullard of the Air Force Office of Special Investigations (OSI); Special Agent in Charge Robert E. Craig, Jr. of the Defense Criminal Investigative Service (DCIS), Mid-Atlantic Field Office; and Special Agent in Charge Kelly R. Jackson of the Internal Revenue Service - Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI), Washington, D.C. Field Office.

According to the indictment, from January 2003 to February 2018, Johnson was a civilian Air Force employee, most recently as a travel coordinator in the Secretary of the Air Force, Office of Legislative Liaison, where he planned congressional travel and reviewed and approved accounting packages submitted by trip escorts, among other duties.  The indictment alleges that from March 2014 through September 2017, Johnson used his government-issued travel credit card to obtain more than $1.1 million in cash advances, at least $774,000 of which he diverted to his own personal use.

According to the indictment, Johnson frequently deposited the stolen funds into a non-interest bearing account opened in his name at a bank branch in the Pentagon.  Employees in the Office of Legislative Liaison were instructed to open such accounts so that they could more easily deposit and withdraw government funds for official use without accruing interest.  After depositing the stolen funds, Johnson allegedly wrote checks to himself, which he deposited into his personal bank accounts, as well as expended the money for his personal use.

If convicted, Johnson faces a maximum sentence of 10 years in federal prison for theft of government property and a maximum of 20 years in federal prison for money laundering.  Actual sentences for federal crimes are typically less than the maximum penalties. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after taking into account the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.  An initial appearance in U.S. District Court in Greenbelt has not yet been scheduled.

An indictment is not a finding of guilt.  An individual charged by indictment is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty at some later criminal proceedings. 

United States Attorney Robert K. Hur commended the Air Force OSI, the DCIS, and the IRS-CI for their work in the investigation.  Mr. Hur thanked Assistant U.S. Attorneys Dana J. Brusca and Elizabeth G. Wright, who are prosecuting the case.

Meal Prep

Arizona National Guardsmen help prepare meals for the homeless at Saint Vincent de Paul’s rescue mission in Phoenix, July 6, 2020, as part of the state’s COVID-19 response.