Providing up-to-date information, news and original content on American Military issues.
Air Force Airman 1st Class Amber Santoyo dances with schoolchildren while volunteering with Friends of Africa Volunteers in Chabelley, Djibouti, Jan. 5, 2021. The non-federal organization facilitates projects that help to improve communities and relationships around Camp Lemonnier.
Navy Petty Officer 2nd Class William Lulias fires an M240B machine gun during a live-fire exercise aboard the guided missile destroyer USS Russell in the Pacific Ocean, Jan. 6, 2021.
Jan. 8, 2021
The Department of Defense posted a detailed planning & execution timeline for the National Guard’s involvement in the January 6, 2021 First Amendment Protests in Washington D.C. The document can be found here.
Jan. 8, 2021
Today, Acting Secretary of Defense Chris Miller announced the following appointments, pursuant to Sec. 370 of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2021, to the Commission on the Naming of Items of the Department of Defense that Commemorate the Confederate States of America or Any Person Who Served Voluntarily with the Confederate States of America:
Sean McLean of California
Joshua Whitehouse of New Hampshire
Anne G. Johnston of North Carolina
Earl Matthews of Pennsylvania
Air Force airmen receive their first doses of the COVID-19 vaccine at Barksdale Air Force Base, La., Jan. 6, 2021.
Sailors prepare information for COVID-19 testing aboard the aircraft carrier USS Dwight D. Eisenhower at Naval Station Norfolk, Va., Jan. 5, 2021.
Sailors secure an MH-60R Seahawk helicopter to the flight deck of the guided missile destroyer USS John Finn during operations in the Pacific Ocean, Jan. 5, 2021.
Members of the Hawaii National Guard prepare to administer COVID-19 vaccinations on a C-17 Globemaster III at Hilo, Hawaii, Jan. 5, 2021. The aircraft was modified into a mobile vaccination clinic to provide vaccine to activated guardsmen on neighboring islands.
Jan. 8, 2021
Director of National Intelligence John Ratcliffe today welcomed the U.S. Space Force (USSF) as the 18th member of the U.S. Intelligence Community (IC).
During an afternoon ceremony, Ratcliffe and Chief of Space Operations Gen. John W. “Jay” Raymond announced the designation of the intelligence element of the U.S. Space Force as a member of the IC.
“This accession reaffirms our commitment to securing outer space as a safe and free domain for America’s interests,” said Ratcliffe. “American power in space is stronger and more unified than ever before. Today we welcome Space Force to the Intelligence Community and look forward to the power and ingenuity of a space security team unrivaled by any nation.”
The Space Force element is the first new organization to join the IC since 2006.
“Today, we took action to elevate space intelligence missions, tradecraft, and collaboration to ensure the success of the Space Force, the Intelligence Community, and ultimately our National Security,” said Gen. Raymond. “This is a significant milestone, a clear statement that America is committed to a secure and accessible space domain. Our partnership will ensure the Space Force and the Nation remain always above any threat.”
Ratcliffe highlighted how the addition of USSF to the IC marks a historic opportunity to further strategic change across the national security space enterprise.
“Through sharing space-related information and intelligence, the IC
and DoD increase integration and coordination of our intelligence
activities to achieve best effect and value in executing our missions,”
said Ratcliffe. “This move not only underscores the importance of space
as a priority intelligence and military operational domain for national
security, but ensures interoperability, future capability development
and operations, and true global awareness for strategic warning.”
“Today’s change aligns our newest service with the other members of the
Defense Intelligence Enterprise and will help ensure our efforts are
coordinated and synchronized across all domains of warfare,” said Ezra
Cohen, acting
Under Secretary of Defense for Intelligence and Security.
With the USSF addition, nine DoD components are members of the Intelligence Community.
South Carolina National Guardsman Army Spc. Virginia Monts is given the first of two COVID-19 vaccinations at McEntire Joint National Guard Base, S.C., Jan. 5, 2021. The South Carolina National Guard is entering its third week of vaccinations.
Air Force Senior Airman Ashton Gilbert, a medical technician assigned to the 673d Healthcare Operations Squadron, administers the first of a two-dose series of a COVID-19 vaccine to Air Force Lt. Gen. David Krumm, Alaskan North American Aerospace Defense Command Region, Alaskan Command and Eleventh Air Force commander at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, Alaska, Jan. 4, 2021. Upon receiving the initial shipment of the vaccine, JBER began inoculating personnel following the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's prioritization guidelines. The vaccines are part of Operation Warp Speed, a national initiative to accelerate the development, production and distribution of safe and effective COVID-19 vaccines, therapeutics and diagnostics.
Six Air Force airmen assigned to the 31st Medical Group receive their first Moderna COVID-19 vaccination at Aviano Air Base, Italy, Jan. 8, 2021. Inoculations for the 31st Fighter Wing will be given in a tiered approach, with first-tier recipients including health care workers and first responders getting priority.
Jan. 8, 2021
“During a rapidly evolving situation Wednesday, Jan. 6, the Department of Defense fielded multiple calls from elected officials requesting and offering assistance to the unprecedented breach of the U.S. Capitol Building. The Army and the D.C. National Guard were coordinating with the federal Capitol Police and the local D.C. Metropolitan Police Department to assist with an immediate response.
Secretary of the Army, Hon. Ryan McCarthy, first spoke with Governor Larry Hogan at 4:40 p.m. on Jan. 6. He thanked him and accepted his offer. Secretary McCarthy assured him his service members will be taken care of and provided a point-to-point contact.
Throughout the day and the morning of Jan. 7, Secretary McCarthy spoke directly with the governors of Virginia, Pennsylvania, and New Jersey. Additional National Guard support from New York and Delaware was also approved and communications with all of these states and their leadership are ongoing at multiple levels.
When Gen. Daniel Hokanson, Chief of the National Guard Bureau, was alerted that the Virginia National Guard may have been mobilized, he called the Adjutant General of Virginia at 3:46 p.m., Jan. 6., and confirmed their governor activated a military police company that would be available the following morning on Jan. 7.
At 3:55 p.m. on Jan. 6, Gen. Hokanson spoke with the Maryland TAG who confirmed their governor had activated the Maryland National Guard response force and 100 service members would be able to make it to D.C. in 8-10 hours. Additionally, they would have a follow-on element of 150-200 personnel available at a later time.
Gen. Hokanson coordinated a call at 7:00 p.m. with N.Y., N.J., Pa., and Del. TAGs to identify available personnel and the fastest timeline they could be in the National Capitol Region.
The first Maryland National Guard arrived in D.C. at 10:00 a.m., Jan 7. The first Virginia National Guard arrived at noon.
Throughout the day and the morning of Jan. 7, Secretary McCarthy spoke directly with governors of Virginia, Pennsylvania, and New Jersey. Additional National Guard support from NY and DE was also approved and communication with all of these states and their leadership are ongoing at multiple levels.
The DoD system is structured to require permission from the Secretary of Defense for out-of-state Guard units to enter the NCR.
We greatly appreciate the support from the entire National Guard team across the region to respond to law enforcement officers who needed help and we are proud of our Guard members who supported the lead agencies in this mission.”
Airmen perform maintenance on an Air Force AC-130J Ghostrider gunship at Hurlburt Field, Fla., Jan. 5, 2021.
Navy Lt. Cmdr. Scott Donoughe, left, Petty Officer 3rd Class Alistina Wheaton, middle, and Cmdr. Shawn Belverud perform a herniated disk repair procedure using a 3D surgical microscope at Naval Medical Center San Diego, Jan. 6, 2021.
Navy Petty Officer 3rd Class Chandler Mathis installs a feed chute to a Mark 38 25mm machine gun aboard the USS John Finn in the Pacific Ocean, Jan. 5, 2021.
Army Maj. Wes Watson tests a COVID-19 collection sample in a mobile laboratory in Shoreline, Wash., Jan. 5, 2021.
Jan. 8, 2021 | BY DoD News
A little known Defense Department office is working to ensure the fair treatment of workers by employees and contractors in countries all over the world.
The Combating Trafficking in Persons program management office is tasked with ensuring that U.S. taxpayer dollars do not contribute to trafficking in persons. As the largest single purchaser of goods and services in the world, the United States has long had a zero-tolerance policy regarding government employees and contractor personnel engaging in any form of trafficking in persons. In 2006, the DOD established the CTIP program management office with a dedicated program manager.
CTIP program managers in Afghanistan have helped thousands of workers since 2014. Recently, a worker wrote to express gratitude for the program manager's help collecting pay that was owed him and fellow workers for time they spent in COVID-19 quarantine. "I don't have enough words in my vocabulary to thank you appropriately. Money is important to all of us, but it will not last forever but the soothing feeling you get once you realize that you have been recognized and the justice has been served will last forever in our lives. Thank you so much for everything," he wrote.
The program manager said the incident — and outcome — are the reasons CTIP exists.
CTIP Program Managers
What does the CTIP program manager do? On any given day, the program manager might be updating policies and training requirements; answering inquiries from Congress, the DOD inspector general or the Government Accountability Office; and collaborating with other federal agencies in the fight against people trafficking.
In some ways, program managers deployed on overseas bases are ombudsmen for the thousands of workers employed by the U.S. government through private contractors or subcontractors. Their duties include:
To deter trafficking in persons from taking place through DOD contracts, the program manager must also gain the trust of the workers and develop a working relationship with contracting officers, contracting officer representatives, contractors, subcontractors and other relevant parties.
CTIP Self-Assessment Report
The CTIP program manager is charged with issuing the DOD Self-Assessment Report on Combating Trafficking in Persons annually to assess CTIP efforts by the department's various components. The report includes details of violations of the federal laws, rules and regulations on trafficking in persons. In part, annual reporting helps contracting officers hold contractors and subcontractors accountable for abiding by federal acquisition regulations pertaining to combating trafficking in persons.
The CTIP program manager is working every day to help DOD personnel and U.S. government contractors and subcontractors fully comply with anti-trafficking laws and policies. Compliance with TIP laws and regulations ensures that workers are protected from sex and labor exploitation. It also ensures that vulnerable workers can perform vital services and manufacture goods procured by the United States; promotes economy and efficiency in government procurement; and increases stability and productivity in federal contracting.
Jan. 8, 2021 | BY Rick Scavetta
As coronavirus vaccine shipments head to U.S. Army Garrison Italy, U.S. Army Health Center Vicenza medical professionals are preparing to receive, store and administer the COVID-19 vaccine.
At the end of December, news of the first U.S. military vaccinations in Europe made headlines. At USAG Italy, the vaccine should arrive in early January.
Meanwhile, USAHC-V staff trained its vaccination team to support the upcoming effort, said Army Maj. Sean O'Brien, officer in charge of the health center's pharmacy.
"There is online training and hands-on training," O'Brien said. "It's mostly hands-on. There is a [weeklong] competency that each vaccinator has to accomplish."
The same vaccination team also administers the ongoing flu vaccine, a similar intramuscular injection, said Army Sgt. La'Terra Cook, the pharmacy's noncommissioned officer in charge.
"We have a great team," Cook said.
When the vaccine arrives at the health center, logistics experts will quickly check its contents and turn it over to pharmacy staff, O'Brien said. From there, it's held in the pharmacy’s subzero freezer, a closely monitored device that stores the vaccine at a specific temperature. Pharmacy staff recently put in extra hours, learning as much as they could about the vaccine and refining their battle drills, to include testing if their freezer can reach them by phone.
"When we are not in [the] pharmacy there is a perpetual monitoring system. It will alert us by calling everyone in the pharmacy's phone number if the temperature is out of range," O’Brien said. "We'll know if we have to respond."
Respiratory care staff at the health center will be the first to receive the vaccine, offered in two doses, said Army Lt. Col. Joseph Matthews, USAHC-V commander. Once health care personnel and first responders receive vaccinations, the health center will focus on deployable forces and high-risk populations, according to Regional Health Command Europe officials. Then, the health center will offer vaccinations to healthy service members, civilians, families and retirees.
Since the Food and Drug Administration approval of the vaccine was provided as an emergency use authorization, the COVID-19 vaccine will be offered on a voluntary basis.
Meanwhile, health officials recommend wearing masks and practicing physical distancing — plus following host nation and military guidance – until COVID-19 transmission is significantly reduced.
(Rick Scavetta is assigned to U.S. Army Garrison Italy)
Jan. 8, 2021
Acting Secretary of Defense Christopher C. Miller announced today that the president has made the following nominations:
Air Force Col. Dennis O. Bythewood for appointment to the rank of brigadier general, U.S. Space Force. Bythewood is currently serving as the senior materiel leader and director, Special Programs, Space and Missile Systems Center, Los Angeles Air Force Base, California.
Air Force Col. Todd R. Moore for appointment to the rank of brigadier general, U.S. Space Force. Moore is currently serving as the deputy director, Inspector General, Space Operations Command, Peterson Air Force Base, Colorado.
Air Force Col. Devin R. Pepper for appointment to the rank of brigadier general, U.S. Space Force. Pepper is currently serving as the commander, Buckley Garrison, U.S. Space Force, Buckley Air Force Base, Colorado.
Air Force Col. James E. Smith for appointment to the rank of brigadier general, U.S. Space Force. Smith is currently serving as the commander, Peterson-Schriever Garrison, U.S. Space Force, Peterson Air Force Base, Colorado.
On January 7, 2021, David Helvey, Performing the Duties of the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Indo-Pacific Security Affairs, met with Pakistan’s Chief of the General Staff Lieutenant General Sahir Shamshad Mirza.
Mr. Helvey thanked Lt. Gen. Mirza for Pakistan’s ongoing role in supporting Afghanistan Peace Negotiations and discussed the urgency of reducing violence and restarting meaningful negotiations between the Islamic Republic negotiators and the Taliban.
Mr. Helvey also reaffirmed the United States’ commitment to a long-term, mutually beneficial security partnership with Pakistan, and discussed opportunities for strengthening cooperation on counterterrorism.
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