By Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Thomas Smith, Commander, U.S. Naval Forces Central Command/Commander, U.S. 5th Fleet Public Affairs
MANAMA, Bahrain (NNS) -- Members of a Congressional delegation (CODEL) visited Naval Support Activity (NSA) Bahrain to meet with Sailors serving in the U.S. Naval Forces Central Command (NAVCENT) Area of Responsibility (AOR) during an informal luncheon held in the NSA Bahrain Freedom Souq Aug. 4.
U.S. Reps. Gene Taylor, Joe Wilson, Madeleine Bordallo Michael Conaway, Glenn Nye III and Mark Critz, all members of the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Armed Services, spoke with Sailors and thanked them for their service.
Taylor said this was a great opportunity to spend some time with Sailors and hear there concerns.
"There are some very impressive Sailors in this region and they are doing a remarkable job," he said. "They seem aware of the threat and do an incredible job every day."
Master-at-Arms 2nd Class Cary Salas, assigned to the NSA Bahrain Harbor Patrol Unit, was one of the Sailors who had the opportunity to have lunch with the CODEL. He said the visit gave him the chance to talk with Bordallo about issues concerning not only Guam, but also the U.S. Navy.
"This is the second time I've met her and she is doing good things for Guam," he said. "She really cares about the people there and our future. She is very aware of our needs and is pushing forward with putting Guam in the limelight."
CODEL members also met with senior NAVCENT/5th Fleet/Combined Maritime Forces leadership, toured the guided-missile destroyer USS Milius (DDG 69) and had the opportunity to talk with embarked Sailors.
CODEL members said Sailors are an integral part of the mission in this region. They are traveling throughout the U.S. Central Command AOR to meet with service members and military leaders.
Showing posts with label military leaders. Show all posts
Showing posts with label military leaders. Show all posts
Thursday, August 05, 2010
Sunday, November 23, 2008
Learning Lessons in the American Expeditionary Forces
If history has shown anything, it has underlined both the importance and difficulty of preparing for the unexpected. A trained and ready Army must possess a sound doctrine, competent leaders, and effective, rugged equipment. Just as important to success is the Army’s capacity to change. It must be able to rapidly adapt existing organizations, tactics, techniques, and procedures to meet the demands of emerging situations. How our military leaders did just that in the past is the subject of this focused essay.
World War I—“The Great War”—was no less of a contingency operation than the many smaller overseas missions that the U.S. Army has undertaken over the past decade. While the general nature of that earlier conflict was well known to the U.S. Army’s leaders prior to the deployment of the American Expeditionary Forces (AEF) to Europe in 1917, many of the specifics involved with raising a force that could fight effectively in the harsh trench warfare environment of that period were not. In fact, the small size of America’s prewar Army and the desperate need of its European allies for fighting forces meant that large numbers of U.S. Army troops entered combat with minimal preparation for the task at hand. The ability of American units and their commanders to identify problems and correct them in a systematic fashion thus became critical to the AEF’s growing effectiveness and ultimate success on the battlefield.
As we commemorate the eightieth anniversary of this nation’s involvement in World War I, it is entirely appropriate to recall our earlier experience to determine what might be relevant today. The “intellectual fieldcraft” that served the AEF so well during World War I remains a vital part of our heritage, one that ultimately led to the establishment of the Center for Army Lessons Learned (CALL). Similarly, the Army’s postwar attempt to generalize from that earlier experience—always a more difficult chore—also contains lessons for those seeking answers to the future from our most recent efforts in Asia, Africa, Latin America, and Southeastern Europe. We are pleased to offer this study, as we feel it may prove useful to those currently grappling with change throughout the Army.
READ ON
http://www.history.army.mil/brochures/aef/aef.htm
World War I—“The Great War”—was no less of a contingency operation than the many smaller overseas missions that the U.S. Army has undertaken over the past decade. While the general nature of that earlier conflict was well known to the U.S. Army’s leaders prior to the deployment of the American Expeditionary Forces (AEF) to Europe in 1917, many of the specifics involved with raising a force that could fight effectively in the harsh trench warfare environment of that period were not. In fact, the small size of America’s prewar Army and the desperate need of its European allies for fighting forces meant that large numbers of U.S. Army troops entered combat with minimal preparation for the task at hand. The ability of American units and their commanders to identify problems and correct them in a systematic fashion thus became critical to the AEF’s growing effectiveness and ultimate success on the battlefield.
As we commemorate the eightieth anniversary of this nation’s involvement in World War I, it is entirely appropriate to recall our earlier experience to determine what might be relevant today. The “intellectual fieldcraft” that served the AEF so well during World War I remains a vital part of our heritage, one that ultimately led to the establishment of the Center for Army Lessons Learned (CALL). Similarly, the Army’s postwar attempt to generalize from that earlier experience—always a more difficult chore—also contains lessons for those seeking answers to the future from our most recent efforts in Asia, Africa, Latin America, and Southeastern Europe. We are pleased to offer this study, as we feel it may prove useful to those currently grappling with change throughout the Army.
READ ON
http://www.history.army.mil/brochures/aef/aef.htm
Friday, January 18, 2008
Pentagon Officials Salute King's Legacy
By Gerry J. Gilmore
American Forces Press Service
Jan. 17, 2008 - Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates today led the Pentagon's 23rd annual observance of the birth and accomplishments of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. "This is a day to remember a great American. It is also a day to reflect on what we can do to further the struggle for human freedom and dignity that Dr. King helped lead and for which he gave his life," Gates said.
King was a Baptist minister and renowned civil rights leader during the late 1950s and early 1960s. He successfully advocated non-violent protest as the best path for African Americans to take in achieving civil rights guaranteed to all Americans under the U.S. Constitution. King was assassinated at age 39 in Memphis, Tenn., on April 4, 1968. America honors King's memory each year on the third Monday of January.
"Dr. King pushed the country to adhere to the just and true idea on which it was founded: that all human beings are equal in their God-given right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness," Gates said.
During African Americans' struggle for equality, Gates said, King employed tactics "that showed how well he understood the nation he sought to change for the better."
Gates recalled the year 1958, when a non-violent "sit-in" led by African-American students in his hometown of Wichita, Kan., "helped end segregation at drug stores throughout Kansas."
The Defense Department has long promoted racial equality, Gates said. President Harry S. Truman ended segregation across the U.S. military in 1948.
Gates said he is honored to lead "an institution that began breaking down the barriers of race at the dawn of the modern civil rights revolution." African American servicemembers, he said, "have represented the United States with honor and distinction" throughout the history of the country.
And, as America wages war against terrorists that threaten the destruction of the homeland, African Americans "have participated in the defense of the nation well beyond their percentage of the population," Gates pointed out.
The observance's keynote speaker, Army Lt. Gen. Michael D. Rochelle, follows in the footsteps of such exemplary African American military leaders as former Secretary of State and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff retired Army Gen. Colin L. Powell; Army Gen. William E. "Kip" Ward, the present-day commander of U.S. Africa Command; and others, Gates said.
Rochelle, the Army's deputy chief of staff for personnel, will oversee an increase of 30,000 active-duty soldiers over the next several years.
"It is a tall order -- to grow the force in a way that relieves the stress from current military operations, enables the United States to meet its commitments at home and abroad, and achieves the goals without sacrificing the quality we have come to expect in our all-volunteer force," Gates said. He added that he has "every confidence" in Rochelle's ability.
"The Army and the nation are depending on General Rochelle, and my hope and expectation is that, in the years ahead, more African Americans will staff the Army and other branches at the highest levels following the examples set by Generals Colin Powell, Kip Ward, and many others," Gates said.
The U.S. military has come a long way since the days of segregation, Rochelle said. He related the story of World War II soldier Vincent R. Malveaux, who -- along with more than 2,200 other U.S. African American troops -- volunteered to transfer from support service to front-line infantry duty in early 1945 following the Battle of the Bulge in Europe. Malveaux and the other volunteers, he said, were required to drop in rank in order to fight against the German forces.
Malveaux had been a first sergeant and became a private. He and other African American volunteers fought with distinction with 309th Infantry Battalion, 78th Infantry Division. Malveaux earned the Combat Infantryman's Badge, Bronze Star Medal and multiple campaign medals.
However, the U.S. Army of that time was still segregated, Rochelle said, noting Malveaux's and others' awards were denied. Malveaux's and some other soldiers' medals were restored and presented in 1998 at a Pentagon ceremony.
Rochelle said he'd spoken recently with Malveaux, now nearly 90, and asked the World War II veteran why he and his fellow soldiers volunteered for front-line service all those years ago.
Malveaux's answer, the three-star general said, was simply: "'To whom much is given, much is expected.'"
American Forces Press Service
Jan. 17, 2008 - Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates today led the Pentagon's 23rd annual observance of the birth and accomplishments of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. "This is a day to remember a great American. It is also a day to reflect on what we can do to further the struggle for human freedom and dignity that Dr. King helped lead and for which he gave his life," Gates said.
King was a Baptist minister and renowned civil rights leader during the late 1950s and early 1960s. He successfully advocated non-violent protest as the best path for African Americans to take in achieving civil rights guaranteed to all Americans under the U.S. Constitution. King was assassinated at age 39 in Memphis, Tenn., on April 4, 1968. America honors King's memory each year on the third Monday of January.
"Dr. King pushed the country to adhere to the just and true idea on which it was founded: that all human beings are equal in their God-given right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness," Gates said.
During African Americans' struggle for equality, Gates said, King employed tactics "that showed how well he understood the nation he sought to change for the better."
Gates recalled the year 1958, when a non-violent "sit-in" led by African-American students in his hometown of Wichita, Kan., "helped end segregation at drug stores throughout Kansas."
The Defense Department has long promoted racial equality, Gates said. President Harry S. Truman ended segregation across the U.S. military in 1948.
Gates said he is honored to lead "an institution that began breaking down the barriers of race at the dawn of the modern civil rights revolution." African American servicemembers, he said, "have represented the United States with honor and distinction" throughout the history of the country.
And, as America wages war against terrorists that threaten the destruction of the homeland, African Americans "have participated in the defense of the nation well beyond their percentage of the population," Gates pointed out.
The observance's keynote speaker, Army Lt. Gen. Michael D. Rochelle, follows in the footsteps of such exemplary African American military leaders as former Secretary of State and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff retired Army Gen. Colin L. Powell; Army Gen. William E. "Kip" Ward, the present-day commander of U.S. Africa Command; and others, Gates said.
Rochelle, the Army's deputy chief of staff for personnel, will oversee an increase of 30,000 active-duty soldiers over the next several years.
"It is a tall order -- to grow the force in a way that relieves the stress from current military operations, enables the United States to meet its commitments at home and abroad, and achieves the goals without sacrificing the quality we have come to expect in our all-volunteer force," Gates said. He added that he has "every confidence" in Rochelle's ability.
"The Army and the nation are depending on General Rochelle, and my hope and expectation is that, in the years ahead, more African Americans will staff the Army and other branches at the highest levels following the examples set by Generals Colin Powell, Kip Ward, and many others," Gates said.
The U.S. military has come a long way since the days of segregation, Rochelle said. He related the story of World War II soldier Vincent R. Malveaux, who -- along with more than 2,200 other U.S. African American troops -- volunteered to transfer from support service to front-line infantry duty in early 1945 following the Battle of the Bulge in Europe. Malveaux and the other volunteers, he said, were required to drop in rank in order to fight against the German forces.
Malveaux had been a first sergeant and became a private. He and other African American volunteers fought with distinction with 309th Infantry Battalion, 78th Infantry Division. Malveaux earned the Combat Infantryman's Badge, Bronze Star Medal and multiple campaign medals.
However, the U.S. Army of that time was still segregated, Rochelle said, noting Malveaux's and others' awards were denied. Malveaux's and some other soldiers' medals were restored and presented in 1998 at a Pentagon ceremony.
Rochelle said he'd spoken recently with Malveaux, now nearly 90, and asked the World War II veteran why he and his fellow soldiers volunteered for front-line service all those years ago.
Malveaux's answer, the three-star general said, was simply: "'To whom much is given, much is expected.'"
Thursday, January 17, 2008
Joint Chiefs Chairman Visits U.S. Southern Command
By Petty Officer 1st Class Michael Wimbish, USN
Special to American Forces Press Service
Jan. 15, 2008 - The chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff visited U.S. Southern Command headquarters here yesterday, where he thanked servicemembers and staff for their work and stressed the importance of the security cooperation efforts the command oversees in Latin America and the Caribbean. Navy Adm. Michael G. Mullen told more than 1,000 command members during an outdoor "all hands" address that their efforts to build partnerships in the region will pay future dividends, especially in an ever-changing security environment.
"My long-term vision is to be in a position where we have relationships that we can depend on, if needed -- and that's so much about what goes on in this command," Mullen said. SOUTHCOM annually sponsors dozens of large and small-scale operations, exercises and engagements that focus on security issues in the region, including a slate of humanitarian assistance missions.
"It's an incredibly important command at an incredibly important time in our history," the nation's highest-ranking military officer said.
The visit was Mullen's first to SOUTHCOM since becoming chairman in October. In addition to his address, Mullen was briefed on the command's latest missions in preparation for his trip to Colombia and El Salvador later this week. He will meet with military leaders of both nations to discuss ongoing U.S. military cooperation efforts there, which include SOUTHCOM support to regional counterdrug missions.
Mullen's visit to the headquarters was part of a five-day tour of SOUTHCOM's area of operations.
Earlier yesterday, he visited the Joint Interagency Task Force South in Key West, Fla., the SOUTHCOM component that oversees air and maritime counterdrug missions in the Caribbean Sea, Gulf of Mexico, and the eastern Pacific. The task force, praised as a model of interagency success, helped interdict more than 200 metric tons of cocaine last year. On Jan. 13, Mullen stopped at U.S. Naval Station Guantanamo Bay, touring detention facilities and addressing troops there.
During the "all hands" session at SOUTHCOM headquarters, Mullen reiterated his view in support of closing the Guantanamo Bay detention facilities, but stressed that there are no plans in the works to do so.
"It not for me to make that decision," he said. "It's a very, very complex set of circumstances. So it is not in any way, shape or form as simple as saying, 'Let's just close it.'" The facility carries connotations that affect how people around the world view the United States, he noted.
"It's my judgment that Guantanamo Bay has hurt the United States of America from an image standpoint, having nothing to do with the justice side of this that I think needs to be carried out in a just, fair way," he explained.
Mullen commended the work of the U.S. troops conducting the mission there, saying they are carrying out their mission in way that "makes us all proud."
Also during his visit to SOUTHCOM, Mullen praised the command's recent humanitarian efforts in the region, including last summer's deployment of the hospital ship, USNS Comfort, which provided medical care to 98,000 people in 12 countries.
"I really believe that if we do (these types of missions), it goes a long way to preventing any kind of conflict or outbreak," he said. "And should we get to the point, tragically, that we have an outbreak or we have that kind of conflict, we'll have relationships in advance that we can leverage, as opposed to creating them in the heat of the battle."
SOUTHCOM is one of the military's nine unified combatant commands. It's responsible for providing contingency planning, operations and security cooperation for Central and South America; the Caribbean, except U.S. commonwealths, territories and possessions; Cuba; and the Bahamas and their territorial waters. Its area of operations encompasses more than 450 million people in 32 countries and 13 territories and protectorates.
(Navy Petty Officer 1st Class Michael Wimbish serves with U.S. Southern Command Public Affairs.)
Special to American Forces Press Service
Jan. 15, 2008 - The chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff visited U.S. Southern Command headquarters here yesterday, where he thanked servicemembers and staff for their work and stressed the importance of the security cooperation efforts the command oversees in Latin America and the Caribbean. Navy Adm. Michael G. Mullen told more than 1,000 command members during an outdoor "all hands" address that their efforts to build partnerships in the region will pay future dividends, especially in an ever-changing security environment.
"My long-term vision is to be in a position where we have relationships that we can depend on, if needed -- and that's so much about what goes on in this command," Mullen said. SOUTHCOM annually sponsors dozens of large and small-scale operations, exercises and engagements that focus on security issues in the region, including a slate of humanitarian assistance missions.
"It's an incredibly important command at an incredibly important time in our history," the nation's highest-ranking military officer said.
The visit was Mullen's first to SOUTHCOM since becoming chairman in October. In addition to his address, Mullen was briefed on the command's latest missions in preparation for his trip to Colombia and El Salvador later this week. He will meet with military leaders of both nations to discuss ongoing U.S. military cooperation efforts there, which include SOUTHCOM support to regional counterdrug missions.
Mullen's visit to the headquarters was part of a five-day tour of SOUTHCOM's area of operations.
Earlier yesterday, he visited the Joint Interagency Task Force South in Key West, Fla., the SOUTHCOM component that oversees air and maritime counterdrug missions in the Caribbean Sea, Gulf of Mexico, and the eastern Pacific. The task force, praised as a model of interagency success, helped interdict more than 200 metric tons of cocaine last year. On Jan. 13, Mullen stopped at U.S. Naval Station Guantanamo Bay, touring detention facilities and addressing troops there.
During the "all hands" session at SOUTHCOM headquarters, Mullen reiterated his view in support of closing the Guantanamo Bay detention facilities, but stressed that there are no plans in the works to do so.
"It not for me to make that decision," he said. "It's a very, very complex set of circumstances. So it is not in any way, shape or form as simple as saying, 'Let's just close it.'" The facility carries connotations that affect how people around the world view the United States, he noted.
"It's my judgment that Guantanamo Bay has hurt the United States of America from an image standpoint, having nothing to do with the justice side of this that I think needs to be carried out in a just, fair way," he explained.
Mullen commended the work of the U.S. troops conducting the mission there, saying they are carrying out their mission in way that "makes us all proud."
Also during his visit to SOUTHCOM, Mullen praised the command's recent humanitarian efforts in the region, including last summer's deployment of the hospital ship, USNS Comfort, which provided medical care to 98,000 people in 12 countries.
"I really believe that if we do (these types of missions), it goes a long way to preventing any kind of conflict or outbreak," he said. "And should we get to the point, tragically, that we have an outbreak or we have that kind of conflict, we'll have relationships in advance that we can leverage, as opposed to creating them in the heat of the battle."
SOUTHCOM is one of the military's nine unified combatant commands. It's responsible for providing contingency planning, operations and security cooperation for Central and South America; the Caribbean, except U.S. commonwealths, territories and possessions; Cuba; and the Bahamas and their territorial waters. Its area of operations encompasses more than 450 million people in 32 countries and 13 territories and protectorates.
(Navy Petty Officer 1st Class Michael Wimbish serves with U.S. Southern Command Public Affairs.)
Friday, December 07, 2007
DoD Evaluates Military Service Academies' Sexual Harassment and Violence Programs
The Department of Defense today released key findings from this year's Military Service Academy Assessment report. The report is the first such assessment to combine an evaluation of the academies' new sexual assault prevention and response programs, an evaluation of sexual harassment programs, and feedback from cadet and midshipmen focus groups.
DoD officials met with academy personnel, reviewed academy policies and procedures, conducted an extensive data-call for reports and investigative files, and held focus groups with cadets and midshipmen. Based on information obtained during site visits, DoD found that the academies' programs fulfilled the requirements of existing DoD policies and directives.
Key findings of the report include:
The new DoD sexual assault prevention and response policy is fully implemented at each institution.
Comprehensive and consistent response structures for victim support and care are present and functioning.
All programs ensured every cadet and midshipman receives sexual harassment and violence prevention training as part of their preparation to become military leaders.
Cadet and midshipmen focus group members provided a great deal of frank information, including the following:
A significant amount of time is dedicated to sexual harassment and sexual assault prevention training. Sexual harassment and sexual assault are taken very seriously by leadership and staff at the academies.
Cadets and midshipmen felt safe on academy grounds and believed that sexual assault occurred infrequently at their schools.
In order to enhance academy programs, the DoD report made several recommendations, including:
Victims of sexual assault should be connected with legal resources as soon as possible.
Academy staff who work with the sexual assault prevention and response programs should increase their training, communication, and cooperation between each other and with off-base resources that support the criminal justice system.
Cooperation agreements with local community resources should be updated to provide greater information sharing and to resolve jurisdictional problems with civilian authorities.
The assessment also found there were a total of 40 reports of sexual assault at the academies during the evaluation period. Of those 40 reports, 20 cadets and midshipmen took advantage of the new confidential reporting option that was enacted across the DoD in 2005-2006. Under this option, military members may choose to obtain medical, mental health care and other services without becoming involved in the criminal justice process. The other 20 sexual assault victims who desired to participate in the military justice process were also provided with support and care. All cadets who reported a sexual assault were able to access services 24 hours a day, seven days a week through their installation's sexual assault response coordinator.
The 2007 National Defense Authorization Act directed DoD to assess the effectiveness of the three academies' related policies and programs on an annual basis. The report released today includes data from the last academic program year, from June 1, 2006 through May 31, 2007. The U.S. Military Academy in West Point, N.Y., the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis, Md., and the U.S. Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs, Col., were included in the assessment.
The complete report is available at http://www.sapr.mil . For specific information contact the individual military services at (703) 697-2564 for Army, (703) 695-0640 for Air Force, and (703) 697-5342 for Navy.
DoD officials met with academy personnel, reviewed academy policies and procedures, conducted an extensive data-call for reports and investigative files, and held focus groups with cadets and midshipmen. Based on information obtained during site visits, DoD found that the academies' programs fulfilled the requirements of existing DoD policies and directives.
Key findings of the report include:
The new DoD sexual assault prevention and response policy is fully implemented at each institution.
Comprehensive and consistent response structures for victim support and care are present and functioning.
All programs ensured every cadet and midshipman receives sexual harassment and violence prevention training as part of their preparation to become military leaders.
Cadet and midshipmen focus group members provided a great deal of frank information, including the following:
A significant amount of time is dedicated to sexual harassment and sexual assault prevention training. Sexual harassment and sexual assault are taken very seriously by leadership and staff at the academies.
Cadets and midshipmen felt safe on academy grounds and believed that sexual assault occurred infrequently at their schools.
In order to enhance academy programs, the DoD report made several recommendations, including:
Victims of sexual assault should be connected with legal resources as soon as possible.
Academy staff who work with the sexual assault prevention and response programs should increase their training, communication, and cooperation between each other and with off-base resources that support the criminal justice system.
Cooperation agreements with local community resources should be updated to provide greater information sharing and to resolve jurisdictional problems with civilian authorities.
The assessment also found there were a total of 40 reports of sexual assault at the academies during the evaluation period. Of those 40 reports, 20 cadets and midshipmen took advantage of the new confidential reporting option that was enacted across the DoD in 2005-2006. Under this option, military members may choose to obtain medical, mental health care and other services without becoming involved in the criminal justice process. The other 20 sexual assault victims who desired to participate in the military justice process were also provided with support and care. All cadets who reported a sexual assault were able to access services 24 hours a day, seven days a week through their installation's sexual assault response coordinator.
The 2007 National Defense Authorization Act directed DoD to assess the effectiveness of the three academies' related policies and programs on an annual basis. The report released today includes data from the last academic program year, from June 1, 2006 through May 31, 2007. The U.S. Military Academy in West Point, N.Y., the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis, Md., and the U.S. Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs, Col., were included in the assessment.
The complete report is available at http://www.sapr.mil . For specific information contact the individual military services at (703) 697-2564 for Army, (703) 695-0640 for Air Force, and (703) 697-5342 for Navy.
Wednesday, November 14, 2007
Ceremony Recognizes Extraordinary Troop Support
By Samantha L. Quigley
American Forces Press Service
Nov. 13, 2007 - Americans who offer extraordinary support to the nation's servicemembers got the red-carpet treatment yesterday during a luncheon held in their honor at the famous Rainbow Room restaurant here. Microsoft Corp., in partnership with the United Service Organizations, honored the winners of the first Microsoft Above and Beyond Awards. Microsoft recently became a corporate supporter of America Supports You, a Defense Department program that connects citizens and corporations with military personnel and their families serving at home and abroad. USO also is a supporter of the program.
More than 400 nominations were received for the awards. The public was invited to choose the winners from finalists in five categories. The votes totaled more than 30,000.
The winners are:
-- Outstanding Effort Award: Soldiers' Angels. Patti Patton-Bader started the organization when she discovered her son, who was serving in Iraq, was giving the care packages she was sending to troops who weren't getting any mail. Since its beginning, the group has grown to include more than 100,000 volunteers who regularly send care packages to servicemembers as well as other programs that benefit military families.
-- Medical Attention Award: Veterans Airlift Command. Walter Fricke, the organization's founder, is a retired helicopter pilot and a Vietnam veteran who spent six months recovering from a combat injury. His organization's network of volunteer pilots provides transportation to reconnect recovering veterans and their families. The 500 pilots in the network have flown more than 180,000 miles to reunite hundreds of families.
-- Youth Leadership Award: Brittany and Robbie Bergquist of Norwell, Mass. The teenage siblings started Cell Phones for Soldiers after hearing of a soldier who had run up an $8,000 phone bill calling home from overseas. Shocked that the military doesn't cover calls home, they worked to make sure servicemembers can stay in touch with family by recycling old cell phones and using the cash to purchase prepaid calling cards that they send to troops serving overseas.
-- Everyday Difference Award: Army Maj. Todd Schmidt, founder of Operation Dreamseed. The organization has sent hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of textbooks, supplies and clothing to school children in Afghanistan, Iraq and Kosovo. Schmidt got the idea while on patrol in Afghanistan after noting that the more the troops supported community schools, the more forthcoming the citizens were with important information that facilitated the U.S. military mission.
-- USO Promotion and Success Award: Paulette Nelson, of Savannah, Ga. Nelson makes sure that every servicemember passing through Fort Stewart's Hunter Army Airfield gets a welcome home or a farewell. The time of day is of no concern, and she often spends 12 or more hours welcoming troops or seeing them off. She also volunteers in the Savannah/Hilton Head International Airport's USO lounge.
Soldiers' Angels, Veterans Airlift Command, Cell Phones for Soldiers and Operation Dreamseed are supporters of the Defense Department's America Supports You program.
"We'd like to thank the exceptional individuals who go above and beyond every day to brighten the lives of our troops in a spirit that is akin to that of the USO," said Brian Whiting, president of USO New York, during the ceremony. "You put a name and a face to the genuine goodness, compassion and solidarity that are hard at work in this country every day.
"So often it is the unthinkable, the unimaginable, that make the headlines," he added. "So it is particularly refreshing to focus on, and to celebrate, a few of the everyday heroes among us."
Michael Allen, director of business strategy and operations for Microsoft's federal division, said the corporation was excited to recognize these very deserving individuals.
"They are amazing people," he said. "Every one of them said, 'This isn't about me. This is about the families. You're giving me a way to, hopefully, inspire others (and) bring more people to what I'm doing. But really, it's about the troops.'"
While all of the award winners were pleased about their awards, they were even more excited about the awareness that recognition from two well-respected organizations would bring to the troops and the need to support them.
"Just to know that Microsoft and the USO know who we are is a huge honor," Brittany Bergquist said. "It's a great feeling for us, and it brings ... awareness to what troops have to go through daily."
Patton-Bader also said the award would remind people of what the nation's troops are enduring.
"It has been a long road since my oldest son returned from Iraq, and my youngest is in Camp Fallujah right now," she said. "This award will hopefully remind people we still have our sons and daughters in harm's way. Only by our collaborative efforts can we hope to give the great support our heroes deserve."
Those collaborative efforts are paying off, according to two senior military leaders who attended the award ceremony.
Marine Gen. James E. Cartwright, vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said the support these smaller organizations, as well as larger groups such as the USO, offer troops is vital.
"They're just always there for us. These people just give," he said. "They give well beyond what anyone asks them to give."
Army Vice Chief of Staff Gen. Richard A. Cody said efforts like those that earned the recipients their awards stand as a lesson to the American public.
"(These groups) show America how they can get behind our soldiers," he said. "They don't have to put a uniform on to support our soldiers. Just a calling card, or (frequent flier) miles or the gifts at Christmas time, even just ... sending messages to those who are downrange telling them that you care about them" remind servicemembers they have support back home, he added.
Actress Joely Fisher emceed the star-studded event, attended by celebrities from TV shows "Rescue Me" and "Friday Night Lights." Miss USA, Miss Teen USA, and Miss Universe also were on hand.
American Forces Press Service
Nov. 13, 2007 - Americans who offer extraordinary support to the nation's servicemembers got the red-carpet treatment yesterday during a luncheon held in their honor at the famous Rainbow Room restaurant here. Microsoft Corp., in partnership with the United Service Organizations, honored the winners of the first Microsoft Above and Beyond Awards. Microsoft recently became a corporate supporter of America Supports You, a Defense Department program that connects citizens and corporations with military personnel and their families serving at home and abroad. USO also is a supporter of the program.
More than 400 nominations were received for the awards. The public was invited to choose the winners from finalists in five categories. The votes totaled more than 30,000.
The winners are:
-- Outstanding Effort Award: Soldiers' Angels. Patti Patton-Bader started the organization when she discovered her son, who was serving in Iraq, was giving the care packages she was sending to troops who weren't getting any mail. Since its beginning, the group has grown to include more than 100,000 volunteers who regularly send care packages to servicemembers as well as other programs that benefit military families.
-- Medical Attention Award: Veterans Airlift Command. Walter Fricke, the organization's founder, is a retired helicopter pilot and a Vietnam veteran who spent six months recovering from a combat injury. His organization's network of volunteer pilots provides transportation to reconnect recovering veterans and their families. The 500 pilots in the network have flown more than 180,000 miles to reunite hundreds of families.
-- Youth Leadership Award: Brittany and Robbie Bergquist of Norwell, Mass. The teenage siblings started Cell Phones for Soldiers after hearing of a soldier who had run up an $8,000 phone bill calling home from overseas. Shocked that the military doesn't cover calls home, they worked to make sure servicemembers can stay in touch with family by recycling old cell phones and using the cash to purchase prepaid calling cards that they send to troops serving overseas.
-- Everyday Difference Award: Army Maj. Todd Schmidt, founder of Operation Dreamseed. The organization has sent hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of textbooks, supplies and clothing to school children in Afghanistan, Iraq and Kosovo. Schmidt got the idea while on patrol in Afghanistan after noting that the more the troops supported community schools, the more forthcoming the citizens were with important information that facilitated the U.S. military mission.
-- USO Promotion and Success Award: Paulette Nelson, of Savannah, Ga. Nelson makes sure that every servicemember passing through Fort Stewart's Hunter Army Airfield gets a welcome home or a farewell. The time of day is of no concern, and she often spends 12 or more hours welcoming troops or seeing them off. She also volunteers in the Savannah/Hilton Head International Airport's USO lounge.
Soldiers' Angels, Veterans Airlift Command, Cell Phones for Soldiers and Operation Dreamseed are supporters of the Defense Department's America Supports You program.
"We'd like to thank the exceptional individuals who go above and beyond every day to brighten the lives of our troops in a spirit that is akin to that of the USO," said Brian Whiting, president of USO New York, during the ceremony. "You put a name and a face to the genuine goodness, compassion and solidarity that are hard at work in this country every day.
"So often it is the unthinkable, the unimaginable, that make the headlines," he added. "So it is particularly refreshing to focus on, and to celebrate, a few of the everyday heroes among us."
Michael Allen, director of business strategy and operations for Microsoft's federal division, said the corporation was excited to recognize these very deserving individuals.
"They are amazing people," he said. "Every one of them said, 'This isn't about me. This is about the families. You're giving me a way to, hopefully, inspire others (and) bring more people to what I'm doing. But really, it's about the troops.'"
While all of the award winners were pleased about their awards, they were even more excited about the awareness that recognition from two well-respected organizations would bring to the troops and the need to support them.
"Just to know that Microsoft and the USO know who we are is a huge honor," Brittany Bergquist said. "It's a great feeling for us, and it brings ... awareness to what troops have to go through daily."
Patton-Bader also said the award would remind people of what the nation's troops are enduring.
"It has been a long road since my oldest son returned from Iraq, and my youngest is in Camp Fallujah right now," she said. "This award will hopefully remind people we still have our sons and daughters in harm's way. Only by our collaborative efforts can we hope to give the great support our heroes deserve."
Those collaborative efforts are paying off, according to two senior military leaders who attended the award ceremony.
Marine Gen. James E. Cartwright, vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said the support these smaller organizations, as well as larger groups such as the USO, offer troops is vital.
"They're just always there for us. These people just give," he said. "They give well beyond what anyone asks them to give."
Army Vice Chief of Staff Gen. Richard A. Cody said efforts like those that earned the recipients their awards stand as a lesson to the American public.
"(These groups) show America how they can get behind our soldiers," he said. "They don't have to put a uniform on to support our soldiers. Just a calling card, or (frequent flier) miles or the gifts at Christmas time, even just ... sending messages to those who are downrange telling them that you care about them" remind servicemembers they have support back home, he added.
Actress Joely Fisher emceed the star-studded event, attended by celebrities from TV shows "Rescue Me" and "Friday Night Lights." Miss USA, Miss Teen USA, and Miss Universe also were on hand.
Thursday, November 08, 2007
Military, VA Boost Mental Health Care Access, Capabilities
By Gerry J. Gilmore
American Forces Press Service
Nov. 8, 2007 - The departments of Defense and Veteran Affairs have teamed up to improve access to mental health care services to better assist servicemembers, veterans and families, a senior U.S. military officer said here today. The two departments are addressing concerns surfaced by some servicemembers about lengthy waiting times for mental health care appointments, said Air Force Col. Joyce Adkins, a psychologist with the Force Health Protection and Readiness directorate at the Defense Department's Health Affairs office.
"We are clarifying the access time or the wait time that people have for appointments, and this is something that we're doing working with the Defense Department and the VA," she said.
The military services also provide 24-hour mental health care hotlines, Adkins said, adding that virtually all military health care treatment facilities offer same-day and walk-in appointments.
VA is now offering 24-hour phone contact for mental health appointments, she said.
Servicemembers can access routine mental health appointments within seven days or less, Adkins said, whether those services are accessed at military treatment facilities or through Tricare, the military's health maintenance organization.
The military health care system and Veterans Affairs' clinics and hospitals are treating cases of post-traumatic stress disorder and traumatic brain injury among servicemembers and veterans who have served in the global war on terrorism, Adkins said.
Military members who think they may be experiencing psychological issues shouldn't minimize or ignore their concerns or put off seeking treatment, Adkins said.
"We are doing our best to educate people that it is important to identify and to treat these conditions early," she said. "That way, you can recover and get back to your unit or get back to duty much more quickly."
Military leaders are receiving training on how to identify and help servicemembers who may be experiencing mental health issues, Adkins said.
Care providers and military leaders should be advocates in assisting servicemembers and families to understand and navigate the process to obtain needed care, she said.
"It is important, because people have enough to worry about," Adkins emphasized. "They don't need to have to deal with trying to figure out where to go to get help."
Military leaders want "to make it as easy as possible for an individual who wants to seek care to get that care as quickly and easily as possible," she said.
The military also is centralizing some of its mental health care assets as part of ongoing transformation, Adkins reported. For example, the Center of Excellence for Psychological Help and Traumatic Brain Injury is slated to begin initial operations Nov. 30 and should become fully operational over the next six months, she said. The center is to be located at the new National Military Medical Center, in Bethesda, Md.
The center will be Defense Department funded, but it also will include liaisons from the VA and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Adkins said.
"I want to assure our military personnel and our veterans that we are doing everything we can to make sure that the psychological health and fitness of every member or our military is taken care of," Adkins said.
American Forces Press Service
Nov. 8, 2007 - The departments of Defense and Veteran Affairs have teamed up to improve access to mental health care services to better assist servicemembers, veterans and families, a senior U.S. military officer said here today. The two departments are addressing concerns surfaced by some servicemembers about lengthy waiting times for mental health care appointments, said Air Force Col. Joyce Adkins, a psychologist with the Force Health Protection and Readiness directorate at the Defense Department's Health Affairs office.
"We are clarifying the access time or the wait time that people have for appointments, and this is something that we're doing working with the Defense Department and the VA," she said.
The military services also provide 24-hour mental health care hotlines, Adkins said, adding that virtually all military health care treatment facilities offer same-day and walk-in appointments.
VA is now offering 24-hour phone contact for mental health appointments, she said.
Servicemembers can access routine mental health appointments within seven days or less, Adkins said, whether those services are accessed at military treatment facilities or through Tricare, the military's health maintenance organization.
The military health care system and Veterans Affairs' clinics and hospitals are treating cases of post-traumatic stress disorder and traumatic brain injury among servicemembers and veterans who have served in the global war on terrorism, Adkins said.
Military members who think they may be experiencing psychological issues shouldn't minimize or ignore their concerns or put off seeking treatment, Adkins said.
"We are doing our best to educate people that it is important to identify and to treat these conditions early," she said. "That way, you can recover and get back to your unit or get back to duty much more quickly."
Military leaders are receiving training on how to identify and help servicemembers who may be experiencing mental health issues, Adkins said.
Care providers and military leaders should be advocates in assisting servicemembers and families to understand and navigate the process to obtain needed care, she said.
"It is important, because people have enough to worry about," Adkins emphasized. "They don't need to have to deal with trying to figure out where to go to get help."
Military leaders want "to make it as easy as possible for an individual who wants to seek care to get that care as quickly and easily as possible," she said.
The military also is centralizing some of its mental health care assets as part of ongoing transformation, Adkins reported. For example, the Center of Excellence for Psychological Help and Traumatic Brain Injury is slated to begin initial operations Nov. 30 and should become fully operational over the next six months, she said. The center is to be located at the new National Military Medical Center, in Bethesda, Md.
The center will be Defense Department funded, but it also will include liaisons from the VA and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Adkins said.
"I want to assure our military personnel and our veterans that we are doing everything we can to make sure that the psychological health and fitness of every member or our military is taken care of," Adkins said.
Saturday, November 03, 2007
Mullen Discusses Initiatives, Progress in First Podcast
By Jim Garamone
American Forces Press Service
Nov. 3, 2007 - The chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff reported on progress in his three initiatives yesterday during an interview for his first "podcast" as chairman. Navy Adm. Michael G. Mullen had done regular podcasts when he served as Chief of Naval Operations and said he plans on continuing the practice as chairman. He assumed the position Oct. 1.
Developing a military strategy for the Middle East is top priority, Mullen said, and the United States has clear vital national interests in stability in the region.
"That is clearly a part of the world that needs our continued focus," the chairman said.
"It's very important that we continue to focus on Iraq and Afghanistan, but it's larger than that," Mullen said. "Certainly there are significant challenges being continuously raised by Iran. There is this concerted effort on the part of our government to work the Israeli-Palestinian issue. We've had some challenges with Syria."
The chairman said any strategy for the region must encourage the moderate countries in the region and strengthen the important friends the country has in the Persian Gulf.
"The idea is to have a military strategy across the full capabilities that we have and to do so in a way to stabilize that part of the world," he said.
The chairman's second priority is to reset, revitalize and reconstitute U.S. armed forces – especially the Army and Marine Corps. The ground forces have been "very pressed" since September 11, 2001 and they will continue to be worked hard for the foreseeable future, he said.
The chairman said he will look for ways to relieve the stress the forces face. While people are paramount, there are other considerations, he said.
"It's not just about people," he said. "It's about training and equipping now, and in the future as well. So when I talk reset, revitalize and reconstitute I want to talk and focus on all three of those aspects: people, training and equipment."
The military cannot concentrate on the Middle East and Central Asia to the exclusion of the rest of the world, Mullen said. The military needs to "balance or re-balance" the risks worldwide. The U.S. military has challenges and responsibilities worldwide.
"I want to look to balance these risks given the commitments we have and the challenging world that we're living in," he said.
The first trip the chairman took was to Iraq and Afghanistan. He said it was important to him that those were his first destinations.
"I found our troops just performing magnificently with good morale," he said. "(They were) carrying out their missions with great pride, making a difference. Yet they are tired."
The chairman met troops in the 14th month of a 15-month deployment.
"I can't overstate how great they've been in carrying out the mission they've been asked to do," he said. He said the 15-month deployments are long. Most of the soldiers will have a dwell-time at home for a year and then will go back to a combat zone. "I believe, we've got to move from this 15-month deployment and 12 months back to 12-month deployments and 15 months back, as soon as possible," he said.
The chairman also traveled Fort Sill, Okla., and Fort Riley, Kan., to meet with soldiers, especially mid-level NCOs and officers.
"They are looking for a break. They want to spend time with their families. They love what they're doing, yet they have long-term concerns as to whether this is the right career path for them," the chairman said. "I tell them this is the most combat-hardened force that we have ever had. They are so valuable. They are the seeds for getting our Army and Marine Corps, Navy and Air Force right for the future."
Mullen said he wants servicemembers to know that Defense Department leaders understand and acknowledge these problems and challenges exist, "and we're doing a lot to work on them to solve them, to get it right for their future so that we get it right for the future of our armed forces."
Families are a continued focus for Mullen and other military leaders.
"We have to take into consideration families' needs when we move people around or we don't move people around," he said. "We have to give them more stability."
The military needs to provide more stability and more predictability, "as best we can do that in what is a pretty unpredictable world," Mullen said. "We have to take families into account as we make career decisions about where we move soldiers. So many young officers I spoke to last week in Fort Riley and Sill had moved several times. That's tough for the families."
American Forces Press Service
Nov. 3, 2007 - The chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff reported on progress in his three initiatives yesterday during an interview for his first "podcast" as chairman. Navy Adm. Michael G. Mullen had done regular podcasts when he served as Chief of Naval Operations and said he plans on continuing the practice as chairman. He assumed the position Oct. 1.
Developing a military strategy for the Middle East is top priority, Mullen said, and the United States has clear vital national interests in stability in the region.
"That is clearly a part of the world that needs our continued focus," the chairman said.
"It's very important that we continue to focus on Iraq and Afghanistan, but it's larger than that," Mullen said. "Certainly there are significant challenges being continuously raised by Iran. There is this concerted effort on the part of our government to work the Israeli-Palestinian issue. We've had some challenges with Syria."
The chairman said any strategy for the region must encourage the moderate countries in the region and strengthen the important friends the country has in the Persian Gulf.
"The idea is to have a military strategy across the full capabilities that we have and to do so in a way to stabilize that part of the world," he said.
The chairman's second priority is to reset, revitalize and reconstitute U.S. armed forces – especially the Army and Marine Corps. The ground forces have been "very pressed" since September 11, 2001 and they will continue to be worked hard for the foreseeable future, he said.
The chairman said he will look for ways to relieve the stress the forces face. While people are paramount, there are other considerations, he said.
"It's not just about people," he said. "It's about training and equipping now, and in the future as well. So when I talk reset, revitalize and reconstitute I want to talk and focus on all three of those aspects: people, training and equipment."
The military cannot concentrate on the Middle East and Central Asia to the exclusion of the rest of the world, Mullen said. The military needs to "balance or re-balance" the risks worldwide. The U.S. military has challenges and responsibilities worldwide.
"I want to look to balance these risks given the commitments we have and the challenging world that we're living in," he said.
The first trip the chairman took was to Iraq and Afghanistan. He said it was important to him that those were his first destinations.
"I found our troops just performing magnificently with good morale," he said. "(They were) carrying out their missions with great pride, making a difference. Yet they are tired."
The chairman met troops in the 14th month of a 15-month deployment.
"I can't overstate how great they've been in carrying out the mission they've been asked to do," he said. He said the 15-month deployments are long. Most of the soldiers will have a dwell-time at home for a year and then will go back to a combat zone. "I believe, we've got to move from this 15-month deployment and 12 months back to 12-month deployments and 15 months back, as soon as possible," he said.
The chairman also traveled Fort Sill, Okla., and Fort Riley, Kan., to meet with soldiers, especially mid-level NCOs and officers.
"They are looking for a break. They want to spend time with their families. They love what they're doing, yet they have long-term concerns as to whether this is the right career path for them," the chairman said. "I tell them this is the most combat-hardened force that we have ever had. They are so valuable. They are the seeds for getting our Army and Marine Corps, Navy and Air Force right for the future."
Mullen said he wants servicemembers to know that Defense Department leaders understand and acknowledge these problems and challenges exist, "and we're doing a lot to work on them to solve them, to get it right for their future so that we get it right for the future of our armed forces."
Families are a continued focus for Mullen and other military leaders.
"We have to take into consideration families' needs when we move people around or we don't move people around," he said. "We have to give them more stability."
The military needs to provide more stability and more predictability, "as best we can do that in what is a pretty unpredictable world," Mullen said. "We have to take families into account as we make career decisions about where we move soldiers. So many young officers I spoke to last week in Fort Riley and Sill had moved several times. That's tough for the families."
Friday, November 02, 2007
Gates to Visit China, Korea, Japan
By Jim Garamone
American Forces Press Service
Nov. 1, 2007 - Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates today announced he will leave Nov. 4 for a six-day trip to China, Korea and Japan. "In Tokyo and Seoul, I'll touch base with two valued friends going back five decades and two strong partners in the war on terror," he said during a Pentagon news conference. "With regard to China, it will be a chance to keep open the lines of communication and strengthen the relationship between our two countries."
The secretary stated that he does not consider China a military threat to the United States. "I have concerns with a variety of the military programs they have under way, developmental programs," he said. "I have concerns with the lack of transparency. Those are the issue we will be talking about in addition to the ways we can strengthen the relationship."
In Korea, Gates will participate in the 39th annual Defense Consultative Meeting. Civilian and military leaders will discuss the way forward for the U.S.-Republic of Korea Pact.
In Japan, Gates will meet with his new counterpart Shigeru Ishiba and discuss Japan ending its refueling mission in the Indian Ocean. Japanese oilers refueled coalition ships supporting Operation Enduring Freedom. The government of Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda has not been able to get authorization through the Japanese Diet, the country's legislature, even though the government wants to continue the mission.
Gates said Japan ending the mission will not have an impact on the U.S.-Japan defense relationship. "My hope is that relatively soon -- in a matter of weeks and not more, I hope, than a few months -- this assistance will be renewed," he said.
Gates said he welcomes Japan's partnership in the war on terror and said the country is combating terrorism in other ways. "But this is important, and we hope it will be renewed," he said.
American Forces Press Service
Nov. 1, 2007 - Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates today announced he will leave Nov. 4 for a six-day trip to China, Korea and Japan. "In Tokyo and Seoul, I'll touch base with two valued friends going back five decades and two strong partners in the war on terror," he said during a Pentagon news conference. "With regard to China, it will be a chance to keep open the lines of communication and strengthen the relationship between our two countries."
The secretary stated that he does not consider China a military threat to the United States. "I have concerns with a variety of the military programs they have under way, developmental programs," he said. "I have concerns with the lack of transparency. Those are the issue we will be talking about in addition to the ways we can strengthen the relationship."
In Korea, Gates will participate in the 39th annual Defense Consultative Meeting. Civilian and military leaders will discuss the way forward for the U.S.-Republic of Korea Pact.
In Japan, Gates will meet with his new counterpart Shigeru Ishiba and discuss Japan ending its refueling mission in the Indian Ocean. Japanese oilers refueled coalition ships supporting Operation Enduring Freedom. The government of Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda has not been able to get authorization through the Japanese Diet, the country's legislature, even though the government wants to continue the mission.
Gates said Japan ending the mission will not have an impact on the U.S.-Japan defense relationship. "My hope is that relatively soon -- in a matter of weeks and not more, I hope, than a few months -- this assistance will be renewed," he said.
Gates said he welcomes Japan's partnership in the war on terror and said the country is combating terrorism in other ways. "But this is important, and we hope it will be renewed," he said.
Friday, October 26, 2007
U.S. Must Take 'Long View,' Forge Security Partnerships, Mullen Says
By John J. Kruzel
American Forces Press Service
Oct. 26, 2007 - Navy Adm. Michael G. Mullen's top priority as chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff is to widen the scope of U.S. military strategy to look beyond the borders of Iraq and Afghanistan and strengthen security partnerships, the admiral told an audience here last night. "We are in a generational war, and we need to take a long view and think strategically about how we manage our risks globally," Mullen said at the Center for a New American Security in his first public address since assuming office as chairman Oct. 1.
The chairman said military leaders responsible for strategic thinking and planning should look "through a long lens."
"I am concerned that we focus too much on the here and now," he said. "The conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan weigh heavily on the minds of the American people as they do on mine, but we must not be myopic in our view.
"There is more to the Middle East than those two countries," he added.
Achieving a stable and prosperous Middle East requires more than just a military effort, Mullen said. He noted that participation from non-military elements is vital to gaining the widest breadth of ideas and the broadest range of possible outcomes and alternative futures.
"Security is necessary, but it is not sufficient," he said. "We must integrate our capabilities with all instruments of national power, and that starts with a better and stronger interagency and the relationships therein."
Mullen said current security challenges present the United States with an opportunity "to go beyond the interagency" and forge ties with international partners, nongovernmental and intergovernmental organizations, and private sector entities.
Regional instability in the Middle East or elsewhere has an impact worldwide, Mullen said, which is why the chairman's top priority is to develop a comprehensive global military strategy. "It is tied to a larger global view and one that is sustainable over time," he said.
In the current conflict against radical jihadists, and in the long war in general, Mullen said he encourages "debate and persistent intellectual rigor" as military planners formulate sound strategy for the 21st century.
"We are part of a new world order, and as the recently departed Adm. William J. Crowe once said, 'It is long on new, and it is short on order,'" the chairman said. Crowe, who served as chairman in the late 1980s and early 1990s, died this month.
"This new era demands we ask hard questions, seek new answers, engage in new debates, explore new military strategic thinking, develop alternative options, come up with new solutions to longstanding problems, and dream up innovative ideas to address these challenges."
To address emerging challenges to the interdependent global system, the United States must cast a wider net, Mullen said, increasing cooperation with international partners.
"That system has many stakeholders, and we need to work with them as we think about things like global order, stability, and economic prosperity," he said. "But we will be hard pressed to help a global community safeguard that global system, and by extension our own well being, without the people and the tools to do the job."
American Forces Press Service
Oct. 26, 2007 - Navy Adm. Michael G. Mullen's top priority as chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff is to widen the scope of U.S. military strategy to look beyond the borders of Iraq and Afghanistan and strengthen security partnerships, the admiral told an audience here last night. "We are in a generational war, and we need to take a long view and think strategically about how we manage our risks globally," Mullen said at the Center for a New American Security in his first public address since assuming office as chairman Oct. 1.
The chairman said military leaders responsible for strategic thinking and planning should look "through a long lens."
"I am concerned that we focus too much on the here and now," he said. "The conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan weigh heavily on the minds of the American people as they do on mine, but we must not be myopic in our view.
"There is more to the Middle East than those two countries," he added.
Achieving a stable and prosperous Middle East requires more than just a military effort, Mullen said. He noted that participation from non-military elements is vital to gaining the widest breadth of ideas and the broadest range of possible outcomes and alternative futures.
"Security is necessary, but it is not sufficient," he said. "We must integrate our capabilities with all instruments of national power, and that starts with a better and stronger interagency and the relationships therein."
Mullen said current security challenges present the United States with an opportunity "to go beyond the interagency" and forge ties with international partners, nongovernmental and intergovernmental organizations, and private sector entities.
Regional instability in the Middle East or elsewhere has an impact worldwide, Mullen said, which is why the chairman's top priority is to develop a comprehensive global military strategy. "It is tied to a larger global view and one that is sustainable over time," he said.
In the current conflict against radical jihadists, and in the long war in general, Mullen said he encourages "debate and persistent intellectual rigor" as military planners formulate sound strategy for the 21st century.
"We are part of a new world order, and as the recently departed Adm. William J. Crowe once said, 'It is long on new, and it is short on order,'" the chairman said. Crowe, who served as chairman in the late 1980s and early 1990s, died this month.
"This new era demands we ask hard questions, seek new answers, engage in new debates, explore new military strategic thinking, develop alternative options, come up with new solutions to longstanding problems, and dream up innovative ideas to address these challenges."
To address emerging challenges to the interdependent global system, the United States must cast a wider net, Mullen said, increasing cooperation with international partners.
"That system has many stakeholders, and we need to work with them as we think about things like global order, stability, and economic prosperity," he said. "But we will be hard pressed to help a global community safeguard that global system, and by extension our own well being, without the people and the tools to do the job."
Thursday, October 25, 2007
NATO Response Force Depends on Allies' Support, Gates Says
By Donna Miles
American Forces Press Service
Oct. 25, 2007 - The United States supports the concept of the NATO Response Force but needs NATO allies to do their part so the force can live up to its intended purpose, Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates told European military leaders here today. "To be fully successful, it will require full allied political support, both in terms of pledges to the force and with regards to how it is used," Gates told officers attending the 15th Conference of European Armies.
Depending on progress in these areas and in other allied contributions, the U.S. is willing to do its share," Gates told participants at the conference, sponsored by U.S. Army Europe.
Gates traveled here directly from the NATO informal ministerial conference in Noordwijk, Netherlands, where defense ministers discussed the future of the NATO Response Force, established in 2002.
The group agreed to scale it back its ambitions to create a 25,000-member force in light of the alliance's other responsibilities, particularly peacekeeping missions.
"Ministers agreed to take forward the discussion on what we call the graduated approach," NATO spokesman James Appathurai said at the ministerial conference.
The future of the NRF had been in question because NATO members had been withdrawing pledges to contribute troops or equipment they said were needed for other operations.
NATO declared the NRF fully operational at its 2006 summit in Riga, Latvia. Since then, the alliance has reaffirmed the force's twin roles: to catalyze transformation and be prepared to respond to new crises and unforeseen needs in ongoing operations.
Gates has expressed concerns that the NRF wasn't living up to its intended purpose and hoped to make it "more usable," a senior defense official traveling with the secretary told reporters on background.
Gates specifically had hoped the NRF could play a bigger role in Afghanistan.
"There's no point in keeping it on the shelf, given the operational tempo," the official said before leaving Washington for the trip here.
American Forces Press Service
Oct. 25, 2007 - The United States supports the concept of the NATO Response Force but needs NATO allies to do their part so the force can live up to its intended purpose, Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates told European military leaders here today. "To be fully successful, it will require full allied political support, both in terms of pledges to the force and with regards to how it is used," Gates told officers attending the 15th Conference of European Armies.
Depending on progress in these areas and in other allied contributions, the U.S. is willing to do its share," Gates told participants at the conference, sponsored by U.S. Army Europe.
Gates traveled here directly from the NATO informal ministerial conference in Noordwijk, Netherlands, where defense ministers discussed the future of the NATO Response Force, established in 2002.
The group agreed to scale it back its ambitions to create a 25,000-member force in light of the alliance's other responsibilities, particularly peacekeeping missions.
"Ministers agreed to take forward the discussion on what we call the graduated approach," NATO spokesman James Appathurai said at the ministerial conference.
The future of the NRF had been in question because NATO members had been withdrawing pledges to contribute troops or equipment they said were needed for other operations.
NATO declared the NRF fully operational at its 2006 summit in Riga, Latvia. Since then, the alliance has reaffirmed the force's twin roles: to catalyze transformation and be prepared to respond to new crises and unforeseen needs in ongoing operations.
Gates has expressed concerns that the NRF wasn't living up to its intended purpose and hoped to make it "more usable," a senior defense official traveling with the secretary told reporters on background.
Gates specifically had hoped the NRF could play a bigger role in Afghanistan.
"There's no point in keeping it on the shelf, given the operational tempo," the official said before leaving Washington for the trip here.
Gates: NATO Must Increase Assets, Cut Caveats in Afghanistan
By Donna Miles
American Forces Press Service
Oct. 25, 2007 - Defense Secretary Robert M Gates urged European military leaders meeting here today to step up their countries' contributions in Afghanistan and eliminate restrictions on their forces that threaten the mission's success. The NATO alliance has made huge contributions leading the International Security Assistance Force, Gates told officers attending the 15th Conference of European Armies. U.S. Army Europe sponsors the annual ground-forces conference.
He noted that NATO leads 25 provincial reconstruction teams that are helping the Afghans build infrastructure, while some allies are conducting decisive military actions that are thwarting Taliban efforts. Meanwhile, Gates said, NATO is helping to build Afghan security forces. The Afghan army is now 47,000 members strong and represents every major Afghan ethnic group.
However, Gates expressed concern that, without more mentoring and liaison teams and other resources, momentum won't continue. "Our progress in Afghanistan is real, but it is fragile," he told the officers.
The secretary repeated the message he delivered yesterday to NATO ministers during their conference in Noordwijk, Netherlands: NATO needs to commit more resources to ensure the mission succeeds.
"At this time, many allies are unwilling to share the risks, commit the resources and follow through on collective commitments to this mission and to each other," he said. "As a result, we risk allowing what has been achieved in Afghanistan to slip away."
Another big problem is caveats, restrictions imposed by individual countries on how their forces can be used within NATO. Gates said this problem is "symptomatic of a deeper challenge facing NATO."
He compared the problem to a chess game in which one player enjoys full liberty of motion and another can move only a single space in a single direction. "One player is clearly handicapped," he said. "Similarly, restrictions placed on what a given nation's forces can do and where they can go put this alliance at a sizable disadvantage."
Gates said he recognizes countries' need for political oversight of their deployed ground forces and that each NATO country has a different political and economic landscape.
"While there will be nuances particular to each country's rules of engagement, the 'strings' attached to one nation's forces unfairly burden others and have done real harm in Afghanistan," he said.
Gates urged conference participants to get their governments to take another look at these restrictions. "As you know, better than most people, brothers in arms achieve victory only when all march in step toward the sound of the guns," he said.
"To that end," he said, "I'm asking for your help to make caveats in NATO operations, wherever they are, as benign as possible -- and better yet, to convince your national leaders to lift restrictions on field commanders that impede their ability to succeed in critical missions."
American Forces Press Service
Oct. 25, 2007 - Defense Secretary Robert M Gates urged European military leaders meeting here today to step up their countries' contributions in Afghanistan and eliminate restrictions on their forces that threaten the mission's success. The NATO alliance has made huge contributions leading the International Security Assistance Force, Gates told officers attending the 15th Conference of European Armies. U.S. Army Europe sponsors the annual ground-forces conference.
He noted that NATO leads 25 provincial reconstruction teams that are helping the Afghans build infrastructure, while some allies are conducting decisive military actions that are thwarting Taliban efforts. Meanwhile, Gates said, NATO is helping to build Afghan security forces. The Afghan army is now 47,000 members strong and represents every major Afghan ethnic group.
However, Gates expressed concern that, without more mentoring and liaison teams and other resources, momentum won't continue. "Our progress in Afghanistan is real, but it is fragile," he told the officers.
The secretary repeated the message he delivered yesterday to NATO ministers during their conference in Noordwijk, Netherlands: NATO needs to commit more resources to ensure the mission succeeds.
"At this time, many allies are unwilling to share the risks, commit the resources and follow through on collective commitments to this mission and to each other," he said. "As a result, we risk allowing what has been achieved in Afghanistan to slip away."
Another big problem is caveats, restrictions imposed by individual countries on how their forces can be used within NATO. Gates said this problem is "symptomatic of a deeper challenge facing NATO."
He compared the problem to a chess game in which one player enjoys full liberty of motion and another can move only a single space in a single direction. "One player is clearly handicapped," he said. "Similarly, restrictions placed on what a given nation's forces can do and where they can go put this alliance at a sizable disadvantage."
Gates said he recognizes countries' need for political oversight of their deployed ground forces and that each NATO country has a different political and economic landscape.
"While there will be nuances particular to each country's rules of engagement, the 'strings' attached to one nation's forces unfairly burden others and have done real harm in Afghanistan," he said.
Gates urged conference participants to get their governments to take another look at these restrictions. "As you know, better than most people, brothers in arms achieve victory only when all march in step toward the sound of the guns," he said.
"To that end," he said, "I'm asking for your help to make caveats in NATO operations, wherever they are, as benign as possible -- and better yet, to convince your national leaders to lift restrictions on field commanders that impede their ability to succeed in critical missions."
Monday, October 22, 2007
Bush Delivers Supplemental War Funding Request to Congress
By Jim Garamone
American Forces Press Service
Oct. 22, 2007 - President Bush has submitted to Congress a request for $42.3 billion in supplemental war funding. The amendment places the total funding for the global war on terrorism at $189.3 billion for fiscal 2008.
"Parts of this war are complicated, but one part is not, and that is, America should do what it takes to support our troops and protect our people," Bush said from the Roosevelt Room at the White House today. "And today I sent Congress an updated supplemental war funding request that will do just that."
Most of the supplemental funding supports day-to-day military operations in Afghanistan and Iraq, the president said. "The bill provides for basic needs, like bullets and body armor, protection against (improvised explosive devices), and mine-resistant, ambush-protected vehicles," he said. "It also funds training missions, vital embassy programs, improvements in Iraqi security forces, and intelligence operations that protect our troops."
The request will fund continued operations in Iraq and Afghanistan, as well as in other areas of the fight against terror.
"These are urgent military necessities, and the supplemental was prepared in close consultation with our commanders on the ground," Bush said. "This funding is what (Army Gen. David H. Petraeus, Multinational Force Iraq commander) and other military leaders say we need -- and Congress ought to give it to them."
In Afghanistan, Bush said, U.S. troops, NATO allies and Afghan forces are making gains against the Taliban and al Qaeda. In Iraq, though the campaign to provide security for the Iraqi people has been "difficult and dangerous," he said, it's producing results.
"Al Qaeda and other extremists have been driven from strongholds in places like Anbar province and parts of Diyala province," the president said. "In Baghdad, the number of Iraqi civilians murdered by terrorists and death squads is down sharply. Throughout Iraq, the number of American service members killed in September was the lowest since July 2006. And the level of violence during Ramadan was down significantly from last year."
Bush noted that last month, Petraeus said he believes successes in Iraq mean U.S. forces can maintain the same level of security with fewer American forces. "I accepted this recommendation that we not replace about 2,200 Marines who left Anbar last month," the president said. "We expect to bring home another 3,500 soldiers by Christmas. The funds in the supplemental are crucial to continuing this policy of 'return on success.' Every member of Congress who wants to see both success in Iraq and our troops begin to come home should strongly support this bill."
The supplemental spending request also includes emergency funding for other critical national security needs, Bush said. "It includes money to improve medical care for our wounded warriors," he noted. "It funds equipment repair, and upgrades the strategic readiness of the Army. It provides crucial relief for Iraqi refugees. It supports the peacekeeping mission of the United Nations in Darfur. It delivers vital assistance for our partners in Mexico and Central America, who are working to break up drug cartels, and fight organized crime, and stop human trafficking. All of these are urgent priorities of the United States, and the Congress should fund them without delay."
The supplemental request breaks the funding into four major parts: continuing the fight, reconstituting the force, enhancing forces, and emergency requests.
Continuing the fight calls for $23.8 billion. This is on top of $101.9 billion the administration requested in February. The amendment includes $6.3 billion to fund operations in Iraq and Afghanistan, including the cost of the surge in Iraq.
"When we submitted the budget to Congress, it was based on the presumption of at least 15 (brigade combat teams in Iraq)," said a senior defense official, speaking on background. "Since then, obviously, we surged up an additional five (brigade combat teams). We funded that – the fiscal 2007 costs – through the emergency supplemental. This picks up from 1 October the current force structure, which is 20 (brigade combat teams), but also recognizes the fact that starting in December we will be reducing this force structure by five (brigade combat teams) by July."
It also includes $14.2 billion for force protection and research and acquisition to defeat improvised explosive devices. In this account is $11 billion for mine-resistant, ambush-protected vehicles used by Marines and soldiers.
"This is the next increment for fiscal 2008," the official said. "It represents the entire increment for the year. This is an additional 7,274 vehicles, which will then bring us to a total of 15,274." The entire requirement for the vehicles in fiscal 2008 will be more than $16 billion.
The continuing-the-fight account also includes $1 billion for training and equipping Iraqi security forces, $200 million for commanders' emergency response funds in Afghanistan, $1 billion for military construction, and $1 billion for military intelligence. The last includes the cost of 24 more Predator unmanned aerial vehicles.
The request also asks for $100 million for restarting Iraqi factories. "This will further reindustrialization of the Iraqi economy," the official said. "Investing in textile factories and other commercial enterprises to try and get them up on their feet. We appropriated about $50 million for this in 2007, and it's just a continuation of our efforts."
The next largest bloc of money goes to reconstituting the force. The amendment asks for $8.8 billion on top of $37.6 billion. "This is largely to address the equipment that is lost or damaged in the theater," the official said. "It's also to deal with the wear and tear on a number of our platforms."
These are mostly ground-combat systems, senior defense officials said. "In this amendment alone, we are requesting 383 Strykers, over 4,100 Humvees, over 11,000 of the family of trucks ... and over 72,000 SINCGARS radios," the official said. "This gives you a flavor of the kind of equipment we are talking about."
Enhancing forces gets a big plus-up under the amendment, with $6.4 billion on top of $1.6 billion requested previously.
Another $1 billion goes to strengthening the Army Reserve and the Army National Guard. The money funds the 12-month reserve-component deployment policy and allows pre-deployment training at home station rather than at a mobilization station. "About three quarters of this funding is used to buy the training days that these troops will incur," the official said.
A total of $5.4 billion goes to restoring the force. This initiative increases equipment that "next-to-deploy" forces receive and improves military readiness by allowing deploying forces to train at battalion and brigade levels earlier in their training cycles. This account also funds equipment shortfalls in combat vehicles, communications, logistics vehicles and weapons.
Finally, additional emergency funding requests are part of the amendment package. These total $2.5 billion for fiscal 2008. The amendment calls for $800 million to enhance servicemember and family support, with $700 million going to the Army and $100 million to the Marines. "This is to provide additional money for child care centers, additional money for youth programs and to set up Warrior Transition Units and also investing in additional family readiness support assistants," he said.
It also calls for $500 million for programs for wounded, ill and injured troops. This money will improve trauma and rehabilitative care for wounded personnel, senior defense officials said. The money will pay for hiring more case workers, renovating existing facilities and building new facilities.
A total of $400 million accelerates construction of hospitals at Fort Belvoir, Va., and Bethesda, Md. The money also will speed the closure of Walter Reed Army Medical Center here by about nine months, the official said.
Finally, the request funds $800 million for fuel cost increases.
Senior defense officials urged Congress to act on the requests quickly. "The most critical things in here are for our force protection. Clearly, MRAPs are important, (as well as) the funding for additional reset items. If they delay action, that continues to reduce our readiness posture," another senior defense official said. "We're pushing for (Congress) to get as much done as possible."
American Forces Press Service
Oct. 22, 2007 - President Bush has submitted to Congress a request for $42.3 billion in supplemental war funding. The amendment places the total funding for the global war on terrorism at $189.3 billion for fiscal 2008.
"Parts of this war are complicated, but one part is not, and that is, America should do what it takes to support our troops and protect our people," Bush said from the Roosevelt Room at the White House today. "And today I sent Congress an updated supplemental war funding request that will do just that."
Most of the supplemental funding supports day-to-day military operations in Afghanistan and Iraq, the president said. "The bill provides for basic needs, like bullets and body armor, protection against (improvised explosive devices), and mine-resistant, ambush-protected vehicles," he said. "It also funds training missions, vital embassy programs, improvements in Iraqi security forces, and intelligence operations that protect our troops."
The request will fund continued operations in Iraq and Afghanistan, as well as in other areas of the fight against terror.
"These are urgent military necessities, and the supplemental was prepared in close consultation with our commanders on the ground," Bush said. "This funding is what (Army Gen. David H. Petraeus, Multinational Force Iraq commander) and other military leaders say we need -- and Congress ought to give it to them."
In Afghanistan, Bush said, U.S. troops, NATO allies and Afghan forces are making gains against the Taliban and al Qaeda. In Iraq, though the campaign to provide security for the Iraqi people has been "difficult and dangerous," he said, it's producing results.
"Al Qaeda and other extremists have been driven from strongholds in places like Anbar province and parts of Diyala province," the president said. "In Baghdad, the number of Iraqi civilians murdered by terrorists and death squads is down sharply. Throughout Iraq, the number of American service members killed in September was the lowest since July 2006. And the level of violence during Ramadan was down significantly from last year."
Bush noted that last month, Petraeus said he believes successes in Iraq mean U.S. forces can maintain the same level of security with fewer American forces. "I accepted this recommendation that we not replace about 2,200 Marines who left Anbar last month," the president said. "We expect to bring home another 3,500 soldiers by Christmas. The funds in the supplemental are crucial to continuing this policy of 'return on success.' Every member of Congress who wants to see both success in Iraq and our troops begin to come home should strongly support this bill."
The supplemental spending request also includes emergency funding for other critical national security needs, Bush said. "It includes money to improve medical care for our wounded warriors," he noted. "It funds equipment repair, and upgrades the strategic readiness of the Army. It provides crucial relief for Iraqi refugees. It supports the peacekeeping mission of the United Nations in Darfur. It delivers vital assistance for our partners in Mexico and Central America, who are working to break up drug cartels, and fight organized crime, and stop human trafficking. All of these are urgent priorities of the United States, and the Congress should fund them without delay."
The supplemental request breaks the funding into four major parts: continuing the fight, reconstituting the force, enhancing forces, and emergency requests.
Continuing the fight calls for $23.8 billion. This is on top of $101.9 billion the administration requested in February. The amendment includes $6.3 billion to fund operations in Iraq and Afghanistan, including the cost of the surge in Iraq.
"When we submitted the budget to Congress, it was based on the presumption of at least 15 (brigade combat teams in Iraq)," said a senior defense official, speaking on background. "Since then, obviously, we surged up an additional five (brigade combat teams). We funded that – the fiscal 2007 costs – through the emergency supplemental. This picks up from 1 October the current force structure, which is 20 (brigade combat teams), but also recognizes the fact that starting in December we will be reducing this force structure by five (brigade combat teams) by July."
It also includes $14.2 billion for force protection and research and acquisition to defeat improvised explosive devices. In this account is $11 billion for mine-resistant, ambush-protected vehicles used by Marines and soldiers.
"This is the next increment for fiscal 2008," the official said. "It represents the entire increment for the year. This is an additional 7,274 vehicles, which will then bring us to a total of 15,274." The entire requirement for the vehicles in fiscal 2008 will be more than $16 billion.
The continuing-the-fight account also includes $1 billion for training and equipping Iraqi security forces, $200 million for commanders' emergency response funds in Afghanistan, $1 billion for military construction, and $1 billion for military intelligence. The last includes the cost of 24 more Predator unmanned aerial vehicles.
The request also asks for $100 million for restarting Iraqi factories. "This will further reindustrialization of the Iraqi economy," the official said. "Investing in textile factories and other commercial enterprises to try and get them up on their feet. We appropriated about $50 million for this in 2007, and it's just a continuation of our efforts."
The next largest bloc of money goes to reconstituting the force. The amendment asks for $8.8 billion on top of $37.6 billion. "This is largely to address the equipment that is lost or damaged in the theater," the official said. "It's also to deal with the wear and tear on a number of our platforms."
These are mostly ground-combat systems, senior defense officials said. "In this amendment alone, we are requesting 383 Strykers, over 4,100 Humvees, over 11,000 of the family of trucks ... and over 72,000 SINCGARS radios," the official said. "This gives you a flavor of the kind of equipment we are talking about."
Enhancing forces gets a big plus-up under the amendment, with $6.4 billion on top of $1.6 billion requested previously.
Another $1 billion goes to strengthening the Army Reserve and the Army National Guard. The money funds the 12-month reserve-component deployment policy and allows pre-deployment training at home station rather than at a mobilization station. "About three quarters of this funding is used to buy the training days that these troops will incur," the official said.
A total of $5.4 billion goes to restoring the force. This initiative increases equipment that "next-to-deploy" forces receive and improves military readiness by allowing deploying forces to train at battalion and brigade levels earlier in their training cycles. This account also funds equipment shortfalls in combat vehicles, communications, logistics vehicles and weapons.
Finally, additional emergency funding requests are part of the amendment package. These total $2.5 billion for fiscal 2008. The amendment calls for $800 million to enhance servicemember and family support, with $700 million going to the Army and $100 million to the Marines. "This is to provide additional money for child care centers, additional money for youth programs and to set up Warrior Transition Units and also investing in additional family readiness support assistants," he said.
It also calls for $500 million for programs for wounded, ill and injured troops. This money will improve trauma and rehabilitative care for wounded personnel, senior defense officials said. The money will pay for hiring more case workers, renovating existing facilities and building new facilities.
A total of $400 million accelerates construction of hospitals at Fort Belvoir, Va., and Bethesda, Md. The money also will speed the closure of Walter Reed Army Medical Center here by about nine months, the official said.
Finally, the request funds $800 million for fuel cost increases.
Senior defense officials urged Congress to act on the requests quickly. "The most critical things in here are for our force protection. Clearly, MRAPs are important, (as well as) the funding for additional reset items. If they delay action, that continues to reduce our readiness posture," another senior defense official said. "We're pushing for (Congress) to get as much done as possible."
Sunday, October 21, 2007
Possible Changes Eyed for Guard, Reserve Montgomery GI Bill
By Donna Miles
American Forces Press Service
Oct. 19, 2007 - Defense leaders joined the Minnesota National Guard's adjutant general yesterday in urging Congress to revise the Montgomery GI Bill to improve coverage for reserve-component troops, although they didn't necessarily agree on the best way to accomplish that. Army Maj. Gen. Larry W. Shellito told the House Veterans Affairs Committee that the bill, as currently written, shortchanges National Guard and Reserve troops.
He noted that nearly half the Minnesota National Guard's 1st Brigade Combat Team, 34th Infantry Division, found they weren't eligible for full education benefits under the bill, despite being one of the longest-serving units in Iraq. The unit returned home from a 22-month mobilization that included 16 months in combat as part of the surge force in Iraq.
All the returning "Red Bull" troops were eligible for Montgomery GI Bill benefits, but many fell short of the service time required to receive full benefits.
Among them was Army Sgt. Benjamin Hattan, a two-time Purple Heart recipient who was denied education benefits because his deployment orders were written for up to 729 days. The Montgomery GI Bill requires 730 days of service to quality for full benefits, Hattan explained to the committee.
The Army is working to amend the unit's orders and sent a team to Minnesota to help the Guardsmen wade through paperwork required to apply for benefits. Officials said the Army goal is to complete amendments so the soldiers can receive their benefits for the 2008 spring term.
"The decision to grant these men and women their earned benefits needs to occur quickly in order for them to make important life decisions," Shellito told the committee. "As a key tool in building and maintaining a total Army force, we as well as military leaders also need this to occur, as it is fundamental to sustaining a ready and capable reserve-component force."
Defense Department officials agreed yesterday that changes are needed to the Montgomery GI Bill for the Selected Reserve, as well as the Reserve Educational Assistance Program.
However, both Thomas L. Bush, acting deputy assistant secretary of defense for reserve affairs, and Curtis L. Gilroy, the Pentagon's director for accession policy, said such a measure doesn't fit the program's purpose: to recruit and retain members.
They said they believe the Defense Department can actually be too generous in granting GI Bill benefits. "We have a delicate balance we have to maintain in order to ensure a strong and ready military for America," Gilroy stated previously. "And it is actually possible to upset that balance and hurt our retention by being too generous with some of our recruiting incentives."
Gilroy and Bush said yesterday they disagree with the idea of consolidating the active- and reserve-component education plans into a single "Total Force GI Bill."
"The calls for a single program simply view military service as the pathway to an education benefit, not a program to retain members," they said in a joint statement released to the committee.
Both praised the Montgomery GI Bill for the support it lends to recruiting and retention efforts. "As we move through the 21st century, we must continue to build upon the remarkable legacy of the visionaries who crafted preceding versions and improvements in the GI Bill," they said.
The original GI Bill was enacted in 1944 to provide education benefits for troops returning from World War II. More than 2 million veterans have attended college using GI Bill benefits.
American Forces Press Service
Oct. 19, 2007 - Defense leaders joined the Minnesota National Guard's adjutant general yesterday in urging Congress to revise the Montgomery GI Bill to improve coverage for reserve-component troops, although they didn't necessarily agree on the best way to accomplish that. Army Maj. Gen. Larry W. Shellito told the House Veterans Affairs Committee that the bill, as currently written, shortchanges National Guard and Reserve troops.
He noted that nearly half the Minnesota National Guard's 1st Brigade Combat Team, 34th Infantry Division, found they weren't eligible for full education benefits under the bill, despite being one of the longest-serving units in Iraq. The unit returned home from a 22-month mobilization that included 16 months in combat as part of the surge force in Iraq.
All the returning "Red Bull" troops were eligible for Montgomery GI Bill benefits, but many fell short of the service time required to receive full benefits.
Among them was Army Sgt. Benjamin Hattan, a two-time Purple Heart recipient who was denied education benefits because his deployment orders were written for up to 729 days. The Montgomery GI Bill requires 730 days of service to quality for full benefits, Hattan explained to the committee.
The Army is working to amend the unit's orders and sent a team to Minnesota to help the Guardsmen wade through paperwork required to apply for benefits. Officials said the Army goal is to complete amendments so the soldiers can receive their benefits for the 2008 spring term.
"The decision to grant these men and women their earned benefits needs to occur quickly in order for them to make important life decisions," Shellito told the committee. "As a key tool in building and maintaining a total Army force, we as well as military leaders also need this to occur, as it is fundamental to sustaining a ready and capable reserve-component force."
Defense Department officials agreed yesterday that changes are needed to the Montgomery GI Bill for the Selected Reserve, as well as the Reserve Educational Assistance Program.
However, both Thomas L. Bush, acting deputy assistant secretary of defense for reserve affairs, and Curtis L. Gilroy, the Pentagon's director for accession policy, said such a measure doesn't fit the program's purpose: to recruit and retain members.
They said they believe the Defense Department can actually be too generous in granting GI Bill benefits. "We have a delicate balance we have to maintain in order to ensure a strong and ready military for America," Gilroy stated previously. "And it is actually possible to upset that balance and hurt our retention by being too generous with some of our recruiting incentives."
Gilroy and Bush said yesterday they disagree with the idea of consolidating the active- and reserve-component education plans into a single "Total Force GI Bill."
"The calls for a single program simply view military service as the pathway to an education benefit, not a program to retain members," they said in a joint statement released to the committee.
Both praised the Montgomery GI Bill for the support it lends to recruiting and retention efforts. "As we move through the 21st century, we must continue to build upon the remarkable legacy of the visionaries who crafted preceding versions and improvements in the GI Bill," they said.
The original GI Bill was enacted in 1944 to provide education benefits for troops returning from World War II. More than 2 million veterans have attended college using GI Bill benefits.
Tuesday, October 16, 2007
Departing JFCOM Commander Reflects on Military Transformation
By John J. Kruzel
American Forces Press Service
Oct. 16, 2007 - Military transformation is a perpetual work in progress, the chief of U.S. Joint Forces Command said today in his last briefing with reporters before he retires next month. During a conference call from JFCOM headquarters in Norfolk, Va., Air Force Gen. Lance L. Smith was asked if military leaders will one day announce the completion of military transformation, to which the general responded earnestly, "I hope we can never say that."
"If you were to go back and look at the last six, seven years both in the U.S. and in NATO, I think it's fair to say that transformation is evident and has been hugely successful," he said. "But there's a lot longer road ahead of us and a lot more to do."
Since 2005, Smith has led JFCOM's efforts to ensure that 1.16 million active-duty, National Guard and reserve soldiers, sailors, airmen, Marines and civilians operate with each other seamlessly and interdependently. The general, who is dual-hatted as NATO's supreme allied commander for transformation, also has overseen the evolution of the international coalition's military structure, capabilities and doctrine.
Ahead of his Nov. 9 retirement, the general today reflected on his work to transform military capabilities over the past two years and described improvements he anticipates will occur over the next decade.
The general's No. 1 priority during his tenure was to balance JFCOM's focus on current operations while continuing to plan a future force among the four service branches that's equipped to handle the challenges of an unpredictable security environment.
"We can't (support current operations) at the exclusion of really looking towards the future," he said. "So we try to divide our responsibilities and make sure that we are giving equal time to taking looks at what the future force structure ought to look like, what we think the future security environment is going to look like, and what we think we need to do to work with the services to build the right forces to operate in the future."
Smith said the other part of his mission has been to increase cooperation -- or "synergies" -- between JFCOM and NATO's allied command transformation.
"It's a two-way street," he said. "Allied command transformation, and NATO in general, helps inform what we're trying to do, and (JFCOM) spends a considerable amount of money in areas that are of interest to NATO."
In operations Iraqi Freedom and Enduring Freedom, and in efforts in the Horn of Africa and elsewhere, JFCOM and NATO have ramped up efforts to share lessons learned and innovations in technology and training, he added.
Speaking about NATO, the general said the coalition of 26 countries has evolved greatly since 1999 when NATO forces entered the Balkan province of Kosovo to stabilize the region by tamping down violence between Serbian and Kosovar paramilitary groups.
"When they started operating in the Balkans, it was the first time they had operated out of their geographic boundaries," he said. "To imagine that (NATO) is now in Afghanistan ... operating on the ground and sustaining that force a long way from the borders of NATO, (marks) a huge transformational capability, and it's getting better all the time."
To better prepare for future threats, JFCOM and NATO must look at all forms of warfare, Smith said, instead of a myopic outlook focused solely on countering insurgencies and irregular war.
"The danger now, of course, is that we get so focused on counterinsurgency and irregular kind of warfare that we are not prepared for a different kind of war," he said. "Whether that's conventional war or whether it's what I think is the likely future: a hybrid of large conventional war and irregular warfare."
Smith said JFCOM is working with civilians on how to marry military muscle with civilian expertise in a burgeoning use of government elements that he referred to as "effects-based." Some 3,300 civilians will comprise a deployable rapid-response team and reserve component made up of State Department and other agency members skilled in non-military fields such as law enforcement, diplomacy or agriculture.
During the upcoming fifth JFCOM-sponsored multinational exercise, such disparate "players," which also include the International Committee of the Red Cross, European Union, and United Nations, will train together, Smith said. For JFCOM, the goal of such exercises ostensibly is to prepare U.S. forces for increased interagency cooperation military officials expect in the future.
"It's really about bringing the military together with the diplomatic, economic, and the nongovernmental and international organizations all in an experiment to see how best to operate together," Smith said.
American Forces Press Service
Oct. 16, 2007 - Military transformation is a perpetual work in progress, the chief of U.S. Joint Forces Command said today in his last briefing with reporters before he retires next month. During a conference call from JFCOM headquarters in Norfolk, Va., Air Force Gen. Lance L. Smith was asked if military leaders will one day announce the completion of military transformation, to which the general responded earnestly, "I hope we can never say that."
"If you were to go back and look at the last six, seven years both in the U.S. and in NATO, I think it's fair to say that transformation is evident and has been hugely successful," he said. "But there's a lot longer road ahead of us and a lot more to do."
Since 2005, Smith has led JFCOM's efforts to ensure that 1.16 million active-duty, National Guard and reserve soldiers, sailors, airmen, Marines and civilians operate with each other seamlessly and interdependently. The general, who is dual-hatted as NATO's supreme allied commander for transformation, also has overseen the evolution of the international coalition's military structure, capabilities and doctrine.
Ahead of his Nov. 9 retirement, the general today reflected on his work to transform military capabilities over the past two years and described improvements he anticipates will occur over the next decade.
The general's No. 1 priority during his tenure was to balance JFCOM's focus on current operations while continuing to plan a future force among the four service branches that's equipped to handle the challenges of an unpredictable security environment.
"We can't (support current operations) at the exclusion of really looking towards the future," he said. "So we try to divide our responsibilities and make sure that we are giving equal time to taking looks at what the future force structure ought to look like, what we think the future security environment is going to look like, and what we think we need to do to work with the services to build the right forces to operate in the future."
Smith said the other part of his mission has been to increase cooperation -- or "synergies" -- between JFCOM and NATO's allied command transformation.
"It's a two-way street," he said. "Allied command transformation, and NATO in general, helps inform what we're trying to do, and (JFCOM) spends a considerable amount of money in areas that are of interest to NATO."
In operations Iraqi Freedom and Enduring Freedom, and in efforts in the Horn of Africa and elsewhere, JFCOM and NATO have ramped up efforts to share lessons learned and innovations in technology and training, he added.
Speaking about NATO, the general said the coalition of 26 countries has evolved greatly since 1999 when NATO forces entered the Balkan province of Kosovo to stabilize the region by tamping down violence between Serbian and Kosovar paramilitary groups.
"When they started operating in the Balkans, it was the first time they had operated out of their geographic boundaries," he said. "To imagine that (NATO) is now in Afghanistan ... operating on the ground and sustaining that force a long way from the borders of NATO, (marks) a huge transformational capability, and it's getting better all the time."
To better prepare for future threats, JFCOM and NATO must look at all forms of warfare, Smith said, instead of a myopic outlook focused solely on countering insurgencies and irregular war.
"The danger now, of course, is that we get so focused on counterinsurgency and irregular kind of warfare that we are not prepared for a different kind of war," he said. "Whether that's conventional war or whether it's what I think is the likely future: a hybrid of large conventional war and irregular warfare."
Smith said JFCOM is working with civilians on how to marry military muscle with civilian expertise in a burgeoning use of government elements that he referred to as "effects-based." Some 3,300 civilians will comprise a deployable rapid-response team and reserve component made up of State Department and other agency members skilled in non-military fields such as law enforcement, diplomacy or agriculture.
During the upcoming fifth JFCOM-sponsored multinational exercise, such disparate "players," which also include the International Committee of the Red Cross, European Union, and United Nations, will train together, Smith said. For JFCOM, the goal of such exercises ostensibly is to prepare U.S. forces for increased interagency cooperation military officials expect in the future.
"It's really about bringing the military together with the diplomatic, economic, and the nongovernmental and international organizations all in an experiment to see how best to operate together," Smith said.
Friday, September 28, 2007
Military, Civilian Officials Urge Accession to Law of Sea Treaty
By Jim Garamone
American Forces Press Service
Sept. 28, 2007 - Defense Department civilian and military leaders urged the Senate to ratify the United Nations Convention on Law of the Sea. Deputy Defense Secretary Gordon England and Adm. Patrick M. Walsh, vice chief of naval operations, strongly supported the United States acceding to the treaty. The two defense leaders and Deputy Secretary of State John D. Negroponte testified before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee yesterday.
England emphasized the importance of access to the world's largest maneuver space: the oceans. "We need to have global mobility 24/7, 365 days a year, with no permission slips," England said. "The treaty preserves the (Defense Department's) navigation and overflight rights," emphasizing that the treaty covers transit passage "under, through, and over critical choke points."
The national security benefits of acceding to the treaty are significant, "and they substantially and unquestionably outweigh any perceived risk. The Department of Defense strongly supports the Law of the Sea Conventions, and we ask the Senate for your advice and support in joining the convention," England said.
England's testimony stressed that the Law of the Sea Treaty is an opportunity.
Nations negotiated the Law of the Sea Treaty between 1973 and 1982. The treaty sought to update the customary law of the sea that existed from the 1600s on. While U.S. officials helped hammer out the treaty, objections to the deep-sea mining clause caused the nation to not accede to it.
U.S. officials have signed the treaty, but the Senate has not ratified it. More than 150 other nations have accepted the treaty, and it has been in force since 1994.
U.S. objections have been addressed, Negroponte said in his testimony. President Bush has urged accession to the treaty, and it probably is headed for a vote in the Senate this session.
From the military perspective, the treaty guarantees various aspects of passage and overflight. The nation has invested hundreds of billions of dollars over the years building the infrastructure needed to transport troops and equipment over global distances. Combat ships, oilers, sustainment ships, transport aircraft, tankers and pre-positioned assets all are key to getting combat power where it is needed, often within hours.
The treaty guarantees right of passage through some of the most strategic areas of in the world. The Joint Chiefs of Staff sent a "24-star" letter to the Senate in June, urging accession. "The convention codifies navigation and overflight rights and high seas freedoms that are essential for the global mobility of our armed forces," the letter says. "It furthers our National Security Strategy, strengthens the coalition and supports the President's Proliferation Security Initiative."
The Proliferation Security Initiative is a collective approach of about 90 nations to use all their national and international authorities to interdict the shipment of weapons of mass destruction and related material. "(The United States) joining the convention will help expand the number of nations that participate in (the initiative)," Walsh said. "Strategic nations such as Indonesia and Malaysia will be more likely to join (the initiative) if we in turn join the convention."
Walsh also told the senators that the convention does not unduly limit U.S. forces' freedom of action.
"There is a perception held by some that by joining the convention our armed forces will somehow be constrained – if not by the actual language by the convention then by international tribunals or arbitration panels operating under the authority of the convention," he said. "I could not support the treaty if I thought the treaty curbed the reach or the authority or limited in any way our actions."
From the Defense Department perspective, it's all about global mobility, said Rear Adm. Bruce McDonald, the Navy's judge advocate. "It's all about getting out and doing the business of the military on seven-tenths of the Earth's surface," he said.
The need for the treaty was driven home to military leaders in the early days of Operation Iraqi Freedom, when Turkey denied overflight rights, MacDonald said. "A lot of this was a result of the fact that we cannot rely on other nations to allow us to overfly or base forces on their territories," he said.
The treaty guarantees certain rights: the right of innocent passage, transit passage and archipelagic sea lanes passage. Of these, transit passage is the most important, MacDonald said. "It allows us to use the strategic choke points – Hormuz, Malacca, Singapore Strait – these international straits are defined as international straits under the treaty," he said.
The treaty allows ships traversing these passages to do so in a normal mode. "If you are sailing an aircraft carrier, normal mode is with aircraft flying, helos flying, a (combat air patrol) in the air providing force protection," MacDonald said. "If you are in a battle group that means you have cruisers and destroyers screening the carrier.
"If you are going through the Strait of Hormuz, that is important because you have Iran on the right and you want that kind of protection as you are going through."
Until now, the United States has relied on customary international law. "Yes, many of the principles enshrined in the Law of the Sea Treaty have become a matter of custom," MacDonald said. "The problem is that what has been the custom of nations can change over time."
The treaty gives the United States the opportunity to lock these rights in and get positive treaty law as the basis for doing the nation's business.
Another argument for acceding to the treaty is that it buys the United States a seat at the table for any future negotiations. "Now that it has come into force, treaty law can be changed by those nations that have acceded to it," MacDonald said. "We think the United States, as the largest maritime power on the Earth, ought to take the lead in future development of maritime law, and this is a perfect way to do that."
The United States cannot stay outside the treaty and hope to influence negotiations or work through proxies, the admiral said.
"We need to lock in the navigation and the overflight rights and high-seas freedoms contained in the convention," Walsh said. "And then by acting from within the convention, we can best exercise as our leadership to ensure that those rights and freedoms are not whittled away foreign states."
American Forces Press Service
Sept. 28, 2007 - Defense Department civilian and military leaders urged the Senate to ratify the United Nations Convention on Law of the Sea. Deputy Defense Secretary Gordon England and Adm. Patrick M. Walsh, vice chief of naval operations, strongly supported the United States acceding to the treaty. The two defense leaders and Deputy Secretary of State John D. Negroponte testified before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee yesterday.
England emphasized the importance of access to the world's largest maneuver space: the oceans. "We need to have global mobility 24/7, 365 days a year, with no permission slips," England said. "The treaty preserves the (Defense Department's) navigation and overflight rights," emphasizing that the treaty covers transit passage "under, through, and over critical choke points."
The national security benefits of acceding to the treaty are significant, "and they substantially and unquestionably outweigh any perceived risk. The Department of Defense strongly supports the Law of the Sea Conventions, and we ask the Senate for your advice and support in joining the convention," England said.
England's testimony stressed that the Law of the Sea Treaty is an opportunity.
Nations negotiated the Law of the Sea Treaty between 1973 and 1982. The treaty sought to update the customary law of the sea that existed from the 1600s on. While U.S. officials helped hammer out the treaty, objections to the deep-sea mining clause caused the nation to not accede to it.
U.S. officials have signed the treaty, but the Senate has not ratified it. More than 150 other nations have accepted the treaty, and it has been in force since 1994.
U.S. objections have been addressed, Negroponte said in his testimony. President Bush has urged accession to the treaty, and it probably is headed for a vote in the Senate this session.
From the military perspective, the treaty guarantees various aspects of passage and overflight. The nation has invested hundreds of billions of dollars over the years building the infrastructure needed to transport troops and equipment over global distances. Combat ships, oilers, sustainment ships, transport aircraft, tankers and pre-positioned assets all are key to getting combat power where it is needed, often within hours.
The treaty guarantees right of passage through some of the most strategic areas of in the world. The Joint Chiefs of Staff sent a "24-star" letter to the Senate in June, urging accession. "The convention codifies navigation and overflight rights and high seas freedoms that are essential for the global mobility of our armed forces," the letter says. "It furthers our National Security Strategy, strengthens the coalition and supports the President's Proliferation Security Initiative."
The Proliferation Security Initiative is a collective approach of about 90 nations to use all their national and international authorities to interdict the shipment of weapons of mass destruction and related material. "(The United States) joining the convention will help expand the number of nations that participate in (the initiative)," Walsh said. "Strategic nations such as Indonesia and Malaysia will be more likely to join (the initiative) if we in turn join the convention."
Walsh also told the senators that the convention does not unduly limit U.S. forces' freedom of action.
"There is a perception held by some that by joining the convention our armed forces will somehow be constrained – if not by the actual language by the convention then by international tribunals or arbitration panels operating under the authority of the convention," he said. "I could not support the treaty if I thought the treaty curbed the reach or the authority or limited in any way our actions."
From the Defense Department perspective, it's all about global mobility, said Rear Adm. Bruce McDonald, the Navy's judge advocate. "It's all about getting out and doing the business of the military on seven-tenths of the Earth's surface," he said.
The need for the treaty was driven home to military leaders in the early days of Operation Iraqi Freedom, when Turkey denied overflight rights, MacDonald said. "A lot of this was a result of the fact that we cannot rely on other nations to allow us to overfly or base forces on their territories," he said.
The treaty guarantees certain rights: the right of innocent passage, transit passage and archipelagic sea lanes passage. Of these, transit passage is the most important, MacDonald said. "It allows us to use the strategic choke points – Hormuz, Malacca, Singapore Strait – these international straits are defined as international straits under the treaty," he said.
The treaty allows ships traversing these passages to do so in a normal mode. "If you are sailing an aircraft carrier, normal mode is with aircraft flying, helos flying, a (combat air patrol) in the air providing force protection," MacDonald said. "If you are in a battle group that means you have cruisers and destroyers screening the carrier.
"If you are going through the Strait of Hormuz, that is important because you have Iran on the right and you want that kind of protection as you are going through."
Until now, the United States has relied on customary international law. "Yes, many of the principles enshrined in the Law of the Sea Treaty have become a matter of custom," MacDonald said. "The problem is that what has been the custom of nations can change over time."
The treaty gives the United States the opportunity to lock these rights in and get positive treaty law as the basis for doing the nation's business.
Another argument for acceding to the treaty is that it buys the United States a seat at the table for any future negotiations. "Now that it has come into force, treaty law can be changed by those nations that have acceded to it," MacDonald said. "We think the United States, as the largest maritime power on the Earth, ought to take the lead in future development of maritime law, and this is a perfect way to do that."
The United States cannot stay outside the treaty and hope to influence negotiations or work through proxies, the admiral said.
"We need to lock in the navigation and the overflight rights and high-seas freedoms contained in the convention," Walsh said. "And then by acting from within the convention, we can best exercise as our leadership to ensure that those rights and freedoms are not whittled away foreign states."
Mattis Cites Joint Forces, NATO Issues at Hill Hearing
By Gerry J. Gilmore
American Forces Press Service
Sept. 27, 2007 - Providing ready, jointly-trained U.S. forces to combatant commanders engaged in the war on terrorism is a priority task for the U.S. military, a top general said here today. Marine Lt. Gen. James N. Mattis has been selected to receive his fourth star and become the leader of U.S. Joint Forces Command, based at Norfolk, Va. He appeared before the Senate Armed Services Committee today in a confirmation hearing.
If he is confirmed for the job, Mattis pledged, Joint Force Command will continue to provide trained and ready forces to serve worldwide in the war on terrorism.
"Should you confirm me, my first priority will be to support NATO and our combatant commanders in active operations against the enemy," Mattis said at today's hearing. "My second priority will be preparing our NATO forces and the U.S. joint team to defeat future enemies."
However, fielding those troops according to a stable, predictable schedule that provides unit refit, training and rest time between deployments, while minimizing stress on military families will remain a challenge, Mattis noted earlier in written responses to committee questions.
Top defense civilian and military leaders have observed that the U.S. armed forces, particularly the Army, have been stretched while successfully performing overseas missions in Afghanistan, Iraq and other areas of the world.
The fact that a stretched American military continues to accomplish its worldwide missions is indicative of a force "that has never been willing to say, 'no,' when it came to a test of our resolve to defend this country," Mattis said at the hearing.
However, continued development and implementation of "jointness" and transformation across the U.S. military may become compromised in the future, as those stretched forces continue to perform wartime commitments, Mattis reported.
"But, we need to have a balancing act here, where we can candidly and openly share with you what we need to do our job, and recognize sometimes we simply don't have the forces to do something," Mattis told Senate panel members.
Mattis also has been recommended by NATO to become its next supreme allied commander for transformation. U.S. and NATO troops are engaged in battle against Taliban and al Qaeda militants seeking to topple Afghan President Hamid Karzai's government. Both positions are presently filled by Air Force Gen. Lance L. Smith, who has announced his impending retirement.
In discussing his potential new duties as the top U.S. military leader at NATO, Mattis told committee members that ongoing U.S., NATO and coalition efforts to assist the Afghan government in confronting terrorists and other criminals "are on target."
Yet, the growth and sale of poppies that are used to make opium and heroin threatens to undermine the Afghan government, the general said.
"We need a dramatic leap in our interagency (and) in our international partners' efforts to reduce drug demand, to come up with substitute crops, and the kind of supporting infrastructure that allows those crops to become viable," Mattis explained at the hearing.
Preparation of NATO forces operating in Afghanistan can also help to mitigate the drug issue there, he added. Yet, Afghanistan's poppy production is "a larger problem than just the military preparation of the troops," Mattis acknowledged at the hearing. He pledged to the committee that he'd devote "as much work as much as I can" toward solving Afghanistan's poppy problem.
American Forces Press Service
Sept. 27, 2007 - Providing ready, jointly-trained U.S. forces to combatant commanders engaged in the war on terrorism is a priority task for the U.S. military, a top general said here today. Marine Lt. Gen. James N. Mattis has been selected to receive his fourth star and become the leader of U.S. Joint Forces Command, based at Norfolk, Va. He appeared before the Senate Armed Services Committee today in a confirmation hearing.
If he is confirmed for the job, Mattis pledged, Joint Force Command will continue to provide trained and ready forces to serve worldwide in the war on terrorism.
"Should you confirm me, my first priority will be to support NATO and our combatant commanders in active operations against the enemy," Mattis said at today's hearing. "My second priority will be preparing our NATO forces and the U.S. joint team to defeat future enemies."
However, fielding those troops according to a stable, predictable schedule that provides unit refit, training and rest time between deployments, while minimizing stress on military families will remain a challenge, Mattis noted earlier in written responses to committee questions.
Top defense civilian and military leaders have observed that the U.S. armed forces, particularly the Army, have been stretched while successfully performing overseas missions in Afghanistan, Iraq and other areas of the world.
The fact that a stretched American military continues to accomplish its worldwide missions is indicative of a force "that has never been willing to say, 'no,' when it came to a test of our resolve to defend this country," Mattis said at the hearing.
However, continued development and implementation of "jointness" and transformation across the U.S. military may become compromised in the future, as those stretched forces continue to perform wartime commitments, Mattis reported.
"But, we need to have a balancing act here, where we can candidly and openly share with you what we need to do our job, and recognize sometimes we simply don't have the forces to do something," Mattis told Senate panel members.
Mattis also has been recommended by NATO to become its next supreme allied commander for transformation. U.S. and NATO troops are engaged in battle against Taliban and al Qaeda militants seeking to topple Afghan President Hamid Karzai's government. Both positions are presently filled by Air Force Gen. Lance L. Smith, who has announced his impending retirement.
In discussing his potential new duties as the top U.S. military leader at NATO, Mattis told committee members that ongoing U.S., NATO and coalition efforts to assist the Afghan government in confronting terrorists and other criminals "are on target."
Yet, the growth and sale of poppies that are used to make opium and heroin threatens to undermine the Afghan government, the general said.
"We need a dramatic leap in our interagency (and) in our international partners' efforts to reduce drug demand, to come up with substitute crops, and the kind of supporting infrastructure that allows those crops to become viable," Mattis explained at the hearing.
Preparation of NATO forces operating in Afghanistan can also help to mitigate the drug issue there, he added. Yet, Afghanistan's poppy production is "a larger problem than just the military preparation of the troops," Mattis acknowledged at the hearing. He pledged to the committee that he'd devote "as much work as much as I can" toward solving Afghanistan's poppy problem.
Thursday, September 27, 2007
Army Leaders Urge Congressional Support to Meet Current, Future Demands
By Donna Miles
American Forces Press Service
Sept. 26, 2007 - The Army, stressed and stretched by six years of conflict, needs continued and uninterrupted support and resourcing to maintain its current operational levels while preparing for the future, its top civilian and military leaders told Congress today. Army Chief of Staff Gen. George W. Casey Jr. outlined four imperatives for the House Armed Services Committee that he called critical to the Army's ability to restore balance and maintain the all-volunteer force:
-- Improving the way the Army sustains soldiers, families and civilians;
-- Preparing troops for success in the current conflict;
-- Resetting troops and equipment for future deployments; and
-- Transforming the force for the 21st century.
Casey urged committee members to support these efforts into the next fiscal year, and to ensure there's no funding gap after Oct. 1 that could slow efforts under way.
"The Army is the best in the world at what it does, because of our values, our ethos, our people and your support," he said.
Keeping that standard, he said, will require more hard sacrifices by soldiers and their families and clear recognition by national leaders of the threat the country faces and the need to maintain an Army able to face it.
Calling soldiers "our ultimate asymmetric advantage" in the war on terror, he said the Army needs to continue improving the way it recruits, trains and retains them.
While increasing the readiness of the force, the Army also must increase the quality of life it provides its members as well as their families, he said.
Army Secretary Pete Geren noted that the Army's focus has moved from pay issues that dominated the 1970s and housing issues that dominated the 1990s. Today, in an era of persistent conflict that's expected to continue into the foreseeable future, the big emphasis must be on taking care of families, he said.
"Twelve months (deployed overseas) was asking a lot of those families, and 15 months is asking more," he said.
Casey said the Army needs to ensure that the quality of life it provides its soldiers and their families "is commensurate with the quality of service" they are providing.
Meanwhile, the Army must continue to prepare its troops to succeed in the current conflict, he said. The Army has made "great strides," continually adapting as the operational environment changes, he said.
It's also committed to providing the best equipment possible to give soldiers the technological advantage on the battlefield, he said, as well as tough, demanding training at their home stations that ensures they have the skills and confidence to win.
"Military success is tied to the capabilities of our leaders and soldiers," Casey said, promising that the Army won't fail them.
To keep that promise, the Army must focus on resetting the force, he said. Resetting means more than simply fixing or replacing equipment that's being used at five times its programmed rate, he told the committee. It also means giving soldiers and their families time to regroup between deployments.
Geren noted that the current Army force is carrying the lion's share of the third-longest conflict in U.S. history. Not since the Revolutionary War has the country asked this much of an all-volunteer force for this long, he told the committee.
And as the country faces what is expected to continue to be an era of persistent conflict, it must take care of its troops and their families to ensure the all-volunteer force remains strong, he said.
Today's Army is the best-led, best-equipped and best-trained force that's ever been to the field, Geren said. He expressed hope that with congressional support and funding, the Army will be able to continue making that claim five, 10, even 20 years into the future.
So as the Army focuses on the current conflict, it must keep looking ahead as well to ensure it's ready to face future threats, Casey said. This involves fielding the best new equipment to fighting forces, incorporating new techniques and fielding the Army's future combat systems to brigade combat teams to ensure the Army has a decisive advantage on the battlefield.
The Army's transformation is "a holistic effort" that affects the way it fights, trains and modernizes, he said. "It's a journey for us, not a destination," Casey told the lawmakers.
American Forces Press Service
Sept. 26, 2007 - The Army, stressed and stretched by six years of conflict, needs continued and uninterrupted support and resourcing to maintain its current operational levels while preparing for the future, its top civilian and military leaders told Congress today. Army Chief of Staff Gen. George W. Casey Jr. outlined four imperatives for the House Armed Services Committee that he called critical to the Army's ability to restore balance and maintain the all-volunteer force:
-- Improving the way the Army sustains soldiers, families and civilians;
-- Preparing troops for success in the current conflict;
-- Resetting troops and equipment for future deployments; and
-- Transforming the force for the 21st century.
Casey urged committee members to support these efforts into the next fiscal year, and to ensure there's no funding gap after Oct. 1 that could slow efforts under way.
"The Army is the best in the world at what it does, because of our values, our ethos, our people and your support," he said.
Keeping that standard, he said, will require more hard sacrifices by soldiers and their families and clear recognition by national leaders of the threat the country faces and the need to maintain an Army able to face it.
Calling soldiers "our ultimate asymmetric advantage" in the war on terror, he said the Army needs to continue improving the way it recruits, trains and retains them.
While increasing the readiness of the force, the Army also must increase the quality of life it provides its members as well as their families, he said.
Army Secretary Pete Geren noted that the Army's focus has moved from pay issues that dominated the 1970s and housing issues that dominated the 1990s. Today, in an era of persistent conflict that's expected to continue into the foreseeable future, the big emphasis must be on taking care of families, he said.
"Twelve months (deployed overseas) was asking a lot of those families, and 15 months is asking more," he said.
Casey said the Army needs to ensure that the quality of life it provides its soldiers and their families "is commensurate with the quality of service" they are providing.
Meanwhile, the Army must continue to prepare its troops to succeed in the current conflict, he said. The Army has made "great strides," continually adapting as the operational environment changes, he said.
It's also committed to providing the best equipment possible to give soldiers the technological advantage on the battlefield, he said, as well as tough, demanding training at their home stations that ensures they have the skills and confidence to win.
"Military success is tied to the capabilities of our leaders and soldiers," Casey said, promising that the Army won't fail them.
To keep that promise, the Army must focus on resetting the force, he said. Resetting means more than simply fixing or replacing equipment that's being used at five times its programmed rate, he told the committee. It also means giving soldiers and their families time to regroup between deployments.
Geren noted that the current Army force is carrying the lion's share of the third-longest conflict in U.S. history. Not since the Revolutionary War has the country asked this much of an all-volunteer force for this long, he told the committee.
And as the country faces what is expected to continue to be an era of persistent conflict, it must take care of its troops and their families to ensure the all-volunteer force remains strong, he said.
Today's Army is the best-led, best-equipped and best-trained force that's ever been to the field, Geren said. He expressed hope that with congressional support and funding, the Army will be able to continue making that claim five, 10, even 20 years into the future.
So as the Army focuses on the current conflict, it must keep looking ahead as well to ensure it's ready to face future threats, Casey said. This involves fielding the best new equipment to fighting forces, incorporating new techniques and fielding the Army's future combat systems to brigade combat teams to ensure the Army has a decisive advantage on the battlefield.
The Army's transformation is "a holistic effort" that affects the way it fights, trains and modernizes, he said. "It's a journey for us, not a destination," Casey told the lawmakers.
Sunday, September 23, 2007
Commander Reaffirms U.S. Commitment to Pacific Region
By Donna Miles
American Forces Press Service
Sept. 22, 2007 - Six months into the job as commander of the largest U.S. combatant command, Navy Adm. Timothy J. Keating still pinches himself each morning when he arrives to work and takes in the views of Pearl Harbor from his mountaintop headquarters. Twenty-two years ago, when he "carried bags" as the aide to Adm. William J. Crowe, Keating never imagined that he might follow in Crowe's footsteps to take the helm of U.S. Pacific Command.
"Not in a million years did I dream I would get this job," Keating said. "It's a dream job. I've got the best job in the Department of Defense."
Although serving as Crowe's flag lieutenant gave him wide exposure to the Asia-Pacific region, Keating said much has changed since 1985 -- mostly for the better. More people are living free in democratic countries. U.S. trade with the region is up six fold. Economies in the region are improving, some dramatically. Education opportunities have improved. Health care and dental care are more available, and the standard of living "tends to be on a positive slope," Keating said.
After visiting nearly half of the 43 countries in his area of responsibility since taking command in March, Keating said he's "heartened by what I have seen."
"I'm trying not to be a cheerleader, but we are on solid ground," he said. "More people want to be with us than wanted to be with us when I was here in the mid-80s." He cited examples almost inconceivable two decades ago, including Cambodia's and Mongolia's desire to partner with the United States while improving their citizens' quality of life and protecting them from terrorists.
While encouraged by these successes, Keating said he never loses sight of concerns that threaten stability in the region. Terrorist activity in the Philippines and Indonesia, North Korea's nuclear ambitions, and China's military buildup and lack of transparency all loom large. Threats range from terrorist groups to piracy to the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction technology.
"So while I am encouraged and remain optimistic, I am also aware that there is important and good work to be done," Keating said.
He called partners and allies critical in standing up to these threats and maintaining regional stability. So since arriving at PACOM, Keating has visited much of the region -- which covers 51 percent of the earth's surface -- to cement existing relationships and build new ones.
"It's a big theater, not just geographically, but in terms of ideas, in terms of challenges, in terms of opportunity," he said in July during an address to the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington. "And you've got to get out there, and you've got to get amongst them."
Just returned yesterday after a five-day swing to Tonga, Timor-Leste and Australia, Keating got a renewed sense of the striking differences among Pacific nations and the different challenges they face.
But despite all that sets the countries he visited apart, Keating said he was encouraged by their common goals of peace and stability for their people and ways they're actively working to secure or maintain these ideals.
Tonga, a 171-island archipelago south of Western Samoa, is better known for its prowess on the rugby field than on the world stage, yet it deployed 55 of its 450-member Tonga Defense Service to Iraq last week to support Multinational Fore Iraq. The deployment is Tonga's second to Iraq, and the country has committed to sending a third contingent.
Keating said he was struck by Tonga's immense pride in its contribution, which he called significant in light of the country's total military size and population. "Size is not as important as commitment," he said during a Sept. 17 retreat ceremony at Tonga's Togalevu Naval Base. "And the commitment seen in this country is huge."
Brig. Gen. Tau'aika "Dave" Uta'atu, Tonga's chief of defense, told Keating his country wants to make a difference in fighting terrorism. "It is not just a coalition of the willing, it is a coalition of the committed," Keating reflected. "And by God, they are committed."
Stopping next in Timor-Leste, a restive island nation at the southernmost tip of the Indonesian archipelago, Keating saw a far different situation.
Since breaking free of a brutal 24-year Indonesian rule in 1999 and declaring statehood three years later, Timor-Leste's leaders have struggled to build a new democratic government. It's been a big challenge in the face of weak institutions, political infighting, poor education, extreme poverty and violence.
As Keating praised strides the country's leaders have made and promised U.S. support to help them, he said he was awed by their commitment to a free, democratic country and willingness to do what's necessary to secure its future.
"We met guys who fought for their nation's independence," he said. "They have a president who's a Nobel laureate. They have a prime minister who was imprisoned for seven years. Their chief of staff has been fighting in the hills for over a decade. And they're still fighting."
Keating conceded that the Timorese have giant challenges to overcome. He termed the country's challenges: "much on their plate over which to say grace."
"You look them in the eyes and say, 'You understand the price to be paid for freedom and democracy," Keating said. "And as you do that, you are talking to guys who are dedicating their lives to making a difference in a new nation."
Traveling south from Timor-Leste to Australia, Keating met with Australian government and military leaders to explore ways to enhance their already-rock-solid military partnership.
As they talked about ways to collaborate more closely, particularly in fighting terrorism and proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, Keating said even he was surprised by the strength of the U.S.-Australia relationship.
"It's hard for me to overstate the depth and breadth of the relationship we enjoy together," Keating said he told Air Chief Marshal Angus Houston, Australia's defense chief. "It was a spectacular visit."
This week's visits reinforced Keating's belief in what he calls "the power of the Pacific."
Using the metaphor of a tapestry, he said every Asia-Pacific nation, regardless of its size or impact beyond its own borders, is an important part of the region's overall fabric. "I am continually impressed by the fabric and how much it is all interlocking, interwoven and linked," he said.
This bond, along with positive trends taking place in the region, has created more opportunities for military-to-military cooperation and collaboration, Keating said. "They're significant," he said. "And they simply didn't exist 20 years ago."
He pointed to exercise Malabar, which wrapped up Sept. 9, as an example of that enhanced cooperation. More than 20,000 servicemembers from the United States, India, Japan, Singapore and Australia exercised their ability to respond together to provide anti-submarine warfare, anti-piracy, humanitarian and combat support.
"We had two U.S. carriers, an Indian carrier, and Japanese, Singaporean and Australian forces in the Bay of Bengal, all talking together, all working together," Keating said.
Just as significant, he said, are humanitarian efforts conducted by PACOM. USS Peleliu, for example, completed its four-month Pacific Partnership 2007 earlier this month after providing medical, dental and engineering support to the Philippines, Vietnam, Papua New Guinea, the Solomon Islands and the Marshall Islands.
Keating called these exercises, whether carried out by full carrier strike groups or small military training teams, a big part of PACOM's effort to build relationships, strengthen partnerships and express support to the region.
"We have so many capabilities in the Department of Defense and Pacific Command, and we have to pull out the stops to ensure our friends in the area know they can count on us anytime," he said. "That's our main message: 'We understand your challenges. We want you to believe and feel viscerally our commitment to support you.'"
Delivering that message throughout the region requires "constant, unrelenting work," not just by the 300,000 PACOM servicemembers and civilian employees supporting the command's mission throughout the theater, Keating said.
Just as important, he said, is the support of other U.S. agencies and regional governments, all working together toward a common goal. "It takes the entire spectrum," Keating said. "This is the furthest thing in the world from a one-man show."
As he travels through the region, Keating delivers personally the message that this full spectrum of support stands solidly alongside the United States' friends in Asia and the Pacific. "I am going around and looking them in the eye and saying, 'We are here. We are not going away,'" he said.
"We have been here since World War II and before, and we are resolutely, irrevocably committed to freedom, stability and prosperity in the Pacific Command area of responsibility."
American Forces Press Service
Sept. 22, 2007 - Six months into the job as commander of the largest U.S. combatant command, Navy Adm. Timothy J. Keating still pinches himself each morning when he arrives to work and takes in the views of Pearl Harbor from his mountaintop headquarters. Twenty-two years ago, when he "carried bags" as the aide to Adm. William J. Crowe, Keating never imagined that he might follow in Crowe's footsteps to take the helm of U.S. Pacific Command.
"Not in a million years did I dream I would get this job," Keating said. "It's a dream job. I've got the best job in the Department of Defense."
Although serving as Crowe's flag lieutenant gave him wide exposure to the Asia-Pacific region, Keating said much has changed since 1985 -- mostly for the better. More people are living free in democratic countries. U.S. trade with the region is up six fold. Economies in the region are improving, some dramatically. Education opportunities have improved. Health care and dental care are more available, and the standard of living "tends to be on a positive slope," Keating said.
After visiting nearly half of the 43 countries in his area of responsibility since taking command in March, Keating said he's "heartened by what I have seen."
"I'm trying not to be a cheerleader, but we are on solid ground," he said. "More people want to be with us than wanted to be with us when I was here in the mid-80s." He cited examples almost inconceivable two decades ago, including Cambodia's and Mongolia's desire to partner with the United States while improving their citizens' quality of life and protecting them from terrorists.
While encouraged by these successes, Keating said he never loses sight of concerns that threaten stability in the region. Terrorist activity in the Philippines and Indonesia, North Korea's nuclear ambitions, and China's military buildup and lack of transparency all loom large. Threats range from terrorist groups to piracy to the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction technology.
"So while I am encouraged and remain optimistic, I am also aware that there is important and good work to be done," Keating said.
He called partners and allies critical in standing up to these threats and maintaining regional stability. So since arriving at PACOM, Keating has visited much of the region -- which covers 51 percent of the earth's surface -- to cement existing relationships and build new ones.
"It's a big theater, not just geographically, but in terms of ideas, in terms of challenges, in terms of opportunity," he said in July during an address to the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington. "And you've got to get out there, and you've got to get amongst them."
Just returned yesterday after a five-day swing to Tonga, Timor-Leste and Australia, Keating got a renewed sense of the striking differences among Pacific nations and the different challenges they face.
But despite all that sets the countries he visited apart, Keating said he was encouraged by their common goals of peace and stability for their people and ways they're actively working to secure or maintain these ideals.
Tonga, a 171-island archipelago south of Western Samoa, is better known for its prowess on the rugby field than on the world stage, yet it deployed 55 of its 450-member Tonga Defense Service to Iraq last week to support Multinational Fore Iraq. The deployment is Tonga's second to Iraq, and the country has committed to sending a third contingent.
Keating said he was struck by Tonga's immense pride in its contribution, which he called significant in light of the country's total military size and population. "Size is not as important as commitment," he said during a Sept. 17 retreat ceremony at Tonga's Togalevu Naval Base. "And the commitment seen in this country is huge."
Brig. Gen. Tau'aika "Dave" Uta'atu, Tonga's chief of defense, told Keating his country wants to make a difference in fighting terrorism. "It is not just a coalition of the willing, it is a coalition of the committed," Keating reflected. "And by God, they are committed."
Stopping next in Timor-Leste, a restive island nation at the southernmost tip of the Indonesian archipelago, Keating saw a far different situation.
Since breaking free of a brutal 24-year Indonesian rule in 1999 and declaring statehood three years later, Timor-Leste's leaders have struggled to build a new democratic government. It's been a big challenge in the face of weak institutions, political infighting, poor education, extreme poverty and violence.
As Keating praised strides the country's leaders have made and promised U.S. support to help them, he said he was awed by their commitment to a free, democratic country and willingness to do what's necessary to secure its future.
"We met guys who fought for their nation's independence," he said. "They have a president who's a Nobel laureate. They have a prime minister who was imprisoned for seven years. Their chief of staff has been fighting in the hills for over a decade. And they're still fighting."
Keating conceded that the Timorese have giant challenges to overcome. He termed the country's challenges: "much on their plate over which to say grace."
"You look them in the eyes and say, 'You understand the price to be paid for freedom and democracy," Keating said. "And as you do that, you are talking to guys who are dedicating their lives to making a difference in a new nation."
Traveling south from Timor-Leste to Australia, Keating met with Australian government and military leaders to explore ways to enhance their already-rock-solid military partnership.
As they talked about ways to collaborate more closely, particularly in fighting terrorism and proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, Keating said even he was surprised by the strength of the U.S.-Australia relationship.
"It's hard for me to overstate the depth and breadth of the relationship we enjoy together," Keating said he told Air Chief Marshal Angus Houston, Australia's defense chief. "It was a spectacular visit."
This week's visits reinforced Keating's belief in what he calls "the power of the Pacific."
Using the metaphor of a tapestry, he said every Asia-Pacific nation, regardless of its size or impact beyond its own borders, is an important part of the region's overall fabric. "I am continually impressed by the fabric and how much it is all interlocking, interwoven and linked," he said.
This bond, along with positive trends taking place in the region, has created more opportunities for military-to-military cooperation and collaboration, Keating said. "They're significant," he said. "And they simply didn't exist 20 years ago."
He pointed to exercise Malabar, which wrapped up Sept. 9, as an example of that enhanced cooperation. More than 20,000 servicemembers from the United States, India, Japan, Singapore and Australia exercised their ability to respond together to provide anti-submarine warfare, anti-piracy, humanitarian and combat support.
"We had two U.S. carriers, an Indian carrier, and Japanese, Singaporean and Australian forces in the Bay of Bengal, all talking together, all working together," Keating said.
Just as significant, he said, are humanitarian efforts conducted by PACOM. USS Peleliu, for example, completed its four-month Pacific Partnership 2007 earlier this month after providing medical, dental and engineering support to the Philippines, Vietnam, Papua New Guinea, the Solomon Islands and the Marshall Islands.
Keating called these exercises, whether carried out by full carrier strike groups or small military training teams, a big part of PACOM's effort to build relationships, strengthen partnerships and express support to the region.
"We have so many capabilities in the Department of Defense and Pacific Command, and we have to pull out the stops to ensure our friends in the area know they can count on us anytime," he said. "That's our main message: 'We understand your challenges. We want you to believe and feel viscerally our commitment to support you.'"
Delivering that message throughout the region requires "constant, unrelenting work," not just by the 300,000 PACOM servicemembers and civilian employees supporting the command's mission throughout the theater, Keating said.
Just as important, he said, is the support of other U.S. agencies and regional governments, all working together toward a common goal. "It takes the entire spectrum," Keating said. "This is the furthest thing in the world from a one-man show."
As he travels through the region, Keating delivers personally the message that this full spectrum of support stands solidly alongside the United States' friends in Asia and the Pacific. "I am going around and looking them in the eye and saying, 'We are here. We are not going away,'" he said.
"We have been here since World War II and before, and we are resolutely, irrevocably committed to freedom, stability and prosperity in the Pacific Command area of responsibility."
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