Family Program Leaders Define Top Concerns
By Fred W. Baker III
American Forces Press Service
Feb. 16, 2007 – Top military family program leaders from across the services gathered here yesterday intent on answering tough questions on how to better work together. Instead, after a day of discussions, leaders at the 2007 Family Readiness Summit came up with nine issues they will present to senior military leadership.
"Part of our goal was to identify best practices, lessons learned, challenges and requirements, and what we found was that regardless of which group and which questions they were working on, everyone came up with essentially the same list," said James L. Scott III, the director of individual and family policy for the Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Reserve Affairs.
Each of the issues will be defined and will include recommendations by the group. The findings will be attached to a letter from Assistant Defense Secretary Thomas F. Hall to the service secretaries and reserve-component chiefs asking for their support in implementation.
Topping the list as a challenge was defining, and possibly renaming, family assistance centers across the services. The group noted that family programs have many different names across the services, and all have different meanings and provide different services.
"It's so confusing to our families -- even the military members," Scott said. "How do we get to one label?"
Army Col. Anthony E. Baker, chief of family programs for the National Guard Bureau, said the family assistance center is clearly defined in DoD regulations, but that it applies to an installation-level organization and does not mean the same thing for the reserve component, which has centers in geographically dispersed areas.
Members of the group expressed concerns that some family members do not go to the centers because of a possible negative connotation of the word "assistance."
"Nobody wants a handout," Scott said.
Funding also topped the list as a challenge. The group said more money is needed for more full-time personnel. More funds would help avoid burnout for the full-time staff and volunteers. Scott said there needs to be a balance. "We can't buy everything. We can't expect people to donate everything," he said.
Some participants expressed concern that current funding is tied to current operations and that those funds will not always be available. Funding should be consistent and not tied to specific operations, some said.
Also, the group said there should be one policy across the services on whether funds can be used for family member travel for training. Not all services will pay for family member travel for support-related training.
Use of emerging technologies was listed as a best practice and a challenge. Technology makes it easier to push some services down to the individual who is computer savvy, but the range of capabilities is so diverse among family members that new technology cannot be solely relied upon as a delivery system.
Partnering made the list of best practices. Partnering with the National Committee for Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve to help make contacts with local businesses was cited as a good example of partnering.
Also the development of the Web site MilitaryOneSource.com was seen as a best practice. The group members said they would like to see it further developed to include more tailoring to the individual services.
The group listed volunteers as a best practice, citing volunteerism as an integral part of a successful program.
The group also said there needs to be a focus on single soldiers' family needs, as well as the reintegration process after returning from deployment.
The summit's purpose was for group members to brainstorm ways to break down interservice bureaucratic barriers that sometimes prevent military family members from getting the help they need. This is the third such summit since 2001.
"I was very, very pleased. The response was much better than I expected it to be," Scott said. "It was a wonderful and powerful networking opportunity. I had a number of people come up to me and say 'We need to continue this.'"
Editor's Note: Military families can also avail themselves of the Defense Department's America Supports You program, which highlights home front groups across the nation that are providing a variety of services and support to troops and their families. A listing of these groups and information about their efforts is available at www.AmericaSupportsYou.mil.
Article sponsored by police and military personnel who have become authors by writing books; and the criminal justice online leadership location.
Friday, February 16, 2007
Gates, Pace Give Update on Iraq, Afghanistan, Readiness
By Linda D. Kozaryn
American Forces Press Service
Feb. 15, 2007 – Is the Shia cleric Muqtada al-Sadr in Iran? Maybe, maybe not. Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates told reporters today he hasn't seen "any factual proof of it at this point." If he is in Iran, Gates said, "I don't think he went there for a vacation." The secretary told reporters here he thinks the Shia insurgents are very concerned about the security crackdown in Iraq, and "one possible outcome is that these guys will go to ground."
Gates and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Marine Gen. Peter Pace briefed reporters on their most recent trips and fielded questions on Iraq, Afghanistan, European missile defense, the readiness of the U.S. armed forces and other topics.
Gates said he spent Thursday and Friday of last week at his first NATO defense ministers' informal meeting in Seville, Spain. The discussions focused mainly on the NATO-led mission in Afghanistan, the allies meeting their commitments to the mission, and the importance of NATO contributing more money and forces.
From Seville, Gates traveled to Germany for the 43rd Munich Conference on Security Policy, where he met a number of people he said he had met not before, including German Chancellor Angela Merkel and Ukraine President Victor Yushchenko.
The next leg of his journey, Gates said, was a 30-hour trip to and from Pakistan and an hour-and-20-minute meeting with President Pervez Musharraf. The focus of the visit was the Taliban and the spring offensive in Afghanistan.
"What we've seen in the last several springs is an increasing level of violence by the Taliban after the winter," the secretary said. "What we want to do this spring, is have this spring's offensive be our offensive, and have the initiative in our hands, rather than reacting to them."
While he would not get into specifics about what he discussed with Musharraf, Gates did tell the reporters, "If I were Osama bin Laden, I'd keep looking over my shoulder."
Asked why the U.S. and NATO are planning to install ballistic missile defenses in Europe to counter Iranian missiles that can not yet reach Europe, Gates said defense planners must consider "the acceleration of technological progress."
"If we see a threat out there, and we're looking out to 2015 and beyond, we would be making a very serious mistake ... to assume that by that time frame they would not have the capability to reach targets much farther away than southern Turkey," the secretary said.
"If somebody will guarantee me that Iran will freeze their missile technology as of today, then maybe I'd have a higher comfort level," he said. "If someone will guarantee me that Iran will not be able ballistic missile technology from others that would give them greater capabilities, then maybe I'd rest easier. I don't have those assurances."
Pace traveled to the South Pacific last week, where he met with military and national leaders in Australia and Indonesia. He said Australia is a very longstanding, solid ally. Australian forces have served with U.S. forces in every conflict since World War I and they are now serving in Iraq and Afghanistan. In Indonesia, topics of discussion included peacekeeping, enhancing military-to-military ties and humanitarian disaster relief operations.
Asked about the readiness of non-deployed military units, Pace said about 40 percent of all the military's equipment is in Iraq and Afghanistan, or in depots for repair.
"Which leaves about 60 percent of the inventory, which is an enormous amount of equipment," the chairman.
Congress has allocated money to repair the equipment, and the military depots are working on the backlog as quickly as they can, he added.
"It is true that for the five brigades that are flowing to plus up in Iraq right now," Pace said, "we are moving equipment from some units to those units so that when they go they are fully trained and have all the equipment they are required to have, so when we put those soldiers and Marines into combat, they are as well protected and trained as those they are joining."
Moving equipment from one unit to another should not cause potential enemies to miscalculate the capability of America's forces, Pace said. The United States has sufficient reserve capacity to respond to additional challenges.
"If there was another threat, we would freeze the units that are in Iraq and Afghanistan in place and mobilize our reserve, and bring on line the enormous capacity of the United States that in a day-to-day war, we don't have to tap," he said.
There are 2.4 million Americans, active duty, Guard and reserve, Pace said. "Two hundred thousand are in the Gulf region, another 200,000 are in Afghanistan, leaving about 2 million Americans still available, with the vast fleet and air forces that we have, to respond to any other challenge that might come our way."
Article sponsored by police and military personnel who have become authors by writing books; and the criminal justice online leadership location.
American Forces Press Service
Feb. 15, 2007 – Is the Shia cleric Muqtada al-Sadr in Iran? Maybe, maybe not. Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates told reporters today he hasn't seen "any factual proof of it at this point." If he is in Iran, Gates said, "I don't think he went there for a vacation." The secretary told reporters here he thinks the Shia insurgents are very concerned about the security crackdown in Iraq, and "one possible outcome is that these guys will go to ground."
Gates and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Marine Gen. Peter Pace briefed reporters on their most recent trips and fielded questions on Iraq, Afghanistan, European missile defense, the readiness of the U.S. armed forces and other topics.
Gates said he spent Thursday and Friday of last week at his first NATO defense ministers' informal meeting in Seville, Spain. The discussions focused mainly on the NATO-led mission in Afghanistan, the allies meeting their commitments to the mission, and the importance of NATO contributing more money and forces.
From Seville, Gates traveled to Germany for the 43rd Munich Conference on Security Policy, where he met a number of people he said he had met not before, including German Chancellor Angela Merkel and Ukraine President Victor Yushchenko.
The next leg of his journey, Gates said, was a 30-hour trip to and from Pakistan and an hour-and-20-minute meeting with President Pervez Musharraf. The focus of the visit was the Taliban and the spring offensive in Afghanistan.
"What we've seen in the last several springs is an increasing level of violence by the Taliban after the winter," the secretary said. "What we want to do this spring, is have this spring's offensive be our offensive, and have the initiative in our hands, rather than reacting to them."
While he would not get into specifics about what he discussed with Musharraf, Gates did tell the reporters, "If I were Osama bin Laden, I'd keep looking over my shoulder."
Asked why the U.S. and NATO are planning to install ballistic missile defenses in Europe to counter Iranian missiles that can not yet reach Europe, Gates said defense planners must consider "the acceleration of technological progress."
"If we see a threat out there, and we're looking out to 2015 and beyond, we would be making a very serious mistake ... to assume that by that time frame they would not have the capability to reach targets much farther away than southern Turkey," the secretary said.
"If somebody will guarantee me that Iran will freeze their missile technology as of today, then maybe I'd have a higher comfort level," he said. "If someone will guarantee me that Iran will not be able ballistic missile technology from others that would give them greater capabilities, then maybe I'd rest easier. I don't have those assurances."
Pace traveled to the South Pacific last week, where he met with military and national leaders in Australia and Indonesia. He said Australia is a very longstanding, solid ally. Australian forces have served with U.S. forces in every conflict since World War I and they are now serving in Iraq and Afghanistan. In Indonesia, topics of discussion included peacekeeping, enhancing military-to-military ties and humanitarian disaster relief operations.
Asked about the readiness of non-deployed military units, Pace said about 40 percent of all the military's equipment is in Iraq and Afghanistan, or in depots for repair.
"Which leaves about 60 percent of the inventory, which is an enormous amount of equipment," the chairman.
Congress has allocated money to repair the equipment, and the military depots are working on the backlog as quickly as they can, he added.
"It is true that for the five brigades that are flowing to plus up in Iraq right now," Pace said, "we are moving equipment from some units to those units so that when they go they are fully trained and have all the equipment they are required to have, so when we put those soldiers and Marines into combat, they are as well protected and trained as those they are joining."
Moving equipment from one unit to another should not cause potential enemies to miscalculate the capability of America's forces, Pace said. The United States has sufficient reserve capacity to respond to additional challenges.
"If there was another threat, we would freeze the units that are in Iraq and Afghanistan in place and mobilize our reserve, and bring on line the enormous capacity of the United States that in a day-to-day war, we don't have to tap," he said.
There are 2.4 million Americans, active duty, Guard and reserve, Pace said. "Two hundred thousand are in the Gulf region, another 200,000 are in Afghanistan, leaving about 2 million Americans still available, with the vast fleet and air forces that we have, to respond to any other challenge that might come our way."
Article sponsored by police and military personnel who have become authors by writing books; and the criminal justice online leadership location.
Program Encourages Troops to Save Money, Reduce Debt
By Gerry J. Gilmore
American Forces Press Service
Feb. 15, 2007 – A new Defense Department program encourages servicemembers to become better money managers by paying off or avoiding credit card debt and starting savings accounts, a senior official said here today. "Military Saves" is an ongoing, DoD-wide program that also sponsors money management seminars titled, "Moneywise in the Military," held at military installations across the country, Leslye A. Arsht, deputy undersecretary of defense for military community and family policy, said today during an interview with the Pentagon Channel and American Forces Press Service.
"We want financial planning and financial strategies to become a part of everyday life" for servicemembers and their families, Arsht said.
Each seminar features the insights of money management expert Kelvin Boston, host of the PBS television series, "Moneywise," as well as other sessions that discuss the proper use of credit, savings and investment strategies, home ownership and other topics.
The first "Moneywise in the Military" seminar, held in September at Walter Reed Army Medical Center here, attracted more than 200 servicemembers and military spouses, Arsht said.
Participants "listened to experts give them tips and strategies to use to start this kind of (financial) planning that would put them on this positive path to managing their money in a proactive way," Arsht said. "Many servicemembers went away saying they learned a lot of things they didn't know."
The second "Moneywise in the Military" seminar was held Jan. 31 on Fort Dix, N.J., and it drew more than 400 servicemembers and military spouses. The Navy will kick off its "Military Saves Week" activities by holding a "Moneywise in the Military" event in San Diego on Feb. 24.
The Defense Department's "Military Saves" program also offers a Web site, www.militarysaves.org, where servicemembers can access financial management information and register for a money management plan, Arsht said.
When servicemembers are distracted by financial problems, it negatively affects military readiness, Arsht pointed out. The state of a servicemember's personal finances also affects security clearances, she added.
However, servicemembers with money problems shouldn't feel embarrassed or afraid to step forward to obtain help that's free and readily available through military channels, Arsht said.
"All the command wants is for everyone who is in the service to be successful, and having debt and worry keeps you from that," Arsht said. "Everyone along the command chain recognizes that this is a problem. (But) people make mistakes and make bad choices.
"You can work to fix it. And then, once you work to fix it, you can put yourself on a path to financial success that will keep you from doing that again," Arsht said.
The "Military Saves" program officially kicks off during "Military Saves Week," Feb. 25 through March 4, Arsht said. "Military Saves" is part of a national initiative called "America Saves," she said, that urges Americans to become better stewards of their personal finances.
Article sponsored by police and military personnel who have become authors by writing books; and the criminal justice online leadership location.
American Forces Press Service
Feb. 15, 2007 – A new Defense Department program encourages servicemembers to become better money managers by paying off or avoiding credit card debt and starting savings accounts, a senior official said here today. "Military Saves" is an ongoing, DoD-wide program that also sponsors money management seminars titled, "Moneywise in the Military," held at military installations across the country, Leslye A. Arsht, deputy undersecretary of defense for military community and family policy, said today during an interview with the Pentagon Channel and American Forces Press Service.
"We want financial planning and financial strategies to become a part of everyday life" for servicemembers and their families, Arsht said.
Each seminar features the insights of money management expert Kelvin Boston, host of the PBS television series, "Moneywise," as well as other sessions that discuss the proper use of credit, savings and investment strategies, home ownership and other topics.
The first "Moneywise in the Military" seminar, held in September at Walter Reed Army Medical Center here, attracted more than 200 servicemembers and military spouses, Arsht said.
Participants "listened to experts give them tips and strategies to use to start this kind of (financial) planning that would put them on this positive path to managing their money in a proactive way," Arsht said. "Many servicemembers went away saying they learned a lot of things they didn't know."
The second "Moneywise in the Military" seminar was held Jan. 31 on Fort Dix, N.J., and it drew more than 400 servicemembers and military spouses. The Navy will kick off its "Military Saves Week" activities by holding a "Moneywise in the Military" event in San Diego on Feb. 24.
The Defense Department's "Military Saves" program also offers a Web site, www.militarysaves.org, where servicemembers can access financial management information and register for a money management plan, Arsht said.
When servicemembers are distracted by financial problems, it negatively affects military readiness, Arsht pointed out. The state of a servicemember's personal finances also affects security clearances, she added.
However, servicemembers with money problems shouldn't feel embarrassed or afraid to step forward to obtain help that's free and readily available through military channels, Arsht said.
"All the command wants is for everyone who is in the service to be successful, and having debt and worry keeps you from that," Arsht said. "Everyone along the command chain recognizes that this is a problem. (But) people make mistakes and make bad choices.
"You can work to fix it. And then, once you work to fix it, you can put yourself on a path to financial success that will keep you from doing that again," Arsht said.
The "Military Saves" program officially kicks off during "Military Saves Week," Feb. 25 through March 4, Arsht said. "Military Saves" is part of a national initiative called "America Saves," she said, that urges Americans to become better stewards of their personal finances.
Article sponsored by police and military personnel who have become authors by writing books; and the criminal justice online leadership location.
Leaders Meet to Improve Family Support Programs
By Fred W. Baker III
American Forces Press Service
Feb. 15, 2007 – When a military family member needs help, the sponsor's branch of service shouldn't matter, a top Defense Department officials said here today. Thomas F. Hall, assistant secretary of defense for reserve affairs, addressed a group of about 100 top military family program leaders from across the services who gathered for the 2007 Family Readiness Summit here. The group hopes to brainstorm ways to break down interservice bureaucratic barriers that sometimes prevent military family members from getting the help they need.
Any family member who walks into one of the 700 family readiness centers nationwide should be helped, regardless of branch of service, Hall said.
They (the center) should say, "You are an American trooper or the family member of an American trooper -- come in and you're welcome. Sit down and we'll help you," Hall said.
Each of the services, active and reserve component, sent key decision-makers for family programs to the summit. Some community service organizations such as the Red Cross and veterans services also sent representation.
Hall will send the results of the summit to the service secretaries and reserve component chiefs asking for their support in implementation.
This is the third such summit since 2001, said James L. Scott III, director of individual and family policy on Hall's staff. He said that this is the best way to collaborate on behalf of servicemembers and their families.
"It's extremely powerful," he said. "Any time we get more than two or three people who are passionate about families and supporting them, they come up with the most creative answers on identifying resources."
Scott said this summit's goal is to figure out how to best provide services and support to all military families, with special emphasis on those who are geographically separated from an installation.
"They are entitled to these services, but it is hard for them to access them," Scott said. "Does that make those military members ... less deserving of services and support? No. Perhaps it makes them more deserving. We just have to figure out ways to do it better."
Scott said providing interservice and interagency support to troops and family members just makes sense.
"That's the way we fight. That's the way we need to support. It's just the right answer," he said.
Army Col. Anthony E. Baker, chief of family programs for the National Guard Bureau, said family members really don't care where they get their needs met, so long as there are met. He said studies have shown that the services need to improve their systems for meeting family members' needs.
"All they care about is convenience," Baker said. "They don't care who delivers it, as long as it's delivered. That's what we're trying to do, is figure out how we can deliver the services to them in such a way that it is not inconvenient to them."
He also said a better-prepared family is a stronger family during deployment. But the key is getting the service to the family, especially for those who do not live on or near a military installation.
"We have to deliver those services closer to them. We're not looking for them to come to us. We're looking to go to them," he said.
The group will present its findings tomorrow, followed by the 2006 Reserve Family Readiness Awards ceremony. Hall will recognize the units in each reserve component that demonstrated outstanding family readiness.
Article sponsored by police and military personnel who have become authors by writing books; and the criminal justice online leadership location.
American Forces Press Service
Feb. 15, 2007 – When a military family member needs help, the sponsor's branch of service shouldn't matter, a top Defense Department officials said here today. Thomas F. Hall, assistant secretary of defense for reserve affairs, addressed a group of about 100 top military family program leaders from across the services who gathered for the 2007 Family Readiness Summit here. The group hopes to brainstorm ways to break down interservice bureaucratic barriers that sometimes prevent military family members from getting the help they need.
Any family member who walks into one of the 700 family readiness centers nationwide should be helped, regardless of branch of service, Hall said.
They (the center) should say, "You are an American trooper or the family member of an American trooper -- come in and you're welcome. Sit down and we'll help you," Hall said.
Each of the services, active and reserve component, sent key decision-makers for family programs to the summit. Some community service organizations such as the Red Cross and veterans services also sent representation.
Hall will send the results of the summit to the service secretaries and reserve component chiefs asking for their support in implementation.
This is the third such summit since 2001, said James L. Scott III, director of individual and family policy on Hall's staff. He said that this is the best way to collaborate on behalf of servicemembers and their families.
"It's extremely powerful," he said. "Any time we get more than two or three people who are passionate about families and supporting them, they come up with the most creative answers on identifying resources."
Scott said this summit's goal is to figure out how to best provide services and support to all military families, with special emphasis on those who are geographically separated from an installation.
"They are entitled to these services, but it is hard for them to access them," Scott said. "Does that make those military members ... less deserving of services and support? No. Perhaps it makes them more deserving. We just have to figure out ways to do it better."
Scott said providing interservice and interagency support to troops and family members just makes sense.
"That's the way we fight. That's the way we need to support. It's just the right answer," he said.
Army Col. Anthony E. Baker, chief of family programs for the National Guard Bureau, said family members really don't care where they get their needs met, so long as there are met. He said studies have shown that the services need to improve their systems for meeting family members' needs.
"All they care about is convenience," Baker said. "They don't care who delivers it, as long as it's delivered. That's what we're trying to do, is figure out how we can deliver the services to them in such a way that it is not inconvenient to them."
He also said a better-prepared family is a stronger family during deployment. But the key is getting the service to the family, especially for those who do not live on or near a military installation.
"We have to deliver those services closer to them. We're not looking for them to come to us. We're looking to go to them," he said.
The group will present its findings tomorrow, followed by the 2006 Reserve Family Readiness Awards ceremony. Hall will recognize the units in each reserve component that demonstrated outstanding family readiness.
Article sponsored by police and military personnel who have become authors by writing books; and the criminal justice online leadership location.
Group Launches Operation Jellybeans to Heroes Unseen
By Samantha L. Quigley
American Forces Press Service
Feb. 15, 2007 – After sending thousands of homemade Valentines and boxes of candy to troops serving overseas, SI Yellow Ribbon Campaign is gearing up for its fourth "Operation Jellybeans to Heroes Unseen." In this operation, the organization sends boxes of Easter goodies to servicemembers to remind them that Americans at home are still thinking about them.
SI Yellow Ribbon Campaign is a member of America Supports You, a Defense Department program that highlights and facilitates the ways Americans and the corporate sector are supporting the nation's servicemembers.
"We try to include in each box a bag of jelly beans, a small chocolate bunny, a box of Peeps, a bag of assorted candy and a carton of marshmallow eggs, along with the cards ... from all across the country," said Amy Oxford, the group's founder. She added that Easter is the last holiday of the year for which she feels comfortable sending chocolate to the troops in Iraq and Afghanistan because of rising temperatures in those locations.
Oxford is asking for donations for Easter packages to arrive at her Illinois headquarters by March 16. Easter falls on April 8, but the early deadline allows time for volunteers to pack and ship the 500 boxes Oxford hopes to ship to the troops so they arrive by the holiday, she explained.
"We would love to send as many as donations would allow," Oxford said. "There is no shortage of (servicemembers to send to)."
So far the group doesn't have much to put in the Easter boxes, but Oxford said she is not overly concerned yet. "The donations haven't started coming in yet, but we've heard of drives that are beginning to launch and people making plans to get ... items," she said.
This doesn't mean that SI Yellow Ribbon Campaign's shelves will be overflowing after she's hopped down to the post office with the Easter packages. Once those are gone, Oxford will continue to ship care packages as requests come in, she said.
"There have been many new names added to the organization's list as troop rotations continue," Oxford said. "There are constant needs and wants submitted to the group, ... not just on holidays, but year round."
While donations of care package goodies are needed and welcomed all year, cash donations are appreciated, as well, she said. Though the group has recently switched to flat-rate postal boxes to reduce shipping costs, the mailing cost still runs $8.10 per package.
"Our postage fund is always hurting," she said. "There is never a time when we don't need postage."
Candy may soon be in plentiful supply for the group, however. The group is talking with an Illinois-based chocolate manufacturer that has national recognition, Oxford said.
"The plans aren't finalized, but ... the owner is a veteran and looking forward to doing his part to help out," she said.
Shipping and donation information is available on the SI Yellow Ribbon Web site.
Article sponsored by police and military personnel who have become authors by writing books; and the criminal justice online leadership location.
American Forces Press Service
Feb. 15, 2007 – After sending thousands of homemade Valentines and boxes of candy to troops serving overseas, SI Yellow Ribbon Campaign is gearing up for its fourth "Operation Jellybeans to Heroes Unseen." In this operation, the organization sends boxes of Easter goodies to servicemembers to remind them that Americans at home are still thinking about them.
SI Yellow Ribbon Campaign is a member of America Supports You, a Defense Department program that highlights and facilitates the ways Americans and the corporate sector are supporting the nation's servicemembers.
"We try to include in each box a bag of jelly beans, a small chocolate bunny, a box of Peeps, a bag of assorted candy and a carton of marshmallow eggs, along with the cards ... from all across the country," said Amy Oxford, the group's founder. She added that Easter is the last holiday of the year for which she feels comfortable sending chocolate to the troops in Iraq and Afghanistan because of rising temperatures in those locations.
Oxford is asking for donations for Easter packages to arrive at her Illinois headquarters by March 16. Easter falls on April 8, but the early deadline allows time for volunteers to pack and ship the 500 boxes Oxford hopes to ship to the troops so they arrive by the holiday, she explained.
"We would love to send as many as donations would allow," Oxford said. "There is no shortage of (servicemembers to send to)."
So far the group doesn't have much to put in the Easter boxes, but Oxford said she is not overly concerned yet. "The donations haven't started coming in yet, but we've heard of drives that are beginning to launch and people making plans to get ... items," she said.
This doesn't mean that SI Yellow Ribbon Campaign's shelves will be overflowing after she's hopped down to the post office with the Easter packages. Once those are gone, Oxford will continue to ship care packages as requests come in, she said.
"There have been many new names added to the organization's list as troop rotations continue," Oxford said. "There are constant needs and wants submitted to the group, ... not just on holidays, but year round."
While donations of care package goodies are needed and welcomed all year, cash donations are appreciated, as well, she said. Though the group has recently switched to flat-rate postal boxes to reduce shipping costs, the mailing cost still runs $8.10 per package.
"Our postage fund is always hurting," she said. "There is never a time when we don't need postage."
Candy may soon be in plentiful supply for the group, however. The group is talking with an Illinois-based chocolate manufacturer that has national recognition, Oxford said.
"The plans aren't finalized, but ... the owner is a veteran and looking forward to doing his part to help out," she said.
Shipping and donation information is available on the SI Yellow Ribbon Web site.
Article sponsored by police and military personnel who have become authors by writing books; and the criminal justice online leadership location.
Navy Lab in Indonesia Serves on Front Line of Medical Research
By Jim Garamone
American Forces Press Service
Feb. 15, 2007 – American and Indonesian personnel at U.S. Naval Medical Research Unit No. 2 here aim to help protect U.S. servicemembers deployed in tropical regions. Lynne Pace, wife of Marine Gen. Peter Pace, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, toured the unit Feb. 13 and met with most of the researchers. She was in Indonesia accompanying her husband, who was visiting with defense leaders here.
Seventeen Americans and 143 Indonesians serve on the research unit's staff. Pace praised the dedication of the entire team, and said the American researchers have volunteered for multiple tours.
"They are here for two years, but almost all extend (their tours)," she said. "They know they are doing something important to benefit everybody."
The unit's mission is to conduct research and tests in "tropical medical and infectious diseases to maintain and enhance the health, safety, and readiness of Navy and Marine Corps personnel in the performance of peacetime and contingency missions in Southeast Asia and other tropical and subtropical regions," according to unit officials.
The unit's scientists, doctors and technicians work with their Indonesian counterparts on researching malaria, dengue fever, the Hepatitis E virus, emerging infectious diseases and other health threats. A big part of their work lately has been research into avian influenza, or "bird flu." Indonesia's National Institute of Health Research and Development hosts the American facility, unit officials said.
The unit spends about $5 million a year on salaries and goods from Indonesia, according to officials. Pace said that some of the equipment is purchased while other pieces of equipment are donated by U.S. and Indonesian charities and companies.
"The facilities are not what we are used to in the States," Pace said during an interview. "They do not have a big budget, but they make the most out of what they get."
The unit is very much on the front lines of fighting disease. According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control, Indonesia has the largest number of avian flu patients. Joint avian flu monitoring by the unit and their Indonesian counterparts will help to pinpoint any outbreaks of the disease or help stop H5N1 bird flu from crossing to humans, officials said.
The research unit has found that the problem in Indonesia isn't the commercial farms, Pace said, but the "small farmers with chickens in the backyard." These families live with the birds and are most susceptible to contracting the disease.
The unit also has helped track hereditary factors in contracting SARS virus, and it continues to search for a malaria vaccine and studies drug-resistant parasites that cause malaria. In addition the research unit serves as a collecting point and a clearinghouse for information, officials said.
The unit has an outpost lab in Cambodia and a partner unit Naval Medical Research Unit No. 3 in Cairo.
Article sponsored by police and military personnel who have become authors by writing books; and the criminal justice online leadership location.
American Forces Press Service
Feb. 15, 2007 – American and Indonesian personnel at U.S. Naval Medical Research Unit No. 2 here aim to help protect U.S. servicemembers deployed in tropical regions. Lynne Pace, wife of Marine Gen. Peter Pace, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, toured the unit Feb. 13 and met with most of the researchers. She was in Indonesia accompanying her husband, who was visiting with defense leaders here.
Seventeen Americans and 143 Indonesians serve on the research unit's staff. Pace praised the dedication of the entire team, and said the American researchers have volunteered for multiple tours.
"They are here for two years, but almost all extend (their tours)," she said. "They know they are doing something important to benefit everybody."
The unit's mission is to conduct research and tests in "tropical medical and infectious diseases to maintain and enhance the health, safety, and readiness of Navy and Marine Corps personnel in the performance of peacetime and contingency missions in Southeast Asia and other tropical and subtropical regions," according to unit officials.
The unit's scientists, doctors and technicians work with their Indonesian counterparts on researching malaria, dengue fever, the Hepatitis E virus, emerging infectious diseases and other health threats. A big part of their work lately has been research into avian influenza, or "bird flu." Indonesia's National Institute of Health Research and Development hosts the American facility, unit officials said.
The unit spends about $5 million a year on salaries and goods from Indonesia, according to officials. Pace said that some of the equipment is purchased while other pieces of equipment are donated by U.S. and Indonesian charities and companies.
"The facilities are not what we are used to in the States," Pace said during an interview. "They do not have a big budget, but they make the most out of what they get."
The unit is very much on the front lines of fighting disease. According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control, Indonesia has the largest number of avian flu patients. Joint avian flu monitoring by the unit and their Indonesian counterparts will help to pinpoint any outbreaks of the disease or help stop H5N1 bird flu from crossing to humans, officials said.
The research unit has found that the problem in Indonesia isn't the commercial farms, Pace said, but the "small farmers with chickens in the backyard." These families live with the birds and are most susceptible to contracting the disease.
The unit also has helped track hereditary factors in contracting SARS virus, and it continues to search for a malaria vaccine and studies drug-resistant parasites that cause malaria. In addition the research unit serves as a collecting point and a clearinghouse for information, officials said.
The unit has an outpost lab in Cambodia and a partner unit Naval Medical Research Unit No. 3 in Cairo.
Article sponsored by police and military personnel who have become authors by writing books; and the criminal justice online leadership location.
Thursday, February 15, 2007
North Korea Agrees to Nuclear Disarmament
By Sgt. Sara Wood, USA
American Forces Press Service
Feb. 14, 2007 – North Korea has agreed to shut down nuclear operations and allow international inspectors into the country, President Bush announced today, hailing it as an important step toward a nuclear-free Korean Peninsula. At six-party talks in Beijing, North Korea said that within 60 days it will shut down and seal all operations at the primary nuclear facilities it has used to produce weapons-grade plutonium. North Korea also agreed to allow international inspectors to verify and monitor this progress and to disclose all of its nuclear programs as an initial step toward abandoning them.
In exchange for North Korea's commitments, the five other parties at the table -- China, Russia, Japan, South Korea and the United States -- made commitments to provide economic, humanitarian and energy assistance to the people of North Korea.
"This is a unique deal. First of all, unlike any other agreement, it brings together all of North Korea's neighbors in the region, as well as the United States," Bush said today at a White House news conference.
Bush noted that the agreement is backed by a United Nations Security Council resolution.
The breakthrough came at the six-party talks because other countries joined the U.S. in condemning North Korea's nuclear programs, Bush said. The North Koreans have to prove themselves by actually following through on the deal, he said, but if they do, the people will benefit greatly.
The first aid that will arrive in North Korea will be 50,000 tons of fuel from South Korea as soon as the main weapons manufacturing facility is shut down and all the nuclear programs are declared, Bush said. If the North Koreans disable and abandon all their nuclear facilities, other countries will step in with additional fuel, food and economic assistance, he said. "That's not going to happen until there's some verifiable measures that have been taken," he added.
"This is good progress; it is a good first step," Bush said. "There's a lot of work to be done to make sure that the commitment is made and this agreement becomes a reality. But I believe it's an important step in the right direction."
Article sponsored by police and military personnel who have become authors by writing books; and the criminal justice online leadership location.
American Forces Press Service
Feb. 14, 2007 – North Korea has agreed to shut down nuclear operations and allow international inspectors into the country, President Bush announced today, hailing it as an important step toward a nuclear-free Korean Peninsula. At six-party talks in Beijing, North Korea said that within 60 days it will shut down and seal all operations at the primary nuclear facilities it has used to produce weapons-grade plutonium. North Korea also agreed to allow international inspectors to verify and monitor this progress and to disclose all of its nuclear programs as an initial step toward abandoning them.
In exchange for North Korea's commitments, the five other parties at the table -- China, Russia, Japan, South Korea and the United States -- made commitments to provide economic, humanitarian and energy assistance to the people of North Korea.
"This is a unique deal. First of all, unlike any other agreement, it brings together all of North Korea's neighbors in the region, as well as the United States," Bush said today at a White House news conference.
Bush noted that the agreement is backed by a United Nations Security Council resolution.
The breakthrough came at the six-party talks because other countries joined the U.S. in condemning North Korea's nuclear programs, Bush said. The North Koreans have to prove themselves by actually following through on the deal, he said, but if they do, the people will benefit greatly.
The first aid that will arrive in North Korea will be 50,000 tons of fuel from South Korea as soon as the main weapons manufacturing facility is shut down and all the nuclear programs are declared, Bush said. If the North Koreans disable and abandon all their nuclear facilities, other countries will step in with additional fuel, food and economic assistance, he said. "That's not going to happen until there's some verifiable measures that have been taken," he added.
"This is good progress; it is a good first step," Bush said. "There's a lot of work to be done to make sure that the commitment is made and this agreement becomes a reality. But I believe it's an important step in the right direction."
Article sponsored by police and military personnel who have become authors by writing books; and the criminal justice online leadership location.
Navy, Marines Request Funding to Repair, Replace Equipment
By Gerry J. Gilmore
American Forces Press Service
Feb. 14, 2007 – The Navy and Marine Corps are requesting $4.4 billion to fix or replace worn out or damaged military equipment that has seen hard use in the war against global terrorism, senior military leaders testified before a joint U.S. House committee on Capitol Hill yesterday. Congress deserves thanks for already providing about $10.2 billion for repair or replacement of Navy and Marine equipment as part of fiscal 2006 and 2007 supplemental funding, Lt. Gen. Emerson Gardner, the Marines' deputy commandant for programs and resources, said before members of the Sea Power and Expeditionary Forces subcommittees.
"For over five years, the Marine Corps has been involved in combat and combat support operations around the globe," Gardner said. "Your deployed Marines are better trained, better equipped and better protected than ever before."
In fact, about $2.8 billion in funding is earmarked for obtaining 2,700 roadside-bomb-resistant trucks, known as mine-resistant ambush-protected vehicles, for Marines and sailors deployed to Iraq, Gardner said. About 65 of these robust vehicles are being used in Iraq, he said.
"Our experience is that Marines in these vehicles have been four to five times safer than a Marine in an armored Humvee," Gardner said. "Based on this experience, we recently decided to replace our armored Humvees in theater on a one-for-one basis with MRAPs."
The Marine Corps also will plus-up its ranks, Gardner noted, by adding around 5,000 new Marines each year until the Corps' new end strength of about 202,000 Marines is reached by 2011.
"We are initially funding this effort through a mix of baseline and supplemental appropriations," Gardner explained. "But, we are eager to get these costs into our baseline budget as soon as possible."
About 42,000 U.S. sailors are deployed worldwide, said Vice Adm. Jonathan W. Greenert, deputy chief of naval operations for integration of capabilities and resources, who also testified at the hearing. More than 12,000 sailors are serving on the ground in Iraq, Afghanistan and throughout the U.S. Central Command area of responsibility, Greenert said.
High-demand naval combat engineers, known as Seabees; Sea, Air and Land special operations forces; and explosive ordnance disposal teams deployed to Afghanistan and Iraq are experiencing rapid wearing out of their equipment, Greenert said. Some equipment is wearing out on average 14 times faster than during peacetime usage, he noted.
Other equipment, such as field generators, are wearing out 40 times faster, Greenert said.
In addition, Navy aircraft like the F/A-18 Hornet are aging rapidly due to excessive amounts of mission flight time, the admiral said.
The Hornet is consuming flight hours at a rate 30 percent greater than originally planned, Greenert said. "This increase in flight hours is accelerating the expected service life of these aircraft, reducing anticipated years of service."
Other Naval aircraft being used in Iraq and Afghanistan are experiencing similar stresses, he added.
Such wear and tear on equipment produces higher operational costs, Greenert said.
Past wartime supplemental funding provided by Congress was used to support overseas operational costs and not for resetting, or fixing or replacing, worn out equipment, the admiral said.
"Our reset requirements for our equipment will continue to grow more extensively than originally anticipated, as long as our high op tempo continues," Greenert said.
Article sponsored by police and military personnel who have become authors by writing books; and the criminal justice online leadership location.
American Forces Press Service
Feb. 14, 2007 – The Navy and Marine Corps are requesting $4.4 billion to fix or replace worn out or damaged military equipment that has seen hard use in the war against global terrorism, senior military leaders testified before a joint U.S. House committee on Capitol Hill yesterday. Congress deserves thanks for already providing about $10.2 billion for repair or replacement of Navy and Marine equipment as part of fiscal 2006 and 2007 supplemental funding, Lt. Gen. Emerson Gardner, the Marines' deputy commandant for programs and resources, said before members of the Sea Power and Expeditionary Forces subcommittees.
"For over five years, the Marine Corps has been involved in combat and combat support operations around the globe," Gardner said. "Your deployed Marines are better trained, better equipped and better protected than ever before."
In fact, about $2.8 billion in funding is earmarked for obtaining 2,700 roadside-bomb-resistant trucks, known as mine-resistant ambush-protected vehicles, for Marines and sailors deployed to Iraq, Gardner said. About 65 of these robust vehicles are being used in Iraq, he said.
"Our experience is that Marines in these vehicles have been four to five times safer than a Marine in an armored Humvee," Gardner said. "Based on this experience, we recently decided to replace our armored Humvees in theater on a one-for-one basis with MRAPs."
The Marine Corps also will plus-up its ranks, Gardner noted, by adding around 5,000 new Marines each year until the Corps' new end strength of about 202,000 Marines is reached by 2011.
"We are initially funding this effort through a mix of baseline and supplemental appropriations," Gardner explained. "But, we are eager to get these costs into our baseline budget as soon as possible."
About 42,000 U.S. sailors are deployed worldwide, said Vice Adm. Jonathan W. Greenert, deputy chief of naval operations for integration of capabilities and resources, who also testified at the hearing. More than 12,000 sailors are serving on the ground in Iraq, Afghanistan and throughout the U.S. Central Command area of responsibility, Greenert said.
High-demand naval combat engineers, known as Seabees; Sea, Air and Land special operations forces; and explosive ordnance disposal teams deployed to Afghanistan and Iraq are experiencing rapid wearing out of their equipment, Greenert said. Some equipment is wearing out on average 14 times faster than during peacetime usage, he noted.
Other equipment, such as field generators, are wearing out 40 times faster, Greenert said.
In addition, Navy aircraft like the F/A-18 Hornet are aging rapidly due to excessive amounts of mission flight time, the admiral said.
The Hornet is consuming flight hours at a rate 30 percent greater than originally planned, Greenert said. "This increase in flight hours is accelerating the expected service life of these aircraft, reducing anticipated years of service."
Other Naval aircraft being used in Iraq and Afghanistan are experiencing similar stresses, he added.
Such wear and tear on equipment produces higher operational costs, Greenert said.
Past wartime supplemental funding provided by Congress was used to support overseas operational costs and not for resetting, or fixing or replacing, worn out equipment, the admiral said.
"Our reset requirements for our equipment will continue to grow more extensively than originally anticipated, as long as our high op tempo continues," Greenert said.
Article sponsored by police and military personnel who have become authors by writing books; and the criminal justice online leadership location.
Program Helps Vets Own Franchises
By Donna Miles
American Forces Press Service
Feb. 14, 2007 – When he returned home from an 11-month deployment to Iraq in October 2005, Army Staff Sgt. John Reid realized he'd stashed away a sizeable sum of cash and wanted to put it to work for himself. "I didn't want to waste it on a new car or something like that," said the New York National Guardsman, who spent five years on active duty before joining the Guard in 1989.
Instead, Reid decided to invest in his own business. He attended a franchise expo, ultimately buying a Glass Doctor franchise in Somerset, N.J. Only when the company flew him to Waco, Texas, for an orientation did Reid learn about one of the best-kept secrets for veterans who dream of opening their own business: the Veterans Transition Franchise Initiative.
Known as "VetFran," the program offers financial incentives to veterans interested in owning their own franchise. By purchasing his franchise through VetFran, Reid said, he saved about 10 percent of the franchise cost. "That gave me a little more start-up money," he said.
In addition to financial help, Reid said the program gave him another whole network of advisors to help him make his new business a success. "It's really helpful that I can call on them any time with any problems," he said. "That's an added benefit."
Reid is among more than 600 veterans who have taken advantage of VetFran to buy franchised small businesses since Don Dwyer Sr. of the Dwyer Group founded the program in 1991. VetFran lost momentum after Dwyer's death in 1994, but his daughter, Dina Dwyer-Owens, revived it after the Sept. 11, 2001, terror attacks. Today, some 200 companies in the International Franchise Association participate in the program.
"VetFran was created to honor America's veterans for their service to the nation," said IFA President Matthew Shay. "We ... do it in a way that helps them continue to contribute to the nation's well-being by becoming small-business owners and operators."
Cmdr. Gary Martin-Ranft, a Coast Guard Reservist, recently took advantage of VetFran to buy a HomeVestors of America franchise in Chicago. The company, best known for its "We Buy Ugly Houses" advertising signs, specializes in buying, rehabbing and selling houses.
Martin-Ranft said he was always interested in real estate, and welcomed the opportunity to buy a real-estate franchise through a program that recognizes veterans. "I like to be loyal to people who are good to veterans," he said.
Former National Guardsman Alina Gutierrez, who bought a Glass Doctor franchise in Hamilton, N.J., said she, too, was happy to participate in a program that honors veterans. "I like that we are recognized for what we've done for our country," she said.
While honoring veterans for their service, VetFrank also attracts top-notch candidates as potential franchise owners, Shay said. "Veterans are highly desirable franchisee candidates, because their military training instills in them a strong sense of discipline, an ability to lead within a structured system and an unwavering belief in core values, which carries over well to the franchise business," he said.
Veteran Dan Windler, who bought a Rainbow International Restoration and Cleaning franchise in Imperial, Calif., through VetFran in 2003, said his service in the Marine Corps helped set him up to be a successful businessman. "We were taught from day one in the U.S Marine Corps that veterans make good leaders and business owners," he said.
Gutierrez, too, credited her military training, particularly experience she gained during her deployment in Iraq, for helping her succeed in business and in life. "My goal for the business is to give 100 percent and be the best that I can," she said. "It's not just about making money. It's about leading a better life."
VetFran is among a huge array of programs and services offered through corporations, grassroots organizations and private citizens in support of the men and women in uniform and veterans of the U.S. military. These initiatives are highlighted in the Defense Department's America Supports You program.
Article sponsored by police and military personnel who have become authors by writing books; and the criminal justice online leadership location.
American Forces Press Service
Feb. 14, 2007 – When he returned home from an 11-month deployment to Iraq in October 2005, Army Staff Sgt. John Reid realized he'd stashed away a sizeable sum of cash and wanted to put it to work for himself. "I didn't want to waste it on a new car or something like that," said the New York National Guardsman, who spent five years on active duty before joining the Guard in 1989.
Instead, Reid decided to invest in his own business. He attended a franchise expo, ultimately buying a Glass Doctor franchise in Somerset, N.J. Only when the company flew him to Waco, Texas, for an orientation did Reid learn about one of the best-kept secrets for veterans who dream of opening their own business: the Veterans Transition Franchise Initiative.
Known as "VetFran," the program offers financial incentives to veterans interested in owning their own franchise. By purchasing his franchise through VetFran, Reid said, he saved about 10 percent of the franchise cost. "That gave me a little more start-up money," he said.
In addition to financial help, Reid said the program gave him another whole network of advisors to help him make his new business a success. "It's really helpful that I can call on them any time with any problems," he said. "That's an added benefit."
Reid is among more than 600 veterans who have taken advantage of VetFran to buy franchised small businesses since Don Dwyer Sr. of the Dwyer Group founded the program in 1991. VetFran lost momentum after Dwyer's death in 1994, but his daughter, Dina Dwyer-Owens, revived it after the Sept. 11, 2001, terror attacks. Today, some 200 companies in the International Franchise Association participate in the program.
"VetFran was created to honor America's veterans for their service to the nation," said IFA President Matthew Shay. "We ... do it in a way that helps them continue to contribute to the nation's well-being by becoming small-business owners and operators."
Cmdr. Gary Martin-Ranft, a Coast Guard Reservist, recently took advantage of VetFran to buy a HomeVestors of America franchise in Chicago. The company, best known for its "We Buy Ugly Houses" advertising signs, specializes in buying, rehabbing and selling houses.
Martin-Ranft said he was always interested in real estate, and welcomed the opportunity to buy a real-estate franchise through a program that recognizes veterans. "I like to be loyal to people who are good to veterans," he said.
Former National Guardsman Alina Gutierrez, who bought a Glass Doctor franchise in Hamilton, N.J., said she, too, was happy to participate in a program that honors veterans. "I like that we are recognized for what we've done for our country," she said.
While honoring veterans for their service, VetFrank also attracts top-notch candidates as potential franchise owners, Shay said. "Veterans are highly desirable franchisee candidates, because their military training instills in them a strong sense of discipline, an ability to lead within a structured system and an unwavering belief in core values, which carries over well to the franchise business," he said.
Veteran Dan Windler, who bought a Rainbow International Restoration and Cleaning franchise in Imperial, Calif., through VetFran in 2003, said his service in the Marine Corps helped set him up to be a successful businessman. "We were taught from day one in the U.S Marine Corps that veterans make good leaders and business owners," he said.
Gutierrez, too, credited her military training, particularly experience she gained during her deployment in Iraq, for helping her succeed in business and in life. "My goal for the business is to give 100 percent and be the best that I can," she said. "It's not just about making money. It's about leading a better life."
VetFran is among a huge array of programs and services offered through corporations, grassroots organizations and private citizens in support of the men and women in uniform and veterans of the U.S. military. These initiatives are highlighted in the Defense Department's America Supports You program.
Article sponsored by police and military personnel who have become authors by writing books; and the criminal justice online leadership location.
Wednesday, February 14, 2007
Soldiers Like FCS Test Systems So Much, They Don't Want to Return Them
By Fred W. Baker III
American Forces Press Service
Feb. 13, 2007 – Testing for some of the systems slated for the first "spin out" of the Army's Future Combat Systems program has gone well, except for one minor glitch: the soldiers testing them don't want to give the prototypes back. "They won't give me back my stuff," joked Army Maj. Gen. Charles A. Cartwright, program manager for the Future Combat Systems Brigade Combat Team, as he briefed reporters on the progress of the program at the Pentagon last week.
The FCS is a "family" of a variety of manned and unmanned vehicles, sensors, launch systems and unmanned aerial vehicles. All are connected by a common network with the soldier. Some systems within the family are marked for an early fielding in an effort to get the technologies to the soldier as early as fiscal 2008.
Dubbed Experiment 1.1, the testing ran in three phases, starting in July 2006 and finishing this month. Already, some of the systems are garnering rave reviews from the combat veterans testing them. It was the first time that soldiers collectively employed FCS systems in "live" training and used the system's computer-based training support package, officials said.
"They loved it," said Col. Charles C. Bush, FCS division chief. "What the FCS spin-out is all about is getting information down to the soldier level so they can use it. Experiment 1.1 was designed to test the tools that will get them more tactical information on the battlefield."
Soldiers tested the initial version of the network operating system, the joint tactical radio system, the tactical and urban unattended ground sensors, the small unmanned ground vehicle, the Class I unmanned aerial vehicle and the non-line-of-sight launch system.
Officials taped responses from the soldiers testing the equipment and played them at the briefing. The common theme among the mix of commissioned and noncommissioned officers was that using the new systems will save lives in combat. The systems worked together to increase efficiency and mitigate risks to the soldier. The combat veterans extolled the usefulness of the equipment, giving examples of actual fights in Iraq where they could have used the systems.
"I became a big believer," one NCO said.
"All they need to do is get it out to the soldier and start training on it," another said.
One soldier said the robot vehicles, sensors and the unmanned aerial vehicles help eliminate what he referred to as "The Big 'What if?'"
Robots can be sent into buildings instead of soldiers to identify booby traps and insurgents. Unmanned aerial vehicles can be flown over hills and walls, allowing soldiers to see what is on the other side. The sensors can be placed on flanks and in buildings to detect enemy movement. All are tied to a network that the soldier can monitor on a screen mounted in his Humvee.
It's about seeing the enemy before he sees you, Bush said.
"Instead of sending 'Private Snuffy' in the room to see if there is a booby trap, you send a robot in there," Bush said. "From a tactical perspective, giving the soldier the ability to see inside a room is pretty powerful."
Two soldiers testing the robot vehicle agreed.
"It would have saved our lives," one said, referring to a booby trap discovered by the robot vehicle during the testing.
Bush said nothing like the tactical and urban sensors currently is fielded at the soldier level. Some sensors are used by specialized military intelligence units, but that information is not immediately accessible by the soldier at a squad or platoon level. An earlier prototype of the small unmanned ground vehicle is being used in Iraq to investigate tunnels and possible improvised explosive devices, he said.
The Class I unmanned aerial vehicle was tested in Hawaii by some 29th Infantry Division soldiers working through a mission readiness exercise.
"The soldiers loved that thing," Bush said.
Its effectiveness was problematic for the trainers, though, because the soldiers were finding all of the "planted" roadside bombs and taking alternative routes. As a result, they were missing out on intentional training on how to react to an IED.
"It gives them ability to see the enemy before they run into them, and lets them maneuver more effectively," Bush said.
The FCS systems will also help soldiers make better, faster decisions on the battlefield.
A sensor will let them know, for example, that a vehicle is approaching. Video from the sensor will let the soldier know if it is a suspicious vehicle.
"It will put capabilities into the hands of soldiers that they don't have now," Bush said.
"It's tough in that kind of environment to identify one individual from another individual - who's the terrorist," he said. "The more tools you give the soldier the easier it is."
The bottom line for the combat veterans testing the new systems was that robots and sensors and information on the battlefield translates to more troops coming home alive.
"If the robot ges blown up, oh well. You still have a soldier with you," an NCO said.
One combat commander said if his unit would have had the systems in Iraq, it would have saved an NCO's life, his squad leader's legs and his team leader's hand.
The initial version of the network operating system, the joint tactical radio system, the tactical and urban unattended ground sensors and the non-line-of-sight launch system are funded for the first spin-out of FCS systems starting in fiscal 2008.
There is no funding currently for the small unmanned ground vehicle and the Class I unmanned aerial vehicle for the first spin-out. They are slated as options in spin-out 2, if funding is available.
Article sponsored by Criminal Justice online leadership; and, police and military personnel who have authored books.
American Forces Press Service
Feb. 13, 2007 – Testing for some of the systems slated for the first "spin out" of the Army's Future Combat Systems program has gone well, except for one minor glitch: the soldiers testing them don't want to give the prototypes back. "They won't give me back my stuff," joked Army Maj. Gen. Charles A. Cartwright, program manager for the Future Combat Systems Brigade Combat Team, as he briefed reporters on the progress of the program at the Pentagon last week.
The FCS is a "family" of a variety of manned and unmanned vehicles, sensors, launch systems and unmanned aerial vehicles. All are connected by a common network with the soldier. Some systems within the family are marked for an early fielding in an effort to get the technologies to the soldier as early as fiscal 2008.
Dubbed Experiment 1.1, the testing ran in three phases, starting in July 2006 and finishing this month. Already, some of the systems are garnering rave reviews from the combat veterans testing them. It was the first time that soldiers collectively employed FCS systems in "live" training and used the system's computer-based training support package, officials said.
"They loved it," said Col. Charles C. Bush, FCS division chief. "What the FCS spin-out is all about is getting information down to the soldier level so they can use it. Experiment 1.1 was designed to test the tools that will get them more tactical information on the battlefield."
Soldiers tested the initial version of the network operating system, the joint tactical radio system, the tactical and urban unattended ground sensors, the small unmanned ground vehicle, the Class I unmanned aerial vehicle and the non-line-of-sight launch system.
Officials taped responses from the soldiers testing the equipment and played them at the briefing. The common theme among the mix of commissioned and noncommissioned officers was that using the new systems will save lives in combat. The systems worked together to increase efficiency and mitigate risks to the soldier. The combat veterans extolled the usefulness of the equipment, giving examples of actual fights in Iraq where they could have used the systems.
"I became a big believer," one NCO said.
"All they need to do is get it out to the soldier and start training on it," another said.
One soldier said the robot vehicles, sensors and the unmanned aerial vehicles help eliminate what he referred to as "The Big 'What if?'"
Robots can be sent into buildings instead of soldiers to identify booby traps and insurgents. Unmanned aerial vehicles can be flown over hills and walls, allowing soldiers to see what is on the other side. The sensors can be placed on flanks and in buildings to detect enemy movement. All are tied to a network that the soldier can monitor on a screen mounted in his Humvee.
It's about seeing the enemy before he sees you, Bush said.
"Instead of sending 'Private Snuffy' in the room to see if there is a booby trap, you send a robot in there," Bush said. "From a tactical perspective, giving the soldier the ability to see inside a room is pretty powerful."
Two soldiers testing the robot vehicle agreed.
"It would have saved our lives," one said, referring to a booby trap discovered by the robot vehicle during the testing.
Bush said nothing like the tactical and urban sensors currently is fielded at the soldier level. Some sensors are used by specialized military intelligence units, but that information is not immediately accessible by the soldier at a squad or platoon level. An earlier prototype of the small unmanned ground vehicle is being used in Iraq to investigate tunnels and possible improvised explosive devices, he said.
The Class I unmanned aerial vehicle was tested in Hawaii by some 29th Infantry Division soldiers working through a mission readiness exercise.
"The soldiers loved that thing," Bush said.
Its effectiveness was problematic for the trainers, though, because the soldiers were finding all of the "planted" roadside bombs and taking alternative routes. As a result, they were missing out on intentional training on how to react to an IED.
"It gives them ability to see the enemy before they run into them, and lets them maneuver more effectively," Bush said.
The FCS systems will also help soldiers make better, faster decisions on the battlefield.
A sensor will let them know, for example, that a vehicle is approaching. Video from the sensor will let the soldier know if it is a suspicious vehicle.
"It will put capabilities into the hands of soldiers that they don't have now," Bush said.
"It's tough in that kind of environment to identify one individual from another individual - who's the terrorist," he said. "The more tools you give the soldier the easier it is."
The bottom line for the combat veterans testing the new systems was that robots and sensors and information on the battlefield translates to more troops coming home alive.
"If the robot ges blown up, oh well. You still have a soldier with you," an NCO said.
One combat commander said if his unit would have had the systems in Iraq, it would have saved an NCO's life, his squad leader's legs and his team leader's hand.
The initial version of the network operating system, the joint tactical radio system, the tactical and urban unattended ground sensors and the non-line-of-sight launch system are funded for the first spin-out of FCS systems starting in fiscal 2008.
There is no funding currently for the small unmanned ground vehicle and the Class I unmanned aerial vehicle for the first spin-out. They are slated as options in spin-out 2, if funding is available.
Article sponsored by Criminal Justice online leadership; and, police and military personnel who have authored books.
Tuesday, February 13, 2007
Active Military Meets January Recruiting Goals; Retention Remains Strong
By Sgt. Sara Wood, USA
American Forces Press Service
Feb. 12, 2007 – All active components of the military services met or exceeded their recruiting goals for January, the Defense Department announced today. The Army achieved 111 percent of its goal with 9,306 troops; the Air Force, 100 percent of its goal with 2,552 troops; the Navy, 100 percent of its goal with 2,764; and the Marine Corps, 108 percent with 3,403.
Four of six of the reserve components met or exceeded their recruiting goals for January. The Army National Guard, Marine Corps Reserve, Air National Guard and Air Force Reserve all achieved more than 100 percent of their goals. The Army Reserve and Navy Reserve lagged, with 99 percent and 93 percent, respectively.
Retention among active and reserve components remained solid. The Marine Corps and Air Force met or exceeded overall retention missions. The Army met 109 percent of its year-to-date mission, and the Navy met 93 percent.
Army National Guard retention was 120 percent of the cumulative goal of 10,289, and Air National Guard retention was 97 percent of its cumulative goal of 3,289. Both the Army and Air Guard are at 99 percent of their target end strength. Losses in all reserve components for December are well within acceptable limits, officials said, and indications are that trend will continue into January.
The Army's recruiting numbers may get an added boost in March after the Army launches a traveling, virtual reality exhibit. The Virtual Army Experience is a high-tech, team-based experience designed to immerse visitors in the operational roles of soldiers, according to an Army news release.
The 10,000-square-foot interactive exhibit brings the Army's exceptionally popular computer game, "America's Army: Special Forces (Overmatch)," to a life-size networked world, according to the release. In the Virtual Army Experience, participants employ teamwork, leadership and high-tech equipment as they take part in a hands-on virtual mission to capture a terrorist leader. The Virtual Army Experience debuts this week at Speedweek in Daytona, Fla., and will deploy to 35 events around the nation.
"The Virtual Army Experience provides visitors with unparalleled insight into today's high-tech Army, in which smart, capable soldiers work within elite teams to master the most complex and demanding situations," said Col. Casey Wardynski, project director for America's Army and originator of the concept for the Virtual Army Experience. "Upon entering the Virtual Army Experience, visitors meet virtual members of their team -- skilled professionals in fields ranging from aviation to communications. From this point forward, visitors gain an appreciation of the degree to which the Army prepares young adults to be confident, skilled and trusted."
Article sponsored by Criminal Justice online leadership; and, police and military personnel who have authored books.
American Forces Press Service
Feb. 12, 2007 – All active components of the military services met or exceeded their recruiting goals for January, the Defense Department announced today. The Army achieved 111 percent of its goal with 9,306 troops; the Air Force, 100 percent of its goal with 2,552 troops; the Navy, 100 percent of its goal with 2,764; and the Marine Corps, 108 percent with 3,403.
Four of six of the reserve components met or exceeded their recruiting goals for January. The Army National Guard, Marine Corps Reserve, Air National Guard and Air Force Reserve all achieved more than 100 percent of their goals. The Army Reserve and Navy Reserve lagged, with 99 percent and 93 percent, respectively.
Retention among active and reserve components remained solid. The Marine Corps and Air Force met or exceeded overall retention missions. The Army met 109 percent of its year-to-date mission, and the Navy met 93 percent.
Army National Guard retention was 120 percent of the cumulative goal of 10,289, and Air National Guard retention was 97 percent of its cumulative goal of 3,289. Both the Army and Air Guard are at 99 percent of their target end strength. Losses in all reserve components for December are well within acceptable limits, officials said, and indications are that trend will continue into January.
The Army's recruiting numbers may get an added boost in March after the Army launches a traveling, virtual reality exhibit. The Virtual Army Experience is a high-tech, team-based experience designed to immerse visitors in the operational roles of soldiers, according to an Army news release.
The 10,000-square-foot interactive exhibit brings the Army's exceptionally popular computer game, "America's Army: Special Forces (Overmatch)," to a life-size networked world, according to the release. In the Virtual Army Experience, participants employ teamwork, leadership and high-tech equipment as they take part in a hands-on virtual mission to capture a terrorist leader. The Virtual Army Experience debuts this week at Speedweek in Daytona, Fla., and will deploy to 35 events around the nation.
"The Virtual Army Experience provides visitors with unparalleled insight into today's high-tech Army, in which smart, capable soldiers work within elite teams to master the most complex and demanding situations," said Col. Casey Wardynski, project director for America's Army and originator of the concept for the Virtual Army Experience. "Upon entering the Virtual Army Experience, visitors meet virtual members of their team -- skilled professionals in fields ranging from aviation to communications. From this point forward, visitors gain an appreciation of the degree to which the Army prepares young adults to be confident, skilled and trusted."
Article sponsored by Criminal Justice online leadership; and, police and military personnel who have authored books.
No Yelling Marine
February 13, 2007 (San Dimas, CA) Military-Writers.com, a website listing current, former and active United States Military personnel who have authored books, added Major Wally Adamchik to the list of military personnel who have written books.
“A former director of the F.B.I., the first man to walk on the moon and the greatest hitter to ever play the sport of baseball – what do these men all have in common? They are all leaders, of course. But they are also all former Marines”
Major Wally Adamchik, a former tank commander and helicopter pilot with the United States Marine Corps, is the founder and president of FireStarter Speaking and Consulting, a national leadership development and consulting firm. His new book, No Yelling: The 9 Secrets of Marine Corps Leadership You Must Know to Win in Business, draws upon the real-life experiences of those currently serving in the Marines and those now in the civilian sector to explain how anyone can incorporate the nine essential behaviors of Marine Corps leadership into their daily business life. The book includes more than 100 interviews with current and former Marines, and offers side-by-side comparisons of their application in military and civilian settings.
“The leadership techniques displayed by the United States Marine Corps have proven themselves time and again in battle,” says Adamchik. “These same principles can be applied from the break room to the board room to help anyone excel in business.”
The United States Marine Corps has a long-standing legacy of producing some of the United States’ most renowned leaders. Since 1775, countless governors, senators, astronauts, athletes, entertainers and business executives have served in this elite branch of the United States military. Many of these former Marines have taken the leadership skills learned in the Marines and applied them to their everyday lives. Wally Adamchik is one such former Marine.
In addition to hosting current, former and retired military personnel who have written books, Military-Writers.com is building and extensive web-based directory of military personnel who own businesses.
“A former director of the F.B.I., the first man to walk on the moon and the greatest hitter to ever play the sport of baseball – what do these men all have in common? They are all leaders, of course. But they are also all former Marines”
Major Wally Adamchik, a former tank commander and helicopter pilot with the United States Marine Corps, is the founder and president of FireStarter Speaking and Consulting, a national leadership development and consulting firm. His new book, No Yelling: The 9 Secrets of Marine Corps Leadership You Must Know to Win in Business, draws upon the real-life experiences of those currently serving in the Marines and those now in the civilian sector to explain how anyone can incorporate the nine essential behaviors of Marine Corps leadership into their daily business life. The book includes more than 100 interviews with current and former Marines, and offers side-by-side comparisons of their application in military and civilian settings.
“The leadership techniques displayed by the United States Marine Corps have proven themselves time and again in battle,” says Adamchik. “These same principles can be applied from the break room to the board room to help anyone excel in business.”
The United States Marine Corps has a long-standing legacy of producing some of the United States’ most renowned leaders. Since 1775, countless governors, senators, astronauts, athletes, entertainers and business executives have served in this elite branch of the United States military. Many of these former Marines have taken the leadership skills learned in the Marines and applied them to their everyday lives. Wally Adamchik is one such former Marine.
In addition to hosting current, former and retired military personnel who have written books, Military-Writers.com is building and extensive web-based directory of military personnel who own businesses.
Saturday, February 10, 2007
Vietnam Hero to be Awarded Medal of Honor
By Donna Miles
American Forces Press Service
Feb. 10, 2007 – More than 40 years after demonstrating the heroism immortalized in the bestselling book and movie, "We Were Soldiers Once ... and Young," retired Army Lt. Col. Bruce P. Crandall will receive the Medal of Honor, the White House announced yesterday. Crandall will receive the nation's highest military award for actions during the Battle of Ia Drang Valley in Vietnam in November 1965. The battle, at Landing Zone X-Ray near the Ia Drang River, was the first major ground battle of the war.
During the incident, Crandall, then a major and commander of Company A, 229th Assault Helicopter Battalion, 1st Cavalry Division (Airmobile), dodged intense enemy fire as he repeatedly flew to a landing zone to rescue and resupply besieged 1st Cavalry Division ground troops.
The narrative for Crandall's Medal of Honor credits him with displaying leadership by example and fearless courage as he "voluntarily flew his unarmed helicopter through a gauntlet of enemy fire on flight after flight, delivering desperately needed ammunition, water and medical supplies into one of the most hotly contested landing zones of the war."
Crandall led a flight of 16 helicopters in support of the 1st Cavalry Division's 1st Battalion, 7th Cavalry Regiment, which was out of water, running dangerously low on ammunition and engaging about two regiments of North Vietnamese army infantry "determined to overrun and annihilate them," the narrative reads.
When the enemy fire got so intense that the infantry commander closed the landing zone, Crandall volunteered for the mission. He and his wingman, Maj. Ed Freeman, are credited with saving more than 70 wounded soldiers by transporting them to safety.
Freeman received the Medal of Honor for his efforts in July 2001.
Several books about the battle recognize Crandall and Freeman's contributions. Among the most well-known is the bestselling "We Were Soldiers Once ... and Young," coauthored by Lt. Gen. Harold Moore, commanding officer of infantry units in X-Ray, and Joseph Galloway, a combat reporter who was in the landing zone during the battle.
A major motion picture based on the book featured actor Greg Kinnear as Crandall.
Later during his Vietnam tour, Crandall demonstrated another act of heroism. While under enemy fire, using a flashlight to guide his UH-1 Huey helicopter, he dropped through dense jungle to rescue 12 wounded soldiers. For that action, he was awarded the first AVCO-Aviation/Space Writers Association Helicopter Heroism Award. This award is sponsored by the Aviation/Space Writers Association and AVCC Corporation, and is awarded to an individual for heroism efforts involving the use of helicopter..
During a second tour in Vietnam, in 1968, Crandall was downed during another rescue attempt and spent five months in the hospital. He resumed his military career, retiring as a lieutenant colonel in 1977.
Crandall was inducted into the Army Aviation Hall of Fame at Fort Rucker, Ala., in 2004. He also was the seventh Army inductee into the "Gathering of Eagles," a U.S. Air Force organization that honors contributors to aviation.
Bush will present Crandall the Medal of Honor during a Feb. 26 White House ceremony.
After receiving the Medal of Honor, Crandall will join 111 other living recipients of the award, 60 of them awarded for actions in Vietnam, according to the Congressional Medal of Honor Society.
The Medal of Honor, the highest U.S. military decoration, is awarded "for conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of life, above and beyond the call of duty, in actual combat against an armed enemy force." Since it was first awarded during the Civil War, the medal has been awarded 3,461 times.
The Medal of Honor was last presented to the family of 22-year-old Marine Cpl. Jason L. Dunham, who died using his body to shield fellow Marines in Iraq from a hand grenade April 15, 2004. President Bush awarded Dunham's Medal of Honor posthumously during a Jan. 11 ceremony at the White House.
Article sponsored by police personnel and military personnel who have become authors by writing books; and, criminal justice online leadership.
American Forces Press Service
Feb. 10, 2007 – More than 40 years after demonstrating the heroism immortalized in the bestselling book and movie, "We Were Soldiers Once ... and Young," retired Army Lt. Col. Bruce P. Crandall will receive the Medal of Honor, the White House announced yesterday. Crandall will receive the nation's highest military award for actions during the Battle of Ia Drang Valley in Vietnam in November 1965. The battle, at Landing Zone X-Ray near the Ia Drang River, was the first major ground battle of the war.
During the incident, Crandall, then a major and commander of Company A, 229th Assault Helicopter Battalion, 1st Cavalry Division (Airmobile), dodged intense enemy fire as he repeatedly flew to a landing zone to rescue and resupply besieged 1st Cavalry Division ground troops.
The narrative for Crandall's Medal of Honor credits him with displaying leadership by example and fearless courage as he "voluntarily flew his unarmed helicopter through a gauntlet of enemy fire on flight after flight, delivering desperately needed ammunition, water and medical supplies into one of the most hotly contested landing zones of the war."
Crandall led a flight of 16 helicopters in support of the 1st Cavalry Division's 1st Battalion, 7th Cavalry Regiment, which was out of water, running dangerously low on ammunition and engaging about two regiments of North Vietnamese army infantry "determined to overrun and annihilate them," the narrative reads.
When the enemy fire got so intense that the infantry commander closed the landing zone, Crandall volunteered for the mission. He and his wingman, Maj. Ed Freeman, are credited with saving more than 70 wounded soldiers by transporting them to safety.
Freeman received the Medal of Honor for his efforts in July 2001.
Several books about the battle recognize Crandall and Freeman's contributions. Among the most well-known is the bestselling "We Were Soldiers Once ... and Young," coauthored by Lt. Gen. Harold Moore, commanding officer of infantry units in X-Ray, and Joseph Galloway, a combat reporter who was in the landing zone during the battle.
A major motion picture based on the book featured actor Greg Kinnear as Crandall.
Later during his Vietnam tour, Crandall demonstrated another act of heroism. While under enemy fire, using a flashlight to guide his UH-1 Huey helicopter, he dropped through dense jungle to rescue 12 wounded soldiers. For that action, he was awarded the first AVCO-Aviation/Space Writers Association Helicopter Heroism Award. This award is sponsored by the Aviation/Space Writers Association and AVCC Corporation, and is awarded to an individual for heroism efforts involving the use of helicopter..
During a second tour in Vietnam, in 1968, Crandall was downed during another rescue attempt and spent five months in the hospital. He resumed his military career, retiring as a lieutenant colonel in 1977.
Crandall was inducted into the Army Aviation Hall of Fame at Fort Rucker, Ala., in 2004. He also was the seventh Army inductee into the "Gathering of Eagles," a U.S. Air Force organization that honors contributors to aviation.
Bush will present Crandall the Medal of Honor during a Feb. 26 White House ceremony.
After receiving the Medal of Honor, Crandall will join 111 other living recipients of the award, 60 of them awarded for actions in Vietnam, according to the Congressional Medal of Honor Society.
The Medal of Honor, the highest U.S. military decoration, is awarded "for conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of life, above and beyond the call of duty, in actual combat against an armed enemy force." Since it was first awarded during the Civil War, the medal has been awarded 3,461 times.
The Medal of Honor was last presented to the family of 22-year-old Marine Cpl. Jason L. Dunham, who died using his body to shield fellow Marines in Iraq from a hand grenade April 15, 2004. President Bush awarded Dunham's Medal of Honor posthumously during a Jan. 11 ceremony at the White House.
Article sponsored by police personnel and military personnel who have become authors by writing books; and, criminal justice online leadership.
Craddock: More NATO Troops in Afghanistan Will Lead to Stability
By Linda D. Kozaryn
American Forces Press Service
Feb. 10, 2007 – It will take more troops to conduct a combination of security and stability operations to end fighting in Afghanistan, NATO's supreme allied commander in Europe said here today. To succeed, U.S. Army Gen. Bantz J. Craddock said, "you must clear, you must hold, you must build."
Craddock spoke to reporters here at the start of the 43rd Munich Security Policy Conference. The annual international conference followed two days of informal NATO defense ministerial talks in Seville, Spain, where the force level of the NATO-led mission in Afghanistan was a prime topic.
While the NATO meetings were not "a force-generation conference," Craddock said he was able to present his assessment of the Afghanistan situation and have "forthright, candid and fruitful" dialogue.
NATO's International Security Assistance Force needs "full sourcing" to provide the security level international "builders" need to provide the long-term, economic investment that will create jobs and, ultimately, stability, Craddock said.
Until then, fighting will continue, since the Taliban has an enormous recruiting ground for foot soldiers among the 2 million Afghan refugees in Pakistan, he said. Most of these refugees have no ideological ties, he said. They become Taliban soldiers to earn a wage to live.
"They feel there are no opportunities in life and they're looking for a way to feed their children or put a roof over their families' heads," Craddock said. "The key is driving a wedge between the foot soldiers and the hard core ideologues, the diehard extremists who will never change."
The international community can create a "wedge," he said, by creating jobs, providing social services, and building hospitals and schools for Afghan children.
Craddock said he has made two trips to Afghanistan since replacing U.S. Marine Gen. James L. Jones in December as commander at Supreme Headquarters Allied Forces in Europe. He said he came away from both trips encouraged by the progress he saw.
"I would be the first to admit there's much to be done," he said. "There are challenges. There are problems." But, he added, the comprehensive approach of concurrently employing military operations along with reconstruction and development operations is underway and moving forward.
Based on a review of the mission requirements, NATO officials have determined more troops are need for the dual-pronged approach. While acknowledging that more forces are needed in Afghanistan, Craddock would not provide numbers, which he said are operational in nature.
Earlier this week, Craddock released a combined joint statement of requirements on what's needed for the fight in Afghanistan in terms of troop levels, equipment and support personnel. NATO's ministers and chiefs of defense are being asked to review the requirements to see what each country could contribute.
NATO last reviewed the mission requirements 13 months ago, he said, and conditions have changed since then, he said.
"We do a great job of planning," Craddock said. "We don't do a great job at monitoring current, day to day activities, and reassessing and adjusting and revising where necessary to face the reality that the world changes."
Craddock thought it was essential to validate the original force level needed to meet the mission requirements and pointed out that those forces were never fully provided. "We never received all the forces that we deemed necessary to accomplish the mission required," he said.
"I broke it into three categories: priorities needed that have yet to be filled; new requirements; and revisions necessary," he said. "Over the period of time ISAF had operated, we've made adjustments and we've changed and operated so we had a better insight for what's needed for the future."
Since the mission in Afghanistan began, NATO progressively assumed responsibility for the country south, east and then all of Afghanistan.
There also have been new developments with regard to movement along the porous border with Pakistan. Craddock said he met with Pakistani officials two weeks ago to discuss better border control.
"They have to step up and play a greater role in the control of their border with Afghanistan," he said. "I received indications that they do feel that there is inadequate control, and they told me they're taking measures to address this and to provide greater control."
Right now, Craddock said, ISAF has the ability is to work security aspects throughout the country, particularly in the southeast where the security is less than in the north and west. "That's where the Taliban come in; that's the heartland and the homeland," he said.
What's needed, he said, is adequate numbers of troops to provide security and, at the same time, implement the stability operations, the "quick-impact projects" such as building schools and installing roads.
"Right now, the commanders are finding that, without adequate forces available, they have to move from one to the other, and they're continually shifting around," he said.
Once ISAF forces leave an area, the Taliban moves back in. "You must maintain presence, and with presence, the Taliban does not come back in," Craddock stressed.
Moving troops around to do both security and stability, he said limits flexibility, he said. "And it is causing us to have to retake lost ground."
Given a generous contribution by the United States, an additional contribution by the United Kingdom, and the current security situation, he said, "There are adequate forces right now to effect security. There are not adequate forces to do the other things that need to be done concurrently."
Craddock said ISAF is doing an excellent job on such quick-return projects as fixing problems in local communities. What's missing is the long-term investment and development of jobs and infrastructure.
This work must be "pushed out to the provincial governors, to the tribal elders," he said. "They are the ones who know what has to happen and what their priorities in terms of delivering these services and this infrastructure to the people."
Article sponsored by police personnel and military personnel who have become authors by writing books; and, criminal justice online leadership.
American Forces Press Service
Feb. 10, 2007 – It will take more troops to conduct a combination of security and stability operations to end fighting in Afghanistan, NATO's supreme allied commander in Europe said here today. To succeed, U.S. Army Gen. Bantz J. Craddock said, "you must clear, you must hold, you must build."
Craddock spoke to reporters here at the start of the 43rd Munich Security Policy Conference. The annual international conference followed two days of informal NATO defense ministerial talks in Seville, Spain, where the force level of the NATO-led mission in Afghanistan was a prime topic.
While the NATO meetings were not "a force-generation conference," Craddock said he was able to present his assessment of the Afghanistan situation and have "forthright, candid and fruitful" dialogue.
NATO's International Security Assistance Force needs "full sourcing" to provide the security level international "builders" need to provide the long-term, economic investment that will create jobs and, ultimately, stability, Craddock said.
Until then, fighting will continue, since the Taliban has an enormous recruiting ground for foot soldiers among the 2 million Afghan refugees in Pakistan, he said. Most of these refugees have no ideological ties, he said. They become Taliban soldiers to earn a wage to live.
"They feel there are no opportunities in life and they're looking for a way to feed their children or put a roof over their families' heads," Craddock said. "The key is driving a wedge between the foot soldiers and the hard core ideologues, the diehard extremists who will never change."
The international community can create a "wedge," he said, by creating jobs, providing social services, and building hospitals and schools for Afghan children.
Craddock said he has made two trips to Afghanistan since replacing U.S. Marine Gen. James L. Jones in December as commander at Supreme Headquarters Allied Forces in Europe. He said he came away from both trips encouraged by the progress he saw.
"I would be the first to admit there's much to be done," he said. "There are challenges. There are problems." But, he added, the comprehensive approach of concurrently employing military operations along with reconstruction and development operations is underway and moving forward.
Based on a review of the mission requirements, NATO officials have determined more troops are need for the dual-pronged approach. While acknowledging that more forces are needed in Afghanistan, Craddock would not provide numbers, which he said are operational in nature.
Earlier this week, Craddock released a combined joint statement of requirements on what's needed for the fight in Afghanistan in terms of troop levels, equipment and support personnel. NATO's ministers and chiefs of defense are being asked to review the requirements to see what each country could contribute.
NATO last reviewed the mission requirements 13 months ago, he said, and conditions have changed since then, he said.
"We do a great job of planning," Craddock said. "We don't do a great job at monitoring current, day to day activities, and reassessing and adjusting and revising where necessary to face the reality that the world changes."
Craddock thought it was essential to validate the original force level needed to meet the mission requirements and pointed out that those forces were never fully provided. "We never received all the forces that we deemed necessary to accomplish the mission required," he said.
"I broke it into three categories: priorities needed that have yet to be filled; new requirements; and revisions necessary," he said. "Over the period of time ISAF had operated, we've made adjustments and we've changed and operated so we had a better insight for what's needed for the future."
Since the mission in Afghanistan began, NATO progressively assumed responsibility for the country south, east and then all of Afghanistan.
There also have been new developments with regard to movement along the porous border with Pakistan. Craddock said he met with Pakistani officials two weeks ago to discuss better border control.
"They have to step up and play a greater role in the control of their border with Afghanistan," he said. "I received indications that they do feel that there is inadequate control, and they told me they're taking measures to address this and to provide greater control."
Right now, Craddock said, ISAF has the ability is to work security aspects throughout the country, particularly in the southeast where the security is less than in the north and west. "That's where the Taliban come in; that's the heartland and the homeland," he said.
What's needed, he said, is adequate numbers of troops to provide security and, at the same time, implement the stability operations, the "quick-impact projects" such as building schools and installing roads.
"Right now, the commanders are finding that, without adequate forces available, they have to move from one to the other, and they're continually shifting around," he said.
Once ISAF forces leave an area, the Taliban moves back in. "You must maintain presence, and with presence, the Taliban does not come back in," Craddock stressed.
Moving troops around to do both security and stability, he said limits flexibility, he said. "And it is causing us to have to retake lost ground."
Given a generous contribution by the United States, an additional contribution by the United Kingdom, and the current security situation, he said, "There are adequate forces right now to effect security. There are not adequate forces to do the other things that need to be done concurrently."
Craddock said ISAF is doing an excellent job on such quick-return projects as fixing problems in local communities. What's missing is the long-term investment and development of jobs and infrastructure.
This work must be "pushed out to the provincial governors, to the tribal elders," he said. "They are the ones who know what has to happen and what their priorities in terms of delivering these services and this infrastructure to the people."
Article sponsored by police personnel and military personnel who have become authors by writing books; and, criminal justice online leadership.
IG Report: DoD Policy Office Acted Within Law, Authority
By Donna Miles
American Forces Press Service
Feb. 9, 2007 – Findings of a Defense Department Inspector General report sent to Congress today offer the third determination that activities within DoD's policy office regarding pre-war intelligence were both legal and authorized. The report, delivered today to the Senate Armed Services Committee by acting Inspector General Thomas F. Gimble, was based on an investigation ordered by Congress into the way former Undersecretary of Defense for Policy Douglas Feith and his staff treated the intelligence they received before the Iraq war.
The report concluded that activities by the office were both legal and authorized, but that some may have been inappropriate.
Feith's office developed, produced and then disseminated "alternative intelligence assessments on the Iraq and al-Qaeda relationship, which included some conclusions that were inconsistent with the consensus of the intelligence community, to senior decision makers," the report noted in its unclassified executive summary.
"While such actions were not illegal or unauthorized," it continued, "the actions were, in our opinion, inappropriate given that the intelligence assessments were intelligence products and did not clearly show the variance with the consensus of the intelligence community."
Bryan Whitman, deputy assistant secretary of defense for public affairs, noted today that the IG report is the third in-depth review of Feith's office during the past three years by both bipartisan and nonpartisan groups. The Senate Select Committee on Intelligence issued its report in July 2004, and the so-called "Silberman-Robb" Weapons of Mass Destruction Commission issued its evaluation in September 2006.
Whitman said the IG's findings "would seemingly run counter to other reviews of the office" about the value of debate over intelligence. The Senate Select Committee on Intelligence review noted that "asking probing questions actually improved the intelligence process," he said.
Some intelligence analysts told the committee that policymakers' questions had forced them to go back and review the intelligence reporting, Whitman said, and that during this exercise, they came across information they had overlooked in the initial readings.
"No one would suggest that vigorous debate on issues of significant national security isn't important," he said. "Quite the contrary. Most people would agree that issues of ... important national security issues should be debated, and they should be debated vigorously."
Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates, who was attending a NATO defense ministers meeting in Seville, Spain, today, declined to comment on the IG report because he hadn't yet seen it. He also noted that he wasn't defense secretary when the activities covered in the report occurred.
"But I will just tell you, based on my whole career, that I believe that all intelligence activities need to be carried on through established institutions and where there is appropriate oversight," he said. "And if the intelligence isn't adequate, then changes need to be made in those institutions to improve the intelligence."
Article sponsored by police personnel and military personnel who have become authors by writing books; and, criminal justice online leadership.
American Forces Press Service
Feb. 9, 2007 – Findings of a Defense Department Inspector General report sent to Congress today offer the third determination that activities within DoD's policy office regarding pre-war intelligence were both legal and authorized. The report, delivered today to the Senate Armed Services Committee by acting Inspector General Thomas F. Gimble, was based on an investigation ordered by Congress into the way former Undersecretary of Defense for Policy Douglas Feith and his staff treated the intelligence they received before the Iraq war.
The report concluded that activities by the office were both legal and authorized, but that some may have been inappropriate.
Feith's office developed, produced and then disseminated "alternative intelligence assessments on the Iraq and al-Qaeda relationship, which included some conclusions that were inconsistent with the consensus of the intelligence community, to senior decision makers," the report noted in its unclassified executive summary.
"While such actions were not illegal or unauthorized," it continued, "the actions were, in our opinion, inappropriate given that the intelligence assessments were intelligence products and did not clearly show the variance with the consensus of the intelligence community."
Bryan Whitman, deputy assistant secretary of defense for public affairs, noted today that the IG report is the third in-depth review of Feith's office during the past three years by both bipartisan and nonpartisan groups. The Senate Select Committee on Intelligence issued its report in July 2004, and the so-called "Silberman-Robb" Weapons of Mass Destruction Commission issued its evaluation in September 2006.
Whitman said the IG's findings "would seemingly run counter to other reviews of the office" about the value of debate over intelligence. The Senate Select Committee on Intelligence review noted that "asking probing questions actually improved the intelligence process," he said.
Some intelligence analysts told the committee that policymakers' questions had forced them to go back and review the intelligence reporting, Whitman said, and that during this exercise, they came across information they had overlooked in the initial readings.
"No one would suggest that vigorous debate on issues of significant national security isn't important," he said. "Quite the contrary. Most people would agree that issues of ... important national security issues should be debated, and they should be debated vigorously."
Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates, who was attending a NATO defense ministers meeting in Seville, Spain, today, declined to comment on the IG report because he hadn't yet seen it. He also noted that he wasn't defense secretary when the activities covered in the report occurred.
"But I will just tell you, based on my whole career, that I believe that all intelligence activities need to be carried on through established institutions and where there is appropriate oversight," he said. "And if the intelligence isn't adequate, then changes need to be made in those institutions to improve the intelligence."
Article sponsored by police personnel and military personnel who have become authors by writing books; and, criminal justice online leadership.
Supplemental Funds Critical to Army Readiness, Officials Say
By Sgt. Sara Wood, USA
American Forces Press Service
Feb. 9, 2007 – The Army is the best equipped, trained and led force it's ever been, but it needs continued funding to ensure it's ready to face future conflicts, the Army's top two leaders said in congressional testimony today. The fiscal 2007 war on terror supplemental funding request included in President Bush's budget is critical to improving breadth and depth of Army readiness, specifically in preparing units for deployment, Army Secretary Francis J. Harvey said at a hearing of the House Appropriations Committee's subcommittee on defense.
"The solution to establishing the required breadth and depth of Army readiness ultimately rests in providing the required resources," Harvey said. "That in turn results in an Army force structure that can meet the current and projected operational demand."
The war supplemental request, submitted Feb. 5 with the fiscal 2008 defense budget request, is $93.4 billion. The supplemental funding is in addition to the $70 billion provided by Congress in September 2006 and the fiscal 2008 war on terror request of $141.7 billion.
In his testimony today, Harvey highlighted several areas that need continued funding as the Army grows, modernizes, and fights the war on terror.
Funding will be needed for the increase of 65,000 soldiers over the next five years that Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates announced Jan. 11, Harvey said. Army leaders also need to have recurrent, predictable and assured access to all components of the force to meet global commitments, he noted.
The Army is working on an aggressive program to restore battle losses and repair and recapitalize worn-out equipment, Harvey said. Modernization efforts, which are aimed at fixing holes in the force as the Army grows, are also critical, he said. The Army entered this war $56 billion short of the equipment it needed, he pointed out, and is still trying to make up for that lack.
Harvey also said that the Army's ability to grow the force to meet rotational requirements is jeopardized by the $2 billion reduction in the Base Realignment and Closure account in the fiscal 2007 appropriation process.
"Disruptions in resourcing our plans will in turn significantly hamper our capability to grow the Army, impede our capability to field cohesive, trained units, and degrade the quality of life for soldiers and their families," he said.
The timeliness of filling the Army's resource needs is critical, Harvey said. The Army will require access to supplemental funding by April to sustain efforts around the world, he said.
One of the issues highlighted by Harvey and Army Gen. Peter J. Schoomaker, Army chief of staff, who also was at the hearing, was the equipment shortage for units in the U.S. The Army went into this war with an equipment shortage, and has since been growing the force, so that shortage has become even larger, Schoomaker pointed out. The Army has shifted its best equipment to the front lines of Iraq and Afghanistan, so the units preparing to deploy often are short on training equipment, he explained.
Schoomaker said the situation is "less than satisfactory," but stressed that units are fully trained and equipped when they arrive in Afghanistan and Iraq. Harvey agreed, adding that it's in preparing the units for deployment that the Army has had to catch up.
"I think when a unit deploys, when a brigade combat team deploys ... it is the best trained, equipped, organized Army in the world with the best quality soldiers we've ever had," Harvey said.
Schoomaker noted that the government is spending less on defense than it historically has, and much of that money is needed for the war on terror. However, a good portion of the supplemental funding is needed to fix holes in the Army and expand the force to prepare for the future, he said.
"I am one that absolutely believes that there is no question that we are headed into fights in the future, beyond the current fight that we're in today," Schoomaker said. "There is going to be a requirement beyond this fight to continue to fix this force so that we don't enter the next fight in the condition that we entered this fight."
Both leaders said that the Army has made great progress over the years in expanding and equipping the force. However, they said, the focus should be on the future and what progress the Army needs to make to be successful in the 21st century.
Article sponsored by police personnel and military personnel who have become authors by writing books; and, criminal justice online leadership.
American Forces Press Service
Feb. 9, 2007 – The Army is the best equipped, trained and led force it's ever been, but it needs continued funding to ensure it's ready to face future conflicts, the Army's top two leaders said in congressional testimony today. The fiscal 2007 war on terror supplemental funding request included in President Bush's budget is critical to improving breadth and depth of Army readiness, specifically in preparing units for deployment, Army Secretary Francis J. Harvey said at a hearing of the House Appropriations Committee's subcommittee on defense.
"The solution to establishing the required breadth and depth of Army readiness ultimately rests in providing the required resources," Harvey said. "That in turn results in an Army force structure that can meet the current and projected operational demand."
The war supplemental request, submitted Feb. 5 with the fiscal 2008 defense budget request, is $93.4 billion. The supplemental funding is in addition to the $70 billion provided by Congress in September 2006 and the fiscal 2008 war on terror request of $141.7 billion.
In his testimony today, Harvey highlighted several areas that need continued funding as the Army grows, modernizes, and fights the war on terror.
Funding will be needed for the increase of 65,000 soldiers over the next five years that Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates announced Jan. 11, Harvey said. Army leaders also need to have recurrent, predictable and assured access to all components of the force to meet global commitments, he noted.
The Army is working on an aggressive program to restore battle losses and repair and recapitalize worn-out equipment, Harvey said. Modernization efforts, which are aimed at fixing holes in the force as the Army grows, are also critical, he said. The Army entered this war $56 billion short of the equipment it needed, he pointed out, and is still trying to make up for that lack.
Harvey also said that the Army's ability to grow the force to meet rotational requirements is jeopardized by the $2 billion reduction in the Base Realignment and Closure account in the fiscal 2007 appropriation process.
"Disruptions in resourcing our plans will in turn significantly hamper our capability to grow the Army, impede our capability to field cohesive, trained units, and degrade the quality of life for soldiers and their families," he said.
The timeliness of filling the Army's resource needs is critical, Harvey said. The Army will require access to supplemental funding by April to sustain efforts around the world, he said.
One of the issues highlighted by Harvey and Army Gen. Peter J. Schoomaker, Army chief of staff, who also was at the hearing, was the equipment shortage for units in the U.S. The Army went into this war with an equipment shortage, and has since been growing the force, so that shortage has become even larger, Schoomaker pointed out. The Army has shifted its best equipment to the front lines of Iraq and Afghanistan, so the units preparing to deploy often are short on training equipment, he explained.
Schoomaker said the situation is "less than satisfactory," but stressed that units are fully trained and equipped when they arrive in Afghanistan and Iraq. Harvey agreed, adding that it's in preparing the units for deployment that the Army has had to catch up.
"I think when a unit deploys, when a brigade combat team deploys ... it is the best trained, equipped, organized Army in the world with the best quality soldiers we've ever had," Harvey said.
Schoomaker noted that the government is spending less on defense than it historically has, and much of that money is needed for the war on terror. However, a good portion of the supplemental funding is needed to fix holes in the Army and expand the force to prepare for the future, he said.
"I am one that absolutely believes that there is no question that we are headed into fights in the future, beyond the current fight that we're in today," Schoomaker said. "There is going to be a requirement beyond this fight to continue to fix this force so that we don't enter the next fight in the condition that we entered this fight."
Both leaders said that the Army has made great progress over the years in expanding and equipping the force. However, they said, the focus should be on the future and what progress the Army needs to make to be successful in the 21st century.
Article sponsored by police personnel and military personnel who have become authors by writing books; and, criminal justice online leadership.
NHL Team Honors Troops, Families
By Carmen L. Gleason
American Forces Press Service
Feb. 9, 2007 – Servicemembers in the national capital region were honored by the Washington Capitals hockey team last night during a "Salute to the Military Night" at the Verizon Center. The National Hockey League's Capitals, along with 10 corporate sponsors, donated more than 6,000 tickets to troops and their families for the team's match-up against the Los Angeles Kings, which the Caps won 4-3 in overtime play.
This is the fifth time the club has hosted an event highlighting the men and women of the armed forces. With a 4-1 record on military nights, Capitals majority owner Ted Leonsis said the team consistently plays well in front of their armed forces audiences.
"We're thinking of making it 'Military Season,'" he said with a laugh. "I'd like to do away with 'Military Night' and make every day a day we thank the military men and women who are keeping us safe."
At the start of the game he came onto the large screens at the center of the arena to express his thanks to the military-heavy audience. "We can't thank you and your family enough for what you do for our country and to keep us safe," Leonsis said as the audience broke out with cheering and applause.
The Capitals have further demonstrated their encouragement of the military by partnering with the America Supports You program. The team joined the Defense Department program in January 2006 as a way to vocalize its support to troops.
Last night the hockey club collected gift items at each entrance for "Comfort for America's Uniformed Services." CAUSE, an America Supports You team member, will distribute the hundreds of movies, video games and gift cards to recuperating troops in area military hospitals.
According to Debbie Wenner, CAUSE president, this is the second year the Capitals have named her organization as a beneficiary of the Salute to the Military Night. The outpouring of donations from fans will greatly benefit the troops she supports.
The dozens of bags her volunteers loaded with gifts will go directly to Walter Reed Army Medical Center here and the National Naval Medical Center, in Bethesda, Md.
Walter Reed patient Army Staff Sgt. Pamela Schmecht said she was "totally psyched" to attend the evening's event. The Texas National Guard member was injured in Iraq in November; this was her first time out of the hospital since coming back to the states.
Schmecht, who is originally from Dale City, Va., has been a long-time Capitals fan and said she was touched that the team cares so much about the military.
"I'm having a great time," she said, "but I have mixed feelings, because it's hard to be here having fun when my unit is still in Iraq."
Even though they are on the other side of the world, servicemembers in Iraq had a chance to participate in the game. Prerecorded words of encouragement from deployed fans were played on the arena screens while the audience applauded.
"I want to shout it out to the Washington Capitals and Alex Ovechkin - go 08!" said Lt. Col. Kier-Kevin Curry on the "JumboTron."
Curry, who is stationed at Camp Victory, in Baghdad, has closely followed the Caps this season despite his deployment. During his mid-tour leave, he made it out to a home game to cheer on his favorite team.
His "shout out" was one of several videos and public service announcements honoring the military that played through the night. Each one resulted in cheers and applause throughout the arena.
In a pre-game reception, Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Navy Adm. Edmund P. Giambastiani said shows of support like this are important to the men and women who daily put their lives on the line.
He expressed his appreciation not only to the Capitals, but to the celebrities and professional athletes who visit troops overseas.
"It's this kind of things on a day-to-day basis that makes a difference to servicemembers," he said.
Article sponsored by police personnel and military personnel who have become authors by writing books; and, criminal justice online leadership.
American Forces Press Service
Feb. 9, 2007 – Servicemembers in the national capital region were honored by the Washington Capitals hockey team last night during a "Salute to the Military Night" at the Verizon Center. The National Hockey League's Capitals, along with 10 corporate sponsors, donated more than 6,000 tickets to troops and their families for the team's match-up against the Los Angeles Kings, which the Caps won 4-3 in overtime play.
This is the fifth time the club has hosted an event highlighting the men and women of the armed forces. With a 4-1 record on military nights, Capitals majority owner Ted Leonsis said the team consistently plays well in front of their armed forces audiences.
"We're thinking of making it 'Military Season,'" he said with a laugh. "I'd like to do away with 'Military Night' and make every day a day we thank the military men and women who are keeping us safe."
At the start of the game he came onto the large screens at the center of the arena to express his thanks to the military-heavy audience. "We can't thank you and your family enough for what you do for our country and to keep us safe," Leonsis said as the audience broke out with cheering and applause.
The Capitals have further demonstrated their encouragement of the military by partnering with the America Supports You program. The team joined the Defense Department program in January 2006 as a way to vocalize its support to troops.
Last night the hockey club collected gift items at each entrance for "Comfort for America's Uniformed Services." CAUSE, an America Supports You team member, will distribute the hundreds of movies, video games and gift cards to recuperating troops in area military hospitals.
According to Debbie Wenner, CAUSE president, this is the second year the Capitals have named her organization as a beneficiary of the Salute to the Military Night. The outpouring of donations from fans will greatly benefit the troops she supports.
The dozens of bags her volunteers loaded with gifts will go directly to Walter Reed Army Medical Center here and the National Naval Medical Center, in Bethesda, Md.
Walter Reed patient Army Staff Sgt. Pamela Schmecht said she was "totally psyched" to attend the evening's event. The Texas National Guard member was injured in Iraq in November; this was her first time out of the hospital since coming back to the states.
Schmecht, who is originally from Dale City, Va., has been a long-time Capitals fan and said she was touched that the team cares so much about the military.
"I'm having a great time," she said, "but I have mixed feelings, because it's hard to be here having fun when my unit is still in Iraq."
Even though they are on the other side of the world, servicemembers in Iraq had a chance to participate in the game. Prerecorded words of encouragement from deployed fans were played on the arena screens while the audience applauded.
"I want to shout it out to the Washington Capitals and Alex Ovechkin - go 08!" said Lt. Col. Kier-Kevin Curry on the "JumboTron."
Curry, who is stationed at Camp Victory, in Baghdad, has closely followed the Caps this season despite his deployment. During his mid-tour leave, he made it out to a home game to cheer on his favorite team.
His "shout out" was one of several videos and public service announcements honoring the military that played through the night. Each one resulted in cheers and applause throughout the arena.
In a pre-game reception, Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Navy Adm. Edmund P. Giambastiani said shows of support like this are important to the men and women who daily put their lives on the line.
He expressed his appreciation not only to the Capitals, but to the celebrities and professional athletes who visit troops overseas.
"It's this kind of things on a day-to-day basis that makes a difference to servicemembers," he said.
Article sponsored by police personnel and military personnel who have become authors by writing books; and, criminal justice online leadership.
Mechanical Failure Suspected in Most Recent Iraq Chopper Crash
By Donna Miles
American Forces Press Service
Feb. 9, 2007 – A Marine Corps CH-46 Sea Knight helicopter that went down in Iraq's Anbar province Feb. 7 most likely experienced a mechanical failure, the director of operations for the Joint Staff told Pentagon reporters today. Army Lt. Gen. Douglas Lute said early indications show the crash, which killed seven crewmembers and passengers, resulted from a mechanical malfunction.
Lute said eyewitness accounts factored with considerations about the type of aircraft, its flight pattern and other early indicators, led to that conclusion. "So the response of the aircraft leads the people on the ground to believe, early in the investigation, that it was mechanical," he said.
The crash was the latest of six involving helicopters in Iraq recently, four of them U.S. military helicopters and two contractor helicopters.
Of these, Lute said, four appear to be attributable to enemy fire -- two while in close contact with the enemy and another two when not in enemy contact.
Another incident, involving a contractor aircraft, is likely the result of pilot error and involved a wire strike, he said.
Lute said it's too soon to tell if the crashes that resulted from enemy activity indicate any change in enemy capabilities. At this point, he said, there's no definite evidence that missiles were involved in the surface-to-air fire that likely brought down the four helicopters.
Other recent crashes of military helicopters include:
--A UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter crashed northeast of Baghdad on Jan. 20. Four crewmembers and eight others soldiers aboard as passengers were killed in the incident.
-- A Multinational Division Baghdad helicopter crashed north of Najaf on Jan. 28, killing two U.S. soldiers.
-- A U.S. Army helicopter crashed north of Baghdad on Feb. 2. Two crew members were killed in that crash.
Article sponsored by police personnel and military personnel who have become authors by writing books; and, criminal justice online leadership.
American Forces Press Service
Feb. 9, 2007 – A Marine Corps CH-46 Sea Knight helicopter that went down in Iraq's Anbar province Feb. 7 most likely experienced a mechanical failure, the director of operations for the Joint Staff told Pentagon reporters today. Army Lt. Gen. Douglas Lute said early indications show the crash, which killed seven crewmembers and passengers, resulted from a mechanical malfunction.
Lute said eyewitness accounts factored with considerations about the type of aircraft, its flight pattern and other early indicators, led to that conclusion. "So the response of the aircraft leads the people on the ground to believe, early in the investigation, that it was mechanical," he said.
The crash was the latest of six involving helicopters in Iraq recently, four of them U.S. military helicopters and two contractor helicopters.
Of these, Lute said, four appear to be attributable to enemy fire -- two while in close contact with the enemy and another two when not in enemy contact.
Another incident, involving a contractor aircraft, is likely the result of pilot error and involved a wire strike, he said.
Lute said it's too soon to tell if the crashes that resulted from enemy activity indicate any change in enemy capabilities. At this point, he said, there's no definite evidence that missiles were involved in the surface-to-air fire that likely brought down the four helicopters.
Other recent crashes of military helicopters include:
--A UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter crashed northeast of Baghdad on Jan. 20. Four crewmembers and eight others soldiers aboard as passengers were killed in the incident.
-- A Multinational Division Baghdad helicopter crashed north of Najaf on Jan. 28, killing two U.S. soldiers.
-- A U.S. Army helicopter crashed north of Baghdad on Feb. 2. Two crew members were killed in that crash.
Article sponsored by police personnel and military personnel who have become authors by writing books; and, criminal justice online leadership.
Cops on Evidence
Editor's Note: One of the author is prior U.S. Army.
Police-Writers.com, a website dedicated to listing state and local police officers who have authored books, added two authors who have written extensively on the subjects of evidence collection and crime scenes.
Randal Davis has been an Investigator or Police Officer with departments in the Los Angeles and Orange County areas for 26 years. As a Police Officer and District Attorney Bureau of Investigation Investigator, he has conducted or participated in thousands of criminal investigations and arrests. He has received considerable police training and experience in Crime Scene Investigation, Homicide Investigation, the California Street Terrorism Act, Patrol Procedures, General Criminal Investigation, Narcotics, Sexual Assault, and Crimes Against Children.
Randal holds a Masters degree in Criminal Justice (with honors) and a Bachelors degree in Psychology with a minor in Criminal Justice from California State University Long Beach. Davis is a Phi Kappa Phi Honor Society member. He has been an Adjunct Professor teaching Criminal Justice courses at Santa Ana and Santiago Canyon Colleges since 1997. He has also been a guest instructor at Western State Law School.
Since 1992 Randal has been a POST instructor for the Orange County Sheriff’s Department, instructing courses in Homicide Investigation, Criminal Law, Ethics, Professionalism, Weapons Laws, Search and Seizure, Crimes Against Persons, Constitutional Law, and Civil Rights. Additionally, prior to his civilian law enforcement career he was a military police officer in the United States Army.
Randal Davis’ book, Evidence Collection and Presentation, is designed to introduce the concepts involved in collecting and presenting audio and visual evidence. The students will also be introduced to the documentation methods for preserving visual evidence. The text gives the student and understanding of the courtroom technology available for presentation methods utilizing audio and visual means. The disciplines include digital photography, film photography, video, voice and audio recordings.
Jon Lewis received his Master of Arts Degree in Criminal Justice from Chapman University in Orange California. He holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Criminal Justice with a minor in Speech Communication from Long Beach State University in California. He is a veteran officer with the Newport Beach Police Department, currently serving as a Sergeant and a member of the Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT) Team.
Jon Lewis’, Biological Evidence, is an introduction to the types of biological evidence commonly found at crime scenes and how to collect it. This book is written in an easy to read and understand style for non-science majors and for professionals working in the criminal justice system. Specific biological evidence discussed includes blood, semen, saliva, urine, feces, hair, and fingernails. Additional topics include autopsy, the basic departments of the crime laboratory, toxicology, forensic entomology, and uncollectible biological evidence. Packaging, preservation, and care of biological evidence is discussed and chain of custody is explained. Additional topics include DNA, case studies, courtroom testimony, and exhibits for the courtroom.
Jon Lewis’ second book, Criminalistics for Crime Scene Investigators, is an introduction to the concepts involved in the field of Criminalistics from the professional and scientific disciplines dedicated to the recognition, collection, identification, and individualization of physical evidence and the application of the natural sciences to the matters of the law.
Police-Writers.com now hosts 315 police officers (representing 135 police departments) and their 736 books in six categories, there are also listings of United States federal law enforcement employees turned authors, international police officers who have written books and civilian police personnel who have written books.
Police-Writers.com, a website dedicated to listing state and local police officers who have authored books, added two authors who have written extensively on the subjects of evidence collection and crime scenes.
Randal Davis has been an Investigator or Police Officer with departments in the Los Angeles and Orange County areas for 26 years. As a Police Officer and District Attorney Bureau of Investigation Investigator, he has conducted or participated in thousands of criminal investigations and arrests. He has received considerable police training and experience in Crime Scene Investigation, Homicide Investigation, the California Street Terrorism Act, Patrol Procedures, General Criminal Investigation, Narcotics, Sexual Assault, and Crimes Against Children.
Randal holds a Masters degree in Criminal Justice (with honors) and a Bachelors degree in Psychology with a minor in Criminal Justice from California State University Long Beach. Davis is a Phi Kappa Phi Honor Society member. He has been an Adjunct Professor teaching Criminal Justice courses at Santa Ana and Santiago Canyon Colleges since 1997. He has also been a guest instructor at Western State Law School.
Since 1992 Randal has been a POST instructor for the Orange County Sheriff’s Department, instructing courses in Homicide Investigation, Criminal Law, Ethics, Professionalism, Weapons Laws, Search and Seizure, Crimes Against Persons, Constitutional Law, and Civil Rights. Additionally, prior to his civilian law enforcement career he was a military police officer in the United States Army.
Randal Davis’ book, Evidence Collection and Presentation, is designed to introduce the concepts involved in collecting and presenting audio and visual evidence. The students will also be introduced to the documentation methods for preserving visual evidence. The text gives the student and understanding of the courtroom technology available for presentation methods utilizing audio and visual means. The disciplines include digital photography, film photography, video, voice and audio recordings.
Jon Lewis received his Master of Arts Degree in Criminal Justice from Chapman University in Orange California. He holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Criminal Justice with a minor in Speech Communication from Long Beach State University in California. He is a veteran officer with the Newport Beach Police Department, currently serving as a Sergeant and a member of the Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT) Team.
Jon Lewis’, Biological Evidence, is an introduction to the types of biological evidence commonly found at crime scenes and how to collect it. This book is written in an easy to read and understand style for non-science majors and for professionals working in the criminal justice system. Specific biological evidence discussed includes blood, semen, saliva, urine, feces, hair, and fingernails. Additional topics include autopsy, the basic departments of the crime laboratory, toxicology, forensic entomology, and uncollectible biological evidence. Packaging, preservation, and care of biological evidence is discussed and chain of custody is explained. Additional topics include DNA, case studies, courtroom testimony, and exhibits for the courtroom.
Jon Lewis’ second book, Criminalistics for Crime Scene Investigators, is an introduction to the concepts involved in the field of Criminalistics from the professional and scientific disciplines dedicated to the recognition, collection, identification, and individualization of physical evidence and the application of the natural sciences to the matters of the law.
Police-Writers.com now hosts 315 police officers (representing 135 police departments) and their 736 books in six categories, there are also listings of United States federal law enforcement employees turned authors, international police officers who have written books and civilian police personnel who have written books.
Friday, February 09, 2007
Retailers Show Love for Military Families
American Forces Press Service
Feb. 8, 2007 – This Valentine's season, Sears and Kmart customers will lend a hand, and a heart, to military families. The retailers have joined forces with Fisher House, a nonprofit organization dedicated to providing "a home away from home" for injured military members and their families through the "Have a Heart for Military Families" program.
Fisher House is a member of America Supports You, a Defense Department program that highlights and facilitates the ways Americans and the corporate sector are supporting the nation's servicemembers.
The Have a Heart for Military Families program will provide customers with an opportunity to help families of injured servicemembers by making a donation to Fisher House at any Sears or Kmart store and online.
"Our partnership with Sears and Kmart comes at a critical time for our organization," David A. Coker, president of the Fisher House Foundation, said. "Our 37 Fisher Houses were home to more than 10,000 servicemembers and their families in 2006, and the need for additional homes is urgent.
"We plan to build 21 additional Fisher Houses, primarily to assist combat casualties and their families, so the support from Sears, Kmart and their customers is timely and needed," he added.
Customers can donate at Sears or Kmart stores or at www.sears.com or www.kmart.com tomorrow through Feb. 11.
Sears and Kmart also assist troops and their families through several recruiting and employment programs. Both retailers offer a military pay differential to reserve-component employees who are activated. This allows reservists who are employed full-time to continue participating in life insurance, medical and dental programs while they're deployed. Additionally, Sears and Kmart hold a comparable position for these individuals for up to five years.
"We are proud to be partnering with Fisher House," said Aylwin Lewis, president and chief executive officer of Sears Holdings Corporation, which operates both retail chains. "Sears and Kmart have a longstanding commitment to those in the military, and we feel privileged to be assisting the troops and their families through this initiative.
"We know our customers will take this opportunity to open their hearts to help military families stay close to their loved ones when they need it most," he added.
Article sponsored by criminal justice online leadership; and police personnel and military personnel who have become authors by writing books.
Feb. 8, 2007 – This Valentine's season, Sears and Kmart customers will lend a hand, and a heart, to military families. The retailers have joined forces with Fisher House, a nonprofit organization dedicated to providing "a home away from home" for injured military members and their families through the "Have a Heart for Military Families" program.
Fisher House is a member of America Supports You, a Defense Department program that highlights and facilitates the ways Americans and the corporate sector are supporting the nation's servicemembers.
The Have a Heart for Military Families program will provide customers with an opportunity to help families of injured servicemembers by making a donation to Fisher House at any Sears or Kmart store and online.
"Our partnership with Sears and Kmart comes at a critical time for our organization," David A. Coker, president of the Fisher House Foundation, said. "Our 37 Fisher Houses were home to more than 10,000 servicemembers and their families in 2006, and the need for additional homes is urgent.
"We plan to build 21 additional Fisher Houses, primarily to assist combat casualties and their families, so the support from Sears, Kmart and their customers is timely and needed," he added.
Customers can donate at Sears or Kmart stores or at www.sears.com or www.kmart.com tomorrow through Feb. 11.
Sears and Kmart also assist troops and their families through several recruiting and employment programs. Both retailers offer a military pay differential to reserve-component employees who are activated. This allows reservists who are employed full-time to continue participating in life insurance, medical and dental programs while they're deployed. Additionally, Sears and Kmart hold a comparable position for these individuals for up to five years.
"We are proud to be partnering with Fisher House," said Aylwin Lewis, president and chief executive officer of Sears Holdings Corporation, which operates both retail chains. "Sears and Kmart have a longstanding commitment to those in the military, and we feel privileged to be assisting the troops and their families through this initiative.
"We know our customers will take this opportunity to open their hearts to help military families stay close to their loved ones when they need it most," he added.
Article sponsored by criminal justice online leadership; and police personnel and military personnel who have become authors by writing books.
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