Editor's Note: One of the police officer authors is former USCG.
Police-Writers.com is a website that lists state and local police officers who have written books. Three police officers who have written books were added to the website: Jaye Slade Fletcher, George Vuilleumier and Charles P. O’Reilly.
Jaye Slade Fletcher was a career police officer with the Chicago Police Department. She was the first women to work patrol in the Chicago Police Department’s history. During her career she received over 30 department citation for courage and outstanding public service; including an award of special recognition for her pioneering efforts on behalf of women in law enforcement. Jaye Slade Fletcher is the author three books: Deadly Thrills; Perfect Gentlemen; and, Create your own Tile Art: Stamps and Stencils.
Deadly Thrills is “an account of a series of savage sex murders and mutilations that rocked Chicago during the early 1980s describes the shocking murders and the young man, Robin Gecht, and his male followers who were tried and convicted for the monstrous crimes.” Perfect Gentlemen “chronicles the life and crimes of twenty-eight-year-old Michael Lee Lockhart, a handsome and charming serial killer who idolized Ted Bundy and who launched a horrifying nine-month spree of rape, torture, murder, and mutilation across five states and two continents.”
George Vuilleumier holds a bachelor’s degree from Columbia Pacific University, and he has spent his entire adult life in the field of law enforcement. At the age of 18, George Vuilleumier joined the United States Coast Guard. Upon discharge he joined the Massachusetts State Police where his assignments included vice officer and narcotics investigator. He left the Massachusetts State Police to join the U.S. Treasury where he served as an Internal Affairs Agent, uncover operative and ultimately the Chief of the Treasury’s Southwest Region. Upon mandatory retirement he joined the Dallas County Sheriff’s Department where he served as a reserve lieutenant.
George Vuilleumier has produced a number of law enforcement training films and has appeared on the Law Enforcement Television Network. He has also written extensively for The Chief of Police magazine. His book, It’s a Cop’s Life, is his autobiography.
Charles P. O’Reilly was a police officer for the Elmhurst Police Department (Illinois) for over 20 years. His book, I Couldn’t Say No, is a memoir of his life and career. ccording to the book description, “For people that know early on what they want to be in life, whether doctor, lawyer, engineer or accountant, their career pursuit is easy. But for the vast majority, the undecided, they must choose their slot in life differently. They do this through the experience of rejecting a host of jobs that for one reason or another just do not fit. Nobody learned this hard lesson better than the author. In I Couldn't Say No, the writer shows his often painful experiences going from apprentice field engineer to expediter, from a series of sales jobs, to milkman and from bartender to store manager trainee. Through a federal jury assignment and a stroke of luck his destiny changed. At age thirty-one with six years of marriage and a family of four, he finally found what he was looking for when he took a police officer's exam in Elmhurst, Illinois and passed. Originally it was to be temporary until he could land a Border Patrol job...instead it was a happy twenty-year career.”
Police-Writers.com now hosts 587 police officers (representing 247 police departments) and their 1229 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.
Tuesday, June 26, 2007
Monday, June 25, 2007
Don’t play Russian Roulette with your body armor. . .or your life
By Steve RussRUSS Innovations, Inc.
When a bullet strikes body armor, it is caught in a web of very strong fibers. These fibers absorb and disperse the impact energy that is transmitted to the vest from the bullet, causing the bullet to deform, or "mushroom." Additional energy is absorbed by each successive layer of material in the vest, until the bullet has been stopped.
A major problem in law enforcement and corrections/military communities is the deterioration of body armor’s ballistic-resistant capabilities due to improper care and maintenance. In most cases, this problem is not caused by the manufactures of body armor, but is, in fact, caused by the men and women who wear this life saving device, or by their respective department heads/commanders who allow negligent — and potentially life-threatening — care and storage to continue.
The five most common ways to improperly care for your body armor could be fatal mistakes:
1. Using a wire hanger with the ends bent up.
2. Using a wood hanger, which is stronger than, but just as destructive as a wire hanger.
3. Using a clamping slacks hanger — when it clamps down on the ballistic panels, it crushes the ballistic fibers of the vest and allows no air to circulate inside the vest panels.
4. Tossing the body armor into the bottom of a locker — this not only creates permanent folds and creases, but also prevents ventilation and prohibits the body armor from completely drying.
5. Tossing the body armor in the trunk of your vehicle — very destructive because of the high temperatures and humidity in this enclosed area.
Manufacturers suggest that when not in use, body armor should be laid flat, dried on one side and flipped over and dried on the other. This was the only method that prevented damage to the body armor and allowed the ballistic fibers to completely dry. But a new device makes this task easier than ever.
The Flak Vest Hanger™ is ideal because the user can hang the body armor, which saves space and allows it to dry twice as fast as lying flat. The Flak Vest Hanger™ is fully adjustable for all sizes and fits both male and female armor. It addresses each and every improper method that causes damage, and is backed by a twenty-five year warranty.
Body armor manufacturers provide the user with instructions on how to care for their body armor. However, very few end-users or administrators take the time to read this important information. Upon interviewing thousands of officers and administrators around the country, I have found that less then 10 percent have read the care and use instructions.
The percentage is even lower when it comes to people’s understanding of the warranty, in terms of what it means for the body armor’s durability and effectiveness. Several high-ranking officials in federal, state and local governments have even gone as far as to say they didn’t care how the body armor was maintained since their agency could not be sued.
In other words, it wasn’t "their problem" if the men and women who wore it won’t take care if it. In my opinion, this says very little for their knowledge on the warranties of the body armor and it says even less for these department heads on the value that they place on the lives of the men and women who serve under them.
Today, most men and women and their department heads who wear body armor believe that their body armor will stop a projectile, as long as it was designed to stop a specifically rated caliber. This is a life-threatening misconception shared by those whose very lives depend on it. Improper care and maintenance may have caused deterioration to the ballistic fibers and, as a result, decreased the ballistic threat level that it once met. Just because it was designed to stop a certain round when it was made, doesn’t guarantee that it will continue to do so if it is not properly treated and maintained.
At one time, several manufactures of body armor provided a ten-year warranty with newly purchased vests. Today, only a couple manufacturers provide more than a five-year warranty. This is not because the ballistic material only lasts five years — in fact, it can — but because, once the body armor is out of the control of the manufactures, it is solely up to the police officers and their department to ensure the proper care and maintenance of the unit, and this can’t be vouched for.
One of the most frequently asked questions the National Law Enforcement and Corrections Technology Center (NLECTC) receives is "how long does body armor last?" Unfortunately, there is no definitive answer. Every piece of armor will eventually need to be replaced. Body armor is not a one-time buy.
For example, if a department changes its service weapons or ammunition, the armor worn by its officers must be shown to protect against the new weapons systems. If an agency determines that the ammunition threats that they face have increased, upgrading to a higher level of protection may be appropriate. An individual’s body weight may change over time, and armor that no longer fits or is uncomfortable is likely not to be worn.
Since no two pieces of armor are exposed to identical wear or care, each must be evaluated individually. Age alone does not cause body armor’s ballistic resistance to deteriorate. The care and maintenance of a garment, or the lack thereof, have been shown to have a greater impact on the length of service life. Armor that is 10 years old and has never been issued may be perfectly acceptable for use, provided that the rated level of protection is still appropriate for the typical threats faced. Conversely, 2- or 3-year-old armor that has been worn regularly and cared for improperly may not be serviceable.
Both the DuPont testing and a 1986 study by NIJ22 (Ballistic Tests of Used Body Armor) found that age alone does not degrade the ballistic properties of armor. Armor manufactured in 1975 that remained in inventory without issue exhibited ballistic-resistant properties identical to those at the time of manufacture.
No two people are built alike and no two people sweat or perspire the same amount. This is also true for how they take care of their body armor. Body armor manufacturers know this and their limited warranty is the only method that they have to somewhat insure to any degree that the ballistic materials used in the construction will perform as designed. Remember, anything won’t last if you don’t take care of it and body armor is no different.
Body armor that is improperly maintained and stored via "homemade methods" places one's life at unnecessary risk. I have always asked the question, "Would you go into a gun fight if you knew that your weapon may not work or the ammo was bad?" Each and every time I ask this question I get the same answer: "No."
I then ask, "Then why would you wear body armor that may no longer provide you with the safety level needed to perform your job if you do not have to?" Yet day after day, our loved ones wear poorly cared for body armor into battle, mistakenly thinking it will save their lives.
In short, don’t play Russian Roulette with your life by not caring for your body armor. Protect the device that protects your life so that you can come home to those who love you.
You can obtain more information on body armor by reviewing the Selection and Application Guide to Personal Body Armor NIJ Guide 100-01 (Update to NIJ Guide 100-98).
About the Author:
The author of this article Steve Russ is a retired Police Officer from the State of Michigan and has studied the deterioration of body armor for the last twenty-five years. Officer Russ provides expert testimony in several fields of law enforcement and has been working toward educating the men and women who wear body armor of these risks. RUSS Innovations, Inc.
Police-Writers.com
Editor's Note: Many of the police officers listed on the website are former military.
Police-Writers.com is a website dedicated to listing state and local police officers who have authored books. Researched and edited by retired Los Angeles Police Department Lieutenant Raymond E. Foster, the website lists nearly 600 state and local police officers who have written books. There is no charge to be listed on the website; the only rule for inclusion is that the author completed their probationary period with a state or local law enforcement agency.
Each police officer listing contains a brief biography of the author, a listing of their books and a convenient link to their book listings on Amazon.com. The website can be searched by state, agency, police officer and topic of the book. Book topics include tactical, leadership, academic, biography, etc. Moreover, there are special sections such as books written by women police officers and police officers who given an inside account of police corruption.
While the bulk of the current listings are state and local police officers, there are special sections on federal law enforcement officers, police civilians and police officers from other countries who have written books. Agencies from the Department of Homeland Security to the Federal Bureau of Investigation have had sworn personnel author books. Furthermore, international authors come from Australia, Canada, England and India.
The website is constantly updated and continuing to grow in size, scope and purpose. It has blossomed into a platform for police officers to contribute law enforcement related poetry, prayers, short-stories and articles. The articles on the website range from leadership issues to terrorism related. Each article is written by a police officer and focuses on the job of a law enforcement official.
For further information about Police-Writers.com you can visit the website at www.police-writers.com or contact the editor, Lieutenant Raymond E. Foster, LAPD (ret.), MPA at editor@police-writers.com.
Police-Writers.com is a website dedicated to listing state and local police officers who have authored books. Researched and edited by retired Los Angeles Police Department Lieutenant Raymond E. Foster, the website lists nearly 600 state and local police officers who have written books. There is no charge to be listed on the website; the only rule for inclusion is that the author completed their probationary period with a state or local law enforcement agency.
Each police officer listing contains a brief biography of the author, a listing of their books and a convenient link to their book listings on Amazon.com. The website can be searched by state, agency, police officer and topic of the book. Book topics include tactical, leadership, academic, biography, etc. Moreover, there are special sections such as books written by women police officers and police officers who given an inside account of police corruption.
While the bulk of the current listings are state and local police officers, there are special sections on federal law enforcement officers, police civilians and police officers from other countries who have written books. Agencies from the Department of Homeland Security to the Federal Bureau of Investigation have had sworn personnel author books. Furthermore, international authors come from Australia, Canada, England and India.
The website is constantly updated and continuing to grow in size, scope and purpose. It has blossomed into a platform for police officers to contribute law enforcement related poetry, prayers, short-stories and articles. The articles on the website range from leadership issues to terrorism related. Each article is written by a police officer and focuses on the job of a law enforcement official.
For further information about Police-Writers.com you can visit the website at www.police-writers.com or contact the editor, Lieutenant Raymond E. Foster, LAPD (ret.), MPA at editor@police-writers.com.
Wounded Soldier Heals, Rejoins Unit
By Staff Sgt. Curt Cashour, USA
American Forces Press Service
June 25, 2007 – Army Sgt. 1st Class Adin Salkanovic won't spend a full 15 months in Iraq like the rest of the soldiers in his unit. Still, he knows all too well about the sacrifices of war. The platoon sergeant with 1st Cavalry Division's Troop B, 6th Squadron, 9th Cavalry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, volunteered to rejoin his unit in Iraq after recovering from multiple gunshot wounds suffered in Buhriz, Iraq, March 6.
Salkanovic, 27, was leading a dismounted, eight-man reconnaissance team when 15 to 20 insurgents wielding grenades, sniper rifles and AK-47s started attacking from three different directions.
Pinned down on the roof of a building, Salkanovic and his squad returned fire. In a span of 15 minutes, Salkanovic was struck by three enemy bullets: one to his left index finger and shoulder and one apiece to his right shoulder and bicep. Two more enemy rounds nearly struck Salkanovic, but were stopped by his body armor - "the two that would have killed me," he called them.
Salkanovic's team managed to fend off the attack, eventually killing two insurgents. If not for the actions of one of his soldiers, Cpl. Cory Walter, Salkanovic is sure he would have died that day, he said.
"Corporal Walter is pretty much responsible for me being alive right now."
Salkanovic, whose wounds caused him to lose two liters of blood, was evacuated to Germany and later moved to Fort Hood, Texas, to recover. After two months of healing and rehabilitation, he was ready to head back to Iraq. He rejoined his unit, which is based at Forward Operating Base Normandy, May 15.
"As soon as (my doctor) cleared me to come back, I was on the first flight out," said Salkanovic, a native of Sarajevo, Bosnia-Herzegovina.
Although returning to Iraq was entirely his choice, Salkanovic said, the decision was not up for debate. Rejoining his unit was his goal from the start.
"It's like a family - especially being a platoon sergeant. You get attached to the soldiers," he said.
(Army Staff Sgt. Curt Cashour is assigned to Multinational Corps Iraq Public Affairs.)
American Forces Press Service
June 25, 2007 – Army Sgt. 1st Class Adin Salkanovic won't spend a full 15 months in Iraq like the rest of the soldiers in his unit. Still, he knows all too well about the sacrifices of war. The platoon sergeant with 1st Cavalry Division's Troop B, 6th Squadron, 9th Cavalry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, volunteered to rejoin his unit in Iraq after recovering from multiple gunshot wounds suffered in Buhriz, Iraq, March 6.
Salkanovic, 27, was leading a dismounted, eight-man reconnaissance team when 15 to 20 insurgents wielding grenades, sniper rifles and AK-47s started attacking from three different directions.
Pinned down on the roof of a building, Salkanovic and his squad returned fire. In a span of 15 minutes, Salkanovic was struck by three enemy bullets: one to his left index finger and shoulder and one apiece to his right shoulder and bicep. Two more enemy rounds nearly struck Salkanovic, but were stopped by his body armor - "the two that would have killed me," he called them.
Salkanovic's team managed to fend off the attack, eventually killing two insurgents. If not for the actions of one of his soldiers, Cpl. Cory Walter, Salkanovic is sure he would have died that day, he said.
"Corporal Walter is pretty much responsible for me being alive right now."
Salkanovic, whose wounds caused him to lose two liters of blood, was evacuated to Germany and later moved to Fort Hood, Texas, to recover. After two months of healing and rehabilitation, he was ready to head back to Iraq. He rejoined his unit, which is based at Forward Operating Base Normandy, May 15.
"As soon as (my doctor) cleared me to come back, I was on the first flight out," said Salkanovic, a native of Sarajevo, Bosnia-Herzegovina.
Although returning to Iraq was entirely his choice, Salkanovic said, the decision was not up for debate. Rejoining his unit was his goal from the start.
"It's like a family - especially being a platoon sergeant. You get attached to the soldiers," he said.
(Army Staff Sgt. Curt Cashour is assigned to Multinational Corps Iraq Public Affairs.)
Personnel Chiefs Push For Incentives, Integration for Reserve Forces
By Donna Miles
American Forces Press Service
June 22, 2007 – The reserve components are vital to the military and its ability to fight the war on terror, so it's essential that they're properly managed and compensated, the service personnel chiefs told the Commission on the National Guard and Reserves yesterday. The chiefs shared insights into better ways to integrate Guard and reserve members into the total force and to ensure the reserve components get the resources and manpower they need.
"The current environment, and I predict, the future, requires the seamless integration of the active and reserve military, civilian employees and support contractors into a cohesive and rapidly tailorable force," Lt. Gen. Michael Rochelle, the Army's deputy chief of staff for personnel, said in his prepared statement.
He noted that almost 382,000 reserve-component soldiers have mobilized since Sept. 11, 2001, to fight the terror war, and that more will be called as the war progresses.
"Never before in the history of the United States have members of the Air Force reserve components played such a pivotal role in the defense of our homeland and our national security objectives around the globe," agreed Lt. Gen. Roger A. Brady, Air Force deputy chief of staff for manpower and personnel.
More than 10,000 Air National Guard and Air Force Reserve members are currently on duty at home or abroad, he reported.
Just as the military depends on these troops to carry out its mission, the services' personnel chiefs agreed that it needs to ensure that they and their families receive the compensation and support they deserve.
That's particularly important for the Army and Marine Corps as they increase the size of their forces, but no less critical for their sister services as they reshape for the future, they said.
Rear Adm. Edward Masso, commander of Navy Personnel Command, said that as the Navy continues reducing the size of its force, it needs to do so in the smartest way possible.
"We need to apply both small adjustments and major course corrections in order to shape our force into a smaller, more effective and cost-efficient total force," he said in his prepared remarks.
These changes will have far-reaching implications for the force, he told the commission. "What we do today - the decisions we make - will dictate our situation tomorrow and determine what we are capable of in the future," the admiral said.
Lt. Gen. Ronald S. Coleman, the Marine Corps' deputy commandant for manpower and reserve affairs, called individual Marines the most effective weapon in the Corps' arsenal. "Accordingly, our manpower and personnel plans must support the accession and retention of this vital resource," he said.
Ultimately, the long-term success of the reserve components depends on managing them in a way that meets troops' and their families' expectations and needs, as well as operational requirements, he said.
The personnel chiefs' testimony reflected comments offered the previous day by Michael Dominguez, principal deputy undersecretary of defense for personnel and readiness.
During his June 20 appearance before the commission, Dominguez urged more flexibility for reserve-component members that enables them to better balance their military and civilian obligations and encourages them to serve.
Dominguez joined the service chiefs in endorsing a "continuum of service" that enables military members to shift between the active and reserve components, more full-time support for Guard and reserve units, expanded opportunities for joint training and qualifications and a more competitive compensation package.
The independent Commission on the National Guard and Reserves was established under the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2005 to recommend any needed changes in law and policy to ensure that the Guard and Reserves are organized, trained, equipped, compensated and supported to meet U.S. national security requirements.
American Forces Press Service
June 22, 2007 – The reserve components are vital to the military and its ability to fight the war on terror, so it's essential that they're properly managed and compensated, the service personnel chiefs told the Commission on the National Guard and Reserves yesterday. The chiefs shared insights into better ways to integrate Guard and reserve members into the total force and to ensure the reserve components get the resources and manpower they need.
"The current environment, and I predict, the future, requires the seamless integration of the active and reserve military, civilian employees and support contractors into a cohesive and rapidly tailorable force," Lt. Gen. Michael Rochelle, the Army's deputy chief of staff for personnel, said in his prepared statement.
He noted that almost 382,000 reserve-component soldiers have mobilized since Sept. 11, 2001, to fight the terror war, and that more will be called as the war progresses.
"Never before in the history of the United States have members of the Air Force reserve components played such a pivotal role in the defense of our homeland and our national security objectives around the globe," agreed Lt. Gen. Roger A. Brady, Air Force deputy chief of staff for manpower and personnel.
More than 10,000 Air National Guard and Air Force Reserve members are currently on duty at home or abroad, he reported.
Just as the military depends on these troops to carry out its mission, the services' personnel chiefs agreed that it needs to ensure that they and their families receive the compensation and support they deserve.
That's particularly important for the Army and Marine Corps as they increase the size of their forces, but no less critical for their sister services as they reshape for the future, they said.
Rear Adm. Edward Masso, commander of Navy Personnel Command, said that as the Navy continues reducing the size of its force, it needs to do so in the smartest way possible.
"We need to apply both small adjustments and major course corrections in order to shape our force into a smaller, more effective and cost-efficient total force," he said in his prepared remarks.
These changes will have far-reaching implications for the force, he told the commission. "What we do today - the decisions we make - will dictate our situation tomorrow and determine what we are capable of in the future," the admiral said.
Lt. Gen. Ronald S. Coleman, the Marine Corps' deputy commandant for manpower and reserve affairs, called individual Marines the most effective weapon in the Corps' arsenal. "Accordingly, our manpower and personnel plans must support the accession and retention of this vital resource," he said.
Ultimately, the long-term success of the reserve components depends on managing them in a way that meets troops' and their families' expectations and needs, as well as operational requirements, he said.
The personnel chiefs' testimony reflected comments offered the previous day by Michael Dominguez, principal deputy undersecretary of defense for personnel and readiness.
During his June 20 appearance before the commission, Dominguez urged more flexibility for reserve-component members that enables them to better balance their military and civilian obligations and encourages them to serve.
Dominguez joined the service chiefs in endorsing a "continuum of service" that enables military members to shift between the active and reserve components, more full-time support for Guard and reserve units, expanded opportunities for joint training and qualifications and a more competitive compensation package.
The independent Commission on the National Guard and Reserves was established under the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2005 to recommend any needed changes in law and policy to ensure that the Guard and Reserves are organized, trained, equipped, compensated and supported to meet U.S. national security requirements.
Saturday, June 23, 2007
Army Reserve Now Part of Operational Force, General Says
By John J. Kruzel
American Forces Press Service
June 22, 2007 – The Army Reserve has transformed into an operational force, but needs to make more changes to better meet current and future needs, the top Army Reserve commander told reporters at the Foreign Press Center here yesterday. Gone are the days when reservists committed one weekend per month and two weeks in the summer to soldiering duties, said Lt. Gen. Jack C. Stultz, chief of the U.S. Army Reserve. To respond to increased demands on manpower, he said, the Army Reserve has mobilized nearly 83 percent of its soldiers. About 170,000 soldiers have deployed since Sept. 11, 2001.
"With the advent of the war on terror, with Operation Iraqi Freedom and Enduring Freedom, we have now become part of the operational force. ... We have maintained an ongoing commitment to this war," Stultz said.
Reserve units are expected to mobilize once every four to five years, the general said. In some cases, units will deploy and support U.S. operations for one year in theater before returning to non-military life.
"And you'll train for another four years until you're expected to get called up again," he said. "And that's the goal of where we're going. To do that, we've got to transform a lot of our units from the legacy structure we had into the new structure that we need."
Stultz said reservists' status as "warrior-citizens" creates an important connection between the deployed warfighters and their American communities back home, which fosters public support for military members.
"Our friends are in the community; our roots are in the community," he said. "And so when we call those citizen soldiers or warrior citizens up, that community spirit comes with them; that community interest comes with them."
In their civilian lives, reservists are city planners, fire chiefs, law enforcement officers, police chiefs, waterworks directors, power plant operators, or possess other vital civilian skills that often are lacking in the active military components, Stultz said.
While visiting a hospital unit at Camp Bondsteel in Kosovo, the general said, he witnessed a reservist's civilian skills in action when the soldier fixed the hospital's malfunctioning magnetic resonance imaging machine.
"And I said, 'What do you do for a living, Sergeant?' And he said, 'I'm an engineer for Toshiba Medical. I do this for a living,'" Stultz recalled. "That's the kind of skill sets that you bring."
Stultz said a common misconception is that Army Reserve members are deployed only in Iraq and Afghanistan. In reality, he said, reservists are performing important tasks in 20 to 25 countries around the world, from school-building projects in Panama, to vaccinating goats -- - the country's main food source -- in Djibouti.
"We've got a lot of Reserve soldiers around the world doing great things, capitalizing on their civilian skills as well as their military skill," he said.
Unexpected deployments can take a toll on reservists' civilian employers, Stultz said, so military officials are working to give notice to employers when reservist personnel will be called up.
"We're working very hard with the employers of America to talk about providing predictability so that they can predict when that soldier's going to have to leave and be in the Army, and when he'll be back, and they can make plans around that," he said.
To further relieve employers, Stultz said, the Army Reserve is also considering sharing the cost of reservists' benefits when the soldiers mobilize.
Despite the reserve force experiencing high operational tempo and strain, recruitment and retention rates are encouraging, the general said.
"Our re-enlistment rates, our retention, is the highest it's been in years," he said. "So the soldiers that we're getting into our ranks now feel good about what they're doing, and they want to stay."
American Forces Press Service
June 22, 2007 – The Army Reserve has transformed into an operational force, but needs to make more changes to better meet current and future needs, the top Army Reserve commander told reporters at the Foreign Press Center here yesterday. Gone are the days when reservists committed one weekend per month and two weeks in the summer to soldiering duties, said Lt. Gen. Jack C. Stultz, chief of the U.S. Army Reserve. To respond to increased demands on manpower, he said, the Army Reserve has mobilized nearly 83 percent of its soldiers. About 170,000 soldiers have deployed since Sept. 11, 2001.
"With the advent of the war on terror, with Operation Iraqi Freedom and Enduring Freedom, we have now become part of the operational force. ... We have maintained an ongoing commitment to this war," Stultz said.
Reserve units are expected to mobilize once every four to five years, the general said. In some cases, units will deploy and support U.S. operations for one year in theater before returning to non-military life.
"And you'll train for another four years until you're expected to get called up again," he said. "And that's the goal of where we're going. To do that, we've got to transform a lot of our units from the legacy structure we had into the new structure that we need."
Stultz said reservists' status as "warrior-citizens" creates an important connection between the deployed warfighters and their American communities back home, which fosters public support for military members.
"Our friends are in the community; our roots are in the community," he said. "And so when we call those citizen soldiers or warrior citizens up, that community spirit comes with them; that community interest comes with them."
In their civilian lives, reservists are city planners, fire chiefs, law enforcement officers, police chiefs, waterworks directors, power plant operators, or possess other vital civilian skills that often are lacking in the active military components, Stultz said.
While visiting a hospital unit at Camp Bondsteel in Kosovo, the general said, he witnessed a reservist's civilian skills in action when the soldier fixed the hospital's malfunctioning magnetic resonance imaging machine.
"And I said, 'What do you do for a living, Sergeant?' And he said, 'I'm an engineer for Toshiba Medical. I do this for a living,'" Stultz recalled. "That's the kind of skill sets that you bring."
Stultz said a common misconception is that Army Reserve members are deployed only in Iraq and Afghanistan. In reality, he said, reservists are performing important tasks in 20 to 25 countries around the world, from school-building projects in Panama, to vaccinating goats -- - the country's main food source -- in Djibouti.
"We've got a lot of Reserve soldiers around the world doing great things, capitalizing on their civilian skills as well as their military skill," he said.
Unexpected deployments can take a toll on reservists' civilian employers, Stultz said, so military officials are working to give notice to employers when reservist personnel will be called up.
"We're working very hard with the employers of America to talk about providing predictability so that they can predict when that soldier's going to have to leave and be in the Army, and when he'll be back, and they can make plans around that," he said.
To further relieve employers, Stultz said, the Army Reserve is also considering sharing the cost of reservists' benefits when the soldiers mobilize.
Despite the reserve force experiencing high operational tempo and strain, recruitment and retention rates are encouraging, the general said.
"Our re-enlistment rates, our retention, is the highest it's been in years," he said. "So the soldiers that we're getting into our ranks now feel good about what they're doing, and they want to stay."
Music Hall to Host Troop Salute
American Forces Press Service
June 22, 2007 – In celebration of Independence Day, "America's Legendary Music Hall" will offer a patriotic salute to servicemembers and their families. On July 3, nearly 500 servicemembers and their families will fill the Birchmere Music Hall here for an appreciation dinner and an "America Supports You" concert featuring Jenny Boyle, according to a Birchmere news release.
America Supports You is a Defense Department program connecting citizens and corporations with military personnel and their families serving at home and abroad.
"The Birchmere and Jenny Boyle are stalwart supporters of the troops, and as a way of saying thanks, the venue wais hosting the patriotic event," the release said.
Boyle, a local recording artist, is a frequent performer on the Armed Forces Entertainment tours, which send regional and local up-and-coming artists around the world to entertain servicemembers. She recently performed an America Supports You concert for Pentagon employees, who enjoyed the artist's mix of jazz, blues and Latin music.
Since 1966, the Birchmere has served as a springboard for many well-known musicians' careers. "On any given night, a star may be born," the release said.
Indeed, Boyle will be in good company when she takes the stage. Mary Chapin Carpenter, Lyle Lovett, Dave Matthews and Vince Gill are just a few of the artists considered "good friends of the Birchmere."
The doors open at 6 p.m. for an invitation-only dinner, and the concert will begin at 7:30 p.m. While the event is not open to the public, media are invited to attend, and should contact Carrie Sloan at 202-414-0776 or Michael Jaworek at 703-549-7500, ext. 14.
(From a Birchmere Musica Hall news release.)
June 22, 2007 – In celebration of Independence Day, "America's Legendary Music Hall" will offer a patriotic salute to servicemembers and their families. On July 3, nearly 500 servicemembers and their families will fill the Birchmere Music Hall here for an appreciation dinner and an "America Supports You" concert featuring Jenny Boyle, according to a Birchmere news release.
America Supports You is a Defense Department program connecting citizens and corporations with military personnel and their families serving at home and abroad.
"The Birchmere and Jenny Boyle are stalwart supporters of the troops, and as a way of saying thanks, the venue wais hosting the patriotic event," the release said.
Boyle, a local recording artist, is a frequent performer on the Armed Forces Entertainment tours, which send regional and local up-and-coming artists around the world to entertain servicemembers. She recently performed an America Supports You concert for Pentagon employees, who enjoyed the artist's mix of jazz, blues and Latin music.
Since 1966, the Birchmere has served as a springboard for many well-known musicians' careers. "On any given night, a star may be born," the release said.
Indeed, Boyle will be in good company when she takes the stage. Mary Chapin Carpenter, Lyle Lovett, Dave Matthews and Vince Gill are just a few of the artists considered "good friends of the Birchmere."
The doors open at 6 p.m. for an invitation-only dinner, and the concert will begin at 7:30 p.m. While the event is not open to the public, media are invited to attend, and should contact Carrie Sloan at 202-414-0776 or Michael Jaworek at 703-549-7500, ext. 14.
(From a Birchmere Musica Hall news release.)
Christmas in July Party Benefits Troops
By Samantha L. Quigley
American Forces Press Service
June 22, 2007 – While the country is getting ready to celebrate its 231st birthday with fireworks, picnics and other summer activities, Arizonans Mike and Malinda Brown already are planning for Christmas. On July 7, the Browns will host their annual "Christmas in July" party to benefit Packages from Home and its efforts to send care packages to deployed servicemembers.
"It's one of the only things that we feel that we can do, and it's something that's important to us, because we are wanting them to know that they're not forgotten," Malinda Brown said. "These are simple things that they should not be doing without, especially a clean pair of socks or a fresh pillow case."
Packages from Home is a member of America Supports You, a Defense Department program connecting citizens and corporations with military personnel and their families serving at home and abroad.
For the past four years, party guests -- the Browns' friends and clients -- have been asked to donate items to Packages from Home, Brown said. While the guests are enjoying an all-American meal of grilled burgers, hot dogs and the trimmings, Packages from Home volunteers are sorting donations of razors, shampoo, deodorant, socks and entertainment items.
"We have eight large banquet tables in our air-conditioned garage, and have this beautiful little grocery store set up for the evening," Brown said. Beginning about 9 p.m., groups of 20 to 25 guests pack boxes under the guidance of Packages from Home volunteers.
"The instructions they give us are, 'Go through the line as if you're packing for a loved one," Brown said, of the volunteers.
The annual party actually began nine years ago when Mike Brown's boss died unexpectedly and the family had requested no flowers be sent. Brown and Associates employees took that to mean no acknowledgement, Brown said. Her husband decided a party to celebrate his boss's life was in order.
During the course of each celebration, a toast is offered in his memory, she said. But simply hosting a large celebration each year didn't sit quite right with Brown.
"Since it was labeled as "Christmas in July" ... I (thought) we should be doing something good, and we took on several different charities," she said. "We needed to be doing something more than just drinking beer."
At one point, the Browns attempted to support a military unit serving overseas through their party, but never received any confirmation that the servicemembers had received the packages. But supporting the troops felt like the right thing to do, since several Brown and Associates employees have served in the military. So four years ago, the couple teamed up with Packages from Home.
"Last year we did over 220 (boxes)," Brown said. "We're shooting for 250 to 300 boxes this year."
But she has a broader goal this year. "I would like to share (this) with others, and invite them to have their own Christmas in July, and team up with someone like Packages from Home to keep the ball rolling," she said.
If that's not possible, simply making a donation, either cash or goods, to Packages from Home would be a great alternative, Brown said.
American Forces Press Service
June 22, 2007 – While the country is getting ready to celebrate its 231st birthday with fireworks, picnics and other summer activities, Arizonans Mike and Malinda Brown already are planning for Christmas. On July 7, the Browns will host their annual "Christmas in July" party to benefit Packages from Home and its efforts to send care packages to deployed servicemembers.
"It's one of the only things that we feel that we can do, and it's something that's important to us, because we are wanting them to know that they're not forgotten," Malinda Brown said. "These are simple things that they should not be doing without, especially a clean pair of socks or a fresh pillow case."
Packages from Home is a member of America Supports You, a Defense Department program connecting citizens and corporations with military personnel and their families serving at home and abroad.
For the past four years, party guests -- the Browns' friends and clients -- have been asked to donate items to Packages from Home, Brown said. While the guests are enjoying an all-American meal of grilled burgers, hot dogs and the trimmings, Packages from Home volunteers are sorting donations of razors, shampoo, deodorant, socks and entertainment items.
"We have eight large banquet tables in our air-conditioned garage, and have this beautiful little grocery store set up for the evening," Brown said. Beginning about 9 p.m., groups of 20 to 25 guests pack boxes under the guidance of Packages from Home volunteers.
"The instructions they give us are, 'Go through the line as if you're packing for a loved one," Brown said, of the volunteers.
The annual party actually began nine years ago when Mike Brown's boss died unexpectedly and the family had requested no flowers be sent. Brown and Associates employees took that to mean no acknowledgement, Brown said. Her husband decided a party to celebrate his boss's life was in order.
During the course of each celebration, a toast is offered in his memory, she said. But simply hosting a large celebration each year didn't sit quite right with Brown.
"Since it was labeled as "Christmas in July" ... I (thought) we should be doing something good, and we took on several different charities," she said. "We needed to be doing something more than just drinking beer."
At one point, the Browns attempted to support a military unit serving overseas through their party, but never received any confirmation that the servicemembers had received the packages. But supporting the troops felt like the right thing to do, since several Brown and Associates employees have served in the military. So four years ago, the couple teamed up with Packages from Home.
"Last year we did over 220 (boxes)," Brown said. "We're shooting for 250 to 300 boxes this year."
But she has a broader goal this year. "I would like to share (this) with others, and invite them to have their own Christmas in July, and team up with someone like Packages from Home to keep the ball rolling," she said.
If that's not possible, simply making a donation, either cash or goods, to Packages from Home would be a great alternative, Brown said.
U.K. TACTICAL SNIPER COURSE
The International Tactical Officers Training Association (ITOTA) is “an international law enforcement organization designed to offer high-quality professional training and information sharing. The ITOTA recognizes the need to expand and share tactical knowledge by focusing on the wealth of experience that exists in the global tactical community. The ITOTA will be hosting a tactical snipers course at Camp Atterbury which is an Army training post located next to Edinburg, Indiana. This course of instruction is for snipers working in rural and urban environments. The course is open to law enforcement, military, corrections and government contractors.
Course description
Date: September 24-28, 2007
Location: Camp Atterbury, Indiana
Tuition: $495.00 (non ITOTA member)
Member price: $395.00
The lead instructor for this course is a recently retired, British Army, Master Sniper with over 22 years of real world experience. Prior to discharging from the military he served as the Sergeant Major charged with oversight and training the recon/sniper platoons at the Battalion level.
The Sgt. Major has a vast amount of experience that was gained through out the world in places such as; Ukraine, USA, Great Britain, Northern Ireland, Iraq, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Cyprus, Bosnia, Kosovo, Malaysia, Germany, Falklands, Afghanistan, East and South Africa.
Instruction will be given on the following:
Weapon and bullet vs. the environments.
Urban and rural alternative position firing.
Emergency response hides and shooting positions.
Emergency tripod.
Glass and vehicle shooting.
Observation techniques such as: field sketching, color coding and various surveillance techniques.
How to acquire several "guns on to target" with speed and accuracy.
Coordinated shoots from a containment situation; from the firing line or from the control room.
Stealth movement and techniques.
Camouflage techniques.
Shooting from Rural and Urban hides.
Live and non-live fire training scenarios will be conducted.
For more information on the course or to register CALL: 812.878.SWAT or email us at www.itota.net.
Additional Information:
Course topics and content:
What is a sniper.
Sniper mind set.
Sniper roles and equipment.
Urban camouflage.
Rural camouflage.
Judging distance.
Urban/rural hides.
Insertion techniques.
Internal/external/terminal ballistics.
Theory of shooting and sighting techniques.
Alternative firing positions rural and urban.
Emergency tripod.
Observation techniques.
Field sketching.
Coordinated shooting.
Color codes and containment positions.
Shot placement.
Long distance shooting techniques.
Gear/equipment list
Rifle with scope or patrol rifle* 1000 rounds of duty ammo
Spotting Scope
Water re-hydration system
Small daysack/backpack
Water proof clothing
Camouflage clothing urban/rural
Rain gear
Head cover/ hat
Small folding knife
Pens/pencils/paper
*(Must be pre-zeroed to 100 yards.)
Course description
Date: September 24-28, 2007
Location: Camp Atterbury, Indiana
Tuition: $495.00 (non ITOTA member)
Member price: $395.00
The lead instructor for this course is a recently retired, British Army, Master Sniper with over 22 years of real world experience. Prior to discharging from the military he served as the Sergeant Major charged with oversight and training the recon/sniper platoons at the Battalion level.
The Sgt. Major has a vast amount of experience that was gained through out the world in places such as; Ukraine, USA, Great Britain, Northern Ireland, Iraq, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Cyprus, Bosnia, Kosovo, Malaysia, Germany, Falklands, Afghanistan, East and South Africa.
Instruction will be given on the following:
Weapon and bullet vs. the environments.
Urban and rural alternative position firing.
Emergency response hides and shooting positions.
Emergency tripod.
Glass and vehicle shooting.
Observation techniques such as: field sketching, color coding and various surveillance techniques.
How to acquire several "guns on to target" with speed and accuracy.
Coordinated shoots from a containment situation; from the firing line or from the control room.
Stealth movement and techniques.
Camouflage techniques.
Shooting from Rural and Urban hides.
Live and non-live fire training scenarios will be conducted.
For more information on the course or to register CALL: 812.878.SWAT or email us at www.itota.net.
Additional Information:
Course topics and content:
What is a sniper.
Sniper mind set.
Sniper roles and equipment.
Urban camouflage.
Rural camouflage.
Judging distance.
Urban/rural hides.
Insertion techniques.
Internal/external/terminal ballistics.
Theory of shooting and sighting techniques.
Alternative firing positions rural and urban.
Emergency tripod.
Observation techniques.
Field sketching.
Coordinated shooting.
Color codes and containment positions.
Shot placement.
Long distance shooting techniques.
Gear/equipment list
Rifle with scope or patrol rifle* 1000 rounds of duty ammo
Spotting Scope
Water re-hydration system
Small daysack/backpack
Water proof clothing
Camouflage clothing urban/rural
Rain gear
Head cover/ hat
Small folding knife
Pens/pencils/paper
*(Must be pre-zeroed to 100 yards.)
Gainey Wraps up Korea Visit, Announces Plans to Retire
By Fred W. Baker III
American Forces Press Service
June 22, 2007 – The Defense Department's top enlisted member said this week he has submitted his retirement paperwork, but that he plans to stay on through July 2008 until his replacement is on the job. Army Command Sgt. Maj. William J. Gainey, senior enlisted advisor to the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said his week-long trip here will be his last to visit troops here. He finished a visit to camps and bases across the peninsula today.
"It was a personal choice that I felt like I had to make after 33 and a half years," Gainey said. "I think it's time to let someone else in this position."
Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Michael G. Mullen, if confirmed by the Senate, will replace Marine Gen. Peter Pace as chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff on Oct. 1.
Gainey said his retirement timeline will give the next Joint Chiefs chairman time to select a senior enlisted advisor.
"I think I owe that to Admiral Mullen, who I think is a very fine officer," Gainey said.
Gainey is the first noncommissioned officer to hold the senior enlisted advisor post, which Pace created, and has served in the job since Oct. 1, 2005.
Since then, he has traveled the world talking to troops and hearing their concerns. Gainey said he will continue his whirlwind travel schedule, talking with servicemembers and advocating on their behalf until the day he retires.
"I'm not going to be a ROAD - 'Retired On Active Duty.' I will talk to troops until the day that I walk off the field," Gainey said. "I'm not going to slow up. I owe it to the troops."
Gainey said he will miss working for his current boss. He said it has been a pleasure working for an officer who has such a passion for taking care of servicemembers.
"He has the ability to make troops feel like they are the most important people in the world," Gainey said of Pace.
Gainey plans to retire near Fort Hood, Texas, where he and his wife of 30 years, Cindy, will build a new home. He said he plans to relax and spend time with his children and grandchildren, as serving in positions of increasing responsibility over the last 10 years has limited his time with family.
Gainey said he would like to work in some capacity that will allow him to speak on the behalf of servicemembers and "the benefits they deserve."
This week, Gainey talked with hundreds of servicemembers at town halls and on call-in radio shows and was guest speaker at a Warrior Leader Course graduation. Using humor mixed with his easy-going "South Carolinian" demeanor, Gainey put the troops at ease so he could hear their concerns about serving in Korea and about life in the military.
"What keeps you up at night?" was the recurring question Gainey posed to troops. "My roommate snoring," was one answer shot back. More serious responses included questions about promotions, uniforms, curfews, medical care, transformation and tour lengths. Gainey recorded the comments and said he will take them back to the appropriate service chiefs and to Pace.
He constantly reminded the servicemembers that he is not in their chain of command, and that he "didn't want to be another ugly picture on the wall" of a headquarters building. Gainey also emphasized that he while he would not resolve their concerns directly, he is a conduit at the Pentagon for getting their concerns to the right person.
Gainey noted the progress made on the Korean peninsula as leadership there begins its transformation from a Cold War formation and begins restructuring bases and camps to improve servicemembers' quality of life. He visited the troops serving here last year at this time.
"The biggest impression I got from this trip was the progress that was made, especially at Camp Humpreys. It was like I was walking into a totally different environment," Gainey said. "The motivation and the morale of the leadership to take care of the troops was also even greater this year."
Gainey said he would talk with the chairman about ensuring proper funding and resources be funneled to Korea to ensure the transformation is complete by 2012.
"One thing I'm going to talk to the chairman about is the commitment we made. We made a commitment ... that we would expand Camp Humphreys," Gainey said. "(Servicemembers) didn't ask to move. They were told to move. Now we owe it to them to take care of them with funding and any other resources they need."
Once the transformation is complete, Camp Humphreys will be the home of U.S. Forces Korea and Eighth U.S. Army. It will be the largest installation on the peninsula.
Gainey said he fielded more concerns this year about the Tricare military health system and Department of Veterans Affairs benefits. Also significant were questions on allowing more command-sponsored families to accompany their military sponsors to the area.
Gainey also said that the troops seemed more focused and motivated this year.
"The soldiers, sailors, airman and Marines here are some of the most focused individuals you will ever meet, because they know that, just like their motto says, they could be fighting tonight," Gainey said. "When you hear the term 'train as you fight,' they truly train as they would fight."
Gainey said he will miss touring Korea. The next time he returns it will be as a civilian on vacation. He has traveled to Korea nine times during his career.
"Korea is a great place. I hear people call it a hardship tour. I can't figure it out," he said.
Nearing the end of his military career, Gainey offered simple advice to those starting theirs.
"Be the best you can be. Learn as much as you can from your leadership. Watch for the good and bad. Mimic the good, record the bad. If you remember the bad, you won't make the same mistakes," Gainey said.
Most importantly though, "Always remember nobody is greater and more important than the troops and their families you are given the privilege to serve," he said.
American Forces Press Service
June 22, 2007 – The Defense Department's top enlisted member said this week he has submitted his retirement paperwork, but that he plans to stay on through July 2008 until his replacement is on the job. Army Command Sgt. Maj. William J. Gainey, senior enlisted advisor to the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said his week-long trip here will be his last to visit troops here. He finished a visit to camps and bases across the peninsula today.
"It was a personal choice that I felt like I had to make after 33 and a half years," Gainey said. "I think it's time to let someone else in this position."
Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Michael G. Mullen, if confirmed by the Senate, will replace Marine Gen. Peter Pace as chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff on Oct. 1.
Gainey said his retirement timeline will give the next Joint Chiefs chairman time to select a senior enlisted advisor.
"I think I owe that to Admiral Mullen, who I think is a very fine officer," Gainey said.
Gainey is the first noncommissioned officer to hold the senior enlisted advisor post, which Pace created, and has served in the job since Oct. 1, 2005.
Since then, he has traveled the world talking to troops and hearing their concerns. Gainey said he will continue his whirlwind travel schedule, talking with servicemembers and advocating on their behalf until the day he retires.
"I'm not going to be a ROAD - 'Retired On Active Duty.' I will talk to troops until the day that I walk off the field," Gainey said. "I'm not going to slow up. I owe it to the troops."
Gainey said he will miss working for his current boss. He said it has been a pleasure working for an officer who has such a passion for taking care of servicemembers.
"He has the ability to make troops feel like they are the most important people in the world," Gainey said of Pace.
Gainey plans to retire near Fort Hood, Texas, where he and his wife of 30 years, Cindy, will build a new home. He said he plans to relax and spend time with his children and grandchildren, as serving in positions of increasing responsibility over the last 10 years has limited his time with family.
Gainey said he would like to work in some capacity that will allow him to speak on the behalf of servicemembers and "the benefits they deserve."
This week, Gainey talked with hundreds of servicemembers at town halls and on call-in radio shows and was guest speaker at a Warrior Leader Course graduation. Using humor mixed with his easy-going "South Carolinian" demeanor, Gainey put the troops at ease so he could hear their concerns about serving in Korea and about life in the military.
"What keeps you up at night?" was the recurring question Gainey posed to troops. "My roommate snoring," was one answer shot back. More serious responses included questions about promotions, uniforms, curfews, medical care, transformation and tour lengths. Gainey recorded the comments and said he will take them back to the appropriate service chiefs and to Pace.
He constantly reminded the servicemembers that he is not in their chain of command, and that he "didn't want to be another ugly picture on the wall" of a headquarters building. Gainey also emphasized that he while he would not resolve their concerns directly, he is a conduit at the Pentagon for getting their concerns to the right person.
Gainey noted the progress made on the Korean peninsula as leadership there begins its transformation from a Cold War formation and begins restructuring bases and camps to improve servicemembers' quality of life. He visited the troops serving here last year at this time.
"The biggest impression I got from this trip was the progress that was made, especially at Camp Humpreys. It was like I was walking into a totally different environment," Gainey said. "The motivation and the morale of the leadership to take care of the troops was also even greater this year."
Gainey said he would talk with the chairman about ensuring proper funding and resources be funneled to Korea to ensure the transformation is complete by 2012.
"One thing I'm going to talk to the chairman about is the commitment we made. We made a commitment ... that we would expand Camp Humphreys," Gainey said. "(Servicemembers) didn't ask to move. They were told to move. Now we owe it to them to take care of them with funding and any other resources they need."
Once the transformation is complete, Camp Humphreys will be the home of U.S. Forces Korea and Eighth U.S. Army. It will be the largest installation on the peninsula.
Gainey said he fielded more concerns this year about the Tricare military health system and Department of Veterans Affairs benefits. Also significant were questions on allowing more command-sponsored families to accompany their military sponsors to the area.
Gainey also said that the troops seemed more focused and motivated this year.
"The soldiers, sailors, airman and Marines here are some of the most focused individuals you will ever meet, because they know that, just like their motto says, they could be fighting tonight," Gainey said. "When you hear the term 'train as you fight,' they truly train as they would fight."
Gainey said he will miss touring Korea. The next time he returns it will be as a civilian on vacation. He has traveled to Korea nine times during his career.
"Korea is a great place. I hear people call it a hardship tour. I can't figure it out," he said.
Nearing the end of his military career, Gainey offered simple advice to those starting theirs.
"Be the best you can be. Learn as much as you can from your leadership. Watch for the good and bad. Mimic the good, record the bad. If you remember the bad, you won't make the same mistakes," Gainey said.
Most importantly though, "Always remember nobody is greater and more important than the troops and their families you are given the privilege to serve," he said.
North Carolina Group Paints Picture of Patriotism
By Meghan Vittrup
American Forces Press Service
June 22, 2007 – A North Carolina group has taken a creative approach to supporting the military by promoting patriotism through the arts. "We promote love of country, respect for the American flag and projects that support the patriotic art education of children," said Eileen Schwartz, Flags Across the Nation's founder.
Some of the projects include three annual art contests: the Flags of Freedom Patriotic Art Contest, the I Love America Day Photo Contest and the Patriot Day Photo Contest. The art submissions from the contests are used to create quilts that are displayed around the country.
In the past year, quilts appeared at venues including the Virginia Air and Space Center, Charlotte Douglas International Airport and the Charlotte Museum of History, Schwartz said.
The quilts also have traveled overseas to the deployed troops, and Veterans Affairs medical centers also have received quilt donations.
"We hope that we can get funding and more quilters in order to make thousands of art and photo quilts to donate to VA medical centers and Fisher Houses," Schwartz said. Fisher Houses provide families with a place to stay while visiting wounded servicemembers being treated at military and VA medical facilities.
"We are looking for quilters from all over the country," Schwarz said.
This year, the winning photos from the I Love America Day Photo Contest will be turned into hardboard art tiles. The public can purchase these four-inch-square tiles as part of Flags Across the Nation's "Photos in a Box" fundraiser. Each box will contain 12 art tiles and will be shipped to deployed troops to help boost their morale.
Flags Across the Nation is an America Supports You member. America Supports You is a Defense Department program connecting citizens and corporations with military personnel and their families serving at home and abroad.
The organization has benefited from this membership through exposure and increased credibility, Schwartz said. "We regularly receive e-mails from our deployed troops and families who are seeking support," she said. "They find us on the America Supports You Web site."
Last fall, a servicemember who was deploying to Iraq to take over the dental clinic at Camp Liberty in Baghdad contacted Schwartz. He was requesting patriotic art to display in his clinic.
"We have sent letters, art, posters and most recently our set of patriotic photos from our I Love America Day Photo Contest," Schwartz said. "We also partnered with General Dynamics, and the company made one of our Freedom Flags that is on the way to this unit."
Flags Across the Nation participants have vowed to continue to promote patriotism through the arts and are seeking more volunteers to assist with the organization's expanding list of projects.
American Forces Press Service
June 22, 2007 – A North Carolina group has taken a creative approach to supporting the military by promoting patriotism through the arts. "We promote love of country, respect for the American flag and projects that support the patriotic art education of children," said Eileen Schwartz, Flags Across the Nation's founder.
Some of the projects include three annual art contests: the Flags of Freedom Patriotic Art Contest, the I Love America Day Photo Contest and the Patriot Day Photo Contest. The art submissions from the contests are used to create quilts that are displayed around the country.
In the past year, quilts appeared at venues including the Virginia Air and Space Center, Charlotte Douglas International Airport and the Charlotte Museum of History, Schwartz said.
The quilts also have traveled overseas to the deployed troops, and Veterans Affairs medical centers also have received quilt donations.
"We hope that we can get funding and more quilters in order to make thousands of art and photo quilts to donate to VA medical centers and Fisher Houses," Schwartz said. Fisher Houses provide families with a place to stay while visiting wounded servicemembers being treated at military and VA medical facilities.
"We are looking for quilters from all over the country," Schwarz said.
This year, the winning photos from the I Love America Day Photo Contest will be turned into hardboard art tiles. The public can purchase these four-inch-square tiles as part of Flags Across the Nation's "Photos in a Box" fundraiser. Each box will contain 12 art tiles and will be shipped to deployed troops to help boost their morale.
Flags Across the Nation is an America Supports You member. America Supports You is a Defense Department program connecting citizens and corporations with military personnel and their families serving at home and abroad.
The organization has benefited from this membership through exposure and increased credibility, Schwartz said. "We regularly receive e-mails from our deployed troops and families who are seeking support," she said. "They find us on the America Supports You Web site."
Last fall, a servicemember who was deploying to Iraq to take over the dental clinic at Camp Liberty in Baghdad contacted Schwartz. He was requesting patriotic art to display in his clinic.
"We have sent letters, art, posters and most recently our set of patriotic photos from our I Love America Day Photo Contest," Schwartz said. "We also partnered with General Dynamics, and the company made one of our Freedom Flags that is on the way to this unit."
Flags Across the Nation participants have vowed to continue to promote patriotism through the arts and are seeking more volunteers to assist with the organization's expanding list of projects.
Program Seeks to Preserve History With Playing Cards
By Meghan Vittrup
American Forces Press Service
June 22, 2007 – The Defense Department will issue decks of playing cards to deployed troops starting July 31, but not for Texas Hold 'Em tournaments. The cards are training aids designed to help the servicemembers understand the archaeological significance of their deployed locations. "It has been my experience that deploying personnel appreciate the history and heritage of the countries where they deploy," said Laurie Rush, cultural resource program manager for the Defense Department's Legacy Resource Management Program at Fort Drum, N.Y. "The soldiers here at Fort Drum have been extremely appreciative of our efforts to make training here as realistic as possible and to provide them with information."
Each card has a picture of an archeological site, artifact or a brief statement about actions that should be taken upon discovering an archeological site. They explain what constitutes an archaeological site and what to watch for before carrying out missions near these sites. The cards are also are a great source for understanding the culture in which the soldiers are fighting, Rush said.
The queen of hearts card in the new deck also makes a bold statement about the importance of culture, saying that the ancient sites are important to the local community. "Showing respect wins hearts and minds," the card reminds soldiers.
The idea behind the archaeological deck of cards began when a group of Middle Eastern archaeologists decided to work with the military archaeological community to educate military men and women about the places they are being deployed.
The cards will identify several rare archaeological sites and artifacts reminding troops that these areas are not only a part of Iraqi and Afghan cultural history, but also their own.
Each card in the new deck tells a story. The two of clubs card depicts the Nabi Yunis mosque in Mosul, Iraq. There is speculation that this mosque holds the ruins of the biblical prophet Jonah.
The six of hearts has a photograph of an artifact with a picture carved in stone. The card reads, "The world's oldest complete legal code was found in Iraq on a stone carved with an image of Hammurabi, King of Babylon, ca. 1760 B.C."
Previously, a set of 55 cards was issued to coalition forces in 2003, displaying names, photographs, and titles of the "most wanted" senior officials in Saddam Hussein's regime. The idea was to put photographs of officials into the hands of troops so that during their missions to bring down the regime, they could quickly recognize the officials should they come in contact with them.
Similarly, the archaeological cards act as a guide using photographs and facts. Understanding how to work around archaeological sites is imperative to U.S. troops preventing unnecessary delays during the preparation of missions, Rush said.
The enemy has been known to use these historical sites and artifacts to their advantage, as evidenced by the recent destruction of the Golden Dome Mosque's minarets in Samarra, Iraq.
"The enemy may use cultural properties -- including ruins, cemeteries and religious buildings -- as firing points," a pocket guide that's part of the training materials warns U.S. military personnel.
Officials are hoping that this new program will inform troops about the importance of protecting the past and respecting the things that are important to the Iraqi and Afghanistan cultures.
Rush said the program not only will include the playing cards, but also will incorporate Web-based training and simulated event training, as well as the construction of some mock ruins. She said the idea is to "increase training realism."
"U.S. forces have been severely criticized for their part in damaging or failing to protect cultural properties when occupying archaeologically sensitive areas in military theatres of occupation," according to a Training for In-Theatre Cultural Resource Protection fact sheet. "In military operations where winning hearts and minds is a critical component of success, protection of cultural property becomes vital to the success of the mission."
American Forces Press Service
June 22, 2007 – The Defense Department will issue decks of playing cards to deployed troops starting July 31, but not for Texas Hold 'Em tournaments. The cards are training aids designed to help the servicemembers understand the archaeological significance of their deployed locations. "It has been my experience that deploying personnel appreciate the history and heritage of the countries where they deploy," said Laurie Rush, cultural resource program manager for the Defense Department's Legacy Resource Management Program at Fort Drum, N.Y. "The soldiers here at Fort Drum have been extremely appreciative of our efforts to make training here as realistic as possible and to provide them with information."
Each card has a picture of an archeological site, artifact or a brief statement about actions that should be taken upon discovering an archeological site. They explain what constitutes an archaeological site and what to watch for before carrying out missions near these sites. The cards are also are a great source for understanding the culture in which the soldiers are fighting, Rush said.
The queen of hearts card in the new deck also makes a bold statement about the importance of culture, saying that the ancient sites are important to the local community. "Showing respect wins hearts and minds," the card reminds soldiers.
The idea behind the archaeological deck of cards began when a group of Middle Eastern archaeologists decided to work with the military archaeological community to educate military men and women about the places they are being deployed.
The cards will identify several rare archaeological sites and artifacts reminding troops that these areas are not only a part of Iraqi and Afghan cultural history, but also their own.
Each card in the new deck tells a story. The two of clubs card depicts the Nabi Yunis mosque in Mosul, Iraq. There is speculation that this mosque holds the ruins of the biblical prophet Jonah.
The six of hearts has a photograph of an artifact with a picture carved in stone. The card reads, "The world's oldest complete legal code was found in Iraq on a stone carved with an image of Hammurabi, King of Babylon, ca. 1760 B.C."
Previously, a set of 55 cards was issued to coalition forces in 2003, displaying names, photographs, and titles of the "most wanted" senior officials in Saddam Hussein's regime. The idea was to put photographs of officials into the hands of troops so that during their missions to bring down the regime, they could quickly recognize the officials should they come in contact with them.
Similarly, the archaeological cards act as a guide using photographs and facts. Understanding how to work around archaeological sites is imperative to U.S. troops preventing unnecessary delays during the preparation of missions, Rush said.
The enemy has been known to use these historical sites and artifacts to their advantage, as evidenced by the recent destruction of the Golden Dome Mosque's minarets in Samarra, Iraq.
"The enemy may use cultural properties -- including ruins, cemeteries and religious buildings -- as firing points," a pocket guide that's part of the training materials warns U.S. military personnel.
Officials are hoping that this new program will inform troops about the importance of protecting the past and respecting the things that are important to the Iraqi and Afghanistan cultures.
Rush said the program not only will include the playing cards, but also will incorporate Web-based training and simulated event training, as well as the construction of some mock ruins. She said the idea is to "increase training realism."
"U.S. forces have been severely criticized for their part in damaging or failing to protect cultural properties when occupying archaeologically sensitive areas in military theatres of occupation," according to a Training for In-Theatre Cultural Resource Protection fact sheet. "In military operations where winning hearts and minds is a critical component of success, protection of cultural property becomes vital to the success of the mission."
Guardsmen Respond to New York Floods, Alaska Fires
By Donna Miles
American Forces Press Service
June 22, 2007 – National Guard troops are helping to search for people still missing after flash floods deluged the southern Catskill Mountains, New York Gov. Eliot Spitzer said in a statement today, and Alaska Guardsmen are fighting spreading wildfires in the nation's largest state.
About 50 National Guard troops are on duty - a number that will increase to about 75 - to provide search-and-rescue, engineering and other flood-related support, officials from the New York State Division of Military and Naval Affairs reported today. The New York Army National Guard's 53rd Troop Command sent combat engineers from the 204th Engineer Battalion to help remove debris and make emergency road repairs, officials said.
The task force is using six 20-ton dump trucks, three bulldozers, three bucket loaders, two excavator vehicles, two trucks and a rough terrain roller to conduct the mission.
Officials said more equipment will be provided, if needed.
Their efforts are focused on the town of Colchester and Delaware County, which received torrential rains earlier this week. Four people are reported missing.
Meanwhile, Alaska National Guard troops were helping the state Department of Forestry fight about 14 wildfires spreading across the Matanuska-Susitna Valley.
Two UH-60 Black Hawk helicopters and crews are using Bambi buckets -- collapsible buckets with a valve on the bottom that releases water -- to help douse the flames, National Guard Bureau officials reported. Each helicopter has a six-person crew, and about 30 Guardsmen are involved in the effort.
The crews are working out of Palmer Airport, and have been asked to remain on station for seven days, officials said.
Thunderstorms, erratic winds, hot temperatures and low humidity are challenging fire-control efforts, and more troops could be needed, they said.
"The Alaska National Guard is always ready and prepared to take care of fellow Alaskans," said Army Brig. Gen. Deborah McManus, chief of staff for the Alaska National Guard's Joint Forces Headquarters. "We stand poised to help the firefighting efforts in other areas of the state if called upon."
American Forces Press Service
June 22, 2007 – National Guard troops are helping to search for people still missing after flash floods deluged the southern Catskill Mountains, New York Gov. Eliot Spitzer said in a statement today, and Alaska Guardsmen are fighting spreading wildfires in the nation's largest state.
About 50 National Guard troops are on duty - a number that will increase to about 75 - to provide search-and-rescue, engineering and other flood-related support, officials from the New York State Division of Military and Naval Affairs reported today. The New York Army National Guard's 53rd Troop Command sent combat engineers from the 204th Engineer Battalion to help remove debris and make emergency road repairs, officials said.
The task force is using six 20-ton dump trucks, three bulldozers, three bucket loaders, two excavator vehicles, two trucks and a rough terrain roller to conduct the mission.
Officials said more equipment will be provided, if needed.
Their efforts are focused on the town of Colchester and Delaware County, which received torrential rains earlier this week. Four people are reported missing.
Meanwhile, Alaska National Guard troops were helping the state Department of Forestry fight about 14 wildfires spreading across the Matanuska-Susitna Valley.
Two UH-60 Black Hawk helicopters and crews are using Bambi buckets -- collapsible buckets with a valve on the bottom that releases water -- to help douse the flames, National Guard Bureau officials reported. Each helicopter has a six-person crew, and about 30 Guardsmen are involved in the effort.
The crews are working out of Palmer Airport, and have been asked to remain on station for seven days, officials said.
Thunderstorms, erratic winds, hot temperatures and low humidity are challenging fire-control efforts, and more troops could be needed, they said.
"The Alaska National Guard is always ready and prepared to take care of fellow Alaskans," said Army Brig. Gen. Deborah McManus, chief of staff for the Alaska National Guard's Joint Forces Headquarters. "We stand poised to help the firefighting efforts in other areas of the state if called upon."
Personal Protective Equipment Surveys for First Responders
The U.S. Army Natick Soldier Research, Development & Engineering Center (NSRDEC) is a leader in Human-Centered Research, Development and Engineering of personal protective equipment and integrated systems, addressing the needs across all DoD services.
Through its National Protection Center (NPC), NSRDEC serves a broader customer base assessing technology, concepts, and standards with dual-use applications to meet military needs as well as those of Federal, State, Local, and Tribal emergency response practitioners.
Members of the public safety community are invited to participate in the NPC's latest personal protective equipment surveys focusing on protective headgear, chemical/biological protective equipment, and basic duty uniforms. Your input is valuable to on-going research, standards, and technology transfer efforts; so please answer each question carefully and completely. Each of the three surveys will take approximately 15-20 minutes.
Surveys will close September 14, 2007.
Headgear Survey - www.helmetsurvey.com
Chemical/Biological Protective Equipment Survey - www.chembiosurvey.org
Duty Uniform Survey - www.dutyuniformsurvey.org
Through its National Protection Center (NPC), NSRDEC serves a broader customer base assessing technology, concepts, and standards with dual-use applications to meet military needs as well as those of Federal, State, Local, and Tribal emergency response practitioners.
Members of the public safety community are invited to participate in the NPC's latest personal protective equipment surveys focusing on protective headgear, chemical/biological protective equipment, and basic duty uniforms. Your input is valuable to on-going research, standards, and technology transfer efforts; so please answer each question carefully and completely. Each of the three surveys will take approximately 15-20 minutes.
Surveys will close September 14, 2007.
Headgear Survey - www.helmetsurvey.com
Chemical/Biological Protective Equipment Survey - www.chembiosurvey.org
Duty Uniform Survey - www.dutyuniformsurvey.org
Thursday, June 21, 2007
Pentagon Puts Critical Technology on Trial
By John J. Kruzel
American Forces Press Service
June 21, 2007 – Defense officials this week are judging innovative tools that provide geospatial imaging, boost network communication and security, or fulfill other warfighter requirements on their utility, security and interoperability with existing and new systems. More than 40 organizations and companies from around the world are participating in the 2007 Coalition Warrior Interoperability Demonstration, or CWID, a forum at the Pentagon's Warfighter Capability Demonstration Center, where innovations undergo trials to determine if they might one day bridge technology gaps.
"Our challenge is to develop, discover, standardize and deliver -- with an emphasis on deliver -- solutions demonstrated in CWID to the warfighters, because they need them now," Navy Vice Adm. Nancy Brown, Joint Staff director for command, control, communications and computer systems, said in a video presentation at the forum.
With more than $11 million of direct funding from the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, the event investigates new and emerging technologies that can be moved into operational use in 6 to 18 months.
For example, the Buster unmanned aerial vehicle, an aircraft equipped with two high-resolution cameras that can stay aloft for up to six hours, also tested well at last year's demonstration. Later, the Marine Corps purchased two eight-plane squadrons, and the United Kingdom and Spotsylvania, Va., sheriff's department now use the vehicle in operations.
Brown called CWID the premier event for bringing together key players from the departments of Defense and Homeland Security, interagency partners, the National Guard and a growing number of state and local first-responder organizations. Australia, Canada, the United Kingdom, New Zealand and NATO make up a coalition component.
"Our mission is to share critical warfighting information among coalition participants, to document interoperability successes and shortfalls, and to focus on information-sharing technology that leverages and amplifies the skills of warfighters and operators for future combined operations," she said.
Illustrating real-time interoperability, Air Force Col. Mike Lebiedz of U.S. Joint Forces Command, who served as yesterday's master of ceremonies, connected conference participants at the Pentagon live via video link with U.S. Northern Command headquarters in Colorado Springs, Colo. There, operators described the homeland defense scenario used to judge the effectiveness of technology on trial.
In this doomsday scenario, a plague rapidly spreads across Mexico, leading to mass evacuations into the United States, as terrorists threaten to detonate a chemical weapon in San Diego.
The National Guard-sponsored "Collaborative Decision Aid," one of the technologies on trial, is then put to the test. This Web-based integrated software tracks in real-time national security and local crises and regional emergencies, providing satellite imagery of the affected sites to help decision-makers assess damage "at a glance."
Lebiedz then linked to Space and Naval Warfare Systems Command in San Diego, where operators described a scenario in which regional unrest in Africa escalates to a multinational insurgency with cross-border invasions and mid-intensity conflict.
In the midst of this vast international hostility and humanitarian crisis, Italy's Navy Maritime Command and Control Information System demonstrated how it tracks coalition sea craft using satellite imagery similar to that used by "Google Earth."
"The fact of life is when we're operating around the world, we have to work with other folks," Lebiedz said. "So it's definitely to our advantage to figure out how to do that before the bullets are flying."
Each trial is being assessed by three teams of experts whose findings will be published in a final report due out this fall.
American Forces Press Service
June 21, 2007 – Defense officials this week are judging innovative tools that provide geospatial imaging, boost network communication and security, or fulfill other warfighter requirements on their utility, security and interoperability with existing and new systems. More than 40 organizations and companies from around the world are participating in the 2007 Coalition Warrior Interoperability Demonstration, or CWID, a forum at the Pentagon's Warfighter Capability Demonstration Center, where innovations undergo trials to determine if they might one day bridge technology gaps.
"Our challenge is to develop, discover, standardize and deliver -- with an emphasis on deliver -- solutions demonstrated in CWID to the warfighters, because they need them now," Navy Vice Adm. Nancy Brown, Joint Staff director for command, control, communications and computer systems, said in a video presentation at the forum.
With more than $11 million of direct funding from the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, the event investigates new and emerging technologies that can be moved into operational use in 6 to 18 months.
For example, the Buster unmanned aerial vehicle, an aircraft equipped with two high-resolution cameras that can stay aloft for up to six hours, also tested well at last year's demonstration. Later, the Marine Corps purchased two eight-plane squadrons, and the United Kingdom and Spotsylvania, Va., sheriff's department now use the vehicle in operations.
Brown called CWID the premier event for bringing together key players from the departments of Defense and Homeland Security, interagency partners, the National Guard and a growing number of state and local first-responder organizations. Australia, Canada, the United Kingdom, New Zealand and NATO make up a coalition component.
"Our mission is to share critical warfighting information among coalition participants, to document interoperability successes and shortfalls, and to focus on information-sharing technology that leverages and amplifies the skills of warfighters and operators for future combined operations," she said.
Illustrating real-time interoperability, Air Force Col. Mike Lebiedz of U.S. Joint Forces Command, who served as yesterday's master of ceremonies, connected conference participants at the Pentagon live via video link with U.S. Northern Command headquarters in Colorado Springs, Colo. There, operators described the homeland defense scenario used to judge the effectiveness of technology on trial.
In this doomsday scenario, a plague rapidly spreads across Mexico, leading to mass evacuations into the United States, as terrorists threaten to detonate a chemical weapon in San Diego.
The National Guard-sponsored "Collaborative Decision Aid," one of the technologies on trial, is then put to the test. This Web-based integrated software tracks in real-time national security and local crises and regional emergencies, providing satellite imagery of the affected sites to help decision-makers assess damage "at a glance."
Lebiedz then linked to Space and Naval Warfare Systems Command in San Diego, where operators described a scenario in which regional unrest in Africa escalates to a multinational insurgency with cross-border invasions and mid-intensity conflict.
In the midst of this vast international hostility and humanitarian crisis, Italy's Navy Maritime Command and Control Information System demonstrated how it tracks coalition sea craft using satellite imagery similar to that used by "Google Earth."
"The fact of life is when we're operating around the world, we have to work with other folks," Lebiedz said. "So it's definitely to our advantage to figure out how to do that before the bullets are flying."
Each trial is being assessed by three teams of experts whose findings will be published in a final report due out this fall.
Care Package Recipient to Receive Free Jeep
By Samantha L. Quigley
American Forces Press Service
June 21, 2007 – One lucky patriot serving overseas will find another type of patriot awaiting his or her return home, thanks to an America Supports You organization and a Jeep dealers association. Operation Gratitude packed its 250,000th care package the morning of June 16. The contents included the normal food, comfort and entertainment items, as well as a homemade quilt donated by school children. But the package won't be shipped until one more special gift is added to it next month.
The treasure at the bottom of the box will be symbolic keys to a Jeep Patriot donated by the New York Jeep Dealers' Association. Carolyn Blashek, Operation Gratitude's founder, will receive the keys to include in the package during a ceremony planned for July 16 in New York.
The package, which was packed as part of Operation Gratitude's fourth annual "Patriot Drive," will ship from New York shortly after the ceremony. It's expected to arrive at its undisclosed destination about the second week in August, Blashek said.
Who will receive this exceptional care package is a secret. Blashek knows, but she isn't talking.
"I will reveal nothing," she said.
The milestone moment comes on the heels of the California-based group presenting the recipient of its 200,000th care package with a Dodge Caliber. Marine Lance Cpl. Jordan Richards of St. Louis received the monumental package containing a card proclaiming "This Dodge Caliber is yours," while serving at Camp Fallujah, Iraq, last Christmas.
Operation Gratitude is a member of America Supports You, a Defense Department program connecting citizens and corporations with military personnel and their families serving at home and abroad.
American Forces Press Service
June 21, 2007 – One lucky patriot serving overseas will find another type of patriot awaiting his or her return home, thanks to an America Supports You organization and a Jeep dealers association. Operation Gratitude packed its 250,000th care package the morning of June 16. The contents included the normal food, comfort and entertainment items, as well as a homemade quilt donated by school children. But the package won't be shipped until one more special gift is added to it next month.
The treasure at the bottom of the box will be symbolic keys to a Jeep Patriot donated by the New York Jeep Dealers' Association. Carolyn Blashek, Operation Gratitude's founder, will receive the keys to include in the package during a ceremony planned for July 16 in New York.
The package, which was packed as part of Operation Gratitude's fourth annual "Patriot Drive," will ship from New York shortly after the ceremony. It's expected to arrive at its undisclosed destination about the second week in August, Blashek said.
Who will receive this exceptional care package is a secret. Blashek knows, but she isn't talking.
"I will reveal nothing," she said.
The milestone moment comes on the heels of the California-based group presenting the recipient of its 200,000th care package with a Dodge Caliber. Marine Lance Cpl. Jordan Richards of St. Louis received the monumental package containing a card proclaiming "This Dodge Caliber is yours," while serving at Camp Fallujah, Iraq, last Christmas.
Operation Gratitude is a member of America Supports You, a Defense Department program connecting citizens and corporations with military personnel and their families serving at home and abroad.
'New Media' Program Seeks Opportunities in 24/7 Global Networks
By Tim Kilbride
Special to American Forces Press Service
June 21, 2007 – As evolving technology enables new links among people and speeds the flow of information around the globe, communications organizations must adapt to those changes to remain relevant and valuable to their core audiences, a Pentagon official said last week. "This shift toward global networking, customized information feeds and a 24/7 news cycle is occurring at a time when the U.S. military is facing increased rates of deployment and intense operational challenges," Allison Barber, deputy assistant secretary of defense for internal communications and public liaison, said during a June 13 interview.
"Our audience is moving worldwide, and frequently," Barber said. "To keep pace in its mission to inform and educate, the Department of Defense needs to regularly reevaluate how it conveys information to the military, the American public and the rest of the world."
As a means of extracting the benefits of the communications evolution, Barber oversaw the creation of the department's New Media directorate.
"New technology gives us the capability to reach the soldier no matter where they're deployed," she explained. "New Media was developed several months ago because we realized that technology is changing so quickly that it offered us new advancements and new tools to reach our audiences, and we needed to find ways to incorporate that into our job."
Since its launch in October, the New Media office has worked to develop personal relationships with military "bloggers" and online journalists, improve and expand the department's Web presence and usability, embrace content-sharing sites such as YouTube and MySpace, and make communications products available on devices like cell phones, iPods and MP3 players.
The office came about as part of a wider "public affairs transformation" being pushed by the department's leadership to make the military's primary public face more forward-leaning in its approach to disseminating information.
Barber characterized the global communications situation as moving quickly toward a point where media consumers will have so many choices and such pervasive news feeds that they will both seek and be able to personalize their interaction with information.
"Everybody wants their news and information in a customized format," she said.
But with research showing consumption patterns all over the map, she noted, "You can't embrace new media and divorce yourself from old media, or from the former ways of communicating."
Rather than an abrupt shift in how the military does business, Barber described the New Media program as a complement to the department's traditional public affairs outreach through television, radio and print channels.
Furthermore, blindly embracing every new technology is not the right path to take for an organization like the Defense Department, Barber said. She advocated an approach of research, trial and evaluation.
"It's an ever-evolving process. ... Our users are going to be our best critics," she noted.
"It's not so much right now knowing exactly what kind of product to create; it's putting the product that we have out there and starting to monitor it, and measure it, and research our audience, saying, 'Is this relevant? Is this useful? Is this moving the needle?'" Barber explained.
Part of the challenge, Barber said, is the vast range of audiences, locations and functions the Defense Department serves. The same basic communications mechanisms used to communicate with troops about their pay are also used to inform the media of briefing opportunities and the public about health concerns.
Given the scope of the effort, the department must be especially mindful of its audiences' priorities to make sure it is addressing them in the best way possible, Barber said.
"We have to be beyond smart when it comes to understanding how our customer needs to use our Web site, and what products they need, and the ways in which they need it," she explained.
That approach has guided how the department moved into engaging bloggers and online journalists. A centerpiece of the office's work, the "Bloggers' Roundtable" program -- in which citizen journalists are put into discussions with senior military and political leaders around the world -- was founded on the creation of individual relationships between the department and members of the online community.
"Relationships still matter, and it's one of the greatest challenges in this new media world -- when everything can be virtual - (that) if you're not continuing relationships with your customer, you're going to miss the boat," Barber explained.
One of the chief tasks before the New Media team is discovering the best way to utilize technology to forge individual relationships between the department's wealth of information and each member of its diverse audience, Barber said.
The key is to design the department's Web presence to allow for a personalized experience, she observed.
"What you'll see in the future for us is that when I log on to DoD.mil it will look very different than when (somebody else) logs on to DoD.mil, because you're going to care about (different) things if you're in the Army or you're in the Navy. You're going to care about things today that as a government employee aren't important to me. In addition, you're going to care about something six months from now when you're deployed in Iraq," Barber said.
"People probably get tired of hearing me talk about how you've got to customize, but I think that's what we see happening and where we're heading with our Web enterprise," she noted. "Military life changes constantly."
An interim step, and a tenet of new media management, is the integration of several of the department's communications programs to make information accessible to the troops however and whenever they choose to receive it, Barber said.
She gave the example of content sharing and collective distribution channels among the Pentagon Channel internal military television network, the department's primary Web site (DefenseLink.mil), and the New Media office's own internally produced content.
Each piece of content points to the others, Barber explained. For instance, a Pentagon Channel program might be available through DefenseLink, a New Media roundtable would be available as a podcast through the Pentagon Channel's Web site, or footage of the secretary of defense might be available as a video clip able to be dropped onto a public Web site through the office's DoDvClips.mil site, a military-specific file-sharing site.
"It's like taking three strands and braiding (them)," Barber said. "But in a year from now, it had better look like taking three ingredients and putting them into a bowl and mixing them so that you can't tell the difference. That's where we've got to go."
To fully embrace the new media mindset, the department needs to overcome individual offices' sense of ownership and the general habit of stove-piping information, Barber said.
"We don't think about the Pentagon Channel, we don't think about the Web site, we don't think about New Media. We think about our communication enterprise," she noted. "So we've done great, our team has done great, but we are just scratching the surface of what real integration looks like."
Feedback on the new media program has been extremely positive, Barber said. In many cases, she noted, the fact that the Office of the Secretary of Defense has taken the lead on delving into new technologies has inspired its subordinate commands to make their own ventures into new media.
She gave the example of Multinational Force Iraq moving to post its own videos onto YouTube.com.
The sheer number of blogs and Web sites, and the viral spread of information on the Internet, makes gathering specific measures of effectiveness difficult, Barber said, but she gains confidence from subjective measures like MNF-I also constructing a YouTube page, or other federal government agencies inquiring about how to approach new media on their end.
"The real metric for us is we started a trend for the entire Department of Defense that has empowered other people to do it," she said. "Those are the types of metrics (we use), even though they're not quantitative. They're qualitative in that we understand that things are changing, and people want to know more, and the want to follow the lead."
The fact that technology keeps evolving means the department can never become complacent in its operations without risking irrelevancy, Barber said. Still, she reiterated the need for discipline in leaping into new avenues of communication.
Using the example of cell phones and short message services, Barber explained research shows they are the primary means of receiving information for many people in the world, but that finding doesn't necessarily imply the Defense Department should jump full-force into that technology.
"You know my philosophy: just because you can doesn't mean you should," she said. "But I don't know the answer to that question, because it continues to evolve and we have to keep looking at our audience and saying, 'Where are they? Where are they today and what tools are they using?'"
Barber expressed confidence, however, in the department's posturing via new media advances and its readiness to adapt as necessary to continue best serving its primary audiences.
"I think the Internet is just beginning. The blogger technology in the Internet platform is really just a starting place for us. So three years from now, what we're calling 'new media' today, we won't even be doing," she said.
"It's hard to know what the future is, but what I'm proud about (is) our New Media team, the Department of Defense, is structured and ready and agile to embrace the new technology as it happens."
(Tim Kilbride is assigned to New Media, American Forces Information Service.)
Special to American Forces Press Service
June 21, 2007 – As evolving technology enables new links among people and speeds the flow of information around the globe, communications organizations must adapt to those changes to remain relevant and valuable to their core audiences, a Pentagon official said last week. "This shift toward global networking, customized information feeds and a 24/7 news cycle is occurring at a time when the U.S. military is facing increased rates of deployment and intense operational challenges," Allison Barber, deputy assistant secretary of defense for internal communications and public liaison, said during a June 13 interview.
"Our audience is moving worldwide, and frequently," Barber said. "To keep pace in its mission to inform and educate, the Department of Defense needs to regularly reevaluate how it conveys information to the military, the American public and the rest of the world."
As a means of extracting the benefits of the communications evolution, Barber oversaw the creation of the department's New Media directorate.
"New technology gives us the capability to reach the soldier no matter where they're deployed," she explained. "New Media was developed several months ago because we realized that technology is changing so quickly that it offered us new advancements and new tools to reach our audiences, and we needed to find ways to incorporate that into our job."
Since its launch in October, the New Media office has worked to develop personal relationships with military "bloggers" and online journalists, improve and expand the department's Web presence and usability, embrace content-sharing sites such as YouTube and MySpace, and make communications products available on devices like cell phones, iPods and MP3 players.
The office came about as part of a wider "public affairs transformation" being pushed by the department's leadership to make the military's primary public face more forward-leaning in its approach to disseminating information.
Barber characterized the global communications situation as moving quickly toward a point where media consumers will have so many choices and such pervasive news feeds that they will both seek and be able to personalize their interaction with information.
"Everybody wants their news and information in a customized format," she said.
But with research showing consumption patterns all over the map, she noted, "You can't embrace new media and divorce yourself from old media, or from the former ways of communicating."
Rather than an abrupt shift in how the military does business, Barber described the New Media program as a complement to the department's traditional public affairs outreach through television, radio and print channels.
Furthermore, blindly embracing every new technology is not the right path to take for an organization like the Defense Department, Barber said. She advocated an approach of research, trial and evaluation.
"It's an ever-evolving process. ... Our users are going to be our best critics," she noted.
"It's not so much right now knowing exactly what kind of product to create; it's putting the product that we have out there and starting to monitor it, and measure it, and research our audience, saying, 'Is this relevant? Is this useful? Is this moving the needle?'" Barber explained.
Part of the challenge, Barber said, is the vast range of audiences, locations and functions the Defense Department serves. The same basic communications mechanisms used to communicate with troops about their pay are also used to inform the media of briefing opportunities and the public about health concerns.
Given the scope of the effort, the department must be especially mindful of its audiences' priorities to make sure it is addressing them in the best way possible, Barber said.
"We have to be beyond smart when it comes to understanding how our customer needs to use our Web site, and what products they need, and the ways in which they need it," she explained.
That approach has guided how the department moved into engaging bloggers and online journalists. A centerpiece of the office's work, the "Bloggers' Roundtable" program -- in which citizen journalists are put into discussions with senior military and political leaders around the world -- was founded on the creation of individual relationships between the department and members of the online community.
"Relationships still matter, and it's one of the greatest challenges in this new media world -- when everything can be virtual - (that) if you're not continuing relationships with your customer, you're going to miss the boat," Barber explained.
One of the chief tasks before the New Media team is discovering the best way to utilize technology to forge individual relationships between the department's wealth of information and each member of its diverse audience, Barber said.
The key is to design the department's Web presence to allow for a personalized experience, she observed.
"What you'll see in the future for us is that when I log on to DoD.mil it will look very different than when (somebody else) logs on to DoD.mil, because you're going to care about (different) things if you're in the Army or you're in the Navy. You're going to care about things today that as a government employee aren't important to me. In addition, you're going to care about something six months from now when you're deployed in Iraq," Barber said.
"People probably get tired of hearing me talk about how you've got to customize, but I think that's what we see happening and where we're heading with our Web enterprise," she noted. "Military life changes constantly."
An interim step, and a tenet of new media management, is the integration of several of the department's communications programs to make information accessible to the troops however and whenever they choose to receive it, Barber said.
She gave the example of content sharing and collective distribution channels among the Pentagon Channel internal military television network, the department's primary Web site (DefenseLink.mil), and the New Media office's own internally produced content.
Each piece of content points to the others, Barber explained. For instance, a Pentagon Channel program might be available through DefenseLink, a New Media roundtable would be available as a podcast through the Pentagon Channel's Web site, or footage of the secretary of defense might be available as a video clip able to be dropped onto a public Web site through the office's DoDvClips.mil site, a military-specific file-sharing site.
"It's like taking three strands and braiding (them)," Barber said. "But in a year from now, it had better look like taking three ingredients and putting them into a bowl and mixing them so that you can't tell the difference. That's where we've got to go."
To fully embrace the new media mindset, the department needs to overcome individual offices' sense of ownership and the general habit of stove-piping information, Barber said.
"We don't think about the Pentagon Channel, we don't think about the Web site, we don't think about New Media. We think about our communication enterprise," she noted. "So we've done great, our team has done great, but we are just scratching the surface of what real integration looks like."
Feedback on the new media program has been extremely positive, Barber said. In many cases, she noted, the fact that the Office of the Secretary of Defense has taken the lead on delving into new technologies has inspired its subordinate commands to make their own ventures into new media.
She gave the example of Multinational Force Iraq moving to post its own videos onto YouTube.com.
The sheer number of blogs and Web sites, and the viral spread of information on the Internet, makes gathering specific measures of effectiveness difficult, Barber said, but she gains confidence from subjective measures like MNF-I also constructing a YouTube page, or other federal government agencies inquiring about how to approach new media on their end.
"The real metric for us is we started a trend for the entire Department of Defense that has empowered other people to do it," she said. "Those are the types of metrics (we use), even though they're not quantitative. They're qualitative in that we understand that things are changing, and people want to know more, and the want to follow the lead."
The fact that technology keeps evolving means the department can never become complacent in its operations without risking irrelevancy, Barber said. Still, she reiterated the need for discipline in leaping into new avenues of communication.
Using the example of cell phones and short message services, Barber explained research shows they are the primary means of receiving information for many people in the world, but that finding doesn't necessarily imply the Defense Department should jump full-force into that technology.
"You know my philosophy: just because you can doesn't mean you should," she said. "But I don't know the answer to that question, because it continues to evolve and we have to keep looking at our audience and saying, 'Where are they? Where are they today and what tools are they using?'"
Barber expressed confidence, however, in the department's posturing via new media advances and its readiness to adapt as necessary to continue best serving its primary audiences.
"I think the Internet is just beginning. The blogger technology in the Internet platform is really just a starting place for us. So three years from now, what we're calling 'new media' today, we won't even be doing," she said.
"It's hard to know what the future is, but what I'm proud about (is) our New Media team, the Department of Defense, is structured and ready and agile to embrace the new technology as it happens."
(Tim Kilbride is assigned to New Media, American Forces Information Service.)
Woman VMI Cadet Prepares for Iraq Duty
By Amy May
Special to American Forces Press Service
June 21, 2007 – Like many college students, Sarah McIntosh will work an internship this summer. She won't be working in the mailroom, at a bank or acting as a gofer for an advertising agency, though. Her internship will be a little more intense and adventurous. The Virginia Military Institute cadet is going to the Middle East with the Virginia National Guard's 429th Transportation Company. The 20-year-old specialist is the first woman VMI cadet to deploy.
She joined the Virginia Guard when she was in high school. She did not have to deploy with the 429th when it was activated because she is a student, but she chose to fulfill her Guard duties.
"I just want to get experience before I become an officer. I don't think you should be an officer until you've had some experience," she said.
The Guard will help her with that. The 429th will run transportation missions in Iraq, which is one of the more hazardous duties in the country.
McIntosh admitted to being afraid about some parts of what lies ahead. "Who wouldn't be?" she asked. "But it will also be exciting. I've never been in that situation before."
Her Guard membership has also benefited her college career by helping her complete the rigorous requirements at VMI, she said. Cadets undergo nine months of basic training, plus they attend regular college classes and have cadre time.
"Everything I learned in (Guard) basic, they re-taught at VMI. ... M-16, leadership, it was all review, but it was good," she said. "I crystallized it in my memory."
McIntosh decided she wanted to attend VMI when she was in the sixth grade and growing up in Lexington, Va., the home of VMI. She comes from a military family. Her parents are Air Force veterans, and her aunt and uncle were also in the military. Her older brother, Joe, also attends VMI and is also in the Army National Guard, but he plans go into the Air Force after graduation.
Her family is worried about her deployment, McIntosh said, but they also understand her desire to go, and they are excited for her. Her dad talked to the leaders of the 429th to make sure they are "watching out for his little girl," she said.
Although there are a few 18-year-olds in the 429th, McIntosh will be one of the youngest soldiers. She is a sophomore majoring in Spanish. McIntosh will graduate in 2008 and receive her commission to the Army, where she hopes to make her career. She plans to stay in the Guard until graduation and then revert to active duty.
Her tour of duty will benefit her military career in the long run, she believes, but right now, she is concentrating on training and preparing for the mission.
"I just want experience in general, and obviously to learn more about the military, get leadership skills and have a little fun if I can, such as being with my unit, being in a different country and driving the big trucks," she said.
VMI gave McIntosh permission to leave for active duty. The school has allowed cadets to participate in conflicts throughout history, beginning with the Civil War, where 10 cadets died on the battlefield.
The 180 soldiers of the 429th are training here for deployment later this summer, said Staff Sgt. Robert Thompson. They will drive 915s, the military semi trailers, on supply runs that could last one to four days. The soldiers initially will go to Kuwait, but Thompson said he's not sure exactly where they will be based in Iraq.
The training they are receiving is helpful, Thompson said. The soldiers are becoming familiar with the equipment and learning what to expect as far as improvised explosive devices and other threats are concerned.
"They're giving us good info. It's helpful," he said. Sgt. Channing Lynch was deployed in 2003 and has noticed a difference in the training.
"There are lots more hands-on activities this time," he said. IEDs were just becoming a threat as the soldiers were finishing their training four years ago, he said.
"We didn't hear much about them until we were there. We trained more for small-arms fire and mortars," he said.
At Camp Atterbury this summer, the soldiers will spend quite a bit of time learning to react to IED attacks, as well as sniper fire, mechanical failure and injuries they might encounter on a combat logistical patrol mission.
Spc. Zachary Adler, who is on his first deployment, said the soldiers are being trained for every possible scenario. He is especially impressed with the first aid training. The unit will have emergency medical personnel, he said, but other soldiers are learning how to give basic care to the wounded until the medics can take over. "It's good that everyone has some (first aid training)," he said.
The transportation mission is one of the most important in the military, Lynch said.
"Transportation is the backbone of the military. Without supplies, they would not be able to support themselves," he noted.
Thompson added that the 429th, which is made up of soldiers from several units, is banding together and is ready to take on the mission.
"It's something we volunteered to do. We have a lot of good unit cohesion, so we'll take care of each other," he said.
(Amy May is a staff reporter for The Crier at Camp Atterbury, Ind.)
Special to American Forces Press Service
June 21, 2007 – Like many college students, Sarah McIntosh will work an internship this summer. She won't be working in the mailroom, at a bank or acting as a gofer for an advertising agency, though. Her internship will be a little more intense and adventurous. The Virginia Military Institute cadet is going to the Middle East with the Virginia National Guard's 429th Transportation Company. The 20-year-old specialist is the first woman VMI cadet to deploy.
She joined the Virginia Guard when she was in high school. She did not have to deploy with the 429th when it was activated because she is a student, but she chose to fulfill her Guard duties.
"I just want to get experience before I become an officer. I don't think you should be an officer until you've had some experience," she said.
The Guard will help her with that. The 429th will run transportation missions in Iraq, which is one of the more hazardous duties in the country.
McIntosh admitted to being afraid about some parts of what lies ahead. "Who wouldn't be?" she asked. "But it will also be exciting. I've never been in that situation before."
Her Guard membership has also benefited her college career by helping her complete the rigorous requirements at VMI, she said. Cadets undergo nine months of basic training, plus they attend regular college classes and have cadre time.
"Everything I learned in (Guard) basic, they re-taught at VMI. ... M-16, leadership, it was all review, but it was good," she said. "I crystallized it in my memory."
McIntosh decided she wanted to attend VMI when she was in the sixth grade and growing up in Lexington, Va., the home of VMI. She comes from a military family. Her parents are Air Force veterans, and her aunt and uncle were also in the military. Her older brother, Joe, also attends VMI and is also in the Army National Guard, but he plans go into the Air Force after graduation.
Her family is worried about her deployment, McIntosh said, but they also understand her desire to go, and they are excited for her. Her dad talked to the leaders of the 429th to make sure they are "watching out for his little girl," she said.
Although there are a few 18-year-olds in the 429th, McIntosh will be one of the youngest soldiers. She is a sophomore majoring in Spanish. McIntosh will graduate in 2008 and receive her commission to the Army, where she hopes to make her career. She plans to stay in the Guard until graduation and then revert to active duty.
Her tour of duty will benefit her military career in the long run, she believes, but right now, she is concentrating on training and preparing for the mission.
"I just want experience in general, and obviously to learn more about the military, get leadership skills and have a little fun if I can, such as being with my unit, being in a different country and driving the big trucks," she said.
VMI gave McIntosh permission to leave for active duty. The school has allowed cadets to participate in conflicts throughout history, beginning with the Civil War, where 10 cadets died on the battlefield.
The 180 soldiers of the 429th are training here for deployment later this summer, said Staff Sgt. Robert Thompson. They will drive 915s, the military semi trailers, on supply runs that could last one to four days. The soldiers initially will go to Kuwait, but Thompson said he's not sure exactly where they will be based in Iraq.
The training they are receiving is helpful, Thompson said. The soldiers are becoming familiar with the equipment and learning what to expect as far as improvised explosive devices and other threats are concerned.
"They're giving us good info. It's helpful," he said. Sgt. Channing Lynch was deployed in 2003 and has noticed a difference in the training.
"There are lots more hands-on activities this time," he said. IEDs were just becoming a threat as the soldiers were finishing their training four years ago, he said.
"We didn't hear much about them until we were there. We trained more for small-arms fire and mortars," he said.
At Camp Atterbury this summer, the soldiers will spend quite a bit of time learning to react to IED attacks, as well as sniper fire, mechanical failure and injuries they might encounter on a combat logistical patrol mission.
Spc. Zachary Adler, who is on his first deployment, said the soldiers are being trained for every possible scenario. He is especially impressed with the first aid training. The unit will have emergency medical personnel, he said, but other soldiers are learning how to give basic care to the wounded until the medics can take over. "It's good that everyone has some (first aid training)," he said.
The transportation mission is one of the most important in the military, Lynch said.
"Transportation is the backbone of the military. Without supplies, they would not be able to support themselves," he noted.
Thompson added that the 429th, which is made up of soldiers from several units, is banding together and is ready to take on the mission.
"It's something we volunteered to do. We have a lot of good unit cohesion, so we'll take care of each other," he said.
(Amy May is a staff reporter for The Crier at Camp Atterbury, Ind.)
Pace Will Stay Focused on Supporting Troops in Combat
By Jim Garamone
American Forces Press Service
June 21, 2007 – The chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff said today he is going to stay focused on his job of providing the best military advice to the president, vice president, defense secretary and rest of the National Security Council until his term expires at the end of September. Marine Gen. Peter Pace spoke along with Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates at a Pentagon news conference.
Reporters asked Pace about the fact that Gates did not nominate him for a second two-year term as chairman. Gates, saying he wanted to spare the military a divisive confirmation fight, recommended that President Bush nominate Navy Adm. Mike Mullen as chairman.
"I have had the great honor and privilege of serving first four years as vice chairman, now two years as chairman," Pace said.
He is chairman until midnight on Sept. 30, "and through midnight on 30 September, I'm going to do all that I can to stay focused on providing support to the troops who are in combat. And come 0001 on 1 October, if he's confirmed, Admiral Mike Mullen will pick up that responsibility, and I'm sure he'll be as honored to serve as I have been," Pace said.
Gates said it was a tough decision. "As I said at the time, that was a recommendation to the president that I made with great regret and that he accepted with reluctance," Gates said. "It had been my hope that I would have the opportunity to continue to serve with General Pace through the end of the administration."
But consultations with both Democrats and Republicans in the Senate convinced him that confirmation hearings for Pace would be focused on the past and "essentially reopen all of the issues of the past six years in a way that was not constructive for the country or for our men and women in uniform or, in my opinion, for General Pace himself," the secretary explained.
Gates said his decision to not renominate Pace is "just a recognition of reality, and also my belief that at this point, it is important for us all to look to the future and not to the past."
American Forces Press Service
June 21, 2007 – The chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff said today he is going to stay focused on his job of providing the best military advice to the president, vice president, defense secretary and rest of the National Security Council until his term expires at the end of September. Marine Gen. Peter Pace spoke along with Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates at a Pentagon news conference.
Reporters asked Pace about the fact that Gates did not nominate him for a second two-year term as chairman. Gates, saying he wanted to spare the military a divisive confirmation fight, recommended that President Bush nominate Navy Adm. Mike Mullen as chairman.
"I have had the great honor and privilege of serving first four years as vice chairman, now two years as chairman," Pace said.
He is chairman until midnight on Sept. 30, "and through midnight on 30 September, I'm going to do all that I can to stay focused on providing support to the troops who are in combat. And come 0001 on 1 October, if he's confirmed, Admiral Mike Mullen will pick up that responsibility, and I'm sure he'll be as honored to serve as I have been," Pace said.
Gates said it was a tough decision. "As I said at the time, that was a recommendation to the president that I made with great regret and that he accepted with reluctance," Gates said. "It had been my hope that I would have the opportunity to continue to serve with General Pace through the end of the administration."
But consultations with both Democrats and Republicans in the Senate convinced him that confirmation hearings for Pace would be focused on the past and "essentially reopen all of the issues of the past six years in a way that was not constructive for the country or for our men and women in uniform or, in my opinion, for General Pace himself," the secretary explained.
Gates said his decision to not renominate Pace is "just a recognition of reality, and also my belief that at this point, it is important for us all to look to the future and not to the past."
Officials Discuss New U.S. Command with African Leaders
By John J. Kruzel
American Forces Press Service
June 21, 2007 – Leaders in five African nations see the U.S. Africa Command, or AFRICOM, as a constructive approach to making the continent more stable, a senior Defense Department official told reporters at the Pentagon today. A delegation comprising officials from the departments of Defense and State and from the U.S. Agency for International Development met with leaders in Algeria, Morocco, Libya, Egypt, Djibouti and the African Union last week to discuss the new unified combatant command the Defense Department is establishing in Africa.
"They saw AFRICOM's integrated approach as a more constructive way for the Department of Defense to partner with African organizations and help bring about long-term peace and security," said Ryan Henry, principal undersecretary of defense for policy.
Currently, the Defense Department divides responsibility for Africa among three combatant commands: European Command, Pacific Command and Central Command. AFRICOM will be a three-pronged defense, diplomatic and economic command effort focused solely on the continent, Henry said.
"We're ... taking the area of responsibility for the African continent and giving that to a single commander, who will worry 24 hours a day, seven days a week, just about African issues," Henry said.
Officials have not decided the where the new command's headquarters will be, nor have they named a commander, he said, but Henry confirmed that the four-star commander, once appointed, will serve in theater.
AFRICOM will better enable the Defense Department and other elements of the U.S. government to work in concert with more politically stable and economically prosperous African partners, Henry said. "It will also help in setting the conditions whereby humanitarian and developmental assistance can be used more effectively," he added.
During discussions, the African leaders identified counterterrorism as "a top security concern," Henry said.
"They were interested in how AFRICOM would help support their counterterrorism efforts, how current programs and initiatives would be impacted," he said. "We said that it was our intent not to make any dramatic changes as AFRICOM comes on line, but to see how we can be more effective by integrating civilian parts of the U.S. government that will be resident on AFRICOM's staff."
Leaders are committed to the Africa Union as the continent's common security structure, Henry said, and they advised the delegation that AFRICOM should work in harmony with the established body. "We responded that we were investigating on how best to do that, as AFRICOM's goal is not to lead the security efforts on the continent, but rather to support existing African countries and organizations take the lead and be successful," he said.
In October, AFRICOM is slated to be structured as a sub-unified command to European Command with some responsibilities. It is expected to be a fully unified command able to handle all responsibilities about a year later, Henry said.
This was Henry's second "consultation trip" to the continent, where he led delegation members in expressing AFRICOM's broad goals to their African counterparts. In April, a delegation met with leaders in Nigeria, South Africa, Kenya, Ethiopia, Ghana and Senegal.
Gates, Pace Pledge to Fix Defense Mental Health System
By Jim Garamone
American Forces Press Service
June 21, 2007 – Current Defense Department mental health efforts fall significantly short of adequately serving servicemembers and their families, and Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates said fixing the program is an achievable vision. "This is something we can, will and must get fixed," Gates said during a Pentagon news conference today.
Gates said he has reviewed the findings of the Defense Mental Health Task Force. The group presented its findings June 15.
Gates said he supports the task force's recommendation to build a culture of support for psychological health in the department. He wants to remove the stigma some servicemembers feel in simply seeking mental health assistance.
"One recommendation I support and will aggressively pursue is removing the question about mental health treatment from the security clearance questionnaire," he said. "Too many (people) avoid seeking mental health help for fear of losing their security clearances."
The secretary said he has spoken about the mental health stigma issue with the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and he said they will move forward with strong leadership. "Leaders at every level must follow suit," he said.
Joint Chiefs Chairman Marine Gen. Peter Pace said he and the service chiefs are energized on the issue. "We are intent on making sure we provide the proper leadership to make sure that everybody that needs any kind of assistance with mental health gets it," he said.
Federal law calls on the department to provide Congress a corrective action plan within six months of the submission of the report.
"I have no intention of waiting that long," Gates said. "I have directed that the action plan for the implementation of the 95 DoD Task Force recommendations be completed within 60 to 90 days."
Department officials also are looking at 331 further recommendations dealing with broad mental health issues such as post-traumatic stress disorder and traumatic brain injuries. Other studies continue, and Gates said he believes more recommendations will come before him.
A joint Defense Department and Department of Veterans Affairs team is working to address all the shortcomings in the mental health care servicemembers and their families receive, he said. "Jointly, we have already begun implementation of corrective actions and will continue this process until a fully responsive process is in place for our men and women," he said.
Gates spoke about his recent visit to the Landstuhl Regional Medical Center in Germany. He presented Purple Hearts to six servicemembers wounded in Iraq.
"It was a starkly moving and emotionally powerful reminder of the sacrifice these young men and women are making on our behalf," he said. "It is our moral obligation and duty to ensure they are properly cared for in mind, body and spirit when they return from the battlefield to the homeland they have pledged to defend."
American Forces Press Service
June 21, 2007 – Current Defense Department mental health efforts fall significantly short of adequately serving servicemembers and their families, and Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates said fixing the program is an achievable vision. "This is something we can, will and must get fixed," Gates said during a Pentagon news conference today.
Gates said he has reviewed the findings of the Defense Mental Health Task Force. The group presented its findings June 15.
Gates said he supports the task force's recommendation to build a culture of support for psychological health in the department. He wants to remove the stigma some servicemembers feel in simply seeking mental health assistance.
"One recommendation I support and will aggressively pursue is removing the question about mental health treatment from the security clearance questionnaire," he said. "Too many (people) avoid seeking mental health help for fear of losing their security clearances."
The secretary said he has spoken about the mental health stigma issue with the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and he said they will move forward with strong leadership. "Leaders at every level must follow suit," he said.
Joint Chiefs Chairman Marine Gen. Peter Pace said he and the service chiefs are energized on the issue. "We are intent on making sure we provide the proper leadership to make sure that everybody that needs any kind of assistance with mental health gets it," he said.
Federal law calls on the department to provide Congress a corrective action plan within six months of the submission of the report.
"I have no intention of waiting that long," Gates said. "I have directed that the action plan for the implementation of the 95 DoD Task Force recommendations be completed within 60 to 90 days."
Department officials also are looking at 331 further recommendations dealing with broad mental health issues such as post-traumatic stress disorder and traumatic brain injuries. Other studies continue, and Gates said he believes more recommendations will come before him.
A joint Defense Department and Department of Veterans Affairs team is working to address all the shortcomings in the mental health care servicemembers and their families receive, he said. "Jointly, we have already begun implementation of corrective actions and will continue this process until a fully responsive process is in place for our men and women," he said.
Gates spoke about his recent visit to the Landstuhl Regional Medical Center in Germany. He presented Purple Hearts to six servicemembers wounded in Iraq.
"It was a starkly moving and emotionally powerful reminder of the sacrifice these young men and women are making on our behalf," he said. "It is our moral obligation and duty to ensure they are properly cared for in mind, body and spirit when they return from the battlefield to the homeland they have pledged to defend."
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Posts
