By Samantha L. Quigley
American Forces Press Service
Sept. 28, 2007 - The founder of an organization that provides comfortable and functional adaptive clothing to wounded servicemembers is being honored for her efforts. Ginger Dosedel, an Air Force wife and founder of the group "Sew Much Comfort," is one of the National Military Family Association's 2007 Very Important Patriots, an honor for which a friend secretly nominated her.
"I was very surprised and honored," Dosedel said. "It's nice when recognition comes from a friend unexpectedly."
Sew Much Comfort provides clothing specially adapted for wounded troops recovering in military hospitals. Off-the-rack clothing often doesn't accommodate medical devices.
She was humble about the award.
"This is not an award for one person, because one person could not have accomplished what 'Sew Much Comfort' has done," she said. "It's the whole organization that gets the award, and when (it) gets recognized, ... it validates your efforts and makes you feel good about what you've done."
Dosedel established Sew Much Comfort in December 2004. The program has since grown to include providing adaptive clothing to Iraqi and Afghan children treated in U.S. military medical facilities.
"We definitely want to show our support and appreciation for those long-time volunteers that have done family support throughout the years and given back to their communities," said Michelle Joyner, director of communications for National Military Family Association. "At the same time (we want to) recognize that there have been some really unique initiatives that have made an impact, and Ginger's group, Sew Much Comfort, is one of those."
Dosedel developed an expertise making adaptive clothes when her 13-year-old son, Michael, was younger. He had to undergo multiple surgeries on his legs, which prevented his wearing of regular clothing. His mom started making him clothing to accommodate the casts and large metal braces while he recuperated. "It was just great to see Ginger take (that) expertise ... and being able to give that back to her community," Joyner said.
Both the National Military Family Association and Sew Much Comfort are supporters of the Defense Department's America Supports You program, which connects citizens and corporations with military personnel and their families serving at home and abroad.
The National Military Family Association also recognized these four individuals for its Very Important Patriot Award:
-- Navy Petty Officer 2nd Class Alexander Bates, of Navy Expeditionary Command, Calif., for his positive influence on at-risk youth and their families;
-- Toni Caragiulo, a Navy spouse stationed in Naples, Italy, for her work bringing the Navy Compass program to Naples;
-- Shannon Maxwell, a Marine Corps spouse currently stationed at Marine Corps Base Quantico, Va., for her work co-founding "Hope for the Warrior," a nonprofit organization supporting wounded servicemembers and their families; and
-- Marine Staff Sgt. Ricky Saldivar, stationed at Naval Air Station Joint Reserve Base, Texas, for his volunteer work with a gang-prevention program, a juvenile detention center and a local food bank.
This award includes a $1,000 cash prize and a trip to the nation's capital for the award ceremony, which will be held on Nov. 13.
The National Military Family Association also selected four military family members and a servicemember to honor with the 2007 VIP Award of Honor, which includes a $500 prize. The recipients are:
-- Dawn-Michele Hirata, an Air Force spouse at Keesler Air Force Base, Miss.;
-- Deborah Johns, a Marine Corps family member, in Roseville, Calif.;
-- Capt. Theresa Bunn, of the Army Reserve stationed at O'Connell Reserve Center, Okla.;
-- Alyson Jackson-Hill, an Air Force Spouse at Aviano Air Force Base, Italy; and
-- Julie Watson, an Air Force Spouse, at Eielson Air Force Base, Alaska.
The association also chose four recipients for its 2007 VIP Award of Merit, which includes a $250 prize. They are:
-- Justin Brundin, an Army family member at Fort Hood, Texas;
-- Georganna Cushing, an Army family member at Fort Richardson, Alaska;
-- Army Capt. Candace Hurley, at Fort Jackson, S.C.;
-- Retired Navy Chief Petty Officer Timothy Farley, of Richmond, Va.; and
-- Tanja McIntosh, an Army spouse at Fort Leonard Wood, Mo.
Friday, September 28, 2007
Pace to Leave Legacy of Battle Focus, Commitment to Troops, Top NCO Says
By Donna Miles
American Forces Press Service
Sept. 28, 2007 - Marine Gen. Peter Pace will leave behind a lasting legacy of professionalism and commitment to the troops when he retires Oct. 1, his senior enlisted advisor and self-described "battle buddy" told American Forces Press Service today. Army Command Sgt. Maj. William J. Gainey called Pace "a great military leader" who has stood firmly and provided the best military advice possible, regardless of who he was addressing or what they wanted to hear.
In meetings with the defense secretary, at congressional hearings and even in informal sessions with military family members, Pace has never wavered from his moral compass, Gainey said. "He has always spoken the truth, even when it wasn't popular," he said. "His biggest weakness is that he has not learned the art of BS-ing."
Pace has always felt a strong obligation to the soldiers, sailors, airmen and Marines who make up the U.S. armed forces, Gainey said. As a result, he always kept their interests, along with the military mission, in the forefront of his mind.
"He's mission-focused, but he always says, 'How will all of this affect Corporal Pace and his family?'" Gainey said. "He has not forgotten compassion and the fact that it's all about taking care of troops and their families."
Gainey said this characteristic makes Pace stand out from the many other great military leaders. "What sets him aside is that he's also a wonderful person who's never forgotten who he is, where he came from in life and how he got where he is," he said.
The sergeant major attributes much of Pace's style to his days as a young Marine lieutenant in Vietnam, where he came to appreciate the importance of junior enlisted troops and noncommissioned officers.
To this day, Pace shows his thanks regularly, jumping at every opportunity to greet a young servicemember and present his personal military coin. "I've seen him stop a whole convoy to shake the hand of a young driver," Gainey said.
Troops in the field respond strongly, frequently marveling that an officer of Pace's stature will take the time to recognize them. "He's like a rock star to them," Gainey said.
On a recent visit to Afghanistan, a young troop there called Pace "our Patton," a reference to World War II hero Gen. George S. Patton Jr. "That's how the young people see him," Gainey said.
Pace's personal staff experiences his personal connection every morning, when the general walks into their daily stand-up meeting with the greeting, "Good morning, family. How are you?"
"Never in the past two years has he not said that," Gainey said. "That tells you a lot about the man. That's how he is."
Gainey said he hopes Pace writes a book after he retires to share his leadership philosophy, and that it becomes required reading at all military schools.
"After all, anybody can get in front and say, 'Follow me,'" Gainey said. "Not everybody can say that and make everyone want to follow. But that's what General Peter Pace does. He's the real deal."
American Forces Press Service
Sept. 28, 2007 - Marine Gen. Peter Pace will leave behind a lasting legacy of professionalism and commitment to the troops when he retires Oct. 1, his senior enlisted advisor and self-described "battle buddy" told American Forces Press Service today. Army Command Sgt. Maj. William J. Gainey called Pace "a great military leader" who has stood firmly and provided the best military advice possible, regardless of who he was addressing or what they wanted to hear.
In meetings with the defense secretary, at congressional hearings and even in informal sessions with military family members, Pace has never wavered from his moral compass, Gainey said. "He has always spoken the truth, even when it wasn't popular," he said. "His biggest weakness is that he has not learned the art of BS-ing."
Pace has always felt a strong obligation to the soldiers, sailors, airmen and Marines who make up the U.S. armed forces, Gainey said. As a result, he always kept their interests, along with the military mission, in the forefront of his mind.
"He's mission-focused, but he always says, 'How will all of this affect Corporal Pace and his family?'" Gainey said. "He has not forgotten compassion and the fact that it's all about taking care of troops and their families."
Gainey said this characteristic makes Pace stand out from the many other great military leaders. "What sets him aside is that he's also a wonderful person who's never forgotten who he is, where he came from in life and how he got where he is," he said.
The sergeant major attributes much of Pace's style to his days as a young Marine lieutenant in Vietnam, where he came to appreciate the importance of junior enlisted troops and noncommissioned officers.
To this day, Pace shows his thanks regularly, jumping at every opportunity to greet a young servicemember and present his personal military coin. "I've seen him stop a whole convoy to shake the hand of a young driver," Gainey said.
Troops in the field respond strongly, frequently marveling that an officer of Pace's stature will take the time to recognize them. "He's like a rock star to them," Gainey said.
On a recent visit to Afghanistan, a young troop there called Pace "our Patton," a reference to World War II hero Gen. George S. Patton Jr. "That's how the young people see him," Gainey said.
Pace's personal staff experiences his personal connection every morning, when the general walks into their daily stand-up meeting with the greeting, "Good morning, family. How are you?"
"Never in the past two years has he not said that," Gainey said. "That tells you a lot about the man. That's how he is."
Gainey said he hopes Pace writes a book after he retires to share his leadership philosophy, and that it becomes required reading at all military schools.
"After all, anybody can get in front and say, 'Follow me,'" Gainey said. "Not everybody can say that and make everyone want to follow. But that's what General Peter Pace does. He's the real deal."
Military, Civilian Officials Urge Accession to Law of Sea Treaty
By Jim Garamone
American Forces Press Service
Sept. 28, 2007 - Defense Department civilian and military leaders urged the Senate to ratify the United Nations Convention on Law of the Sea. Deputy Defense Secretary Gordon England and Adm. Patrick M. Walsh, vice chief of naval operations, strongly supported the United States acceding to the treaty. The two defense leaders and Deputy Secretary of State John D. Negroponte testified before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee yesterday.
England emphasized the importance of access to the world's largest maneuver space: the oceans. "We need to have global mobility 24/7, 365 days a year, with no permission slips," England said. "The treaty preserves the (Defense Department's) navigation and overflight rights," emphasizing that the treaty covers transit passage "under, through, and over critical choke points."
The national security benefits of acceding to the treaty are significant, "and they substantially and unquestionably outweigh any perceived risk. The Department of Defense strongly supports the Law of the Sea Conventions, and we ask the Senate for your advice and support in joining the convention," England said.
England's testimony stressed that the Law of the Sea Treaty is an opportunity.
Nations negotiated the Law of the Sea Treaty between 1973 and 1982. The treaty sought to update the customary law of the sea that existed from the 1600s on. While U.S. officials helped hammer out the treaty, objections to the deep-sea mining clause caused the nation to not accede to it.
U.S. officials have signed the treaty, but the Senate has not ratified it. More than 150 other nations have accepted the treaty, and it has been in force since 1994.
U.S. objections have been addressed, Negroponte said in his testimony. President Bush has urged accession to the treaty, and it probably is headed for a vote in the Senate this session.
From the military perspective, the treaty guarantees various aspects of passage and overflight. The nation has invested hundreds of billions of dollars over the years building the infrastructure needed to transport troops and equipment over global distances. Combat ships, oilers, sustainment ships, transport aircraft, tankers and pre-positioned assets all are key to getting combat power where it is needed, often within hours.
The treaty guarantees right of passage through some of the most strategic areas of in the world. The Joint Chiefs of Staff sent a "24-star" letter to the Senate in June, urging accession. "The convention codifies navigation and overflight rights and high seas freedoms that are essential for the global mobility of our armed forces," the letter says. "It furthers our National Security Strategy, strengthens the coalition and supports the President's Proliferation Security Initiative."
The Proliferation Security Initiative is a collective approach of about 90 nations to use all their national and international authorities to interdict the shipment of weapons of mass destruction and related material. "(The United States) joining the convention will help expand the number of nations that participate in (the initiative)," Walsh said. "Strategic nations such as Indonesia and Malaysia will be more likely to join (the initiative) if we in turn join the convention."
Walsh also told the senators that the convention does not unduly limit U.S. forces' freedom of action.
"There is a perception held by some that by joining the convention our armed forces will somehow be constrained – if not by the actual language by the convention then by international tribunals or arbitration panels operating under the authority of the convention," he said. "I could not support the treaty if I thought the treaty curbed the reach or the authority or limited in any way our actions."
From the Defense Department perspective, it's all about global mobility, said Rear Adm. Bruce McDonald, the Navy's judge advocate. "It's all about getting out and doing the business of the military on seven-tenths of the Earth's surface," he said.
The need for the treaty was driven home to military leaders in the early days of Operation Iraqi Freedom, when Turkey denied overflight rights, MacDonald said. "A lot of this was a result of the fact that we cannot rely on other nations to allow us to overfly or base forces on their territories," he said.
The treaty guarantees certain rights: the right of innocent passage, transit passage and archipelagic sea lanes passage. Of these, transit passage is the most important, MacDonald said. "It allows us to use the strategic choke points – Hormuz, Malacca, Singapore Strait – these international straits are defined as international straits under the treaty," he said.
The treaty allows ships traversing these passages to do so in a normal mode. "If you are sailing an aircraft carrier, normal mode is with aircraft flying, helos flying, a (combat air patrol) in the air providing force protection," MacDonald said. "If you are in a battle group that means you have cruisers and destroyers screening the carrier.
"If you are going through the Strait of Hormuz, that is important because you have Iran on the right and you want that kind of protection as you are going through."
Until now, the United States has relied on customary international law. "Yes, many of the principles enshrined in the Law of the Sea Treaty have become a matter of custom," MacDonald said. "The problem is that what has been the custom of nations can change over time."
The treaty gives the United States the opportunity to lock these rights in and get positive treaty law as the basis for doing the nation's business.
Another argument for acceding to the treaty is that it buys the United States a seat at the table for any future negotiations. "Now that it has come into force, treaty law can be changed by those nations that have acceded to it," MacDonald said. "We think the United States, as the largest maritime power on the Earth, ought to take the lead in future development of maritime law, and this is a perfect way to do that."
The United States cannot stay outside the treaty and hope to influence negotiations or work through proxies, the admiral said.
"We need to lock in the navigation and the overflight rights and high-seas freedoms contained in the convention," Walsh said. "And then by acting from within the convention, we can best exercise as our leadership to ensure that those rights and freedoms are not whittled away foreign states."
American Forces Press Service
Sept. 28, 2007 - Defense Department civilian and military leaders urged the Senate to ratify the United Nations Convention on Law of the Sea. Deputy Defense Secretary Gordon England and Adm. Patrick M. Walsh, vice chief of naval operations, strongly supported the United States acceding to the treaty. The two defense leaders and Deputy Secretary of State John D. Negroponte testified before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee yesterday.
England emphasized the importance of access to the world's largest maneuver space: the oceans. "We need to have global mobility 24/7, 365 days a year, with no permission slips," England said. "The treaty preserves the (Defense Department's) navigation and overflight rights," emphasizing that the treaty covers transit passage "under, through, and over critical choke points."
The national security benefits of acceding to the treaty are significant, "and they substantially and unquestionably outweigh any perceived risk. The Department of Defense strongly supports the Law of the Sea Conventions, and we ask the Senate for your advice and support in joining the convention," England said.
England's testimony stressed that the Law of the Sea Treaty is an opportunity.
Nations negotiated the Law of the Sea Treaty between 1973 and 1982. The treaty sought to update the customary law of the sea that existed from the 1600s on. While U.S. officials helped hammer out the treaty, objections to the deep-sea mining clause caused the nation to not accede to it.
U.S. officials have signed the treaty, but the Senate has not ratified it. More than 150 other nations have accepted the treaty, and it has been in force since 1994.
U.S. objections have been addressed, Negroponte said in his testimony. President Bush has urged accession to the treaty, and it probably is headed for a vote in the Senate this session.
From the military perspective, the treaty guarantees various aspects of passage and overflight. The nation has invested hundreds of billions of dollars over the years building the infrastructure needed to transport troops and equipment over global distances. Combat ships, oilers, sustainment ships, transport aircraft, tankers and pre-positioned assets all are key to getting combat power where it is needed, often within hours.
The treaty guarantees right of passage through some of the most strategic areas of in the world. The Joint Chiefs of Staff sent a "24-star" letter to the Senate in June, urging accession. "The convention codifies navigation and overflight rights and high seas freedoms that are essential for the global mobility of our armed forces," the letter says. "It furthers our National Security Strategy, strengthens the coalition and supports the President's Proliferation Security Initiative."
The Proliferation Security Initiative is a collective approach of about 90 nations to use all their national and international authorities to interdict the shipment of weapons of mass destruction and related material. "(The United States) joining the convention will help expand the number of nations that participate in (the initiative)," Walsh said. "Strategic nations such as Indonesia and Malaysia will be more likely to join (the initiative) if we in turn join the convention."
Walsh also told the senators that the convention does not unduly limit U.S. forces' freedom of action.
"There is a perception held by some that by joining the convention our armed forces will somehow be constrained – if not by the actual language by the convention then by international tribunals or arbitration panels operating under the authority of the convention," he said. "I could not support the treaty if I thought the treaty curbed the reach or the authority or limited in any way our actions."
From the Defense Department perspective, it's all about global mobility, said Rear Adm. Bruce McDonald, the Navy's judge advocate. "It's all about getting out and doing the business of the military on seven-tenths of the Earth's surface," he said.
The need for the treaty was driven home to military leaders in the early days of Operation Iraqi Freedom, when Turkey denied overflight rights, MacDonald said. "A lot of this was a result of the fact that we cannot rely on other nations to allow us to overfly or base forces on their territories," he said.
The treaty guarantees certain rights: the right of innocent passage, transit passage and archipelagic sea lanes passage. Of these, transit passage is the most important, MacDonald said. "It allows us to use the strategic choke points – Hormuz, Malacca, Singapore Strait – these international straits are defined as international straits under the treaty," he said.
The treaty allows ships traversing these passages to do so in a normal mode. "If you are sailing an aircraft carrier, normal mode is with aircraft flying, helos flying, a (combat air patrol) in the air providing force protection," MacDonald said. "If you are in a battle group that means you have cruisers and destroyers screening the carrier.
"If you are going through the Strait of Hormuz, that is important because you have Iran on the right and you want that kind of protection as you are going through."
Until now, the United States has relied on customary international law. "Yes, many of the principles enshrined in the Law of the Sea Treaty have become a matter of custom," MacDonald said. "The problem is that what has been the custom of nations can change over time."
The treaty gives the United States the opportunity to lock these rights in and get positive treaty law as the basis for doing the nation's business.
Another argument for acceding to the treaty is that it buys the United States a seat at the table for any future negotiations. "Now that it has come into force, treaty law can be changed by those nations that have acceded to it," MacDonald said. "We think the United States, as the largest maritime power on the Earth, ought to take the lead in future development of maritime law, and this is a perfect way to do that."
The United States cannot stay outside the treaty and hope to influence negotiations or work through proxies, the admiral said.
"We need to lock in the navigation and the overflight rights and high-seas freedoms contained in the convention," Walsh said. "And then by acting from within the convention, we can best exercise as our leadership to ensure that those rights and freedoms are not whittled away foreign states."
Bagram 'First' Means New Capability for Region
By Capt. Michael Meridith, USAF
Special to American Forces Press Service
Sept. 28, 2007 - The recent speedy landing and launch of one of the world's largest aircraft promises to bring "tremendous" capability for the movement of critical cargo across the region, according to 455th Air Expeditionary Wing officials here. An Air Force C-5 Galaxy transport landed here Sept. 22 without interrupting wing flying operations, a first for Bagram, according to Col. Jon Sutterfield, commander of the 455th Expeditionary Maintenance Group. Previous C-5 landings have required the movement of other aircraft on the flightline to accommodate the massive plane.
The C-5 is the largest airlifter in the Air Force inventory and has the ability to carry 36 pallets of cargo. In comparison, the wing's own C-130 Hercules aircraft can carry only six to eight pallets of cargo, depending on configuration. In addition, the C-5 has the benefit of nearly unlimited range through aerial refueling.
"One of the big advantages of bringing the C-5 here is bypassing the main (U.S. Central Command area of responsibility) hubs to get cargo to the warfighter faster," Sutterfield said. "It's a huge force multiplier."
Sutterfield also noted that the landing was the culmination of months of effort involving teamwork among personnel in the Combined Air and Space Operations Center in the AOR, the Tanker Airlift Control Center at Scott Air Force Base, Ill., and members of a host of organizations at Bagram, including maintenance, security forces, transient alert and airfield management.
"It was a true team effort with a great result," agreed Master Sgt. Jamie Cabral, transient alert quality assurance evaluator, who noted it took less than three hours for the aircraft to land, offload nearly 16,000 pounds of cargo and take off again.
According to Belinda Williams, airfield manager, the completion of runway upgrades in December helped make the milestone landing and launch possible and opened the door for possible future visits. "We're definitely ready to see more C-5 landings in the future," she said. "Everything went smoothly."
"The bottom line is that bringing the C-5 here enables us to bring in more cargo, tools and personnel, enabling the 455th to continue to take the fight to the enemy," Cabral said.
(Air Force Capt. Michael Meridith is assigned to 455th Air Expeditionary Wing Public Affairs.)
Special to American Forces Press Service
Sept. 28, 2007 - The recent speedy landing and launch of one of the world's largest aircraft promises to bring "tremendous" capability for the movement of critical cargo across the region, according to 455th Air Expeditionary Wing officials here. An Air Force C-5 Galaxy transport landed here Sept. 22 without interrupting wing flying operations, a first for Bagram, according to Col. Jon Sutterfield, commander of the 455th Expeditionary Maintenance Group. Previous C-5 landings have required the movement of other aircraft on the flightline to accommodate the massive plane.
The C-5 is the largest airlifter in the Air Force inventory and has the ability to carry 36 pallets of cargo. In comparison, the wing's own C-130 Hercules aircraft can carry only six to eight pallets of cargo, depending on configuration. In addition, the C-5 has the benefit of nearly unlimited range through aerial refueling.
"One of the big advantages of bringing the C-5 here is bypassing the main (U.S. Central Command area of responsibility) hubs to get cargo to the warfighter faster," Sutterfield said. "It's a huge force multiplier."
Sutterfield also noted that the landing was the culmination of months of effort involving teamwork among personnel in the Combined Air and Space Operations Center in the AOR, the Tanker Airlift Control Center at Scott Air Force Base, Ill., and members of a host of organizations at Bagram, including maintenance, security forces, transient alert and airfield management.
"It was a true team effort with a great result," agreed Master Sgt. Jamie Cabral, transient alert quality assurance evaluator, who noted it took less than three hours for the aircraft to land, offload nearly 16,000 pounds of cargo and take off again.
According to Belinda Williams, airfield manager, the completion of runway upgrades in December helped make the milestone landing and launch possible and opened the door for possible future visits. "We're definitely ready to see more C-5 landings in the future," she said. "Everything went smoothly."
"The bottom line is that bringing the C-5 here enables us to bring in more cargo, tools and personnel, enabling the 455th to continue to take the fight to the enemy," Cabral said.
(Air Force Capt. Michael Meridith is assigned to 455th Air Expeditionary Wing Public Affairs.)
Chairman Sends Farewell Message to Troops
American Forces Press Service
Sept. 28, 2007 - Marine Gen. Peter Pace, the outgoing chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, thanked servicemembers for their dedication and sacrifice in a farewell message released today. "As my time as chairman comes to an end, I am filled with pride in the accomplishments of the incredible men and women of our armed forces, and humility in having had the opportunity to serve with each of you," Pace, who is retiring Sept. 30, wrote.
For the past six years, Pace has served as vice chairman and chairman of the Joint Chiefs. During this time and his more-than-40-year military career, he said, he has been enriched personally and professionally by all the troops he has come in contact with.
"From full combat operations to critical relief missions, your efforts around the world have brought stability to troubled regions, hope to those in need, and honor to America's citizens," Pace wrote to the troops. "During this challenging time in our nation's history, you have contributed immeasurably by defending the homeland and fighting terrorists who threaten the values we hold so dear."
America's servicemembers have stepped forward to fight even when safer, easier options were available, Pace wrote. "Your actions have demonstrated a thorough understanding of risk, and the honor in being part of something bigger than yourself," he said. "Your courage and selfless service will ensure your children -- and their children -- will enjoy the same freedoms that all Americans have enjoyed for generations."
Pace also praised military families for their sacrifices, noting that it takes great strength and resolve to deal with long deployments and frequent moves.
"You define us and sustain us with your quiet devotion, and untold strength," Pace wrote to the families. "You represent all that is good and worthy of our sacrifices. No words can adequately express my gratitude for your unwavering support, but I offer my sincere and heartfelt thanks to those who love us, and who sacrifice so much to secure our peace."
Pace's last official day at the Pentagon was yesterday, and he will be honored in a farewell ceremony at Fort Myer, Va., Oct. 1.
Sept. 28, 2007 - Marine Gen. Peter Pace, the outgoing chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, thanked servicemembers for their dedication and sacrifice in a farewell message released today. "As my time as chairman comes to an end, I am filled with pride in the accomplishments of the incredible men and women of our armed forces, and humility in having had the opportunity to serve with each of you," Pace, who is retiring Sept. 30, wrote.
For the past six years, Pace has served as vice chairman and chairman of the Joint Chiefs. During this time and his more-than-40-year military career, he said, he has been enriched personally and professionally by all the troops he has come in contact with.
"From full combat operations to critical relief missions, your efforts around the world have brought stability to troubled regions, hope to those in need, and honor to America's citizens," Pace wrote to the troops. "During this challenging time in our nation's history, you have contributed immeasurably by defending the homeland and fighting terrorists who threaten the values we hold so dear."
America's servicemembers have stepped forward to fight even when safer, easier options were available, Pace wrote. "Your actions have demonstrated a thorough understanding of risk, and the honor in being part of something bigger than yourself," he said. "Your courage and selfless service will ensure your children -- and their children -- will enjoy the same freedoms that all Americans have enjoyed for generations."
Pace also praised military families for their sacrifices, noting that it takes great strength and resolve to deal with long deployments and frequent moves.
"You define us and sustain us with your quiet devotion, and untold strength," Pace wrote to the families. "You represent all that is good and worthy of our sacrifices. No words can adequately express my gratitude for your unwavering support, but I offer my sincere and heartfelt thanks to those who love us, and who sacrifice so much to secure our peace."
Pace's last official day at the Pentagon was yesterday, and he will be honored in a farewell ceremony at Fort Myer, Va., Oct. 1.
Senate Considers Nominations to Four Key Defense Posts
By Donna Miles
American Forces Press Service
Sept. 27, 2007 - The Senate Armed Services Committee today is considering nominations of four senior officers named to take key Defense Department posts. The committee began this morning what is expected to be an all-day hearing to consider the nominations of:
-- Navy Adm. Gary Roughead as chief of naval operations;
-- Army Gen. William E. "Kip" Ward as commander of U.S. Africa Command;
-- Air Force Gen. Kevin P. Chilton as commander of U.S. Strategic Command; and
-- Marine Corps Lt. Gen. James N. Mattis for promotion to general and appointment as commander of U.S. Joint Forces Command and NATO's supreme allied commander for transformation.
Roughead, who currently commands Fleet Forces Command in Norfolk, Va., previously served as commander of Pacific Fleet in Hawaii.
A 1973 graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy, he served as executive officer on two patrol gunboats early in his career. He later served as chief of the Navy's Office of Legislative Affairs, where he worked closely with Congress. If confirmed, he will replace the current CNO, Adm. Michael G. Mullen, who will become chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff on Oct. 1. Roughhead would become the third consecutive surface warfare officer to lead the Navy.
Ward, deputy commander of U.S. European Command in Stuttgart, Germany, was nominated in July to stand up the new AFRICOM as its first commander. If confirmed, he will help bring AFRICOM to initial operational capacity as a command subordinate to EUCOM by October. AFRICOM is slated to be established as a separate unified command by Sept. 30, 2008.
At EUCOM, Ward has been responsible for the day-to-day activities for U.S. forces operating across 92 countries in Europe, Africa, Russia, parts of Asia and the Middle East, the Mediterranean and most of the Atlantic Ocean. He previously served as deputy commander and chief of staff for U.S. Army, Europe and 7th Army; as commander of the Stabilization Force during Operation Joint Force in Sarajevo, Bosnia; as commander of the 25th Infantry Division and U.S. Army, Hawaii; and as assistant division commander for the 82nd Airborne Division. Ward also commanded 10th Mountain Division's 2nd Brigade and Operation Restore Hope in Mogadishu, Somalia, and 6th Infantry Division's 5th Battalion, 9th Infantry, 2nd Brigade, and the division's logistics staff.
Chilton was nominated in July for appointment to the grade of general and assignment as commander of STRATCOM. If confirmed, he will replace Lt. Gen. C. Robert Kehler, who has served as temporary STRATCOM commander since August, when the former commander, Marine Gen. James E. Cartwright, became the eighth vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. A former astronaut who flew three space shuttle missions, Chilton currently serves as commander of Air Force Space Command at Peterson Air Force Base, Colo. In that capacity, he is responsible for the development, acquisition and operation of the Air Force's space and missile systems.
A 1976 graduate of the U.S. Air Force Academy and the U.S. Air Force Test Pilot School, Chilton conducted weapons testing in various models of the F-4 and F-15 aircraft before joining the National Aeronautics and Space Administration in 1987. He also served on the Air Force Space Command Staff, the Joint Staff and the Air Staff, and commanded the 9th Reconnaissance Wing. Immediately before taking on his current assignment, he commanded 8th Air Force and served as STRATCOM's joint functional component commander for space and global strike.
Mattis was nominated earlier this month to receive his fourth star and lead JFCOM. Currently "dual-hatted" as commander of 1st Marine Expeditionary Force at Camp Pendleton, Calif., and U.S. Marine Corps Forces Central Command, he will replace the retiring Air Force Gen. Lance L. Smith at JFCOM if confirmed by the Senate. Earlier this summer, Smith announced his plans to retire in January with 38 years of service. NATO's Defense Planning Committee also announced its plans to appoint Mattis as the next supreme allied commander for transformation.
Before taking the helm of 1st MEF, Mattis commanded Marine Corps Combat Development Command and served as deputy commandant for combat development. He also commanded 1st Marine Division during the initial attack and subsequent stability operations in Iraq during Operation Iraqi Freedom. Before that, he served as commander of 1st Marine Expeditionary Brigade and Task Force 58 in southern Afghanistan during Operation Enduring Freedom. Mattis also commanded 7th Marines (Reinforced) and, during operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm, led 1st Battalion, 7th Marines, one of Task Force Ripper's assault battalions.
American Forces Press Service
Sept. 27, 2007 - The Senate Armed Services Committee today is considering nominations of four senior officers named to take key Defense Department posts. The committee began this morning what is expected to be an all-day hearing to consider the nominations of:
-- Navy Adm. Gary Roughead as chief of naval operations;
-- Army Gen. William E. "Kip" Ward as commander of U.S. Africa Command;
-- Air Force Gen. Kevin P. Chilton as commander of U.S. Strategic Command; and
-- Marine Corps Lt. Gen. James N. Mattis for promotion to general and appointment as commander of U.S. Joint Forces Command and NATO's supreme allied commander for transformation.
Roughead, who currently commands Fleet Forces Command in Norfolk, Va., previously served as commander of Pacific Fleet in Hawaii.
A 1973 graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy, he served as executive officer on two patrol gunboats early in his career. He later served as chief of the Navy's Office of Legislative Affairs, where he worked closely with Congress. If confirmed, he will replace the current CNO, Adm. Michael G. Mullen, who will become chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff on Oct. 1. Roughhead would become the third consecutive surface warfare officer to lead the Navy.
Ward, deputy commander of U.S. European Command in Stuttgart, Germany, was nominated in July to stand up the new AFRICOM as its first commander. If confirmed, he will help bring AFRICOM to initial operational capacity as a command subordinate to EUCOM by October. AFRICOM is slated to be established as a separate unified command by Sept. 30, 2008.
At EUCOM, Ward has been responsible for the day-to-day activities for U.S. forces operating across 92 countries in Europe, Africa, Russia, parts of Asia and the Middle East, the Mediterranean and most of the Atlantic Ocean. He previously served as deputy commander and chief of staff for U.S. Army, Europe and 7th Army; as commander of the Stabilization Force during Operation Joint Force in Sarajevo, Bosnia; as commander of the 25th Infantry Division and U.S. Army, Hawaii; and as assistant division commander for the 82nd Airborne Division. Ward also commanded 10th Mountain Division's 2nd Brigade and Operation Restore Hope in Mogadishu, Somalia, and 6th Infantry Division's 5th Battalion, 9th Infantry, 2nd Brigade, and the division's logistics staff.
Chilton was nominated in July for appointment to the grade of general and assignment as commander of STRATCOM. If confirmed, he will replace Lt. Gen. C. Robert Kehler, who has served as temporary STRATCOM commander since August, when the former commander, Marine Gen. James E. Cartwright, became the eighth vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. A former astronaut who flew three space shuttle missions, Chilton currently serves as commander of Air Force Space Command at Peterson Air Force Base, Colo. In that capacity, he is responsible for the development, acquisition and operation of the Air Force's space and missile systems.
A 1976 graduate of the U.S. Air Force Academy and the U.S. Air Force Test Pilot School, Chilton conducted weapons testing in various models of the F-4 and F-15 aircraft before joining the National Aeronautics and Space Administration in 1987. He also served on the Air Force Space Command Staff, the Joint Staff and the Air Staff, and commanded the 9th Reconnaissance Wing. Immediately before taking on his current assignment, he commanded 8th Air Force and served as STRATCOM's joint functional component commander for space and global strike.
Mattis was nominated earlier this month to receive his fourth star and lead JFCOM. Currently "dual-hatted" as commander of 1st Marine Expeditionary Force at Camp Pendleton, Calif., and U.S. Marine Corps Forces Central Command, he will replace the retiring Air Force Gen. Lance L. Smith at JFCOM if confirmed by the Senate. Earlier this summer, Smith announced his plans to retire in January with 38 years of service. NATO's Defense Planning Committee also announced its plans to appoint Mattis as the next supreme allied commander for transformation.
Before taking the helm of 1st MEF, Mattis commanded Marine Corps Combat Development Command and served as deputy commandant for combat development. He also commanded 1st Marine Division during the initial attack and subsequent stability operations in Iraq during Operation Iraqi Freedom. Before that, he served as commander of 1st Marine Expeditionary Brigade and Task Force 58 in southern Afghanistan during Operation Enduring Freedom. Mattis also commanded 7th Marines (Reinforced) and, during operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm, led 1st Battalion, 7th Marines, one of Task Force Ripper's assault battalions.
Foundation Offers FACTs to Schools
By Samantha L. Quigley
American Forces Press Service
Sept. 27, 2007 - With some new software and common audiovisual equipment, a New Jersey-based foundation is giving schools the chance to talk via video teleconference with deployed troops. "It's an opportunity for these kids to talk directly to (servicemembers) and to see a point of view that you don't otherwise get," said John Harlow, executive director of Freedom Calls Foundation.
The foundation is a supporter of the Defense Department's America Supports You program, which connects citizens and corporations with military personnel and their families serving at home and abroad.
Most schools have all the necessary equipment to hold a FreedomCalls American Classroom Teleconference, or FACT, he said. The most important requirement is that the school must have an Internet connection. The foundation provides software necessary to connect to its network and helps the school configure it.
The foundation has connected about 100 schools with one of four locations in Iraq through its established network. The group is hoping to increase that number to thousands next year, he said.
"It's a very popular program from kindergarteners right up through college," Harlow said. "College kids in particular seem to gain a perspective from this.
"It's a tough crowd, but they universally come away with comments like, 'Wow, I talked to these people that are my own age. I learned a lot from what they had to say,'" he added.
Younger students get a better understanding of and an appreciation for what life is like for deployed troops. They discover, for instance, what troops eat and what the living environment is like.
"They do ask questions like, 'Did you kill anybody today?'" Harlow said. "But they do get a better perspective on what war is really like and what war life is like."
Mary Lund, a fourth-grade teacher at Garfield Elementary School in Port Huron, Mich., can attest to that. Though she didn't give her students all the gory details, attacks on the base where servicemembers had planned to speak to her students postponed her first conference.
"That really made the war real to me, knowing the people we were going to talk to were actually fighting," Lund said. "For me, as an adult and as a teacher, it was really bittersweet that day."
She was able to reschedule that first FACT conference and has since organized another for her students.
"I think it's very good for the children, because they can respond in a positive way about the war," she said, explaining that this connection helps answer questions many of her students may have. "I'm seeing children come in that have relatives in Iraq, have lost relatives, (or are) wanting to send mail to relatives (who serve). It is touching their lives."
FACTS are free to accredited schools and can be scheduled by contacting Kathryn Hudacek, the foundation's development director via phone at 973-290-7886 or by e-mail at khudacek@freedomcalls.org. Requests must be made at least two weeks in advance of the event.
In addition to the FACT program, which is just formally being launched, the Freedom Calls Foundation offers servicemembers and their families several ways to stay in touch and keep from missing important milestones. It provides about a million minutes of free telephone calls a month over its own network, saving military families about $200,000.
More than 2,000 video teleconferences are conducted for families each month, as well, Harlow said.
American Forces Press Service
Sept. 27, 2007 - With some new software and common audiovisual equipment, a New Jersey-based foundation is giving schools the chance to talk via video teleconference with deployed troops. "It's an opportunity for these kids to talk directly to (servicemembers) and to see a point of view that you don't otherwise get," said John Harlow, executive director of Freedom Calls Foundation.
The foundation is a supporter of the Defense Department's America Supports You program, which connects citizens and corporations with military personnel and their families serving at home and abroad.
Most schools have all the necessary equipment to hold a FreedomCalls American Classroom Teleconference, or FACT, he said. The most important requirement is that the school must have an Internet connection. The foundation provides software necessary to connect to its network and helps the school configure it.
The foundation has connected about 100 schools with one of four locations in Iraq through its established network. The group is hoping to increase that number to thousands next year, he said.
"It's a very popular program from kindergarteners right up through college," Harlow said. "College kids in particular seem to gain a perspective from this.
"It's a tough crowd, but they universally come away with comments like, 'Wow, I talked to these people that are my own age. I learned a lot from what they had to say,'" he added.
Younger students get a better understanding of and an appreciation for what life is like for deployed troops. They discover, for instance, what troops eat and what the living environment is like.
"They do ask questions like, 'Did you kill anybody today?'" Harlow said. "But they do get a better perspective on what war is really like and what war life is like."
Mary Lund, a fourth-grade teacher at Garfield Elementary School in Port Huron, Mich., can attest to that. Though she didn't give her students all the gory details, attacks on the base where servicemembers had planned to speak to her students postponed her first conference.
"That really made the war real to me, knowing the people we were going to talk to were actually fighting," Lund said. "For me, as an adult and as a teacher, it was really bittersweet that day."
She was able to reschedule that first FACT conference and has since organized another for her students.
"I think it's very good for the children, because they can respond in a positive way about the war," she said, explaining that this connection helps answer questions many of her students may have. "I'm seeing children come in that have relatives in Iraq, have lost relatives, (or are) wanting to send mail to relatives (who serve). It is touching their lives."
FACTS are free to accredited schools and can be scheduled by contacting Kathryn Hudacek, the foundation's development director via phone at 973-290-7886 or by e-mail at khudacek@freedomcalls.org. Requests must be made at least two weeks in advance of the event.
In addition to the FACT program, which is just formally being launched, the Freedom Calls Foundation offers servicemembers and their families several ways to stay in touch and keep from missing important milestones. It provides about a million minutes of free telephone calls a month over its own network, saving military families about $200,000.
More than 2,000 video teleconferences are conducted for families each month, as well, Harlow said.
STRATCOM Nominee Outlines Plans to Protect, Capitalize on Space, Cyberspace
By Donna Miles
American Forces Press Service
Sept. 27, 2007 - Securing continued civil, military and commercial access to cyberspace and space-based domains will be a major challenge to the next commander of U.S. Strategic Command, Air Force Gen. Kevin P. Chilton said during his confirmation hearing today. Increased U.S. dependence on cyberspace and space-based capabilities makes securing these domains "crucial to our national security," President Bush's nominee to lead STRATCOM told the Senate Armed Services Committee.
Cyberspace and space have become "global commons" that Chilton called "vitally important to our daily way of life and the economic well-being of our nation and the world." As a result, he said in a written response to the committee's questions, "attacks impacting our freedom to operate in space and cyberspace pose serious strategic threats."
Meanwhile, the threat of state-terrorist groups gaining control of and using weapons of mass destruction against the homeland looms as the largest strategic threat confronting the country, he said.
Chilton, who currently serves as commander of Air Force Space Command at Peterson Air Force Base, Colo., said that if he's confirmed, he will address these challenges as STRATCOM commander by identifying capability gaps within the organization and ensuring they're corrected. The next step, he said, will be to ensure the command has the right organizational structure, command relations and tools in place to carry out its missions and support other combatant commands.
"I think we need to ... make sure that we have the right command-and-control structures in place, the right information in place, the right command relationships in place, to provide the support that all our forces around the world have become dependent upon," he said during testimony today.
If confirmed, Chilton said, he will pursue several priorities for the command, including:
-- Deliver space capabilities to support joint operations around the globe;
-- Provide a global deterrent capability and synchronize Defense Department efforts to prevent potential adversaries from acquiring or using weapons of mass destruction; and
-- Maximize the application and use of intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance, space, cyberspace, global strike and other Defense Department resources to support decisive kinetic and non-kinetic combat effects.
These priorities are critical, he said, as potential adversaries have been able to leverage information and space technologies to threaten the United States and its interests.
President Bush named Chilton in July for appointment as STRATCOM commander. If confirmed, he will replace Air Force Lt. Gen. C. Robert Kehler, who has served as interim commander since August, when the former commander, Marine Gen. James E. Cartwright, became the eighth vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
A former astronaut who flew three space shuttle missions, Chilton is a 1976 graduate of the U.S. Air Force Academy and a graduate of the U.S. Air Force Test Pilot School. He conducted weapons testing in various models of the F-4 and F-15 aircraft before joining the National Aeronautics and Space Administration in 1987.
The nominee also served on the Air Force Space Command Staff, the Joint Staff and the Air Staff, and commanded the 9th Reconnaissance Wing. Immediately before taking on his current assignment, he commanded 8th Air Force and served as STRATCOM's joint functional component commander for space and global strike.
American Forces Press Service
Sept. 27, 2007 - Securing continued civil, military and commercial access to cyberspace and space-based domains will be a major challenge to the next commander of U.S. Strategic Command, Air Force Gen. Kevin P. Chilton said during his confirmation hearing today. Increased U.S. dependence on cyberspace and space-based capabilities makes securing these domains "crucial to our national security," President Bush's nominee to lead STRATCOM told the Senate Armed Services Committee.
Cyberspace and space have become "global commons" that Chilton called "vitally important to our daily way of life and the economic well-being of our nation and the world." As a result, he said in a written response to the committee's questions, "attacks impacting our freedom to operate in space and cyberspace pose serious strategic threats."
Meanwhile, the threat of state-terrorist groups gaining control of and using weapons of mass destruction against the homeland looms as the largest strategic threat confronting the country, he said.
Chilton, who currently serves as commander of Air Force Space Command at Peterson Air Force Base, Colo., said that if he's confirmed, he will address these challenges as STRATCOM commander by identifying capability gaps within the organization and ensuring they're corrected. The next step, he said, will be to ensure the command has the right organizational structure, command relations and tools in place to carry out its missions and support other combatant commands.
"I think we need to ... make sure that we have the right command-and-control structures in place, the right information in place, the right command relationships in place, to provide the support that all our forces around the world have become dependent upon," he said during testimony today.
If confirmed, Chilton said, he will pursue several priorities for the command, including:
-- Deliver space capabilities to support joint operations around the globe;
-- Provide a global deterrent capability and synchronize Defense Department efforts to prevent potential adversaries from acquiring or using weapons of mass destruction; and
-- Maximize the application and use of intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance, space, cyberspace, global strike and other Defense Department resources to support decisive kinetic and non-kinetic combat effects.
These priorities are critical, he said, as potential adversaries have been able to leverage information and space technologies to threaten the United States and its interests.
President Bush named Chilton in July for appointment as STRATCOM commander. If confirmed, he will replace Air Force Lt. Gen. C. Robert Kehler, who has served as interim commander since August, when the former commander, Marine Gen. James E. Cartwright, became the eighth vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
A former astronaut who flew three space shuttle missions, Chilton is a 1976 graduate of the U.S. Air Force Academy and a graduate of the U.S. Air Force Test Pilot School. He conducted weapons testing in various models of the F-4 and F-15 aircraft before joining the National Aeronautics and Space Administration in 1987.
The nominee also served on the Air Force Space Command Staff, the Joint Staff and the Air Staff, and commanded the 9th Reconnaissance Wing. Immediately before taking on his current assignment, he commanded 8th Air Force and served as STRATCOM's joint functional component commander for space and global strike.
Admiral Details Tenets for New Maritime Strategy
By Jim Garamone
American Forces Press Service
Sept. 27, 2007 - Any new U.S. maritime strategy must have at its core joint military capability, the commander of U.S. Pacific Command said here today. World reliance on the maritime domain is only going to increase, Navy Adm. Timothy J. Keating told attendees at the 37th Institute for Foreign Policy Analysis Fletcher National Security Conference.
"Each year almost 20 million containers move on the water between Asia and the United States, and 15 million between the United States and Europe," Keating said.
More than 70,000 ships each year pass through the Straits of Malacca. These ships carry a third of global trade volume and more than a third of global oil trade, he said.
Pacific Command is covers the largest geographic area of any combatant command. It stretches from the Indian Ocean to the Pacific. Most of the command is water, and it has always been regarded as a "naval" command. Some of the most vigorous economic powers of the world are in the command: Japan, China, South Korea, the Southeast Asian nations and India, to name just a few. They understand that continued progress in the region depends on continued security and stability in the maritime domain, Keating said.
These nations have taken to heart the lessons of sea power. "They understand the direct link between the maritime domain and prosperity," he said. The nations have the money to spend on developing naval power, and they have vital interests they want to protect on the seas.
Keating said any new strategy must be built on four tenets. The first emphasizes the importance of joint warfighting. "Our new strategy must integrate and leverage our great power of our joint military capability," Keating said. "American sea power is more than just Navy," and it has been that way since Battle of Manila in 1898.
The admiral stressed that real American sea power "is, and must remain, fully joint." Pacific Command, out of necessity, focuses on the seas, oceans and waterways that dominate the region. Yet, "success in the maritime battle space is ... fundamentally found in joint military power: naval, air and land power projection combined around the clock."
Second, he said, any new strategy must be designed around continued U.S. military dominance across the full spectrum of operations. "We must retain the powerful overmatch we currently enjoy," Keating said.
That overmatch can be based on numbers, capabilities or a combination of the two, but it is needed so the United States retains "the ability to dominate in any scenario in all environments without exception."
This covers all aspects of capabilities from full-scale war to humanitarian operations. It also must contain guidance for countering weapons of mass destruction and proliferation and defending against ballistic-missile attacks.
While military force plays a large role in strategy, "truly winning the maritime domain requires much more from us," the admiral said. The United States and U.S. Pacific Command encourage peace and stability in the area through cooperation, collaboration and good will.
The United States must always "be prepared to act decisively and, if necessary, alone," he said. "We also understand it is in the best interest of all nations to act together and in a common cause in pursuit of the goals that most reasonable nations seek."
Opportunities to act together on the sea, in the air, or on the land abound, Keating said, adding that the United States has excellent bilateral relations with many Pacific nations. The United States is a treaty ally of Japan, South Korea and Thailand; U.S. forces and the forces of South Korea and Thailand regularly participate in exercises and operations; and the U.S. military is also expanding exercises and operations with the Japanese Self-Defense Force.
"We begin by enhancing strong bilateral relations with our allies," Keating said. "We intend to build on these relations as we expand toward broad collaborative multinational interactions, exchanges, exercises and operations."
American Forces Press Service
Sept. 27, 2007 - Any new U.S. maritime strategy must have at its core joint military capability, the commander of U.S. Pacific Command said here today. World reliance on the maritime domain is only going to increase, Navy Adm. Timothy J. Keating told attendees at the 37th Institute for Foreign Policy Analysis Fletcher National Security Conference.
"Each year almost 20 million containers move on the water between Asia and the United States, and 15 million between the United States and Europe," Keating said.
More than 70,000 ships each year pass through the Straits of Malacca. These ships carry a third of global trade volume and more than a third of global oil trade, he said.
Pacific Command is covers the largest geographic area of any combatant command. It stretches from the Indian Ocean to the Pacific. Most of the command is water, and it has always been regarded as a "naval" command. Some of the most vigorous economic powers of the world are in the command: Japan, China, South Korea, the Southeast Asian nations and India, to name just a few. They understand that continued progress in the region depends on continued security and stability in the maritime domain, Keating said.
These nations have taken to heart the lessons of sea power. "They understand the direct link between the maritime domain and prosperity," he said. The nations have the money to spend on developing naval power, and they have vital interests they want to protect on the seas.
Keating said any new strategy must be built on four tenets. The first emphasizes the importance of joint warfighting. "Our new strategy must integrate and leverage our great power of our joint military capability," Keating said. "American sea power is more than just Navy," and it has been that way since Battle of Manila in 1898.
The admiral stressed that real American sea power "is, and must remain, fully joint." Pacific Command, out of necessity, focuses on the seas, oceans and waterways that dominate the region. Yet, "success in the maritime battle space is ... fundamentally found in joint military power: naval, air and land power projection combined around the clock."
Second, he said, any new strategy must be designed around continued U.S. military dominance across the full spectrum of operations. "We must retain the powerful overmatch we currently enjoy," Keating said.
That overmatch can be based on numbers, capabilities or a combination of the two, but it is needed so the United States retains "the ability to dominate in any scenario in all environments without exception."
This covers all aspects of capabilities from full-scale war to humanitarian operations. It also must contain guidance for countering weapons of mass destruction and proliferation and defending against ballistic-missile attacks.
While military force plays a large role in strategy, "truly winning the maritime domain requires much more from us," the admiral said. The United States and U.S. Pacific Command encourage peace and stability in the area through cooperation, collaboration and good will.
The United States must always "be prepared to act decisively and, if necessary, alone," he said. "We also understand it is in the best interest of all nations to act together and in a common cause in pursuit of the goals that most reasonable nations seek."
Opportunities to act together on the sea, in the air, or on the land abound, Keating said, adding that the United States has excellent bilateral relations with many Pacific nations. The United States is a treaty ally of Japan, South Korea and Thailand; U.S. forces and the forces of South Korea and Thailand regularly participate in exercises and operations; and the U.S. military is also expanding exercises and operations with the Japanese Self-Defense Force.
"We begin by enhancing strong bilateral relations with our allies," Keating said. "We intend to build on these relations as we expand toward broad collaborative multinational interactions, exchanges, exercises and operations."
Gates Praises Retiring Pace; Chairman Thanks Troops, Families, Media
By Donna Miles
American Forces Press Service
Sept. 27, 2007 - Retiring Marine Gen. Peter Pace received high praise from Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates today during the general's last news conference as chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and he thanked servicemembers, families and the media for the vital roles they play. Gates lauded Pace as "a man who has been my mentor and my friend these last 10 months" since Gates took office in December.
"For four decades, General Pace has served our country with dedication and distinction through times of peace and times of war, (and) during periods of great transition," Gates said.
He noted that Pace "cut his teeth on the battlefields of Vietnam, made his way up through the ranks during the Cold War, and these past few years, has led our military in a very different, very complex war against jihadist terrorism."
Through it all, Gates said, Pace "has never once forgotten about the individual men and women who make up our armed forces, and he has never forgotten where he comes from."
Gates recalled comments Pace made earlier this month at a dinner honoring military families who had lost a loved one. Pace told the group that Marines know fear in combat but are driven to carry out their mission because of a fear bigger than the enemy they face. "What makes Marines get up and do their job is a greater fear that we will not measure up to those who have gone before, that somehow we will let down the Marine on our left and on our right," the secretary said, quoting Pace.
"General Pace has always been and will always be the epitome not only of a Marine, but of anyone who has ever had the honor of wearing our nation's uniform, from the bottom ranks to the very top," Gates said.
Pace took the opportunity to thank U.S. servicemembers for the contribution they make to the United States. "They freely give more than anybody could ever demand," he said. "And I certainly -- we all -- owe them a great debt of gratitude."
The general paid tribute to military families, too, who he said "sit at home and worry" about their loved ones and pray for them when they're deployed. Then, family members "stand in the background when (the troops) come home and get awards and decorations and promotions, pretending the families had nothing to do with it," he said.
"Our families are serving this nation as well as anybody who has ever worn the uniform, and we thank them," the general said, repeating an observation he's made frequently during his term as chairman.
Pace expressed thanks to the Pentagon press corps, as well, calling a free press "absolutely vital" to the country's freedom. "There is no freedom in any country around the world that does not have a free press," he said, noting that if he had to pick between a free press and a strong military, he'd pick the free press.
"You need them both," he told reporters. "But I can tell you, despite the fact that at times the questions have not been comfortable, I have considered it a privilege to participate in the dialogue."
Pace said he always considered it his responsibility to tell the media the truth as he knew it, to the limits of classification. The media, in turn, had the responsibility to check out the facts and report the truth as its members knew it. "If we both do our jobs, this country is going to be in great shape for a long time to come," he said.
Following the news conference, Pentagon workers got their chance to say goodbye to the chairman. They lined the hallway outside the briefing studio, applauding the chairman as he exited.
In traditional Pace style, the chairman stopped to shake each and every hand as he walked back to his Pentagon office.
American Forces Press Service
Sept. 27, 2007 - Retiring Marine Gen. Peter Pace received high praise from Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates today during the general's last news conference as chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and he thanked servicemembers, families and the media for the vital roles they play. Gates lauded Pace as "a man who has been my mentor and my friend these last 10 months" since Gates took office in December.
"For four decades, General Pace has served our country with dedication and distinction through times of peace and times of war, (and) during periods of great transition," Gates said.
He noted that Pace "cut his teeth on the battlefields of Vietnam, made his way up through the ranks during the Cold War, and these past few years, has led our military in a very different, very complex war against jihadist terrorism."
Through it all, Gates said, Pace "has never once forgotten about the individual men and women who make up our armed forces, and he has never forgotten where he comes from."
Gates recalled comments Pace made earlier this month at a dinner honoring military families who had lost a loved one. Pace told the group that Marines know fear in combat but are driven to carry out their mission because of a fear bigger than the enemy they face. "What makes Marines get up and do their job is a greater fear that we will not measure up to those who have gone before, that somehow we will let down the Marine on our left and on our right," the secretary said, quoting Pace.
"General Pace has always been and will always be the epitome not only of a Marine, but of anyone who has ever had the honor of wearing our nation's uniform, from the bottom ranks to the very top," Gates said.
Pace took the opportunity to thank U.S. servicemembers for the contribution they make to the United States. "They freely give more than anybody could ever demand," he said. "And I certainly -- we all -- owe them a great debt of gratitude."
The general paid tribute to military families, too, who he said "sit at home and worry" about their loved ones and pray for them when they're deployed. Then, family members "stand in the background when (the troops) come home and get awards and decorations and promotions, pretending the families had nothing to do with it," he said.
"Our families are serving this nation as well as anybody who has ever worn the uniform, and we thank them," the general said, repeating an observation he's made frequently during his term as chairman.
Pace expressed thanks to the Pentagon press corps, as well, calling a free press "absolutely vital" to the country's freedom. "There is no freedom in any country around the world that does not have a free press," he said, noting that if he had to pick between a free press and a strong military, he'd pick the free press.
"You need them both," he told reporters. "But I can tell you, despite the fact that at times the questions have not been comfortable, I have considered it a privilege to participate in the dialogue."
Pace said he always considered it his responsibility to tell the media the truth as he knew it, to the limits of classification. The media, in turn, had the responsibility to check out the facts and report the truth as its members knew it. "If we both do our jobs, this country is going to be in great shape for a long time to come," he said.
Following the news conference, Pentagon workers got their chance to say goodbye to the chairman. They lined the hallway outside the briefing studio, applauding the chairman as he exited.
In traditional Pace style, the chairman stopped to shake each and every hand as he walked back to his Pentagon office.
Chief of Naval Operations Nominee Cites Future Needs, Challenges
By Gerry J. Gilmore
American Forces Press Service
Sept. 27, 2007 - Maintaining the U.S. Navy's sea and air deterrent and recruiting and retaining enough qualified sailors to man the fleet are among the U.S. Navy's top challenges in the years ahead, the officer nominated to lead that force told a Senate panel here today. Adm. Gary Roughead, selected by President Bush to become the next chief of naval operations, appeared on Capitol Hill before the Senate Armed Services Committee. The admiral is the current commander of U.S. Fleet Forces Command, which organizes, mans, trains and equips U.S. naval forces for assignment to combatant commanders.
"Maintaining our current readiness gives us the ability to be an effective force anywhere in the world," Roughead told committee members at his confirmation hearing today.
Building tomorrow's Navy requires responsibility, accountability and an obligation "to clearly and thoughtfully define how we will fight and what we need -- not want -- to be able to do that," he told committee members.
In his current position, Roughead provides key advice to current naval chief Adm. Michael G. Mullen, who on Oct. 1 is slated to become the next chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, replacing Marine Gen. Peter Pace.
Today's Navy plays an important role in the U.S. military's joint-force concept, Roughead reported, noting that sailors and naval aviators are deployed worldwide with members of their sister services in support of the war against terrorism.
Naval forces also serve alongside other U.S. military forces posted in other regions vital to national security interests, such as South America and Africa, Roughead reported.
It's paramount that America's Navy maintains its forward-leaning warfighting posture, in line with the force's Fleet Response Plan concept that stresses force agility embodied by rapid-deployment capabilities, Roughead said. The Fleet Response Plan calls for agile, robust U.S. naval forces that can quickly respond to any contingency.
Being ready and responsive to carry out a range of diverse missions requires new approaches to delivering operational capability at the best cost, the admiral explained.
Technology is ever-changing, therefore, the Navy must also ensure that its equipment is the most advanced in the world to deter possible future enemies, Roughead reported.
U.S. naval ships, submarines, aircraft, weapons and networks must outpace potential adversaries, the admiral said in written responses to questions from the committee. However, rising costs of advanced technology are challenging the Navy's ability to provide a balanced force, he added.
In addition, the Navy's sailors and pilots constitute the bedrock of that service, Roughead emphasized in his written response, noting that the Navy is facing increasing competition from the civilian workplace in meeting its recruiting goals. Attracting and retaining a diverse, high-quality force of sailors and Navy civilians must remain a high priority, the admiral pointed out.
"Our policies must enable us to recruit, to retain, and to fulfill the young men and women of America, and the Navy must reflect the demographic of our diverse nation," the admiral said at today's hearing.
If he is confirmed as the nation's top sailor, Roughead said he'd labor to address what he considers to be the Navy's three most serious problems:
-- Properly balancing current resources needed to sustain, train and equip the Navy;
-- Obtaining resources necessary to build and man the future Navy; and
-- Ensuring continuity among the Navy's requirements, resourcing and acquisition realms in conjunction with the service's planning, programming, budgeting and execution processes.
To address and solve these vital issues, Roughead said, he'd work closely with senior Navy leaders, the Joint Chiefs of Staff and the chairman, the secretary of the Navy, the secretary of defense, and the U.S. Congress.
The Navy's current 277-ship fleet is adequate to meet today's warfighting missions, Roughead reported to the committee. However, the Navy's fleet will need to grow to 313 vessels to meet envisioned needs in the next decade or so, he added.
"I believe that the shipbuilding plan that we have in place right now is giving us the balanced fleet that we need," Roughead told committee members today at the hearing.
The Navy has stated that it envisioned a 48-vessel attack-submarine fleet for service over the next decade or so, Roughead reported. However, new projections based on the impact of newer models, rehabilitation work and lengthened deployments, he noted, have reduced the number of subs needed, which could fall to as low as 40 and remain below 48 subs over the next 10 years.
Roughead said he supports U.S. participation in the United Nations Law of the Sea Convention. Joining that compact would benefit the U.S. Navy through ensuring the sovereignty of American warships and stipulating the right-of-passage of U.S. vessels through strategic straits used for international navigation, he reported.
"Our operations at sea will be enhanced by the Law of the Sea Treaty," Roughead emphasized at the confirmation hearing.
American Forces Press Service
Sept. 27, 2007 - Maintaining the U.S. Navy's sea and air deterrent and recruiting and retaining enough qualified sailors to man the fleet are among the U.S. Navy's top challenges in the years ahead, the officer nominated to lead that force told a Senate panel here today. Adm. Gary Roughead, selected by President Bush to become the next chief of naval operations, appeared on Capitol Hill before the Senate Armed Services Committee. The admiral is the current commander of U.S. Fleet Forces Command, which organizes, mans, trains and equips U.S. naval forces for assignment to combatant commanders.
"Maintaining our current readiness gives us the ability to be an effective force anywhere in the world," Roughead told committee members at his confirmation hearing today.
Building tomorrow's Navy requires responsibility, accountability and an obligation "to clearly and thoughtfully define how we will fight and what we need -- not want -- to be able to do that," he told committee members.
In his current position, Roughead provides key advice to current naval chief Adm. Michael G. Mullen, who on Oct. 1 is slated to become the next chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, replacing Marine Gen. Peter Pace.
Today's Navy plays an important role in the U.S. military's joint-force concept, Roughead reported, noting that sailors and naval aviators are deployed worldwide with members of their sister services in support of the war against terrorism.
Naval forces also serve alongside other U.S. military forces posted in other regions vital to national security interests, such as South America and Africa, Roughead reported.
It's paramount that America's Navy maintains its forward-leaning warfighting posture, in line with the force's Fleet Response Plan concept that stresses force agility embodied by rapid-deployment capabilities, Roughead said. The Fleet Response Plan calls for agile, robust U.S. naval forces that can quickly respond to any contingency.
Being ready and responsive to carry out a range of diverse missions requires new approaches to delivering operational capability at the best cost, the admiral explained.
Technology is ever-changing, therefore, the Navy must also ensure that its equipment is the most advanced in the world to deter possible future enemies, Roughead reported.
U.S. naval ships, submarines, aircraft, weapons and networks must outpace potential adversaries, the admiral said in written responses to questions from the committee. However, rising costs of advanced technology are challenging the Navy's ability to provide a balanced force, he added.
In addition, the Navy's sailors and pilots constitute the bedrock of that service, Roughead emphasized in his written response, noting that the Navy is facing increasing competition from the civilian workplace in meeting its recruiting goals. Attracting and retaining a diverse, high-quality force of sailors and Navy civilians must remain a high priority, the admiral pointed out.
"Our policies must enable us to recruit, to retain, and to fulfill the young men and women of America, and the Navy must reflect the demographic of our diverse nation," the admiral said at today's hearing.
If he is confirmed as the nation's top sailor, Roughead said he'd labor to address what he considers to be the Navy's three most serious problems:
-- Properly balancing current resources needed to sustain, train and equip the Navy;
-- Obtaining resources necessary to build and man the future Navy; and
-- Ensuring continuity among the Navy's requirements, resourcing and acquisition realms in conjunction with the service's planning, programming, budgeting and execution processes.
To address and solve these vital issues, Roughead said, he'd work closely with senior Navy leaders, the Joint Chiefs of Staff and the chairman, the secretary of the Navy, the secretary of defense, and the U.S. Congress.
The Navy's current 277-ship fleet is adequate to meet today's warfighting missions, Roughead reported to the committee. However, the Navy's fleet will need to grow to 313 vessels to meet envisioned needs in the next decade or so, he added.
"I believe that the shipbuilding plan that we have in place right now is giving us the balanced fleet that we need," Roughead told committee members today at the hearing.
The Navy has stated that it envisioned a 48-vessel attack-submarine fleet for service over the next decade or so, Roughead reported. However, new projections based on the impact of newer models, rehabilitation work and lengthened deployments, he noted, have reduced the number of subs needed, which could fall to as low as 40 and remain below 48 subs over the next 10 years.
Roughead said he supports U.S. participation in the United Nations Law of the Sea Convention. Joining that compact would benefit the U.S. Navy through ensuring the sovereignty of American warships and stipulating the right-of-passage of U.S. vessels through strategic straits used for international navigation, he reported.
"Our operations at sea will be enhanced by the Law of the Sea Treaty," Roughead emphasized at the confirmation hearing.
Gates Likely to Approve Accelerated Army Plus-up
By Donna Miles
American Forces Press Service
Sept. 27, 2007 - Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates said today he's "inclined to approve" an Army request to expand its end strength faster than initially planned to reduce stress on the force. Recognizing the "cumulative effect of years of deployments in terms of their impact on the force," Gates began early in his term as defense secretary to promote plans to increase the active Army to 547,000 soldiers by 2012, he said today. The Army announced in January that it would add the additional end strength within five years, but service leaders now hope to reduce that to four years.
Gates told Pentagon reporters today that he recognizes why Army Secretary Pete Geren wants to speed up the timetable for increasing active and reserve forces by 74,000 troops. But Gates said he wonders if the Army can achieve this goal without lowering standards.
The secretary said he has been "very explicit that, at least as long as I am here, I will not allow them to lower the standards."
Gates noted that the percentage of new Army recruits with high school diplomas is about 76 percent. "And we'd like to see that get back up," he said.
He said he "doesn't like" waivers for recruits, particularly those with criminal records, and would like to see fewer granted. But he told reporters there's a misconception that the military is "going out and getting people out of prison or felons who have committed crimes of violence."
Marine Gen. Peter Pace, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, emphasized that the department has not changed its policies regarding minimum academic, moral and other standards it will accept for new recruits.
All services remain within a prescribed "band" of acceptable standards, Pace said, but he noted that the Army has dropped from very high in that band to about 77 or 78 percent. "You always want to be going for the highest quality that you can get, even though within that band, you are still within the parameters that the Defense Department has set for us," he said.
Gates said another consideration in approving the Army's plan is whether the service will have enough junior leaders in place at the unit level to lead the additional soldiers. "They are confident that they can do that" and have put together programs to support it, he said.
"And I am probably going to recommend that they go ahead and give it a try, but I am also asking for periodic reports in how they are doing against some of these concerns that I have," The secretary said.
American Forces Press Service
Sept. 27, 2007 - Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates said today he's "inclined to approve" an Army request to expand its end strength faster than initially planned to reduce stress on the force. Recognizing the "cumulative effect of years of deployments in terms of their impact on the force," Gates began early in his term as defense secretary to promote plans to increase the active Army to 547,000 soldiers by 2012, he said today. The Army announced in January that it would add the additional end strength within five years, but service leaders now hope to reduce that to four years.
Gates told Pentagon reporters today that he recognizes why Army Secretary Pete Geren wants to speed up the timetable for increasing active and reserve forces by 74,000 troops. But Gates said he wonders if the Army can achieve this goal without lowering standards.
The secretary said he has been "very explicit that, at least as long as I am here, I will not allow them to lower the standards."
Gates noted that the percentage of new Army recruits with high school diplomas is about 76 percent. "And we'd like to see that get back up," he said.
He said he "doesn't like" waivers for recruits, particularly those with criminal records, and would like to see fewer granted. But he told reporters there's a misconception that the military is "going out and getting people out of prison or felons who have committed crimes of violence."
Marine Gen. Peter Pace, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, emphasized that the department has not changed its policies regarding minimum academic, moral and other standards it will accept for new recruits.
All services remain within a prescribed "band" of acceptable standards, Pace said, but he noted that the Army has dropped from very high in that band to about 77 or 78 percent. "You always want to be going for the highest quality that you can get, even though within that band, you are still within the parameters that the Defense Department has set for us," he said.
Gates said another consideration in approving the Army's plan is whether the service will have enough junior leaders in place at the unit level to lead the additional soldiers. "They are confident that they can do that" and have put together programs to support it, he said.
"And I am probably going to recommend that they go ahead and give it a try, but I am also asking for periodic reports in how they are doing against some of these concerns that I have," The secretary said.
Airman Missing In Action From WWII is Identified
The Department of Defense POW/Missing Personnel Office (DPMO) announced today that the remains of a U.S. serviceman, missing in action from World War II, have been identified and will be returned to his family for burial with full military honors. He is 1st Lt. James W. Blose, U.S. Army Air Forces, of Sharpsville, Pa. He will be buried Sept. 29 in Hermitage, Pa.
Representatives from the Army met with Blose's next-of-kin in her hometown to explain the recovery and identification process and to coordinate interment with military honors on behalf of the Secretary of the Army.
On April 22, 1942, Blose and another pilot, 2nd Lt. William S. Shaw, departed Nausori, Airdrome, Viti Levu Island, Fiji, on an airborne alert mission. Soon after takeoff, bad weather forced the pilots to fly below the level of several mountaintops in the area and land their P-39D Airacobras at Nandi Airdrome. Shaw successfully landed his plane, but Blose was not seen or heard from again. Initial ground searches in the thick jungles and rugged terrain were unsuccessful.
In late 2004, a Fiji citizen reported to a U.S. official in Fiji that he located possible aircraft wreckage on Viti Levu Island. The official visited the site and saw the wreckage bearing a data plate that correlated to Blose's plane. The Joint POW/MIA Accounting Command (JPAC) investigated the crash site in early 2005 and collected additional data plate information.
In 2006, a JPAC team excavated the site and recovered human remains and other items including a pilot's microphone electrical plug with Blose's initials on it. Among other forensic identification tools and circumstantial evidence, scientists from JPAC also used dental comparisons in the identification of Blose's remains.
For additional information on the Defense Department's mission to account for missing Americans, visit the DPMO Web site at http://www.dtic.mil/dpmo/ orcall (703) 699-1169.
Representatives from the Army met with Blose's next-of-kin in her hometown to explain the recovery and identification process and to coordinate interment with military honors on behalf of the Secretary of the Army.
On April 22, 1942, Blose and another pilot, 2nd Lt. William S. Shaw, departed Nausori, Airdrome, Viti Levu Island, Fiji, on an airborne alert mission. Soon after takeoff, bad weather forced the pilots to fly below the level of several mountaintops in the area and land their P-39D Airacobras at Nandi Airdrome. Shaw successfully landed his plane, but Blose was not seen or heard from again. Initial ground searches in the thick jungles and rugged terrain were unsuccessful.
In late 2004, a Fiji citizen reported to a U.S. official in Fiji that he located possible aircraft wreckage on Viti Levu Island. The official visited the site and saw the wreckage bearing a data plate that correlated to Blose's plane. The Joint POW/MIA Accounting Command (JPAC) investigated the crash site in early 2005 and collected additional data plate information.
In 2006, a JPAC team excavated the site and recovered human remains and other items including a pilot's microphone electrical plug with Blose's initials on it. Among other forensic identification tools and circumstantial evidence, scientists from JPAC also used dental comparisons in the identification of Blose's remains.
For additional information on the Defense Department's mission to account for missing Americans, visit the DPMO Web site at http://www.dtic.mil/dpmo/ orcall (703) 699-1169.
Mattis Cites Joint Forces, NATO Issues at Hill Hearing
By Gerry J. Gilmore
American Forces Press Service
Sept. 27, 2007 - Providing ready, jointly-trained U.S. forces to combatant commanders engaged in the war on terrorism is a priority task for the U.S. military, a top general said here today. Marine Lt. Gen. James N. Mattis has been selected to receive his fourth star and become the leader of U.S. Joint Forces Command, based at Norfolk, Va. He appeared before the Senate Armed Services Committee today in a confirmation hearing.
If he is confirmed for the job, Mattis pledged, Joint Force Command will continue to provide trained and ready forces to serve worldwide in the war on terrorism.
"Should you confirm me, my first priority will be to support NATO and our combatant commanders in active operations against the enemy," Mattis said at today's hearing. "My second priority will be preparing our NATO forces and the U.S. joint team to defeat future enemies."
However, fielding those troops according to a stable, predictable schedule that provides unit refit, training and rest time between deployments, while minimizing stress on military families will remain a challenge, Mattis noted earlier in written responses to committee questions.
Top defense civilian and military leaders have observed that the U.S. armed forces, particularly the Army, have been stretched while successfully performing overseas missions in Afghanistan, Iraq and other areas of the world.
The fact that a stretched American military continues to accomplish its worldwide missions is indicative of a force "that has never been willing to say, 'no,' when it came to a test of our resolve to defend this country," Mattis said at the hearing.
However, continued development and implementation of "jointness" and transformation across the U.S. military may become compromised in the future, as those stretched forces continue to perform wartime commitments, Mattis reported.
"But, we need to have a balancing act here, where we can candidly and openly share with you what we need to do our job, and recognize sometimes we simply don't have the forces to do something," Mattis told Senate panel members.
Mattis also has been recommended by NATO to become its next supreme allied commander for transformation. U.S. and NATO troops are engaged in battle against Taliban and al Qaeda militants seeking to topple Afghan President Hamid Karzai's government. Both positions are presently filled by Air Force Gen. Lance L. Smith, who has announced his impending retirement.
In discussing his potential new duties as the top U.S. military leader at NATO, Mattis told committee members that ongoing U.S., NATO and coalition efforts to assist the Afghan government in confronting terrorists and other criminals "are on target."
Yet, the growth and sale of poppies that are used to make opium and heroin threatens to undermine the Afghan government, the general said.
"We need a dramatic leap in our interagency (and) in our international partners' efforts to reduce drug demand, to come up with substitute crops, and the kind of supporting infrastructure that allows those crops to become viable," Mattis explained at the hearing.
Preparation of NATO forces operating in Afghanistan can also help to mitigate the drug issue there, he added. Yet, Afghanistan's poppy production is "a larger problem than just the military preparation of the troops," Mattis acknowledged at the hearing. He pledged to the committee that he'd devote "as much work as much as I can" toward solving Afghanistan's poppy problem.
American Forces Press Service
Sept. 27, 2007 - Providing ready, jointly-trained U.S. forces to combatant commanders engaged in the war on terrorism is a priority task for the U.S. military, a top general said here today. Marine Lt. Gen. James N. Mattis has been selected to receive his fourth star and become the leader of U.S. Joint Forces Command, based at Norfolk, Va. He appeared before the Senate Armed Services Committee today in a confirmation hearing.
If he is confirmed for the job, Mattis pledged, Joint Force Command will continue to provide trained and ready forces to serve worldwide in the war on terrorism.
"Should you confirm me, my first priority will be to support NATO and our combatant commanders in active operations against the enemy," Mattis said at today's hearing. "My second priority will be preparing our NATO forces and the U.S. joint team to defeat future enemies."
However, fielding those troops according to a stable, predictable schedule that provides unit refit, training and rest time between deployments, while minimizing stress on military families will remain a challenge, Mattis noted earlier in written responses to committee questions.
Top defense civilian and military leaders have observed that the U.S. armed forces, particularly the Army, have been stretched while successfully performing overseas missions in Afghanistan, Iraq and other areas of the world.
The fact that a stretched American military continues to accomplish its worldwide missions is indicative of a force "that has never been willing to say, 'no,' when it came to a test of our resolve to defend this country," Mattis said at the hearing.
However, continued development and implementation of "jointness" and transformation across the U.S. military may become compromised in the future, as those stretched forces continue to perform wartime commitments, Mattis reported.
"But, we need to have a balancing act here, where we can candidly and openly share with you what we need to do our job, and recognize sometimes we simply don't have the forces to do something," Mattis told Senate panel members.
Mattis also has been recommended by NATO to become its next supreme allied commander for transformation. U.S. and NATO troops are engaged in battle against Taliban and al Qaeda militants seeking to topple Afghan President Hamid Karzai's government. Both positions are presently filled by Air Force Gen. Lance L. Smith, who has announced his impending retirement.
In discussing his potential new duties as the top U.S. military leader at NATO, Mattis told committee members that ongoing U.S., NATO and coalition efforts to assist the Afghan government in confronting terrorists and other criminals "are on target."
Yet, the growth and sale of poppies that are used to make opium and heroin threatens to undermine the Afghan government, the general said.
"We need a dramatic leap in our interagency (and) in our international partners' efforts to reduce drug demand, to come up with substitute crops, and the kind of supporting infrastructure that allows those crops to become viable," Mattis explained at the hearing.
Preparation of NATO forces operating in Afghanistan can also help to mitigate the drug issue there, he added. Yet, Afghanistan's poppy production is "a larger problem than just the military preparation of the troops," Mattis acknowledged at the hearing. He pledged to the committee that he'd devote "as much work as much as I can" toward solving Afghanistan's poppy problem.
Thursday, September 27, 2007
Nominee Vows to Bring Unified Focus to African Continent
By Donna Miles
American Forces Press Service
Sept. 27, 2007 - The new U.S. Africa Command will bring a more unified focus to the African continent and help strengthen stability and security in the region, the general nominated to stand up and lead the new command told the Senate Armed Services Committee today. Army Gen. William E. "Kip" Ward, who currently serves as deputy commander of U.S. European Command, told the senators during his confirmation hearing that he will build on U.S. efforts already under way to solidify relationships and develop capabilities of African nations.
If confirmed, Ward said, he will help bring AFRICOM to initial operational capacity as a command subordinate to EUCOM by October. AFRICOM is slated to be established as a separate unified command by Sept. 30, 2008, consolidating efforts currently being conducted by EUCOM, Pacific Command and Central Command.
"I see the establishment of AFRICOM as a wonderful opportunity to efficiently and effectively apply the elements of U.S. national power in ways that help the Africans develop and implement their solutions to African concerns," Ward said in his written response to questions raised by the senators.
The new command will enable the Defense Department "to view all of Africa through a single lens of a single unified command, allowing us to maximize our participation as a partner in pursuit of our mutual interests for peace, prosperity, and stability," he said during today's testimony.
Ward noted that the African continent is linked to the United States by history, culture, economics and geostrategic significance. Meanwhile, its importance in global affairs has increased tremendously, he said.
After traveling extensively through the region, Ward said, he has concluded that "our assistance to existing and emerging African security institutions is most effective when it fosters African solutions to African challenges."
Many African leaders and organizations such as the African Union have committed to working toward a safe and secure environment on the continent to promote effective development and governance, Ward told the senators.
He said he will build on the "great strides" the U.S. European, Central and Pacific commands have made in working with African militaries to enhance African security through military exercises, humanitarian programs, training events and support to peacekeeping operations.
"Much of their success stems from listening to the Africans and getting their perspectives and applying the solutions in accordance with their stated needs and within our means," he said.
Ward acknowledged that establishing the new command and transferring responsibilities to it will be complex. He noted that three unified commands and AFRICOM's transition team have been working together to ensure no disruption or confusion in continuing ongoing Defense Department efforts on the continent.
"My goal is to make the transition of operations and activities to AFRICOM's responsibility as seamless as possible," he said. "I will reinforce the excellent work currently being done on the continent and the strong relationships already established."
Meanwhile, Ward said, he will build on existing coordination among the Defense Department, State Department, U.S. Agency for International Development and various non-governmental organizations in Africa.
As a reflection of that interagency relationship, Ward's command will have two deputy commanders. In addition to a military flag officer to focus on military operations, AFRICOM will have a deputy to the commander for civil-military activities, a position to be filled by a senior State Department Foreign Service officer.
The Foreign Service official will direct the command's plans and programs associated with health, humanitarian assistance, humanitarian mine action, disaster response and security-sector reform.
This team will work together to help build a stable security environment that enables Africans to pursue broader goals such as economic security, Ward told the committee. He described a three-pronged approach toward this objective, with the Defense Department advancing U.S. military goals and activities, the State Department conducting diplomacy, and USAID carrying out development work.
AFRICOM will lead these efforts as it focuses on conducting security cooperation to build partnership capabilities in areas ranging from peacekeeping to maritime security to border security to counter terrorism, he said.
American Forces Press Service
Sept. 27, 2007 - The new U.S. Africa Command will bring a more unified focus to the African continent and help strengthen stability and security in the region, the general nominated to stand up and lead the new command told the Senate Armed Services Committee today. Army Gen. William E. "Kip" Ward, who currently serves as deputy commander of U.S. European Command, told the senators during his confirmation hearing that he will build on U.S. efforts already under way to solidify relationships and develop capabilities of African nations.
If confirmed, Ward said, he will help bring AFRICOM to initial operational capacity as a command subordinate to EUCOM by October. AFRICOM is slated to be established as a separate unified command by Sept. 30, 2008, consolidating efforts currently being conducted by EUCOM, Pacific Command and Central Command.
"I see the establishment of AFRICOM as a wonderful opportunity to efficiently and effectively apply the elements of U.S. national power in ways that help the Africans develop and implement their solutions to African concerns," Ward said in his written response to questions raised by the senators.
The new command will enable the Defense Department "to view all of Africa through a single lens of a single unified command, allowing us to maximize our participation as a partner in pursuit of our mutual interests for peace, prosperity, and stability," he said during today's testimony.
Ward noted that the African continent is linked to the United States by history, culture, economics and geostrategic significance. Meanwhile, its importance in global affairs has increased tremendously, he said.
After traveling extensively through the region, Ward said, he has concluded that "our assistance to existing and emerging African security institutions is most effective when it fosters African solutions to African challenges."
Many African leaders and organizations such as the African Union have committed to working toward a safe and secure environment on the continent to promote effective development and governance, Ward told the senators.
He said he will build on the "great strides" the U.S. European, Central and Pacific commands have made in working with African militaries to enhance African security through military exercises, humanitarian programs, training events and support to peacekeeping operations.
"Much of their success stems from listening to the Africans and getting their perspectives and applying the solutions in accordance with their stated needs and within our means," he said.
Ward acknowledged that establishing the new command and transferring responsibilities to it will be complex. He noted that three unified commands and AFRICOM's transition team have been working together to ensure no disruption or confusion in continuing ongoing Defense Department efforts on the continent.
"My goal is to make the transition of operations and activities to AFRICOM's responsibility as seamless as possible," he said. "I will reinforce the excellent work currently being done on the continent and the strong relationships already established."
Meanwhile, Ward said, he will build on existing coordination among the Defense Department, State Department, U.S. Agency for International Development and various non-governmental organizations in Africa.
As a reflection of that interagency relationship, Ward's command will have two deputy commanders. In addition to a military flag officer to focus on military operations, AFRICOM will have a deputy to the commander for civil-military activities, a position to be filled by a senior State Department Foreign Service officer.
The Foreign Service official will direct the command's plans and programs associated with health, humanitarian assistance, humanitarian mine action, disaster response and security-sector reform.
This team will work together to help build a stable security environment that enables Africans to pursue broader goals such as economic security, Ward told the committee. He described a three-pronged approach toward this objective, with the Defense Department advancing U.S. military goals and activities, the State Department conducting diplomacy, and USAID carrying out development work.
AFRICOM will lead these efforts as it focuses on conducting security cooperation to build partnership capabilities in areas ranging from peacekeeping to maritime security to border security to counter terrorism, he said.
Admiral Describes Evolving U.S.-Asia Relations, 21st Century Maritime Strategy
By John J. Kruzel
American Forces Press Service
Sept. 26, 2007 - Warm and transparent relationships with emerging Asian nations are key in today's global ideological struggle, and a forthcoming U.S. maritime strategy will consider the modern security and economic landscape, a top military official said today. During a conference on National Security Strategy and Policy at the Ronald Reagan Building here, Navy Adm. Michael G. Mullen, chief of naval operations, addressed an auditorium packed with military and private-sector members and reporters.
Mullen said he hosted his Chinese naval counterpart in the U.S. in April and traveled to China in August to enhance the nations' military-to-military relationship.
To diversify its force structure from a ground-heavy force to one with increased air and sea power, China is investing in high-end technology that will greatly expand its naval capabilities there in 10 to 20 years.
The admiral expressed trepidation over the level of China's military investment and said that an anti-satellite missile China launched in January also is cause for concern.
He acknowledged that, as a sovereign nation, China is acting within its right to beef up military might. "But what we've asked for is more transparency and more of a strategic understanding of why these capabilities are being developed, (and) what their expectations are for the use of those capabilities down the road," Mullen said.
Mullen said a dialogue between the United States and China, possibly spurned on by military relations, could prevent strategic miscalculations and help the U.S. better understand the emerging Asian power and the implications of such growth.
"The peaceful evolution of China -- being the huge economic engine that it is -- is a good thing not just for the Chinese people or for the region, but for the world," he added.
Speaking about U.S. relations with other Asian countries, Mullen called Japan a "very critical partner." Like the United States, Japan supports global stability and economic prosperity. He added that Japanese military officials share his "uncertainty" over China's aggressive investment in new military technologies.
The admiral said he is encouraged by recent joint maritime operations with Japan and India. A benefit of such operations, Mullen said, is that young servicemembers of various nationalities are able to interact.
"(These operations) speak to the idea of many different countries working with each other on the military side across the full spectrum," he said. "When I'm in these countries, one of the things I try emphasize with every leader is the need to have exchanges with our young officers.
"We invest there now so that when they become more senior, they're not working for the first time to establish relationships," he continued.
The admiral said such international exchanges are the result of globalization, or the notion that the world's nations and people have become -- and continue to grow -- more interdependent. In this shifting environment, Mullen said, cooperation within the international economy likely will create partnerships in the field of global security.
The cumbersome foreign military system, a complex procurement mechanism that delivers private-sector supplies to foreign buyers, is inhibiting smooth exchanges on the United States' end of global production, Mullen said. He added that he advocates making a simpler system to foster enhanced economic partnering.
Mullen alluded to New York Times columnist Thomas Friedman's book, "The World is Flat," in which the author posits that just as democratic nations abstain from fighting each other, nations that cooperate in a global economy, or supply-chain, will not fight. The motive that pacifies such partners, Mullen said, is that neither desires to disrupt a common value system.
Such shifting security and economic considerations will factor into a doctrine outlining U.S. maritime strategy, Mullen said. The doctrine will be presented next month at the International Seapower Symposium in Newport News, Va.
Mullen called the strategy a work in progress that's in its final stages and said the doctrine represents input from hundreds of experts representing combatant commands and joint partners, including the U.S. Marine Corps and Coast Guard.
"(Such expertise) helps us look above and beyond," Mullen said. "That is, to get our heads above operations and tactics and look well beyond the horizon."
American Forces Press Service
Sept. 26, 2007 - Warm and transparent relationships with emerging Asian nations are key in today's global ideological struggle, and a forthcoming U.S. maritime strategy will consider the modern security and economic landscape, a top military official said today. During a conference on National Security Strategy and Policy at the Ronald Reagan Building here, Navy Adm. Michael G. Mullen, chief of naval operations, addressed an auditorium packed with military and private-sector members and reporters.
Mullen said he hosted his Chinese naval counterpart in the U.S. in April and traveled to China in August to enhance the nations' military-to-military relationship.
To diversify its force structure from a ground-heavy force to one with increased air and sea power, China is investing in high-end technology that will greatly expand its naval capabilities there in 10 to 20 years.
The admiral expressed trepidation over the level of China's military investment and said that an anti-satellite missile China launched in January also is cause for concern.
He acknowledged that, as a sovereign nation, China is acting within its right to beef up military might. "But what we've asked for is more transparency and more of a strategic understanding of why these capabilities are being developed, (and) what their expectations are for the use of those capabilities down the road," Mullen said.
Mullen said a dialogue between the United States and China, possibly spurned on by military relations, could prevent strategic miscalculations and help the U.S. better understand the emerging Asian power and the implications of such growth.
"The peaceful evolution of China -- being the huge economic engine that it is -- is a good thing not just for the Chinese people or for the region, but for the world," he added.
Speaking about U.S. relations with other Asian countries, Mullen called Japan a "very critical partner." Like the United States, Japan supports global stability and economic prosperity. He added that Japanese military officials share his "uncertainty" over China's aggressive investment in new military technologies.
The admiral said he is encouraged by recent joint maritime operations with Japan and India. A benefit of such operations, Mullen said, is that young servicemembers of various nationalities are able to interact.
"(These operations) speak to the idea of many different countries working with each other on the military side across the full spectrum," he said. "When I'm in these countries, one of the things I try emphasize with every leader is the need to have exchanges with our young officers.
"We invest there now so that when they become more senior, they're not working for the first time to establish relationships," he continued.
The admiral said such international exchanges are the result of globalization, or the notion that the world's nations and people have become -- and continue to grow -- more interdependent. In this shifting environment, Mullen said, cooperation within the international economy likely will create partnerships in the field of global security.
The cumbersome foreign military system, a complex procurement mechanism that delivers private-sector supplies to foreign buyers, is inhibiting smooth exchanges on the United States' end of global production, Mullen said. He added that he advocates making a simpler system to foster enhanced economic partnering.
Mullen alluded to New York Times columnist Thomas Friedman's book, "The World is Flat," in which the author posits that just as democratic nations abstain from fighting each other, nations that cooperate in a global economy, or supply-chain, will not fight. The motive that pacifies such partners, Mullen said, is that neither desires to disrupt a common value system.
Such shifting security and economic considerations will factor into a doctrine outlining U.S. maritime strategy, Mullen said. The doctrine will be presented next month at the International Seapower Symposium in Newport News, Va.
Mullen called the strategy a work in progress that's in its final stages and said the doctrine represents input from hundreds of experts representing combatant commands and joint partners, including the U.S. Marine Corps and Coast Guard.
"(Such expertise) helps us look above and beyond," Mullen said. "That is, to get our heads above operations and tactics and look well beyond the horizon."
Acro Announces Technology Agreement with LSRI
Acro to provide multi- type explosive tester for commercial and military explosives, complementing its existing peroxide explosive tester
New York, NY – September 26, 2007 – Acro, Inc. (OTC BB:ACRI), a developer of explosive detection solutions, today announced the conclusion of the negotiations of a technology agreement with LSRI – Life Science Research Israel Ltd., a subsidiary of IIBR – Israel Institute for Biological Research.
Under the terms of the agreement, LSRI will license the long-proven technology of IIBR's explosives testing kit (ETK) to Acro, for incorporation into Acro's pen-like device, allowing the detection of commercial and military explosives. The agreement is subject to minimum annual revenues to be achieved by Acro and royalties to be paid to LSRI. The technical appendix of the agreement will be signed in the next few weeks.
The new device will complement Acro's ACRO-P.E.T., the company’s peroxide explosive tester for the detection of improvised explosives.
"The agreement with LSRI will allow Acro to provide unique, reliable and easy-to-use explosive testers for the entire spectrum of military, commercial and improvised explosives, using the company's patented pen-like tool," said Acro Chairman and CEO Gadi Aner. "This is an important milestone in Acro's evolution as a company offering a full array of explosive testers providing immediate detection in the field."
IIBR's ETK is a portable micro-laboratory for rapid field detection of explosives. It is used by many security forces around the world.
ACRO-P.E.T. is designed for rapid field detection of peroxide-based explosives, such as triacetone triperoxide (TATP). Its main advantages include high sensitivity, high selectivity, fast response, simple operation, small size and cost effectiveness.
About LSRI - Life Science Research Israel Ltd.
LSRI focuses on the commercialization of IIBR’s novel technologies and scientific achievements. Established in 1979, LSRI’s mandate is to promote biomedical projects and market IIBR-developed products and services. LSRI represents IIBR in the establishment of all forms of collaboration, joint ventures and partnerships with private and public companies. For more information about LSRI, visit www.iibr.gov.il/LSRI.asp
About Acro, Inc.
Acro, Inc. develops explosives detection technologies. The company has developed a unique patented technology for identifying peroxide-based explosives, such as TATP. Acro’s Advisory Board includes Prof. K. Barry Sharpless, winner of the 2001 Nobel Prize for Chemistry, and Prof. Richard A. Lerner, President and CEO of The Scripps Research Institute, considered one of the world’s most influential scientific institutes. For more information about Acro, visit www.acrosec.com.
Forward Looking Statement
This press release contains forward-looking statements concerning our marketing and operations plans. All statements other than statements of historical fact are statements that could be deemed forward-looking statements. All forward-looking statements in this press release are made based on management's current expectations and estimates, which involve risks, uncertainties and other factors that could cause results to differ materially from those expressed in forward-looking statements. These statements involve a number of risks and uncertainties, including, but not limited to, risks related to the evolving homeland security market, our ability to successfully market and sell our TATP Explosive Tester product worldwide and ETK licensed from LSRI, the results of the technology agreement with LSRI, our ability to satisfy the minimum annual revenues set in the agreement with LSRI, and the ability to successfully demonstrate solutions to governmental national security agencies and national police forces, and additional orders from the US military, general economic conditions and other risk factors. Acro does not undertake any obligation to update forward-looking statements made herein.
Media contact:
David Kanaan
Kanaan Public Relations
Tel: +972-3-540-8188
E-mail:david@kanaan.co.il
New York, NY – September 26, 2007 – Acro, Inc. (OTC BB:ACRI), a developer of explosive detection solutions, today announced the conclusion of the negotiations of a technology agreement with LSRI – Life Science Research Israel Ltd., a subsidiary of IIBR – Israel Institute for Biological Research.
Under the terms of the agreement, LSRI will license the long-proven technology of IIBR's explosives testing kit (ETK) to Acro, for incorporation into Acro's pen-like device, allowing the detection of commercial and military explosives. The agreement is subject to minimum annual revenues to be achieved by Acro and royalties to be paid to LSRI. The technical appendix of the agreement will be signed in the next few weeks.
The new device will complement Acro's ACRO-P.E.T., the company’s peroxide explosive tester for the detection of improvised explosives.
"The agreement with LSRI will allow Acro to provide unique, reliable and easy-to-use explosive testers for the entire spectrum of military, commercial and improvised explosives, using the company's patented pen-like tool," said Acro Chairman and CEO Gadi Aner. "This is an important milestone in Acro's evolution as a company offering a full array of explosive testers providing immediate detection in the field."
IIBR's ETK is a portable micro-laboratory for rapid field detection of explosives. It is used by many security forces around the world.
ACRO-P.E.T. is designed for rapid field detection of peroxide-based explosives, such as triacetone triperoxide (TATP). Its main advantages include high sensitivity, high selectivity, fast response, simple operation, small size and cost effectiveness.
About LSRI - Life Science Research Israel Ltd.
LSRI focuses on the commercialization of IIBR’s novel technologies and scientific achievements. Established in 1979, LSRI’s mandate is to promote biomedical projects and market IIBR-developed products and services. LSRI represents IIBR in the establishment of all forms of collaboration, joint ventures and partnerships with private and public companies. For more information about LSRI, visit www.iibr.gov.il/LSRI.asp
About Acro, Inc.
Acro, Inc. develops explosives detection technologies. The company has developed a unique patented technology for identifying peroxide-based explosives, such as TATP. Acro’s Advisory Board includes Prof. K. Barry Sharpless, winner of the 2001 Nobel Prize for Chemistry, and Prof. Richard A. Lerner, President and CEO of The Scripps Research Institute, considered one of the world’s most influential scientific institutes. For more information about Acro, visit www.acrosec.com.
Forward Looking Statement
This press release contains forward-looking statements concerning our marketing and operations plans. All statements other than statements of historical fact are statements that could be deemed forward-looking statements. All forward-looking statements in this press release are made based on management's current expectations and estimates, which involve risks, uncertainties and other factors that could cause results to differ materially from those expressed in forward-looking statements. These statements involve a number of risks and uncertainties, including, but not limited to, risks related to the evolving homeland security market, our ability to successfully market and sell our TATP Explosive Tester product worldwide and ETK licensed from LSRI, the results of the technology agreement with LSRI, our ability to satisfy the minimum annual revenues set in the agreement with LSRI, and the ability to successfully demonstrate solutions to governmental national security agencies and national police forces, and additional orders from the US military, general economic conditions and other risk factors. Acro does not undertake any obligation to update forward-looking statements made herein.
Media contact:
David Kanaan
Kanaan Public Relations
Tel: +972-3-540-8188
E-mail:david@kanaan.co.il
Army Leaders Urge Congressional Support to Meet Current, Future Demands
By Donna Miles
American Forces Press Service
Sept. 26, 2007 - The Army, stressed and stretched by six years of conflict, needs continued and uninterrupted support and resourcing to maintain its current operational levels while preparing for the future, its top civilian and military leaders told Congress today. Army Chief of Staff Gen. George W. Casey Jr. outlined four imperatives for the House Armed Services Committee that he called critical to the Army's ability to restore balance and maintain the all-volunteer force:
-- Improving the way the Army sustains soldiers, families and civilians;
-- Preparing troops for success in the current conflict;
-- Resetting troops and equipment for future deployments; and
-- Transforming the force for the 21st century.
Casey urged committee members to support these efforts into the next fiscal year, and to ensure there's no funding gap after Oct. 1 that could slow efforts under way.
"The Army is the best in the world at what it does, because of our values, our ethos, our people and your support," he said.
Keeping that standard, he said, will require more hard sacrifices by soldiers and their families and clear recognition by national leaders of the threat the country faces and the need to maintain an Army able to face it.
Calling soldiers "our ultimate asymmetric advantage" in the war on terror, he said the Army needs to continue improving the way it recruits, trains and retains them.
While increasing the readiness of the force, the Army also must increase the quality of life it provides its members as well as their families, he said.
Army Secretary Pete Geren noted that the Army's focus has moved from pay issues that dominated the 1970s and housing issues that dominated the 1990s. Today, in an era of persistent conflict that's expected to continue into the foreseeable future, the big emphasis must be on taking care of families, he said.
"Twelve months (deployed overseas) was asking a lot of those families, and 15 months is asking more," he said.
Casey said the Army needs to ensure that the quality of life it provides its soldiers and their families "is commensurate with the quality of service" they are providing.
Meanwhile, the Army must continue to prepare its troops to succeed in the current conflict, he said. The Army has made "great strides," continually adapting as the operational environment changes, he said.
It's also committed to providing the best equipment possible to give soldiers the technological advantage on the battlefield, he said, as well as tough, demanding training at their home stations that ensures they have the skills and confidence to win.
"Military success is tied to the capabilities of our leaders and soldiers," Casey said, promising that the Army won't fail them.
To keep that promise, the Army must focus on resetting the force, he said. Resetting means more than simply fixing or replacing equipment that's being used at five times its programmed rate, he told the committee. It also means giving soldiers and their families time to regroup between deployments.
Geren noted that the current Army force is carrying the lion's share of the third-longest conflict in U.S. history. Not since the Revolutionary War has the country asked this much of an all-volunteer force for this long, he told the committee.
And as the country faces what is expected to continue to be an era of persistent conflict, it must take care of its troops and their families to ensure the all-volunteer force remains strong, he said.
Today's Army is the best-led, best-equipped and best-trained force that's ever been to the field, Geren said. He expressed hope that with congressional support and funding, the Army will be able to continue making that claim five, 10, even 20 years into the future.
So as the Army focuses on the current conflict, it must keep looking ahead as well to ensure it's ready to face future threats, Casey said. This involves fielding the best new equipment to fighting forces, incorporating new techniques and fielding the Army's future combat systems to brigade combat teams to ensure the Army has a decisive advantage on the battlefield.
The Army's transformation is "a holistic effort" that affects the way it fights, trains and modernizes, he said. "It's a journey for us, not a destination," Casey told the lawmakers.
American Forces Press Service
Sept. 26, 2007 - The Army, stressed and stretched by six years of conflict, needs continued and uninterrupted support and resourcing to maintain its current operational levels while preparing for the future, its top civilian and military leaders told Congress today. Army Chief of Staff Gen. George W. Casey Jr. outlined four imperatives for the House Armed Services Committee that he called critical to the Army's ability to restore balance and maintain the all-volunteer force:
-- Improving the way the Army sustains soldiers, families and civilians;
-- Preparing troops for success in the current conflict;
-- Resetting troops and equipment for future deployments; and
-- Transforming the force for the 21st century.
Casey urged committee members to support these efforts into the next fiscal year, and to ensure there's no funding gap after Oct. 1 that could slow efforts under way.
"The Army is the best in the world at what it does, because of our values, our ethos, our people and your support," he said.
Keeping that standard, he said, will require more hard sacrifices by soldiers and their families and clear recognition by national leaders of the threat the country faces and the need to maintain an Army able to face it.
Calling soldiers "our ultimate asymmetric advantage" in the war on terror, he said the Army needs to continue improving the way it recruits, trains and retains them.
While increasing the readiness of the force, the Army also must increase the quality of life it provides its members as well as their families, he said.
Army Secretary Pete Geren noted that the Army's focus has moved from pay issues that dominated the 1970s and housing issues that dominated the 1990s. Today, in an era of persistent conflict that's expected to continue into the foreseeable future, the big emphasis must be on taking care of families, he said.
"Twelve months (deployed overseas) was asking a lot of those families, and 15 months is asking more," he said.
Casey said the Army needs to ensure that the quality of life it provides its soldiers and their families "is commensurate with the quality of service" they are providing.
Meanwhile, the Army must continue to prepare its troops to succeed in the current conflict, he said. The Army has made "great strides," continually adapting as the operational environment changes, he said.
It's also committed to providing the best equipment possible to give soldiers the technological advantage on the battlefield, he said, as well as tough, demanding training at their home stations that ensures they have the skills and confidence to win.
"Military success is tied to the capabilities of our leaders and soldiers," Casey said, promising that the Army won't fail them.
To keep that promise, the Army must focus on resetting the force, he said. Resetting means more than simply fixing or replacing equipment that's being used at five times its programmed rate, he told the committee. It also means giving soldiers and their families time to regroup between deployments.
Geren noted that the current Army force is carrying the lion's share of the third-longest conflict in U.S. history. Not since the Revolutionary War has the country asked this much of an all-volunteer force for this long, he told the committee.
And as the country faces what is expected to continue to be an era of persistent conflict, it must take care of its troops and their families to ensure the all-volunteer force remains strong, he said.
Today's Army is the best-led, best-equipped and best-trained force that's ever been to the field, Geren said. He expressed hope that with congressional support and funding, the Army will be able to continue making that claim five, 10, even 20 years into the future.
So as the Army focuses on the current conflict, it must keep looking ahead as well to ensure it's ready to face future threats, Casey said. This involves fielding the best new equipment to fighting forces, incorporating new techniques and fielding the Army's future combat systems to brigade combat teams to ensure the Army has a decisive advantage on the battlefield.
The Army's transformation is "a holistic effort" that affects the way it fights, trains and modernizes, he said. "It's a journey for us, not a destination," Casey told the lawmakers.
Navy to Unveil New Maritime Strategy
By John J. Kruzel
American Forces Press Service
Sept. 26, 2007 - The U.S. Navy will unveil a new maritime strategy next month that will address the demands of a globalizing world, a top military official said here today. Navy Vice Adm. John G. Morgan, deputy chief of naval operations for information, plans and strategy, spoke to a group gathered at the Ronald Reagan Building for a conference on National Security Strategy and Policy.
He told the audience that during the International Seapower Symposium next month in Newport News, Va., the Navy will present a new maritime strategy to some 91 heads of allied navies, Marines and coast guard. The doctrine, which took some 16 months to complete, is the Navy's first attempt to document a seapower strategy since the 1980s.
"If you contrast the last time we made an effort to write a maritime strategy in the 1980s, you'd agree that the world today looks a lot different," he said.
Globalization -- the notion that the world's nations and people have become, and continue to grow, more interdependent -- was in its early stages during the drafting of the last strategy. Since that time, important maritime milestones have occurred. Russia recently placed a flag on the floor of the North Pole, Morgan said, and the Northwest Passage, a sea route through the Arctic Ocean along the North American coast, has opened for the first time.
Furthermore, climate change is altering the planet's shape and the number of navigable areas. The growing human population is moving closer to coastlines and into urban centers, and as a result, people are moving goods around the world by sea more than ever before, Morgan said.
Morgan declined to describe in full detail the elements of the new strategy, but said that it addresses the changing 21st century world. Furthermore, strategy planners tried to anticipate what Morgan called the key uncertainty: what the United States' grand military strategy and foreign policy will be in the next few decades.
"Instead of looking for a specific answer, what we did was consider a range of options: primacy, cooperative security, selective engagement and offshore balance," he said.
These paradigms commonly are used by military planners to measure the quality of strategic components against hypothetical challenges. In addition to these theoretic structures, the Navy added "concert of power," or the idea that major world powers will work in concert with the United States to preserve a mutually beneficial status quo. In contrast, planners introduced the "coalition of denial," a paradigm pitting all major players against strategic interests sought by the United States.
From the six hypothetical paradigms, Morgan said, a team that comprises hundreds of American and foreign experts drafted five possible maritime strategies. The experts then whittled the five strategies down to three.
Morgan's team traveled to seven locations around the country to present the strategies to American citizens. In what was dubbed "the conversation with the country," Morgan and his team used Americans' feedback and helped shape one strategy, which currently is a work in progress in its final stages.
"This has been an open and loose process," he said. "We are creating an unclassified document, one with significant international flavor, informed by constructive dialogue with friends around the world."
American Forces Press Service
Sept. 26, 2007 - The U.S. Navy will unveil a new maritime strategy next month that will address the demands of a globalizing world, a top military official said here today. Navy Vice Adm. John G. Morgan, deputy chief of naval operations for information, plans and strategy, spoke to a group gathered at the Ronald Reagan Building for a conference on National Security Strategy and Policy.
He told the audience that during the International Seapower Symposium next month in Newport News, Va., the Navy will present a new maritime strategy to some 91 heads of allied navies, Marines and coast guard. The doctrine, which took some 16 months to complete, is the Navy's first attempt to document a seapower strategy since the 1980s.
"If you contrast the last time we made an effort to write a maritime strategy in the 1980s, you'd agree that the world today looks a lot different," he said.
Globalization -- the notion that the world's nations and people have become, and continue to grow, more interdependent -- was in its early stages during the drafting of the last strategy. Since that time, important maritime milestones have occurred. Russia recently placed a flag on the floor of the North Pole, Morgan said, and the Northwest Passage, a sea route through the Arctic Ocean along the North American coast, has opened for the first time.
Furthermore, climate change is altering the planet's shape and the number of navigable areas. The growing human population is moving closer to coastlines and into urban centers, and as a result, people are moving goods around the world by sea more than ever before, Morgan said.
Morgan declined to describe in full detail the elements of the new strategy, but said that it addresses the changing 21st century world. Furthermore, strategy planners tried to anticipate what Morgan called the key uncertainty: what the United States' grand military strategy and foreign policy will be in the next few decades.
"Instead of looking for a specific answer, what we did was consider a range of options: primacy, cooperative security, selective engagement and offshore balance," he said.
These paradigms commonly are used by military planners to measure the quality of strategic components against hypothetical challenges. In addition to these theoretic structures, the Navy added "concert of power," or the idea that major world powers will work in concert with the United States to preserve a mutually beneficial status quo. In contrast, planners introduced the "coalition of denial," a paradigm pitting all major players against strategic interests sought by the United States.
From the six hypothetical paradigms, Morgan said, a team that comprises hundreds of American and foreign experts drafted five possible maritime strategies. The experts then whittled the five strategies down to three.
Morgan's team traveled to seven locations around the country to present the strategies to American citizens. In what was dubbed "the conversation with the country," Morgan and his team used Americans' feedback and helped shape one strategy, which currently is a work in progress in its final stages.
"This has been an open and loose process," he said. "We are creating an unclassified document, one with significant international flavor, informed by constructive dialogue with friends around the world."
Plan Calls for Sweeping Changes to Mental Health Care Services
By Fred W. Baker III
American Forces Press Service
Sept. 26, 2007 - Servicemembers and their families can expect sweeping changes throughout the Defense Department's mental health care services during the next year. A plan submitted to Congress this month details hundreds of proposed actions that officials hope will make the system more patient-focused. Many of the major changes are slated to be in place by as early as May 2008.
The plan is based on 95 recommendations for change that the department's Task Force on Mental Health reported to Congress in June.
Congressionally directed and funded last year, the task force reported that stigma attached to mental health care, difficult access, bureaucracy and a lack of resources contributed to a lack of adequate care for servicemembers and their families.
Congress provided $900 million for improvements in mental health care services, some funds specifically for advancements in traumatic brain injury and psychological health research, development and services.
The department responded by partnering with the departments of Veterans Affairs and Health and Human Services to develop a plan to work through each of the recommendations, in many cases crossing the bureaucratic borders of each organization, to refocus the delivery of care to the patient's point of view.
This is a paradigm shift for military medicine, said Ellen Embrey, deputy assistant secretary of defense for force health protection and readiness.
"Patient centered-care is a standard of practice in some of the more effective health systems around the country. For large federal systems like the Department of Defense and the Department of Veterans Affairs, patient-center care being imposed on a large number of specialty departments requires a significant commitment to understanding what the patient has to go through and making sure that the providers in that system keep that in mind," Embrey said. "We are absolutely committed to doing what's best for the patient."
The changes also call for a shift in how the department has traditionally focused its mental health care, she said.
"If you look at how the department is currently organized to provide care, ... overall our focus in the past has been on diagnosis and treatment. The shift ... is to help people understand that prevention, and helping people maintain their health, is as important," Embrey said.
This calls for education and training for leaders, providers and patients, she said. The new plan also includes more research.
"That shift requires everyone in the system to understand what psychological health is, how to recognize when it's starting to falter, and what you can do yourself or what resources are available to you," Embrey said.
Probably one of the most visible changes in the system will be streamlined mental and physical evaluation board processes that will offer more consistency between Defense Department and VA assessments, Embrey said. A pilot of the new system will be conducted in the next few weeks, she said. A final system is to be in place by May.
Also key in the plan is ensuring servicemembers and their families receive a full continuum of care during transitions, especially from military to civilian life. Most of the changes have to do with recordkeeping and working to improve provider "hand-offs" of patient information. This is critical, officials said, as patient information often is recorded on the battlefield and passed successfully to military hospitals for care, but sometimes there are gaps as the patient transitions to Veterans Affairs or to a civilian provider.
Officials are also working to bring mental health care access policies more in line with those of primary care access policies. For example, officials want policies across the system to provide initial mental health care services to a patient within seven days of contact, or fewer if the situation requires. This is the standard for primary care access. But in the past, mental health care was always perceived as specialty care, and the standard for receiving an appointment was 30 days.
"Psychological health and fitness must be placed on an equal footing with physical health and fitness," Embrey said. "We have a responsibility to effectively identify and treat all psychological health conditions and ill effects of war, and are committed to accomplishing that through a consistently excellent standard of care across DoD."
Many changes will revise department policies to reflect a more current knowledge of psychological health. And part of the plan is an anti-stigma public education campaign targeting servicemembers and family members who neglect or postpone treatment.
The aggressive timeline for implementing the changes reflects the department's commitment to timely change to the mental health care system, Embrey said.
"This has the attention of our senior leadership, and they are committed to making these necessary changes," she said. "Our families and our servicemembers are the most important part of our ability to do our mission and they deserve the very best treatment."
Since the initial recommendations went to Congress in June, senior Defense Department officials have met weekly. Many changes were already implemented as officials developed the overall plan, officials said.
American Forces Press Service
Sept. 26, 2007 - Servicemembers and their families can expect sweeping changes throughout the Defense Department's mental health care services during the next year. A plan submitted to Congress this month details hundreds of proposed actions that officials hope will make the system more patient-focused. Many of the major changes are slated to be in place by as early as May 2008.
The plan is based on 95 recommendations for change that the department's Task Force on Mental Health reported to Congress in June.
Congressionally directed and funded last year, the task force reported that stigma attached to mental health care, difficult access, bureaucracy and a lack of resources contributed to a lack of adequate care for servicemembers and their families.
Congress provided $900 million for improvements in mental health care services, some funds specifically for advancements in traumatic brain injury and psychological health research, development and services.
The department responded by partnering with the departments of Veterans Affairs and Health and Human Services to develop a plan to work through each of the recommendations, in many cases crossing the bureaucratic borders of each organization, to refocus the delivery of care to the patient's point of view.
This is a paradigm shift for military medicine, said Ellen Embrey, deputy assistant secretary of defense for force health protection and readiness.
"Patient centered-care is a standard of practice in some of the more effective health systems around the country. For large federal systems like the Department of Defense and the Department of Veterans Affairs, patient-center care being imposed on a large number of specialty departments requires a significant commitment to understanding what the patient has to go through and making sure that the providers in that system keep that in mind," Embrey said. "We are absolutely committed to doing what's best for the patient."
The changes also call for a shift in how the department has traditionally focused its mental health care, she said.
"If you look at how the department is currently organized to provide care, ... overall our focus in the past has been on diagnosis and treatment. The shift ... is to help people understand that prevention, and helping people maintain their health, is as important," Embrey said.
This calls for education and training for leaders, providers and patients, she said. The new plan also includes more research.
"That shift requires everyone in the system to understand what psychological health is, how to recognize when it's starting to falter, and what you can do yourself or what resources are available to you," Embrey said.
Probably one of the most visible changes in the system will be streamlined mental and physical evaluation board processes that will offer more consistency between Defense Department and VA assessments, Embrey said. A pilot of the new system will be conducted in the next few weeks, she said. A final system is to be in place by May.
Also key in the plan is ensuring servicemembers and their families receive a full continuum of care during transitions, especially from military to civilian life. Most of the changes have to do with recordkeeping and working to improve provider "hand-offs" of patient information. This is critical, officials said, as patient information often is recorded on the battlefield and passed successfully to military hospitals for care, but sometimes there are gaps as the patient transitions to Veterans Affairs or to a civilian provider.
Officials are also working to bring mental health care access policies more in line with those of primary care access policies. For example, officials want policies across the system to provide initial mental health care services to a patient within seven days of contact, or fewer if the situation requires. This is the standard for primary care access. But in the past, mental health care was always perceived as specialty care, and the standard for receiving an appointment was 30 days.
"Psychological health and fitness must be placed on an equal footing with physical health and fitness," Embrey said. "We have a responsibility to effectively identify and treat all psychological health conditions and ill effects of war, and are committed to accomplishing that through a consistently excellent standard of care across DoD."
Many changes will revise department policies to reflect a more current knowledge of psychological health. And part of the plan is an anti-stigma public education campaign targeting servicemembers and family members who neglect or postpone treatment.
The aggressive timeline for implementing the changes reflects the department's commitment to timely change to the mental health care system, Embrey said.
"This has the attention of our senior leadership, and they are committed to making these necessary changes," she said. "Our families and our servicemembers are the most important part of our ability to do our mission and they deserve the very best treatment."
Since the initial recommendations went to Congress in June, senior Defense Department officials have met weekly. Many changes were already implemented as officials developed the overall plan, officials said.
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