Three individuals and five teams have won awards from the Defense Standardization Program Office (DSPO) for outstanding contributions to the Department of Defense last fiscal year. Since 1987, DSPO has recognized individuals and organization that have effected significant improvement in quality, reliability, readiness, cost reduction, and interoperability through standardization.
The DSP mission is to identify, influence, develop, manage, and provide access to standardization processes, products, and services for warfighters and the acquisition and logistics communities. In addition, the program promotes interoperability and assists in reducing total ownership costs and sustaining readiness.
Individual award recipients for 2007 are James Todd, engineer, Army's program manager for training devices (PM TRADE), Program Executive Office, Simulation, Training, and Instrumentation, (PEO STRI), Orlando, Fla. Todd was instrumental in the development and implementation of standards for the Future Army Systems Integrated Target. Jack Mills, director, Naval Air Systems Command, Fleet Readiness Center, Executive Information Systems Division, implemented a standardized structure and process for software development and life-cycle management of the Naval Air Systems Command's Depot Maintenance System. Also recognized was Thomas Hess, electronics engineer, Defense Supply Center Columbus. Hess made outstanding contributions to revisions of the military performance specification for microcircuits. The revised document addresses the current engineering and technical needs of the space community, military agencies, and DoD equipment manufacturers for robust military and space grade microcircuits.
Team winners include Naval Air Systems Command, DoD Standard Terminal Automation Replacement System (STARS) Operation Support Facility (OSF). By implementing lessons learned and applying the standardized process procedures, the Navy team has been able to provide OSF support to the entire STARS community more quickly and with fewer resources than would be possible if each service had its own OSF. Members of that team include Kathi Chesser, Adam Osborne Jr., Mark Minik, Kenneth Cole, and Michael Corrigan.
Also named as a team winner is the Air Force Materiel Command, Aeronautical Systems Center, Engineering Directorate, Aerospace Fuels Certification Military Handbook team. This team documented the certification process in Military Handbook (MIL-HDBK-)510, aerospace fuels certification. The new process is expected to reduce conversion to no more than three years for all weapon systems, ground support equipment, and refueling infrastructure and significantly reduce conversion costs. Members include James Edwards, Virgil Regoli, Martin Lentz, William Likos, and Edwin Wells.
Other winning teams are all from the Defense Logistics Agency, including the Defense Supply Center Columbus, improved power ratings for standard chip resistors covered by Military Performance Specification MIL-PRF-55342 Team. This joint DLA/Army team overhauled the military performance specification for standard chip resistors to incorporate improved power ratings. As a result of this effort, DoD can upgrade the existing part designs to improve power ratings rather than introduce new parts into the logistics systems. Members include Andrew Ernst, Jeffrey Zern, and Jeffrey Carver.
Also from the Defense Logistics Agency, Defense Supply Center Richmond, was the team for implementation of polyurethane antenna gaskets and tape to mitigate corrosion of DoD aircraft. This joint DLA/Coastguard team implemented the use of new anticorrosion polyurethane gasket material and tape for antenna and floorboard applications on military aircraft. The use of this new material reduces or eliminates corrosion of antennas and airframes; simplifies removal of components; and allows for extension of maintenance cycle, which gives personnel more time to perform other maintenance tasks. Members are Ned Pruitt, Craig Matzdorf, Dick Kinzie, Steve Carr, and Larry Cornwell.
Another winning group is the Defense Logistics Agency's Defense Energy Support Center team for standardization of fuels, equipment, training, and laboratory operations. This team standardized critical fuels equipment and consolidated fuels training for military services and theater combatant commands. The team published a joint performance specification for collapsible fuel tanks, assisted with revising Society of Automotive Engineers Aerospace Standard 5877, developed policy to reduce the number of different fuel filter elements, and merged lesson plans and consolidated fuels quality training. Members are Larry Woolverton, Shawn Simon, Richard Iwanski, James Eberhardt, and William MacLaren.
For further information on the Defense Standardization Program please visit the DSP web site at http://www.dsp.dla.mil.
Friday, March 14, 2008
MILITARY CONTRACTS March 13, 2008
DEFENSE LOGISTICS AGENCY
The Produce Connection, Miami, Fla., is being awarded a maximum $9,979,371.60 fixed price with economic price adjustment, total set aside contract for fresh fruit and vegetables support. There are no other locations of performance. Using services are Navy, Air Force, and USDA school customers. This proposal was originally solicited on DIBBS with two responses. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. Date of performance completion is Sep. 13, 2009. The contracting activity is Defense Supply Center Philadelphia, Philadelphia, Pa., (SPM300-08-D-P034).
Burlington Apparel Fabrics, Greensboro, N.C. is being awarded a maximum $8,838,492.00 fixed price with economic price adjustment, indefinite delivery and indefinite quantity contract for polyester/wool, tropical, khaki cloth. Other locations of performance are Va. Using service is Navy. This proposal was originally Gateway solicited with 1 response. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. Date of performance completion is Mar. 19, 2009. The contracting activity is Defense Supply Center Philadelphia, Philadelphia, Pa., (SPM1C1-07-D-1515).
NAVY
ITT Industries Avionics Div., Clifton, N. J., is being awarded a $111,540,000 modification to a previously awarded firm-fixed-price contract (N00019-05-C-0054) to exercise an option for the Fiscal Year 2008 full rate production Lot V of 66 AN/ALQ-214(V)2 On-Board Jammer Systems for the F/A-18 E/F Aircraft. This option combines purchases for the U.S. Navy ($103,090,000; 92 percent), and the Government of Australia ($8,450,000; 8 percent) under the Foreign Military Sales Program. Work will be performed at various locations for all other vendors throughout the U.S. (43.5 percent); Clifton, N.J., (34.4 percent); East Syracuse, N.Y., (8.8 percent); San Diego, Calif., (8.3 percent); and Rancho Cordova, Calif., (5 percent), and work is expected to be completed in Dec. 2010. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Naval Air Systems Command, Patuxent River, Md., is the contracting activity.
Raytheon Systems Co., McKinney, Texas, is being awarded a $44,253,923 firm-fixed- price order under a Basic Ordering Agreement (N00164-06-G-8555) for Multi-spectral Targeting Systems (MTS) Navy configuration, including 41 Turret Units and associated line items for the Government in support of Army and Navy aircraft and H-60 helicopters. The MTS is a forward looking infrared system for the aircraft. The MTS provides real-time imagery selectable between infrared and day TV, as well as a laser designation capability. Work will be performed in McKinney, Texas, and work is expected to be completed by Oct. 2010. Contract funds in the amount of $12,206,250 will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was not competitively procured. The Naval Surface Warfare Center Crane, Crane, Ind., is the contracting activity.
Northrop Grumman Electronic Systems, Inc., Melville, N.Y., is being awarded a $37,277,361 modification to previously awarded contract (N00024-04-C-4304) to exercise an option for the procurement of seven AN/SPQ-9B Radar Sets with Traveling Wave Tube Amplifier (TWTA) transmitter upgrades, three combat interface kits for CEC, and four combat interface kits for AEGIS. The AN/SPQ-9B Radar is an over the horizon Anti-Ship Missile Defense Radar whose function it is to provide enhanced capability to detect, track and respond to very low flying altitude threats, small radar cross section, high-speed targets. This option will provide SPQ-9B Radars for installation on several ship classes, including CVN, CG-47, Coast Guard, and LPD-17. Work will be performed in Melville, N.Y., (85 percent); Norwalk, Conn., (14 percent); and Baltimore, Md., (1 percent), and work is expected to be completed by Oct. 2010. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Naval Sea Systems Command, Washington Navy Yard, D.C., is the contracting activity.
Raytheon Co., Tucson, Ariz.., is being awarded a $30,985,622 modification to a previously awarded firm-fixed-price contract (N00019-04-C-0569) for the Fiscal Year 2008 procurement of 68 Tomahawk Composite Capsule Launching System (CCLS) Capsules and 20 SSGN/SSN CCLS Retrofit Kits. Work will be performed in Tucson, Ariz.., and work is expected to be completed in Jan. 2010. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Naval Air Systems Command, Patuxent River, Md., is the contracting activity.
Solpac, Inc., DBA Soltek Pacific, San Diego, Calif., was awarded $18,998,000 for firm-fixed-price task order #0007 under a previously awarded contract (N68711-03-D-7509) on Mar. 12, 2008, to design and construct a combined arms and military operations urban terrain training facility at the MAGTGTC Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center, Twentynine Palms. Work will be performed in San Bernardino, Calif., and work is expected to be completed by Sep. 2009. Contract funds will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. Three proposals were received for this task order. The Naval Facilities Engineering Command, Southwest, San Diego, Calif., is the contracting activity.
Lockheed Martin Integrated Defense Systems, Owego, N.Y., is being awarded $16,494,928 for firm-fixed-priced delivery order # P10010 under previously awarded contract (N00019-04-C-0028) for procurement of initial and wholesale spares requirements for various weapons replaceable assemblies used on the MH-60 common cockpit. Work will be performed in Oswego, N.Y., and work is expected to be completed by Dec. 2009. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the fiscal year. This contract was not competitively procured. The Naval Inventory Control Point is the contracting activity.
Jacobs Engineering, Dumfries, Va., is being awarded $9,436,475 for task order #0016 under previously awarded contract (M67854-02-A-9017) to provide technical support to the Marine Corps Systems Command, Information Systems and Infrastructure Product Group (PG/ISI), Marine Corps Network and Infrastructure services program office for sustainment support and additional transition support to include assisting in monitoring the cutover progress and attending daily meetings. Throughout the contract period the Contractor will be required to coordinate schedules, assist with data collection for assets, user requirements management; application inventory; and related actions necessary to effect transition activities and seat cutover, technical refresh schedules and activities and life-cycle sustainment in the NMCI environment (e. g. SRM data collection, asset reconciliation and tracking). The scope of this task will be structured to reflect support for Major Commands across the Marine Corps sites. Work will be performed in Camp Lejeune, N.C.,(22 percent); New Orleans, La., (15 percent); Okinawa, Japan, (12 percent); Camp Pendleton, Calif., (11 percent); Quantico, Va., (11 percent); Miramar, Calif., (8 percent); Beaufort, S.C., (3 percent); Kaneohe Bay, Hawaii, (3 percent); Albany, Ga., (3 percent); Arlington, Va., (2 percent); Bastow, Calif., (2 percent); Twenty-Nine Palms, Calif., (2 percent); Yuma, Ariz., (2 percent); San Diego, Calif., (2 percent); and Paris Island, S.C., (2 percent), and work is expected to be completed in Mar. 2009. Contract funds will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Marine Corps System Command, Quantico, Va., is the contracting activity.
Harris Corp., Government Communications Systems Div., Melbourne, Fla., is being awarded a $7,987,843 cost-plus-incentive-fee modification to a previously awarded firm-fixed-price contract (N00019-04-C-0130) for the design and manufacture of production test equipment in support of the MH-60 Common Data Link Hawklink system. Work will be performed in Melbourne, Fla., and is expected to be completed in Jun. 2009. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Naval Air Systems Command, Patuxent River, Md., is the contracting activity.
Moog Aircraft Group Salt Lake Operations, Salt Lake City, Utah, is being awarded a $7,273,831 firm-fixed-price contract for the procurement of 21 man-portable tactical air navigation units, including training for the distance/azimuth measuring equipment program. Work will be performed in Salt Lake City, Utah, and work is expected to be completed in Feb. 2010. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was competitively procured under an electronic request for proposals, with one offer received. The Naval Air Systems Command is the contracting activity (N00019-08-C-0037).
Advanced Concepts Enterprises, Inc., Mary Esther, Fla., is being awarded a $7,210,761 firm-fixed-priced, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract for instructional training services related to Naval School Explosive Ordnance Disposal courses of instruction at Eglin Air Force Base, Fla. This contract contains one base year plus four, one-year options, which if exercised, bring the total estimated value of the contract to $67,631,441. Work will be performed in Eglin Air Force Base, Fla., and work is expected to be completed by Mar. 2009. Contract funds will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was competitively procured through Navy Electronic Commerce Online, with four offers received. Fleet and Industrial Supply Center Norfolk, Contracting Department Philadelphia Office is the contracting activity (N00189-08-D-Z027).
BBN Technologies, Corp., Cambridge, Mass., is being awarded a $6,365,373 cost-plus-fixed-fee contract for RDT&E in Petabit Highly Agile Robust Optical System. The objective is to develop the architecture, protocols, and control and management software for highly dynamic, multi-terabit global core optical networks with greatly enhanced performance, survivability and security. The ultimate goal of this program is to transition the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency Strategic Technology Office's Dynamic Multi-Terabit Core Optical Networks: Architecture, Protocols, Control and Management program. Funds being awarded at this time are $5,659,505. Work will be performed in Cambridge, Mass., and work is expected to be completed Sep. 2009. Contract funds in the amount of $1,405,237 will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was competitively procured under a Broad Agency Announcement #06-29. Naval Research Laboratory, Washington, D.C., is the contracting activity (N00173-08-C-2010).
I.E. Pacific, Inc.*, San Diego, Calif., is being awarded $5,812,000 for firm-fixed-price task order #0006 under a previously awarded indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity multiple award construction contract (N62473-07-D-2015) for design and construction of additional parking level on the existing parking structures, Building 608 and Building 636, at the Naval Subase, San Diego. Additional parking expansion will provide approximately 172 additional parking spaces and will include additional electrical and mechanical (stand pipe system) utilities, paving and site improvement. Work will be performed in San Diego, Calif., and work is expected to be completed by Mar. 2009. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Naval Facilities Engineering Command, Southwest, San Diego, Calif., is the contracting activity.
Correction: The contract announcement awarded on Mar. 7, 2008, to General Dynamics C4 Systems, Scottsdale, Ariz., contract number M67854-02-C-2052, should have read: This modification definitizes P00092 Change Order of Full Rate Production (FRP) II Add/Delete Components and 17 Combat Operations Center Systems including 17 Common Modules, 7 Capability Set IIIs, and 10 Capability Sets IV.
AIR FORCE
Jones Lang LaSalle Americas, Incorporated of Washington D. C., is being awarded an indefinite delivery/indefinite quantity contract for $73,000,000. This contract is for advisory and assistance services for post-closing management of Air Force Privatized Endeavors. It provides for long-term PCM services in support of the Air Force's privatization programs, including oversight, monitoring, management of privatized endeavors real estate such as housing, enhanced use leasing and other privatization endeavors throughout the U. S. This indefinite delivery/indefinite quantity (ID/IQ) type contract has a five year ordering period, with one additional year performance. The Air Force can issue delivery orders totaling up to the maximum amount indicated above, though requirements may necessitate less than the amount indicated above. At this time $3,000 has been obligated. Brooks City-Base, Texas, is the contracting activity (FA8903-08-D-8795).
Booz Allen Hamilton, Inc. of McLean, Va., is being awarded a cost plus fixed fee
contract for $44,999,914. The Survivability/Vulnerability Information Analysis Center
(SURVIAC) will research survivability implications for U.S. Army Intelligence and Security Command that integrates force protection analysis, transformation analysis, and counter terrorism analysis. At this time $5,376,474 has been obligated. Offutt AFB, Neb., is the contracting activity (SP0700-03-D-1380).
Boeing Co., of Anaheim, Calif., is being awarded a contract modification for $32,794,814. The Combat Survivor Evader Locator full rate production FY08 effort includes procurement of the following: radio sets, quantity 2,926, radio spares, quantity 293, radio sets adapters, quantity 244, radio set adapter spares, quantity 24, prime radio set batteries, quantity 2926, rechargeable radio set batteries, quantity 5852, rechargeable radio set battery adapters, quantity 1463. At this time $319,700 has been obligated. Hanscom AFB, Mass., is the contracting activity (FA8807-05-C-0004/P00024).
Northrop Grumman Systems Corp., Integrated Systems Air Combat Systems of San Diego, Calif., is being awarded a contract for $20,000,000. This effort is for operation for the Global Hawk System in forward theaters of operation, for a classified length of time. The contractor shall also provide mission support plans and identify equipment necessary to support operations at contingency locations and procure deployment spares critical for sustained flight operations for the period of time specified on any deployment order. At this time $20,000,000 has been obligated. Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio, is the contracting activity (FA8620-08-G-3005 0001-02).
ARMY
FLIR Systems, Inc., Wilsonville, Ore., was awarded on Mar. 11, 2008, a $49,476,870 firm-fixed price contract for FLIR STAR SAFIRE III sensors. Work will be performed in Wilsonville, Ore., and is expected to be completed by Oct. 31, 2008. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. There was one bid solicited on Mar. 6, 2008, and one bid was received. The U.S. Army Space and Missile Defense Command, Huntsville, Ala., is the contracting activity (W9113M-07-D-0004).
Boyd Jones Construction, Omaha, Neb., was awarded on Mar. 12, 2008, a $15,588,000 firm-fixed price contract for construction of additions/alterations intelligence squadron facility, Offutt, Air Force Base. Work will be performed at Offutt Air Force Base, Neb., and is expected to be completed by Sep. 25, 2009. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. There were an unknown number of bids solicited via the World Wide Web on Nov. 16, 2007, and four bids were received. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Omaha District, Omaha, Neb., is the contracting activity (W9128F-08-C-0003).
The Produce Connection, Miami, Fla., is being awarded a maximum $9,979,371.60 fixed price with economic price adjustment, total set aside contract for fresh fruit and vegetables support. There are no other locations of performance. Using services are Navy, Air Force, and USDA school customers. This proposal was originally solicited on DIBBS with two responses. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. Date of performance completion is Sep. 13, 2009. The contracting activity is Defense Supply Center Philadelphia, Philadelphia, Pa., (SPM300-08-D-P034).
Burlington Apparel Fabrics, Greensboro, N.C. is being awarded a maximum $8,838,492.00 fixed price with economic price adjustment, indefinite delivery and indefinite quantity contract for polyester/wool, tropical, khaki cloth. Other locations of performance are Va. Using service is Navy. This proposal was originally Gateway solicited with 1 response. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. Date of performance completion is Mar. 19, 2009. The contracting activity is Defense Supply Center Philadelphia, Philadelphia, Pa., (SPM1C1-07-D-1515).
NAVY
ITT Industries Avionics Div., Clifton, N. J., is being awarded a $111,540,000 modification to a previously awarded firm-fixed-price contract (N00019-05-C-0054) to exercise an option for the Fiscal Year 2008 full rate production Lot V of 66 AN/ALQ-214(V)2 On-Board Jammer Systems for the F/A-18 E/F Aircraft. This option combines purchases for the U.S. Navy ($103,090,000; 92 percent), and the Government of Australia ($8,450,000; 8 percent) under the Foreign Military Sales Program. Work will be performed at various locations for all other vendors throughout the U.S. (43.5 percent); Clifton, N.J., (34.4 percent); East Syracuse, N.Y., (8.8 percent); San Diego, Calif., (8.3 percent); and Rancho Cordova, Calif., (5 percent), and work is expected to be completed in Dec. 2010. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Naval Air Systems Command, Patuxent River, Md., is the contracting activity.
Raytheon Systems Co., McKinney, Texas, is being awarded a $44,253,923 firm-fixed- price order under a Basic Ordering Agreement (N00164-06-G-8555) for Multi-spectral Targeting Systems (MTS) Navy configuration, including 41 Turret Units and associated line items for the Government in support of Army and Navy aircraft and H-60 helicopters. The MTS is a forward looking infrared system for the aircraft. The MTS provides real-time imagery selectable between infrared and day TV, as well as a laser designation capability. Work will be performed in McKinney, Texas, and work is expected to be completed by Oct. 2010. Contract funds in the amount of $12,206,250 will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was not competitively procured. The Naval Surface Warfare Center Crane, Crane, Ind., is the contracting activity.
Northrop Grumman Electronic Systems, Inc., Melville, N.Y., is being awarded a $37,277,361 modification to previously awarded contract (N00024-04-C-4304) to exercise an option for the procurement of seven AN/SPQ-9B Radar Sets with Traveling Wave Tube Amplifier (TWTA) transmitter upgrades, three combat interface kits for CEC, and four combat interface kits for AEGIS. The AN/SPQ-9B Radar is an over the horizon Anti-Ship Missile Defense Radar whose function it is to provide enhanced capability to detect, track and respond to very low flying altitude threats, small radar cross section, high-speed targets. This option will provide SPQ-9B Radars for installation on several ship classes, including CVN, CG-47, Coast Guard, and LPD-17. Work will be performed in Melville, N.Y., (85 percent); Norwalk, Conn., (14 percent); and Baltimore, Md., (1 percent), and work is expected to be completed by Oct. 2010. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Naval Sea Systems Command, Washington Navy Yard, D.C., is the contracting activity.
Raytheon Co., Tucson, Ariz.., is being awarded a $30,985,622 modification to a previously awarded firm-fixed-price contract (N00019-04-C-0569) for the Fiscal Year 2008 procurement of 68 Tomahawk Composite Capsule Launching System (CCLS) Capsules and 20 SSGN/SSN CCLS Retrofit Kits. Work will be performed in Tucson, Ariz.., and work is expected to be completed in Jan. 2010. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Naval Air Systems Command, Patuxent River, Md., is the contracting activity.
Solpac, Inc., DBA Soltek Pacific, San Diego, Calif., was awarded $18,998,000 for firm-fixed-price task order #0007 under a previously awarded contract (N68711-03-D-7509) on Mar. 12, 2008, to design and construct a combined arms and military operations urban terrain training facility at the MAGTGTC Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center, Twentynine Palms. Work will be performed in San Bernardino, Calif., and work is expected to be completed by Sep. 2009. Contract funds will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. Three proposals were received for this task order. The Naval Facilities Engineering Command, Southwest, San Diego, Calif., is the contracting activity.
Lockheed Martin Integrated Defense Systems, Owego, N.Y., is being awarded $16,494,928 for firm-fixed-priced delivery order # P10010 under previously awarded contract (N00019-04-C-0028) for procurement of initial and wholesale spares requirements for various weapons replaceable assemblies used on the MH-60 common cockpit. Work will be performed in Oswego, N.Y., and work is expected to be completed by Dec. 2009. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the fiscal year. This contract was not competitively procured. The Naval Inventory Control Point is the contracting activity.
Jacobs Engineering, Dumfries, Va., is being awarded $9,436,475 for task order #0016 under previously awarded contract (M67854-02-A-9017) to provide technical support to the Marine Corps Systems Command, Information Systems and Infrastructure Product Group (PG/ISI), Marine Corps Network and Infrastructure services program office for sustainment support and additional transition support to include assisting in monitoring the cutover progress and attending daily meetings. Throughout the contract period the Contractor will be required to coordinate schedules, assist with data collection for assets, user requirements management; application inventory; and related actions necessary to effect transition activities and seat cutover, technical refresh schedules and activities and life-cycle sustainment in the NMCI environment (e. g. SRM data collection, asset reconciliation and tracking). The scope of this task will be structured to reflect support for Major Commands across the Marine Corps sites. Work will be performed in Camp Lejeune, N.C.,(22 percent); New Orleans, La., (15 percent); Okinawa, Japan, (12 percent); Camp Pendleton, Calif., (11 percent); Quantico, Va., (11 percent); Miramar, Calif., (8 percent); Beaufort, S.C., (3 percent); Kaneohe Bay, Hawaii, (3 percent); Albany, Ga., (3 percent); Arlington, Va., (2 percent); Bastow, Calif., (2 percent); Twenty-Nine Palms, Calif., (2 percent); Yuma, Ariz., (2 percent); San Diego, Calif., (2 percent); and Paris Island, S.C., (2 percent), and work is expected to be completed in Mar. 2009. Contract funds will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Marine Corps System Command, Quantico, Va., is the contracting activity.
Harris Corp., Government Communications Systems Div., Melbourne, Fla., is being awarded a $7,987,843 cost-plus-incentive-fee modification to a previously awarded firm-fixed-price contract (N00019-04-C-0130) for the design and manufacture of production test equipment in support of the MH-60 Common Data Link Hawklink system. Work will be performed in Melbourne, Fla., and is expected to be completed in Jun. 2009. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Naval Air Systems Command, Patuxent River, Md., is the contracting activity.
Moog Aircraft Group Salt Lake Operations, Salt Lake City, Utah, is being awarded a $7,273,831 firm-fixed-price contract for the procurement of 21 man-portable tactical air navigation units, including training for the distance/azimuth measuring equipment program. Work will be performed in Salt Lake City, Utah, and work is expected to be completed in Feb. 2010. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was competitively procured under an electronic request for proposals, with one offer received. The Naval Air Systems Command is the contracting activity (N00019-08-C-0037).
Advanced Concepts Enterprises, Inc., Mary Esther, Fla., is being awarded a $7,210,761 firm-fixed-priced, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract for instructional training services related to Naval School Explosive Ordnance Disposal courses of instruction at Eglin Air Force Base, Fla. This contract contains one base year plus four, one-year options, which if exercised, bring the total estimated value of the contract to $67,631,441. Work will be performed in Eglin Air Force Base, Fla., and work is expected to be completed by Mar. 2009. Contract funds will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was competitively procured through Navy Electronic Commerce Online, with four offers received. Fleet and Industrial Supply Center Norfolk, Contracting Department Philadelphia Office is the contracting activity (N00189-08-D-Z027).
BBN Technologies, Corp., Cambridge, Mass., is being awarded a $6,365,373 cost-plus-fixed-fee contract for RDT&E in Petabit Highly Agile Robust Optical System. The objective is to develop the architecture, protocols, and control and management software for highly dynamic, multi-terabit global core optical networks with greatly enhanced performance, survivability and security. The ultimate goal of this program is to transition the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency Strategic Technology Office's Dynamic Multi-Terabit Core Optical Networks: Architecture, Protocols, Control and Management program. Funds being awarded at this time are $5,659,505. Work will be performed in Cambridge, Mass., and work is expected to be completed Sep. 2009. Contract funds in the amount of $1,405,237 will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was competitively procured under a Broad Agency Announcement #06-29. Naval Research Laboratory, Washington, D.C., is the contracting activity (N00173-08-C-2010).
I.E. Pacific, Inc.*, San Diego, Calif., is being awarded $5,812,000 for firm-fixed-price task order #0006 under a previously awarded indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity multiple award construction contract (N62473-07-D-2015) for design and construction of additional parking level on the existing parking structures, Building 608 and Building 636, at the Naval Subase, San Diego. Additional parking expansion will provide approximately 172 additional parking spaces and will include additional electrical and mechanical (stand pipe system) utilities, paving and site improvement. Work will be performed in San Diego, Calif., and work is expected to be completed by Mar. 2009. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Naval Facilities Engineering Command, Southwest, San Diego, Calif., is the contracting activity.
Correction: The contract announcement awarded on Mar. 7, 2008, to General Dynamics C4 Systems, Scottsdale, Ariz., contract number M67854-02-C-2052, should have read: This modification definitizes P00092 Change Order of Full Rate Production (FRP) II Add/Delete Components and 17 Combat Operations Center Systems including 17 Common Modules, 7 Capability Set IIIs, and 10 Capability Sets IV.
AIR FORCE
Jones Lang LaSalle Americas, Incorporated of Washington D. C., is being awarded an indefinite delivery/indefinite quantity contract for $73,000,000. This contract is for advisory and assistance services for post-closing management of Air Force Privatized Endeavors. It provides for long-term PCM services in support of the Air Force's privatization programs, including oversight, monitoring, management of privatized endeavors real estate such as housing, enhanced use leasing and other privatization endeavors throughout the U. S. This indefinite delivery/indefinite quantity (ID/IQ) type contract has a five year ordering period, with one additional year performance. The Air Force can issue delivery orders totaling up to the maximum amount indicated above, though requirements may necessitate less than the amount indicated above. At this time $3,000 has been obligated. Brooks City-Base, Texas, is the contracting activity (FA8903-08-D-8795).
Booz Allen Hamilton, Inc. of McLean, Va., is being awarded a cost plus fixed fee
contract for $44,999,914. The Survivability/Vulnerability Information Analysis Center
(SURVIAC) will research survivability implications for U.S. Army Intelligence and Security Command that integrates force protection analysis, transformation analysis, and counter terrorism analysis. At this time $5,376,474 has been obligated. Offutt AFB, Neb., is the contracting activity (SP0700-03-D-1380).
Boeing Co., of Anaheim, Calif., is being awarded a contract modification for $32,794,814. The Combat Survivor Evader Locator full rate production FY08 effort includes procurement of the following: radio sets, quantity 2,926, radio spares, quantity 293, radio sets adapters, quantity 244, radio set adapter spares, quantity 24, prime radio set batteries, quantity 2926, rechargeable radio set batteries, quantity 5852, rechargeable radio set battery adapters, quantity 1463. At this time $319,700 has been obligated. Hanscom AFB, Mass., is the contracting activity (FA8807-05-C-0004/P00024).
Northrop Grumman Systems Corp., Integrated Systems Air Combat Systems of San Diego, Calif., is being awarded a contract for $20,000,000. This effort is for operation for the Global Hawk System in forward theaters of operation, for a classified length of time. The contractor shall also provide mission support plans and identify equipment necessary to support operations at contingency locations and procure deployment spares critical for sustained flight operations for the period of time specified on any deployment order. At this time $20,000,000 has been obligated. Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio, is the contracting activity (FA8620-08-G-3005 0001-02).
ARMY
FLIR Systems, Inc., Wilsonville, Ore., was awarded on Mar. 11, 2008, a $49,476,870 firm-fixed price contract for FLIR STAR SAFIRE III sensors. Work will be performed in Wilsonville, Ore., and is expected to be completed by Oct. 31, 2008. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. There was one bid solicited on Mar. 6, 2008, and one bid was received. The U.S. Army Space and Missile Defense Command, Huntsville, Ala., is the contracting activity (W9113M-07-D-0004).
Boyd Jones Construction, Omaha, Neb., was awarded on Mar. 12, 2008, a $15,588,000 firm-fixed price contract for construction of additions/alterations intelligence squadron facility, Offutt, Air Force Base. Work will be performed at Offutt Air Force Base, Neb., and is expected to be completed by Sep. 25, 2009. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. There were an unknown number of bids solicited via the World Wide Web on Nov. 16, 2007, and four bids were received. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Omaha District, Omaha, Neb., is the contracting activity (W9128F-08-C-0003).
Tenth Quadrennial Review Of Military Compensation Released
The Department of Defense released today the first volume of the report of the Tenth Quadrennial Review of Military Compensation (QRMC), which assesses the effectiveness of military pay and benefits in recruiting and retaining a high-quality force.
Every four years, DoD conducts a complete review of compensation principles and concepts for members of the armed forces. The 10th QRMC began in 2006.
DoD will study the recommendations for potential implementation and send selected proposals to Congress as proposed legislation.
The QRMC looked at the following cash compensation areas: pay comparability, special and incentive pays, pay for performance and housing.
The commission recommended adopting a new metric to determine a more realistic value of military compensation compared to the civilian sector. The previous metric, regular military compensation (RMC), included base pay, basic allowance for housing (BAH), basic allowance for subsistence and federal income tax advantages resulting from non-taxed allowances. The more comprehensive metric, military annual compensation (MAC), would include RMC plus state and FICA tax advantages, the value of avoided out-of-pocket health costs and a measure of the differences in the value of military and civilian retirement.
A basic task of any QRMC is to evaluate the adequacy of compensation. The commission's findings confirm that member compensation is competitive – members' MAC meets or exceeds the 80th percentile when compared to their civilian peers of like age and education. The commission recommended setting the 80 percentile as the new standard for pay.
The commission's findings recommend more service flexibility for managing forces through recruiting and retention authorities. With the services growing in size, more special pays and incentive dollars will be needed to achieve objectives; appropriations are not expected to provide the depth of funding needed. Because special and incentive pays currently account for less than 5 percent of total pay, the services have little flexibility to shape their forces, meet emerging needs, or encourage variable career lengths. The commission findings recommended authorities that allow the services to reap efficiencies by targeting specific special pay and incentives for critical skills and assignments.
The committee examined how to better recognize and reward high performance. The QRMC recommended legistion that would allow the services to adopt constructive credit to reward fast promotees and better facilitate lateral entry into the force – thereby offering a means to provide service members with permanent pay credit for early promotion or experience acquired as a civilian. This proposal gives the services the flexibility with the existing pay table to reward performance and offer competitive compensation to high-quality service members.
Lastly, the QRMC was tasked to assess the rate setting process for BAH, which is set by estimating housing expenditures of civilians with similar incomes to military personnel.
The study recommended reducing the gap between "with" and "without dependent" BAH rates to achieve parity in out-of-pocket expenses. DoD accepted this recommendation and through the National Defense Authorization Act of 2008, set BAH of "without dependents" to a minimum of 75 percent of the "with dependent" BAH rate.
This is the first volume of the study dealing with cash compensation. The second volume dealing with non-cash and deferred compensation will be published later in 2008. The Tenth QRMC is on the Web at
http://www.defenselink.mil/prhome/docs/Tenth_QRMC_Feb2008_Vol%20I.pdf.
Every four years, DoD conducts a complete review of compensation principles and concepts for members of the armed forces. The 10th QRMC began in 2006.
DoD will study the recommendations for potential implementation and send selected proposals to Congress as proposed legislation.
The QRMC looked at the following cash compensation areas: pay comparability, special and incentive pays, pay for performance and housing.
The commission recommended adopting a new metric to determine a more realistic value of military compensation compared to the civilian sector. The previous metric, regular military compensation (RMC), included base pay, basic allowance for housing (BAH), basic allowance for subsistence and federal income tax advantages resulting from non-taxed allowances. The more comprehensive metric, military annual compensation (MAC), would include RMC plus state and FICA tax advantages, the value of avoided out-of-pocket health costs and a measure of the differences in the value of military and civilian retirement.
A basic task of any QRMC is to evaluate the adequacy of compensation. The commission's findings confirm that member compensation is competitive – members' MAC meets or exceeds the 80th percentile when compared to their civilian peers of like age and education. The commission recommended setting the 80 percentile as the new standard for pay.
The commission's findings recommend more service flexibility for managing forces through recruiting and retention authorities. With the services growing in size, more special pays and incentive dollars will be needed to achieve objectives; appropriations are not expected to provide the depth of funding needed. Because special and incentive pays currently account for less than 5 percent of total pay, the services have little flexibility to shape their forces, meet emerging needs, or encourage variable career lengths. The commission findings recommended authorities that allow the services to reap efficiencies by targeting specific special pay and incentives for critical skills and assignments.
The committee examined how to better recognize and reward high performance. The QRMC recommended legistion that would allow the services to adopt constructive credit to reward fast promotees and better facilitate lateral entry into the force – thereby offering a means to provide service members with permanent pay credit for early promotion or experience acquired as a civilian. This proposal gives the services the flexibility with the existing pay table to reward performance and offer competitive compensation to high-quality service members.
Lastly, the QRMC was tasked to assess the rate setting process for BAH, which is set by estimating housing expenditures of civilians with similar incomes to military personnel.
The study recommended reducing the gap between "with" and "without dependent" BAH rates to achieve parity in out-of-pocket expenses. DoD accepted this recommendation and through the National Defense Authorization Act of 2008, set BAH of "without dependents" to a minimum of 75 percent of the "with dependent" BAH rate.
This is the first volume of the study dealing with cash compensation. The second volume dealing with non-cash and deferred compensation will be published later in 2008. The Tenth QRMC is on the Web at
http://www.defenselink.mil/prhome/docs/Tenth_QRMC_Feb2008_Vol%20I.pdf.
Thursday, March 13, 2008
'Why We Serve' Speakers Connect with College Students
By John J. Kruzel
American Forces Press Service
March 13, 2008 - Three veterans of Iraq and Afghanistan arrived unannounced yesterday on the University of Cincinnati campus to lead classroom discussions with about 250 students and shed light on their military lives. As students sauntered into a lecture hall early yesterday morning for what they thought would be a lesson on European history, many were surprised to find the uniformed servicemembers standing in for their familiar, tweed-coat-clad professor.
"At first I thought they were coming to try and recruit people," freshman history student Rose Barrett told American Forces Press Service.
But what followed were presentations by three of 10 military members participating in the Defense Department's "Why We Serve" outreach program, which places military speakers before audiences at venues across the United States.
"I just want to start by saying that we're not recruiters," Marine Chief Warrant Officer Daniel K. Winnie, decked out in "dress blues," told students as he opened his remarks. "As a matter of fact," he continued, "if you ask me a question about it, I'd tell you that Iraq sucked at different times."
Winnie went on to share with students an anecdote from Nasiriyah, Iraq, where amid a particularly fierce gunfight with insurgents aboard a stolen bus, the Marine frantically worked to free a comrade's vehicle that was entangled in a metal briar patch of concertina wire.
Just as Winnie snapped through the last barbed-wired strand, he slipped and fell into a bed of slimy mud. The bolt cutters he was using fumbled from his hands and gashed his face. Meanwhile, gunfire from the busload of enemies whizzed over his head.
"So now I'm bleeding, laying on my back in the mud, and some (expletive) is shooting at me from a bus," he told the audience, drawing laughter. "Then my digital watch beeps to tell me that I'm 30 years old."
Winnie said he was at the end of his rope that night, until his gunner and driver surprised him. The battle buddies had constructed a crude birthday cake for him, made from cracker crumbs, granola and hot chocolate mix, and placed the makeshift tiding in a plastic military-issue meal wrapper.
"They stuck a match in it and sang me 'Happy Birthday,'" said the Marine, who hails from Everett, Wash., his voice imbued with the camaraderie that buoyed his spirits while many miles from home. "And that is the best birthday I've had, ever."
Yesterday's panel was hosted by history professor Tom Lorman, who for the second consecutive semester yielded the lectern to servicemember speakers. To maintain the presentations' spontaneity, Lorman had not promoted the speakers' appearances around campus, nor had he informed his students in advance about the visit.
The professor's pupils arrived to his regularly scheduled courses, expecting to hear lectures on the Napoleonic Era or the French Revolution. But as one bleary-eyed, coffee clutching latecomer discovered, yesterday's history lesson -- co-taught by Iraq war veteran Marine Capt. John N. Sand -- would cover the age of howitzers and hellfire missiles, not bayonets and bastilles.
Sand, whose steely, blue-eyed gaze projects a sense of inborn leadership, began his presentation by showing a video clip of the Battery T, 5th Battalion, 10th Marines under his command loading and firing 155 mm mortars from an M777 lightweight howitzer.
From March through October 2007, Sand served as the battery commander for his unit at Camp Fallujah, in Iraq's Anbar province. The unit was responsible for providing fire support and mounted security patrols for Regimental Combat Team 6.
During Sand's deployment, his battery fired 1,300 artillery rounds -- which can hit a target up to 18 miles away and create a blast the size of half a football field -- and provided some 500 mounted security patrols for explosive ordnance disposal teams and Army engineers.
But none of these, in the 38-year-old Marine's eyes, is the most vital statistic of his seven-month deployment.
"The thing I'm proudest of is that I left the U.S. with 131 Marines, and I returned with 131 Marines," he said.
Although he returned without having suffered loss of life, limb or Corps member from his 131-Marine unit, Sand touched on the sacrifices he did make while in Iraq.
He played a whirlwind slideshow, scored by a poignant rock tune, which showed students the everyday scenes that lay before Sand while he was deployed. A photograph of a convoy rolling along a dusty Anbar province highway dissolved into snapshots of smiling Iraqi children clamoring for the camera's attention.
From a picture of an artillery piece in action, the slideshow jumped to Sand's Marines surrounding visitor Katie Couric, CBS Evening News anchor, the armor-clad entourage standing against a backdrop of rising minarets.
Tucked into the seams of the presentation by Sand, the father of three daughters, were two photos that the Ottawa, Ill., native subtitled, "What I missed." The picture with the caption "Isabella's first soccer game," shows Sand's second-oldest daughter, dressed in shin guards and cleats, on a bright green patch of grass.
The other photo, "Ainsley's first birthday," captures his youngest daughter, her diapered rear end planted in her mother's lap, attempting to blow out a single birthday candle.
"You don't think about the faces or the number of families that are affected," said Barrett, the freshman history student. "I think the (speakers) made everyone respect them more by helping us understand what they go through in their personal experiences."
Before joining the Air Force ROTC program, Air Force Capt. Edward Szczepanik thought his 75-mph curve ball would earn him a free ride to college. He was wrong. Szczepanik then hedged his bets on academics, hoping that decent high school grades would merit a scholarship. He was wrong again.
"I'm thinking, 'How am I going to do this? I don't want to be in debt when I graduate school,'" the engaging Szczepanik recalled to students. "'What are my options here?'"
It was then that Szczepanik's high school guidance counselor suggested Air Force ROTC. The elderly woman, he recalled, said the only requirements for earning full tuition from the Air Force were "putting on your little costume once a week and running around."
"I said, 'I'd pretty much do anything once a week if you're going to pay me my entire scholarship,'" he said, as the audience laughed. "'I'd dress up like the school mascot and stand in the middle of the road directing traffic once a week.'"
Szczepanik continued to regard his ROTC commitment with some levity until the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks occurred during his junior year at the University of Miami in Oxford, Ohio.
"I remember I was in my bedroom when I saw the two planes crash into World Trade Center, and it became very real that I wouldn't be doing four years (in the Air Force) in a U.S. city then get out of the military. I'm probably going to be overseas," he recalled. "I thought, 'If I'm going to be overseas and I'm in the Air Force, I'm going to be flying something while I'm over there.'"
Since graduating from college, Szczepanik has completed two years of undergraduate pilot training, flown 900 hours in a C-17 Globemaster III aircraft -- 200 of which were combat hours -- and about 100 combat sorties, including dangerous missions over Afghanistan. The Columbus, Ohio, native, now 27 years old, also has traveled to more than 30 countries across the Middle East, most of Europe and parts of the South Pacific.
"The reason I got in was for financial reasons; I needed the scholarship. But the reason I stay in is for guys like this," said Szczepanik, pointing to the fellow military speakers onstage. "And I stay in for the guys that I fly with every day, who have become my brothers."
Daniel Glenn, an adjunct professor at the University of Cincinnati who teaches a course called War and the Modern World, said the "disconnect" between civilians and servicemembers has grown since the draft ended in the 1970s. He praised the "Why We Serve" participants for appearing before students on campus.
"I think the speakers put a face on military service," he said. "It gives the opportunity for students to ask the deeper questions you're not going to get from a 30-second commercial on what military service means."
History student Jennifer Sturlock said she was enthusiastic when she discovered the troops would lead her course.
"I was pretty enthused about it. It's not often that you get to talk to one soldier, let alone three," she said. "I like to get all sides on an issue so I can make own decision, so I think it's important to have a mix of opinions."
Gary Staub, a graduate student of history, said he enjoyed hearing individual accounts from the first-hand observers on the frontlines.
"These guys have lived it, so they're going to have their own personal impressions," he said, "but at least you're going to hear what's really going on."
American Forces Press Service
March 13, 2008 - Three veterans of Iraq and Afghanistan arrived unannounced yesterday on the University of Cincinnati campus to lead classroom discussions with about 250 students and shed light on their military lives. As students sauntered into a lecture hall early yesterday morning for what they thought would be a lesson on European history, many were surprised to find the uniformed servicemembers standing in for their familiar, tweed-coat-clad professor.
"At first I thought they were coming to try and recruit people," freshman history student Rose Barrett told American Forces Press Service.
But what followed were presentations by three of 10 military members participating in the Defense Department's "Why We Serve" outreach program, which places military speakers before audiences at venues across the United States.
"I just want to start by saying that we're not recruiters," Marine Chief Warrant Officer Daniel K. Winnie, decked out in "dress blues," told students as he opened his remarks. "As a matter of fact," he continued, "if you ask me a question about it, I'd tell you that Iraq sucked at different times."
Winnie went on to share with students an anecdote from Nasiriyah, Iraq, where amid a particularly fierce gunfight with insurgents aboard a stolen bus, the Marine frantically worked to free a comrade's vehicle that was entangled in a metal briar patch of concertina wire.
Just as Winnie snapped through the last barbed-wired strand, he slipped and fell into a bed of slimy mud. The bolt cutters he was using fumbled from his hands and gashed his face. Meanwhile, gunfire from the busload of enemies whizzed over his head.
"So now I'm bleeding, laying on my back in the mud, and some (expletive) is shooting at me from a bus," he told the audience, drawing laughter. "Then my digital watch beeps to tell me that I'm 30 years old."
Winnie said he was at the end of his rope that night, until his gunner and driver surprised him. The battle buddies had constructed a crude birthday cake for him, made from cracker crumbs, granola and hot chocolate mix, and placed the makeshift tiding in a plastic military-issue meal wrapper.
"They stuck a match in it and sang me 'Happy Birthday,'" said the Marine, who hails from Everett, Wash., his voice imbued with the camaraderie that buoyed his spirits while many miles from home. "And that is the best birthday I've had, ever."
Yesterday's panel was hosted by history professor Tom Lorman, who for the second consecutive semester yielded the lectern to servicemember speakers. To maintain the presentations' spontaneity, Lorman had not promoted the speakers' appearances around campus, nor had he informed his students in advance about the visit.
The professor's pupils arrived to his regularly scheduled courses, expecting to hear lectures on the Napoleonic Era or the French Revolution. But as one bleary-eyed, coffee clutching latecomer discovered, yesterday's history lesson -- co-taught by Iraq war veteran Marine Capt. John N. Sand -- would cover the age of howitzers and hellfire missiles, not bayonets and bastilles.
Sand, whose steely, blue-eyed gaze projects a sense of inborn leadership, began his presentation by showing a video clip of the Battery T, 5th Battalion, 10th Marines under his command loading and firing 155 mm mortars from an M777 lightweight howitzer.
From March through October 2007, Sand served as the battery commander for his unit at Camp Fallujah, in Iraq's Anbar province. The unit was responsible for providing fire support and mounted security patrols for Regimental Combat Team 6.
During Sand's deployment, his battery fired 1,300 artillery rounds -- which can hit a target up to 18 miles away and create a blast the size of half a football field -- and provided some 500 mounted security patrols for explosive ordnance disposal teams and Army engineers.
But none of these, in the 38-year-old Marine's eyes, is the most vital statistic of his seven-month deployment.
"The thing I'm proudest of is that I left the U.S. with 131 Marines, and I returned with 131 Marines," he said.
Although he returned without having suffered loss of life, limb or Corps member from his 131-Marine unit, Sand touched on the sacrifices he did make while in Iraq.
He played a whirlwind slideshow, scored by a poignant rock tune, which showed students the everyday scenes that lay before Sand while he was deployed. A photograph of a convoy rolling along a dusty Anbar province highway dissolved into snapshots of smiling Iraqi children clamoring for the camera's attention.
From a picture of an artillery piece in action, the slideshow jumped to Sand's Marines surrounding visitor Katie Couric, CBS Evening News anchor, the armor-clad entourage standing against a backdrop of rising minarets.
Tucked into the seams of the presentation by Sand, the father of three daughters, were two photos that the Ottawa, Ill., native subtitled, "What I missed." The picture with the caption "Isabella's first soccer game," shows Sand's second-oldest daughter, dressed in shin guards and cleats, on a bright green patch of grass.
The other photo, "Ainsley's first birthday," captures his youngest daughter, her diapered rear end planted in her mother's lap, attempting to blow out a single birthday candle.
"You don't think about the faces or the number of families that are affected," said Barrett, the freshman history student. "I think the (speakers) made everyone respect them more by helping us understand what they go through in their personal experiences."
Before joining the Air Force ROTC program, Air Force Capt. Edward Szczepanik thought his 75-mph curve ball would earn him a free ride to college. He was wrong. Szczepanik then hedged his bets on academics, hoping that decent high school grades would merit a scholarship. He was wrong again.
"I'm thinking, 'How am I going to do this? I don't want to be in debt when I graduate school,'" the engaging Szczepanik recalled to students. "'What are my options here?'"
It was then that Szczepanik's high school guidance counselor suggested Air Force ROTC. The elderly woman, he recalled, said the only requirements for earning full tuition from the Air Force were "putting on your little costume once a week and running around."
"I said, 'I'd pretty much do anything once a week if you're going to pay me my entire scholarship,'" he said, as the audience laughed. "'I'd dress up like the school mascot and stand in the middle of the road directing traffic once a week.'"
Szczepanik continued to regard his ROTC commitment with some levity until the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks occurred during his junior year at the University of Miami in Oxford, Ohio.
"I remember I was in my bedroom when I saw the two planes crash into World Trade Center, and it became very real that I wouldn't be doing four years (in the Air Force) in a U.S. city then get out of the military. I'm probably going to be overseas," he recalled. "I thought, 'If I'm going to be overseas and I'm in the Air Force, I'm going to be flying something while I'm over there.'"
Since graduating from college, Szczepanik has completed two years of undergraduate pilot training, flown 900 hours in a C-17 Globemaster III aircraft -- 200 of which were combat hours -- and about 100 combat sorties, including dangerous missions over Afghanistan. The Columbus, Ohio, native, now 27 years old, also has traveled to more than 30 countries across the Middle East, most of Europe and parts of the South Pacific.
"The reason I got in was for financial reasons; I needed the scholarship. But the reason I stay in is for guys like this," said Szczepanik, pointing to the fellow military speakers onstage. "And I stay in for the guys that I fly with every day, who have become my brothers."
Daniel Glenn, an adjunct professor at the University of Cincinnati who teaches a course called War and the Modern World, said the "disconnect" between civilians and servicemembers has grown since the draft ended in the 1970s. He praised the "Why We Serve" participants for appearing before students on campus.
"I think the speakers put a face on military service," he said. "It gives the opportunity for students to ask the deeper questions you're not going to get from a 30-second commercial on what military service means."
History student Jennifer Sturlock said she was enthusiastic when she discovered the troops would lead her course.
"I was pretty enthused about it. It's not often that you get to talk to one soldier, let alone three," she said. "I like to get all sides on an issue so I can make own decision, so I think it's important to have a mix of opinions."
Gary Staub, a graduate student of history, said he enjoyed hearing individual accounts from the first-hand observers on the frontlines.
"These guys have lived it, so they're going to have their own personal impressions," he said, "but at least you're going to hear what's really going on."
Face of Defense: Officers Recognized for Bridge-Collapse Recovery Mission
By Patti Bielling
Special to American Forces Press Service
March 12, 2008 - Two military officers were recognized in front of their peers March 4 for assisting civil authorities during recovery operations following the I-35 West Minneapolis bridge collapse in August. Army Col. Michael Chesney and Navy Capt. Bradley Gawboy each received the Joint Service Commendation Medal and the Minnesota Commendation Ribbon with Pendant during the 2008 Joint National Emergency Preparedness Liaison Officer Workshop in Miami.
Chesney is assigned to U.S. Army North as the Region 5 defense coordinating officer, and Gawboy is the Navy's emergency preparedness liaison officer in Minnesota. They were members of the federal team supporting local responders in recovering victims of the August bridge collapse that killed 13 people.
The medals were presented following a panel discussion of the recovery mission. Hennepin County Sheriff Rich Stanek, who led the response, was a member of the panel.
Stanek said that when Chesney arrived at the site of the bridge collapse, he "didn't know him from Adam and didn't know anything about the military."
However, when Chesney and his team began work, Stanek said he had no doubt they'd be successful in their singular mission of recovering victims' remains.
Stanek said he was continually impressed with how well the joint military team worked together throughout the operation. "I was amazed to see a Navy officer taking orders from an Army officer," he said. "Local law enforcement doesn't work that well. We strive to be like that. We'd love to have that type of organizational control and structure of a joint command."
Chesney said the knowledge and professionalism that the state and regional emergency preparedness liaison officers brought to the team were invaluable.
He said he relied on Gawboy's advice and expertise to integrate more than 20 members of Mobile Diving and Salvage Unit 2 from Naval Amphibious Base Little Creek, Va., into the recovery operations.
"The divers were the true heroes of this event; we just helped bring them in," Gawboy said. "We had such a critical and reverent mission, and everyone focused on that and responded in the most professional manner."
Gawboy said that, until this event, he and the other Minnesota emergency preparedness liaison officers thought the only civil support experience they would get would be assisting with hurricane response in another state.
"We were very surprised to find ourselves working a civil support mission in Minneapolis," he said. "But it's because we had trained here and elsewhere that we were prepared to do the mission."
Gawboy found being a member of the community helped him fit in quickly. He said he had attended high school with some of the local responders and was acquainted with Stanek through community and professional organizations in their town of Maple Grove, Minn.
Overall, Gawboy said, the event demonstrated the benefit of collaboration among local, state and federal responders and credited Stanek's leadership for the mission's success.
Chesney added that the successful mission reinforced the importance of a joint military team that includes emergency preparedness liaison officers from the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps and Coast Guard. They are in a unique position, he said. Not only are they experts on integrating their service capabilities, they bring an understanding of the states and communities they serve.
Stanek agreed and said he emphasized to conference attendees the importance of building personal relationships before an emergency.
"Before working with them, I had never heard of an EPLO or DCO," Stanek said. "It's important that they go out and introduce themselves to the fire chiefs and police chiefs in their communities and continue working on building or strengthening those relationships before an emergency occurs."
(Patti Bielling works for U.S. Army North Public Affairs.)
Special to American Forces Press Service
March 12, 2008 - Two military officers were recognized in front of their peers March 4 for assisting civil authorities during recovery operations following the I-35 West Minneapolis bridge collapse in August. Army Col. Michael Chesney and Navy Capt. Bradley Gawboy each received the Joint Service Commendation Medal and the Minnesota Commendation Ribbon with Pendant during the 2008 Joint National Emergency Preparedness Liaison Officer Workshop in Miami.
Chesney is assigned to U.S. Army North as the Region 5 defense coordinating officer, and Gawboy is the Navy's emergency preparedness liaison officer in Minnesota. They were members of the federal team supporting local responders in recovering victims of the August bridge collapse that killed 13 people.
The medals were presented following a panel discussion of the recovery mission. Hennepin County Sheriff Rich Stanek, who led the response, was a member of the panel.
Stanek said that when Chesney arrived at the site of the bridge collapse, he "didn't know him from Adam and didn't know anything about the military."
However, when Chesney and his team began work, Stanek said he had no doubt they'd be successful in their singular mission of recovering victims' remains.
Stanek said he was continually impressed with how well the joint military team worked together throughout the operation. "I was amazed to see a Navy officer taking orders from an Army officer," he said. "Local law enforcement doesn't work that well. We strive to be like that. We'd love to have that type of organizational control and structure of a joint command."
Chesney said the knowledge and professionalism that the state and regional emergency preparedness liaison officers brought to the team were invaluable.
He said he relied on Gawboy's advice and expertise to integrate more than 20 members of Mobile Diving and Salvage Unit 2 from Naval Amphibious Base Little Creek, Va., into the recovery operations.
"The divers were the true heroes of this event; we just helped bring them in," Gawboy said. "We had such a critical and reverent mission, and everyone focused on that and responded in the most professional manner."
Gawboy said that, until this event, he and the other Minnesota emergency preparedness liaison officers thought the only civil support experience they would get would be assisting with hurricane response in another state.
"We were very surprised to find ourselves working a civil support mission in Minneapolis," he said. "But it's because we had trained here and elsewhere that we were prepared to do the mission."
Gawboy found being a member of the community helped him fit in quickly. He said he had attended high school with some of the local responders and was acquainted with Stanek through community and professional organizations in their town of Maple Grove, Minn.
Overall, Gawboy said, the event demonstrated the benefit of collaboration among local, state and federal responders and credited Stanek's leadership for the mission's success.
Chesney added that the successful mission reinforced the importance of a joint military team that includes emergency preparedness liaison officers from the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps and Coast Guard. They are in a unique position, he said. Not only are they experts on integrating their service capabilities, they bring an understanding of the states and communities they serve.
Stanek agreed and said he emphasized to conference attendees the importance of building personal relationships before an emergency.
"Before working with them, I had never heard of an EPLO or DCO," Stanek said. "It's important that they go out and introduce themselves to the fire chiefs and police chiefs in their communities and continue working on building or strengthening those relationships before an emergency occurs."
(Patti Bielling works for U.S. Army North Public Affairs.)
19th Annual US Army War College Strategy Conference
19th Annual US Army War College Strategy Conference “Rebalancing the Instruments of National Power”
8-10 April 2008
Carlisle Barracks, PA
“Rebalancing the Instruments of National Power”…are they out of balance? If so, why? What are the implications? Are we as a country properly organized and equipped to conduct effective security strategy in the 21st century? If not, what do we need to do to address any gaps and shortcomings? If we are, how do we effectively coordinate, blend, and focus the instruments so as to achieve strategic success? Is the primary issue one of structure and process or is it perhaps more related to individuals and leadership? These are just some of the larger questions we will address over the course of the US Army War College 19th Annual Strategy Conference to be held at historic Carlisle Barracks from 8-10 April.
We’ll kick things off with a reception on Tuesday evening the 8th at 6:30. On Wednesday morning at 8:30 the formal conference events will begin with a keynote address. We’re still awaiting confirmation but our goal is to have a very special speaker to help us launch this year’s conference. Starting at 10:30 that morning and concluding at 3:30 on Thursday, we will have 6 panels and 3 featured speakers helping us explore key issues and challenges related to our theme. Ambassador John Herbst, Coordinator for Reconstruction and Stabilization, will be our keynote luncheon speaker on Wednesday, Admiral (R) Dennis Blair will speak at our dinner banquet that evening, and James Locher, Executive Director of the Project on National Security Reform, will provide the keynote address at our luncheon on Thursday. Panels organized around the historical evolution of the instruments of national power, the contemporary strategic environment, the military and non-military instruments, and the proper locus of rebalancing efforts comprise the core of our conference agenda.
Panelists from RAND, the Center for Strategic and International Studies, the US Institute of Peace, the Institute for Defense Analysis, Central Command, the Council on Foreign Relations, National Defense University, Georgetown University, Dickinson College, the U.S. military departments, the U.S. Department of State and USAID, and the Department of Commerce will help us identify the issues and stimulate what promises to be a lively discussion.
Check out our agenda on the website. Please join us for this exciting and timely event. For the most current information on speakers, panelists, agenda and online registration, visit our website http://www.strategicstudiesinstitute.army.mil/conf.
8-10 April 2008
Carlisle Barracks, PA
“Rebalancing the Instruments of National Power”…are they out of balance? If so, why? What are the implications? Are we as a country properly organized and equipped to conduct effective security strategy in the 21st century? If not, what do we need to do to address any gaps and shortcomings? If we are, how do we effectively coordinate, blend, and focus the instruments so as to achieve strategic success? Is the primary issue one of structure and process or is it perhaps more related to individuals and leadership? These are just some of the larger questions we will address over the course of the US Army War College 19th Annual Strategy Conference to be held at historic Carlisle Barracks from 8-10 April.
We’ll kick things off with a reception on Tuesday evening the 8th at 6:30. On Wednesday morning at 8:30 the formal conference events will begin with a keynote address. We’re still awaiting confirmation but our goal is to have a very special speaker to help us launch this year’s conference. Starting at 10:30 that morning and concluding at 3:30 on Thursday, we will have 6 panels and 3 featured speakers helping us explore key issues and challenges related to our theme. Ambassador John Herbst, Coordinator for Reconstruction and Stabilization, will be our keynote luncheon speaker on Wednesday, Admiral (R) Dennis Blair will speak at our dinner banquet that evening, and James Locher, Executive Director of the Project on National Security Reform, will provide the keynote address at our luncheon on Thursday. Panels organized around the historical evolution of the instruments of national power, the contemporary strategic environment, the military and non-military instruments, and the proper locus of rebalancing efforts comprise the core of our conference agenda.
Panelists from RAND, the Center for Strategic and International Studies, the US Institute of Peace, the Institute for Defense Analysis, Central Command, the Council on Foreign Relations, National Defense University, Georgetown University, Dickinson College, the U.S. military departments, the U.S. Department of State and USAID, and the Department of Commerce will help us identify the issues and stimulate what promises to be a lively discussion.
Check out our agenda on the website. Please join us for this exciting and timely event. For the most current information on speakers, panelists, agenda and online registration, visit our website http://www.strategicstudiesinstitute.army.mil/conf.
DoD, VA Highlight Advances in Wounded Warrior, Family Care
By Fred W. Baker III
American Forces Press Service
March 12, 2008 - Two officials from the departments of Defense and Veterans Affairs cited a veritable laundry list of changes in wounded warrior and family care in testimony at the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee yesterday. In all, the two departments are in the process of implementing more than 400 recommendations compiled from five major studies of military health care over the past few years, according to a joint opening statement submitted by senior officials from both departments.
Dr. Lynda Davis, deputy assistant secretary of the Navy for military personnel, and Kristin Day, chief consultant for case management and social work for the VA, appeared before the committee. Davis is the Defense Department's lead official for the reform of wounded warrior care, specializing in case management. Davis and Day co-chair the case management reform action group, which collaborates with military family members, government agencies, veteran service organizations and private groups.
"We are pleased to report that, while much work remains to be completed, meaningful progress has been made through improved processes and greater collaboration between the departments of Defense and Veterans Affairs," the officials said in a statement submitted to the committee.
Central to the changes was the creation of a senior oversight committee staff made up of senior officials from both departments. Among others, it includes all service secretaries and is co-chaired by the deputy secretaries of both departments, according to the statement.
"The (committee) continues work to streamline, de-conflict, and expedite the two departments' efforts to improve support of wounded, ill, and injured service members' and veterans' recovery, rehabilitation, and reintegration," officials stated in the testimony.
On top on the list has been improving the disability evaluation system, establishing a center of excellence for psychological health and traumatic brain injury, establishing a federal recovery coordination program, and improving data sharing between the DoD and VA. Developing medical facility inspection standards and improved delivery of pay and benefits are also key, the officials said.
Since the beginning of Operation Enduring Freedom in October 2001, the departments have been working to identify and support a full range of needs for the service members, veterans and families.
Fundamental to many of the changes is the realization that "the creation of a truly integrated process involves inter-service, interagency, intergovernmental, public, and private collaboration in the development and application of policies, procedures, programs, and professionals that serve and support those we honor," they said in the joint statement.
The officials cited several initiatives aimed at improving integration of the departments' services, but they also said a seamless transition is often not "a straight path." Veterans and service members often move back and forth between DoD and VA facilities.
Specific steps taken include creating a joint VA and DoD federal recovery coordinator program. These coordinators are charged with managing needs of severely injured servicemembers and their families. Eight coordinators were hired in December 2007. They are working at Walter Reed Army Medical Center here; Brooke Army Medical Center, in San Antonio; and the National Naval Medical Center, in Bethesda, Md. Two more coordinators are planned -- one more for Brooke and one for Naval Medical Center San Diego.
In addition, the departments are developing a joint family handbook and Web site to provide a roadmap with information on benefits and services. "The critical role family members play in the ability of a wounded, ill or injured service-member or veteran to not only heal but thrive has long been recognized by the departments and the military services," the officials said.
The two departments also are developing a benefits Web site dubbed "My e-Benefits" that will serve as a single, all-inclusive site for benefits information.
In addition to joint programs, DoD has launched several initiatives aimed at improving care for wounded warriors and their families:
-- MilitaryHOMEFRONT serves as the official DoD web site for reliable quality-of-life information designed to help troops and their families, leaders and service providers;
-- The DoD Military Assistance Program provides a Web site with information and interactive resources for assisting in relocations, money management and job searches.
-- The Military Spouse Resource Center is designed to assist spouses by providing easy access to information, resources and opportunities related to education, training and employment.
--The Military Child in Transition and Deployment program serves as the official source of education information for DoD.
--The PDHealth.mil Web site provides information and guidance for servicemembers and their families about support services available from the military, VA and the private sector.
--The Military Spouse Career Advancement Initiative enables eligible candidates to receive career advancement accounts of $3,000 for one year, and renewable a second year for an additional $3,000, to pay for expenses related to postsecondary education and training.
In addition, the National Guard and reserves were highlighted for their family programs, the officials said.
The two leaders said they believe the greatest improvement to long-term care and support of America's wounded warriors and veterans will come from enacting provisions recommended by the President's Commission on Care for America's Returning Wounded Warriors. The nine-member panel co-chaired by Donna Shalala, a former secretary of health and human services, and former Kansas Sen. Bob Dole, was created in March by President Bush.
"We have, thus, positioned ourselves to implement these provisions and continue our progress in providing world-class support to our warriors and veterans while allowing our two departments to focus on our respective core missions," the officials said in the joint statement. "Our dedicated, selfless servicemembers, veterans and their families deserve the very best, and we pledge to give our very best during their recovery, rehabilitation, and return to the society they defend."
American Forces Press Service
March 12, 2008 - Two officials from the departments of Defense and Veterans Affairs cited a veritable laundry list of changes in wounded warrior and family care in testimony at the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee yesterday. In all, the two departments are in the process of implementing more than 400 recommendations compiled from five major studies of military health care over the past few years, according to a joint opening statement submitted by senior officials from both departments.
Dr. Lynda Davis, deputy assistant secretary of the Navy for military personnel, and Kristin Day, chief consultant for case management and social work for the VA, appeared before the committee. Davis is the Defense Department's lead official for the reform of wounded warrior care, specializing in case management. Davis and Day co-chair the case management reform action group, which collaborates with military family members, government agencies, veteran service organizations and private groups.
"We are pleased to report that, while much work remains to be completed, meaningful progress has been made through improved processes and greater collaboration between the departments of Defense and Veterans Affairs," the officials said in a statement submitted to the committee.
Central to the changes was the creation of a senior oversight committee staff made up of senior officials from both departments. Among others, it includes all service secretaries and is co-chaired by the deputy secretaries of both departments, according to the statement.
"The (committee) continues work to streamline, de-conflict, and expedite the two departments' efforts to improve support of wounded, ill, and injured service members' and veterans' recovery, rehabilitation, and reintegration," officials stated in the testimony.
On top on the list has been improving the disability evaluation system, establishing a center of excellence for psychological health and traumatic brain injury, establishing a federal recovery coordination program, and improving data sharing between the DoD and VA. Developing medical facility inspection standards and improved delivery of pay and benefits are also key, the officials said.
Since the beginning of Operation Enduring Freedom in October 2001, the departments have been working to identify and support a full range of needs for the service members, veterans and families.
Fundamental to many of the changes is the realization that "the creation of a truly integrated process involves inter-service, interagency, intergovernmental, public, and private collaboration in the development and application of policies, procedures, programs, and professionals that serve and support those we honor," they said in the joint statement.
The officials cited several initiatives aimed at improving integration of the departments' services, but they also said a seamless transition is often not "a straight path." Veterans and service members often move back and forth between DoD and VA facilities.
Specific steps taken include creating a joint VA and DoD federal recovery coordinator program. These coordinators are charged with managing needs of severely injured servicemembers and their families. Eight coordinators were hired in December 2007. They are working at Walter Reed Army Medical Center here; Brooke Army Medical Center, in San Antonio; and the National Naval Medical Center, in Bethesda, Md. Two more coordinators are planned -- one more for Brooke and one for Naval Medical Center San Diego.
In addition, the departments are developing a joint family handbook and Web site to provide a roadmap with information on benefits and services. "The critical role family members play in the ability of a wounded, ill or injured service-member or veteran to not only heal but thrive has long been recognized by the departments and the military services," the officials said.
The two departments also are developing a benefits Web site dubbed "My e-Benefits" that will serve as a single, all-inclusive site for benefits information.
In addition to joint programs, DoD has launched several initiatives aimed at improving care for wounded warriors and their families:
-- MilitaryHOMEFRONT serves as the official DoD web site for reliable quality-of-life information designed to help troops and their families, leaders and service providers;
-- The DoD Military Assistance Program provides a Web site with information and interactive resources for assisting in relocations, money management and job searches.
-- The Military Spouse Resource Center is designed to assist spouses by providing easy access to information, resources and opportunities related to education, training and employment.
--The Military Child in Transition and Deployment program serves as the official source of education information for DoD.
--The PDHealth.mil Web site provides information and guidance for servicemembers and their families about support services available from the military, VA and the private sector.
--The Military Spouse Career Advancement Initiative enables eligible candidates to receive career advancement accounts of $3,000 for one year, and renewable a second year for an additional $3,000, to pay for expenses related to postsecondary education and training.
In addition, the National Guard and reserves were highlighted for their family programs, the officials said.
The two leaders said they believe the greatest improvement to long-term care and support of America's wounded warriors and veterans will come from enacting provisions recommended by the President's Commission on Care for America's Returning Wounded Warriors. The nine-member panel co-chaired by Donna Shalala, a former secretary of health and human services, and former Kansas Sen. Bob Dole, was created in March by President Bush.
"We have, thus, positioned ourselves to implement these provisions and continue our progress in providing world-class support to our warriors and veterans while allowing our two departments to focus on our respective core missions," the officials said in the joint statement. "Our dedicated, selfless servicemembers, veterans and their families deserve the very best, and we pledge to give our very best during their recovery, rehabilitation, and return to the society they defend."
China Requires Close Eye as It Expands Influence, Capability
By Donna Miles
American Forces Press Service
March 12, 2008 - The top U.S. general in the Pacific told Congress yesterday that he's working to strengthen the U.S.-Sino relationship, but he emphasized the need to keep a close eye on China as it strives to expand its influence in the region. Navy Adm. Timothy J. Keating told the Senate Armed Services Committee he sees headway in breaking down longstanding divisions between the two countries, but remains troubled by China's lack of transparency about its military programs.
The Defense Department released its 2008 China Military Power Report earlier this month, noting that China spent more than three times its announced defense budget last year and is developing new capabilities that could have global implications.
When he asked the Chinese directly during his visit in January why they are increasing their military capability, Keating said, he was assured that they seek only self-protection. But when the admiral pressed for more specific information about area-denial weapons, anti-satellite tests and other military technological advances, the Chinese were far more closed-mouthed.
And Keating said they're consistently mum when he asks about China's military spending. The China Military Power Report estimates that China spent as much as $139 billion, more than three times its announced defense budget, last year to modernize its military forces.
"The transparency that they profess is insufficient, from our view," Keating told the Senate panel. "Being able to see what they have doesn't tell us what they intend to do with that equipment."
Keating said there's still a great deal for both countries to learn so they can better understand each other's intentions.
He called his most recent trip to China a big step forward in improving dialogue. "We want a mature, constructive, cooperative relationship. We are making progress, but as I said, we have a long way to go," he said. "The breakdown of decades-old mistrust and custom is going to take a lot more effort."
While much remains unclear about China, Keating said, it's evident the Chinese want a bigger role on the world stage and are expanding their military capabilities to secure it.
China appears to be developing more maritime capability, weapons that make it harder for other military forces to operate near Chinese borders, and is demonstrating a capability to exercise some control in space, Keating reported.
"It is overall, I believe, a desire to improve their position strategically in the world," he said. "They view themselves as a rising military power, and it is something that, in our view, merits close observation."
Keating described what he thinks, but isn't sure, was a tongue-in-cheek comment a senior Chinese officer made during the admiral's first visit there as PACOM commander. With a straight face, Chinese officer said, "As we develop our aircraft carriers," -- a remark Keating said he found interesting in itself -- "why don't we reach an agreement, you and I?"
Then came the Chinese proposal: "You take Hawaii east. We'll take Hawaii west. We'll share information, and we'll save you all the trouble of deploying your naval forces west of Hawaii."
Keating called the statement telling. "Even if in jest, it indicates some consideration of the strategic vision that the People's Liberation Army, navy and air force might have," he said. "While not necessarily hegemonic, they clearly want to expand their areas of influence.
"And those strategic goals of theirs, ... while not necessarily counter to ours, ... (are) at least of concern to us," he said.
That's among the reasons the United States continues to stress its forward engagement, the readiness of its forces within the region, and its multilateral engagement with other Pacific nations, Keating said. Collectively, these efforts help to offset the Chinese presence in the area and the pressure it applies internationally through economic aid and investment -- so-called "checkbook diplomacy."
"So we're watching very carefully," Keating said. "We are actively engaged in activities that we think serve as an effective foil to this increased Chinese presence and pressure."
Meanwhile, Keating said, he continues pressing to improve dialogue between the U.S. and China. He told the senators he plans to send his senior noncommissioned officer advisor, Air Force Chief Master Sgt. Jim Roy, to China to talk with the People's Liberation Army about the role of the NCO corps in the U.S. military. "We hope that opens the door a little bit more to the kind of dialogue we're looking to not just initiate, but sustain and enhance with the People's Republic of China," he said.
American Forces Press Service
March 12, 2008 - The top U.S. general in the Pacific told Congress yesterday that he's working to strengthen the U.S.-Sino relationship, but he emphasized the need to keep a close eye on China as it strives to expand its influence in the region. Navy Adm. Timothy J. Keating told the Senate Armed Services Committee he sees headway in breaking down longstanding divisions between the two countries, but remains troubled by China's lack of transparency about its military programs.
The Defense Department released its 2008 China Military Power Report earlier this month, noting that China spent more than three times its announced defense budget last year and is developing new capabilities that could have global implications.
When he asked the Chinese directly during his visit in January why they are increasing their military capability, Keating said, he was assured that they seek only self-protection. But when the admiral pressed for more specific information about area-denial weapons, anti-satellite tests and other military technological advances, the Chinese were far more closed-mouthed.
And Keating said they're consistently mum when he asks about China's military spending. The China Military Power Report estimates that China spent as much as $139 billion, more than three times its announced defense budget, last year to modernize its military forces.
"The transparency that they profess is insufficient, from our view," Keating told the Senate panel. "Being able to see what they have doesn't tell us what they intend to do with that equipment."
Keating said there's still a great deal for both countries to learn so they can better understand each other's intentions.
He called his most recent trip to China a big step forward in improving dialogue. "We want a mature, constructive, cooperative relationship. We are making progress, but as I said, we have a long way to go," he said. "The breakdown of decades-old mistrust and custom is going to take a lot more effort."
While much remains unclear about China, Keating said, it's evident the Chinese want a bigger role on the world stage and are expanding their military capabilities to secure it.
China appears to be developing more maritime capability, weapons that make it harder for other military forces to operate near Chinese borders, and is demonstrating a capability to exercise some control in space, Keating reported.
"It is overall, I believe, a desire to improve their position strategically in the world," he said. "They view themselves as a rising military power, and it is something that, in our view, merits close observation."
Keating described what he thinks, but isn't sure, was a tongue-in-cheek comment a senior Chinese officer made during the admiral's first visit there as PACOM commander. With a straight face, Chinese officer said, "As we develop our aircraft carriers," -- a remark Keating said he found interesting in itself -- "why don't we reach an agreement, you and I?"
Then came the Chinese proposal: "You take Hawaii east. We'll take Hawaii west. We'll share information, and we'll save you all the trouble of deploying your naval forces west of Hawaii."
Keating called the statement telling. "Even if in jest, it indicates some consideration of the strategic vision that the People's Liberation Army, navy and air force might have," he said. "While not necessarily hegemonic, they clearly want to expand their areas of influence.
"And those strategic goals of theirs, ... while not necessarily counter to ours, ... (are) at least of concern to us," he said.
That's among the reasons the United States continues to stress its forward engagement, the readiness of its forces within the region, and its multilateral engagement with other Pacific nations, Keating said. Collectively, these efforts help to offset the Chinese presence in the area and the pressure it applies internationally through economic aid and investment -- so-called "checkbook diplomacy."
"So we're watching very carefully," Keating said. "We are actively engaged in activities that we think serve as an effective foil to this increased Chinese presence and pressure."
Meanwhile, Keating said, he continues pressing to improve dialogue between the U.S. and China. He told the senators he plans to send his senior noncommissioned officer advisor, Air Force Chief Master Sgt. Jim Roy, to China to talk with the People's Liberation Army about the role of the NCO corps in the U.S. military. "We hope that opens the door a little bit more to the kind of dialogue we're looking to not just initiate, but sustain and enhance with the People's Republic of China," he said.
NATO Forces Make a Difference in Afghanistan, General Says
By Gerry J. Gilmore
American Forces Press Service
March 12, 2008 - NATO's efforts against insurgents in Afghanistan are helping the Afghan people realize a better future, and the alliance should keep the door open to admit new members, a senior U.S. military commander told a Senate panel here today. "NATO's efforts in Afghanistan are making a difference," Army Gen. Bantz J. Craddock, NATO's supreme allied commander for Europe and commander of U.S. European Command told Senate Foreign Relations Committee members.
Craddock said the alliance's security and reconstruction efforts in Afghanistan are making progress and "improving the lives of many Afghan citizens" while "creating the conditions for a better future."
The security situation in Afghanistan remains difficult, especially in the southern and eastern parts of the country, Craddock said, noting that the NATO International Security Assistance Force deployed to Afghanistan has achieved numerous victories against Taliban insurgents that threaten President Hamid Karzai's central government.
NATO's ISAF has 47,000 members, including about 19,000 U.S. troops.
"We are succeeding, but, indeed, not as fast as we, the international community, are capable of succeeding," Craddock said. NATO and its international partners "can and must do more" in Afghanistan, the four-star general emphasized.
The Afghan national army continues to increase in size and capability, Craddock reported, noting it is expected to exceed the ISAF in numbers sometime this year.
Afghanistan's national police force, too, has grown larger, Craddock pointed out. But, the capability of the country's constabulary "continues to lag significantly" behind that of the ANA, he added.
"Police performance needs to be urgently enhanced," Craddock emphasized. "Recent pay and performance reforms will help, but corruption, criminality, and lack of qualified leadership remain the most pressing areas."
While security gains are evident across Afghanistan, such progress "is slowed by force shortfalls in some key locations and capabilities," Craddock explained.
"We are at a critical juncture in Afghanistan, and the ISAF mission needs its military requirements filled immediately," the general said.
In addition, conditions of deployment, known as caveats, used by some NATO members limits or restricts the utility and movement of their forces in the Afghan theater of operations, Craddock noted.
"These caveats, like (troop) shortfalls, increase the risk to every soldier, sailor, airman and Marine deployed in theater," he emphasized.
Regarding the issue of admitting new members to NATO, Craddock pointed out that "enlargement has been an historical success, strengthening our alliance and serving as a powerful incentive to promote democratic reforms among aspiring members."
Several eastern European nations, including Croatia, Albania and Macedonia, have expressed their desire to join NATO one day.
"I believe the process of NATO enlargement is not complete," Craddock said. "NATO's door must remain open."
However, NATO candidates "must provide added value to the alliance," Craddock added.
"They must be contributors to security, not consumers of it," the general said.
Meanwhile, NATO's current obligations, including response-force needs in Afghanistan, are challenging its pool of available military manpower, Craddock pointed out. If unresolved, he said, this situation threatens to reduce the alliance's "force pool into a puddle."
"Key capability resourcing is crucial to ensuring NATO's ability to simultaneously execute its main task, respond to crises, and transform to meet future challenges," Craddock said.
American Forces Press Service
March 12, 2008 - NATO's efforts against insurgents in Afghanistan are helping the Afghan people realize a better future, and the alliance should keep the door open to admit new members, a senior U.S. military commander told a Senate panel here today. "NATO's efforts in Afghanistan are making a difference," Army Gen. Bantz J. Craddock, NATO's supreme allied commander for Europe and commander of U.S. European Command told Senate Foreign Relations Committee members.
Craddock said the alliance's security and reconstruction efforts in Afghanistan are making progress and "improving the lives of many Afghan citizens" while "creating the conditions for a better future."
The security situation in Afghanistan remains difficult, especially in the southern and eastern parts of the country, Craddock said, noting that the NATO International Security Assistance Force deployed to Afghanistan has achieved numerous victories against Taliban insurgents that threaten President Hamid Karzai's central government.
NATO's ISAF has 47,000 members, including about 19,000 U.S. troops.
"We are succeeding, but, indeed, not as fast as we, the international community, are capable of succeeding," Craddock said. NATO and its international partners "can and must do more" in Afghanistan, the four-star general emphasized.
The Afghan national army continues to increase in size and capability, Craddock reported, noting it is expected to exceed the ISAF in numbers sometime this year.
Afghanistan's national police force, too, has grown larger, Craddock pointed out. But, the capability of the country's constabulary "continues to lag significantly" behind that of the ANA, he added.
"Police performance needs to be urgently enhanced," Craddock emphasized. "Recent pay and performance reforms will help, but corruption, criminality, and lack of qualified leadership remain the most pressing areas."
While security gains are evident across Afghanistan, such progress "is slowed by force shortfalls in some key locations and capabilities," Craddock explained.
"We are at a critical juncture in Afghanistan, and the ISAF mission needs its military requirements filled immediately," the general said.
In addition, conditions of deployment, known as caveats, used by some NATO members limits or restricts the utility and movement of their forces in the Afghan theater of operations, Craddock noted.
"These caveats, like (troop) shortfalls, increase the risk to every soldier, sailor, airman and Marine deployed in theater," he emphasized.
Regarding the issue of admitting new members to NATO, Craddock pointed out that "enlargement has been an historical success, strengthening our alliance and serving as a powerful incentive to promote democratic reforms among aspiring members."
Several eastern European nations, including Croatia, Albania and Macedonia, have expressed their desire to join NATO one day.
"I believe the process of NATO enlargement is not complete," Craddock said. "NATO's door must remain open."
However, NATO candidates "must provide added value to the alliance," Craddock added.
"They must be contributors to security, not consumers of it," the general said.
Meanwhile, NATO's current obligations, including response-force needs in Afghanistan, are challenging its pool of available military manpower, Craddock pointed out. If unresolved, he said, this situation threatens to reduce the alliance's "force pool into a puddle."
"Key capability resourcing is crucial to ensuring NATO's ability to simultaneously execute its main task, respond to crises, and transform to meet future challenges," Craddock said.
Wednesday, March 12, 2008
'Why We Serve' Speakers Inspire ROTC Cadets
By John J. Kruzel
American Forces Press Service
March 12, 2008 - Nick Jackson wakes up earlier and has longer days than most freshmen at the University of Cincinnati, and once a week his clothes are selected for him. But unlike most students here, Jackson, one in about 30 cadets enrolled in the Army Reserve Officers Training Corps, will graduate school without debt and with a job awaiting him.
"I decided to take the scholarship for financial reasons, but then once I got in here and I met everybody and I'm friends with everybody, it's turning into something else," said Jackson, dressed in Army camouflage as he walked across campus. "It's turning into more of a patriotic thing."
Jackson was one of several ROTC cadets who attended on-campus lectures today by three members of the Defense Department's "Why We Serve" outreach program, which places military speakers before audiences at venues across the U.S.
Like the future soldier, this morning's speakers -- Air Force Capt. Edward V. Szczepanik, Marine Capt. John N. Sand and Marine Chief Warrant Officer Daniel K. Winnie -- began their military careers in the ROTC program.
As the meaning of Jackson's ROTC experience grows from a mere financial means into a sense of national calling, the transformation reflects Szczepanik's own metamorphosis.
"The reason I got in was for financial reasons; I needed the scholarship. But the reason I stay in is for guys like this," said Szczepanik, pointing to the fellow military speakers onstage. "And I stay in for the guys that I fly with every day, who have become my brothers."
Jackson said he regards experienced servicemembers like the "Why We Serve" panel almost like big brothers. "There are things I can learn from them," he said. "I like hearing other people's actual experiences from Iraq in addition to the things I hear on the news."
After his expected graduation in 2012, Jackson, a possible math major, said he would like to serve as an intelligence officer the Army, following his commission as a second lieutenant. Like the speakers who addressed him today, the budding soldier's career sounds imbued with a sense of purpose.
"I just like the idea of going and protecting the ones that I love back here," he said.
Another cadet on hand to hear the "Why We Serve" speakers was Frederick Reier, a sophomore at the university with an academic focus on international relations. Reier, who is eager to join the Army's ranks as a career officer in either the intelligence or infantry fields, is less certain of his career path than Jackson.
But if his military duty remains up in the air, his principles are as firmly grounded as those of the speakers he listened to today.
"A lot of the Army values are the things that I put in my own life," he said. "I feel that if I'm going to have a job and I'm going to be making money, I might as well be making a difference while I'm doing that.
"I think we enjoy so many freedoms and I think I owe something back," he added.
Following an afternoon presentation by the speakers, Aaron Dellinger, a junior-year history major, said the presentations are a good way for current servicemembers to share their stories on campus.
"What stuck out to me was that their reasons for serving are pretty personal, they're not really complicated, it's just that they want to serve and protect the guys next to them," he said.
Second-year cadet David Louderback, who desires to be either an artillery or infantry officer in the Army, appreciated the even-handedness with which the troops told of their service.
"It's not all gung ho and glory seeking. It's to do the job, to do what they said – to serve your brothers and sisters in arms, to serve your country," Louderback said. "It's a higher purpose."
The criminal justice newsletter sponsored this article.
American Forces Press Service
March 12, 2008 - Nick Jackson wakes up earlier and has longer days than most freshmen at the University of Cincinnati, and once a week his clothes are selected for him. But unlike most students here, Jackson, one in about 30 cadets enrolled in the Army Reserve Officers Training Corps, will graduate school without debt and with a job awaiting him.
"I decided to take the scholarship for financial reasons, but then once I got in here and I met everybody and I'm friends with everybody, it's turning into something else," said Jackson, dressed in Army camouflage as he walked across campus. "It's turning into more of a patriotic thing."
Jackson was one of several ROTC cadets who attended on-campus lectures today by three members of the Defense Department's "Why We Serve" outreach program, which places military speakers before audiences at venues across the U.S.
Like the future soldier, this morning's speakers -- Air Force Capt. Edward V. Szczepanik, Marine Capt. John N. Sand and Marine Chief Warrant Officer Daniel K. Winnie -- began their military careers in the ROTC program.
As the meaning of Jackson's ROTC experience grows from a mere financial means into a sense of national calling, the transformation reflects Szczepanik's own metamorphosis.
"The reason I got in was for financial reasons; I needed the scholarship. But the reason I stay in is for guys like this," said Szczepanik, pointing to the fellow military speakers onstage. "And I stay in for the guys that I fly with every day, who have become my brothers."
Jackson said he regards experienced servicemembers like the "Why We Serve" panel almost like big brothers. "There are things I can learn from them," he said. "I like hearing other people's actual experiences from Iraq in addition to the things I hear on the news."
After his expected graduation in 2012, Jackson, a possible math major, said he would like to serve as an intelligence officer the Army, following his commission as a second lieutenant. Like the speakers who addressed him today, the budding soldier's career sounds imbued with a sense of purpose.
"I just like the idea of going and protecting the ones that I love back here," he said.
Another cadet on hand to hear the "Why We Serve" speakers was Frederick Reier, a sophomore at the university with an academic focus on international relations. Reier, who is eager to join the Army's ranks as a career officer in either the intelligence or infantry fields, is less certain of his career path than Jackson.
But if his military duty remains up in the air, his principles are as firmly grounded as those of the speakers he listened to today.
"A lot of the Army values are the things that I put in my own life," he said. "I feel that if I'm going to have a job and I'm going to be making money, I might as well be making a difference while I'm doing that.
"I think we enjoy so many freedoms and I think I owe something back," he added.
Following an afternoon presentation by the speakers, Aaron Dellinger, a junior-year history major, said the presentations are a good way for current servicemembers to share their stories on campus.
"What stuck out to me was that their reasons for serving are pretty personal, they're not really complicated, it's just that they want to serve and protect the guys next to them," he said.
Second-year cadet David Louderback, who desires to be either an artillery or infantry officer in the Army, appreciated the even-handedness with which the troops told of their service.
"It's not all gung ho and glory seeking. It's to do the job, to do what they said – to serve your brothers and sisters in arms, to serve your country," Louderback said. "It's a higher purpose."
The criminal justice newsletter sponsored this article.
Kansas Aircrew Brings WWII Comrades Back From Watery Grave
By Staff Sgt. W. Michael Houk, USA
Special to American Forces Press Service
March 12, 2008 - A drama unfolded in the skies above the western Pacific island nation of Palau on Sept. 1, 1944, as intense fighting between American and Japanese forces was getting under way. During a raid, comrades of the U.S. Army Air Forces looked on helplessly as the crew of a B-24 Liberator bomber, the Babes in Arms, was brought down by anti-aircraft fire. Three of the crew reportedly bailed out, one without a parachute, before the bomber dove headlong into the ocean never to be found -- or so it was thought back then.
A volunteer Kansas Air National Guard crew in a KC-135 Stratotanker from 190th Air Refueling Wing returned the human remains recovered from that ill-fated bomber back to this country in early March.
Thanks to an organization called BentProp, who found the crash site in 2004, the location is no longer a mystery. BentProp is a privately funded organization that searches for planes and their crews who crashed after being shot down by the Japanese in 1944-45. They reported it to the Joint POW-MIA Accounting Command, who for the last three years investigated and recovered the remains from the site. The Kansas Coyotes had the honor of transporting the fallen back to U.S. soil -- to Hawaii for identification.
"That seemed like a pretty good thing to do to give some closure to some families back home in the states," Air Force Master Sgt. Mark Mertel said, adding that it was an honorable thing to do and "a fine way to end my career with the Kansas Air Guard. I jumped on it. It's a great opportunity."
The Kansas crew flew from its home at Forbes Field, just outside Topeka, to Hawaii then Guam and, from Guam, another hour and a half to the Republic of Palau.
"It was really moving to see that island and kind of imagine what might have happened that day," Maj. Jeff Warrender said from the pilot's seat. "It really made me think about how brave those guys must have been and what they might've gone through before they died. To see how beautiful the island was, it was just kind of eerie."
Warrender first did a flyover inspection of the destination, a short airstrip with no tower that is usually used by smaller aircraft, in order for the crew to ensure conditions on the runway would permit a safe landing. Standing water, among other conditions, might keep the lumbering tanker from landing. Satisfied, Warrender circled back around, smoothly touched down, and brought the big plane to a quick halt on the island nation.
Local officials, without whom any of the Palau recovery efforts would have been possible, met the KC-135 crew on the runway. Jennifer Anson, executive assistant to the vice president of Palau, said the event was emotional for her. "A lot of my relatives were here during the war, and a lot of them went missing and we never found them," she said.
"I'm happy for whoever's family has that peace of mind now, knowing that their family members are being returned back home," Anson added.
U.S. Navy divers sat in the back of a large truck with their cargo: two sealed black cases containing the remains of the B-24's lost crew. These divers, dispatched by Joint POW-MIA Accounting Command to this site, spent a month and a half under 70 feet of water meticulously recovering the remains and, in some cases, personal effects of the bomber's crew.
When BentProp personnel find a site, they tell JPAC, and an investigation is begun involving archaeologists, doctors, forensic scientists, divers, and whoever else is required to recover and identify a servicemember so that a family might be notified and the remains appropriately honored.
At the tanker, Air Force Capt. Jarrod Ramsey, a pilot, and Master Sgt. Matt Miltz, a refueling boom operator, carefully helped the divers, who handed the cases up from the truck into the side cargo door of the KC-135. Other members of the crew got the aircraft ready to fly again, checking and rechecking its structure and systems.
At the end of the runway, the engines whined louder and louder about not going anywhere as the pilot let their power build. Finally, the pilot released the brakes, and the tanker rocketed down a rapidly shortening runway and into the Pacific sky with the remaining crew of the Babes in Arms finally on their way to completing a trip that took much longer than anyone would have imagined.
After a quick stop back in Guam, the KC-135 flew east to Hawaii, where the remains of the B-24 crew would be examined forensically by JPAC experts to verify their identities. Once identified, the servicemembers will be flown the rest of the way home to their families, but that honor will be for another aircrew. The Kansas Coyotes had accomplished their mission.
"We've had some fairly long days, and not a lot of ground time," Miltz explained. "But it's all been worth it, helping to bring these people back."
(Army Staff Sgt. W. Michael Houk is assigned to the National Guard Bureau.)
Special to American Forces Press Service
March 12, 2008 - A drama unfolded in the skies above the western Pacific island nation of Palau on Sept. 1, 1944, as intense fighting between American and Japanese forces was getting under way. During a raid, comrades of the U.S. Army Air Forces looked on helplessly as the crew of a B-24 Liberator bomber, the Babes in Arms, was brought down by anti-aircraft fire. Three of the crew reportedly bailed out, one without a parachute, before the bomber dove headlong into the ocean never to be found -- or so it was thought back then.
A volunteer Kansas Air National Guard crew in a KC-135 Stratotanker from 190th Air Refueling Wing returned the human remains recovered from that ill-fated bomber back to this country in early March.
Thanks to an organization called BentProp, who found the crash site in 2004, the location is no longer a mystery. BentProp is a privately funded organization that searches for planes and their crews who crashed after being shot down by the Japanese in 1944-45. They reported it to the Joint POW-MIA Accounting Command, who for the last three years investigated and recovered the remains from the site. The Kansas Coyotes had the honor of transporting the fallen back to U.S. soil -- to Hawaii for identification.
"That seemed like a pretty good thing to do to give some closure to some families back home in the states," Air Force Master Sgt. Mark Mertel said, adding that it was an honorable thing to do and "a fine way to end my career with the Kansas Air Guard. I jumped on it. It's a great opportunity."
The Kansas crew flew from its home at Forbes Field, just outside Topeka, to Hawaii then Guam and, from Guam, another hour and a half to the Republic of Palau.
"It was really moving to see that island and kind of imagine what might have happened that day," Maj. Jeff Warrender said from the pilot's seat. "It really made me think about how brave those guys must have been and what they might've gone through before they died. To see how beautiful the island was, it was just kind of eerie."
Warrender first did a flyover inspection of the destination, a short airstrip with no tower that is usually used by smaller aircraft, in order for the crew to ensure conditions on the runway would permit a safe landing. Standing water, among other conditions, might keep the lumbering tanker from landing. Satisfied, Warrender circled back around, smoothly touched down, and brought the big plane to a quick halt on the island nation.
Local officials, without whom any of the Palau recovery efforts would have been possible, met the KC-135 crew on the runway. Jennifer Anson, executive assistant to the vice president of Palau, said the event was emotional for her. "A lot of my relatives were here during the war, and a lot of them went missing and we never found them," she said.
"I'm happy for whoever's family has that peace of mind now, knowing that their family members are being returned back home," Anson added.
U.S. Navy divers sat in the back of a large truck with their cargo: two sealed black cases containing the remains of the B-24's lost crew. These divers, dispatched by Joint POW-MIA Accounting Command to this site, spent a month and a half under 70 feet of water meticulously recovering the remains and, in some cases, personal effects of the bomber's crew.
When BentProp personnel find a site, they tell JPAC, and an investigation is begun involving archaeologists, doctors, forensic scientists, divers, and whoever else is required to recover and identify a servicemember so that a family might be notified and the remains appropriately honored.
At the tanker, Air Force Capt. Jarrod Ramsey, a pilot, and Master Sgt. Matt Miltz, a refueling boom operator, carefully helped the divers, who handed the cases up from the truck into the side cargo door of the KC-135. Other members of the crew got the aircraft ready to fly again, checking and rechecking its structure and systems.
At the end of the runway, the engines whined louder and louder about not going anywhere as the pilot let their power build. Finally, the pilot released the brakes, and the tanker rocketed down a rapidly shortening runway and into the Pacific sky with the remaining crew of the Babes in Arms finally on their way to completing a trip that took much longer than anyone would have imagined.
After a quick stop back in Guam, the KC-135 flew east to Hawaii, where the remains of the B-24 crew would be examined forensically by JPAC experts to verify their identities. Once identified, the servicemembers will be flown the rest of the way home to their families, but that honor will be for another aircrew. The Kansas Coyotes had accomplished their mission.
"We've had some fairly long days, and not a lot of ground time," Miltz explained. "But it's all been worth it, helping to bring these people back."
(Army Staff Sgt. W. Michael Houk is assigned to the National Guard Bureau.)
America Supports You: Stars Rock Kuwaiti Desert in Support of Troops
By Samantha L. Quigley
American Forces Press Service
March 11, 2008 - For more than four hours last night, Camp Buehring, in the middle of the Kuwaiti desert, became a hard-rocking outdoor amphitheater. Before the music began, about 5,000 servicemembers heard a message of support and appreciation from President Bush. Both Lt. Gen. James J. Lovelace, commander of U.S. Army Central and Combined Forces Land Component Command, and his deputy, Maj. Gen. Dennis E. Hardy, visited with the performers and thanked them for their support.
Then, before comedian Carlos Mencia got the troops laughing, he gave them some words of thanks.
"You guys work every single day doing a job that other people would never even dream of doing," he said. "You do it proudly, and you do it with a smile, and I salute all of you."
Mencia's job was to keep the troops in stitches between music sets by Disturbed, Filter, the Pussycat Dolls, and actress/singer Jessica Simpson, a job at which he more than succeeded.
Then it was DJ Z-Trip's turn to crank up the volume on some special mixes.
The troops' reactions to the rock groups were quite different from they way they reacted to Simpson and the Pussycat Dolls. The latter groups elicited shouts of appreciation, and even marriage proposals.
There was no doubt the troops were excited to have the entertainers come all the way out to Kuwait just to perform for them.
"Yeah, it's breaking my heart," Indiana Army National Guardsman Staff Sgt. Brad Thurman joked, adding that he's looking forward to seeing Disturbed. "We'll enjoy it. We weren't expected to be here, (but) they changed us going north (to Iraq)."
Air Force Tech Sgt. Marcus Waller, deployed from MacDill Air Force Base, Fla., expressed gratitude for the celebrities' appearance.
"I just want to give a big thanks to Carlos Mencia, the Pussycat Dolls and the various artists coming out in support of our troops," Waller said. "We really appreciate it. It's good to see faces, people thinking about us. As a whole, the U.S. military, we want to give you a big, 'Thanks.'"
The artists turned the tables, saying the visit and their interactions with the troops profoundly impacted them.
"This has been a life-changing experience for us," Nicole Scherzinger, lead singer of the Pussycat Dolls, said.
Simpson pointed out what the troops' service means to her. "What you guys represent is true sacrifice," she told the troops before singing her last number.
The other groups said they were honored to be performing for the troops and greatly impressed by the experience.
"We're coming over here to play rock music, and Frank's in the military, said Richard Patrick, lead vocalist for Filter. "Let's bridge the two worlds and let everybody know it's really one world."
"Frank" is Sgt. Frank Cavanagh, Filter's former bass player, who's now an Army reservist getting ready to deploy.
Disturbed's members were just happy to be able to take their support of the troops directly to the military members.
"We're happy that we finally have the opportunity to get out here and talk the talk ... and play for the troops and do what we said we've been meaning to do for the longest time. We're feeling really, really good about it," Disturbed's vocalist David Draiman said.
Z-Trip said he couldn't process all that was happening to him at Camp Buehring. "I'm probably going to be digesting this on the flight back," he said. "It'll probably all settle and make sense."
As the show concluded, all of the artists came to the stage to join Simpson in singing "God Bless America."
The concert, presented by MySpace, a social networking Web site, was streamed live on the MySpace site at 2 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time. It was presented in cooperation with Armed Forces Entertainment, a group that brings entertainment programs to deployed forces, and the Defense Department's America Supports You program, which connects citizens and companies with servicemembers and their families worldwide.
American Forces Press Service
March 11, 2008 - For more than four hours last night, Camp Buehring, in the middle of the Kuwaiti desert, became a hard-rocking outdoor amphitheater. Before the music began, about 5,000 servicemembers heard a message of support and appreciation from President Bush. Both Lt. Gen. James J. Lovelace, commander of U.S. Army Central and Combined Forces Land Component Command, and his deputy, Maj. Gen. Dennis E. Hardy, visited with the performers and thanked them for their support.
Then, before comedian Carlos Mencia got the troops laughing, he gave them some words of thanks.
"You guys work every single day doing a job that other people would never even dream of doing," he said. "You do it proudly, and you do it with a smile, and I salute all of you."
Mencia's job was to keep the troops in stitches between music sets by Disturbed, Filter, the Pussycat Dolls, and actress/singer Jessica Simpson, a job at which he more than succeeded.
Then it was DJ Z-Trip's turn to crank up the volume on some special mixes.
The troops' reactions to the rock groups were quite different from they way they reacted to Simpson and the Pussycat Dolls. The latter groups elicited shouts of appreciation, and even marriage proposals.
There was no doubt the troops were excited to have the entertainers come all the way out to Kuwait just to perform for them.
"Yeah, it's breaking my heart," Indiana Army National Guardsman Staff Sgt. Brad Thurman joked, adding that he's looking forward to seeing Disturbed. "We'll enjoy it. We weren't expected to be here, (but) they changed us going north (to Iraq)."
Air Force Tech Sgt. Marcus Waller, deployed from MacDill Air Force Base, Fla., expressed gratitude for the celebrities' appearance.
"I just want to give a big thanks to Carlos Mencia, the Pussycat Dolls and the various artists coming out in support of our troops," Waller said. "We really appreciate it. It's good to see faces, people thinking about us. As a whole, the U.S. military, we want to give you a big, 'Thanks.'"
The artists turned the tables, saying the visit and their interactions with the troops profoundly impacted them.
"This has been a life-changing experience for us," Nicole Scherzinger, lead singer of the Pussycat Dolls, said.
Simpson pointed out what the troops' service means to her. "What you guys represent is true sacrifice," she told the troops before singing her last number.
The other groups said they were honored to be performing for the troops and greatly impressed by the experience.
"We're coming over here to play rock music, and Frank's in the military, said Richard Patrick, lead vocalist for Filter. "Let's bridge the two worlds and let everybody know it's really one world."
"Frank" is Sgt. Frank Cavanagh, Filter's former bass player, who's now an Army reservist getting ready to deploy.
Disturbed's members were just happy to be able to take their support of the troops directly to the military members.
"We're happy that we finally have the opportunity to get out here and talk the talk ... and play for the troops and do what we said we've been meaning to do for the longest time. We're feeling really, really good about it," Disturbed's vocalist David Draiman said.
Z-Trip said he couldn't process all that was happening to him at Camp Buehring. "I'm probably going to be digesting this on the flight back," he said. "It'll probably all settle and make sense."
As the show concluded, all of the artists came to the stage to join Simpson in singing "God Bless America."
The concert, presented by MySpace, a social networking Web site, was streamed live on the MySpace site at 2 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time. It was presented in cooperation with Armed Forces Entertainment, a group that brings entertainment programs to deployed forces, and the Defense Department's America Supports You program, which connects citizens and companies with servicemembers and their families worldwide.
Mullen Praises Northern Command's Interagency Efforts
By Jim Garamone
American Forces Press Service
March 11, 2008 - U.S. Northern Command and North American Aerospace Defense Command are models of interagency cooperation, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff said here yesterday. Navy Adm. Mike Mullen said his visit here was a way to take the pulse of the two commands and see what leaders here think is important.
NORAD will mark 50 years as a joint U.S.-Canadian command in May. The command is responsible for aerospace warning and control and maritime warning. U.S. Northern Command is a more recent invention, coming into being in 2002. Its missions are homeland defense and civil support. Air Force Gen. Victor E. Renuart Jr. commands of both organizations.
Northern Command interfaces with representatives from every state and territory in the United States and is the Defense Department command that plans for the defense of the homeland. The command also provides DoD support to state and local jurisdictions when governors request that support and the president approves it. While it was formed in response to the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, it is also invaluable in dealing with the aftermath of natural disasters.
From its founding, the command has been an interagency forum. Representatives of more than 60 international, federal, state and nongovernmental agencies work within the command. This covers agencies from the Department of Homeland Security to the FBI to the Federal Emergency Management Agency. It also includes Canadian allies from Canada Command, Transport Canada and Public Safety and Emergency Management Canada. The American Red Cross also works with NORTHCOM planners.
"That's really powerful for integration and change down the road," Mullen said during an interview.
The chairman told military and civilian employees at the command that he appreciated their service and their willingness to embrace change. He also said their work has been effective.
"We haven't been attacked since 9-11, and they are a big part of that in ways that really make a difference," he told reporters traveling with him. "They are working really hard to make sure that continues."
The visit allowed him to understand more deeply the command's challenges and to broadly discuss threats. The upcoming U.S. elections and the presidential inauguration in January 2009 will be times of vigilance. "Times of transitions -- whether it is individuals, small groups, big institutions or countries -- are typically very challenging," he said. "Many of us are focused on making sure we have the right focus on the right issues during the transitions."
One area that he learned about is the far north. The polar ice cap is shrinking, and this has opened passages in the northern seas. The command is examining this. Oil companies, cruise lines and shipping lines are all interested in the area. "The message I take away is to understand what really is going on up there," Mullen said.
With the increase in economic activity in the far north, there will be security concerns, and with more ships, there are more chances for accidents, Mullen said. He explained that NORTHCOM officials are weighing many concerns: How are the countries poised for search and rescue? How do you handle environmental remediation? What type of navigationneeds are there?
The United States needs to understand how changes on the top of the world affect the security environment. "That was one of the items we discussed out here," he said. "And that was different than I expected. But that's why I come: to get information on their turf."
NORTHCOM officials also work to thwart terrorism around the world. The command "has a robust intelligence capability, because many threats to America develop overseas," the admiral said. "The command also has maturing relationships with agencies inside our country, the FBI for instance."
These relationships are gold to the defense of America, he said. "So much of this world that we're in right now is tied to partnerships, relationships, interoperability, information sharing," he said. "A huge part of NORTHCOM's portfolio is the maritime-awareness piece. How do you exchange information with Canada, with Mexico? How do you exchange information with commercial entities, the Navy to Coast Guard and vice versa?
"It's a maturing capability we have, but we have a long way to go," he continued. "It's that information-sharing, collaboration piece that is just evident in so many parts of where I go and what I do, whether it's here or in countries around the world."
Mullen said missile defense is an important capability and one U.S. Northern Command is involved with. "The ballistic missile threat will continue to grow. We're living in an era where that's the case," the chairman said. "I think having capability to defend against that in a timely way as the threat evolves is very important. And it can be just the United States, because in the long run, it's not just the United States that is going to be threatened."
American Forces Press Service
March 11, 2008 - U.S. Northern Command and North American Aerospace Defense Command are models of interagency cooperation, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff said here yesterday. Navy Adm. Mike Mullen said his visit here was a way to take the pulse of the two commands and see what leaders here think is important.
NORAD will mark 50 years as a joint U.S.-Canadian command in May. The command is responsible for aerospace warning and control and maritime warning. U.S. Northern Command is a more recent invention, coming into being in 2002. Its missions are homeland defense and civil support. Air Force Gen. Victor E. Renuart Jr. commands of both organizations.
Northern Command interfaces with representatives from every state and territory in the United States and is the Defense Department command that plans for the defense of the homeland. The command also provides DoD support to state and local jurisdictions when governors request that support and the president approves it. While it was formed in response to the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, it is also invaluable in dealing with the aftermath of natural disasters.
From its founding, the command has been an interagency forum. Representatives of more than 60 international, federal, state and nongovernmental agencies work within the command. This covers agencies from the Department of Homeland Security to the FBI to the Federal Emergency Management Agency. It also includes Canadian allies from Canada Command, Transport Canada and Public Safety and Emergency Management Canada. The American Red Cross also works with NORTHCOM planners.
"That's really powerful for integration and change down the road," Mullen said during an interview.
The chairman told military and civilian employees at the command that he appreciated their service and their willingness to embrace change. He also said their work has been effective.
"We haven't been attacked since 9-11, and they are a big part of that in ways that really make a difference," he told reporters traveling with him. "They are working really hard to make sure that continues."
The visit allowed him to understand more deeply the command's challenges and to broadly discuss threats. The upcoming U.S. elections and the presidential inauguration in January 2009 will be times of vigilance. "Times of transitions -- whether it is individuals, small groups, big institutions or countries -- are typically very challenging," he said. "Many of us are focused on making sure we have the right focus on the right issues during the transitions."
One area that he learned about is the far north. The polar ice cap is shrinking, and this has opened passages in the northern seas. The command is examining this. Oil companies, cruise lines and shipping lines are all interested in the area. "The message I take away is to understand what really is going on up there," Mullen said.
With the increase in economic activity in the far north, there will be security concerns, and with more ships, there are more chances for accidents, Mullen said. He explained that NORTHCOM officials are weighing many concerns: How are the countries poised for search and rescue? How do you handle environmental remediation? What type of navigationneeds are there?
The United States needs to understand how changes on the top of the world affect the security environment. "That was one of the items we discussed out here," he said. "And that was different than I expected. But that's why I come: to get information on their turf."
NORTHCOM officials also work to thwart terrorism around the world. The command "has a robust intelligence capability, because many threats to America develop overseas," the admiral said. "The command also has maturing relationships with agencies inside our country, the FBI for instance."
These relationships are gold to the defense of America, he said. "So much of this world that we're in right now is tied to partnerships, relationships, interoperability, information sharing," he said. "A huge part of NORTHCOM's portfolio is the maritime-awareness piece. How do you exchange information with Canada, with Mexico? How do you exchange information with commercial entities, the Navy to Coast Guard and vice versa?
"It's a maturing capability we have, but we have a long way to go," he continued. "It's that information-sharing, collaboration piece that is just evident in so many parts of where I go and what I do, whether it's here or in countries around the world."
Mullen said missile defense is an important capability and one U.S. Northern Command is involved with. "The ballistic missile threat will continue to grow. We're living in an era where that's the case," the chairman said. "I think having capability to defend against that in a timely way as the threat evolves is very important. And it can be just the United States, because in the long run, it's not just the United States that is going to be threatened."
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