By Donna Miles
American Forces Press Service
Feb. 24, 2009 - Troops nearing retirement eligibility may be able to tap into the transferability benefits provided in the new Post-9/11 GI Bill, even if they're unable to serve four more years of duty due to service policies, a senior defense official said. The Post-9/11 Veterans Education Bill that takes effect in August and will offer more benefits and the ability to transfer benefits to a spouse or child has proven to be a hit with the troops, Bill Carr, deputy undersecretary of defense for military personnel policy, told the Pentagon Channel and American Forces Press Service.
Of servicemembers surveyed in August, 97 percent said they plan to take advantage of the Post-9/11 GI Bill, particularly its transferability provision, Carr said.
"Enormous interest has been expressed in the transferability provision and how it would work, because so many in the force have families," Carr said. He noted that half of the military force is married. By the time troops have served six years of duty, about two-thirds have families.
To qualify for transferability under the Post-9/11 GI Bill, servicemembers must have served six years on active duty or in the Selected Reserve and must commit to another four years. But Carr said the rules could be tweaked soon to allow mid- or late-career troops to qualify, even if they can't sign on for another four years of duty due to service restrictions.
Rules expected to be published in the months ahead will clarify exactly who is or isn't eligible to transfer their Post 9/11 GI Bill benefits. Carr said he expects those rules to be "very flexible" to allow servicemembers with 15 or even 20 years of service to quality. What's definite now is that only those in the active or reserve components on Aug. 1 will be eligible for transferability under the Post-9/11 GI Bill.
"The law doesn't allow it to be retroactive" to cover those who already have left the military, Carr said.
The new bill represents the most comprehensive education package since the original World War II-era GI Bill, he said. Unlike the current GI Bill, it covers 100 percent – rather than 80 percent – of the cost of tuition, fees and books. Servicemembers no longer will have to pay $1,200 out of pocket, at the rate of $100 a month for their first year of service, to qualify.
In addition, most troops will receive a "living stipend" while drawing GI Bill benefits. That benefit will equate to the basic allowance for housing that an E-5 with dependents serving on active duty receives, Carr said. And for the first time, servicemembers will be able to transfer any benefits they don't use themselves to their immediate family members.
Of those surveyed in August, 73 percent said they would transfer benefits to their spouse, while 94 percent said they would transfer them to their children.
This is a particularly attractive option for servicemembers who have earned degrees before entering the military or while on duty through the military's tuition assistance programs, Carr said. These programs will continue when the Post-9/11 GI Bill takes effect.
Troops automatically are eligible to transfer to the Post-9/11 GI Bill program when it takes effect, but must elect to do so, officials said.
The Department of Veterans Affairs, which administers the program, has more details about the basic program on its Web site. The Defense Department will oversee the transferability program and set up a Web-based application servicemembers can use to request transfer of their Post-9/11 GI Bill benefits, Carr said.
Carr expressed hope that servicemembers will take advantage of the new benefits.
"The new GI Bill provides some wonderful opportunities for the military," he said. "These are benefits that we had hoped for for a number of years, and finally have received."
Wednesday, February 25, 2009
Obama Nominates Defense Acquisition Undersecretary
By Donna Miles
American Forces Press Service
Feb. 24, 2009 - President Barack Obama announced yesterday that he will nominate Ashton Carter to be the next undersecretary of defense for acquisition, technology and logistics. Carter is the chairman of the International and Global Affairs faculty at Harvard University's John F. Kennedy School of Government. He served as assistant secretary of defense for International Security Policy from 1993 to 1996.
If confirmed to the post held by John Young since 2007, Carter would oversee a sweeping defense acquisition reform effort.
Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates has called overhauling the way the department buys goods and services and manages taxpayer dollars one of the biggest challenges it faces.
"A risk-averse culture, a litigious process, parochial interests, excessive and changing requirements, budget churn and instability and sometimes adversarial relationships" within the department and other parts of government have made acquisition reform a priority, Gates said last month during a Senate Armed Services Committee hearing.
If confirmed as undersecretary, Carter would be the point man in the difficult procurement decisions Gates told the senators would begin with Obama's fiscal 2010 defense budget request.
"One thing we have known for many months is that the spigot of defense spending that opened on 9/11 is closing," Gates said at the hearing. "Two major campaigns ongoing, the economic crisis and resulting budget pressures will force hard choices on this department."
Carter, who has a doctorate in physics, directed military planning during the 1994 crisis over North Korea's nuclear weapons program, according to a statement released by the White House. He was instrumental in removing all nuclear weapons from Ukraine, Kazakhstan and Belarus, and he directed the establishment of defense and intelligence relationships with former Soviet nations at the end of the Cold War.
He also participated in negotiations that led to the deployment of Russian troops as part of the Bosnia Peace Plan Implementation Force.
Carter managed the Cooperative Threat Reduction program aimed at eliminating nuclear, chemical and biological weapons of the former Soviet Union, and he directed the Nuclear Posture Review and oversaw the Defense Department's Counterproliferation Initiative. He also directed the reform of the department's national security export controls.
In 1997, Carter co-chaired the Catastrophic Terrorism Study Group with former CIA Director John M. Deutch, urging greater attention to the terrorist threat. From 1998 to 2000, he was deputy to former Defense Secretary William J. Perry in the North Korea Policy Review, and traveled with Perry to Pyongyang. From 2001 to 2002, he served on the National Academy of Sciences Committee on Science and Technology for Countering Terrorism and advised on the creation of the Homeland Security Department.
Carter is a two-time recipient of the Department of Defense Distinguished Service Medal, the department's highest award. In addition to his current position at the Kennedy School, Carter is co-director of the Preventive Defense Project, serving along with Perry. The project is a research collaboration between Harvard and Stanford universities.
American Forces Press Service
Feb. 24, 2009 - President Barack Obama announced yesterday that he will nominate Ashton Carter to be the next undersecretary of defense for acquisition, technology and logistics. Carter is the chairman of the International and Global Affairs faculty at Harvard University's John F. Kennedy School of Government. He served as assistant secretary of defense for International Security Policy from 1993 to 1996.
If confirmed to the post held by John Young since 2007, Carter would oversee a sweeping defense acquisition reform effort.
Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates has called overhauling the way the department buys goods and services and manages taxpayer dollars one of the biggest challenges it faces.
"A risk-averse culture, a litigious process, parochial interests, excessive and changing requirements, budget churn and instability and sometimes adversarial relationships" within the department and other parts of government have made acquisition reform a priority, Gates said last month during a Senate Armed Services Committee hearing.
If confirmed as undersecretary, Carter would be the point man in the difficult procurement decisions Gates told the senators would begin with Obama's fiscal 2010 defense budget request.
"One thing we have known for many months is that the spigot of defense spending that opened on 9/11 is closing," Gates said at the hearing. "Two major campaigns ongoing, the economic crisis and resulting budget pressures will force hard choices on this department."
Carter, who has a doctorate in physics, directed military planning during the 1994 crisis over North Korea's nuclear weapons program, according to a statement released by the White House. He was instrumental in removing all nuclear weapons from Ukraine, Kazakhstan and Belarus, and he directed the establishment of defense and intelligence relationships with former Soviet nations at the end of the Cold War.
He also participated in negotiations that led to the deployment of Russian troops as part of the Bosnia Peace Plan Implementation Force.
Carter managed the Cooperative Threat Reduction program aimed at eliminating nuclear, chemical and biological weapons of the former Soviet Union, and he directed the Nuclear Posture Review and oversaw the Defense Department's Counterproliferation Initiative. He also directed the reform of the department's national security export controls.
In 1997, Carter co-chaired the Catastrophic Terrorism Study Group with former CIA Director John M. Deutch, urging greater attention to the terrorist threat. From 1998 to 2000, he was deputy to former Defense Secretary William J. Perry in the North Korea Policy Review, and traveled with Perry to Pyongyang. From 2001 to 2002, he served on the National Academy of Sciences Committee on Science and Technology for Countering Terrorism and advised on the creation of the Homeland Security Department.
Carter is a two-time recipient of the Department of Defense Distinguished Service Medal, the department's highest award. In addition to his current position at the Kennedy School, Carter is co-director of the Preventive Defense Project, serving along with Perry. The project is a research collaboration between Harvard and Stanford universities.
Campaign Coincides with 'Taking Chance' Film Premiere
By Sharon Foster
American Forces Press Service
Feb. 24, 2009 - Coinciding with the HBO Film premiere of "Taking Chance," based on a Marine's tribute to a fallen comrade, more than 100 servicemembers joined the Run4Chance team at the 28th Annual Los Alamitos 5K "Race on the Base" in California to honor the fallen hero.
"Taking Chance," starring Kevin Bacon, premiered Feb. 21 on HBO and is based on the special care given to fallen Marine Corps Lance Cpl. Chance Phelps during his final journey home to Dubois, Wyo. He was accompanied by Marine Corps Lt. Col. Michael Strobl, who volunteered to escort Phelps' body from Dover Air Force Base and later wrote of his experience. Phelps was killed in Iraq in 2004 at the age of 19.
Shortly after Phelps death, his family and friends formed the Run4Chance team. In 2004, the team ran the Marine Corps Marathon here as a tribute to Phelps and to raise funds for the Chance Phelps Foundation, a nonprofit organization that benefits U.S. troops, especially those who have deployed to Iraq.
With the backing of HBO, the foundation and its Run4Chance team encourage distance runners and military groups to run under the team name in marathons across the country, with entry fees waived for servicemembers. At the Los Alamitos event, HBO presented the Chance Phelps Foundation with a $10,000 donation on behalf of servicemembers who participated in the race.
The initiative also aims to raise awareness for the Fisher House Foundation and the Injured Marine Semper Fi Fund.
"By shining a national spotlight on Run4Chance, we hope to honor the memory of Lance Corporal Chance Phelps and pay tribute to all fallen Marines and soldiers," Zach Enterlin, vice president of advertising and promotions at HBO, said. "By raising awareness of the foundation's great work, more servicemembers and their families will benefit from the financial and medical support it provides."
HBO will sponsor several Run4Chance teams in races around the country this year. The initial schedule of races includes the Rock 'n' Roll Marathon, San Diego, May 31; New York City Half-Marathon, Aug. 30; Rock 'n' Roll Half-Marathon, Virginia Beach, Va., Sept. 6; Marine Corps Marathon, Arlington, Va., Oct. 25; and the Rock 'n' Roll Marathon and Half-Marathon, San Antonio, Nov. 15.
American Forces Press Service
Feb. 24, 2009 - Coinciding with the HBO Film premiere of "Taking Chance," based on a Marine's tribute to a fallen comrade, more than 100 servicemembers joined the Run4Chance team at the 28th Annual Los Alamitos 5K "Race on the Base" in California to honor the fallen hero.
"Taking Chance," starring Kevin Bacon, premiered Feb. 21 on HBO and is based on the special care given to fallen Marine Corps Lance Cpl. Chance Phelps during his final journey home to Dubois, Wyo. He was accompanied by Marine Corps Lt. Col. Michael Strobl, who volunteered to escort Phelps' body from Dover Air Force Base and later wrote of his experience. Phelps was killed in Iraq in 2004 at the age of 19.
Shortly after Phelps death, his family and friends formed the Run4Chance team. In 2004, the team ran the Marine Corps Marathon here as a tribute to Phelps and to raise funds for the Chance Phelps Foundation, a nonprofit organization that benefits U.S. troops, especially those who have deployed to Iraq.
With the backing of HBO, the foundation and its Run4Chance team encourage distance runners and military groups to run under the team name in marathons across the country, with entry fees waived for servicemembers. At the Los Alamitos event, HBO presented the Chance Phelps Foundation with a $10,000 donation on behalf of servicemembers who participated in the race.
The initiative also aims to raise awareness for the Fisher House Foundation and the Injured Marine Semper Fi Fund.
"By shining a national spotlight on Run4Chance, we hope to honor the memory of Lance Corporal Chance Phelps and pay tribute to all fallen Marines and soldiers," Zach Enterlin, vice president of advertising and promotions at HBO, said. "By raising awareness of the foundation's great work, more servicemembers and their families will benefit from the financial and medical support it provides."
HBO will sponsor several Run4Chance teams in races around the country this year. The initial schedule of races includes the Rock 'n' Roll Marathon, San Diego, May 31; New York City Half-Marathon, Aug. 30; Rock 'n' Roll Half-Marathon, Virginia Beach, Va., Sept. 6; Marine Corps Marathon, Arlington, Va., Oct. 25; and the Rock 'n' Roll Marathon and Half-Marathon, San Antonio, Nov. 15.
Servicemembers More Realistic About Retirement than Civilians, Survey Shows
By Samantha L. Quigley
American Forces Press Service
Feb. 24, 2009 - Servicemembers are more practical about their retirement needs than their civilian counterparts, according to a survey conducted by the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority, or FINRA, Investor Education Foundation, in cooperation with the Employee Benefit Research Institute. The findings bode well for servicemembers' readiness to transition out of work and into retirement, FINRA's foundation president says.
"Unless you are aware of the amount of money you're going to need in retirement, it's going to be hard to start saving the amount you need," John Gannon, president of the FINRA Foundation, said. "The good thing is the military is much further along in understanding their savings needs than the general public."
While 26 percent of civilian workers think they can retire on less than $250,000, only 10 percent of servicemembers believe that to be true. On the other hand, nearly a third of servicemembers think they'll need more than $1 million, which is a lot closer to the truth, Gannon said.
For most people, $1 million probably will be enough, given that most people will spend 20 to 30 years in retirement, he added.
Servicemembers may be in better stead thanks to the military's efforts to provide financial education. While there's always more that can be done, the services understand the importance of financial readiness, especially in conjunction with military readiness, Gannon said.
"You really don't want somebody being deployed to Iraq or Afghanistan who's worried about back home not being able to pay bills, having credit problems and having their spouse get calls from collection agencies," he said. "That can all cause problems."
In fact, personal finance issues can jeopardize a security clearance.
Though servicemembers, generally, are ahead of civilians when it comes to having a realistic investment plan, they're not doing all they can to make that plan happen, Gannon said.
Only one in five servicemembers are aware of the government's Thrift Savings Plan and fewer than half of those participate in the TSP. More than 87 percent of federal civilian employees participate in the TSP.
"I think it's very important that they understand that the Thrift Savings Plan exists because, for many servicemembers who don't stay in the military for 20 years and get access to the pension, it's really their only retirement savings vehicle in the military," Gannon said. "It's one of the best-designed, employer-sponsored contribution plans that exists in the United States, as far as I'm concerned.
"It's extremely low cost, has great investment options and appears to be a very well-run program."
A section of the FINRA Web site is dedicated to helping military members develop a retirement savings plan. It offers tools such as a retirement calculator and a link to the American Saving and Education Council's "Ballpark Estimate," which allows users to estimate how much they'll need for retirement.
"They're really straightforward simple things to really put themselves in a position to understand their retirement savings needs," Gannon said.
In addition, nearly every military base around the world has a personal financial manager to provide financial counseling to servicemembers and their families.
Another thing most servicemembers have going for them is youth, Gannon said.
"That's the great thing about the military" that 65 percent of servicemembers are under 30, Gannon said. "Time is on their side."
Though saving for retirement is important at any age, the earlier one can start, the better. If retirement is ominously looming, it's still not too late, Gannon said.
"Once you hit 50, you can contribute an extra $5,000 to the TSP," he said. "It's set up so that for people who start late, they can contribute more and catch up."
American Forces Press Service
Feb. 24, 2009 - Servicemembers are more practical about their retirement needs than their civilian counterparts, according to a survey conducted by the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority, or FINRA, Investor Education Foundation, in cooperation with the Employee Benefit Research Institute. The findings bode well for servicemembers' readiness to transition out of work and into retirement, FINRA's foundation president says.
"Unless you are aware of the amount of money you're going to need in retirement, it's going to be hard to start saving the amount you need," John Gannon, president of the FINRA Foundation, said. "The good thing is the military is much further along in understanding their savings needs than the general public."
While 26 percent of civilian workers think they can retire on less than $250,000, only 10 percent of servicemembers believe that to be true. On the other hand, nearly a third of servicemembers think they'll need more than $1 million, which is a lot closer to the truth, Gannon said.
For most people, $1 million probably will be enough, given that most people will spend 20 to 30 years in retirement, he added.
Servicemembers may be in better stead thanks to the military's efforts to provide financial education. While there's always more that can be done, the services understand the importance of financial readiness, especially in conjunction with military readiness, Gannon said.
"You really don't want somebody being deployed to Iraq or Afghanistan who's worried about back home not being able to pay bills, having credit problems and having their spouse get calls from collection agencies," he said. "That can all cause problems."
In fact, personal finance issues can jeopardize a security clearance.
Though servicemembers, generally, are ahead of civilians when it comes to having a realistic investment plan, they're not doing all they can to make that plan happen, Gannon said.
Only one in five servicemembers are aware of the government's Thrift Savings Plan and fewer than half of those participate in the TSP. More than 87 percent of federal civilian employees participate in the TSP.
"I think it's very important that they understand that the Thrift Savings Plan exists because, for many servicemembers who don't stay in the military for 20 years and get access to the pension, it's really their only retirement savings vehicle in the military," Gannon said. "It's one of the best-designed, employer-sponsored contribution plans that exists in the United States, as far as I'm concerned.
"It's extremely low cost, has great investment options and appears to be a very well-run program."
A section of the FINRA Web site is dedicated to helping military members develop a retirement savings plan. It offers tools such as a retirement calculator and a link to the American Saving and Education Council's "Ballpark Estimate," which allows users to estimate how much they'll need for retirement.
"They're really straightforward simple things to really put themselves in a position to understand their retirement savings needs," Gannon said.
In addition, nearly every military base around the world has a personal financial manager to provide financial counseling to servicemembers and their families.
Another thing most servicemembers have going for them is youth, Gannon said.
"That's the great thing about the military" that 65 percent of servicemembers are under 30, Gannon said. "Time is on their side."
Though saving for retirement is important at any age, the earlier one can start, the better. If retirement is ominously looming, it's still not too late, Gannon said.
"Once you hit 50, you can contribute an extra $5,000 to the TSP," he said. "It's set up so that for people who start late, they can contribute more and catch up."
Combat Vet Gives Voice to Military Musicians
By Sara Moore
American Forces Press Service
Feb. 24, 2009 - Music is considered by many to be a universal language, and for some military veterans, it is the only language that allows them to describe their experiences in combat and their struggles afterward. Military musicians normally would struggle to have their voices heard in the cutthroat music industry, but a fellow veteran has given them a chance to get their music released and in the hands of fans worldwide.
Army Capt. Sean Gilfillan, a reservist who served four years on active duty and a tour in Iraq, started To the Fallen Records in 2006. The record label, which takes its name from a tattoo Gilfillan bears to commemorate fellow servicemembers who died in combat, signs only musicians who are military members or veterans.
Gilfillan said he was inspired to start To the Fallen by the many musicians he met during his time on active duty, and the powerful message their songs had. After he left active duty, he met his wife, and seeing how interested she was in the music made him realize it might appeal to a larger audience, he said.
"It's so emotional," he said. "It's so personal, and we don't see this stuff on TV or on the radio. Unfortunately, we only hear about the attacks and how many people are killed and when bad things happen."
The couple started the record label to bring music from servicemembers to the civilian world and to bridge the gap of understanding about military life and combat.
"If civilians hear military music, they might understand. They're never going to be in those shoes, but they can at least empathize and understand what three tours really does to someone, to someone's family," Gilfillan said. "Not only that, but war ... what happens during war, during patrols, and what it takes to actually psyche yourself up to go out to war, and the struggles when you come home with [post-traumatic stress disorder], with relationships, and how every normal everyday struggle is made more difficult by you being away for so long."
Since its inception, the record label has grown into a platform to showcase all military musicians, even those not talking about combat. But the bottom line, Gilfillan said, has always been quality music.
"If the music isn't good, if the quality isn't there, then we won't feature you," he said. "It has to be radio quality."
In its first year, the record label saw almost instant success, being featured in Rolling Stone magazine and the New York Times and releasing its first three CDs, which were compilations of hip hop, country and rock music. Today, the label has a database of about 2,000 artists and 200 producers it works with, Gilfillan said. It also maintains a database of recording studios that offer discounts to military members.
Establishing a credible record label is very important to Gilfillan, he said, because he wants to give the military musicians a chance to establish a fan base, which is key to any musician's success. He said he follows the military's philosophy that no one person is more important than the organization.
"To the Fallen will always exist," he said. "The artists might change, I might change, but the label will always exist. So, hopefully the name builds enough prestige where any artist being linked to the name will get a leg up."
To the Fallen sells its music online at its Web site and that of the Army and Air Force Exchange Service, and physically, at Green Beans Coffee, which has stores in Iraq and Afghanistan. The label is working on several new projects, including a reality TV show based on military musicians.
Another new project Gilfillan and his wife are working on is in creating a nonprofit group that will use musical therapy to help rehabilitate wounded veterans. The group is in early development, but the vision is a place where wounded veterans can learn about the entire musical process, including recording and production, and use it as therapy, Gilfillan said.
"We would kind of just recruit and train our own military musicians and give them a trade and, in return, we would do musical therapy for anyone who needs it," he said. "I really believe in musical therapy as a viable way to recuperate."
To the Fallen already donates part of its profits to charities that benefit wounded troops, and once the nonprofit organization is established, money would go into that also, Gilfillan said. But more important than the money, he said, is giving military musicians an opportunity to get their music out there and letting the world hear the quality of music servicemembers create.
"These are not hokey artists," he said. "This is real music."
American Forces Press Service
Feb. 24, 2009 - Music is considered by many to be a universal language, and for some military veterans, it is the only language that allows them to describe their experiences in combat and their struggles afterward. Military musicians normally would struggle to have their voices heard in the cutthroat music industry, but a fellow veteran has given them a chance to get their music released and in the hands of fans worldwide.
Army Capt. Sean Gilfillan, a reservist who served four years on active duty and a tour in Iraq, started To the Fallen Records in 2006. The record label, which takes its name from a tattoo Gilfillan bears to commemorate fellow servicemembers who died in combat, signs only musicians who are military members or veterans.
Gilfillan said he was inspired to start To the Fallen by the many musicians he met during his time on active duty, and the powerful message their songs had. After he left active duty, he met his wife, and seeing how interested she was in the music made him realize it might appeal to a larger audience, he said.
"It's so emotional," he said. "It's so personal, and we don't see this stuff on TV or on the radio. Unfortunately, we only hear about the attacks and how many people are killed and when bad things happen."
The couple started the record label to bring music from servicemembers to the civilian world and to bridge the gap of understanding about military life and combat.
"If civilians hear military music, they might understand. They're never going to be in those shoes, but they can at least empathize and understand what three tours really does to someone, to someone's family," Gilfillan said. "Not only that, but war ... what happens during war, during patrols, and what it takes to actually psyche yourself up to go out to war, and the struggles when you come home with [post-traumatic stress disorder], with relationships, and how every normal everyday struggle is made more difficult by you being away for so long."
Since its inception, the record label has grown into a platform to showcase all military musicians, even those not talking about combat. But the bottom line, Gilfillan said, has always been quality music.
"If the music isn't good, if the quality isn't there, then we won't feature you," he said. "It has to be radio quality."
In its first year, the record label saw almost instant success, being featured in Rolling Stone magazine and the New York Times and releasing its first three CDs, which were compilations of hip hop, country and rock music. Today, the label has a database of about 2,000 artists and 200 producers it works with, Gilfillan said. It also maintains a database of recording studios that offer discounts to military members.
Establishing a credible record label is very important to Gilfillan, he said, because he wants to give the military musicians a chance to establish a fan base, which is key to any musician's success. He said he follows the military's philosophy that no one person is more important than the organization.
"To the Fallen will always exist," he said. "The artists might change, I might change, but the label will always exist. So, hopefully the name builds enough prestige where any artist being linked to the name will get a leg up."
To the Fallen sells its music online at its Web site and that of the Army and Air Force Exchange Service, and physically, at Green Beans Coffee, which has stores in Iraq and Afghanistan. The label is working on several new projects, including a reality TV show based on military musicians.
Another new project Gilfillan and his wife are working on is in creating a nonprofit group that will use musical therapy to help rehabilitate wounded veterans. The group is in early development, but the vision is a place where wounded veterans can learn about the entire musical process, including recording and production, and use it as therapy, Gilfillan said.
"We would kind of just recruit and train our own military musicians and give them a trade and, in return, we would do musical therapy for anyone who needs it," he said. "I really believe in musical therapy as a viable way to recuperate."
To the Fallen already donates part of its profits to charities that benefit wounded troops, and once the nonprofit organization is established, money would go into that also, Gilfillan said. But more important than the money, he said, is giving military musicians an opportunity to get their music out there and letting the world hear the quality of music servicemembers create.
"These are not hokey artists," he said. "This is real music."
New Presidential Helicopter Faces Scrutiny
By Donna Miles
American Forces Press Service
Feb. 24, 2009 - The VH-71 helicopter being developed as the next-generation presidential helicopter could get the ax before it ever takes flight. President Barack Obama announced yesterday that he has directed Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates to conduct "a thorough review" of the program, which has experienced big cost overruns.
Speaking at the closing of a White House summit on fiscal responsibility, the president called the helicopter program an example of "the procurement process gone amok."
"We're going to have to fix it," he said, calling it "one of our highest priorities" and urging congressional support.
Obama noted that Gates is a big advocate of the effort and "recognizes that simply adding more and more does not necessarily mean better and better, or safer and more secure."
The president offered a lighthearted take on the helicopter Lockheed-Martin is developing to replace the Sikorsky Marine One helicopters the White House has used for a quarter-century. "The helicopter I have now seems perfectly adequate to me," he quipped. "Of course, I've never had a helicopter before. ... Maybe I've been deprived, and I didn't know it."
The VH-71 contract calls for 28 helicopters for $6 billion, but the cost has almost doubled to about $11 billion.
Cost overruns of this magnitude in major defense acquisition programs require congressional notification. This requirement was established under the so-called Nunn-McCurdy provision of the 1982 Defense Authorization Act. The provision was named for its sponsors, U.S. Sen. Sam Nunn and U.S. Rep Dave McCurdy.
The VH-71 program "certainly fits the category of requiring a Nunn-McCurdy breach notification, and that is not a good position to have a program in," Pentagon spokesman Bryan Whitman told reporters today.
The program will be among many to get a thorough review during the acquisition overhaul, he said. "We are committed to looking at expensive programs, particularly those programs that are underperforming," Whitman said.
American Forces Press Service
Feb. 24, 2009 - The VH-71 helicopter being developed as the next-generation presidential helicopter could get the ax before it ever takes flight. President Barack Obama announced yesterday that he has directed Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates to conduct "a thorough review" of the program, which has experienced big cost overruns.
Speaking at the closing of a White House summit on fiscal responsibility, the president called the helicopter program an example of "the procurement process gone amok."
"We're going to have to fix it," he said, calling it "one of our highest priorities" and urging congressional support.
Obama noted that Gates is a big advocate of the effort and "recognizes that simply adding more and more does not necessarily mean better and better, or safer and more secure."
The president offered a lighthearted take on the helicopter Lockheed-Martin is developing to replace the Sikorsky Marine One helicopters the White House has used for a quarter-century. "The helicopter I have now seems perfectly adequate to me," he quipped. "Of course, I've never had a helicopter before. ... Maybe I've been deprived, and I didn't know it."
The VH-71 contract calls for 28 helicopters for $6 billion, but the cost has almost doubled to about $11 billion.
Cost overruns of this magnitude in major defense acquisition programs require congressional notification. This requirement was established under the so-called Nunn-McCurdy provision of the 1982 Defense Authorization Act. The provision was named for its sponsors, U.S. Sen. Sam Nunn and U.S. Rep Dave McCurdy.
The VH-71 program "certainly fits the category of requiring a Nunn-McCurdy breach notification, and that is not a good position to have a program in," Pentagon spokesman Bryan Whitman told reporters today.
The program will be among many to get a thorough review during the acquisition overhaul, he said. "We are committed to looking at expensive programs, particularly those programs that are underperforming," Whitman said.
MILITARY CONTRACTS February 24, 2009
AIR FORCE
The Air Force is modifying a firm fixed price contract with Lockheed Martin Corp., of Fort Worth, Texas for $797,132,785. This contract action will provide 14 F-16C and 16 F-16D Block 50 aircraft for the Government of Turkey. At this time, $682,158,785 of Foreign Military Sales funds has been obligated. 312 AESG/SYKA, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio is the contracting activity (FA8615-07-C-6034, PZ0005).
The Air Force is modifying a cost plus award fee contract with the Boeing Co., of Seal Beach, Calif., for $43,315,519. This modification will be issued to procure 282,002 hours for CY09 Exercised Options for Sustainment Support. At this time $25,185,415 has been obligated. GPSW/PK, El Segundo, Calif., is the contracting activity (F04701-96-C-0025).
ARMY
General Dynamics Land Systems, Sterling Heights, Mich., was awarded on Feb. 23, 2009, a $32,042,890 firm fixed price contract change order issued to procure national level reset of 129 each 3rd Armored Cavalry Regiment (ACR) Abrams System Enhancement Package (SEPv2) tanks. Work is to be performed at Lima, Ohio, (75 percent), Tallahassee, Fla., (10 percent), Anniston, Ala., (9 percent), Scranton, Pa., (3 percent), and Sterling Heights, Mich., (3 percent), with an estimated completion date of Sep 30, 2010. One bid was solicited and one bid received. The Tank and Automotive Command (TACOM) Contracting Activity (W56HZV-06-G-0006).
Raytheon Co., Andover, Mass., was awarded on Feb. 23, 2009, a $9,244,000 firm fixed price contract for PATRIOT Pure Fleet 12 Lot Add on Items. Work is to be performed at Andover, Mass., with an estimated completion date of Feb. 28, 2010. One bid was solicited and one bid received. The U.S. Army Contracting Command, Aviation & Missile Command Contracting Center, Redstone Arsenal, Ala., is the contracting activity (W31P4Q-07-C-0151).
Shanska USA Building, Inc., Rockville, Md., was awarded on Feb. 20, 2009, a $31,856,596 firm fixed price construction contract for which the requirement for the project consists of constructing a 151,590 gross square foot, 3 story administrative facility for 767 personnel to support co-location of military department adjudication activities on Fort George G. Meade, Md., in compliance with the 2005 Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) Act. The estimated completion date is Feb. 20, 2011. Bids were solicited on the World Wide Web with 10 bids received. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Baltimore District, Baltimore, Md., is the contracting activity (W912DR-09-C-0018).
Bristol Design Build Services, LLC, Anchorage, Ala., was awarded on Feb. 20, 2009, a $13,483,962 firm fixed price contract for PN0666956, design/build FTR262 child development center (Ages 6-10), at Fort Richardson, Ala. Estimated completion date is Oct 1, 2009. Seven bids were solicited with two bids received. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineer District Ala., Elmendorf Air Force Base, Ala., is the contracting activity (W911KB-08-D-0008).
BATTELLE MEMORIAL INSTITUTE, Columbus, Ohio, was awarded on Feb 19, 2009, an increase of $78,500,000 cost-reimbursable type contract for the Scientific Services Program which is designed to provide scientific, technical and advisory services for problems related to research and development projects within the Government. This program is composed of Short-Term Analysis Services (STAS). STAS is designed for the resolution of problems for the sponsoring agency or command if the objectives are achievable in a short period of time (usually within a two-year period) through the efforts of the selected scientist(s) or engineer(s). OTHER INFORMATION REGARDING THIS MODIFICATION: A Justification & Approval was signed in accordance with the appropriate signature authority. Performance locations are to be determined with each task order and have an estimated completion date of Nov. 30, 2011. Bids were solicited on the World Wide Web with one bid received. The U.S. Army Research Development Engineering Command, Acquisition Center-Research Triangle Park, Durham, N.C., is the contracting activity (W911NF-07-D-0001).
BAE Systems Land & Armaments Limited Partnership, Armament Systems Division, Minneapolis, Minn., was awarded on Feb. 19, 2009, a $22,461,120 firm fixed price contract to procure the Improved Vehicle Emergency Escape (IVEE) Windshield Kit for the M1151 Up-Armored High Mobility Multi-purpose Wheeled Vehicle (HMMW) for a quantity of 5,685 kits. Work is to be performed at Minneapolis, Minn., with an estimated completion date of Dec. 31, 2009. One bid was solicited and one bid received. The U.S. Army Tank & Automotive Command (TACOM) Contracting Center, Warren, Mich., is the contracting activity (W56HZV-09-C-0322).
DEFENSE LOGISTICS AGENCY
Caterpillar Inc., Mossville, Ind., is being awarded a maximum $15,288,972 firm fixed price, long term contract for motor graders. Other location of performance is in Illinois. Using service is Navy. There were originally 4 proposals solicited with 1 response. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The date of performance completion is Feb. 28, 2010. The contracting activity is the Defense Supply Center Philadelphia, Philadelphia, Pa., (SPM500-01-D-0059-0260).
Propper International, Inc., Mayaquez, Puerto Rico is being awarded a maximum $28,600,250 firm fixed price contract for Air Force parkas and trousers. Other location of performance is in Puerto Rico. Using service is Air Force. The proposal was originally Web solicited with three responses. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract is exercising the fourth option year period. The date of performance completion is Feb. 22, 2010. The contracting activity is Defense Supply Center Philadelphia (DSCP), Philadelphia, Pa., (SPM1C1-09-D-0035).
Y. Hata & Co., Limited, Honolulu, Hawaii *, is being awarded a maximum $7,989,041 fixed price with economic price adjustment, sole source, C-1 Bridge contract for full line food distribution. Other location of performance is in Hawaii. Using services are Army, Navy, Air Force and Marine Corps. There was originally one proposal solicited with one response. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The date of performance completion is Jan. 12, 2010. The contracting activity is the Defense Supply Center Philadelphia (DSCP), Philadelphia, Pa., (SPM300-09-D-3295).
NAVY
Cityon Systems, Inc.*, Plano, Texas, is being awarded a $6,302,691 indefinite delivery, indefinite quantity, firm fixed price contract for firewall server load balancing appliances. Work will be performed in Plano, Texas, and is expected to be completed by Feb. 2013. Contractfunds in the amount of$37,854willexpire by the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was competitively procured via the Federal Business Opportunities web site and the Space and Naval Warfare Systems Command E-commerce web site, with four proposals solicited and four offers received. The Space and Naval Warfare Systems Center Atlantic, is the contracting activity (N65236-08-D-6045).
Northrop Grumman Corp., Melville, N.Y., is being awarded a $6,019,124 modification to previously awarded contract (N00024-05-C-4307) for Design Agent/Technical Engineering Services (DA/TE) in support of the AN/SPQ-9B Radar System Program. The AN/SPQ-9B ASMD radar program is a radar improvement program to the AN/SPQ-9A radar providing the Navy the capability to detect and track low-flying, high-speed, small Radar Cross Section (RCS) anti-ship missile targets in heavy clutter environments. The contract provides for design and on-site support to AN/SPQ-9B Radars during installation, integration, testing and refurbishment. The modification provides for continuing support under the DA/TE contract during Fiscal Year 2009. This contract supports special studies, failure analysis, engineering change proposal investigation and other on-going developmental efforts associated with the AN/SPQ-9B Program. Work will be performed in Melville, N.Y., (78 percent), Baltimore, Md., (16 percent), and Norwalk, Conn., (6 percent), and is expected to be completed in Feb. 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.
The Air Force is modifying a firm fixed price contract with Lockheed Martin Corp., of Fort Worth, Texas for $797,132,785. This contract action will provide 14 F-16C and 16 F-16D Block 50 aircraft for the Government of Turkey. At this time, $682,158,785 of Foreign Military Sales funds has been obligated. 312 AESG/SYKA, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio is the contracting activity (FA8615-07-C-6034, PZ0005).
The Air Force is modifying a cost plus award fee contract with the Boeing Co., of Seal Beach, Calif., for $43,315,519. This modification will be issued to procure 282,002 hours for CY09 Exercised Options for Sustainment Support. At this time $25,185,415 has been obligated. GPSW/PK, El Segundo, Calif., is the contracting activity (F04701-96-C-0025).
ARMY
General Dynamics Land Systems, Sterling Heights, Mich., was awarded on Feb. 23, 2009, a $32,042,890 firm fixed price contract change order issued to procure national level reset of 129 each 3rd Armored Cavalry Regiment (ACR) Abrams System Enhancement Package (SEPv2) tanks. Work is to be performed at Lima, Ohio, (75 percent), Tallahassee, Fla., (10 percent), Anniston, Ala., (9 percent), Scranton, Pa., (3 percent), and Sterling Heights, Mich., (3 percent), with an estimated completion date of Sep 30, 2010. One bid was solicited and one bid received. The Tank and Automotive Command (TACOM) Contracting Activity (W56HZV-06-G-0006).
Raytheon Co., Andover, Mass., was awarded on Feb. 23, 2009, a $9,244,000 firm fixed price contract for PATRIOT Pure Fleet 12 Lot Add on Items. Work is to be performed at Andover, Mass., with an estimated completion date of Feb. 28, 2010. One bid was solicited and one bid received. The U.S. Army Contracting Command, Aviation & Missile Command Contracting Center, Redstone Arsenal, Ala., is the contracting activity (W31P4Q-07-C-0151).
Shanska USA Building, Inc., Rockville, Md., was awarded on Feb. 20, 2009, a $31,856,596 firm fixed price construction contract for which the requirement for the project consists of constructing a 151,590 gross square foot, 3 story administrative facility for 767 personnel to support co-location of military department adjudication activities on Fort George G. Meade, Md., in compliance with the 2005 Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) Act. The estimated completion date is Feb. 20, 2011. Bids were solicited on the World Wide Web with 10 bids received. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Baltimore District, Baltimore, Md., is the contracting activity (W912DR-09-C-0018).
Bristol Design Build Services, LLC, Anchorage, Ala., was awarded on Feb. 20, 2009, a $13,483,962 firm fixed price contract for PN0666956, design/build FTR262 child development center (Ages 6-10), at Fort Richardson, Ala. Estimated completion date is Oct 1, 2009. Seven bids were solicited with two bids received. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineer District Ala., Elmendorf Air Force Base, Ala., is the contracting activity (W911KB-08-D-0008).
BATTELLE MEMORIAL INSTITUTE, Columbus, Ohio, was awarded on Feb 19, 2009, an increase of $78,500,000 cost-reimbursable type contract for the Scientific Services Program which is designed to provide scientific, technical and advisory services for problems related to research and development projects within the Government. This program is composed of Short-Term Analysis Services (STAS). STAS is designed for the resolution of problems for the sponsoring agency or command if the objectives are achievable in a short period of time (usually within a two-year period) through the efforts of the selected scientist(s) or engineer(s). OTHER INFORMATION REGARDING THIS MODIFICATION: A Justification & Approval was signed in accordance with the appropriate signature authority. Performance locations are to be determined with each task order and have an estimated completion date of Nov. 30, 2011. Bids were solicited on the World Wide Web with one bid received. The U.S. Army Research Development Engineering Command, Acquisition Center-Research Triangle Park, Durham, N.C., is the contracting activity (W911NF-07-D-0001).
BAE Systems Land & Armaments Limited Partnership, Armament Systems Division, Minneapolis, Minn., was awarded on Feb. 19, 2009, a $22,461,120 firm fixed price contract to procure the Improved Vehicle Emergency Escape (IVEE) Windshield Kit for the M1151 Up-Armored High Mobility Multi-purpose Wheeled Vehicle (HMMW) for a quantity of 5,685 kits. Work is to be performed at Minneapolis, Minn., with an estimated completion date of Dec. 31, 2009. One bid was solicited and one bid received. The U.S. Army Tank & Automotive Command (TACOM) Contracting Center, Warren, Mich., is the contracting activity (W56HZV-09-C-0322).
DEFENSE LOGISTICS AGENCY
Caterpillar Inc., Mossville, Ind., is being awarded a maximum $15,288,972 firm fixed price, long term contract for motor graders. Other location of performance is in Illinois. Using service is Navy. There were originally 4 proposals solicited with 1 response. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The date of performance completion is Feb. 28, 2010. The contracting activity is the Defense Supply Center Philadelphia, Philadelphia, Pa., (SPM500-01-D-0059-0260).
Propper International, Inc., Mayaquez, Puerto Rico is being awarded a maximum $28,600,250 firm fixed price contract for Air Force parkas and trousers. Other location of performance is in Puerto Rico. Using service is Air Force. The proposal was originally Web solicited with three responses. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract is exercising the fourth option year period. The date of performance completion is Feb. 22, 2010. The contracting activity is Defense Supply Center Philadelphia (DSCP), Philadelphia, Pa., (SPM1C1-09-D-0035).
Y. Hata & Co., Limited, Honolulu, Hawaii *, is being awarded a maximum $7,989,041 fixed price with economic price adjustment, sole source, C-1 Bridge contract for full line food distribution. Other location of performance is in Hawaii. Using services are Army, Navy, Air Force and Marine Corps. There was originally one proposal solicited with one response. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The date of performance completion is Jan. 12, 2010. The contracting activity is the Defense Supply Center Philadelphia (DSCP), Philadelphia, Pa., (SPM300-09-D-3295).
NAVY
Cityon Systems, Inc.*, Plano, Texas, is being awarded a $6,302,691 indefinite delivery, indefinite quantity, firm fixed price contract for firewall server load balancing appliances. Work will be performed in Plano, Texas, and is expected to be completed by Feb. 2013. Contractfunds in the amount of$37,854willexpire by the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was competitively procured via the Federal Business Opportunities web site and the Space and Naval Warfare Systems Command E-commerce web site, with four proposals solicited and four offers received. The Space and Naval Warfare Systems Center Atlantic, is the contracting activity (N65236-08-D-6045).
Northrop Grumman Corp., Melville, N.Y., is being awarded a $6,019,124 modification to previously awarded contract (N00024-05-C-4307) for Design Agent/Technical Engineering Services (DA/TE) in support of the AN/SPQ-9B Radar System Program. The AN/SPQ-9B ASMD radar program is a radar improvement program to the AN/SPQ-9A radar providing the Navy the capability to detect and track low-flying, high-speed, small Radar Cross Section (RCS) anti-ship missile targets in heavy clutter environments. The contract provides for design and on-site support to AN/SPQ-9B Radars during installation, integration, testing and refurbishment. The modification provides for continuing support under the DA/TE contract during Fiscal Year 2009. This contract supports special studies, failure analysis, engineering change proposal investigation and other on-going developmental efforts associated with the AN/SPQ-9B Program. Work will be performed in Melville, N.Y., (78 percent), Baltimore, Md., (16 percent), and Norwalk, Conn., (6 percent), and is expected to be completed in Feb. 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.
Monday, February 23, 2009
Face of Defense: Navy Officer Scales Africa's Tallest Mountain
By Dan Bender
Special to American Forces Press Service
Feb. 23, 2009 - As a member of the Navy Supply Corps who works for the Defense Logistics Agency, Navy Capt. Jim Patton is especially attuned to the importance of logistical support for missions. So when he and his wife, Laurie, recently trekked up the side of Mount Kilimanjaro in Africa, one thing that impressed him, besides the spectacular views, was the logistical prowess of the guides who accompanied their tour group up the mountain.
"The guides were masters at logistics and moving a large crowd up and down the mountain and feeding all of us," he said. "They prepared three-course meals for about 15 of us in the group on a gas tank with a single flame, and they had to carry everything on their backs.
"It was phenomenal what those guys could do," added Patton, who is director of maritime customer operations at the Defense Supply Center here. "I was very impressed with the logistical support on the trip."
The Pattons and a friend from San Diego traveled to Tanzania on Jan. 10 and joined a tour group for two weeks in climbing to the 19,340-foot summit of Kilimanjaro, the highest mountain in Africa. The group traveled the Marangu trail, one of several routes up the mountain that require no technical skills in the art of mountain climbing.
Patton, whose only other visits to Africa have been a few brief port calls, described hiking up Kilimanjaro as "a once-in-a-lifetime experience" that left him with "all kinds of memories."
The final push to the summit was the most taxing part of the hike; the group left at midnight to be at the summit for sunrise, he said.
"The night sky from that altitude is a phenomenal view," he said. "Watching the clouds dart about the mountain peaks in the moonlight was unbelievably beautiful."
The biggest challenge was getting accustomed to the altitude, since the air pressure at the top of Kilimanjaro is roughly half that at sea level.
"The guides were trained to watch for altitude sickness, and they had our group take its time, which enabled us to not only get used to working in the thinner air but also enjoy the spectacular scenery along the way," Patton said.
The trek up and down the mountain took six days, Patton said, and the group's route took them along well-maintained pathways through rain forest, moorland, alpine desert and, ultimately, the summit at Uhuru Peak.
"It's just gorgeous up there," Patton said. "There are pockets of the glacier all around, and the ice was blue-green in color when the sunlight came through it. "Plus, at night, you could see how deep and beautiful the Milky Way galaxy is when you're away from everything. I could see many of the constellations very clearly."
(Dan Bender works in the public affairs office for the Defense Logistics Agency's supply center in Columbus, Ohio.)
Special to American Forces Press Service
Feb. 23, 2009 - As a member of the Navy Supply Corps who works for the Defense Logistics Agency, Navy Capt. Jim Patton is especially attuned to the importance of logistical support for missions. So when he and his wife, Laurie, recently trekked up the side of Mount Kilimanjaro in Africa, one thing that impressed him, besides the spectacular views, was the logistical prowess of the guides who accompanied their tour group up the mountain.
"The guides were masters at logistics and moving a large crowd up and down the mountain and feeding all of us," he said. "They prepared three-course meals for about 15 of us in the group on a gas tank with a single flame, and they had to carry everything on their backs.
"It was phenomenal what those guys could do," added Patton, who is director of maritime customer operations at the Defense Supply Center here. "I was very impressed with the logistical support on the trip."
The Pattons and a friend from San Diego traveled to Tanzania on Jan. 10 and joined a tour group for two weeks in climbing to the 19,340-foot summit of Kilimanjaro, the highest mountain in Africa. The group traveled the Marangu trail, one of several routes up the mountain that require no technical skills in the art of mountain climbing.
Patton, whose only other visits to Africa have been a few brief port calls, described hiking up Kilimanjaro as "a once-in-a-lifetime experience" that left him with "all kinds of memories."
The final push to the summit was the most taxing part of the hike; the group left at midnight to be at the summit for sunrise, he said.
"The night sky from that altitude is a phenomenal view," he said. "Watching the clouds dart about the mountain peaks in the moonlight was unbelievably beautiful."
The biggest challenge was getting accustomed to the altitude, since the air pressure at the top of Kilimanjaro is roughly half that at sea level.
"The guides were trained to watch for altitude sickness, and they had our group take its time, which enabled us to not only get used to working in the thinner air but also enjoy the spectacular scenery along the way," Patton said.
The trek up and down the mountain took six days, Patton said, and the group's route took them along well-maintained pathways through rain forest, moorland, alpine desert and, ultimately, the summit at Uhuru Peak.
"It's just gorgeous up there," Patton said. "There are pockets of the glacier all around, and the ice was blue-green in color when the sunlight came through it. "Plus, at night, you could see how deep and beautiful the Milky Way galaxy is when you're away from everything. I could see many of the constellations very clearly."
(Dan Bender works in the public affairs office for the Defense Logistics Agency's supply center in Columbus, Ohio.)
Gates to Take Comprehensive Approach to End 'Stop-Loss'
By Jim Garamone
American Forces Press Service
Feb. 23, 2009 - Ending the military's so-called "stop-loss" program is a priority for Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates, a senior official said here today. The stop-loss program is the involuntary extension of active duty beyond a servicemember's expiration of term of service, or ETS.
The program is in place to make sure units deploy with all positions filled. Servicemembers with an ETS or retirement date that would occur while a unit is deployed can be "stop-lossed" – or extended – until the end of the deployment.
This is an issue that the services have had to deal with since the beginning of the conflicts in Afghanistan and Iraq, Pentagon spokesman Bryan Whitman said today. Currently, only the Army is using the provision, with about 13,200 soldiers involuntarily extended.
"The goal here ... is to move as rapidly as possible to end stop-loss altogether," Whitman said. "It is the secretary's desire to take a comprehensive approach to ending this, which includes using the additional authorization Congress has given the department to be able to grant a special pay to those soldiers that are affected by stop-loss."
The congressional initiative funds a special pay of $500 per month to stop-lossed servicemembers. "The department appreciates the authority as well as the flexibility to compensate servicemembers that are affected by stop-loss," Whitman said. "But the goal here is to end stop-loss altogether as rapidly as possible."
Army officials will brief Gates on the program later this week, he said.
American Forces Press Service
Feb. 23, 2009 - Ending the military's so-called "stop-loss" program is a priority for Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates, a senior official said here today. The stop-loss program is the involuntary extension of active duty beyond a servicemember's expiration of term of service, or ETS.
The program is in place to make sure units deploy with all positions filled. Servicemembers with an ETS or retirement date that would occur while a unit is deployed can be "stop-lossed" – or extended – until the end of the deployment.
This is an issue that the services have had to deal with since the beginning of the conflicts in Afghanistan and Iraq, Pentagon spokesman Bryan Whitman said today. Currently, only the Army is using the provision, with about 13,200 soldiers involuntarily extended.
"The goal here ... is to move as rapidly as possible to end stop-loss altogether," Whitman said. "It is the secretary's desire to take a comprehensive approach to ending this, which includes using the additional authorization Congress has given the department to be able to grant a special pay to those soldiers that are affected by stop-loss."
The congressional initiative funds a special pay of $500 per month to stop-lossed servicemembers. "The department appreciates the authority as well as the flexibility to compensate servicemembers that are affected by stop-loss," Whitman said. "But the goal here is to end stop-loss altogether as rapidly as possible."
Army officials will brief Gates on the program later this week, he said.
Defense, VA Reform Evaluation System for Seriously Injured Vets
By Army Staff Sgt. Michael J. Carden
American Forces Press Service
Feb. 23, 2009 - Two years is much too long to determine service disabilities, especially when the injuries obviously qualify a servicemember for full benefits and compensation, a senior Defense Department official said here today. Until recently, that's how long it took all military members to reach 100-percent-disabled status in terms of their disability compensation and medical benefits through the departments of Defense and Veterans Affairs. Regardless of the severity of the injuries, all went through multiple medical evaluations and screenings first with the military, only to go through the same process again with VA, Air Force Maj. Gen. Keith W. Meurlin, acting director of the Defense Department's transition policy and care coordination office, explained.
Often, it can take up to two years to complete the evaluations and another nine months to start receiving benefits, Meurlin added.
"Why put [seriously injured combat veterans] through a two-year process when you basically know the outcome -- that they're going to be 100-percent disabled?" Meurlin said. "And why wait two years to get their VA benefits to them?"
Now, veterans seriously wounded in combat and identified as "catastrophically wounded" go through an expedited disability evaluation process that lasts about 100 days to begin receiving benefits. If veterans are recognized as fitting into that category, they will forego the redundancy of separate Defense and VA medical evaluations and go through the VA process only, the general said.
"We've taken a two-year process and reduced it to three months," he said. "We think it's a lot better for the individual and their family to make it shorter when you understand what the conclusion to the process is anyway."
The expedited process applies to servicemembers whose conditions are designated catastrophic and whose injuries were incurred in the line of duty as a direct result of armed conflict, Meurlin explained. A catastrophic injury or illness is a permanent, severely disabling injury, disorder, or disease to such a degree that a servicemember or veteran requires personal or mechanical assistance to leave home or bed, or requires constant supervision to avoid physical harm to themselves or others.
"We are talking about somebody who has been so badly injured that they cannot take care of [themselves] in daily life operations," he said. "The injury has to be combat-related, and it is a condition that makes the activities of daily life almost impossible for him."
Eventually, all servicemembers transitioning to veteran status may benefit from the changes the expedited disability evaluation system offers. The current system may be completely reformed to a one-year process by cutting out the military evaluation altogether, much like the expedient version. The pilot program for such a process is under way, but no decisions have been made yet, Meurlin said.
"The whole disability system is going through a number of reviews right now," he said. "Within our ability, we're taking the disability system, shrinking it down and making it more efficient."
Today's disability system is really a product of World War II, the Korean War and Vietnam War, and is well overdue for an update, Meurlin said. The current system doesn't fit well with the injuries military members suffer and the high survival rate they've endured during today's wars, he added.
"I think we're recognizing in this war, with the body armor and the improved vehicles, that we're having a whole different kind of injury," Meurlin said, noting the significance post-traumatic stress and traumatic brain injuries are having on troops. "We're getting a new type of injury and survival rate. We're bringing a lot of people home today that before we would've lost on the battlefield [in earlier wars].
"It's important to get them the right set of benefits as early as we can and deliver them expeditiously and as fairly as we can," he added.
American Forces Press Service
Feb. 23, 2009 - Two years is much too long to determine service disabilities, especially when the injuries obviously qualify a servicemember for full benefits and compensation, a senior Defense Department official said here today. Until recently, that's how long it took all military members to reach 100-percent-disabled status in terms of their disability compensation and medical benefits through the departments of Defense and Veterans Affairs. Regardless of the severity of the injuries, all went through multiple medical evaluations and screenings first with the military, only to go through the same process again with VA, Air Force Maj. Gen. Keith W. Meurlin, acting director of the Defense Department's transition policy and care coordination office, explained.
Often, it can take up to two years to complete the evaluations and another nine months to start receiving benefits, Meurlin added.
"Why put [seriously injured combat veterans] through a two-year process when you basically know the outcome -- that they're going to be 100-percent disabled?" Meurlin said. "And why wait two years to get their VA benefits to them?"
Now, veterans seriously wounded in combat and identified as "catastrophically wounded" go through an expedited disability evaluation process that lasts about 100 days to begin receiving benefits. If veterans are recognized as fitting into that category, they will forego the redundancy of separate Defense and VA medical evaluations and go through the VA process only, the general said.
"We've taken a two-year process and reduced it to three months," he said. "We think it's a lot better for the individual and their family to make it shorter when you understand what the conclusion to the process is anyway."
The expedited process applies to servicemembers whose conditions are designated catastrophic and whose injuries were incurred in the line of duty as a direct result of armed conflict, Meurlin explained. A catastrophic injury or illness is a permanent, severely disabling injury, disorder, or disease to such a degree that a servicemember or veteran requires personal or mechanical assistance to leave home or bed, or requires constant supervision to avoid physical harm to themselves or others.
"We are talking about somebody who has been so badly injured that they cannot take care of [themselves] in daily life operations," he said. "The injury has to be combat-related, and it is a condition that makes the activities of daily life almost impossible for him."
Eventually, all servicemembers transitioning to veteran status may benefit from the changes the expedited disability evaluation system offers. The current system may be completely reformed to a one-year process by cutting out the military evaluation altogether, much like the expedient version. The pilot program for such a process is under way, but no decisions have been made yet, Meurlin said.
"The whole disability system is going through a number of reviews right now," he said. "Within our ability, we're taking the disability system, shrinking it down and making it more efficient."
Today's disability system is really a product of World War II, the Korean War and Vietnam War, and is well overdue for an update, Meurlin said. The current system doesn't fit well with the injuries military members suffer and the high survival rate they've endured during today's wars, he added.
"I think we're recognizing in this war, with the body armor and the improved vehicles, that we're having a whole different kind of injury," Meurlin said, noting the significance post-traumatic stress and traumatic brain injuries are having on troops. "We're getting a new type of injury and survival rate. We're bringing a lot of people home today that before we would've lost on the battlefield [in earlier wars].
"It's important to get them the right set of benefits as early as we can and deliver them expeditiously and as fairly as we can," he added.
MILITARY CONTRACTS February 23, 2009
NAVY
Raytheon Co., Tucson, Ariz., is being awarded a $30,660,390 modification to previously awarded contract (N00024-07-C-5443) to increase the ceiling amount for FY 09 Design Agent Engineering Service Line Items for the MK-31 Rolling Airframe Missile Guided Missile Weapon System. The MK-31 Rolling Airframe Missile Guided Missile Weapon System is a cooperative development and production program conducted jointly by the United States and the Federal Republic of Germany under Memoranda of Understanding. The support procured under this contract is required to maintain current weapon system capability, as well as resolve issues through design, systems, software maintenance, reliability, maintainability, quality assurance and logistics engineering services. Work will be performed in Tucson, Ariz., and is expected to be completed by Dec. 2009. Contract funds in the amount of $3,632,897 will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Naval Sea Systems Command, Washington, D.C., is the contracting activity.
General Dynamics Advanced Information Systems, Inc., through Digital System Resources, Inc., Fairfax, Va., is being awarded an $18,054,166 modification to previously awarded contract (N00024-05-C-6244) for 118,072 additional engineering services hours in support of the development, field maintenance and modification of the Photonics Mast Workstations (PMWs), which will be integrated into the Photonics Mast System. The contractor to address analysis, testing, design and modifications required on the PMWs that are used to control and display imaging sensor data from the AN/BVS-1 Photonics Mast on Va., Class submarines. Work will be performed in Fairfax, Va., (90 percent); Pittsfield, Mass., (6 percent); and Mystic, Conn., (4 percent), and is expected to be completed by Aug. 2011. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Naval Sea Systems Command, Washington, D.C., is the contracting activity.
Raytheon Co., Tucson, Ariz., is being awarded a $15,028,132 modification to previously awarded contract (N00024-07-C-5437) to provide an increase in option exercise for engineering and technical services in support of the MK15 Phalanx Close-In-Weapon System (CIWS). The Phalanx CIWS is a fast reaction terminal defense against low and high flying, high-speed maneuvering anti-ship missile threats that have penetrated all other ships' defenses. The CIWS is an integral element of the Fleet Defense In-Depth concept and the Ship Self-Defense Program. Operating either autonomously or integrated with a combat system, it is an automatic terminal defense weapon system designed to detect, track, engage, and destroy anti-ship missile threats penetrating other defense envelopes. Phalanx CIWS is currently installed on approximately 187 USN ships and is in use in 20 foreign navies. Work will be performed in Tucson, Ariz., and is expected to be completed by Sept. 2009. Contract funds in the amount of $1,500,000, will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Naval Sea Systems Command, Washington, D.C., is the contracting activity.
Rockwell Collins Government Systems, Inc., Cedar Rapids, Iowa, is being awarded a $12,340,064 modification to a previously awarded firm fixed priced contract (N00019-05-C-0050) to exercise an option for the FY 2009 production of AN/ARC-210(V) Electronic Protection Radio System for the U.S. Air Force F-15 E aircraft. This modification provides for 121 RT-1851A(C) Receiver-Transmitter (RT) radios; 121 RT Warranties; 121 AM-7526 High Power Amplifiers; and 121 MX-11641 LNA Diplexers. Work will be performed in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, and is expected to be completed in Dec. 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.
McDonnell Douglas Corp., a wholly owned subsidiary of The Boeing Co., St. Louis, Mo., is being awarded a $9,002,462 cost plus fix fee contract for Interim Contractor Logistics and maintenance services in support of the Reconfigurable Transportable Consolidated Automated Support Systems and Self-Maintenance Automated Test and Calibration test sets for the U.S. Navy, the U.S. Air Force, and the U.S. Marine Corps. Work will be performed in St. Louis, Mo., and is expected to be completed in Feb. 2011. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was not competitively procured. The Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division, Lakehurst, N.J., is the contracting activity (N68335-09-C-0100).
ITT Industries, Integrated Electronic Warfare Systems, Clifton, N. J., is being awarded an $8,630,774 firm fixed price order against a previously issued basic ordering agreement (N00019-05-G-0017) for supplies and services required for risk reduction efforts in support of an AN/ALQ-214 Engineering Change Proposal (ECP). This ECP is intended to allow the ALQ-214 to meet the requirements for the On-Board Jammer System on the F/A-18 E/F Aircraft. Work will be performed at Clifton, N.J., (99.3 percent); Hillsboro, Ore., (.5 percent); and Chandler, Ariz., (.2 percent), and is expected to be completed in Dec. 2009. Contract funds in the amount of $2,127,123 will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Naval Air Systems Command, Patuxent River, Md., is the contracting activity.
Sealift, Inc., Oyster Bay, N.Y., is being awarded a $6,708,925 firm fixed price contract for a 108-calendar day time charter of U.S. Air Force container ship MV TSGT John A. Chapman. The ship's primary mission will be to preposition U.S. Air Force ammunition at sea, is expected to operate in and around Saipan in the Western Pacific Ocean. The contract includes options, which if exercised, would bring the total contract value to $46,197,020. Work on the contract is expected to commence by Jun. 2009 and is expected to be completed within 115-calendar days. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the fiscal year. This contract was competitively procured, with two offers received. The U.S. Navy's Military Sealift Command, Washington, D.C., is the contracting activity (N00033-09-C-3317).
AIR FORCE
The Air Force is awarding an indefinite delivery, indefinite quantity contract to the following contactors Capital City Technologies Inc. of Suwanee, Ga., Kearney and Co., of Alexandria, Va., and Pricewaterhouse Coopers of McLean, Va., with a program ceiling of $95,000,000. This action will provide advisory and assistance services to provide a full range of integrated business services to support the Secretary of Air Force Financial Management Program mission. At this time, no money has been obligated. AFDW/A7KS, Anacostia Annex, District of Columbia is the contracting activity (FA7014-09-D-0004, FA7014-09-D-0005, FA7014-09-D-0006).
The Air Force is awarding a cost plus fixed fee contract to Battelle Memorial Institute of Columbus, Ohio for an estimated $5,512,542. This action is to develop a program that will include the evaluation and testing of available chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear protective technology towards the effective distribution, execution, and accountability of escape masks for the Pentagon Facilities. At this time, $1,469,632 has been obligated. 55CONS/LGCD, Offutt Air Force Base, Neb., is the contracting activity (SP0700-00-D-3180).
DEFENSE LOGISTICS AGENCY
Oshkosh Corp., Oshkosh, Wis., is being awarded a maximum $8,508,683 firm fixed price contract for delivery of trucks and snow blowers. There are no other locations of performance. Using service is Air Force. There were originally two proposals solicited with one response. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The date of performance completion is Sept. 21, 2011. The contracting activity is the Defense Supply Center Philadelphia (DSCP), Philadelphia, Pa., (SPM500-01-D-0066-0026).
Y. Hata & Co., Limited, Honolulu, Hawaii *, is being awarded a maximum $7,989,041 fixed price with economic price adjustment, sole source, C-1 Bridge contract for full line food distribution. Other location of performance is in Hawaii. Using services are Army, Navy, Air Force and Marine Corps. There was originally one proposal solicited with one response. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The date of performance completion is Jan. 12, 2010. The contracting activity is the Defense Supply Center Philadelphia, Philadelphia, Pa., (SPM300-09-D-3295).
UNITED STATES TRANSPORTATION COMMAND
American Auto Logistics, LP of Park Ridge, N.J., 07656-1878, is being awarded a $10,000,000.00 firm fixed price modification to add additional funds to a previously awarded contract (DAMT01-03-D-0184) to provide continuing services for the transportation and storage of privately owned vehicles. Work will be performed at worldwide locations and is expected to be completed Oct 31, 09. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The contracting activity is United States Transportation Command (USTRANSCOM), Directorate of Acquisition, Scott AFB, Ill., 62225.
Raytheon Co., Tucson, Ariz., is being awarded a $30,660,390 modification to previously awarded contract (N00024-07-C-5443) to increase the ceiling amount for FY 09 Design Agent Engineering Service Line Items for the MK-31 Rolling Airframe Missile Guided Missile Weapon System. The MK-31 Rolling Airframe Missile Guided Missile Weapon System is a cooperative development and production program conducted jointly by the United States and the Federal Republic of Germany under Memoranda of Understanding. The support procured under this contract is required to maintain current weapon system capability, as well as resolve issues through design, systems, software maintenance, reliability, maintainability, quality assurance and logistics engineering services. Work will be performed in Tucson, Ariz., and is expected to be completed by Dec. 2009. Contract funds in the amount of $3,632,897 will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Naval Sea Systems Command, Washington, D.C., is the contracting activity.
General Dynamics Advanced Information Systems, Inc., through Digital System Resources, Inc., Fairfax, Va., is being awarded an $18,054,166 modification to previously awarded contract (N00024-05-C-6244) for 118,072 additional engineering services hours in support of the development, field maintenance and modification of the Photonics Mast Workstations (PMWs), which will be integrated into the Photonics Mast System. The contractor to address analysis, testing, design and modifications required on the PMWs that are used to control and display imaging sensor data from the AN/BVS-1 Photonics Mast on Va., Class submarines. Work will be performed in Fairfax, Va., (90 percent); Pittsfield, Mass., (6 percent); and Mystic, Conn., (4 percent), and is expected to be completed by Aug. 2011. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Naval Sea Systems Command, Washington, D.C., is the contracting activity.
Raytheon Co., Tucson, Ariz., is being awarded a $15,028,132 modification to previously awarded contract (N00024-07-C-5437) to provide an increase in option exercise for engineering and technical services in support of the MK15 Phalanx Close-In-Weapon System (CIWS). The Phalanx CIWS is a fast reaction terminal defense against low and high flying, high-speed maneuvering anti-ship missile threats that have penetrated all other ships' defenses. The CIWS is an integral element of the Fleet Defense In-Depth concept and the Ship Self-Defense Program. Operating either autonomously or integrated with a combat system, it is an automatic terminal defense weapon system designed to detect, track, engage, and destroy anti-ship missile threats penetrating other defense envelopes. Phalanx CIWS is currently installed on approximately 187 USN ships and is in use in 20 foreign navies. Work will be performed in Tucson, Ariz., and is expected to be completed by Sept. 2009. Contract funds in the amount of $1,500,000, will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Naval Sea Systems Command, Washington, D.C., is the contracting activity.
Rockwell Collins Government Systems, Inc., Cedar Rapids, Iowa, is being awarded a $12,340,064 modification to a previously awarded firm fixed priced contract (N00019-05-C-0050) to exercise an option for the FY 2009 production of AN/ARC-210(V) Electronic Protection Radio System for the U.S. Air Force F-15 E aircraft. This modification provides for 121 RT-1851A(C) Receiver-Transmitter (RT) radios; 121 RT Warranties; 121 AM-7526 High Power Amplifiers; and 121 MX-11641 LNA Diplexers. Work will be performed in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, and is expected to be completed in Dec. 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.
McDonnell Douglas Corp., a wholly owned subsidiary of The Boeing Co., St. Louis, Mo., is being awarded a $9,002,462 cost plus fix fee contract for Interim Contractor Logistics and maintenance services in support of the Reconfigurable Transportable Consolidated Automated Support Systems and Self-Maintenance Automated Test and Calibration test sets for the U.S. Navy, the U.S. Air Force, and the U.S. Marine Corps. Work will be performed in St. Louis, Mo., and is expected to be completed in Feb. 2011. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was not competitively procured. The Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division, Lakehurst, N.J., is the contracting activity (N68335-09-C-0100).
ITT Industries, Integrated Electronic Warfare Systems, Clifton, N. J., is being awarded an $8,630,774 firm fixed price order against a previously issued basic ordering agreement (N00019-05-G-0017) for supplies and services required for risk reduction efforts in support of an AN/ALQ-214 Engineering Change Proposal (ECP). This ECP is intended to allow the ALQ-214 to meet the requirements for the On-Board Jammer System on the F/A-18 E/F Aircraft. Work will be performed at Clifton, N.J., (99.3 percent); Hillsboro, Ore., (.5 percent); and Chandler, Ariz., (.2 percent), and is expected to be completed in Dec. 2009. Contract funds in the amount of $2,127,123 will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Naval Air Systems Command, Patuxent River, Md., is the contracting activity.
Sealift, Inc., Oyster Bay, N.Y., is being awarded a $6,708,925 firm fixed price contract for a 108-calendar day time charter of U.S. Air Force container ship MV TSGT John A. Chapman. The ship's primary mission will be to preposition U.S. Air Force ammunition at sea, is expected to operate in and around Saipan in the Western Pacific Ocean. The contract includes options, which if exercised, would bring the total contract value to $46,197,020. Work on the contract is expected to commence by Jun. 2009 and is expected to be completed within 115-calendar days. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the fiscal year. This contract was competitively procured, with two offers received. The U.S. Navy's Military Sealift Command, Washington, D.C., is the contracting activity (N00033-09-C-3317).
AIR FORCE
The Air Force is awarding an indefinite delivery, indefinite quantity contract to the following contactors Capital City Technologies Inc. of Suwanee, Ga., Kearney and Co., of Alexandria, Va., and Pricewaterhouse Coopers of McLean, Va., with a program ceiling of $95,000,000. This action will provide advisory and assistance services to provide a full range of integrated business services to support the Secretary of Air Force Financial Management Program mission. At this time, no money has been obligated. AFDW/A7KS, Anacostia Annex, District of Columbia is the contracting activity (FA7014-09-D-0004, FA7014-09-D-0005, FA7014-09-D-0006).
The Air Force is awarding a cost plus fixed fee contract to Battelle Memorial Institute of Columbus, Ohio for an estimated $5,512,542. This action is to develop a program that will include the evaluation and testing of available chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear protective technology towards the effective distribution, execution, and accountability of escape masks for the Pentagon Facilities. At this time, $1,469,632 has been obligated. 55CONS/LGCD, Offutt Air Force Base, Neb., is the contracting activity (SP0700-00-D-3180).
DEFENSE LOGISTICS AGENCY
Oshkosh Corp., Oshkosh, Wis., is being awarded a maximum $8,508,683 firm fixed price contract for delivery of trucks and snow blowers. There are no other locations of performance. Using service is Air Force. There were originally two proposals solicited with one response. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The date of performance completion is Sept. 21, 2011. The contracting activity is the Defense Supply Center Philadelphia (DSCP), Philadelphia, Pa., (SPM500-01-D-0066-0026).
Y. Hata & Co., Limited, Honolulu, Hawaii *, is being awarded a maximum $7,989,041 fixed price with economic price adjustment, sole source, C-1 Bridge contract for full line food distribution. Other location of performance is in Hawaii. Using services are Army, Navy, Air Force and Marine Corps. There was originally one proposal solicited with one response. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The date of performance completion is Jan. 12, 2010. The contracting activity is the Defense Supply Center Philadelphia, Philadelphia, Pa., (SPM300-09-D-3295).
UNITED STATES TRANSPORTATION COMMAND
American Auto Logistics, LP of Park Ridge, N.J., 07656-1878, is being awarded a $10,000,000.00 firm fixed price modification to add additional funds to a previously awarded contract (DAMT01-03-D-0184) to provide continuing services for the transportation and storage of privately owned vehicles. Work will be performed at worldwide locations and is expected to be completed Oct 31, 09. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The contracting activity is United States Transportation Command (USTRANSCOM), Directorate of Acquisition, Scott AFB, Ill., 62225.
Turkey, Singapore Join Efforts to Combat Piracy in Gulf of Aden
By Navy Petty Officer 1st Class Monique K. Hilley
Special to American Forces Press Service
Feb. 23, 2009 - Turkey and Singapore recently committed forces to join Combined Task Force 151, a naval coalition dedicated to conducting counter-piracy operations in the Gulf of Aden. Turkey and Singapore will join other nations -- including the United States, the United Kingdom and Denmark -- that have conducted operations as part of the task force.
"Coalition ships are a critical part of our mission," U.S. Navy Rear Adm. Terry McKnight, commander of CTF 151, said. "The very nature of some of our operations, as well as the success of those operations, is often predicated on our ability to work effectively with our partners and allies."
International law obligates all nations to cooperate to the fullest extent in the repression of piracy. Coalition forces have taken action necessary to repress piracy in the region in accordance with international law to ensure free and secure use of the world's oceans by legitimate mariners, task force officials said.
"The presence of international navy vessels in the region demonstrates our commitment to regional security and stability," McKnight said. "To continue to counter and deter destabilizing activities successfully, coalition efforts must be complemented by proactive measures by commercial shippers, regional governments and the international community."
The task force has worked with and emphasized the important role merchants can play by taking proactive measures to prevent boardings, such as traveling at speeds greater than 15 knots, reporting suspicious activity and pulling their ladders up to prevent access to the ships.
Even with increased naval forces in the region, coalition vessels have not always been close enough to a help a ship that was being attacked.
"The bottom line is that piracy is an international problem that requires an international solution," McKnight said. "We are committed to continuing operations that counter and deter piracy and other destabilizing activities in the maritime arena to create a lawful maritime order."
(Navy Petty Officer 1st Class Monique K. Hilley serves in the 5th Fleet public affairs office.)
Special to American Forces Press Service
Feb. 23, 2009 - Turkey and Singapore recently committed forces to join Combined Task Force 151, a naval coalition dedicated to conducting counter-piracy operations in the Gulf of Aden. Turkey and Singapore will join other nations -- including the United States, the United Kingdom and Denmark -- that have conducted operations as part of the task force.
"Coalition ships are a critical part of our mission," U.S. Navy Rear Adm. Terry McKnight, commander of CTF 151, said. "The very nature of some of our operations, as well as the success of those operations, is often predicated on our ability to work effectively with our partners and allies."
International law obligates all nations to cooperate to the fullest extent in the repression of piracy. Coalition forces have taken action necessary to repress piracy in the region in accordance with international law to ensure free and secure use of the world's oceans by legitimate mariners, task force officials said.
"The presence of international navy vessels in the region demonstrates our commitment to regional security and stability," McKnight said. "To continue to counter and deter destabilizing activities successfully, coalition efforts must be complemented by proactive measures by commercial shippers, regional governments and the international community."
The task force has worked with and emphasized the important role merchants can play by taking proactive measures to prevent boardings, such as traveling at speeds greater than 15 knots, reporting suspicious activity and pulling their ladders up to prevent access to the ships.
Even with increased naval forces in the region, coalition vessels have not always been close enough to a help a ship that was being attacked.
"The bottom line is that piracy is an international problem that requires an international solution," McKnight said. "We are committed to continuing operations that counter and deter piracy and other destabilizing activities in the maritime arena to create a lawful maritime order."
(Navy Petty Officer 1st Class Monique K. Hilley serves in the 5th Fleet public affairs office.)
Sunday, February 22, 2009
Soldier, Family Center Underscores Nation's Commitment, Chairman Says
By Samantha L. Quigley
American Forces Press Service
Feb. 21, 2009 - The construction of a new Soldier and Family Assistance Center here underscores the nation's commitment to those who sacrifice so much, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff said during a groundbreaking ceremony yesterday. "The entire capability of the SFAC -- but the broader commitment to men and women who've been wounded and the support of their families -- is one we have spoken to [and] have invested in," Navy Adm. Mike Mullen said. "Today is certainly a critical day in terms of meeting that commitment."
The 15,000 square-foot center will be the focal point of the future Warriors in Transition Complex, an overall 18-month, $43 million endeavor.
To boost the mood even higher, officials announced that President Barack Obama had included the Warriors in Transition Complex in his stimulus package for Fort Campbell.
"Being part of the stimulus bill will stand it up a year earlier," Mullen said. "I'm really delighted to know that that's going to happen."
Army Col. Richard Thomas, commander of Fort Campbell's Blanchfield Army Community Hospital, described the new Soldier and Family Assistance Center as world-class.
"This groundbreaking of this world-class facility, which we'll soon be able to inhabit, goes a long way to ensuring that we can provide that outstanding health care to our soldiers and their families for years to come," he said.
For Thomas, however, the second half of the ceremony was just as important.
"Today is especially significant as we sign the Army Warrior Healthcare Covenant ... because this is a rededication, a recommitment to the very principles on which military medicine was founded," he said. "There is no more sacred mission, there is no more honorable calling, than taking care of our soldiers and their families."
The covenant states, in part: "Our Greatest Asset: You. If you are wounded, ill, or injured, we will get through it together."
American Forces Press Service
Feb. 21, 2009 - The construction of a new Soldier and Family Assistance Center here underscores the nation's commitment to those who sacrifice so much, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff said during a groundbreaking ceremony yesterday. "The entire capability of the SFAC -- but the broader commitment to men and women who've been wounded and the support of their families -- is one we have spoken to [and] have invested in," Navy Adm. Mike Mullen said. "Today is certainly a critical day in terms of meeting that commitment."
The 15,000 square-foot center will be the focal point of the future Warriors in Transition Complex, an overall 18-month, $43 million endeavor.
To boost the mood even higher, officials announced that President Barack Obama had included the Warriors in Transition Complex in his stimulus package for Fort Campbell.
"Being part of the stimulus bill will stand it up a year earlier," Mullen said. "I'm really delighted to know that that's going to happen."
Army Col. Richard Thomas, commander of Fort Campbell's Blanchfield Army Community Hospital, described the new Soldier and Family Assistance Center as world-class.
"This groundbreaking of this world-class facility, which we'll soon be able to inhabit, goes a long way to ensuring that we can provide that outstanding health care to our soldiers and their families for years to come," he said.
For Thomas, however, the second half of the ceremony was just as important.
"Today is especially significant as we sign the Army Warrior Healthcare Covenant ... because this is a rededication, a recommitment to the very principles on which military medicine was founded," he said. "There is no more sacred mission, there is no more honorable calling, than taking care of our soldiers and their families."
The covenant states, in part: "Our Greatest Asset: You. If you are wounded, ill, or injured, we will get through it together."
Fort Campbell Center Represents Benchmark in Treatment
By Samantha L. Quigley
American Forces Press Service
Feb. 21, 2009 - A tour of the Traumatic Brain Injury Warrior Resiliency and Recovery Center here yesterday made a favorable impression on the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. In fact, the program is something he said should be spread across the force.
"What I saw ... at Fort Campbell was terrific, and a marked improvement from what I've seen in the past -- an understanding of the care, a much better understanding of [post-traumatic stress] than we've had in the past," Navy Adm. Mike Mullen said. "So I don't want to spend a lot of time developing 10 more of those, or 20 more of those or 30 more of those. We ought to rapidly disseminate [this model] and get to that level as fast as we can."
Army Col. Richard Thomas, commander of Fort Campbell's Blanchfield Army Community Army Hospital, agreed.
"This is the Campbell model, but we have certainly incorporated all of the Army's and the [Defense Department's] guidance," he told Mullen. "What we have uniquely applied here is very early diagnosis, very early treatment, initiating that in a multidisciplinary approach, which is very progressive.
"We're a little bit ahead of the headlights, but that's OK," he added. "Once we get everyone else on the same page with us, this is the same ... model you could have at other institutions."
Of 134 servicemembers who have completed the treatment program, 77 percent have returned to active duty.
"The key point is early identification," Dr. David Twillie, director of the Traumatic Brain Injury Warrior Resiliency and Recovery Center, said. "If you get these guys earlier and treat them earlier, they're going to do better."
He said the program begins with an assessment to determine the challenges a servicemember is facing because of post-concussive syndrome resulting from a traumatic brain injury, or TBI.
"TBI is an event. You can be fine from a TBI, or you can have lots of issues from a TBI," Twillie explained. "If you have lots of issues, that's a syndrome we call post-concussive syndrome."
Twillie said some affected servicemembers get the feeling they're "just not right." Twillie described this feeling as a loss of sense of self, and said that because it can affect the entire family, the treatment program involves family members.
Once patients' issues are clearly defined, they begin a 12-week program that, in essence, is rehab for the brain. Twillie compared it to knee surgery. Even though flexing and extending the knee is painful after surgery, it provides the best chance of regaining full mobility, he explained.
"If you stress the brain at the place it's having problems, it will rewire in order to make up for that stress and we can help these guys get better," he said. "Having people like speech therapists, occupational therapists, physical therapists ... in a multidisciplinary approach is ... very, very helpful."
Machines that help the brain relearn to balance the body, reacquire visual and spatial memory or regain verbal expression are part of the treatment program. Another piece that occurs about seven weeks into the program involves exposing patients to stresses they might encounter while serving in combat.
"If the patient is going to have some sort of psychological freeze or challenge like that, I'd like to know today, not in Iraq," Twillie said. "Another thing it does for our patients is it gives them a sense of confidence."
It can also show those who think they're ready to return that they need some more time to heal, he said.
While the program is set up to take 12 weeks, that is just the minimum. "Once you get to 12 weeks, it's not, 'Ah, sorry. You're done,'" Twillie said. "But we plan to get you better in 12 weeks."
Some, like Army Sgt. Jesse Sage, take longer to heal.
In August, Sage was serving in Iraq when he was hit by a 250-pound homemade bomb. The blast left him with a "pretty bad" closed-head injury, and a diagnosis of mild traumatic brain injury, he said.
"I ... was suffering from headaches [and] memory issues," he said. "I was really dizzy. I was passing out."
Doctors had put him on what he described as hard-core painkillers to relieve the headaches. "I was definitely just kind of out of it, just was not myself, from my head injury and, I think probably to some degree, from all the meds," Sage said.
Twillie helped wean him off the medication and started him in the TBI treatment program that has helped get him back to feeling himself after five months of treatment.
He's about a month out from returning to active duty.
"It's been very helpful," he said. "Outstanding program, and I can't say enough about it and how well it's helped me to get back to 100 percent."
His wife, Amber, agreed.
"I would definitely say ... the TBI clinic has provided so much ... not only for my husband as a soldier, but for me as a family member," she said. "[They allow] me to attend his appointments and be a part of his recovery process."
This helped her understand what he was going through and provided her tools to help him at home outside of the therapy process at the center, she added.
"We really do get the families to be involved in the care process. We think it's a really important part of it," Twillie said. "He'll only be here with me for so long. He'll be with her for a lot longer."
While at Fort Campbell, the chairman also talked with Special Operations Forces, about 20 wounded warriors, and a large group of military spouses before participating in a groundbreaking ceremony for the post's new Soldier and Family Assistance Center. The center will be the focal point of the new Warriors in Transition Complex, construction on which will begin in the future.
American Forces Press Service
Feb. 21, 2009 - A tour of the Traumatic Brain Injury Warrior Resiliency and Recovery Center here yesterday made a favorable impression on the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. In fact, the program is something he said should be spread across the force.
"What I saw ... at Fort Campbell was terrific, and a marked improvement from what I've seen in the past -- an understanding of the care, a much better understanding of [post-traumatic stress] than we've had in the past," Navy Adm. Mike Mullen said. "So I don't want to spend a lot of time developing 10 more of those, or 20 more of those or 30 more of those. We ought to rapidly disseminate [this model] and get to that level as fast as we can."
Army Col. Richard Thomas, commander of Fort Campbell's Blanchfield Army Community Army Hospital, agreed.
"This is the Campbell model, but we have certainly incorporated all of the Army's and the [Defense Department's] guidance," he told Mullen. "What we have uniquely applied here is very early diagnosis, very early treatment, initiating that in a multidisciplinary approach, which is very progressive.
"We're a little bit ahead of the headlights, but that's OK," he added. "Once we get everyone else on the same page with us, this is the same ... model you could have at other institutions."
Of 134 servicemembers who have completed the treatment program, 77 percent have returned to active duty.
"The key point is early identification," Dr. David Twillie, director of the Traumatic Brain Injury Warrior Resiliency and Recovery Center, said. "If you get these guys earlier and treat them earlier, they're going to do better."
He said the program begins with an assessment to determine the challenges a servicemember is facing because of post-concussive syndrome resulting from a traumatic brain injury, or TBI.
"TBI is an event. You can be fine from a TBI, or you can have lots of issues from a TBI," Twillie explained. "If you have lots of issues, that's a syndrome we call post-concussive syndrome."
Twillie said some affected servicemembers get the feeling they're "just not right." Twillie described this feeling as a loss of sense of self, and said that because it can affect the entire family, the treatment program involves family members.
Once patients' issues are clearly defined, they begin a 12-week program that, in essence, is rehab for the brain. Twillie compared it to knee surgery. Even though flexing and extending the knee is painful after surgery, it provides the best chance of regaining full mobility, he explained.
"If you stress the brain at the place it's having problems, it will rewire in order to make up for that stress and we can help these guys get better," he said. "Having people like speech therapists, occupational therapists, physical therapists ... in a multidisciplinary approach is ... very, very helpful."
Machines that help the brain relearn to balance the body, reacquire visual and spatial memory or regain verbal expression are part of the treatment program. Another piece that occurs about seven weeks into the program involves exposing patients to stresses they might encounter while serving in combat.
"If the patient is going to have some sort of psychological freeze or challenge like that, I'd like to know today, not in Iraq," Twillie said. "Another thing it does for our patients is it gives them a sense of confidence."
It can also show those who think they're ready to return that they need some more time to heal, he said.
While the program is set up to take 12 weeks, that is just the minimum. "Once you get to 12 weeks, it's not, 'Ah, sorry. You're done,'" Twillie said. "But we plan to get you better in 12 weeks."
Some, like Army Sgt. Jesse Sage, take longer to heal.
In August, Sage was serving in Iraq when he was hit by a 250-pound homemade bomb. The blast left him with a "pretty bad" closed-head injury, and a diagnosis of mild traumatic brain injury, he said.
"I ... was suffering from headaches [and] memory issues," he said. "I was really dizzy. I was passing out."
Doctors had put him on what he described as hard-core painkillers to relieve the headaches. "I was definitely just kind of out of it, just was not myself, from my head injury and, I think probably to some degree, from all the meds," Sage said.
Twillie helped wean him off the medication and started him in the TBI treatment program that has helped get him back to feeling himself after five months of treatment.
He's about a month out from returning to active duty.
"It's been very helpful," he said. "Outstanding program, and I can't say enough about it and how well it's helped me to get back to 100 percent."
His wife, Amber, agreed.
"I would definitely say ... the TBI clinic has provided so much ... not only for my husband as a soldier, but for me as a family member," she said. "[They allow] me to attend his appointments and be a part of his recovery process."
This helped her understand what he was going through and provided her tools to help him at home outside of the therapy process at the center, she added.
"We really do get the families to be involved in the care process. We think it's a really important part of it," Twillie said. "He'll only be here with me for so long. He'll be with her for a lot longer."
While at Fort Campbell, the chairman also talked with Special Operations Forces, about 20 wounded warriors, and a large group of military spouses before participating in a groundbreaking ceremony for the post's new Soldier and Family Assistance Center. The center will be the focal point of the new Warriors in Transition Complex, construction on which will begin in the future.
Friday, February 20, 2009
MILITARY CONTRACTS February 20, 2009
DEFENSE LOGISTICS AGENCY
Petroleum Traders Corporation, Fort Wayne, Ind.* is being awarded a maximum $33,733,749 fixed price with economic price adjustment contract for delivery of fuel. Other locations of performance are in Virginia, Maryland, District of Columbia, Indiana, Kentucky, Ohio, West Virginia and Delaware. Using service is Army, Navy, Air Force and federal civilian agencies. The proposal was originally Web solicited with 14 responses. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The date of performance completion is July 31, 2010. The contracting activity is the Defense Energy Support Center (DESC), Fort Belvoir, Va. (SP0600-05-D-4060).
Foster Fuels, Inc., Brookneal, Va.* is being awarded a maximum $10,512,460 fixed price with economic price adjustment contract for delivery of fuel. Other locations of performance are in Virginia, Maryland, District of Columbia, Indiana, Kentucky, Ohio, West Virginia and Delaware. Using service is Army, Navy, Air Force and Federal Civilian Agencies. The proposal was originally Web solicited with 14 responses. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The date of performance completion is July 31, 2010. The contracting activity is the Defense Energy Support Center (DESC), Fort Belvoir, Va. (SP0600-07-D-4000).
Oshkosh Corporation, Oshkosh, Wis. is being awarded a maximum $8,508,683 firm fixed price contract for delivery of trucks and snow blowers. There are no other locations of performance. Using service is Air Force. There were originally 2 proposals solicited with 1 response. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The date of performance completion is September 21, 2011. The contracting activity is the Defense Supply Center Philadelphia (DSCP), Philadelphia, Pa. (SPM500-01-D-0066-0026).
Hess Corporation, Woodbridge, N.J. is being awarded a maximum $6,117,723 firm fixed price contract for electrical services. Other locations of performance are in Maryland. Using service is Army and federal civilian agencies. There were originally 81 proposals solicited with 16 responses. Contract funds will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The date of performance completion is June 30, 2009. The contracting activity is the Defense Energy Support Center (DESC), Fort Belvoir, Va. (SP0600-05-G-8030 D.O. 0004).
UNITED STATES TRANSPORTATION COMMAND
Phoenix Air Group of Cartersville, GA 30120-6896, is being awarded a $26,371,714.00 fixed price indefinite delivery, indefinite quantity contract to provide air charter service for Headquarters United States Africa Command passengers from Stuttgart Army Airfield, Germany, to various points throughout Africa and Europe. The performance period is from 1 April 2009 to 31 March 2012, including unexercised options. This contract was a competitive acquisition with seven bids received. The contracting activity is United States Transportation Command (USTRANSCOM) Directorate of Acquisitions, Scott Air Force Base, IL 62225, (HTC711-09-D-0001).
ARMY
Summa Technology, Inc., Huntsville, Ala., was awarded on Feb 19, 2009, a $22,532,500 five year, firm fixed price requirement contract for the Container Roll In/Out platform. The estimated five year total quantity was 3,270. This is delivery order 0018 is for a total quantity of 2,500 units. Work is to be performed at Cullman, Ala., with an estimated completion date of Jun 30, 2011, with deliveries possible through Jun 30, 2012. Bids were solicited on the Worldwide Web with six bids received. U.S. Army Tank & Automotive Command (TACOM), Warren, Mich., is the contracting activity (W56HZV-06-D-0269).
Weeks Marine Inc., Covington, La., was awarded on Feb 19, 2009, an $8,438,026 firm fixed price contract for passes of the Mississippi River, Southwest Pass maintenance dredging, Cutterhead or Dustpan Dredge Rental No. 1-2008, Mile 5.0 Above Head of Passes to Mile 9.5 Below Head of Passes, Centerline (C/L) (of the navigation channel) Sta.2925+20 to C/L Sta. 1094+00 (Non-Continuous), Plaquemines Parish, La. OM-08-275. Work is to be performed at Plaquemines Parish, La., with an estimated completion date of Jul 12, 2009. Bids were solicited on the Worldwide Web with two bids received. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Hurricane Protection Office, New Orleans, La., is the contracting activity (W912P8-09-C-0025).
Siemens Government Services, Inc. (SGS), Reston, Va., was awarded on Feb 18, 2009, an indefinite delivery, indefinite quantity, firm fixed price contract. This Project Manager, Network Service Center (PM NSC) Performance Work Statement (PWS) addresses the Installation Information Infrastructure Modernization Program (I3MP) effort to engineer, furnish, install, secure, test, document, migrate and cutover a turn-key solution to upgrade the existing infrastructure and facilities at Germany 3C (Hohenfels). Work has an estimated completion date of Aug 5, 2010. Ten bids were solicited and four bids received. Information Technology and Electronic Commerce Commercial Contracting Center, Alexandria, Va., is the contracting activity (W91QUZ-06-D-0009).
DEKA Integrated Solutions Corporation, Manchester, N.H., was awarded on Feb 18, 2009, a $7,120,703 cost plus fixed fee contract of which the primary objective of the effort is to refine a novel upper extremity prosthetic device to meet the needs of injured soldiers and to pursue Food & Drug Administration approval for the final medical device. Work is to be performed at Manchester, N.H., with an estimated completion date of Feb 8, 2011. One bid was solicited and one bid received. U.S. Army Research Office, Research, Development & Engineering Command Contracting Center – RTP Division, Triangle, N.C. is the contracting activity (W911NF-09-C-0035).
NAVY
Atlantic Marine Mayport, LLC, Jacksonville, Fla., is being awarded a $7,239,077 firm fixed price contract for repair work onboard the USS Underwood (FFG 36). This contract is for the Drydock Selected Restricted Availability (DSRA) to include drydock and topside maintenance repair work. Extensive coordination is required for the drydock evolution, in addition to the numerous systems onboard to be repaired. This contract includes options which, if exercised, would bring the cumulative value of this contract to $8,850,369. Work will be performed in Jacksonville, Fla., and is expected to be completed by July 2009. Contract funds in the amount of $7,239,077 will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was competitively procured via the Federal Business Opportunities website, with five proposals solicited and two offers received. The Southeast Regional Maintenance Center, Jacksonville, Fla., is the contracting activity (N40027-09-C-0046).
Praxis, Inc., Alexandria, Va., is being awarded a $5,838,122 cost plus fixed fee contract for satellite communication, and comprehensive maritime awareness research and development and associated services. This contract contains options, which if exercised, will bring the value of the contract to $31,064,622. Work will be performed in Alexandria, Va., and work is expected to be completed Feb. 2010 (Feb 2014 with options exercised). Contract funds in the amount of $10,000 will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was competitively procured under Request for Proposal Number N00173-06-RS06 of Naval Research Laboratory, with one offer received. Naval Research Laboratory, Washington, D.C., is the contracting activity (N00173-09C-6002).
Petroleum Traders Corporation, Fort Wayne, Ind.* is being awarded a maximum $33,733,749 fixed price with economic price adjustment contract for delivery of fuel. Other locations of performance are in Virginia, Maryland, District of Columbia, Indiana, Kentucky, Ohio, West Virginia and Delaware. Using service is Army, Navy, Air Force and federal civilian agencies. The proposal was originally Web solicited with 14 responses. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The date of performance completion is July 31, 2010. The contracting activity is the Defense Energy Support Center (DESC), Fort Belvoir, Va. (SP0600-05-D-4060).
Foster Fuels, Inc., Brookneal, Va.* is being awarded a maximum $10,512,460 fixed price with economic price adjustment contract for delivery of fuel. Other locations of performance are in Virginia, Maryland, District of Columbia, Indiana, Kentucky, Ohio, West Virginia and Delaware. Using service is Army, Navy, Air Force and Federal Civilian Agencies. The proposal was originally Web solicited with 14 responses. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The date of performance completion is July 31, 2010. The contracting activity is the Defense Energy Support Center (DESC), Fort Belvoir, Va. (SP0600-07-D-4000).
Oshkosh Corporation, Oshkosh, Wis. is being awarded a maximum $8,508,683 firm fixed price contract for delivery of trucks and snow blowers. There are no other locations of performance. Using service is Air Force. There were originally 2 proposals solicited with 1 response. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The date of performance completion is September 21, 2011. The contracting activity is the Defense Supply Center Philadelphia (DSCP), Philadelphia, Pa. (SPM500-01-D-0066-0026).
Hess Corporation, Woodbridge, N.J. is being awarded a maximum $6,117,723 firm fixed price contract for electrical services. Other locations of performance are in Maryland. Using service is Army and federal civilian agencies. There were originally 81 proposals solicited with 16 responses. Contract funds will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The date of performance completion is June 30, 2009. The contracting activity is the Defense Energy Support Center (DESC), Fort Belvoir, Va. (SP0600-05-G-8030 D.O. 0004).
UNITED STATES TRANSPORTATION COMMAND
Phoenix Air Group of Cartersville, GA 30120-6896, is being awarded a $26,371,714.00 fixed price indefinite delivery, indefinite quantity contract to provide air charter service for Headquarters United States Africa Command passengers from Stuttgart Army Airfield, Germany, to various points throughout Africa and Europe. The performance period is from 1 April 2009 to 31 March 2012, including unexercised options. This contract was a competitive acquisition with seven bids received. The contracting activity is United States Transportation Command (USTRANSCOM) Directorate of Acquisitions, Scott Air Force Base, IL 62225, (HTC711-09-D-0001).
ARMY
Summa Technology, Inc., Huntsville, Ala., was awarded on Feb 19, 2009, a $22,532,500 five year, firm fixed price requirement contract for the Container Roll In/Out platform. The estimated five year total quantity was 3,270. This is delivery order 0018 is for a total quantity of 2,500 units. Work is to be performed at Cullman, Ala., with an estimated completion date of Jun 30, 2011, with deliveries possible through Jun 30, 2012. Bids were solicited on the Worldwide Web with six bids received. U.S. Army Tank & Automotive Command (TACOM), Warren, Mich., is the contracting activity (W56HZV-06-D-0269).
Weeks Marine Inc., Covington, La., was awarded on Feb 19, 2009, an $8,438,026 firm fixed price contract for passes of the Mississippi River, Southwest Pass maintenance dredging, Cutterhead or Dustpan Dredge Rental No. 1-2008, Mile 5.0 Above Head of Passes to Mile 9.5 Below Head of Passes, Centerline (C/L) (of the navigation channel) Sta.2925+20 to C/L Sta. 1094+00 (Non-Continuous), Plaquemines Parish, La. OM-08-275. Work is to be performed at Plaquemines Parish, La., with an estimated completion date of Jul 12, 2009. Bids were solicited on the Worldwide Web with two bids received. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Hurricane Protection Office, New Orleans, La., is the contracting activity (W912P8-09-C-0025).
Siemens Government Services, Inc. (SGS), Reston, Va., was awarded on Feb 18, 2009, an indefinite delivery, indefinite quantity, firm fixed price contract. This Project Manager, Network Service Center (PM NSC) Performance Work Statement (PWS) addresses the Installation Information Infrastructure Modernization Program (I3MP) effort to engineer, furnish, install, secure, test, document, migrate and cutover a turn-key solution to upgrade the existing infrastructure and facilities at Germany 3C (Hohenfels). Work has an estimated completion date of Aug 5, 2010. Ten bids were solicited and four bids received. Information Technology and Electronic Commerce Commercial Contracting Center, Alexandria, Va., is the contracting activity (W91QUZ-06-D-0009).
DEKA Integrated Solutions Corporation, Manchester, N.H., was awarded on Feb 18, 2009, a $7,120,703 cost plus fixed fee contract of which the primary objective of the effort is to refine a novel upper extremity prosthetic device to meet the needs of injured soldiers and to pursue Food & Drug Administration approval for the final medical device. Work is to be performed at Manchester, N.H., with an estimated completion date of Feb 8, 2011. One bid was solicited and one bid received. U.S. Army Research Office, Research, Development & Engineering Command Contracting Center – RTP Division, Triangle, N.C. is the contracting activity (W911NF-09-C-0035).
NAVY
Atlantic Marine Mayport, LLC, Jacksonville, Fla., is being awarded a $7,239,077 firm fixed price contract for repair work onboard the USS Underwood (FFG 36). This contract is for the Drydock Selected Restricted Availability (DSRA) to include drydock and topside maintenance repair work. Extensive coordination is required for the drydock evolution, in addition to the numerous systems onboard to be repaired. This contract includes options which, if exercised, would bring the cumulative value of this contract to $8,850,369. Work will be performed in Jacksonville, Fla., and is expected to be completed by July 2009. Contract funds in the amount of $7,239,077 will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was competitively procured via the Federal Business Opportunities website, with five proposals solicited and two offers received. The Southeast Regional Maintenance Center, Jacksonville, Fla., is the contracting activity (N40027-09-C-0046).
Praxis, Inc., Alexandria, Va., is being awarded a $5,838,122 cost plus fixed fee contract for satellite communication, and comprehensive maritime awareness research and development and associated services. This contract contains options, which if exercised, will bring the value of the contract to $31,064,622. Work will be performed in Alexandria, Va., and work is expected to be completed Feb. 2010 (Feb 2014 with options exercised). Contract funds in the amount of $10,000 will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was competitively procured under Request for Proposal Number N00173-06-RS06 of Naval Research Laboratory, with one offer received. Naval Research Laboratory, Washington, D.C., is the contracting activity (N00173-09C-6002).
Air Force Efforts Put Nuclear Security Back on Track, General Says
By Samantha L. Quigley
American Forces Press Service
Feb. 20, 2009 - Prioritization and "incredible attention to detail" have restored "nuclear surety" in the Air Force, the general in charge of the service's nuclear program said here yesterday. Nuclear surety is the equipment, people and processes aimed at ensuring the safety, security, reliability and control of nuclear weapons.
After an erosion of the nuclear process that began at the end of the Cold War, Maj. Gen. Roger Burg, commander of the 20th Air Force, said he feels the service is back on track, even though the required standards to pass a nuclear surety inspection have never changed. What is different, he said, is how the service has applied the standards.
"I will say our application of those standards has changed dramatically," Burg said. "And our oversight of any problems identified in the inspections has changed dramatically."
It wasn't until a B-52 bomber from Minot Air Force Base flew nuclear-tipped missiles cross-country to Barksdale Air Force Base, La., in October 2007 that nuclear surety became a newsworthy topic, Burg said.
"An equally well-publicized event that occurred several years earlier ... involved the [intercontinental ballistic missile] force [and] the fuses that were erroneously sent to Taiwan," he said. "I think it rightly made all of us question how could such a thing happen."
The fuses were shipped to Taiwan from Utah in August 2006.
These are the types of incidents nuclear surety is designed to prevent.
A nuclear surety inspection for an ICBM or bomber unit is a broad, intrusive type of inspection, Burg said. Hundreds of areas might be inspected and each area may have hundreds or even thousands of individual pieces of equipment, records, and activities to be inspected.
After the Cold War, Air Force leaders decided to shorten the inspection time frame and decrease the size of its inspection team. Instead of inspecting everything, they began taking representative samples, Burg said.
"It wasn't an intent to say, 'Let's not take care of this business,'" he said. "It was an intent to say, 'How can we do this business more efficiently?"
The 2007 and 2008 incidents prompted the Air Force to resume 100 percent inspections, Burg added. That includes personnel medical records in addition to equipment and activity logs.
"One of our key areas is looking at the Personnel Reliability Program, which is how we maintain confidence in the people who are working around nuclear weapons," he said. "In the past, we might inspect 20 percent of the medical and personnel records of people associated with a certain unit.
"You'll have thousands of potential points [to inspect], any one of which, if found to be deficient in a critical way, could lead to the finding of an unsatisfactory for the wing," Burg added. Deficiencies receive immediate attention, he said.
The process of maintaining nuclear surety has become the top Air Force priority, Navy Adm. Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff noted during his visit this week here. The chairman toured several sites including the weapons storage area and a missile maintenance trainer.
The Air Force is reorganizing to better support the nuclear enterprise, Burg said. But inspections will get a unit only so far.
"You do not make an organization excellent by inspecting it," he said. "You make it excellent by supporting it with priority, with resources, with people, with experience. That's what the Air Force is doing with these nuclear units now."
Burg added that he's OK with inspections turning up deficiencies despite the goal of achieving excellence.
"I'm never satisfied that ... we're getting better because we're not finding fewer problems," he said. "[What] we're not finding now indicates an incredible attention to detail."
American Forces Press Service
Feb. 20, 2009 - Prioritization and "incredible attention to detail" have restored "nuclear surety" in the Air Force, the general in charge of the service's nuclear program said here yesterday. Nuclear surety is the equipment, people and processes aimed at ensuring the safety, security, reliability and control of nuclear weapons.
After an erosion of the nuclear process that began at the end of the Cold War, Maj. Gen. Roger Burg, commander of the 20th Air Force, said he feels the service is back on track, even though the required standards to pass a nuclear surety inspection have never changed. What is different, he said, is how the service has applied the standards.
"I will say our application of those standards has changed dramatically," Burg said. "And our oversight of any problems identified in the inspections has changed dramatically."
It wasn't until a B-52 bomber from Minot Air Force Base flew nuclear-tipped missiles cross-country to Barksdale Air Force Base, La., in October 2007 that nuclear surety became a newsworthy topic, Burg said.
"An equally well-publicized event that occurred several years earlier ... involved the [intercontinental ballistic missile] force [and] the fuses that were erroneously sent to Taiwan," he said. "I think it rightly made all of us question how could such a thing happen."
The fuses were shipped to Taiwan from Utah in August 2006.
These are the types of incidents nuclear surety is designed to prevent.
A nuclear surety inspection for an ICBM or bomber unit is a broad, intrusive type of inspection, Burg said. Hundreds of areas might be inspected and each area may have hundreds or even thousands of individual pieces of equipment, records, and activities to be inspected.
After the Cold War, Air Force leaders decided to shorten the inspection time frame and decrease the size of its inspection team. Instead of inspecting everything, they began taking representative samples, Burg said.
"It wasn't an intent to say, 'Let's not take care of this business,'" he said. "It was an intent to say, 'How can we do this business more efficiently?"
The 2007 and 2008 incidents prompted the Air Force to resume 100 percent inspections, Burg added. That includes personnel medical records in addition to equipment and activity logs.
"One of our key areas is looking at the Personnel Reliability Program, which is how we maintain confidence in the people who are working around nuclear weapons," he said. "In the past, we might inspect 20 percent of the medical and personnel records of people associated with a certain unit.
"You'll have thousands of potential points [to inspect], any one of which, if found to be deficient in a critical way, could lead to the finding of an unsatisfactory for the wing," Burg added. Deficiencies receive immediate attention, he said.
The process of maintaining nuclear surety has become the top Air Force priority, Navy Adm. Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff noted during his visit this week here. The chairman toured several sites including the weapons storage area and a missile maintenance trainer.
The Air Force is reorganizing to better support the nuclear enterprise, Burg said. But inspections will get a unit only so far.
"You do not make an organization excellent by inspecting it," he said. "You make it excellent by supporting it with priority, with resources, with people, with experience. That's what the Air Force is doing with these nuclear units now."
Burg added that he's OK with inspections turning up deficiencies despite the goal of achieving excellence.
"I'm never satisfied that ... we're getting better because we're not finding fewer problems," he said. "[What] we're not finding now indicates an incredible attention to detail."
Innovative Research Advances Army Training, Warfighting
By John Ohab
Special to American Forces Press Service
Feb. 20, 2009 - Virtual humans, autonomous robots and self-healing armor are just a few research areas that may advance warfighting and provide unprecedented advantages over U.S. adversaries, the Army's director for Research and Laboratory Management said. Dr. John Parmentola was interviewed Feb. 18 on "Armed with Science: Research and Applications for the Modern Military" on BlogTalkRadio.com about new areas of scientific research that may provide extraordinary capabilities for soldiers.
Parmentola oversees the Army's basic research program, comprising 22 Army laboratories and nearly 11,000 scientists and engineers. He also directs laboratory management policy and monitors laboratory performance, infrastructure and security.
The Army's investment spans 12 research disciplines and 14 technology areas at a variety of institutions, including universities, industries, medical centers and the Army's own research laboratories.
"The Army's approach to basic research has always been to try to find the best and brightest people we can find out in the research community to work on problems that are of high significance and relevance to the Army," Parmentola said. "We invest in people."
The Army has identified seven areas of research that are vitally important to the future of its soldiers: neuroscience, autonomous systems, nanotechnology, quantum information science, immersive technology, biotechnology and network science. Each of these areas holds the potential to give rise to "disruptive technologies," that is, technologies that provide a capability that does not exist today.
Parmentola described the Army as a leader in network science research.
"We have networks inside cells, cells network to form tissues, tissues network to form organs, organs network to form organisms," Parmentola said. "We find this structure and hierarchy in many places, and one goal is to try to understand the fundamental principles underlying these networks and try to exploit them in application."
Biotechnology and nanotechnology research funded by the Army may eventually lead to advanced armor ensembles that provide ballistic, chemical and biological protection and medical triage capabilities in the combat environment.
"Nature has found solutions to problems through evolution," Parmentola said. "You can make a lot of product improvements over 4 billion years."
Parmentola explained how immersive technologies, such as virtual reality, provide simulated environments where soldiers can train in circumstances that would be too difficult or expensive to reproduce in reality. One key challenge is the creation of software-based "virtual humans" that think, speak and interact in realistic scenarios.
In an effort to translate this basic research into military applications, the Army fosters relationships between its research, development and engineering centers and its industry partners.
"The idea is to take advantage of the investments that industry has made in certain areas and also the practicality they bring in transforming research into technology," Parmentola said.
The small business community plays an important role in the technology transfer process. The Army's Small Business Program engages a broad range of businesses that develop technologies with a commercial market and direct military applications.
"We actually have a program that helps them and incentivizes them and the users of the technology to adopt it," Parmentola said. "We try to drive it through incentive toward technology transition."
(John Ohab holds a doctorate in neuroscience and works for the Emerging Media directorate of the Defense Media Activity.)
Special to American Forces Press Service
Feb. 20, 2009 - Virtual humans, autonomous robots and self-healing armor are just a few research areas that may advance warfighting and provide unprecedented advantages over U.S. adversaries, the Army's director for Research and Laboratory Management said. Dr. John Parmentola was interviewed Feb. 18 on "Armed with Science: Research and Applications for the Modern Military" on BlogTalkRadio.com about new areas of scientific research that may provide extraordinary capabilities for soldiers.
Parmentola oversees the Army's basic research program, comprising 22 Army laboratories and nearly 11,000 scientists and engineers. He also directs laboratory management policy and monitors laboratory performance, infrastructure and security.
The Army's investment spans 12 research disciplines and 14 technology areas at a variety of institutions, including universities, industries, medical centers and the Army's own research laboratories.
"The Army's approach to basic research has always been to try to find the best and brightest people we can find out in the research community to work on problems that are of high significance and relevance to the Army," Parmentola said. "We invest in people."
The Army has identified seven areas of research that are vitally important to the future of its soldiers: neuroscience, autonomous systems, nanotechnology, quantum information science, immersive technology, biotechnology and network science. Each of these areas holds the potential to give rise to "disruptive technologies," that is, technologies that provide a capability that does not exist today.
Parmentola described the Army as a leader in network science research.
"We have networks inside cells, cells network to form tissues, tissues network to form organs, organs network to form organisms," Parmentola said. "We find this structure and hierarchy in many places, and one goal is to try to understand the fundamental principles underlying these networks and try to exploit them in application."
Biotechnology and nanotechnology research funded by the Army may eventually lead to advanced armor ensembles that provide ballistic, chemical and biological protection and medical triage capabilities in the combat environment.
"Nature has found solutions to problems through evolution," Parmentola said. "You can make a lot of product improvements over 4 billion years."
Parmentola explained how immersive technologies, such as virtual reality, provide simulated environments where soldiers can train in circumstances that would be too difficult or expensive to reproduce in reality. One key challenge is the creation of software-based "virtual humans" that think, speak and interact in realistic scenarios.
In an effort to translate this basic research into military applications, the Army fosters relationships between its research, development and engineering centers and its industry partners.
"The idea is to take advantage of the investments that industry has made in certain areas and also the practicality they bring in transforming research into technology," Parmentola said.
The small business community plays an important role in the technology transfer process. The Army's Small Business Program engages a broad range of businesses that develop technologies with a commercial market and direct military applications.
"We actually have a program that helps them and incentivizes them and the users of the technology to adopt it," Parmentola said. "We try to drive it through incentive toward technology transition."
(John Ohab holds a doctorate in neuroscience and works for the Emerging Media directorate of the Defense Media Activity.)
U.S. Seeks Successor to Trident Submarine
By Gerry J. Gilmore
American Forces Press Service
Feb. 20, 2009 - The U.S. Navy has started the process to find a 21st-century successor to the Trident strategic missile submarine, senior Defense Department officials said here yesterday. "We're just at the opening phases right now, going through the proper systems engineering that will advance that particular design approach," Secretary of the Navy Donald C. Winter told reporters at a news conference.
Tridents are nuclear-powered, Ohio-class submarines. At 560 feet long and 42 feet wide, Tridents are the largest submarines in the U.S. Navy's inventory. The first Trident ballistic-missile submarine, the USS Ohio, was commissioned in 1981.
"A wide variety of options" are being considered for the Trident's replacement, Winter said. However, the Navy secretary expressed his belief that the Trident system would be replaced by another undersea-going platform.
"I do fully expect that it is going to be a submarine," Winter said of the Trident's successor.
Prior to the news conference the Navy's top leaders and the vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff were among senior officials who attended a ceremony that paid tribute to the crew of the USS Wyoming Trident strategic missile submarine.
The USS Wyoming finished its 38th patrol Feb. 11, marking the 1000th completed patrol of a Trident submarine since the Ohio embarked on its initial patrol in October 1982. The Wyoming was commissioned in July 1996 and began its first patrol in August 1997.
Marine Corps Gen. James E. Cartwright, the vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, echoed Winter's belief that the Trident's replacement "will be a submarine."
Chief of Naval Operations Navy Adm. Gary Roughead told reporters of the resilience and independence exhibited by submariners' families.
"I think the families of our submariners are really like submariners, a special breed," Roughead said. "And, my hat's off to them, and they have my utmost respect and support."
The U.S. military is about to embark on its Quadrennial Defense Review and a Nuclear Posture Review, Cartwright said, to determine what types of defense capabilities will be required to maintain U.S. national security in the coming years. The QDR is performed every four years.
The threats America faces during the 21st century are much more diverse and involve "a much broader spectrum of conflict against a much broader number of enemies, to include those that are not nation-states," Cartwright told reporters.
Gauging and evaluating future threats and determining what kinds of military capabilities and systems will be needed to deter them will be debated during the QDR and the nuclear posture review, Cartwright said.
U.S. defense planners are now seeking "to tailor our deterrence for the types of actors that were not present during the Cold War but are going to be present in the future," Cartwright said.
And, "it will be the sailors that will make the difference in deterrence, not necessarily just the platforms," Cartwright said of the Navy's future nuclear-deterrent mission.
The 14 nuclear-missile carrying Trident submarines based here and at other Navy ports provide more than half of America's strategic deterrent capability, King's Bay officials said.
"The application of deterrence can be actually more complicated in the 21st century, but some fundamentals don't change," Air Force Gen. Kevin P. Chilton, commander of U.S. Strategic Command, said. "And, the underlying strength of our deterrence force remains the nuclear deterrent force that we have today."
The Trident submarine strategic missile force "is absolutely essential" to America's nuclear-deterrent capability, Chilton said.
"And, it's not just to deter nuclear conflict," he said of the Tridents' mission. "These forces have served to deter conflict in general, writ large, since they've been fielded."
The U.S. government agreed to reduce the number of its strategic-missile submarines as part of the 1992 Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty. Consequently, four of the Navy's 18 Trident submarines were modified to exchange their nuclear missiles for Tomahawk-guided cruise missiles. These vessels carry the designator SSGN. In 2006, the USS Ohio was converted into a guided-missile submarine.
At the news conference, Roughead said the Navy is "really pleased" with the converted Trident submarines, which also carry a contingent of special operations troops, as well as the Tomahawks.
"That [type of] submarine has performed extremely well," Roughead said of the cruise-missile carrying Tridents.
The facility here was established in 1980, replacing a closed U.S. ballistic submarine facility that had been based in Rota, Spain. In 1989, USS Tennessee was the first Trident submarine to arrive at the facility. Another Trident training facility is based in Bangor, Wash.
American Forces Press Service
Feb. 20, 2009 - The U.S. Navy has started the process to find a 21st-century successor to the Trident strategic missile submarine, senior Defense Department officials said here yesterday. "We're just at the opening phases right now, going through the proper systems engineering that will advance that particular design approach," Secretary of the Navy Donald C. Winter told reporters at a news conference.
Tridents are nuclear-powered, Ohio-class submarines. At 560 feet long and 42 feet wide, Tridents are the largest submarines in the U.S. Navy's inventory. The first Trident ballistic-missile submarine, the USS Ohio, was commissioned in 1981.
"A wide variety of options" are being considered for the Trident's replacement, Winter said. However, the Navy secretary expressed his belief that the Trident system would be replaced by another undersea-going platform.
"I do fully expect that it is going to be a submarine," Winter said of the Trident's successor.
Prior to the news conference the Navy's top leaders and the vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff were among senior officials who attended a ceremony that paid tribute to the crew of the USS Wyoming Trident strategic missile submarine.
The USS Wyoming finished its 38th patrol Feb. 11, marking the 1000th completed patrol of a Trident submarine since the Ohio embarked on its initial patrol in October 1982. The Wyoming was commissioned in July 1996 and began its first patrol in August 1997.
Marine Corps Gen. James E. Cartwright, the vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, echoed Winter's belief that the Trident's replacement "will be a submarine."
Chief of Naval Operations Navy Adm. Gary Roughead told reporters of the resilience and independence exhibited by submariners' families.
"I think the families of our submariners are really like submariners, a special breed," Roughead said. "And, my hat's off to them, and they have my utmost respect and support."
The U.S. military is about to embark on its Quadrennial Defense Review and a Nuclear Posture Review, Cartwright said, to determine what types of defense capabilities will be required to maintain U.S. national security in the coming years. The QDR is performed every four years.
The threats America faces during the 21st century are much more diverse and involve "a much broader spectrum of conflict against a much broader number of enemies, to include those that are not nation-states," Cartwright told reporters.
Gauging and evaluating future threats and determining what kinds of military capabilities and systems will be needed to deter them will be debated during the QDR and the nuclear posture review, Cartwright said.
U.S. defense planners are now seeking "to tailor our deterrence for the types of actors that were not present during the Cold War but are going to be present in the future," Cartwright said.
And, "it will be the sailors that will make the difference in deterrence, not necessarily just the platforms," Cartwright said of the Navy's future nuclear-deterrent mission.
The 14 nuclear-missile carrying Trident submarines based here and at other Navy ports provide more than half of America's strategic deterrent capability, King's Bay officials said.
"The application of deterrence can be actually more complicated in the 21st century, but some fundamentals don't change," Air Force Gen. Kevin P. Chilton, commander of U.S. Strategic Command, said. "And, the underlying strength of our deterrence force remains the nuclear deterrent force that we have today."
The Trident submarine strategic missile force "is absolutely essential" to America's nuclear-deterrent capability, Chilton said.
"And, it's not just to deter nuclear conflict," he said of the Tridents' mission. "These forces have served to deter conflict in general, writ large, since they've been fielded."
The U.S. government agreed to reduce the number of its strategic-missile submarines as part of the 1992 Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty. Consequently, four of the Navy's 18 Trident submarines were modified to exchange their nuclear missiles for Tomahawk-guided cruise missiles. These vessels carry the designator SSGN. In 2006, the USS Ohio was converted into a guided-missile submarine.
At the news conference, Roughead said the Navy is "really pleased" with the converted Trident submarines, which also carry a contingent of special operations troops, as well as the Tomahawks.
"That [type of] submarine has performed extremely well," Roughead said of the cruise-missile carrying Tridents.
The facility here was established in 1980, replacing a closed U.S. ballistic submarine facility that had been based in Rota, Spain. In 1989, USS Tennessee was the first Trident submarine to arrive at the facility. Another Trident training facility is based in Bangor, Wash.
Thursday, February 19, 2009
Senior Leaders Salute Milestone Trident Submarine Patrol
By Gerry J. Gilmore
American Forces Press Service
Feb. 19, 2009 - The Navy's top leaders and the vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff were among senior officials who paid tribute to the crew of the USS Wyoming Trident strategic missile submarine during a ceremony here today. The USS Wyoming finished its 38th patrol on Feb. 11, marking the 1000th completed patrol of a Trident submarine since the first, the USS Ohio, embarked on its initial patrol in October 1982.
The Wyoming was commissioned in July 1996 and began its first patrol in August 1997.
Secretary of the Navy Donald C. Winter said he was honored to participate in the commemoration of the 1000th Trident patrol, noting the occasion "is a great day for our Navy and our nation." U.S. Rep. Jack Kingston from Georgia also attended the ceremony.
Tridents are nuclear-powered, Ohio-class submarines. At 560 feet long and 42 feet wide, Tridents are the largest submarines in the U.S. Navy's inventory.
The 14 nuclear-missile carrying Trident submarines based at King's Bay and other Navy ports provide more than half of America's strategic deterrent capability, King's Bay officials said.
Although the world has experienced many conflicts since the end of World War II in 1945, Winter said, America's strategic deterrent "has ensured that none of them became major wars."
The Navy's Trident force "forms a credible deterrent" to prevent major conflict and promote peace, Winter said, "because it provides high measures of reliability, availability and survivability."
Trident submariners "support a noble mission" and "should be proud" of their efforts, Winter said.
The Trident submarines and the sailors that crew them provide "the most capable and most credible deterrent that this nation has to offer," said Marine Gen. James E. Cartwright, the vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
Cartwright also praised the home-front efforts of the spouses of Trident submariners, as well as the spouses of all servicemembers.
"Without them, we could not do our job," Cartwright said of military spouses' contributions. "They deserve our eternal gratefulness as a nation."
Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Gary Roughead arrived at King's Bay after visiting with other Trident submariners and families based at the Navy installation in Bangor, Wash.
The Trident force can trace its legacy to the Polaris nuclear missile submarine program developed in the late 1950s to counter the Soviet nuclear threat, Roughead said.
"What we needed was a credible deterrent, a stealthy deterrent; a deterrent that could survive any attack, regardless of what was thrown at us and one that would not be defeated," Cartwright said of the U.S. decision to introduce the Polaris submarines.
The world changed greatly in the intervening years, Cartwright said. Yet, "the one thing that hasn't changed, and the one thing we continue to need," he said, "is that strong, stealthy, formidable, confident deterrent" that Trident submarine patrols provide.
Air Force Gen. Kevin P. Chilton, commander of U.S. Strategic Command, hailed the achievement of the 1000th Trident patrol as a "day in the spotlight" for the Navy's Trident submariners.
Some people, Chilton said, thought the Trident mission would end with the 1991 collapse of the Soviet Union.
However, the world continues to be a dangerous place, Chilton said, noting that the missions of the Tridents and other submarines "are as equally important today, as they ever were during the height of the Cold War."
Meanwhile, "the true strength of the ballistic-missile submarine lies in the extremely talented and motivated sailors who have voluntarily chosen to serve in the submarine community," said Navy Vice Adm. John J. Donnelly, commander of the U.S. Atlantic submarine fleet.
Navy Rear Adm. Timothy M. Giardina, commander of Submarine Group Trident, observed that the completion of the 1,000th Trident patrol also marks the completion of the 3,839th strategic deterrent submarine patrol stretching back to the era of the Polaris-missile submarine.
Giardina asked audience members "to keep in mind all submariners who are at sea and deployed around the world on strategic patrol."
A Trident's crew consists of about 160 officers and enlisted sailors. The original ballistic missile versions, such as the Wyoming, are nicknamed "Boomers," and they feature the designator SSBN. The Boomers are capable of carrying as many as 24 Trident II D-5 nuclear missiles. The vessel also carries Mark-48 torpedoes.
Trident submarines have two crews, called Blue and Gold, which rotate patrols. One crew is at sea for 60 to 90 days, while the other trains ashore. In this way, the vessels can be employed at sea 70 percent of the time, when not undergoing scheduled maintenance in port.
The Blue crew was aboard the Wyoming when it notched the 1,000th Trident patrol.
Navy Petty Officer 2nd Class Matthew F. Tammen, 22, and Navy Seaman Apprentice Sir Joseph Moses, 21, were among the Wyoming's Blue crew members who attended the ceremony.
Tammen, a four-year Navy veteran who hails from Braidwood, Ill., said he was pleased that his vessel goes into the record books as having completed the 1000th Trident patrol.
"We've had pretty high standards," Tammen said of duty aboard the Wyoming. "So, it's pretty good to be recognized for working really hard."
"I'm really proud of our guys," said Moses, who is from Florence, S.C., and has been in the Navy about a year. Moses volunteered for submarine duty "to do something different," he said.
The U.S. government agreed to reduce the number of its strategic-missile submarines as part of the 1992 Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty. Consequently, four of the Navy's 18 Trident submarines were modified to exchange their nuclear missiles for Tomahawk guided cruise missiles. These vessels carry the designator SSGN. The first Trident ballistic-missile submarine, the USS Ohio, was commissioned in 1981. In 2006, the Ohio was converted into a guided-missile submarine.
Naval Submarine Base King's Bay was established in 1980, replacing a closed U.S. ballistic submarine facility that had been based in Rota, Spain. In 1989, USS Tennessee was the first Trident submarine to arrive at the facility. Another Trident training facility is based in Bangor, Wash.
American Forces Press Service
Feb. 19, 2009 - The Navy's top leaders and the vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff were among senior officials who paid tribute to the crew of the USS Wyoming Trident strategic missile submarine during a ceremony here today. The USS Wyoming finished its 38th patrol on Feb. 11, marking the 1000th completed patrol of a Trident submarine since the first, the USS Ohio, embarked on its initial patrol in October 1982.
The Wyoming was commissioned in July 1996 and began its first patrol in August 1997.
Secretary of the Navy Donald C. Winter said he was honored to participate in the commemoration of the 1000th Trident patrol, noting the occasion "is a great day for our Navy and our nation." U.S. Rep. Jack Kingston from Georgia also attended the ceremony.
Tridents are nuclear-powered, Ohio-class submarines. At 560 feet long and 42 feet wide, Tridents are the largest submarines in the U.S. Navy's inventory.
The 14 nuclear-missile carrying Trident submarines based at King's Bay and other Navy ports provide more than half of America's strategic deterrent capability, King's Bay officials said.
Although the world has experienced many conflicts since the end of World War II in 1945, Winter said, America's strategic deterrent "has ensured that none of them became major wars."
The Navy's Trident force "forms a credible deterrent" to prevent major conflict and promote peace, Winter said, "because it provides high measures of reliability, availability and survivability."
Trident submariners "support a noble mission" and "should be proud" of their efforts, Winter said.
The Trident submarines and the sailors that crew them provide "the most capable and most credible deterrent that this nation has to offer," said Marine Gen. James E. Cartwright, the vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
Cartwright also praised the home-front efforts of the spouses of Trident submariners, as well as the spouses of all servicemembers.
"Without them, we could not do our job," Cartwright said of military spouses' contributions. "They deserve our eternal gratefulness as a nation."
Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Gary Roughead arrived at King's Bay after visiting with other Trident submariners and families based at the Navy installation in Bangor, Wash.
The Trident force can trace its legacy to the Polaris nuclear missile submarine program developed in the late 1950s to counter the Soviet nuclear threat, Roughead said.
"What we needed was a credible deterrent, a stealthy deterrent; a deterrent that could survive any attack, regardless of what was thrown at us and one that would not be defeated," Cartwright said of the U.S. decision to introduce the Polaris submarines.
The world changed greatly in the intervening years, Cartwright said. Yet, "the one thing that hasn't changed, and the one thing we continue to need," he said, "is that strong, stealthy, formidable, confident deterrent" that Trident submarine patrols provide.
Air Force Gen. Kevin P. Chilton, commander of U.S. Strategic Command, hailed the achievement of the 1000th Trident patrol as a "day in the spotlight" for the Navy's Trident submariners.
Some people, Chilton said, thought the Trident mission would end with the 1991 collapse of the Soviet Union.
However, the world continues to be a dangerous place, Chilton said, noting that the missions of the Tridents and other submarines "are as equally important today, as they ever were during the height of the Cold War."
Meanwhile, "the true strength of the ballistic-missile submarine lies in the extremely talented and motivated sailors who have voluntarily chosen to serve in the submarine community," said Navy Vice Adm. John J. Donnelly, commander of the U.S. Atlantic submarine fleet.
Navy Rear Adm. Timothy M. Giardina, commander of Submarine Group Trident, observed that the completion of the 1,000th Trident patrol also marks the completion of the 3,839th strategic deterrent submarine patrol stretching back to the era of the Polaris-missile submarine.
Giardina asked audience members "to keep in mind all submariners who are at sea and deployed around the world on strategic patrol."
A Trident's crew consists of about 160 officers and enlisted sailors. The original ballistic missile versions, such as the Wyoming, are nicknamed "Boomers," and they feature the designator SSBN. The Boomers are capable of carrying as many as 24 Trident II D-5 nuclear missiles. The vessel also carries Mark-48 torpedoes.
Trident submarines have two crews, called Blue and Gold, which rotate patrols. One crew is at sea for 60 to 90 days, while the other trains ashore. In this way, the vessels can be employed at sea 70 percent of the time, when not undergoing scheduled maintenance in port.
The Blue crew was aboard the Wyoming when it notched the 1,000th Trident patrol.
Navy Petty Officer 2nd Class Matthew F. Tammen, 22, and Navy Seaman Apprentice Sir Joseph Moses, 21, were among the Wyoming's Blue crew members who attended the ceremony.
Tammen, a four-year Navy veteran who hails from Braidwood, Ill., said he was pleased that his vessel goes into the record books as having completed the 1000th Trident patrol.
"We've had pretty high standards," Tammen said of duty aboard the Wyoming. "So, it's pretty good to be recognized for working really hard."
"I'm really proud of our guys," said Moses, who is from Florence, S.C., and has been in the Navy about a year. Moses volunteered for submarine duty "to do something different," he said.
The U.S. government agreed to reduce the number of its strategic-missile submarines as part of the 1992 Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty. Consequently, four of the Navy's 18 Trident submarines were modified to exchange their nuclear missiles for Tomahawk guided cruise missiles. These vessels carry the designator SSGN. The first Trident ballistic-missile submarine, the USS Ohio, was commissioned in 1981. In 2006, the Ohio was converted into a guided-missile submarine.
Naval Submarine Base King's Bay was established in 1980, replacing a closed U.S. ballistic submarine facility that had been based in Rota, Spain. In 1989, USS Tennessee was the first Trident submarine to arrive at the facility. Another Trident training facility is based in Bangor, Wash.
'Military Saves Week' to Help Troops Cross Financial Hurdles
By Army Staff Sgt. Michael J. Carden
American Forces Press Service
Feb. 19, 2009 - U.S. military members are affected by the global economic downturn, and the Defense Department is providing information and services to help troops and their families develop "good financial stewardship," a senior Pentagon official said today. The Defense Department recognizes Feb. 22 through March 1 as 'Military Saves Week.' It's an opportunity for military members to learn about initiatives and resources to prevent or overcome financial obstacles, said Arthur Myers, acting deputy defense undersecretary for military community and family policy.
Fun runs, contests, financial fairs and other activities are scheduled at most military installations to promote the campaign. Keynote financial speakers are scheduled at several installations, as well.
The military campaign is in its third year and is part of a nationwide effort to raise savings awareness and reduce the stressors related to poor financial habits. Military Saves promotes building savings and protecting credit to attain financial stability, Myers said.
"A person in the military may not make a lot of money, but they can try to save $25 a month," Myers said, noting that even that amount saved can make a positive difference. "We want to build wealth, not debt."
Although the campaign occurs once a year, financial assistance, services and information are available to military members year-round. Financial workshops through the local family support centers are available for one-on-one discussions, he said.
Also, Myers and his team offer 'road shows' that send financial experts to military installations. Financial experts can be found online, as well, through Military OneSource.
"[Financial services] are really working out, and we really find that our military personnel and their families are starting to get in tune to saving," he said. "I believe with the financial downturn, people are becoming more aware of the financial realities they face."
Through the road shows and support centers, Myers said, the department has found more troops than ever are taking advantage of military services, such as the Thrift Savings Plan, education assistance, shopping at commissaries and using Morale, Welfare and Recreation programs for entertainment and recreation activities.
"Our military personnel and their families have suffered in this downturn," Myers said. "But what we're seeing is military personnel and their families are taking more advantages of the services we already have."
In many cases, even with the various outlets the military offers for troops to save, servicemembers still face some of the same issues as the civilian community, he said. Military homeowners have found themselves going into debt or losing thousands of dollars on their homes when they change duty stations.
Servicemembers don't have to worry about job security amidst the financial crisis, but avoiding foreclosure and dives in the housing market can be more difficult for the military. They "can't wait out" the market like civilians can, Myers explained.
Mortgage experts are available to educate military families on homeowner issues and the impact mortgage disclosures have on credit ratings, he said.
Financial readiness equates to force readiness, Myers stressed. And with the armed forces engaged in two wars and various other interests throughout the world, the Pentagon can't afford for its troops to lose their focus, he said.
The department recognized the importance of financial readiness of its military members long before the current economic crisis, Myers said. As more military personnel become aware of financial requirements and programs available to them, they'll be better stewards of their money, he said.
"Hopefully, one day, we'll be out of business, because everyone will be financially responsible," he said.
American Forces Press Service
Feb. 19, 2009 - U.S. military members are affected by the global economic downturn, and the Defense Department is providing information and services to help troops and their families develop "good financial stewardship," a senior Pentagon official said today. The Defense Department recognizes Feb. 22 through March 1 as 'Military Saves Week.' It's an opportunity for military members to learn about initiatives and resources to prevent or overcome financial obstacles, said Arthur Myers, acting deputy defense undersecretary for military community and family policy.
Fun runs, contests, financial fairs and other activities are scheduled at most military installations to promote the campaign. Keynote financial speakers are scheduled at several installations, as well.
The military campaign is in its third year and is part of a nationwide effort to raise savings awareness and reduce the stressors related to poor financial habits. Military Saves promotes building savings and protecting credit to attain financial stability, Myers said.
"A person in the military may not make a lot of money, but they can try to save $25 a month," Myers said, noting that even that amount saved can make a positive difference. "We want to build wealth, not debt."
Although the campaign occurs once a year, financial assistance, services and information are available to military members year-round. Financial workshops through the local family support centers are available for one-on-one discussions, he said.
Also, Myers and his team offer 'road shows' that send financial experts to military installations. Financial experts can be found online, as well, through Military OneSource.
"[Financial services] are really working out, and we really find that our military personnel and their families are starting to get in tune to saving," he said. "I believe with the financial downturn, people are becoming more aware of the financial realities they face."
Through the road shows and support centers, Myers said, the department has found more troops than ever are taking advantage of military services, such as the Thrift Savings Plan, education assistance, shopping at commissaries and using Morale, Welfare and Recreation programs for entertainment and recreation activities.
"Our military personnel and their families have suffered in this downturn," Myers said. "But what we're seeing is military personnel and their families are taking more advantages of the services we already have."
In many cases, even with the various outlets the military offers for troops to save, servicemembers still face some of the same issues as the civilian community, he said. Military homeowners have found themselves going into debt or losing thousands of dollars on their homes when they change duty stations.
Servicemembers don't have to worry about job security amidst the financial crisis, but avoiding foreclosure and dives in the housing market can be more difficult for the military. They "can't wait out" the market like civilians can, Myers explained.
Mortgage experts are available to educate military families on homeowner issues and the impact mortgage disclosures have on credit ratings, he said.
Financial readiness equates to force readiness, Myers stressed. And with the armed forces engaged in two wars and various other interests throughout the world, the Pentagon can't afford for its troops to lose their focus, he said.
The department recognized the importance of financial readiness of its military members long before the current economic crisis, Myers said. As more military personnel become aware of financial requirements and programs available to them, they'll be better stewards of their money, he said.
"Hopefully, one day, we'll be out of business, because everyone will be financially responsible," he said.
MILITARY CONTRACTS February 19, 2009
NAVY
BAE Systems Land & Armaments L.P., York, Pa., is being awarded a $22,278,348 cost plus fixed fee contract for technical, engineering and management support (TEAMS) services in support of the Assault Amphibious Vehicle family of vehicles. This contract contains options, which if exercised, will bring the contract value to $41,623,445. Work will be performed in Quantico, Va., (52.07 percent), Santa Clara, Calif., (21.1 percent); Sterling Heights, Mich., (13.03 percent); Albany, Ga., (8.21 percent); and Ladysmith, Va., (5.59 percent), and and work is expected to be completed Feb. 18, 2010, (Aug. 2014 with options). Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This is awarded on a sole source basis. The Marine Corps Systems Command, Quantico, Va., is the contracting activity (M67854-09-C-6006).
National Steel and Shipbuilding Co., San Diego, Calif., is being awarded an $8,099,383 modification to previously awarded contract (N00024-06-C-4402) for the repair and alteration for the Non-Docking Scheduled Availability of the USS Pearl Harbor (LSD-52). The contractor will furnish the material, support (electrical, crane, and rigging), and facilities necessary for the maintenance and modernization of the LSD/LPD class ships. This availability includes inspection and preservation of the Potable Water Tank, repair of the Ballast Tanks, and the 5-year strength and integrity inspection of the Auxiliary Boiler No. 2. Work will be performed in San Diego, Calif., and is expected to be completed by Apr. 2009. Contract funds in the amount of $7,556,652 will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Southwest Regional Maintenance Center, San Diego, Calif., is the contracting activity.
Terex Corp., Stafford, Va., is being awarded a $7,170,746 firm fixed price delivery order # 0016 under previously awarded contract (M67854-05-D-5145) for 11 cranes and associated items. Work will be performed in Zweibrucken, Germany, and work is expected to be completed by Jun. 2010. Contract funds will not expire by the end of the current fiscal year. The Marine Corps Systems Command, Quantico, Va., is the contracting activity.
Lockheed Martin Maritime Systems and Sensors, Manassas, Va., is being awarded a $7,151,431 modification to previously awarded contract (N00024-06-6243) to exercise an option for engineering services in support of Virginia-class Combat Control 3-Bay Structurally Integrated Enclosure production. Work will be performed in Manassas, Va., (90 percent) and Syracuse, N.Y., (10 percent), and is expected to be completed by Apr. 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.
ARMY
Hardaway Construction Corp., Nashville, Tenn., was awarded on Feb. 17, 2009, a $15,613,400 firm fixed price construction contract for construction of the Gardner Hills Elementary School at Fort Campbell, Ky. Estimated completion date is Apr. 30, 2010. Bids were solicited on FedBizOpps with nine bids received. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Louisville District, Louisville, Ky., is the contracting activity (W912QR-09-C-0013).
Bell Helicopter Textron, Inc., Hurst, Texas, was awarded on Feb. 18, 2009, a $7,030,290 commercial firm fixed price contract awarded on urgency for three (3) Bell 407 Standard Configuration Helicopters. Work is to be performed at Hurst, Texas, with an estimated completion date of Feb. 28, 2009. Bids were solicited using sole source with one bid received. U.S. Army Aviation & Missile Command, Redstone Arsenal, Ala., is the contracting activity (W58RGZ-09-C-0018).
BAE Systems Land & Armaments L.P., York, Pa., is being awarded a $22,278,348 cost plus fixed fee contract for technical, engineering and management support (TEAMS) services in support of the Assault Amphibious Vehicle family of vehicles. This contract contains options, which if exercised, will bring the contract value to $41,623,445. Work will be performed in Quantico, Va., (52.07 percent), Santa Clara, Calif., (21.1 percent); Sterling Heights, Mich., (13.03 percent); Albany, Ga., (8.21 percent); and Ladysmith, Va., (5.59 percent), and and work is expected to be completed Feb. 18, 2010, (Aug. 2014 with options). Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This is awarded on a sole source basis. The Marine Corps Systems Command, Quantico, Va., is the contracting activity (M67854-09-C-6006).
National Steel and Shipbuilding Co., San Diego, Calif., is being awarded an $8,099,383 modification to previously awarded contract (N00024-06-C-4402) for the repair and alteration for the Non-Docking Scheduled Availability of the USS Pearl Harbor (LSD-52). The contractor will furnish the material, support (electrical, crane, and rigging), and facilities necessary for the maintenance and modernization of the LSD/LPD class ships. This availability includes inspection and preservation of the Potable Water Tank, repair of the Ballast Tanks, and the 5-year strength and integrity inspection of the Auxiliary Boiler No. 2. Work will be performed in San Diego, Calif., and is expected to be completed by Apr. 2009. Contract funds in the amount of $7,556,652 will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Southwest Regional Maintenance Center, San Diego, Calif., is the contracting activity.
Terex Corp., Stafford, Va., is being awarded a $7,170,746 firm fixed price delivery order # 0016 under previously awarded contract (M67854-05-D-5145) for 11 cranes and associated items. Work will be performed in Zweibrucken, Germany, and work is expected to be completed by Jun. 2010. Contract funds will not expire by the end of the current fiscal year. The Marine Corps Systems Command, Quantico, Va., is the contracting activity.
Lockheed Martin Maritime Systems and Sensors, Manassas, Va., is being awarded a $7,151,431 modification to previously awarded contract (N00024-06-6243) to exercise an option for engineering services in support of Virginia-class Combat Control 3-Bay Structurally Integrated Enclosure production. Work will be performed in Manassas, Va., (90 percent) and Syracuse, N.Y., (10 percent), and is expected to be completed by Apr. 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.
ARMY
Hardaway Construction Corp., Nashville, Tenn., was awarded on Feb. 17, 2009, a $15,613,400 firm fixed price construction contract for construction of the Gardner Hills Elementary School at Fort Campbell, Ky. Estimated completion date is Apr. 30, 2010. Bids were solicited on FedBizOpps with nine bids received. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Louisville District, Louisville, Ky., is the contracting activity (W912QR-09-C-0013).
Bell Helicopter Textron, Inc., Hurst, Texas, was awarded on Feb. 18, 2009, a $7,030,290 commercial firm fixed price contract awarded on urgency for three (3) Bell 407 Standard Configuration Helicopters. Work is to be performed at Hurst, Texas, with an estimated completion date of Feb. 28, 2009. Bids were solicited using sole source with one bid received. U.S. Army Aviation & Missile Command, Redstone Arsenal, Ala., is the contracting activity (W58RGZ-09-C-0018).
National Guard Gears Up for 2009 Hurricane Season
By Army Staff Sgt. Jim Greenhill
Special to American Forces Press Service
Feb. 19, 2009 - "One team, one fight" is the mantra for local, state and federal leaders preparing for a 2009 hurricane season that forecasters say could include nine major storms. "If that forecast is even close to being accurate, the timing of this [workshop] is vital to us being ready," Air Force Gen. Craig R. McKinley, chief of the National Guard Bureau, said today at a hurricane planning workshop here. "The American public expects this team to pull together to do the job right."
For the first time, the Guard workshop was co-sponsored by U.S. Northern Command and attended by key leaders from partner agencies.
National Guard leaders from 11 hurricane-prone states have met annually for several years to coordinate plans and exchange ideas for the upcoming storm season. This year was the first time they were joined by so many federal and state partners -- a team drawn from 27 states, five major commands, three territories and the District of Columbia.
"This is an historic event," said Army Maj. Gen. Stanhope Spears, the adjutant general of the South Carolina National Guard, which hosted the workshop.
Air Force Gen. Victor E. "Gene" Renuart Jr., commander of U.S. Northern Command and North American Aerospace Defense Command, and Bob Powers, acting assistant administrator for the Federal Emergency Management Agency's disaster operations, attended the workshop, as did leaders from U.S. Army North, 1st Air Force, the Department of Homeland Security and other military and federal agencies that would team up in the aftermath of a storm.
"This is the first of what I think will be many, in the future, joint hurricane planning workshops," Renuart said. "It gives us an opportunity to pull together the National Guard Bureau and U.S. Northern Command as we prepare. It gives us a chance to pull together not only the [Defense Department], but the civilian responders."
The hurricane workshop came just three weeks after the latest batch of National Guard leaders graduated from a Joint Task Force Commander Course taught at Northcom headquarters in Colorado Springs, Colo., to prepare for a unified response to just such a domestic crisis as a major hurricane.
"For us to work jointly to achieve the desired results of being prepared to assist the citizens of the United States -- in this case with natural disasters -- that's what we're being paid to do," McKinley said.
Joint local and regional planning conferences have been held in the past, Renuart said, but Hurricane Katrina changed the paradigm when it struck in 2005.
"We learned after Katrina that the only way to ensure that you don't repeat those lessons is to pull together all of the players and to pre-plan the kinds of responses that'll be necessary," Renuart said. "Clearly, the governors, the state emergency managers, the adjutants general will have the lead, ... but bringing in the federal partners ... allows us to integrate our efforts ahead of time so that the response can be more effective and certainly more timely."
"You don't want to exchange business cards at the scene of a disaster," McKinley added. "You want to know your counterparts well before that disaster so you have the connectedness to work the interagency process that is vital to a successful operation."
This South Carolina barrier island, which hosts more than 2.4 million visitors each year, is on the front lines among almost a dozen states prone to the potentially deadly and damaging storms.
Hurricane planners meeting here this week wore Army and Air National Guard, and active Army, Navy, Marine, Air Force and Coast Guard uniforms. But they said Hilton Head's residents do not care how responders are dressed or what agency they are from -- they just want an efficient, unified response to save lives and property after a storm.
Workshop attendees strengthened existing relationships, discussed force package planning for supported and supporting states, and heard about existing hurricane response capabilities and gaps to be fixed.
Enlisted leaders and adjutants general broke off to discuss preparedness at all levels of the chain of command.
All incidents are local, planners said, meaning it all starts with a 911 call to a local agency, and local responders are the first in the breach.
In the event of a major hurricane, that response is quickly supplemented with additional state and federal resources, such as 460,000-strong National Guard and Northcom personnel working in support of the Federal Emergency Management Agency. The Defense Department assists FEMA and other federal agencies when requested and approved by the president or the secretary of defense.
"FEMA is a small agency," Powers said. "We do not go in and provide direct FEMA support for most of the things that we do. Most of the work that the federal government provides comes from across all federal agencies. The Department of Defense and the National Guard Bureau are two very, very key players."
One team, one fight means, in part, a timely and efficient response when needed, Powers said.
"This is a large step in our maturation process," Powers said. "It's the first time that we've brought together such a large group from across the National Guard, from across the Northcom resources."
No other organization has the National Guard's combination of size, skills, training and experience, dispersion across states, command and communications infrastructure, and the legal flexibility to support civil authorities at a moment's notice, officials said.
The National Guard is the nation's first military responder, working with state emergency management divisions, emergency operations centers and civilian agencies and authorities to respond to natural disasters and other major incidents as required in accordance with each state's emergency response plan.
But the National Guard also is not a panacea, and Northcom and other agencies supply additional capabilities and capacity. Northcom, for example, can draw upon thousands of active-duty military forces from throughout the nation.
"Each have unique capabilities," Renuart said, "but some of the ... tools that Northcom brings would be in the areas, for example, of pre-incident aeromedical evacuation, ... post-incident airlift support, of added search and rescue capabilities, of incident-assessment capabilities."
When a state and the emergency management assistance compact have exceeded their capacity, the Defense Department can be helpful, Renuart said.
After an interstate highway bridge collapsed in Minnesota last year, Defense Department salvage divers responded. "That capability only exists in one place," Renuart said.
Each state has unique capabilities and needs, Renuart noted, and it's important to know what those are ahead of a disaster.
After Hurricane Katrina, the National Guard sent about 50,000 citizen-soldiers and -airmen from every state and territory to Louisiana and Mississippi.
Today, the Emergency Management Assistance Compact between states is a key tool enabling the Guard to deploy and respond as needed from anywhere in the nation to anywhere in need, officials said.
Although the workshop focused on hurricanes, much of the discussion also applied to other incidents such as earthquakes, wildfires or terrorism, planners said.
"The customer is our families, our communities, our homes," Renuart said. "It is no-fail. Trust me, my mom will call me if her house is being threatened and we're not out there to help. There is no more important mission than responding when Mother Nature whips up on us."
(Army Staff Sgt. Jim Greenhill serves in the National Guard Bureau.)
Special to American Forces Press Service
Feb. 19, 2009 - "One team, one fight" is the mantra for local, state and federal leaders preparing for a 2009 hurricane season that forecasters say could include nine major storms. "If that forecast is even close to being accurate, the timing of this [workshop] is vital to us being ready," Air Force Gen. Craig R. McKinley, chief of the National Guard Bureau, said today at a hurricane planning workshop here. "The American public expects this team to pull together to do the job right."
For the first time, the Guard workshop was co-sponsored by U.S. Northern Command and attended by key leaders from partner agencies.
National Guard leaders from 11 hurricane-prone states have met annually for several years to coordinate plans and exchange ideas for the upcoming storm season. This year was the first time they were joined by so many federal and state partners -- a team drawn from 27 states, five major commands, three territories and the District of Columbia.
"This is an historic event," said Army Maj. Gen. Stanhope Spears, the adjutant general of the South Carolina National Guard, which hosted the workshop.
Air Force Gen. Victor E. "Gene" Renuart Jr., commander of U.S. Northern Command and North American Aerospace Defense Command, and Bob Powers, acting assistant administrator for the Federal Emergency Management Agency's disaster operations, attended the workshop, as did leaders from U.S. Army North, 1st Air Force, the Department of Homeland Security and other military and federal agencies that would team up in the aftermath of a storm.
"This is the first of what I think will be many, in the future, joint hurricane planning workshops," Renuart said. "It gives us an opportunity to pull together the National Guard Bureau and U.S. Northern Command as we prepare. It gives us a chance to pull together not only the [Defense Department], but the civilian responders."
The hurricane workshop came just three weeks after the latest batch of National Guard leaders graduated from a Joint Task Force Commander Course taught at Northcom headquarters in Colorado Springs, Colo., to prepare for a unified response to just such a domestic crisis as a major hurricane.
"For us to work jointly to achieve the desired results of being prepared to assist the citizens of the United States -- in this case with natural disasters -- that's what we're being paid to do," McKinley said.
Joint local and regional planning conferences have been held in the past, Renuart said, but Hurricane Katrina changed the paradigm when it struck in 2005.
"We learned after Katrina that the only way to ensure that you don't repeat those lessons is to pull together all of the players and to pre-plan the kinds of responses that'll be necessary," Renuart said. "Clearly, the governors, the state emergency managers, the adjutants general will have the lead, ... but bringing in the federal partners ... allows us to integrate our efforts ahead of time so that the response can be more effective and certainly more timely."
"You don't want to exchange business cards at the scene of a disaster," McKinley added. "You want to know your counterparts well before that disaster so you have the connectedness to work the interagency process that is vital to a successful operation."
This South Carolina barrier island, which hosts more than 2.4 million visitors each year, is on the front lines among almost a dozen states prone to the potentially deadly and damaging storms.
Hurricane planners meeting here this week wore Army and Air National Guard, and active Army, Navy, Marine, Air Force and Coast Guard uniforms. But they said Hilton Head's residents do not care how responders are dressed or what agency they are from -- they just want an efficient, unified response to save lives and property after a storm.
Workshop attendees strengthened existing relationships, discussed force package planning for supported and supporting states, and heard about existing hurricane response capabilities and gaps to be fixed.
Enlisted leaders and adjutants general broke off to discuss preparedness at all levels of the chain of command.
All incidents are local, planners said, meaning it all starts with a 911 call to a local agency, and local responders are the first in the breach.
In the event of a major hurricane, that response is quickly supplemented with additional state and federal resources, such as 460,000-strong National Guard and Northcom personnel working in support of the Federal Emergency Management Agency. The Defense Department assists FEMA and other federal agencies when requested and approved by the president or the secretary of defense.
"FEMA is a small agency," Powers said. "We do not go in and provide direct FEMA support for most of the things that we do. Most of the work that the federal government provides comes from across all federal agencies. The Department of Defense and the National Guard Bureau are two very, very key players."
One team, one fight means, in part, a timely and efficient response when needed, Powers said.
"This is a large step in our maturation process," Powers said. "It's the first time that we've brought together such a large group from across the National Guard, from across the Northcom resources."
No other organization has the National Guard's combination of size, skills, training and experience, dispersion across states, command and communications infrastructure, and the legal flexibility to support civil authorities at a moment's notice, officials said.
The National Guard is the nation's first military responder, working with state emergency management divisions, emergency operations centers and civilian agencies and authorities to respond to natural disasters and other major incidents as required in accordance with each state's emergency response plan.
But the National Guard also is not a panacea, and Northcom and other agencies supply additional capabilities and capacity. Northcom, for example, can draw upon thousands of active-duty military forces from throughout the nation.
"Each have unique capabilities," Renuart said, "but some of the ... tools that Northcom brings would be in the areas, for example, of pre-incident aeromedical evacuation, ... post-incident airlift support, of added search and rescue capabilities, of incident-assessment capabilities."
When a state and the emergency management assistance compact have exceeded their capacity, the Defense Department can be helpful, Renuart said.
After an interstate highway bridge collapsed in Minnesota last year, Defense Department salvage divers responded. "That capability only exists in one place," Renuart said.
Each state has unique capabilities and needs, Renuart noted, and it's important to know what those are ahead of a disaster.
After Hurricane Katrina, the National Guard sent about 50,000 citizen-soldiers and -airmen from every state and territory to Louisiana and Mississippi.
Today, the Emergency Management Assistance Compact between states is a key tool enabling the Guard to deploy and respond as needed from anywhere in the nation to anywhere in need, officials said.
Although the workshop focused on hurricanes, much of the discussion also applied to other incidents such as earthquakes, wildfires or terrorism, planners said.
"The customer is our families, our communities, our homes," Renuart said. "It is no-fail. Trust me, my mom will call me if her house is being threatened and we're not out there to help. There is no more important mission than responding when Mother Nature whips up on us."
(Army Staff Sgt. Jim Greenhill serves in the National Guard Bureau.)
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