NAVY
Lockheed Martin Corp., Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Co., Fort Worth, Texas, is being awarded a cost-plus fixed-fee, time and materials, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract with a not-to-exceed value of $75,000,000 to provide engineering, programmatic, and logistics services in support of investigations or studies to determine the feasibility, practicality, desirability, or supportability of the various Joint Strike Fighter F-35 air systems. Work will be performed in Fort Worth, Texas (85 percent); Orlando, Fla., (10 percent); and El Segundo, Calif., (5 percent), and is expected to be completed in June 2012. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was not competitively procured. The Naval Air Systems Command, Patuxent River, Md., is the contracting activity (N00019-09-D-0022).
Ace Builders*, LLC, Barrigada, Guam, (N40192-09-D-2700); AIC International, Inc.*, Hagatna, Guam, (N40192-09-D-2701); BME & Sons, Inc.*, Barrigada, Guam, (N40192-09-D-2702); Fargo Pacific, Inc.*, Hagatna, Guam, (N40192-09-D-2703); Keum Yang Corp.*, Tamuning, Guam (N40192-09-D-2704); Modern International, Inc.*, Tamuning, Guam (N40192-09-D-2705); Overland Corp.*, Ardmore, Oklahoma (N40192-09-D-2706); Reliable Builders, Inc.*, Tamuning, Guam, (N40192-09-D-2707) ; Serrano Construction and Development Corporation*, Dededo, Guam, (N40192-09-D-2708); and Tumon Corp.*, Tamuning, Guam, (N40192-09-D-2709), are each being awarded an indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity, design build multiple award construction contract for new construction, renovation/modernization and routine repair/maintenance of government shore-based facilities in Guam. The dollar value for all 10 contracts combined is $50,000,000. The contract contains four unexercised option periods, which if exercised, would increase cumulative contract value to $400,000,000. Work will be performed in Guam, and work is expected to be completed in June 2010. Contract funds will expire at the end the current fiscal year. This contract was competitively procured via the Navy Electronic Commerce Online website, with 20 proposals received. These 10 contractors will compete for task orders under the terms and conditions of the awarded contract. The Naval Facilities Engineering Command Marianas, Guam! , is the contracting activity.
TASC Corp., Andover, Mass., is being awarded a ceiling price $43,455,000 firm-fixed-priced, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract for system sustainment of the U.S. Marine Corps's Topographic Production Capability (TPC) system. The TPC system is a transportable, highly mobile, modularized network of systems that allows the commander to exercise near real-time control, coordination, and direction of Marine Air Ground Task Force/Geospatial Information and Geospatial Intelligence. Work will be performed in Stafford, Va., and is expected to be completed by July 2014. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was competitively procured via the Navy Electronic Commerce Office website, solicited under a full and open competition, Request For Proposal No., M67854-08-R-7019, with one offer received. The Marine Corps Systems Command, Quantico, Va., is the contracting activity (M67854-09-D-7019).
The Columbia Group*, Washington, D.C., is being awarded a $10,626,000 firm-fixed-price contract for Pluto Plus Remotely Operated Vehicles (ROVs). The Pluto Plus system is a high-performance underwater ROV intended primarily for military use in mine identification and destruction operations. The Columbia Group will provide three Pluto Plus systems and associated technical support and training to the Egyptian Navy under the Foreign Military Sales Program. Work will be performed in Panama City, Fla., (51 percent) and Milan, Italy, (49 percent), and is expected to be completed by Dec. 2011. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The contract was not competitively procured. The Naval Sea Systems Command, Washington Navy Yard, D.C., is the contracting activity (N00024-09-C-4214).
Alloy Surfaces Co., Aston, Pa., is being awarded $8,642,700 for firm-fixed-price, definite-quantity delivery order #0016 against a basic ordering agreement contract (N00104-05-G-0726) for manufacture of MJU-49/B decoy devices used on aircraft applications for terminal self-defense in combat situations. Work will be performed at Aston, Pa., and work is expected to be completed by July 2010. Contract funds will not expire before the end of the fiscal year. This contract was not competitively procured. The Naval Inventory Control Point is the contracting activity.
Ceradyne, Inc., Costa Mesa, Calif., is being awarded $8,289,163 for delivery order #0015 against a previously awarded firm-fixed-price, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract (M67854-04-D-3116) for enhanced small arms protective inserts used as personal armor by Marines. Work will be performed in Costa Mesa, Calif., and is expected to be completed in September 2009. Contract funds in the amount of $8,289,163 will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. Marine Corps Systems Command, Quantico, Va., is the contracting activity.
BAE Systems Information & Electronic Solutions, Greenlawn, N.Y., is being awarded a $6,198,620 firm-fixed-price, cost-plus-fixed-fee contract for the procurement of 26 AN/APX-111(V) combined interrogator transponders (-20 CIT), one acceptance test station and one burn-in station to support the F/A-18E/F. Work will be performed in Greenlawn, N.Y. (85 percent); Irvine, Calif.(10 percent); and Wayne, N.J.,(5 percent), and is expected to be completed in August 2010. Contract funds in the amount of $3,341,272 will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was not competitively procured. The Naval Air Systems Command, Patuxent River, Md., is the contracting activity (N00019-09-C-0054).
Northrop Grumman Systems Corp., Bethpage, N.Y., is being awarded a $5,858,500 cost-plus-fix-fee delivery order against a previously issued basic ordering agreement (N00421-05-G-0001) to conduct E-2 in-flight refueling risk reduction. Work will be performed in Bethpage, N.Y., and is expected to be completed in June 2010. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division, Patuxent River, Md., is the contracting activity.
AIR FORCE
The Air Force is awarding a requirements contract to Lockheed Martin Corporation, of Orlando, Fla., for $60,488,003. This contract action will provide the repair of various low altitude navigation and targeting infrared night system assets for Air Force and Foreign Military Sales countries. The funding will be obligated on the individual delivery orders. WR-ALC/448 Supply Chain Management Group, Robins Air Force Base, Ga., is the contracting activity. (FA8522-09-D-0004)
The Air Force is awarding an indefinite delivery/indefinite quantity contract to Aerojet General Corporation, of Rancho Cordova, Calif., for up to $7,332,694. This contract action will provide for testing of Minuteman II Stage 2, SR19 motors to assure rocket motor reliability for use in rocket systems launch programs as launch targets. At this time, no funds have been obligated. SDTW/PKS at Kirtland Air Force Base, N.M., is the contracting activity. (FA8818-09-D-0024)
The Air Force is awarding a cost plus fixed fee contract to Emcore Corporation Photovoltaics Division, of Albuquerque, N.M., for $5,999,974. This contract action will demonstrate high efficiency solar cells for space and near space applications to seek and investigate advanced photovoltaic devices based on inverted metamorphic-like structure and/or crystalline semiconductor chemistry. At this time the entire amount has been obligated. Air Force Research Laboratory, Kirtland Air Force Base, N.M., is the contracting activity. (FA9453-09-C-0371)
ARMY
I.L. Fleming , Inc Midway, Ga., was awarded on June 16, 2009 a $17,200,000 firm-fixed-price contract to design/build dining facility reception station, Cent of Standardization Program. Work is to be performed in Fort Benning, Ga., with an estimated completion date of Dec. 23, 2010. Bids were solicited using FedBizOpps with two in phase II bids received. U.S. Army Corp of Engineer, Norfolk District, Norfolk, Va., is the contracting activity (W91236-08-D-0065).
Q.B.S.., Inc, Alliance, Ohio was awarded on June 16, 2009 a $11,751,343 Indefinite Delivery Contract firm-fixed-price contract for the construction of an administrative company operations facility. Work is to be performed in Fort Eustis, Va., with an estimated completion date of Sept. 30, 2013. Three bids received with three bids solicited. U.S. Army Engineer District, Norfolk Va., is the contracting activity (W912HN-08-D-0038).
Sevenson Environment Services, Inc Niagara Falls, N.Y., was awarded on June 15, 2009 a $22,000,000 cost-plus-fixed-fee contract for the remediation Unit 1.1 general gas mantle property grouping at the Welsbach/General Gas Mantle Superfund Site, Camden, N.J. Work is to be performed in Camden, N.J., with an estimated completion date of Aug. 19, 2010. One bid solicited with one bid received. U.S. Army Engineer District, Philadelphia, Pa., is the contracting activity (W912DQ-04-D-0023)
Municipality of Anchorage, DBA Municipal Light & power, Anchorage, Alaska was awarded on June 12, 2009 a utilities, firm-fixed-price, definite term contract to provide firm electric cervices to Fort Richardson. The service shall be one circuir of 34,5KV, three-phase, four wire, 60 Hertz, alternating current, delta connection and two circuit of 12,470V/2,000 volts. Three-phase, 60 Hertz, alternating current, wire connection. Work is to be performed in Fort Richardson, Alaska with an estimated completion date of June 14, 2019. Three Bids solicited and two bids received. U.S. Army Expeditionary Contracting Command, PARC Pacific, Regional Contracting Office, Fort Richardson, Alaska is the contracting activity (W912CZ-09-C-0014)
AM General, LLC South Bend, In., was awarded on June 12, 2009 a $ 27,683,285 firm-fixed-price contract to add 218 each of High Mobility Multi-Purpose Wheeled Vehicles (HMMWV). Work is to be performed in Mishawaka, Ind., with an estimated completion date of Dec. 31, 2009. One bid solicited and one bid received. TACOM Warren, AMSTA-AQ-ATCA, Warren, Mi., is the contracting activity (DAAE07-01-C-S001).
Rome Research Corporation, Rome N.Y., was awarded on June 12, 2009 a $23,217,480 firm-fixed-price with time & material contract to provide non-personnel services to support the existing government work force in the operation and maintenance of the Defense Satellite Communications Systems standardized tactical entry point teleport, Regional Hub Node, Ka-band satellite transmit and receive system and deployable Ku Band earth terminals at the SATCOM facility located at Kirchberg Kaserne in Landstuhl, Germany. This support will consist of maintaining the satellite systems installing, operation, administrating, and maintaining various management and security monitoring systems, operating systems and network application systems. Work is to be performed in Gateway facility Landstuhl, Germany. with an estimated completion date of Feb. 28, 2014. Bids were solicited using FedBizOpps with five bids received. Army Contracting Command, Information Technology, E-Commerce and Commercial Contracting Center, West Fort Huachuca, Az., is the contacting activity (W91RUS-09-C-0030).
US Motor Works LLC, Cerritos, Calif., was awarded on June 12, 2009 a $14,599,500 firm-fixed-price contract for a retro-filled engines, engine components and related spare parts for CJ jeep vehicle. Acquired for the Egyptian Armament Authority in Cairo, Egypt, Foreign Military Sales, sole source Acquisition. Work is to be performed in Cerritos, Calif., (27.40 percent) and Grand Prairie, Texas (72.60 percent) with an estimated Jan. 11, 2011. One bid solicited and one bid received. U.S. Army TACOM LMCMS, AMSCC-TAC-ADBA, Warren, Mi., is the contracting activity (W56HZV-08-C-0248).
TSS-AQ JV Lake Stevens, Wa. was awarded on June 12, 2009, a $12,871,534 firm-fixed-price for the dining facility based in the standard design. Project shall include design and complete construction as indicated in the request for proposal. The site design and construction outside the "five foot line" shall be performed by this contract. The contract is performance based the not definitive in type of construction or material unless otherwise indicated. The contract shall include site work to in integrate, facility, overall building construction, complete interior finishes, and kitchen and server equipment. A comprehensive interior design is required. Bids were solicited using FedBizOpps with eleven (11) bids received. U.S. Army Corp of Engineer, Norfolk District, Norfolk, Va., is the contracting activity (W91236-09-D-0049).
CH2M Hill Construction, Inc., Anchorage, Alaska was awarded on June 12, 2009 a $5,702,672 firm-fixed-price contract to renovate/construct Alaska Command Headquarters. Work is to be performed in Elmendorf, Alaska with an estimated completion date of Feb. 15, 2010. One bid solicited with one bid received. U.S. Army Engineer District, Elmendorf Air Force Base, Alaska is the contracting activity (W911KB-09-C-0017).
Wednesday, June 17, 2009
CHINA’S MARITIME QUEST
Dr. David Lai
The Chinese People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) turned 60 on April 23, 2009. China held an unprecedented celebration on this occasion. For the first time in its history, China invited foreign navies to the PLAN’s birthday event. Chinese President Hu Jintao and all the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) senior leaders reviewed a parade of China’s major warships from a Chinese destroyer. The column of PLAN vessels were headed by two nuclear-powered and armed submarines (the first-ever public appearance of China’s strategic submarine fleet) and 21 warships from 14 nations, including major naval powers such as the United States, Russia, the United Kingdom, and France. The parade took place off the coast of Qingdao, the PLAN Beihai (northern seas) Fleet Headquarters. In addition, China invited many foreign navy chiefs, most notably the U.S. Chief of Naval Operations and the Russian Navy Commander, as well as over 200 foreign military and navy attachés to the party.
READ ON
http://www.strategicstudiesinstitute.army.mil/pdffiles/PUB923.pdf
The Chinese People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) turned 60 on April 23, 2009. China held an unprecedented celebration on this occasion. For the first time in its history, China invited foreign navies to the PLAN’s birthday event. Chinese President Hu Jintao and all the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) senior leaders reviewed a parade of China’s major warships from a Chinese destroyer. The column of PLAN vessels were headed by two nuclear-powered and armed submarines (the first-ever public appearance of China’s strategic submarine fleet) and 21 warships from 14 nations, including major naval powers such as the United States, Russia, the United Kingdom, and France. The parade took place off the coast of Qingdao, the PLAN Beihai (northern seas) Fleet Headquarters. In addition, China invited many foreign navy chiefs, most notably the U.S. Chief of Naval Operations and the Russian Navy Commander, as well as over 200 foreign military and navy attachés to the party.
READ ON
http://www.strategicstudiesinstitute.army.mil/pdffiles/PUB923.pdf
Challenges and Opportunities for the Obama Administration in Central Asia
President Obama has outlined a comprehensive strategy for the war in Afghanistan which is now the central front of our campaign against Islamic terrorism. The strategy strongly connects our prosecution of that war to our policy in Pakistan and internal developments there as a necessary condition of victory. But the strategy has also provided for a new logistics road through Central Asia. The author argues that a winning strategy in Afghanistan depends as well upon the systematic leveraging of the opportunity provided by that road and a new coordinated nonmilitary approach to Central Asia. That approach would rely heavily on improved coordination at home and the more effective leveraging of our superior economic power in Central Asia to help stabilize the region so that it provides a secure rear to Afghanistan. In this fashion we would help Central Asia meet the challenges of extremism, of economic decline due to the global economic crisis, and thus help provide political stability in states that are likely to be challenged by the confluence of those trends.
READ ON
http://www.strategicstudiesinstitute.army.mil/pubs/display.cfm?PubID=921
READ ON
http://www.strategicstudiesinstitute.army.mil/pubs/display.cfm?PubID=921
Group Sponsors Annual Children's 'Freedom Art' Contest
By Sharon Foster
American Forces Press Service
June 17, 2009 - As it gears up for its 7th Annual Children's Freedom Art Contest, a North Carolina-based troop-support group is looking for patriotic drawings or paintings that signify the unyielding spirit of America after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. "We initially started as a group that put up exhibits of patriotic photos sent to us," said Eileen A. Schwartz, founder of Flags Across the Nation. "About a year after the 9/11 attacks, we decided to launch a Freedom Art Contest for children. Throughout the year, we still do art-related exhibits and activities honoring our flag and America."
The children's artwork collected by Flags Across the Nation over the years has featured the U.S flag, the U.S. military, the American bald eagle and several national monuments. The artwork has been displayed in local galleries, military and veterans' locations and several airports across the country.
"We have sent the artwork overseas to troops and wounded warriors in Iraq, Afghanistan and Germany," Schwartz said. "The contest supports the creativity and the patriotic spirit of children. It also uplifts our troops. While participating in this contest, we hope the children think outside of themselves and think about how they can sweeten the lives of our military."
The required entry form is available on the group's Web site. The contest is open to children in grades 1 through 6 across America. They are allowed to use pencils, crayons, paint, makers and fabric -- but not glitter -- for their artwork. The piece should be on 8.5-by-11-inch paper and mailed to Flags Across the Nation, P. O. Box 78995, Charlotte, NC 28271-7045 by Aug. 7. None of the artwork will be returned.
The winner will be announced Sept. 11 on Flags Across the Nation's Web site. The grand prize winner's art will be featured on the Web site, and he or she will receive 13 note cards that feature the winning image. The grand prize winner also will receive a $50 U.S. savings bond. The art of 12 runners-up will be featured on the group's Web site and sent to deployed troops.
Schwartz said she is excited about this year's contest and believes the children will be inspired by their own artwork.
"The goal of this art contest is for children to express their love for freedom and America through art," she said. "It is our hope that they continue to value the freedoms that are bestowed to them in the USA. This contest supports the creativity and the patriotic spirit of children."
American Forces Press Service
June 17, 2009 - As it gears up for its 7th Annual Children's Freedom Art Contest, a North Carolina-based troop-support group is looking for patriotic drawings or paintings that signify the unyielding spirit of America after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. "We initially started as a group that put up exhibits of patriotic photos sent to us," said Eileen A. Schwartz, founder of Flags Across the Nation. "About a year after the 9/11 attacks, we decided to launch a Freedom Art Contest for children. Throughout the year, we still do art-related exhibits and activities honoring our flag and America."
The children's artwork collected by Flags Across the Nation over the years has featured the U.S flag, the U.S. military, the American bald eagle and several national monuments. The artwork has been displayed in local galleries, military and veterans' locations and several airports across the country.
"We have sent the artwork overseas to troops and wounded warriors in Iraq, Afghanistan and Germany," Schwartz said. "The contest supports the creativity and the patriotic spirit of children. It also uplifts our troops. While participating in this contest, we hope the children think outside of themselves and think about how they can sweeten the lives of our military."
The required entry form is available on the group's Web site. The contest is open to children in grades 1 through 6 across America. They are allowed to use pencils, crayons, paint, makers and fabric -- but not glitter -- for their artwork. The piece should be on 8.5-by-11-inch paper and mailed to Flags Across the Nation, P. O. Box 78995, Charlotte, NC 28271-7045 by Aug. 7. None of the artwork will be returned.
The winner will be announced Sept. 11 on Flags Across the Nation's Web site. The grand prize winner's art will be featured on the Web site, and he or she will receive 13 note cards that feature the winning image. The grand prize winner also will receive a $50 U.S. savings bond. The art of 12 runners-up will be featured on the group's Web site and sent to deployed troops.
Schwartz said she is excited about this year's contest and believes the children will be inspired by their own artwork.
"The goal of this art contest is for children to express their love for freedom and America through art," she said. "It is our hope that they continue to value the freedoms that are bestowed to them in the USA. This contest supports the creativity and the patriotic spirit of children."
USNS Byrd Crew Gears Up for Pacific Partnership Mission
By Navy Lt. Jennifer Cragg
Special to American Forces Press Service
June 17, 2009 - A four-month humanitarian mission to the South Pacific led by the Navy's U.S. Pacific Fleet will begin this month as planned despite a switch in ships, the mission commander said. In a decision made to exercise an abundance of caution, officials chose to replace the Navy's USS Dubuque with the Military Sealift Command dry cargo/ammunition ship USNS Richard E. Byrd for the Pacific Partnership 2009 mission after a small number of sailors aboard Dubuque were diagnosed with the H1N1 virus, Navy Capt. Andrew Cully said in a "DoDLive" bloggers roundtable June 15.
"Dubuque was one of the first, and remains one of the few ships on the West Coast to report H1N1," Cully said.
Pacific Partnership will provide engineering support and medical, dental and veterinary care in Samoa, Tonga, the Solomon Islands, Kiribati and the Marshall Islands.
Byrd was selected as a replacement platform because its capabilities fit the needs of the mission, Cully said. The switch required reducing the medical staff from 180 to 50, but the "reduced staff won't affect the mission," said Cully, who helped to refocus the deployment plan to maximize its public health, dental, optometry and veterinary services.
"We're excited that even with the last-minute changes, we'll still deliver what we promised to a lot of high-impact areas," he added.
When members of the international groups that assist with the annual mission learned about the platform change, they offered to fly directly to the countries where Byrd will stop at ports.
"I'm very pleased that most of these organizations stayed with us and are intimately involved in the planning, as well as the execution, of this mission," Cully said.
Project Hope, the Loloma Foundation, International Aid, and the Shriners are among the groups that will participate in Pacific Partnership 2009.
The crew members aboard Byrd are eager to begin their mission, Cully said.
"Helping other nations in a deployment like this is one of the most professionally and personally rewarding career experiences for all of us," he said.
In addition to medical aid, Pacific Partnership will provide engineering support. Engineers from New Zealand, Australia and Canada will refurbish buildings such as schools and clinics and will execute water catchment projects.
"Every project we have -- whether refurbishing the clinic [or] refurbishing the schoolhouse -- we have taken great strides to increase ... their water catchment to provide fresh water," Cully said.
(Navy Lt. Jennifer Cragg serves in the Defense Media Activity's emerging media directorate.)
Special to American Forces Press Service
June 17, 2009 - A four-month humanitarian mission to the South Pacific led by the Navy's U.S. Pacific Fleet will begin this month as planned despite a switch in ships, the mission commander said. In a decision made to exercise an abundance of caution, officials chose to replace the Navy's USS Dubuque with the Military Sealift Command dry cargo/ammunition ship USNS Richard E. Byrd for the Pacific Partnership 2009 mission after a small number of sailors aboard Dubuque were diagnosed with the H1N1 virus, Navy Capt. Andrew Cully said in a "DoDLive" bloggers roundtable June 15.
"Dubuque was one of the first, and remains one of the few ships on the West Coast to report H1N1," Cully said.
Pacific Partnership will provide engineering support and medical, dental and veterinary care in Samoa, Tonga, the Solomon Islands, Kiribati and the Marshall Islands.
Byrd was selected as a replacement platform because its capabilities fit the needs of the mission, Cully said. The switch required reducing the medical staff from 180 to 50, but the "reduced staff won't affect the mission," said Cully, who helped to refocus the deployment plan to maximize its public health, dental, optometry and veterinary services.
"We're excited that even with the last-minute changes, we'll still deliver what we promised to a lot of high-impact areas," he added.
When members of the international groups that assist with the annual mission learned about the platform change, they offered to fly directly to the countries where Byrd will stop at ports.
"I'm very pleased that most of these organizations stayed with us and are intimately involved in the planning, as well as the execution, of this mission," Cully said.
Project Hope, the Loloma Foundation, International Aid, and the Shriners are among the groups that will participate in Pacific Partnership 2009.
The crew members aboard Byrd are eager to begin their mission, Cully said.
"Helping other nations in a deployment like this is one of the most professionally and personally rewarding career experiences for all of us," he said.
In addition to medical aid, Pacific Partnership will provide engineering support. Engineers from New Zealand, Australia and Canada will refurbish buildings such as schools and clinics and will execute water catchment projects.
"Every project we have -- whether refurbishing the clinic [or] refurbishing the schoolhouse -- we have taken great strides to increase ... their water catchment to provide fresh water," Cully said.
(Navy Lt. Jennifer Cragg serves in the Defense Media Activity's emerging media directorate.)
Stavridis Reflects on Southcom Success Ahead of New European Post
By John J. Kruzel
American Forces Press Service
June 17, 2009 - Navy Adm. James G. Stavridis reflected on the security achievements and humanitarian relief efforts he oversaw during his tenure as commander of U.S. Southern Command in a Miami Herald opinion article yesterday. The admiral emphasized how international partnerships and the so-called "whole-of-government" approach that complements military efforts with diplomacy, economic aid and other instruments of state power, helped to foil narco-terrorism in Colombia and fostered humanitarian relief for thousands.
"We dedicate the majority of our resources to building the security capabilities of our partners while encouraging an environment of cooperation among the nations in the region," he said. "The mutual benefits of these partnering efforts are profound."
Stavridis is slated to assume duty as NATO's supreme allied commander for Europe and commander of U.S. European Command this summer, having received Senate confirmation.
In his Miami Herald article, the admiral underscored the importance of regional cooperation in his time at Southcom, which comprises 19 nations in Central and South America and 13 in the Caribbean.
"Complex opportunities and persistent security problems -- like illicit trafficking, criminal activity, gangs, terrorist financing and recruitment, natural disasters -- do not stop at a nation's border," Stavridis wrote. "These challenges require cooperative solutions and partnerships, and therein lay the opportunities."
Stavridis said Colombia's mounting success against illegal armed groups illustrates how building partner capacity pays dividends. Southcom's role in the relationship has been to provide training, logistical and technical support to bolster Colombian crackdowns on narco-terrorists.
"For the first time in decades, the Colombian government is providing services in all of its municipalities, and the Colombian people have a renewed confidence in their future," he wrote. "As Colombia 'wins its peace,' the entire region benefits, because the narco-terrorists lose capacity to grow and transport drugs."
In addition to security programs and military exercises, Southcom also supports humanitarian assistance missions, Stavridis said.
"As an example of our commitment to the people of the region, our medical personnel treated almost 700,000 patients in the past three years, varying from routine prevention to the most serious emergency cases," he said. "A key aspect of the mission is the partnership of military personnel with other government agencies and nongovernmental organizations."
Stavridis, who will become the first naval officer to hold the command in Europe when he replaces Army Gen. Bantz J. Craddock, will face a host of separate issues there.
As the top NATO commander, he will be responsible for overseeing the alliance's military contingent in Afghanistan. Stavridis also is likely to figure prominently in coordinating NATO members' war contributions, which in the past have been criticized as disproportionate to the size and scope of U.S. efforts.
American troop levels in Afghanistan are slated to rise to about 68,000 when a current wave of deployments is completed, compared to about 33,000 other NATO forces there.
At his June 2 confirmation hearing, Stavridis told the Senate Armed Services Committee that upon assuming his new role, he would urge European allies to continue standing with the United States in Afghanistan.
"I hope to be a positive force ... in convincing our allies to continue to stand shoulder to shoulder with us in important missions throughout the world, and in particular, in Afghanistan," he said.
On the European continent, Stavridis will be greeted by a relationship with Russia that is complicated by several hot-button issues. Russia's conflict with Georgia last year put NATO and Moscow at odds, and tension appears to have increased between the neighbors this week, as Russia ordered international peacekeepers to leave the breakaway Georgian provinces that served as flashpoints in the August war. Moscow also has been reluctant to accept U.S. plans to deploy missile defense equipment in Poland and the Czech Republic.
Stavridis has vowed to take the same tack in Europe that yielded security gains and forged relationships at Southcom.
"My approach will be, as it has been at Southern Command for the last three years, to be collegial, to be oriented toward international solutions, multilateral approaches and, above all, interagency and whole-of-government," he said at his confirmation hearing. "These are challenging times in Europe; they're challenging times in Afghanistan and the world. If confirmed, I will do my best."
American Forces Press Service
June 17, 2009 - Navy Adm. James G. Stavridis reflected on the security achievements and humanitarian relief efforts he oversaw during his tenure as commander of U.S. Southern Command in a Miami Herald opinion article yesterday. The admiral emphasized how international partnerships and the so-called "whole-of-government" approach that complements military efforts with diplomacy, economic aid and other instruments of state power, helped to foil narco-terrorism in Colombia and fostered humanitarian relief for thousands.
"We dedicate the majority of our resources to building the security capabilities of our partners while encouraging an environment of cooperation among the nations in the region," he said. "The mutual benefits of these partnering efforts are profound."
Stavridis is slated to assume duty as NATO's supreme allied commander for Europe and commander of U.S. European Command this summer, having received Senate confirmation.
In his Miami Herald article, the admiral underscored the importance of regional cooperation in his time at Southcom, which comprises 19 nations in Central and South America and 13 in the Caribbean.
"Complex opportunities and persistent security problems -- like illicit trafficking, criminal activity, gangs, terrorist financing and recruitment, natural disasters -- do not stop at a nation's border," Stavridis wrote. "These challenges require cooperative solutions and partnerships, and therein lay the opportunities."
Stavridis said Colombia's mounting success against illegal armed groups illustrates how building partner capacity pays dividends. Southcom's role in the relationship has been to provide training, logistical and technical support to bolster Colombian crackdowns on narco-terrorists.
"For the first time in decades, the Colombian government is providing services in all of its municipalities, and the Colombian people have a renewed confidence in their future," he wrote. "As Colombia 'wins its peace,' the entire region benefits, because the narco-terrorists lose capacity to grow and transport drugs."
In addition to security programs and military exercises, Southcom also supports humanitarian assistance missions, Stavridis said.
"As an example of our commitment to the people of the region, our medical personnel treated almost 700,000 patients in the past three years, varying from routine prevention to the most serious emergency cases," he said. "A key aspect of the mission is the partnership of military personnel with other government agencies and nongovernmental organizations."
Stavridis, who will become the first naval officer to hold the command in Europe when he replaces Army Gen. Bantz J. Craddock, will face a host of separate issues there.
As the top NATO commander, he will be responsible for overseeing the alliance's military contingent in Afghanistan. Stavridis also is likely to figure prominently in coordinating NATO members' war contributions, which in the past have been criticized as disproportionate to the size and scope of U.S. efforts.
American troop levels in Afghanistan are slated to rise to about 68,000 when a current wave of deployments is completed, compared to about 33,000 other NATO forces there.
At his June 2 confirmation hearing, Stavridis told the Senate Armed Services Committee that upon assuming his new role, he would urge European allies to continue standing with the United States in Afghanistan.
"I hope to be a positive force ... in convincing our allies to continue to stand shoulder to shoulder with us in important missions throughout the world, and in particular, in Afghanistan," he said.
On the European continent, Stavridis will be greeted by a relationship with Russia that is complicated by several hot-button issues. Russia's conflict with Georgia last year put NATO and Moscow at odds, and tension appears to have increased between the neighbors this week, as Russia ordered international peacekeepers to leave the breakaway Georgian provinces that served as flashpoints in the August war. Moscow also has been reluctant to accept U.S. plans to deploy missile defense equipment in Poland and the Czech Republic.
Stavridis has vowed to take the same tack in Europe that yielded security gains and forged relationships at Southcom.
"My approach will be, as it has been at Southern Command for the last three years, to be collegial, to be oriented toward international solutions, multilateral approaches and, above all, interagency and whole-of-government," he said at his confirmation hearing. "These are challenging times in Europe; they're challenging times in Afghanistan and the world. If confirmed, I will do my best."
Trade Commission Site Helps Identify Scams Targeting Military
By Donna Miles
American Forces Press Service
June 17, 2009 - With the economic downturn causing a spike in consumer scams, the Federal Trade Commission is encouraging servicemembers and their families to report their complaints to an online site so it can better target its investigations. The FTC's Consumer Sentinel/Military provides a secure online database for the military community to report concerns about identity theft, deceptive lending or mortgage practices, debt collection, phone fraud or other scams, said Carol Kando-Pineda in the FTC's consumer and business education division.
"Filing via Consumer Sentinel/Military helps us follow the trends of how many military complaints we're getting and from what branches," Kando-Pineda told American Forces Press Service. "We can target investigations better and plan our consumer education efforts more precisely, too."
The Consumer Sentinel/Military site is part of a larger FTC database that includes millions of consumer complaints. The information collected is shared only to appropriate civil, criminal and military law-enforcement authorities.
Military users and their families who access the site designate their service affiliation, then follow the prompts to complete the online complaint form – a process officials say takes only about five minutes.
By doing so, Kando-Pineda said, the military community can help authorities target cases for prosecution, shut down scammers, spot patterns of fraud before they become widespread and alert fellow servicemembers and military families to scams.
Military members and their families can be particularly vulnerable to fraud due to nonstandard work schedules, lengthy absences from home, frequent relocations, the privacy of personal information and remote duty locations far from normal U.S. consumer protection channels, defense officials report.
In addition, some scam artists have begun padding their own pockets using the premise of soliciting charitable donations to support military families and veterans, FTC officials said.
The FTC offers consumer education to teach the military community and public at large about these and other fraudulent practices. These Web-based products are posted on the FTC Web site.
American Forces Press Service
June 17, 2009 - With the economic downturn causing a spike in consumer scams, the Federal Trade Commission is encouraging servicemembers and their families to report their complaints to an online site so it can better target its investigations. The FTC's Consumer Sentinel/Military provides a secure online database for the military community to report concerns about identity theft, deceptive lending or mortgage practices, debt collection, phone fraud or other scams, said Carol Kando-Pineda in the FTC's consumer and business education division.
"Filing via Consumer Sentinel/Military helps us follow the trends of how many military complaints we're getting and from what branches," Kando-Pineda told American Forces Press Service. "We can target investigations better and plan our consumer education efforts more precisely, too."
The Consumer Sentinel/Military site is part of a larger FTC database that includes millions of consumer complaints. The information collected is shared only to appropriate civil, criminal and military law-enforcement authorities.
Military users and their families who access the site designate their service affiliation, then follow the prompts to complete the online complaint form – a process officials say takes only about five minutes.
By doing so, Kando-Pineda said, the military community can help authorities target cases for prosecution, shut down scammers, spot patterns of fraud before they become widespread and alert fellow servicemembers and military families to scams.
Military members and their families can be particularly vulnerable to fraud due to nonstandard work schedules, lengthy absences from home, frequent relocations, the privacy of personal information and remote duty locations far from normal U.S. consumer protection channels, defense officials report.
In addition, some scam artists have begun padding their own pockets using the premise of soliciting charitable donations to support military families and veterans, FTC officials said.
The FTC offers consumer education to teach the military community and public at large about these and other fraudulent practices. These Web-based products are posted on the FTC Web site.
Face of Defense: Soldier Pushes Self, Inspires Others
By Roger Teel
Special to American Forces Press Service
June 17, 2009 - When the Army became her vehicle seven years ago, Sgt. Gabrielle M. Martinez got behind the wheel, fastened her seat belt and ignited the engine. Then she put her foot on the gas. She didn't just come along for the ride. Now assigned as an information systems analyst and operator with a 20th Support Command weapons-of-mass-destruction coordination element, Martinez makes an impact on nearly everyone she meets.
"She doesn't shy away from challenges," said Army 1st Sgt. Tamiko Bogad, her former unit first sergeant. "She meets them head-on."
Martinez is matter-of-fact about her duties: "Whatever needs to be done," she said. She exhibits more enthusiasm for her "additional duties."
Since arriving in October, Martinez has helped to fine-tune the unit's physical fitness program and assumed leadership of the unit color guard. During her limited free time, she earned a college degree.
By many accounts, she is a role model for other soldiers.
"She is an example of what the Army can provide to our young citizens," Bogad said. "She realizes all the opportunities the Army has to offer and allows the Army to challenge her and realize the potential within."
Martinez derives great pleasure from helping Army Sgt. Jason Bedoya to run the unit PT program.
"Motivating others to achieve their fitness goals and improve their health and overall well-being is rewarding," Martinez said. "To see other soldiers succeed -- especially when they thought they wouldn't, or couldn't, or have given up and gotten discouraged -- that's very rewarding.
"It's good to give back especially in an area where I have natural ability," she added, emphasizing that Bedoya leads the PT program.
"It's his program," she said. "My support provides an even return for having his support on the color guard."
"She keeps everybody going," Bedoya said. "She's outgoing. She makes it fun, always cracking jokes. She challenges me as well, always throwing out new ideas, new ways we can do things, new exercises. And she really helps a lot of our soldiers."
Martinez's endeavor into drill and ceremony, calling cadence for the color guard, came at the recommendation of her supervisor, Army Master Sgt. Charesse Blood.
"The first sergeant was asking for volunteers, and Master Sergeant Blood said it would probably be a good idea for me. She said she had similar responsibilities when she was coming up and said it's a great learning experience and also a challenge. She inspired me, and I volunteered," Martinez explained.
"The challenging part is keeping everyone motivated to perform and coordinating with the community for rehearsals," she said. "I'm currently searching for more volunteers. I've also been looking for incentives to make it lucrative for high quality volunteers because they are very much needed. But the people we have are very dedicated."
Honor and tradition are being preserved under Martinez's charge, Bogad said. "She effortlessly lives and breathes our Army Values and the Noncommissioned Officer Creed," he added.
"I have to juggle all these things carefully so I don't miss training and still provide leadership to the color guard and be there for the PT program," Martinez said. "There's a lot of juggling of responsibilities as an NCO."
Martinez grew up in Pottstown, Pa., about a two-hour drive north of here.
"My father is still there," she said. "I have 15 brothers and sisters; I'm in the middle."
The lessons she learned growing up in a large family are apparent.
"I always felt like I was a member of a team," she said, smiling at the memory. Her siblings range in age from 4 to 43. "It's hard to keep a relationship with a sister who is 40 years old. I'm 27. She was ready to move out of the house by the time I came along."
Martinez said her father coordinates an annual family gathering.
"Whoever shows up shows up," she said. "We never get everybody there together at once."
None of her brothers or sisters served in the military.
"I'm the first in my family to graduate from college," she added, proud of achieving an academic goal. She graduated in May from American Military University, earning a bachelor's degree - with honors -- in information technology.
"My mom was there for my graduation," she added, re-emphasizing the importance she attaches to family ties. "I'd like to complete my master's program in an in-your-face, traditional classroom," she continued, having earned her bachelor's degree online. "I'm taking a break now and identifying future endeavors."
It's been seven years since Martinez visited a Miami recruiting center. At that time she was working as a certified nurse's assistant, going to school and trying to become a model -- and things weren't working out.
So, she raised her hand.
Martinez has since traveled around the world. After completing basic training at Fort Jackson, S.C., and advanced individual training at Fort Gordon, Ga., she was assigned to Mannheim, Germany, for two years, which included a short tour to Kuwait with the 7th Signal Brigade.
She took a follow-on overseas assignment to South Korea for 13 months, and then re-enlisted for retraining in her current job specialty. She then ramped up at the National Training Center and deployed to Iraq for 15 months with the 3rd Infantry Division's 3rd Brigade Combat Team.
"It's worked out for me. I've developed a lot of pride in what I do. I'm glad I did it, and I now plan to be a career soldier," Martinez said, thumbing the Officer Candidate School packet she was almost ready to submit.
"Airborne school has to come in there somewhere," she added, underscoring her desire to remain a "Hooah!" soldier.
"I believe in myself," she explained. "As I continue to create and explore opportunities, I know things will work out."
Her professional development is clearly evident to others.
"She has been diligent about requesting increased responsibility, and has consistently performed above and beyond her grade," Blood said. "She's focused on accomplishment of the mission and the welfare of her soldiers."
Her former first sergeant agreed. "As senior NCOs, we provide opportunities for our soldiers to succeed," Bogad said. "It is our duty to help them realize their own potential, which is usually more than they thought they had. Sergeant Martinez inspires others through her example. She sets the standard for excellence. She achieves all you put before her, and all she puts her mind to."
"She's definitely got her mind in the right place," added Bedoya, a young and newly promoted NCO. "She can do so much more. I look at her and think, 'That's someone I could emulate.'"
Martinez takes the praise in stride. "I just want to positively influence people," she said. "I feel like I owe that to soldiers, my peers and anybody I can motivate to go to school, to work on their PT, or just try a little harder in whatever situation they're in. I feel like I owe that to people because leaders have given that to me so freely.
"Besides," she added, "who am I not to share?"
(Roger Teel works at 20th Support Command.)
Special to American Forces Press Service
June 17, 2009 - When the Army became her vehicle seven years ago, Sgt. Gabrielle M. Martinez got behind the wheel, fastened her seat belt and ignited the engine. Then she put her foot on the gas. She didn't just come along for the ride. Now assigned as an information systems analyst and operator with a 20th Support Command weapons-of-mass-destruction coordination element, Martinez makes an impact on nearly everyone she meets.
"She doesn't shy away from challenges," said Army 1st Sgt. Tamiko Bogad, her former unit first sergeant. "She meets them head-on."
Martinez is matter-of-fact about her duties: "Whatever needs to be done," she said. She exhibits more enthusiasm for her "additional duties."
Since arriving in October, Martinez has helped to fine-tune the unit's physical fitness program and assumed leadership of the unit color guard. During her limited free time, she earned a college degree.
By many accounts, she is a role model for other soldiers.
"She is an example of what the Army can provide to our young citizens," Bogad said. "She realizes all the opportunities the Army has to offer and allows the Army to challenge her and realize the potential within."
Martinez derives great pleasure from helping Army Sgt. Jason Bedoya to run the unit PT program.
"Motivating others to achieve their fitness goals and improve their health and overall well-being is rewarding," Martinez said. "To see other soldiers succeed -- especially when they thought they wouldn't, or couldn't, or have given up and gotten discouraged -- that's very rewarding.
"It's good to give back especially in an area where I have natural ability," she added, emphasizing that Bedoya leads the PT program.
"It's his program," she said. "My support provides an even return for having his support on the color guard."
"She keeps everybody going," Bedoya said. "She's outgoing. She makes it fun, always cracking jokes. She challenges me as well, always throwing out new ideas, new ways we can do things, new exercises. And she really helps a lot of our soldiers."
Martinez's endeavor into drill and ceremony, calling cadence for the color guard, came at the recommendation of her supervisor, Army Master Sgt. Charesse Blood.
"The first sergeant was asking for volunteers, and Master Sergeant Blood said it would probably be a good idea for me. She said she had similar responsibilities when she was coming up and said it's a great learning experience and also a challenge. She inspired me, and I volunteered," Martinez explained.
"The challenging part is keeping everyone motivated to perform and coordinating with the community for rehearsals," she said. "I'm currently searching for more volunteers. I've also been looking for incentives to make it lucrative for high quality volunteers because they are very much needed. But the people we have are very dedicated."
Honor and tradition are being preserved under Martinez's charge, Bogad said. "She effortlessly lives and breathes our Army Values and the Noncommissioned Officer Creed," he added.
"I have to juggle all these things carefully so I don't miss training and still provide leadership to the color guard and be there for the PT program," Martinez said. "There's a lot of juggling of responsibilities as an NCO."
Martinez grew up in Pottstown, Pa., about a two-hour drive north of here.
"My father is still there," she said. "I have 15 brothers and sisters; I'm in the middle."
The lessons she learned growing up in a large family are apparent.
"I always felt like I was a member of a team," she said, smiling at the memory. Her siblings range in age from 4 to 43. "It's hard to keep a relationship with a sister who is 40 years old. I'm 27. She was ready to move out of the house by the time I came along."
Martinez said her father coordinates an annual family gathering.
"Whoever shows up shows up," she said. "We never get everybody there together at once."
None of her brothers or sisters served in the military.
"I'm the first in my family to graduate from college," she added, proud of achieving an academic goal. She graduated in May from American Military University, earning a bachelor's degree - with honors -- in information technology.
"My mom was there for my graduation," she added, re-emphasizing the importance she attaches to family ties. "I'd like to complete my master's program in an in-your-face, traditional classroom," she continued, having earned her bachelor's degree online. "I'm taking a break now and identifying future endeavors."
It's been seven years since Martinez visited a Miami recruiting center. At that time she was working as a certified nurse's assistant, going to school and trying to become a model -- and things weren't working out.
So, she raised her hand.
Martinez has since traveled around the world. After completing basic training at Fort Jackson, S.C., and advanced individual training at Fort Gordon, Ga., she was assigned to Mannheim, Germany, for two years, which included a short tour to Kuwait with the 7th Signal Brigade.
She took a follow-on overseas assignment to South Korea for 13 months, and then re-enlisted for retraining in her current job specialty. She then ramped up at the National Training Center and deployed to Iraq for 15 months with the 3rd Infantry Division's 3rd Brigade Combat Team.
"It's worked out for me. I've developed a lot of pride in what I do. I'm glad I did it, and I now plan to be a career soldier," Martinez said, thumbing the Officer Candidate School packet she was almost ready to submit.
"Airborne school has to come in there somewhere," she added, underscoring her desire to remain a "Hooah!" soldier.
"I believe in myself," she explained. "As I continue to create and explore opportunities, I know things will work out."
Her professional development is clearly evident to others.
"She has been diligent about requesting increased responsibility, and has consistently performed above and beyond her grade," Blood said. "She's focused on accomplishment of the mission and the welfare of her soldiers."
Her former first sergeant agreed. "As senior NCOs, we provide opportunities for our soldiers to succeed," Bogad said. "It is our duty to help them realize their own potential, which is usually more than they thought they had. Sergeant Martinez inspires others through her example. She sets the standard for excellence. She achieves all you put before her, and all she puts her mind to."
"She's definitely got her mind in the right place," added Bedoya, a young and newly promoted NCO. "She can do so much more. I look at her and think, 'That's someone I could emulate.'"
Martinez takes the praise in stride. "I just want to positively influence people," she said. "I feel like I owe that to soldiers, my peers and anybody I can motivate to go to school, to work on their PT, or just try a little harder in whatever situation they're in. I feel like I owe that to people because leaders have given that to me so freely.
"Besides," she added, "who am I not to share?"
(Roger Teel works at 20th Support Command.)
Tuesday, June 16, 2009
Israeli Victory in Gaza
(CLICK IMAGE FOR MORE INFO, INCLUDEING PREVIEWS AND TESTAMONIALS) I have a new piece in the current issue of Strategy & Tactics covering Israel's Operation Cast Lead. For those who may not recall, Cast Lead saw the Israelis bomb and invade Gaza last January in an effort to stop Hamas' daily rocket attacks.
The operation was well planned and executed, with the Israelis killing more than 700 Hamas fighters, destroying dozens of arms cashes, and hundreds of smuggling tunnels. Cast Lead also helped restore the credibility of Israel's deterrent, something which had been lacking since the inconclusive Lebanon War of 2006.
Interestingly, Israeli intelligence made good use of disgruntled Fatah operatives, Hamas main rival, several dozen of whom were killed when Hamas took over the Gaza Strip in a coup in 2007. Fatah sources pointed out the location of smuggling tunnels, terrorist homes, and arms caches.
Israel has also been aiding Fatah in the West Bank, with intelligence sharing and limited cooperation between the Israeli Army and Palestinian Authority security services. The Israelis seem to be adopting the age old counter insurgency tactic of co-opting some of the locals and using them to fight the insurgents. Its an idea that has worked time and again, most notably in Iraq, where Sunni insurgents turned on al Qeada.
Of course this begs the question, is Fatah any better than Hamas? Hamas is a religious organization offering a variety of social services tethered to a political program centered on the destruction ot Israel. Fatah is a more or less secular but corrupt thugocracy, it is at best and worst, like the entrenched government of Egypt's president for life, Hosni Mubarak. Mubarak stay afloat because of a few billion a year in American dollars. Perhaps Fatah can be kept up with a few hundred million Israeli shekels?
For more about Will, visit http://www.gulfwarone.com/. His novel, 'A Line Through the Desert' can be purchased here.
Missile Defense Reviews to Focus on Current, Long-Term Challenges
By Donna Miles
American Forces Press Service
June 16, 2009 - North Korea and Iran pose serious nuclear and missile proliferation concerns for the United States and other nations and will be major considerations in the U.S ballistic missile defense review, Deputy Defense Secretary William J. Lynn III told the Senate Armed Services Committee today. "The risks and dangers from missile proliferation are growing problems," Lynn said. "The president has made clear that we will move forward with missile defenses. They're affordable, proven and responsive to the threat."
Lynn joined other defense leaders in describing the ballistic missile threat and reviews of missile defense policy and planning under way to address current as well as long-term security challenges.
The recently initiated Ballistic Missile Defense Review and other related reviews, he said, will focus on challenges posed by violent extremist movements, the spread of weapons of mass destruction and their delivery systems, rising powers with sophisticated weapons and failed or failing threats, Lynn told the panel.
Marine Gen. James Cartwright, vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, noted that the global nature of the threats and the rapid pace of technological change imposes big challenges on any deterrent strategy.
"No longer will a monolithic, mutual-assured destruction approach deter our aggressors," Cartwright said. "Our deterrent strategy will need to handle the rapid advances in technologies across a broad range of threats and conditions."
Several broad principles will guide the efforts:
• Defending the United States from rogue states and protecting U.S. forces.
This includes more effective theater missile defenses and more capabilities to warfighters provided through shorter-range and mobile missile defense systems, Lynn explained. The fiscal 2010 budget request includes an additional $900 million to field more systems such as the Terminal High-Altitude Area Defense, Aegis Ballistic Missile Defense ships and Standard Missile-3 interceptors to defend deployed forces and allies, he said.
• Preparing for emerging threats.
This effort calls for continued investment in national missile defense systems upgrades
and research and development to pursue new and more effective technologies to confront theater missile threats, Lynn said.
• Ensuring the effectiveness of U.S. missile defenses.
Lynn emphasized the need for robust testing, while terminating the troubled kinetic energy interceptor and multiple kill vehicle programs and returning the airborne laser to a technology demonstration program.
• Using missile defense as the basis for fostering international defense cooperation.
No final decisions have been made regarding missile defense in Europe, Lynn told the panel. However, the U.S. approach to missile defense there will be to seek cooperation with international partners, including Russia, to reduce the threat from Iran.
Lynn called ballistic missile defenses an important part of current and future national strategy that must be integrated into broader deterrence and alliance considerations.
"Missile defenses play a key role in both responding to current threats and hedging against future contingencies," he told the senators. "As we move forward with missile defense plans and programs, the Department of Defense will ensure they are affordable, effective and responsive to the risks and threats that confront the United States, our friends and our allies."
Army Lt. Gen. Patrick J. O'Reilly, director of the Missile Defense Agency, said the $7.8 billion requested for missile defense in the fiscal 2010 budget will support these endeavors.
This funding, he said, will focus on three areas of improvement: current protection against theater and rogue nation threats, the United States' hedge against future threats and improving the acquisition of U.S. missile defense capability.
"Missile defense is expensive, but the cost of mission failure can also be very high," O'Reilly said, emphasizing that the system must be both affordable and effective.
"The department is proposing a balanced program to develop, rigorously test and field an integrated [ballistic missile defense system] architecture to counter existing regional threats, maintain our limited [intercontinental ballistic missile] defense, develop new technologies to address future risks and become more operationally and cost-effective as we prepare to protect against the more uncertain threats of the future," he said.
American Forces Press Service
June 16, 2009 - North Korea and Iran pose serious nuclear and missile proliferation concerns for the United States and other nations and will be major considerations in the U.S ballistic missile defense review, Deputy Defense Secretary William J. Lynn III told the Senate Armed Services Committee today. "The risks and dangers from missile proliferation are growing problems," Lynn said. "The president has made clear that we will move forward with missile defenses. They're affordable, proven and responsive to the threat."
Lynn joined other defense leaders in describing the ballistic missile threat and reviews of missile defense policy and planning under way to address current as well as long-term security challenges.
The recently initiated Ballistic Missile Defense Review and other related reviews, he said, will focus on challenges posed by violent extremist movements, the spread of weapons of mass destruction and their delivery systems, rising powers with sophisticated weapons and failed or failing threats, Lynn told the panel.
Marine Gen. James Cartwright, vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, noted that the global nature of the threats and the rapid pace of technological change imposes big challenges on any deterrent strategy.
"No longer will a monolithic, mutual-assured destruction approach deter our aggressors," Cartwright said. "Our deterrent strategy will need to handle the rapid advances in technologies across a broad range of threats and conditions."
Several broad principles will guide the efforts:
• Defending the United States from rogue states and protecting U.S. forces.
This includes more effective theater missile defenses and more capabilities to warfighters provided through shorter-range and mobile missile defense systems, Lynn explained. The fiscal 2010 budget request includes an additional $900 million to field more systems such as the Terminal High-Altitude Area Defense, Aegis Ballistic Missile Defense ships and Standard Missile-3 interceptors to defend deployed forces and allies, he said.
• Preparing for emerging threats.
This effort calls for continued investment in national missile defense systems upgrades
and research and development to pursue new and more effective technologies to confront theater missile threats, Lynn said.
• Ensuring the effectiveness of U.S. missile defenses.
Lynn emphasized the need for robust testing, while terminating the troubled kinetic energy interceptor and multiple kill vehicle programs and returning the airborne laser to a technology demonstration program.
• Using missile defense as the basis for fostering international defense cooperation.
No final decisions have been made regarding missile defense in Europe, Lynn told the panel. However, the U.S. approach to missile defense there will be to seek cooperation with international partners, including Russia, to reduce the threat from Iran.
Lynn called ballistic missile defenses an important part of current and future national strategy that must be integrated into broader deterrence and alliance considerations.
"Missile defenses play a key role in both responding to current threats and hedging against future contingencies," he told the senators. "As we move forward with missile defense plans and programs, the Department of Defense will ensure they are affordable, effective and responsive to the risks and threats that confront the United States, our friends and our allies."
Army Lt. Gen. Patrick J. O'Reilly, director of the Missile Defense Agency, said the $7.8 billion requested for missile defense in the fiscal 2010 budget will support these endeavors.
This funding, he said, will focus on three areas of improvement: current protection against theater and rogue nation threats, the United States' hedge against future threats and improving the acquisition of U.S. missile defense capability.
"Missile defense is expensive, but the cost of mission failure can also be very high," O'Reilly said, emphasizing that the system must be both affordable and effective.
"The department is proposing a balanced program to develop, rigorously test and field an integrated [ballistic missile defense system] architecture to counter existing regional threats, maintain our limited [intercontinental ballistic missile] defense, develop new technologies to address future risks and become more operationally and cost-effective as we prepare to protect against the more uncertain threats of the future," he said.
North Korea Must Renounce Nuclear Weapons, Obama, Lee Say
By Jim Garamone
American Forces Press Service
June 16, 2009 - Given North Korea's bellicose threats, it is unacceptable for the nation to possess nuclear weapons, President Barack Obama said today at the White House. Obama and South Korean President Lee Myung-bak held a news conference following their meeting to discuss the issue. Obama called North Korea a "profound threat" to stability in Northeast Asia and security around the world.
"We agreed that under no circumstance are we going to allow North Korea to possess nuclear weapons," President Lee said. "We also agreed to robustly implement U.N. Security Council Resolution 1874. Of course, all the parties will faithfully take part in implementing this resolution."
North Korea's record of proliferation makes them incredibly dangerous, Obama said. "They have not shown, in the past, any restraint in terms of exporting weapons to not only state actors but also non-state actors," he said.
North Korea has abandoned commitments and violated international law, Obama said. North Korea leaders have said that all international agreements – including the armistice that ended the Korean War in 1953 – are null and void.
Obama praised South Korea for its steadiness and resolve, and the two leaders reiterated their commitment to the "complete denuclearization" of the Korean Peninsula.
Lee and Obama discussed the way forward with regard to North Korea. The United States, South Korea, Japan, China and Russia are working to make it clear to North Korea "that it will not find security or respect through threats and illegal weapons," Obama said.
North Korea has received near-universal condemnation since conducting a nuclear test in April. The nation also has tested intercontinental and intermediate-range missile technology.
"On Friday, the United Nations Security Council unanimously adopted a resolution that called for strong steps to block North Korea's nuclear and ballistic missile programs," Obama said. "Now we must pursue a sustained and robust effort to implement this resolution together with our international partners."
There is another path for North Korea that could lead to full integration with the community of nations, Obama said. "That destination can only be reached through peaceful negotiations that achieve the full and verifiable denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula."
American Forces Press Service
June 16, 2009 - Given North Korea's bellicose threats, it is unacceptable for the nation to possess nuclear weapons, President Barack Obama said today at the White House. Obama and South Korean President Lee Myung-bak held a news conference following their meeting to discuss the issue. Obama called North Korea a "profound threat" to stability in Northeast Asia and security around the world.
"We agreed that under no circumstance are we going to allow North Korea to possess nuclear weapons," President Lee said. "We also agreed to robustly implement U.N. Security Council Resolution 1874. Of course, all the parties will faithfully take part in implementing this resolution."
North Korea's record of proliferation makes them incredibly dangerous, Obama said. "They have not shown, in the past, any restraint in terms of exporting weapons to not only state actors but also non-state actors," he said.
North Korea has abandoned commitments and violated international law, Obama said. North Korea leaders have said that all international agreements – including the armistice that ended the Korean War in 1953 – are null and void.
Obama praised South Korea for its steadiness and resolve, and the two leaders reiterated their commitment to the "complete denuclearization" of the Korean Peninsula.
Lee and Obama discussed the way forward with regard to North Korea. The United States, South Korea, Japan, China and Russia are working to make it clear to North Korea "that it will not find security or respect through threats and illegal weapons," Obama said.
North Korea has received near-universal condemnation since conducting a nuclear test in April. The nation also has tested intercontinental and intermediate-range missile technology.
"On Friday, the United Nations Security Council unanimously adopted a resolution that called for strong steps to block North Korea's nuclear and ballistic missile programs," Obama said. "Now we must pursue a sustained and robust effort to implement this resolution together with our international partners."
There is another path for North Korea that could lead to full integration with the community of nations, Obama said. "That destination can only be reached through peaceful negotiations that achieve the full and verifiable denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula."
Pentagon Spokesman Expresses Hope North Korea Won't Test UN Resolution
By Donna Miles
American Forces Press Service
June 16, 2009 - The United States and its international partners have the assets and authorities needed to carry out a UN Security Council resolution aimed at stopping North Korea's proliferation activities, but the Pentagon press secretary expressed hope today North Korea won't put them to the test. "Hopefully it does not become necessary" to enforce provisions of UN Security Council 1874, Geoff Morrell told Pentagon reporters today. "Hopefully the north will be fully compliant with the Security Council resolution that bans their shipment of a number of goods, including arms."
The Security Council passed the resolution unanimously June 12, condemning North Korea's May 25 nuclear test and tightening sanctions aimed at blocking further nuclear, missile and proliferation activities. The resolution widened a ban on North Korea's arms imports and exports and called on the international community to inspect cargo to or from North Korea suspected of violating its provisions.
"So we continue, as we have for some time, to monitor the North Korean shipments," Morrell said today. "Should there be reasonable grounds to believe that one of those ships is carrying banned cargo, we have the authorities under the Security Council resolution to take action."
Such action, should it be warranted, would begin with a request to the North Korean government – not the suspect ship – for a compliant boarding to inspect the ship, he explained. In the event that request is denied, the U.N. Security Council would be informed. The next step would be a request to the North Korean government, asking that it direct the ship into a convenient port to be boarded and inspected.
The resolution, particularly the fact that it passed unanimously, demonstrates the broad international commitment to working together to stop North Korea from proliferating weapons of mass destruction, he said.
"So this is not just about what we can or have been able to do or will be able to do," Morrell said. "This is about a commitment, on the part of all of our allies, to deal with this problem collectively."
By working together to prevent the North Koreans from proliferating weapons of mass destruction and other arms, the international community will eliminate a revenue source that sustains the North Korean regime and its ability to pursue its nuclear and ballistic program.
"This has been a main source of revenue for the North for quite some time, and we want to put a stop to it," Morrell said.
Meanwhile, the resolution will help "prevent that kind of technology from being spread to other countries and other non-state actors where it could pose a threat to us and our allies," he said.
American Forces Press Service
June 16, 2009 - The United States and its international partners have the assets and authorities needed to carry out a UN Security Council resolution aimed at stopping North Korea's proliferation activities, but the Pentagon press secretary expressed hope today North Korea won't put them to the test. "Hopefully it does not become necessary" to enforce provisions of UN Security Council 1874, Geoff Morrell told Pentagon reporters today. "Hopefully the north will be fully compliant with the Security Council resolution that bans their shipment of a number of goods, including arms."
The Security Council passed the resolution unanimously June 12, condemning North Korea's May 25 nuclear test and tightening sanctions aimed at blocking further nuclear, missile and proliferation activities. The resolution widened a ban on North Korea's arms imports and exports and called on the international community to inspect cargo to or from North Korea suspected of violating its provisions.
"So we continue, as we have for some time, to monitor the North Korean shipments," Morrell said today. "Should there be reasonable grounds to believe that one of those ships is carrying banned cargo, we have the authorities under the Security Council resolution to take action."
Such action, should it be warranted, would begin with a request to the North Korean government – not the suspect ship – for a compliant boarding to inspect the ship, he explained. In the event that request is denied, the U.N. Security Council would be informed. The next step would be a request to the North Korean government, asking that it direct the ship into a convenient port to be boarded and inspected.
The resolution, particularly the fact that it passed unanimously, demonstrates the broad international commitment to working together to stop North Korea from proliferating weapons of mass destruction, he said.
"So this is not just about what we can or have been able to do or will be able to do," Morrell said. "This is about a commitment, on the part of all of our allies, to deal with this problem collectively."
By working together to prevent the North Koreans from proliferating weapons of mass destruction and other arms, the international community will eliminate a revenue source that sustains the North Korean regime and its ability to pursue its nuclear and ballistic program.
"This has been a main source of revenue for the North for quite some time, and we want to put a stop to it," Morrell said.
Meanwhile, the resolution will help "prevent that kind of technology from being spread to other countries and other non-state actors where it could pose a threat to us and our allies," he said.
MILITARY CONTRACTS June 16, 2009
AIR FORCE
The Air Force is awarding an indefinite delivery/indefinite quantity contract to ITT Corp., Advanced Engineering & Sciences Division, of Herndon, Va., for $49,900,000. This contract action will provide the design, development, integration, and sustainment of new features and capabilities into the Information Support Server Environment Guard software system. It will also include the maintenance of fielded ISSE guard systems and installations of new ISSE guard software version for government agencies. At this time, $439,000 has been obligated. Air Force Research Laboratory, Rome, N.Y., is the contracting activity (FA8750-09-D-0002).
The Air Force is awarding a cost-plus-fixed-fee contract to Concurrent Technologies Corp, of Johnstown, Pa., for $49,000,000. This contract action will provide a research and development program entitled "Environmental and Energy Quality Technologies," and will transition emerging materials, processes and new technologies to reduce and eliminate toxic and hazardous chemicals, materials, and waste streams, while improving energy efficiency and reducing greenhouse gas emissions for the Air Force. At this time, $5,198,388 has been obligated. Detachment 1, Air Force Research Laboratory, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio, is the contracting activity (FA8650-09-D-5601).
The Air Force is awarding a cost-plus-fixed-fee contract to Booz Allen Hamilton, Inc., of Herndon, Va., for $17,979,681. This contract is for homeland defense and civil support communications to enhance the Navy's ability to safely and effectively conduct maritime homeland security/defense operations and enhance the survivability of the fleet. At this time, $277,295 has been obligated. 55 CONS, Offutt Air Force Base, Neb., is the contracting activity (SP0700-03-D-1380, Delivery Order 03067).
The Air Force is awarding a cost-plus-fixed-fee contract to Booz Allen Hamilton, Inc., of Herndon, Va., for $9,659,296. This action will provide homeland defense and civil support communication. At this time $227,600 has been obligated. 55 CONS, Offutt Air Force Base, Neb., is the contracting activity (SP0700-03-D-1380, Delivery Order 0306).
NAVY
Force Protection Industries, Inc., Ladson, S.C., is being awarded a $21,440,496 firm-fixed-price delivery order #0012 modification under previously awarded contract (M67854-07-D-5031) for the purchase of field service representative support for the installation of the independent suspension kits on the Mine Resistant Ambush Protected (MRAP) Cougar vehicles. Work will be performed at the MRAP Sustainment Facility in Kuwait. Work is expected to be completed by Dec. 31, 2009. Contract funds will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Marine Corps Systems Command, Quantico, Va., is the contracting activity.
DEFENSE LOGISTICS AGENCY
JLG Industries, Inc., McConnellsburg, Pa., is being awarded a maximum $6,536,779 firm fixed-price, sole source contract for diesel engine. Other location of performance is in Pennsylvania. Using service is Army. The original proposal was Web solicited with one response. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The date of performance completion is January 18, 2010. The contracting activity is the Defense Logistics Agency, Warren, (DSCC-ZG) Warren, Mich. (SPRDL1-09-C-0064).
CORRECTION:
EA Industries, Inc., San Lorenzo, Puerto Rico *, is being awarded a maximum $13,464,383 firm fixed-price, indefinite quantity contract for Marine Corps combat utility uniform. There are no other locations of performance. Using service is Marine Corps. The original proposal was Web solicited with 10 responses. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The date of performance completion is Jun. 16, 2010. The contracting activity is the Defense Supply Center Philadelphia, Philadelphia, Pa., (SP0100-06-D-0361).
The Air Force is awarding an indefinite delivery/indefinite quantity contract to ITT Corp., Advanced Engineering & Sciences Division, of Herndon, Va., for $49,900,000. This contract action will provide the design, development, integration, and sustainment of new features and capabilities into the Information Support Server Environment Guard software system. It will also include the maintenance of fielded ISSE guard systems and installations of new ISSE guard software version for government agencies. At this time, $439,000 has been obligated. Air Force Research Laboratory, Rome, N.Y., is the contracting activity (FA8750-09-D-0002).
The Air Force is awarding a cost-plus-fixed-fee contract to Concurrent Technologies Corp, of Johnstown, Pa., for $49,000,000. This contract action will provide a research and development program entitled "Environmental and Energy Quality Technologies," and will transition emerging materials, processes and new technologies to reduce and eliminate toxic and hazardous chemicals, materials, and waste streams, while improving energy efficiency and reducing greenhouse gas emissions for the Air Force. At this time, $5,198,388 has been obligated. Detachment 1, Air Force Research Laboratory, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio, is the contracting activity (FA8650-09-D-5601).
The Air Force is awarding a cost-plus-fixed-fee contract to Booz Allen Hamilton, Inc., of Herndon, Va., for $17,979,681. This contract is for homeland defense and civil support communications to enhance the Navy's ability to safely and effectively conduct maritime homeland security/defense operations and enhance the survivability of the fleet. At this time, $277,295 has been obligated. 55 CONS, Offutt Air Force Base, Neb., is the contracting activity (SP0700-03-D-1380, Delivery Order 03067).
The Air Force is awarding a cost-plus-fixed-fee contract to Booz Allen Hamilton, Inc., of Herndon, Va., for $9,659,296. This action will provide homeland defense and civil support communication. At this time $227,600 has been obligated. 55 CONS, Offutt Air Force Base, Neb., is the contracting activity (SP0700-03-D-1380, Delivery Order 0306).
NAVY
Force Protection Industries, Inc., Ladson, S.C., is being awarded a $21,440,496 firm-fixed-price delivery order #0012 modification under previously awarded contract (M67854-07-D-5031) for the purchase of field service representative support for the installation of the independent suspension kits on the Mine Resistant Ambush Protected (MRAP) Cougar vehicles. Work will be performed at the MRAP Sustainment Facility in Kuwait. Work is expected to be completed by Dec. 31, 2009. Contract funds will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Marine Corps Systems Command, Quantico, Va., is the contracting activity.
DEFENSE LOGISTICS AGENCY
JLG Industries, Inc., McConnellsburg, Pa., is being awarded a maximum $6,536,779 firm fixed-price, sole source contract for diesel engine. Other location of performance is in Pennsylvania. Using service is Army. The original proposal was Web solicited with one response. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The date of performance completion is January 18, 2010. The contracting activity is the Defense Logistics Agency, Warren, (DSCC-ZG) Warren, Mich. (SPRDL1-09-C-0064).
CORRECTION:
EA Industries, Inc., San Lorenzo, Puerto Rico *, is being awarded a maximum $13,464,383 firm fixed-price, indefinite quantity contract for Marine Corps combat utility uniform. There are no other locations of performance. Using service is Marine Corps. The original proposal was Web solicited with 10 responses. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The date of performance completion is Jun. 16, 2010. The contracting activity is the Defense Supply Center Philadelphia, Philadelphia, Pa., (SP0100-06-D-0361).
New Public Affairs Chief Sets Out to Transform Communications Processes
By Donna Miles
American Forces Press Service
June 15, 2009 - When Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates tapped Price Floyd to run the Defense Department's public affairs operation, he gave him two basic marching orders: improve the way the department communicates ¬-- especially to young people -- and solicit feedback in the process. So one week into the job as principal deputy assistant secretary of defense for public affairs, Floyd is taking a fresh look at traditional public affairs and strategic communications practices with an eye toward making them more responsive, more relevant, more inclusive and more transparent.
Gone will be the days, he said, when the department released information and conveyed messages hoping they'd reach receptive ears and eyes and convince skeptical audiences at home and abroad. The new goal will be better-targeted communications that reach groups not necessarily linked into traditional media outlets, and mechanisms that not only accept, but also solicit, feedback.
Floyd said it's evident in his discussions with Gates that he's "focused like a laser beam" on communicating better with the department's audiences.
"And he wants to hear feedback," Floyd said. "He wants to know what people think about our policies and initiatives."
Gates has made no secret of his dissatisfaction with the way the U.S. government, including the Defense Department, communicates with its own members, the American public and the world.
"Public relations was invented in the United States, yet we are miserable at communicating to the rest of the world what we are about as a society and a culture, about freedom and democracy, about our policies and our goals," he said during a November 2007 Landon Lecture speech at Kansas State University. "It is just plain embarrassing that al-Qaida is better at communicating its message on the Internet than America."
Gates repeats that mantra regularly, citing the strategic consequences of a public affairs organization he calls too slow and inflexible in light of the realities of the 21st century. That's particularly troublesome, he said, in light of a ruthless and versatile enemy that's proven capable of reaching its own target audiences through a variety of means – both ancient and modern.
"Are we organized properly ... when we're being out-communicated by a guy in a cave?" Gates lamented during a May 2008 address at the American Academy of Diplomacy.
So while Floyd is still navigating his way through the Pentagon, still meeting his staff and has yet to organize the stacks of paperwork already covering his desk, he's wasting no time getting to the task of moving the Defense Department's communications efforts to the fast track.
The goal, he said, is to take advantage of 21st-century technology and approaches and to institutionalize them so they have a lasting impact on how the department conducts public affairs.
After 17 years at the State Department, most recently as director of media affairs, and two years as external relations director for the Center for New American Security, the 44-year-old Floyd has witnessed vast changes in the way information is distributed and shared.
He's watched technology blur the lines between audiences, so a message that goes to one group is likely to reach many other groups. "You have to be aware of, no matter who you are speaking to, all the possible audiences that may hear it and then interpret it in a different way," Floyd said.
Meanwhile, the "social media" -- blogs, Facebook, MySpace, YouTube, Flickr and Twitter, among them -- have revolutionized information-sharing. These forums have become the information tool of choice among the "millennial generation" -- the 18-to-25-year-olds Gates referred to, many of whom don't read newspapers, tune in to network news or visit official Web sites.
This is a group Gates is particularly interested in reaching, not only in the United States, but also abroad. He emphasized this point in April when asked during a question-and-answer session at the Marine Corps War College in Quantico, Va., what he was looking for in his top public affairs post.
"I want somebody who can tell us how the Department of Defense communicates with our own people, most of whom are 18 to 25 years old," Gates said. "And somebody who can communicate with people that same age around the world, where we've got operations going on."
Floyd understands the importance of this demographic. "They are the future of recruitment, they are our future educators, they are the future people we will need to support our policies," he said. "The bottom line is, they are our future."
Floyd said he plans to expand efforts already under way at the Defense Department to tap into social media outlets to reach audiences not reachable through other, more traditional, means.
"How they communicate, and what they communicate is completely different than what we were doing just a couple of years ago," he said. "It makes no sense for us not to be a part of that. We don't play in that arena to our own detriment."
But a secondary benefit of the social media – one Floyd said he plans to extend to other public affairs endeavors – is that it promotes the kind of discourse Gates wants to develop.
For a long time, the new technologies represented little more than "a better bullhorn" to broadcast the Defense Department's messages to more people, Floyd said. "But now, that's changed," he said. "It's not just better one-way communication; it's better two-way communication. It's not just us reaching people; it is them reaching us, too."
This discussion can have tremendous payoff, he said. It gives people a way to actively participate in policymaking, offering suggestions and constructive viewpoints.
But Floyd said it also makes the important point – subtle as it might appear at face value -- that the Defense Department wants to hear from the public. "What we need to do is make sure our policies are explained and understood by the widest possible audience, and that we allow that audience to respond," he said.
"They are not simply being told that this is the new policy, and they have got to live with it," he said. "Even in cases where they may disagree with the policy, because it was developed with transparency and in a way that allowed their voices to be heard, they have a sense of ownership in it. They know that their views were heard."
This approach does a lot more than simply make people feel good, Floyd said. It promotes a level of understanding that's critical to building support: understanding among the American people, understanding in the world community and understanding among local people where U.S. troops are operating.
That, Floyd said, has a direct impact on the safety of those troops and the effectiveness of their operations.
If the people of Iraq and Afghanistan understand "what we are doing, why we are there, what we are doing to help support their government and therefore, what their government is doing to help them, it makes the job of our troops on the ground a lot easier," he said.
Commanders on the ground realize that this understanding can mean "life or death for their troops," Floyd said.
"So getting it right means saving their own lives, and the lives of the people in the countries where they are operating," he said. "That makes it imperative that we get it right."
American Forces Press Service
June 15, 2009 - When Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates tapped Price Floyd to run the Defense Department's public affairs operation, he gave him two basic marching orders: improve the way the department communicates ¬-- especially to young people -- and solicit feedback in the process. So one week into the job as principal deputy assistant secretary of defense for public affairs, Floyd is taking a fresh look at traditional public affairs and strategic communications practices with an eye toward making them more responsive, more relevant, more inclusive and more transparent.
Gone will be the days, he said, when the department released information and conveyed messages hoping they'd reach receptive ears and eyes and convince skeptical audiences at home and abroad. The new goal will be better-targeted communications that reach groups not necessarily linked into traditional media outlets, and mechanisms that not only accept, but also solicit, feedback.
Floyd said it's evident in his discussions with Gates that he's "focused like a laser beam" on communicating better with the department's audiences.
"And he wants to hear feedback," Floyd said. "He wants to know what people think about our policies and initiatives."
Gates has made no secret of his dissatisfaction with the way the U.S. government, including the Defense Department, communicates with its own members, the American public and the world.
"Public relations was invented in the United States, yet we are miserable at communicating to the rest of the world what we are about as a society and a culture, about freedom and democracy, about our policies and our goals," he said during a November 2007 Landon Lecture speech at Kansas State University. "It is just plain embarrassing that al-Qaida is better at communicating its message on the Internet than America."
Gates repeats that mantra regularly, citing the strategic consequences of a public affairs organization he calls too slow and inflexible in light of the realities of the 21st century. That's particularly troublesome, he said, in light of a ruthless and versatile enemy that's proven capable of reaching its own target audiences through a variety of means – both ancient and modern.
"Are we organized properly ... when we're being out-communicated by a guy in a cave?" Gates lamented during a May 2008 address at the American Academy of Diplomacy.
So while Floyd is still navigating his way through the Pentagon, still meeting his staff and has yet to organize the stacks of paperwork already covering his desk, he's wasting no time getting to the task of moving the Defense Department's communications efforts to the fast track.
The goal, he said, is to take advantage of 21st-century technology and approaches and to institutionalize them so they have a lasting impact on how the department conducts public affairs.
After 17 years at the State Department, most recently as director of media affairs, and two years as external relations director for the Center for New American Security, the 44-year-old Floyd has witnessed vast changes in the way information is distributed and shared.
He's watched technology blur the lines between audiences, so a message that goes to one group is likely to reach many other groups. "You have to be aware of, no matter who you are speaking to, all the possible audiences that may hear it and then interpret it in a different way," Floyd said.
Meanwhile, the "social media" -- blogs, Facebook, MySpace, YouTube, Flickr and Twitter, among them -- have revolutionized information-sharing. These forums have become the information tool of choice among the "millennial generation" -- the 18-to-25-year-olds Gates referred to, many of whom don't read newspapers, tune in to network news or visit official Web sites.
This is a group Gates is particularly interested in reaching, not only in the United States, but also abroad. He emphasized this point in April when asked during a question-and-answer session at the Marine Corps War College in Quantico, Va., what he was looking for in his top public affairs post.
"I want somebody who can tell us how the Department of Defense communicates with our own people, most of whom are 18 to 25 years old," Gates said. "And somebody who can communicate with people that same age around the world, where we've got operations going on."
Floyd understands the importance of this demographic. "They are the future of recruitment, they are our future educators, they are the future people we will need to support our policies," he said. "The bottom line is, they are our future."
Floyd said he plans to expand efforts already under way at the Defense Department to tap into social media outlets to reach audiences not reachable through other, more traditional, means.
"How they communicate, and what they communicate is completely different than what we were doing just a couple of years ago," he said. "It makes no sense for us not to be a part of that. We don't play in that arena to our own detriment."
But a secondary benefit of the social media – one Floyd said he plans to extend to other public affairs endeavors – is that it promotes the kind of discourse Gates wants to develop.
For a long time, the new technologies represented little more than "a better bullhorn" to broadcast the Defense Department's messages to more people, Floyd said. "But now, that's changed," he said. "It's not just better one-way communication; it's better two-way communication. It's not just us reaching people; it is them reaching us, too."
This discussion can have tremendous payoff, he said. It gives people a way to actively participate in policymaking, offering suggestions and constructive viewpoints.
But Floyd said it also makes the important point – subtle as it might appear at face value -- that the Defense Department wants to hear from the public. "What we need to do is make sure our policies are explained and understood by the widest possible audience, and that we allow that audience to respond," he said.
"They are not simply being told that this is the new policy, and they have got to live with it," he said. "Even in cases where they may disagree with the policy, because it was developed with transparency and in a way that allowed their voices to be heard, they have a sense of ownership in it. They know that their views were heard."
This approach does a lot more than simply make people feel good, Floyd said. It promotes a level of understanding that's critical to building support: understanding among the American people, understanding in the world community and understanding among local people where U.S. troops are operating.
That, Floyd said, has a direct impact on the safety of those troops and the effectiveness of their operations.
If the people of Iraq and Afghanistan understand "what we are doing, why we are there, what we are doing to help support their government and therefore, what their government is doing to help them, it makes the job of our troops on the ground a lot easier," he said.
Commanders on the ground realize that this understanding can mean "life or death for their troops," Floyd said.
"So getting it right means saving their own lives, and the lives of the people in the countries where they are operating," he said. "That makes it imperative that we get it right."
Privatization of U.S. Army Lodging to Raise Quality of Life for Soldiers on the Move
The U.S. Army today announced that it will transfer the first 10 installations under the Army's Privatization of Army Lodging (PAL) program on August 15, 2009. The transfer is a reinforcement of the U.S. Army's commitment to improving its transient lodging to enhance the quality of life of soldiers and their families.
Actus Lend Lease will perform the redevelopment of the lodging facilities and lodging operations will be assumed by the InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG).
"PAL brings world class lodging practices and private sector investment to support Quality of Life requirements of our Soldiers, Families and civilians as they serve," said Lt. Gen. Robert Wilson, assistant chief of staff for installation management.
Most of the Army Lodging employees affected by the transfer will receive offers of employment from IHG. Retained employees will have their Army Lodging employment honored as IHG service time. Seven of the ten affected Army lodging general managers have accepted IHG positions.
The 10 Group A installations are: Fort Rucker, Ala.; Fort Leavenworth, Kan.; Fort Riley, Kan.; Fort Polk, La.; Fort Sill, Okla.; Fort Hood, Texas; Fort Sam Houston, Texas; Yuma Proving Ground, Ariz.; Fort Myer, Va.; Fort Shafter / Tripler Army Medical Center, Hawaii.
Upon transfer of the lodging rooms, the project will begin correcting commercial code noncompliance issues and overhauling the mechanical, electrical and plumbing systems of the existing inventory. These renovations and the conversion of five hotels to Holiday Inn Express hotels will be complete within the first two years.
The end-state portfolio of hotels will be a mix of well recognized and well respected IHG brands such as: Candlewood Suites, Staybridge Suites, and Holiday Inn Express, and renovated historic facilities. Enhanced guest services including complimentary breakfasts, pet-friendly rooms, and the IHG Priority Club frequent-stay program will start upon transfer.
Through the PAL program, the Army has engaged the private sector to manage, build, renovate, maintain and operate transient lodging on Army installations. The program is modeled after the Army's successful privatized family housing program, the Residential Communities Initiative (RCI).
For more information please contact Dave Foster, 703-697-5344; dave.foster1@us.army.mil.
Actus Lend Lease will perform the redevelopment of the lodging facilities and lodging operations will be assumed by the InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG).
"PAL brings world class lodging practices and private sector investment to support Quality of Life requirements of our Soldiers, Families and civilians as they serve," said Lt. Gen. Robert Wilson, assistant chief of staff for installation management.
Most of the Army Lodging employees affected by the transfer will receive offers of employment from IHG. Retained employees will have their Army Lodging employment honored as IHG service time. Seven of the ten affected Army lodging general managers have accepted IHG positions.
The 10 Group A installations are: Fort Rucker, Ala.; Fort Leavenworth, Kan.; Fort Riley, Kan.; Fort Polk, La.; Fort Sill, Okla.; Fort Hood, Texas; Fort Sam Houston, Texas; Yuma Proving Ground, Ariz.; Fort Myer, Va.; Fort Shafter / Tripler Army Medical Center, Hawaii.
Upon transfer of the lodging rooms, the project will begin correcting commercial code noncompliance issues and overhauling the mechanical, electrical and plumbing systems of the existing inventory. These renovations and the conversion of five hotels to Holiday Inn Express hotels will be complete within the first two years.
The end-state portfolio of hotels will be a mix of well recognized and well respected IHG brands such as: Candlewood Suites, Staybridge Suites, and Holiday Inn Express, and renovated historic facilities. Enhanced guest services including complimentary breakfasts, pet-friendly rooms, and the IHG Priority Club frequent-stay program will start upon transfer.
Through the PAL program, the Army has engaged the private sector to manage, build, renovate, maintain and operate transient lodging on Army installations. The program is modeled after the Army's successful privatized family housing program, the Residential Communities Initiative (RCI).
For more information please contact Dave Foster, 703-697-5344; dave.foster1@us.army.mil.
Cybersecurity Poses 'Unprecedented Challenge' to National Security, Lynn Says
By John J. Kruzel
American Forces Press Service
June 15, 2009 - Threats to U.S.-based computer networks -- posed by the intelligence branches of foreign countries and teenage hackers alike -- represent an unprecedented national security challenge, the Pentagon's No. 2 official said today. Making cyber warfare unique is the breadth of potential sources, plus the speed and scope of such attacks, Deputy Defense Secretary William J. Lynn III said.
"Once the province of nations, the ability to destroy via cyber means now also rests in the hands of small groups and individuals: from terrorist groups to organized crime, hackers to industrial spies to foreign intelligence services," he told the Center for Strategic and International Studies here.
Lynn said the common thread among three marquee reviews of U.S. cybersecurity is the need for greater public awareness of both the threat to the country and how it's prepared to defend against digital attacks. He cautioned that cyber warfare is not an emerging or distant risk.
"This is not some future threat. The cyber threat is here today; it is here now," said Lynn, whose remarks today come several weeks after President Barack Obama announced plans to appoint a cyber security coordinator to oversee the government's effort.
The 21st century U.S. military, like American society at large, is dependent on modern technology that is subject to vulnerabilities, Lynn said.
"Just like our national dependence, there is simply no exaggerating our military dependence on our information networks: the command and control of our forces, the intelligence and logistics on which they depend, the weapons technologies we develop and field – they all depend on our computer systems and networks," he said. "Indeed, our 21st century military simply cannot function without them."
Lynn said the government's roughly 15,000 networks – connecting 7 million computers, information technology devices and servers – all make for tempting targets.
Underscoring the clear and present danger cyberwarfare engenders, Lynn said there's evidence that more than 100 foreign intelligence organizations are trying to hack into U.S. networks. Lynn also cited a top intelligence official who said both Russia and China are capable of using electronic means to disrupt elements of the nation's infrastructure.
Speaking about the scope and speed of cyber warfare, Lynn pointed to the example of Estonia, which was victimized by an attack allegedly carried out by Russian operatives. A series of data-flooding attacks lasting about three weeks in early 2007 brought down the Web sites of several daily newspapers and forced Estonia's largest bank to shut down its online banking network.
Some cyber tactics can be carried out in less than one second, which increases the need for government preparedness.
"If attacked in milliseconds, we can't take days to organize and coordinate our defenses," he said. "If our networks were to be disrupted or damaged, we'd need to respond rapidly at network speed before the networks could become compromised and ongoing operations and the lives of our military are threatened.
"In short," he continued, "we have to be just as fast, if not faster, than those who would do us harm."
The Defense Department is considering a sub-unified command for cyberspace, Lynn said, though a decision hasn't yet been reached on what shape the command might take.
American Forces Press Service
June 15, 2009 - Threats to U.S.-based computer networks -- posed by the intelligence branches of foreign countries and teenage hackers alike -- represent an unprecedented national security challenge, the Pentagon's No. 2 official said today. Making cyber warfare unique is the breadth of potential sources, plus the speed and scope of such attacks, Deputy Defense Secretary William J. Lynn III said.
"Once the province of nations, the ability to destroy via cyber means now also rests in the hands of small groups and individuals: from terrorist groups to organized crime, hackers to industrial spies to foreign intelligence services," he told the Center for Strategic and International Studies here.
Lynn said the common thread among three marquee reviews of U.S. cybersecurity is the need for greater public awareness of both the threat to the country and how it's prepared to defend against digital attacks. He cautioned that cyber warfare is not an emerging or distant risk.
"This is not some future threat. The cyber threat is here today; it is here now," said Lynn, whose remarks today come several weeks after President Barack Obama announced plans to appoint a cyber security coordinator to oversee the government's effort.
The 21st century U.S. military, like American society at large, is dependent on modern technology that is subject to vulnerabilities, Lynn said.
"Just like our national dependence, there is simply no exaggerating our military dependence on our information networks: the command and control of our forces, the intelligence and logistics on which they depend, the weapons technologies we develop and field – they all depend on our computer systems and networks," he said. "Indeed, our 21st century military simply cannot function without them."
Lynn said the government's roughly 15,000 networks – connecting 7 million computers, information technology devices and servers – all make for tempting targets.
Underscoring the clear and present danger cyberwarfare engenders, Lynn said there's evidence that more than 100 foreign intelligence organizations are trying to hack into U.S. networks. Lynn also cited a top intelligence official who said both Russia and China are capable of using electronic means to disrupt elements of the nation's infrastructure.
Speaking about the scope and speed of cyber warfare, Lynn pointed to the example of Estonia, which was victimized by an attack allegedly carried out by Russian operatives. A series of data-flooding attacks lasting about three weeks in early 2007 brought down the Web sites of several daily newspapers and forced Estonia's largest bank to shut down its online banking network.
Some cyber tactics can be carried out in less than one second, which increases the need for government preparedness.
"If attacked in milliseconds, we can't take days to organize and coordinate our defenses," he said. "If our networks were to be disrupted or damaged, we'd need to respond rapidly at network speed before the networks could become compromised and ongoing operations and the lives of our military are threatened.
"In short," he continued, "we have to be just as fast, if not faster, than those who would do us harm."
The Defense Department is considering a sub-unified command for cyberspace, Lynn said, though a decision hasn't yet been reached on what shape the command might take.
Sunday, June 14, 2009
Whose the Adult Here; Bruce Dickinson or Fred Astaire
Some weeks ago, George Will wrote a column complaining about the prevalence of blue jeans in adult contemporary life. He spends a Lot of time lambasting adults for wearing them, saying those of us who do so are immature and chronic adolescents, and refers to denim as a 'blight'.
Will suggests modern men look to someone named Fred Astaire as an example for proper fashion and decorum. Apparently, Mr. Astaire was a movie star well known for singing, dancing, and being a snappy dresser. Kind of makes a guy wonder, doesn't it? For some reason, Will holds up Fred Astaire as a paragon of adult, manly virtue. Well, let's take a gander and some lyrics, shall we?
-'I'm feeling so bad, I wish you'd make the music Dreamy and sad...' from One for my Baby
-'You've got all the qualities of Peter Pan I'd look far before I'd find a sweeter pan' from Funny Face
- 'Heaven, I'm in Heaven,And my heart beats so that I can hardly speak;And I seem to find the happiness I seek. When we're out together dancing, cheek to cheek...' from Cheek to Cheek
These are the thoughts of teenage boy, bored out of his mind in Global Studies, passing the time by ogling the girl sitting a row over and two desks down who doesn't realize the once strategically placed rip in the back of her acid wash jeans has ridden up too high.
Anyway, let's compare and contrast these lyrics to the 80's era whipping boy, scourge of the PMRC, Iron Maiden:
-'I'm waiting in my cold cell when the bell begins to chime. Reflecting on my past life and it doesn't have much time. 'Cause at 5 o'clock they take me to the Gallows Pole. The sands of time for me are running low...' from Hallowed be thy Name
-' Bandits at 8 o'clock move in behind us. Ten ME-109's out of the sun. Ascending and turning out spitfires to face them. Heading straight for them I press my guns...' from Aces High
-'In a foreign field he lay. Lonely soldier, unknown grave. On his dying words he prays. Tell the world of Paschendale...' from Paschendale
Judge for yourself gentle reader. But know this, Fred Astaire was kown for dancing to happy, smiley songs. Iron Maiden's lead singer, Bruce Dickinson, served in the British Army, is a competative fencer, and flies airline jets in his spare time.
For more about Will, visit http://www.gulfwarone.com/. His novel, 'A Line Through the Desert' can be purchased here.
Gates Urges Graduating Class to Embrace Public Service
By John J. Kruzel
American Forces Press Service
June 13, 2009 - Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates implored America's youth to weigh the virtues of a career devoted to serving the country, saying "no life is complete without service to others." In a commencement speech to the outgoing class of the University of Washington in Seattle, Gates called on the graduates to translate their campus activism to the United States civic system writ large.
"If, in the 21st century, America is to be a force for good in the world – for freedom, social justice, the rule of law, and the inherent value of each person; if America is to be a beacon for all who are oppressed; if America is to exercise leadership consistent with our better angels, then the most able and idealistic of today's young people must step forward and accept the burden and the duty of public service," he said.
Gates, who accepted an honorary degree from the university recognizing his 43-year career in public service, extolled the merits of committing one's life work to bettering his or her country. The defense secretary, known for his biting criticism of Washington, D.C. culture, cast aside cynicism in describing the motives of public servants.
"Each person in public service has his or her own story and motives," he told the young audience packed into Husky Stadium. "But I believe, if you scratch deeply enough, you will find that those who serve – no matter how outwardly tough or jaded or egotistical – are, in their heart of hearts, romantics and idealists and optimists.
"We actually believe we can make a difference, that we can make the lives of others better, that we can make a positive difference in the life of the greatest country in the history of the world," he added.
Gates remarked on the university's distinguished record of matriculating students who continue on to public service, sending some of the highest numbers of graduates into the Peace Corps. He also noted the graduating class contribution to the U.S. military.
"Sixty four members of your class are becoming new lieutenants and ensigns in the United States Navy, Marines, Army, and Air Force – following a long line of University of Washington grads who proved their valor on the battlefield," he said, noting that the school is tied with Virginia Tech and Texas A&M for graduating the most Medal of Honor recipients of any civilian American university.
"I extend my heartfelt gratitude to all ROTC cadets and midshipmen on campus, University of Washington graduates currently serving, and especially the veterans who are pursuing their education – some of whom are graduating today," he said. "You have served your nation honorably, and your nation is proud of and grateful for what you have done."
The defense secretary recognized the more than two million American public servants wearing military uniforms and deployed overseas.
"They are risking their lives in service to our country every day, fighting in the mountains of Afghanistan to the streets of Iraq. Their courage is awesome, their tenacity boundless," Gates said. "As junior Michael Beatty – an Iraq Army vet and co-founder of Husky United Military Veterans put it: 'If you don't do your job, your brother is going to pay for it with his blood.'
"That spirit is the reason these extraordinary men and women have rightfully been called the new 'greatest generation,'" he continued.
Despite millions of examples of public service, Gates said he worries that campus activism sometimes fails to translate to engagement on the national scale.
"Even in last year's election, with all the challenges facing our nation – two wars, a meltdown on Wall Street and an economy in free-fall – not even half of eligible voters in the college-age bracket cast a ballot," he said. "So, I worry – and I worry greatly – that too many young Americans, so public-minded in campus and community affairs, turn aside when it comes to our political process or careers in public service."
Given that those who enter public life are frequently repaid for their commitment and sacrifice with criticism and even character assassination, the rewards of patriotism and selflessness outweigh public service's less auspicious aspects, Gates said.
"I entered public life 43 years ago, and no one is more familiar with its hassles, frustrations, and sacrifices than I am," he said. "Certainly the challenges are daunting, and the current state of our politics isn't exactly the best marketing scheme for attracting new talent. The pay and working conditions can be difficult, at best.
"However, there is another aspect to public service about which Americans hear very little," he added, "the idealism, the joy, and the satisfaction and the fulfillment."
American Forces Press Service
June 13, 2009 - Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates implored America's youth to weigh the virtues of a career devoted to serving the country, saying "no life is complete without service to others." In a commencement speech to the outgoing class of the University of Washington in Seattle, Gates called on the graduates to translate their campus activism to the United States civic system writ large.
"If, in the 21st century, America is to be a force for good in the world – for freedom, social justice, the rule of law, and the inherent value of each person; if America is to be a beacon for all who are oppressed; if America is to exercise leadership consistent with our better angels, then the most able and idealistic of today's young people must step forward and accept the burden and the duty of public service," he said.
Gates, who accepted an honorary degree from the university recognizing his 43-year career in public service, extolled the merits of committing one's life work to bettering his or her country. The defense secretary, known for his biting criticism of Washington, D.C. culture, cast aside cynicism in describing the motives of public servants.
"Each person in public service has his or her own story and motives," he told the young audience packed into Husky Stadium. "But I believe, if you scratch deeply enough, you will find that those who serve – no matter how outwardly tough or jaded or egotistical – are, in their heart of hearts, romantics and idealists and optimists.
"We actually believe we can make a difference, that we can make the lives of others better, that we can make a positive difference in the life of the greatest country in the history of the world," he added.
Gates remarked on the university's distinguished record of matriculating students who continue on to public service, sending some of the highest numbers of graduates into the Peace Corps. He also noted the graduating class contribution to the U.S. military.
"Sixty four members of your class are becoming new lieutenants and ensigns in the United States Navy, Marines, Army, and Air Force – following a long line of University of Washington grads who proved their valor on the battlefield," he said, noting that the school is tied with Virginia Tech and Texas A&M for graduating the most Medal of Honor recipients of any civilian American university.
"I extend my heartfelt gratitude to all ROTC cadets and midshipmen on campus, University of Washington graduates currently serving, and especially the veterans who are pursuing their education – some of whom are graduating today," he said. "You have served your nation honorably, and your nation is proud of and grateful for what you have done."
The defense secretary recognized the more than two million American public servants wearing military uniforms and deployed overseas.
"They are risking their lives in service to our country every day, fighting in the mountains of Afghanistan to the streets of Iraq. Their courage is awesome, their tenacity boundless," Gates said. "As junior Michael Beatty – an Iraq Army vet and co-founder of Husky United Military Veterans put it: 'If you don't do your job, your brother is going to pay for it with his blood.'
"That spirit is the reason these extraordinary men and women have rightfully been called the new 'greatest generation,'" he continued.
Despite millions of examples of public service, Gates said he worries that campus activism sometimes fails to translate to engagement on the national scale.
"Even in last year's election, with all the challenges facing our nation – two wars, a meltdown on Wall Street and an economy in free-fall – not even half of eligible voters in the college-age bracket cast a ballot," he said. "So, I worry – and I worry greatly – that too many young Americans, so public-minded in campus and community affairs, turn aside when it comes to our political process or careers in public service."
Given that those who enter public life are frequently repaid for their commitment and sacrifice with criticism and even character assassination, the rewards of patriotism and selflessness outweigh public service's less auspicious aspects, Gates said.
"I entered public life 43 years ago, and no one is more familiar with its hassles, frustrations, and sacrifices than I am," he said. "Certainly the challenges are daunting, and the current state of our politics isn't exactly the best marketing scheme for attracting new talent. The pay and working conditions can be difficult, at best.
"However, there is another aspect to public service about which Americans hear very little," he added, "the idealism, the joy, and the satisfaction and the fulfillment."
Saturday, June 13, 2009
Marine Corps Scholarship Foundation Raises More Than $300,000
By Sharon Foster
American Forces Press Service
June 13, 2009 - The Marine Corps Scholarship Foundation recently raised more than $300,000 at its 23rd Annual Washington Gala to benefit high school and college students from families of active-duty and former Marines. Gen. James F. Amos, assistant commandant of the Marine Corps, was the military guest of honor at the event here June 6. He thanked the more than 300 guests for their continued support of the foundation.
"The 2009 Washington Gala was extremely successful," Clint Nesmith, national director of volunteers and event sponsorship at the Marine Corps Scholarship Foundation, said. "Our scholarships provide life-changing financial support for students while increasing their chances for success in their personal and professional lives."
This year, more than 80 students will receive about $3,400 each to further their education at a university of their choice. Kyle James, a scholarship recipient and son of Marine Maj. Brian Joseph James, who died in a July 1992 car crash, is very grateful for the award.
"My father, by all accounts, was an extraordinary man," James said. "I know this not just by the few precious memories I have of him or by what I have simply been told, but also by what I have seen and by what I have experienced as a recipient of this scholarship. My hope is that other students will be afforded a chance to experience this bond that sets the Marine Corps on a different level."
Since 1962, the Marine Corps Scholarship Foundation has provided academic scholarships to children of Marines and Navy corpsmen serving with Marines, with particular attention given to children whose parent was killed or wounded in action.
Children of active-duty or former Marines are eligible to apply for these scholarships. A parent must have served honorably for more than 90 days in the Marine Corps or Marine Corps Reserve. Applicants are expected to have a satisfactory academic record and have participated in civic and/or school activities.
According to Nesmith, these scholarships are vital to Marine families, as the cost of higher education continues to rise.
"The situation among many Marine families presents a sobering reality," Nesmith said. "Today, the average household income of our scholarship recipients is under $43,000."
To meet the current and future needs of educating children of Marines, the troop-support group recently launched an aggressive capital drive, "The American Patriots Campaign." Through the "Heroes Tribute Scholarship Fund" and "Need-based Scholarships," the group is looking to bolster its existing programs for children of Marines.
American Forces Press Service
June 13, 2009 - The Marine Corps Scholarship Foundation recently raised more than $300,000 at its 23rd Annual Washington Gala to benefit high school and college students from families of active-duty and former Marines. Gen. James F. Amos, assistant commandant of the Marine Corps, was the military guest of honor at the event here June 6. He thanked the more than 300 guests for their continued support of the foundation.
"The 2009 Washington Gala was extremely successful," Clint Nesmith, national director of volunteers and event sponsorship at the Marine Corps Scholarship Foundation, said. "Our scholarships provide life-changing financial support for students while increasing their chances for success in their personal and professional lives."
This year, more than 80 students will receive about $3,400 each to further their education at a university of their choice. Kyle James, a scholarship recipient and son of Marine Maj. Brian Joseph James, who died in a July 1992 car crash, is very grateful for the award.
"My father, by all accounts, was an extraordinary man," James said. "I know this not just by the few precious memories I have of him or by what I have simply been told, but also by what I have seen and by what I have experienced as a recipient of this scholarship. My hope is that other students will be afforded a chance to experience this bond that sets the Marine Corps on a different level."
Since 1962, the Marine Corps Scholarship Foundation has provided academic scholarships to children of Marines and Navy corpsmen serving with Marines, with particular attention given to children whose parent was killed or wounded in action.
Children of active-duty or former Marines are eligible to apply for these scholarships. A parent must have served honorably for more than 90 days in the Marine Corps or Marine Corps Reserve. Applicants are expected to have a satisfactory academic record and have participated in civic and/or school activities.
According to Nesmith, these scholarships are vital to Marine families, as the cost of higher education continues to rise.
"The situation among many Marine families presents a sobering reality," Nesmith said. "Today, the average household income of our scholarship recipients is under $43,000."
To meet the current and future needs of educating children of Marines, the troop-support group recently launched an aggressive capital drive, "The American Patriots Campaign." Through the "Heroes Tribute Scholarship Fund" and "Need-based Scholarships," the group is looking to bolster its existing programs for children of Marines.
Gates Introduces McChrystal to NATO Defense Ministers
By Jim Garamone
American Forces Press Service
June 12, 2009 - Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates introduced the new commander of the alliance's International Security Assistance Force in Afghanistan to the NATO and partner-nation defense ministers here today. Army Lt. Gen. Stanley McChrystal stopped here on his way to his new command in Afghanistan. The general, who also has been confirmed to receive a fourth star, will take command in Kabul tomorrow.
McChrystal attended the meeting of ISAF contributing nations. NATO Secretary General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer spoke for all of the ministers in welcoming the general and wishing him luck.
"Our heads of government have declared NATO's effort in Afghanistan to be the alliance's highest operational priority," Gates said as he introduced the general. "Because General McChrystal will command your young men and women in Afghanistan, the secretary general and I thought it an appropriate courtesy to you to introduce him to you in person and have him present to hear your thoughts in this meeting."
NATO's defense ministers are in their second day of a conference here, and Afghanistan has been the primary subject of discussion.
"I am honored to be selected to command the brave men and women who make up the ISAF, and I assure you I take the responsibility very, very seriously," McChrystal told the alliance's defense ministers. "I am also privileged to be here today to listen to your deliberations and to take those thoughts and guidance [with me] as I go forward."
The discussions today will cover the gamut of issues that will confront the general as he takes command. Today, 56,000 Americans and 33,000 NATO and allied-nation servicemembers are in Afghanistan. By the end of the year, those numbers will grow to 68,000 and 35,000, respectively.
Progress in the country has not been as fast or as complete as the NATO leaders wanted, de Hoop Scheffer acknowledged. Still, he said, progress in security and governance is evident in some areas.
Security for the Afghan elections in August is the most immediate goal for the NATO forces, the secretary general said. The fact that the elections are the first proposed and conducted by the Afghan government is a sign of progress, he said, and he noted that the Afghan army now leads more than half of the operations conducted in the country.
Training for the Afghan military and police is a priority for NATO, the secretary general said, because the alliance cannot leave the country until Afghans take responsibility for the security of their own country.
American Forces Press Service
June 12, 2009 - Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates introduced the new commander of the alliance's International Security Assistance Force in Afghanistan to the NATO and partner-nation defense ministers here today. Army Lt. Gen. Stanley McChrystal stopped here on his way to his new command in Afghanistan. The general, who also has been confirmed to receive a fourth star, will take command in Kabul tomorrow.
McChrystal attended the meeting of ISAF contributing nations. NATO Secretary General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer spoke for all of the ministers in welcoming the general and wishing him luck.
"Our heads of government have declared NATO's effort in Afghanistan to be the alliance's highest operational priority," Gates said as he introduced the general. "Because General McChrystal will command your young men and women in Afghanistan, the secretary general and I thought it an appropriate courtesy to you to introduce him to you in person and have him present to hear your thoughts in this meeting."
NATO's defense ministers are in their second day of a conference here, and Afghanistan has been the primary subject of discussion.
"I am honored to be selected to command the brave men and women who make up the ISAF, and I assure you I take the responsibility very, very seriously," McChrystal told the alliance's defense ministers. "I am also privileged to be here today to listen to your deliberations and to take those thoughts and guidance [with me] as I go forward."
The discussions today will cover the gamut of issues that will confront the general as he takes command. Today, 56,000 Americans and 33,000 NATO and allied-nation servicemembers are in Afghanistan. By the end of the year, those numbers will grow to 68,000 and 35,000, respectively.
Progress in the country has not been as fast or as complete as the NATO leaders wanted, de Hoop Scheffer acknowledged. Still, he said, progress in security and governance is evident in some areas.
Security for the Afghan elections in August is the most immediate goal for the NATO forces, the secretary general said. The fact that the elections are the first proposed and conducted by the Afghan government is a sign of progress, he said, and he noted that the Afghan army now leads more than half of the operations conducted in the country.
Training for the Afghan military and police is a priority for NATO, the secretary general said, because the alliance cannot leave the country until Afghans take responsibility for the security of their own country.
Gates, Secretary General Express Satisfaction With NATO Conference
By Jim Garamone
American Forces Press Service
June 12, 2009 - Afghanistan dominated the discussions at the two-day NATO defense ministers conference that concluded here today, and Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates and NATO Secretary General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer said they are pleased with the results. The men spoke during separate news conferences at the end of a meeting of nations contributing forces to NATO's International Security Assistance Force in Afghanistan.
The NATO ministers have approved in principle establishing a new military headquarters for ISAF to oversee day-to-day tactical operations.
"The logic is clear, ... because the mission in Afghanistan has now grown to more than 60,000 forces, and it will keep growing," de Hoop Scheffer said. Noting the need for cooperation among ISAF, the Afghan security forces, aid donors and other international entities, the secretary general said the commander of ISAF cannot handle all of the international coordination and devote enough attention to day-to-day military operations.
American officials have nominated Army Lt. Gen. David Rodriguez to fill the job, and once the headquarters is established, it will be solely an ISAF position. "This three-star general will wear one hat – an ISAF hat," de Hoop Scheffer said.
The new command will report to a new ISAF commander. Army Lt. Gen. Stanley McChrystal stopped here on his way to Afghanistan, where he will take command of ISAF U.S. Forces Afghanistan tomorrow. "This morning, I introduced General Stan McChrystal to the ministers," Gates said. "We all look forward to working with him as he brings fresh thinking and unparalleled energy and determination to Kabul."
For the immediate future, the alliance ministers confirmed that they have generated the forces needed to provide assistance for Afghanistan's elections in August. Eight battalions and their enablers will flow into the country for an up-tick of roughly 10,000 troops, de Hoop Scheffer said. The troops will provide a "third ring" of security for the election process after the first ring of the Afghan National Police and the second ring of the Afghan National Army, he added.
The extra troops will help in transporting election materials and protecting election workers, and will provide support in an impartial manner, the secretary general said.
NATO will provide higher-level training for the Afghan National Army and training and mentoring for the Afghan National Police. The alliance also will help to train a gendarmerie – a cross between police and military – for the country, de Hoop Scheffer said.
The alliance also will deploy its AWACS aircraft to Afghanistan to provide airborne warning and control capability. De Hoop Scheffer said the skies over Afghanistan are getting crowded with military and civilian aircraft, as well as with unmanned aerial vehicles. With very little ground-based radar capabilities, the NATO aircraft essentially will provide air traffic control, he said.
American Forces Press Service
June 12, 2009 - Afghanistan dominated the discussions at the two-day NATO defense ministers conference that concluded here today, and Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates and NATO Secretary General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer said they are pleased with the results. The men spoke during separate news conferences at the end of a meeting of nations contributing forces to NATO's International Security Assistance Force in Afghanistan.
The NATO ministers have approved in principle establishing a new military headquarters for ISAF to oversee day-to-day tactical operations.
"The logic is clear, ... because the mission in Afghanistan has now grown to more than 60,000 forces, and it will keep growing," de Hoop Scheffer said. Noting the need for cooperation among ISAF, the Afghan security forces, aid donors and other international entities, the secretary general said the commander of ISAF cannot handle all of the international coordination and devote enough attention to day-to-day military operations.
American officials have nominated Army Lt. Gen. David Rodriguez to fill the job, and once the headquarters is established, it will be solely an ISAF position. "This three-star general will wear one hat – an ISAF hat," de Hoop Scheffer said.
The new command will report to a new ISAF commander. Army Lt. Gen. Stanley McChrystal stopped here on his way to Afghanistan, where he will take command of ISAF U.S. Forces Afghanistan tomorrow. "This morning, I introduced General Stan McChrystal to the ministers," Gates said. "We all look forward to working with him as he brings fresh thinking and unparalleled energy and determination to Kabul."
For the immediate future, the alliance ministers confirmed that they have generated the forces needed to provide assistance for Afghanistan's elections in August. Eight battalions and their enablers will flow into the country for an up-tick of roughly 10,000 troops, de Hoop Scheffer said. The troops will provide a "third ring" of security for the election process after the first ring of the Afghan National Police and the second ring of the Afghan National Army, he added.
The extra troops will help in transporting election materials and protecting election workers, and will provide support in an impartial manner, the secretary general said.
NATO will provide higher-level training for the Afghan National Army and training and mentoring for the Afghan National Police. The alliance also will help to train a gendarmerie – a cross between police and military – for the country, de Hoop Scheffer said.
The alliance also will deploy its AWACS aircraft to Afghanistan to provide airborne warning and control capability. De Hoop Scheffer said the skies over Afghanistan are getting crowded with military and civilian aircraft, as well as with unmanned aerial vehicles. With very little ground-based radar capabilities, the NATO aircraft essentially will provide air traffic control, he said.
World War II Air Crash Monument Finds Permanent Home at Fort Myer
By Gerry J. GilmoreAmerican Forces Press Service
June 12, 2009 - A granite monument dedicated to 40 U.S. servicemembers who perished in an air crash in Australia during World War II has found a permanent home at Fort Myer, Va. Yesterday's dedication ceremony for the Bakers Creek air crash memorial was attended by Army Secretary Pete Geren; David Stuart, deputy chief of mission for the Australian embassy; Australian Air Vice-Marshal Kym Osley, head of the embassy's defense staff; other senior officials; and a number of relatives and friends of the accident victims.
On June 14, 1943, an Army Air Corps B-17C Flying Fortress crashed at Bakers Creek, near Mackey in Queensland. The troops aboard the bomber were being flown back to New Guinea after enjoying some leave time in Australia. Forty servicemembers died; there was just one survivor.
The monument now is located near Fort Myer's Selfridge Gate, which enters into Arlington National Cemetery. Since November 2006, the monument had stood outside the Australian embassy here, and before that it briefly had been displayed at the World War II memorial.
Geren directed that the monument be placed on Fort Myer. The memorial, he said at the ceremony, serves to honor the passing of "40 brave American soldiers" and also celebrates "the enduring friendship between the United States and Australia."
Due to operational security concerns at that time, Geren said, the families of the deceased servicemembers weren't told of details of the tragedy until years later.
"Today, with Arlington Cemetery as the backdrop, we pay a long and overdue tribute to 40 brave Americans," Geren said. "And, as we do, we honor all soldiers -- past and present, American and Australian – who answer the call to duty and offer their lives [and] offer their sacrifice for the cause of freedom."
The monument's placement at Selfridge Gate is a fitting location, Geren said, because the entryway is named after Army Lt. Thomas Selfridge, an aviator who perished as a result of a crash during the military's first aircraft test flight, which took place on Fort Myer on Sept. 9, 1908. American air pioneer Orville Wright, who was aboard the aircraft with Selfridge, was injured in the crash.
Selfridge gave his life for his country, "as did the 40 brave Americans we honor today," Geren said.
Osley said his country's embassy has enjoyed being the custodian of the Bakers Creek monument for the past two years, but that the monument's new location "is perfect." Another monument dedicated to the servicemembers who died during the Bakers Creek air crash is located in Mackay in Queensland.
"It's very heartfelt for Australians to honor these people in their own way back in Mackay and to now honor them over here," Osley said. "They're all very much heroes to all of us in Australia."
The Bakers Creek crash was the worst accident involving a transport plane in the southwest Pacific theater during World War II, said Robert S. Cutler, a retired George Washington University professor and executive director of the Bakers Creek Memorial Association. Cutler's late father, Samuel, was an Army Air Corps captain who supervised the passenger loading aboard the B-17 before its ill-fated flight.
At yesterday's Fort Myer ceremony, Cutler said he was "elated" that the monument, which was constructed in 2003, is now permanently situated at Fort Myer. The monument's pink granite base, he said, was donated by the Australian government.
The memorial "is something that a lot of patriotic veterans felt they needed to 'make right,'" Cutler said.
Bob Finney, an 86-year-old military veteran from Erie, Pa., recalled at the ceremony that he was a U.S. sailor aboard a destroyer tender in the North Atlantic Ocean at the time of the death of his brother, Army Pvt. James E. Finney, in the Bakers Creek air crash.
"I think this is wonderful to have their names on that monument out there and knowing at least somebody has thought of them and finally recognized what they have done," Finney said.
NATO Will Continue Anti-piracy Missions, Secretary General Says
By Jim Garamone
American Forces Press Service
June 12, 2009 - NATO will continue its anti-piracy mission in the Gulf of Aden, Secretary General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer said today. The alliance's defense ministers, who met here over the last two days, agreed to send the Standing NATO Maritime Battle Group 2 to relieve Battle Group 1, which is now operating in the area, de Hoop Scheffer said.
"That means that NATO will continue to play its role in the fight against piracy," he said.
The battle group represents six nations, with a possibility of other NATO nations contributing ships. "Other nations might be ready and willing to join at a certain stage," the secretary general said.
The NATO mission would have ended had the ministers not agreed to continue it, de Hoop Scheffer said. He added that it would be unacceptable for a political-military organization like NATO, with its huge inventory, to do otherwise.
"But NATO will be there," the secretary general said. "And it may be that the mission will be beefed up. I'm very happy with the results."
American Forces Press Service
June 12, 2009 - NATO will continue its anti-piracy mission in the Gulf of Aden, Secretary General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer said today. The alliance's defense ministers, who met here over the last two days, agreed to send the Standing NATO Maritime Battle Group 2 to relieve Battle Group 1, which is now operating in the area, de Hoop Scheffer said.
"That means that NATO will continue to play its role in the fight against piracy," he said.
The battle group represents six nations, with a possibility of other NATO nations contributing ships. "Other nations might be ready and willing to join at a certain stage," the secretary general said.
The NATO mission would have ended had the ministers not agreed to continue it, de Hoop Scheffer said. He added that it would be unacceptable for a political-military organization like NATO, with its huge inventory, to do otherwise.
"But NATO will be there," the secretary general said. "And it may be that the mission will be beefed up. I'm very happy with the results."
Logistics Agency Employee Finds Father, War Hero
By Beth Reece
Special to American Forces Press Service
June 12, 2009 - Ron Moran spent so many years pining for the truth about his father that searching for clues became a habit. "Where's my dad? What happened to him?" he'd ask relatives when the void felt too deep. "It was this big secret. Even my granddad, who helped raise me for awhile, wouldn't tell me anything about who my father was. I didn't even know what he looked like," said Moran, customer relations division branch chief for the Defense Logistic Agency's information operations directorate.
Moran's mother, Frances, took to silence when her son asked questions. The only answer she ever gave was a name – Raymond – and vague talk about a heart attack and time served in the Navy during World War II.
Rootless and aggravated by his mother's refusal to lead him to his father, Moran turned to Navy personnel records, genealogy and eventually the Internet for answers. The results were always the same: no Social Security number, no leads.
When a sudden, massive stroke claimed his mother at age 85 in December 2003, Moran's longing for the father he never knew was replaced by grief. At 45, he was an only son about to bury his sole parent.
Moran spent the following days making funeral arrangements and settling his mother's modest estate with the help of his wife, Roben. It was she who pulled from the bottom of a wardrobe an orange plastic bag bearing the secrets – Moran's answers.
The Discovery
"I was getting together the clothes his mom would be laid out in when I noticed the bag," Roben said. "All I could feel was disbelief when I saw what was in it."
Like striking gold is how Moran described the feeling of finding that bag. Inside were wedding and honeymoon photos of his parents, pictures of a happy couple with children Moran recognized as cousins, plus Navy identification cards with Raymond Moran's service number.
"Come to find out, Mom had what I had been begging for all this time – pictures and everything I needed to finally find my dad," he said. "I just broke down looking at it all."
Moran took several "bittersweet" weeks to recover from his mother's death before resuming the search for his father. Then, in yet another letter to the National Personnel Records Center, he asked for a copy of his father's discharge papers, a "map" of the sailor's service history.
With a service number, the Navy could finally answer Moran's request.
"They sent me a list of the places he'd served and units he was with, as well as a list of all his medals. I also learned that he was in the Philippines during the outbreak of World War II."
Raymond Moran served aboard PBY Catalina patrol bomber seaplanes with Navy patrol squadrons 21 and 102, which fought the Japanese in the first weeks of World War II. The PBYs were designed for anti-submarine warfare and patrol bombing, but the Navy suffered such heavy losses they also were used for rescue and evacuation missions.
"Those guys were outnumbered, flying missions the planes weren't even designed for. Dad put his life on the line," said Ron Moran, who since has read much about the history of the units his father served in.
Many of Raymond Moran's fellow sailors died during intense fighting on the Philippine island of Corregidor or as prisoners of war during the Bataan Death March.
"It was just Dad's plane and a couple of others that made it out safely," Ron Moran said.
Learning about the father he'd always yearned for was only half the process of reuniting with him, but it was as far as Moran would get. Raymond Moran died in 1963, when Ron was 5.
"Ron will say, 'I wonder if I ever got to see my dad. I wonder if he ever got to hold me or look into my eyes,'" Roben said. "These are the kinds of things that run through his mind, and he can only imagine."
A War Hero
Today, Moran believes he is the son of a hero. His office is like a shrine, with medals, photographs of PBY seaplanes and Navy memorabilia filling the lamp-lit space.
Hoping to find one of his father's war buddies, Moran posted messages on the PBY Memorial Foundation Web site last summer. The son of a deceased Navy lieutenant responded to ask if Moran realized his father qualified for the Bronze Star for defending the Philippines from December 1941 to May 1942.
"Dad already had a Presidential Unit Citation for that period. But the Bronze Star – I thought that would be awesome," Moran said.
Virginia Sen. John Warner queried the Navy on Moran's behalf to learn that his father was, indeed, entitled to the Bronze Star, the U.S. military's fourth-highest award for bravery in combat. And if he wanted the medal, Moran was told, he could purchase one at any military clothing store.
"That just didn't seem right, me buying the medal when – if Dad was still alive – they would have presented the Bronze Star properly in a ceremony," he said.
Navy Cdr. Tiffany Schad took up Moran's cause. The former chief of the Defense Logistics Agency's director's staff group, Schad used personal contacts at the office of the Secretary of the Navy to gain Moran a gift he calls "the ultimate moment" of his career.
In an April 3 ceremony at the agency's headquarters here, Navy Rear Adm. Mark Heinrich, director of the logistics operations and readiness directorate, presented Moran his father's Bronze Star.
"It was beyond my imaginations -- the ceremony, the honor of having Admiral Heinrich present the medal, all for me and my Dad," Moran said.
Holding On
World War II wasn't the end of Raymond Moran's combat experience. He went on to fight in the Korean War and retired with 20 years of service before meeting Ron's mother.
What happened between them, Moran isn't sure. He knows they divorced the year he was born, but not why.
"It's a very important thing for a young man to have his father. Growing up, all the kids in school had dads. I wanted to know where mine was," he said.
Roben is certain Frances Moran truly loved her son "more than life itself," but for whatever reason, just couldn't share her thoughts on Raymond.
"I asked her once what happened to Ron's dad, and she shut the conversation up real quick and said, 'I don't want to talk about it. It's not up for discussion,'" Roben said.
Her mother-in-law could have had better health care – and Ron a better education – if things had been different and she'd pursued the military benefits she was entitled to, she added.
"But maybe she was somehow afraid Ron would be taken from her," Roben said.
While Moran still doesn't understand the reason for his mom's secrecy, he is not bitter. Instead, he takes pleasure in the family he has today.
"I have two stepsons, Eric and Brandon. They'd do anything for me, and I'd do anything for them," he boasted, passing a framed photo across his desk.
"And that's my new grandson. He was born just a couple days before the Bronze Star ceremony. Now that ... was amazing. I'm still flying high."
(Beth Reece works in the Defense Logistics Agency public affairs office.)
Special to American Forces Press Service
June 12, 2009 - Ron Moran spent so many years pining for the truth about his father that searching for clues became a habit. "Where's my dad? What happened to him?" he'd ask relatives when the void felt too deep. "It was this big secret. Even my granddad, who helped raise me for awhile, wouldn't tell me anything about who my father was. I didn't even know what he looked like," said Moran, customer relations division branch chief for the Defense Logistic Agency's information operations directorate.
Moran's mother, Frances, took to silence when her son asked questions. The only answer she ever gave was a name – Raymond – and vague talk about a heart attack and time served in the Navy during World War II.
Rootless and aggravated by his mother's refusal to lead him to his father, Moran turned to Navy personnel records, genealogy and eventually the Internet for answers. The results were always the same: no Social Security number, no leads.
When a sudden, massive stroke claimed his mother at age 85 in December 2003, Moran's longing for the father he never knew was replaced by grief. At 45, he was an only son about to bury his sole parent.
Moran spent the following days making funeral arrangements and settling his mother's modest estate with the help of his wife, Roben. It was she who pulled from the bottom of a wardrobe an orange plastic bag bearing the secrets – Moran's answers.
The Discovery
"I was getting together the clothes his mom would be laid out in when I noticed the bag," Roben said. "All I could feel was disbelief when I saw what was in it."
Like striking gold is how Moran described the feeling of finding that bag. Inside were wedding and honeymoon photos of his parents, pictures of a happy couple with children Moran recognized as cousins, plus Navy identification cards with Raymond Moran's service number.
"Come to find out, Mom had what I had been begging for all this time – pictures and everything I needed to finally find my dad," he said. "I just broke down looking at it all."
Moran took several "bittersweet" weeks to recover from his mother's death before resuming the search for his father. Then, in yet another letter to the National Personnel Records Center, he asked for a copy of his father's discharge papers, a "map" of the sailor's service history.
With a service number, the Navy could finally answer Moran's request.
"They sent me a list of the places he'd served and units he was with, as well as a list of all his medals. I also learned that he was in the Philippines during the outbreak of World War II."
Raymond Moran served aboard PBY Catalina patrol bomber seaplanes with Navy patrol squadrons 21 and 102, which fought the Japanese in the first weeks of World War II. The PBYs were designed for anti-submarine warfare and patrol bombing, but the Navy suffered such heavy losses they also were used for rescue and evacuation missions.
"Those guys were outnumbered, flying missions the planes weren't even designed for. Dad put his life on the line," said Ron Moran, who since has read much about the history of the units his father served in.
Many of Raymond Moran's fellow sailors died during intense fighting on the Philippine island of Corregidor or as prisoners of war during the Bataan Death March.
"It was just Dad's plane and a couple of others that made it out safely," Ron Moran said.
Learning about the father he'd always yearned for was only half the process of reuniting with him, but it was as far as Moran would get. Raymond Moran died in 1963, when Ron was 5.
"Ron will say, 'I wonder if I ever got to see my dad. I wonder if he ever got to hold me or look into my eyes,'" Roben said. "These are the kinds of things that run through his mind, and he can only imagine."
A War Hero
Today, Moran believes he is the son of a hero. His office is like a shrine, with medals, photographs of PBY seaplanes and Navy memorabilia filling the lamp-lit space.
Hoping to find one of his father's war buddies, Moran posted messages on the PBY Memorial Foundation Web site last summer. The son of a deceased Navy lieutenant responded to ask if Moran realized his father qualified for the Bronze Star for defending the Philippines from December 1941 to May 1942.
"Dad already had a Presidential Unit Citation for that period. But the Bronze Star – I thought that would be awesome," Moran said.
Virginia Sen. John Warner queried the Navy on Moran's behalf to learn that his father was, indeed, entitled to the Bronze Star, the U.S. military's fourth-highest award for bravery in combat. And if he wanted the medal, Moran was told, he could purchase one at any military clothing store.
"That just didn't seem right, me buying the medal when – if Dad was still alive – they would have presented the Bronze Star properly in a ceremony," he said.
Navy Cdr. Tiffany Schad took up Moran's cause. The former chief of the Defense Logistics Agency's director's staff group, Schad used personal contacts at the office of the Secretary of the Navy to gain Moran a gift he calls "the ultimate moment" of his career.
In an April 3 ceremony at the agency's headquarters here, Navy Rear Adm. Mark Heinrich, director of the logistics operations and readiness directorate, presented Moran his father's Bronze Star.
"It was beyond my imaginations -- the ceremony, the honor of having Admiral Heinrich present the medal, all for me and my Dad," Moran said.
Holding On
World War II wasn't the end of Raymond Moran's combat experience. He went on to fight in the Korean War and retired with 20 years of service before meeting Ron's mother.
What happened between them, Moran isn't sure. He knows they divorced the year he was born, but not why.
"It's a very important thing for a young man to have his father. Growing up, all the kids in school had dads. I wanted to know where mine was," he said.
Roben is certain Frances Moran truly loved her son "more than life itself," but for whatever reason, just couldn't share her thoughts on Raymond.
"I asked her once what happened to Ron's dad, and she shut the conversation up real quick and said, 'I don't want to talk about it. It's not up for discussion,'" Roben said.
Her mother-in-law could have had better health care – and Ron a better education – if things had been different and she'd pursued the military benefits she was entitled to, she added.
"But maybe she was somehow afraid Ron would be taken from her," Roben said.
While Moran still doesn't understand the reason for his mom's secrecy, he is not bitter. Instead, he takes pleasure in the family he has today.
"I have two stepsons, Eric and Brandon. They'd do anything for me, and I'd do anything for them," he boasted, passing a framed photo across his desk.
"And that's my new grandson. He was born just a couple days before the Bronze Star ceremony. Now that ... was amazing. I'm still flying high."
(Beth Reece works in the Defense Logistics Agency public affairs office.)
Army Marks 234 Years of Service, Sacrifice
By Army Sgt. 1st Class Michael J. Carden
American Forces Press Service
June 12, 2009 - Citing the organization's long history of selfless service and sacrifice, Deputy Defense Secretary William J. Lynn III helped to commemorate the Army's 234th birthday today at a Pentagon ceremony. The U.S. Army officially celebrates its birthday June 14.
"This occasion marks the 234th year that ordinary men and women have become extraordinary citizens by answering the call of duty and placing the country in front of themselves," Lynn said to an audience of soldiers and other servicemembers in the Pentagon courtyard. "I'm humbled by this long tradition of service, reaching back even to the founding of our nation."
The Army tradition is expressed in a number of ways, he said, including in the actions and service of individual families.
Lynn recognized the Simpson family of Tennessee, whose generations of military service span nearly 100 years. Simpson family members served in Mexico, during World War II, in Vietnam and now in Afghanistan, he said.
"It's this kind of service and dedication that's the hallmark of the United States Army," he added.
Lynn also acknowledged the Army as the world's most formidable fighting force, and he credited family support as the dynamic that makes the Army such a strong, dependable organization. The Army couldn't be the institution it is without the families, he said.
"Our soldiers, of course, do not bear the burdens of combat alone," he continued. "When they sign up, they're also volunteering their families. Army families are a constant source of support and inspiration, and in many ways, they're the reasons our soldiers continue to serve."
Today's commemoration and cake cutting marks the start of a weeklong list of birthday activities all across the Army. The Army will hold its annual birthday ball here tomorrow, and on June 14, Army leadership will lay a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknowns at Arlington National Cemetery. Also, individual Army posts will celebrate with 10-mile birthday runs.
This year is Army Secretary Pete Geren's final Army birthday celebration as the service's top official. It's important, he said, to take the time to reflect on the importance and the impact the U.S. Army has had on the history of the world.
"It's important for an organization such as ours ... to stop and reflect on its proud history," Geren said. "It's important to stop and think how different the history of the United States [and] the history of the world would be without the United States Army."
Geren cited the importance of remembering the sacrifice made by previous generations of soldiers and military members. The battlefields may be different throughout time, he said, but the sacrifice is the same.
"Reflect on those who fought in Desert Storm and ... those soldiers who stood all those years ago at Lexington and Concord," he said. "Reflect on that wife, that husband who's waiting home today for their loved ones to return, [because] they are living the same experiences and emotions a wife was living when her husband [or] her son faced down the British troops at Lexington and Concord.
"As we enjoy this week and blow out those candles and sing happy birthday," he continued, "it's so important to stop and think about what our soldiers have done. Think about how different today the world would be if it were not for the soldiers and families of the United States Army."
American Forces Press Service
June 12, 2009 - Citing the organization's long history of selfless service and sacrifice, Deputy Defense Secretary William J. Lynn III helped to commemorate the Army's 234th birthday today at a Pentagon ceremony. The U.S. Army officially celebrates its birthday June 14.
"This occasion marks the 234th year that ordinary men and women have become extraordinary citizens by answering the call of duty and placing the country in front of themselves," Lynn said to an audience of soldiers and other servicemembers in the Pentagon courtyard. "I'm humbled by this long tradition of service, reaching back even to the founding of our nation."
The Army tradition is expressed in a number of ways, he said, including in the actions and service of individual families.
Lynn recognized the Simpson family of Tennessee, whose generations of military service span nearly 100 years. Simpson family members served in Mexico, during World War II, in Vietnam and now in Afghanistan, he said.
"It's this kind of service and dedication that's the hallmark of the United States Army," he added.
Lynn also acknowledged the Army as the world's most formidable fighting force, and he credited family support as the dynamic that makes the Army such a strong, dependable organization. The Army couldn't be the institution it is without the families, he said.
"Our soldiers, of course, do not bear the burdens of combat alone," he continued. "When they sign up, they're also volunteering their families. Army families are a constant source of support and inspiration, and in many ways, they're the reasons our soldiers continue to serve."
Today's commemoration and cake cutting marks the start of a weeklong list of birthday activities all across the Army. The Army will hold its annual birthday ball here tomorrow, and on June 14, Army leadership will lay a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknowns at Arlington National Cemetery. Also, individual Army posts will celebrate with 10-mile birthday runs.
This year is Army Secretary Pete Geren's final Army birthday celebration as the service's top official. It's important, he said, to take the time to reflect on the importance and the impact the U.S. Army has had on the history of the world.
"It's important for an organization such as ours ... to stop and reflect on its proud history," Geren said. "It's important to stop and think how different the history of the United States [and] the history of the world would be without the United States Army."
Geren cited the importance of remembering the sacrifice made by previous generations of soldiers and military members. The battlefields may be different throughout time, he said, but the sacrifice is the same.
"Reflect on those who fought in Desert Storm and ... those soldiers who stood all those years ago at Lexington and Concord," he said. "Reflect on that wife, that husband who's waiting home today for their loved ones to return, [because] they are living the same experiences and emotions a wife was living when her husband [or] her son faced down the British troops at Lexington and Concord.
"As we enjoy this week and blow out those candles and sing happy birthday," he continued, "it's so important to stop and think about what our soldiers have done. Think about how different today the world would be if it were not for the soldiers and families of the United States Army."
Defense Department Prepares Quadrennial Defense Review
By Navy Petty Officer 3rd Class William Selby
Special to American Forces Press Service
June 12, 2009 - Defense Department officials are preparing a far-ranging report on current and future goals as part of a congressional mandate. "It's really the mother of all reports to Congress," Amanda Dory, deputy assistant secretary of defense for strategy, said of the Quadrennial Defense Review in a "DoDLive" bloggers roundtable yesterday.
Secretaries of defense have seized the reporting requirement "as an opportunity to articulate their vision for the department and to use it as a decision-making opportunity," Dory said.
Every four years since 1996, the QDR has outlined the department's institutional vision for all elements of its operations.
Dory said law requires the Defense Department to look 20 years into the future when evaluating the security environment to consider what capabilities it might need to address the challenges it would face.
"A second substantive element of the QDR is a national defense strategy that will explore what our strategic ends are, the ways we will endeavor to achieve those ends, and then the means we have available to pursue those," Dory said.
Another key element of the report is how the department measures its required activity in response to "presidential tasking," Dory told the bloggers. "That's a key force-planning and force-sizing determination." The QDR has a major impact on troops on the ground, Dory said, because Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates has placed special emphasis on making the department more responsive to meeting their current needs.
"It may seem that a congressional report would be a bit esoteric and not relevant to the troops on the ground," she said. "But what makes it relevant to the troops on the ground really is the secretary's injunction to the department that what we need to do is focus on succeeding in the conflicts that we're in."
The report also has implications in terms of the way the department uses its resources, Dory said. "It has implications in terms of how we relate to our interagency partners, how our allies and friends see us in the world, and how our potential adversaries see us," she said.
The report is due to Congress in February.
(Navy Petty Officer 3rd Class William Selby works in the Defense Media Activity's emerging media directorate.)
Special to American Forces Press Service
June 12, 2009 - Defense Department officials are preparing a far-ranging report on current and future goals as part of a congressional mandate. "It's really the mother of all reports to Congress," Amanda Dory, deputy assistant secretary of defense for strategy, said of the Quadrennial Defense Review in a "DoDLive" bloggers roundtable yesterday.
Secretaries of defense have seized the reporting requirement "as an opportunity to articulate their vision for the department and to use it as a decision-making opportunity," Dory said.
Every four years since 1996, the QDR has outlined the department's institutional vision for all elements of its operations.
Dory said law requires the Defense Department to look 20 years into the future when evaluating the security environment to consider what capabilities it might need to address the challenges it would face.
"A second substantive element of the QDR is a national defense strategy that will explore what our strategic ends are, the ways we will endeavor to achieve those ends, and then the means we have available to pursue those," Dory said.
Another key element of the report is how the department measures its required activity in response to "presidential tasking," Dory told the bloggers. "That's a key force-planning and force-sizing determination." The QDR has a major impact on troops on the ground, Dory said, because Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates has placed special emphasis on making the department more responsive to meeting their current needs.
"It may seem that a congressional report would be a bit esoteric and not relevant to the troops on the ground," she said. "But what makes it relevant to the troops on the ground really is the secretary's injunction to the department that what we need to do is focus on succeeding in the conflicts that we're in."
The report also has implications in terms of the way the department uses its resources, Dory said. "It has implications in terms of how we relate to our interagency partners, how our allies and friends see us in the world, and how our potential adversaries see us," she said.
The report is due to Congress in February.
(Navy Petty Officer 3rd Class William Selby works in the Defense Media Activity's emerging media directorate.)
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