By Sharon Foster
American Forces Press Service
June 19, 2009 - A foundation formed by the family of a fallen Marine whose story was told in the HBO movie "Taking Chance" has donated $10,000 to a group that works to help wounded veterans and their families. Hope for the Warriors, a national nonprofit group, received the donation from the Chance Phelps Foundation during Fleet Week activities in New York on May 22.
Gretchen Mack, mother of Marine Corps Lance Cpl. Chance R. Phelps and founder of the Chance Phelps foundation, said her family decided to make the donation based on what they experienced last year in New York at a Hope for the Warriors event that included wounded warriors involved in extensive rehabilitation at the Center for the Intrepid in San Antonio for loss of limbs, eyesight, traumatic brain injury and post-traumatic stress disorder.
"We spent a lot of time with these servicemembers, and were very impressed and touched," Mack said. "This year, we decided to donate to Hope for the Warriors because what they do for those that serve is incredible."
The Chance Phelps Foundation, founded after Phelps was killed in Iraq in April 2004, is a nonprofit organization that raises money for donations to various charities that support quality-of-life issues for servicemembers, particularly those who have served in Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom.
Tina Atherall, Hope for the Warriors vice president, said the contribution was gratefully accepted and will assist the group in its mission of "No sacrifice forgotten, nor need unmet."
"We are forever grateful for their dedication and support to the wounded, their families and the families of the fallen," Atherall said. "This donation will help enhance our various programs: Immediate Needs, Above and Beyond, Hope and Morale, A Warriors Wish, Spouse Scholarships, Family Support Program, Wounded Warrior Barracks and Warrior House."
Mack and the fallen Marine's father, John Phelps, presented the donation to Robin Kelleher, president of Hope for the Warriors.
Mack said money donated to Hope for the Warriors was given to her family after she lost her son, and the family wanted to pass the money on.
"Hope for the Warriors help veterans with quality-of-life issues that they and their families may face after deployment," Mack said. "This may include physical injuries, financial issues and, of course, making sure they get the medical treatment they need and an opportunity to enjoy some well deserved rest and relaxation. We are very passionate about being a part of helping our veterans and their families."
Friday, June 19, 2009
New Navy Secretary Stresses Commitment to Sailors, Marines, Families
By Darren Harrison
Special to American Forces Press Service
June 19, 2009 - Navy Secretary Raymond E. Mabus Jr. assumed office yesterday, pledging that commitment to sailors, Marines and their families will be the cornerstone of his service. "The law requires me to ensure that the Department of the Navy is properly manned, trained and equipped, fully prepared to meet the challenges of the 21st century," Mabus said. "I deeply believe that this involves not just what our sailors and Marines do for us, but what we do for them and for their families."
Mabus made the remarks after Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates swore him in ceremonially at Admiral Leutze Park on the Washington Navy Yard. Earlier in the day, Vice President Joe Biden administered another ceremonial oath at the White House.
Senior government and military leaders and roughly 500 guests attended the ceremony at the Navy Yard. In addition, 27 foreign ambassadors attended the event.
"We face great challenges, and we have great friends and allies," Mabus said. "To representatives of the international community here today, welcome. I look forward to the opportunity to strengthen ties that are already strong, and I know our collaboration will advance the interests of peace and a more just and stable world."
President Barack Obama nominated Mabus, the former governor of Mississippi, to be the Navy's civilian leader March 27. Following his Senate confirmation, he was sworn in during a private ceremony May 19 so he "could be piped aboard immediately," he said.
Mabus oversees almost 900,000 people and a budget of $150 billion His duties include recruiting, equipping and mobilizing to overseeing the construction and repair of equipment, facilities and ships. Mabus also will formulate Navy policy and programs.
During his speech, Mabus spoke of the Navy's "noble and storied legacy," relating episodes in naval history from the capture of the HMS Margaretta in 1775 to the "bravery and skill of the Navy and Marine Corps in Iraq and Afghanistan today."
"There is a long, unbreakable line of heroism that stretches from there, back to the beginning," Mabus said. "The heroes of our country are the heroes of our own families. They come from us. They defend us. Wearing the uniform from 1775 until today, they are the shining fabric of America."
He identified shipbuilding, aircraft production and meeting the needs of the Navy and Marines in an age of nonexpanding budgets as some of the challenges he faces.
Mabus served in the Navy from 1970 to 1972 as a surface warfare officer aboard the cruiser USS Little Rock. Prior to his active-duty service, he had been a member of the Naval ROTC as an undergraduate at the University of Mississippi.
"I am proud of that first tour of duty on a cruiser, and proud beyond words to finally come home to the Department of the Navy," Mabus said. "Early on, I saw the sacrifices that our servicemembers make every day to defend and secure our country."
Mabus graduated from the University of Mississippi with a bachelor's degree in English and earned a master's degree in political science from Johns Hopkins University and a law degree from Harvard Law School.
The secretary served as governor of Mississippi from 1988 to 1992 and as ambassador to Saudi Arabia for two years during former President Bill Clinton's administration.
"Conscious of this service's long and glorious tradition, with confidence in its men, its women and its mission, I am privileged to assume the office of secretary of the Navy," Mabus said.
(Darren Harrison works in the Naval District Washington public affairs office.)
Special to American Forces Press Service
June 19, 2009 - Navy Secretary Raymond E. Mabus Jr. assumed office yesterday, pledging that commitment to sailors, Marines and their families will be the cornerstone of his service. "The law requires me to ensure that the Department of the Navy is properly manned, trained and equipped, fully prepared to meet the challenges of the 21st century," Mabus said. "I deeply believe that this involves not just what our sailors and Marines do for us, but what we do for them and for their families."
Mabus made the remarks after Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates swore him in ceremonially at Admiral Leutze Park on the Washington Navy Yard. Earlier in the day, Vice President Joe Biden administered another ceremonial oath at the White House.
Senior government and military leaders and roughly 500 guests attended the ceremony at the Navy Yard. In addition, 27 foreign ambassadors attended the event.
"We face great challenges, and we have great friends and allies," Mabus said. "To representatives of the international community here today, welcome. I look forward to the opportunity to strengthen ties that are already strong, and I know our collaboration will advance the interests of peace and a more just and stable world."
President Barack Obama nominated Mabus, the former governor of Mississippi, to be the Navy's civilian leader March 27. Following his Senate confirmation, he was sworn in during a private ceremony May 19 so he "could be piped aboard immediately," he said.
Mabus oversees almost 900,000 people and a budget of $150 billion His duties include recruiting, equipping and mobilizing to overseeing the construction and repair of equipment, facilities and ships. Mabus also will formulate Navy policy and programs.
During his speech, Mabus spoke of the Navy's "noble and storied legacy," relating episodes in naval history from the capture of the HMS Margaretta in 1775 to the "bravery and skill of the Navy and Marine Corps in Iraq and Afghanistan today."
"There is a long, unbreakable line of heroism that stretches from there, back to the beginning," Mabus said. "The heroes of our country are the heroes of our own families. They come from us. They defend us. Wearing the uniform from 1775 until today, they are the shining fabric of America."
He identified shipbuilding, aircraft production and meeting the needs of the Navy and Marines in an age of nonexpanding budgets as some of the challenges he faces.
Mabus served in the Navy from 1970 to 1972 as a surface warfare officer aboard the cruiser USS Little Rock. Prior to his active-duty service, he had been a member of the Naval ROTC as an undergraduate at the University of Mississippi.
"I am proud of that first tour of duty on a cruiser, and proud beyond words to finally come home to the Department of the Navy," Mabus said. "Early on, I saw the sacrifices that our servicemembers make every day to defend and secure our country."
Mabus graduated from the University of Mississippi with a bachelor's degree in English and earned a master's degree in political science from Johns Hopkins University and a law degree from Harvard Law School.
The secretary served as governor of Mississippi from 1988 to 1992 and as ambassador to Saudi Arabia for two years during former President Bill Clinton's administration.
"Conscious of this service's long and glorious tradition, with confidence in its men, its women and its mission, I am privileged to assume the office of secretary of the Navy," Mabus said.
(Darren Harrison works in the Naval District Washington public affairs office.)
Nork Missile
North Korea has threatened to launch a nuclear capable missile at Hawaii. There are all kinds of ways for the US to shoot it down; an Air Born Laser over Korea, an Aegis destroyer in the Sea of Japanese, an Anti Ballistic Missile out of Ft. Greely, a Theater Area Defense Missile in Hawaii. The North Korean ICBM will get nowhere near the 50th state.
That's not the point. Threatening to shoot an ICBM at a state (or territory for that matter) is an act of war, or it should be, anyway. How much of this is the Obama Administration willing to take?
If the Nork threat to fire a missile at Hawaii isn't ample justification for the United States to destroy said missile on the launch pad, I don't know what is.
For more about Will, visit http://www.gulfwarone.com/. His novel, 'A Line Through the Desert' can be purchased here.
Thursday, June 18, 2009
Sub Hunter
On July 17, 2009, Conversations with American Heroes at the Watering Hole will feature a discussion with Captain Edward M. Brittingham, USN (ret.).
Program Date: July 17, 2009
Program Time: 2100 hours, Pacific
Topic: Sub Hunter
Listen Live: http://www.blogtalkradio.com/LawEnforcement/2009/07/18/Sub-Hunter
About the Guest
Captain Edward M. Brittingham, USN (ret.) “was in the Air Force ROTC in college, made pilot, but dropped out in his junior year. Drafted in 1962, he joined the Navy as a navigator (Naval Aviation Observer) and then reported to NAS Norfolk, Virginia for submarine training. He joined VP-10 and transitioned to the P-3A aircraft where antisubmarine warfare became the primary mission. He moved up the ranks ultimately to Commanding Officer of VP-11.” Edward M. Brittingham is the author of The Iranian Deception; Sub Chaser; Operation Poppy; and, Terrorism in the United States.
About the Watering Hole
The Watering Hole is police slang for a location cops go off-duty to blow off steam and talk about work and life. Sometimes funny; sometimes serious; but, always interesting.
About the Host
Lieutenant Raymond E. Foster was a sworn member of the Los Angeles Police Department for 24 years. He retired in 2003 at the rank of Lieutenant. He holds a bachelor’s from the Union Institute and University in Criminal Justice Management and a Master’s Degree in Public Financial Management from California State University, Fullerton; and, has completed his doctoral course work. Raymond E. Foster has been a part-time lecturer at California State University, Fullerton and Fresno; and is currently a Criminal Justice Department chair, faculty advisor and lecturer with the Union Institute and University. He has experience teaching upper division courses in Law Enforcement, public policy, Public Safety Technology and leadership. Raymond is an experienced author who has published numerous articles in a wide range of venues including magazines such as Government Technology, Mobile Government, Airborne Law Enforcement Magazine, and Police One. He has appeared on the History Channel and radio programs in the United States and Europe as subject matter expert in technological applications in Law Enforcement.
Listen, call, join us at the Watering Hole:
http://www.blogtalkradio.com/LawEnforcement/2009/07/18/Sub-Hunter
Program Contact Information
Lieutenant Raymond E. Foster, LAPD (ret.), MPA
editor@police-writers.com
909.599.7530
Program Date: July 17, 2009
Program Time: 2100 hours, Pacific
Topic: Sub Hunter
Listen Live: http://www.blogtalkradio.com/LawEnforcement/2009/07/18/Sub-Hunter
About the Guest
Captain Edward M. Brittingham, USN (ret.) “was in the Air Force ROTC in college, made pilot, but dropped out in his junior year. Drafted in 1962, he joined the Navy as a navigator (Naval Aviation Observer) and then reported to NAS Norfolk, Virginia for submarine training. He joined VP-10 and transitioned to the P-3A aircraft where antisubmarine warfare became the primary mission. He moved up the ranks ultimately to Commanding Officer of VP-11.” Edward M. Brittingham is the author of The Iranian Deception; Sub Chaser; Operation Poppy; and, Terrorism in the United States.
About the Watering Hole
The Watering Hole is police slang for a location cops go off-duty to blow off steam and talk about work and life. Sometimes funny; sometimes serious; but, always interesting.
About the Host
Lieutenant Raymond E. Foster was a sworn member of the Los Angeles Police Department for 24 years. He retired in 2003 at the rank of Lieutenant. He holds a bachelor’s from the Union Institute and University in Criminal Justice Management and a Master’s Degree in Public Financial Management from California State University, Fullerton; and, has completed his doctoral course work. Raymond E. Foster has been a part-time lecturer at California State University, Fullerton and Fresno; and is currently a Criminal Justice Department chair, faculty advisor and lecturer with the Union Institute and University. He has experience teaching upper division courses in Law Enforcement, public policy, Public Safety Technology and leadership. Raymond is an experienced author who has published numerous articles in a wide range of venues including magazines such as Government Technology, Mobile Government, Airborne Law Enforcement Magazine, and Police One. He has appeared on the History Channel and radio programs in the United States and Europe as subject matter expert in technological applications in Law Enforcement.
Listen, call, join us at the Watering Hole:
http://www.blogtalkradio.com/LawEnforcement/2009/07/18/Sub-Hunter
Program Contact Information
Lieutenant Raymond E. Foster, LAPD (ret.), MPA
editor@police-writers.com
909.599.7530
United States vs Hamas & Hezbollah
Hamas, all of organizations, with Israeli help, recently foiled an assassination attempt on former president Jimmy Carter.
Question, had the effort succeeded, would that mean war? I think so. But how to proceed? Might it simply be a matter of outsourcing the job to our Israeli friends, who no doubt would love to eradicate Hamas once and for all? Or would national honor require US Marine landing on Gaza Beach. Americans, of course have been killed by Hamas and Hezbollah.
Had the attempt succeeded, Hamas one suspects, could be crushed relatively easily, with Gaza pinned up against Israel.
Hezbollah, ensconced as it is in southern Lebanon, would be a far tough nut to crack, requiring a Marine Expeditionary Unit, in this case the II out of Camp Lejune, supported by elements of the Army and the 6th fleet.
The 22nd MEU would land north of the Litani River and drive for the Bekka Valley. The 26th MEU would make up the follow on wave and push north to the Bekka . To cut off Syrian help from the north, would below Beirut and take up blocking positions. Sealing up the Bekka would be critical. To that end, the 173rd Airborne Brigade could be dropped into the valley, with one battalion keeping a watch on Syria while the other guards the southern approach.
The key would be to pin Hezbollah south of the Litania River and destroying their paramilitary forces, amounting to several thousand well armed and organized militia boasting a large arsenal of anti tank rockets. Hezbollah could certainly slow an American advance, and inflict casualties, as they did upon the IDF in 2006.
Of course, all this begs the question, what would the 12 infantry brigades and special operations brigades of Lebanese army do. They could not stop the Marines, they could barely fight them, but the sight of Lebanese Army troops being slaughtered by American forces would be bad publicity to say the least.
Are Hamas and Hezbollah stupid enough to give the United States a reason to go to war with them?
For more about Will, visit http://www.gulfwarone.com/. His novel, 'A Line Through the Desert' can be purchased here.
Air Force Audit Finds Agency Lacks Basic Systems to Comply with the Freedom of Information Act
Three years after a federal court found a pattern and practice of not processing FOIAs in a lawsuit brought by the National Security Archive, Air Force still has not fixed its system
For more information contact:
Meredith Fuchs - 202/994-7000
http://www.nsarchive.org
Washington, DC, June 18, 2009 - A report issued by the Air Force Audit Agency that was released to the National Security Archive this week identifies significant mismanagement in the Air Force Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) program. The findings demonstrate a pattern of noncompliance with statutory timeframes to respond to records requests from the public and misrepresentations about the state of the Air Force FOIA program. In particular, the Air Force audit agency found that the Air Force:
* Did not properly track or record FOIA requests;
* Overstated the number of requests it received and understated its response times, leading to inaccurate reporting about its program to Congress;
* Failed to comply with the Electronic Freedom of Information Act requirements to include all frequently requested records in its Electronic Reading Room;
* Failed to inform all requesters of their appeal rights under the law; and
* Failed to notify interested third parties, such as government contractors, of the intent to release information.
"Four years after our law suit, and despite multiple court orders, the Air Force system remains broken," said David P. Dean, of the law firm James & Hoffman, P.C., who represents the Archive. "The facts, though stunning, speak for themselves. In 2005, we complained about 82 unprocessed FOIA requests that the Archive had submitted up to eighteen years earlier. Despite several court orders requiring the Air Force to complete processing and to create a functioning FOIA system, today six requests are still outstanding and the system is still dysfunctional."
The Archive's suit was filed in March 2005 and alleged that the Air Force failed to acknowledge FOIA requests, lost FOIA requests, failed to process requests, tried to discourage the public from pursuing FOIA requests, failed to respond to inquiries about the status of the requests, and let requests languish while records were destroyed or transferred to other agencies. The Archive's lawsuit resulted in a court decision in 2006 finding that the Air Force had a pattern and practice of not processing FOIA requests in accordance with the law. At that time, the court noted that "the Air Force only woke up in May 2005 to its need to fulfill its FOIA obligations on a more timely basis..."
Since that time, and as a result of the lawsuit, the Air Force has instituted numerous changes to its FOIA program, including:
* Committing to training all Air Force personnel about the agency's FOIA obligations;
* Committing to posting all released records in its Electronic Reading Room and linking all of its Electronic Reading Rooms;
* Putting in place a centralized database system that will track FOIA requests from initial submission to completion; and
* Receiving FOIA requests online through its FOIA web site.
"While we are extremely glad that our litigation has forced the Air Force to bring its program closer to what the public is entitled to expect under the law, we are concerned that these small changes are not sufficient to bring about the transformation that is needed at the Air Force," commented Meredith Fuchs, the Archive's General Counsel. "The Air Force has not yet addressed its problems with interagency referrals and consultations--which has proven to be a significant black hole--and it has not yet gotten the old, long pending requests into its new tracking system." Ms. Fuchs concluded, "If the Air Force is going to enter the new era of transparency promised by President Obama, then it is going to have to shift its culture to one that appreciates the agency's legal obligation to keep the public informed about its activities on their behalf."
For more information contact:
Meredith Fuchs - 202/994-7000
http://www.nsarchive.org
Washington, DC, June 18, 2009 - A report issued by the Air Force Audit Agency that was released to the National Security Archive this week identifies significant mismanagement in the Air Force Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) program. The findings demonstrate a pattern of noncompliance with statutory timeframes to respond to records requests from the public and misrepresentations about the state of the Air Force FOIA program. In particular, the Air Force audit agency found that the Air Force:
* Did not properly track or record FOIA requests;
* Overstated the number of requests it received and understated its response times, leading to inaccurate reporting about its program to Congress;
* Failed to comply with the Electronic Freedom of Information Act requirements to include all frequently requested records in its Electronic Reading Room;
* Failed to inform all requesters of their appeal rights under the law; and
* Failed to notify interested third parties, such as government contractors, of the intent to release information.
"Four years after our law suit, and despite multiple court orders, the Air Force system remains broken," said David P. Dean, of the law firm James & Hoffman, P.C., who represents the Archive. "The facts, though stunning, speak for themselves. In 2005, we complained about 82 unprocessed FOIA requests that the Archive had submitted up to eighteen years earlier. Despite several court orders requiring the Air Force to complete processing and to create a functioning FOIA system, today six requests are still outstanding and the system is still dysfunctional."
The Archive's suit was filed in March 2005 and alleged that the Air Force failed to acknowledge FOIA requests, lost FOIA requests, failed to process requests, tried to discourage the public from pursuing FOIA requests, failed to respond to inquiries about the status of the requests, and let requests languish while records were destroyed or transferred to other agencies. The Archive's lawsuit resulted in a court decision in 2006 finding that the Air Force had a pattern and practice of not processing FOIA requests in accordance with the law. At that time, the court noted that "the Air Force only woke up in May 2005 to its need to fulfill its FOIA obligations on a more timely basis..."
Since that time, and as a result of the lawsuit, the Air Force has instituted numerous changes to its FOIA program, including:
* Committing to training all Air Force personnel about the agency's FOIA obligations;
* Committing to posting all released records in its Electronic Reading Room and linking all of its Electronic Reading Rooms;
* Putting in place a centralized database system that will track FOIA requests from initial submission to completion; and
* Receiving FOIA requests online through its FOIA web site.
"While we are extremely glad that our litigation has forced the Air Force to bring its program closer to what the public is entitled to expect under the law, we are concerned that these small changes are not sufficient to bring about the transformation that is needed at the Air Force," commented Meredith Fuchs, the Archive's General Counsel. "The Air Force has not yet addressed its problems with interagency referrals and consultations--which has proven to be a significant black hole--and it has not yet gotten the old, long pending requests into its new tracking system." Ms. Fuchs concluded, "If the Air Force is going to enter the new era of transparency promised by President Obama, then it is going to have to shift its culture to one that appreciates the agency's legal obligation to keep the public informed about its activities on their behalf."
Defense Schools' Director Pleased With Year's Accomplishments
By Samantha L. Quigley
American Forces Press Service
June 18, 2009 - For the Department of Defense Education Activity, the 2008-2009 school year was all about improving education for military children, the agency's director said as she reflected on the accomplishments of what she's dubbed "Team DoDEA." "The whole year involved continuous improvement and that whole philosophy of taking some small steps [and] to really focus in on what we needed to improve," Shirley Miles said. "We are -- I've said many times -- a very good organization, and we can be great. We just have to look at what we do, review it, and then plan for that greatness."
Miles said she holds no opinion that the organization needs to make any sharp turns in its operations. It simply needs to "right the rudder," to borrow a Navy term, and focus on student achievement, she said.
In the past school year, the agency conducted its regular customer satisfaction survey, as well as listening to employees' opinions and suggestions through its first employee-satisfaction survey. Miles said those responses, combined with input from other sources including the combatant commands and the Dependent Education Council, helped to guide her decisions.
The budget was prioritized, she said, so in the event of a budget cut, the "have tos" are crystal clear.
"If we have to make cuts, we can say, 'Here's the cut line, and if you cut us by 10 percent, 15 percent, we can't do all of these things," Miles said. "Of course, in our $1.8 billion budget, if we're cut [by] 10 percent, that's $180 million, and $180 million dollars [less] means you can't do a lot of things."
In addition, all of the school buildings in all 15 districts were evaluated and given a quality rating based on their state of repair. Taking the ratings and the need for a new school complex -- elementary, middle school and high school -- in Kaiserslautern, Germany, into account, Miles raised the organization's military construction budget request from $35 million to $100 million.
The bill for the Kaiserslautern complex alone comes in at $75 million.
"If we don't get the $100 million, we're going to have to piecemeal [the complex]," Miles said. "Obviously, we will do the remodeling and the repairs that we always do, [but] the [military construction] issue is a big issue, because we have old schools."
A program aimed at providing students who may miss classes for a deployed parent's rest and recuperation visit or who live in remote locations takes learning to the Internet.
"The virtual school, I think, is going to be fabulous," Miles said. "The virtual school really is going to help our home-schooled students, our children in remote locations [and] our children [who are absent] for two or three weeks at a time."
The virtual classroom will provide face-to-face instruction 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Staffs of teachers around the globe in different time zones will keep the "school" staffed. "Hubs" will help keep teachers from having to come in and teach on a second shift schedule.
"We're establishing a hub already in Europe, [and] we have a hub that's going to start in the fall in the Pacific, and then we'll have a hub in [the United States]," Miles said.
The school will provide students with the opportunity to retake classes they've failed or classes not offered at their schools -- including advanced placement classes -- and to keep up with class work during an extended absence.
Miles wants each of the classes offered accredited through the North Central Association Commission on Accreditation and School Improvement so that students using the virtual school will have a diploma when they graduate.
Perhaps the largest undertaking of the school year was a reorganization of administrative personnel. No school can run without administrators, but staffing needs to be done wisely, Miles said.
"My goal is always to focus resources as close to the school as possible," she said. "So we evaluated, particularly our [curriculum content] coordinators. Those coordinators were at the area offices, but they were doing, in my opinion, a lot of paperwork, and they needed to get out to the schools."
All of the coordinators for each curriculum area are being moved to the district levels so they are better able to help the teachers and the students. In the past, each of the organization's 15 school districts had two assistant superintendents. That number has been reduced.
"We were, in my opinion, a little too top heavy," Miles said. "I have eliminated one assistant superintendent per school district, and have moved those folks into different positions. Some of them are principals. Some of them are coordinators."
Because the turnover of the education activity's 16,000 employees is relatively high due to factors such as retirements and relocations, none of the organization's administrative personnel lost jobs in the shuffle.
"Only two teachers lost their jobs because they didn't have any other certification," Miles said. "They were certified in cosmetology, and we don't offer that any more."
Miles said she's amazed at what her team has accomplished in the past year.
"It's been a great year of thoughtful and purposeful effort, and I'm proud of that," she said. "I'm very proud of the staff across the world."
American Forces Press Service
June 18, 2009 - For the Department of Defense Education Activity, the 2008-2009 school year was all about improving education for military children, the agency's director said as she reflected on the accomplishments of what she's dubbed "Team DoDEA." "The whole year involved continuous improvement and that whole philosophy of taking some small steps [and] to really focus in on what we needed to improve," Shirley Miles said. "We are -- I've said many times -- a very good organization, and we can be great. We just have to look at what we do, review it, and then plan for that greatness."
Miles said she holds no opinion that the organization needs to make any sharp turns in its operations. It simply needs to "right the rudder," to borrow a Navy term, and focus on student achievement, she said.
In the past school year, the agency conducted its regular customer satisfaction survey, as well as listening to employees' opinions and suggestions through its first employee-satisfaction survey. Miles said those responses, combined with input from other sources including the combatant commands and the Dependent Education Council, helped to guide her decisions.
The budget was prioritized, she said, so in the event of a budget cut, the "have tos" are crystal clear.
"If we have to make cuts, we can say, 'Here's the cut line, and if you cut us by 10 percent, 15 percent, we can't do all of these things," Miles said. "Of course, in our $1.8 billion budget, if we're cut [by] 10 percent, that's $180 million, and $180 million dollars [less] means you can't do a lot of things."
In addition, all of the school buildings in all 15 districts were evaluated and given a quality rating based on their state of repair. Taking the ratings and the need for a new school complex -- elementary, middle school and high school -- in Kaiserslautern, Germany, into account, Miles raised the organization's military construction budget request from $35 million to $100 million.
The bill for the Kaiserslautern complex alone comes in at $75 million.
"If we don't get the $100 million, we're going to have to piecemeal [the complex]," Miles said. "Obviously, we will do the remodeling and the repairs that we always do, [but] the [military construction] issue is a big issue, because we have old schools."
A program aimed at providing students who may miss classes for a deployed parent's rest and recuperation visit or who live in remote locations takes learning to the Internet.
"The virtual school, I think, is going to be fabulous," Miles said. "The virtual school really is going to help our home-schooled students, our children in remote locations [and] our children [who are absent] for two or three weeks at a time."
The virtual classroom will provide face-to-face instruction 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Staffs of teachers around the globe in different time zones will keep the "school" staffed. "Hubs" will help keep teachers from having to come in and teach on a second shift schedule.
"We're establishing a hub already in Europe, [and] we have a hub that's going to start in the fall in the Pacific, and then we'll have a hub in [the United States]," Miles said.
The school will provide students with the opportunity to retake classes they've failed or classes not offered at their schools -- including advanced placement classes -- and to keep up with class work during an extended absence.
Miles wants each of the classes offered accredited through the North Central Association Commission on Accreditation and School Improvement so that students using the virtual school will have a diploma when they graduate.
Perhaps the largest undertaking of the school year was a reorganization of administrative personnel. No school can run without administrators, but staffing needs to be done wisely, Miles said.
"My goal is always to focus resources as close to the school as possible," she said. "So we evaluated, particularly our [curriculum content] coordinators. Those coordinators were at the area offices, but they were doing, in my opinion, a lot of paperwork, and they needed to get out to the schools."
All of the coordinators for each curriculum area are being moved to the district levels so they are better able to help the teachers and the students. In the past, each of the organization's 15 school districts had two assistant superintendents. That number has been reduced.
"We were, in my opinion, a little too top heavy," Miles said. "I have eliminated one assistant superintendent per school district, and have moved those folks into different positions. Some of them are principals. Some of them are coordinators."
Because the turnover of the education activity's 16,000 employees is relatively high due to factors such as retirements and relocations, none of the organization's administrative personnel lost jobs in the shuffle.
"Only two teachers lost their jobs because they didn't have any other certification," Miles said. "They were certified in cosmetology, and we don't offer that any more."
Miles said she's amazed at what her team has accomplished in the past year.
"It's been a great year of thoughtful and purposeful effort, and I'm proud of that," she said. "I'm very proud of the staff across the world."
MILITARY CONTRACTS June 18, 2009
NAVY
Archer Western/RQ Construction Joint Venture, Chicago, Ill., is being awarded a $151,048,000 firm-fixed-price contract for design and construction of multiple bachelor enlisted quarters, Camp Lejeune. The contract also contains one unexercised option, which if exercised would increase cumulative contract value to $162,923,000. Work will be performed in Jacksonville, N.C., and is expected to be completed by August 2011. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was competitively procured via the Navy Electronic Commerce Online website, with 18 proposals received. The Naval Facilities Engineering Command, Mid-Atlantic, Norfolk, Va., is the contracting activity (N40085-09-C-3215).
Northrop Grumman Shipbuilding, Newport News, Va., is being awarded a $72,698,102 modification to previously awarded contract (N62793-03-G-0001) to definitize the planning effort and material support and accomplishment effort for the Post Shakedown Availability/Selected Restricted Availability for the USS George H. W. Bush (CVN 77). Work will be performed in Newport News, Va., and is expected to be completed by January 2010. Contract funds in the amount of $1,870,000 will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Supervisor of Shipbuilding, Conversion and Repair, Newport News, Va., is the contracting activity.
Eagan, McAllister Associates, Inc., Lexington Park, Md., (N65236-09-D-3806), and ManTech Systems Engineering Corp., Fairfax, Va., (N65236-09-D-3807) are each being awarded an indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity, multiple award, cost-plus-fixed-fee, performance-based contract to provide tactical command and control integration and improvement support services required by multiple Department of Defense and other federal agencies. Eagan, McAllister Associates, Inc., will receive $36,968,507 and ManTech Systems Engineering Corp., will receive $38,808,905. These contracts include option periods which, if exercised, would bring the total cumulative value to an estimated amount of $205,683,274. These two contractors may compete for the task orders under the terms and conditions of the awarded contracts. Work will be performed in Charleston, S.C., (80 percent), and Lexington Park, Md., (20 percent), and is expected to be completed by June 2010. If all options are exercised, work could continue until June 2014. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the fiscal year. The multiple award contracts were competitively procured using full and open competitive procedures via SPAWAR Systems Command e-commerce website, with four offers received. The Space and Naval Warfare Systems Center Atlantic, Charleston, S.C., is the contracting activity.
The Whiting-Turner Contracting Co., Allentown, Pa., is being awarded a $17,875,310 firm-fixed-price construction contract for construction of Full Scale Electric Drive Test Facility, Philadelphia Naval Business Center, Philadelphia, Pa. The work to be performed provides for modification of existing facilities to construct a full scale electric drive test facility. The functions contained within the facility will be comprised of testing facilities for future Integrated Power and Energy Systems and components, including electric drive propulsion systems for shipboard systems. Work will be performed in Philadelphia, Pa., and is expected to be completed by January 2011. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was competitively procured via the Navy Electronic Commerce Online website, with six proposals received. The Naval Facili! ties Eng ineering Command, Mid-Atlantic, Norfolk, Va., is the contracting activity (N40085-09-C-7005).
General Dynamics Information Technologies, Inc., Fairfax, Va., is being awarded a $13,012,459 modification to a previously awarded indefinite-delivery, indefinite-quantity contract to exercise an option for maintenance planning and design interface technical/ management support services for the In-Service Support Center and Fleet Readiness Center Southeast Jacksonville, Fla. These services include evaluating initial designs, evaluating proposed design changes, maintenance planning and sustaining maintenance plans. Work will be performed in Jacksonville, Fla., (73 percent), Oklahoma City, Okla., (18 percent), Cherry Point, N.C., (6 percent), and Patuxent River, Md., (3 percent), and is expected to be completed in September 2010. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Naval Air Warfare Center Training Systems Division, Orlando, Fla., is the contracting activity (N00421-00-D-0328).
Shaw Environmental, Inc., San Diego, Calif., is being awarded $7,227,373 for firm-fixed-price task order #0006 under a previously awarded indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity unrestricted environmental multiple award contract (N62473-08-D-8822) for Radiological Remediation in Parcel D-1 at Hunters Point Shipyard. The work to be performed provides for radiological surveys and remediation in Parcel D-1 in order to achieve unrestricted free release of all radiologically impacted areas in the parcel. Work will be performed in San Francisco, Calif., and is expected to be completed by June 2010. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. Three proposals were received for this task order. The Naval Facilities Engineering Command Southwest, San Diego, Calif., is the contracting activity.
Barnhart, Inc., San Diego, Calif., is being awarded firm-fixed price Task Order 0005 at $7,266,343 under a multiple award construction contract for the repair and renovation of existing 4-story bachelor enlisted quarters 52609 at Marine Corps Base, Camp Pendleton. The contract also contains one unexercised option, which if exercised would increase cumulative contract value to $9,066,343. Work will be performed in Oceanside, Calif., and is expected to be completed by March 2010. Funds provided by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. Four proposals were received for this task order. The Naval Facilities Engineering Command, Southwest, San Diego, Calif., is the contracting activity (contract number N62473-06-D-1059).
Armorworks, Inc., Chandler, Ariz., is being awarded a delivery order in the amount of $7,015,535 against a previously awarded contract for Enhanced Small Arms Protective Inserts used as personal armor by Marines. Work will be performed in Chandler, Ariz., and is expected to be completed in December 2009. Contract funds in the amount of $7,015,536 will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. Marine Corps Systems Command, Quantico, Va., is the contracting activity (M67854-06-D-3071).
DEFENSE LOGISTICS AGENCY
Navistar Defense, Warrenville, Ill., is being awarded a maximum $42,872,326 firm-fixed-price, sole-source contract for sustainment spare parts in support of Mine Resistant Ambush Protected vehicles. There are no other locations of performance. Using service is Army. There was originally one proposal solicited with one response. Contract funds will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The date of performance completion is Nov. 9, 2009. The contracting activity is the Defense Logistics Agency Warren (DSCC-ZG), Warren, Mich., (SPRDL1-09-C-0088).
Oshkosh Corp., Oshkosh, Wis., is being awarded a maximum $31,124,271 firm-fixed-price, indefinite delivery and indefinite quantity contract for Heavy Expanded Mobility Tactical Truck engine procurement. There are no other locations of performance. Using service is Army. There was originally one proposal solicited with one response. Contract funds will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The date of performance completion is June 19, 2012. The contracting activity is the Defense Logistics Agency Warren (DSCC-ZG), Warren, Mich., (SPRDL1-09-D-0025).
Coast Produce*, Los Angeles, Calif., is being awarded a maximum $10,246,545 fixed-price with economic price adjustment, total set aside, indefinite quantity contract for fresh fruit and vegetables support. There are no other locations of performance. Using services are Navy, Marine Corps and USDA School customers. The original proposal was DIBBS solicited with six responses. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract is exercising 18-month option year one. The date of performance completion is Jan. 31, 2011. The contracting activity is the Defense Supply Center Philadelphia (DSCP), Philadelphia, Pa., (SPM300-08-D-P020).
Gentex Corp., Simpson, Pa., is being awarded a maximum $9,498,608 firm-fixed-price, requirements type contract for Aircrew Integrated Helmet System and component parts. There are no other locations of performance. Using service is Army and Navy. The original proposal was DIBBS solicited with one response. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The date of performance completion is June 17, 2010. The contracting activity is the Defense Supply Center Philadelphia (DSCP), Philadelphia, Pa., (SPM1C1-09-D-1053).
McDonnell Douglas Corp., St. Louis, Mo., is being awarded a maximum $8,995,550 firm-fixed-price, sole source contract for parts. There are no other locations of performance. Using service is Navy. There was originally one proposal solicited with one response. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The date of performance completion is May 30, 2012. The contracting activity is the Defense Logistics Agency Philadelphia
(DSCR-ZC), Philadelphia, Pa., (N00383-06-D-001J-TH02).
DEFENSE ADVANCED RESEARCH PROJECTS AGENCY
Total Immersion Software Inc., Alameda, Calif., is being awarded a $12,000,000 modification to a previously awarded other transaction for prototypes agreement for the RealWorld Transition program. Work will be performed in Alameda, Calif., (36 percent), Austin, Texas, (36 percent), Hampton, Va., (25 percent), and San Antonio, Texas, (3 percent), and is expected to be completed in June 2011. Funds being obligated at time of award ($2,000,000) will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. DARPA issued a solicitation in Federal Business Opportunities on Feb. 8, 2005, and over 100 proposals were received. The contracting activity is the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, Arlington, Va., (HR0011-06-9-0004, P00027).
Agilent Technologies Inc., Santa Clara, Calif., is being awarded a $6,814,116 cost-share technology investment agreement for the Panoptic Analysis of Chemical Traces program. Work will be performed in Santa Clara, Calif., and is expected to be completed in June 2011. Funds being obligated at time of award ($1,768,476) will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. DARPA issued a solicitation in Federal Business Opportunities on Aug. 19, 2008, and 17 proposals were received. The contracting activity is the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, Arlington, Va., (HR0011-09-3-0003).
Archer Western/RQ Construction Joint Venture, Chicago, Ill., is being awarded a $151,048,000 firm-fixed-price contract for design and construction of multiple bachelor enlisted quarters, Camp Lejeune. The contract also contains one unexercised option, which if exercised would increase cumulative contract value to $162,923,000. Work will be performed in Jacksonville, N.C., and is expected to be completed by August 2011. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was competitively procured via the Navy Electronic Commerce Online website, with 18 proposals received. The Naval Facilities Engineering Command, Mid-Atlantic, Norfolk, Va., is the contracting activity (N40085-09-C-3215).
Northrop Grumman Shipbuilding, Newport News, Va., is being awarded a $72,698,102 modification to previously awarded contract (N62793-03-G-0001) to definitize the planning effort and material support and accomplishment effort for the Post Shakedown Availability/Selected Restricted Availability for the USS George H. W. Bush (CVN 77). Work will be performed in Newport News, Va., and is expected to be completed by January 2010. Contract funds in the amount of $1,870,000 will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Supervisor of Shipbuilding, Conversion and Repair, Newport News, Va., is the contracting activity.
Eagan, McAllister Associates, Inc., Lexington Park, Md., (N65236-09-D-3806), and ManTech Systems Engineering Corp., Fairfax, Va., (N65236-09-D-3807) are each being awarded an indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity, multiple award, cost-plus-fixed-fee, performance-based contract to provide tactical command and control integration and improvement support services required by multiple Department of Defense and other federal agencies. Eagan, McAllister Associates, Inc., will receive $36,968,507 and ManTech Systems Engineering Corp., will receive $38,808,905. These contracts include option periods which, if exercised, would bring the total cumulative value to an estimated amount of $205,683,274. These two contractors may compete for the task orders under the terms and conditions of the awarded contracts. Work will be performed in Charleston, S.C., (80 percent), and Lexington Park, Md., (20 percent), and is expected to be completed by June 2010. If all options are exercised, work could continue until June 2014. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the fiscal year. The multiple award contracts were competitively procured using full and open competitive procedures via SPAWAR Systems Command e-commerce website, with four offers received. The Space and Naval Warfare Systems Center Atlantic, Charleston, S.C., is the contracting activity.
The Whiting-Turner Contracting Co., Allentown, Pa., is being awarded a $17,875,310 firm-fixed-price construction contract for construction of Full Scale Electric Drive Test Facility, Philadelphia Naval Business Center, Philadelphia, Pa. The work to be performed provides for modification of existing facilities to construct a full scale electric drive test facility. The functions contained within the facility will be comprised of testing facilities for future Integrated Power and Energy Systems and components, including electric drive propulsion systems for shipboard systems. Work will be performed in Philadelphia, Pa., and is expected to be completed by January 2011. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was competitively procured via the Navy Electronic Commerce Online website, with six proposals received. The Naval Facili! ties Eng ineering Command, Mid-Atlantic, Norfolk, Va., is the contracting activity (N40085-09-C-7005).
General Dynamics Information Technologies, Inc., Fairfax, Va., is being awarded a $13,012,459 modification to a previously awarded indefinite-delivery, indefinite-quantity contract to exercise an option for maintenance planning and design interface technical/ management support services for the In-Service Support Center and Fleet Readiness Center Southeast Jacksonville, Fla. These services include evaluating initial designs, evaluating proposed design changes, maintenance planning and sustaining maintenance plans. Work will be performed in Jacksonville, Fla., (73 percent), Oklahoma City, Okla., (18 percent), Cherry Point, N.C., (6 percent), and Patuxent River, Md., (3 percent), and is expected to be completed in September 2010. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Naval Air Warfare Center Training Systems Division, Orlando, Fla., is the contracting activity (N00421-00-D-0328).
Shaw Environmental, Inc., San Diego, Calif., is being awarded $7,227,373 for firm-fixed-price task order #0006 under a previously awarded indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity unrestricted environmental multiple award contract (N62473-08-D-8822) for Radiological Remediation in Parcel D-1 at Hunters Point Shipyard. The work to be performed provides for radiological surveys and remediation in Parcel D-1 in order to achieve unrestricted free release of all radiologically impacted areas in the parcel. Work will be performed in San Francisco, Calif., and is expected to be completed by June 2010. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. Three proposals were received for this task order. The Naval Facilities Engineering Command Southwest, San Diego, Calif., is the contracting activity.
Barnhart, Inc., San Diego, Calif., is being awarded firm-fixed price Task Order 0005 at $7,266,343 under a multiple award construction contract for the repair and renovation of existing 4-story bachelor enlisted quarters 52609 at Marine Corps Base, Camp Pendleton. The contract also contains one unexercised option, which if exercised would increase cumulative contract value to $9,066,343. Work will be performed in Oceanside, Calif., and is expected to be completed by March 2010. Funds provided by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. Four proposals were received for this task order. The Naval Facilities Engineering Command, Southwest, San Diego, Calif., is the contracting activity (contract number N62473-06-D-1059).
Armorworks, Inc., Chandler, Ariz., is being awarded a delivery order in the amount of $7,015,535 against a previously awarded contract for Enhanced Small Arms Protective Inserts used as personal armor by Marines. Work will be performed in Chandler, Ariz., and is expected to be completed in December 2009. Contract funds in the amount of $7,015,536 will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. Marine Corps Systems Command, Quantico, Va., is the contracting activity (M67854-06-D-3071).
DEFENSE LOGISTICS AGENCY
Navistar Defense, Warrenville, Ill., is being awarded a maximum $42,872,326 firm-fixed-price, sole-source contract for sustainment spare parts in support of Mine Resistant Ambush Protected vehicles. There are no other locations of performance. Using service is Army. There was originally one proposal solicited with one response. Contract funds will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The date of performance completion is Nov. 9, 2009. The contracting activity is the Defense Logistics Agency Warren (DSCC-ZG), Warren, Mich., (SPRDL1-09-C-0088).
Oshkosh Corp., Oshkosh, Wis., is being awarded a maximum $31,124,271 firm-fixed-price, indefinite delivery and indefinite quantity contract for Heavy Expanded Mobility Tactical Truck engine procurement. There are no other locations of performance. Using service is Army. There was originally one proposal solicited with one response. Contract funds will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The date of performance completion is June 19, 2012. The contracting activity is the Defense Logistics Agency Warren (DSCC-ZG), Warren, Mich., (SPRDL1-09-D-0025).
Coast Produce*, Los Angeles, Calif., is being awarded a maximum $10,246,545 fixed-price with economic price adjustment, total set aside, indefinite quantity contract for fresh fruit and vegetables support. There are no other locations of performance. Using services are Navy, Marine Corps and USDA School customers. The original proposal was DIBBS solicited with six responses. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract is exercising 18-month option year one. The date of performance completion is Jan. 31, 2011. The contracting activity is the Defense Supply Center Philadelphia (DSCP), Philadelphia, Pa., (SPM300-08-D-P020).
Gentex Corp., Simpson, Pa., is being awarded a maximum $9,498,608 firm-fixed-price, requirements type contract for Aircrew Integrated Helmet System and component parts. There are no other locations of performance. Using service is Army and Navy. The original proposal was DIBBS solicited with one response. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The date of performance completion is June 17, 2010. The contracting activity is the Defense Supply Center Philadelphia (DSCP), Philadelphia, Pa., (SPM1C1-09-D-1053).
McDonnell Douglas Corp., St. Louis, Mo., is being awarded a maximum $8,995,550 firm-fixed-price, sole source contract for parts. There are no other locations of performance. Using service is Navy. There was originally one proposal solicited with one response. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The date of performance completion is May 30, 2012. The contracting activity is the Defense Logistics Agency Philadelphia
(DSCR-ZC), Philadelphia, Pa., (N00383-06-D-001J-TH02).
DEFENSE ADVANCED RESEARCH PROJECTS AGENCY
Total Immersion Software Inc., Alameda, Calif., is being awarded a $12,000,000 modification to a previously awarded other transaction for prototypes agreement for the RealWorld Transition program. Work will be performed in Alameda, Calif., (36 percent), Austin, Texas, (36 percent), Hampton, Va., (25 percent), and San Antonio, Texas, (3 percent), and is expected to be completed in June 2011. Funds being obligated at time of award ($2,000,000) will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. DARPA issued a solicitation in Federal Business Opportunities on Feb. 8, 2005, and over 100 proposals were received. The contracting activity is the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, Arlington, Va., (HR0011-06-9-0004, P00027).
Agilent Technologies Inc., Santa Clara, Calif., is being awarded a $6,814,116 cost-share technology investment agreement for the Panoptic Analysis of Chemical Traces program. Work will be performed in Santa Clara, Calif., and is expected to be completed in June 2011. Funds being obligated at time of award ($1,768,476) will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. DARPA issued a solicitation in Federal Business Opportunities on Aug. 19, 2008, and 17 proposals were received. The contracting activity is the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, Arlington, Va., (HR0011-09-3-0003).
Gates, Mullen: Communications Technologies 'Strategic Asset' for United States
By Donna Miles
American Forces Press Service
June 18, 2009 - As protestors in Iran demonstrate the power of social networking, Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates today called the freedom of communication afforded by communications technologies "a huge strategic asset for the United States." Meanwhile, speaking to reporters at today's Pentagon news conference, Gates said he wants the Defense Department to take better advantage of these same technologies to reach out to the world, particularly to young people.
Asked by reporters about the Iranian government's crackdown on traditional media and communications, and the success of Twitter and other social media that protestors of last week's elections are using to defy it, Gates called the emergence of these technologies a major blow to authoritarian governments.
"It's a huge win for freedom, around the world, because this monopoly of information is no longer in the hands of the government," he said.
The result has had historic impact. "There is no question that the availability or the easy access to Western communications and media played a part in the collapse of the Soviet Union and the liberation of Eastern Europe," Gates said.
Governments may be able to squelch some information channels, but "they just can't draw the net tight enough to stop everything," Gates said. "If you can't text, then you Twitter.
"And you know, my guess is, in some of these countries, that the leadership is kind of like me," Gates continued. Then, he added with a chuckle, "They don't have a clue what it's about."
Navy Adm. Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said leaders need to develop awareness about the technologies that have become almost second nature to the servicemembers they lead.
"For leaders, ... it's really important to be connected to that and understand it," he said, conceding that he has his own Facebook page. "I think communicating that way and moving information around that way -- whether it's administrative information or information in warfare -- is absolutely critical."
Gates said he kept that factor in mind as he interviewed Price Floyd, the department's new principal deputy assistant secretary for public affairs.
The secretary charged Floyd with enhancing the department's outreach, particularly to 18-to-25-year olds -- in the military, in the United States and around the world.
"We have 2 million people, ... most of them around the age that Admiral Mullen described," Gates said. "And how do we communicate better with them? ...How do we get reactions from them to things that we're doing? How do we get better plugged in with what they're thinking?"
Gates said he wants to reach the same age group overseas, too. "How do we reach them in a way that they understand?" he wondered aloud.
"This department, I think, is way behind the power curve in this, and it's an area where I think we have a lot of room for improvement."
American Forces Press Service
June 18, 2009 - As protestors in Iran demonstrate the power of social networking, Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates today called the freedom of communication afforded by communications technologies "a huge strategic asset for the United States." Meanwhile, speaking to reporters at today's Pentagon news conference, Gates said he wants the Defense Department to take better advantage of these same technologies to reach out to the world, particularly to young people.
Asked by reporters about the Iranian government's crackdown on traditional media and communications, and the success of Twitter and other social media that protestors of last week's elections are using to defy it, Gates called the emergence of these technologies a major blow to authoritarian governments.
"It's a huge win for freedom, around the world, because this monopoly of information is no longer in the hands of the government," he said.
The result has had historic impact. "There is no question that the availability or the easy access to Western communications and media played a part in the collapse of the Soviet Union and the liberation of Eastern Europe," Gates said.
Governments may be able to squelch some information channels, but "they just can't draw the net tight enough to stop everything," Gates said. "If you can't text, then you Twitter.
"And you know, my guess is, in some of these countries, that the leadership is kind of like me," Gates continued. Then, he added with a chuckle, "They don't have a clue what it's about."
Navy Adm. Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said leaders need to develop awareness about the technologies that have become almost second nature to the servicemembers they lead.
"For leaders, ... it's really important to be connected to that and understand it," he said, conceding that he has his own Facebook page. "I think communicating that way and moving information around that way -- whether it's administrative information or information in warfare -- is absolutely critical."
Gates said he kept that factor in mind as he interviewed Price Floyd, the department's new principal deputy assistant secretary for public affairs.
The secretary charged Floyd with enhancing the department's outreach, particularly to 18-to-25-year olds -- in the military, in the United States and around the world.
"We have 2 million people, ... most of them around the age that Admiral Mullen described," Gates said. "And how do we communicate better with them? ...How do we get reactions from them to things that we're doing? How do we get better plugged in with what they're thinking?"
Gates said he wants to reach the same age group overseas, too. "How do we reach them in a way that they understand?" he wondered aloud.
"This department, I think, is way behind the power curve in this, and it's an area where I think we have a lot of room for improvement."
U.S. Prepares Missile Defense, Continues Shipping Interdictions
By John J. Kruzel
American Forces Press Service
June 18, 2009 - The United States has deployed missile defense equipment to the Pacific amid reports alleging that North Korea has threatened to fire a ballistic missile toward Hawaii, Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates said today. "We're obviously watching the situation in the north, with respect to missile launches, very closely," Gates said at a Pentagon news conference with Navy Adm. Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. "And we do have some concerns if they were to launch a missile to the west, in the direction of Hawaii."
Gates has ordered the deployment of Theater High Altitude Area Defense missiles to Hawaii and the sea-based SBX Radar near the island state to provide support. "Based on my visit to Fort Greely, the ground-based interceptors are clearly in a position to take action," he added, referring to the Army launch site for anti-ballistic missiles near Fairbanks, Alaska.
"Without telegraphing what we will do, I would just say I think we are in a good position should it become necessary to protect American territory," the secretary said.
Meanwhile, Mullen reiterated the U.S. intent to adhere to a United Nations resolution allowing Americans to conduct permissive searches of North Korean vessels.
"We intend to vigorously enforce the United Nations Security Council Resolution 1874," Mullen said, noting that the United States has "hail and query" authority under Security Council guidelines, meaning American authorities can seek permission from the ship's crew to board and search its contents.
"If a vessel like this is queried and doesn't allow a permissive search, [the United States] can direct it to go into a port, and the country of that port would...inspect the vessel," Mullen said, noting that the resolution does not allow for an opposed or noncompliant boarding. The U.N. would be alerted in instances of North Korean vessels refusing searches or possessing weaponry in violation of resolution.
Asked about Pyongyang's stated stance that it would consider an interdiction of its vessels an act of war, Mullen underscored that the U.N. resolution represents an international commitment.
"It's not just the United States, it's a lot of other countries as well," he said. "And the north's steps to further isolate itself, to further noncomply with international guidance and regulations, in the long-run, puts them in a more difficult position."
American Forces Press Service
June 18, 2009 - The United States has deployed missile defense equipment to the Pacific amid reports alleging that North Korea has threatened to fire a ballistic missile toward Hawaii, Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates said today. "We're obviously watching the situation in the north, with respect to missile launches, very closely," Gates said at a Pentagon news conference with Navy Adm. Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. "And we do have some concerns if they were to launch a missile to the west, in the direction of Hawaii."
Gates has ordered the deployment of Theater High Altitude Area Defense missiles to Hawaii and the sea-based SBX Radar near the island state to provide support. "Based on my visit to Fort Greely, the ground-based interceptors are clearly in a position to take action," he added, referring to the Army launch site for anti-ballistic missiles near Fairbanks, Alaska.
"Without telegraphing what we will do, I would just say I think we are in a good position should it become necessary to protect American territory," the secretary said.
Meanwhile, Mullen reiterated the U.S. intent to adhere to a United Nations resolution allowing Americans to conduct permissive searches of North Korean vessels.
"We intend to vigorously enforce the United Nations Security Council Resolution 1874," Mullen said, noting that the United States has "hail and query" authority under Security Council guidelines, meaning American authorities can seek permission from the ship's crew to board and search its contents.
"If a vessel like this is queried and doesn't allow a permissive search, [the United States] can direct it to go into a port, and the country of that port would...inspect the vessel," Mullen said, noting that the resolution does not allow for an opposed or noncompliant boarding. The U.N. would be alerted in instances of North Korean vessels refusing searches or possessing weaponry in violation of resolution.
Asked about Pyongyang's stated stance that it would consider an interdiction of its vessels an act of war, Mullen underscored that the U.N. resolution represents an international commitment.
"It's not just the United States, it's a lot of other countries as well," he said. "And the north's steps to further isolate itself, to further noncomply with international guidance and regulations, in the long-run, puts them in a more difficult position."
Sailors of a Dozen Nations Wrap Up Baltic Exercises
By Navy Petty Officer 3rd Class William Selby
Special to American Forces Press Service
June 18, 2009 - After 11 days of sea trials and more than 250 separate events, a multinational naval exercise in the Baltic region is scheduled to wrap up tomorrow. The objective for the 12 countries participating in BALTOPS – short for "Baltic Operations" -- is to learn to work together and form new ideas for disaster relief and humanitarian assistance, Navy Rear Adm. John Christenson, the mission commander, said yesterday during a "DoDLive" bloggers roundtable.
"You don't know what the disaster is going to be, but whatever it is, if you've worked together, communicated together and developed confidence in each other, it makes the response a lot easier and a lot more efficient," he said.
Even though it's an exercise, the events have significant impact, Christenson said.
"One of the big values here is we've been exploding World War II ordnance all week," he said. "Close to 100,000 mines were seeded in the Baltic Sea in World War II, and the mine countermeasure ships here have done a great job of finding both exercise torpedoes and mines, but also real-world mines."
Finding the mines isn't the only example of how the exercise has had a positive effect on mariners. Using knowledge gained from BALTOPS's annual ship-boarding event, Swedish sailors captured a pirate ship last year off the coast of Somalia, Christenson said.
While there are differences among the collaborating navies and how they handle situations, the exercise allows them to come together and develop problem-solving skills, said Swedish navy Lt. Cmdr. Jorgen Bergman, the Swedish liaison officer aboard the USS Mount Whitney.
"When different navies come together, usually the first couple of days are spent just being able to reach other on various frequencies and communicate, and basic ship handling," Christenson said. "We are all, in our hearts, sailors, but we do think different ways. But this is the perfect exercise to train together, do things together and develop our skills, to be team workers."
The 37th annual exercise ends tomorrow in Kiel, Germany, with what Christenson said is the largest gathering of sail vessels in the world.
(Navy Petty Officer 3rd Class William Selby serves in the Defense Media Activity's emerging media directorate.)
Special to American Forces Press Service
June 18, 2009 - After 11 days of sea trials and more than 250 separate events, a multinational naval exercise in the Baltic region is scheduled to wrap up tomorrow. The objective for the 12 countries participating in BALTOPS – short for "Baltic Operations" -- is to learn to work together and form new ideas for disaster relief and humanitarian assistance, Navy Rear Adm. John Christenson, the mission commander, said yesterday during a "DoDLive" bloggers roundtable.
"You don't know what the disaster is going to be, but whatever it is, if you've worked together, communicated together and developed confidence in each other, it makes the response a lot easier and a lot more efficient," he said.
Even though it's an exercise, the events have significant impact, Christenson said.
"One of the big values here is we've been exploding World War II ordnance all week," he said. "Close to 100,000 mines were seeded in the Baltic Sea in World War II, and the mine countermeasure ships here have done a great job of finding both exercise torpedoes and mines, but also real-world mines."
Finding the mines isn't the only example of how the exercise has had a positive effect on mariners. Using knowledge gained from BALTOPS's annual ship-boarding event, Swedish sailors captured a pirate ship last year off the coast of Somalia, Christenson said.
While there are differences among the collaborating navies and how they handle situations, the exercise allows them to come together and develop problem-solving skills, said Swedish navy Lt. Cmdr. Jorgen Bergman, the Swedish liaison officer aboard the USS Mount Whitney.
"When different navies come together, usually the first couple of days are spent just being able to reach other on various frequencies and communicate, and basic ship handling," Christenson said. "We are all, in our hearts, sailors, but we do think different ways. But this is the perfect exercise to train together, do things together and develop our skills, to be team workers."
The 37th annual exercise ends tomorrow in Kiel, Germany, with what Christenson said is the largest gathering of sail vessels in the world.
(Navy Petty Officer 3rd Class William Selby serves in the Defense Media Activity's emerging media directorate.)
Face of Defense: Five Brothers Make Navy Their Family Business
By Marine Corps Gunnery Sgt. Katesha WashingtonSpecial to American Forces Press Service
June 18, 2009 - For five brothers from a small town in Kentucky, serving in the military is a family tradition. Chief Petty Officer Chad Roberts, Petty Officers 1st Class Jody and Dwayne Roberts, and Petty Officer 2nd Class Chris Roberts are brothers who serve in the Navy and with the same unit -- Naval Mobile Construction Battalion 24, a Seabee unit based out of Lexington, Ky. Their brother, Bruce, retired from the Navy in 2006.
Chad and Chris, both steelworkers, and Dwayne, a construction electrician, are deployed to western Anbar province in Iraq. Jody, also a steelworker and the youngest boy out of seven children, did not deploy overseas with his brothers, but supports them while they are gone.
"I pray for their safety and their well-being every day," he said. "I am very proud of Dwayne, Chad and Chris. I wish I could have joined them in Iraq, but as things happen, there was a reason God chose me to stay behind."
Although they can't always be in the same place at the same time, the bond the brothers share is unbreakable. Their sacred connection to each other was formed when they were growing up on the family farm about 85 miles outside of Louisville. Just like other American boys living in Small Town USA, the Roberts brothers showed their love for each other by beating up one another, competing to see who could jump the highest on their bikes, and playing baseball on the baseball diamond that their father, Millard, created just for his boys.
Bruce Roberts said one of his favorite childhood memories was beating the 'unbeatable' Sorgho Reds in baseball. "Most of my brothers were on the team, and Dad was the coach," Bruce said. "We were very competitive."
The brothers' childhood dreams included the possibilities of becoming a professional baseball player, a veterinarian or even a farmer. Never did any one of them imagine that he, much less all of the brothers -- would join the Navy. But fate and their overwhelming love for the country drew them to where they are now.
Dwayne, the oldest of the siblings, was the first to join the Navy, in 1984. He didn't join seeking excitement or to just have a 9-to-5 job, but rather to achieve his aspiration for a higher education and to satisfy his desire to serve his country.
"I wanted to get educated and serve my country," he said. "I was already married, [but] couldn't afford to go to college, because my wife and I were both 'bringing home the bacon' so to speak."
Dwayne's younger brothers, Chad and Jody, joined the Air Force in 1984 and 1986, respectively. After completing their obligated four years of service, they left the Air Force, and Dwayne finished his four years in the Navy. More than 10 years passed before any of them thought of putting on a military uniform again.
Then, on Sept. 11, 2001, terrorists attacked America.
"It was the straw that broke the camel's back," Chris, the middle child of the family, said of the tragedy. "I didn't like the fact that we were attacked on our own soil in the U.S. I knew I had to do something."
Exactly two weeks after the attack, he raised his right hand and swore to support and defend the United States as a member of the Navy Reserve. Dwayne, Chad and Jody already had re-enlisted months before the attack.
"To do something like serving in the military is the most honorable thing one can do for their country," Jody Roberts said. "Everyone needs to fight for the freedom of our country -- stand up, do your duty, and do it with honor, courage and commitment. That is the backbone of our military and a code we live by."
The only opportunity for all five brothers to be in one location while serving in the Navy came in 2003, when Chad, Jody, Dwayne and Chris were at the Fleet and Industrial Supply Center in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, but Bruce was unable to get orders there.
The Roberts brothers attribute their enthusiasm for service to the love and support they've received from their own families and their local community in Kentucky.
"Our community is very supportive," Chad Roberts said. "We all live in a small town of roughly 600 people, so everybody helps out our wives and watches out for our kids at school and around town."
Their father and their mother, Barbara, are especially supportive and proud of the sacrifices that their sons are making for their country. They never tried to talk any of them out of joining the military, and they were not surprised when they finally joined.
"I prayed all the years they were growing up that they would never have to be involved in a war, but I know that this is God's will," she said. "I know that God will protect them and sustain us."
Barbara added that love for God and each other are why her children are so close.
"We taught them to stand together in whatever they did and to support each other through life," Barbara Roberts said. "They are not only brothers, [but also are] friends."
The deep connection the brothers have with each other and the Navy is something they hope to pass on and already have begun to sow the seeds of brotherly love and commitment into their sons – Chris' son is a Marine, while Bruce's son followed his father's footsteps into the Navy. Family get-togethers, they all agree, bring them even closer.
"We grew up as a close family doing the usual family vacations," Chad Roberts said. "My mom and dad both have close families, so it was second nature to us. We all went into the military, but after our service was over, we all returned to our small town we grew up in to raise our own families there. So now we drill together, go camping together, and just spend time together."
These days, the Roberts brothers may not get to spend as much together as they would like or get to see each other every day as they used to back home in Kentucky, but they never forget that they are a band of brothers, in family and in arms."
(Marine Corps Gunnery Sgt. Katesha Washington serves with the 2nd Marine Logistics Group.)
Obama Signs Memo Opening Benefits to Same-Sex Couples
By Jim Garamone
American Forces Press Service
June 18, 2009 - President Barack Obama signed a memorandum yesterday opening up benefits to same-sex couples and forbidding discrimination in the federal workplace. "We've got more work to do to ensure that government treats all its citizens equally, to fight injustice and intolerance in all its forms, and to bring about that more perfect union," Obama said before signing the memorandum. "I'm committed to these efforts, and I pledge to work tirelessly on behalf of these issues in the months and years to come."
The president announced his support of the Domestic Partners Benefits and Obligations Act now before Congress. The act will guarantee the rights for all federal employees, he said.
Obama also called on Congress to repeal the Defense of Marriage Act. "I believe it's discriminatory, I think it interferes with states' rights, and we will work with Congress to overturn it," he said.
"This action presses for long overdue progress in our nation's journey to equality," said John Berry, the director of the Office of Personnel Management. "The president recognizes that many of our hard-working, dedicated and patriotic public servants have long been denied many of the rights and benefits that their colleagues enjoy for one simple reason: the people they love are of the same sex."
Berry, who spoke during a telephone news conference, said he and Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton had conducted reviews to see if benefits could be extended within the confines of the Defense of Marriage Act.
"For civil service employees, domestic partners of federal employees can be added to the long-term care insurance program, and supervisors can also be required to allow employees to use their sick leave to take care of domestic partners and nonbiological, nonadopted children," Berry said.
For foreign service employees, the benefits include the use of medical facilities at posts abroad, medical evacuation from posts abroad and inclusion in family size considerations for housing allocations.
The president's memorandum directs OPM to issue guidance within 90 days to all executive departments and agencies regarding compliance with, and implementation of, civil service laws, which make it unlawful to discriminate against federal employees or applicants for federal employment on the basis of factors not related to their job performance.
The memo does not include health benefits or survivor benefits. "It requires legislation to address health benefits and insurance for same-sex couples and domestic partners," Berry said.
Fifty-seven percent of Fortune 500 companies currently provide domestic partner benefits, as do 16 states and more than 200 local governments. These entities offer the benefits "not only because it's the right thing to do, but because they recognize that it helps them compete for and retain the best possible talent – and we need top talent serving their country right now more than ever," Obama said.
American Forces Press Service
June 18, 2009 - President Barack Obama signed a memorandum yesterday opening up benefits to same-sex couples and forbidding discrimination in the federal workplace. "We've got more work to do to ensure that government treats all its citizens equally, to fight injustice and intolerance in all its forms, and to bring about that more perfect union," Obama said before signing the memorandum. "I'm committed to these efforts, and I pledge to work tirelessly on behalf of these issues in the months and years to come."
The president announced his support of the Domestic Partners Benefits and Obligations Act now before Congress. The act will guarantee the rights for all federal employees, he said.
Obama also called on Congress to repeal the Defense of Marriage Act. "I believe it's discriminatory, I think it interferes with states' rights, and we will work with Congress to overturn it," he said.
"This action presses for long overdue progress in our nation's journey to equality," said John Berry, the director of the Office of Personnel Management. "The president recognizes that many of our hard-working, dedicated and patriotic public servants have long been denied many of the rights and benefits that their colleagues enjoy for one simple reason: the people they love are of the same sex."
Berry, who spoke during a telephone news conference, said he and Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton had conducted reviews to see if benefits could be extended within the confines of the Defense of Marriage Act.
"For civil service employees, domestic partners of federal employees can be added to the long-term care insurance program, and supervisors can also be required to allow employees to use their sick leave to take care of domestic partners and nonbiological, nonadopted children," Berry said.
For foreign service employees, the benefits include the use of medical facilities at posts abroad, medical evacuation from posts abroad and inclusion in family size considerations for housing allocations.
The president's memorandum directs OPM to issue guidance within 90 days to all executive departments and agencies regarding compliance with, and implementation of, civil service laws, which make it unlawful to discriminate against federal employees or applicants for federal employment on the basis of factors not related to their job performance.
The memo does not include health benefits or survivor benefits. "It requires legislation to address health benefits and insurance for same-sex couples and domestic partners," Berry said.
Fifty-seven percent of Fortune 500 companies currently provide domestic partner benefits, as do 16 states and more than 200 local governments. These entities offer the benefits "not only because it's the right thing to do, but because they recognize that it helps them compete for and retain the best possible talent – and we need top talent serving their country right now more than ever," Obama said.
Budget Request Advances Privatization of Military Housing
By Donna Miles
American Forces Press Service
June 18, 2009 - Military housing has improved dramatically during the past 10 years, and the progress continues through privatization and other initiatives, a senior defense official told Congress yesterday. The fiscal 2010 budget request will bring the Defense Department's housing inventory in the United States that is funded for privatization to 98 percent, Wayne Arny, deputy undersecretary for installations and environment, told the Senate Armed Services Committee's readiness and management support subcommittee.
"A decade ago, we were maintaining over 300,000 family housing units, two-thirds of which were deemed inadequate by the military departments who owned them," he said.
Arny cited the dramatic turnaround since the Defense Department received authority for the services to partner with the private sector to generate military housing built to market standards.
"The private sector responded by delivering modern, affordable housing," he said, noting that the housing often was less costly and of higher quality than housing delivered through the military construction process.
Arny's written remarks, submitted for the record, expounded on the benefits of privatization.
"Privatization allows for rapid demolition, replacement or renovation of inadequate units and the sale of units no longer needed," he wrote. "Privatization also enables [the Defense Department] to make use of a variety of private-sector approaches to build and renovate military housing faster and at a lower cost to American taxpayers."
The military services have leveraged housing dollars by 10 to 1, with $2.5 billion in federal investments generating $25 billion in housing development at privatized installations, he explained.
And because the privatization efforts include 50 years of maintenance and replacement, where necessary, the department will avoid those additional costs.
The services are exploring ways to build on this effort to deliver improved housing to a larger military population.
"We have seen innovative concepts where the Army has added bachelor officer quarters and senior enlisted bachelor quarters to its existing family housing privatization projects," Arny told the senators at yesterday's hearing.
To date, the Army has initiated projects at Fort Bragg, N.C.; Fort Stewart, Ga.; Fort Drum, N.Y.; and Fort Irwin, Calif., he reported. A fifth project is planned to begin soon at Fort Bliss, Texas.
Meanwhile, the Navy is focusing its unaccompanied housing privatization efforts to bring shipboard junior enlisted sailors ashore, Arny said. Pilot projects already have been awarded in San Diego and in Hampton Roads, Va., and a third being considered in the Jacksonville-Mayport area of Florida.
"Both of the awarded Navy pilot projects have demonstrated that, with partial basis allowance for housing authority, privatization of single, junior enlisted personnel housing is less costly on a lifecycle basis than traditional government-owned model," Arny said.
"The pilot projects have also demonstrated that through privatization, single family members can enjoy a quality living environment more equitable with housing for their married counterparts and commensurate with the sacrifices they are asked to make," he said.
Arny emphasized the importance of these efforts in improving military members' and their families' quality of life.
"Access to quality, affordable housing is a key factor affecting servicemember recruitment, retention, morale and readiness," he told the senate panel. "Through privatization and increases in housing allowances, [the Defense Department] has made great strides in increasing servicemembers' housing choices."
American Forces Press Service
June 18, 2009 - Military housing has improved dramatically during the past 10 years, and the progress continues through privatization and other initiatives, a senior defense official told Congress yesterday. The fiscal 2010 budget request will bring the Defense Department's housing inventory in the United States that is funded for privatization to 98 percent, Wayne Arny, deputy undersecretary for installations and environment, told the Senate Armed Services Committee's readiness and management support subcommittee.
"A decade ago, we were maintaining over 300,000 family housing units, two-thirds of which were deemed inadequate by the military departments who owned them," he said.
Arny cited the dramatic turnaround since the Defense Department received authority for the services to partner with the private sector to generate military housing built to market standards.
"The private sector responded by delivering modern, affordable housing," he said, noting that the housing often was less costly and of higher quality than housing delivered through the military construction process.
Arny's written remarks, submitted for the record, expounded on the benefits of privatization.
"Privatization allows for rapid demolition, replacement or renovation of inadequate units and the sale of units no longer needed," he wrote. "Privatization also enables [the Defense Department] to make use of a variety of private-sector approaches to build and renovate military housing faster and at a lower cost to American taxpayers."
The military services have leveraged housing dollars by 10 to 1, with $2.5 billion in federal investments generating $25 billion in housing development at privatized installations, he explained.
And because the privatization efforts include 50 years of maintenance and replacement, where necessary, the department will avoid those additional costs.
The services are exploring ways to build on this effort to deliver improved housing to a larger military population.
"We have seen innovative concepts where the Army has added bachelor officer quarters and senior enlisted bachelor quarters to its existing family housing privatization projects," Arny told the senators at yesterday's hearing.
To date, the Army has initiated projects at Fort Bragg, N.C.; Fort Stewart, Ga.; Fort Drum, N.Y.; and Fort Irwin, Calif., he reported. A fifth project is planned to begin soon at Fort Bliss, Texas.
Meanwhile, the Navy is focusing its unaccompanied housing privatization efforts to bring shipboard junior enlisted sailors ashore, Arny said. Pilot projects already have been awarded in San Diego and in Hampton Roads, Va., and a third being considered in the Jacksonville-Mayport area of Florida.
"Both of the awarded Navy pilot projects have demonstrated that, with partial basis allowance for housing authority, privatization of single, junior enlisted personnel housing is less costly on a lifecycle basis than traditional government-owned model," Arny said.
"The pilot projects have also demonstrated that through privatization, single family members can enjoy a quality living environment more equitable with housing for their married counterparts and commensurate with the sacrifices they are asked to make," he said.
Arny emphasized the importance of these efforts in improving military members' and their families' quality of life.
"Access to quality, affordable housing is a key factor affecting servicemember recruitment, retention, morale and readiness," he told the senate panel. "Through privatization and increases in housing allowances, [the Defense Department] has made great strides in increasing servicemembers' housing choices."
Wednesday, June 17, 2009
Red Team “Two sides to every Story”
By Lieutenant Colonel John Nelson, USA
Three years ago, I was one of the first graduates of the Red Team School at the University of Foreign Military and Cultural Studies (UFMCS), located at Ft. Leavenworth, Kansas. The Red Teaming course is relatively new to the Army, but the concept of an advisor to the commanding general has been around since the time of Napoleon. The concept of the Red Team requires members to see through multiple lenses; in the case of Iraq, looking at a situation from the perspective of the people or the Government of Iraq, as well as the enemy. The role has been effectively used in both government and business, but until recently, the Army had no doctrine or recognized education available to implement the capability in its operational and strategic units.
READ ON
www.military-writers.com/articles/red_team.html
Three years ago, I was one of the first graduates of the Red Team School at the University of Foreign Military and Cultural Studies (UFMCS), located at Ft. Leavenworth, Kansas. The Red Teaming course is relatively new to the Army, but the concept of an advisor to the commanding general has been around since the time of Napoleon. The concept of the Red Team requires members to see through multiple lenses; in the case of Iraq, looking at a situation from the perspective of the people or the Government of Iraq, as well as the enemy. The role has been effectively used in both government and business, but until recently, the Army had no doctrine or recognized education available to implement the capability in its operational and strategic units.
READ ON
www.military-writers.com/articles/red_team.html
Defining Leadership: Trying to Understand
By Darnell E. Patton, GySgt/USMC
You can ask ten different people what their definition of leadership is and you will probably get ten different answers. Leadership doesn’t have a specific definition. By giving it a definition, you are putting restrictions and limitations on the word and the true value of leadership. Leadership is something that is complicated to explain and understand. It is formless; it doesn’t take on a particular shape or form, nor does it go in one particular direction. A great leader can adjust to any situation at any given time, under any circumstance, and still come out successful.
READ ON
http://www.pokerleadership.com/defining_leadership_patton.html
You can ask ten different people what their definition of leadership is and you will probably get ten different answers. Leadership doesn’t have a specific definition. By giving it a definition, you are putting restrictions and limitations on the word and the true value of leadership. Leadership is something that is complicated to explain and understand. It is formless; it doesn’t take on a particular shape or form, nor does it go in one particular direction. A great leader can adjust to any situation at any given time, under any circumstance, and still come out successful.
READ ON
http://www.pokerleadership.com/defining_leadership_patton.html
MILITARY CONTRACTS June 17, 2009
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).
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).
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.
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