By John J. Kruzel
American Forces Press Service
June 26, 2009 - The Pentagon's top policy official praised this week's round of talks with Chinese defense officials that centered on developing military relations between the United States and China. Michele Flournoy, undersecretary of defense for Policy, said the two-day discussions in Beijing focused on a range of items including North Korea and counter-piracy.
"It's been a very constructive two days of talks, and we agreed that engaging in continuous dialogue on strategic issues will lead to a much more sustained and cooperative relationship between the United States and China over time," she said.
Flournoy acknowledged the challenges in U.S.-China defense ties, but emphasized that the United States does not view China as an adversary and that, despite differences, there are substantial issues on which the two can cooperate.
"Occasionally we will have our differences or areas of competition, but I think these talks focused on areas of common interest where we can work cooperatively to achieve shared objectives," she said.
Policy officials at the Pentagon said the round of talks, the first in the Obama Administration, sought to re-balance defense ties between the two countries and place the military-to-military relationship on a sound footing.
The meeting sought to establish a new framework for U.S.-China military-to-military relations, in keeping with commitments President Barack Obama and Chinese President Hu Jintao made at the G-20 Summit in April to further develop and improve the military relationship, Flournoy said.
"Along these lines, we discussed a very wide range of topics in a frank and open environment, and we hope to build on the common interests that we identified to move our defense relationship forward."
Flournoy further stated that the nations agreed to a series of senior military-to-military activities and visits over the summer and into the fall of 2009, and began the process of assessing the relationship going forward.
"We agreed to continue our dialogue on a host of strategic issues, and we discussed the importance of openness and transparency in our defense relationship," she said.
One issue that will be further fleshed out next month concerns maritime incidents between the two countries. Flournoy said that the two sides have a diplomatic mechanism to handle such issues -- the Military Maritime Consultative Agreement, created in 1998 -- and to improve maritime safety between the United States and China.
"I think there's a strong desire on both sides to reduce the number of incidents as much as possible, and when they do occur to resolve them as carefully as possible," she said. "Again, I think meeting ... under the umbrella of the agreement will allow us to get into some of the practical details of how to do that."
On North Korea, Flournoy said both countries share a concern about Pyongyang's "provocative actions," including its recent missile tests and nuclear test. "I think both would like to see North Korea return to a path of denuclearization," she added.
She emphasized that the United States is committed to working in concert with international partners on enforcing a United Nations resolution allowing permissive searches of North Korean vessels suspected of transporting weapons or related materiel. "Both sides reaffirmed their commitment to implementing the resolution and to trying to resolve this issue peacefully," she said.
Flournoy said American officials participating in the meetings briefed China's military on the Afghanistan-Pakistan strategy that Obama's administration made public in March.
"We walked them through the different elements of our strategy, and then we talked about areas where we are already cooperating and we might cooperate further."
Flournoy highlighted China's decision to deploy assets in support of the international community's effort to stem piracy emanating from Somalia.
"We discussed counter-piracy activities in the Gulf of Aden off the coast of Somalia," she said. "We thanked China for its contributions in that area."
Friday, June 26, 2009
On the King of Pop
Back in the 80's, my metal head friends and I despised Michael Jackson, and with good reason. Need I go into to detail? I have to admit I came to respect the man. Ok, his music wasn't really mine, except for this:
The above link is to the music video for Dirty Dianna. Ok, it isn't metal, but it does rock. And so did he.
Will's novel, A Line Through the Desert: The First Gulf War may be purchased at Amazon.
Thursday, June 25, 2009
National Guard Partnerships Spread in Africa
By Army Staff Sgt. Jim GreenhillSpecial to American Forces Press Service
June 25, 2009 - Air Force Maj. Gen. Michael Dubie, Vermont's adjutant general, made office calls here last week with staff at U.S. Air Forces in Europe and 17th Air Force for updates on Macedonia and Senegal. For 14 years, the Vermont National Guard has been in the National Guard's State Partnership Program with the Balkan nation of Macedonia, once part of the former Yugoslavia, and now Vermont also has a partnership with Senegal.
USAFE's area of responsibility includes Macedonia, and 17th Air Force supports U.S. Africa Command, which includes Senegal.
Adjutants general view such office calls as mandatory stops as they pursue activities with their partner nations. The National Guard is one part of a larger team bent on improving partnership capacity.
"We're talking about the integration between what their mission is in their area of responsibility and the State Partnership Program," Dubie explained. "The State Partnership Program is one of the tools in their tool kit to further their goal -- either on a bilateral or a multilateral basis -- and we want to work on a collaborative basis and be an asset for [combatant commands] to accomplish whatever the [combatant commanders'] goals are."
Macedonia is within U.S. European Command's area of responsibility. Eucom watched Africa until Africom stood up last year as a separate combatant command headed by Army Gen. William E. "Kip" Ward, who once served as Eucom's deputy commander.
It was with European nations that the State Partnership Program started in 1993, following the collapse of the Iron Curtain. State partnerships foster military-to-military, military-to-civilian and civilian-to-civilian cooperation.
"Since I've been doing this type of interaction for about 14 years, I can tell that Africom has adopted the Eucom model," Dubie said. "Some of the other [combatant commands] haven't quite adopted as aggressive a State Partnership Program."
Twenty National Guard states have partnerships with 21 countries within the Eucom area of operations. Six nations within Africom's purview have partnerships, and at least two more are expected soon.
"As Africom develops into a more robust program on the continent, the relationships that are being built right now between different U.S. states and their African counterparts can help Africom accomplish their theater strategic plan," Dubie said. "It's really important for the U.S. states in the State Partnership Program to always keep in mind what the [combatant commanders'] goals are, in addition to knowing the specific country team goals as articulated by each separate ambassador."
The hyphenated pedigree of the Guard member -- citizen-soldier or citizen-airman -- makes the National Guard unique in its ability to deliver, Ward has said.
"There's only one branch of our services, one arm of our services, one component of our services that brings that to the table: that's our Guard," he said at the 2007 Eucom State Partnership Program workshop. "The work that you all do is an absolutely critical element to our engagement strategy."
So it's no surprise that Navy Vice Adm. Robert T. Moeller, the deputy for military operations at Africom, already has been to a workshop in Vermont to meet with chiefs of defense from participating nations.
"General Ward and the entire team at Africom want to work on a very collaborative basis with the states," Dubie said.
Meanwhile, Vermont hit the ground running with its latest partnership. It took several years for the state to move from military-to-military through military-to-civilian to civilian-to-civilian activities with Macedonia, but Dubie said that's all happening at once with Senegal.
"We aggressively are trying to simultaneously implement events in all three venues," he said.
The State Partnership Program enriches the National Guard as well as its foreign partners, he said.
"The fact that we are becoming smarter about world affairs and we're building lasting relationships make it a success -- and we haven't even talked about the specifics of military operations," Dubie said. "It's what the United States as a whole needs to do more. American society needs to understand other parts of the world better. And if we can start doing that by the Vermont National Guard, that's a good thing for Vermont society and for American society."
The Senegal partnership has further expanded Guard members' horizons.
"Sometimes Americans, myself included, are quite myopic in our view, and already in one year I look at world events through a different lens," Dubie said. "Instead of that American-European lens we're so used to, we're starting to look at it through an American, European and African lens.
"Senegal has a very rich history," he continued. "I was impressed by their professionalism, [and also by] the very large leadership role they have in the African Union. In their region of Africa, they have a very strong leadership role."
On his first trip to Macedonia, Dubie was a major. The experience motivated him to study the country more closely and write an Air War College thesis on Macedonia.
"I'm just one example of how many other thousands of people that have been involved in the State Partnership Program that got the fire lit under him to learn more about a region of the world," Dubie said.
Now a senior leader himself, Dubie has watched his Macedonian counterparts ascend as well.
"The current chief of defense for Macedonia, his first visit to Vermont was to attend the Army Mountain Warfare College, and he was a lieutenant colonel," Dubie said. "You can't replicate that overnight. It takes years and years."
Now that Vermont is in partnership with Senegal, the same kinds of relationships will develop, he said -- relationships that all the participating states and nations experience.
"Some of the captains that we brought on the first Senegal trip someday will be generals on our side, and they will have interacted with captains on the Senegal side that will [be generals]," he said. "That's where the real power of this is."
(Army Staff Sgt. Jim Greenhill serves at the National Guard Bureau.)
Africa Command Focuses on Extremists, Drug Traffickers
By Donna Miles
American Forces Press Service
June 25, 2009 - The top U.S. military officer with responsibility for Africa concedes he's worried about the threat of violent extremists taking hold there, particularly in Somalia, and said U.S. Africa Command is working to help regional governments prevent it. "We clearly worry about the threat of violent extremists taking hold in any parts of the continent where there are spaces that are under-governed or not in full control of the government," Army Gen. William E. "Kip" Ward told National Public Radio yesterday.
"And so Somalia is, indeed, a place that we are concerned about," he said. "In that regard, our policy is to provide support to those governments that are in position in various parts of the continent as they seek to maintain their control over their spaces."
While not actively involved in training the Somali military, Africom is working through the State Department to provide other assistance, he said. Meanwhile, Africom also is working under the auspices of the State Department to help Liberia, which is emerging from a brutal civil war, stand up its new armed forces, he said.
"We also provide training support to other African nations who conduct military peacekeeping operations," Ward said. That support includes military mentors and technical training assistance, and focuses not just on military skills, but also in respect for human rights and rule of law.
Africom also is a key player in a broader effort to crack down on narcotics trafficking in Western Africa, William Weschsler, deputy assistant secretary of defense for counternarcotics and global threats, told the Senate Foreign Relations Committee earlier this week.
"Although we are still defining the scope, we know that drug trafficking in West Africa is a major problem, it's growing rapidly, and we expect it to grow over the coming years," he said at the June 23 hearing.
The repercussions are far-reaching, Weschsler warned. "This endangers peace, stability, democracy [and] our efforts to promote security sector reform in West Africa, and poses an increasing threat to both our Africa and our European partners," he said.
Addressing this challenge requires an integrated approach that incorporates interagency and international capabilities to equip, train and maintain regional partners' counter-narcotics organizations, he said.
Weschsler pointed to initiatives already under way, in which Africom is working hand in hand with U.S. Southern Command's Joint Interagency Task Force South, the Defense Intelligence Agency, Naval Forces Africa and others to monitor the drug flow and support projects aimed at stemming it.
Projects already under way in West Africa include constructions of boat and refueling facilities for the regional navies and coast guards, student sponsorship for classroom training, construction of a screening facility in Ghana and establishment of an information fusion center in Cape Verde, he said.
"All these programs are -- it must be stressed -- a result of a real interagency development process, and that's critical for the success of any of these programs," Weschsler said, emphasizing the need for more and closer cooperation.
The time to deal with the drug trafficking problem, he told the committee, "is now, before it undermines our strategic interests on the African continent."
American Forces Press Service
June 25, 2009 - The top U.S. military officer with responsibility for Africa concedes he's worried about the threat of violent extremists taking hold there, particularly in Somalia, and said U.S. Africa Command is working to help regional governments prevent it. "We clearly worry about the threat of violent extremists taking hold in any parts of the continent where there are spaces that are under-governed or not in full control of the government," Army Gen. William E. "Kip" Ward told National Public Radio yesterday.
"And so Somalia is, indeed, a place that we are concerned about," he said. "In that regard, our policy is to provide support to those governments that are in position in various parts of the continent as they seek to maintain their control over their spaces."
While not actively involved in training the Somali military, Africom is working through the State Department to provide other assistance, he said. Meanwhile, Africom also is working under the auspices of the State Department to help Liberia, which is emerging from a brutal civil war, stand up its new armed forces, he said.
"We also provide training support to other African nations who conduct military peacekeeping operations," Ward said. That support includes military mentors and technical training assistance, and focuses not just on military skills, but also in respect for human rights and rule of law.
Africom also is a key player in a broader effort to crack down on narcotics trafficking in Western Africa, William Weschsler, deputy assistant secretary of defense for counternarcotics and global threats, told the Senate Foreign Relations Committee earlier this week.
"Although we are still defining the scope, we know that drug trafficking in West Africa is a major problem, it's growing rapidly, and we expect it to grow over the coming years," he said at the June 23 hearing.
The repercussions are far-reaching, Weschsler warned. "This endangers peace, stability, democracy [and] our efforts to promote security sector reform in West Africa, and poses an increasing threat to both our Africa and our European partners," he said.
Addressing this challenge requires an integrated approach that incorporates interagency and international capabilities to equip, train and maintain regional partners' counter-narcotics organizations, he said.
Weschsler pointed to initiatives already under way, in which Africom is working hand in hand with U.S. Southern Command's Joint Interagency Task Force South, the Defense Intelligence Agency, Naval Forces Africa and others to monitor the drug flow and support projects aimed at stemming it.
Projects already under way in West Africa include constructions of boat and refueling facilities for the regional navies and coast guards, student sponsorship for classroom training, construction of a screening facility in Ghana and establishment of an information fusion center in Cape Verde, he said.
"All these programs are -- it must be stressed -- a result of a real interagency development process, and that's critical for the success of any of these programs," Weschsler said, emphasizing the need for more and closer cooperation.
The time to deal with the drug trafficking problem, he told the committee, "is now, before it undermines our strategic interests on the African continent."
Review Looks to Strike Balance Between Current, Future Needs
By Fred W. Baker III
American Forces Press Service
June 25, 2009 - As the nation fights two protracted wars and North Korea rattles off war-like rhetoric, officials working on the 2010 Quadrennial Defense Review are striving to strike a balance between the needs of the current fight and preparing for future threats. The review, mandated by Congress, provides the underpinning for the National Defense Strategy, and this time it will address tough changes in how the military is manned, equipped and funded.
Traditionally, the Defense Department has used a two-war scenario as the baseline for its force structure. Now, though, military leaders are preparing for the possibility of facing a number of hybrid wars --– those that demand a mix of conventional and unconventional warfighting skills --– in the next two decades.
"What [Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates] has asked us to do is ... balance between succeeding at what [we're] doing today but also ... hedging against future challenges," Amanda Dory, deputy assistant secretary of defense for strategy, said in an interview at the Pentagon yesterday.
Key in this review will be institutionalizing within the department the needs of fighting irregular wars, such as those in Iraq and Afghanistan. The needs of the military to adapt to irregular warfare first came to light in the 2006 review, even as military commanders were finding that conventional methods of fighting, funding and force structure were not working in Iraq.
Since 2007, Gates has led a battle against a decades-old Pentagon bureaucracy to get equipment and troops on the ground faster with proper training. His philosophy that the needs of the future cannot come at the expense of today's warfighter has had a pervasive effect across the department.
But Gates' efforts were accomplished mostly through ad hoc methods of acquisition and funded through supplemental requests to Congress. Now Gates wants those efforts to be built into the department's processes so that when the two wars end, the department does not slip back to "business as usual," Dory said.
Gates has had somewhat of a home-field advantage in accomplishing this in the upcoming review. Because he served in the previous administration, Gates enters this review process on solid footing, and has, in effect, already signaled a shift in this direction with his fiscal 2010 budget recommendations. Those recommendations provided funding for a growing Army and Marine Corps, cut programs that had significant cost overruns, and favored equipment acquisitions that were more flexible in their capabilities.
Conversely, even as the military has ramped up its nontraditional warfighting skills, that has come at the expense of some its conventional warfighting training. Gates has expressed confidence that the military can fight and win a fight against a more conventional threat, such as North Korea, but Dory said the review is looking to balance the training needs of both kinds of fights.
While the priority for the review is to institutionalize irregular warfare for the department, Dory said, it also will take a hard look at four other areas.
New to this review will be a focus on the ability of state and nonstate actors to acquire and use advanced technologies ranging from weapons of mass destruction, long-range missiles and cyber tools, Dory said. Also, the review will examine the department's support of civil authorities, with a heavy emphasis on its relationship with the Department of Homeland Defense.
The review will examine the U.S. military presence across the globe, both permanent and nonpermanent. It will line up each troop presence within the overall defense strategy. And it will review how the military is shaped and manned overall, within the scope of the threats it predicts.
"We can't do everything in the world that others may want us to do. We can't do everything that we may want to do," Dory said. "There's a sense of prioritization, and there's a sense of where will you take your risk. If that top-line [budget] is not going to grow, what trade-offs do you make within the resources that you've been allocated to do your best?"
Besides how the military fights wars, the broad-brush, cross-cutting review will look at how the department does business, looking for ways to save money that can be diverted to other programs.
Dory said the review is looking at a couple of major areas that are "cost drivers." Health care, for example, is growing at a rate that will squeeze out funding for other programs if it is not funded above the rate of inflation, she said. The review will examine where it can constrain that growth, she said.
"The bottom line in terms of the economic environment is really that, in that kind of resourced picture, you're forced to make hard choices," Dory said. "We think the secretary has already made some of those hard choices in terms of the [2010] budget, and there will be additional hard choices made in the [Quadrennial Defense Review] process."
American Forces Press Service
June 25, 2009 - As the nation fights two protracted wars and North Korea rattles off war-like rhetoric, officials working on the 2010 Quadrennial Defense Review are striving to strike a balance between the needs of the current fight and preparing for future threats. The review, mandated by Congress, provides the underpinning for the National Defense Strategy, and this time it will address tough changes in how the military is manned, equipped and funded.
Traditionally, the Defense Department has used a two-war scenario as the baseline for its force structure. Now, though, military leaders are preparing for the possibility of facing a number of hybrid wars --– those that demand a mix of conventional and unconventional warfighting skills --– in the next two decades.
"What [Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates] has asked us to do is ... balance between succeeding at what [we're] doing today but also ... hedging against future challenges," Amanda Dory, deputy assistant secretary of defense for strategy, said in an interview at the Pentagon yesterday.
Key in this review will be institutionalizing within the department the needs of fighting irregular wars, such as those in Iraq and Afghanistan. The needs of the military to adapt to irregular warfare first came to light in the 2006 review, even as military commanders were finding that conventional methods of fighting, funding and force structure were not working in Iraq.
Since 2007, Gates has led a battle against a decades-old Pentagon bureaucracy to get equipment and troops on the ground faster with proper training. His philosophy that the needs of the future cannot come at the expense of today's warfighter has had a pervasive effect across the department.
But Gates' efforts were accomplished mostly through ad hoc methods of acquisition and funded through supplemental requests to Congress. Now Gates wants those efforts to be built into the department's processes so that when the two wars end, the department does not slip back to "business as usual," Dory said.
Gates has had somewhat of a home-field advantage in accomplishing this in the upcoming review. Because he served in the previous administration, Gates enters this review process on solid footing, and has, in effect, already signaled a shift in this direction with his fiscal 2010 budget recommendations. Those recommendations provided funding for a growing Army and Marine Corps, cut programs that had significant cost overruns, and favored equipment acquisitions that were more flexible in their capabilities.
Conversely, even as the military has ramped up its nontraditional warfighting skills, that has come at the expense of some its conventional warfighting training. Gates has expressed confidence that the military can fight and win a fight against a more conventional threat, such as North Korea, but Dory said the review is looking to balance the training needs of both kinds of fights.
While the priority for the review is to institutionalize irregular warfare for the department, Dory said, it also will take a hard look at four other areas.
New to this review will be a focus on the ability of state and nonstate actors to acquire and use advanced technologies ranging from weapons of mass destruction, long-range missiles and cyber tools, Dory said. Also, the review will examine the department's support of civil authorities, with a heavy emphasis on its relationship with the Department of Homeland Defense.
The review will examine the U.S. military presence across the globe, both permanent and nonpermanent. It will line up each troop presence within the overall defense strategy. And it will review how the military is shaped and manned overall, within the scope of the threats it predicts.
"We can't do everything in the world that others may want us to do. We can't do everything that we may want to do," Dory said. "There's a sense of prioritization, and there's a sense of where will you take your risk. If that top-line [budget] is not going to grow, what trade-offs do you make within the resources that you've been allocated to do your best?"
Besides how the military fights wars, the broad-brush, cross-cutting review will look at how the department does business, looking for ways to save money that can be diverted to other programs.
Dory said the review is looking at a couple of major areas that are "cost drivers." Health care, for example, is growing at a rate that will squeeze out funding for other programs if it is not funded above the rate of inflation, she said. The review will examine where it can constrain that growth, she said.
"The bottom line in terms of the economic environment is really that, in that kind of resourced picture, you're forced to make hard choices," Dory said. "We think the secretary has already made some of those hard choices in terms of the [2010] budget, and there will be additional hard choices made in the [Quadrennial Defense Review] process."
CONTRACTS
NAVY
Data Link Solutions, Cedar Rapids, Iowa, was awarded a $28,856,747 firm-fixed-price delivery order on June 23, 2009, for Multifunctional Information Distribution System-Low Volume Terminals (MIDS-LVTs). The MIDS-LVT provides secure, high capacity, jam resistant, digital data and voice communications capability for Navy, Air Force and Army platforms. This delivery order combines purchases for the U.S., (45 percent) and the governments of Saudi Arabia, (15 percent), Canada, (10 percent), Korea, (8 percent), Switzerland, (6 percent), Finland, (6 percent), Poland, (5 percent), Japan, (4 percent), and Norway, (1 percent) under the foreign military sales program. Work will be performed in Wayne, N.J., (50 percent), and Cedar Rapids, Iowa, (50 percent), and is expected to be completed by December 2010. Contract funds in the amount of $425,983 will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This delivery order was competitively procured with two proposals solicited and two offers received via the Space and Naval Warfare Systems E-commerce web site. The synopsis was released via the ! Federal Business Opportunities web site. The Space and Naval Warfare Systems Command in San Diego, Calif., is the contracting activity (N00039-00-D-2100).
Lockheed Martin's MS2 Division, Syracuse, N.Y., is being awarded a $8,525,549 modification to previously awarded contract (N00024-07-C-5201) to fund a change order issued against the FY 07-09 requirements for upgrade kits for the Navy's AN/SQQ-89A(V)15 Undersea Warfare System. The AN/SQQ-89A (V)15 is a surface ship combat system with the capabilities to search, detect, classify, localize and track undersea contacts; and to engage and evade submarines, mine-like small objects, and torpedo threats. Work will be performed in Lemont Furnace, Pa., (86 percent); Eagan, Minn., (11 percent); and Syracuse, N.Y., (3 percent), and is expected to be completed by September 2010. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Naval Sea Systems Command, Washington Navy Yard, D.C., is the contracting activity.
Battelle Memorial Institute, Columbus, Ohio, is being awarded $6,918,046 under a previously awarded indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract (N62473-07-D-4013) to exercise option four for performance-based environmental services and technology for Navy and Marine Corps installations and commands worldwide and for other federal organizations being supported. The work to be performed in support of various Navy, Marine Corps, and federal government programs includes obtaining various engineering and incidental services for research, development, testing, and evaluation of innovative environmental technologies, strategies and techniques; implementation of innovative environmental technologies, strategies and techniques; operation of sites and innovative systems at sites, including maintenance and monitoring; and technical consultation. The current total estimated contract amount after exercise of this final option will be $30,000,000. Work will be performed in various locations worldwide, and is expected to be completed by June 2010. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Naval Facilities Engineering Command, Specialty Center Acquisitions, Port Hueneme, Calif., is the contracting activity.
ARMY
L.B. Foster Co., Pittsburg, Pa., was awarded on June 24, 2009, a $23,101,094 firm-fixed-price contract for the furnishing of all plant, equipment, labor and materials and performing all operations in connection with the fabrication, painting, storage, and shipping of steel sheet piling for various levee construction within Lake Pontchartrain, west bank, and vicinity. Work is to be performed in Jefferson Parish, La., with an estimated completion date of June 22, 2011. Bids were solicited via FedBizOps with three bids received. U.S.A. Corp of Engineers, New Orleans District, New Orleans, La., is the contracting activity (W912P8-09-C-0074).
Raytheon Co., Missile Systems., Tucson, Ariz., was awarded on June 23, 2009, a $45,393,242 firm-fixed-price contract for 171 STINGER Missiles, 24 Captive Flight Trainers 68 Air to Air Launchers (ATAL's), seven Launchers Circuit Evaluators, two Digital Launcher Test Sets (DLTS), 60 Coolant Reservoir Assemblies, three Launchers Emulators, one Lot CFT Spares, one Lot ATAL Spares, and one Lot DLTS Spares for Foreign Military Sales customer Taiwan. Work is to be performed in Tucson, Ariz., with an estimated completion date of July 31, 2012. One bid solicited with one bid received. Aviation & Missile Command Contracting Center, Army Contracting Command Redstone Arsenal, Ala., is the contracting activity (W31P4Q-09-C-0520).
Raytheon Co., Missile Systems., Tucson, Ariz., was awarded on June 23, 2009, a $26,019,017 firm-fixed-price contract for 178 STINGER Missiles, 10 Electric Control Assemblies, and one Lot ECA Spares for foreign military sales customers Egypt and Turkey. Work is to be performed in Tucson, Ariz., with an estimated completion date of Dec. 31, 2012. One bid solicited with one bid received. Aviation & Missile Command Contracting Center, Army Contracting Command Redstone Arsenal, Ala., is the contracting activity (W31P4Q-09-C-0508).
W.G. Yates & Sons Construction Co., Philadelphia, Miss., was awarded on June 23, 2009, a $10,676,000 firm-fixed-price construction contract for the construction of an education center at Little Rock Air Force Base, Jacksonville, Ariz. Work is to be performed in Jacksonville, Ariz., with an estimated completion date of Nov. 9, 2010. Bids were solicited on the World Wide Web with ten bids received. U.S. Army Engineer District, Little Rock, Ariz., was the contracting activity (W9127S-09-C-6005).
MDT Armor Co., St. Auburn, Ala., was awarded on June 23, 2009, a $9,917,061 firm-fixed-price contract for 70 Armored Land Rover Combat Defender, MDT-DAV vehicles. Work is to be performed in St. Auburn, Ala., with an estimated completion date of May 28, 2010. Bids were solicited using sole source with one bid received. TACOM, AMSCC-TAC-ADBA, Warren, Mich., is the contracting activity (W56HZV-09-C-0389).
Breiholz Construction Co., Des Moines, Iowa, was awarded on June 23, 2009, a $5,760,500 firm-fixed-price contract. This is a Design-Bid-Build contract for construction of a new communication facility, renovation of an existing building, and demolition of an existing building. Work is to be performed on Aug. 31, 2010. Bids were solicited using the Army Single Face Industry. Iowa Air National Guard, Des Moines, Iowa, is the contracting activity (W912LP-09-C-0003).
Sikorsky Aircraft Corp., Stratford, Conn., was awarded on June 22, 2009, a $5,152,840 for 44 each Upturned Exhaust Systems, to be installed on UH-60 M Aircraft that will be deployed in support of Operation Iraqi freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom. Work is to be performed in Stratford, Conn., with an estimated completion date of March 31, 2011. One bid was solicited and one bid was received. U.S. Army Contracting Command, CCAM-BH-A-Redstone Arsenal, Ala., is the contracting activity (W58RGZ-09-C-0158).
AIR FORCE
McDonnell Douglas Corp., a wholly-owned subsidiary of Boeing, St. Louis, Mo., was awarded an indefinite delivery/indefinite quantity contract for up to $15,973,373. This contract action is for the Training Frequency Relocation. It involves engineering technical services, studies, and implementation of the sustainment of GBU-15/AGM-130 weapons, as well as depot service, calibration and repair of selected GBU-15 and AGM-130 module assemblies. At this time, $3,606,243 has been obligated. OO-ALC/784 CBSG/PK, Hill Air Force Base, Utah, is the contracting activity (FA8213-09-D-0011).
Lockheed Martin Corp., of Fort Worth, Texas, has an indefinite delivery/indefinite quantity contract modified for $13,142,697. This contract action will provide for additional F-22 sustainment over and above activities during calendar year 2009. At this time, the entire amount has been obligated. 673 AESS/SYK, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio, is the contracting activity (FA8611-08-C-2897, P00027).
Data Link Solutions, Cedar Rapids, Iowa, was awarded a $28,856,747 firm-fixed-price delivery order on June 23, 2009, for Multifunctional Information Distribution System-Low Volume Terminals (MIDS-LVTs). The MIDS-LVT provides secure, high capacity, jam resistant, digital data and voice communications capability for Navy, Air Force and Army platforms. This delivery order combines purchases for the U.S., (45 percent) and the governments of Saudi Arabia, (15 percent), Canada, (10 percent), Korea, (8 percent), Switzerland, (6 percent), Finland, (6 percent), Poland, (5 percent), Japan, (4 percent), and Norway, (1 percent) under the foreign military sales program. Work will be performed in Wayne, N.J., (50 percent), and Cedar Rapids, Iowa, (50 percent), and is expected to be completed by December 2010. Contract funds in the amount of $425,983 will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This delivery order was competitively procured with two proposals solicited and two offers received via the Space and Naval Warfare Systems E-commerce web site. The synopsis was released via the ! Federal Business Opportunities web site. The Space and Naval Warfare Systems Command in San Diego, Calif., is the contracting activity (N00039-00-D-2100).
Lockheed Martin's MS2 Division, Syracuse, N.Y., is being awarded a $8,525,549 modification to previously awarded contract (N00024-07-C-5201) to fund a change order issued against the FY 07-09 requirements for upgrade kits for the Navy's AN/SQQ-89A(V)15 Undersea Warfare System. The AN/SQQ-89A (V)15 is a surface ship combat system with the capabilities to search, detect, classify, localize and track undersea contacts; and to engage and evade submarines, mine-like small objects, and torpedo threats. Work will be performed in Lemont Furnace, Pa., (86 percent); Eagan, Minn., (11 percent); and Syracuse, N.Y., (3 percent), and is expected to be completed by September 2010. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Naval Sea Systems Command, Washington Navy Yard, D.C., is the contracting activity.
Battelle Memorial Institute, Columbus, Ohio, is being awarded $6,918,046 under a previously awarded indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract (N62473-07-D-4013) to exercise option four for performance-based environmental services and technology for Navy and Marine Corps installations and commands worldwide and for other federal organizations being supported. The work to be performed in support of various Navy, Marine Corps, and federal government programs includes obtaining various engineering and incidental services for research, development, testing, and evaluation of innovative environmental technologies, strategies and techniques; implementation of innovative environmental technologies, strategies and techniques; operation of sites and innovative systems at sites, including maintenance and monitoring; and technical consultation. The current total estimated contract amount after exercise of this final option will be $30,000,000. Work will be performed in various locations worldwide, and is expected to be completed by June 2010. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Naval Facilities Engineering Command, Specialty Center Acquisitions, Port Hueneme, Calif., is the contracting activity.
ARMY
L.B. Foster Co., Pittsburg, Pa., was awarded on June 24, 2009, a $23,101,094 firm-fixed-price contract for the furnishing of all plant, equipment, labor and materials and performing all operations in connection with the fabrication, painting, storage, and shipping of steel sheet piling for various levee construction within Lake Pontchartrain, west bank, and vicinity. Work is to be performed in Jefferson Parish, La., with an estimated completion date of June 22, 2011. Bids were solicited via FedBizOps with three bids received. U.S.A. Corp of Engineers, New Orleans District, New Orleans, La., is the contracting activity (W912P8-09-C-0074).
Raytheon Co., Missile Systems., Tucson, Ariz., was awarded on June 23, 2009, a $45,393,242 firm-fixed-price contract for 171 STINGER Missiles, 24 Captive Flight Trainers 68 Air to Air Launchers (ATAL's), seven Launchers Circuit Evaluators, two Digital Launcher Test Sets (DLTS), 60 Coolant Reservoir Assemblies, three Launchers Emulators, one Lot CFT Spares, one Lot ATAL Spares, and one Lot DLTS Spares for Foreign Military Sales customer Taiwan. Work is to be performed in Tucson, Ariz., with an estimated completion date of July 31, 2012. One bid solicited with one bid received. Aviation & Missile Command Contracting Center, Army Contracting Command Redstone Arsenal, Ala., is the contracting activity (W31P4Q-09-C-0520).
Raytheon Co., Missile Systems., Tucson, Ariz., was awarded on June 23, 2009, a $26,019,017 firm-fixed-price contract for 178 STINGER Missiles, 10 Electric Control Assemblies, and one Lot ECA Spares for foreign military sales customers Egypt and Turkey. Work is to be performed in Tucson, Ariz., with an estimated completion date of Dec. 31, 2012. One bid solicited with one bid received. Aviation & Missile Command Contracting Center, Army Contracting Command Redstone Arsenal, Ala., is the contracting activity (W31P4Q-09-C-0508).
W.G. Yates & Sons Construction Co., Philadelphia, Miss., was awarded on June 23, 2009, a $10,676,000 firm-fixed-price construction contract for the construction of an education center at Little Rock Air Force Base, Jacksonville, Ariz. Work is to be performed in Jacksonville, Ariz., with an estimated completion date of Nov. 9, 2010. Bids were solicited on the World Wide Web with ten bids received. U.S. Army Engineer District, Little Rock, Ariz., was the contracting activity (W9127S-09-C-6005).
MDT Armor Co., St. Auburn, Ala., was awarded on June 23, 2009, a $9,917,061 firm-fixed-price contract for 70 Armored Land Rover Combat Defender, MDT-DAV vehicles. Work is to be performed in St. Auburn, Ala., with an estimated completion date of May 28, 2010. Bids were solicited using sole source with one bid received. TACOM, AMSCC-TAC-ADBA, Warren, Mich., is the contracting activity (W56HZV-09-C-0389).
Breiholz Construction Co., Des Moines, Iowa, was awarded on June 23, 2009, a $5,760,500 firm-fixed-price contract. This is a Design-Bid-Build contract for construction of a new communication facility, renovation of an existing building, and demolition of an existing building. Work is to be performed on Aug. 31, 2010. Bids were solicited using the Army Single Face Industry. Iowa Air National Guard, Des Moines, Iowa, is the contracting activity (W912LP-09-C-0003).
Sikorsky Aircraft Corp., Stratford, Conn., was awarded on June 22, 2009, a $5,152,840 for 44 each Upturned Exhaust Systems, to be installed on UH-60 M Aircraft that will be deployed in support of Operation Iraqi freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom. Work is to be performed in Stratford, Conn., with an estimated completion date of March 31, 2011. One bid was solicited and one bid was received. U.S. Army Contracting Command, CCAM-BH-A-Redstone Arsenal, Ala., is the contracting activity (W58RGZ-09-C-0158).
AIR FORCE
McDonnell Douglas Corp., a wholly-owned subsidiary of Boeing, St. Louis, Mo., was awarded an indefinite delivery/indefinite quantity contract for up to $15,973,373. This contract action is for the Training Frequency Relocation. It involves engineering technical services, studies, and implementation of the sustainment of GBU-15/AGM-130 weapons, as well as depot service, calibration and repair of selected GBU-15 and AGM-130 module assemblies. At this time, $3,606,243 has been obligated. OO-ALC/784 CBSG/PK, Hill Air Force Base, Utah, is the contracting activity (FA8213-09-D-0011).
Lockheed Martin Corp., of Fort Worth, Texas, has an indefinite delivery/indefinite quantity contract modified for $13,142,697. This contract action will provide for additional F-22 sustainment over and above activities during calendar year 2009. At this time, the entire amount has been obligated. 673 AESS/SYK, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio, is the contracting activity (FA8611-08-C-2897, P00027).
RAD: Rape Aggression Defense
Editor's Note: Excellent information for military personnel.
On July 10, 2009, Conversations with American Heroes at the Watering Hole will feature a discussion former parole officer and RAD Instructor Kimberly Cheryl Elliot.
Program Date: July 10, 2009
Program Time: 2100 hours, Pacific
Topic: RAD: Rape Aggression Defense
Listen Live:
http://www.blogtalkradio.com/LawEnforcement/2009/07/11/RAD-Rape-Aggression-Defense
About the Guest
Kimberly Cheryl Elliott spent 17 years and parole and probation officer for Missouri State Division of Probation and Parole. She “is a seasoned marketing professional with 18 years experience in pharmaceutical sales and management. As a victim of crime, she is very passionate about her career as founder and managing partner of Executive Defense Technology, LLC, an anti-victimization education firm. As a speaker, author, consultant and Nationally Certified RAD (Rape/Aggression/Defense) Instructor, she helps clients optimize their personal safety. As a seminar leader, she provides a comprehensive course that begins with awareness, prevention, risk reduction and avoidance, while progressing on to the basics of hands on defense training. Her clients include everyone from elderly church group members and housewives to employees of law firms, TV / Radio Stations and other Fortune 500 Corporations.”
Kimberly Cheryl Elliott is the author of Escape From The Pharma Cartel: My Life as a Member of the Pharmaceutical Drug Cartel; Take This Pill and... Sell It!: A Guide To Getting A Job In The Pharmaceutical Industry; Shattered Reality; and, Are Your Habits Killing You? A Complete Personal Handbook Of Safety Suggestions to Incorporate into Your Everyday Life: Because the Best Defense Is a Good Offensive Plan!
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, Government 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/2009/07/11/RAD-Rape-Aggression-Defense
Program Contact Information
Lieutenant Raymond E. Foster, LAPD (ret.), MPA
editor@police-writers.com
909.599.7530
On July 10, 2009, Conversations with American Heroes at the Watering Hole will feature a discussion former parole officer and RAD Instructor Kimberly Cheryl Elliot.
Program Date: July 10, 2009
Program Time: 2100 hours, Pacific
Topic: RAD: Rape Aggression Defense
Listen Live:
http://www.blogtalkradio.com/LawEnforcement/2009/07/11/RAD-Rape-Aggression-Defense
About the Guest
Kimberly Cheryl Elliott spent 17 years and parole and probation officer for Missouri State Division of Probation and Parole. She “is a seasoned marketing professional with 18 years experience in pharmaceutical sales and management. As a victim of crime, she is very passionate about her career as founder and managing partner of Executive Defense Technology, LLC, an anti-victimization education firm. As a speaker, author, consultant and Nationally Certified RAD (Rape/Aggression/Defense) Instructor, she helps clients optimize their personal safety. As a seminar leader, she provides a comprehensive course that begins with awareness, prevention, risk reduction and avoidance, while progressing on to the basics of hands on defense training. Her clients include everyone from elderly church group members and housewives to employees of law firms, TV / Radio Stations and other Fortune 500 Corporations.”
Kimberly Cheryl Elliott is the author of Escape From The Pharma Cartel: My Life as a Member of the Pharmaceutical Drug Cartel; Take This Pill and... Sell It!: A Guide To Getting A Job In The Pharmaceutical Industry; Shattered Reality; and, Are Your Habits Killing You? A Complete Personal Handbook Of Safety Suggestions to Incorporate into Your Everyday Life: Because the Best Defense Is a Good Offensive Plan!
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, Government 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/2009/07/11/RAD-Rape-Aggression-Defense
Program Contact Information
Lieutenant Raymond E. Foster, LAPD (ret.), MPA
editor@police-writers.com
909.599.7530
President Rolls Up Sleeves to Support Military Kids
By Samantha L. QuigleyAmerican Forces Press Service
June 25, 2009 - Volunteers were already hard at work stuffing backpacks full of goodies for military kids today in Fort Lesley J. McNair's gymnasium when President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama arrived to give them a hand. "It's very gratifying to see all of you committed to helping to put together some backpacks, care packages for military families all across the country," the president said. "On Monday we launched 'United We Serve,' our summer service initiative.
"We want to ask every American to take some time out this summer to do something for others," he added. "If all of us are doing that this summer, then we're going to make this country stronger."
As part of that strengthening, 15,000 backpacks of healthy snacks, books and even a copy of the first dog's "baseball card" will make it into the hands of military children attending the National Military Family Association's Operation Purple camps.
Even the youngest among today's 250 volunteers, which included congressional family members and representatives of nonprofit groups, were certain they could achieve that goal of 15,000 bags, and understood why military children need their support.
Taylor Paulsen, 10, knows what it's like to have her dad, U.S. Rep. Erik Paulsen, of Minnesota, work away from home.
"My dad works here, so sometimes he's away, but he comes back every weekend," she said. "It's sad because I really miss him. It's fun to have him home. We go on bike rides and play games."
It's the same for military kids, she said. "[But] they don't get to see their dad as much because when he's gone he doesn't come back every weekend," she added.
The meaning of volunteerism was best expressed by the adults, however.
Patty Barron, a representative of the National Military Family Association, grew up in a military environment and her daughter is serving in Afghanistan.
"I think that it's just something that we all need to do. I think that military members, spouses, and children especially understand what service means," Barron said. "For many of us growing up within a military family environment, volunteering is just part of what we do. If we don't do it, it doesn't get done."
With some help from the first family, including Obama daughters Malia and Sasha, the piles of backpacks and mountains of goodies had all but disappeared by the end of the morning. It was an effort Feeding America spokesman Phil Zepeda described as fantastic.
Face of Defense: Gunnery Sergeant Shares Career Secrets
By Marine Corps Cpl. Bobbie CurtisSpecial to American Forces Press Service
June 25, 2009 - When Marine Corps Staff Sgt. Jason Eckman was promoted to gunnery sergeant on May 2, he became one of the few Marines to know the rare honor of being meritoriously promoted for combat service. A meritorious promotion in the Marine Corps is an irregular promotion that allows particular Marines who stand out above their peers to compete before a board of more senior Marines for a small number of predetermined slots to their next rank.
The promotions are harder to achieve the higher a Marine advances in rank. For this particular board, only two promotion available slots were available for all of the Marines in Iraq and Afghanistan. Eckman competed against nine other staff sergeants to earn his promotion.
Eckman describes his whole life as a pathway leading to self-improvement, with experiences that have given him the tools and drive to achieve his goals along the way.
"Everything in your career is a stepping stone to improve yourself," he explained. "I try to stay as well-rounded of a Marine as possible."
Eckman was born in a college town in Pennsylvania with a population of about 70,000 people. After finishing high school, he joined the Marine Corps with hopes that it would give him a jump start to later pursue a career in law enforcement with the Pennsylvania State Police.
He said shipping off to Marine Corps Recruit Depot at Parris Island, S.C., was one of the first stepping stones toward his current success. His recruit training, he said, gave him a huge starting point that he used to establish a solid foundation.
"It starts at recruit training," he said. "To continue on, you've got to have some good mentors [and] take the things you like and discard the things you don't like to make you a well-rounded Marine."
His formula to success was simple from the beginning. He chose to learn and live by the Marine Corps' 14 leadership traits: judgment, justice, decisiveness, integrity, discipline, tact, initiative, endurance, bearing, unselfishness, knowledge, loyalty, enthusiasm and confidence.
"It's bred into you as a Marine," he said.
Upon completion of recruit training and subsequently training in his assigned military occupational specialty as a military policeman, Eckman embarked on a series of assignments and deployments that he said helped him on his quest to become a diverse Marine and "experience all the things the Marine Corps has to offer." During his first enlistment in the Marine Corps, Eckman decided to commit to the Corps and make it his career.
"Once I got in the Marine Corps, I enjoyed being in and being part of it," he said. "That's why I never got out."
He went on a deployment as part of a personal security detail for U.S. Support Group Haiti in 1999 and caught a glimpse of his future of his current assignment as staff noncommissioned officer in charge for the 2nd Marine Logistics Group commanding general's personal security detail. He also completed a West Pacific tour with the 11th Marine Expeditionary Unit, visiting multiple countries in Southwest Asia, and served two separate tours in Iraq.
During this time, Eckman also was presented with an opportunity that he credits as one of the largest of the stepping stones, one that was key in teaching him small unit leadership skills: drill instructor duty at a place he knew all too well, Parris Island.
"Being a drill instructor was a huge stepping stone for me," he said. "The small-unit leadership you learn down there really helped me out." The challenge of forging a group of recruits with different backgrounds and personalities into a team of Marines, he added, taught him many of the skills he uses today.
Soon after finishing his tour as a drill instructor, Eckman moved to Camp Lejeune, N.C., and found himself in his current billet, one he called a great opportunity that played a decisive part in earning a combat meritorious promotion. Soon, he was here on his third deployment to Iraq.
He said being in the personal security detail is one of his favorite jobs and that the small-unit camaraderie makes it a rewarding atmosphere.
"You're working in that small unit, and it's a lot tighter," he said. "The incredible bond we have is one thing I especially enjoy."
Eckman also credits his unit's Marines as an important factor in his success, calling them some of the best in the Marine Corps.
"They talk about the top 10 percent of the Marine Corps. ... Well, I have the top 2 percent under me," he said. "They don't need guidance, and their professionalism is outstanding."
The 14-man team is made up mainly of infantrymen, along with a few military policemen and a Navy corpsman. All of the team members have more than one combat tour under their belt, giving Eckman an experienced, capable team to lead, he said.
After only four months of leading the team throughout Iraq with Brig. Gen. Juan G. Ayala, the 2nd Marine Logistics Group commander, Eckman received the combat meritorious promotion to gunnery sergeant, an event he considers one of his greatest moments.
"Obviously, I was excited about it," he said. "It was a true honor." Gunnery sergeant is one of the best ranks in the Marine Corps, he added.
"I set a goal when I came into the Marine Corps that I would be a gunnery sergeant," he said. "To achieve it in this way is one of the greatest achievements in my life."
Eckman was promoted by Ayala and Sgt. Maj. Carl Green, the former group sergeant major, in front of more than 100 other staff NCOs and officers.
Ayala's aide-de-camp, 1st Lt. Dan Meyers, is the personal security detail's officer in charge. He said he nominated Eckman because he was a natural choice for a combat meritorious promotion.
"His natural leadership and initiative was far beyond that of a staff sergeant," he said. "When it came time to put a name forward for a meritorious board, it was a no-brainer for me.
"It's really easy to write a package on a Marine who has so many accomplishments," he added, "so I was honored to put the package together." Meyers said that Eckman is the kind of staff NCO that every young officer needs, and that he's a great leader of Marines.
"I've got nothing but confidence in him," he explained. "He makes my job a whole lot easier because he's so incredibly competent. ... The Marines on his team respond well to his leadership. Their flawless execution thus far is a real testament to his ability to train them."
Eckman said that none of his accomplishments would have been possible without his wife, Jessica.
"I know that she's taking care of things back home," he said. "She misses her husband around, ... but she's able to manage and has done it now on numerous occasions."
Eckman said he still has many aspirations in the Marine Corps, including going back to Parris Island.
"I would love to go back down and be a company first sergeant, and would definitely love to be a battalion sergeant major," he said. But he added that his future in the Marine Corps depends on his wife and his 2-year old daughter, Lillian.
"Most likely, I am going to hit my 20-year mark and move on with life and be a family man," he said. "When I see [the military life] start to take a toll on the family, I am going to be a dad and husband."
(Marine Corps Cpl. Bobbie Curtis serves with the 2nd Marine Logistics Group.)
Active, Reserve Chaplains Play Critical Role
By Navy Lt. Jennifer Cragg
Special to American Forces Press Service
June 25, 2009 - Active and reserve Army chaplains are playing a critical and strategic role in Iraq, a chaplain serving with Multinational Security Transition Command Iraq said this week. "Our troops are working tirelessly and selflessly to create a trusted and viable security force," Army Chaplain (Maj.) William Steen said during a "DoDLive" bloggers roundtable June 23. "However, the work, family separation and the long hours all take their toll on our troops."
Steen discussed how the military is helping soldiers, sailors, airmen and Marines cope with the physical, mental and emotional stress while deployed in Iraq.
Chaplains play a critical role in today's military by providing forward-deployed troops more than religious support, Steen explained. Among other things, they also provide training before and after deployments, help servicemembers strengthen their marriages and families, and take an active role in suicide prevention.
"The wear and tear on the troops manifests itself in many ways," Steen said. "We commonly refer to those things as combat stress. In this era of persistent conflict, as we are facing an unprecedented demand upon all our volunteer force, both servicemembers and their families, their need for support and care is greater than it has ever been."
Reserve chaplains, he added, are filling the roles that are left behind at home stations when battalions are deployed downrange.
"There are significant numbers of reserve chaplains who are serving extended tours of active duty to do rear-garrison support," Steen said. "When a brigade combat team goes downrange ... those families are left without adequate care and coverage." The reserve chaplains provide a significant ministry for these families, the chaplain said.
"I think the Army has really stepped up to the plate, in terms of providing billets for those reserve chaplains," he said.
Deployed chaplains, meanwhile, play an important role for servicemembers and commanders, Steen said. He cited a recent suicide-prevention stand-down at Multinational Security Transition Command Iraq as an example.
During the stand-down, chaplains briefed about 1,500 servicemembers, he said. This type of support has been overwhelmingly effective and has been well received on the part of servicemembers, he added.
"We've had a couple of specific situations where that training here has made a difference -- both on the part of people who ... recognized in themselves symptoms enough to reach out, and then on the part of people being more sensitized to those around them," the chaplain said.
He added that while the suicide issue is a big problem that won't go away easily, the efforts to address it have spoken volumes. "I think it is making a difference," he added.
As chaplains provide the caring support that U.S. servicemembers need, Steen said, other coalition troops who have served with them, such as the British and the Australians, are amazed at the genuine support their U.S. counterparts also receive from their fellow citizens back home.
"They are absolutely stunned by the number of care packages that we get and the volume of free-will donations that are just the sheer expression of support for our citizens," he said. "They can't believe it. They can't believe that our citizens do that."
(Navy Lt. Jennifer Cragg serves in the Defense Media Activity's emerging media directorate.)
Special to American Forces Press Service
June 25, 2009 - Active and reserve Army chaplains are playing a critical and strategic role in Iraq, a chaplain serving with Multinational Security Transition Command Iraq said this week. "Our troops are working tirelessly and selflessly to create a trusted and viable security force," Army Chaplain (Maj.) William Steen said during a "DoDLive" bloggers roundtable June 23. "However, the work, family separation and the long hours all take their toll on our troops."
Steen discussed how the military is helping soldiers, sailors, airmen and Marines cope with the physical, mental and emotional stress while deployed in Iraq.
Chaplains play a critical role in today's military by providing forward-deployed troops more than religious support, Steen explained. Among other things, they also provide training before and after deployments, help servicemembers strengthen their marriages and families, and take an active role in suicide prevention.
"The wear and tear on the troops manifests itself in many ways," Steen said. "We commonly refer to those things as combat stress. In this era of persistent conflict, as we are facing an unprecedented demand upon all our volunteer force, both servicemembers and their families, their need for support and care is greater than it has ever been."
Reserve chaplains, he added, are filling the roles that are left behind at home stations when battalions are deployed downrange.
"There are significant numbers of reserve chaplains who are serving extended tours of active duty to do rear-garrison support," Steen said. "When a brigade combat team goes downrange ... those families are left without adequate care and coverage." The reserve chaplains provide a significant ministry for these families, the chaplain said.
"I think the Army has really stepped up to the plate, in terms of providing billets for those reserve chaplains," he said.
Deployed chaplains, meanwhile, play an important role for servicemembers and commanders, Steen said. He cited a recent suicide-prevention stand-down at Multinational Security Transition Command Iraq as an example.
During the stand-down, chaplains briefed about 1,500 servicemembers, he said. This type of support has been overwhelmingly effective and has been well received on the part of servicemembers, he added.
"We've had a couple of specific situations where that training here has made a difference -- both on the part of people who ... recognized in themselves symptoms enough to reach out, and then on the part of people being more sensitized to those around them," the chaplain said.
He added that while the suicide issue is a big problem that won't go away easily, the efforts to address it have spoken volumes. "I think it is making a difference," he added.
As chaplains provide the caring support that U.S. servicemembers need, Steen said, other coalition troops who have served with them, such as the British and the Australians, are amazed at the genuine support their U.S. counterparts also receive from their fellow citizens back home.
"They are absolutely stunned by the number of care packages that we get and the volume of free-will donations that are just the sheer expression of support for our citizens," he said. "They can't believe it. They can't believe that our citizens do that."
(Navy Lt. Jennifer Cragg serves in the Defense Media Activity's emerging media directorate.)
Fraser Assumes Top U.S. Southern Command Post
By Donna Miles
American Forces Press Service
June 25, 2009 - Air Force Gen. Douglas M. Fraser assumed the top post at U.S. Southern Command today, promising to build on the strong partnerships fostered by the outgoing commander, Navy Adm. James Stavridis. Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates paid tribute to Fraser and Stavridis as he acknowledged the crucial role Southcom's people play in promoting security and stability in Central and South America and the Caribbean.
"The important work you do here every day is making a difference to the prosperity, security and freedom of your countrymen and to the people of the region," Gates said during today's change-of-command ceremonies at Southcom's Miami headquarters.
Marine Gen. James E. Cartwright, vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, echoed that sentiment, praising a dedicated staff he said is making a difference in the region. "You have done incredible work, and it has not gone unnoticed," at the Southcom headquarters, in the region or in Washington, he said.
As Fraser accepted the command's colors -- and in a light moment during the ceremony, Stavridis' "command BlackBerry" -- he said he brings a recognition of the opportunities and challenges at Southcom, and the importance of applying international, interagency and public-private capabilities to meet them.
"I will work vigorously every day to enhance the security across the region and to improve U.S. military relations with our partners in the region," he said. "The transnational and transregional challenges we face to security, stability and prosperity in the Americas can only be met through strong and enduring partnerships."
The vital relationships forged within the Americas by Stavridis and his predecessors at Southcom "have improved our collective security, but many challenges remain," Fraser said. "Our nations and our citizens are counting on us to strengthen our interagency, our international and our public-private partnerships to effectively counter these strategic challenges."
Gates praised Stavridis, who leaves Southcom to command U.S. European Command and serve as NATO's supreme allied commander for Europe, for the leadership he demonstrated in applying this full range of power to the Southcom mission.
"From the start of his tenure at Southcom, Admiral Stavridis has fostered a spirit of interagency and international cooperation that reflects the post-Cold War realities of the 21st century," Gates said. "He has made Southcom the embodiment of what is now called 'smart power,' drawing on the full strength of our nation and our partners to enhance the security, freedom and prosperity in this part of the world."
Stavridis recognized as he took the Southcom helm that the region's challenges, which range from narcotics to corruption and gangs to kidnapping, don't lend themselves to traditional military solutions, Gates said. So Stavridis redrew the command's organizational charts and "fundamentally reformed its institutional culture and ways of doing business," he said.
Meanwhile, Stavridis reached out to regional nations in concrete ways to build bonds of trust and friendship, Gates said. He also used the latest tools and technologies to communicate Southcom's activities and goals and instituted cultural and language training with his command so his staff would better understand and connect with the people of the Americas.
Gates noted some of the highlights of Stavridis' time at Southcom:
-- The Colombian military's freeing of three American hostages after five years of captivity;
-- Expansion of the annual Panamax exercises to include 20 countries, and 20 other military-to-military exercises last year alone;
-- Interdiction of nearly 700 metric tons of cocaine; and
-- Institutionalization of the way the command delivers humanitarian assistance and disaster relief when needed.
Cartwright shared Gates' assessment of Stavridis' capabilities. "Jim has brought so much to this command, and his ability to be a strategic thinker, and to connect the dots in widely diverse issues and understand that all of them are interrelated," he said.
These qualities, along with Stavridis' way of treating people "like family in everything and every endeavor has really moved this command along with the challenges that have been presented over the past few years," Cartwright said.
Gates noted the important message sent by the postings --– Fraser as the first Air Force officer to command Southcom and Stavridis to become the first Navy officer in the top Eucom and NATO posts.
"The trajectory of these officers' careers, and the billets they are now taking, is but one more indication of how joint our military leadership has become, and how much America's global security arrangements have evolved since the end of the Cold War," he said.
In bidding farewell to his command, Stavridis said he's excited about the new opportunities ahead but sad to say goodbye to Southcom.
"I will miss this world. It will always be a part of me," he told the group, which include representatives of regional countries. "My heart will always be in the Americas."
American Forces Press Service
June 25, 2009 - Air Force Gen. Douglas M. Fraser assumed the top post at U.S. Southern Command today, promising to build on the strong partnerships fostered by the outgoing commander, Navy Adm. James Stavridis. Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates paid tribute to Fraser and Stavridis as he acknowledged the crucial role Southcom's people play in promoting security and stability in Central and South America and the Caribbean.
"The important work you do here every day is making a difference to the prosperity, security and freedom of your countrymen and to the people of the region," Gates said during today's change-of-command ceremonies at Southcom's Miami headquarters.
Marine Gen. James E. Cartwright, vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, echoed that sentiment, praising a dedicated staff he said is making a difference in the region. "You have done incredible work, and it has not gone unnoticed," at the Southcom headquarters, in the region or in Washington, he said.
As Fraser accepted the command's colors -- and in a light moment during the ceremony, Stavridis' "command BlackBerry" -- he said he brings a recognition of the opportunities and challenges at Southcom, and the importance of applying international, interagency and public-private capabilities to meet them.
"I will work vigorously every day to enhance the security across the region and to improve U.S. military relations with our partners in the region," he said. "The transnational and transregional challenges we face to security, stability and prosperity in the Americas can only be met through strong and enduring partnerships."
The vital relationships forged within the Americas by Stavridis and his predecessors at Southcom "have improved our collective security, but many challenges remain," Fraser said. "Our nations and our citizens are counting on us to strengthen our interagency, our international and our public-private partnerships to effectively counter these strategic challenges."
Gates praised Stavridis, who leaves Southcom to command U.S. European Command and serve as NATO's supreme allied commander for Europe, for the leadership he demonstrated in applying this full range of power to the Southcom mission.
"From the start of his tenure at Southcom, Admiral Stavridis has fostered a spirit of interagency and international cooperation that reflects the post-Cold War realities of the 21st century," Gates said. "He has made Southcom the embodiment of what is now called 'smart power,' drawing on the full strength of our nation and our partners to enhance the security, freedom and prosperity in this part of the world."
Stavridis recognized as he took the Southcom helm that the region's challenges, which range from narcotics to corruption and gangs to kidnapping, don't lend themselves to traditional military solutions, Gates said. So Stavridis redrew the command's organizational charts and "fundamentally reformed its institutional culture and ways of doing business," he said.
Meanwhile, Stavridis reached out to regional nations in concrete ways to build bonds of trust and friendship, Gates said. He also used the latest tools and technologies to communicate Southcom's activities and goals and instituted cultural and language training with his command so his staff would better understand and connect with the people of the Americas.
Gates noted some of the highlights of Stavridis' time at Southcom:
-- The Colombian military's freeing of three American hostages after five years of captivity;
-- Expansion of the annual Panamax exercises to include 20 countries, and 20 other military-to-military exercises last year alone;
-- Interdiction of nearly 700 metric tons of cocaine; and
-- Institutionalization of the way the command delivers humanitarian assistance and disaster relief when needed.
Cartwright shared Gates' assessment of Stavridis' capabilities. "Jim has brought so much to this command, and his ability to be a strategic thinker, and to connect the dots in widely diverse issues and understand that all of them are interrelated," he said.
These qualities, along with Stavridis' way of treating people "like family in everything and every endeavor has really moved this command along with the challenges that have been presented over the past few years," Cartwright said.
Gates noted the important message sent by the postings --– Fraser as the first Air Force officer to command Southcom and Stavridis to become the first Navy officer in the top Eucom and NATO posts.
"The trajectory of these officers' careers, and the billets they are now taking, is but one more indication of how joint our military leadership has become, and how much America's global security arrangements have evolved since the end of the Cold War," he said.
In bidding farewell to his command, Stavridis said he's excited about the new opportunities ahead but sad to say goodbye to Southcom.
"I will miss this world. It will always be a part of me," he told the group, which include representatives of regional countries. "My heart will always be in the Americas."
The Battle of 73 Easting
My Novel, A Line Through the Desert follows one tank Sgt. in the 2nd Armored Cavalry Regiment during Operation Desert Storm.
The 2nd ACR was the vanguard of General Schwarzkopf's left hook around Iraqi positions in Kuwait. The regiment advanced with three squadrons abreast, 2nd Squadron on the left, 3rd Squadron in the center, and 1st Squadron on the right. 2nd Squadron, itself composed of four troops, advanced in box formation, with Ghost troop on the left and Eagle on the right.
The climate was awful, cold and wet, alternating between rain and fog, and horrific sand storms which limited visibility to a few hundred yards. Even infrared sensors had trouble penetrating the soup. In the late afternoon of 26 February, 1991, the 2nd ACR encountered lead elements of the Tawalkana Division of the Republican Guard. The place was called 73 Easting, an imaginary line on a map deliniating the kilometers the unit had advanced that morning.
Eagle Troop's part in this battle has been well documented by the estimable Mr. Clancy, a great inspiration to me personally. As Eagle troop blasted Iraqi tanks out of a village, Ghost troop came upon the reverse slope of a wadi where they met several dozen dug in Iraq tanks. As bad as Ghost Troop's visibility was, the Iraqis, lacking any night vision or infrared equipment, was worse. They never new what hit them. The Iraqis were annihilated.
From there, Ghost Troop took up positions on the wadi and repelled four assaults by the Tawalkana, destroying hundreds of vehicles in the process. The tank and Bradley gunners, backed by artillery and Apache gunships when weather permitted, unleashed a hell of uranium depleted Sabot shells, HE rounds, and Tow missiles. Concluded historian Rick Atkinson, who wrote an excellent account of Desert Storm, 'The Iraqis never stood a chance.'
Below is a link to A Line Through the Desert, decribing Ghost Troop's initial encounter with the Republican Guard: The Battle Begins
Wednesday, June 24, 2009
The Wounded Artist Project
The Wounded Artist Project is a new Michigan 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. The Project wants to create and provide, free-of-charge, a progressive series of art kits (beginner, intermediate and advanced) for war wounded recovering in military hospitals. Our beginner kits will cost approximately $25 to produce.
We believe The Project’s art kits will provide a welcome diversion from boredom for those recovering from traumatic wounds, burns, and amputations when they are in downtime from regular therapy sessions.
We believe they will keep recipients involved and encouraged to heal and develop art skills that could be useful elsewhere. We will suggest to the recipients that with some practice and hard work they may someday even go to work using their art skills as illustrators, designers, engineers, cartoonists, or art teachers. Some recipients may like the perspective drawing so much they decide to become architects; some may even become so interested in drawing the human body that they decide to study human physiology and become doctors. I would like to think we gave some hope to those self-conscious about disfiguring wounds that they may become successful, home-based, freelance artists. Personally, I would like to see one of them pair up their art skills with a creative writer and they create a bestselling gothic novel.
We are in start-up mode and need funding and/or donations. They are tax-deductible. Please contact me for a more detailed description of our org.
Thanks and best regards, we hope to hear from you,
Ramon Bakerjian
rbakerj@yahoo.com
We believe The Project’s art kits will provide a welcome diversion from boredom for those recovering from traumatic wounds, burns, and amputations when they are in downtime from regular therapy sessions.
We believe they will keep recipients involved and encouraged to heal and develop art skills that could be useful elsewhere. We will suggest to the recipients that with some practice and hard work they may someday even go to work using their art skills as illustrators, designers, engineers, cartoonists, or art teachers. Some recipients may like the perspective drawing so much they decide to become architects; some may even become so interested in drawing the human body that they decide to study human physiology and become doctors. I would like to think we gave some hope to those self-conscious about disfiguring wounds that they may become successful, home-based, freelance artists. Personally, I would like to see one of them pair up their art skills with a creative writer and they create a bestselling gothic novel.
We are in start-up mode and need funding and/or donations. They are tax-deductible. Please contact me for a more detailed description of our org.
Thanks and best regards, we hope to hear from you,
Ramon Bakerjian
rbakerj@yahoo.com
Wounded Warriors Summit Mount McKinley
By Samantha L. Quigley
American Forces Press Service
June 24, 2009 - When four of the seven-member Team Denali, which included four wounded veterans, reached the top of Mount McKinley in Alaska's Denali National Park, what should have been celebratory whoops and hollers was instead a quiet, tempered satisfaction, the team's leaders said. Though the weather was perfect when Army Lt. Col. Marc Hoffmeister and Army Spc. Dave Shebib approached the highest point in North America, they enjoyed it without three of their team members.
Marine Capt. Jon Kuniholm, retired Army Sgt. 1st Class Matthew Nyman, and Gayle Hoffmeister, Hoffmeister's wife and one of the team's two mentors, all had cause to return to lower altitudes during the ascent.
Kuniholm, who lost his right arm while serving in Iraq, had reached about 14,000 feet when he started showing early signs of high-altitude pulmonary edema. Based on a doctor's advice, he was taken back down the mountain.
Nyman, who lost his right leg below the knee while serving in Iraq, made it to 16,000 feet with no problem, Hoffmeister said. But when the team set up camp at 17,200 feet, his oxygen saturation plummeted. "It dropped to 50, which is dangerously low," Hoffmeister said. "We ended up putting him on oxygen."
When Nyman didn't recover overnight, he was taken back down to 14,200 feet, where he remained on oxygen for about four days.
Gayle advanced with the remaining team members as far as Denali Pass at about 18,000 feet -- some 2,300 feet shy of Mount McKinley's summit -- when Hoffmeister realized his wife was showing signs of mild hypothermia. She had a patch of frostbite spreading across her cheek, and she wasn't responding normally, he said.
They returned to the camp at 17,000 feet to get her warm again.
"She had four toes that were potentially frostbitten, so we went through a re-warming process that day and night," Hoffmeister said. "And policy is if you re-warm a frostbite injury, you go down. You don't go up."
None of the situations that kept the two veterans from ascending to the summit with the rest of the team had anything to do with their previous injuries, he noted.
"It was just altitude stuff," Hoffmeister said. "Just like I said before we even climbed: you don't know what your predisposition to altitude is until you're on [the mountain.] And frostbite, that's just a product of weather."
Hoffmeister and Shebib, along with their guide, Kirby Senden, and second mentor Bob Haines, continued, and they reached the summit June 16. The weather was perfect until just before they reached the summit, which Hoffmeister described as awesome.
"We got up on Summit Ridge and had clear skies and could see forever," he said. "Then of course, 15, 20 minutes before we hit the summit, a squall rolled in and we ... could see absolutely nothing."
Minus three of their teammates to witness the momentous occasion, they quickly did what they set out to do. They conducted Shebib's re-enlistment before heading back down to 17,000 feet.
Though he's pleased with the overall results, Hoffmeister said, it would have been a personal high for him if the whole team had made it to the summit.
"The entire trip was a high," he said. "Not having John or Matt make it, and the frustration of Gayle not being able to make it, really dampened a lot of that, but I guess it took the entire team to get to the summit."
Kuniholm was pleased with his climb, as well.
"This was one of the hardest things I've ever tried to do, and I'm still processing the fact that it remains, for me, unfinished business," he said. "I was elated to have passed what I thought would be the most technically challenging part for me, the fixed ropes [used to ascend from 14,000 feet to 16,000 feet]."
While the fixed lines may have caused him some unwarranted angst, he said, it ultimately was the tasks that he used to consider easy that were difficult on the mountain.
"Getting dressed in the morning in a tent with another amputee ... was [difficult]," Kuniholm said. "Going through the necessary drills of shedding and donning layers of clothing and my pack on short breaks -- these were big challenges, and I hadn't given them a thought before the climb.
"And the challenge for the team became sitting there while I got it done," he continued, "because doing it for me doesn't help me learn to do it faster."
Kuniholm said he thought the biggest challenge for the group as a whole was dealing with everyone's individual limitations, physical and otherwise. But they did a pretty good job of keeping things on an even keel despite those differences, he said.
Even given the challenges and frustrations, the team members were positive when asked if they'd ever tackle something like this again.
"Absolutely, although I'm not sure when another opportunity like this will present itself," Kuniholm said. "Marc Hoffmeister worked very hard to make this happen, with the help of our sponsors, [Military Order of the Purple Heart], Mountain Hard Wear, and many others.
"In all honesty, that was probably the part of all of this that is least likely to happen again -- not the physical part," he added.
Hoffmeister's enthusiasm about another climb was nothing short of unbridled.
"Hell, yes!" he said. "I'd do it tomorrow. I mean, let me go!"
Hoffmeister has an offer to climb Aconcagua in Argentina, the highest peak in the Western Hemisphere, in November. In February, he will attempt to climb Tanzania's Mount Kilimanjaro.
American Forces Press Service
June 24, 2009 - When four of the seven-member Team Denali, which included four wounded veterans, reached the top of Mount McKinley in Alaska's Denali National Park, what should have been celebratory whoops and hollers was instead a quiet, tempered satisfaction, the team's leaders said. Though the weather was perfect when Army Lt. Col. Marc Hoffmeister and Army Spc. Dave Shebib approached the highest point in North America, they enjoyed it without three of their team members.
Marine Capt. Jon Kuniholm, retired Army Sgt. 1st Class Matthew Nyman, and Gayle Hoffmeister, Hoffmeister's wife and one of the team's two mentors, all had cause to return to lower altitudes during the ascent.
Kuniholm, who lost his right arm while serving in Iraq, had reached about 14,000 feet when he started showing early signs of high-altitude pulmonary edema. Based on a doctor's advice, he was taken back down the mountain.
Nyman, who lost his right leg below the knee while serving in Iraq, made it to 16,000 feet with no problem, Hoffmeister said. But when the team set up camp at 17,200 feet, his oxygen saturation plummeted. "It dropped to 50, which is dangerously low," Hoffmeister said. "We ended up putting him on oxygen."
When Nyman didn't recover overnight, he was taken back down to 14,200 feet, where he remained on oxygen for about four days.
Gayle advanced with the remaining team members as far as Denali Pass at about 18,000 feet -- some 2,300 feet shy of Mount McKinley's summit -- when Hoffmeister realized his wife was showing signs of mild hypothermia. She had a patch of frostbite spreading across her cheek, and she wasn't responding normally, he said.
They returned to the camp at 17,000 feet to get her warm again.
"She had four toes that were potentially frostbitten, so we went through a re-warming process that day and night," Hoffmeister said. "And policy is if you re-warm a frostbite injury, you go down. You don't go up."
None of the situations that kept the two veterans from ascending to the summit with the rest of the team had anything to do with their previous injuries, he noted.
"It was just altitude stuff," Hoffmeister said. "Just like I said before we even climbed: you don't know what your predisposition to altitude is until you're on [the mountain.] And frostbite, that's just a product of weather."
Hoffmeister and Shebib, along with their guide, Kirby Senden, and second mentor Bob Haines, continued, and they reached the summit June 16. The weather was perfect until just before they reached the summit, which Hoffmeister described as awesome.
"We got up on Summit Ridge and had clear skies and could see forever," he said. "Then of course, 15, 20 minutes before we hit the summit, a squall rolled in and we ... could see absolutely nothing."
Minus three of their teammates to witness the momentous occasion, they quickly did what they set out to do. They conducted Shebib's re-enlistment before heading back down to 17,000 feet.
Though he's pleased with the overall results, Hoffmeister said, it would have been a personal high for him if the whole team had made it to the summit.
"The entire trip was a high," he said. "Not having John or Matt make it, and the frustration of Gayle not being able to make it, really dampened a lot of that, but I guess it took the entire team to get to the summit."
Kuniholm was pleased with his climb, as well.
"This was one of the hardest things I've ever tried to do, and I'm still processing the fact that it remains, for me, unfinished business," he said. "I was elated to have passed what I thought would be the most technically challenging part for me, the fixed ropes [used to ascend from 14,000 feet to 16,000 feet]."
While the fixed lines may have caused him some unwarranted angst, he said, it ultimately was the tasks that he used to consider easy that were difficult on the mountain.
"Getting dressed in the morning in a tent with another amputee ... was [difficult]," Kuniholm said. "Going through the necessary drills of shedding and donning layers of clothing and my pack on short breaks -- these were big challenges, and I hadn't given them a thought before the climb.
"And the challenge for the team became sitting there while I got it done," he continued, "because doing it for me doesn't help me learn to do it faster."
Kuniholm said he thought the biggest challenge for the group as a whole was dealing with everyone's individual limitations, physical and otherwise. But they did a pretty good job of keeping things on an even keel despite those differences, he said.
Even given the challenges and frustrations, the team members were positive when asked if they'd ever tackle something like this again.
"Absolutely, although I'm not sure when another opportunity like this will present itself," Kuniholm said. "Marc Hoffmeister worked very hard to make this happen, with the help of our sponsors, [Military Order of the Purple Heart], Mountain Hard Wear, and many others.
"In all honesty, that was probably the part of all of this that is least likely to happen again -- not the physical part," he added.
Hoffmeister's enthusiasm about another climb was nothing short of unbridled.
"Hell, yes!" he said. "I'd do it tomorrow. I mean, let me go!"
Hoffmeister has an offer to climb Aconcagua in Argentina, the highest peak in the Western Hemisphere, in November. In February, he will attempt to climb Tanzania's Mount Kilimanjaro.
Gates Establishes New Cyber Subcommand
By Donna Miles
American Forces Press Service
June 24, 2009 - Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates signed a memo yesterday establishing a subcommand focused on cyber security, Pentagon Press Secretary Geoff Morrell told reporters today. Details about the new U.S. Cyber Command, which will report to U.S. Strategic Command, still are unfolding. But Gates reportedly plans to recommend Army Lt. Gen. Keith B. Alexander, director of the National Security Agency, to receive his fourth star and take on the additional responsibility of commanding the cyber command.
Initial indications are that the cyber command will have its headquarters at Fort Meade, Md., pending results of an environmental impact statement.
"This is not some sort of new and necessarily different authorities that have been granted," Morrell told reporters today. "This is about trying to figure out how we, within this department, within the United States military, can better coordinate the day-to-day defense, protection and operation of the department's computer networks."
Morrell emphasized that the new command will focus solely on military networks.
Deputy Defense Secretary William J. Lynn III noted the importance of cyber security to national defense last week at the Center for International and Strategic Studies.
"Just like our national dependence, there is simply no exaggerating our military dependence on our information networks: the command and control of our forces, the intelligence and logistics on which they depend, the weapons technologies we develop and field – they all depend on our computer systems and networks," Lynn said. "Indeed, our 21st century military simply cannot function without them."
Because cyberspace is critical to joint military operations, it's critical that the Defense Department ensure they're protected, Air Force Lt. Col. Eric Butterbaugh, a Defense Department spokesman, told American Forces Press Service.
"To do this, the Department of Defense needs to ensure it has the right balance of integrated cyber capabilities," Butterbaugh said. "We're increasingly dependent on cyberspace, and there's a growing array of cyber threats. To effectively address this risk to its networks, the Defense Department requires a command possessing the required technical capability and which remains focused on streamlining cyberspace operations."
Morrell called the standup of Cyber Command an internal reorganization that will consolidate and streamline its cyber capabilities within a single command. The effort in no way represents any attempt by the department to "militarize" cyberspace or take over the responsibility for defending civilian networks, he said, noting that responsibility falls to the Homeland Security Department.
"This is part of a holistic, governmentwide effort to better organize and situate ourselves to deal with this very real threat," he said. "And it is a complement to efforts that are taking place elsewhere within the United States government."
Marine Corps Gen. James E. Cartwright, vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, indicated during a June 4 address at the Center for International and Strategic Studies that a decision on the new subcommand was in the works.
"There will be a cyber capability at the tactical level, and ... we do deploy it forward," Cartwright said. "There is an operational level, which tends to be based regionally, and there is a strategic capability. And we will, over the next few days, start to roll out the organizational constructs associated with that."
American Forces Press Service
June 24, 2009 - Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates signed a memo yesterday establishing a subcommand focused on cyber security, Pentagon Press Secretary Geoff Morrell told reporters today. Details about the new U.S. Cyber Command, which will report to U.S. Strategic Command, still are unfolding. But Gates reportedly plans to recommend Army Lt. Gen. Keith B. Alexander, director of the National Security Agency, to receive his fourth star and take on the additional responsibility of commanding the cyber command.
Initial indications are that the cyber command will have its headquarters at Fort Meade, Md., pending results of an environmental impact statement.
"This is not some sort of new and necessarily different authorities that have been granted," Morrell told reporters today. "This is about trying to figure out how we, within this department, within the United States military, can better coordinate the day-to-day defense, protection and operation of the department's computer networks."
Morrell emphasized that the new command will focus solely on military networks.
Deputy Defense Secretary William J. Lynn III noted the importance of cyber security to national defense last week at the Center for International and Strategic Studies.
"Just like our national dependence, there is simply no exaggerating our military dependence on our information networks: the command and control of our forces, the intelligence and logistics on which they depend, the weapons technologies we develop and field – they all depend on our computer systems and networks," Lynn said. "Indeed, our 21st century military simply cannot function without them."
Because cyberspace is critical to joint military operations, it's critical that the Defense Department ensure they're protected, Air Force Lt. Col. Eric Butterbaugh, a Defense Department spokesman, told American Forces Press Service.
"To do this, the Department of Defense needs to ensure it has the right balance of integrated cyber capabilities," Butterbaugh said. "We're increasingly dependent on cyberspace, and there's a growing array of cyber threats. To effectively address this risk to its networks, the Defense Department requires a command possessing the required technical capability and which remains focused on streamlining cyberspace operations."
Morrell called the standup of Cyber Command an internal reorganization that will consolidate and streamline its cyber capabilities within a single command. The effort in no way represents any attempt by the department to "militarize" cyberspace or take over the responsibility for defending civilian networks, he said, noting that responsibility falls to the Homeland Security Department.
"This is part of a holistic, governmentwide effort to better organize and situate ourselves to deal with this very real threat," he said. "And it is a complement to efforts that are taking place elsewhere within the United States government."
Marine Corps Gen. James E. Cartwright, vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, indicated during a June 4 address at the Center for International and Strategic Studies that a decision on the new subcommand was in the works.
"There will be a cyber capability at the tactical level, and ... we do deploy it forward," Cartwright said. "There is an operational level, which tends to be based regionally, and there is a strategic capability. And we will, over the next few days, start to roll out the organizational constructs associated with that."
MILITARY CONTRACTS June 24, 2009
AIR FORCE
The Air Force is awarding a cost-plus-fixed-fee contract to Northrop Grumman Defense Mission Systems Inc., of San Diego, Calif., for $276,281,235. This contract action will provide the rapid fielding and support of the Battlefield Airborne Communications Node System. The contractor will install the BACN system in three bombardier BD-700 Global Express aircraft for immediate fielding and will install the BACN system into two Global Hawk Block 20 unmanned aerial vehicles for sustained deployment through 2015. This system was developed under a Department of Defense Microelectronic Activity contract (#H94003-04-D-0005) by Northrop Grumman as part of the Interim Gateway Program. This action fills an urgent and compelling requirement for enhanced communications capability for Overseas Contingency Operations. At this time, $97,802,680 has been obligated. 653d ELSG/PK, Hanscom Air Force Base, Mass., is the contracting activity (FA8726-09-C-0010).
The Air Force is awarding an indefinite delivery/indefinite quantity contract to University of Dayton Research Institute of Dayton, Ohio, for $9,900,000. This contract is for research on advanced nondestructive evaluation methods for materials, processes and structure. It will conduct on-site research to bridge the gaps and accelerate the initial development of selected nondestructive evaluation technology to a level of full feasibility demonstration, to conduct studies of the applicability of selected technologies to a wide variety of potential applications, or address development of new technologies to address specific needs. Research is contemplated to address current operational or maintenance needs. At this time, $80,000 has been obligated. Det 1 AFRL/PKVA, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio, is the contracting activity (FA8650-09-D-5224, Task Order 0001).
The Air Force is awarding cost-plus-fixed-fee contract to Alion Science and Technology Corp., of Chicago, Ill., for $7,826,087. This contract action will provide modeling, simulation, analysis, funding and recommendation in the radio frequency arena. The effort includes processing, collecting and analyzing information related to modeling and simulation, transferring information within the government and promoting the interoperability of existing modeling and simulation programs. The research and development data and information derived from this effort will be available to the DoD community through the Defense Technical Information Center Library. At this time, $483,092 has been obligated. 55 CONS/LGCD, Offutt Air Force Base, Neb., is the contracting activity (N61339-03-D-0300, Delivery Order 0225).
The Air Force is modifying an indefinite delivery/indefinite quantity contract to Jacobs Technology, Inc., of Tullahoma, Tenn., for $17,280,405.89. This contract action will provide Technical, Engineering and Acquisition Support at Eglin Air Force Base, Fla., and various other tenant organizations. This contract increases the work requirement. At this time, $25,083,864.89 has been obligated. AAC/PKES, Eglin Air Force Base, Fla., is the contracting activity (FA9200-07-C-0006, P00030).
DEFENSE LOGISTICS AGENCY
Welch Allyn Holdings, Inc., Skaneateles Falls, N.Y., is being awarded a maximum $43,650,000 fixed price with economic price adjustment contract for medical equipment, spare parts and training. There are no other locations of performance. Using services are Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps and federal civilian agencies. There were originally 17 proposals solicited with nine responses. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The date of performance completion is June 23, 2010. The contracting activity is the Defense Supply Center Philadelphia (DSCP), Philadelphia, Pa., (SPM2D1-09-D-8350).
NAVY
Ranco Construction, Inc.*, Southampton, N.J., is being awarded a $9,378,500 firm-fixed price contract for construction of an Advanced Arresting Gear Test Site at Naval Air Engineering Station Lakehurst. The work to be performed provides for renovation of the Runway Arrested Landing Site on the test runway to accommodate pro-type advance arresting gear equipment for arresting gear load testing. There is demolition and new construction at the jet car test site including test track repairs and construction of three pre-engineered buildings. There is the addition of a new high speed aircraft turnaround on the test runway to provide a new taxiway turnaround. Work will be performed in Ocean County, N.J., and is expected to be completed by July 2010. 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 Facilities Engineering Command, Mid-Atlantic, Norfolk, Va., is the contracting activity (N40085-09-C-7004).
Rockwell Collins, Inc., Cedar Rapids, Iowa, is being awarded a $5,634,184 modification to a previously awarded cost-plus-fixed-fee contract (N00019-04-C-0101) to provide the development, installation, configuration and testing necessary to upgrade the existing Trusted Solaris 8 in the E6-B Block I workstations to Solaris 10 with trusted network extensions and replace the Scalable Processor Architecture Processor with an Intel Processor equivalent. Work will be performed in Richardson, Texas (95 percent) and Patuxent River, Md., (5 percent), and is expected to be completed in August 2010. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Naval Air Systems Command, Patuxent River, Md., is the contracting activity.
The Air Force is awarding a cost-plus-fixed-fee contract to Northrop Grumman Defense Mission Systems Inc., of San Diego, Calif., for $276,281,235. This contract action will provide the rapid fielding and support of the Battlefield Airborne Communications Node System. The contractor will install the BACN system in three bombardier BD-700 Global Express aircraft for immediate fielding and will install the BACN system into two Global Hawk Block 20 unmanned aerial vehicles for sustained deployment through 2015. This system was developed under a Department of Defense Microelectronic Activity contract (#H94003-04-D-0005) by Northrop Grumman as part of the Interim Gateway Program. This action fills an urgent and compelling requirement for enhanced communications capability for Overseas Contingency Operations. At this time, $97,802,680 has been obligated. 653d ELSG/PK, Hanscom Air Force Base, Mass., is the contracting activity (FA8726-09-C-0010).
The Air Force is awarding an indefinite delivery/indefinite quantity contract to University of Dayton Research Institute of Dayton, Ohio, for $9,900,000. This contract is for research on advanced nondestructive evaluation methods for materials, processes and structure. It will conduct on-site research to bridge the gaps and accelerate the initial development of selected nondestructive evaluation technology to a level of full feasibility demonstration, to conduct studies of the applicability of selected technologies to a wide variety of potential applications, or address development of new technologies to address specific needs. Research is contemplated to address current operational or maintenance needs. At this time, $80,000 has been obligated. Det 1 AFRL/PKVA, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio, is the contracting activity (FA8650-09-D-5224, Task Order 0001).
The Air Force is awarding cost-plus-fixed-fee contract to Alion Science and Technology Corp., of Chicago, Ill., for $7,826,087. This contract action will provide modeling, simulation, analysis, funding and recommendation in the radio frequency arena. The effort includes processing, collecting and analyzing information related to modeling and simulation, transferring information within the government and promoting the interoperability of existing modeling and simulation programs. The research and development data and information derived from this effort will be available to the DoD community through the Defense Technical Information Center Library. At this time, $483,092 has been obligated. 55 CONS/LGCD, Offutt Air Force Base, Neb., is the contracting activity (N61339-03-D-0300, Delivery Order 0225).
The Air Force is modifying an indefinite delivery/indefinite quantity contract to Jacobs Technology, Inc., of Tullahoma, Tenn., for $17,280,405.89. This contract action will provide Technical, Engineering and Acquisition Support at Eglin Air Force Base, Fla., and various other tenant organizations. This contract increases the work requirement. At this time, $25,083,864.89 has been obligated. AAC/PKES, Eglin Air Force Base, Fla., is the contracting activity (FA9200-07-C-0006, P00030).
DEFENSE LOGISTICS AGENCY
Welch Allyn Holdings, Inc., Skaneateles Falls, N.Y., is being awarded a maximum $43,650,000 fixed price with economic price adjustment contract for medical equipment, spare parts and training. There are no other locations of performance. Using services are Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps and federal civilian agencies. There were originally 17 proposals solicited with nine responses. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The date of performance completion is June 23, 2010. The contracting activity is the Defense Supply Center Philadelphia (DSCP), Philadelphia, Pa., (SPM2D1-09-D-8350).
NAVY
Ranco Construction, Inc.*, Southampton, N.J., is being awarded a $9,378,500 firm-fixed price contract for construction of an Advanced Arresting Gear Test Site at Naval Air Engineering Station Lakehurst. The work to be performed provides for renovation of the Runway Arrested Landing Site on the test runway to accommodate pro-type advance arresting gear equipment for arresting gear load testing. There is demolition and new construction at the jet car test site including test track repairs and construction of three pre-engineered buildings. There is the addition of a new high speed aircraft turnaround on the test runway to provide a new taxiway turnaround. Work will be performed in Ocean County, N.J., and is expected to be completed by July 2010. 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 Facilities Engineering Command, Mid-Atlantic, Norfolk, Va., is the contracting activity (N40085-09-C-7004).
Rockwell Collins, Inc., Cedar Rapids, Iowa, is being awarded a $5,634,184 modification to a previously awarded cost-plus-fixed-fee contract (N00019-04-C-0101) to provide the development, installation, configuration and testing necessary to upgrade the existing Trusted Solaris 8 in the E6-B Block I workstations to Solaris 10 with trusted network extensions and replace the Scalable Processor Architecture Processor with an Intel Processor equivalent. Work will be performed in Richardson, Texas (95 percent) and Patuxent River, Md., (5 percent), and is expected to be completed in August 2010. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Naval Air Systems Command, Patuxent River, Md., is the contracting activity.
Army Leaders Struggle to Understand Record Suicides
By Fred W. Baker III
American Forces Press Service
June 24, 2009 - Each case is as unique as the name inscribed on the dog tags. Soldiers are taking their own lives in record numbers, and Army senior leaders are struggling to understand why. "It rips your heart out," the Army's vice chief of staff, Gen. Peter W. Chiarelli, told a group of soldiers last month while on a week-long tour of Army installations to look for clues.
Last year, 143 soldiers killed themselves -- a record in the past three decades since the Army has been tallying the numbers. For 2009, the service again is headed toward a record year.
January's spike of nearly two dozen confirmed or suspected suicides prompted leaders to form a senior-level task force to try to uncover the causes and reform the systems to help suffering soldiers.
"It really drove home that the Army needed to do something now," Army Brig. Gen. Colleen L. McGuire, director of the suicide prevention task force, said in an interview here yesterday.
It's easy to point a finger at soldiers' multiple deployments, little time at home and the stress of serving in two wars as the causes. But hundreds of thousands of soldiers have deployed, and only a fraction have chosen to end their lives.
McGuire and other members of the task force accompanied Chiarelli as he visited several major Army installations to talk with leaders and troops hoping to find a common thread.
Their finding: it's complicated.
McGuire said that during the trip it became apparent that the problem is not simply suicide-related, but that many soldiers are engaging in unhealthy and risky behavior, such as binging on alcohol and mixing it with readily available prescription drugs.
In combat, soldiers are encouraged to take risks, and are rewarded for it. But at home, they are taking the wrong kinds of risks, she said.
"What we're finding ... is that there is a great deal of alcohol and [prescription] drugs available to soldiers," she said. The drugs are prescribed for their combat-related injuries. But many are using them to kill the pain of returning from war to face the realities of the home front.
Failed marriages, financial problems, military disciplinary actions and upcoming deployments all add to the stress. Any of these can serve as a trigger for someone considering suicide, McGuire said.
In combat -- a disciplined environment -- soldiers know their limits and leaders know their soldiers. But for many in today's military, the less-restricted garrison life is a foreign environment, McGuire said.
"How do we address the needs of today's soldier? It's not the same soldier from the '90s," she said.
And it's not the same leader, either.
Many of today's young leaders were brought up in the heavy deployment cycle of two wars. They have spent most of their time either in the field training for deployment, deployed, or at home on leave following a deployment.
They no longer are accustomed to the processes, paperwork and inspections that made up the preceding two decades of garrison-oriented leadership and soldiering. McGuire said she thinks some may have lost those garrison leadership skills, such as health and welfare inspections, that took care of troops in that environment.
During their installation visits, McGuire said, the task force found that many of the administrative and discipline processes in place in garrison are not being used, due either to ignorance or choice.
For example, if a unit is readying for deployment, some commanders are not sending their soldiers through military drug programs after testing positive for illegal drug use to maintain troop-strength levels. Leaders are required to refer every soldier who has tested positive for illegal drugs, or who has had an alcohol-related incident, to the Army substance abuse program. That's not happening every time, McGuire said.
"Soldiers who either have a [driving under the influence charge], engaged in domestic violence where alcohol was involved, or they tested positive in a [urinalysis] are not being referred," she said.
And disciplinary forms that are supposed to make their way to the senior installation commanders reporting soldiers' infractions are being turned in less than a third of the time on some installations.
McGuire said the problem is partly administrative and partly that many commanders are overwhelmed.
"It's just another paperwork drill. It's just more that we're putting on commanders," the general said. But also, she said, some leaders are cutting soldiers breaks, thinking they are doing them a favor, but hurting them in the end.
The task force also is honing in on how isolation factors into its suicides.
The past 30 years have seen a shift away from communal barracks, where as many as 30 single soldiers shared an open bay. Typically, the leader lived in a room at the end of the bay. Married soldiers lived on post in Army-provided housing.
Now, many single soldiers are in single or double dormitory-style rooms. Most married soldiers live off post. Some are isolated by duty assignment, such as recruiters stationed far from military installations. Other soldiers are assigned solitary late-night shifts. And some in unique job specialties may feel isolated even within a unit.
This is compounded by the fact that within a few months of returning home, most leaders and soldiers are transferred to other units. Soldiers who have problems often find themselves without their battle buddies and the leaders who watched over them in combat. Their new leaders, who don't know them as well, are pushing to prepare for the next deployment.
Many of the diagnostic programs in place now are seen simply as a block that must be checked in the pre-deployment process, precious time to be carved out of a hectic deployment schedule, McGuire said.
And then there's the institutional stigma of seeking mental health care. Soldiers think they should deal with their problems. Leaders should be strong, and they feel asking for help is a sign of weakness, McGuire said. And there still is the fear that security clearances can be revoked.
McGuire stopped short of saying the task force was looking to overhaul the system. And its members really do not want to simply create another program, she said. In fact, commanders often are overwhelmed by the number of programs the Army already has.
"We have existing programs that are designed to ensure the good order and discipline of the organization," McGuire said. "Let's just enforce what we currently have before we create more and new."
Another possible soldier suicide, this time in Iraq, was added to the numbers last week. It too, is under investigation.
Chiarelli now is immediately briefed on any suspected suicides. He committed to personally reviewing each suicide case this year. In March, he received his first briefing.
"It was the most intense two and a half hours I have ever spent, even from being in a combat zone," Chiarelli told a group of soldiers during a stop at Fort Bragg, N.C. "It was an experience I will never forget."
The task force is temporary, and will spend less than a year looking for gaps in the system. No quick fixes are expected. While senior leadership hopes to better put its finger on the pulse of the force, the sad fact is that those serving in the Pentagon are not on the front lines of stopping soldiers from taking their own lives.
That falls to the soldiers' families and friends, McGuire said.
"If we see a friend, a family member or a buddy that seems to be hurting -- needs some help -- we need to take action," she said.
And it's their leaders.
"It takes getting to know your soldiers. It takes getting to know how they live, understand their stressors, who their friends are. It's basic leadership," McGuire said.
American Forces Press Service
June 24, 2009 - Each case is as unique as the name inscribed on the dog tags. Soldiers are taking their own lives in record numbers, and Army senior leaders are struggling to understand why. "It rips your heart out," the Army's vice chief of staff, Gen. Peter W. Chiarelli, told a group of soldiers last month while on a week-long tour of Army installations to look for clues.
Last year, 143 soldiers killed themselves -- a record in the past three decades since the Army has been tallying the numbers. For 2009, the service again is headed toward a record year.
January's spike of nearly two dozen confirmed or suspected suicides prompted leaders to form a senior-level task force to try to uncover the causes and reform the systems to help suffering soldiers.
"It really drove home that the Army needed to do something now," Army Brig. Gen. Colleen L. McGuire, director of the suicide prevention task force, said in an interview here yesterday.
It's easy to point a finger at soldiers' multiple deployments, little time at home and the stress of serving in two wars as the causes. But hundreds of thousands of soldiers have deployed, and only a fraction have chosen to end their lives.
McGuire and other members of the task force accompanied Chiarelli as he visited several major Army installations to talk with leaders and troops hoping to find a common thread.
Their finding: it's complicated.
McGuire said that during the trip it became apparent that the problem is not simply suicide-related, but that many soldiers are engaging in unhealthy and risky behavior, such as binging on alcohol and mixing it with readily available prescription drugs.
In combat, soldiers are encouraged to take risks, and are rewarded for it. But at home, they are taking the wrong kinds of risks, she said.
"What we're finding ... is that there is a great deal of alcohol and [prescription] drugs available to soldiers," she said. The drugs are prescribed for their combat-related injuries. But many are using them to kill the pain of returning from war to face the realities of the home front.
Failed marriages, financial problems, military disciplinary actions and upcoming deployments all add to the stress. Any of these can serve as a trigger for someone considering suicide, McGuire said.
In combat -- a disciplined environment -- soldiers know their limits and leaders know their soldiers. But for many in today's military, the less-restricted garrison life is a foreign environment, McGuire said.
"How do we address the needs of today's soldier? It's not the same soldier from the '90s," she said.
And it's not the same leader, either.
Many of today's young leaders were brought up in the heavy deployment cycle of two wars. They have spent most of their time either in the field training for deployment, deployed, or at home on leave following a deployment.
They no longer are accustomed to the processes, paperwork and inspections that made up the preceding two decades of garrison-oriented leadership and soldiering. McGuire said she thinks some may have lost those garrison leadership skills, such as health and welfare inspections, that took care of troops in that environment.
During their installation visits, McGuire said, the task force found that many of the administrative and discipline processes in place in garrison are not being used, due either to ignorance or choice.
For example, if a unit is readying for deployment, some commanders are not sending their soldiers through military drug programs after testing positive for illegal drug use to maintain troop-strength levels. Leaders are required to refer every soldier who has tested positive for illegal drugs, or who has had an alcohol-related incident, to the Army substance abuse program. That's not happening every time, McGuire said.
"Soldiers who either have a [driving under the influence charge], engaged in domestic violence where alcohol was involved, or they tested positive in a [urinalysis] are not being referred," she said.
And disciplinary forms that are supposed to make their way to the senior installation commanders reporting soldiers' infractions are being turned in less than a third of the time on some installations.
McGuire said the problem is partly administrative and partly that many commanders are overwhelmed.
"It's just another paperwork drill. It's just more that we're putting on commanders," the general said. But also, she said, some leaders are cutting soldiers breaks, thinking they are doing them a favor, but hurting them in the end.
The task force also is honing in on how isolation factors into its suicides.
The past 30 years have seen a shift away from communal barracks, where as many as 30 single soldiers shared an open bay. Typically, the leader lived in a room at the end of the bay. Married soldiers lived on post in Army-provided housing.
Now, many single soldiers are in single or double dormitory-style rooms. Most married soldiers live off post. Some are isolated by duty assignment, such as recruiters stationed far from military installations. Other soldiers are assigned solitary late-night shifts. And some in unique job specialties may feel isolated even within a unit.
This is compounded by the fact that within a few months of returning home, most leaders and soldiers are transferred to other units. Soldiers who have problems often find themselves without their battle buddies and the leaders who watched over them in combat. Their new leaders, who don't know them as well, are pushing to prepare for the next deployment.
Many of the diagnostic programs in place now are seen simply as a block that must be checked in the pre-deployment process, precious time to be carved out of a hectic deployment schedule, McGuire said.
And then there's the institutional stigma of seeking mental health care. Soldiers think they should deal with their problems. Leaders should be strong, and they feel asking for help is a sign of weakness, McGuire said. And there still is the fear that security clearances can be revoked.
McGuire stopped short of saying the task force was looking to overhaul the system. And its members really do not want to simply create another program, she said. In fact, commanders often are overwhelmed by the number of programs the Army already has.
"We have existing programs that are designed to ensure the good order and discipline of the organization," McGuire said. "Let's just enforce what we currently have before we create more and new."
Another possible soldier suicide, this time in Iraq, was added to the numbers last week. It too, is under investigation.
Chiarelli now is immediately briefed on any suspected suicides. He committed to personally reviewing each suicide case this year. In March, he received his first briefing.
"It was the most intense two and a half hours I have ever spent, even from being in a combat zone," Chiarelli told a group of soldiers during a stop at Fort Bragg, N.C. "It was an experience I will never forget."
The task force is temporary, and will spend less than a year looking for gaps in the system. No quick fixes are expected. While senior leadership hopes to better put its finger on the pulse of the force, the sad fact is that those serving in the Pentagon are not on the front lines of stopping soldiers from taking their own lives.
That falls to the soldiers' families and friends, McGuire said.
"If we see a friend, a family member or a buddy that seems to be hurting -- needs some help -- we need to take action," she said.
And it's their leaders.
"It takes getting to know your soldiers. It takes getting to know how they live, understand their stressors, who their friends are. It's basic leadership," McGuire said.
Gun Camrea Footage for 6.24.09
Courtesy of Hot Air, and FOX News (PBUT), some amazing gun-camera footage of a US Apache gunship engageing Taliban fighters.
Plays like a video game but isn't (click link)
http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=287_1245850395
General, Wife Among Metro Casualties
American Forces Press Service
WASHINGTON, June 24, 2009 - A former commander of the District of Columbia National Guard and his wife were among the nine people killed in the June 22 collision of two Metro subway trains here, officials announced yesterday.
Retired Air Force Maj. Gen. David F. Wherley Jr. and his wife, Ann, both 62, died in the accident. Wherley retired a year ago after leading the D.C. Guard for five years.
"We are all deeply saddened by this sudden and tragic loss of General Wherley and his wife, Ann," said Army Maj. Gen. Errol R. Schwartz, commanding general of Joint Force Headquarters, District of Columbia National Guard, who succeeded Wherley in the position. "I am personally grieved by this unbelievable tragedy. David Wherley and Ann were two of the best people you could ever want to know. This community will grieve, as will the entire National Guard throughout the country who knew and loved them both."
Wherley began his military career in 1969, when he received his commission as a second lieutenant through the ROTC program at Fordham University, Bronx, N.Y. After he was released from active duty, he joined the District of Columbia Air National Guard, where he commanded two flying squadrons, served in a number of staff assignments and deployed as the deputy operations group commander for fighters at Prince Sultan Air Base, Saudi Arabia.
He was a Fighter Weapons Instructor Course graduate in the F-4 Phantom and had more than 5,000 hours of flying time in a multitude of missions.
Prior to appointment as commander of the D.C. Guard, he served as commander of the 113th Fighter Wing at Andrews Air Force Base, Md., where he was responsible for two flying missions: the F-16 mission of the 121st Fighter Squadron and the 201st Airlift Squadron, with C-40 and C-38A aircraft.
"I share in the huge grief of the entire 113th Wing," said Air Force Brig. Gen. Jeff Johnson, commander of the 113th Wing. "Dave and Ann were an integral part of the history of the 113th Wing, and more importantly, an integral part of our family. There are no words."
U.S. Sen. Mary L. Landrieu of Louisiana said she had come to know the Wherleys well over the years.
"As the recipient of more than a dozen medals and multiple honors, he served our nation with distinction," the senator said. "General Wherley was not only the quintessential citizen soldier, [but] also made valuable contributions to our community. I worked closely with General Wherley to ensure the success of the National Guard's Youth Challenge Program, which has changed the lives of thousands of at-risk children in D.C. and around the country."
Landrieu said Wherley was a role model to young people in the district, and that he and his wife will be greatly missed in the community and throughout the country.
"My thoughts and prayers go out to the entire Wherley family," she said.
Under Wherley's leadership, the D.C. Guard deployed several of its units, soldiers and airman in the global war on terrorism, including the 113th Wing and 275th Military Police Command. Their successful mobilization and safe return always were his top priority, officials said, and it was his imperative that soldiers and airmen have the best training they could possibly receive before going into harm's way.
Wherley frequently said his most challenging accomplishment was the establishment of the D.C. National Guard's Youth Challenge program. This required coordination among the National Guard Bureau, the Defense Department, Congress and the District of Columbia government, resulting in a program now in its third successful year.
In addition, he strongly supported the Family Readiness Program, Youth Leaders Camp and the About Face Program, all of which focused on supporting the families of soldiers and airmen, especially during deployments, and strengthening community youth through discipline, teaching them job skills and the importance of education.
The secretary of labor appointed Wherley to serve on an advisory committee for the Job Corps in 2007. The Job Corps is the nation's largest and oldest federally funded job training and education program for at-risk youth ages 16 to 24. He was appointed to the board of directors of the District of Columbia Sports and Entertainment Commission in 2003, and served throughout his tenure as commanding general. A baseball fan himself, he participated in the return of major league baseball to the district, and was instrumental in the successful construction of Nationals Park, which was built on time and within budget.
The Wherleys are survived by a son, David, who is a noncommissioned officer in the Army's Golden Knights parachute team, and daughter, Betsy. They had one grandchild.
Funeral arrangements, when complete, will be posted on the D.C. Guard's Web site.
(From a District of Columbia National Guard news release.)
WASHINGTON, June 24, 2009 - A former commander of the District of Columbia National Guard and his wife were among the nine people killed in the June 22 collision of two Metro subway trains here, officials announced yesterday.
Retired Air Force Maj. Gen. David F. Wherley Jr. and his wife, Ann, both 62, died in the accident. Wherley retired a year ago after leading the D.C. Guard for five years.
"We are all deeply saddened by this sudden and tragic loss of General Wherley and his wife, Ann," said Army Maj. Gen. Errol R. Schwartz, commanding general of Joint Force Headquarters, District of Columbia National Guard, who succeeded Wherley in the position. "I am personally grieved by this unbelievable tragedy. David Wherley and Ann were two of the best people you could ever want to know. This community will grieve, as will the entire National Guard throughout the country who knew and loved them both."
Wherley began his military career in 1969, when he received his commission as a second lieutenant through the ROTC program at Fordham University, Bronx, N.Y. After he was released from active duty, he joined the District of Columbia Air National Guard, where he commanded two flying squadrons, served in a number of staff assignments and deployed as the deputy operations group commander for fighters at Prince Sultan Air Base, Saudi Arabia.
He was a Fighter Weapons Instructor Course graduate in the F-4 Phantom and had more than 5,000 hours of flying time in a multitude of missions.
Prior to appointment as commander of the D.C. Guard, he served as commander of the 113th Fighter Wing at Andrews Air Force Base, Md., where he was responsible for two flying missions: the F-16 mission of the 121st Fighter Squadron and the 201st Airlift Squadron, with C-40 and C-38A aircraft.
"I share in the huge grief of the entire 113th Wing," said Air Force Brig. Gen. Jeff Johnson, commander of the 113th Wing. "Dave and Ann were an integral part of the history of the 113th Wing, and more importantly, an integral part of our family. There are no words."
U.S. Sen. Mary L. Landrieu of Louisiana said she had come to know the Wherleys well over the years.
"As the recipient of more than a dozen medals and multiple honors, he served our nation with distinction," the senator said. "General Wherley was not only the quintessential citizen soldier, [but] also made valuable contributions to our community. I worked closely with General Wherley to ensure the success of the National Guard's Youth Challenge Program, which has changed the lives of thousands of at-risk children in D.C. and around the country."
Landrieu said Wherley was a role model to young people in the district, and that he and his wife will be greatly missed in the community and throughout the country.
"My thoughts and prayers go out to the entire Wherley family," she said.
Under Wherley's leadership, the D.C. Guard deployed several of its units, soldiers and airman in the global war on terrorism, including the 113th Wing and 275th Military Police Command. Their successful mobilization and safe return always were his top priority, officials said, and it was his imperative that soldiers and airmen have the best training they could possibly receive before going into harm's way.
Wherley frequently said his most challenging accomplishment was the establishment of the D.C. National Guard's Youth Challenge program. This required coordination among the National Guard Bureau, the Defense Department, Congress and the District of Columbia government, resulting in a program now in its third successful year.
In addition, he strongly supported the Family Readiness Program, Youth Leaders Camp and the About Face Program, all of which focused on supporting the families of soldiers and airmen, especially during deployments, and strengthening community youth through discipline, teaching them job skills and the importance of education.
The secretary of labor appointed Wherley to serve on an advisory committee for the Job Corps in 2007. The Job Corps is the nation's largest and oldest federally funded job training and education program for at-risk youth ages 16 to 24. He was appointed to the board of directors of the District of Columbia Sports and Entertainment Commission in 2003, and served throughout his tenure as commanding general. A baseball fan himself, he participated in the return of major league baseball to the district, and was instrumental in the successful construction of Nationals Park, which was built on time and within budget.
The Wherleys are survived by a son, David, who is a noncommissioned officer in the Army's Golden Knights parachute team, and daughter, Betsy. They had one grandchild.
Funeral arrangements, when complete, will be posted on the D.C. Guard's Web site.
(From a District of Columbia National Guard news release.)
We are Winning This War
Wars have low points. 2006 was undoubtedly the low point for the west (or at least that part of the west actually fighting- US, Britain, Canada, Australia....). Iraq had descended into civil war, Israeli had been defeated in Lebanon, the al qaida supported Islamic Courts Union had seized control of Somalia and was threatening Ethiopia. Even events which should have been positive had a negative connotation; Iraq's execution of Saddam Hussein was a botched, creepy affair.
But at the end of that awful year, the tide began to turn. It started in Somalia, where the Ethiopian Army, supported by US Special Forces and CIA paramilitary units, annihilated the ICU and occupied the country inside of a month. At the same time, President Bush began the controversial surge, and emergency reinforcement of six combat brigades, all of which were sent to Baghdad. Slowly, US and Iraqi forces secured the capital and its outlying belt regions. More importantly, the Sunni's of Anbar turned on al Qaida, sending their sons to battle the Islamist terrorists and providing valuable intelligence to the United States.
The beginning of the end in Iraq was in March of 2008, when the Iraqi army went into Basra to do battle with the militia of Moqada al-Sadr. The initial offensive was stalled, but with American help, the Iraqi Army stuck it out, and killed hundreds of militia inside the city. There was a general upraising of al Sadr's followers throughout Iraq, which was crushed by Iraqi and American forces. By mid-April al Sadr had fled to Iran and was suing for peace. It was the great turning point in the battle for Iraq, akin to the fall of Atlanta and Sherman's march.
2009 has seen more progress. While the ICU's succesor, the Shabaab, is bathing Somalia in blood, it is at least in no condition to invade Ethiopia. Israel humiliated Hamas during Operation Cast Lead in the Gaza Strip. The Pakistani Army, long on the sidelines, has finally decided to battle the Taliban on that country's Northwest frontier. General David Petraeus, architect of the surge, is now running Central Command. An additional six combat brigades are being sent to Afghanistan.
Now what to do about Iran....
Will's novel, A Line Through the Desert: The First Gulf War may be purchased at Amazon.
Tuesday, June 23, 2009
Face of Defense: Defense Scribe Thrives in Sharing Soldiers' Stories
By Heather Athey
Special to American Forces Press Service
June 23, 2009 - Beth Reece always dreamed of seeing her name in print. But as a young girl growing up in the sleepy town of Beckley, W.Va., she couldn't have known how much the military would help her achieve that goal. Reece loved to write and had a passion for words. By the time she graduated high school, she was determined to make a career of writing, but wasn't sure how she would pay for the college degree that would be her springboard into the world of journalism.
So she decided to go to work for Uncle Sam to get some life experience, see the world beyond the West Virginia foothills and earn money for college. Reece didn't realize how she'd thrive in the Army -- eventually spending five years working in South Korea and at Fort George G. Meade, Md., writing first for a magazine and then for a weekly newspaper, Soundoff!
"I was surprised to find that I actually enjoyed being a soldier as much as I loved writing," said Reece, a civilian writer for the Defense Logistics Agency here. "I even earned the rank of sergeant before I was old enough to drink."
As a young soldier, Reece took her lumps as she climbed the ranks.
"I had an editor who always said it was a military journalist's job to make people feel good about what they do," she said.
That same editor also pushed her to stretch -- to test new subjects and techniques -- to become a better storyteller.
"He was the same editor whose marks made my stories bleed with red ink, but I'm the writer I've become because he made me fix things instead of doing it for me," she said.
Reece's determination to excel and natural ability to turn a phrase began paying off and she started racking up bylines and awards before her peers who had gone to college even finished their sophomore year. She won several Keith L. Ware journalism awards, which recognize Army military and civilian print and broadcast practitioners for journalistic excellence.
After leaving the Army, Reece continued to write for military publications. In 1998 she was named both the Department of the Army and Defense Department journalist of the year and eventually realized her longtime dream of writing for the Army's flagship publication, Soldiers magazine.
"For years it was my dream to write for Soldiers magazine, but I honestly never thought it would happen to me," she said. "A lot of the work that I did there made me realize how much I enjoy writing about people. If I could spend the rest of my career just writing about people, I'd be thrilled."
She said she particularly loves getting to know people through the interview process and finding the right words to convey their stories and engage readers.
Her favorite story is one she penned about a Korean War veteran who grew up Jewish in Nazi-occupied Hungary. After being liberated from a concentration camp by U.S. soldiers, Cpl. Tibor "Ted" Rubin joined the same Army that saved him, eventually serving in the Korean War, where he was captured by Chinese forces and sent to a prisoner-of-war camp. Nominated four times by his comrades, Rubin was awarded the nation's highest decoration -- the Medal of Honor -- in 2005.
"The spirit of this man still overwhelms me because he used the horrific experiences he went through in a Nazi concentration camp to save the lives of his fellow POWs," she said. "His story was so powerful and is by far the most rewarding story I've ever written."
Shortly after, the story earned Reece her own honor -- she was named the Defense Department's best flagship writer that same year.
Reece began working in DLA's public affairs office about 18 months ago. As a writer for "DLA Today," the agency's internal news, information and multimedia Web site, as well as Loglines magazine, its flagship publication, she's jumped in with both feet.
"Beth has the unique ability to draw the interesting human interest aspects out of a story -- the things other people can relate to. She takes good story ideas and makes them into great stories," said Jack Hooper, DLA's deputy director of public affairs. One of the first stories Reece wrote at DLA was about the "flag ladies" at the agency's Defense Supply Center Philadelphia, "A Dying Art Thrives at DSCP." The story followed the work of eight women who, sitting side by side in the supply center's flag room, embroider the nation's presidential and vice presidential flags. DSCP is the only place in the country where the flags, which are displayed during meetings with heads of state and at press conferences, are still made by hand. Though not available for purchase, just one presidential flag is worth an estimated $12,000.
Reece spent a day with the ladies, many of whom learned their embroidery skills at the feet of mothers, grandmothers and aunts, listening to their personal stories, watching them work and getting a feel for their bittersweet attitudes toward work considered by many to be old-fashioned.
Using what she learned, Reece crafted a story that told the tale of how one of these flags is made, but also the histories of the women who painstakingly labor to create flawless flags. It earned her praise from the supply center and her own office, but also from the same folks who had honored her previous work.
Prodded by her coworkers, Reece -- ever humble and highly critical of her own work -- reluctantly submitted the story in the feature article category of the Defense Department's Thomas Jefferson Awards, which recognizes both military and civilian print and broadcast journalists for outstanding achievement furthering the department's internal information goals.
Judged on its ability to communicate the essential who, what, where, when, why and how of a news article, but through the use of human interest, emotion and atmosphere, Reece's article beat out the competition and was named the department's best feature story of 2008.
"When it was announced that the story had been selected as the winner, there was a unanimous 'wow!' in the office," Hooper said. "Beth joined a solid public affairs team last year and made it better. And this is the first time that I'm aware of that the DLA public affairs office has had a first place winner."
Reece and other competition winners were honored for their achievement during a ceremony at Fort Meade last month. Almost every member of her office attended.
"We're proud of her. This is a big deal," said Kathleen Rhem, DLA's chief of internal information. "Beth winning this award proves that it doesn't take a 'sexy' subject to write an amazing article. She won against journalists who have the entire armed forces to write about. The best writers will find stories everywhere and distill them into something inspiring."
Reece handles the accolades with her usual self-effacing style.
"It's comforting to know that after 20 years of writing for the Army, and now for DLA, I haven't lost the passion for words that inspired me to pursue writing as a career. But I really don't believe I'm the best in [the Defense Department] at any type of writing, regardless of the awards," she said. "I grew up in a small town where most kids feel like they're stuck. It's nice to know I've managed to get out and find success."
(Heather Athey works in the Defense Logistics Agency public affairs office.)
Special to American Forces Press Service
June 23, 2009 - Beth Reece always dreamed of seeing her name in print. But as a young girl growing up in the sleepy town of Beckley, W.Va., she couldn't have known how much the military would help her achieve that goal. Reece loved to write and had a passion for words. By the time she graduated high school, she was determined to make a career of writing, but wasn't sure how she would pay for the college degree that would be her springboard into the world of journalism.
So she decided to go to work for Uncle Sam to get some life experience, see the world beyond the West Virginia foothills and earn money for college. Reece didn't realize how she'd thrive in the Army -- eventually spending five years working in South Korea and at Fort George G. Meade, Md., writing first for a magazine and then for a weekly newspaper, Soundoff!
"I was surprised to find that I actually enjoyed being a soldier as much as I loved writing," said Reece, a civilian writer for the Defense Logistics Agency here. "I even earned the rank of sergeant before I was old enough to drink."
As a young soldier, Reece took her lumps as she climbed the ranks.
"I had an editor who always said it was a military journalist's job to make people feel good about what they do," she said.
That same editor also pushed her to stretch -- to test new subjects and techniques -- to become a better storyteller.
"He was the same editor whose marks made my stories bleed with red ink, but I'm the writer I've become because he made me fix things instead of doing it for me," she said.
Reece's determination to excel and natural ability to turn a phrase began paying off and she started racking up bylines and awards before her peers who had gone to college even finished their sophomore year. She won several Keith L. Ware journalism awards, which recognize Army military and civilian print and broadcast practitioners for journalistic excellence.
After leaving the Army, Reece continued to write for military publications. In 1998 she was named both the Department of the Army and Defense Department journalist of the year and eventually realized her longtime dream of writing for the Army's flagship publication, Soldiers magazine.
"For years it was my dream to write for Soldiers magazine, but I honestly never thought it would happen to me," she said. "A lot of the work that I did there made me realize how much I enjoy writing about people. If I could spend the rest of my career just writing about people, I'd be thrilled."
She said she particularly loves getting to know people through the interview process and finding the right words to convey their stories and engage readers.
Her favorite story is one she penned about a Korean War veteran who grew up Jewish in Nazi-occupied Hungary. After being liberated from a concentration camp by U.S. soldiers, Cpl. Tibor "Ted" Rubin joined the same Army that saved him, eventually serving in the Korean War, where he was captured by Chinese forces and sent to a prisoner-of-war camp. Nominated four times by his comrades, Rubin was awarded the nation's highest decoration -- the Medal of Honor -- in 2005.
"The spirit of this man still overwhelms me because he used the horrific experiences he went through in a Nazi concentration camp to save the lives of his fellow POWs," she said. "His story was so powerful and is by far the most rewarding story I've ever written."
Shortly after, the story earned Reece her own honor -- she was named the Defense Department's best flagship writer that same year.
Reece began working in DLA's public affairs office about 18 months ago. As a writer for "DLA Today," the agency's internal news, information and multimedia Web site, as well as Loglines magazine, its flagship publication, she's jumped in with both feet.
"Beth has the unique ability to draw the interesting human interest aspects out of a story -- the things other people can relate to. She takes good story ideas and makes them into great stories," said Jack Hooper, DLA's deputy director of public affairs. One of the first stories Reece wrote at DLA was about the "flag ladies" at the agency's Defense Supply Center Philadelphia, "A Dying Art Thrives at DSCP." The story followed the work of eight women who, sitting side by side in the supply center's flag room, embroider the nation's presidential and vice presidential flags. DSCP is the only place in the country where the flags, which are displayed during meetings with heads of state and at press conferences, are still made by hand. Though not available for purchase, just one presidential flag is worth an estimated $12,000.
Reece spent a day with the ladies, many of whom learned their embroidery skills at the feet of mothers, grandmothers and aunts, listening to their personal stories, watching them work and getting a feel for their bittersweet attitudes toward work considered by many to be old-fashioned.
Using what she learned, Reece crafted a story that told the tale of how one of these flags is made, but also the histories of the women who painstakingly labor to create flawless flags. It earned her praise from the supply center and her own office, but also from the same folks who had honored her previous work.
Prodded by her coworkers, Reece -- ever humble and highly critical of her own work -- reluctantly submitted the story in the feature article category of the Defense Department's Thomas Jefferson Awards, which recognizes both military and civilian print and broadcast journalists for outstanding achievement furthering the department's internal information goals.
Judged on its ability to communicate the essential who, what, where, when, why and how of a news article, but through the use of human interest, emotion and atmosphere, Reece's article beat out the competition and was named the department's best feature story of 2008.
"When it was announced that the story had been selected as the winner, there was a unanimous 'wow!' in the office," Hooper said. "Beth joined a solid public affairs team last year and made it better. And this is the first time that I'm aware of that the DLA public affairs office has had a first place winner."
Reece and other competition winners were honored for their achievement during a ceremony at Fort Meade last month. Almost every member of her office attended.
"We're proud of her. This is a big deal," said Kathleen Rhem, DLA's chief of internal information. "Beth winning this award proves that it doesn't take a 'sexy' subject to write an amazing article. She won against journalists who have the entire armed forces to write about. The best writers will find stories everywhere and distill them into something inspiring."
Reece handles the accolades with her usual self-effacing style.
"It's comforting to know that after 20 years of writing for the Army, and now for DLA, I haven't lost the passion for words that inspired me to pursue writing as a career. But I really don't believe I'm the best in [the Defense Department] at any type of writing, regardless of the awards," she said. "I grew up in a small town where most kids feel like they're stuck. It's nice to know I've managed to get out and find success."
(Heather Athey works in the Defense Logistics Agency public affairs office.)
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