Casey Visits Soldiers in Resilience Training

By Jim Garamone
American Forces Press Service

Nov. 16, 2009 - Army Chief of Staff Gen. George W. Casey Jr. visited a program designed to help soldiers and their families develop resilience here today. asey met with about 200 soldiers and civilians studying to be master resilience trainers at the University of Pennsylvania. About 50 other soldiers and civilians participated in the course via video teleconference from Fort Jackson, S.C.

Resilience is more than a buzzword; it is a new way of thinking for the service. "All soldiers want to do better – whether it is physically or mentally," Casey said. "This is a way to help them do that."

The group Casey addressed here had noncommissioned officers and officers from a variety of different military occupations. The video screen from Fort Jackson showed soldiers with drill sergeant hats on their desks.

"You will be the first group to go out and help me bring this way of thinking to the Army," Casey said during a news conference and in an interview. "I firmly believe that this effort to build resilience and enhance performance is fundamentally necessary if we are going to sustain this force over the coming years."

The soldiers in the class supported this notion. "The [master resilience trainer] program is not a module to teach, but a concept to embrace and use in all things," an NCO from Fort Campbell, Ky., said.

Casey and other Army leaders began thinking of the need in the summer of 2008. Active duty soldiers were deploying to Iraq or Afghanistan for a year and returning to their home stations for a year. Reserve-component units were deploying for a year and at home for three. "We had been doing that for about five years," Casey said. The Army may be called on to continue this personnel tempo.

The Army understood it faced a problem, Casey said. The effects of repeated deployments – particularly with short "dwell times" at home stations between them are cumulative. "All our studies show that the more times you deploy with little time between deployments, the more susceptible you are to having mental fitness challenges," the general said.

Service leaders looked at what was available to combat the problem. The general said there were pre- and post-deployment assessments. There were education programs. Finally, there were good programs and treatments if there were problems. "But when we looked at the front end, we were very light on the preventive tools," Casey said. "We didn't have ways of building resilience and enhancing performance."

The Army brought together some of the best minds in the country on the subject and that led them to the University of Pennsylvania and Dr. Martin Seligman, director of the university's Positive Psychology Center. Seligman put together a course for NCOs and officers to use to train their soldiers in resilience skills. "People say this helps them, not only as a soldier, but as a person," Casey said.

The goal is to have a master resilience trainer in each battalion by this time next year, Casey said. General officers and sergeants major all have been briefed on the program, and Casey is putting out another letter to them about the program.

The program has to do more than just train skills, Casey said. It also has to change attitudes.

"There is a perception out there that everyone who goes into combat gets post-traumatic stress," the general said. "That's just not true. In fact, science tells us just the opposite; the majority of people who go to combat have post-traumatic growth. They're confronted by something very difficult, and they are stronger as a result."

Studies show that people do grow from adversity. The program seeks to give trainers skills they can pass on to soldiers.

"Someone said to me that we are trying to change the Army, one soldier at a time," Casey said. "No, I want to change the Army one NCO at a time, because they will go back and change 10 soldiers."

The soldiers are receptive, Seligman said. "I was very pleasantly surprised by the way they have responded," he said during a news conference. "I think the soldiers are taking this to their lives at least as well, if not better than the many civilians we have taught."

Karen Reivich, the main teacher of the course, said "everyone in that room is putting their heart and soul into this training." She said the soldiers are "engaged and task-focused."

Reivich noted similarities between the Army training and that for civilians. "We're all humans after all," she said, but the "situations that these soldiers deal with are more complex."

This was Casey's third visit to the facility. The general also visited two pilot classes, and has studied the feedback from students and suggested changes.

"The intent of this program is to give more and more of our soldiers the skills they need so when they come out of combat they will have a growth experience," he said.

MILITARY CONTRACTS November 16, 2009

NAVY
Northrop Grumman Shipbuilding, Inc., Newport News, Va., is being awarded a $96,682,393 cost-plus-fixed-fee contract for engineering, technical, design, configuration management, integrated logistics support, database management, research and development, modernization, trade, and industrial support for Los Angeles, Seawolf, Virginia, Ohio SSBN, and Ohio SSGN Class submarines, special mission submersible interfaces, submarine support facilities, as well as Foreign Military Sales programs. This contract includes options which, if exercised, will bring the total cumulative value of the contract to $635,287,686. Work will be performed in Newport News, Va., and is expected to be completed by September 2010. Contract funds in the amount of $44,473,900 will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was not competitively procured. The Naval Sea Systems Command, Washington, D.C., is the contracting activity (N00024-10-C-2102).

Lockheed Martin MS2, Manassas, Va., is being awarded a $59,592,068 cost-plus incentive-fee, performance based, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract to provide development, integration, and testing of the multistatic active coherent modification to the P-3C aircraft acoustic subsystem and tactical software. Work will be performed in Manassas, Va. (80 percent), and Patuxent River, Md. (20 percent), and is expected to be completed in November 2014. Contract funds in the amount of $400,000 will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was not competitively procured pursuant to FAR 6.302-1. The Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division, Patuxent River, Md., is the contracting activity (N00421-10-D-0003).

Northrop Grumman Corp., Electronic Systems, Linthicum Heights, Md., is being awarded a $44,490,000 modification under previously awarded cost-plus-incentive-fee contract (M67854-07-C-2072) to increase the estimated cost ceiling for the Ground/Air Task-Oriented Radar System development and demonstration, target cost, and target cost plus target fee of contract line item number 0001 by $17,490,000 to reflect undefinitized change orders for the UPX40, change to medium tactical vehicle replacement as the prime mover and the up armor. Additionally, this contract modification increases the estimated cost ceiling, target cost and target cost plus target fee of contract line item number 0001 in increase by an additional $27,000,000 to reflect the estimated cost increase associated with the 9 month schedule extension. Work will be performed in Linthicum Heights, Md. (75 percent), and Syracuse, N.Y. (25 percent). Work is expected to be completed Sept. 15, 2011. Contract funds will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Marine Corps Systems Command, Quantico, Va., is the contracting activity.

The L3/Interstate Electronics Corp., Anaheim, Calif., is being awarded a $39,187,635 cost-plus-incentive-fee, cost-plus-fixed-fee contract to provide flight test data acquisition, processing and analysis of the TRIDENT missile flight test missions for the United States and United Kingdom. This contract contains options, which if exercised, would bring the contract value to $49,437,854. Work will be performed in Anaheim, Calif. (50 percent); Austin, Texas (20 percent); Ascension Island (10 percent); Cape Canaveral, Fla. (10 percent); and St. Croix (10 percent). Work is expected to be completed Sept. 30, 2010 (Sept. 2012 with options). Contract funds in the amount of $33,863,000 will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The contract was not competitively procured. The Navy's Strategic Systems Programs, Arlington, Va., is the contracting activity (N00030-10-C-0009).

McDonnell Douglas Corp., a wholly owned subsidiary of The Boeing Co., St. Louis, Mo., is being awarded a not-to-exceed $28,000,000 modification to a previously awarded cost-plus-fixed-fee delivery order, against a previously issued Basic Ordering Agreement (N00019-05-G-0026) to incorporate a revised specification and statement of work for the infrared search and track technology development effort for the F/A-18E/F aircraft weapon system. Work will be performed in Orlando, Fla. (50 percent); St. Louis, Mo. (40 percent); Santa Ana, Calif. (5 percent); and Irvine, Calif. (5 percent). Work is expected to be completed in September 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.

McDonnell Douglas Corp., a wholly owned subsidiary of The Boeing Co., St. Louis, Mo., is being awarded a $20,005,318 cost-plus-fixed-fee delivery order, against a previously issued Basic Ordering Agreement (N00019-05-G-0026) to provide necessary supplies and services to support follow-on test and evaluation of the F/A-18E/F aircraft. Work will be performed in Patuxent River, Md., and is expected to be completed in October 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.

Seaward Marine Services, Inc., Fairfax, Va., was awarded a $9,096,597 modification to previously awarded contract (N00024-09-D-4219) on Nov. 13, 2009, for waterborne hull cleaning and associated services to support the director of ocean engineering, supervisor of salvage and diving. The primary purpose of this contract is to provide hull cleaning, hull inspection and other related ship husbandry services on the underwater portion of Navy, Coast Guard, Army and Military Sealift Command ships and craft. Work will be performed in Norfolk, Va. (54 percent); Mayport, Fla. (24 percent); Ingleside, Texas (17 percent); and New London, Conn. (5 percent). Work is expected to be completed by August 2010. The Naval Sea Systems Command, Patuxent River, Md., is the contracting activity.

AIR FORCE
ITT Industries, Inc., of Cape Canaveral, Fla., was awarded a $66,370,706 contract which will exercise Option Year 10 contract line items. This modification will provide for the continued support for program management, interface management, systems engineering and integration, depot maintenance transition, product acquisitions and modifications, and instrument modernization for operational systems and infrastructure. At this time, $8,563,882 has been obligated. SMC SLG/PK, Peterson Air Force Base, Colo., is the contracting activity (F04701-01-C-0001, P00601).

Raytheon Co., Missile Systems, Tucson, Ariz., was awarded a $18,423,384 contract which will provide for the High-Speed Anti-Radiation Mission Targeting System fiscal year 10 contractor logistics support option. At this time, $4,608,096 has been obligated. 693 ARSS/PK, Eglin Air Force Base, Fla., is the contracting activity (FA8675-09-C-0003, P00003).

DEFENSE LOGISTICS AGENCY
Caterpillar, Inc., Mossville, Ill., is being awarded a maximum $7,167,408 cost-plus fixed-price with economic price adjustment for vibratory compactors. Other location of performance is in Minnesota. Using service is Foreign Military Sales. The original proposal had two solicitations with one response. Contract funds will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The date of performance completion is Sept. 30, 2010. The Defense Logistics Agency, Philadelphia, Pa., is the contracting activity (SPM500-01-D-0059-0393).

Nellis Plans for F-35's Opportunities, Challenges

By Donna Miles
American Forces Press Service

Nov. 16, 2009 - With the new F-35 Lightning II joint strike fighter aircraft's arrival just four years away, officials at the U.S. Air Force Warfare Center here are looking forward to joint training opportunities while recognizing the challenges of providing realistic training on such a technologically advanced aircraft. Air Force Maj. Gen. Stanley "Ted" Kresge, the warfare center's commander, said there's a lot of excitement about the next-generation fighter jet slated to begin arriving here in 2014.

Much of the construction under way here will provide the new hangars, maintenance facilities and other infrastructure the new aircraft will require. Meanwhile, Kresge's staff is focused on establishing a new weapons school for F-35 pilots – an effort he said lends itself to interservice collaboration as the Air Force, Navy and Marine Corps prepare for their first joint aircraft program since the Vietnam War.

Unlike the Vietnam-era F-4 Phantom II fighter-bomber, initially developed for the Navy, then adopted by the Marine Corps and Air Force, the F-35 was conceived from the drawing board as a single platform with three different variants to meet the needs of three services.

The Air Force will receive the F-35's "A" variant, which will provide conventional takeoff and landing capabilities. The Marine Corps is slated to receive the "B" variant, which has a vertical-lift capability. The Navy will receive the "C" variant, designed for carrier launches.

Plans are on track to equip the first F-35 training squadron at Eglin Air Force Base, Fla., by 2011, and for the Marine Corps to reach initial operational capability by 2012.

Kresge said he looks forward to working with his Navy counterparts as the Air Force stands up the first F-35 weapons school program at Nellis. Weapons schools provide graduate-level instructor courses, including the most advanced tactics, techniques and procedures for pilots and aircrews.

"If we are going to build a weapons school first, let's partner on it and then make it easier for them to build their weapons school," he said.

Even with three aircraft variants, the airplanes are going to be more alike than different, he said. "So since we are fundamentally going to be flying the same aircraft, I think we can all benefit from a closer collaboration," he added.

For the Air Force program, Kresge expects to tap F-35 test pilots, along with other Weapons School graduates who fly other aircraft. "We'll put them in a room, lock the door for six months, and they'll come up with the syllabus, courseware and academics," Kresge said.

They'll share their efforts as the Navy Fighter Weapons School, known as "Top Gun," prepares to start up its own F-35 program, he said, while soliciting different approaches to incorporate into the Air Force program.

"It would make no sense for the Navy to discover a new way of doing business, and then a year later, we stumble onto it ourselves," Kresge said.

The general stressed the importance of F-35 leader training to the future Air Force, noting that today's young fighter pilots will be tomorrow's F-35 squadron commanders.

"Set your watch," he said. "Fifteen years from now, we are going to want that F-35 squadron commander to be prepared to lead a squadron in war, and to bring along the squadron full of young lieutenants and captains to be the next squadron commander."

As Kresge wrestles with the training and leadership challenges associated with the F-35, the staff here is working to ensure that when the F-35 arrives, crews will have the most realistic training environment possible at the sweeping Nevada Test and Training Range.

That's particularly challenging, explained Air Force Col. John P. "Bama" Montgomery, the 98th Range Wing commander, because the F-35's systems are so advanced that they can tell simulated targets from the real thing.

"The F-35 is so smart that if it is not a real target, it won't let you hit it, because it knows what a real target is," he said. Montgomery oversees the nearly 3 million acres of ranges and 12,000 square miles of airspace that make up the Nevada Test and Training Range. A big part of the job is making the battle space as close as possible to what aircrews will experience in combat, including realistic targets.

So long before the F-35 arrives here, Montgomery and his staff are trying to figure out ways to build the next-generation targets the next-generation aircraft will need.

"We are planning ahead for it now, to give it the right kind of target sets that look visually, optically, [through] infrared and radar like the real thing," he said. "It's got to have the same acoustics, and smell like it, too."

Meanwhile, he's trying to figure out what kind of aircraft will be capable of standing in for the opposing force during advanced-level training exercises, and how to replicate multiple threats simultaneously.

"The F-35 is a very capable system, and we only have so many aircraft to throw against it," Montgomery said, noting the need to create virtual threats that the F-35 will recognize.

"It is not the same kind of problem that we used to solve," he said. "It was an easier problem before stealth [technology], and the fact that these [F-35s] are just amazingly capable. All of a sudden, the targets have to look a lot like the real thing, and the threats have to be a lot more capable, and there have to be a lot of them."

Montgomery said he's committed to working through those challenges before the F-35s start arriving at Nellis. "It's a tough problem," he said. "But the Air Force knows about it, the Department of Defense knows about it. Lots of people are working on it to solve that problem."

Ultimately, the goal is to provide F-35 crews the same level of training their counterparts receive at the Nevada Test and Training Range. "In the end, the guy gets real feedback, real time about how we has done against the threat he's going at, in a high-pressure environment," Montgomery said. "And he gets to live – and to come back and do it all over again tomorrow."

Initiative Helps Disabled Vets Stay Active

By Army Sgt. 1st Class Michael J. Carden
American Forces Press Service

Nov. 16, 2009 - A recent initiative launched by the Veterans Affairs Department and the U.S. Olympic Committee is giving disabled veterans a chance to rediscover their potential through athletics and competition. memorandum of understanding was signed between the two organizations Oct. 21 to expand Paralympics sport programs to wounded warriors rehabilitating at community-level recreational facilities. Before the memorandum, Paralympics programs were offered primarily through warrior transition units at facilities such as Walter Reed Army Medical Center here, the National Naval Medical Center in Bethesda, Md., and VA rehabilitation centers.

Through the agreement, the Paralympics division of the U.S. Olympic Committee and VA hope to ensure disabled veterans can be physically active when they return home, Charlie Huebner, the Paralympic division's chief, said in a recent telephone interview with American Forces Press Service.

"There's 24-hour-a-day care when you're at a VA medical center, and you've got the best care in the world there," he said. "But what we're most concerned about is when you leave that facility and go home. You might go home to a rural community that just doesn't have the resources and expertise to provide a person in a wheelchair everyday physical activity."

When rehabilitating veterans return home and they've left VA therapy behind, there may not be much opportunity to continue physical training and activity, Huebner said. Making programs available and providing training at existing recreational facilities will help to alleviate that issue.

"We've identified a significant need for injured veterans," he said. "When they return home, we want to ensure that there's expert programming, support, equipment and mentors available to them to participate in everyday physical activity. It's a significant need, and we see every day the importance of physical activity in the rehab process."

Adaptive sports rehabilitation has proven time and again to have a positive, long-lasting effect on wounded warriors, Huebner added.

Although the Paralympics focus on physical rehabilitation, it's difficult not to recognize the psychological impact, Huebner said. Something as simple as learning to play basketball or to ski with a disability, and to do so with friends and families, can greatly improve a disabled person's mental strength, which is an important aspect to recovery, he added.

"We see on a daily basis the additional outcomes that aren't necessarily our mission," he said. "Our mission isn't to find jobs and to get people in college, but what we see is persons with a physical disability going to college [or] pursuing careers who are active in their community because of the confidence they gained through sports."

The partnership gives $10 million of the VA's annual budget to the Paralympics. About $8 million of that will go to community-level recreation facilities that already serve veterans. Other funds from private Paralympics organizations will assist, Huebner said.

Huebner wouldn't speculate on exactly how many communities would be affected, but said Paralympics mentors and trainers will be on hand to enhance programs for community facilities across the country.

Since 2003, the Paralympics have been providing services for 105 community recreation facilities, 14 wounded warrior transition units and 15 VA health care systems.

"The healing power of sports is amazing," Huebner said. "When people become physically disabled, they think about all the things they can't do. That's just human nature, but something as simple as being able to shoot a basketball or skiing or playing catch with your child ... makes people realize a whole level of opportunity. Things are going to be different, but they're going to be OK."

Soldiers Compete for Barbecue Bragging Rights

By Army 1st Lt. Juan Torres Jr.
Special to American Forces Press Service

Nov. 16, 2009 - A little bit of home made its way to this remote base in Iraq's Maysan province recently, as soldiers tested their skills in a barbecue competition. Despite unexpected downpours, violent wind gusts and hail Nov. 1, an afternoon that might otherwise have been lost to inclement weather served instead as a cloudy backdrop for a delicious contest at Task Force Saber.

"If it ain't raining, we ain't training," Army Capt. Rick Cook said with a laugh. Cook is attached to Headquarters and Headquarters Troop, 2nd Squadron, 13th Cavalry Regiment.

"But seriously," the captain added, "the competitors really came through and cooked up some scrumptious dishes under less-than-favorable conditions. The rain was just a challenge they needed to overcome to win. Once they got on a cooking 'glide path,' everything really fell into place."

Soldiers used closely guarded spice and sauce combinations from their hometowns, some getting their secret ingredients from as far as Washington and Georgia. They hovered over charcoal and flames as they turned otherwise average ribs, steaks and chicken into personalized, mouth-watering, culinary creations.

The competition's judges, spearheaded by Army Sgt. Maj. Steve Lewis, squadron operations sergeant major, based their appraisals on factors including taste, texture and presentation.

"The seasonings used by [B Troop] were probably the best," Lewis said. "They weren't planning on sharing their secret recipe, though."

Teams spent the final minutes of the competition perfecting their presentations, using each second to make memorable first impressions. Leading the way in overall presentation, B Troop pulled out all the stops: silver plates with matching cutlery created a sight no judge could ignore.

"We certainly took presentation into account while assessing the entries," Lewis said.

Border Transition Team Tribal, led by Army Master Sgt. Michael Grimes, used just the right blend of seasoning, mixed with a little personal touch and a dash of experience, to push its dishes into victory lane.

By the end of the competition, a broad representation of other victors emerged, including B Troop for the best chicken, and B Company, 4th Battalion, 6th Infantry Regiment for the best steak.

(Army 1st Lt. Juan Torres Jr. serves with the 1st Armored Division's 4th Brigade Combat Team.)

Officer Works to Walk Again

By Heather Graham
Special to American Forces Press Service

Nov. 16, 2009 - Five months ago, Army Lt. Col. Tim Karcher was in Sadr City, Iraq, commanding the 1st Cavalry Division's 2nd Battalion, 5th Cavalry Regiment, 1st Brigade Combat Team, and preparing to complete the hand-off of the volatile region to the Iraqis. Today, he is relearning how to walk.

On June 28, Karcher was on his way to a ceremony to hand over control of a joint security station in Sadr City to Iraq, when a powerful roadside bomb designed to pierce armor ripped through the mine-resistant, ambush protected vehicle in which he was riding. Karcher lost both legs above the knees.

It was Karcher's third deployment. He was shot in his left shoulder in January 2006 during his second deployment, but recovered quickly and returned to his unit in Iraq six months later. This time, things were different.

Karcher was transferred from the U.S. Army Regional Medical Center in Landstuhl, Germany, to Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington, D.C., on July 5. There, complications arose. Amputation of both legs above the knees was not the most serious of his injuries.

"Four weeks after getting to Walter Reed, they stopped talking about his legs," his wife, Alesia, said.

Karcher lost 120 pounds, dropping from his original weight of 225 to 105 pounds. Massive blood loss and the blast trauma affected his internal organs. He was nauseated and had difficulty eating. His kidney function was so poor he was on dialysis. One medication caused him to go blind for a day, which he later said was the only part of this journey that scared him.

But things slowly improved, and Karcher arrived at Brooke Army Medical Center here Aug. 19. He now stays at the Fisher House on the medical center's campus and receives therapy at the Center for the Intrepid, an outpatient rehabilitation institute for wounded warriors.

Now, the whole challenge is physical, Karcher said, adding that he is in the best place to overcome his physical challenges.

"This is the single most capable place on Earth to get us better," he said.

Family Support

Steadfast in their love and support, Karcher's wife and their three daughters -- Anna, 14, Audrey, 13, and Abbey, 8 -- have been with him every step of the way. Audrey has taken on the role of Karcher's caregiver during the time he stays at the family home near Killeen.

Karcher said he was concerned his teenage daughters would worry about the image of a father with no legs. But his concern was unfounded, he added, as all three daughters treat him the same as ever.

The family took a trip to San Diego recently for the Challenged Athletes Foundation's Triathlon Challenge. There, Karcher saw his daughters helping some of the athletes and saw their desire to help others. They also saw the possibilities of people who cannot walk or see.

Karcher attends soccer games, cross-country meets and has had lunch at his daughters' school since the injury. To his family, he is the same upbeat man who loves a challenge. "He is very much the same," Alesia said.

The family describes the support they've received from Fort Hood, the 1st Cavalry Division, the girls' schools and their church as "overwhelming."

"It makes you proud to be an Army family," said Alesia, who temporarily has stopped working as a home health-care physical therapist to focus on her family. "It definitely does not have to be the end of the world. It could always be worse."

She looks forward to their "new normal," she added. "I'm not afraid of it," she said. "I think our life will be different, but not in a bad way."

Her biggest challenge, she said, has been time management to ensure her husband's and their daughters' needs are met. While her husband stays in the Fisher House, Alesia splits her time. She cooks meals and brings them to San Antonio. She still does his laundry.

Karcher said he welcomes his opportunities to leave his "cloistered environment" to spend time with his family. "It's awesome to get to church, soccer games and cross-country meets," he said. Alesia agreed. "It makes a huge difference to be able to go home and live in our own world," she said.

Trips home remove Karcher from an environment where everything is handicapped-accessible and catered toward people with injuries such as his. But he said he likes the challenges, and knowing that they can be addressed during sessions at the Center for the Intrepid.

"Being able to go home does as much for me as a week of therapy," Karcher said. "Life continues at home. I fit into it."

Family life also includes plans made before Karcher was injured.
Alesia ran the Army 10-Miler in October that she had signed up for with a group of Cavalry spouses in April.

Dealing With Reality

After an injury, e-mails and calls taper off. Friends, families and comrades get back to their everyday lives, said Army Maj. Stuart Campbell, officer in charge of physical therapy at the Center for the Intrepid, and some patients can have a letdown when the attention fades.

"There is a protective bubble here," he said. "My job is to return these guys to the highest level possible."

Campbell knows Karcher as "Hercules." Everyone at the center gets a nickname from Campbell. "I'm bad with names," he explained with a smile.

Campbell said he also gives the nicknames to encourage the feeling of being in a military unit, and the bonding that comes with that. Good-natured ribbing and joking are frequent as Campbell works to recreate the unit environment from which they have been removed.

"When you come here, you would think you are in an infantry unit," he said, noting that for these wounded warriors, the strongest piece of their rehabilitation is the peer support.

"That's as powerful as anything," Campbell said. "They motivate each other."

Amputees such as Karcher have to retrain their hip strategy and learn to balance using their hips, gluteus and core, Campbell said.

Karcher will always have to think to walk.

"A lot of this is mental," he said.

At this point, Karcher stands on "stubbies" and still is working on his balance. He is getting his legs and muscles accustomed to bearing weight and fitting in sockets. As he progresses, he will get longer prosthetics and, eventually, knees.

"You work out muscle groups you didn't know you have," Karcher said. "It's a new challenge." He took his first steps Nov. 3, traveling about 20 feet on stubbies.

Karcher said he expects to be here for at least a year or 18 months. He is progressing well, but wants to accomplish more, he said. He is not sure how much more, he added, but walking is a definite goal.

He uses humor and willpower to embrace his new life. "It's your choice of how you choose to handle it," he said.

The New Normal

At the Center for the Intrepid, amputees work out in often unorthodox ways to strengthen their bodies and stop boredom. A modified rock wall, a wave pool and creative exercises throw some diversity in to break up the monotony of physical therapy.

The wounded warriors have devised a hierarchy of injuries. There are jokes and laughs, and many of them come from Campbell.

"The last thing we want is sympathy," Karcher said.

He doesn't want people tip-toeing around him.

"People stare, they point," Campbell said. "We make fun of them [and] treat them like they're in a normal unit."

Good-natured teasing can be motivating as well as bonding.

"From the outside, it can look odd," Campbell admitted.

Karcher said he finds it motivating to see those with injuries similar to his who are farther along. "Morale here is great," he said. "Everybody wants to get better. You just need to use good judgment on where you are."

Every case is different. While some are happy to sit back and just let things happen, others work harder to reach their goals. Seeing buddies get better is motivating for everyone, Karcher said.

"There's a total atmosphere here of seeing everybody excel, everybody getting back to where they want to be," he said. "The only thing that limits us is ourselves."

In addition to the young soldiers he sees daily, a special child has been an inspiration to the battalion commander. Karcher met 8-year-old Cody McCaslund on Sept. 17. Cody also is a bilateral transfemoral amputee. Born without knees and missing several bones in both legs, he lost his legs as an infant. But don't tell Cody he is any different.

"That kid is a ball of fire," Karcher said. "He is just an awesome kid."

Cody offered to show Karcher how to use his new legs when he gets them. Through Cody, he said, he saw that the loss of legs does not mean the loss of a normal life.

"You realize he's as normal as any kid," he said. "You see a little kid doing [what Cody does], and you've got to stop feeling sorry for yourself."

Moving Forward

Karcher is quick to laugh and sees no sense in having a pity party about his injury. "It's a waste of your time," he said. "It's not going to change anything."

He said he knows his injury will limit him in some ways, but that the Center for the Intrepid staff is around to help the wounded figure out ways to do the things they want to do.

"There shouldn't be things we can't do," he said. For example, he said, he wants to stand more than six feet tall again -- because he doesn't want to have to buy new pants.

Amputees can change their height, Campbell said, but they want to be careful not to become unbalanced. "Body image is a big deal for a lot of these guys," Campbell said. Expectations are different for each person, but the wounded warriors all seem to have some in common. "Walking is an expectation. Sports are an expectation," he said.

Life Goes On

Karcher said he expects to continue his journey with humor and with his family by his side. And throughout his recovery, the soldiers of his regiment have been consistently on his mind and in his heart.

He keeps in contact with his Black Knight soldiers via e-mails, and many have visited him. Karcher said he always wants to know how his battle buddies are doing, and the fact that they are still in harm's way is never far from his mind.

"It feels rotten," he said.

Meanwhile, as his soldiers are completing their mission in Iraq, Karcher is focused on his mission at home: recovering. And one of his biggest goals is to be standing on Cooper Field at Fort Hood to welcome home his troops.

"I'm just wondering what is next," he said. "Right now, I am focusing on the here and now."

He wants to stay in the Army.

"I am hoping to stay in," he said. "I've been in 20 years, and this is the only thing I want to do."

(Heather Graham works in the public affairs office at Fort Hood, Texas.)

DOD and VA Announce Disability Evaluation System Pilot Expansion

The Departments of Defense (DoD) and Veterans Affairs (VA) announced today that beginning in January 2010, the Disability Evaluation System (DES) pilot will expand to an additional six installations across the country. The new locations will include: Fort Benning, Ga.; Fort Bragg, N.C.; Fort Hood, Texas; Fort Lewis, Wash.; Fort Riley, Kan.; and Portsmouth Naval Medical Center, Va. This expansion brings the total number of military facilities using the pilot to 27.

"The decision to expand the pilot was based upon favorable reviews focusing on the program's ability to met timeliness, effectiveness, transparency, and customer and stakeholder satisfaction," said Noel Koch, deputy under secretary of defense, Office of Wounded Warrior Care and Transition Policy.

In November 2007, the DoD and VA implemented the pilot test for disability cases originating at the three major military treatment facilities in the national capital region. The pilot is a test of a new process design eliminating the duplicative, time-consuming, and often confusing elements of the two current disability processes of the departments. Key features of the DES pilot include one medical examination and a single-sourced disability rating. To date, more than 5,431 service members have participated in the pilot since November 2007.

"Streamlining our disability claims system and working closely with DoD to care for today's generation of heroes are among VA's top priorities," said Secretary of Veterans Affairs Eric K. Shinseki. "We will never lose sight of the fact that veterans and military personnel have earned their benefits from VA and DoD by virtue of their service to the nation."

In October 2008, DoD and VA approved expansion of the DES pilot to 18 sites beyond the three initial national capital region sites. This process was successfully completed on May 31, 2009. The estimated completion date for the new six site expansion is scheduled for March 31, 2010.

"This expansion encompasses an additional 20 percent of total service member population enrolled in the program to achieve 47 percent overall enrollments, which will allow us to gather and evaluate data from a diverse geographic area, prior to determining worldwide implementation," said Koch.

The pilot was authorized by the Defense Authorization Act of 2008 and stems from the recommendations from the reports of the Task Force on Returning Global War on Terrorism Heroes, the Independent Review Group, the President's Commission on Care for America's Returning Wounded Warriors (the Dole/Shalala Commission), and the Commission on Veterans' Disability Benefits.

Pentagon, VA Expand Disability Claims Test

By Army Sgt. 1st Class Michael J. Carden
American Forces Press Service

Nov. 16, 2009 - Defense and Veterans Affairs officials today announced another step in their efforts to streamline the process of determining veterans' disability ratings. Beginning in January, the Disability Evaluation System pilot program will expand to six installations. The new participants are medical facilities at Fort Benning, Ga.; Fort Bragg, N.C.; Fort Hood, Texas; Fort Lewis, Wash.; Fort Riley, Kan.; and Portsmouth Naval Medical Center, Va.

Twenty-seven other military facilities already take part in the program.

"The decision to expand the pilot was based upon favorable reviews focusing on the program's ability to meet timeliness, effectiveness, transparency and customer and stakeholder satisfaction," said Nole Koch, deputy undersecretary of defense for wounded warrior care and transition policy, in a statement released by the Defense Department.

The pilot program began in November 2007 within the national capital region and concerns servicemembers who separated from the military under honorable conditions for service-related injuries. It addresses redundancy and inconsistent decisions in medical evaluations in separate disability processes used in the Defense Department and VA.

Outside of the medical facilities using the pilot programs, evaluations for veterans are managed first by Defense Department physicians, then by VA. Through this program, physicians in both departments collaborate on medical findings, speeding the claims and benefit payment processes for disabled veterans.

"The pilot is a test of a new process design eliminating the duplicative, time-consuming, and often confusing elements of the two current disability processes of the departments," the Defense Department statement said. "Key features of the [pilot] include one medical examination and a single-sourced disability rating."

More than 5,400 military members have participated in the pilot program.

"Streamlining our disability claims system and working closely with [the Defense Department] to care for today's generation of heroes are among VA's top priorities," VA Secretary Eric K. Shinseki said in the statement. "We will never lose sight of the fact that veterans and military personnel have earned their benefits ... by virtue of their service to the nation.”

Obama, Medvedev Discuss Arms Reduction, Iran

By Jim Garamone
American Forces Press Service

Nov. 15, 2009 - The mutual goal of negotiating an agreement on reducing nuclear arms by the end of the year is on track, President Barack Obama and Russian President Dmitry Medvedev said today. Obama and Medvedev met in Singapore during the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation meetings.

The two presidents agreed to reduce nuclear arsenals during a meeting in Moscow in July. Obama said the negotiations to reduce Russian and American nuclear arsenals have gone well.

"Our negotiators have made excellent progress over the last several months," he said during a joint news conference with Medvedev. "Our goal continues to be to complete the negotiations and to be able to sign a deal before the end of the year. And I'm confident that if we work hard and with a sense of urgency about it, we should be able to get that done."

Both men said some tough technical issues still need to be addressed. "We've agreed to give additional impetus to those negotiations [and] find solutions on remaining issues, because in some cases those are technical issues. Some require political solution," the Russian president said through a translator.

Medvedev said both leaders are aware of the world's interest in these negotiations.

"Even in the past, the situation and the world depended on us," he said. "It is all the more important now, since there are no longer the old ideological barriers."

The two presidents also spoke about Iran and its nuclear ambitions.

Obama said the United States wants to resolve the problem of the Iranian nuclear program constructively. He proposed that the United States and Russia offer two paths for Iran. One is that if Iran forsakes nuclear weapons, the world would help it obtain peaceful nuclear energy. He called this the most positive outcome, as it would lead Iran to integration with other nations of the world.

"The alternative would be an approach that would involve increasing pressure on Iran to meet its international obligations," Obama said. "These concerns were further heightened with the Qom facility that had not been properly disclosed."

U.S. and Russian leaders have worked together to provide Iran a very concrete, specific and fair proposal. This includes a proposal to get low-enriched uranium out of Iran, processed, and then sent back to Iran. This would allow Iran to have a peaceful nuclear energy program without weaponization capacity, Obama said.

"Unfortunately, so far at least, Iran appears to have been unable to say yes to what everyone acknowledges is a creative and constructive approach," he said.

From the start of his administration, Obama has said negotiations with Iran would not be open-ended. "We are now running out of time with respect to that approach," he said.

Meanwhile, the United States and Russia will continue to speak with Iranian leaders, Obama said.

"We believe that the United States and Russia will continue to urge Iran to take the path that leads them to meeting its international obligations," he said. "We can't count on that, and we will begin to discuss and prepare for these other pathways."

In his statement, Medvedev reinforced Obama's point.

"Negotiation process is not for the pleasure of the process itself, but it is done in order to reach practical, specific outcomes," he said. "In this case, our goal is clear: it is a transparent, up-to-date, peaceful program – not a program that would raise questions or concerns from the international community. We're prepared to work further, and I hope that our joint work will yield in positive results. In case we fail, the other options remain on the table in order to move the process in a different direction."

The two presidents also discussed Afghanistan, economic issues and the overall standing of U.S-Russian relations. Obama said that Medvedev was "frank, thoughtful and constructive" during the discussion. "I am somebody who genuinely believes that the reset button has worked, and that we are moving in a good direction," he said.

Obama Lays Out America's Asia-Pacific Agenda

By Jim Garamone
American Forces Press Service

Nov. 14, 2009 - The United States is a Pacific nation, and America wants to strengthen alliances and understandings in the region, President Barack Obama said in Tokyo today. Obama gave a major policy speech at Suntory Hall to 1,500 Japanese leaders. He met with Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama and with the emperor and empress of Japan.

The president praised the U.S-Japanese alliance as a partnership based on mutual interests and respect. The alliance has served both nations well in the past, and he expects it will change and deepen in the future, he said.

The United States pledged to defend Japan when a treaty was signed almost 50 years ago. Security is part of the overall relationship between the nations, and the two leaders agreed to move expeditiously through a joint working group to implement the security agreement on restructuring U.S. forces in Okinawa, Obama said.

While Japan is the anchor of American interests and commitments in the Pacific, "it doesn't end here," the president said.

"Asia and the United States are not separated by this great ocean; we are bound by it," he said. "We are bound by our past – by the Asian immigrants who helped build America, and the generations of Americans in uniform who served and sacrificed to keep this region secure and free."

Prosperity binds the regions together, the president said, and he noted that millions of Americans trace their ancestry to Asia. "So I want everyone to know, and I want everybody in America to know, that we have a stake in the future of this region, because what happens here has a direct effect on our lives at home," Obama said.

Japan and China are two of America's largest trading partners, and the nations of Southeast Asia – especially Indonesia, Vietnam, Thailand, Malaysia and Singapore – are growing in importance to the American economy.

But the United States is interested in the region not only for economics, Obama said, but also for security.

"This is a place where the risk of a nuclear arms race threatens the security of the wider world, and where extremists who defile a great religion plan attacks on both our continents," he said.

Obama said the United States will engage with old friends and seek new ones throughout the region. Alliances with Japan, South Korea, Australia, Thailand and the Philippines "continue to provide the bedrock of security and stability that has allowed the nations and peoples of this region to pursue opportunity and prosperity that was unimaginable at the time of my first childhood visit to Japan," he said.

"And even as American troops are engaged in two wars around the world," he added, "our commitment to Japan's security and to Asia's security is unshakeable, and it can be seen in our deployments throughout the region – above all, through our young men and women in uniform, of whom I am so proud."

The United States looks for nations such as Indonesia and Malaysia to play larger roles regionally, he said, and he stressed that the national security and economic growth of one country need not come at the expense of another.

"I know there are many who question how the United States perceives China's emergence," he said. "But as I have said, in an interconnected world, power does not need to be a zero-sum game, and nations need not fear the success of another. Cultivating spheres of cooperation – not competing spheres of influence – will lead to progress in the Asia-Pacific [region]."

This does not mean that China has a blank check, the president noted.

"America will approach China with a focus on our interests," he said. "It's precisely for this reason that it is important to pursue pragmatic cooperation with China on issues of mutual concern, because no one nation can meet the challenges of the 21st century alone, and the United States and China will both be better off when we are able to meet them together."

America welcomes China's effort to play a greater role on the world stage – a role in which their growing economy is joined by growing responsibility, he said.

"China's partnership has proved critical in our effort to jumpstart economic recovery," the president said. "China has promoted security and stability in Afghanistan and Pakistan. And it is now committed to the global nonproliferation regime, and supporting the pursuit of denuclearization of the Korean peninsula."

The United States does not seek to contain China, nor does a deeper relationship with China mean a weakening of American bilateral alliances in the region, Obama said.

"On the contrary, the rise of a strong, prosperous China can be a source of strength for the community of nations," he said. "So in Beijing and beyond, we will work to deepen our strategic and economic dialogue, and improve communication between our militaries.

"Of course, we will not agree on every issue," he continued, "and the United States will never waver in speaking up for the fundamental values that we hold dear – and that includes respect for the religion and cultures of all people – because support for human rights and human dignity is ingrained in America. But we can move these discussions forward in a spirit of partnership, rather than rancor."

The president said he also believes multilateral organizations can advance the security and prosperity of the Asia Pacific.

"I know that the United States has been disengaged from many of these organizations in recent years," he acknowledged. "So let me be clear: Those days have passed. As an Asia-Pacific nation, the United States expects to be involved in the discussions that shape the future of this region, and to participate fully in appropriate organizations as they are established and evolve."

The security of the 21st century in the area, the president said, is threatened by a legacy of the 20th century: the danger posed by nuclear weapons.

"In Prague, I affirmed America's commitment to rid the world of nuclear weapons, and laid out a comprehensive agenda to pursue this goal," he said. "I am pleased that Japan has joined us in this effort, for no two nations on Earth know better what these weapons can do, and together we must seek a future without them. This is fundamental to our common security, and this is a great test of our common humanity. Our very future hangs in the balance."

But as long as nuclear weapons exist, Obama added, "the United States will maintain a strong and effective nuclear deterrent that guarantees the defense of our allies – including South Korea and Japan."

Still, he said, an escalating nuclear arms race in the region would undermine decades of growth and prosperity. "So we are called upon to uphold the basic bargain of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty – that all nations have a right to peaceful nuclear energy; that nations with nuclear weapons have a responsibility to move toward nuclear disarmament and those without nuclear weapons have a responsibility to forsake them," he said.

The United States is pursuing a new agreement with Russia to reduce nuclear stockpiles and also is working to ratify and bring into force a nuclear test ban treaty. "And next year at our Nuclear Security Summit, we will advance our goal of securing all the world's vulnerable nuclear materials within four years," Obama said.

Strengthening the global nonproliferation movement is not about singling out individual nations, he said. "It's about all nations living up to their responsibilities," the president said. "That includes the Islamic Republic of Iran. And it includes North Korea."

North Korea has chosen a path of confrontation and provocation, Obama said, and is developing nuclear arms and the means to deliver them.

"It should be clear where this path leads," the president said. "We have tightened sanctions on Pyongyang. We have passed the most sweeping U.N. Security Council resolution to date to restrict their weapons of mass destruction activities. We will not be cowed by threats, and we will continue to send a clear message through our actions, and not just our words: North Korea's refusal to meet its international obligations will lead only to less security, not more."

North Korea can renounce these efforts and be welcomed into the community of nations, Obama said.

"Instead of an isolation that has compounded the horrific repression of its own people, North Korea could have a future of international integration," he said. "Instead of gripping poverty, it could have a future of economic opportunity – where trade and investment and tourism can offer the North Korean people the chance at a better life. And instead of increasing insecurity, it could have a future of greater security and respect. This respect cannot be earned through belligerence. It must be reached by a nation that takes its place in the international community by fully living up to its international obligations."

He called on North Korea to return to the six-party talks and uphold previous commitments including the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty. He also called for the full and verifiable denuclearization of the Korean peninsula.

The United States will stand with Asian allies in combating the transnational threats of the 21st century: extremism, piracy, disease, poverty and modern-day slavery, the president said. "The final area in which we must work together'" he added, is in upholding the fundamental rights and dignity of all human beings."

The American agenda in the area is ambitious, and it will not be easy, Obama said. "But at this moment of renewal ... history tells us it is possible," the Hawaiian-born president said. "This is ... America's agenda. This is the purpose of our partnership with Japan, and with the nations and peoples of this region. And there must be no doubt: As America's first Pacific president, I promise you that this Pacific nation will strengthen and sustain our leadership in this vitally important part of the world."

Obama Orders Review of Fort Hood Prelude

American Forces Press Service

Nov. 14, 2009 - President Barack Obama used his weekly address today to call for a careful and complete review of what happened before the Nov. 5 tragedy at Fort Hood, Texas.

Here is the text of the president's address:

This was a week for honoring the extraordinary service and profound sacrifice of our men and women in uniform.

Every fall, we set aside a special day to pay tribute to our veterans. But this year, Veterans Day took on even greater poignancy and meaning because of the tragic events at Fort Hood.

On Tuesday, I traveled there to join with the Fort Hood community, the Army, and the friends and families of the victims to honor thirteen of our fellow Americans who died – and the dozens more who were wounded – not on some distant shore, but on a military base at home.

Every man and woman who signs up for military service does so with full knowledge of the dangers that could come – that is part of what makes the service of our troops and veterans so extraordinary. But it's unthinkable that so many would die in a hail of gunfire on a US Army base in the heart of Texas, and that a fellow service-member could have pulled trigger.

There is an ongoing investigation into this terrible tragedy. That investigation will look at the motives of the alleged gunman, including his views and contacts. As I said in Fort Hood, I am confident that justice will be done, and I will insist that the full story be told. That is paramount, and I won't compromise that investigation today by discussing the details of this case. But given the potential warning signs that may have been known prior these shootings, we must uncover what steps – if any – could have been taken to avert this tragedy.

On the Thursday evening that this tragedy took place, I met in the Oval Office with Secretary of Defense Gates, the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff – Admiral Mullen, and FBI Director Mueller to review the immediate steps that were necessary to support the families and secure Fort Hood. The next morning, I met with the leadership of our military and the intelligence community, and ordered them to undertake a full review of the sequence of events that led up to the shootings.

The purpose of this review is clear: We must compile every piece of information that was known about the gunman, and we must learn what was done with that information. Once we have those facts, we must act upon them. If there was a failure to take appropriate action before the shootings, there must be accountability. Beyond that – and most importantly – we must quickly and thoroughly evaluate and address any flaws in the system, so that we can prevent a similar breach from happening again. Our government must be able to act swiftly and surely when it has threatening information. And our troops must have the security that they deserve.
I know there will also be inquiries by Congress, and there should. But all of us should resist the temptation to turn this tragic event into the political theater that sometimes dominates the discussion here in Washington. The stakes are far too high.

Of all the responsibilities of the presidency, the one that I weigh most heavily is my duty as Commander-in-Chief to our splendid service-men and women. Their character and bravery were on full display in that processing center at Fort Hood, when so many scrambled under fire to help their wounded comrades. And their great dignity and decency has been on display in the days since, as the Fort Hood community has rallied together.

We owe our troops prayerful, considered decisions about when and where we commit them to battle to protect our security and freedom, and we must fully support them when they are deployed. We also owe them the absolute assurance that they'll be safe here at home as they prepare for whatever mission may come. As commander in chief, I won't settle for anything less.

This nation will never forget the service of those we lost at Fort Hood, just as we will always honor the service of all who wear the uniform of the United States of America. Their legacy will be an America that is safer and stronger – an America that reflects the extraordinary character of the men and women who serve it.

Guard Members in Three States Respond to Flooding

By Air Force Lt. Col. Ellen Krenke
Special to American Forces Press Service

Nov. 13, 2009 - More than 160 National Guard members in three states have responded to flooding caused by heavy rains from Tropical Storm Ida today. Virginia, Delaware and New Jersey have called up Guard members to evacuate residents in high-water areas as well as provide cots, sandbags and potable water.

In Virginia, almost 100 Guardsmen have deployed high-water vehicles in support of the Portsmouth, Va., fire department.

The governor of New Jersey has declared a state of emergency for the Cape May and Atlantic counties due to flooding. The New Jersey National Guard has provided 18 Army Guardsmen with 10 5-ton trucks to help civilian authorities with evacuations, Guard officials reported.

About 40 members of the Delaware National Guard have provided support to civilian emergency relief agencies in Kent and Sussex counties.

On Nov. 12, Delaware Gov. Jack Markell placed 32 Army Guardsmen on state active duty. They reported to readiness centers in Georgetown, Seaford, Dagsboro, and Milford to serve as crew for 16 large M1078 trucks, known as light-medium tactical vehicles.

These four teams will provide a quick response if needed for evacuation or use by emergency personnel, Guard officials said.

According to Army 2nd Lt. Nathan Bright, a Delaware Guard spokesman, the Guard has so far:

-- Provided transport for a medical evacuation in the Oaks Orchard area;

-- Provided and transported 50 cots to the evacuation center in the Indian River area and 1,000 sandbags to affected communities; and

-- Prepared and staged seven 400-gallon water "buffalos" and a 4,000-gallon water tanker for distribution of potable water if needed after waters recede.

A second shift of 33 soldiers began processing at the readiness centers early this morning to relieve those activated last night, Bright said. All 65 soldiers will remain on alert in shifts.

The Delaware National Guard's Joint Operations Center and military support directorate continue to coordinate with and assist the Delaware Emergency Management Agency in providing assistance to state and local agencies, Bright said.

The National Hurricane Center reports that the rain is fading along the mid-Atlantic coast. Flood warnings and advisories will remain in effect for portions of the central Gulf Coast, the southeastern United States and the Mid-Atlantic States.

(Air Force Lt. Col. Ellen Krenke serves at the National Guard Bureau.)

Army Reports Possible Increase in Suicides for October

By Samantha L. Quigley
American Forces Press Service

Nov. 13, 2009 - The Army is investigating 16 potential suicides among active-duty soldiers in October, about twice the number reported among the same population in September, Army officials said. Of the seven reported in September, three have been confirmed as suicides, and four still are under investigation to determine the manner of death.

From January through October, the Army reported 133 potential active-duty suicides. Of those, 90 deaths have been confirmed as suicides, and the other 43 remain under investigation. For the same period in 2008, there were 115 suicides among active-duty soldiers.

"Stigma continues to be one of the most difficult challenges we confront," said Army Brig. Gen. Colleen McGuire, director of the Suicide Prevention Task Force. "The more we educate our Army community about the need to get help, the need to get it early, and that full recovery is often possible, the less stigma we'll see."

Suicide is not absent from the reserve components, as 69 potential suicides were reported among reserve-component soldiers not on active duty for the first 10 months of 2009. Of those, 41 have been confirmed as suicides. For the same time period in 2008, there were 47 suicides. October accounted for eight of the potential suicides in 2009.

In an effort to curb suicides, the Army in March chartered the multidisciplinary task force McGuire heads up. Its mission was to make rapid improvements across the full spectrum of health promotion, risk reduction and suicide prevention programs. It has made more than 170 improvements to these programs, Army officials said.

Army leaders took it a step further when they announced the formal start of the Comprehensive Soldier Fitness Program on Oct. 1. The holistic program is designed to emphasize psychological, emotional and mental strength. The new program uses a balanced, multifaceted approach and a lifelong learning model that includes individual assessment, tailored virtual training, classroom training at all levels of Army education, and embedded resilience experts.

The goal of the program is to provide soldiers the critical skills then need to face any and all of life's challenges, officials said.

Army leaders can access current health promotion guidance in the newly revised Army Regulation 600-03.

Soldiers and families in need of crisis assistance can contact Military OneSource or the Defense Centers of Excellence for Psychological Health and Traumatic Brain Injury. Both organizations provide trained consultants around the clock, seven days a week, 365 days a year.

All Services Meet or Exceed October Recruiting Goals

By Gerry J. Gilmore
American Forces Press Service

Nov. 13, 2009 - All active-duty and reserve-component military branches met or exceeded their recruiting goals for October, Defense Department officials said. October's results – the first for fiscal 2010 -- continue a successful military recruiting mission that experienced a banner year in fiscal 2009.

Active and reserve military components notched record recruiting numbers in fiscal 2009 and also signed up the highest-quality recruits since the all-volunteer force began in 1973, Bill Carr, deputy undersecretary of defense for military personnel policy, told Pentagon reporters at an Oct. 13 news conference.

Active-duty military recruiting continued its winning ways in October:

-- The Army signed up 6,914 active-duty soldiers in October, making 101 percent of its 6,858 goal.

-- The Navy signed up 2,926 active-duty sailors in October, making 100 percent of its 2,926 goal.

-- The Marine Corps signed up 2,851 active-duty Marines in October, making 100 percent of its 2,843 goal.

-- The Air Force signed up 2,198 active-duty airmen in October, making 100 percent of its 2,198 goal.

All four active-duty services also met or exceeded their retention goals for October.

All six reserve components met or exceeded their recruiting goals in October:

-- The Army National Guard had 4,425 accessions, making 112 percent of its 3,947 goal.

-- The Army Reserve had 3,348 accessions, making 125 percent of its 2,675 goal.

-- The Navy Reserve had 671 accessions, making 100 percent of its 671 goal.

-- The Marine Corps Reserve had 1,132 accessions, making 144 percent of its 787 goal.

-- The Air National Guard had 698 accessions, making 124 percent of its 562 goal.

-- The Air Force Reserve had 1,083 accessions, making 100 percent of its 1,083 goal.

Attrition losses for the reserve components are not available, pending corrections and resubmissions from services, officials said.

Carr acknowledged that the current economic downturn probably is having a positive effect on recruiting, but he also pointed to the efforts of military recruiters for the results in fiscal 2009, noting that the military deployed a robust bonus program in which 40 percent of recruits received an average bonus of $14,000.

And last year's success should positively affect the military's recruiting mission in fiscal 2010, Carr added.

"You just don't start recruiting from zero. ... You would start with the number [of recruits] that are under contract to report for training in the months ahead," Carr pointed out.

For example, the Army's active-duty recruiting goal for fiscal 2010 is about 74,500 soldiers, Maj. Gen. Donald M. Campbell Jr., chief of Army Recruiting Command, told Pentagon reporters at the Oct. 13 news conference.

However, Campbell said, the Army had signed up about 30,000 new active soldiers through delayed-entry programs. And these troops, he said, will count toward the Army's fiscal 2010 recruiting goal.

Joint Typhoon Warning Center Marks 50 Years of Service

By Bob Freeman
Special to American Forces Press Service

Nov. 13, 2009 - This year marks the 50th anniversary of the Joint Typhoon Warning Center, a joint Navy and Air Force office that provides tropical cyclone reconnaissance and forecasting to support the safety of military and other government assets in the U.S. Pacific Command and U.S. Central Command areas of responsibility. "The Joint Typhoon Warning Center was established by the United States Pacific Command in 1959. It actually formed out of the consolidation of several smaller tropical forecast centers that were scattered throughout the Pacific region, and those were actually created in the wake of what's known as Typhoon Cobra," said Navy Lt. Cmdr. Jeremy Callahan, operations officer at JTWC, in a Nov. 10 interview on Pentagon Web Radio's audio webcast "Armed with Science: Research and Applications for the Modern Military."

Callahan described Typhoon Cobra, which hit vessels of the Pacific Fleet in 1944, as one of the worst naval disasters in U.S. history. According to a fleet letter from Navy Adm. Chester Nimitz, the Pacific Fleet's commander in chief at the time, 790 sailors were lost and 80 were injured, three ships sank and nine suffered serious damage, and 146 aircraft on various ships were lost or damaged beyond repair.

Callahan explained that a typhoon is a western Pacific version of a hurricane. Both constitute the most developed and severe form of tropical cyclones, which are large storms that form over warm tropical waters.

The Joint Typhoon Warning Center ensures that today's military forces in the Pacific will never again experience a disaster like Typhoon Cobra. Callahan said the center, which is composed of a mix of Navy, Air Force and civilian meteorologists and analysts, provides tropical cyclone guidance, advisories and warnings to U.S. military and government assets throughout the Pacific region.

The center's actual forecasting responsibilities are in the western Pacific and Indian oceans. Callahan explained that the civilian National Hurricane Center and Central Pacific Hurricane Center share tropical cyclone forecasting responsibilities for the Atlantic and the Pacific region east of the International Dateline.

"We actually only do the forecasting west of the dateline," Callahan noted, "but our area includes both the northern and southern hemispheres." Since the seasons are reversed in the southern hemisphere, that means the center is kept busy throughout the year.

"So it's a year-round job here, and with both hemispheres in the Pacific and Indian Ocean, we actually cover about 89 percent of the world's tropical cyclones," Callahan said. He explained that JTWC provides forecasts to military bases and ships, U.S. embassies, and U.S. territories such as Guam that fall under their area of responsibility.

"Our main products are the storm track, the horizontal extent of the winds and the intensity of the systems," Callahan said. "These forecasts are very complex, so we use very large numerical models that are run on super computers. We actually have a large suite of these computer models. Some are run here at Joint Typhoon Warning Center, but most are run elsewhere.

"For instance," he continued, "the Navy has some models that are being run at the Fleet Numerical Meteorology and Oceanography Center. The National Center for Environmental Prediction, which is [the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's] computing center, runs some of these models. The Air Force Weather Agency runs a model for us."

He added that the center also uses computer models operated by Japan, Australia, the United Kingdom, and the European Center for Medium Range Weather Forecasts.

Callahan noted that the models all have their strengths and weaknesses. Some are global in scope, depicting the atmosphere over the entire Earth, and some are regional, providing a higher-resolution look. He explained that the larger models are useful for overall atmospheric flow and forecasting a storm's track.

"But we need the smaller regional models to be able to determine the structure of the cyclone, what the winds are, and how the system is actually behaving within the local environment," he added.

"We are getting excited about the Navy's global model called NOGAPS, which is starting to do a new four-dimensional data assimilation," Callahan said. "Instead of just getting a static picture, it's able to identify trends in the data and, hopefully, get a better initialization before the model starts to run.

"We have also just implemented the Navy's regional model, COAMPS," he continued. "It has a specialized tropical cyclone tracker that we're currently evaluating, and the Air Force Weather Agency is running a regional model called WRF that also is starting to implement a tropical cyclone tracker. So there's a lot of good model development right now, and some other research that we're starting to get excited about."

As for tropical cyclone reconnaissance, Callahan said JTWC monitors storms through a suite of remote sensing technologies set on geostationary and polar-orbiting satellites, along with shore and ship observations and surface radar imagery.

"The No. 1 tool we use is called the scatterometer, and that's able to give us a direction and wind speed of winds at the surface over the ocean," Callahan explained. "It does this through the polarization of microwave energy reflected off the little capillary waves, the tiny one- and two-millimeter waves that are being caused by the wind as it goes over the surface of the ocean."

In addition to traditional weather satellites normally used to track storm movement, Callahan described the use of such space-based sensing devices as microwave imagers and sounders, infrared and water vapor imagers, and radar altimeters. All combine to provide an understanding of the shape, structure, size, intensity and movement of the storm.

Callahan noted that the center has a public-facing Web site that offers regular tropical cyclone warnings, text and graphical products, satellite imagery, and significant weather bulletins. He cautioned, however, that JTWC services are primarily for the Defense Department, and while it may be useful to review the products, viewers should consult their local national meteorological agency for products pertinent to their locality.

(Bob Freeman works in the Office of the Oceanographer of the Navy.)

MILITARY CONTRACTS November 13, 2009

NAVY
Raytheon Co., Integrated Defense Systems, Tewksbury, Mass., is being awarded a $46,735,245 modification to previously awarded contract (N00024-05-C-5346) to exercise an option for the next phase of verification of the production design for the DDG 1000 Zumwalt Class Destroyer Program. Work will be performed in Moorestown, N.J. (48.2 percent), Tewksbury, Mass. (38.3 percent), Portsmouth, R.I. (7.8 percent), Sudbury, Mass. (4.3 percent), Minneapolis, Minn. (1.2 percent), and Marlborough, Mass. (0.2 percent), and is expected to be completed by December 2010. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Naval Sea Systems Command, Washington, D.C., is the contracting activity.

Terex Corporation, Fredericksburg, Va., is being awarded a $7,025,575 firm-fixed-price, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract to provide interim contract logistics services to support for the Terex 50 ton all terrain crane in both Afghanistan and Iraq. The contractor will provide maintenance and supply support for the crane and provide technical assistance to units operating the crane outside the continental United States and will provide all/specified personnel, material, services and necessary support documentation needed to complete the tasks, field service representatives, maintenance and parts. This contract contains an option, which if exercised, will bring the total contract value to $8,918,449. Work will be performed in Bagram, Afghanistan, and Balad, Iraq. Work is expected to be completed in December 2011. This was a sole source contract. Marine Corps Systems Command, Quantico, Va., is the contracting activity (M67854-10-D-5024).

Northrop Grumman Shipbuilding, Inc., Newport News, Va., is being awarded a $6,000,000 modification to previously awarded contract (N00024-08-C-2100) for the accomplishment of the fiscal year 2008 Extended Drydocking Selected Restricted Availability (EDSRA) of USS Enterprise (CVN 65). EDSRAs are similar to overhauls in that they restore the ship, including all subsystems that affect combat capability and safety, to established performance standards. Additionally, an EDSRA provides an opportunity to perform hull inspections, recoating and other maintenance related evolutions below the waterline that cannot be accomplished while the ship is waterborne. The EDSRA provides sufficient time to perform more extensive repairs and testing than are possible during an Extended Selected Restricted Availability. Work will be performed in Newport News, Va., and is expected to be completed by January 2010. Contract funds in the amount of $6,000,000 will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Naval Sea Systems Command, Washington Navy Yard, Washington, D.C., is the contracting activity.

DEFENSE LOGISTICS AGENCY
Connecticut Center for Advanced Technology, Inc., East Hartford, Conn., is being awarded a maximum $18,000,000 cost-plus-fixed-fee contract for environmental research and development on CO2 emission problems. There are no other locations of performance. Using service is Defense Energy Support Center. The original proposal was web solicited with 39 responses. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The date of performance completion is Sept. 1, 2010. The contracting activity is the Defense Logistics Agency, Philadelphia, Pa., (SP4701-10-C-0001).

Falcon Fuels, Inc., Paramount, Calif., is being awarded a minimum $11,337,376.65 fixed-price with economic price adjustment for fuel. Other locations of performance are in various locations in California. Using services are the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps and federal civilian agencies. The original proposal was web solicited with 48 responses. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The date of performance completion is Sept., 30, 2012. The contracting activity is the Defense Energy Support Center, Fort Belvoir, Va., (SPO600-10-D-4513).

American Apparel, Inc., Selma, Ala., is being awarded a maximum $8,133,585 firm-fixed-price with indefinite-quantity for Navy apparel. Other locations of performance are in Alabama and Mississippi. Using service is the Navy. The original proposal was web solicited with 10 responses. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The date of performance completion is Nov. 18, 2010. The contracting activity is the Defense Supply Center, Philadelphia, Pa., (SPM1C1-07-D-1551).

Volunteers Reach Out to Military Families

By Gerry J. Gilmore
American Forces Press Service

Nov. 13, 2009 - An army of volunteers wrote letters of thanks and assembled care packages for delivery to military families during Operation Appreciation, held Nov. 11 at George Washington University here. The Veterans Day event was sponsored by military-support organization Blue Star Families and by ServiceNation, a national campaign that encourages volunteer service, in partnership with Target and the Public Broadcasting Service.

Volunteers in the university's Marvin Center packed about 500 care packages containing games, lip balm, popcorn, movies, digital cameras and key chains, said Claire Woodward, executive director for Blue Star Families. Other volunteers, she said, wrote letters and thank you notes to military families.

The packages and notes, Woodward said, will be distributed among military families with the Kansas Air National Guard; at Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune, N.C.; and at Little Creek Navy Base, Va.

"Military families are very proud of their service," Woodward said, noting that such events help to make servicemembers and military families feel appreciated.

Bank of America also partners with ServiceNation to support servicemembers, veterans and their families, said former Army captain Babette Oltmanns, now a senior vice president at the bank's corporate headquarters in Charlotte, N.C.

"As a veteran, I understand the sacrifices that military and family members make," Oltmanns said as she watched volunteers from her company writing thank you letters to troops and their families. "It is so critical that the family members be recognized for the sacrifices that they make to support our servicemembers."

Bank of America also supports the hiring of military veterans, with a special focus on recruiting wounded warriors, Oltmanns said.

Constance A. Burns, a Blue Star Families volunteer and president and chief executive officer of the nonprofit National Association of American Veterans Inc., wrote letters to military families.

"Today is a day that we give thanks to them, and we're reaching out, letting them know that America cares about them," Burns said.

Some of the letters, Burns said, are going to grieving families at Fort Hood, Texas, who suffered from the Nov. 5 shootings there. "We're trying to give support, and we're trying to say, 'We love you and we care about you,'" Burns said.

Army Orders Probe at Arlington National Cemetery, Releases Investigation Findings

Secretary of the Army John McHugh announced today that he has ordered an investigation into allegations of lost accountability of some graves, poor record keeping and other issues at Arlington National Cemetery.

"This is the place where valor rests, a place of reverence and respect for all Americans," McHugh said after signing an order directing the Army's Inspector General to begin an investigation into allegations regarding cemetery operations. "As the final resting place of our nation's heroes, any questions about the integrity or accountability of its operations should be examined in a manner befitting their service and sacrifice."

McHugh's order comes on the heels of revelations that cemetery workers inadvertently buried cremated remains at a gravesite already in use. The error was discovered in May 2008, and cemetery officials immediately took corrective measures, moving the cremated remains to another gravesite and remarking the original grave. Since then, questions have been raised over whether cemetery officials used proper procedures to correct the mistake, including notifying the next of kin.

McHugh's announcement of the probe follows completion of separate internal investigation by the Military District of Washington (MDW) - which the Army released today - over the discovery of an unmarked grave. Cemetery officials conducted an extensive search of both internal and Department of Veterans Affairs records, followed by the MDW investigation and additional efforts by the cemetery, which employed ground penetrating radar and a team of geoarchaeologists.

"Cemetery records, the MDW investigation, and the non-invasive geophysical analysis of the grave sites strongly indicate that a husband and wife, who died years apart and should have been buried in the same gravesite, were instead buried in adjacent graves," said MDW spokesman Col. Dan Baggio.

Cemetery officials have ordered new grave markers for the site. While exhuming the remains and conducting DNA testing would provide a 100 percent assurance of the cemetery's findings, the family has declined taking such invasive action. The Army is abiding by their wishes.

While the unmarked grave was first discovered in 2003, cemetery officials took no action until 2009. McHugh is now directing the Inspector General to examine accountability and policy issues in that case. The Inspector General is also in the midst of a management review of Arlington National Cemetery, begun under former Army Secretary Pete Geren, to make overall recommendations on how better to operate the facility, including possible changes in policy, procedures and regulations.

"A thorough investigation, and transparency in its results, can help correct whatever may be wrong, and ensure America's confidence in the operation of its most hallowed ground," McHugh said, adding, "We will take appropriate action as the facts dictate."

A copy of the Article 15-6 investigation can be found at: http://www.defenselink.mil/news/ANC%2015-6%20redacted%2013%20Nov%2009.pdf

For more information regarding this release, media may contact Gary Tallman of Army public affairs at 703-614-1742.

Reports Find Improvements, Challenges to Morale

By John J. Kruzel
American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, psychological problems is at its lowest since 2004, while morale among military units in Afghanistan has fallen significantly over the past two years, according to Army reports released today. The two reports broadly find improved mental health conditions in Iraq, while morale and other indicative statistics concerning soldiers in Afghanistan were flat or showed signs of decline since similar data was compiled in 2007.

A top Army priority for improving conditions for the 68,000 U.S. troops in Afghanistan is to raise the number of mental health providers from the current 43 to roughly 103, Army officials said today in a roundtable discussion at the Pentagon. About 230 mental health practitioners serve the 120,000 U.S. forces in Iraq.

About 12 percent of the roughly 2,500 U.S. soldiers surveyed in Iraq reported having mental health problems such as acute stress, depression and anxiety – which Army health officials say is significantly lower than every year of the six-year conflict except 2004. The study finds soldier suicides in Iraq did not increase for the first time since 2004, but suggests the war has had a negative impact on military families.

"These trends showed some positive changes, such as a greater percentage of soldiers reporting high or very high morale," said Lt. Gen. (Dr.) Eric B. Schoomaker, the Army surgeon general and commander of the U.S. Army Medical Command. "But they also showed the degree to which the conflict has taken its toll on families, with more soldiers reporting potential plans to separate or divorce, and fewer reporting good marriages."

The data for the Iraq study, compiled by the Army's Mental Health Advisory Team, is based on surveys completed between December 2008 and March 2009. The team's report on Afghanistan is based on surveys filled out between April and June 2009 by about 1,550 deployed soldiers.

In both theaters of operation, soldiers continued to face stress resulting from multiple deployments, but report feeling more prepared for the stress.

"Soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan continue to face stress from multiple deployments into combat, but report being more prepared for the stresses of deployment," Schoomaker said.

In Afghanistan, soldiers reported higher combat exposure and lower unit morale compared to previous years. About 14 percent of combat soldiers surveyed met the criteria for behavioral health problems, a rate similar to that found in a 2007 report.

Additional findings in the Iraq report include:

-- Combat exposure levels were lower than every year except 2004.

-- Positive leadership was a key factor in resilient platoons.

-- Reports of marital problems have increased each year, with more than 16 percent reporting plans to separate or divorce.

-- Soldiers in "maneuver," or combat, units reported more barriers to care and higher stigma associated with seeking mental health care compared to the last assessment, while those in support or sustainment units reported lower barriers to care and lower stigma attached to seeking care.

Other findings of the Afghanistan survey included:

-- Junior enlisted soldiers reported significantly more marital problems than noncommissioned officers, stating an intention to seek divorce or suspecting their spouses of infidelity back home.

-- Exposure to combat, long recognized as a strong factor in mental health problems, was significantly higher this year than rates in 2005 and similar to rates in 2007 for the combat units.

-- Combat units reported significantly lower unit morale in the last six months of their tours of duty.

-- Troops in their third or fourth deployment reported significantly more acute stress and other psychological problems, and married soldiers among them reported significantly more marital problems compared to soldiers on their first or second deployment.

Guard Chief Calls Collaboration Vital

By Army Staff Sgt. Jim Greenhill
Special to American Forces Press Service

Nov. 13, 2009 - Conflict might have been the 20th century norm, but collaboration is the nature of 21st century relationships between the National Guard and other components of the armed forces, the chief of the National Guard Bureau said here this week. "There have always been challenges between the active component forces and the National Guard simply from where we come from culturally," Air Force Gen. Craig R. McKinley told the National Homeland Defense Foundation Symposium on Nov. 9. "But the events of Sept. 11, 2001, and Hurricane Katrina ... have brought us to a point where conflict no longer has a place."

Collaboration is vital in place of that conflict, the general said. "The governors need a strong, viable, relevant National Guard to protect their citizens at home, and the Army and the Air Force need a strong National Guard that can help alleviate the tempo on the active duty force," he said.

Leaders and policymakers will always debate the roles of the Guard and other components, McKinley said, but in a crisis, citizens care only about results.

"While those of us in D.C. and state capitals debate who's in charge, the men and women of the military – active, Guard and Reserve – focus on getting the job done and supporting the local officials who need help," McKinley said. "The 'Who's in Charge?' game seldom occurs on the ground, where the work is really getting done. We see this over and over again with no-notice incidents and cold-start events – Guard, civilian, local, state and federal responders all work closely together to get the job done."

Nevertheless – with the Quadrennial Defense Review and a presidential budget review in preparation for 2011 as background – there is a necessary debate about the Guard's exact role, McKinley said.

"This debate is passionate, and it's contentious, and there's good points to be made on both sides," he told the group.

The debate centers on two primary schools of thought, McKinley explained. "There's a primarily federal response to a disaster, ... and then there's the state or the regional approach, which, for 372 years, the National Guard has done well," he said. "It's a community-based force. It's dispersed. It's in the nation. It's out there every day and can be called upon when needed, and it's scalable to the disaster."

In about 95 percent of probable domestic disaster scenarios, the traditional National Guard response in support of civilian authorities works best, McKinley said. "Community-based forces have a familiarity with the local culture," he added. "They understand the importance of locally elected officials."

Besides, as a city public safety leader recently told McKinley during a domestic response exercise, "All events begin locally and they end locally."

What happens in between is what government must continue to focus on, the general said.

In a small number of scenarios, however, such as the use of a weapon of mass destruction in an American city, local assets may be rapidly overwhelmed, requiring an aggressive federal response, and a whole-of-government solution, McKinley said.

The general acknowledged that the debate about the balance between federal and state leadership that started with the writing of the Constitution is likely to continue indefinitely. But both sides of the debate recognize that collaboration is important, he added.

"We in the National Guard know that there must be unity of command," he said, "and the active component force knows that there must be unity of effort."

Regardless of exactly how specific policy debates are resolved, he said, the National Guard will form the core of any domestic response, and active-duty forces will be available to fill in the gaps and augment when needed.

"In the end," he said, "it's all about preserving the security and safety of our American way of life."

(Army Staff Sgt. Jim Greenhill serves at the National Guard Bureau.)

Federal Officials Pledge Support for Hiring Veterans

By Gerry J. Gilmore
American Forces Press Service

Nov. 12, 2009 - Senior federal officials today pledged their support of President Barack Obama's directive to increase the hiring of military veterans. Obama signed the executive order Nov. 9 that calls on each federal agency to establish a veterans' employment program office designed to help former servicemembers get through the maze of paperwork as they apply for federal positions. It also mandates that agencies train personnel specialists on veteran employment policies.

The order also directs federal agencies to work with the departments of Defense and Veterans Affairs to develop and apply technologies designed to help disabled veterans.

Earlier today, Secretary of Labor Hilda L. Solis appeared at a U.S. Chamber of Commerce event where she told civilian employers they should consider military veterans as employees of choice.

Solis said establishing a veterans' program office within most federal agencies is part of a program designed to transform the federal government into the model employer of America's veterans.

Later today, several senior government officials met with reporters during a press conference held at the Labor Department.

America owes a great debt to its military veterans, Veterans Affairs Deputy Sec. W. Scott Gould said at the press conference.

"We can reach out to them with something as simple, as pragmatic, as practical as a job; a good job in government," Gould said.

And, veterans' hard-won experience, he said, constitutes "an asset we can now bring into government."

It is imperative, Gould said, that government agencies assist veterans to become aware of government jobs, help veterans translate their military skills into civilian parlance, and to help them adjust to their new civilian environment.

Office of Personnel Management Director John Berry told reporters that the president directed him "to do right by our veterans."

America's veterans "are valued, they are experienced, and they are trained," Berry said. Consequently, he said, it would be foolish not to provide veterans with more opportunities to continue to serve in the federal workforce after military service.

"And so, we want to make sure that they know they are welcome and we will have a job for them," Berry said. "We will find one that matches their skills, their passions and their interests and their abilities."

After finding the right job, he said, each veteran will be mentored to help them adapt and transition into the civilian work culture so that they can succeed.

The government-wide Council on Veterans' Employment, chaired by Solis and Veterans Affairs Secretary Eric Shinseki, will play a key role in the veterans hiring program, Berry said.

Solis' and Shinseki's influence, vision and leadership will make the program a success, Berry said. This week, he said, OPM will release a list of the numbers of veterans working at federal agencies.

"And our goal is to have every one of those numbers increase, so that those percentages go up," Berry said.

The United States "arguably has the best-trained, best-equipped and best-led military force the world has ever seen," said Gail McGinn, acting undersecretary of defense for personnel and readiness.

The president's veterans employment initiative "will showcase the leadership and technical skills our military members have to offer," McGinn said, and "will bring back that wonderful talent into our civilian workforce."

The Defense Department already is the largest federal employer of military veterans, McGinn noted. Today, about 342,000 defense civilians are veterans, she said, making up about 45 percent of the department's civilian workforce.

"I work side by side with veterans every day," McGinn said. The skills veterans learned in the service, she said, "serve them very, very well working within the Department of Defense."

The department has two Web sites that provide employment information for veterans, as well as a toll-free phone number where they can talk to career advisors, she said.

The department, McGinn said, also provides transition programs for separating military members that feature resume writing, skills assessments, interview-process training, and jobs-search techniques.

"We also provide special help to our wounded, ill and injured servicemembers whose careers have been cut short due to the injuries received in Iraq or Afghanistan," she said, through the "Hiring Heroes" career fairs. Thirty one of these career fairs, she said, have been run across the United States since 2005.

The largest of the fairs, conducted in June at Walter Reed Army Medical Center here, attracted more than 570 job seekers, McGinn said.

The career fairs, she said, provide servicemembers, many of whom still are recovering from wounds, the opportunity to visit with potential employers, get on-the-spot interviews, and often, job offers.

"At DoD, we are extremely proud of our servicemembers and fully aware of the value that they bring to the federal government," McGinn said.

The interagency process launched by Obama's executive order "will clear a pathway for more federal jobs for our servicemembers," McGinn said, and "will allow them to look throughout the federal government to find the right fit and the best federal job for them."

The Department of Homeland Security's mission of securing the homeland requires dedicated people "willing to do whatever it really takes to get the job done," said Jeff Neal, DHS's chief human capital officer.

Military veterans, Neal said, have "all the types of qualifications that we are looking for in DHS, and they have proven time and time again, when their country has called on them, they are ready to respond."

Neal said his agency plans to employ 50,000 military veterans by 2012.

"We want to show the veterans of America that DHS is one of the places where you are welcome, where you are valued, where you can build a second career and continue your service to America," he said.

Did Diversity Enable Terror?

General George Casey, Jr., the Army Chief of Staff, on CNN commenting on the possibility of “backlash” against Muslim servicembers said, “It would be a shame, as great a tragedy as this was, it would be a shame if our diversity became a casualty as well.” While diversity shouldn’t be a casualty, there should be a deep conversation within our military leadership on what diversity is and is not.

Diversity does make organizations stronger. There is significant organizational theory which demonstrates that bringing new and/or different viewpoints into an organization and synthesizing those viewpoints creates a stronger organization. It’s very much like writing a solid academic paper - thesis, antithesis, synthesis. Simply put, by reconciling different cultures, viewpoints and opinions with the mainstream organizational norms and values, the organization is stronger.

However, every viewpoint simply can’t be reconciled. Having people of the mainstream Muslim faith in our military does make the organization stronger. Their points of view are slightly different than their Christian and Jewish brothers and sisters. It is the ability to reconcile these differences that make the Military stronger. As more and more information pours out it is clear that Major Hasan wasn’t just a devout Muslim; he was a Jihadist.

Major Hasan’s apparent Jihadist views are inconsistent with our Democracy and our Military. They can not be reconciled. One of the questions for our Military leaders may be how people in Major Hasan’s chain of command misused the concept of diversity and allowed Hasan to remain in our Army.

Yes, this is America and anyone can say just about anything they want. American’s can hold any viewpoint. But that doesn’t mean we have to let people in our house, our workplaces, or, our Military.

About the Author
Lieutenant Raymond E. Foster, LAPD (ret.) is Chair of the Criminal Justice Program at the Union Institute and University and the author of books such as Police Technology and Leadership: Texas Hold ‘em Style