Remarks by the Honorable Ray Mabus, Secretary of the Navy at the 235th Anniversary Celebration

Battleship NORTH CAROLINA

Wilmington, NC

Thank you all so much. This is a catapult we’re on. And it keeps bending and buckling and I’m afraid that one of us is going to be catapulted off.  Thank you so much for that welcome. Thank you, particularly to our veterans who are here today. Thank you, Mike McIntyre, for that generous introduction.

I’m going to talk a little bit about what Congressman McIntyre has done for the Navy later. But I did have to share one story. He’s pretty proud of the fact that Mountain Dew started in his hometown. And we went down to the Pax [Patuxent] River Naval Air Station to watch the first flight – or the first supersonic flight – of the Navy’s Green Hornet F-18 that were flying on biofuels. And Congressman McIntyre went with us.

And the Navy gives me a wonderful ride. We’ve got a great aircraft. There’s only one design flaw and that is the cup holders are about that big. So if you don’t hold onto your drink when you take off, it’s going to get all over you. I reminded Congressman McIntyre of that as we headed out. And he very beautifully picked up his drink as we took off. On the way back, he and I both forgot. And I got to wear an entire glass of Mountain Dew to my next meeting which was at the White House.

So we were laughing about that today as we were taxiing out. And I had a glass of iced tea and was talking about it and everything. And we took off and I put it down too quick and poured the iced tea all over me.  So this is the Mike McIntyre memorial drink-spilling aircraft that we have in the U.S. Navy. I’m not flying with you anymore.

To everybody here, General Jensen, thank you for being here from Camp Lejeune, Captain Bragg, directors of the Battleship North Carolina Memorial, Dave Echevarria and the members of the Navy League here in Wilmington. Thank you for putting this on and thank you for this great weather. I just got back yesterday from a trip to six countries in eight days. And I flew back yesterday from Greenland. We stopped at Mons and Brussels and Belgium and Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania. We got to go down and see the Sailors of the USS Taylor in La Coruña, Spain. It was the ship’s last port visit before coming home after six months at sea. And I spent the last day and-a-half of the trip in Greenland talking with them about security issues in the high north.

One thing that was an absolute constant in the Baltics and Greenland and NATO and at

SHAPE was the recognition of a need for more energy independence. That’s why one of the things I’m doing in the Navy is trying to make this a focus. Strategically, we buy too much energy from people who may not have our best interests at heart and tactically, getting a gallon of gasoline to our frontline unit costs too much, takes too long, and is too dangerous. The Army did a study, and found that for every 24 convoys we lose a Marine or a soldier.  We’ve got to change the way we use and produce energy. One of the things I do want to do is express my appreciation to Congressman McIntyre for is his service on both agriculture and armed services. He took the time to learn about the need for energy independence. We went to see it in action, as I told you, down in Patuxent River. And he’s been a strong supporter of what we’re trying to do in the Navy and what we’re trying to do with energy. As well as a strong supporter - as is the entire state of North Carolina - for all the bases, the installations that we have here.

Today is a particularly poignant day to be talking about the Navy. One decade ago, 10 years ago today, the USS COLE was attacked in the Gulf of Aden in Yemen as the world we lived in began to change. I want to take just a moment to recognize the sacrifice of those 17 Sailors aboard the COLE who were killed that day. As well as the service of the tens of thousands of Sailors and Marines around the world and in Afghanistan, Iraq, and those forward deployed and those who have worn the uniform of our country; those who have answered the call, those who have made the sacrifice for America.

More than anything else, holding this event on the anniversary of the COLE bombing reminds us of the need for constant readiness, constant preparedness. The Sailors on the COLE didn’t wake up that morning thinking they were going to war. But when war came, it came to them. They reacted with courage, they reacted with devotion to duty, and they reacted with loyalty to their shipmates. Those are the same traits that have been the hallmark of the United States Navy for 235 years.

The spirit of the men and women of the COLE is the very same shown by those who once walked these decks. And I can’t tell you how many memories coming to a ship like this brings back to me. I served on a World War II era Cruiser – it had the same teak decks, the smells, the sights. And I can feel the notion that generations of Sailors holystoned these decks – and I think of the people who served here – and the Sailors and the Marines who have walked the decks of every ship named NORTH CAROLINA since the beginning of our country.

The story of our Navy and the stories of those who have gone down to the sea in ships, since the birth of the republic, lives on in the steel of ships like this NORTH CAROLINA, and every ship we sail today. The first NORTH CAROLINA, which there was a model of coming in, was authorized by Congress in 1816 hard on the heels of the War of 1812 – it was a 100-gun wooden ship. That first NORTH CAROLINA was a result of the lessons that we learned in that war, the experience we gained from the construction, the battle records of those first six frigates.

That NORTH CAROLINA, like this one, was one of the most powerful ships of its kind, capable of standing toe- to-toe with any ship in the world. We saw the ironclad NORTH CAROLINA, and then at the beginning of the 20th century, the third NORTH CAROLINA. And one that spoke to the birth of a new Navy; a Navy more ready to engage the world and one ready and eager to develop and embrace new technologies.

The cruiser NORTH CAROLINA witnessed the birth of naval aviation, and in 1915 conducted the first ever underway demonstration of a steam catapult when it launched a Curtiss Model F into the bright blue skies off the coast of Pensacola.  And then came this NORTH CAROLINA. One of the last classes of ships built in

accordance with the limitations imposed between the two wars, authorized in ‘37 and commissioned in early ‘41 with war looming on the horizon.

This NORTH CAROLINA, exactly like its predecessors, incorporated the latest technologies and innovations of naval architecture. She was built with four main engine rooms to improve its watertight integrity. She was welded instead of riveted. She was one of the first ships equipped with the Navy’s newest technology – something called radar.

When the war finally came, NORTH CAROLOINA headed west. I realize that most of you know this story better than I do, but here’s the Cliffs Notes version: NORTH CAROLINA arrived in the Pacific four days after Midway and from that point she participated in virtually every major action of the Pacific.  Her campaign across the Pacific was the map of that war: Guadalcanal, the Solomons, the Gilberts, the Marshalls, Truk, Tinian, Saipan, Guam, Philippines, Okinawa. Over the course of that war she was attacked by enemy planes and kamikazes countless, countless times. She was hit by a torpedo that should’ve sunk her, but her crew and damage control parties saved her. She fired tens of thousands of rounds in support of Marines onshore. She ended the war anchored in Tokyo Bay proudly displaying 15 battle scars.

Today the name NORTH CAROLINA and the legacy that this ship earned lives on. Just two years ago, right here in Wilmington, we commissioned a new NORTH CAROLINA. This one, a Virginia-class submarine, bears all the history and actually some of the pieces of this ship and its forbearers. She and her crew are already living up to this namesake – to the honor of the name – and representing this city, this state, this nation, proudly and with distinction.

In 235 years the Navy has been in constant motion – just like the oceans we sail. In 235

years, we have led the United States and the world in technological innovation and the ability to meet and to overcome any challenge, any obstacle, and every fight that we have faced. In 235 years we have grown, we have adapted, and we have changed when necessary. We’ve done it to address the ever-shifting requirements of a fluid and complex world.  You can see in the history of the five ships named NORTH CAROLINA in the different propulsion forces they used: first wind, then coal, then oil and now nuclear. You can see it in the very service that each one has. When they were commissioned, the Navy and the nation didn’t know with certainty what the future would bring. Our nation didn’t know what conflicts or what conditions would be required of its ships 10 years or 20 years or 30 years in the future.

We had to build ships then and we have to build ships now that are flexible and able to do a lot of things. Ships like the submarine NORTH CAROLINA.

As Congressman McIntyre pointed out the destroyer GRAVELY is being commissioned here next month. And we have to trust the integrity, the ingenuity, and the creativity of the most important thing we have in the Navy, our Sailors, our Marines. We trust them to make sure that we continue to be the most formidable expeditionary fighting force the world has ever known.

I’ve been Secretary almost a year now. I’ve visited with tens of thousands of Sailors and Marines around the world on every ship and every submarine and every squadron and every MEF [Marine Expeditionary Force] and every mobile unit, every SEAL [Sea Air and Land] team and every SEABEE [Construction Battalion] battalion. I’ve seen the same devotion to duty and the readiness to give everything in service of our country. For that we owe them a huge debt.  We owe them our very existence. As our judge and minister said in his eloquent invocation, they are what allowed us to live the way we do.

Less than 1 percent of our country today serves in uniform. And it’s a fact that we don’t recognize enough and we don’t thank the people who are willing to do it enough. But on this occasion, the Navy’s birthday, we get to say thanks to all of those who have served, to all those who have made the Navy what it is, to their families who have supported them and sacrificed for them back home, and most importantly to those standing on the back of Poseidon - those Sailors and Marines today on station all around the world.

Thank you all, Wilmington, and Godspeed.

President Obama signs Coast Guard Authorization Act of 2010

Written by: Christopher Lagan

Earlier today, President Obama signed into law the Coast Guard Authorization Act of 2010. The signing of this bill gives the Commandant of the Coast Guard, Admiral Bob Papp, authorities to make changes and operate the Coast Guard to better serve the public.

“The Coast Guard Authorization Act of 2010 provides us with authority to enhance the safety of U.S. ports and waterways, acquisition assistance to acquire state-of-the-art ships and aircraft to patrol America’s waters, and tools to promote individual readiness, including improvements to our family housing and child development centers,” said Adm. Papp  in an ALCOAST on the subject adding, “I am particularly pleased with the modernization authority—it will allow us to finish our organizational realignment and enhance our ability to meet the high demand for our services.”

Finishing organizational realignment of the service means using the best processes to ensure Coast Guard men and women have the training, tools, and leadership necessary to safely and successfully fulfill our missions of maritime safety, security and stewardship.

Additional authorities granted within the Act validate the Coast Guard’s decision to take control of the process to replace aging cutters and aircraft, providing our men and women in uniform with state of the art platforms to conduct Coast Guard missions.

Finally, and significantly, the Act bolsters the Coast Guard’s authorities when it comes to combating smugglers of people and narcotics attempting to violate U.S. territorial waters.

“I could not be more pleased with this Authorization Act and want to thank the Administration and Congress for their support,” said Papp. “The Act will help us remain always ready well into the future.”

Today in the Department of Defense, Monday, October 18, 2010

Secretary of Defense Robert M. Gates delivers remarks at the American-Turkish Council's 29th Annual Conference on U.S. -Turkish Relations at 12:30 p.m. at The Ritz-Carlton, Washington, D.C.  For more information email atc@the-atc.org .

Deputy Secretary of Defense William J. Lynn has no public or media events on his schedule.

Today in the Department of Defense, Sunday, October 17, 2010

Secretary of Defense Robert M. Gates and Deputy Secretary of Defense William J. Lynn have no public or media events on their schedules.

Paying tribute to the troops: Capital Cutters perform at Walter Reed

Written by: Christopher Lagan

Post written by LTJG Ryan White, Coast Guard Community Relations

The all-volunteer jazz band Capital Cutters paid tribute to recovering war heroes at Walter Reed Army Medical Center with a special performance earlier this week.

Capital Cutters is made up of a variety of Coast Guard employees – truly embodying a joint effort, involving active duty, reserve, auxiliary, civilian and retired members.  Their leader, Steve Wolf, is a retired lieutenant commander and 1976 graduate of the U.S. Coast Guard Academy.

The ten-piece jazz band set up shop in the main cafeteria at Walter Reed and played various sets through lunch.  Their sounds proved to be magnetic, drawing passing medical staff and family members from the hall as they listened to Zoot Suit Riot and Go Daddy-O.

Army Captain Rohul Amin, a medical resident at Walter Reed listened to the Capital Cutters as he ate lunch. “People show appreciation in different ways.  This is a more tangible way. Visitors are always appreciated by wounded warriors,” said Amin.

A Walter Reed physician’s assistant, Ivan Cabonell, agreed.  He was one of the many passersby who took a moment out of his day to appreciate the music. “It’s a refreshing sound,” said Cabonell.

Between sets, members of Capital Cutters visited wounded warriors recovering at the hospital.  As the band made its way from the comfortable setting of the cafeteria, they entered the ward, with the foreign scent of disinfectant.  They approached, with some hesitation, the room of Tim Hall, a young soldier who served with the 173rd Airborne.  What they found in the room is a testament to the fine men and women serving in the U.S. military.

Hall was hit by a mortar while serving in Afghanistan.  He lost both of his legs due to the injuries he sustained during the attack.  While Tim Hall’s body may have been broken lying in his hospital bed, his mind, and his spirit were strong.  Hall was joined by his mother and father from Nevada as they monitored his progress.  He laughed, joked and answered the group’s many questions about his service to our nation.

It was clear from the patients the band interacted with that the medical staff of Walter Reed truly care for the heroes who pass through the doors of the hospital each week.  The medical professionals are sometimes overlooked in the work they do.  Cabonell said that the Capital Cutters music “helps the staff as well.”

The Capital Cutters returned to the cafeteria to gather their gear to depart.  During the day they were approached by the hospital’s chaplain to possibly visit again, during the holidays.  While not always in the spotlight, injured service members spend time away from family and friends.  The holidays can make that especially tough.  The Capital Cutters and many others have been willing to do what they can to make each day a little better.

The Capital Cutters groups was joined by Portia Davidson from the Coast Guard Office of Diversity, April Kaufman,  radio personality and Southern Shore Chapter of the American Red Cross board member and Lee Darby, producer and publisher of the Jersey Girl Publishing Corporation.  Kaufman and Darby work closely to help get the word out regarding support for wounded warriors.

Today in the Department of Defense, Friday, October 15, 2010

Secretary of Defense Robert M. Gates is traveling.

Deputy Secretary of Defense William J. Lynn has no public or media events on his schedule.

Missing WWII Airman Identified

The Department of Defense POW/Missing Personnel Office (DPMO) announced today that the remains of a serviceman, missing in action from World War II, have been identified and returned to his family for burial with full military honors.

Army Air Forces 2nd Lt. Arthur F. Parkhurst, of Evansville, Ind., will be buried on Oct. 16 in Dayton, Ohio.  On March 12, 1945, Parkhurst and five other crew members aboard a C-47A Skytrain departed Tanauan Airfield on Leyte, Philippines, on a resupply mission to guerilla troops.  Once cleared for takeoff there was no further communication between the aircrew and airfield operators.  When the aircraft failed to return, a thorough search of an area ten miles on either side of the intended route was initiated.  No evidence of the aircraft was found and the six men were presumed killed in action, their remains determined non-recoverable.

In 1989, a Philippine national police officer contacted U.S. officials regarding a possible World War II-era aircraft crash near Leyte.  Human remains, aircraft parts and artifacts -- including an identification tag belonging to Parkhurst -- were turned over to the local police, then to U.S. officials.

Among other forensic identification tools and circumstantial evidence, scientists from the Joint POW/MIA Accounting Command used dental comparisons and the Armed Forces DNA Identification Laboratory used mitochondrial DNA -- which matched that of Parkhurst’s brother and sister -- in the identification of his remains.

At the end of the war, the U.S. government was unable to recover and identify approximately 79,000 Americans.  Today, more than 72,000 are unaccounted-for from the conflict.

For additional information on the Defense Department’s mission to account for missing Americans, call 703-699-1169 or visit the DPMO Web site at www.dtic.mil/dpm

Float plan helps save six lives

Search and rescue…. one of the Coast Guard’s oldest and most recognizable missions. On an average day, the Coast Guard rescues 13 lives and in 2009 the Coast Guard responded to more than 23,000 SAR cases and saved 4,747 lives.

On Sunday evening, one such SAR case lasted nearly 24 hours, covered about 3,200 square miles, and ended in the successful rescue of six men.

When Sharon McDade called the Coast Guard to report her husband, son and four other men were overdue from a fishing trip off the coast of New Jersey, she was able to provide the necessary information to help Sector Delaware Bay SAR planners put together a coordinated search effort. Aircraft from Air Station Atlantic City, N.J., Air Station Elizabeth City, N.C., and Air Station Cape Cod, Mass., along with the crew of the Coast Guard Cutter Finback and rescue boat crews from Station Barnegat Light, N.J., began an aggressive search.

By midday Monday, watchstanders had worked with family members to positively identify the voice of one of the fishermen on a vague mayday radio call heard by Sector Southeastern New England. Watchstanders correlated McDade’s overdue boat information with the mayday call to confirm they were looking for the 32-foot boat, Black Magic, with six men onboard.

“We knew we had a genuine case with a good chance of survival,” said Senior Chief Bud Holden, an operations specialist and the Command Duty Officer on watch at Sector Delaware Bay when the initial call came in.

Without knowing what happened to the men and having only a general understanding of where they were planning to fish, it was like looking for a needle in a haystack.

Nearly 24 hours after the search began on one of the last legs of their search pattern, the crew of the HH-6035 rescue helicopter from Air Station Elizabeth City caught the glimmer of a flashing light. As the crew investigated the source of the light, they found it was coming from the Black Magicwith all six men safely onboard. The boat had suffered mechanical problems and drifted about 120 miles east of Atlantic City.

Thanks to the men’s foresight to put together a float plan, a family member’s concerned phone call, the efforts of skilled Coast Guard SAR watchstanders and the cooperation of several Coast Guard rescue assets, the men are were safely rescued.

“The fact that these fishermen told their families where they were going, their route and intended fishing grounds really helped in search efforts,” said Holden. “Not to mention that they stuck with their plan and did not divert to other areas. This information was critical in search planning efforts, ultimately saving the lives of these men.”

CGC Finback, homeported in Cape May, N.J., with the help of the 47307 Motor Life Boat crew from Station Atlantic City, brought the Black Magic and the six men to Station Atlantic City Tuesday afternoon where they were reunited with their families.

While this SAR case ended well, it is still a cautionary tale.

“People running that far off shore need to ensure they have some sort of communication that does not require power, like an EPIRB,” said Holden. “A correctly registered EPIRB provides the Coast Guard with position information and can take the search out of search and rescue.”

Gates, NATO Defense Ministers Discuss New Strategic Concept

By John D. Banusiewicz

American Forces Press Service

BRUSSELS, Belgium, , Oct. 13, 2010 – Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates and his fellow NATO defense ministers are here to discuss myriad issues in advance of next month’s summit meeting of the alliance’s heads of state in Lisbon, Portugal.

While en route here from Hanoi, Vietnam, where he attended an expanded defense ministers meeting with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, Gates told reporters traveling with him that tomorrow will be a busy day for NATO’s North Atlantic Council, but that the alliance’s mission in Afghanistan won’t be part of the agenda.

“Obviously, Afghanistan will figure prominently in Lisbon, but not tomorrow,” he said. “The work that we have cut out for us in Brussels tomorrow really is about trying to move forward and reach final agreement on a lot of the other aspects of the summit that are important in terms of the future of the alliance.”

Reaching agreement on NATO’s new strategic concept -- with assured security and dynamic engagement at its center -- will be at the top of the list, the secretary said. Also, he added, the council will try to agree on committing to various “critical capabilities” -- among them missile defense, capabilities to counter improvised explosive devices, cyber defense, and aircraft command and control systems.

“There are about 10 of these capabilities that we believe we need to commit to as guidance for the defense planning process,” Gates said. “They wouldn’t all be locked in stone, but they certainly should be things that the alliance should focus on.”

There’s a proposal to slim down the alliance’s command structure to realize “significant efficiencies,” Gates said. NATO has 14 agencies, he explained, and a proposal is on the table to trim that number to three.

“With all these reform efforts and efforts to bring efficiencies, our position, of course, will be -- just like we’re doing in Washington –- that any savings realized as a result of these efficiencies be plowed back into these critical capabilities that I talked about,” Gates said.

Amid reports that some allies are planning defense cuts, Gates said he knows they must deal with the issue based on their own internal dynamics, but he’s worried that any such cuts would cause the alliance to look toward the United States to cover any gaps created.

“At a time when we’re facing stringencies of our own, that’s a concern for me,” he said.

On missile defense, Gates said he believes broad support exists for the phased, adaptive approach to missile defense in Europe that calls for increasingly capable sea- and land-based missile interceptors and a range of sensors to defend against the ballistic missile threat from Iran.

“The linkage with national missile defense, so that both territories and populations are covered, is really more a matter of software –- of connecting the command and control of the different national capabilities,” he said. That would require only a modest financial outlay beyond what already has been approved –- perhaps 85 million to 150 million euros over 10 years, he added.

A defense ministers’ session of the North Atlantic Council will take place tomorrow morning, and they’ll be joined in the afternoon by the alliance’s foreign ministers for a joint session of the council. The foreign ministers will hold a separate meeting among themselves after that.

Gates: Resources Must Match Words in NATO Strategic Concept

By Jim Garamone

American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, Oct. 14, 2010 – Deeds and resources must match words as NATO formulates its strategy agreement for the future, Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates said in Brussels today.

Gates and Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton discussed the new Strategic Concept that NATO leaders will debate and adopt at the Lisbon Summit in November. The two leaders made their statements during a closed-session meeting of defense and foreign ministers.

Both secretaries praised the draft proposal submitted by NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen.

“The secretary general’s draft does a good job of capturing the complexity and uncertainty of today’s security environment, and strikes the proper balance between security concerns both in and out of area,” Gates said.

The new concept is the first update of NATO’s long-term security strategy since 1999.

Clinton said the concept “must express the alliance’s enduring commitment to protect freedom and security through collective defense, crisis management and cooperative security.

“[The concept] must demonstrate our renewed determination to meet emerging security challenges,” she continued. “And it must explain to our publics how NATO will continue to deter and defend against all threats to peace, prosperity or democracy –- including terrorism, proliferation and cyber attack.”

The draft concept strikes the right balance in disarmament and deterrence, NATO’s relations with Russia and the need to enhance NATO’s capacity for conducting civilian-military operations, the secretary of State said.

The concept will require resources to develop the capabilities needed, Gates said. “We will have to make sure —- at Lisbon —- that the words in the Strategic Concept will be matched by agreement to invest in the capabilities necessary to turn those words into reality,” he said. “I therefore very much welcome the alliance’s agreement to fund the critical capabilities we have identified as a matter of priority.”

Two emerging threats addressed by the draft concept are the threats from ballistic missiles and cyber attacks, Gates said.

“It is vitally important that we not only talk about these new threats in Lisbon, but act to counter them by agreeing to acquire the capabilities necessary to collectively defend against them,” he said.

The ballistic missile threat exists and will grow, Gates said, noting that NATO nations must agree to counter the threat.

“For the past year, ever since President Obama announced our new approach to countering the missile threat to Europe, the (NATO) alliance has worked on territorial missile defense. The studies have been done, the data are well-known and the affordability is clear," Gates said. "We can protect ourselves from ballistic missiles affordably, and over time increase protection over all parts of NATO Europe, consistent with the principle of the ‘indivisibility of security.’ It is time for a decision.”

The alliance also needs to bolster its cybersecurity defenses, Gates said. “Our vulnerabilities are well-known, but our existing programs to remedy these weaknesses are inadequate,” he said. “The new draft highlights this underappreciated new threat, though the language could be sharpened further.”

Gates urged the ministers to review NATO’s cybersecurity policy after Lisbon as a matter of priority. “We need to identify what more must be done to protect our vital information systems,” he said. “And then we need to agree to fund the capabilities that are necessary to protect these systems.”

The world is experiencing tough economic times, Gates said, but he urged NATO ministers in Brussels to be careful not to “hollow out” the alliance during restructuring efforts.

“The substantial reforms discussed by defense ministers this morning should, in time, produce savings that must be reinvested in new capabilities,” he said. “This is how we will keep the alliance modern, strong, effective and relevant.”

2010 Proves Banner Year for Recruiting

By Jim Garamone

American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, Oct. 12, 2010 – The military services had a banner year for recruiting and retention in fiscal 2010, Defense Department officials said here today.

The services met their overall numbers, and exceeded qualitative goals, said Clifford Stanley, undersecretary of defense for personnel and readiness.

The Army had the highest recruiting goal with 74,500 new soldiers, and it recruited 74,577. The Navy had a goal of 34,180 sailors and recruited 34,140. The Marine Corps recruited 28,041 young men and women on a goal of 28,000. The Air Force recruited 28,493 airmen, topping a goal of 28,360.

All of the reserve components made their fiscal-year goals, with the exception of the Army National Guard. The Army Guard intentionally missed its recruiting goal in order to stay within end-strength limits.

The services also set quality records with 100 percent of the recruits in the Army and Marine Corps having a high school diploma. In the Air Force, the percentage with at least a high school diploma was 99 percent and in the Navy, 98 percent.

However, the services are not taking this success for granted, Stanley said.

“Recruiting is always going to be a challenge,” he said. “It’s still a challenge.”

While the high unemployment rate has helped spur recruiting, it was not the biggest reason young men and women decided to join the military, Stanley said.

“As we look at where we are right now in terms of the challenges facing us, it’s more to it than the economy,” he said. “To a person -- serving their nation, doing it with honor, being patriots -- seems to be the recurring theme that comes up every time we look at and talk to those who are wearing a uniform today, and we’re still proud to have that in our active and our reserve components, and our Guard.”

Stanley said the propensity of Americans to enlist is higher than it has been in the past. Still, he said, there are difficulties. Only three of every 10 Americans in the prime recruiting group of 17 to 24 years of age are even qualified to enlist, he added. Many candidates, he said, are disqualified for medical, educational or conduct reasons. Also, he added, the military and private industries are in competition for these prime recruits.

“We know that as the economy turns, our business will get a little tougher,” said Maj. Gen. Donald M. Campbell Jr., the commander of Army Recruiting Command. “But I believe if we set the conditions now in the Army like we're trying to do and focus on quality of life, taking care of our soldiers and our families and focusing on those tools that allow them to recruit in difficult environments, then we’ll be okay.

“But the bottom-line premise for all services,” Campbell continued, “will be that three in 10 is the number that we’re going to have to choose to look at in 17-to-24-year-olds.

Navy Honors Killed, Injured in USS Cole Attack

By Donna Miles

American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, Oct. 12, 2010 – Navy officials, current and former crew members and families of the fallen gathered today at Norfolk Naval Station, Va., to remember the 17 sailors killed and 39 others wounded in the al-Qaida attack on the USS Cole 10 years ago today.

Suicide bombers launched the surprise Oct. 12, 2000, attack on the Arleigh Burke-class, Aegis-equipped guided missile destroyer as it was anchored in Aden, Yemen, for a routine refueling stop. The attackers detonated an explosive-laden boat against the ship’s port side, tearing a 40-by-40-foot hole in the hull and sending seawater gushing into the engineering compartment.

The attack was the deadliest assault against a U.S. naval vessel since the Iraqis attacked the USS Stark on May 17, 1987.

Retired Navy Cmdr. Kirk Lippold, the Cole’s commander during the attack, recalled the impact of the blast.

“There was a thunderous explosion. You could feel all 505 feet and 8,400 tons of guided missile destroyer violently thrust up and to the right,” Lippold said during a recent radio interview. “Lights went out, and within a matter of seconds, I knew we’d been attacked.”

During today’s ceremonies, Navy Adm. J.C. Harvey Jr., commander of USS Fleet Command, saluted the Cole crewmembers’ quick response and valor as they fought to keep the ship afloat and tended to the wounded while defending against a feared follow-on attack.

Harvey said the attack underscores the importance of always being trained and prepared, and he praised the sense of vigilance that has been passed down to subsequent USS Cole crews.

After 14 months of upgrades and repairs following the attack, the USS Cole made an overseas deployment in November 2003. The ship later deployed to the Middle East in June 2006.

The USS Cole, which recently returned to its Norfolk homeport after a deployment that took it through the Gulf of Aden, shows no visible evidence of the deadly attack that occurred a decade ago. But below its decks are regular reminders, including a blackened U.S. flag that survived the attack and 17 gold stars that line the ship’s “Hall of Heroes” passageway.

As a ship’s bells rang 17 times during today’s ceremonies, the names of the fallen 17 sailors were read aloud:

* Petty Officer 2nd Class Kenneth Eugene Clodfelter, 21, a hull maintenance technician from Mechanicsville, Va.;

* Chief Petty Officer Richard Costelow, 35, an electronics technician from Morrisville, Pa.;

*Seaman Lakeina Monique Francis, 19, a mess management specialist from Woodleaf, N.C.;

* Seaman Timothy Lee Gauna, 21, an information systems technician from Rice, Texas;

* Seaman Cherone Louis Gunn, 22, a signalman from Rex, Ga.;

* Seaman James Rodrick McDaniels, 19, of Norfolk, Va.;

* Petty Officer 2nd Class Marc Ian Nieto, 24, an engineman from Fond du Lac, Wis.;

* Petty Officer 2nd Class Ronald Scott Owens, 24, an electronics warfare technician from Vero Beach, Fla.;

* Seaman Lakiba Nicole Palmer, 22, of San Diego, Calif.;

* Seaman Joshua Langdon Parlett, 19, an engine room fireman from Churchville, Md.;

* Seaman Patrick Howard Roy, 19, a fireman from Cornwall on Hudson, N.Y.;

* Petty Officer 1st Class Kevin Shawn Rux, 30, an electronic warfare technician from Portland, N.D.;

* Petty Officer 3rd Class Ronchester Manangan Santiago, 22, a mess management specialist from Kingsville, Texas.;

* Petty Officer 2nd Class Timothy Lamont Saunders, 32, an operations specialist from Ringgold, Va.;

* Seaman Gary Graham Swenchonis Jr., 26, a fireman from Rockport, Texas;

* Ensign Andrew Triplett, 31, of Macon, Miss.; and

* Seaman Craig Bryan Wibberley, 19, of Williamsport, Md.

Today in the Department of Defense, Thursday, October 14, 2010

Secretary of Defense Robert M. Gates is traveling.

Deputy Secretary of Defense William J. Lynn has no public or media events on his schedule.

This Day in Naval History - Oct. 13

From the Navy News Service

1775 - The Continental Congress establishes a Continental Navy, later known as the U.S. Navy.

1943 - The Destroyer Bristol (DD 453) is sunk, with the loss of 52 lives, by the U-317 off the coast of Algeria.

1954 - USS Saipan (CVL 48) begins relief and humanitarian aid operations for Haitians who were victims of Hurricane Hazel. The operation ended Oct. 19.

DOD, DHS Join Forces to Promote Cybersecurity

By Cheryl Pellerin

American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, Oct. 13, 2010 – Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates and Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano announced today that their departments will work together to better protect against threats to military and civilian computer networks and systems.

The departments’ new memorandum of agreement on cybersecurity was created, the senior officials said, to coordinate and improve efforts to secure the nation’s critical cyber-based infrastructure.

“With this memorandum of agreement, effective immediately, we are building a new framework between our departments to enhance operational coordination and joint program planning, Gates and Napolitano said in a joint statement. “It formalizes processes in which we work together to protect our nation’s cyber networks and critical infrastructure, and increases the clarity and focus of our respective roles and responsibilities.”

Under the agreement, DOD cyber analysts will work with their counterparts at DHS to formally support the National Cybersecurity and Communications Integration Center, called NCCIC. The agreement also provides a full-time senior DHS leader to DOD’s National Security Agency, along with a support team comprised of DHS privacy, civil liberties and legal personnel.

“This structure is designed to put the full weight of our combined capabilities and expertise behind every action taken to protect our vital cyber networks, without altering the authorities or oversight of our separate but complementary missions,” Gates and Napolitano said in their joint statement.

“We will improve economy and efficiency by better leveraging vital technologies and personnel to serve both Departments’ missions in full adherence to U.S. laws and regulation,” they added. “This memorandum of agreement furthers our strong commitment to protecting civil liberties and privacy.

According to a senior DHS official, the agreement is the “next logical step” in cybersecurity efforts and has several important effects.

“We expect it to enhance joint planning and increase visibility between DOD’s and DHS’s operational processes and increase each agency’s effectiveness,” the senior DHS official said today in a telephone briefing for reporters. “For example, we would hope that this would drive more rapid collaboration under the National Cyber Incident Response Plan,” a federal plan to define roles and responsibilities of agencies and industry in responding to potential cyber attacks.

In the same briefing, a senior DOD official said that one of DOD’s key missions is to provide defense support to civilian authorities during attacks on the homeland.

“This applies to responding to hurricanes or other natural disasters or to [weapons of mass destruction] and it applies to cybersecurity as well,” the senior DOD official said. “So from our perspective supporting DHS on cybersecurity is part of DOD’s mission and this [agreement] is intended to help DOD and [the National Security Agency] in particular to be able to do that more effectively.”

By executive order, NSA acts as the national manager for National Security Systems and in that capacity it reports to the Secretary of Defense and to the Director of National Intelligence.

“We’re not talking about new missions or new authorities; we’re looking to help our departments be able to do their jobs better,” the senior DOD official said.

“The U.S. just happens to have a tremendous amount of expertise at NSA,” he added. “Our perspective is that it will be a lot faster and more cost effective to make sure NSA is supporting DHS as effectively as possible than to expect DHS to try to build all the capabilities NSA has. As a country we don’t have the time or the money to try to buy all of the capabilities twice.”

DOD needs DHS to succeed in the cybersecurity mission, the senior DOD official said.

“We need it to help us be able to do our own assigned missions,” he said, “from transporting troops and material to wars overseas to supporting defense of the homeland. We rely as a department not just on the dot mil -- our own networks -- but on a secure dot gov and dot com to work with our partners.”

The DOD official added, “It may seem ironic in today’s connected world, and especially for cybersecurity, that we’re suggesting it’s critical to have people work together on a daily basis, face-to-face. But that’s the reality of how people work and from a DOD perspective we understand that this arrangement will help DHS compete more effectively for support from NSA.”

“We look forward to building on this vitally important step toward greater collaboration,” Gates and Napolitano said in their joint statement, “as we continue to work together on new and better ways to protect our economy and critical networks against evolving threats by those who seek to harm the United States.”

Big "E" Takes Their Best Shot

By Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Brooks B. Patton, Jr., USS Enterprise Public Affairs

USS ENTERPRISE, At sea (NNS) -- As the aircraft carrier USS Enterprise (CVN 65) was conducting its Composite Training Unit Exercise (COMPTUEX) Oct. 8, the crew faced another challenge besides the rigors of these simulated war games.

The cold and flu season is here, and a Sailor's cough or sneeze could mean the spread of a potentially life-threatening virus that can directly impact the ship's warfighting capability.

The flu can decimate a ship's crew, especially due to the close-quarter living arrangement inherent to shipboard life.

"If we didn't administer the flu shot it could potentially knock out more than 50 percent of the crew and could result in many hospitalizations," said Chief Hospital Corpsman (SW/FMF) Thomas P. Dewitt, Medical department's chief of preventive medicine.

Even if one has had the flu shot before or is not prone to getting sick, they should get the vaccination. The influenza virus is always changing, and annual vaccinations are highly recommended. Each year's shot is different from the previous.

Instead of thousands of Sailors waiting in line to receive shots, the creative Sailors in Big E's Medical department developed a rotation to allow the maximum number of Sailors in line that can effectively be inoculated while the remaining come back on a first-come, first-serve basis when the line is empty.

Due to the sudden nature of last year's H1N1 outbreak, the vaccination had to be manufactured after the influenza A and B vaccinations were already issued. This resulted in Sailors having to receive two shots.

This year's single shot includes all vaccinations, and the short waiting time incentivizes the effort.

According to the World Health Organization, 49,000 people died in the U.S. alone from the virus in the 2007 – 2008 flu season, while an estimated 3 to 5 million were stricken worldwide.

As the Sailors and Marines of the Enterprise Strike Group are gearing up for the warship's 21st deployment, the overall health of the crew is critical to mission readiness.

The Enterprise Strike Group consists of Enterprise, the guided missile destroyers USS Bulkeley (DDG 84), USS Barry (DDG 52) and USS Mason (DDG 87), the guided-missile cruiser USS Leyte Gulf (CG 56), USNS Arctic (T-AOE 8), Carrier Air Wing 1 and Destroyer Squadron 2.

The Enterprise Strike Group is conducting COMPTUEX as part of its work-ups in preparation for the upcoming deployment. For more information about Enterprise, Carrier Strike Group 12 or Carrier Air Wing 1 visit www.Enterprise.navy.mil, WWW.ccsg12.surfor.navy.mil, and www.cvw1.navy.mil. You can also visit www.news.navy.mil/local/cvn65.>

For more news from USS Enterprise (CVN 65), visit www.navy.mil/local/cvn65/.

Gates Reaffirms Position on ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’

By John D. Banusiewicz

American Forces Press Service

BRUSSELS, Belgium, Oct. 13, 2010 – As Justice Department officials consider the implications of a federal court order for the Defense Department to stop enforcing the so-called “don’t ask, don’t tell” law, Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates said today that whether the law is repealed is a matter for Congress to decide.

While en route here from Hanoi, Vietnam, Gates told reporters traveling with him that much remains to be worked out before DOD effectively could implement a change allowing gays and lesbians to serve openly in the military.

A review panel led by Jeh C. Johnson, the Pentagon’s top lawyer, and Gen. Carter F. Ham, commander of U.S. Army Europe, still is researching the issue, and input from servicemembers and their families remains to be compiled and evaluated, Gates noted.

“I feel very strongly that this is an action that needs to be taken by the Congress,” the secretary said, “and that it is an action that requires careful preparation and a lot of training. We have a lot of revision of regulations that has to be done.”

The review also will determine what other kinds of changes would be necessary if the law is repealed, including benefits and adjustments to facilities, he added.

“This is a very complex business,” Gates said. “It has enormous consequences for our troops. And as I have said from the very beginning, I think there should be legislation, and that legislation should be informed by the review we have under way.”

The review panel is considering results of an extensive survey of active duty and reserve-component servicemembers, and Johnson and Ham conducted numerous town-hall meetings to get face-to-face input, Gates said. Tens of thousands of comments have been submitted to a special e-mail address set up to gather additional input, he added, and hundreds of gay and lesbian servicemembers took advantage of a chance to share their views anonymously. In addition, the final responses from a survey of spouses and family members assessing their views on the impact of a repeal of the law have just been received, the secretary noted.

“I think we had a very strong return on those,” he said. “My recollection is that we sent out 150,000 surveys and got back somewhere between [40,000] and 50,000. Those all still have to be collated and analyzed. The surveys are an important piece of this.”

When all that feedback is compiled, Gates said, the panel will put together its recommendations. Then everything, including the raw data, will go to the services for their individual analyses.

“I think there’s a lot going on here,” the secretary said. “Frankly, to try and accelerate it would be difficult. There are a lot of moving parts as we’re trying to get as thorough a view of all of this as possible.”

Today in the Department of Defense, Wednesday, October 13, 2010

Secretary of Defense Robert M. Gates is traveling.

Deputy Secretary of Defense William J. Lynn has no public or media events on his schedule.

Chairman, Joint Chiefs of Staff Adm. Mike Mullen speaks at the DOD Energy Security Forum at 9:15 a.m. EDT in the Pentagon Auditorium.  Media interested in attending should contact Cmdr. Wendy L. Snyder, wendy.snyder@osd.mil or call 703-697-1252.

Maj. Gen. John Campbell, commanding general for Regional Command East, and French Army Brig. Gen. Pierre Chavancy, commanding general for Task Force Lafayette will brief the media live from Afghanistan at 10:30 a.m. EDT, in the Pentagon Briefing Room (2E973) to provide an update on current operations.  Journalists without a Pentagon building pass will be picked up at the River Entrance only.  Plan to arrive no later than 45 minutes prior to the event; have proof of affiliation and two forms of photo identification.  Please call 703-697-5131 for escort into the building.

Secretary of the Air Force Michael Donley addresses the 2010 Greater Albuquerque Chamber of Commerce meeting at 7 p.m. MDT at the Sandia Resort, Albuquerque, New Mexico.  Media interested with questions should contact the Chamber of Commerce at 505-764-3739.

Graphic Novel Helps Corpsmen Cope with Combat-related Stress

By Valerie Kremer, Bureau of Medicine and Surgery Public Affairs

WASHINGTON (NNS) -- The Naval Health Research Center (NHRC) recently produced a 200-page graphic novel called "The Docs" as a communication tool to help Navy Corpsmen with the stresses of combat deployments.

The graphic novel tells the stories of four fictional corpsmen serving in Iraq at the height of Operation Iraqi Freedom.

"Since the start of combat operations in the Middle East, Navy Medicine recognized that expeditionary hospital corpsmen have extremely high exposure to the many significant stressors of war, both acute and chronic," said Capt. Greg Utz, NHRC commanding officer. "Their dual roles as caregivers and combatants puts them at high risk for stress injuries, so we developed this graphic novel as an innovative way to help our Sailors prepare for and interpret situations they may see in theater."

"The Docs" portrays four expeditionary Corpsmen from both active duty and Reserve components, who are deployed with Marine Corps and seabee units.

The story follows them as they grapple with having to kill enemy forces; struggle to save the lives of wounded Sailors and Marines; encounter home front problems such as injuries to their children, and other concerns that test their resilience.

In addition, they battle the stigma of seeking mental health care for their patients and for themselves, and gain greater awareness of their need to care for one another.

"The goal for this story is to provide an entertaining and community-appropriate message of the importance of caring for caregiver, and the responsibility shared in that endeavor," said Utz.

As an integral part of Navy Medicine's Care for the Caregiver program, "The Docs" was developed with the intent to instill realistic expectations of possible deployment stressors, and to provide examples for corpsmen on helpful techniques for in-theater care of stress injuries.

Graphic novels tell stories through use of sequential art in a traditional comic format, but have a beginning, middle, and end, as with traditional text novels. This format was chosen specifically for its appeal to the targeted age group and its value in providing thought-provoking content for discussion in training scenarios.

Jerry Larson, Ph.D., NHRC chief scientist for behavioral health, said the format works in helping provide corpsmen with tools they will need in high stress situations. Initial feedback from the Hospital Corps has been positive.

"Addressing the psychological toll of combat and creating the expectation of recovery is one of the most critical things we can achieve in Navy Medicine," said Larson. "While sometimes recovery requires assistance from mental health providers, nevertheless the expectation of recovery must be instilled."

Larson said copies of the "The Docs" will be distributed to corpsmen preparing to deploy. The primary audience for distribution is the Naval Expeditionary Medical Training Institute, and field medical training battalions -- both of which are located on Marine Corps bases.

Navy and Marine Corps personnel can order a free copy by visiting the Marine Corps Combat and Operational Stress Control site: http://bhin.usmc-mccs.org/index.cfm?fuseaction=c_user.dsp_browse&cat_id=1.

The graphic novel is available for online viewing and download at: http://www.med.navy.mil/Navy%20Medicine%20Media%20Room/Pages/Publications.aspx and plans are underway to animate the story for viewing on portable phones and computers.

Air Station Miami welcomes the Ocean Sentry

Written by: LTJG Stephanie Young

The Coast Guard’s District 7 executes missions in an immense area stretching over 1.8 million square miles. As of this month, Coast Guard aviators have a new aircraft to fly those two million square miles – the HC-144A Ocean Sentry.

The HC-144A Ocean Sentry is the Coast Guard’s newest aircraft delivered as part of its recapitalization program and will serve as the service’s medium range surveillance aircraft. Air Station Miami is the second operational unit to fly the HC-144A, with the first being Aviation Training Center (ATC) Mobile.

Capable of remaining in flight in excess of nine hours, it doubles that of the hours for the legacy HU-25 Falcon. This greater endurance allows Coast Guard aircrews to remain on-scene longer, adding value to the execution of law enforcement, marine and environmental response and search and rescue missions.

Since the delivery of Air Station Miami’s first HC-144A on March 10, the pilots who will fly the Ocean Sentry have trained and transitioned their qualifications. The pilots attended a ten-week course at ATC Mobile where they familiarized themselves with the aircraft and studied the Sentry’s new systems.

In a series of extensive technical training, the avionics electrical technicians and aviation maintenance technicians at Air Station Miami have also begun transitioning qualifications, to include experienced operators arriving from ATC Mobile this summer.

A standard operational crew for the Ocean Sentry consists of two mission system operators (MSO), one drop master or load master (mission dependant) and one basic aircrewman.

The MSO position is a new role for aircrews with the arrival of the Ocean Sentry platform. MSOs are tasked with operating the on board mission system pallet (MSP) that combines a wide-ranging suite of electronic equipment that collects, compiles, interprets and disseminates data from the sensors and electronic equipment on the aircraft. These integrated components further improve situational awareness and responsiveness of Coast Guard aircrews.

Additionally, in a first for Coast Guard aviation, the Ocean Sentry is capable of transmitting and receiving Secret-level information, improving the Coast Guard’s interoperability with the Department of Defense.

Air Station Miami is proud of its 78-year history of aviation excellence and continues to stand ever at ready as the Coast Guard’s newest, and 16th airframe in it’s history, takes to the skies.

Expeditionary Warfare Conference Speakers Focus on Challenge

By Dan Broadstreet, Naval Surface Warfare Center Panama City Division Public Affairs

PANAMA CITY, Fla (NNS) -- Commander, U.S. Fleet Forces Command, presented his opening night speech Oct. 4, at the Expeditionary Warfare Conference illustrating how America's expeditionary forces could be crippled without adequate mine countermeasures support.

Adm. John C. Harvey described the losses during the U.S. Navy's attempt to conduct a forcible entry into North Korea's port of Wonson in 1950, and then quoted the Commander of Task Force 95, Rear Adm. Alan E. Smith from his after-action report.

"Rear Adm. Alan E. Smith wrote, 'We have lost control of the seas to a nation without a navy, using pre-World War I weapons, laid by vessels that were utilized at the time of the birth of Christ.'"

Harvey went on to further characterize the United States' adversaries.

"So in 2010, sixty years later, what do we learn from our Navy's experiences at Wonson in 1950? The Wonson incident is just one grim reminder that our enemies are truly thinking enemies. Like us, they will do whatever it takes to achieve their goals limited only by the technology available to them and their moral code," Harvey said.

The conference's theme was titled, "Expeditionary Operations – What's Next?" And with presentation titles such as "Resourcing Expeditionary Warfare in a Decade of Shrinking Budgets," keynote speakers challenged industry and military to consider every feasible solution to maintain America's forward presence and sustain America's access to the world's sea lanes.

Special guest speaker, Under Secretary of the Navy, the Honorable Robert O. Work, delivered a presentation on "Amphibious Landings in the 21st Century" and discussed the importance of the Navy and Marine Corps team. Work said the Department of the Navy has a major role in winning "the battle for access" in the 21st century. He also explained that the Department needs to rethink its approach to amphibious assaults due to changes in anticipated threat tactics and available technologies.

"It's as important to our Navy as it is to our Marine Corps," Work said.

Work also spoke about how America's advances in unmanned and automated systems are going to change the look of the future.

"A lot will depend on the exploration and the discoveries that we have," Work said. "But without question, we are going to have more unmanned systems in the future and more automated battle systems. But we never, never want to lose the human element in our thinking about our war fighting because that is what I believe makes this force so special; the capability of our Sailors and Marines."

Commandant of the Marine Corps, Gen. James T. Conway acknowledged that his audience was, in fact, made up of the very scientists, engineers and researchers responsible for the development of such modern advances. Hence, he did not hesitate to present attendees with four specific challenges.

"I'll give you three to four areas where you can help us," said Conway. "First, we need light weight. Now you fill in the blank. It can be armor, vehicles, personal equipment, weapons systems. Secondly, think energy. Energy self sufficiency is increasingly important to us."

Conway's third concern was finding an innovative way for Marines to manage waste.

"What is there about a base camp that is considered excess? asked Conway. "Take a look at what we consider waste and ask yourself, 'Can we miniaturize it or convert it into a catalytic gear to heat our tents at night?'"

And finally Conway concluded by challenging attendees to try and reverse what he called a disturbing trend he said he was detecting in public opinion polls.

"I'm starting to see where, in the general public, there appears to be a growing loss of support for our great young Marines and Sailors, Airmen and Soldiers in our current fight," said Conway. "Talk to your fellow Americans and point out to them what it's going to look like if we simply walk away. Because, I don't think the world can afford for us to do that in this day and age."

This article was sponsored by Police Books.