Locklear Backs Law of the Sea Treaty

By Karen Parrish

American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON – The Law of the Sea Convention is one avenue toward peacefully resolving competing maritime claims that could otherwise lead to conflict, the leader of U.S. Pacific Command said here today.

Navy Adm. Samuel J. Locklear III spoke to Pentagon reporters following his testimony yesterday as part of a military panel addressing the Senate Foreign Relations Committee on the Law of the Sea Convention.

The United Nations treaty opened for signature in December 1982 and took effect in November 1994, after 60 countries had signed. The United States has not ratified the treaty, but the nation’s military leaders have in recent months urged U.S. accession to the agreement.

Locklear told the committee yesterday the convention “is essential to locking in a stable, legal framework for the maritime domain that is favorable to our national interest and preserves our access to this critical region.”

As a Pacific power, the United States has defended freedom, enabled prosperity and protected peace in the region for more than six decades, and it must continue to lead security efforts, the admiral said in testimony.

He told senators, “The convention specifically codifies the rights, the freedoms and the uses of the sea that are critical for our forces to transit through and operate in the waters of the Asia-Pacific region.”

Population and economic growth in the Asia-Pacific make competing maritime claims both more numerous and more contentious, he said.

“Nowhere is this more prevalent than in the South China Sea, where claimants have asserted broad territorial and sovereignty rights over land features, sea space and resources in the area,” Locklear noted.

“The convention is an important component of a rules-based approach that encourages peaceful resolution of these maritime disputes,” he said in testimony. “Moreover, the convention codifies an effective balance of coastal state and maritime state rights, a stable legal framework that we help to negotiate that is favorable to our interests and that we should leverage as a check on states that attempt to assert excessive maritime claims.”

Because the United States is not a party to the convention, he said, “Our challenges are less credible than they might otherwise be.”

Joining the convention would place the United States “in a much stronger position to demand adherence to the rules contained in it -- rules that we have been protecting from the outside since the '80s and before,” he said.

Locklear told reporters today the convention and “customary law” set standards for military vessels’ passage through territorial waters, archipelagos and major straits.

“There are a number of countries in the world -- I think China being one of them -- who from our perspective place excessive claims and excessive restrictions that are not consistent with international [law] and aren't consistent with Law of the Sea,” he added.

Those restrictions, if added together and enacted, would limit international use of roughly a third of the world’s ocean area, Locklear said, and would affect every major strait and every “sea line of communication” -- the primary maritime trade, logistics and naval routes between ports.

All nations concerned with shipping access will be “further at risk if these excessive claims aren't resolved,” the admiral said.

The Law of the Sea Convention could form the basis for an international forum allowing countries to express competing claims, he noted.

“Then there will have to be some compromise,” he added, “because you can't just have continually competing claims that end up causing miscalculation at some point in time, which would lead us to conflict.”

Locklear said there are enough maritime resources “for everybody in the world,” and competing claims should be resolved peacefully.

Responding to a question on U.S.-China military relations, the PACOM commander said he has been encouraged by the receptiveness he has seen from his Chinese counterparts.

“I look forward to continuing our dialogue and to doing some visits,” he added. “I plan to visit [China] within the next several weeks, at their invitation.”

That visit will involve discussions about “military claims and all of the other issues that surround that,” he said.

A productive partnership between the two nations is “very important” to Asia-Pacific security, the admiral said.

“I think the good news is that … we're in a position in the coming months and years to continue to have a productive dialogue,” he added.

Cold War Hero Powers Receives Posthumous Silver Star

By Jim Garamone

American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON  – More than half a century after his plane was shot down over the Soviet Union, the heroism Air Force Capt. Francis Gary Powers displayed while piloting his U-2 aircraft was finally recognized during a Pentagon ceremony today.

Powers, who died in a helicopter crash in 1977, was posthumously awarded the Silver Star -- the nation’s third-highest award for combat valor. Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Norton A. Schwartz presented the medal to Powers’ grandson, Francis Gary “Trey” Powers and granddaughter Lindsey Berry.

The downing of his plane on May 1, 1960 was one of the most famous incidents of the Cold War. Powers was flying a clandestine mission in a U-2 over the former Soviet Union. The program, a Joint Air Force and Central Intelligence Agency mission, was a top-secret effort to monitor Soviet nuclear and missile programs.

Powers took off from Peshawar, Pakistan, and headed over the Central Asian Soviet republics. The U-2 cameras gathered invaluable information for the United States and its allies at a time when the Soviet Bear seemed to be on the ascent.

The Soviets had launched Sputnik -- the world’s first satellite -- in 1957. John F. Kennedy -- then running for president -- deplored the “missile gap” between the United States and Soviet Union. It was the height of the Cold War with schoolchildren conducting “duck and cover” drills in case of nuclear attack. Most buildings had signs indicating the location of fallout shelters, rooms designed to protect against radiation contamination.

Powers’ mission was to overfly Soviet missile sites, nuclear plants and rocket-launching facilities. Over Sverdlovsk his plane -- flying at more than 70,000 feet -- was hit by a SA-2 missile and brought down. Soviet forces captured Powers and he was held by the Soviet secret police, the KGB, in Lubyanka Prison in Moscow.

The shoot down sharply increased tensions between Washington and Moscow. President Dwight D. Eisenhower had to admit that the United States was flying over another sovereign nation. Protests over this broke out in Japan and Europe. Relations with Pakistan deteriorated. A Big-4 Summit -- leaders of the Soviet Union, Great Britain, France and the United States -- scheduled for Paris was canceled. The Soviet Union made propaganda of the incident at the United Nations.

And the Soviets wanted more. Teams of KGB interrogators worked on Powers to get him to give up information or turn against his country. While they never beat him, they constantly threatened him with death, said his son Gary Francis Powers Jr.

Powers spent 21 months in a Moscow prison, Schwartz said. “For nearly 107 days, Captain Powers was interrogated and harassed by numerous Soviet secret police interrogation teams,” the chief said. Powers also was held in solitary confinement.

“Although weakened by lack of food and denial of sleep and mental anguish of constant interrogation, Captain Powers refused all attempts to glean from him sensitive information that would have proved harmful to the defense and security of the United States,” Schwartz said.

In February 1962, the Soviets exchanged Powers for Soviet spy KGB Col. Rudolph Abel. The handover was conducted on “The Bridge of Spies” in Berlin.

It was a sign of the times that Powers’ return home was fraught with uncertainty and questions. A teacher told Dee Powers, the captain’s daughter, that her father should have killed himself rather than getting captured. The program was still top secret and what Powers went through was classified. The captain received the CIA Intelligence Star for Valor in 1965 and the Senate Armed Services Committee declared that Powers had conducted himself, “as a fine man under dangerous circumstances.”

The younger Powers started researching his father’s case in the late 1980s. Much of it was classified. “I would speak about the U-2 incident at classes and people would think I was talking about the rock group,” he said.

It wasn’t until 1998, seven years after the dissolution of the Soviet Union, that the CIA declassified records of the program and Powers’ full heroism became known, said young Gary. At that point, the captain posthumously received the CIA Director’s Award for Extreme Fidelity and Courage, the Air Force Distinguished Flying Cross and the Prisoner of War Medal.

Today’s award of the Silver Star puts to rest the idea that somehow the captain behaved poorly in captivity, his son said.

“He loved his family, he loved flying and he loved his country,” he said.

Detroit to Host Veterans’ Assistance Events

American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON – Detroit’s Cobo Center will host three major U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs-sponsored events from June 26-29.

The VA for Vets Hiring Fair, the Veteran Open House, and the National Veterans Small Business Conference and Expo are expected to attract thousands of job-seeking veterans, business owners and federal employees.

Detroit’s VA for Vets Hiring Fair is free and will feature some 22,000 federal and private-sector job openings located across the country, VA officials said.

Not only will the fair provide veterans an opportunity to showcase their skills to potential employers, it also will assist veterans with resume preparation, interview techniques and career coaching.

The Open House will provide veterans and their families information about the wide range of financial and health-care benefits, services and resources that are available from federal, state and community agencies. Veterans can also enroll in VA care, and get answers to questions.

The National Veterans Small Business Conference and Expo is the premier government event for veteran-owned businesses. VA will provide veteran-owned and service-disabled veteran-owned businesses with a wide range of information to help them maximize opportunities in the federal workplace.

VA hosted its first veterans hiring fair here on Jan. 18, attracting more than 4,100 veterans and resulting in more than 2,600 on-the-spot interviews as well as more than 500 tentative job offers, VA officials said.

“If you had the skills and you went through the interview process, you could be hired right there on the spot,” Veterans Affairs Secretary Eric K. Shinseki told American Forces Press Service about the Washington event. “We had a number of folks who went home that night employed, which I think is a terrific signal … that the opportunities are real and the jobs are available.”

In Detroit, the VA will also encourage qualified veterans to apply for its Veterans Retraining Assistance Program. Under VRAP, veterans between the ages of 35 and 60 who also meet other criteria can receive up to 12 months of education assistance. Maximum payments are equal to the full-time rate for the Montgomery GI Bill, which for service members is $1,473 monthly, VA officials said.

Under VRAP, veterans apply on a first-come, first-served basis for programs that begin on or after July 1. The VA began accepting applications May 15. The agency can approve 45,000 veterans through Sept. 30 and up to 54,000 veterans can participate during the fiscal year beginning Oct. 1. The program runs through March 2014.

“VA is committed to supporting veterans as they seek employment,” said VA’s Under Secretary for Benefits Allison A. Hickey. “VRAP is a great program to give qualified veterans the opportunity to find meaningful employment in a high-demand field.” At the Open House in Detroit, VA representatives will give VRAP presentations several times.

In Detroit, VA also will bring together partners like the “Joining Forces” initiative started last year by first lady Michelle Obama and Dr. Jill Biden, wife of Vice President Joe Biden. “Joining Forces” was created to spark action among all Americans to honor, recognize and support U.S. service men and women, veterans and military families.

Face of Defense: Airmen Save Drowning Man

By Airman 1st Class Mariah Tolbert

4th Fighter Wing

SEYMOUR JOHNSON AIR FORCE BASE, N.C., June 15, 2012 – "Help!" someone faintly calls out.

You look out to the ocean and see a man's arms flailing about, half a mile into the surf, struggling to stay afloat as waves crash down on him. What would you do, knowing lifeguards are not close enough to save him?

Three 4th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron Airmen assigned here found themselves in this situation while spending the day at Atlantic Beach, N.C., and on June 2 saved the life of a 49-year-old man.

Airmen 1st Class Dylan Seng, Ashley Irelan and Alexis LoBasso went to the beach to relax, soak up some sun and hit the waves. However, they were thrown into a life-or-death situation.

"LoBasso, Irelan and myself decided to go into the ocean," said Seng, a native of Palmyra, Pa. "While we were swimming, LoBasso and I heard a man weep for help. We thought it was a joke at first but we heard him for a second time, so LoBasso swam straight to the man and asked if he was okay. The man immediately replied, 'No.'"

As LoBasso reached the man, named Michael, Seng and Irelan followed. After realizing Michael had been struggling and could no longer keep his head above water, the three airmen assisted him to shore. Once there, lifeguards took control and checked everyone to ensure no one inhaled any water.

When asked why they’d risked their lives to save Michael, all responded similarly.

"I helped Michael out of pure instinct," said LoBasso, a native of Yonkers, N.Y. "We were all being good wingmen to Michael by coming to his rescue, and to each other for playing an important role to help him swim back to shore. The situation also embodies the Air Force core values because we used service before self by ensuring the safety of others before ourselves and doing our best to make sure no one was hurt, representing excellence in all we do."

That deed did not go unrecognized by others, including Thomas Daly, the captain of Atlantic Beach Fire Department Guard Unit 41.

"These three put the life of another above their own," Daly said. "Their quick actions, working together as a team, and sound resolve, should be a reflection of great pride to their supervisor, the Air Force and our country. It was an absolute pleasure working with them."

Irelan, a native of Toccoa, Ga., said he’ll always remember what Michael said when he thanked the trio: "You didn't just save my life; you gave my boy more time with his father."

‘Bold Quest’ Promotes Coalition Interoperability

By Donna Miles

American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, June 15, 2012 – Representatives from every military service and their counterparts from 11 other nations are wrapping up an exercise designed to improve their ability to work together to more effectively engage targets while minimizing the risk of friendly fire.

About 440 participants in Bold Quest 12-1 converged on the Camp Atterbury Joint Maneuver Training Center and Muscatatuck Urban Training Center and other venues in Indiana earlier this month for the Joint Staff-led exercise to assess how they gather and share combat identification information, John Miller, operational manager for the exercise, told reporters yesterday.

During 10 days of exercises and data collection, participants are putting to the test, not only their different technologies, but also their tactics, techniques and procedures to ensure they’re interoperable.

The premise, Miller explained, is that coalition members that operate together need to develop and test their capabilities together before they employ them on the battlefield.

The scenarios for this year’s Bold Quest center largely on how coalition members provide close-air-support to warfighters on the ground, Miller explained.

“You have combat effectiveness and fratricide avoidance as big elements of what we are trying to achieve here,” he said. “And we are trying to [address that] with technologies and with procedures.”

The results can have an immediate impact on warfighters. For example, a new combat identification server demonstrated last September during Bold Quest 11 proved so effective that it was deployed to Afghanistan within months after the exercise. The system collects and maintains the locations of U.S. and coalition forces in a single server that air crews can access as they provide close-air support.

Joint terminal attack controllers - those on the ground who direct close area attacks - have also used the Bold Quest exercises to certify the equipment they use to communicate with air crews before deploying to Afghanistan, a coalition participant reported.

Air Force, Navy and Indiana National Guard air assets are providing close-air support for the exercise, with joint terminal attack controllers from several countries directing these operations on the ground. In addition, Army and Marine ground forces are using unmanned aerial systems to support their intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance operations. Special operators are testing techniques and tactics for Special Operations Command.

The annual Bold Quest exercises have evolved since the first operational demonstration in 2003, Miller said. The original focus was highly technical -- identifying the best combat identification technologies for sorting friendly ground forces from enemies within the designated battle space. Subsequent exercises focused on improving friendly forces’ ability to identify each other -- armor units and both mounted and dismounted ground elements.

While continuing to validate the technologies involved, the Bold Quest series has expanded to also address how coalition members share combat identification information.

Joint doctrine isn’t enough to ensure seamless operations in a joint environment, said Marine Capt. Michelle Augustine of the Marine Air Combat and Control Experimental Squadron. “The crux of the problem really lies in interoperability, and how people come together to execute that doctrine in a way that helps support those forces on the ground without their safety being compromised,” she said.

The broad range of technical systems participants bring to the mission adds another complication. So as part of Bold Quest, evaluators are ensuring these technologies adhere to a set of broad user guidelines referred to as standards and stricter and more specific profiles, said Navy Lt. Cmdr. Mike Hall from the Joint Staff’s Joint Deployable Analysis Team.

“The purpose is to make sure they are interoperable with each other,” he said. “We would like to be able to exchange targeting and sensor position indication information between aircraft and JTACs, regardless of what nation or service they come from.”

Interoperability problems identified at Bold Quest often can be fixed on the spot, Hall said.

Miller called Bold Quest a rare opportunity for U.S. and allied warfighters, technicians and analysts to come together in one venue. “It’s a rare opportunity for them to exchange information, identify issues on site and fix some of those things, in progress,” he said.

The exercises, he added, ensure that the highly technical standards that U.S. and coalition forces craft actually work in an operational setting.

“Until you put people together, face-to-face to do that, you just don’t have that high assurance,” Miller said.

“You may have a very voluminous technical standard written,” he added, but that may not be enough to ensure that it “is being implemented effectively and works in a scenario.”

“That is why these groups need to come together,” he said.