Departing Pentagon Policy Chief Reflects on Term

By Jim Garamone

American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, Jan. 7, 2014 – Iraq, Afghanistan, Russia, China and the shift to the Pacific -- all of these issues and more have been on the plate of James N. Miller during his tenure as undersecretary of defense for policy since May 2012.

Miller leaves his post tomorrow and reflected on his term during a roundtable discussion with reporters yesterday.

The war in Iraq officially ended shortly before Miller took office. Iraq has continuing problems, Miller said, and the United States will continue to work with the Iraqi government to solve them. Still, he added, the United States will not deploy troops to Iraq to combat a resurgence of al-Qaida-affiliated terrorists. The Iraqi military can cope with that problem, he said.

“Iraq is being affected by spillover from Syria, as well as from its internal dynamics,” Miller said. “We are continuing to assist the Iraqis and looking for ways in which to do that effectively, but we are not looking at redeploying military forces.”

After more than a decade of war in Afghanistan, the transition to Afghan-led operations was completed in 2013, the outgoing Pentagon policy chief said. The transition to Afghans assuming full security responsibility continues, he added, and will be completed this year.

A key to success in the country is Afghan President Hamid Karzai’s signature on the pending bilateral security agreement between his country and the United States. The agreement would allow a much-reduced number of American troops to remain in the country to train, advise and assist Afghanistan’s national security forces and would allow for Americans to conduct certain counterterrorism operations.

“With the BSA and international involvement, there are very good grounds for optimism,” Miller said. Without the agreement, he added, the United States would have to begin planning for the “zero option” – no troops in Afghanistan in 2015.

“It is not desirable for Afghans or for others, but ultimately, this is up to the Afghans,” Miller said.

U.S. national security strategy is based on global engagement, and the rebalance of U.S. strategy to the Asia-Pacific region is recognition of this fact, Miller said, noting that the United States is strengthening alliances and partnerships in the region.

“Japan’s recent announcement on the Futenma replacement facility is a big deal,” Miller said. The governor of Okinawa cleared the way last month for relocation of a Marine Corps air base to a less-populated area of the Japanese island.

Engagement with China is a central part of the rebalance, Miller said. “While the military is not the only element, … increasing the percentage of our forces and the quality of our forces that go to the Pacific are key elements,” Miller said.

Sustaining global leadership also means sustaining global presence in other regions, the undersecretary said, and building the capacity of partners in the Middle East and Africa is an important aspect of U.S. military engagement.

Miller said the U.S. military partnership with Israel has never been stronger, and America continues a presence in the Persian Gulf. Support for French troops in Mali last year and continuing efforts to build counterterrorism capabilities – most notably in Yemen and Libya – are good examples, he added.

The United States needs to continue to engage with Russia and also increase engagements with other rising powers, such as India and Brazil, Miller said.

The Obama administration has emphasized a whole-of-government approach to national security, which some people call “smart power.”

“Having a strong, capable, ready military is critical to that – hard power is integral to smart power,” Miller said. “We’ve worked hard to guide our military posture and our programs – including the drawdown – strategically.”

Miller noted that as a number of studies have unfolded during this decade -- -- the 2010 Quadrennial Defense Review in 2010, a strategic guidance study under then-Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates, the recently concluded strategic choices management review, and now the run-up to the next Quadrennial Defense Review -- the administration has continued to implement and adapt previous reviews. These include the nuclear posture review, the ballistic missile defense review, and the space policy review, and the administration also has been formulating cyber policy, he said.

“Details will change, but the basic strategy – defend the homeland, engage with friends and allies – will not,” Miller added.

The policy chief did not ignore the budgetary effect on the department, stressing that Congress has to be part of the solution.

“Congress needs to work toward reasonable compromises on our budget,” he said. “I think, over time, we need to get back to more bipartisanship on policy, programs and budgets. In order to be credible as a nation, we’ve got to be able to work together. We’ve got to do better at working across the aisle and working between the administration and Congress.”

The undersecretary said he has no immediate plans for a follow-on job, and that he intends to get reacquainted with his wife and five children.

Face of Defense: Cancer Survivor Deploys to Afghanistan

By Army Staff Sgt. Tramel Garrett

18th Military Police Brigade

CAMP SABALU-HARRISON, Afghanistan, Jan. 7, 2014 – On a warm summer day in July 2010, Army Sgt. Jessica Echols of the 18th Military Police Brigade decided to go for a run to relieve some stress. While running, she began to have problems breathing and experienced excruciating stomach pain.

She recently had been assigned to Germany, and doctors believed her problems were due to her not being acclimatized. After a couple weeks off, she decided to try running again.

This would change her life forever.

Echols was awakened by a stranger after she collapsed on the side of the road. She received medical attention and numerous blood tests, which led to the removal her gallbladder in December 2010. After a successful surgery, it was time for a follow-up appointment at Landstuhl Regional Medical Center. She believed her medical troubles were over, but as it turned out, they were just beginning. Tests revealed that she had massive tumors on her liver.

“For a moment, time stopped,” Echols said. “I could hear the clock ticking, and I couldn’t hear the doctor’s voice.” At first, she believed the doctor was mistaken.

But the reality hit, she said, and she immediately started crying when she realized she was just diagnosed with cancer. She learned that she had two tumors, one on the front and one on the back of her liver. The tumor in the front was attached to an artery, interfering with the blood flow to her heart.

Two weeks after the diagnosis, Echols was admitted to Walter Reed Army Medical Center in the District of Columbia to be close to her family. She would have to prepare for life-threatening surgery. Six people had undergone the same procedure, she said, and only four survived.

“I just tried to spend as much time as possible with them,” she said. “They were all praying for the best and were great supporters.”

Echols said she thought about everything she wanted to accomplish in her life and in the military, and that she wanted to pull through the surgery not only for her family, but also for her fallen comrade, Army Sgt. Princess C. Samuels of Mitchellville, Md.

Echols, a human resource specialist, joined the Army Reserve in 2005 while attending college. She wanted to pursue an active duty career and joined Samuels, her best friend, at Fort Hood, Texas. The two were motivated to go as far as they could within the military ranks together, Echols said.

While waiting to deploy to Iraq, the two friends made a pact to continue their military service until retirement. But Samuels was killed in action Aug. 15, 2007.

At her friend’s funeral, Echols said, she promised her fallen comrade she would continue her military service and a make positive impact.

“I told her that I loved her and that I would continue to live life to the fullest for the both of us,” she said.

“It just added to the fact that I knew I needed to fight and that I still had other things in life that I wanted to do,” she added, “so giving up was not a choice.”

Echols needed four months to recover before returning to Germany. “I couldn’t sit up for a month,” she said. “I could only eat ice chips and Jell-O, but I was happy to be alive.”

She slowly began physical training with walking and swimming. One day the pain in her stomach returned, and she feared the worst. In February 2012, another abnormal growth was discovered on her liver. Fortunately, this was a noncancerous tumor, and it was removed at Landstuhl.

“I was so thankful the tumor was benign. I do not want to go through that surgery again,” she said. “Going through chemotherapy was one of the biggest challenges of my life.”

Echols said she fought a long battle to be cleared for a deployment, determined to serve beside the fellow soldiers who were so supportive during her crisis.

“I’m happy I was able to recover for all the surgeries,” she said. “I feel I’ve showed myself that I’m a determined person. I have so much more that I want to do in the Army. I had two doctor appointments a week until I was cleared to deploy with my unit. My leaders here support me, and I wanted to give back to them, as well as my country.”

Now, Echols is cancer free and is deployed to Bagram, Afghanistan, with Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 18th Military Police Brigade.

“My service to my country means the world me,” she said. “I wanted to share my story and show people that you can overcome any obstacle. Cancer is very scary, but you should never give up, even if the odds are against you.”

Hagel to Visit Troops in Texas, New Mexico, Wyoming

American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, Jan. 7, 2014 – Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel will travel to military facilities in Texas, New Mexico and Wyoming this week to thank wounded warriors, troops and defense workers for their service and dedication, Pentagon spokesman Army Col. Steve Warren said here today.

Tomorrow in San Antonio, Hagel will make his first official visit to Brooke Army Medical Center at Joint Base San Antonio to visit wounded warriors and hospital workers and staff.

There, Warren said, the secretary will speak at the BAMC Center for the Intrepid to thank the staff for their care and support of U.S. troops.

BAMC provides inpatient care, outpatient care and advanced rehabilitation services. Its hospital component is the San Antonio Military Medical Center, a 425-bed medical facility that is the only stateside Level I Trauma Center in the Defense Department.

After Hagel’s BAMC visit, he will travel to Albuquerque, N.M., to tour Sandia National Laboratories and Kirtland Air Force Base, and speak with Sandia staff and troops, Warren said.

Sandia’s main mission is to develop, engineer and test non-nuclear components of nuclear weapons, according to the Sandia website. Sandia Corp., a subsidiary of Lockheed Martin Corp., operates Sandia National Laboratories as a contractor for the U.S. Energy Department’s National Nuclear Security Administration agencies.

Sandia’s laboratories consist of two major Energy Department research and development national labs. The main campus is on Kirtland Air Force Base in Albuquerque, and the other is in Livermore, Calif., next to Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory.

Kirtland is home to the Air Force Materiel Command's Nuclear Weapons Center, a source of expertise for nuclear weapon systems. Its responsibilities include nuclear system programs acquisition, modernization and sustainment for the departments of Defense and Energy.

In Albuquerque, the secretary will receive briefings on the modernization, safety and security of the U.S. nuclear arsenal, the spokesman said.

On Jan. 9, Hagel will travel to F.E. Warren Air Force Base in Cheyenne, Wyo., to visit intercontinental ballistic missile training and operation facilities. That afternoon, the secretary will make remarks to service members on the base, broadcast live on the Pentagon Channel, before returning to Washington.

Shelton Discusses Importance of Space Defense

By Jim Garamone

American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, Jan. 7, 2014 – Space is fundamental to the economy, the military and the way of life in the United States and officials must continue to guard against challenges in the domain from adversaries, the commander of Air Force Space Command said today.

Gen. William Shelton shared with students at George Washington University here some of his worries and concerns.

In the past 60 years, space has grown from a domain with a lone satellite beeping across the heavens to a $300 billion economic engine.

“The advent of space systems has allowed citizens and governments to engage routinely in the world around them, communicate at the speed of light and to tap sources of information previously unavailable to them,” Shelton said.

Satellites are now essential parts of the 21st century way of life for all nations. Weather forecasting, precise navigation, instant communications and many other capabilities tie space to Earth.

These are incredibly important during crises. The death tolls from Hurricane Katrina in 2005 and the Japanese tsunami in 2011 would have been even higher had not satellite surveillance and communications been available, he said.

Space has also changed the military. “In all of recorded history, when armies met on the battle field, they fought for the coveted high ground because of the obvious advantage it gave them over the adversary,” Shelton said. “Later, balloons performed that function and even later, airplanes were used as observation platforms.”

Space is the ultimate high ground, he said.

Shelton’s command has a global mission with global responsibilities reaching all corners of the planet and up to 23,000 miles in space and geosynchronous orbit. “We get space-derived information to all sorts of users, including the military operators of our nation’s Army, Air Force, Navy and Marines -- those who rely on timely and accurate data,” he said.

Intelligence, logistics and other operationally relevant data flow seamlessly to the front lines in Afghanistan as well as to other parts of the world where U.S. forces are operating.

“I can't think of a single military operation across the full spectrum from humanitarian relief operations all the way to major combat operations that doesn't somehow depend on space for mission success,” Shelton said. “But frankly, this dependence on space has also become quite a bit of a double-edged sword. Our potential adversaries have been going to school on us during these many years of combat operations.”

Adversaries are mimicking American procedures and looking for chinks in American armor, the general said. “More concerning, as they've watched us, we've watched them develop systems to challenge our advantages in space,” he said.

“Because space launch is so expensive, we loaded as much as we could onto our satellites -- multiple missions, multiple payloads, ” Shelton said. “After all, we were operating in a relatively peaceful sanctuary in space.”

Not today. “As I look at the next 20 years in space, we have a difficult, up-hill climb ahead of us,” he said. “I equate this to the difficulty of turning the Queen Mary. You send the rudder command and the delayed response tries your patience.”

To sustain space services, the United States must consider architectural alternatives for future satellite constellations. “These alternatives must balance required capability, affordability and resilience,” he said. “There are many options that we're actively studying right now. The notion of disaggregation is one. And what we mean by this is moving away from the multiple payload, big satellite construct into a less complex satellite architecture with multiple components.”

Distributing space payloads across multiple satellite platforms, increases U.S. resiliency. “At a minimum, it complicates our adversaries’ targeting calculus,” he said.

Air Land Sea Application Center to Visit Nellis for WEPTAC

by Lt. Col. Joel Eppley
Air Land Sea Application Center

1/7/2014 - NELLIS AIR FORCE BASE, Nev. -- The Air Land Sea Application Center will visit Nellis Air Force Base for the annual Weapons and Tactics Conference Trade Show here Jan. 15 and 16.

According to the Air Combat Command official website, the Combat Air Forces WEPTAC is an annual two week event that brings together hundreds of warfighters from the CAF to discuss current issues, to look at future issues and to provide solutions for joint employment of forces.

Attendance is primarily Air Force personnel, but there has been an increasing amount of participation from the Army, Navy and Marines. The movement focuses on joint warfighting.

ALSA, located at Joint Base Langley-Eustis, Va., may be an organization some may only recognize by name, but for whom many can be thankful for the products of their labor.

ALSA's mission is to rapidly and responsively develop multi-service tactics, techniques and procedures publications and solutions across the spectrum of military operations to meet the immediate needs of the warfighter.

As the Joint Staff produces publications for the operational and strategic community, ALSA is the lead organization that provides joint doctrine at the tactical level.

It is a unique opportunity for assigned action officers to work on a joint staff and remain close to the tactical warfighter.

ALSA is recognized, not only in the U.S. military, but also among allies as one of the lead organizations in the development of tactical level and multi-service tactics, techniques and procedures.

WEPTAC provides an environment for ALSA to interact with warfighters and senior leaders from all over the Air Force in one location to ensure our multi-service doctrine is meeting their needs.

Their publications have been used by Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen, Marines and coalition forces who have deployed to support numerous operations and exercises.

ALSA welcomes all WEPTAC attendees to stop by their booth and provide comments on current publications and recommendations for future MTTP. WEPTAC attendees may also sign up to receive ALSA's quarterly update that provides links to the latest publications and articles focused on the joint warfighter.

ALSA's publications are available to the entire military community. Warfighters are invited to access the ALSA website at www.alsa.mil.

Downsized maintenance keeps cranking

by Staff Sgt. Robert Barnett
JBER Public Affairs

1/7/2014 - JOINT BASE ELMENDORF-RICHARDSON, Alaska  -- As winter came to Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, a clear layer of ice formed on the ground in multiple locations, commonly known as black ice.

It covered the streets outside Fort Greely, Alaska in November as Company G, 725th Brigade Support Battalion, 4th Infantry Brigade Combat Team (Airborne), 25th Infantry Division, performed a training mission.

Soldiers called for aid for a HEMTT M-984A54 recovery truck wrecker. Even the recovery truck, normally used for towing and recovering other vehicles, had broken down.

Another wrecker was called in, but slid on the black ice and rolled over. The wrecker it was going to recover ended up recovering it. No one was injured in the incident.

The basic shape was largely intact, but there were dents, scrapes and scratches covering the exterior. Fortunately, the Soldiers were able to use parts from the one that rolled over to fix the one that had broken down. They then used that to recover the rolled one.

There are some maintenance and repair jobs that units handle themselves. But other jobs, big projects like this one, needed more specialized repair done.

The Logistics Readiness Center supports the 4/25th IBCT by providing special equipment repair and maintenance to their tactical equipment.

In the case of the rolled wrecker, they painted the cab, manufactured lifting eyes bolted to the roof to lift the cab, and supplied the unit with special tools. The Soldiers replaced the cab using the LRC's overhead crane in two half-days.

"Those guys are very knowledgeable," said Sgt. 1st Class Fredrick Williams, maintenance control sergeant with the Company G, 725th BSB and a native of Kings Mountain, N.C. "They made sure we had the right equipment and helped us out. They helped us with lift support and slings. They are the subject matter experts. We wouldn't have been able to fix the vehicles without their facilities."

The LRC used to perform services that ranged from work on community equipment to heavy equipment.

The Army used to have four tiers, or levels, of maintenance. The LRC was a 30- and 20- level facility. The 10-level is changing oil and other smaller services. 20-level is changing out an engine. 30-level is making repairs to the engine instead of just replacing it. 40-level is completely rebuilding the vehicle at the manufacturer level.

Instead, now it's the two-tier level, which are the field level and sustainment level that can do all of the above except rebuilding the vehicle at the manufacturer level.

"We used to do maintenance for everything," said Kent Hubert, DoD civilian and shop foreman, a native of Vermillion, S.D. "We did public works, maintenance on things like lawnmowers."

Today, the shop works on communications equipment like radios, small arms, artillery, fire control instruments, heaters, vehicles and other tactical equipment. They even paint - tactical paint, of course.

"This is the only facility on post that uses this special paint," he said. "It's a chemical agent-resisting coating so it's tougher to get contaminated and easier to decontaminate. In previous paints, decontamination agents would take the paint off or retain the chemical - you couldn't get it all off."

The LRC has provided service for military units through the toughest war times when there was a steady flow of equipment needing work, he said.

"When a unit returned from deployment, the special equipment services shop, which is part of the LRC, would repair all their equipment," said Tony Houser, LRC division chief. "Scratches, torn seats or anything needing repair would get done and then returned to the units looking brand new so the unit could begin their training phase again for their next deployment. While they were deployed, we filled in the maintenance aspect of their mission, supporting the engineer brigade."

The military experienced budget cuts when the branches merged into the joint base, their staff of mechanics downsized, and their mission became specialized to tactical equipment.

"Now the units are authorized to perform their own maintenance and repairs," Houser said. "We're specialized to the point that we mainly only take projects that the unit isn't able to do."

Houser said at their busiest, they worked 1,500 rolling stock -- trucks and similar equipment -- at a time.

"Twice last year we had augmenters come from outside of JBER to help us meet our mission demands," he said. "Since the units know we don't have as many personnel, they are trying to take on more by themselves."

With the recent changes, they have roughly 100 smaller, more specialized projects, he said. They are still there to support the military.

"The most enjoyable part of this job is the satisfaction you get helping the Soldiers accomplish their mission," Hubert said. "We try to help them out any way we can."

Pentagon Reaffirms Commitment, Confidence in Iraqi Capability

By Army Sgt. 1st Class Tyrone C. Marshall Jr.

American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, Jan. 6, 2014 – The Defense Department remains committed to helping the government and people of Iraq to root out terrorists seeking safe haven, Pentagon spokesman Army Col. Steven Warren told reporters here today.

“We’re working closely with the Iraqis to develop a holistic strategy to isolate al-Qaida-affiliated groups so that tribes, working with security forces, can root them out of populated areas,” he said.

Warren noted some “early successes” along those lines in Ramadi.

“Tribal forces and police, with the Iraqi army providing overwatch, appear to have isolated the [Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant] in pockets of the city,” he said. “It’s still early, however.”

In working closely with the Iraqi government, Warren said, the primary assistance has come through the State Department’s foreign military sales program.

“We’re also continuing to accelerate our … foreign military sales deliveries with an additional 100 Hellfire missiles ready for delivery this spring,” he said. “These missiles are one small element of a more holistic strategy.” They’ve proven effective at denying ISIL terrorists the safe-haven zones they’ve sought to establish in western Iraq, he added.

Warren said the Defense Department is committed to promoting stability in Iraq, and that more than $14 billion in equipment, services and training have been delivered to the Iraqi government since 2005.

For example, in the last year, Warren said, the United States delivered six C-130 aircraft, a rapid Avenger surface-to-air missile battery, 27 helicopters, and 12 P301 patrol boats.

“And we’ve expedited delivery of those 100 Hellfire missiles, along with 10 ScanEagle [unmanned aerial vehicles], which will be delivered this spring,” he said.

Warren also reiterated Secretary of State John F. Kerry’s recent message that no U.S. forces are being sent to Iraq.

“I think Secretary Kerry was pretty clear this weekend that we will not be sending forces into Iraq,” he said. “But we, … like I said, are very much committed to the Iraqis.”

The colonel added that the Iraqi army is very capable, and that its capabilities are increasing, largely due to the foreign military sales equipment the United States has sent there.

Warren said service members working in the Office of Security Cooperation in Iraq and Marine Corps security forces at the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad number between 100 and 200. U.S. forces are not doing mission planning, he added, noting that the Office of Security Cooperation works at the ministerial level. “It is the line [of communication] that we have from the department into Iraqi security forces and the Iraqi army apparatus,” said he explained.

Despite media reports, Warren said, he has confidence in the Iraqi army.

“Ramadi is already back under Iraqi control, so I’m confident that the Iraqi army is a very capable force,” he said. “[And] I think Secretary Kerry said it best: this is [the] Iraqis’ fight to fight.”