NAS Meridian Provides Shelter, Food to Stranded Army Paratroopers.

By Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class (SW) Casey H. Kyhl,

Naval Air Station Meridian Public Affairs

NAVAL AIR STATION MERIDIAN, Miss.. (NNS) -- Paratroopers of the U.S. Army's 1st Brigade Combat Team (504th Parachute Infantry Regiment) 82nd Airborne Division, sheltered overnight at Naval Air Station (NAS) Meridian Jan. 29 after being stranded on Interstate 20 Jan. 28 on their way to Ft. Bragg, N.C. from Ft. Polk, La.

"We recently completed a training exercise at Ft. Polk in preparation for an upcoming deployment to Afghanistan," said Lt. Col. Paul Anderson, commander, 2nd Battalion, 504th Parachute Infantry Regiment. "We left Ft. Polk early Jan. 28 in anticipation of inclement weather and our first indication of trouble was when we came to a complete stop on I-20 East around midnight. What we thought was going to be a delay of a few minutes turned into a delay of more than five hours."

Around 5:30 am, 1st Brigade Combat Team leadership started looking for protection from the weather and first contacted NAS Meridian leadership just after 7:00 a.m.

"One thing we really want to communicate is our appreciation and sincere thanks to Capt. Moore and NAS Meridian for being a good joint partner and such an amazing host to our paratroopers. I know that feeding and housing of 703 Soldiers is not easy but they met us with open arms and have been amazingly hospitable."

Soldiers took refuge in Regional Counterdrug Training Academy and Navy Gateway Inns and Suites facilities before enjoying a meal at the Roy M. Wheat Galley.

"The men and women of NAS Meridian are proud of this and all opportunities to assist Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen, and Marines in need, said Capt. Charles C. Moore ll, commanding officer, NAS Meridian. "In this case it truly was supporting the warfighter from the shore as this unit of the 82nd Airborne is deploying very soon. I am sure the Airborne appreciated NAS Meridian's enthusiastic hospitality."

These particular Soldiers of the 82nd Airborne are set to deploy to Afghanistan in less than three weeks and all of them were eager to get home.

"Road conditions were pretty extreme," said Sgt. Jorrel Persaud, a 504th paratrooper. "I'm from the South and I know that many drivers aren't experienced in inclement weather. I don't foresee us making it to Ft. Bragg in good time, but we'll get there. I have a wife and three children that I have been away from for a few weeks now and, given our upcoming deployment, I can't wait to make it home. It was great to get off that road, NAS Meridian was a welcome sight."

Hagel to Acknowledge Polish Contributions to U.S. Efforts

By Cheryl Pellerin

American Forces Press Service

ABOARD A MILITARY AIRCRAFT, Jan. 30, 2014 – Poland has been a significant and strong ally since it joined NATO in 1999, and during his visit to Warsaw this week Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel plans to acknowledge the importance of that partnership and Poland’s many contributions to American efforts.

In an aircraft over the Atlantic Ocean, four hours from Warsaw, the secretary described to reporters traveling with him Poland’s contributions in Iraq and that nation’s continuing contributions as part of the International Security Assistance Force in Afghanistan, where 43 Polish troops have lost their lives.

“They’ve been important contributors to those two wars and they’ve been a strong NATO partner,” Hagel said, noting that Poland provides to the alliance one of the highest percentages of its gross domestic product.

In 2006, NATO member countries agreed to commit a minimum of 2 percent of their gross domestic product to spending on defense. In the current era of dwindling budgets, according to the NATO website, member contributions have decreased or have been suspended, and the alliance relies heavily on the United States for capabilities such as intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance, air-to-air refueling, ballistic missile defense and airborne electronic warfare.

Through the U.S.-Poland military-to-military relationship, the two nations are working together in several ways, Hagel said.

While in Poland the secretary will visit Powidz Air Base in the central part of the nation where in 2012 the United States established a full-time aviation detachment to increase interoperability through joint training exercises and a regular rotation of U.S. military aircraft.

Another joint effort in the 2018 timeframe is Poland’s hosting of NATO missile defense assets, Hagel said.

A senior defense official traveling with the secretary said Poland has made clear to DOD it is committed to missile defense and is interested in updates on U.S. progress on part of phase three of the European Phased Adaptive Approach, a land-based missile interceptor.

“They’ve been a good NATO partner because [such a role] requires resources, it is a sacrifice, and Poland has really stepped up as they do in many other ways for this alliance,” the senior official said.

“The NATO alliance is a story of a downward trajectory [based on] reports of concerns about defense spending, but Poland has maintained a strong defense and … spends a lot of time thinking in terms of resources for defense modernization,” the official added, “and that’s something we’re very much interested in and want to help them with.”

As part of the project, Poland will buy its own air defense systems and the military is looking to expand its F-16 program, he said.

“We have F-16s that rotate through [as part of the aviation detachment the secretary mentioned], but they’ve got 48 F-16s right now and that’s something they’re working to modernize," the senior defense official added.

The Poles are also interested in helicopters, unmanned aerial vehicles and intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance systems, he noted, “so they’re looking at a full and pretty impressive suite of items.”

Also important, Hagel said, is the Poles’ continued commitment to U.S. efforts to help partners around the world build military capacity.

Topics of discussion while the secretary is in Poland will include the current unrest in Ukraine and the future of ISAF in Afghanistan after 2014, the senior official said.

Violence began in Ukraine in November when its president decided to favor stronger ties with Russia and opted against signing an important trade deal with the European Union. Protesters took to the streets in Kiev, Ukraine’s capital, and deadly clashes between protesters and the government are escalating.

“The Poles are very focused on Ukraine, not just because it’s in their neighborhood and they’re watching closely for any [instability] that might come out of Ukraine, but also because of the political evolution of Ukraine and Poland’s own … democratization process,” he explained.

Hagel and his delegation look forward to getting the Polish perspective on Ukraine, the official added, and hearing from Polish leaders about how the Defense Department may play a constructive role.”

On the topic of Afghanistan, Hagel said President Barack Obama is closely examining the post-2014 issue in Afghanistan, along with his National Security Council and relevant federal agencies.

According to Obama’s statement during his Jan. 28 State of the Union address, Hagel said that “depending on whether Afghan President [Hamid] Karzai signs the Bilateral Security Agreement that he agreed to and that was strongly endorsed by the Loya Jirga, a council of elders that Karzai himself empaneled,” the United States and its ISAF and NATO allies will have a difficult time planning for a post-2014 train, assist, advise and counterterrorism mission.

“But more importantly,” the secretary said, the uncertainty makes it difficult to know “what the Afghan people want us to do … to continue to assist them.” Without a signed BSA agreement, U.S. military and government officials have said the United States will not stay in Afghanistan after 2014.

ISAF officials and NATO ministers of defense also want answers about post-2014 Afghanistan when they visit his office at the Pentagon, Hagel said.

“Then they clearly state that they have parliaments, they have budgets, they have citizens, they have accountable factors in their governments and their countries that they have to answer to. You can’t just keep deferring and deferring [the BSA],” Hagel said, “because at some point the realities of planning and budgeting … collides.”

In the meantime, the secretary added, “we’re going to try to continue to work with Karzai to do everything we can to support his signature on that BSA.”

There’s a lot going on in the world and a lot of uncertainty, Hagel said on his way to Poland.

“It’s always important to recognize partners and have an opportunity to sit down and listen to them and see what they think,” he added.

DOD Raises $21 Million in CFC Campaign

By Terri Moon Cronk

American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, Jan. 30, 2014 – Despite a year of furloughs and a government shutdown, Defense Department civilians and military members raised $21 million for 4,400 charities during the Combined Federal Campaign last year, Acting Deputy Defense Secretary Christine H. Fox said at the CFC awards ceremony at the Pentagon today.

Fox is DOD’s CFC vice chair. At the ceremony, DOD and the military services celebrated their contributions to the campaign, which was conducted DOD-wide from Sept. 1, 2013 to Jan. 15, 2014. CFC is the only authorized solicitation of federal employees in their workplaces on behalf of approved charitable organizations.

“CFC is all about giving to people who need help, whether it’s through research organizations to try to cure diseases or prevent them or it’s giving to help individuals struggling in any number of ways,” Fox told the audience.

Six people were individually awarded for their support of the campaign, in addition to 16 Defense Department organizations, including the Office of the Secretary of Defense and the Joint Chiefs of Staff. The Army, Air Force, Navy and Marines received numerous awards, and for the first time, the five overseas combatant commands were honored for raising $11 million for the campaign.

Vince Micone, chairman of the Washington, D.C., coordinating committee for CFC in the National Capital Area, received a large, cardboard check for the $10 million that was raised in the National Capital Region.

“When I think about the number of people who contributed to CFC in the National Capital Region and overseas, I have to reflect a minute on what your lives have been like this last year,” Fox told the military members and civilians in the audience.

“Our military members … were once again asked to do more, frankly … than would be reasonable to expect with the sequestration last year,” she continued. “It was a very difficult time and the demands on the military just never seem to go down. Once again, our military rose to the occasion admirably and performed beautifully.”

Fox noted the civilian workforce had its hardships, too.

“You went three years without a raise, you were furloughed and all of you -- military and civilian –- lived through a government shutdown,” she said.

“It was a tough year, yet our civilian workforce performed superbly, just as our military did and always does,” Fox said. “And as civilians, you always [work] with confidence, dedication and skill. Through all of that … you found it in your hearts to give to others. And give, you did.”

Air Force officials address systemic problems in ICBM force

by Jim Garamone
American Forces Press Service

1/30/2014 - WASHINGTON (AFNS) -- After meeting with thousands of Airmen in the ICBM community, Air Force Secretary Deborah Lee James said she believes there is a systemic problem among missile launch officers.

James and Lt. Gen. Stephen W. Wilson, the commander of the Global Strike Command, briefed the press Jan. 30, as part of the on-going examination of this leg of the nuclear triad following revelations that missile launch officers had cheated on a test at Malmstrom Air Force Base, Mont.

The number of those implicated in the Malmstrom scandal has risen to 90, James said.

"I heard repeatedly from teammates that the need for perfection has created a climate of undue stress and fear," James told reporters. "I heard repeatedly that the system can be very punitive, come down very hard in the case of even small, minor issues that crop up, but not equally rewarding or incentivized for excellent behavior or good work."

Personnel of all ranks complained to her about micro-management.

"I also heard that although we, as senior leaders, talk about the importance of the mission that the team in the field doesn't always see that talk backed up by concrete action," she said.

Fixing the systemic issues will require a holistic approach, the secretary said, and that will be part of the plan she presents to Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel in 60 days.

James had another observation that the ICBM force has lost the distinction between training and testing. It is also to make mistakes in training, she said.

"The idea is to learn and do better," she said.

But training tests have assumed an outsized importance, she said.

"Although ... a passing grade on these tests is 90 percent, the missileers are still driven to score 100 percent, all of the time," she said. "This is because their commanders are using these test scores to be a top differentiator, if not the sole differentiator on who gets promoted.

"I believe that a very terrible irony in this whole situation is that these missileers didn't cheat to pass, they cheated because they felt driven to get 100 percent, getting 90 percent or 95 percent was considered a failure in their eyes," she continued.

The secretary wondered whether missileers are receiving the right kind of leadership training. She and other Air Force leaders will examine this and include those recommendations in the report to the defense secretary.

This leads to a campaign to reinvigorate the service's core values.

"We're going to go back to basics, and we're going to remind people what that means," she said. "We're going to do this across the Air Force."

The secretary will also look at "nuclear incentives, accolades and recognition."

If the ICBM mission is important, is the service rewarding those involved in it appropriately? The Air Force is working with the Navy and U.S. Strategic Command to share best practices on this subject.

Among the issues the service will study is whether to consider nuclear duty incentive pay and whether to award ribbons and medals for participation in this career field.

"This pertains very much to the enlisted team, as well as to the officer team, because they're working very hard every day as well," James said.

Finally it comes down to money. Nuclear facilities are aging and units are undermanned, James said. If the mission is so important, shouldn't it be funded better?

Official Discusses Chinese Air Force, Missile Trends

By Amaani Lyle

American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, Jan. 30, 2014 – U.S. intelligence officials visiting Capitol Hill today reported to the U.S.-China Economic and Security Review Commission on the steady progress made by the People’s Liberation Army Air Force and the implications of that development to the United States.

Donald L. Fuell, National Air and Space Intelligence Center force modernization and employment technical director at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio, warned against taking a “symmetric” view of PLAAF with a direct comparison to U.S. missile modernization.

“We believe the Chinese are not trying to match the U.S. system versus system,” Fuell said, “but are pursuing more of a system-of-systems approach that exploits what they perceive to be adversary weaknesses or exploitable vulnerabilities.”

Regarding potential U.S. intervention in cases of conflicts involving Taiwan or in regions of the South China Sea, recent Chinese operational literature suggests the People’s Republic of China may be developing a more mature viewpoint on the broad application of military operations against the United States than in year’s past.

“This newer literature reflects a departure from past PLA writings that heavily focused on the need for pre-emptive operations against U.S. intervention, and we feel that this demonstrates, at least to a degree, a growing confidence within the PLA that they can more readily withstand U.S. involvement,” Fuell said.

As such, should the PRC decide intervention significantly impacts the success of their campaign, the PLAAF and Second Artillery would be tasked with strikes against U.S. forces and facilities, Fuell reported.

“Chinese writings, although not specifically directed at the U.S., discuss the importance of attacks on logistics, supply depots, air bases, and ports by air, ballistic and or cruise missiles, special forces and other means,” he said. “Chinese analysts note the importance of military on Okinawa and Guam, and these assets and their supporting infrastructure are likely high-priority targets of the PLAAF and Second Artillery.

Given the advancements in command and control infrastructure and the emphasis on joint training events, Fuell explained, PLAAF has attained a moderate level of capability to conduct pre-planned joint fires against fixed targets in the Pacific theater.

“In 2009, the PLAAF and Second Artillery conducted one of the first large-scale joint live-fire exercises involving elements from four missile brigades and two PLAAF air divisions,” he reported.

Still, Fuell said, analysts assessed that true joint interoperability remains largely a work in progress for the PLA.

“Jointness will largely be executed via well-deconflicted, time-phased operations of high precision,” Fuell said. “However, due to lack of practiced interoperability, their efficiency will decline as they have to react to a dynamic environment and rapidly changing battlespace conditions.”

In addition to its missile and munitions assets, China also has an increasing number of aircraft capable of operating over water at ranges from 300-500 nautical miles from its coast without refueling, Fuell said.

“New precision guided munitions and conventional missiles continue to emerge and will continue for the foreseeable future as Chinese investment in these technologies remains high,” Fuell said. “Nevertheless, the pace of development of individual systems has not accelerated.”

Air Force Structure commission releases final report

by National Commission on the Structure of the Air Force

1/30/2014 - ARLINGTON, Va -- The National Commission on the Structure of the Air Force has posted its report on the Commission' s website at http://afcommission.whs.mil.

The commission visited Tinker AFB, Aug. 20, 2013 with the intention of seeing total force integration in action among active Air Force, Reserve, and Air National Guard units and observing cost-efficient operations. Information on that visit is posted on the commission' s website http://afcommission.whs.mil./index.php/activities/august-20-2013.

The National Commission on the Structure of the Air Force was established by the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2013.

The Commission' s statutory charter is to determine whether, and how, the Air Force structure should be modified to best fulfill current and anticipated mission requirements for the Air Force in a manner consistent with available resources.

The Commission was tasked to submit a report, containing a comprehensive study and recommendations, by Feb. 1, 2014 to the President of the United States and the congressional defense committees.

Army NCO Prepares for Sochi Luge Competition

By Air Force Tech. Sgt. David Eichaker

National Guard Bureau

ARLINGTON, Va., Jan. 30, 2014 – For Army Sgt. Matthew Mortensen, a member of the New York Army National Guard's 1156th Engineer Company, years of training have finally paid off: he will be competing in the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia.

Mortensen, 28, who enlisted in 2010, secured his spot on the U.S. Olympic luge team when he and fellow Army athlete Sgt. Preston Griffall earned a ninth-place finish in the doubles event at the Luge World Cup Dec. 13, 2013, at Utah Olympic Park in Park City, Utah.

For Mortensen, the journey to the Olympics has taken more than half of his life.

"I have been actively trying to make this Olympic team for 16 years now," he said.

Mortensen became attracted to luge at a relatively young age.

When he was about 11 years old, his father worked for a company that sponsored the U.S. luge team. He would visit his father at work and see posters for the team in the office. It was then that Mortensen said he knew what he wanted to do and after hearing radio commercials about tryouts for a luge team, his dad asked him if he wanted to go.

"It seemed like something fun to do on a Saturday," Mortensen said, "so we went and gave it a try."

More than 16 years later, Mortensen said he has a sense of relief and fulfillment after qualifying for his first Olympic appearance.

"I could not believe that I was actually going to go."

Mortensen credits his military training with helping him reach his goal of becoming an Olympian.

Being competitive at this level of sport takes commitment, motivation, and hard work, Mortensen said. And he was up to that challenge.

"It is something that has made me push myself to the absolute maximum of my capabilities every year to maximize my chances of attaining my goal of going to the games."

Training for the Olympics, he said, is a year-round practice with little time off.

"A typical day of training during the season consists of three hours at the track, video review of our runs, and two hours in a weight-lifting gym," His off-season training consists of weight lifting, sprints and use of an indoor refrigerated start facility that stays iced during the summer.

Mortensen said luge competition has its pluses and minuses.

"My favorite part of the sport is the speed and the competition," he said. "I like the feeling that my body gets before each and every run and when I compete. It is a pure adrenaline rush. There is nothing that can quite compare."

One of the downsides is having a bad race.

"I am a perfectionist at everything I do. Even if I go slow in a race, I can come to terms with it if I had good runs. When I have bad runs, I am hard on myself and it affects my attitude."

Seeing the world in a different light is one reward of being on the Olympic luge team, he said.

"You get to see the world, observe and take part in different cultures and learn so much through the years."

As a soldier, an athlete, and as an individual, “it is an incredible honor to be representing the United States in the Olympics."