By Tech. Sgt. Adam M. Stump, USAF
Special to American Forces Press Service
April 18, 2007 – Ground operations in the Middle East may dominate national headlines, but the 107-year-old submarine force is a critical part of current and future U.S. operations, the vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff said during a meeting here yesterday with Submarine League members. "All too often I meet submariners or I meet others associated with undersea warfare and there seems to be thought processes out there that this area of business may not be as important because so much is going on in places like Iraq and Afghanistan," Navy Adm. Edmund P. Giambastiani said.
"One of the capabilities of the submarine is being stealthy, being covert, and its ability to be in places where people don't know you are, so that you can collect intelligence," he said. "That is a capability that not a lot of platforms have."
"Your nation's leaders appreciate and value the unique capabilities provided by the submarine force," Giambastiani said. "They depend on you to maintain, develop and extend undersea capabilities."
"Strategically, the submarine force provides an unsurpassed deterrent capability for the nation," he said.
The admiral said the Trident submarine is an example of the submarine force being fundamental to all aspects of national security and the national military strategy. He added they will remain "a bedrock" for many years to come.
Giambastiani said senior leaders are planning how to keep the submarine force active for years to come because of the platform's ability to deter.
"The mere existence of a capable, agile and lethal submarine force by the United States acts as a powerful force to dissuade others from developing a similar capability," he said. "In business, some call this cost avoidance. I would call it risk avoidance."
Operationally and tactically, submarines continue to add enormous value to the plans and operations of combatant commanders around the world, Giambastiani said.
"In an era where intelligence is both more important in many ways and ever so much more difficult to come by, adding new capabilities and operating concepts to the fleet -- for example, the new Virginia class submarines and the re-commissioned Trident SSGNs (nuclear-powered guided missile submarines)--I predict these platforms will be of even greater importance and even greater demand as we continue on this second century of the submarine force," he said.
The value of submarines was evident in the 2006 quadrennial defense review, the admiral said.
"It validated the need for a robust submarine force and specifically called for reaching and maintaining a two submarine per year construction rate for our Virginia class submarines," he said.
The admiral said another key component in helping strengthen a submarine's ability to deter is the development of a reliable replacement warhead.
The last component of keeping the submarine fleet strong is enforcing the highest standards of integrity, accountability and responsibility, from seamen to flag officers, Giambastiani said. "These traits have stood the submarine force in very good stead for 107 years," he said. "They will be critical to our success in the next 100 years."
(Air Force Tech. Sgt. Adam M. Stump is assigned to the Joint Staff public affairs office.)
Article sponsored by Criminal Justice online leadership as well as police and military personnel who have authored books.
Friday, April 20, 2007
Egypt Vital to Peace in Middle East, Gates Says
By Kathleen T. Rhem
American Forces Press Service
April 18, 2007 – Security challenges in the Middle East are significant, but can be overcome by Egypt and the United States working closely together in the region, Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates said here today. "I have long considered Egypt one of America's most important, even indispensable, partners," Gates said in a speech to the American Chamber of Commerce here.
The secretary is in the Middle East this week to meet with leaders about mutual interests and concerns in the region. He met with Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak and other Egyptian defense officials earlier today and with Jordan's King Abdallah in Amman, Jordan, yesterday. His next stop will be Israel, where discussions are likely to focus on the Arab-Israeli peace process, Iran and Lebanon, a senior defense official traveling with Gates said.
In his speech, Gates said he and Mubarak agreed on common goals for the region, including:
-- "A unified, stable and prosperous Iraq;
-- "A just and comprehensive peace between the Israeli and Palestinian peoples;
-- "An Iran that does not attempt to dominate the region by subverting their neighbors and by building nuclear weapons; and
-- "Halting the growth and influence of extremist, terrorist networks and sectarian militia organizations that have become, in the words of (Army Gen. John Abizaid) our former theater commander in Iraq, 'the curse of the region.'"
Gates touted the strong military-to-military ties between Egypt and the United States, and called the Egyptian military "one of the region's most professional and effective forces."
He specifically cited the annual Bright Star multinational exercises. "This joint venture is just one example of our commitment to building the capabilities of the Egyptian armed forces," he said. "In addition to the more than $1 billion in military aid that Egypt will receive from the United States this year, we continue to strengthen and maintain the ties between our military establishments through education, training and exchanges."
However, the secretary stressed, military cooperation alone does not make for strong allies. Other tenets of national power have to come into play.
"Some of the most consequential progress in our relationship in recent years has not come between our militaries or even between our governments, but as a result of the work many of you here today are doing," Gates told the Chamber of Commerce members. "The growth of trade has brought Egypt closer to the global marketplace of investment, commerce and ideas, and that is a welcome development."
Egypt has a long-standing tradition of leadership in the Middle East, Gates said. "To overcome these daunting challenges -- defeating the terrorist networks, securing Iraq, holding Iran accountable, bringing peace to the Holy Land -- geography and history have thrust an important and unique burden on Egypt," he said. "It is a role well in keeping with Egypt's historic tradition of providing leadership in the Arab world."
He noted that many significant developments in this region began with Egypt. "It was this way during the Cold War: with Egypt forming an alliance with the former Soviet Union and then expelling it, in fighting five wars with Israel, and then being the first to make peace," Gates said. "When Egypt has had the courage and the vision to lead despite the real risks and costs involved, it has benefited not only Egypt, but the people of the Middle East as well."
Egypt's unique geographic, economic and political positions in this region make it a vital cog in progress in this part of the world, Gates said.
"It is unlikely that progress can be made on the most pressing issues of today without Egypt's full engagement, support and leadership," he said. "But with Egypt providing leadership, it will be possible to open up new possibilities for the peoples of the Middle East.
"After all," he continued, "we are living at a time when, as never before, people around the globe are demanding and making progress toward peace, political openness, and an economic system that works for themselves and their families."
Toward the end of his speech, Gates laid out his vision for a peaceful, prosperous Middle East -- "a future:
-- "Where trade, commerce and economic lead to a growing middle class and a higher quality of life for workers and their families;
-- "Where Palestine and Israel are living in peace side by side as viable and independent states;
-- "Where men and women have an increasingly greater say and a greater stake in how they govern their own lives, their own communities, and their own countries; and
-- "Where citizens from Tehran (Iran), to Baghdad, to Beirut (Lebanon) can look forward to a life secure from the assassin, the suicide bomber, and the proverbial knock on the door in the middle of the night."
Finally, Gates said he is here today to "reaffirm what multiple administrations of both American political parties have concluded: that the relationship between the United States and Egypt is vital and enduring, and that our own security and prosperity is closely linked to the security and prosperity of this part of the world."
"To build a more secure and prosperous future, we will continue working with other friends in the region, not as a patron, but a partner -- a partner that respects the different histories, cultures and perspectives of the people of the Middle East," Gates said.
"It is a responsibility we will not abandon, a trust we will not break."
Article sponsored by Criminal Justice online leadership as well as police and military personnel who have authored books.
American Forces Press Service
April 18, 2007 – Security challenges in the Middle East are significant, but can be overcome by Egypt and the United States working closely together in the region, Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates said here today. "I have long considered Egypt one of America's most important, even indispensable, partners," Gates said in a speech to the American Chamber of Commerce here.
The secretary is in the Middle East this week to meet with leaders about mutual interests and concerns in the region. He met with Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak and other Egyptian defense officials earlier today and with Jordan's King Abdallah in Amman, Jordan, yesterday. His next stop will be Israel, where discussions are likely to focus on the Arab-Israeli peace process, Iran and Lebanon, a senior defense official traveling with Gates said.
In his speech, Gates said he and Mubarak agreed on common goals for the region, including:
-- "A unified, stable and prosperous Iraq;
-- "A just and comprehensive peace between the Israeli and Palestinian peoples;
-- "An Iran that does not attempt to dominate the region by subverting their neighbors and by building nuclear weapons; and
-- "Halting the growth and influence of extremist, terrorist networks and sectarian militia organizations that have become, in the words of (Army Gen. John Abizaid) our former theater commander in Iraq, 'the curse of the region.'"
Gates touted the strong military-to-military ties between Egypt and the United States, and called the Egyptian military "one of the region's most professional and effective forces."
He specifically cited the annual Bright Star multinational exercises. "This joint venture is just one example of our commitment to building the capabilities of the Egyptian armed forces," he said. "In addition to the more than $1 billion in military aid that Egypt will receive from the United States this year, we continue to strengthen and maintain the ties between our military establishments through education, training and exchanges."
However, the secretary stressed, military cooperation alone does not make for strong allies. Other tenets of national power have to come into play.
"Some of the most consequential progress in our relationship in recent years has not come between our militaries or even between our governments, but as a result of the work many of you here today are doing," Gates told the Chamber of Commerce members. "The growth of trade has brought Egypt closer to the global marketplace of investment, commerce and ideas, and that is a welcome development."
Egypt has a long-standing tradition of leadership in the Middle East, Gates said. "To overcome these daunting challenges -- defeating the terrorist networks, securing Iraq, holding Iran accountable, bringing peace to the Holy Land -- geography and history have thrust an important and unique burden on Egypt," he said. "It is a role well in keeping with Egypt's historic tradition of providing leadership in the Arab world."
He noted that many significant developments in this region began with Egypt. "It was this way during the Cold War: with Egypt forming an alliance with the former Soviet Union and then expelling it, in fighting five wars with Israel, and then being the first to make peace," Gates said. "When Egypt has had the courage and the vision to lead despite the real risks and costs involved, it has benefited not only Egypt, but the people of the Middle East as well."
Egypt's unique geographic, economic and political positions in this region make it a vital cog in progress in this part of the world, Gates said.
"It is unlikely that progress can be made on the most pressing issues of today without Egypt's full engagement, support and leadership," he said. "But with Egypt providing leadership, it will be possible to open up new possibilities for the peoples of the Middle East.
"After all," he continued, "we are living at a time when, as never before, people around the globe are demanding and making progress toward peace, political openness, and an economic system that works for themselves and their families."
Toward the end of his speech, Gates laid out his vision for a peaceful, prosperous Middle East -- "a future:
-- "Where trade, commerce and economic lead to a growing middle class and a higher quality of life for workers and their families;
-- "Where Palestine and Israel are living in peace side by side as viable and independent states;
-- "Where men and women have an increasingly greater say and a greater stake in how they govern their own lives, their own communities, and their own countries; and
-- "Where citizens from Tehran (Iran), to Baghdad, to Beirut (Lebanon) can look forward to a life secure from the assassin, the suicide bomber, and the proverbial knock on the door in the middle of the night."
Finally, Gates said he is here today to "reaffirm what multiple administrations of both American political parties have concluded: that the relationship between the United States and Egypt is vital and enduring, and that our own security and prosperity is closely linked to the security and prosperity of this part of the world."
"To build a more secure and prosperous future, we will continue working with other friends in the region, not as a patron, but a partner -- a partner that respects the different histories, cultures and perspectives of the people of the Middle East," Gates said.
"It is a responsibility we will not abandon, a trust we will not break."
Article sponsored by Criminal Justice online leadership as well as police and military personnel who have authored books.
Gates: Iraq Resolution Important to Region, World
By Kathleen T. Rhem
American Forces Press Service
April 18, 2007 – The situation in Iraq dominates the political landscape of the United States and of Middle Eastern countries, where citizens have "watched developments in that country with growing concern," U.S. Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates told a group of American businessmen here today. Speaking to the American Chamber of Commerce here, Gates urged people to put aside disagreements they might have "over how we got to this point in Iraq," and realize how devastating a failed state in Iraq could be.
"The consequences of a failed state in Iraq, of chaos there, will adversely affect the security and prosperity of every nation in the Middle East and the Gulf region," he said. "There may be some who, over resentment or disagreements over what happened in the past, might be cheering for failure."
The secretary called such sentiments "dangerously short-sighted and self-destructive."
"The first and second effects of a collapse in Iraq -- with all of its economic, religious, security and geopolitical implications -- will be felt in capitals and communities in the Middle East well before they are felt in Washington and in New York," Gates said. "The forces that would be unleashed -- of sectarian strife, of an emboldened extremist movement with access to sanctuaries -- do not recognize or respect national boundaries."
He stressed that the primary victims of violence in Iraq are not American, coalition or Iraqi servicemembers, but "tens of thousands of innocent civilians -- men, women and children whose major crime was to go to the market or to attend Friday prayers."
"Where extremists have seized and controlled territory in the past -- in western Iraq, eastern Afghanistan, or elsewhere -- the result has been misery, poverty and fear," Gates said. "We have seen the future promised by the extremists: a dark, joyless existence personified not by piety and virtue, but by the executioner and the suicide bomber."
Gates also explained the importance of the Baghdad security plan, "a strategy focused on providing basic security to the Iraqi people," which is under way now.
"The immediate goal is to create the breathing room necessary to allow reform and reconciliation to go forward, steps that will give all of Iraq's communities -- majority and minorities alike -- a stake in that nation's future," he continued.
During a meeting this morning, Gates thanked Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak for the Egyptian leader's willingness to host and meet with Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki later this week and to host an upcoming conference of Iraq's leaders to try to form regional solutions to Iraq's problems.
During the speech to the Chamber of Commerce group, the secretary urged Iraq's neighbors "to play a constructive role going forward."
"We certainly encourage Iraq's Arab neighbors to use their influence to dampen homegrown insurgency and alleviate sectarian conflict," Gates said. "Other nations who have not been good neighbors to Iraq, such as Syria and Iran, should start becoming part of the regional solution that encourages political reconciliation and reduces violence."
In response to a question from the audience, Gates said he believes progress is being made in Iraq, but political reconciliation progress could be moving more quickly.
"I believe that Iraq's neighbors can help facilitate that reconciliation process, and I think that could all come together relatively quickly once the different sectarian factions or groups in Iraq decide to live together peacefully with one another," he said.
Article sponsored by Criminal Justice online leadership as well as police and military personnel who have authored books.
American Forces Press Service
April 18, 2007 – The situation in Iraq dominates the political landscape of the United States and of Middle Eastern countries, where citizens have "watched developments in that country with growing concern," U.S. Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates told a group of American businessmen here today. Speaking to the American Chamber of Commerce here, Gates urged people to put aside disagreements they might have "over how we got to this point in Iraq," and realize how devastating a failed state in Iraq could be.
"The consequences of a failed state in Iraq, of chaos there, will adversely affect the security and prosperity of every nation in the Middle East and the Gulf region," he said. "There may be some who, over resentment or disagreements over what happened in the past, might be cheering for failure."
The secretary called such sentiments "dangerously short-sighted and self-destructive."
"The first and second effects of a collapse in Iraq -- with all of its economic, religious, security and geopolitical implications -- will be felt in capitals and communities in the Middle East well before they are felt in Washington and in New York," Gates said. "The forces that would be unleashed -- of sectarian strife, of an emboldened extremist movement with access to sanctuaries -- do not recognize or respect national boundaries."
He stressed that the primary victims of violence in Iraq are not American, coalition or Iraqi servicemembers, but "tens of thousands of innocent civilians -- men, women and children whose major crime was to go to the market or to attend Friday prayers."
"Where extremists have seized and controlled territory in the past -- in western Iraq, eastern Afghanistan, or elsewhere -- the result has been misery, poverty and fear," Gates said. "We have seen the future promised by the extremists: a dark, joyless existence personified not by piety and virtue, but by the executioner and the suicide bomber."
Gates also explained the importance of the Baghdad security plan, "a strategy focused on providing basic security to the Iraqi people," which is under way now.
"The immediate goal is to create the breathing room necessary to allow reform and reconciliation to go forward, steps that will give all of Iraq's communities -- majority and minorities alike -- a stake in that nation's future," he continued.
During a meeting this morning, Gates thanked Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak for the Egyptian leader's willingness to host and meet with Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki later this week and to host an upcoming conference of Iraq's leaders to try to form regional solutions to Iraq's problems.
During the speech to the Chamber of Commerce group, the secretary urged Iraq's neighbors "to play a constructive role going forward."
"We certainly encourage Iraq's Arab neighbors to use their influence to dampen homegrown insurgency and alleviate sectarian conflict," Gates said. "Other nations who have not been good neighbors to Iraq, such as Syria and Iran, should start becoming part of the regional solution that encourages political reconciliation and reduces violence."
In response to a question from the audience, Gates said he believes progress is being made in Iraq, but political reconciliation progress could be moving more quickly.
"I believe that Iraq's neighbors can help facilitate that reconciliation process, and I think that could all come together relatively quickly once the different sectarian factions or groups in Iraq decide to live together peacefully with one another," he said.
Article sponsored by Criminal Justice online leadership as well as police and military personnel who have authored books.
Serial Killers and Street Survival
Editor's Note: The books on "street survival" are applicable to military police officers as well as military personnel in general.
Police-Writers.com is a website dedicated to listing state and local police officers who have authored books. A Georgia police officer who wrote a true crime novel about the first known serial killer and a New Mexico police officer who has written extensively about street survival were added to the website.
Throughout his career, Dr. Vance McLaughlin has been actively involved in training officers at federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies. From 1974 to 1975 he was a police officer for the Sarasota Police Department (Florida). From 1981 through1987 he was an Assistant Professor, Department of Criminal Justice, University of North Carolina at Charlotte where he taught all undergraduate and graduate courses on Law Enforcement He has been a member of the firearms instructor qualification committee of the International Association of Firearms Instructors since 1987 and assisted in designing the PPCT Use of Force Matrix and instructor standards in 1984. Between 1987 and 2001, he was the Director of Training for the Savannah Police Department (Georgia). He is currently the Director of Planning for the Savannah Police Department.
Dr. Vance McLaughlin is the author two books: Police and the Use of Force: The Savannah Study and The Postcard Killer. According to the book description, “In 1912 John Frank Hickey, The Postcard Killer, was one of the first known and captured serial killers. This fascinating story tells how a solitary milquetoast of a man wandered the American east coast for decades, harboring a terrifying assortment of personal demons. Many of the behavior patterns that have long since come to be trademarks of the sociopathic killer are revealed in Hickey's long, demented life of crime. Unfortunately, the police and investigators in the early 20th Century had few if any tools to battle with a solitary individual's compulsion to murder young newsboys who wandered the urban streets alone.
From his first murder at eighteen until his capture and conviction nearly three decades later, Hickey traveled and worked at anonymous clerical or engineering jobs while he committed murders of breathtaking brazenness, sometimes attacking in open view. Hickey was well into middle age when his need for public attention drove him to taunt his victims' families and mock the police. He began a long series of correspondence about his crimes in the form of postcards. He enjoyed knowing that they could be read by anybody while they were en route. The postcards eventually formed the net that snared him.”
Phil L. Duran has been in law enforcement for over 19 years. He has been a member of the Bernalillo County Sheriff's Department (New Mexico) for the past 18 years. Currently, Deputy Phil Duran is the Advanced Training Coordinator for his department. His is author of Developing the Survival Attitude and co-author of Tactical Attitude. On reader/reviewer of Tactical Attitude said, “this book is about surviving a deadly encounter, mainly at the mental perspective. The book covers such topics as command presence, mental rehearsal, off-duty survival, sudden stress syndrome, and many others. Almost half of the text is real-life stories told by cops. This makes the book an interesting read.” According to the book description of Developing a Survival Attitude, “this book provides you with the knowledge needed to develop the proper attitude necessary for survival on patrol, or in any other law enforcement assignment.” Phil Duran is working on a third book on role-play training.
Police-Writers.com now hosts 488 police officers (representing 207 police departments) and their 1027 books in six categories, there are also listings of United States federal law enforcement employees turned authors, international police officers who have written books and civilian police personnel who have written books.
Police-Writers.com is a website dedicated to listing state and local police officers who have authored books. A Georgia police officer who wrote a true crime novel about the first known serial killer and a New Mexico police officer who has written extensively about street survival were added to the website.
Throughout his career, Dr. Vance McLaughlin has been actively involved in training officers at federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies. From 1974 to 1975 he was a police officer for the Sarasota Police Department (Florida). From 1981 through1987 he was an Assistant Professor, Department of Criminal Justice, University of North Carolina at Charlotte where he taught all undergraduate and graduate courses on Law Enforcement He has been a member of the firearms instructor qualification committee of the International Association of Firearms Instructors since 1987 and assisted in designing the PPCT Use of Force Matrix and instructor standards in 1984. Between 1987 and 2001, he was the Director of Training for the Savannah Police Department (Georgia). He is currently the Director of Planning for the Savannah Police Department.
Dr. Vance McLaughlin is the author two books: Police and the Use of Force: The Savannah Study and The Postcard Killer. According to the book description, “In 1912 John Frank Hickey, The Postcard Killer, was one of the first known and captured serial killers. This fascinating story tells how a solitary milquetoast of a man wandered the American east coast for decades, harboring a terrifying assortment of personal demons. Many of the behavior patterns that have long since come to be trademarks of the sociopathic killer are revealed in Hickey's long, demented life of crime. Unfortunately, the police and investigators in the early 20th Century had few if any tools to battle with a solitary individual's compulsion to murder young newsboys who wandered the urban streets alone.
From his first murder at eighteen until his capture and conviction nearly three decades later, Hickey traveled and worked at anonymous clerical or engineering jobs while he committed murders of breathtaking brazenness, sometimes attacking in open view. Hickey was well into middle age when his need for public attention drove him to taunt his victims' families and mock the police. He began a long series of correspondence about his crimes in the form of postcards. He enjoyed knowing that they could be read by anybody while they were en route. The postcards eventually formed the net that snared him.”
Phil L. Duran has been in law enforcement for over 19 years. He has been a member of the Bernalillo County Sheriff's Department (New Mexico) for the past 18 years. Currently, Deputy Phil Duran is the Advanced Training Coordinator for his department. His is author of Developing the Survival Attitude and co-author of Tactical Attitude. On reader/reviewer of Tactical Attitude said, “this book is about surviving a deadly encounter, mainly at the mental perspective. The book covers such topics as command presence, mental rehearsal, off-duty survival, sudden stress syndrome, and many others. Almost half of the text is real-life stories told by cops. This makes the book an interesting read.” According to the book description of Developing a Survival Attitude, “this book provides you with the knowledge needed to develop the proper attitude necessary for survival on patrol, or in any other law enforcement assignment.” Phil Duran is working on a third book on role-play training.
Police-Writers.com now hosts 488 police officers (representing 207 police departments) and their 1027 books in six categories, there are also listings of United States federal law enforcement employees turned authors, international police officers who have written books and civilian police personnel who have written books.
Thursday, April 19, 2007
Group Helps Wounded Warriors Reconnect With Families
By Samantha L. Quigley
American Forces Press Service
April 18, 2007 – The Wounded Warriors organization is striving to provide injured servicemembers and their families a way to regroup and reconnect, the organization's founder said. Wounded Warriors is a member of America Supports You, the Defense Department program established in November 2004 to directly connect military members to the support of the America people and to offer a tool to the general public in their quest to find meaningful ways to support the military community.
"When America goes to war, the families go to war," John Folsom, founder of Wounded Warriors, said. "What Wounded Warriors seeks to do is to provide a sense of normalcy for these young families."
The organization accomplishes this by providing resort vacation opportunities to families with dependent children whose servicemember has been injured or killed in combat, said Folsom, who serves as a colonel in the Marine Corps Reserves. Wounded Warriors owns condominiums in Orlando, Fla., and Galveston, Texas, which it provides to qualified families free of charge for up to a week.
Free park passes for either Disney World or the combo of Universal Studios and Sea World are included with the lodging at the Bahama Bay Resort in Orlando. The lodging in the Victorian Resort and Conference Center in Galveston comes with a view of the Gulf of Mexico, which is conveniently located for Fort Hood families.
"They have to provide their own transportation," Folsom said. "Once we have a family that we've reserved (lodging) for, we give them points of contact for other groups who might help them out with transportation."
Families also are responsible for meals, but Folsom pointed out that all of the facilities are fully furnished and include a kitchen.
To extend Wounded Warriors' reach and ability to help families reconnect after a servicemember's recovery, Folsom said he's looking into purchasing a condo in Sandusky, Ohio, at an indoor water park. He's also considering purchasing another unit in Orlando to keep up with demand.
"We've got the retreat we'd like to build in northwestern Nebraska," Folsom said. "(It) would be, for lack of a better term, a 'dude ranch,' (to) give the kids a chance to come out and ride horses and be cowboys and cowgirls for a week."
Folsom started Wounded Warriors in March 2003 to provide laptops and other big-ticket items to military hospitals in Germany and throughout the United States. After being called to active duty and serving with medical personnel in Iraq, Folsom learned other groups were providing the same services.
"It morphed because I detest duplication of effort," he said. "Through my research (I) learned there was an unfilled need in supporting military families the way we're doing now.
"We can offer a family a chance to become 'normal' again," he added.
Guidelines for participating in the Wounded Warriors program and an application form are available on the organization's Web site.
Article sponsored by Criminal Justice online leadership as well as police and military personnel who have authored books.
American Forces Press Service
April 18, 2007 – The Wounded Warriors organization is striving to provide injured servicemembers and their families a way to regroup and reconnect, the organization's founder said. Wounded Warriors is a member of America Supports You, the Defense Department program established in November 2004 to directly connect military members to the support of the America people and to offer a tool to the general public in their quest to find meaningful ways to support the military community.
"When America goes to war, the families go to war," John Folsom, founder of Wounded Warriors, said. "What Wounded Warriors seeks to do is to provide a sense of normalcy for these young families."
The organization accomplishes this by providing resort vacation opportunities to families with dependent children whose servicemember has been injured or killed in combat, said Folsom, who serves as a colonel in the Marine Corps Reserves. Wounded Warriors owns condominiums in Orlando, Fla., and Galveston, Texas, which it provides to qualified families free of charge for up to a week.
Free park passes for either Disney World or the combo of Universal Studios and Sea World are included with the lodging at the Bahama Bay Resort in Orlando. The lodging in the Victorian Resort and Conference Center in Galveston comes with a view of the Gulf of Mexico, which is conveniently located for Fort Hood families.
"They have to provide their own transportation," Folsom said. "Once we have a family that we've reserved (lodging) for, we give them points of contact for other groups who might help them out with transportation."
Families also are responsible for meals, but Folsom pointed out that all of the facilities are fully furnished and include a kitchen.
To extend Wounded Warriors' reach and ability to help families reconnect after a servicemember's recovery, Folsom said he's looking into purchasing a condo in Sandusky, Ohio, at an indoor water park. He's also considering purchasing another unit in Orlando to keep up with demand.
"We've got the retreat we'd like to build in northwestern Nebraska," Folsom said. "(It) would be, for lack of a better term, a 'dude ranch,' (to) give the kids a chance to come out and ride horses and be cowboys and cowgirls for a week."
Folsom started Wounded Warriors in March 2003 to provide laptops and other big-ticket items to military hospitals in Germany and throughout the United States. After being called to active duty and serving with medical personnel in Iraq, Folsom learned other groups were providing the same services.
"It morphed because I detest duplication of effort," he said. "Through my research (I) learned there was an unfilled need in supporting military families the way we're doing now.
"We can offer a family a chance to become 'normal' again," he added.
Guidelines for participating in the Wounded Warriors program and an application form are available on the organization's Web site.
Article sponsored by Criminal Justice online leadership as well as police and military personnel who have authored books.
Wednesday, April 18, 2007
'The War Tapes' Offers First-Person Look at Operation Iraqi Freedom
By John J. Kruzel
American Forces Press Service
April 18, 2007 – When a soldier returns from war, is he the same person he was before deploying? No, he's not, said Robert May, producer of "The War Tapes," a documentary that shows Operation Iraqi Freedom through the eyes of several New Hampshire National Guardsmen who were supplied with digital video cameras and an endless supply of tape.
"You hear about the people who die, you hear about the people injured," May said. "What about the majority of the people who come home?"
"The War Tapes," which made its theatrical debut last year and won the 2006 Tribeca Film Festival award for best documentary, will air tomorrow on the Military Channel, A Discovery Channel affiliate.
When "The War Tapes" director, Deborah Scranton, offered the cameras to Charlie Company, 3rd of the 172nd Infantry Regiment training at Fort Dix, N.J., in 2004, 21 of the guardsmen agreed to film the ensuing year of their lives, May explained during an interview with American Forces Press Service.
Troops were eager to use the new gadgets as a diversion during their daily routine, he said, and after deploying to Iraq, they adopted the technology as a second set of eyes, mounting cameras on gun turrets, inside dashboards and on their Kevlar helmets and vests.
Based at Logistics Support Area Anaconda in Balad, Iraq, the guardsmen recorded their lives under constant threat of ambush and deadly improvised explosive device attacks. According to the film's Web site, the unit traveled 1.4 million miles during their tour, and lived through more than 1,200 combat operations and 250 direct enemy engagements - nearly one a day.
"Inevitably, if you let the camera run, you're going to come upon things that are going to be compelling and also provide the fodder necessary to understand what they've gone through," May said. "We suggested they hook up their cameras and let 'em roll all through their shift, as opposed to trying to catch certain things on tape."
After the year-long deployment, 1,000 hours of raw footage was distilled into a 97-minute film narrated primarily by three guardsmen - Sgt. Zack Bazzi, Sgt. Steve Pink and Spc. Mike Moriarty.
During the film, Bazzi, an Arabic-speaking Lebanese-American, was a university student; he loves politics, traveling, and being a soldier. He is now serving in Operation Enduring Freedom with the New Hampshire National Guard in Afghanistan.
Pink is a carpenter with a sharp sense of humor, whose candid and insightful journal entries and letters home add color to "The War Tapes." He is now writing a book about his experience in Iraq.
Moriarty, a resolute patriot and father of two, rejoined the army after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, and has since fulfilled his obligation to the National Guard.
"We focused on these three guys because they had the most complete arc to their story," May said.
While serving in Iraq, each guardsman left a significant woman at home - a mother, a girlfriend, and a wife, respectively - whose private lives were captured intimately on film, then juxtaposed with the first-person frontline experiences of the three narrators.
"When we see a casualty, or hear about an injury, or when people come home, we just think about the soldier themselves, but no one is placed on the earth by themselves. They have families," May said. "How does the deployment affect the families - the mothers, the children, the spouses?"
May said that once family members overcame their timidity and initial worries about having their lives displayed publicly, the "real emotion" emerged.
"For me, the thing about great documentaries is knowing that you're peering into some place you don't think you should peer into," he said. "I think that's evident on the film. There's a lot of unintended emotion that comes out."
Broadcast news can report war statistics, but it has a limited ability to create an emotional connection between the warfighter and the news consumer, or to show what May calls the "untold cost of war." "But by following a couple of guys that you get to know through an entire year-long deployment, you get to know a lot more about the cost of war than you ever thought possible before," he said.
After "The War Tapes" was screened before an audience that included members of New Hampshire's National Guard, a major general told May that the documentary should be required viewing for anyone who has been to war.
"All the training can't really prepare people for what they will feel and see," May recalled the general telling him after the film. And often, soldiers are unprepared to discuss what they felt and saw after returning from Operation Iraqi Freedom.
"One officer had a son who had recently come back from Iraq and just couldn't talk about the experience," May said. "By showing this film to family members, the soldier that was there had something to more talk about. Family members asked, 'Was that what it was like?'"
Watching "The War Tapes" with his family helped the soldier speak out about his experience in Iraq, using the documentary as a basis for comparing and contrasting his own war narrative, May said.
The film can stimulate dialogue between families affected by war, and is sometimes a mechanism soldiers use to cope with the effects of combat, May said. "They can say, 'Watch this movie, then you can get an idea of what we saw, and then ask us questions,'" he said.
In making "The War Tapes," May said the directors and producers followed one golden rule: show what it's like to walk a mile in soldiers' boots.
"When the soldiers saw it once they got back we asked, 'Did we tell the story you set out to tell?'" he said. "They all agreed that that's the unfiltered story."
Article sponsored by Criminal Justice online leadership as well as police and military personnel who have authored books.
American Forces Press Service
April 18, 2007 – When a soldier returns from war, is he the same person he was before deploying? No, he's not, said Robert May, producer of "The War Tapes," a documentary that shows Operation Iraqi Freedom through the eyes of several New Hampshire National Guardsmen who were supplied with digital video cameras and an endless supply of tape.
"You hear about the people who die, you hear about the people injured," May said. "What about the majority of the people who come home?"
"The War Tapes," which made its theatrical debut last year and won the 2006 Tribeca Film Festival award for best documentary, will air tomorrow on the Military Channel, A Discovery Channel affiliate.
When "The War Tapes" director, Deborah Scranton, offered the cameras to Charlie Company, 3rd of the 172nd Infantry Regiment training at Fort Dix, N.J., in 2004, 21 of the guardsmen agreed to film the ensuing year of their lives, May explained during an interview with American Forces Press Service.
Troops were eager to use the new gadgets as a diversion during their daily routine, he said, and after deploying to Iraq, they adopted the technology as a second set of eyes, mounting cameras on gun turrets, inside dashboards and on their Kevlar helmets and vests.
Based at Logistics Support Area Anaconda in Balad, Iraq, the guardsmen recorded their lives under constant threat of ambush and deadly improvised explosive device attacks. According to the film's Web site, the unit traveled 1.4 million miles during their tour, and lived through more than 1,200 combat operations and 250 direct enemy engagements - nearly one a day.
"Inevitably, if you let the camera run, you're going to come upon things that are going to be compelling and also provide the fodder necessary to understand what they've gone through," May said. "We suggested they hook up their cameras and let 'em roll all through their shift, as opposed to trying to catch certain things on tape."
After the year-long deployment, 1,000 hours of raw footage was distilled into a 97-minute film narrated primarily by three guardsmen - Sgt. Zack Bazzi, Sgt. Steve Pink and Spc. Mike Moriarty.
During the film, Bazzi, an Arabic-speaking Lebanese-American, was a university student; he loves politics, traveling, and being a soldier. He is now serving in Operation Enduring Freedom with the New Hampshire National Guard in Afghanistan.
Pink is a carpenter with a sharp sense of humor, whose candid and insightful journal entries and letters home add color to "The War Tapes." He is now writing a book about his experience in Iraq.
Moriarty, a resolute patriot and father of two, rejoined the army after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, and has since fulfilled his obligation to the National Guard.
"We focused on these three guys because they had the most complete arc to their story," May said.
While serving in Iraq, each guardsman left a significant woman at home - a mother, a girlfriend, and a wife, respectively - whose private lives were captured intimately on film, then juxtaposed with the first-person frontline experiences of the three narrators.
"When we see a casualty, or hear about an injury, or when people come home, we just think about the soldier themselves, but no one is placed on the earth by themselves. They have families," May said. "How does the deployment affect the families - the mothers, the children, the spouses?"
May said that once family members overcame their timidity and initial worries about having their lives displayed publicly, the "real emotion" emerged.
"For me, the thing about great documentaries is knowing that you're peering into some place you don't think you should peer into," he said. "I think that's evident on the film. There's a lot of unintended emotion that comes out."
Broadcast news can report war statistics, but it has a limited ability to create an emotional connection between the warfighter and the news consumer, or to show what May calls the "untold cost of war." "But by following a couple of guys that you get to know through an entire year-long deployment, you get to know a lot more about the cost of war than you ever thought possible before," he said.
After "The War Tapes" was screened before an audience that included members of New Hampshire's National Guard, a major general told May that the documentary should be required viewing for anyone who has been to war.
"All the training can't really prepare people for what they will feel and see," May recalled the general telling him after the film. And often, soldiers are unprepared to discuss what they felt and saw after returning from Operation Iraqi Freedom.
"One officer had a son who had recently come back from Iraq and just couldn't talk about the experience," May said. "By showing this film to family members, the soldier that was there had something to more talk about. Family members asked, 'Was that what it was like?'"
Watching "The War Tapes" with his family helped the soldier speak out about his experience in Iraq, using the documentary as a basis for comparing and contrasting his own war narrative, May said.
The film can stimulate dialogue between families affected by war, and is sometimes a mechanism soldiers use to cope with the effects of combat, May said. "They can say, 'Watch this movie, then you can get an idea of what we saw, and then ask us questions,'" he said.
In making "The War Tapes," May said the directors and producers followed one golden rule: show what it's like to walk a mile in soldiers' boots.
"When the soldiers saw it once they got back we asked, 'Did we tell the story you set out to tell?'" he said. "They all agreed that that's the unfiltered story."
Article sponsored by Criminal Justice online leadership as well as police and military personnel who have authored books.
DoD Unveils Compensation Program for Frequent Deployments
By Sgt. Sara Wood, USA
American Forces Press Service
April 18, 2007 – The Defense Department today unveiled a program that will reward administrative leave to servicemembers whose service in combat does not meet the department's goal for the time at home station between deployments. Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates directed the development of this program Jan. 19, when he implemented a force management policy stating that DoD's goal was to give active-duty troops two years at home station for every year deployed, and reserve component troops five years at home station for every year deployed. At the time, Gates recognized that national security concerns would require servicemembers to be deployed more frequently than this goal, so he announced a compensation plan to make up for frequent deployments.
Under the new policy, active-duty servicemembers who are deployed for more than 12 months in a 36-month period will earn one day of administrative absence for each month beyond 12. If servicemembers are deployed for more than 18 months in a 36-month period, they will earn two days of administrative absence a month. Past 24 months, they will earn four days a month.
Members of the reserve components will earn one day of administrative absence a month for every month beyond 12 they are mobilized in a 72-month period. Members of the reserves will earn two days a month if they are mobilized past 18 months in a 72-month period, and four days a month if they are mobilized past 24 months in the same period.
Administrative absences are days off authorized by the commander, and are separate from normal leave accrued by a servicemember.
In a Pentagon news conference announcing the policy, Michael Dominguez, principal deputy undersecretary of defense for personnel and readiness, said that this program is meant to recognize the sacrifices servicemembers make, but is in no way trying to put a physical value on their service.
"Secretary Gates and all of us honor the service of the men and women in uniform, particularly in these demanding times," Dominguez said. "This program can't be viewed as being commensurate with the level of service that they offer to the nation. In many respects, while it is substantive and it is tangible, it's also symbolic. It's part of our recognition that we're keeping them in our thoughts and we're trying to do something for them."
The policy is retroactive to Jan. 19, so any servicemember who was deployed or involuntarily mobilized from that day forward, whose service exceeds the time frame in the policy, will earn the days off, Dominguez said. Also, any troops who were deployed within the last three years, and are deployed now, will earn administrative leave for their current deployment, he said.
In deciding what compensation to give servicemembers who are deployed more frequently than DoD would like, defense officials considered a wide range of options, Dominguez said. Monetary compensation was considered, he said, but time off seemed the logical choice to reward increased frequency and intensity of service.
"We weren't trying to find some metaphysical balance between the service you were rendering and buckets full of gold, or any other thing we can do for you," Dominguez said. "This was about telling men and women of the armed forces that we know when we ask you to do something extraordinary."
DoD has had a policy since 2004 that pays servicemembers who are extended in theater beyond 12 months $1,000 a month, Dominguez said. That policy is still in effect, he said, and applies to Army personnel who now have to serve 15-month tours in Iraq and Afghanistan.
The new policy is meant to deal with frequency of deployments, rather than the length of each deployment, Dominguez said. The administrative leave servicemembers earn under this policy will stay with them through their military career and can be used anytime, with commander approval, he said.
"This is what we do; it is the job," he said. "This is the job of the men and women of the armed forces, from which they do not shirk, and the volunteer force is extraordinary. This is just saying, 'Look, we know what you're doing, we recognize what you're doing, we're proud of what you're doing, we're grateful for what you're doing.'"
Article sponsored by Criminal Justice online leadership as well as police and military personnel who have authored books.
American Forces Press Service
April 18, 2007 – The Defense Department today unveiled a program that will reward administrative leave to servicemembers whose service in combat does not meet the department's goal for the time at home station between deployments. Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates directed the development of this program Jan. 19, when he implemented a force management policy stating that DoD's goal was to give active-duty troops two years at home station for every year deployed, and reserve component troops five years at home station for every year deployed. At the time, Gates recognized that national security concerns would require servicemembers to be deployed more frequently than this goal, so he announced a compensation plan to make up for frequent deployments.
Under the new policy, active-duty servicemembers who are deployed for more than 12 months in a 36-month period will earn one day of administrative absence for each month beyond 12. If servicemembers are deployed for more than 18 months in a 36-month period, they will earn two days of administrative absence a month. Past 24 months, they will earn four days a month.
Members of the reserve components will earn one day of administrative absence a month for every month beyond 12 they are mobilized in a 72-month period. Members of the reserves will earn two days a month if they are mobilized past 18 months in a 72-month period, and four days a month if they are mobilized past 24 months in the same period.
Administrative absences are days off authorized by the commander, and are separate from normal leave accrued by a servicemember.
In a Pentagon news conference announcing the policy, Michael Dominguez, principal deputy undersecretary of defense for personnel and readiness, said that this program is meant to recognize the sacrifices servicemembers make, but is in no way trying to put a physical value on their service.
"Secretary Gates and all of us honor the service of the men and women in uniform, particularly in these demanding times," Dominguez said. "This program can't be viewed as being commensurate with the level of service that they offer to the nation. In many respects, while it is substantive and it is tangible, it's also symbolic. It's part of our recognition that we're keeping them in our thoughts and we're trying to do something for them."
The policy is retroactive to Jan. 19, so any servicemember who was deployed or involuntarily mobilized from that day forward, whose service exceeds the time frame in the policy, will earn the days off, Dominguez said. Also, any troops who were deployed within the last three years, and are deployed now, will earn administrative leave for their current deployment, he said.
In deciding what compensation to give servicemembers who are deployed more frequently than DoD would like, defense officials considered a wide range of options, Dominguez said. Monetary compensation was considered, he said, but time off seemed the logical choice to reward increased frequency and intensity of service.
"We weren't trying to find some metaphysical balance between the service you were rendering and buckets full of gold, or any other thing we can do for you," Dominguez said. "This was about telling men and women of the armed forces that we know when we ask you to do something extraordinary."
DoD has had a policy since 2004 that pays servicemembers who are extended in theater beyond 12 months $1,000 a month, Dominguez said. That policy is still in effect, he said, and applies to Army personnel who now have to serve 15-month tours in Iraq and Afghanistan.
The new policy is meant to deal with frequency of deployments, rather than the length of each deployment, Dominguez said. The administrative leave servicemembers earn under this policy will stay with them through their military career and can be used anytime, with commander approval, he said.
"This is what we do; it is the job," he said. "This is the job of the men and women of the armed forces, from which they do not shirk, and the volunteer force is extraordinary. This is just saying, 'Look, we know what you're doing, we recognize what you're doing, we're proud of what you're doing, we're grateful for what you're doing.'"
Article sponsored by Criminal Justice online leadership as well as police and military personnel who have authored books.
.S. Defense Secretary Visits Israel During 'Days of Remembrance'
By Kathleen T. Rhem
American Forces Press Service
April 18, 2007 – Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates is visiting this Mediterranean seaside city during a symbolic period, Gates' Israeli counterpart said here today. "We are welcoming you two days after having marked Holocaust Remembrance Day in Israel. We are welcoming you a short time after celebrating the Passover holiday when we read the verse that in every generation our enemies try to destroy us," Defense Minister Amir Peretz said during a joint news conference with Gates at the Defense Ministry's headquarters, the Kirya Defense Complex.
"These are days of remembrance for the Jewish people," Peretz said. "In a week's time, we will celebrate our 59th Independence Day. It is symbolic to me that our meeting is taking place at this time."
Gates said he places great importance on the United States' relationship with Israel.
"I was surprised to learn as I began to prepare for this visit that I was the first secretary of defense to visit Israel in almost eight years," he said. "I think the fact that I have come here in the end of my fourth month as secretary illustrates the importance that I attach to our relationship with Israel."
Today's meeting between the two chiefs of defense focused significantly on the threat posed by Iran. The leaders and members of their staffs also discussed Syria and the robust U.S.-Israeli military-to-military relationship.
Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has said publicly that the Holocaust never happened and that he'd like to see Israel destroyed.
"I would like to underscore the position of the State of Israel, which determines that Iran is a threat not only to Israel but to the entire region and the free world," Peretz said. "This is a problem that concerns your government, the governments of Europe and all the countries of the free world. Iran denies the Holocaust, openly declares its plans and intentions, and we are sure that the free world, led by the United States, will not stand by."
Gates said he stressed during the meeting that diplomacy and economic pressure are the best ways to deal with Iran.
"These things don't work overnight, but it seems to me (diplomacy is) clearly the preferable course to keep our focus on diplomatic initiatives and particularly because of the united front of the international community at this point," Gates said.
Peretz underscored that point, but still left room for other means of dealing with the nation, which President Bush labeled as part of the "Axis of Evil."
"The diplomatic track is preferable, and it must be exhausted, but it is still not able to remove other options from the table," Peretz said.
Gates also discussed Iran in a meeting with Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak earlier today in Cairo, Egypt. In a news conference at Egypt's Presidential Palace, Gates said he and Mubarak spoke of "the desirability of continuing diplomatic and economic measure intended to sway the Iranians to change their policy, their behavior."
In response to a reporter's question, Gates reiterated statements made a day earlier by Joint Chiefs Chairman Marine Gen. Peter Pace that U.S. officials have discovered Iranian-made weapons in Afghanistan.
Gates said the U.S. doesn't know if or at what level the Iranian government sanctioned supplying arms to Afghanistan. However, he called it "troubling and worrisome that the Iranians may be deciding to counter the efforts of some 42 nations and Afghanistan trying to help the Afghan government establish a strong democratic state, so we'll watch it very closely."
In today's broad-ranging news conference at the Israeli Ministry of Defense, Gates also touched on the situation in Iraq when a reporter asked him to discuss a series of attacks in Baghdad today that killed up to 170 people, according to some media reports.
The secretary reminded reporters that U.S. military officials have said enemy fighters would step-up the violence in response to the recent Baghdad security plan, which calls for heightened U.S. and Iraqi military presence in the Iraqi capital.
"Today was a horrifying thing," Gates said. "But I think it illustrates another point: These terrorists are killing innocent men, women and children who are Iraqis. They are killing their countrymen, and I think it is important to highlight their efforts to try and disrupt the process of a reconciliation, to try and prove the Baghdad security plan a failure, and we intend to persist to show that it is not."
Article sponsored by Criminal Justice online leadership as well as police and military personnel who have authored books.
American Forces Press Service
April 18, 2007 – Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates is visiting this Mediterranean seaside city during a symbolic period, Gates' Israeli counterpart said here today. "We are welcoming you two days after having marked Holocaust Remembrance Day in Israel. We are welcoming you a short time after celebrating the Passover holiday when we read the verse that in every generation our enemies try to destroy us," Defense Minister Amir Peretz said during a joint news conference with Gates at the Defense Ministry's headquarters, the Kirya Defense Complex.
"These are days of remembrance for the Jewish people," Peretz said. "In a week's time, we will celebrate our 59th Independence Day. It is symbolic to me that our meeting is taking place at this time."
Gates said he places great importance on the United States' relationship with Israel.
"I was surprised to learn as I began to prepare for this visit that I was the first secretary of defense to visit Israel in almost eight years," he said. "I think the fact that I have come here in the end of my fourth month as secretary illustrates the importance that I attach to our relationship with Israel."
Today's meeting between the two chiefs of defense focused significantly on the threat posed by Iran. The leaders and members of their staffs also discussed Syria and the robust U.S.-Israeli military-to-military relationship.
Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has said publicly that the Holocaust never happened and that he'd like to see Israel destroyed.
"I would like to underscore the position of the State of Israel, which determines that Iran is a threat not only to Israel but to the entire region and the free world," Peretz said. "This is a problem that concerns your government, the governments of Europe and all the countries of the free world. Iran denies the Holocaust, openly declares its plans and intentions, and we are sure that the free world, led by the United States, will not stand by."
Gates said he stressed during the meeting that diplomacy and economic pressure are the best ways to deal with Iran.
"These things don't work overnight, but it seems to me (diplomacy is) clearly the preferable course to keep our focus on diplomatic initiatives and particularly because of the united front of the international community at this point," Gates said.
Peretz underscored that point, but still left room for other means of dealing with the nation, which President Bush labeled as part of the "Axis of Evil."
"The diplomatic track is preferable, and it must be exhausted, but it is still not able to remove other options from the table," Peretz said.
Gates also discussed Iran in a meeting with Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak earlier today in Cairo, Egypt. In a news conference at Egypt's Presidential Palace, Gates said he and Mubarak spoke of "the desirability of continuing diplomatic and economic measure intended to sway the Iranians to change their policy, their behavior."
In response to a reporter's question, Gates reiterated statements made a day earlier by Joint Chiefs Chairman Marine Gen. Peter Pace that U.S. officials have discovered Iranian-made weapons in Afghanistan.
Gates said the U.S. doesn't know if or at what level the Iranian government sanctioned supplying arms to Afghanistan. However, he called it "troubling and worrisome that the Iranians may be deciding to counter the efforts of some 42 nations and Afghanistan trying to help the Afghan government establish a strong democratic state, so we'll watch it very closely."
In today's broad-ranging news conference at the Israeli Ministry of Defense, Gates also touched on the situation in Iraq when a reporter asked him to discuss a series of attacks in Baghdad today that killed up to 170 people, according to some media reports.
The secretary reminded reporters that U.S. military officials have said enemy fighters would step-up the violence in response to the recent Baghdad security plan, which calls for heightened U.S. and Iraqi military presence in the Iraqi capital.
"Today was a horrifying thing," Gates said. "But I think it illustrates another point: These terrorists are killing innocent men, women and children who are Iraqis. They are killing their countrymen, and I think it is important to highlight their efforts to try and disrupt the process of a reconciliation, to try and prove the Baghdad security plan a failure, and we intend to persist to show that it is not."
Article sponsored by Criminal Justice online leadership as well as police and military personnel who have authored books.
Army Restricts Spending While Waiting for Congressional Approval
By Carmen L. Gleason
American Forces Press Service
April 18, 2007 – Due to budget shortfalls, the Army announced April 16 that spending restrictions will be enforced while waiting for Congress to pass an emergency supplemental for funding requirements associated with the global war on terror. Army budget officials said the delay is related more to the policy issues surrounding the supplemental, rather than the amount of money being requested.
Funds for operations and maintenance have run low, requiring restrictions in other areas to ensure funds are available for the Army to execute its mission of defending the nation and prosecuting the war on terror while continuing to support military families, officials said.
Although the restrictions are unusual, they are not unprecedented, William Campbell, deputy director for the Army budget, said. He said the Army plans to slow down spending to stretch out available funds in the interim.
"I am confident that (the supplemental) will get passed," Campbell said. "In talking with staffers and congressmen, they are eager to get the money to the Army that it needs."
Campbell said the guidance is in a phased plan that will begin with simple restrictions over the next six weeks before becoming more stringent.
Beginning in mid-April, the Army will slow the purchase of non-critical repair parts and supplies, he said. Non-essential travel and supply transactions using a government purchase card and shipment of equipment will also be restricted unless needed immediately for war efforts.
In the interim, Army officials have worked with the Defense Department comptroller to submit a proposal to Congress to borrow $1.6 billion from the Navy and Air Force that would ease the Army's shortfall through June.
If budget issues aren't soon resolved, Campbell said that another reprogramming would be submitted in three or four weeks to carry the Army through the end of July.
This is the second year in a row that the Army has had to restrict spending while waiting for additional money from Congress. However, DoD has taken steps toward the stabilizing of funding for the next fiscal year.
Current policies have military branches getting a "down payment" of funds at the beginning of each fiscal year and receiving the remainder in April, May or June, said Campbell.
"DoD has submitted, for (fiscal year 2008), a base program budget and (global war on terror) allowance for the entire year as part of the budget," Campbell said. This would allow the Army to receive all needed money at the beginning of the fiscal year, he said.
Campbell said that commanders have been given a lot of latitude and flexibility to make exceptions in restrictions for the war on terror, family programs and national intelligence programs.
In the worst case scenario, contracts may be deferred and civilian hiring will be restricted, but not frozen, he said.
"At this point there is no reason to be concerned about employment," he said. "Last year we did release some temporary employees, but this year we're going to monitor it more carefully."
Campbell said that soldiers shouldn't be too concerned because it will not affect their pay or deployment readiness. "We should be able to manage money so that it's transparent to soldiers and their families in the field," he said.
"This is really mostly a budget drill," he said. "But it's gotten a lot of media coverage because of the policy issues surrounding it."
Article sponsored by Criminal Justice online leadership as well as police and military personnel who have authored books.
American Forces Press Service
April 18, 2007 – Due to budget shortfalls, the Army announced April 16 that spending restrictions will be enforced while waiting for Congress to pass an emergency supplemental for funding requirements associated with the global war on terror. Army budget officials said the delay is related more to the policy issues surrounding the supplemental, rather than the amount of money being requested.
Funds for operations and maintenance have run low, requiring restrictions in other areas to ensure funds are available for the Army to execute its mission of defending the nation and prosecuting the war on terror while continuing to support military families, officials said.
Although the restrictions are unusual, they are not unprecedented, William Campbell, deputy director for the Army budget, said. He said the Army plans to slow down spending to stretch out available funds in the interim.
"I am confident that (the supplemental) will get passed," Campbell said. "In talking with staffers and congressmen, they are eager to get the money to the Army that it needs."
Campbell said the guidance is in a phased plan that will begin with simple restrictions over the next six weeks before becoming more stringent.
Beginning in mid-April, the Army will slow the purchase of non-critical repair parts and supplies, he said. Non-essential travel and supply transactions using a government purchase card and shipment of equipment will also be restricted unless needed immediately for war efforts.
In the interim, Army officials have worked with the Defense Department comptroller to submit a proposal to Congress to borrow $1.6 billion from the Navy and Air Force that would ease the Army's shortfall through June.
If budget issues aren't soon resolved, Campbell said that another reprogramming would be submitted in three or four weeks to carry the Army through the end of July.
This is the second year in a row that the Army has had to restrict spending while waiting for additional money from Congress. However, DoD has taken steps toward the stabilizing of funding for the next fiscal year.
Current policies have military branches getting a "down payment" of funds at the beginning of each fiscal year and receiving the remainder in April, May or June, said Campbell.
"DoD has submitted, for (fiscal year 2008), a base program budget and (global war on terror) allowance for the entire year as part of the budget," Campbell said. This would allow the Army to receive all needed money at the beginning of the fiscal year, he said.
Campbell said that commanders have been given a lot of latitude and flexibility to make exceptions in restrictions for the war on terror, family programs and national intelligence programs.
In the worst case scenario, contracts may be deferred and civilian hiring will be restricted, but not frozen, he said.
"At this point there is no reason to be concerned about employment," he said. "Last year we did release some temporary employees, but this year we're going to monitor it more carefully."
Campbell said that soldiers shouldn't be too concerned because it will not affect their pay or deployment readiness. "We should be able to manage money so that it's transparent to soldiers and their families in the field," he said.
"This is really mostly a budget drill," he said. "But it's gotten a lot of media coverage because of the policy issues surrounding it."
Article sponsored by Criminal Justice online leadership as well as police and military personnel who have authored books.
Tuesday, April 17, 2007
Gates Describes 'Excellent Visit' to Jordan
By Kathleen T. Rhem
American Forces Press Service
April 17, 2007 – Jordan's King Abdallah today pledged his country's continued support to Iraq's fledgling democracy, U.S. Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates said here today. In what he called a "really excellent visit," Gates today had wide-ranging discussions with King Abdallah and with Gen. Khaled Jamil al-Sarayrah, the country's defense chairman.
"His Majesty affirmed Jordan's support for (Iraqi) Prime Minister (Nouri al-) Maliki, and we talked about efforts that others could take to contribute to the reconciliation process in Iraq itself," the secretary said following a meeting with the king.
Jordan is a long-time U.S. ally in the Middle East. "This is a relationship that goes back a long way," Gates said, noting that the first time he visited Jordan was 20 years ago at the invitation of Abdallah's father, King Hussein, who died in 1999.
The secretary pointed out that the U.S. and Jordanian armed forces have strong military-to-military ties. "There are frequent exchanges, exercises and visits between the military officers of both sides," Gates said.
Some 370 Jordanian troops are manning a field hospital in Afghanistan, and another 220-plus Jordanian servicemembers are performing a similar mission in Iraq. In addition, Jordan has trained 40,000 to 50,000 Iraqi national police officers at the Joint International Police Training Center in Jordan.
"I thanked both His Majesty and the chairman for all of the things Jordan has done to help us, a great deal of training of Iraqi security forces, both police and army," Gates said.
Other topics discussed included Syria and its involvement in the Mid-East peace process and Iran. Gates said he reaffirmed President Bush's commitment to the Middle East peace process.
He added that he and Abdallah "agreed that diplomatic and economic pressures were the most profitable way to try and get the Iranians to change their behavior."
After leaving Jordan, Gates is scheduled to visit Egypt and Israel. As he travels through the Middle East, Gates is encouraging regional leaders to bring Maliki and his unity government more fully into the political landscape of the region, a senior official said as Gates was en route to the region.
"I think that there is not yet confidence in the region that Iraq's government represents all Iraqis," Gates said today. "My own view is that (the Iraqi government is) working hard in that direction. ... And I think the more encouragement the neighbors can provide, the more support for the Iraqi government and with it encouragement of a broad-based government approach to governance, I think would be a positive contribution."
Article sponsored by Criminal Justice online leadership as well as police and military personnel who have authored books.
American Forces Press Service
April 17, 2007 – Jordan's King Abdallah today pledged his country's continued support to Iraq's fledgling democracy, U.S. Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates said here today. In what he called a "really excellent visit," Gates today had wide-ranging discussions with King Abdallah and with Gen. Khaled Jamil al-Sarayrah, the country's defense chairman.
"His Majesty affirmed Jordan's support for (Iraqi) Prime Minister (Nouri al-) Maliki, and we talked about efforts that others could take to contribute to the reconciliation process in Iraq itself," the secretary said following a meeting with the king.
Jordan is a long-time U.S. ally in the Middle East. "This is a relationship that goes back a long way," Gates said, noting that the first time he visited Jordan was 20 years ago at the invitation of Abdallah's father, King Hussein, who died in 1999.
The secretary pointed out that the U.S. and Jordanian armed forces have strong military-to-military ties. "There are frequent exchanges, exercises and visits between the military officers of both sides," Gates said.
Some 370 Jordanian troops are manning a field hospital in Afghanistan, and another 220-plus Jordanian servicemembers are performing a similar mission in Iraq. In addition, Jordan has trained 40,000 to 50,000 Iraqi national police officers at the Joint International Police Training Center in Jordan.
"I thanked both His Majesty and the chairman for all of the things Jordan has done to help us, a great deal of training of Iraqi security forces, both police and army," Gates said.
Other topics discussed included Syria and its involvement in the Mid-East peace process and Iran. Gates said he reaffirmed President Bush's commitment to the Middle East peace process.
He added that he and Abdallah "agreed that diplomatic and economic pressures were the most profitable way to try and get the Iranians to change their behavior."
After leaving Jordan, Gates is scheduled to visit Egypt and Israel. As he travels through the Middle East, Gates is encouraging regional leaders to bring Maliki and his unity government more fully into the political landscape of the region, a senior official said as Gates was en route to the region.
"I think that there is not yet confidence in the region that Iraq's government represents all Iraqis," Gates said today. "My own view is that (the Iraqi government is) working hard in that direction. ... And I think the more encouragement the neighbors can provide, the more support for the Iraqi government and with it encouragement of a broad-based government approach to governance, I think would be a positive contribution."
Article sponsored by Criminal Justice online leadership as well as police and military personnel who have authored books.
12 Detained in Iraq, Coalition Forces Seize Truck Loaded With Explosives
American Forces Press Service
April 17, 2007 – Coalition and Iraqi forces captured 12 suspects and seized a dump truck transporting explosive materials during raids across Iraq the past two days. Also, an investigation into an operation yesterday revealed no Iraq police were killed or injured, as original reports indicated. In Baghdad, two individuals were detained for allegedly providing and transporting car bomb materials for a network operating in the area. In Karmah, a village northeast of Fallujah, coalition forces detained six men with suspected ties to al Qaeda.
"These captures are another step in disrupting the terrorist networks operating in Iraq," said Lt. Col. Christopher Garver, a Multinational Force Iraq spokesman.
A preliminary investigation into a coalition forces raid yesterday in Ramadi revealed that three individuals killed and one wounded were not Iraqi policemen, as originally reported.
Actual Iraqi police operating in the area were notified by coalition forces while they were planning the raid. Iraqi police in the area were again notified immediately before coalition forces entered the target area, military officials said.
In the course of the operation, ground forces began receiving intense small-arms fire from armed men in two separate buildings. Using appropriate self-defense measures, coalition forces returned fire.
The wounded individual identified the group as Iraqi police, and the individuals used a vehicle that resembled local Iraqi police vehicles. But the investigation later revealed the armed individuals were dressed in dishdashas, which is traditional male Arabic garb, and not in Iraqi police uniforms.
Later in the operation, coalition forces cleared another targeted building and detained seven suspected terrorists with alleged ties to al Qaeda in Iraq.
During several early morning raids in the Iraqi capital yesterday, Iraqi special operations forces detained a target suspected of leading a rogue criminal cell operating in northeast Baghdad. Iraqi special operations forces, with coalition advisors, raided several buildings in Sadr City where they captured the terrorist leader, military officials reported.
As they left their second objective area, combined forces received enemy fire. Iraqi forces returned fire, immediately suppressing the enemy. Two other suspects were detained by Iraqiforces during this operation.
Combined forces primarily targeted a suspect with alleged links to a criminal network called "Abu Dura." He is responsible for leading a kidnapping cell, conducting attacks on coalition and Iraqi forces, killing many innocent Iraqi civilians and launching rockets into parts of Baghdad, military officials said.
In Mushada yesterday, a dump truck overturned while attempting to deliver its payload of explosives and nitric acid.
A coalition patrol approached the driver of the overturned dump truck and offered assistance and found the vehicle loaded with nitric acid containers and explosives. The driver was taken into custody and confessed that he was paid to attack the Joint Security Station in Mushada, which also houses the town's Iraqi police station.
An explosive ordnance team was called to analyze and dispose of the truck's contents. The team discovered eight containers of nitric acid, eight directional fragmentation explosives devices and two large ordnance rounds.
The explosives and munitions discovered will be disposed of once they are carefully removed from the site, and the driver is being held for further questioning.
(Compiled from Multinational Force Iraq and Multinational Corps Iraq news releases.)
Article sponsored by Criminal Justice online leadership as well as police and military personnel who have authored books.
April 17, 2007 – Coalition and Iraqi forces captured 12 suspects and seized a dump truck transporting explosive materials during raids across Iraq the past two days. Also, an investigation into an operation yesterday revealed no Iraq police were killed or injured, as original reports indicated. In Baghdad, two individuals were detained for allegedly providing and transporting car bomb materials for a network operating in the area. In Karmah, a village northeast of Fallujah, coalition forces detained six men with suspected ties to al Qaeda.
"These captures are another step in disrupting the terrorist networks operating in Iraq," said Lt. Col. Christopher Garver, a Multinational Force Iraq spokesman.
A preliminary investigation into a coalition forces raid yesterday in Ramadi revealed that three individuals killed and one wounded were not Iraqi policemen, as originally reported.
Actual Iraqi police operating in the area were notified by coalition forces while they were planning the raid. Iraqi police in the area were again notified immediately before coalition forces entered the target area, military officials said.
In the course of the operation, ground forces began receiving intense small-arms fire from armed men in two separate buildings. Using appropriate self-defense measures, coalition forces returned fire.
The wounded individual identified the group as Iraqi police, and the individuals used a vehicle that resembled local Iraqi police vehicles. But the investigation later revealed the armed individuals were dressed in dishdashas, which is traditional male Arabic garb, and not in Iraqi police uniforms.
Later in the operation, coalition forces cleared another targeted building and detained seven suspected terrorists with alleged ties to al Qaeda in Iraq.
During several early morning raids in the Iraqi capital yesterday, Iraqi special operations forces detained a target suspected of leading a rogue criminal cell operating in northeast Baghdad. Iraqi special operations forces, with coalition advisors, raided several buildings in Sadr City where they captured the terrorist leader, military officials reported.
As they left their second objective area, combined forces received enemy fire. Iraqi forces returned fire, immediately suppressing the enemy. Two other suspects were detained by Iraqiforces during this operation.
Combined forces primarily targeted a suspect with alleged links to a criminal network called "Abu Dura." He is responsible for leading a kidnapping cell, conducting attacks on coalition and Iraqi forces, killing many innocent Iraqi civilians and launching rockets into parts of Baghdad, military officials said.
In Mushada yesterday, a dump truck overturned while attempting to deliver its payload of explosives and nitric acid.
A coalition patrol approached the driver of the overturned dump truck and offered assistance and found the vehicle loaded with nitric acid containers and explosives. The driver was taken into custody and confessed that he was paid to attack the Joint Security Station in Mushada, which also houses the town's Iraqi police station.
An explosive ordnance team was called to analyze and dispose of the truck's contents. The team discovered eight containers of nitric acid, eight directional fragmentation explosives devices and two large ordnance rounds.
The explosives and munitions discovered will be disposed of once they are carefully removed from the site, and the driver is being held for further questioning.
(Compiled from Multinational Force Iraq and Multinational Corps Iraq news releases.)
Article sponsored by Criminal Justice online leadership as well as police and military personnel who have authored books.
Education Key in Preventing Shaken Baby Syndrome
By Gerry J. Gilmore
American Forces Press Service
April 17, 2007 – To prevent "Shaken Baby Syndrome," which can seriously harm or kill infants, mothers who deliver their babies at the National Naval Medical Center in Bethesda, Md., receive a series of mandatory briefings, a 15-year Navy nurse who works at the center said. "Every mother who delivers here will get educated on Shaken Baby Syndrome," Lt. Cmdr. Maile Kalinowski, who specializes in mother and infant care at the center, said during an April 10 interview with American Forces Press Service.
Shaken Baby Syndrome can occur when frustrated parents, especially fathers, negatively react to their baby's cries by shaking it. Each year between 10 to 20 infant deaths across the military are attributed to Shaken Baby Syndrome, according to Defense Department documents.
The mandatory briefings are provided to mothers before the birth of their baby, soon afterward, and later on during outpatient checkups, Kalinowski, a mother of three children, said.
"We call it an immunization, because we try to give (the briefings) at three different times," Kalinowski said. Probably one of the most effective briefings, she said, is provided to mothers around two months after their baby is born.
"Most incidents of Shaken Baby Syndrome happen between four-to-six months of age," Kalinowski said. "So, they've already experienced some of the irritating crying that goes on," which usually is what causes people to shake their baby.
"So they, hopefully, will listen up a little bit more on what they can do to prevent them (from) shaking their baby."
About 70 percent of shaken-baby cases are committed by fathers or other males, Kalinowski said, noting the majority of those incidents involve stepfathers, boyfriends or caregivers. Therefore, she said, it's preferable that mothers and their husbands or significant others attend Shaken Baby Syndrome prevention classes together.
"We have them view a 10-minute video together," Kalinowski explained. The video has a powerful impact, she said, noting it is based on three actual shaken-baby cases and includes interviews with the families involved.
"It is devastating to watch and it really gets their attention," Kalinowski said of viewers' reactions.
Also, servicemembers returning home after deployments are to receive Shaken Baby Syndrome information as part of their debriefing process, Kalinowski said.
All babies cry, Kalinowski said, noting that it's the only way they know how to communicate their discomfort, loneliness, hunger or diaper situation.
Babies at high risk for becoming victims of Shaken Baby Syndrome cry a lot, she said. This group includes prematurely-born babies and babies that don't feed well. Multiple-birth babies, she added, also ratchet up the volume when they communicate.
"These parents are under more stress, are getting less sleep and might act in an abnormal manner during those (crying) situations," Kalinowski said. Parents who are getting stressed or irritated by their baby's crying should place the baby in a safe place, like its crib, and take a time out, she said.
Or, "play some music, take your baby for a walk, take the baby for a ride in the car seat," Kalinowski suggested.
Shaking babies is dangerous to them, primarily because their brains are in the early stages of development, Kalinowski explained. Injuries can range from death to serious head trauma - meaning skull fractures, blindness, learning disabilities and stunted growth.
Whether it's done deliberately or accidentally, people who shake babies are committing child abuse and could go to jail, Kalinowski pointed out.
"Thirty-percent of these babies who get shaken will die," Kalinowski said. Another 30 percent, she added, suffer brain damage and develop other long-term disabilities. She said the other 30 percent or so develop no adverse symptoms at all.
Shaken Baby Syndrome is preventable, Kalinowski said.
"It's never ok to shake a baby," she emphasized.
This year, DoD is partnering with the National Center on Shaken Baby Syndrome, headquartered in Ogden, Utah, to prevent Shaken Baby Syndrome. National Shaken Baby Prevention Week is being held this week, in conjunction with National Child Abuse Prevention Month, which is observed each April.
Military parents cancall a 24-hour, counseling line at 1-800-342-9647 to surface their questions about Shaken Baby Syndrome and other issues.
Article sponsored by Criminal Justice online leadership as well as police and military personnel who have authored books.
American Forces Press Service
April 17, 2007 – To prevent "Shaken Baby Syndrome," which can seriously harm or kill infants, mothers who deliver their babies at the National Naval Medical Center in Bethesda, Md., receive a series of mandatory briefings, a 15-year Navy nurse who works at the center said. "Every mother who delivers here will get educated on Shaken Baby Syndrome," Lt. Cmdr. Maile Kalinowski, who specializes in mother and infant care at the center, said during an April 10 interview with American Forces Press Service.
Shaken Baby Syndrome can occur when frustrated parents, especially fathers, negatively react to their baby's cries by shaking it. Each year between 10 to 20 infant deaths across the military are attributed to Shaken Baby Syndrome, according to Defense Department documents.
The mandatory briefings are provided to mothers before the birth of their baby, soon afterward, and later on during outpatient checkups, Kalinowski, a mother of three children, said.
"We call it an immunization, because we try to give (the briefings) at three different times," Kalinowski said. Probably one of the most effective briefings, she said, is provided to mothers around two months after their baby is born.
"Most incidents of Shaken Baby Syndrome happen between four-to-six months of age," Kalinowski said. "So, they've already experienced some of the irritating crying that goes on," which usually is what causes people to shake their baby.
"So they, hopefully, will listen up a little bit more on what they can do to prevent them (from) shaking their baby."
About 70 percent of shaken-baby cases are committed by fathers or other males, Kalinowski said, noting the majority of those incidents involve stepfathers, boyfriends or caregivers. Therefore, she said, it's preferable that mothers and their husbands or significant others attend Shaken Baby Syndrome prevention classes together.
"We have them view a 10-minute video together," Kalinowski explained. The video has a powerful impact, she said, noting it is based on three actual shaken-baby cases and includes interviews with the families involved.
"It is devastating to watch and it really gets their attention," Kalinowski said of viewers' reactions.
Also, servicemembers returning home after deployments are to receive Shaken Baby Syndrome information as part of their debriefing process, Kalinowski said.
All babies cry, Kalinowski said, noting that it's the only way they know how to communicate their discomfort, loneliness, hunger or diaper situation.
Babies at high risk for becoming victims of Shaken Baby Syndrome cry a lot, she said. This group includes prematurely-born babies and babies that don't feed well. Multiple-birth babies, she added, also ratchet up the volume when they communicate.
"These parents are under more stress, are getting less sleep and might act in an abnormal manner during those (crying) situations," Kalinowski said. Parents who are getting stressed or irritated by their baby's crying should place the baby in a safe place, like its crib, and take a time out, she said.
Or, "play some music, take your baby for a walk, take the baby for a ride in the car seat," Kalinowski suggested.
Shaking babies is dangerous to them, primarily because their brains are in the early stages of development, Kalinowski explained. Injuries can range from death to serious head trauma - meaning skull fractures, blindness, learning disabilities and stunted growth.
Whether it's done deliberately or accidentally, people who shake babies are committing child abuse and could go to jail, Kalinowski pointed out.
"Thirty-percent of these babies who get shaken will die," Kalinowski said. Another 30 percent, she added, suffer brain damage and develop other long-term disabilities. She said the other 30 percent or so develop no adverse symptoms at all.
Shaken Baby Syndrome is preventable, Kalinowski said.
"It's never ok to shake a baby," she emphasized.
This year, DoD is partnering with the National Center on Shaken Baby Syndrome, headquartered in Ogden, Utah, to prevent Shaken Baby Syndrome. National Shaken Baby Prevention Week is being held this week, in conjunction with National Child Abuse Prevention Month, which is observed each April.
Military parents cancall a 24-hour, counseling line at 1-800-342-9647 to surface their questions about Shaken Baby Syndrome and other issues.
Article sponsored by Criminal Justice online leadership as well as police and military personnel who have authored books.
Military Runners Conquer Boston Marathon Far From Home
By David Mays
Special to American Forces Press Service
April 17, 2007 – While thousands of runners braved the remnants of a late spring storm to run the Boston Marathon, servicemembers deployed overseas, and one in space, joined in to participate in the prestigious race. So-called "satellite" races are nothing new to servicemembers deployed overseas. These running events, which are held on forward operating bases, are designed to coincide with massive stateside races like the Marine Corps Marathon and the Army Ten Miler.
For the third year in a row, servicemembers at Tallil Air Base, Iraq, marked off a 26.2 mile course and lined up to participate as official entrants in the Boston Marathon, which was held April 16, Patriot's Day in Massachusetts. Race officials waived stringent qualifying times for servicemembers racing in Iraq.
Runners in Boston were pummeled with rain, wind and much colder-than-average temperatures, resulting in much slower winning times for elite athletes. Conditions were also strange for runners in Iraq.
"The morning of the race was not what you would consider weather perfect," said Army Capt. Andrew Heymann, who organized this year's Boston Marathon in Iraq. "Although in light of what was going on in Boston, I'll take it."
Runners at Tallil started their voyage at 5 a.m. local time to avoid temperatures that typically soar to 100-plus this time of year. But like their counterparts in Boston, Iraq participants had to endure nature's fury.
"The morning had 20 mph gusts, which kicked a lot of dust into the air," Heymann said. "Add to that a rain which fell sideways and a lightning storm."
Army 1st Lt. Elias Gonzales, who is deployed to Iraq with the Florida National Guard, won the Tallil event in 2:35:50, a time that would have easily qualified him for the actual Boston Marathon. Army Staff Sgt. Jennifer Yurczk, a Minnesota National Guard member, was the first woman in the Tallil event with a swift 3:34:39, also well under the official Boston qualifying mark. Both were crowned with olive wreaths, as is the famous tradition for winners at Boston.
Seventy-eight other servicemembers followed a course that took runners outside the base and past one of Iraq's best preserved historical features, a 50-foot tall Sumerian ziggurat, which is a massive, stepped pyramid, part of an ancient temple complex built in 2100 B.C. Runners took a final long lap around the base perimeter to the finish line. Although Tallil runners were not required to meet Boston's rigorous qualifying times, they were offered official bib numbers, finisher's medals, participant T-shirts and other goodies supplied by the Boston Athletic Association, which has organized the storied New England marathon since its inception in 1897.
Last year's winner of the Iraq race, Navy Lt. Cmdr. Matt Simms, who has since rotated home to Washington, ran the actual Boston course this year in 2:44:23, a time that placed him 186th overall in the 111th edition of America's oldest continuously run marathon.
For the first time, coalition forces in Kosovo ran their first "satellite" Boston Marathon.
"The course was four laps, plus a small add-on loop of hilly terrain around Camp Bondsteel," said Army Staff. Sgt. Richard Fortuna, one of the inaugural event's organizers. "The race went on time and as planned. We had a great day. The day started with the national anthem , and then a flyover by two Apache attack helicopters."
Meanwhile, Navy Cmdr. Sunita "Sunni" Williams ran her own "satellite" Boston Marathon aboard an actual satellite. Williams had qualified to run at Boston with a 3:29:57 finish at January's Houston Marathon. She planned to run it with her sister, Dina Pandya, and colleague, Karen Nyberg. But Williams is a NASA astronaut, and she realized she would be working inside the International Space Station on race day. So she decided to attempt something no other astronaut had done before: complete the 26.2 mile run while orbiting the earth.
Williams was strapped to a specially designed treadmill with bungee cords, an uncomfortable process that puts strain on a runner's hips and shoulders. NASA said Williams' treadmill speed registered as fast as eight miles per hour during her "satellite" Boston race, but in actuality, she was traveling more than five miles per second as the space station completed two laps around Earth during the marathon.
Williams, who is a native of Needham, Mass., wore Boston Red Sox socks for her race in space. She finished the arduous journey in 4:23:10, well off her times on terra firma.
Williams told her NASA colleagues the motivation for running this historic marathon was simple.
"I would like to encourage kids to start making physical fitness part of their daily lives," she said. "I thought a big goal like a marathon would help get this message out there."
Boston Marathon organizers told NASA they have a different take on this historic achievement. "Suni running 26.2 miles in space on Patriots' Day is really a tribute to the thousands of marathoners who are running here on Earth," said Jack Fleming, a Boston Athletic Association spokesman. "She is pioneering new frontiers in the running world."
(David Mays works for the Pentagon Channel.)
Article sponsored by Criminal Justice online leadership as well as police and military personnel who have authored books.
Special to American Forces Press Service
April 17, 2007 – While thousands of runners braved the remnants of a late spring storm to run the Boston Marathon, servicemembers deployed overseas, and one in space, joined in to participate in the prestigious race. So-called "satellite" races are nothing new to servicemembers deployed overseas. These running events, which are held on forward operating bases, are designed to coincide with massive stateside races like the Marine Corps Marathon and the Army Ten Miler.
For the third year in a row, servicemembers at Tallil Air Base, Iraq, marked off a 26.2 mile course and lined up to participate as official entrants in the Boston Marathon, which was held April 16, Patriot's Day in Massachusetts. Race officials waived stringent qualifying times for servicemembers racing in Iraq.
Runners in Boston were pummeled with rain, wind and much colder-than-average temperatures, resulting in much slower winning times for elite athletes. Conditions were also strange for runners in Iraq.
"The morning of the race was not what you would consider weather perfect," said Army Capt. Andrew Heymann, who organized this year's Boston Marathon in Iraq. "Although in light of what was going on in Boston, I'll take it."
Runners at Tallil started their voyage at 5 a.m. local time to avoid temperatures that typically soar to 100-plus this time of year. But like their counterparts in Boston, Iraq participants had to endure nature's fury.
"The morning had 20 mph gusts, which kicked a lot of dust into the air," Heymann said. "Add to that a rain which fell sideways and a lightning storm."
Army 1st Lt. Elias Gonzales, who is deployed to Iraq with the Florida National Guard, won the Tallil event in 2:35:50, a time that would have easily qualified him for the actual Boston Marathon. Army Staff Sgt. Jennifer Yurczk, a Minnesota National Guard member, was the first woman in the Tallil event with a swift 3:34:39, also well under the official Boston qualifying mark. Both were crowned with olive wreaths, as is the famous tradition for winners at Boston.
Seventy-eight other servicemembers followed a course that took runners outside the base and past one of Iraq's best preserved historical features, a 50-foot tall Sumerian ziggurat, which is a massive, stepped pyramid, part of an ancient temple complex built in 2100 B.C. Runners took a final long lap around the base perimeter to the finish line. Although Tallil runners were not required to meet Boston's rigorous qualifying times, they were offered official bib numbers, finisher's medals, participant T-shirts and other goodies supplied by the Boston Athletic Association, which has organized the storied New England marathon since its inception in 1897.
Last year's winner of the Iraq race, Navy Lt. Cmdr. Matt Simms, who has since rotated home to Washington, ran the actual Boston course this year in 2:44:23, a time that placed him 186th overall in the 111th edition of America's oldest continuously run marathon.
For the first time, coalition forces in Kosovo ran their first "satellite" Boston Marathon.
"The course was four laps, plus a small add-on loop of hilly terrain around Camp Bondsteel," said Army Staff. Sgt. Richard Fortuna, one of the inaugural event's organizers. "The race went on time and as planned. We had a great day. The day started with the national anthem , and then a flyover by two Apache attack helicopters."
Meanwhile, Navy Cmdr. Sunita "Sunni" Williams ran her own "satellite" Boston Marathon aboard an actual satellite. Williams had qualified to run at Boston with a 3:29:57 finish at January's Houston Marathon. She planned to run it with her sister, Dina Pandya, and colleague, Karen Nyberg. But Williams is a NASA astronaut, and she realized she would be working inside the International Space Station on race day. So she decided to attempt something no other astronaut had done before: complete the 26.2 mile run while orbiting the earth.
Williams was strapped to a specially designed treadmill with bungee cords, an uncomfortable process that puts strain on a runner's hips and shoulders. NASA said Williams' treadmill speed registered as fast as eight miles per hour during her "satellite" Boston race, but in actuality, she was traveling more than five miles per second as the space station completed two laps around Earth during the marathon.
Williams, who is a native of Needham, Mass., wore Boston Red Sox socks for her race in space. She finished the arduous journey in 4:23:10, well off her times on terra firma.
Williams told her NASA colleagues the motivation for running this historic marathon was simple.
"I would like to encourage kids to start making physical fitness part of their daily lives," she said. "I thought a big goal like a marathon would help get this message out there."
Boston Marathon organizers told NASA they have a different take on this historic achievement. "Suni running 26.2 miles in space on Patriots' Day is really a tribute to the thousands of marathoners who are running here on Earth," said Jack Fleming, a Boston Athletic Association spokesman. "She is pioneering new frontiers in the running world."
(David Mays works for the Pentagon Channel.)
Article sponsored by Criminal Justice online leadership as well as police and military personnel who have authored books.
Policy Change Boosts G.I. Bill Eligibility for Some Guard, Reserve Members
By Gerry J. Gilmore
American Forces Press Service
April 17, 2007 – A recent Defense Department policy change widens the eligibility window for some Reserve-component troops who want to use their Montgomery G.I. Bill education benefits, a senior DoD official said here today. The DoD policy now aligns with Department of Veterans Affairs rules, which say National Guard members and reservists are eligible to receive Montgomery G.I. Bill education benefits for the period covering the amount of time they served on active duty, plus four months, said Tom Bush, principal director for manpower and personnel within the Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Reserve Affairs.
After studying the matter over the past few months, DoD agreed to align its policy with the VA's, Bush said during a joint Pentagon Channel/American Forces Press Service interview. DoD's previous policy, he said, only recognized the amount of active-duty time as applied to the G.I. Bill coverage period for reserve component members but still required the member to continue to serve in the Selected Reserve.
"The change, from the DoD perspective, is that the benefit now can be used by somebody that leaves the selected reserve for the amount of time that they've served on active duty, plus four months," Bush said. Guard and reserve members who attend regular drill training and meetings are considered part of the selected reserve.
The total amount of G.I. Bill coverage for reservists is still 36 months, Bush said. "So, if you've used part of that (G.I. Bill benefit) it may eat into that 36 months," he noted.
Bush said reservists normally have 14 years to use their Montgomery G.I. Bill benefits. However, that time might also be extended, he noted, by the amount of time Guard or Reserve members serve on active duty, plus four months.
Senior Guard and Reserve officials, as well as demobilization sites, have been alerted to the policy change, Bush said.
About 370,000 Guard and Reserve members on drill or active-duty status have signed up to use Montgomery G.I. Bill benefits since the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks on the United States, Bush said.
The Reserve Education Assistance Program, established by the 2005 National Defense Authorization Act, is another DoD education initiative for members of the Guard and Reserve, Bush noted. To be eligible, servicemembers must have served at least 90 consecutive days of active service after Sept. 11, 2001, in response to a Presidential or Congressional call-up of military forces for wartime or other emergency service.
Guard and Reserve members who served for two continuous years on active duty in support of a contingency operation would qualify for both the Montgomery G.I. Bill and REAP and could select which program they want to use, Bush noted.
Servicemembers can determine if they qualify for the Montgomery G.I. Bill and REAP by contacting their local education office.
Article sponsored by Criminal Justice online leadership as well as police and military personnel who have authored books.
American Forces Press Service
April 17, 2007 – A recent Defense Department policy change widens the eligibility window for some Reserve-component troops who want to use their Montgomery G.I. Bill education benefits, a senior DoD official said here today. The DoD policy now aligns with Department of Veterans Affairs rules, which say National Guard members and reservists are eligible to receive Montgomery G.I. Bill education benefits for the period covering the amount of time they served on active duty, plus four months, said Tom Bush, principal director for manpower and personnel within the Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Reserve Affairs.
After studying the matter over the past few months, DoD agreed to align its policy with the VA's, Bush said during a joint Pentagon Channel/American Forces Press Service interview. DoD's previous policy, he said, only recognized the amount of active-duty time as applied to the G.I. Bill coverage period for reserve component members but still required the member to continue to serve in the Selected Reserve.
"The change, from the DoD perspective, is that the benefit now can be used by somebody that leaves the selected reserve for the amount of time that they've served on active duty, plus four months," Bush said. Guard and reserve members who attend regular drill training and meetings are considered part of the selected reserve.
The total amount of G.I. Bill coverage for reservists is still 36 months, Bush said. "So, if you've used part of that (G.I. Bill benefit) it may eat into that 36 months," he noted.
Bush said reservists normally have 14 years to use their Montgomery G.I. Bill benefits. However, that time might also be extended, he noted, by the amount of time Guard or Reserve members serve on active duty, plus four months.
Senior Guard and Reserve officials, as well as demobilization sites, have been alerted to the policy change, Bush said.
About 370,000 Guard and Reserve members on drill or active-duty status have signed up to use Montgomery G.I. Bill benefits since the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks on the United States, Bush said.
The Reserve Education Assistance Program, established by the 2005 National Defense Authorization Act, is another DoD education initiative for members of the Guard and Reserve, Bush noted. To be eligible, servicemembers must have served at least 90 consecutive days of active service after Sept. 11, 2001, in response to a Presidential or Congressional call-up of military forces for wartime or other emergency service.
Guard and Reserve members who served for two continuous years on active duty in support of a contingency operation would qualify for both the Montgomery G.I. Bill and REAP and could select which program they want to use, Bush noted.
Servicemembers can determine if they qualify for the Montgomery G.I. Bill and REAP by contacting their local education office.
Article sponsored by Criminal Justice online leadership as well as police and military personnel who have authored books.
Group Provides Stars for Stripes
By Samantha L. Quigley
American Forces Press Service
April 16, 2007 – Stars for Stripes knows troops deployed to remote locations don't have the luxury of heading out to their favorite venue to take in a concert, so it takes the concerts to them. "Stars for Stripes' mission is to take celebrity - with the emphasis on celebrity - entertainment to remote areas," Judy Seale, the organization's founder, said. "That's why I focus more on Afghanistan, Iraq and Korea, because those seem to have the most remote locations."
Stars for Stripes is a member of America Supports You, a Defense Department program connecting citizens and corporations with members of the military and their families at home and abroad.
Seale started providing entertainment to troops deployed overseas after a 1991 New Year's Eve show in Iceland with United Services Organization, Seal said.
"It takes such a little bit of effort on our part to go say, 'Thank you,'" she said. "So I never stopped."
Since its official beginning in 2003, Stars for Stripes has conducted at least 23 tours to remote and isolated military bases. And Seale said she gets the same response from the troops every time.
"They thank us too much," she said. "It's embarrassing, because we're there to thank them."
The troops say Seale and her tours don't have to be there, but she disagrees.
"They believe in what they're doing (and say) we didn't have to come over there," she said. "My response is, 'Yes we did. As long as you're here we do have to come over here because you need to be told that America supports you and we thank you.'"
As for the entertainers, which have included Chely Wright, Craig Morgan, Trick Pony and many others, Seale said participating in one of Stars for Stripes' tours has a positive impact on their lives. It's something she said can't be explained before the trips.
When it comes to finding personalities to make up a tour, Seale often draws on her America Supports You membership.
"It's connections when I need somebody," she said. "And not a day goes by that I don't refer somebody to (The America Supports You) Web site because I get so many e-mails from people who obviously read my Web site but don't understand what I'm doing."
When they ask her about sending a care package or whether her organization can help get items to a particular overseas military installation, she has a simple response: "Go to (America Supports You)."
But when she can help, she requests the name of the installation and works to take a show there, she said.
"If there's no security concerns ... then we get to go there and I give the person a hug and I take a picture with them and I e-mail it back to them," Seale said. "I've done that probably more than a dozen times."
These trips to out-of-the-way installations have helped nurture a partnership with another America Supports You member, SemperComm, a non-profit group that provides remote military bases with free communications and entertainment equipment, software and services.
"Through my partnership with SemperComm, they look at my ... journals. T hey look at those and go, 'Oh, there's a base we could adopt and get communications equipment in the field,'" Seale said.
Sometimes SemperComm finds a camp that rarely gets any entertainment and lets Seale know so she can try to organize a tour at that installation, she said.
The nation's commitments are many, and that load is shouldered by a proud and selfless few, Seale wrote on her Web site.
"We cannot repay their sacrifices or truly compensate them for their dedication," she wrote. "We can, however, honor them with a glimpse of life back home, with entertainment and with our mere presence, if only for a short while."
Article sponsored by Criminal Justice online leadership as well as police and military personnel who have authored books.
American Forces Press Service
April 16, 2007 – Stars for Stripes knows troops deployed to remote locations don't have the luxury of heading out to their favorite venue to take in a concert, so it takes the concerts to them. "Stars for Stripes' mission is to take celebrity - with the emphasis on celebrity - entertainment to remote areas," Judy Seale, the organization's founder, said. "That's why I focus more on Afghanistan, Iraq and Korea, because those seem to have the most remote locations."
Stars for Stripes is a member of America Supports You, a Defense Department program connecting citizens and corporations with members of the military and their families at home and abroad.
Seale started providing entertainment to troops deployed overseas after a 1991 New Year's Eve show in Iceland with United Services Organization, Seal said.
"It takes such a little bit of effort on our part to go say, 'Thank you,'" she said. "So I never stopped."
Since its official beginning in 2003, Stars for Stripes has conducted at least 23 tours to remote and isolated military bases. And Seale said she gets the same response from the troops every time.
"They thank us too much," she said. "It's embarrassing, because we're there to thank them."
The troops say Seale and her tours don't have to be there, but she disagrees.
"They believe in what they're doing (and say) we didn't have to come over there," she said. "My response is, 'Yes we did. As long as you're here we do have to come over here because you need to be told that America supports you and we thank you.'"
As for the entertainers, which have included Chely Wright, Craig Morgan, Trick Pony and many others, Seale said participating in one of Stars for Stripes' tours has a positive impact on their lives. It's something she said can't be explained before the trips.
When it comes to finding personalities to make up a tour, Seale often draws on her America Supports You membership.
"It's connections when I need somebody," she said. "And not a day goes by that I don't refer somebody to (The America Supports You) Web site because I get so many e-mails from people who obviously read my Web site but don't understand what I'm doing."
When they ask her about sending a care package or whether her organization can help get items to a particular overseas military installation, she has a simple response: "Go to (America Supports You)."
But when she can help, she requests the name of the installation and works to take a show there, she said.
"If there's no security concerns ... then we get to go there and I give the person a hug and I take a picture with them and I e-mail it back to them," Seale said. "I've done that probably more than a dozen times."
These trips to out-of-the-way installations have helped nurture a partnership with another America Supports You member, SemperComm, a non-profit group that provides remote military bases with free communications and entertainment equipment, software and services.
"Through my partnership with SemperComm, they look at my ... journals. T hey look at those and go, 'Oh, there's a base we could adopt and get communications equipment in the field,'" Seale said.
Sometimes SemperComm finds a camp that rarely gets any entertainment and lets Seale know so she can try to organize a tour at that installation, she said.
The nation's commitments are many, and that load is shouldered by a proud and selfless few, Seale wrote on her Web site.
"We cannot repay their sacrifices or truly compensate them for their dedication," she wrote. "We can, however, honor them with a glimpse of life back home, with entertainment and with our mere presence, if only for a short while."
Article sponsored by Criminal Justice online leadership as well as police and military personnel who have authored books.
Department Shares Medical Record-Keeping Expertise With Tampa Hospitals
By Gerry J. Gilmore
American Forces Press Service
April 16, 2007 – The Defense Department will soon partner with private-sector hospitals in the Tampa, Fla., area to share electronic medical record-keeping expertise and technology. The pilot program is part of President Bush's initiative for the U.S. medical community to adopt computerized records within a decade, Stephen L. Jones, principal deputy assistant secretary of defense for health affairs, said during a joint Pentagon Channel-American Forces Press Service interview April 13.
The partnership will also enable DoD to gain expertise using electronic medical records for its inpatient customers, Jones added, noting that the program should be up and running within a year.
The Armed Forces Health Longitudinal Technology Application system houses the clinical data for DoD's medical outpatients and can be accessed at 136 military treatment facilities, Jones said.
"The next big step is to develop an (electronic) inpatient record," Jones said. DoD is working with the Department of Veterans Affairs, he said, to establish an inpatient electronic medical record system that can be accessed by both organizations.
DoD's expertise with the AHLTA system will be shared with the Florida hospitals, Jones explained. These hospitals, in turn, will share their experiences using electronic record-keeping for inpatients.
Passwords, encryption and other computer-security tools will be employed to safeguard the personal medical information, Jones said.
The Defense Department already partners with the private-sector medical community, Jones pointed out, as many DoD beneficiaries obtain their medical care from commercial-sourced providers as part of the TRICARE program, the military's health maintenance organization system.
The Tampa area is considered ideal for the pilot program, Jones said, since there are about 700,000 beneficiaries who live full- or part-time in the area and access their care through military-run medical treatment facilities or TRICARE-contracted civilian clinics.
Speed and accuracy are two immediate advantages inherent in using electronic medical records over the old paper-based system, Jones said. Computerization enables medical records to be quickly transmitted anywhere in the world, he noted, and the indecipherable scrawls used by some doctors and pharmacists become moot.
Although servicemembers, their families and other beneficiaries will benefit through expanded use of electronic medical records, Jones pointed out that such a system is just one of many components required to provide quality, up-to-date medical care.
"I think electronic records are the way of the future," Jones said. "But, we still have to have well-qualified, well-trained professionals providing care."
Article sponsored by Criminal Justice online leadership as well as police and military personnel who have authored books.
American Forces Press Service
April 16, 2007 – The Defense Department will soon partner with private-sector hospitals in the Tampa, Fla., area to share electronic medical record-keeping expertise and technology. The pilot program is part of President Bush's initiative for the U.S. medical community to adopt computerized records within a decade, Stephen L. Jones, principal deputy assistant secretary of defense for health affairs, said during a joint Pentagon Channel-American Forces Press Service interview April 13.
The partnership will also enable DoD to gain expertise using electronic medical records for its inpatient customers, Jones added, noting that the program should be up and running within a year.
The Armed Forces Health Longitudinal Technology Application system houses the clinical data for DoD's medical outpatients and can be accessed at 136 military treatment facilities, Jones said.
"The next big step is to develop an (electronic) inpatient record," Jones said. DoD is working with the Department of Veterans Affairs, he said, to establish an inpatient electronic medical record system that can be accessed by both organizations.
DoD's expertise with the AHLTA system will be shared with the Florida hospitals, Jones explained. These hospitals, in turn, will share their experiences using electronic record-keeping for inpatients.
Passwords, encryption and other computer-security tools will be employed to safeguard the personal medical information, Jones said.
The Defense Department already partners with the private-sector medical community, Jones pointed out, as many DoD beneficiaries obtain their medical care from commercial-sourced providers as part of the TRICARE program, the military's health maintenance organization system.
The Tampa area is considered ideal for the pilot program, Jones said, since there are about 700,000 beneficiaries who live full- or part-time in the area and access their care through military-run medical treatment facilities or TRICARE-contracted civilian clinics.
Speed and accuracy are two immediate advantages inherent in using electronic medical records over the old paper-based system, Jones said. Computerization enables medical records to be quickly transmitted anywhere in the world, he noted, and the indecipherable scrawls used by some doctors and pharmacists become moot.
Although servicemembers, their families and other beneficiaries will benefit through expanded use of electronic medical records, Jones pointed out that such a system is just one of many components required to provide quality, up-to-date medical care.
"I think electronic records are the way of the future," Jones said. "But, we still have to have well-qualified, well-trained professionals providing care."
Article sponsored by Criminal Justice online leadership as well as police and military personnel who have authored books.
Gates Visits Jordan to Thank Ally, Discuss Regional Concerns
By Kathleen T. Rhem
American Forces Press Service
April 16, 2007 – Iran and Iraq are set to be lead topics in discussions Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates is slated to have with Jordanian leaders during a visit here. Gates arrived here today to meet with leaders of this strong ally in the war on terror and thank them for the "incredible support that they're giving us both in Iraq and Afghanistan," a senior defense official traveling with Gates said.
Some 370 Jordanian troops are manning a field hospital in Afghanistan, and another 220-plus Jordanian servicemembers are performing a similar mission in Iraq. In addition, Jordan has trained 40,000 to 50,000 Iraqi national police officers at an Iraqi police academy in Jordan.
"Jordanians have for a long time been a very constructive influence (in the Middle East), and I look forward to continuing that," Gates said on the plane en route here from Washington.
During this visit, the secretary will meet with Jordan's King Abdallah and with Gen. Khaled Jamil al-Sarayrah, the country's chief of defense.
"I look forward to discussing with the King how we can contribute to his efforts and how the Jordanians can contribute to ours, not just in Iraq, but Lebanon, and the Israel-Palestinian peace process, and so on," Gates said.
Other topics of discussion for Gates and the Jordanian leaders are likely to include the half a million to 1 million Iraqi refugees Jordan is hosting that are posing a strain on the Jordanian people as well as its economic system, and the Jordanian-U.S. military-to-military relationship, the senior defense official said.
"The important message for the Jordanians is that regardless of what happens in Iraq, the United States is in the Middle East for the long term and has been for decades, and we will continue our strategic relationship with the military, as well as the Jordanian people," the official said.
The official also said Gates is interested in hearing Abdallah's take on recent Iranian activity, such as the detention of 15 British sailors and Marines and the impact of the March 24 U.N. Security Council vote imposing sanctions because Iran has refused to halt its uranium enrichment activities.
After leaving Jordan, Gates is scheduled to visit Egypt and Israel. As he travels through the Middle East, Gates intends to encourage regional leaders to bring Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki and his unity government more fully into the political landscape of the region, the official said.
Supporting Maliki's government is the best way to mitigate Iranian influence in the region, the official said. "We truly believe that's the most important way right now to mitigate Iranian pressure against not only us, but more importantly the Iraqi government and the coalition that's operating in Iraq," the official said.
The secretary will also be talking to the countries about how the United States can help them modify their defense strategies and "transition from the sort of post-Soviet dependency on conventional weaponry to something more expeditionary, something more related toward counterterrorism and the non-state actors that we are all working together against in the region," the official said.
Article sponsored by Criminal Justice online leadership as well as police and military personnel who have authored books.
American Forces Press Service
April 16, 2007 – Iran and Iraq are set to be lead topics in discussions Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates is slated to have with Jordanian leaders during a visit here. Gates arrived here today to meet with leaders of this strong ally in the war on terror and thank them for the "incredible support that they're giving us both in Iraq and Afghanistan," a senior defense official traveling with Gates said.
Some 370 Jordanian troops are manning a field hospital in Afghanistan, and another 220-plus Jordanian servicemembers are performing a similar mission in Iraq. In addition, Jordan has trained 40,000 to 50,000 Iraqi national police officers at an Iraqi police academy in Jordan.
"Jordanians have for a long time been a very constructive influence (in the Middle East), and I look forward to continuing that," Gates said on the plane en route here from Washington.
During this visit, the secretary will meet with Jordan's King Abdallah and with Gen. Khaled Jamil al-Sarayrah, the country's chief of defense.
"I look forward to discussing with the King how we can contribute to his efforts and how the Jordanians can contribute to ours, not just in Iraq, but Lebanon, and the Israel-Palestinian peace process, and so on," Gates said.
Other topics of discussion for Gates and the Jordanian leaders are likely to include the half a million to 1 million Iraqi refugees Jordan is hosting that are posing a strain on the Jordanian people as well as its economic system, and the Jordanian-U.S. military-to-military relationship, the senior defense official said.
"The important message for the Jordanians is that regardless of what happens in Iraq, the United States is in the Middle East for the long term and has been for decades, and we will continue our strategic relationship with the military, as well as the Jordanian people," the official said.
The official also said Gates is interested in hearing Abdallah's take on recent Iranian activity, such as the detention of 15 British sailors and Marines and the impact of the March 24 U.N. Security Council vote imposing sanctions because Iran has refused to halt its uranium enrichment activities.
After leaving Jordan, Gates is scheduled to visit Egypt and Israel. As he travels through the Middle East, Gates intends to encourage regional leaders to bring Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki and his unity government more fully into the political landscape of the region, the official said.
Supporting Maliki's government is the best way to mitigate Iranian influence in the region, the official said. "We truly believe that's the most important way right now to mitigate Iranian pressure against not only us, but more importantly the Iraqi government and the coalition that's operating in Iraq," the official said.
The secretary will also be talking to the countries about how the United States can help them modify their defense strategies and "transition from the sort of post-Soviet dependency on conventional weaponry to something more expeditionary, something more related toward counterterrorism and the non-state actors that we are all working together against in the region," the official said.
Article sponsored by Criminal Justice online leadership as well as police and military personnel who have authored books.
USO Opens Lounge at Dulles Airport
By Samantha L. Quigley
American Forces Press Service
April 16, 2007 – The United Services Organization of Metropolitan Washington officially opened its much-anticipated lounge at Dulles International Airport here today. The USO is a member of America Supports You, a Defense Department program connecting citizens and corporations with members of the military and their families at home and abroad
More than 400 servicemembers and military family members took advantage of the lounge during its first week of business before it officially opened. With the airport seeing heavy military traffic, the USO is a welcome sight, said Donald C. Winter, secretary of the Navy.
"Up until the opening of this USO, Dulles was the airport most heavily used by uniformed personnel in the United States that did not have a (USO)," Winter said. "(Servicemembers) really do appreciate the type of support that they get from the USO.
"So having that capability here and being able to help, in particular many of the young kids that may be traveling for the first time in their lives ... it's important, it makes a difference, and quite frankly, it's the least we can do as a grateful nation," he added.
Winter was a Northrup-Grumman executive when Elaine Rogers, president of USO of Metropolitan Washington, talked to him about the possibility of a new USO at the airport. Nearly four years and more than $600,000 in donations from various corporate sponsors later, servicemembers will finally find a piece of home at Dulles.
"Our first two weeks of operation of the numbers that we have had go through this lounge ... this is huge," Rogerssaid of the lounge's "soft opening." "To these service personnel, this really is their home away from home."
Because one of the airlines that serves Dulles has a direct flight from Kuwait, Rogers said the lounge has seen a lot of "walking wounded." In addition to those returning with minor injuries, the Dulles USO also has been able to help the families of injured servicemembers flying into the area en route to Walter Reed Army Medical Center or the National Naval Medical Center at Bethesda, Md.
After the ribbon cutting officially opening the USO for business, Rogers thanked all the donors that made the lounge possible. Key donors included the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority, which donated what Rogers described as "prime real estate" for the lounge, Verizon Business and Cisco Systems Inc.
"From a very personal experience I can attest to what the USO means," said Chris Browne, vice president and airport manager for Dulles International Airport, Washington Metropolitan Airports Authority. The former Naval aviator recounted a story of a float in the Mediterranean lasting 93 days with no port calls.
"Somewhere in month two, the USO came out to the Eisenhower with some prominent entertainers of the time," he said. "To see Steven Stills play an acoustical version of 'Southern Cross' on the hangar deck ... was truly remarkable, and it would have not been if not for the USO and the supporters of the USO."
The new 770-square-foot facility at Dulles is located on the arrivals level across from baggage claim 12. Troops can get information and assistance, a snack, watch a movie and make unlimited domestic and international phone calls. Business services, including wireless Internet, photocopying and faxing, also are available.
Servicemembers who attended the ceremony were excited to see the facility open. Army Command Sgt. Maj. Alison Smith said the USO at Dulles will help young servicemembers the way it helped her.
"When I was a private 21 years ago, I needed the USO," said Smith, who serves as the senior enlisted soldier in Headquarters Battalion on Fort Belvoir, Va. "I was on assignment for Korea (and) I'd never been on a plane before in my life.
"They always told us if you have any problems, go to the USO," she said. "After my first flight ... I went straight to the USO. My next flight was the next morning, so at that time they provided us a place to stay right there at the USO."
She said the advice she received 21 years ago is still valid for servicemembers traveling today. With the opening of the new facility that advice is much easier for servicemembers to heed. Troops now have USOs in each of the three Washington metropolitan area airports, Baltimore-Washington International, Ronald Reagan Washington National and Dulles International, if they're in need of assistance or just a place to relax, Rogers said.
Article sponsored by Criminal Justice online leadership as well as police and military personnel who have authored books.
American Forces Press Service
April 16, 2007 – The United Services Organization of Metropolitan Washington officially opened its much-anticipated lounge at Dulles International Airport here today. The USO is a member of America Supports You, a Defense Department program connecting citizens and corporations with members of the military and their families at home and abroad
More than 400 servicemembers and military family members took advantage of the lounge during its first week of business before it officially opened. With the airport seeing heavy military traffic, the USO is a welcome sight, said Donald C. Winter, secretary of the Navy.
"Up until the opening of this USO, Dulles was the airport most heavily used by uniformed personnel in the United States that did not have a (USO)," Winter said. "(Servicemembers) really do appreciate the type of support that they get from the USO.
"So having that capability here and being able to help, in particular many of the young kids that may be traveling for the first time in their lives ... it's important, it makes a difference, and quite frankly, it's the least we can do as a grateful nation," he added.
Winter was a Northrup-Grumman executive when Elaine Rogers, president of USO of Metropolitan Washington, talked to him about the possibility of a new USO at the airport. Nearly four years and more than $600,000 in donations from various corporate sponsors later, servicemembers will finally find a piece of home at Dulles.
"Our first two weeks of operation of the numbers that we have had go through this lounge ... this is huge," Rogerssaid of the lounge's "soft opening." "To these service personnel, this really is their home away from home."
Because one of the airlines that serves Dulles has a direct flight from Kuwait, Rogers said the lounge has seen a lot of "walking wounded." In addition to those returning with minor injuries, the Dulles USO also has been able to help the families of injured servicemembers flying into the area en route to Walter Reed Army Medical Center or the National Naval Medical Center at Bethesda, Md.
After the ribbon cutting officially opening the USO for business, Rogers thanked all the donors that made the lounge possible. Key donors included the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority, which donated what Rogers described as "prime real estate" for the lounge, Verizon Business and Cisco Systems Inc.
"From a very personal experience I can attest to what the USO means," said Chris Browne, vice president and airport manager for Dulles International Airport, Washington Metropolitan Airports Authority. The former Naval aviator recounted a story of a float in the Mediterranean lasting 93 days with no port calls.
"Somewhere in month two, the USO came out to the Eisenhower with some prominent entertainers of the time," he said. "To see Steven Stills play an acoustical version of 'Southern Cross' on the hangar deck ... was truly remarkable, and it would have not been if not for the USO and the supporters of the USO."
The new 770-square-foot facility at Dulles is located on the arrivals level across from baggage claim 12. Troops can get information and assistance, a snack, watch a movie and make unlimited domestic and international phone calls. Business services, including wireless Internet, photocopying and faxing, also are available.
Servicemembers who attended the ceremony were excited to see the facility open. Army Command Sgt. Maj. Alison Smith said the USO at Dulles will help young servicemembers the way it helped her.
"When I was a private 21 years ago, I needed the USO," said Smith, who serves as the senior enlisted soldier in Headquarters Battalion on Fort Belvoir, Va. "I was on assignment for Korea (and) I'd never been on a plane before in my life.
"They always told us if you have any problems, go to the USO," she said. "After my first flight ... I went straight to the USO. My next flight was the next morning, so at that time they provided us a place to stay right there at the USO."
She said the advice she received 21 years ago is still valid for servicemembers traveling today. With the opening of the new facility that advice is much easier for servicemembers to heed. Troops now have USOs in each of the three Washington metropolitan area airports, Baltimore-Washington International, Ronald Reagan Washington National and Dulles International, if they're in need of assistance or just a place to relax, Rogers said.
Article sponsored by Criminal Justice online leadership as well as police and military personnel who have authored books.
Bush Thanks Military Families, Urges Congress to Pass War Spending Bill
By Jim Garamone
American Forces Press Service
April 16, 2007 – President Bush thanked families of troops serving overseas for their sacrifices and praised organizations that support veterans and military families today at the White House. He also urged Congress to quickly pass an emergency war spending bill so that the troops can get the funding they need to accomplish their mission. "I appreciate very much to be in the presence of moms and dads, husbands and wives, sons and daughters of some of the finest citizens our nation has ever produced," Bush told military family members in the audience.
The president noted the challenges faced by military families during war.
"A time of war is a time of sacrifice for our nation, but especially for our military families. Being left behind when a loved one goes to war is one of the hardest jobs in our military," Bush said. "The families here today inspire our nation -- inspire them with their sense of duty and with their deep devotion to our country."
Bush also expressed his gratitude to representatives of troop-support organizations in the audience.
"I want to thank the leaders of organizations that support our military families. I appreciate your tireless work to send a clear signal that many in the United States of America support our troops," Bush said. "Each of you knows what is stake -- what is at stake in this war on terror. And I appreciate your efforts to rally our nation to support our troops, and to support the mission for which they have risked and, in some cases, have given their lives."
Bush said the troops must be given "the tools and resources they need to prevail," and he is looking forward to meeting with members of Congress April 18 to iron out differences between the administration and Congress.
The disagreement is over the fiscal 2007 Emergency Supplemental Request. The $93.4 billion request will fund operations in Iraq, Afghanistan and other operations in the war on terror. Both the Senate and House versions of the supplemental have a timetable for the exit of U.S. troops from Iraq. President Bush said he will not sign any legislation with a withdrawal date.
"I think it is wrong for Congress to restrict our military commanders," Bush said. "I can understand having a difference of opinion about Iraq, but our commanders need the flexibility necessary to meet the mission. We should not be substituting political judgment for the judgment of those in our military."
Bush said honest differences over the best course in Iraq should be debated. "That's healthy," he said. "That's normal. ... But our troops should not be caught in the middle."
Bush said failure to fund the supplemental quickly will impact military readiness, and that "will mean that the readiness of our forces will suffer. This is unacceptable to me; it's unacceptable to you, and it's unacceptable to the vast majority of the American people."
The U.S. must provide its troops with the support they need to accomplish their mission, Bush said.
"We owe it to every sailor, soldier, airman, Marine in harm's way to give them the tools they need to prevail," Bush said. "That's what we owe them."
The president said he is open to trying to settle political differences in order to provide the military with the funding it needs.
"I am willing to discuss any way forward that does not hamstring our troops, set an artificial timetable for withdrawal and spend billions on projects not related to the war," he said.
Bush said the American people expect the White House and Congress to work together.
"Congress needs to put the partisanship on hold; it needs to get rid of all the politics right now and send me an emergency war spending bill that I can sign that gets our troops the support they need and gives our commanders the flexibility they need to complete this mission," he said.
Article sponsored by Criminal Justice online leadership as well as police and military personnel who have authored books.
American Forces Press Service
April 16, 2007 – President Bush thanked families of troops serving overseas for their sacrifices and praised organizations that support veterans and military families today at the White House. He also urged Congress to quickly pass an emergency war spending bill so that the troops can get the funding they need to accomplish their mission. "I appreciate very much to be in the presence of moms and dads, husbands and wives, sons and daughters of some of the finest citizens our nation has ever produced," Bush told military family members in the audience.
The president noted the challenges faced by military families during war.
"A time of war is a time of sacrifice for our nation, but especially for our military families. Being left behind when a loved one goes to war is one of the hardest jobs in our military," Bush said. "The families here today inspire our nation -- inspire them with their sense of duty and with their deep devotion to our country."
Bush also expressed his gratitude to representatives of troop-support organizations in the audience.
"I want to thank the leaders of organizations that support our military families. I appreciate your tireless work to send a clear signal that many in the United States of America support our troops," Bush said. "Each of you knows what is stake -- what is at stake in this war on terror. And I appreciate your efforts to rally our nation to support our troops, and to support the mission for which they have risked and, in some cases, have given their lives."
Bush said the troops must be given "the tools and resources they need to prevail," and he is looking forward to meeting with members of Congress April 18 to iron out differences between the administration and Congress.
The disagreement is over the fiscal 2007 Emergency Supplemental Request. The $93.4 billion request will fund operations in Iraq, Afghanistan and other operations in the war on terror. Both the Senate and House versions of the supplemental have a timetable for the exit of U.S. troops from Iraq. President Bush said he will not sign any legislation with a withdrawal date.
"I think it is wrong for Congress to restrict our military commanders," Bush said. "I can understand having a difference of opinion about Iraq, but our commanders need the flexibility necessary to meet the mission. We should not be substituting political judgment for the judgment of those in our military."
Bush said honest differences over the best course in Iraq should be debated. "That's healthy," he said. "That's normal. ... But our troops should not be caught in the middle."
Bush said failure to fund the supplemental quickly will impact military readiness, and that "will mean that the readiness of our forces will suffer. This is unacceptable to me; it's unacceptable to you, and it's unacceptable to the vast majority of the American people."
The U.S. must provide its troops with the support they need to accomplish their mission, Bush said.
"We owe it to every sailor, soldier, airman, Marine in harm's way to give them the tools they need to prevail," Bush said. "That's what we owe them."
The president said he is open to trying to settle political differences in order to provide the military with the funding it needs.
"I am willing to discuss any way forward that does not hamstring our troops, set an artificial timetable for withdrawal and spend billions on projects not related to the war," he said.
Bush said the American people expect the White House and Congress to work together.
"Congress needs to put the partisanship on hold; it needs to get rid of all the politics right now and send me an emergency war spending bill that I can sign that gets our troops the support they need and gives our commanders the flexibility they need to complete this mission," he said.
Article sponsored by Criminal Justice online leadership as well as police and military personnel who have authored books.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Posts
