By Eve Meinhardt
Special to American Forces Press Service
March 16, 2009 - Spouses of soldiers in the 18th Airborne Corps have a better idea of how to reconnect with their other halves upon redeployment, thanks to the Army's Battlemind reunion training. "Reunion is not always easy, is it?" Army Chaplain (Col.) Larry McCarty, a Task Force Bragg chaplain, asked at the beginning of the training, which began here March 4.
The Army created Battlemind to help soldiers and families adapt to the changes and difficulties that come with redeployment. While the current training here was for spouses, soldiers receive the training immediately before deployments and after redeployments.
"Even if you've been through multiple deployments, each one is different," said Angie Streets, program manager for mobilization and deployment, Army Community Service. "It is important for you to discuss your expectations and what your spouse's expectations are when he [or she] returns from deployment."
In addition to spouses having different expectations of how things are going to be or what is going to happen when they reunite, soldiers often faces adjustment issues that may affect their ability to sleep, cause a feeling of loss of control and hinder their ability to reconnect or communicate with their families.
With the additional stress of long separations and combat, the resiliency of soldiers and their families is facing additional challenges. McCarty compared a person's ability to bounce back under pressure to a stress ball resuming its shape after being squeezed.
"As soldiers come back home, we're finding that some people are being squeezed and not bouncing back," McCarty said.
Soldiers face different challenges as they reintegrate and reunite at home, no matter what their rank, age or family status. Canadian Brig. Gen. Nicolas Matern, deputy commanding general of 18th Airborne Corps, discussed with the group challenges from a soldier's perspective and from his experience. Martens moved here to become deputy commander of the corps last summer and subsequently deployed with the 18th Airborne to Iraq. He returned from deployment in December.
"It's all about anticipation," Matern said. "You're separated for such a long time, and you have an idea in your head about how things are going to be back home. The problem is, things have evolved back home and changed since you've been gone."
With deployment lengths ranging from three to 18 months, a lot of changes can take place at home.
"The children keep growing up. The spouses at home change, and their roles change," Streets said. "The spouse at home takes on the role of mom and dad as well as additional roles outside the home as they strengthen friendships and become more involved with the Army community through their family readiness group and other support systems."
The Battlemind reunion training helps soldiers and their families learn about actions they can take when they encounter issues, as well as how to restore an emotional balance and where they can compromise on expectations and activities.
They learn about flexibility and about understanding some of the emotions the soldier may be feeling, such as a possible need for order and control or reassurances of their partner's loyalty and commitment.
Spouses learn about recognizing cues in daily life that serve as warning signs that their soldier may need help, including nightmares, anger, substance and alcohol abuse, performance problems, aggressive driving and not making plans.
They also learn to recognize signs that the soldier may need help with problems such as depression, anger, difficulty sleeping, sleeping too much, appetite changes, taking frustrations out on others and isolating themselves.
McCarty broke down the reunion process into what he called the "Big 4."
"Just remember the Big 4 to help you through the changes. No. 1, redeployment is a process, not an event. Everything doesn't go back to normal once your soldier gets off the plane," McCarty said. "No. 2, expect ups and downs. Three, don't over-schedule homecoming activities. And, No. 4, if you need help — ask for it."
He added that couples experiencing problems always can talk to a chaplain confidentially about anything.
"If problems are ignored instead of addressed, they tend to fester and worsen instead of going away," McCarty said. "The most important thing is each other and your relationship."
(Eve Meinhardt writes for Fort Bragg's Paraglide newspaper.)
Monday, March 16, 2009
Gates to Remain in Washington During NATO Summit
By John J. Kruzel
American Forces Press Service
March 16, 2009 - Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates will remain here to tend to Defense Department budget issues during next month's NATO Summit in Europe, a Pentagon spokesman said today. President Barack Obama and National Security Advisor Jim Jones will represent the United States at the summit in Strasbourg, France, and Kehl, Germany, which takes place on the 60th anniversary of the alliance.
"Given the fact that the U.S. will be well represented, the work that still has to be done back here on what is arguably probably one of the most challenging budget reviews that has taken place in a number of years, he just felt that it's best that he remain here and work on that," Defense Department spokesman Bryan Whitman said.
"He came to that conclusion and talked to the national security advisor about it, and it was agreed upon that that would probably be the best course to take," Whitman added.
Pentagon Press Secretary Geoff Morrell said Gates had hoped to join Obama to celebrate the alliance's anniversary, but that work on the 2010 budget will not permit him to leave.
"He simply needs more time to review all of our major weapons programs and assess how they fit into his efforts to strategically rebalance the department's budget to reflect the president's national security priorities," Morrell said today in an e-mail statement.
NATO heads of state and government officials will meet at the summit April 3–4.
American Forces Press Service
March 16, 2009 - Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates will remain here to tend to Defense Department budget issues during next month's NATO Summit in Europe, a Pentagon spokesman said today. President Barack Obama and National Security Advisor Jim Jones will represent the United States at the summit in Strasbourg, France, and Kehl, Germany, which takes place on the 60th anniversary of the alliance.
"Given the fact that the U.S. will be well represented, the work that still has to be done back here on what is arguably probably one of the most challenging budget reviews that has taken place in a number of years, he just felt that it's best that he remain here and work on that," Defense Department spokesman Bryan Whitman said.
"He came to that conclusion and talked to the national security advisor about it, and it was agreed upon that that would probably be the best course to take," Whitman added.
Pentagon Press Secretary Geoff Morrell said Gates had hoped to join Obama to celebrate the alliance's anniversary, but that work on the 2010 budget will not permit him to leave.
"He simply needs more time to review all of our major weapons programs and assess how they fit into his efforts to strategically rebalance the department's budget to reflect the president's national security priorities," Morrell said today in an e-mail statement.
NATO heads of state and government officials will meet at the summit April 3–4.
DoD and OPM To Review National Security Personnel System
The Department of Defense and the Office of Personnel Management announced today that they will undertake a review of the National Security Personnel System.
The decision by Deputy Secretary of Defense William Lynn was made after consultation with the Office of Personnel Management. "This administration is committed to operating fair, transparent, and effective personnel systems, and we are undertaking this review to assess whether NSPS meets these objectives," said Lynn. With new leadership under a new administration, DoD and OPM will engage with key stakeholders in examining NSPS. "We recognize that varying viewpoints exist regarding NSPS, and given the scope and complexity of the system, it is important for leadership to conduct its own review of the program," Lynn added.
DoD will delay any further conversions of organizations into NSPS pending the outcome of this review. This affects roughly 2,000 employees in organizations scheduled to convert to NSPS this spring. Those organizations are adjusting their plans accordingly. During the review, organizations already covered by NSPS will continue to operate under current NSPS policies, regulations, and procedures.
DoD and OPM leadership are engaged in discussions with key personnel in the administration to determine the overall framework, scope, and timeline of the review, including identifying an appropriate individual to lead the review. It is expected to take several months for a review team to gather the necessary information and data, reach out to stakeholders, and develop recommendations for leadership consideration.
NSPS implementation began in 2006, changing the way DoD civilians are hired, compensated, promoted, and rewarded. The system currently covers approximately 205,000 DoD employees.
The decision by Deputy Secretary of Defense William Lynn was made after consultation with the Office of Personnel Management. "This administration is committed to operating fair, transparent, and effective personnel systems, and we are undertaking this review to assess whether NSPS meets these objectives," said Lynn. With new leadership under a new administration, DoD and OPM will engage with key stakeholders in examining NSPS. "We recognize that varying viewpoints exist regarding NSPS, and given the scope and complexity of the system, it is important for leadership to conduct its own review of the program," Lynn added.
DoD will delay any further conversions of organizations into NSPS pending the outcome of this review. This affects roughly 2,000 employees in organizations scheduled to convert to NSPS this spring. Those organizations are adjusting their plans accordingly. During the review, organizations already covered by NSPS will continue to operate under current NSPS policies, regulations, and procedures.
DoD and OPM leadership are engaged in discussions with key personnel in the administration to determine the overall framework, scope, and timeline of the review, including identifying an appropriate individual to lead the review. It is expected to take several months for a review team to gather the necessary information and data, reach out to stakeholders, and develop recommendations for leadership consideration.
NSPS implementation began in 2006, changing the way DoD civilians are hired, compensated, promoted, and rewarded. The system currently covers approximately 205,000 DoD employees.
Friday, March 13, 2009
Military Teens Try Their Hand at Policy Making
By John J. Kruzel
American Forces Press Service
March 13, 2009 - Like adolescents around the world, U.S. military dependents in Europe crave more independence. They want to explore and study in the countries surrounding their base, learn to drive cars and have more flexible accommodations between the United States and their family's quarters.
This is the message a group of 10 teens stationed overseas delivered in Garmisch, Germany, yesterday at a forum known as the U.S. European Command Quality of Life Conference. The conference convenes spouses, teens, military members and civilians deployed on the continent, allowing them to shed light on common issues in hopes of steering budgets and policy.
And for the first time, teenagers were given their own soapbox as one of five participating focus groups. Over the past week, these adolescents brainstormed the key issues facing military dependents and whittled it down to a list of their top concerns.
"What we're seeing is that these teens are highly educated, great communicators, strategic thinkers, and they're more technologically advanced than I ever was," Wayne Boswell, the chief of Eucom's Quality of Life branch, said in a phone interview from the conference.
Molly Kisner, who resides with her family at Patch Barracks in Stuttgart, Germany, is a teen delegate who's been keeping the group's minutes in teenage technophile fashion -- on a blog.
"So far we have succeeded in narrowing down our issues into our Top 10," reads an entry she posted onto the Eucom-sponsored Web site March 10. "These were submitted to 'the guys upstairs' for approval."
One of the group's proposals is a rather novel idea -- an exchange program that would swap students in good academic standing from one Department of Defense Dependents School in Europe to another.
"As for the foreign exchange, basically we are asking that DoDDS implement an exchange program between schools allowing students to completely experience other cultures in their theater," Kisner blogged yesterday. "Said student needs a minimum of a 3.0 [grade point average]."
Even though the teenagers missed a week of school to attend the conference, they received a crash course in civics while catching a glimpse of how policy evolves.
The "guys upstairs" -- the panel tasked with reviewing initial proposals -- recommended the teens shift their focus from DoDDs to more appropriate organizations within the Defense Department – namely, the military's Morale, Welfare and Recreation department and the Child, Youth and School Services division.
Displaying the intuition of seasoned and sure-footed government policymakers, the teens established a blue ribbon committee to refocus their proposal, regrouped, then issued a progress update.
"The exchange program needed to switch the organization from DoDDs to MWR or CYS," Kisner wrote. "So we spent most of morning establishing [the Student Cultural Exchange Orientation Program]. After an hour or two of work on that we are all very proud of the end result."
In the case of these precocious teenagers, their desire to be in the driver's seat is both figurative and literal. One of the big complaints among dependents in Eucom is that a lack of driver's education on military installations is an unfair handicap that their peers across the Atlantic don't have to endure.
Fees for roundtrip airfare and driver's education in the States often exceeds the price of taking instructional courses in one's host country, which can come with a hefty price tag for the six months of lessons needed to drive abroad, according to one Eucom official.
"I've heard everywhere from about $2,500 to about $4,200 for the full program," Boswell, the Quality of Life branch chief, said. "And that only gets them their license so that they can drive on the Autobahn or off the garrison."
Boswell said Installation Management Command Europe already has hooked up live driving simulators that let teens take the safety training portion free of charge. While completion of the regimen doesn't license them to drive, it does check one of two necessary boxes.
But as eager as some teens might be to hit the open road, the top issue the focus group identified suggests they're not ready to leave the nest for good.
"Our Number 1 topic submitted was getting plane tickets for college students who live in the U.S. to visit their family [in Europe] twice a year instead of the current once a year," Kisner wrote on the blog.
The remarkable debut by the teen group has helped officials see an entirely different perspective of life on base, Boswell said.
"When we ask them a question, they help us look at issues very differently than we would have looked at them ourselves," he said.
Karina Viesca, a teen delegate who lives at Ghedi Airbase, Italy, lauded the opportunity to share her experience as a military dependent.
"These good and bad experiences have been heard and considered for the future we hold within ourselves," she wrote on the blog yesterday. "These experiences may not be taken into action overnight, but someday we will see it happen."
Boswell suggested that some of the teens have taken such a vested interest in the dialogue because it could have a bearing on the quality of their adult lives.
"In large part, in the military we're basically growing our own," he said. "So as we talk to them and get their perspective, they're really helping us shape their environment for when they enter the military."
American Forces Press Service
March 13, 2009 - Like adolescents around the world, U.S. military dependents in Europe crave more independence. They want to explore and study in the countries surrounding their base, learn to drive cars and have more flexible accommodations between the United States and their family's quarters.
This is the message a group of 10 teens stationed overseas delivered in Garmisch, Germany, yesterday at a forum known as the U.S. European Command Quality of Life Conference. The conference convenes spouses, teens, military members and civilians deployed on the continent, allowing them to shed light on common issues in hopes of steering budgets and policy.
And for the first time, teenagers were given their own soapbox as one of five participating focus groups. Over the past week, these adolescents brainstormed the key issues facing military dependents and whittled it down to a list of their top concerns.
"What we're seeing is that these teens are highly educated, great communicators, strategic thinkers, and they're more technologically advanced than I ever was," Wayne Boswell, the chief of Eucom's Quality of Life branch, said in a phone interview from the conference.
Molly Kisner, who resides with her family at Patch Barracks in Stuttgart, Germany, is a teen delegate who's been keeping the group's minutes in teenage technophile fashion -- on a blog.
"So far we have succeeded in narrowing down our issues into our Top 10," reads an entry she posted onto the Eucom-sponsored Web site March 10. "These were submitted to 'the guys upstairs' for approval."
One of the group's proposals is a rather novel idea -- an exchange program that would swap students in good academic standing from one Department of Defense Dependents School in Europe to another.
"As for the foreign exchange, basically we are asking that DoDDS implement an exchange program between schools allowing students to completely experience other cultures in their theater," Kisner blogged yesterday. "Said student needs a minimum of a 3.0 [grade point average]."
Even though the teenagers missed a week of school to attend the conference, they received a crash course in civics while catching a glimpse of how policy evolves.
The "guys upstairs" -- the panel tasked with reviewing initial proposals -- recommended the teens shift their focus from DoDDs to more appropriate organizations within the Defense Department – namely, the military's Morale, Welfare and Recreation department and the Child, Youth and School Services division.
Displaying the intuition of seasoned and sure-footed government policymakers, the teens established a blue ribbon committee to refocus their proposal, regrouped, then issued a progress update.
"The exchange program needed to switch the organization from DoDDs to MWR or CYS," Kisner wrote. "So we spent most of morning establishing [the Student Cultural Exchange Orientation Program]. After an hour or two of work on that we are all very proud of the end result."
In the case of these precocious teenagers, their desire to be in the driver's seat is both figurative and literal. One of the big complaints among dependents in Eucom is that a lack of driver's education on military installations is an unfair handicap that their peers across the Atlantic don't have to endure.
Fees for roundtrip airfare and driver's education in the States often exceeds the price of taking instructional courses in one's host country, which can come with a hefty price tag for the six months of lessons needed to drive abroad, according to one Eucom official.
"I've heard everywhere from about $2,500 to about $4,200 for the full program," Boswell, the Quality of Life branch chief, said. "And that only gets them their license so that they can drive on the Autobahn or off the garrison."
Boswell said Installation Management Command Europe already has hooked up live driving simulators that let teens take the safety training portion free of charge. While completion of the regimen doesn't license them to drive, it does check one of two necessary boxes.
But as eager as some teens might be to hit the open road, the top issue the focus group identified suggests they're not ready to leave the nest for good.
"Our Number 1 topic submitted was getting plane tickets for college students who live in the U.S. to visit their family [in Europe] twice a year instead of the current once a year," Kisner wrote on the blog.
The remarkable debut by the teen group has helped officials see an entirely different perspective of life on base, Boswell said.
"When we ask them a question, they help us look at issues very differently than we would have looked at them ourselves," he said.
Karina Viesca, a teen delegate who lives at Ghedi Airbase, Italy, lauded the opportunity to share her experience as a military dependent.
"These good and bad experiences have been heard and considered for the future we hold within ourselves," she wrote on the blog yesterday. "These experiences may not be taken into action overnight, but someday we will see it happen."
Boswell suggested that some of the teens have taken such a vested interest in the dialogue because it could have a bearing on the quality of their adult lives.
"In large part, in the military we're basically growing our own," he said. "So as we talk to them and get their perspective, they're really helping us shape their environment for when they enter the military."
MILITARY CONTRACTS March 13, 2009
NAVY
Lockheed Martin Corp., Maritime Systems and Sensors Tactical Systems, St. Paul, Minn., is being awarded a $665,637,785 firm-fixed-price contract for the procurement of phased depot maintenance, structural service life extension, and avionics modification on 12 P-3C aircraft for the government of Taiwan under the Foreign Military Sales Program. In addition, this contract provides for ground handling and support equipment and publications. Work will be performed in St. Paul, Minn., (50 percent); Greensville, S.C., (27 percent) and Marietta, Ga., (23 percent), and is expected to be completed in Aug. 2015. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was not competitively procured. The Naval Air Systems Command, Patuxent River, Md., is the contracting activity (N00019-09-C-0031).
Raytheon Co., Tucson, Ariz., is being awarded a $106,473,293 modification to a previously awarded firm-fixed-price contract (N00019-07-C-0093) for the Full Rate Production of 280 Joint Standoff Weapon (JSOW) unitary Air-to-Ground (AGM)-154C-1s, with a moving target/surface warfare capability. In addition, this modification provides for one additional unit for the performance characterization testing. Work will be performed in Dallas, Texas, (44 percent); Cedar Rapids, Iowa, (24 percent); Tucson, Ariz., (22 percent), and McAllester, Okla., (10 percent), and is expected to be completed in Mar. 2011. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Naval Air Systems Command is the contracting activity.
Bell-Boeing Joint Project Office, Amarillo, Texas, is being awarded a $29,984,982 order against a previously issued basic ordering agreement (N00019-07-G-0008) for engineering and technical services in support of the V-22 flight control system and on-aircraft avionics software. Efforts will support configuration changes to the software for V-22 aircraft for avionics and flight controls, flight test planning and coordination of changed avionics and flight control configurations, upgrade planning of avionics and flight controls, including performance of qualification testing and integration testing on software products. Work will be performed in Philadelphia, Pa., (90 precent) and Ft. Worth, Texas, (10 precent), and is expected to be completed in Dec. 2009. Contract funds in the amount of $5,402,028 will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Naval Air Systems Command, Patuxent River, Md., is the contracting activity.
Raytheon Co., Tucson, Ariz., is being awarded a $16,075,146 modification to previously awarded contract (N00024-07-C-5431) to procure long lead material for the fiscal year 2009 procurement of the Evolved SEASPARROW Missiles (ESSMs) for the NATO SEASPARROW consortium and the United Arab Emirates. The NATO SEASPARROW consortium, which includes the United States and nine other countries and the United Arab Emirates, will fund the effort under this contract. Work will be performed in Tucson, Ariz., (45 percent); Camden, Ark., (2 percent); Andover, Mass., (10 percent); Australia, (11 percent); Canada, (7 percent); Denmark, (1 percent); Greece, (1 precent); Germany, (8 percent); The Netherlands, (6 percent); Norway, (5 percent); Spain, (3 percent); and Turkey, (1 percent), and is expected to be completed by Dec. 2011. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Naval Sea Systems Command, Washington, D.C., is the contracting activity.
Schafer Corp., Chelmsford, Mass., is being awarded a $9,787,453 cost-plus-fixed-fee contract for research and development associated with Directed Energy and Electric Weapon Systems. Directed Energy and Electric Weapon Systems have potential for weapon and specific sensor utility. Aspects of the research and development effort to be procured include technology assessment, engineering, engineering analysis, design and design analysis, and test and evaluation for all manners of directed energy systems and subsystems. These systems include high electron laser, free electron laser, high power microwave, electromagnetic launch, terahertz sources and detectors, and high energy sources related to acceleration of "particles" to be used for the purposes of detecting and destroying weapons of mass destruction and their transport vehicles. Work will be performed in Washington, D.C., and is expected to be completed by July 2014. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was not competitively procured. The Naval Sea Systems Command, Washington Navy Yard, D.C., is the contracting activity (N00024-09-C-4204).
BAE Systems Norfolk Ship Repair, Norfolk, Va., is being awarded a $9,741,012 modification to previously awarded contract (N00024-05-C-4403) for growth and new work items in support of the USS Kearsarge (LHD-3) FY09 docked phased maintenance availability. The following work items will be accomplished: preserve the feed water tank; replace collection, holding and transfer, and soil drain piping; preserve freeboard; and accomplish growth work for the impressed cathodic protection system, ShipAlt LHD1-6 SCD 3263 fuel oil compensation stability improvement mods, sea valve sectional protection waster sleeve and underwater hull sea chest, cleaning and pumping, underwater hull inspection, and underwater hull preservation. Work will be performed in Portsmouth, Va., and is expected to be completed by Oct. 2009. Contract funds in the amount of $9,741,012 will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Mid-Atlantic Regional Maintenance Center, Norfolk, Va., is the contracting activity.
BAE Systems Land & Armaments, Ground Systems Division, York, Pa., is being awarded an $8,370,688 firm-fixed-priced modification to previously awarded delivery order #0004 under a contract (M67854-07-D-5025) for field service representatives and instructors to support Mine Resistant Ambush Protected (MRAP) vehicles. Work will be performed in York, Pa., and is expected to be completed by the Dec. 2009. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Marine Corps Systems Command, Quantico, Va., is the contracting activity.
Ensign-Bickford Aerospace and Defense Co.*, Simsbury, Conn., is being awarded a $6,986,243 firm-fixed-price, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract for the procurement of MK 140, 20 gram booster flexible charges. The procurement of these rounds includes a minimum of 17,500 each and a maximum of 1,500,000 each production units in support of the MK140 program. Work will be performed in Simsbury, Conn., and is expected to be completed by Mar. 2014. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was competitively procured via the Federal Business Opportunities website and the Naval Surface Warfare Center Crane website, with one offer received. The Naval Surface Warfare Center, Crane, Ind., is the contracting activity (N00164-09-C-JM19).
AIR FORCE
The Air Force is modifying a cost plus award fee contract with Northrop Grumman Systems Corp., of San Diego, Calif., for $59,608,897. This action will provide engineering, manufacturing and development infrastructure activities in support of the Global Hawk program. At this time, the entire amount has been obligated. 303 AESG/SYK, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio is the contracting activity (F33657-01-C-4600, P00295).
The Air Force is modifying a cost plus fixed fee contract with Lockheed Martin Corp., of Fort Worth, Texas for $47,505,558. This action will provide additional sustainment activities for the F-22 weapon system during CY09. At this time $43,055,660 has been obligated. 478 AESW/PK, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base is the contracting activity (FA8611-08-C-2897).
The Air Force is modifying a fixed price incentive firm contract with Northrop Grumman Systems Corp., of San Diego, Calif., for an amount not to exceed $107,575,999. This action will provide for long lead items associated with LRIP Lot 8 Global Hawk Block 40 air vehicles. At this time, $25,999,999 has been obligated. 303 AESG/SYK, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio is the contracting activity (FA8620-08-C-3001, P00007).
DEFENSE LOGISTICS AGENCY
Raytheon Integrated Defense Systems, Portsmouth, R.I., is being awarded a maximum $33,308,000 firm fixed price, undefinitized contractual action, contract for various spares for the MH-60R helicopter. Other location of performance is France. This was originally a sole source competition. Using service is Navy. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The date of performance completion is Oct. 31, 2011. The contracting activity is the DLR Procurement Operations (DSCR-ZCB.02), DLA Philadelphia, Philadelphia, Pa., (N00383-06-G-011F-THA4).
Caterpillar, Inc., Mossville, Ill., is being awarded a maximum $8,147,898 fixed price with economic price adjustment contract for forklift and equipment. There are no other locations of performance. Using service is Air Force. There were three proposals originally solicited with one response. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The date of performance completion is Oct. 30, 2009. The contracting activity is the Defense Supply Center Philadelphia (DSCP), Philadelphia, Pa., (SPM500-01-D-0036).
NACCO Material Handling Group, Greenville, N.C., is being awarded a maximum $5,266,950 fixed price with economic price adjustment contract for diesel forklift. Other location of performance is Kentucky. Using service is Air Force. There were two proposals originally solicited with two responses. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The date of performance completion is Apr. 15, 2010. The contracting activity is the Defense Supply Center Philadelphia (DSCP), Philadelphia, Pa., (SPM500-01-D-0054).
Lockheed Martin Corp., Maritime Systems and Sensors Tactical Systems, St. Paul, Minn., is being awarded a $665,637,785 firm-fixed-price contract for the procurement of phased depot maintenance, structural service life extension, and avionics modification on 12 P-3C aircraft for the government of Taiwan under the Foreign Military Sales Program. In addition, this contract provides for ground handling and support equipment and publications. Work will be performed in St. Paul, Minn., (50 percent); Greensville, S.C., (27 percent) and Marietta, Ga., (23 percent), and is expected to be completed in Aug. 2015. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was not competitively procured. The Naval Air Systems Command, Patuxent River, Md., is the contracting activity (N00019-09-C-0031).
Raytheon Co., Tucson, Ariz., is being awarded a $106,473,293 modification to a previously awarded firm-fixed-price contract (N00019-07-C-0093) for the Full Rate Production of 280 Joint Standoff Weapon (JSOW) unitary Air-to-Ground (AGM)-154C-1s, with a moving target/surface warfare capability. In addition, this modification provides for one additional unit for the performance characterization testing. Work will be performed in Dallas, Texas, (44 percent); Cedar Rapids, Iowa, (24 percent); Tucson, Ariz., (22 percent), and McAllester, Okla., (10 percent), and is expected to be completed in Mar. 2011. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Naval Air Systems Command is the contracting activity.
Bell-Boeing Joint Project Office, Amarillo, Texas, is being awarded a $29,984,982 order against a previously issued basic ordering agreement (N00019-07-G-0008) for engineering and technical services in support of the V-22 flight control system and on-aircraft avionics software. Efforts will support configuration changes to the software for V-22 aircraft for avionics and flight controls, flight test planning and coordination of changed avionics and flight control configurations, upgrade planning of avionics and flight controls, including performance of qualification testing and integration testing on software products. Work will be performed in Philadelphia, Pa., (90 precent) and Ft. Worth, Texas, (10 precent), and is expected to be completed in Dec. 2009. Contract funds in the amount of $5,402,028 will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Naval Air Systems Command, Patuxent River, Md., is the contracting activity.
Raytheon Co., Tucson, Ariz., is being awarded a $16,075,146 modification to previously awarded contract (N00024-07-C-5431) to procure long lead material for the fiscal year 2009 procurement of the Evolved SEASPARROW Missiles (ESSMs) for the NATO SEASPARROW consortium and the United Arab Emirates. The NATO SEASPARROW consortium, which includes the United States and nine other countries and the United Arab Emirates, will fund the effort under this contract. Work will be performed in Tucson, Ariz., (45 percent); Camden, Ark., (2 percent); Andover, Mass., (10 percent); Australia, (11 percent); Canada, (7 percent); Denmark, (1 percent); Greece, (1 precent); Germany, (8 percent); The Netherlands, (6 percent); Norway, (5 percent); Spain, (3 percent); and Turkey, (1 percent), and is expected to be completed by Dec. 2011. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Naval Sea Systems Command, Washington, D.C., is the contracting activity.
Schafer Corp., Chelmsford, Mass., is being awarded a $9,787,453 cost-plus-fixed-fee contract for research and development associated with Directed Energy and Electric Weapon Systems. Directed Energy and Electric Weapon Systems have potential for weapon and specific sensor utility. Aspects of the research and development effort to be procured include technology assessment, engineering, engineering analysis, design and design analysis, and test and evaluation for all manners of directed energy systems and subsystems. These systems include high electron laser, free electron laser, high power microwave, electromagnetic launch, terahertz sources and detectors, and high energy sources related to acceleration of "particles" to be used for the purposes of detecting and destroying weapons of mass destruction and their transport vehicles. Work will be performed in Washington, D.C., and is expected to be completed by July 2014. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was not competitively procured. The Naval Sea Systems Command, Washington Navy Yard, D.C., is the contracting activity (N00024-09-C-4204).
BAE Systems Norfolk Ship Repair, Norfolk, Va., is being awarded a $9,741,012 modification to previously awarded contract (N00024-05-C-4403) for growth and new work items in support of the USS Kearsarge (LHD-3) FY09 docked phased maintenance availability. The following work items will be accomplished: preserve the feed water tank; replace collection, holding and transfer, and soil drain piping; preserve freeboard; and accomplish growth work for the impressed cathodic protection system, ShipAlt LHD1-6 SCD 3263 fuel oil compensation stability improvement mods, sea valve sectional protection waster sleeve and underwater hull sea chest, cleaning and pumping, underwater hull inspection, and underwater hull preservation. Work will be performed in Portsmouth, Va., and is expected to be completed by Oct. 2009. Contract funds in the amount of $9,741,012 will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Mid-Atlantic Regional Maintenance Center, Norfolk, Va., is the contracting activity.
BAE Systems Land & Armaments, Ground Systems Division, York, Pa., is being awarded an $8,370,688 firm-fixed-priced modification to previously awarded delivery order #0004 under a contract (M67854-07-D-5025) for field service representatives and instructors to support Mine Resistant Ambush Protected (MRAP) vehicles. Work will be performed in York, Pa., and is expected to be completed by the Dec. 2009. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Marine Corps Systems Command, Quantico, Va., is the contracting activity.
Ensign-Bickford Aerospace and Defense Co.*, Simsbury, Conn., is being awarded a $6,986,243 firm-fixed-price, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract for the procurement of MK 140, 20 gram booster flexible charges. The procurement of these rounds includes a minimum of 17,500 each and a maximum of 1,500,000 each production units in support of the MK140 program. Work will be performed in Simsbury, Conn., and is expected to be completed by Mar. 2014. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was competitively procured via the Federal Business Opportunities website and the Naval Surface Warfare Center Crane website, with one offer received. The Naval Surface Warfare Center, Crane, Ind., is the contracting activity (N00164-09-C-JM19).
AIR FORCE
The Air Force is modifying a cost plus award fee contract with Northrop Grumman Systems Corp., of San Diego, Calif., for $59,608,897. This action will provide engineering, manufacturing and development infrastructure activities in support of the Global Hawk program. At this time, the entire amount has been obligated. 303 AESG/SYK, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio is the contracting activity (F33657-01-C-4600, P00295).
The Air Force is modifying a cost plus fixed fee contract with Lockheed Martin Corp., of Fort Worth, Texas for $47,505,558. This action will provide additional sustainment activities for the F-22 weapon system during CY09. At this time $43,055,660 has been obligated. 478 AESW/PK, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base is the contracting activity (FA8611-08-C-2897).
The Air Force is modifying a fixed price incentive firm contract with Northrop Grumman Systems Corp., of San Diego, Calif., for an amount not to exceed $107,575,999. This action will provide for long lead items associated with LRIP Lot 8 Global Hawk Block 40 air vehicles. At this time, $25,999,999 has been obligated. 303 AESG/SYK, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio is the contracting activity (FA8620-08-C-3001, P00007).
DEFENSE LOGISTICS AGENCY
Raytheon Integrated Defense Systems, Portsmouth, R.I., is being awarded a maximum $33,308,000 firm fixed price, undefinitized contractual action, contract for various spares for the MH-60R helicopter. Other location of performance is France. This was originally a sole source competition. Using service is Navy. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The date of performance completion is Oct. 31, 2011. The contracting activity is the DLR Procurement Operations (DSCR-ZCB.02), DLA Philadelphia, Philadelphia, Pa., (N00383-06-G-011F-THA4).
Caterpillar, Inc., Mossville, Ill., is being awarded a maximum $8,147,898 fixed price with economic price adjustment contract for forklift and equipment. There are no other locations of performance. Using service is Air Force. There were three proposals originally solicited with one response. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The date of performance completion is Oct. 30, 2009. The contracting activity is the Defense Supply Center Philadelphia (DSCP), Philadelphia, Pa., (SPM500-01-D-0036).
NACCO Material Handling Group, Greenville, N.C., is being awarded a maximum $5,266,950 fixed price with economic price adjustment contract for diesel forklift. Other location of performance is Kentucky. Using service is Air Force. There were two proposals originally solicited with two responses. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The date of performance completion is Apr. 15, 2010. The contracting activity is the Defense Supply Center Philadelphia (DSCP), Philadelphia, Pa., (SPM500-01-D-0054).
Young Leaders Tour Pentagon During 'Washington Week'
By Army Staff Sgt. Michael J. Carden
American Forces Press Service
March 13, 2009 - American high school students from around the world toured the Pentagon today, capping off a weeklong visit to the nation's capital and what many of them called one of the most exciting experiences of their young lives. The 104 students were selected to come here as part of the 47th Annual U.S. Youth Senate Program's "Washington Week" to see, firsthand, American politics in action. The delegates were selected among thousands of applicants, all high school juniors and seniors representing all 50 states, the District of Columbia and the Department of Defense Education Activity.
Today, during their Pentagon tour, they walked the busy corridors and learned the different aspects of national defense and its history. They also met with Air Force Lt. Gen. Paul Selva, assistant to the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, who oversees international relations and political-military matters that require close, personal control by the chairman.
Their visit also included time at the Senate, the House of Representatives, the Supreme Court and the White House. They met congressmen, cabinet members, officials from the Defense and State departments and a Supreme Court justice. The student delegates were afforded the opportunity to hear national and world policy addresses from the political leaders as well as pick their brains about why they became public servants.
"We got to see [government] in motion, and it was a great opportunity," Michael Boone, student government president of Kaiserslautern High School in Heidelberg, Germany, and DoDEA representative, said. "It's a great chance and great opportunity to meet other delegates and people from around our nation."
But the most exciting portion of "Washington Week" was meeting the nation's president, Boone said.
"My favorite event so far was meeting the president of the United States," he said. "So that was quite an honor. He's my role model, and that was the highlight of my week."
Luke Moragne, student council president of David Glasgow Farragut High School in Rota, Spain, and also a DoDEA representative, said meeting President Barack Obama was the highlight of his week too.
"[Meeting the president] is a once in a lifetime thing," Moragne said. "People always see him on TV, but I actually got to meet him. It was incredible shaking the president's hand."
Moragne said he also enjoyed seeing "government in action." He described the responsibilities of congressmen and political officials as "not an easy task."
"I've actually gotten to see real senators and an actual real Senate vote," Moragne said. His impression is that "it's hard to be a senator or the president and uphold our American ideals. You definitely get the impression from every single person in politics of how smart and sharp and serious they are."
For aspiring youth senate delegates who want to participate in future programs, Boone and Moragne recommend staying informed on current world issues.
"Be heavily involved in high school," Moragne said. "Do every little thing you can possibly do [and] stay up on your politics. [Student delegates] here actually really love politics, which is kind of nice and surprising."
Boone, the son of an Army colonel, hopes to pursue a career in environmental engineering with the aspiration of helping to create an environment in which people will live longer and breathe healthier, he said.
Moragne, whose grandmother works in human resources for the Navy in Rota, recently was accepted into the Naval Academy Preparatory School in Newport, R.I. From there, he hopes to attend the Naval Academy in Annapolis, Md., and eventually become a Marine Corps intelligence officer or lawyer, he said.
The U.S. Youth Senate Program began in 1962, and is sponsored by the William Randolph Hearst Foundation with the hope to increase young Americans' understanding of the three branches of American government, according to the program's Web site. The delegates are nominated each fall by their private or public schools, and must hold student body office or another elected or appointed position in their communities and show academic interest and aptitude in government, history and politics.
American Forces Press Service
March 13, 2009 - American high school students from around the world toured the Pentagon today, capping off a weeklong visit to the nation's capital and what many of them called one of the most exciting experiences of their young lives. The 104 students were selected to come here as part of the 47th Annual U.S. Youth Senate Program's "Washington Week" to see, firsthand, American politics in action. The delegates were selected among thousands of applicants, all high school juniors and seniors representing all 50 states, the District of Columbia and the Department of Defense Education Activity.
Today, during their Pentagon tour, they walked the busy corridors and learned the different aspects of national defense and its history. They also met with Air Force Lt. Gen. Paul Selva, assistant to the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, who oversees international relations and political-military matters that require close, personal control by the chairman.
Their visit also included time at the Senate, the House of Representatives, the Supreme Court and the White House. They met congressmen, cabinet members, officials from the Defense and State departments and a Supreme Court justice. The student delegates were afforded the opportunity to hear national and world policy addresses from the political leaders as well as pick their brains about why they became public servants.
"We got to see [government] in motion, and it was a great opportunity," Michael Boone, student government president of Kaiserslautern High School in Heidelberg, Germany, and DoDEA representative, said. "It's a great chance and great opportunity to meet other delegates and people from around our nation."
But the most exciting portion of "Washington Week" was meeting the nation's president, Boone said.
"My favorite event so far was meeting the president of the United States," he said. "So that was quite an honor. He's my role model, and that was the highlight of my week."
Luke Moragne, student council president of David Glasgow Farragut High School in Rota, Spain, and also a DoDEA representative, said meeting President Barack Obama was the highlight of his week too.
"[Meeting the president] is a once in a lifetime thing," Moragne said. "People always see him on TV, but I actually got to meet him. It was incredible shaking the president's hand."
Moragne said he also enjoyed seeing "government in action." He described the responsibilities of congressmen and political officials as "not an easy task."
"I've actually gotten to see real senators and an actual real Senate vote," Moragne said. His impression is that "it's hard to be a senator or the president and uphold our American ideals. You definitely get the impression from every single person in politics of how smart and sharp and serious they are."
For aspiring youth senate delegates who want to participate in future programs, Boone and Moragne recommend staying informed on current world issues.
"Be heavily involved in high school," Moragne said. "Do every little thing you can possibly do [and] stay up on your politics. [Student delegates] here actually really love politics, which is kind of nice and surprising."
Boone, the son of an Army colonel, hopes to pursue a career in environmental engineering with the aspiration of helping to create an environment in which people will live longer and breathe healthier, he said.
Moragne, whose grandmother works in human resources for the Navy in Rota, recently was accepted into the Naval Academy Preparatory School in Newport, R.I. From there, he hopes to attend the Naval Academy in Annapolis, Md., and eventually become a Marine Corps intelligence officer or lawyer, he said.
The U.S. Youth Senate Program began in 1962, and is sponsored by the William Randolph Hearst Foundation with the hope to increase young Americans' understanding of the three branches of American government, according to the program's Web site. The delegates are nominated each fall by their private or public schools, and must hold student body office or another elected or appointed position in their communities and show academic interest and aptitude in government, history and politics.
Navy Secretary Departs Office
The 74th Secretary of the Navy, Donald C. Winter, resigned his office today as planned. Winter had agreed to remain in office until March 13, 2009, to ease the transition of the Department of Defense.
"As I relinquish my duties as Secretary of the Navy, I count myself blessed for having had the opportunity to serve as your Secretary," Winter said in a message to the Navy and Marine Corps. "No period in my professional life can compare to the experiences that I have had in this position."
Winter became the Secretary of the Navy on Jan. 3, 2006. During his tenure, Winter focused on three priorities: prosecuting the war against terrorist enemies in Iraq and Afghanistan; taking care of wounded Sailors, Marines and their families; and building the future fleet. Additionally, he carried out far-reaching acquisition reforms, with an emphasis on rebuilding an acquisition corps of professionals within the department, demanding accountability, and insisting on a systems engineering approach to acquisitions.
Under Winter's leadership, the Department of the Navy strove to maintain a balance of environmental stewardship while preserving the professional training requirements of the Navy and Marine Corps. The importance of these efforts was recognized by the Supreme Court in a precedent setting opinion. Winter also enhanced the Navy's role in missile defense, codified policies to leverage special operations capabilities in the Navy and Marine Corps, and increased the department's focus on intelligence collection and analysis.
"Every time I meet with Sailors and Marines, I come away impressed by the tremendous capability and flexibility of our warfighters to accomplish the mission, no matter what the challenge," he said. "I am honored to have served you as your Secretary. Thank you for your service to our nation."
BJ Penn will be the acting Secretary of the Navy until the Senate confirms a nominee chosen by President Barack Obama.
"As I relinquish my duties as Secretary of the Navy, I count myself blessed for having had the opportunity to serve as your Secretary," Winter said in a message to the Navy and Marine Corps. "No period in my professional life can compare to the experiences that I have had in this position."
Winter became the Secretary of the Navy on Jan. 3, 2006. During his tenure, Winter focused on three priorities: prosecuting the war against terrorist enemies in Iraq and Afghanistan; taking care of wounded Sailors, Marines and their families; and building the future fleet. Additionally, he carried out far-reaching acquisition reforms, with an emphasis on rebuilding an acquisition corps of professionals within the department, demanding accountability, and insisting on a systems engineering approach to acquisitions.
Under Winter's leadership, the Department of the Navy strove to maintain a balance of environmental stewardship while preserving the professional training requirements of the Navy and Marine Corps. The importance of these efforts was recognized by the Supreme Court in a precedent setting opinion. Winter also enhanced the Navy's role in missile defense, codified policies to leverage special operations capabilities in the Navy and Marine Corps, and increased the department's focus on intelligence collection and analysis.
"Every time I meet with Sailors and Marines, I come away impressed by the tremendous capability and flexibility of our warfighters to accomplish the mission, no matter what the challenge," he said. "I am honored to have served you as your Secretary. Thank you for your service to our nation."
BJ Penn will be the acting Secretary of the Navy until the Senate confirms a nominee chosen by President Barack Obama.
First Lady Brings Military Family Issues to Front Burner
By Donna Miles
American Forces Press Service
March 13, 2009 - First lady Michelle Obama, having just returned from a meeting yesterday with military families at Fort Bragg, N.C., reiterated today on ABC-TV's "Good Morning America" her commitment to ensuring they get the support they deserve.
Obama said she chose Fort Bragg for her first trip outside Washington as first lady to turn the spotlight on "a huge need out there" that she conceded most Americans are "pretty oblivious" to.
Obama admitted she had no idea of the outstanding needs before taking on the military family cause during her husband's presidential campaign. "I just assumed that if we care about our troops and we send them to war, that naturally, we'd be taking care of their families," she said.
Most Americans probably don't realize how many times military families move or how expensive those moves can be, she said this morning. They disrupt children's school schedules and cause spouses to scramble to find new jobs and quality child care, and to transfer school credits.
Also not widely understood, she said, is how many young, enlisted families are living "right at the poverty line because the pay isn't enough."
That's particularly troubling, she said, when their loved ones are deployed into harm's way in Iraq or Afghanistan.
"It hurts. It hurts," she said. "These are people who are willing to send their loved ones off to, perhaps, give their lives -- the ultimate sacrifice. But yet, they're living back at home on food stamps. It's not right, and it's not where we should be as a nation."
President Barack Obama's proposed 2.9 percent military pay raise will offer a start toward helping these families, she said. But she conceded it's only "a down payment on what we need to do."
A strong military depends on the support of military families, and the country can't expect to get that support if it doesn't demonstrate that it values what families contribute, she said.
"If, when it's time to re-enlist, they look around and they can't find a life for themselves, I can assure you that spouse will say, 'Let's go. Let's call it a day. Let's pull down our tent and move on to something else,'" she said.
"And we lose support that we desperately need as a nation."
Yesterday, during an emotional meeting at Fort Bragg's community center, the first lady told military families in person the United States owes them more.
"Our soldiers and their families have done their duty. They do it without complaint," she said. "And we as a grateful nation must do ours and do everything in our power to honor them by supporting them."
Rallying the country around military families' challenges isn't difficult, she said today. "People understand it, once the issue is brought to their attention. And they're ready to do whatever they can."
American Forces Press Service
March 13, 2009 - First lady Michelle Obama, having just returned from a meeting yesterday with military families at Fort Bragg, N.C., reiterated today on ABC-TV's "Good Morning America" her commitment to ensuring they get the support they deserve.
Obama said she chose Fort Bragg for her first trip outside Washington as first lady to turn the spotlight on "a huge need out there" that she conceded most Americans are "pretty oblivious" to.
Obama admitted she had no idea of the outstanding needs before taking on the military family cause during her husband's presidential campaign. "I just assumed that if we care about our troops and we send them to war, that naturally, we'd be taking care of their families," she said.
Most Americans probably don't realize how many times military families move or how expensive those moves can be, she said this morning. They disrupt children's school schedules and cause spouses to scramble to find new jobs and quality child care, and to transfer school credits.
Also not widely understood, she said, is how many young, enlisted families are living "right at the poverty line because the pay isn't enough."
That's particularly troubling, she said, when their loved ones are deployed into harm's way in Iraq or Afghanistan.
"It hurts. It hurts," she said. "These are people who are willing to send their loved ones off to, perhaps, give their lives -- the ultimate sacrifice. But yet, they're living back at home on food stamps. It's not right, and it's not where we should be as a nation."
President Barack Obama's proposed 2.9 percent military pay raise will offer a start toward helping these families, she said. But she conceded it's only "a down payment on what we need to do."
A strong military depends on the support of military families, and the country can't expect to get that support if it doesn't demonstrate that it values what families contribute, she said.
"If, when it's time to re-enlist, they look around and they can't find a life for themselves, I can assure you that spouse will say, 'Let's go. Let's call it a day. Let's pull down our tent and move on to something else,'" she said.
"And we lose support that we desperately need as a nation."
Yesterday, during an emotional meeting at Fort Bragg's community center, the first lady told military families in person the United States owes them more.
"Our soldiers and their families have done their duty. They do it without complaint," she said. "And we as a grateful nation must do ours and do everything in our power to honor them by supporting them."
Rallying the country around military families' challenges isn't difficult, she said today. "People understand it, once the issue is brought to their attention. And they're ready to do whatever they can."
Standardization Program Presents Annual Achievment Awards
Three individuals and Five Teams have won awards from the Defense Standardization Program Office (DSPO) for outstanding contributions to the Department of Defense last fiscal year. The awards were presented today, March 12, 2009, during a ceremony at the Pentagon, Hall of Heroes.
Since 1987 the DSPO has recognized individuals and organization that have effected significant improvements in quality, reliability, readiness, cost reduction, and interoperability through standardization. The DSP mission is to identify, influence, develop, manage, and provide access to standardization processes, products and services for warfighters and the acquisition and logistics communities. The program also promotes interoperability and assists in reducing total ownership cost and sustaining readiness.
Individual recipients for 2008 include Abdonasser Abdouni of the Defense Logistics Agency for developing a new series of alternative connector finishes for the high reliability electrical circular connection program in lieu of traditional finishes that rely on the hazardous chemical Cadmium. Ralph Liguori, Defense Information Systems Agency, led the DoD effort to define the IPv6 requirements, chairing various committees and working groups to define the initial IPv6 capable requirements resulting in significant savings in costs and promoting competition amongst vendors. Tim Sharpe of the Defense Information Systems Agency is recognized for leading a NATO nation effort to develop a standard interface between national tactical systems that created a federated network Standardization Agreements that resulted in standard wideband interface between multinational tactical networks.
Team winners include the Joint U.S. Army/Defense Logistics Agency Team, which coordinated the reinstatement of the MIL-STD-147 palletized unit loads standard. This standard covers the methods, materials, and techniques employed for palletized unit loads of military supplies. Members of that team include Thomas Kozlowski, Kenneth Hill, Timothy Keller, Ann Podrasky, and Joseph Wolak.
The Army team at the Army Research Laboratory led an international effort to develop a manufacturing process known as "Cold Spray" and the accompanying Manufacturing Process Standard, MIL-STD-3021, entitled Materials Deposition, Cold Spray. Cold Spray will allow the reclamation of existing parts during overhaul and repair. Studies conducted by the Army and its partners show that with a small investment, the Army will recover millions of dollars in cost avoidance savings not having to purchase new parts. Team members are Richard Squillacioti, Dennis Helfritch and Victor Champagne.
Naval Air Systems Command's team developed a virtual tactical bridge integrating live and virtual radio devices using different standards into a seamless communications architecture. This effort bridges the gap between live and virtual communications. This program will result in an estimated $2.6 million annual cost avoidances by facilitating engineering and quality investigations common among aviation equipment and platforms used by multiple services. Members include Robert Reif, John Allen, Lance Legan, Christopher Sprague and Peter McCarthy.
A joint Navy, Army, Air Force Coast Guard, and Defense Contract Management Agency Team at Naval Air Systems Command worked together in standardizing the reporting process for all services in the Joint Deficiency Reporting System. The team integrated each services system into a web-based, workflow driven application, with a shared relational database. This was accomplished while maintaining service specific fields and workflow requirements. JDRS now provides full deficiency report processing. The payoff is improved performance, safety, reliability, quality, sustainability, interoperability, and a substantial cost savings. This joint team includes Steven Hauck, William Queener, David Christy, William Duren and William Folsom.
An Air Force Team led the way to coordinate and publish MIL-STD-3027 on performance requirements and testing of body armor. This standard provides military unique requirements for ballistic threat protection, environmental exposure, durability, and testing for use in the development of new soft and hard body armor. This standard now enables the all services whose forces' mission requirements preclude using the Interceptor Body Armor System to accurately specify and verify standard military unique requirements in future body armor procurements. Members are Capt. Mark Mallory, Todd Turner, Timothy Staley, Madeline Istvan and Christopher Ptachik.
Additional information on the Defense Standardization Program is available on the DSP website at http://www.dsp.dla.mil .
Since 1987 the DSPO has recognized individuals and organization that have effected significant improvements in quality, reliability, readiness, cost reduction, and interoperability through standardization. The DSP mission is to identify, influence, develop, manage, and provide access to standardization processes, products and services for warfighters and the acquisition and logistics communities. The program also promotes interoperability and assists in reducing total ownership cost and sustaining readiness.
Individual recipients for 2008 include Abdonasser Abdouni of the Defense Logistics Agency for developing a new series of alternative connector finishes for the high reliability electrical circular connection program in lieu of traditional finishes that rely on the hazardous chemical Cadmium. Ralph Liguori, Defense Information Systems Agency, led the DoD effort to define the IPv6 requirements, chairing various committees and working groups to define the initial IPv6 capable requirements resulting in significant savings in costs and promoting competition amongst vendors. Tim Sharpe of the Defense Information Systems Agency is recognized for leading a NATO nation effort to develop a standard interface between national tactical systems that created a federated network Standardization Agreements that resulted in standard wideband interface between multinational tactical networks.
Team winners include the Joint U.S. Army/Defense Logistics Agency Team, which coordinated the reinstatement of the MIL-STD-147 palletized unit loads standard. This standard covers the methods, materials, and techniques employed for palletized unit loads of military supplies. Members of that team include Thomas Kozlowski, Kenneth Hill, Timothy Keller, Ann Podrasky, and Joseph Wolak.
The Army team at the Army Research Laboratory led an international effort to develop a manufacturing process known as "Cold Spray" and the accompanying Manufacturing Process Standard, MIL-STD-3021, entitled Materials Deposition, Cold Spray. Cold Spray will allow the reclamation of existing parts during overhaul and repair. Studies conducted by the Army and its partners show that with a small investment, the Army will recover millions of dollars in cost avoidance savings not having to purchase new parts. Team members are Richard Squillacioti, Dennis Helfritch and Victor Champagne.
Naval Air Systems Command's team developed a virtual tactical bridge integrating live and virtual radio devices using different standards into a seamless communications architecture. This effort bridges the gap between live and virtual communications. This program will result in an estimated $2.6 million annual cost avoidances by facilitating engineering and quality investigations common among aviation equipment and platforms used by multiple services. Members include Robert Reif, John Allen, Lance Legan, Christopher Sprague and Peter McCarthy.
A joint Navy, Army, Air Force Coast Guard, and Defense Contract Management Agency Team at Naval Air Systems Command worked together in standardizing the reporting process for all services in the Joint Deficiency Reporting System. The team integrated each services system into a web-based, workflow driven application, with a shared relational database. This was accomplished while maintaining service specific fields and workflow requirements. JDRS now provides full deficiency report processing. The payoff is improved performance, safety, reliability, quality, sustainability, interoperability, and a substantial cost savings. This joint team includes Steven Hauck, William Queener, David Christy, William Duren and William Folsom.
An Air Force Team led the way to coordinate and publish MIL-STD-3027 on performance requirements and testing of body armor. This standard provides military unique requirements for ballistic threat protection, environmental exposure, durability, and testing for use in the development of new soft and hard body armor. This standard now enables the all services whose forces' mission requirements preclude using the Interceptor Body Armor System to accurately specify and verify standard military unique requirements in future body armor procurements. Members are Capt. Mark Mallory, Todd Turner, Timothy Staley, Madeline Istvan and Christopher Ptachik.
Additional information on the Defense Standardization Program is available on the DSP website at http://www.dsp.dla.mil .
First Lady Visits Fort Bragg, Vows Support for Military Families
By Reginald Rogers
Special to American Forces Press Service
March 13, 2009 - First lady Michelle Obama said she was committed to improving support for military families yesterday during her first visit here as first lady. Obama said her commitment to improving family support began two years ago at the beginning of her husband's campaign, after hearing about the challenges military spouses faced. "I spent a lot of my time talking about issues that really affected me as a working mom," Obama said. "I met more and more military families who were not just struggling with those basic issues that all civilians are dealing with, but they were tacking on multiple tours of duty and having to figure out how do you keep a family together when you moved 10 times in the same number of years.
"I was moved by the power of those stories, and I committed to myself then that if I was blessed with the opportunity to be the nation's first lady, then I would make the issues facing military families a top priority for me," she said.
The first lady pointed out a few of the issues military families face including quality education on military posts, adequate childcare for families who live on- and off-post, and for military spouses, how to balance higher education, careers and family support during deployments.
Obama said it is important to hear military families' concerns and provide a voice for them in Washington.
"First of all, my job is to listen and learn and to make sure that the families understand that not only the Obama family, but the Obama administration values their service and is going to be working to shine a light," she said. "I want to make sure that I use my platform to ensure that the nation is aware of these challenges."
She said many people may assume that by caring for the troops, they also are taking care of military families.
"I think many people were like me, not realizing so many of our military families are living right at the poverty line," she explained, "not realizing that it is hard for spouses to get jobs when the move, or that they can't often transfer credits and finish their education, and they're struggling with the high cost of quality and affordable childcare."
Obama said she wants to bring military families' issues to light.
"I also think that there are some real practical issues that the Obama administration is expected to address," she said. "In the stimulus package, there is more money for improved housing support, expanding childcare, and making sure that we're caring for our wounded veterans."
The first lady said it is important to make sure that when wounded veterans return home, they will receive quality medical care. She added that in the current budget, the president also is looking for more money to increase military pay, expand childcare and ensure that there is adequate mental health support.
"Those are just some of the things," she said. "As Barack said, this is a down payment on what we need to be doing, and we've got to make sure that this budget passes and the dollars start flowing."
Obama spoke on the importance of having adequate childcare for military families.
"I think everyone calms down when they think their kids are taken care of," she said. "So having good childcare facilities -- I think we're going to see some of that money start to come in so that folks can get off the waiting lists and get into childcare facilities. Not just on bases, but in the surrounding communities as well, because not everybody lives on a base; not everybody can transfer their kids back and forth to bases."
Many family members spoke to her about streamlining the available support so that it is more consistent at all bases, Obama said. It is equally important to make information available to families to prevent hardships once they transfer to different bases, she noted.
Obama said she was impressed with the Fort Bragg community.
"The spirit here, that impressed me the first time I came here, just a little over a year ago," she said. "The folks here are very proud of their service, and the leadership here takes support to families very seriously."
She recalled one of the military spouses who recently had spoken with her own mother and explained the kind of support available on the post. She said the mother pointed out that none of those systems or programs existed in the past when she was raising her family here.
"Fort Bragg demonstrates that we've made a lot of progress in term of support for military families," Obama said. "But I think the leadership here would say that we still have work to do."
Obama praised Fort Bragg and the Fayetteville community, saying it is a model for other military towns because of the support and facilities available to soldiers and family members.
"There is a commitment to the resources that are needed across the board for families," she said. "There's the Family Covenant that really sets forth the priorities and the values that should guide the support that the military is going to give.
"There's a broader community of support here in Fayetteville and the surrounding counties that is the model," she continued. "So this is one of the places that we should look for the type of support that we need."
Obama wants to put a call out to the nation to be mindful that this is a nation at war.
"There are troops out there right now fighting for our freedom and our security," she said. "When they go, they leave behind families.
The first lady extended the opportunity to help military families to the rest of the nation, whether they live in military communities or not.
"It's incumbent upon us as a nation to look in our schools and figure out which child has parents that's deployed and be aware of that and be conscious of that," she said. "It's incumbent upon us to look in our own backyards to our neighbors and to figure out who's out there serving our country, and what kind of support that they need. We need to make sure, as a community, that we're coming together around those families."
(Reginald Rogers serves with the Fort Bragg public affairs office.)
Special to American Forces Press Service
March 13, 2009 - First lady Michelle Obama said she was committed to improving support for military families yesterday during her first visit here as first lady. Obama said her commitment to improving family support began two years ago at the beginning of her husband's campaign, after hearing about the challenges military spouses faced. "I spent a lot of my time talking about issues that really affected me as a working mom," Obama said. "I met more and more military families who were not just struggling with those basic issues that all civilians are dealing with, but they were tacking on multiple tours of duty and having to figure out how do you keep a family together when you moved 10 times in the same number of years.
"I was moved by the power of those stories, and I committed to myself then that if I was blessed with the opportunity to be the nation's first lady, then I would make the issues facing military families a top priority for me," she said.
The first lady pointed out a few of the issues military families face including quality education on military posts, adequate childcare for families who live on- and off-post, and for military spouses, how to balance higher education, careers and family support during deployments.
Obama said it is important to hear military families' concerns and provide a voice for them in Washington.
"First of all, my job is to listen and learn and to make sure that the families understand that not only the Obama family, but the Obama administration values their service and is going to be working to shine a light," she said. "I want to make sure that I use my platform to ensure that the nation is aware of these challenges."
She said many people may assume that by caring for the troops, they also are taking care of military families.
"I think many people were like me, not realizing so many of our military families are living right at the poverty line," she explained, "not realizing that it is hard for spouses to get jobs when the move, or that they can't often transfer credits and finish their education, and they're struggling with the high cost of quality and affordable childcare."
Obama said she wants to bring military families' issues to light.
"I also think that there are some real practical issues that the Obama administration is expected to address," she said. "In the stimulus package, there is more money for improved housing support, expanding childcare, and making sure that we're caring for our wounded veterans."
The first lady said it is important to make sure that when wounded veterans return home, they will receive quality medical care. She added that in the current budget, the president also is looking for more money to increase military pay, expand childcare and ensure that there is adequate mental health support.
"Those are just some of the things," she said. "As Barack said, this is a down payment on what we need to be doing, and we've got to make sure that this budget passes and the dollars start flowing."
Obama spoke on the importance of having adequate childcare for military families.
"I think everyone calms down when they think their kids are taken care of," she said. "So having good childcare facilities -- I think we're going to see some of that money start to come in so that folks can get off the waiting lists and get into childcare facilities. Not just on bases, but in the surrounding communities as well, because not everybody lives on a base; not everybody can transfer their kids back and forth to bases."
Many family members spoke to her about streamlining the available support so that it is more consistent at all bases, Obama said. It is equally important to make information available to families to prevent hardships once they transfer to different bases, she noted.
Obama said she was impressed with the Fort Bragg community.
"The spirit here, that impressed me the first time I came here, just a little over a year ago," she said. "The folks here are very proud of their service, and the leadership here takes support to families very seriously."
She recalled one of the military spouses who recently had spoken with her own mother and explained the kind of support available on the post. She said the mother pointed out that none of those systems or programs existed in the past when she was raising her family here.
"Fort Bragg demonstrates that we've made a lot of progress in term of support for military families," Obama said. "But I think the leadership here would say that we still have work to do."
Obama praised Fort Bragg and the Fayetteville community, saying it is a model for other military towns because of the support and facilities available to soldiers and family members.
"There is a commitment to the resources that are needed across the board for families," she said. "There's the Family Covenant that really sets forth the priorities and the values that should guide the support that the military is going to give.
"There's a broader community of support here in Fayetteville and the surrounding counties that is the model," she continued. "So this is one of the places that we should look for the type of support that we need."
Obama wants to put a call out to the nation to be mindful that this is a nation at war.
"There are troops out there right now fighting for our freedom and our security," she said. "When they go, they leave behind families.
The first lady extended the opportunity to help military families to the rest of the nation, whether they live in military communities or not.
"It's incumbent upon us as a nation to look in our schools and figure out which child has parents that's deployed and be aware of that and be conscious of that," she said. "It's incumbent upon us to look in our own backyards to our neighbors and to figure out who's out there serving our country, and what kind of support that they need. We need to make sure, as a community, that we're coming together around those families."
(Reginald Rogers serves with the Fort Bragg public affairs office.)
Thursday, March 12, 2009
Obama Nominates Hill, Eikenberry for Posts
By Jim Garamone
American Forces Press Service
March 12, 2009 - President Barack Obama nominated Christopher R. Hill as ambassador to Iraq and Army Lt. Gen. Karl W. Eikenberry to serve as U.S. ambassador to Afghanistan yesterday. The nominations require Senate confirmation.
"I am honored and grateful that these dedicated public servants have agreed to join my administration as we work to tackle the great challenges of our time," the president said in written statement issued by the White House. "These extraordinarily accomplished individuals have served their country with great distinction, and they have each agreed to take on tough assignments."
Hill is currently the assistant secretary of state for East Asian and Pacific Affairs, and has been instrumental in leading the U.S. delegation to the Six-Party Talks on the North Korean nuclear issue. He also has served as ambassador to the Republic of Korea, ambassador to Poland, ambassador to the Republic of Macedonia and special envoy to Kosovo. Hill also has served on the National Security Council.
Eikenberry is currently the deputy chairman of the NATO military committee in Brussels, Belgium. His previous assignment was commander of the Combined Forces Command Afghanistan. He has served with mechanized, light, airborne and ranger infantry units in the continental United States, Hawaii, Korea and Italy.
Obama also nominated Alexander Vershbow to serve as assistant secretary of defense for international security affairs and Ivo Daalder to serve as the U.S. permanent representative on the NATO council.
Vershbow served as ambassador to the Republic of Korea from 2005 to 2008, capping a 32-year career with the U.S. Foreign Service. He is a long-time expert on Russia, East-West relations, nonproliferation and European security affairs. From 2001 to 2005, he was U.S. ambassador to the Russian Federation. From 1998 to 2001, he was the U.S. ambassador to NATO. From 1994 to 1997, Vershbow served as special assistant to President Bill Clinton and senior director for European Affairs at the National Security Council.
Daalder is currently a senior fellow in Foreign Policy Studies at the Brookings Institution, and a well-known expert on American foreign policy, European security, and national security affairs. He advised candidate Obama and served on the transition team. During the Clinton administration he was a director for European Affairs on the National Security Council staff from 1995 to 1997, where he was responsible for coordinating U.S. policy toward Bosnia.
American Forces Press Service
March 12, 2009 - President Barack Obama nominated Christopher R. Hill as ambassador to Iraq and Army Lt. Gen. Karl W. Eikenberry to serve as U.S. ambassador to Afghanistan yesterday. The nominations require Senate confirmation.
"I am honored and grateful that these dedicated public servants have agreed to join my administration as we work to tackle the great challenges of our time," the president said in written statement issued by the White House. "These extraordinarily accomplished individuals have served their country with great distinction, and they have each agreed to take on tough assignments."
Hill is currently the assistant secretary of state for East Asian and Pacific Affairs, and has been instrumental in leading the U.S. delegation to the Six-Party Talks on the North Korean nuclear issue. He also has served as ambassador to the Republic of Korea, ambassador to Poland, ambassador to the Republic of Macedonia and special envoy to Kosovo. Hill also has served on the National Security Council.
Eikenberry is currently the deputy chairman of the NATO military committee in Brussels, Belgium. His previous assignment was commander of the Combined Forces Command Afghanistan. He has served with mechanized, light, airborne and ranger infantry units in the continental United States, Hawaii, Korea and Italy.
Obama also nominated Alexander Vershbow to serve as assistant secretary of defense for international security affairs and Ivo Daalder to serve as the U.S. permanent representative on the NATO council.
Vershbow served as ambassador to the Republic of Korea from 2005 to 2008, capping a 32-year career with the U.S. Foreign Service. He is a long-time expert on Russia, East-West relations, nonproliferation and European security affairs. From 2001 to 2005, he was U.S. ambassador to the Russian Federation. From 1998 to 2001, he was the U.S. ambassador to NATO. From 1994 to 1997, Vershbow served as special assistant to President Bill Clinton and senior director for European Affairs at the National Security Council.
Daalder is currently a senior fellow in Foreign Policy Studies at the Brookings Institution, and a well-known expert on American foreign policy, European security, and national security affairs. He advised candidate Obama and served on the transition team. During the Clinton administration he was a director for European Affairs on the National Security Council staff from 1995 to 1997, where he was responsible for coordinating U.S. policy toward Bosnia.
Former Hostages Honored With Defense of Freedom Medal
By Navy Petty Officer 1st Class Michael Wimbish
Special to American Forces Press Service
March 12, 2009 - Three U.S. defense contractors held captive for more than five years by Colombian narcoterrorists were presented the civilian equivalent of the Purple Heart award today during a ceremony at U.S. Southern Command headquarters here. All three were injured during 1,967 days of grueling captivity in the jungles of Colombia at the hands of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, known as the FARC. The group is classified by the United States and many other nations as a terrorist group.
"What a great moment this is," Stavridis said. "We welcome you back to Southern Command; you always have a home here. We are proud of all three of you."
For Southcom personnel in attendance, many of whom had worked to help secure the hostages' release, the ceremony was an emotional moment of triumph and a chance to express admiration.
"The men and women of the United States military are proud to have served with you and for you," said Robert Stewart, who, as Southcom's Joint Personnel Recovery Agency representative, worked closely with the hostages' families during the ordeal.
The three contractors were crewmembers taking part in a routine aerial mission to detect cocaine crops over southern Colombia on Feb. 13, 2003, when engine problems forced the pilot to crash-land the aircraft. FARC members stormed the crash site and murdered pilot Thomas Janis, a U.S. citizen, and Colombian army Sgt. Luis Alcides Cruz.
During the ceremony, Howes thanked the Southcom team and described a moment of difficulty early in captivity when Stansell slipped him a note of encouragement. "[The note] said, 'We're not forgotten, people are trying to get us out, and we have family to go home to,'" Howes told the crowd. "You folks are basically my family. You spent an incredible amount of time trying to get us out, and you never forgot us."
Stansell tearfully thanked his family, who was in attendance, singling out his father, a Korean War veteran. He also expressed gratitude to those who helped get him home.
"Don't forget how great this country is and how fortunate we are to have our lives," Stansell told the crowd.
Gonsalves spoke about his experiences as a hostage and the fear of being forgotten.
"You were sending us reminders that you were looking for us," said Gonsalves, describing how he would hear the "buzz" of aircraft engines. "We would look up and try to see it, but we could never see it because it was up so high, and there were just so many trees. But we knew what it was, and that gave us strength to carry on.
"Thank you for never giving up on us. Thank you for doing everything that you did to bring us home," he said.
Their imprisonment came to a dramatic end July 2, 2008, when Colombian military agents posing as humanitarian workers convinced the captors that they were taking the hostages to FARC leadership. The mission, conducted without a single shot being fired, also freed a dozen other hostages.
An Air Force C-17 Globemaster III aircraft transported Gonsalves, Stansell and Howes later that day to Lackland Air Force Base in San Antonio. They were transferred to Brooke Army Medical Center at neighboring Fort Sam Houston, where they underwent a medical evaluation, were reunited with their families, and received assistance to help them smoothly transition back into their lives as freed U.S. citizens.
During a press conference after the award ceremony, Stansell reiterated his gratitude to the Colombians for getting him home.
"I love Colombia. Tom and Mark love Colombia," Stansell said. "I want Americans to understand that there's some tough things going on down there, but it's a beautiful place, and a country we should support."
Southcom's efforts to return Stansell, Gonsalves and Howes home began almost immediately after their capture.
During their captivity, the command devoted 17,000 flight hours, pursued hundreds of leads, and had a staff of 35 people dedicated full-time to try to secure their safe release. Additionally, 300 Defense Department and interagency personnel stood ready to support repatriation operations and to help the former hostages adjust to life afterward.
The Defense Department established the Defense of Freedom Medal following the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks to honor Defense Department employees and defense contractors injured or killed while supporting department activities. Including Stansell, Gonsalves and Howes, 40 people have received the award.
(Navy Petty Officer 1st Class Michael Wimbish serves with the U.S. Southern Command public affairs office.)
Special to American Forces Press Service
March 12, 2009 - Three U.S. defense contractors held captive for more than five years by Colombian narcoterrorists were presented the civilian equivalent of the Purple Heart award today during a ceremony at U.S. Southern Command headquarters here. All three were injured during 1,967 days of grueling captivity in the jungles of Colombia at the hands of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, known as the FARC. The group is classified by the United States and many other nations as a terrorist group.
"What a great moment this is," Stavridis said. "We welcome you back to Southern Command; you always have a home here. We are proud of all three of you."
For Southcom personnel in attendance, many of whom had worked to help secure the hostages' release, the ceremony was an emotional moment of triumph and a chance to express admiration.
"The men and women of the United States military are proud to have served with you and for you," said Robert Stewart, who, as Southcom's Joint Personnel Recovery Agency representative, worked closely with the hostages' families during the ordeal.
The three contractors were crewmembers taking part in a routine aerial mission to detect cocaine crops over southern Colombia on Feb. 13, 2003, when engine problems forced the pilot to crash-land the aircraft. FARC members stormed the crash site and murdered pilot Thomas Janis, a U.S. citizen, and Colombian army Sgt. Luis Alcides Cruz.
During the ceremony, Howes thanked the Southcom team and described a moment of difficulty early in captivity when Stansell slipped him a note of encouragement. "[The note] said, 'We're not forgotten, people are trying to get us out, and we have family to go home to,'" Howes told the crowd. "You folks are basically my family. You spent an incredible amount of time trying to get us out, and you never forgot us."
Stansell tearfully thanked his family, who was in attendance, singling out his father, a Korean War veteran. He also expressed gratitude to those who helped get him home.
"Don't forget how great this country is and how fortunate we are to have our lives," Stansell told the crowd.
Gonsalves spoke about his experiences as a hostage and the fear of being forgotten.
"You were sending us reminders that you were looking for us," said Gonsalves, describing how he would hear the "buzz" of aircraft engines. "We would look up and try to see it, but we could never see it because it was up so high, and there were just so many trees. But we knew what it was, and that gave us strength to carry on.
"Thank you for never giving up on us. Thank you for doing everything that you did to bring us home," he said.
Their imprisonment came to a dramatic end July 2, 2008, when Colombian military agents posing as humanitarian workers convinced the captors that they were taking the hostages to FARC leadership. The mission, conducted without a single shot being fired, also freed a dozen other hostages.
An Air Force C-17 Globemaster III aircraft transported Gonsalves, Stansell and Howes later that day to Lackland Air Force Base in San Antonio. They were transferred to Brooke Army Medical Center at neighboring Fort Sam Houston, where they underwent a medical evaluation, were reunited with their families, and received assistance to help them smoothly transition back into their lives as freed U.S. citizens.
During a press conference after the award ceremony, Stansell reiterated his gratitude to the Colombians for getting him home.
"I love Colombia. Tom and Mark love Colombia," Stansell said. "I want Americans to understand that there's some tough things going on down there, but it's a beautiful place, and a country we should support."
Southcom's efforts to return Stansell, Gonsalves and Howes home began almost immediately after their capture.
During their captivity, the command devoted 17,000 flight hours, pursued hundreds of leads, and had a staff of 35 people dedicated full-time to try to secure their safe release. Additionally, 300 Defense Department and interagency personnel stood ready to support repatriation operations and to help the former hostages adjust to life afterward.
The Defense Department established the Defense of Freedom Medal following the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks to honor Defense Department employees and defense contractors injured or killed while supporting department activities. Including Stansell, Gonsalves and Howes, 40 people have received the award.
(Navy Petty Officer 1st Class Michael Wimbish serves with the U.S. Southern Command public affairs office.)
Petraeus Praises Medics, Corpsmen at 'Angels of Battlefield' Gala
By John J. Kruzel
American Forces Press Service
March 12, 2009 - The commander of U.S. Central Command last night praised the Army medics and Navy corpsmen whose courage on the battlefield protects the lives of fellow servicemembers. Army Gen. David H. Petraeus told the 400-person audience at the 3rd Annual Armed Services YMCA Gala here that he was an appropriate keynote speaker, given that he's survived two near-fatal injuries.
"Some out there may wonder what my qualifications are to offer assessments of our medics," he said. "The fact is I'm quite well qualified on the subject, having twice awakened to the caring eyes of an angel on the battlefield following life-threatening injuries."
Petraeus' most recent injury occurred in 2000 when his parachute collapsed at low altitude during a skydiving jump. The snafu caused a hard landing that broke his pelvis. Nine years earlier, Petraeus was wounded by friendly fire in a live-fire training accident while commanding the 3rd Battalion of the 101st Airborne Division in Fort Campbell, Ky.
In an odd twist of fate, the surgeon who treated Petraeus' gunshot wound at Vanderbilt University in Nashville was Dr. Bill Frist, who later became the U.S. Senate majority leader. Frist joined Petraeus on stage at the gala.
"We are tied together in a single garment of destiny," Frist said, quoting Martin Luther King Jr. "What affects one individually, affects all of us indirectly.
"You are that garment of destiny," he told the medics and corpsmen. "Thank you for being that angel to us all."
Petraeus said his simple, yet hugely important, task during the event was to thank combat medical personnel -- in particular, the troops accepting awards on behalf of their respective services.
"Wherever they serve, they always exhibit extraordinary qualities, skill, courage, cool under pressure, and selflessness," Petraeus said. "Tonight, we recognize and thank them, the angels of the battlefield, for all that they've done, and all that they continue to do for their fellow soldiers, sailors, airmen, Marines and Coast Guardsmen, and for our great country."
Those who received awards last night were Army Staff Sgt. Christopher Waiters, Air Force Staff Sgt. Stephanie Cates, Navy Petty Officer 3rd Class William Jordan, Navy Seaman Apprentice Thomas Geary, Navy Petty Officer 2nd Class Michael Ryals, Coast Guard Petty Officer 3rd Class Sarah Hanson, Air National Guard Master Sgt. Marty Snider and Army National Guard Staff Sgt. Matthew Lavoie.
Lavoie encountered frequent attacks as an Army medic deployed to Iraq with the 172nd Infantry of the Rhode Island Army National Guard. In 2006, while traveling near Al Asad Air Base, his convoy encountered multiple improvised explosive device attacks.
"Numerous vehicles were hit; we had one rollover," he recalled. "We evacuated two U.S. soldiers, and the rest of them had superficial wounds. We were down for probably two hours." Asked what his role was during the ambush, he said: "I was the only medic there."
Lavoie said being honored at the event was "surreal."
"The truth is, I do what I do every day for 10 years to be able to help somebody," he said. "It's about more than just me."
American Forces Press Service
March 12, 2009 - The commander of U.S. Central Command last night praised the Army medics and Navy corpsmen whose courage on the battlefield protects the lives of fellow servicemembers. Army Gen. David H. Petraeus told the 400-person audience at the 3rd Annual Armed Services YMCA Gala here that he was an appropriate keynote speaker, given that he's survived two near-fatal injuries.
"Some out there may wonder what my qualifications are to offer assessments of our medics," he said. "The fact is I'm quite well qualified on the subject, having twice awakened to the caring eyes of an angel on the battlefield following life-threatening injuries."
Petraeus' most recent injury occurred in 2000 when his parachute collapsed at low altitude during a skydiving jump. The snafu caused a hard landing that broke his pelvis. Nine years earlier, Petraeus was wounded by friendly fire in a live-fire training accident while commanding the 3rd Battalion of the 101st Airborne Division in Fort Campbell, Ky.
In an odd twist of fate, the surgeon who treated Petraeus' gunshot wound at Vanderbilt University in Nashville was Dr. Bill Frist, who later became the U.S. Senate majority leader. Frist joined Petraeus on stage at the gala.
"We are tied together in a single garment of destiny," Frist said, quoting Martin Luther King Jr. "What affects one individually, affects all of us indirectly.
"You are that garment of destiny," he told the medics and corpsmen. "Thank you for being that angel to us all."
Petraeus said his simple, yet hugely important, task during the event was to thank combat medical personnel -- in particular, the troops accepting awards on behalf of their respective services.
"Wherever they serve, they always exhibit extraordinary qualities, skill, courage, cool under pressure, and selflessness," Petraeus said. "Tonight, we recognize and thank them, the angels of the battlefield, for all that they've done, and all that they continue to do for their fellow soldiers, sailors, airmen, Marines and Coast Guardsmen, and for our great country."
Those who received awards last night were Army Staff Sgt. Christopher Waiters, Air Force Staff Sgt. Stephanie Cates, Navy Petty Officer 3rd Class William Jordan, Navy Seaman Apprentice Thomas Geary, Navy Petty Officer 2nd Class Michael Ryals, Coast Guard Petty Officer 3rd Class Sarah Hanson, Air National Guard Master Sgt. Marty Snider and Army National Guard Staff Sgt. Matthew Lavoie.
Lavoie encountered frequent attacks as an Army medic deployed to Iraq with the 172nd Infantry of the Rhode Island Army National Guard. In 2006, while traveling near Al Asad Air Base, his convoy encountered multiple improvised explosive device attacks.
"Numerous vehicles were hit; we had one rollover," he recalled. "We evacuated two U.S. soldiers, and the rest of them had superficial wounds. We were down for probably two hours." Asked what his role was during the ambush, he said: "I was the only medic there."
Lavoie said being honored at the event was "surreal."
"The truth is, I do what I do every day for 10 years to be able to help somebody," he said. "It's about more than just me."
MILITARY CONTRACTS March 12, 2009
NAVY
FCX Systems *, Morgantown, W. Va., is being awarded a $25,381,248 firm-fixed price, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract for delivery of an estimated quantity of 270 volts direct current power supplies ship supply equipment intended for shipboard aircraft maintenance for the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter and related technical data. Work will be performed in Morgantown, W. Va., and is expected to be completed by Mar. 2014. Contract funds in the amount of $5,999,999 will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was competitively procured via Federal Business Opportunities website, with five offers received. The Naval Surface Warfare Center Carderock Division, Philadelphia, Pa., is the contracting activity (N65540-09-D-0016).
Aranea Solutions, Huntsville, Ala., is being awarded a $17,929,431 firm-fixed-price time and materials indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract for support of the Joint Technical Data Integration (JTDI) System and other tactical logistics IT programs. This contract includes a base year and three option periods, which if exercised, bring the total estimated value of the contract to $70,164,715. Work will be performed in Huntsville, Ala., (60 percent) and Patuxent River, Md., (40 percent), and work is expected to be completed by Mar. 2014. Contract funds will not expire before the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was competitively procured, with one offer received in response to this solicitation. The Naval Inventory Control Point is the contracting activity (N00104-09-D-Q451).
BAE Systems Norfolk Ship Repair, Norfolk, Va., is being awarded a $12,755,479 modification to previously awarded contract (N00024-05-C-4404) to exercise an option for alterations and repairs for the USS Cole (DDG-67) FY09 docking selected restricted availability. The major alterations and repairs for the USS Cole include: repairs to underwater hull; repairs to propeller shafts and struts; repair to sonar dome; and bow-strengthening alteration. Work will be performed in Norfolk, Va., and is expected to be completed by Jun. 2009. Contract funds in the amount of $12,755,479 will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Mid-Atlantic Regional Maintenance Center, Norfolk, Va., is the contracting activity.
Bell-Boeing Joint Project Office, Amarillo, Texas, is being awarded an $11,066,515 modification to a previously awarded cost-plus-fixed-fee contract (N00019-08-C-0025) for Increment II of the CV-22 aircraft Block 20 upgrade program. Efforts to be provided include concept definition, non-recurring engineering, drawings, non-recurring prototype manufacturing, installation, and associated logistic support to integrate and test the V-22 Multi-Mission Advanced Tactical Terminal Replacement Receiver, and improved crew interface of broadcast data. Additionally, this procurement provides for the non-recurring logistical support to augment the contractor engineering technical support team. Work will be performed in Philadelphia, Pa., (81 percent); Fort Worth, Texas, (10 percent); and Fort Walton Beach, Fla., (9 percent), and is expected to be completed in Sept. 2012. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Naval Air Systems Command, Patuxent River, Md., is the contracting activity.
Raytheon Co., Tucson, Ariz., is being awarded a $9,671,692 modification to previously awarded contract (N00024-07-C-5431) to incorporate Value Engineering Change Proposals (VECP) to the Evolved SEASPARROW missiles for the NATO SEASPARROW consortium and the United Arab Emirates. This contract modification with Raytheon Co., incorporates VECPs to the Evolved SEASPARROW Missiles for Australia, Canada, Germany, Greece, Norway, Spain, Turkey, United Arab Emirates and the United States. The NATO SEASPARROW consortium, which includes the United States and 9 other countries and the United Arab Emirates, will fund the effort under this contract. Work will be performed in Tucson, Ariz., (45 percent); Camden, Ark., (2 percent); Andover, Mass., (10 percent); Australia, (11 percent); Canada, (7 percent); Denmark, (1 percent); Greece, (1 percent); Germany, (8 percent); The Netherlands, (6 percent); Norway, (5 percent); Spain, (3 percent); and Turkey, (1 percent), and is expected to be completed by Dec. 2011. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Naval Sea Systems Command, Washington, D.C., is the contracting activity.
BAE Systems Information and Electronic Systems, Nashua, N.H., is being awarded a $9,511,957 modification to previously awarded contract (N00164-09-C-WQ19) for engineering service support for Quick Reaction Dismounted Guardian Counter Radio Controlled Improvised Explosive Device Electronic Warfare (CREW) systems. The CREW systems are used to counter the continuous and evolving improvised explosive device threat as it becomes known in theater. The engineering service support will include analyzing new IED threat devices and development of jamming waveforms to counter the devices. Work will be performed in Nashua, N.H., and is expected to be completed by Mar. 2013. Contract funds in the amount of $1,434,000 will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Naval Surface Warfare Center, Crane Division, Crane Ind., is the contracting activity.
Barnhart Inc., San Diego, Calif., is being awarded $8,874,998 for firm-fixed-price task order #0002 under a previously awarded multiple award construction contract (N62473-08-D-8614) for design and construction of a new in-service engineering facility for ordnance maintenance operations at the Naval Air Weapons Station, China Lake, Calif. The task order also contains one unexercised option for physical security equipment, which if exercised would increase cumulative task order value to $8,974,998.00. Work will be performed in China Lake, Calif., and is expected to be completed by May 2010. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. Four proposals were received for this task order. The Naval Facilities Engineering Command, Southwest, San Diego, Calif., is the contracting activity.
HydroAcoustics Inc., Henrietta, N.Y., is being awarded a maximum $8,700,000 indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity, firm-fixed-price contract for HLF-1D and HLF-1E transducers. Efforts will include procurement of HydroAcoustic Low Frequency (HLF) series transducers and maintenance kits, along with refurbishment, conversion and support services associated with existing HLF-1 series transducer. Work will be performed in Henrietta, N.Y., and is expected to be completed by Mar. 2011. Contract funds in the amount of $50,000 will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was not competitively procured. The Naval Undersea Warfare Center Division, Newport, R.I., is the contracting activity (N66604-09-D-1860).
Imedia.it, Houston, Texas, is being awarded an $8,370,187 indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity, cost-plus-fixed-fee contract for education/training products and support services managed by the Naval Education and Training Professional Development and Technology Center (NETPDTC), Pensacola, Fla. This contract includes a base year and four option periods, which if exercised, bring the total estimated value of the contract to $43,850,230. Work will be performed at Houston, Texas, (95 percent); and Pensacola, Fla., (5 percent), and work is expected to be completed by Sept. 2009. Contract funds will not expire before the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was competitively procured through Navy Electronic Commerce Online, with18 offers received. The Fleet and Industrial Supply Center Norfolk Detachment Philadelphia is the contracting activity (N00189-08-D-Z039).
Jacobs Engineering, Dumfries, Va., is being awarded $7,322,634 for task order #0021 under previously awarded contract (M67854-02-A-9017) to provide technical support to the Marine Corps Systems Command, Information Systems and Infrastructure Product Group, Marine Corps network and infrastructure services program office for sustainment support and additional transition support to include assisting in monitoring the cutover progress and attending daily meetings. Throughout the contract period the contractor will be required to coordinate schedules, assist with data collection for assets, user requirements management; application inventory; and related actions necessary to effect transition activities and seat cutover, technical refresh schedules and activities and life-cycle sustainment in the NMCI environment (e. g. SRM data collection, asset reconciliation and tracking). The scope of this task will be structured to reflect support for Major Commands across the Marine Corps sites. Work will be performed in Camp Lejeune, N.C.,(22 percent); New Orleans, La., (15 percent); Okinawa, Japan, (12 percent); Camp Pendleton, Calif., (11 percent); Quantico, Va., (11 percent); Miramar, Calif., (8 percent); Beaufort, S.C., (3 percent); Kaneohe Bay, Hawaii, (3 percent); Albany, Ga., (3 percent); Arlington, Va., (2 percent); Barstow, Calif., (2 percent); Twenty-Nine Palms, Calif., (2 percent); Yuma, Ariz., (2 percent); San Diego, Calif., (2 percent); and Parris Island, S.C., (2 percent), and work is expected to be completed in December 2009. Contract funds will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Marine Corps System Command, Quantico, Va., is the contracting activity.
Pacific Program-Design Management Services JV, Pasadena, Calif., is being awarded $5,727,416 for firm-fixed price task order #0004 under a previously awarded indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity, architect/engineer contract (N62742-08-D-0009) for the program support services for various projects covered by the Defense Policy Review Initiative and other projects under the cognizance of the Naval Facilities Engineering Command, Pacific. The work to be performed provides for preparation of the technical sections of the Request for Proposal contract documents for the design-build acquisition at NCTS Finegayan and Apra Harbor, Guam. The project at NCTS Finegayan prepares for the Finegayan USMC Bachelor Enlisted Quarters area. The project will include site preparation, arterial access and perimeter roads, street lighting, electrical distribution, water distribution, wastewater collection lines, and communication distribution system lines. The project will also include gate houses for commercial vehicles and main gate to control access to the site. The project at Apra Harbor will upgrade the existing utilities to support the Marine Corps embarkation capability package on Guam. The project will provide shore side utility improvements including Bilge Oily Waste Transfer System, steam, compressed air, potable water, power, communications, wastewater, fire alarm and hydrants. Work will be performed in Guam and is expected to be completed by Aug. 31, 2009. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Naval Facilities Engineering Command, Pacific, Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, is the contracting activity.
AIR FORCE
The Air Force is modifying a fixed price incentive firm contract with Northrop Grumman Systems Corp., of San Diego, Calif., for an amount not to exceed $107,575,999. This action will provide for long lead items associated with LRIP Lot 8 Global Hawk Block 40 air vehicles. At this time, $25,999,999 has been obligated. 303 AESG/SYK, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio is the contracting activity (FA8620-08-C-3001, P00007).
DEFENSE LOGISTICS AGENCY
Mine Safety Appliances, Pittsburgh, Pa., is being awarded a maximum $44,938,296 firm fixed price, indefinite-delivery, indefinite quantity contract for advanced combat helmets. Other location of performance is Vermont. Using services are Army, Navy, Air Force and Marine Corps. The proposal was originally DIBBS solicited with three responses. Contract funds will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The date of performance completion is Mar. 10, 2011. The contracting activity is the Defense Supply Center Philadelphia, Philadelphia, Pa. (SPM1C1-09-0036).
General Electric Co., Cincinnati, Ohio, is being awarded a maximum $7,587,417 fixed price with economic price adjustment contract for equipment delivery. Other location of performance is Massachusetts. Using service is Air Force. There was one proposal originally solicited with one response. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The date of performance completion is June 29, 2012. The contracting activity is the Defense Supply Center Richmond, ZBA (DSCR-ZBA), Tinker AFB, Oklahoma (FA8104-05-G-0004-UN06).
FCX Systems *, Morgantown, W. Va., is being awarded a $25,381,248 firm-fixed price, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract for delivery of an estimated quantity of 270 volts direct current power supplies ship supply equipment intended for shipboard aircraft maintenance for the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter and related technical data. Work will be performed in Morgantown, W. Va., and is expected to be completed by Mar. 2014. Contract funds in the amount of $5,999,999 will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was competitively procured via Federal Business Opportunities website, with five offers received. The Naval Surface Warfare Center Carderock Division, Philadelphia, Pa., is the contracting activity (N65540-09-D-0016).
Aranea Solutions, Huntsville, Ala., is being awarded a $17,929,431 firm-fixed-price time and materials indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract for support of the Joint Technical Data Integration (JTDI) System and other tactical logistics IT programs. This contract includes a base year and three option periods, which if exercised, bring the total estimated value of the contract to $70,164,715. Work will be performed in Huntsville, Ala., (60 percent) and Patuxent River, Md., (40 percent), and work is expected to be completed by Mar. 2014. Contract funds will not expire before the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was competitively procured, with one offer received in response to this solicitation. The Naval Inventory Control Point is the contracting activity (N00104-09-D-Q451).
BAE Systems Norfolk Ship Repair, Norfolk, Va., is being awarded a $12,755,479 modification to previously awarded contract (N00024-05-C-4404) to exercise an option for alterations and repairs for the USS Cole (DDG-67) FY09 docking selected restricted availability. The major alterations and repairs for the USS Cole include: repairs to underwater hull; repairs to propeller shafts and struts; repair to sonar dome; and bow-strengthening alteration. Work will be performed in Norfolk, Va., and is expected to be completed by Jun. 2009. Contract funds in the amount of $12,755,479 will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Mid-Atlantic Regional Maintenance Center, Norfolk, Va., is the contracting activity.
Bell-Boeing Joint Project Office, Amarillo, Texas, is being awarded an $11,066,515 modification to a previously awarded cost-plus-fixed-fee contract (N00019-08-C-0025) for Increment II of the CV-22 aircraft Block 20 upgrade program. Efforts to be provided include concept definition, non-recurring engineering, drawings, non-recurring prototype manufacturing, installation, and associated logistic support to integrate and test the V-22 Multi-Mission Advanced Tactical Terminal Replacement Receiver, and improved crew interface of broadcast data. Additionally, this procurement provides for the non-recurring logistical support to augment the contractor engineering technical support team. Work will be performed in Philadelphia, Pa., (81 percent); Fort Worth, Texas, (10 percent); and Fort Walton Beach, Fla., (9 percent), and is expected to be completed in Sept. 2012. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Naval Air Systems Command, Patuxent River, Md., is the contracting activity.
Raytheon Co., Tucson, Ariz., is being awarded a $9,671,692 modification to previously awarded contract (N00024-07-C-5431) to incorporate Value Engineering Change Proposals (VECP) to the Evolved SEASPARROW missiles for the NATO SEASPARROW consortium and the United Arab Emirates. This contract modification with Raytheon Co., incorporates VECPs to the Evolved SEASPARROW Missiles for Australia, Canada, Germany, Greece, Norway, Spain, Turkey, United Arab Emirates and the United States. The NATO SEASPARROW consortium, which includes the United States and 9 other countries and the United Arab Emirates, will fund the effort under this contract. Work will be performed in Tucson, Ariz., (45 percent); Camden, Ark., (2 percent); Andover, Mass., (10 percent); Australia, (11 percent); Canada, (7 percent); Denmark, (1 percent); Greece, (1 percent); Germany, (8 percent); The Netherlands, (6 percent); Norway, (5 percent); Spain, (3 percent); and Turkey, (1 percent), and is expected to be completed by Dec. 2011. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Naval Sea Systems Command, Washington, D.C., is the contracting activity.
BAE Systems Information and Electronic Systems, Nashua, N.H., is being awarded a $9,511,957 modification to previously awarded contract (N00164-09-C-WQ19) for engineering service support for Quick Reaction Dismounted Guardian Counter Radio Controlled Improvised Explosive Device Electronic Warfare (CREW) systems. The CREW systems are used to counter the continuous and evolving improvised explosive device threat as it becomes known in theater. The engineering service support will include analyzing new IED threat devices and development of jamming waveforms to counter the devices. Work will be performed in Nashua, N.H., and is expected to be completed by Mar. 2013. Contract funds in the amount of $1,434,000 will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Naval Surface Warfare Center, Crane Division, Crane Ind., is the contracting activity.
Barnhart Inc., San Diego, Calif., is being awarded $8,874,998 for firm-fixed-price task order #0002 under a previously awarded multiple award construction contract (N62473-08-D-8614) for design and construction of a new in-service engineering facility for ordnance maintenance operations at the Naval Air Weapons Station, China Lake, Calif. The task order also contains one unexercised option for physical security equipment, which if exercised would increase cumulative task order value to $8,974,998.00. Work will be performed in China Lake, Calif., and is expected to be completed by May 2010. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. Four proposals were received for this task order. The Naval Facilities Engineering Command, Southwest, San Diego, Calif., is the contracting activity.
HydroAcoustics Inc., Henrietta, N.Y., is being awarded a maximum $8,700,000 indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity, firm-fixed-price contract for HLF-1D and HLF-1E transducers. Efforts will include procurement of HydroAcoustic Low Frequency (HLF) series transducers and maintenance kits, along with refurbishment, conversion and support services associated with existing HLF-1 series transducer. Work will be performed in Henrietta, N.Y., and is expected to be completed by Mar. 2011. Contract funds in the amount of $50,000 will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was not competitively procured. The Naval Undersea Warfare Center Division, Newport, R.I., is the contracting activity (N66604-09-D-1860).
Imedia.it, Houston, Texas, is being awarded an $8,370,187 indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity, cost-plus-fixed-fee contract for education/training products and support services managed by the Naval Education and Training Professional Development and Technology Center (NETPDTC), Pensacola, Fla. This contract includes a base year and four option periods, which if exercised, bring the total estimated value of the contract to $43,850,230. Work will be performed at Houston, Texas, (95 percent); and Pensacola, Fla., (5 percent), and work is expected to be completed by Sept. 2009. Contract funds will not expire before the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was competitively procured through Navy Electronic Commerce Online, with18 offers received. The Fleet and Industrial Supply Center Norfolk Detachment Philadelphia is the contracting activity (N00189-08-D-Z039).
Jacobs Engineering, Dumfries, Va., is being awarded $7,322,634 for task order #0021 under previously awarded contract (M67854-02-A-9017) to provide technical support to the Marine Corps Systems Command, Information Systems and Infrastructure Product Group, Marine Corps network and infrastructure services program office for sustainment support and additional transition support to include assisting in monitoring the cutover progress and attending daily meetings. Throughout the contract period the contractor will be required to coordinate schedules, assist with data collection for assets, user requirements management; application inventory; and related actions necessary to effect transition activities and seat cutover, technical refresh schedules and activities and life-cycle sustainment in the NMCI environment (e. g. SRM data collection, asset reconciliation and tracking). The scope of this task will be structured to reflect support for Major Commands across the Marine Corps sites. Work will be performed in Camp Lejeune, N.C.,(22 percent); New Orleans, La., (15 percent); Okinawa, Japan, (12 percent); Camp Pendleton, Calif., (11 percent); Quantico, Va., (11 percent); Miramar, Calif., (8 percent); Beaufort, S.C., (3 percent); Kaneohe Bay, Hawaii, (3 percent); Albany, Ga., (3 percent); Arlington, Va., (2 percent); Barstow, Calif., (2 percent); Twenty-Nine Palms, Calif., (2 percent); Yuma, Ariz., (2 percent); San Diego, Calif., (2 percent); and Parris Island, S.C., (2 percent), and work is expected to be completed in December 2009. Contract funds will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Marine Corps System Command, Quantico, Va., is the contracting activity.
Pacific Program-Design Management Services JV, Pasadena, Calif., is being awarded $5,727,416 for firm-fixed price task order #0004 under a previously awarded indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity, architect/engineer contract (N62742-08-D-0009) for the program support services for various projects covered by the Defense Policy Review Initiative and other projects under the cognizance of the Naval Facilities Engineering Command, Pacific. The work to be performed provides for preparation of the technical sections of the Request for Proposal contract documents for the design-build acquisition at NCTS Finegayan and Apra Harbor, Guam. The project at NCTS Finegayan prepares for the Finegayan USMC Bachelor Enlisted Quarters area. The project will include site preparation, arterial access and perimeter roads, street lighting, electrical distribution, water distribution, wastewater collection lines, and communication distribution system lines. The project will also include gate houses for commercial vehicles and main gate to control access to the site. The project at Apra Harbor will upgrade the existing utilities to support the Marine Corps embarkation capability package on Guam. The project will provide shore side utility improvements including Bilge Oily Waste Transfer System, steam, compressed air, potable water, power, communications, wastewater, fire alarm and hydrants. Work will be performed in Guam and is expected to be completed by Aug. 31, 2009. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Naval Facilities Engineering Command, Pacific, Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, is the contracting activity.
AIR FORCE
The Air Force is modifying a fixed price incentive firm contract with Northrop Grumman Systems Corp., of San Diego, Calif., for an amount not to exceed $107,575,999. This action will provide for long lead items associated with LRIP Lot 8 Global Hawk Block 40 air vehicles. At this time, $25,999,999 has been obligated. 303 AESG/SYK, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio is the contracting activity (FA8620-08-C-3001, P00007).
DEFENSE LOGISTICS AGENCY
Mine Safety Appliances, Pittsburgh, Pa., is being awarded a maximum $44,938,296 firm fixed price, indefinite-delivery, indefinite quantity contract for advanced combat helmets. Other location of performance is Vermont. Using services are Army, Navy, Air Force and Marine Corps. The proposal was originally DIBBS solicited with three responses. Contract funds will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The date of performance completion is Mar. 10, 2011. The contracting activity is the Defense Supply Center Philadelphia, Philadelphia, Pa. (SPM1C1-09-0036).
General Electric Co., Cincinnati, Ohio, is being awarded a maximum $7,587,417 fixed price with economic price adjustment contract for equipment delivery. Other location of performance is Massachusetts. Using service is Air Force. There was one proposal originally solicited with one response. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The date of performance completion is June 29, 2012. The contracting activity is the Defense Supply Center Richmond, ZBA (DSCR-ZBA), Tinker AFB, Oklahoma (FA8104-05-G-0004-UN06).
Navy Names Littoral Combat Ship USS Coronado
Secretary of the Navy Donald Winter announced today that the fourth littoral combat ship (LCS) will be named USS Coronado.
The announcement continues the practice of naming the agile LCS vessels after American mid-sized cities, small towns and communities. The ship is named in honor of the patriotic citizens of Coronado, Calif. Home to Naval Air Base North Island (NASNI) and Naval Amphibious Base (NAB), Coronado has been home to the Navy since 1917.
More than 90 tenant commands reside at NASNI, including the Naval Aviation Depot, the largest aerospace employer in San Diego. The base is homeport to two aircraft carriers, USS Nimitz (CVN 68) and USS Ronald Reagan (CVN 76).
NAB Coronado has approximately 5,000 personnel and more than 30 tenant commands including Naval Surface Force Pacific and Expeditionary Warfare Training Group Pacific. The base is also home to Naval Special Warfare Command including several SEAL (Sea, Air, Land) and special boat teams, and the Basic Underwater Demolition/SEAL (BUD/S) training center.
Two previous ships have been named for Coronado. USS Coronado (PF 38), a Tacoma-class patrol frigate, earned four battle stars for supporting landings in New Guinea and Leyte during World War II. USS Coronado (AGF 11) served as flagship for the Third Fleet and was decommissioned in 2006.
Designated LCS 4, Coronado will be designed to defeat littoral threats and provide access and dominance in coastal waters for missions such as mine warfare, anti-submarine warfare and surface warfare. There are two different LCS hull forms – a semiplaning monohull and an aluminum trimaran – designed and built by two industry teams, respectively led by Lockheed Martin and General Dynamics. These seaframes will be outfitted with reconfigurable payloads, called mission packages, which can be changed out quickly. Mission packages are supported by special detachments that will deploy manned and unmanned vehicles and sensors.
More information about the LCS can be seen at
http://www.navy.mil/navydata/fact_display.asp?cid=4200&tid=1650&ct=4.
The announcement continues the practice of naming the agile LCS vessels after American mid-sized cities, small towns and communities. The ship is named in honor of the patriotic citizens of Coronado, Calif. Home to Naval Air Base North Island (NASNI) and Naval Amphibious Base (NAB), Coronado has been home to the Navy since 1917.
More than 90 tenant commands reside at NASNI, including the Naval Aviation Depot, the largest aerospace employer in San Diego. The base is homeport to two aircraft carriers, USS Nimitz (CVN 68) and USS Ronald Reagan (CVN 76).
NAB Coronado has approximately 5,000 personnel and more than 30 tenant commands including Naval Surface Force Pacific and Expeditionary Warfare Training Group Pacific. The base is also home to Naval Special Warfare Command including several SEAL (Sea, Air, Land) and special boat teams, and the Basic Underwater Demolition/SEAL (BUD/S) training center.
Two previous ships have been named for Coronado. USS Coronado (PF 38), a Tacoma-class patrol frigate, earned four battle stars for supporting landings in New Guinea and Leyte during World War II. USS Coronado (AGF 11) served as flagship for the Third Fleet and was decommissioned in 2006.
Designated LCS 4, Coronado will be designed to defeat littoral threats and provide access and dominance in coastal waters for missions such as mine warfare, anti-submarine warfare and surface warfare. There are two different LCS hull forms – a semiplaning monohull and an aluminum trimaran – designed and built by two industry teams, respectively led by Lockheed Martin and General Dynamics. These seaframes will be outfitted with reconfigurable payloads, called mission packages, which can be changed out quickly. Mission packages are supported by special detachments that will deploy manned and unmanned vehicles and sensors.
More information about the LCS can be seen at
http://www.navy.mil/navydata/fact_display.asp?cid=4200&tid=1650&ct=4.
Partnership Mission Shows U.S. Commitment to Africa, Commander Says
By Navy Lt. Patrick Foughty
Special to American Forces Press Service
March 12, 2009 - The USS Robert G. Bradley has completed the first Africa Partnership Station mission to East Africa, signifying the U.S. commitment to helping African nations achieve stability and prosperity, the APS East Africa commander said. Africa Partnership Station -- an international initiative – is a U.S.-led response to requests by African nations for military-to-military or civilian-military maritime training.
Navy Capt. Nick Holman led the mission to Kenya, Mozambique and Tanzania, and explained the growing initiative and its impact in Africa to bloggers and online journalists yesterday during a "DoD Live" bloggers roundtable
"Africa Partnership Station responds to [East] African requests for training by providing a delivery vehicle for international, interagency and nongovernmental organization assistance," Holman said. "The U.S. government and our Navy are committed to helping all African nations and regions achieve stability and economic prosperity, and East Africa is looking for help."
Africa Partnership Station began in fall 2007 with the deployment of USS Fort McHenry to West Africa. The ship included an international staff and acted as a floating schoolhouse, offering a variety of maritime courses and training. The initiative has continued with deployments of other Navy and Coast Guard ships, aircraft and small training units. The USS Nashville is in the Gulf of Guinea on a similar large-scale APS mission.
"APS brings to a country a team of maritime experts," Holman said, "be it through Navy sailors on a frigate like Bradley, or a team of Seabees working a community-relations project such as a school or clinic, or ... what's found now on APS Nashville currently on the west coast of Africa -- which is a large international team including European, African and South American personnel."
Training is conducted using the ship's crew as instructors and covers subjects such as small boat operations, navigation, damage control and visit, and board, search and seizure procedures.
Holman discussed the maritime security threats that East African countries are facing, most importantly that of illegal fishing. "Illegal fishing, at a billion-dollar [per year] loss to Africa, with an estimated $310 million loss on East Africa alone, has a negative impact on the economic stability and prosperity of each of the countries affected," Holman said. "Drugs, arms, human trafficking and other criminal activities are ongoing."
Many African countries have new or developing navies that are not yet trained or equipped to enforce the law in their maritime environment, Holman noted.
"The countries we visited do have some capability," he said, "but it's not what you would consider a typical navy or typical military in having the capacity, the training and the wherewithal to go out through the oceans and search for illegal activity right now."
A frigate is a great platform to showcase, Holman said, because as the African navies grow, ships like frigates may be what they will grow into.
"When you show up with a brand-new DDG [Navy destroyer] like a Forrest Sherman, a billion-dollar ship, they know that's way out of their reach," he said. "Frigates can go into places that some can't, and the perspective from the military is ... we're a smaller navy, and this is something maybe we can see in our future."
The frigate also brings a small crew and an intimate training environment more conducive to small-group, hands-on training, he added.
Holman emphasized the importance and value of Africa Partnership Station.
"We can show up, provide training, provide resources, and then leave very little footprint behind. And they're looking for our help," Holman said. "APS is an enduring mission. And only through continuous presence and interaction with the people we meet will this partnership-building program and maritime safety and security program succeed."
(Navy Lt. Patrick Foughty serves with the U.S. Naval Forces Europe/Africa, U.S. 6th Fleet public affairs office.)
Special to American Forces Press Service
March 12, 2009 - The USS Robert G. Bradley has completed the first Africa Partnership Station mission to East Africa, signifying the U.S. commitment to helping African nations achieve stability and prosperity, the APS East Africa commander said. Africa Partnership Station -- an international initiative – is a U.S.-led response to requests by African nations for military-to-military or civilian-military maritime training.
Navy Capt. Nick Holman led the mission to Kenya, Mozambique and Tanzania, and explained the growing initiative and its impact in Africa to bloggers and online journalists yesterday during a "DoD Live" bloggers roundtable
"Africa Partnership Station responds to [East] African requests for training by providing a delivery vehicle for international, interagency and nongovernmental organization assistance," Holman said. "The U.S. government and our Navy are committed to helping all African nations and regions achieve stability and economic prosperity, and East Africa is looking for help."
Africa Partnership Station began in fall 2007 with the deployment of USS Fort McHenry to West Africa. The ship included an international staff and acted as a floating schoolhouse, offering a variety of maritime courses and training. The initiative has continued with deployments of other Navy and Coast Guard ships, aircraft and small training units. The USS Nashville is in the Gulf of Guinea on a similar large-scale APS mission.
"APS brings to a country a team of maritime experts," Holman said, "be it through Navy sailors on a frigate like Bradley, or a team of Seabees working a community-relations project such as a school or clinic, or ... what's found now on APS Nashville currently on the west coast of Africa -- which is a large international team including European, African and South American personnel."
Training is conducted using the ship's crew as instructors and covers subjects such as small boat operations, navigation, damage control and visit, and board, search and seizure procedures.
Holman discussed the maritime security threats that East African countries are facing, most importantly that of illegal fishing. "Illegal fishing, at a billion-dollar [per year] loss to Africa, with an estimated $310 million loss on East Africa alone, has a negative impact on the economic stability and prosperity of each of the countries affected," Holman said. "Drugs, arms, human trafficking and other criminal activities are ongoing."
Many African countries have new or developing navies that are not yet trained or equipped to enforce the law in their maritime environment, Holman noted.
"The countries we visited do have some capability," he said, "but it's not what you would consider a typical navy or typical military in having the capacity, the training and the wherewithal to go out through the oceans and search for illegal activity right now."
A frigate is a great platform to showcase, Holman said, because as the African navies grow, ships like frigates may be what they will grow into.
"When you show up with a brand-new DDG [Navy destroyer] like a Forrest Sherman, a billion-dollar ship, they know that's way out of their reach," he said. "Frigates can go into places that some can't, and the perspective from the military is ... we're a smaller navy, and this is something maybe we can see in our future."
The frigate also brings a small crew and an intimate training environment more conducive to small-group, hands-on training, he added.
Holman emphasized the importance and value of Africa Partnership Station.
"We can show up, provide training, provide resources, and then leave very little footprint behind. And they're looking for our help," Holman said. "APS is an enduring mission. And only through continuous presence and interaction with the people we meet will this partnership-building program and maritime safety and security program succeed."
(Navy Lt. Patrick Foughty serves with the U.S. Naval Forces Europe/Africa, U.S. 6th Fleet public affairs office.)
First Lady to Visit Military Families at Fort Bragg
By Reginald Rogers
Special to American Forces Press Service
March 12, 2009 - First lady Michelle Obama will meet today with military families and several organizations that support them during her first visit here as first lady. "Mrs. Obama's visit is important to our Fort Bragg families, because we will hear firsthand from the first lady of the United States about her support and concern as it relates to the impact of repeated deployments on our families and children over the past eight years," said Charlene Austin, wife of Army Lt. Gen. Lloyd J. Austin III, commander of Multinational Corps Iraq and 18th Airborne Corps.
Austin said she expects that the post will make a favorable impression on the first lady as well.
"I have no doubt that Mrs. Obama will leave as impressed and excited as I have been about the events, activities and initiatives I have seen demonstrated by our volunteers, civilian work force and community partners in support of military families," Austin said.
Members of the community here said they look forward to welcoming the first lady and realize the importance of her visit. "It demonstrates the emphasis and concern that this current administration has about the well-being and lifestyle of our soldiers and their families," Barbara Trower-Simpkins, director of the Fort Bragg Army Community Service, said.
During her visit here, the first lady will have the opportunity to see some of Fort Bragg's newest facilities, several of which have opened their doors within the past year.
"I think it's a wonderful opportunity to showcase what we're doing to take care of our soldiers and their families," Gregory Bean, installation support manager for the Directorate of Public Works said. "The facilities and homes are a manifestation of respect we have for them and their dedication to our country."
Karen L. Miller, chief of Child, Youth and School Services on post, said she is equally excited about today's activities.
"Child, Youth and School Services is excited that Mrs. Obama's first visit as the first lady to an Army installation includes a visit to a Fort Bragg child development center," Miller said. "It demonstrates her commitment to improve the lives of Army families and continued support of the Army Family Covenant."
Austin said Obama's visit also provides an opportunity for Fort Bragg's leaders, volunteers and civilians, along with the community, to showcase the post's proactive support for military families and children.
"Mrs. Obama's visit also provides an opportunity to say "thank you" for your decision to focus on military families and children," she said. "We will ask Mrs. Obama to help continue the way forward for military families ... who are true heroes on the home front."
(Reginald Rogers works in the Fort Bragg public affairs office.)
Special to American Forces Press Service
March 12, 2009 - First lady Michelle Obama will meet today with military families and several organizations that support them during her first visit here as first lady. "Mrs. Obama's visit is important to our Fort Bragg families, because we will hear firsthand from the first lady of the United States about her support and concern as it relates to the impact of repeated deployments on our families and children over the past eight years," said Charlene Austin, wife of Army Lt. Gen. Lloyd J. Austin III, commander of Multinational Corps Iraq and 18th Airborne Corps.
Austin said she expects that the post will make a favorable impression on the first lady as well.
"I have no doubt that Mrs. Obama will leave as impressed and excited as I have been about the events, activities and initiatives I have seen demonstrated by our volunteers, civilian work force and community partners in support of military families," Austin said.
Members of the community here said they look forward to welcoming the first lady and realize the importance of her visit. "It demonstrates the emphasis and concern that this current administration has about the well-being and lifestyle of our soldiers and their families," Barbara Trower-Simpkins, director of the Fort Bragg Army Community Service, said.
During her visit here, the first lady will have the opportunity to see some of Fort Bragg's newest facilities, several of which have opened their doors within the past year.
"I think it's a wonderful opportunity to showcase what we're doing to take care of our soldiers and their families," Gregory Bean, installation support manager for the Directorate of Public Works said. "The facilities and homes are a manifestation of respect we have for them and their dedication to our country."
Karen L. Miller, chief of Child, Youth and School Services on post, said she is equally excited about today's activities.
"Child, Youth and School Services is excited that Mrs. Obama's first visit as the first lady to an Army installation includes a visit to a Fort Bragg child development center," Miller said. "It demonstrates her commitment to improve the lives of Army families and continued support of the Army Family Covenant."
Austin said Obama's visit also provides an opportunity for Fort Bragg's leaders, volunteers and civilians, along with the community, to showcase the post's proactive support for military families and children.
"Mrs. Obama's visit also provides an opportunity to say "thank you" for your decision to focus on military families and children," she said. "We will ask Mrs. Obama to help continue the way forward for military families ... who are true heroes on the home front."
(Reginald Rogers works in the Fort Bragg public affairs office.)
Mullen Discusses World Issues with Tomorrow's Leaders
American Forces Press Service
March 12, 2009 - In the midst of working through today's global issues, leaders should not forget to foster tomorrow's generation to carry on their efforts, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff said yesterday. Navy Adm. Mike Mullen shared his experiences and insights on the challenges the United States is facing today with about 150 members of the Young Professionals in Foreign Policy organization during a lecture at the Center for Strategic and International Studies here.
"What I've always tried to focus on in every job I've been in is my relief," Mullen said. "Who are our young people we're raising up to face [future] challenges?"
Today, diplomats and national leaders are engaged in persistent conflict and wars, a world financial crisis, and building international relationships to prevent further divergences, he said. Mullen touched on the continuing turmoil in the Middle East and the importance of understanding the region's history and culture. And he noted that although vast security and governance improvements have been made in Iraq, the insurgency in Afghanistan and Pakistan continues to grow.
"The area from Tehran to Beirut is the most unstable and daunting challenge we have as a country," he said, "It's not just one country; it's a regional issue with a rich history that we need to understand ... to move forward."
Mullen lauded the resilience of American military members and their families, while addressing the health of the force. Soldiers and Marines aren't given enough time at home between deployments, which has presented a "huge" problem for the Pentagon, he said.
The Army and Marine Corps are growing their forces as the Navy and Air Force reduce their manpower to build more time at home for continuously training and deploying combat troops, he said. The Navy and Air Force are stressed thin too, he said, but the ground forces have been "extraordinarily" stressed.
"We've stretched our ground forces in ways that many of us never imagined we could," the admiral said. "They have been brilliant, but they are stressed, and the tempo continues."
Mullen also addressed the global financial crisis and the need to engage and build partners with countries in every region of the world. About 80 percent of the U.S. military's forces are focused on the Middle East, but other relationships must continue to grow too, he said. He stressed the need to participate in more joint-military exercises as well as civilian partnerships with federal and nongovernment organizations.
"We're getting to a point where the United States can't do it alone any more," he said. "We've got to have partners. We've got to have allies. That's the global world that we're living in, and I don't think that's going to change."
He referred to a trip he took last week to Mexico and South America, calling the regions "extraordinarily important" partnerships for the United States. The Mexican drug trade and related violence there have escalated to a level requiring military interference, while South America has risen to become one of the world's "economic engines," he said.
"We're economically tied, and those relationships are vital and will continue to grow over time," he said, also noting China's and Europe's economic influences on the world. "These economic engines are very much tied to the ability to create a better life and higher standard of living. We are inextricably linked economically."
Tomorrow's global issues, he said, are going to be even more challenging than today's.
"One of the biggest worries I have ... is the world [in] which we live is one that is going to challenge you probably more than any challenge that has ever come up in my lifetime," the admiral said.
Mullen told the audience it's not too early to begin thinking about the health of their professions -- how to recruit, educate and bring other individuals into their career paths as the next leaders.
He said the cycle of preparing today's youth for tomorrow's issues is much like a parent raising a child to a higher standard of living with more opportunities and more resources to succeed.
"[Mentoring] is a wonderful opportunity, and it's going to be a lot of work," he said. "So I'm really encouraged to see you out here, and would love to follow your careers over the next three or four decades to see you make a difference. You are our future."
March 12, 2009 - In the midst of working through today's global issues, leaders should not forget to foster tomorrow's generation to carry on their efforts, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff said yesterday. Navy Adm. Mike Mullen shared his experiences and insights on the challenges the United States is facing today with about 150 members of the Young Professionals in Foreign Policy organization during a lecture at the Center for Strategic and International Studies here.
"What I've always tried to focus on in every job I've been in is my relief," Mullen said. "Who are our young people we're raising up to face [future] challenges?"
Today, diplomats and national leaders are engaged in persistent conflict and wars, a world financial crisis, and building international relationships to prevent further divergences, he said. Mullen touched on the continuing turmoil in the Middle East and the importance of understanding the region's history and culture. And he noted that although vast security and governance improvements have been made in Iraq, the insurgency in Afghanistan and Pakistan continues to grow.
"The area from Tehran to Beirut is the most unstable and daunting challenge we have as a country," he said, "It's not just one country; it's a regional issue with a rich history that we need to understand ... to move forward."
Mullen lauded the resilience of American military members and their families, while addressing the health of the force. Soldiers and Marines aren't given enough time at home between deployments, which has presented a "huge" problem for the Pentagon, he said.
The Army and Marine Corps are growing their forces as the Navy and Air Force reduce their manpower to build more time at home for continuously training and deploying combat troops, he said. The Navy and Air Force are stressed thin too, he said, but the ground forces have been "extraordinarily" stressed.
"We've stretched our ground forces in ways that many of us never imagined we could," the admiral said. "They have been brilliant, but they are stressed, and the tempo continues."
Mullen also addressed the global financial crisis and the need to engage and build partners with countries in every region of the world. About 80 percent of the U.S. military's forces are focused on the Middle East, but other relationships must continue to grow too, he said. He stressed the need to participate in more joint-military exercises as well as civilian partnerships with federal and nongovernment organizations.
"We're getting to a point where the United States can't do it alone any more," he said. "We've got to have partners. We've got to have allies. That's the global world that we're living in, and I don't think that's going to change."
He referred to a trip he took last week to Mexico and South America, calling the regions "extraordinarily important" partnerships for the United States. The Mexican drug trade and related violence there have escalated to a level requiring military interference, while South America has risen to become one of the world's "economic engines," he said.
"We're economically tied, and those relationships are vital and will continue to grow over time," he said, also noting China's and Europe's economic influences on the world. "These economic engines are very much tied to the ability to create a better life and higher standard of living. We are inextricably linked economically."
Tomorrow's global issues, he said, are going to be even more challenging than today's.
"One of the biggest worries I have ... is the world [in] which we live is one that is going to challenge you probably more than any challenge that has ever come up in my lifetime," the admiral said.
Mullen told the audience it's not too early to begin thinking about the health of their professions -- how to recruit, educate and bring other individuals into their career paths as the next leaders.
He said the cycle of preparing today's youth for tomorrow's issues is much like a parent raising a child to a higher standard of living with more opportunities and more resources to succeed.
"[Mentoring] is a wonderful opportunity, and it's going to be a lot of work," he said. "So I'm really encouraged to see you out here, and would love to follow your careers over the next three or four decades to see you make a difference. You are our future."
Obama Considers Deploying National Guard to U.S.-Mexico Border
By Donna Miles
American Forces Press Service
March 12, 2009 - As President Barack Obama considers deploying National Guard troops to the U.S.-Mexico border to control escalating violence, Arizona's governor has requested about 250 more National Guard troops on its border with Mexico, and the Texas governor is considering a similar action. "We're going to examine whether, and if, National Guard deployments would make sense and in what circumstances they would make sense as part of this overall review of our border situation," Obama told reporters yesterday, according to media reports. The White House does not release transcripts of media roundtable sessions.
"I haven't drawn any conclusions yet," reporters said Obama told them. "I don't have a particular tipping point in mind."
While emphasizing that he does not want to "militarize" the border, Obama called it "unacceptable if you've got drug gangs crossing our borders and killing our citizens."
The president noted that Navy Adm. Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, visited Mexico last week to meet with his Mexican counterparts about the situation and to discuss additional support the United States could provide.
Meanwhile, Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer sent a letter to Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates requesting 250 more National Guard soldiers to be posted along the 350-mile Arizona-Mexico border.
Although Brewer has the authority to call up the troops, she asked Gates to mobilize them as part of the federally funded Joint Counter Narco-terrorism Task Force. That force currently includes about 150 Army and Air National Guard members.
"Arizona communities and citizens are negatively affected by the impacts of the illegal drug trade and related border violence, and enforcement agencies in all jurisdictions are stretched as they attempt to address the enormity of the problems," Brewer said. "The support these additional soldiers can provide to law enforcement agency operations would prove invaluable."
In neighboring Texas, Gov. Rick Perry has expressed the need for more troops or border agents along its border with Mexico. Perry reiterated at a ceremony last week the need for more help to disrupt operations of the Mexican Mafia, Texas Syndicate, Barrio Azteca, MS-13 and other violent transnational gangs.
Pentagon spokesman Bryan Whitman told reporters today it's too soon to know if additional military support will be granted.
The last major federal National Guard mission along the U.S.-Mexico border was Operation Jump Start. The two-year mission, from June 2006 to July 2008, dispatched as many as 6,000 National Guard members to Arizona, California, New Mexico and Texas to make the border more secure for legal immigration and commerce until the U.S. Border Patrol could boost its own ranks.
Guard members did not serve in a direct law-enforcement role, but provided vital reinforcement to the Border Patrol. Their missions included engineering, aviation, entry identification teams, and a wide range of technical, logistical and administrative support.
By the time the mission ended in July, more than 30,000 citizen-soldiers and -airmen from across the nation had participated.
Whitman emphasized that the proposed border mission, if ultimately approved, would have a very different purpose and timeline than Operation Jump Start.
In the meantime, the United States is exploring other ways it can help Mexico deal with escalating violence, he said. "We continue to offer Mexico assistance in any number of ways," he told reporters.
The Merida Initiative, for example, provides Mexico and several other countries funding to counter drug trafficking, and the U.S. military has a strong military-to-military partnership with Mexico. The United States also is providing Mexico foreign military financing for five helicopters, a maritime surveillance aircraft and handheld scanners used for detection purposes, Whitman said.
"The U.S. government as a whole is concerned about the escalating violence and its effect on public security as well as the Southwest U.S. border," he said. "I think that what you are seeing is a recognition of the problem that is facing the Mexican government, and as good neighbors, the United States is looking at any number of ways in which we might be able to render some additional assistance."
American Forces Press Service
March 12, 2009 - As President Barack Obama considers deploying National Guard troops to the U.S.-Mexico border to control escalating violence, Arizona's governor has requested about 250 more National Guard troops on its border with Mexico, and the Texas governor is considering a similar action. "We're going to examine whether, and if, National Guard deployments would make sense and in what circumstances they would make sense as part of this overall review of our border situation," Obama told reporters yesterday, according to media reports. The White House does not release transcripts of media roundtable sessions.
"I haven't drawn any conclusions yet," reporters said Obama told them. "I don't have a particular tipping point in mind."
While emphasizing that he does not want to "militarize" the border, Obama called it "unacceptable if you've got drug gangs crossing our borders and killing our citizens."
The president noted that Navy Adm. Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, visited Mexico last week to meet with his Mexican counterparts about the situation and to discuss additional support the United States could provide.
Meanwhile, Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer sent a letter to Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates requesting 250 more National Guard soldiers to be posted along the 350-mile Arizona-Mexico border.
Although Brewer has the authority to call up the troops, she asked Gates to mobilize them as part of the federally funded Joint Counter Narco-terrorism Task Force. That force currently includes about 150 Army and Air National Guard members.
"Arizona communities and citizens are negatively affected by the impacts of the illegal drug trade and related border violence, and enforcement agencies in all jurisdictions are stretched as they attempt to address the enormity of the problems," Brewer said. "The support these additional soldiers can provide to law enforcement agency operations would prove invaluable."
In neighboring Texas, Gov. Rick Perry has expressed the need for more troops or border agents along its border with Mexico. Perry reiterated at a ceremony last week the need for more help to disrupt operations of the Mexican Mafia, Texas Syndicate, Barrio Azteca, MS-13 and other violent transnational gangs.
Pentagon spokesman Bryan Whitman told reporters today it's too soon to know if additional military support will be granted.
The last major federal National Guard mission along the U.S.-Mexico border was Operation Jump Start. The two-year mission, from June 2006 to July 2008, dispatched as many as 6,000 National Guard members to Arizona, California, New Mexico and Texas to make the border more secure for legal immigration and commerce until the U.S. Border Patrol could boost its own ranks.
Guard members did not serve in a direct law-enforcement role, but provided vital reinforcement to the Border Patrol. Their missions included engineering, aviation, entry identification teams, and a wide range of technical, logistical and administrative support.
By the time the mission ended in July, more than 30,000 citizen-soldiers and -airmen from across the nation had participated.
Whitman emphasized that the proposed border mission, if ultimately approved, would have a very different purpose and timeline than Operation Jump Start.
In the meantime, the United States is exploring other ways it can help Mexico deal with escalating violence, he said. "We continue to offer Mexico assistance in any number of ways," he told reporters.
The Merida Initiative, for example, provides Mexico and several other countries funding to counter drug trafficking, and the U.S. military has a strong military-to-military partnership with Mexico. The United States also is providing Mexico foreign military financing for five helicopters, a maritime surveillance aircraft and handheld scanners used for detection purposes, Whitman said.
"The U.S. government as a whole is concerned about the escalating violence and its effect on public security as well as the Southwest U.S. border," he said. "I think that what you are seeing is a recognition of the problem that is facing the Mexican government, and as good neighbors, the United States is looking at any number of ways in which we might be able to render some additional assistance."
Public Affairs Chief Takes Stock of Tumultuous Year
By Jim Garamone
American Forces Press Service
March 12, 2009 - Information is a critical element of national power, and public affairs personnel have a role in how the government and military employ that element, the outgoing principal deputy assistant secretary of defense for public affairs said today. "Information is absolutely part of diplomacy and success on the battlefield," said Robert T. Hastings, who is stepping down after a year as the top public affairs official in the Defense Department.
Hastings became principal deputy on March 10, 2008. Later, President George W. Bush nominated him to be assistant secretary of defense for public affairs, but the nomination never reached the Senate. He was one of the Bush appointees asked to remain at his post after the inauguration of President Barack Obama.
Breaking down the walls between services and within the public affairs community was Hastings' first priority upon taking office, he said.
"Where I think we have made the biggest gain is just re-establishing and rebuilding the sense of community within public affairs," he said during an interview. "The sense of pride, the sense of mission and building that across the silos – not just Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines [and Defense Department] silos, but even within public affairs."
Public affairs traditionally is split into four areas of concentration: command, or internal, information, media operations, community relations, and plans.
"That's what I attacked first, and my sense is that's where we made the biggest progress," Hastings said. "Public affairs is a community. We have a common role, and we can accomplish more working better among ourselves than staying in our silos."
A responsibility to inform their fellow citizens is something every member of the military public affairs community understands, Hastings said.
"The public must know and understand and really has a vote on what we are doing in the [Defense Department]," Hastings said. "And we are also communicating with the world. I think that information element of power is very important, and I think public affairs is square in the middle of that."
Terrorists understand that public opinion can be swayed, Hastings noted, and prey on signs of weakness in public trust. Public opinion can be as important to success as victory on the battlefield, he said.
"That thinking may have crystallized a bit in the past year," Hastings said. "I made a real effort to work with the combatant commands, the field commands and the services and the other players on the National Security Council to ensure that public affairs was vital."
Government leaders are talking more and more about the concept of strategic communications, Hastings said, and public affairs has been successful in helping to shape the idea.
"There is a formal definition of the concept, but beyond that I think it is the synchronization of images, actions and words to accomplish our national objectives," he said.
Synchronization of information functions is key to the concept, and is at the heart of the reason many people do not understand or feel comfortable with public affairs in strategic communications, Hastings said.
"It is not integration or merging – it is synchronization; public affairs remains public affairs," he explained. "It is not part of information operations. It is not part of psychological operations. It is not deception.
"What we do and how we do it isn't changed by strategic communications, but we have to be synchronized so that the messages that we promulgate and disseminate through our public affairs channels are complementary to what is out there in the rest of the communications spectrum."
Public affairs needs a vote on what strategic communications does, Hastings said. That means public affairs personnel need to be close enough to the concept to understand the goals and objectives of strategic communications, and to convey that to the various audiences.
"I think public affairs should be pretty close to leading the strategic communications effort," Hastings said. "It depends on the effort. In some cases it might be public affairs, in others information operations. In some cases, it might be led by the State Department or [the U.S. Agency for International Development] or some other agency."
But however that happens, he said, it requires leaders capable of moving ideas forward, and the public affairs community must develop workersgrow personnel who can do it.
Senior public affairs officers must have the experience and gravitas to lead such an effort and advise commanders in this new information age, Hastings said.
In the past, journalism was a strong focus for public affairs officers. "That's a skill that's important in development," he said. "But by the time you are the advisor to the [commander of U.S. Central Command], you are into international relations and diplomacy and understanding economic power and understanding how the economic forces of the world move."
Hastings said he's tried to ensure the services are selecting, developing, training and preparing senior public affairs officers for that role.
"We've made some progress, [but] there's a lot more there left to do," he said. "My challenge to everyone we are leaving behind here is to keep the focus on that."
Interagency cooperation has improved largely because of the example set by Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates and former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, Hastings said, noting they had a strong relationship and went out of their way to work on that.
Hastings spoke about his trips to Iraq, Afghanistan, Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, and to most of the combatant commands to understand the environment that troops and leaders were operating in.
"Equally important was to visit the public affairs troops that we have out there," he said, to ensure the people doing the work had the resources they needed to perform their missions.
Hastings said he doesn't know what public affairs will look like in five years, but that there are hints about the future.
"I hear combatant commanders talk about public affairs and strategic communications more than ever now," he said. "The leaders know the power of communications and the roles played. So that is a hint that it will be more important in the future."
The Defense Media Activity is another hint. The organization grew out of the latest base realignment and closure commission findings and has placed the command information assets of the services and the department in one unit.
"We've just taken half of the public affairs community worldwide and put it in one joint command," he said. "Five years from now, the impact of that will be that public affairs will essentially be a joint function. You'll still wear an Army, Navy, Air Force or Marine Corps uniform, but you are going to think and act and behave jointly."
New media and social media also are changing the face of communications, Hastings said, adding that he sees that continuing.
"I think we will no longer think in terms of channels to communicate with audiences. Channels are going to change so fast," he said. "Facebook is so hot today, but Facebook may be gone tomorrow, replaced by something else. Public affairs personnel will have to think in terms of message and audience, and then use whatever channels are available. The impact of that could be profound."
Hastings has worked closely with Gates, and said he will remember the secretary "as the best boss I've ever had."
"To my mind," he said. "he epitomizes what I call the patriot civil servant."
Gates called his previous job as president of Texas A&M his dream job, yet he came back on duty when President Bush called him, Hastings said. Before he succeeded Bush in the Oval Office, Obama asked Gates to remain on the job with his administration.
"President Obama called him, and again, he said yes," Hastings said. "Over his entire career, [Gates] has always put his nation first. And that really is him."
Though Gates is the "most intellectual" boss he has ever worked with, Hastings said, the secretary retains a strong identification with servicemembers and their families, and is constantly asking about their well-being.
And the secretary understands communications and sets an example, he added.
"The only guidance he gave me when I came in was to help him help this building better react to bad news," Hastings said. "He understands that our obligation in a democracy is to make sure our fellow citizens are fully informed of what we're doing, how we're doing it and why we're doing it.
"I suspect that history will judge him as among the best to have held his job," he said.
Hastings will leave for a job in the defense industry. His last day is tomorrow.
American Forces Press Service
March 12, 2009 - Information is a critical element of national power, and public affairs personnel have a role in how the government and military employ that element, the outgoing principal deputy assistant secretary of defense for public affairs said today. "Information is absolutely part of diplomacy and success on the battlefield," said Robert T. Hastings, who is stepping down after a year as the top public affairs official in the Defense Department.
Hastings became principal deputy on March 10, 2008. Later, President George W. Bush nominated him to be assistant secretary of defense for public affairs, but the nomination never reached the Senate. He was one of the Bush appointees asked to remain at his post after the inauguration of President Barack Obama.
Breaking down the walls between services and within the public affairs community was Hastings' first priority upon taking office, he said.
"Where I think we have made the biggest gain is just re-establishing and rebuilding the sense of community within public affairs," he said during an interview. "The sense of pride, the sense of mission and building that across the silos – not just Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines [and Defense Department] silos, but even within public affairs."
Public affairs traditionally is split into four areas of concentration: command, or internal, information, media operations, community relations, and plans.
"That's what I attacked first, and my sense is that's where we made the biggest progress," Hastings said. "Public affairs is a community. We have a common role, and we can accomplish more working better among ourselves than staying in our silos."
A responsibility to inform their fellow citizens is something every member of the military public affairs community understands, Hastings said.
"The public must know and understand and really has a vote on what we are doing in the [Defense Department]," Hastings said. "And we are also communicating with the world. I think that information element of power is very important, and I think public affairs is square in the middle of that."
Terrorists understand that public opinion can be swayed, Hastings noted, and prey on signs of weakness in public trust. Public opinion can be as important to success as victory on the battlefield, he said.
"That thinking may have crystallized a bit in the past year," Hastings said. "I made a real effort to work with the combatant commands, the field commands and the services and the other players on the National Security Council to ensure that public affairs was vital."
Government leaders are talking more and more about the concept of strategic communications, Hastings said, and public affairs has been successful in helping to shape the idea.
"There is a formal definition of the concept, but beyond that I think it is the synchronization of images, actions and words to accomplish our national objectives," he said.
Synchronization of information functions is key to the concept, and is at the heart of the reason many people do not understand or feel comfortable with public affairs in strategic communications, Hastings said.
"It is not integration or merging – it is synchronization; public affairs remains public affairs," he explained. "It is not part of information operations. It is not part of psychological operations. It is not deception.
"What we do and how we do it isn't changed by strategic communications, but we have to be synchronized so that the messages that we promulgate and disseminate through our public affairs channels are complementary to what is out there in the rest of the communications spectrum."
Public affairs needs a vote on what strategic communications does, Hastings said. That means public affairs personnel need to be close enough to the concept to understand the goals and objectives of strategic communications, and to convey that to the various audiences.
"I think public affairs should be pretty close to leading the strategic communications effort," Hastings said. "It depends on the effort. In some cases it might be public affairs, in others information operations. In some cases, it might be led by the State Department or [the U.S. Agency for International Development] or some other agency."
But however that happens, he said, it requires leaders capable of moving ideas forward, and the public affairs community must develop workersgrow personnel who can do it.
Senior public affairs officers must have the experience and gravitas to lead such an effort and advise commanders in this new information age, Hastings said.
In the past, journalism was a strong focus for public affairs officers. "That's a skill that's important in development," he said. "But by the time you are the advisor to the [commander of U.S. Central Command], you are into international relations and diplomacy and understanding economic power and understanding how the economic forces of the world move."
Hastings said he's tried to ensure the services are selecting, developing, training and preparing senior public affairs officers for that role.
"We've made some progress, [but] there's a lot more there left to do," he said. "My challenge to everyone we are leaving behind here is to keep the focus on that."
Interagency cooperation has improved largely because of the example set by Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates and former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, Hastings said, noting they had a strong relationship and went out of their way to work on that.
Hastings spoke about his trips to Iraq, Afghanistan, Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, and to most of the combatant commands to understand the environment that troops and leaders were operating in.
"Equally important was to visit the public affairs troops that we have out there," he said, to ensure the people doing the work had the resources they needed to perform their missions.
Hastings said he doesn't know what public affairs will look like in five years, but that there are hints about the future.
"I hear combatant commanders talk about public affairs and strategic communications more than ever now," he said. "The leaders know the power of communications and the roles played. So that is a hint that it will be more important in the future."
The Defense Media Activity is another hint. The organization grew out of the latest base realignment and closure commission findings and has placed the command information assets of the services and the department in one unit.
"We've just taken half of the public affairs community worldwide and put it in one joint command," he said. "Five years from now, the impact of that will be that public affairs will essentially be a joint function. You'll still wear an Army, Navy, Air Force or Marine Corps uniform, but you are going to think and act and behave jointly."
New media and social media also are changing the face of communications, Hastings said, adding that he sees that continuing.
"I think we will no longer think in terms of channels to communicate with audiences. Channels are going to change so fast," he said. "Facebook is so hot today, but Facebook may be gone tomorrow, replaced by something else. Public affairs personnel will have to think in terms of message and audience, and then use whatever channels are available. The impact of that could be profound."
Hastings has worked closely with Gates, and said he will remember the secretary "as the best boss I've ever had."
"To my mind," he said. "he epitomizes what I call the patriot civil servant."
Gates called his previous job as president of Texas A&M his dream job, yet he came back on duty when President Bush called him, Hastings said. Before he succeeded Bush in the Oval Office, Obama asked Gates to remain on the job with his administration.
"President Obama called him, and again, he said yes," Hastings said. "Over his entire career, [Gates] has always put his nation first. And that really is him."
Though Gates is the "most intellectual" boss he has ever worked with, Hastings said, the secretary retains a strong identification with servicemembers and their families, and is constantly asking about their well-being.
And the secretary understands communications and sets an example, he added.
"The only guidance he gave me when I came in was to help him help this building better react to bad news," Hastings said. "He understands that our obligation in a democracy is to make sure our fellow citizens are fully informed of what we're doing, how we're doing it and why we're doing it.
"I suspect that history will judge him as among the best to have held his job," he said.
Hastings will leave for a job in the defense industry. His last day is tomorrow.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Posts
