By Jim Garamone
American Forces Press Service
Nov. 30, 2007 - The U.S. military needs to understand change and the pace of change if it will succeed in the future, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff told students at the Army War College earlier this week. "Some of the change is happening so quickly we have no idea how (it) will end up," Navy Adm. Michael G. Mullen told the students, at Carlisle Barracks, Pa., on Nov. 28.
The admiral used two examples to illustrate his point. The first example was how drastically the mission of reserve-component forces has changed. The mission of the reserve components did not significantly change from World War I to the end of the Cold War: They were forces in reserve. In the war on terror, the National Guard and reserves have become integral forces that have deployed alongside the active components. Personnel in the Guard and reserves have to worry about not only training and equipping the force, but also "balancing their reserve duty with civilian life" in a way they did not have to do before, Mullen said.
Another example is advances in the military medical field. The changes and breakthroughs in battlefield medicine have been incredible, he said. "It is difficult to predict what these will mean in the future," the admiral said.
Change is not limited to processes; it extends to relationships among nations, the admiral said. Mullen thanked representatives of more than 40 nations attending the U.S. Army College. He said their contributions in the United States and back in their native lands will help bring peace and stability.
Change in the strategic landscape presents incredible challenges, Mullen said. The whole war against radical extremist jihadists and the potential of proliferation presents a "huge potential for great catastrophe," he said.
While the problem of the Middle East consumes most of America's attention, the United States also must be concerned with other potential hotspots, he said. "Governments that are challenged by famine and disease are fertile grounds for growing terrorists," Mullen said.
But, he said, there are some constants in this time of change. "The United States in the future is going to stay globally engaged," he said. "I've tried to keep my head up and focused on those challenges. We will be a global force focused on the complete mission set from full-up war to counterinsurgency operations."
Another constant is that the United States cannot provide security around the world alone. "We will need partnerships and coalitions all over the world," he said.
The global environment has potential for pandemics. Natural disasters, such as this month's cyclone in Bangladesh, will challenge the world. Other aspects need to be watched, as well, he said. "We certainly need to be mindful of the growth in China," Mullen said.
The country can be a huge economic engine for progress, Mullen said, and he told the students that U.S. officials have raised questions about "transparency" with Chinese military leaders, urging them to be more open about their military programs.
He also mentioned Russia as a country that needs to be watched. "Russia is emerging again," he said. "What does that mean?"
The military will be part of overcoming the challenges of the strategic environment, but the "clear lesson in Iraq is the military can't do it all," he said. "One of the changes I think has to occur, is the organization of our government.
"We in the military have raised question marks about generating capacity out of other parts of the government, which hasn't occurred to the degree that we in the military would like," he continued. "Part of the answer to that is they are not organized for that; they are not trained for that; they don't have the depth; they don't have the career paths. We haven't stepped up to that in the last 15 to 20 years in ways that would position them to make the contributions that we need."
The admiral said military officials "need to argue for a strategic assessment for what our other agencies need to look like, what the interagency needs to look like, and how they can provide the needed capability and capacity that we have to have for the future."
Above all, one thing that will not change is the need for leadership, the admiral said. "You must lead in all that you do," he said. "The reason I am still in the Navy is because I was given leadership challenges when I was young, and it continues to be the case right through this time."
People are at the heart of the military, Mullen said. "They are pressed right now; the O-3s are having to make tough career decisions," he said. "I also see it in the faces of the E-5s and 6s. They are our most precious resource, and we've got to reach them and we've got to reach their families, too, and it's got to be an active reach. The decisions to stay or go are made by families."
Mullen said that taking care of those wounded in battle is a top priority with him. "I'm of a mind that we need to take care of them and their families for the rest of their lives," he said. "The Marines do this well. They talk about people being a Marine for life."
In many cases, the admiral said, wounded servicemembers' lives are dramatically changed for the rest of their lives. "The least we can do as a country is to make sure they are OK," he said. "This is not just physical -- traumatic brain injuries, post-traumatic stress disorder, we cannot just ignore that."
He told the students that the military has to be much more aggressive in treating such ailments. Leaders standing up and seeking help themselves are keys to changing the prevailing mindset. "If our juniors see us do that, they will see it's OK," he said. "If we do not do that, they will think their careers will be in jeopardy. This is a tough nut do crack, but crack it we must, lead it we must, or we will be dealing with it decades later."
Things Mullen saw as a young officer in Vietnam shape his priorities as an admiral, he said. "As someone who grew up with Vietnam, I am dealing with the aftermath of what we did and didn't do there. I am committed to make sure that doesn't happen to those who are injured in this war," he said.
Mullen also thanked the War College students for serving their country in "the most vital, the most unpredictable and could be the most dangerous time" that he has seen in his 40 years of service.
Saturday, December 01, 2007
Pilots Missing From The Vietnam War Are Identified
The Department of Defense POW/Missing Personnel Office (DPMO) announced today that the remains of two U.S. servicemen, missing from the Vietnam War, have been identified.
They are Maj. Robert F. Woods, of Salt Lake City, Utah, and Capt. Johnnie C. Cornelius, of Maricopa County, Ariz., both U.S. Air Force. Cornelius was buried with full military honors on Nov. 10 in Moore, Texas, and Woods' burial is being set by his family.
On June 26, 1968, Woods and Cornelius were flying a visual reconnaissance mission over Quang Binh Province, Vietnam, when their O-2A Skymaster aircraft crashed in a remote mountainous area. The crew of another aircraft in the flight saw no parachutes and reported hearing no emergency beeper signals. Immediate search efforts were unsuccessful.
Between 1988 and 1993, joint U.S./Socialist Republic of Vietnam (S.R.V.) teams, led by the Joint POW/MIA Accounting Command (JPAC), investigated the incident and surveyed the crash site. The team interviewed several Vietnamese citizens, two of whom turned over human remains and the pilots' identification tags.
Between 1994 and 1997, joint teams re-surveyed the site two times to find a landing location to support a helicopter and recovery team. During their survey, one team found additional wreckage and life-support material.
Between 2000 and 2004, joint teams excavated the site four times. They recovered additional human remains, personal effects and life support materials.
In 2006, a joint team interviewed two former North Vietnamese soldiers who recalled the crash. The soldiers said that Woods and Cornelius were buried near the crash site. In 2007, another joint team excavated the burial site identified by the Vietnamese soldiers. The team recovered additional human remains.
Among other forensic identification tools and circumstantial evidence, scientists from JPAC and the Armed Forces DNA Identification Laboratory also used mitochondrial DNA and dental comparisons in the identification of the remains.
For additional information on the Defense Department's mission to account for missing Americans, visit the DPMO web site at www.dtic.mil/dpmo or call (703) 699-1169.
They are Maj. Robert F. Woods, of Salt Lake City, Utah, and Capt. Johnnie C. Cornelius, of Maricopa County, Ariz., both U.S. Air Force. Cornelius was buried with full military honors on Nov. 10 in Moore, Texas, and Woods' burial is being set by his family.
On June 26, 1968, Woods and Cornelius were flying a visual reconnaissance mission over Quang Binh Province, Vietnam, when their O-2A Skymaster aircraft crashed in a remote mountainous area. The crew of another aircraft in the flight saw no parachutes and reported hearing no emergency beeper signals. Immediate search efforts were unsuccessful.
Between 1988 and 1993, joint U.S./Socialist Republic of Vietnam (S.R.V.) teams, led by the Joint POW/MIA Accounting Command (JPAC), investigated the incident and surveyed the crash site. The team interviewed several Vietnamese citizens, two of whom turned over human remains and the pilots' identification tags.
Between 1994 and 1997, joint teams re-surveyed the site two times to find a landing location to support a helicopter and recovery team. During their survey, one team found additional wreckage and life-support material.
Between 2000 and 2004, joint teams excavated the site four times. They recovered additional human remains, personal effects and life support materials.
In 2006, a joint team interviewed two former North Vietnamese soldiers who recalled the crash. The soldiers said that Woods and Cornelius were buried near the crash site. In 2007, another joint team excavated the burial site identified by the Vietnamese soldiers. The team recovered additional human remains.
Among other forensic identification tools and circumstantial evidence, scientists from JPAC and the Armed Forces DNA Identification Laboratory also used mitochondrial DNA and dental comparisons in the identification of the remains.
For additional information on the Defense Department's mission to account for missing Americans, visit the DPMO web site at www.dtic.mil/dpmo or call (703) 699-1169.
Why We Serve: Chef Happiest at Sea Working with Sailors
By Fred W. Baker III
American Forces Press Service
Nov. 30, 2007 - Ask Master Chief Petty Officer Bruce "Skip" Binda why he joined the Navy nearly three decades ago and he'll tell you it was a matter of pride. At 19, Binda had spent all of his tuition money on beer and eight-track music cassettes and was too proud to ask his father for the $200 he needed to return to college.
Along came a Navy commercial proffering $1,500 to join, and Binda took the bait "hook, line and sinker," he said. Since joining in 1980, he has served on one submarine and 10 ships and served a combat tour in Iraq. He has spent nearly 20 years at sea, with only three shore-duty tours.
The career sailor is now one of 10 servicemembers selected to travel the country telling the military's story as part of the Defense Department's "Why We Serve" public outreach program.
"I've been able to do everything I wanted to do. I've been stationed everywhere I've wanted to be stationed. I've just been very lucky," Binda said.
Truthfully, Binda's future sea journeys were secured long before he ran into his tuition troubles. As a boy growing up on the Atlantic coast, Binda said, he would walk along the seawall in Marshfield, Mass., and tell his sister that one day he would be a sailor.
His father served in the Navy for two years, and Binda's uncle was a sailor who would return home with stories of his travels.
"I used to listen to his stories during the holidays when we all got together. Sometimes he'd wear his khaki hat. He was just a crusty old boatswain's mate. That was just amazing," Binda said.
Along with his love for the sea, Binda also inherited a passion for cooking. Binda said his great-grandfather was a popular chef in Boston. During the Depression, on Sundays after church, he would take food left over from hotels and feed the Italian-American community in Boston's Dorchester neighborhood, Binda said.
"He kind of had his own soup kitchen out back, only you wouldn't know it was a soup kitchen, because he was a pretty renowned chef in Boston," Binda said.
And, when tourism slowed in the winter, his grandfather would cook on the cruise lines sailing to Florida. "I guess the ocean has always been in my blood, and cooking just came naturally," Binda said.
After graduating from high school in Marshfield, a town about 35 miles southeast of Boston, Binda attended culinary arts school at Johnson & Wales University in Providence, R.I. He joined the Navy as a mess management specialist, now called a culinary specialist. Binda has cooked his way to the top of the Navy enlisted ranks as a master chief petty officer and now manages the Navy's largest housing program at Naval Base San Diego's Combined Bachelor Housing.
Binda spent nearly 20 years on duty at sea because he chose those duty assignments. He said he loves sitting on deck and watching the sunrises and sunsets. But mostly he enjoys it because it gives allows him to work with junior sailors. "I love being at sea. That's really what I enjoy. I think you have a bigger impact taking sailors to different countries and working with them every single day," he said.
Binda said he likes to mentor and coach his sailors. "I'm a father figure to several of my junior sailors. They call me at all sorts of times. I've bailed kids out of jail with my own money; I wouldn't recommend that, but I haven't been disappointed yet. I just really love working with young people," Binda said.
In his duties, the chef sailor has served some of the nation's top officers, including Army Gen. Tommy Franks, then Central Command commander. But for Binda, the measure of his success always will be the satisfaction of the sailors.
"I consider what's important is feeding sailors every single day. I get much more satisfaction seeing sailors eating and enjoying themselves on the mess decks than I do serving the captain a formal dinner with ... distinguished visitors," Binda said.
His dedication to the lower enlisted sailors is what eventually landed Binda in the sands of Iraq "like a fish out of water," he said. As requirements came up to fill slots in Iraq as advisors or on training teams, Binda said, he realized one day that he was sending his sailors to a place that he personally knew nothing about. "I kind of felt bad sending him to some place I didn't know anything about," he said.
So when the opportunity opened in February 2006, Binda volunteered. It turned out to be one of the biggest learning experiences of his life, Binda said. There he was a military advisor to an Iraqi army brigade helping them set up their logistics systems.
"The thing I learned most the year in Iraq is how critical a public education is. I can tell you after being a year in Iraq and working with people who are largely uneducated ... that having that public education is imperative to being successful," Binda said.
For his efforts there, Binda was awarded the Bronze Star, presented by then Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Michael G. Mullen, now serving as chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
Now, as the clock winds down toward Binda's 30-year mark and mandatory retirement, the self-described workaholic said he hopes to do one more sea tour. He still gets up at 5 a.m. and runs every morning, "passing kids half my age," and gives no real thought to what he will do when he retires, Binda said. For now, he said, he is happy serving sailors in the Navy until his last day.
"I'm going to be the guy in the cartoon where I've got a parachute on my back, and Uncle Sam's got his foot on my chest, and I'm hanging out of the plane with my fingers and my toes gripping onto the edge of the plane, and I'm saying, 'I'm not ready to go yet.' Because I'm still having fun," Binda said.
American Forces Press Service
Nov. 30, 2007 - Ask Master Chief Petty Officer Bruce "Skip" Binda why he joined the Navy nearly three decades ago and he'll tell you it was a matter of pride. At 19, Binda had spent all of his tuition money on beer and eight-track music cassettes and was too proud to ask his father for the $200 he needed to return to college.
Along came a Navy commercial proffering $1,500 to join, and Binda took the bait "hook, line and sinker," he said. Since joining in 1980, he has served on one submarine and 10 ships and served a combat tour in Iraq. He has spent nearly 20 years at sea, with only three shore-duty tours.
The career sailor is now one of 10 servicemembers selected to travel the country telling the military's story as part of the Defense Department's "Why We Serve" public outreach program.
"I've been able to do everything I wanted to do. I've been stationed everywhere I've wanted to be stationed. I've just been very lucky," Binda said.
Truthfully, Binda's future sea journeys were secured long before he ran into his tuition troubles. As a boy growing up on the Atlantic coast, Binda said, he would walk along the seawall in Marshfield, Mass., and tell his sister that one day he would be a sailor.
His father served in the Navy for two years, and Binda's uncle was a sailor who would return home with stories of his travels.
"I used to listen to his stories during the holidays when we all got together. Sometimes he'd wear his khaki hat. He was just a crusty old boatswain's mate. That was just amazing," Binda said.
Along with his love for the sea, Binda also inherited a passion for cooking. Binda said his great-grandfather was a popular chef in Boston. During the Depression, on Sundays after church, he would take food left over from hotels and feed the Italian-American community in Boston's Dorchester neighborhood, Binda said.
"He kind of had his own soup kitchen out back, only you wouldn't know it was a soup kitchen, because he was a pretty renowned chef in Boston," Binda said.
And, when tourism slowed in the winter, his grandfather would cook on the cruise lines sailing to Florida. "I guess the ocean has always been in my blood, and cooking just came naturally," Binda said.
After graduating from high school in Marshfield, a town about 35 miles southeast of Boston, Binda attended culinary arts school at Johnson & Wales University in Providence, R.I. He joined the Navy as a mess management specialist, now called a culinary specialist. Binda has cooked his way to the top of the Navy enlisted ranks as a master chief petty officer and now manages the Navy's largest housing program at Naval Base San Diego's Combined Bachelor Housing.
Binda spent nearly 20 years on duty at sea because he chose those duty assignments. He said he loves sitting on deck and watching the sunrises and sunsets. But mostly he enjoys it because it gives allows him to work with junior sailors. "I love being at sea. That's really what I enjoy. I think you have a bigger impact taking sailors to different countries and working with them every single day," he said.
Binda said he likes to mentor and coach his sailors. "I'm a father figure to several of my junior sailors. They call me at all sorts of times. I've bailed kids out of jail with my own money; I wouldn't recommend that, but I haven't been disappointed yet. I just really love working with young people," Binda said.
In his duties, the chef sailor has served some of the nation's top officers, including Army Gen. Tommy Franks, then Central Command commander. But for Binda, the measure of his success always will be the satisfaction of the sailors.
"I consider what's important is feeding sailors every single day. I get much more satisfaction seeing sailors eating and enjoying themselves on the mess decks than I do serving the captain a formal dinner with ... distinguished visitors," Binda said.
His dedication to the lower enlisted sailors is what eventually landed Binda in the sands of Iraq "like a fish out of water," he said. As requirements came up to fill slots in Iraq as advisors or on training teams, Binda said, he realized one day that he was sending his sailors to a place that he personally knew nothing about. "I kind of felt bad sending him to some place I didn't know anything about," he said.
So when the opportunity opened in February 2006, Binda volunteered. It turned out to be one of the biggest learning experiences of his life, Binda said. There he was a military advisor to an Iraqi army brigade helping them set up their logistics systems.
"The thing I learned most the year in Iraq is how critical a public education is. I can tell you after being a year in Iraq and working with people who are largely uneducated ... that having that public education is imperative to being successful," Binda said.
For his efforts there, Binda was awarded the Bronze Star, presented by then Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Michael G. Mullen, now serving as chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
Now, as the clock winds down toward Binda's 30-year mark and mandatory retirement, the self-described workaholic said he hopes to do one more sea tour. He still gets up at 5 a.m. and runs every morning, "passing kids half my age," and gives no real thought to what he will do when he retires, Binda said. For now, he said, he is happy serving sailors in the Navy until his last day.
"I'm going to be the guy in the cartoon where I've got a parachute on my back, and Uncle Sam's got his foot on my chest, and I'm hanging out of the plane with my fingers and my toes gripping onto the edge of the plane, and I'm saying, 'I'm not ready to go yet.' Because I'm still having fun," Binda said.
Black Knights, Midshipmen Drum Up Support Before Army-Navy Game
By John J. Kruzel
American Forces Press Service
Nov. 30, 2007 - Army and Navy drummers, buglers and cheerleaders stormed the halls of the Pentagon over the past two days, rallying or roiling soldiers and sailors in their wake before tomorrow's Army-Navy football game. The Navy Midshipmen, who enter the game with a 7-4 record, will try for their fifth consecutive win against the 3-8 Army Black Knights in the 108th year the teams face off on the gridiron. Despite being 14-point underdogs, the indomitable Black Knights, on hand at the Pentagon today, are poised to soldier on at M&T Bank Stadium in Baltimore tomorrow.
Lifting a yellow and black megaphone to his mouth, Army Secretary Pete Geren faced the crowd of Black Knight supporters and yelled, "GO ARMY!"
Geren led the throng to the office Army Chief of Staff Gen. George W. Casey Jr., who thanked the group for visiting him. He encouraged the vociferous crowd to make extra noise while passing by the office the Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Gary Roughead, his Navy counterpart.
Upon meeting Casey, Army Cadet Cpl. Jacob Frechette, a trumpeter in the band, made a deferential request of the chief of staff. Frechette asked Casey to order him to do push-ups while his fellow soldier took a picture.
"Nobody outranks him, so if somebody's going to make you do push-ups, it might as well be the highest-ranking guy in the Army," the cadet said.
But Frechette, who predicted an Army victory in the gridiron showdown, said the only reason the Army might do push-ups tomorrow would be to express celebration. "When we score a touchdown, we'll be out there pushing," he said.
Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates gave a somewhat ambiguous message to the crowd after he accepted an Army scarf from a soldier who donned a "Goatbusters" costume, a flippant reference to the Navy ram mascot.
"May the best team win," Gates said in tongue-in-cheek fashion. "How's that for diplomacy?"
Army Vice Chief of Staff Gen. Richard A. Cody had an unequivocal statement for the cheerleaders and band after they performed a choreographed medley that included the Army fight song. "I thought that was one of our best military operations to date!" he shouted.
"It's going to be a very tight game until the fourth quarter," Cody predicted to American Forces Press Service. "Then Army's going to win by seven."
Army Cadet Sgt. Wiley Grant, a trombonist in the band, said he's looking forward to seeing the first Army victory against Navy in his three years at U.S. Military Academy, at West Point, N.Y. Pep rallies like today's are the best way to get the hearts and minds of the fans -- known as the 12th man on a football team comprising 11 players -- prepared for the historic matchup, he added.
"Especially after five losses that we've had in the past, it's really important to get people fired up and to get people into the spirit and get them to believe," he said. "The players on the field are going to do their best, but without the crowd support, the support from the fans, and support from the Army at-large, we're not going to be able to win."
Grant said the Army-Navy game is one of the oldest football traditions in history, one that inculcates a sense of teamwork across military branches. "To borrow General (Douglas) MacArthur's quote, 'Upon the fields of friendly strife are sown the seeds that on other fields will bear the fruits of victory,'" he said. "There's no more evident example of that than the Army-Navy game."
Following in another rich tradition -- the tradition of one-upmanship -- Cadet Brian Kossler led several fellow cadets up escalators toward the Pentagon's fifth floor, where a banner hung that read, "GO NAVY! BEAT ARMY" Kossler ascended a ladder and worked at unfastening the bolt that held the banner in place.
Minutes later, the 40-foot plastic homage to the Midshipmen lay in a heap on the fifth floor. A sailor who witnessed the act chided, "You can take our banner, but you're still going to lose tomorrow!"
But those who say Army doesn't have a prayer in tomorrow's game are wrong, at least according to the Army's chief of chaplains. "I pray that God shows favor on the Army," said Maj. Gen. Douglas Carver. "And my biggest prayer is that everybody be safe as they play."
Yesterday, the Midshipmen's esprit de corps was boosted by some of the Defense Department's top officials.
"I know it's a great week, the spirit's great, and it's a spectacularly important game," said Navy Adm. Michael G. Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. "We want it to be played hard and played well, and in the end, let the best team win.
"And we have no doubt that's Navy!" Mullen, a 1968 graduate of the Naval Academy, in Annapolis, Md., shouted as the throng of Navy supporters gathered outside his office erupted in cheers.
Mullen told the crowd that in the spirit of "jointness" among military branches, he would sit on Army's side for the game's first half. "And then I'll be on the Navy side to see the victory," he said. "Just remember two words: Beat Army!"
"Anchors Aweigh," the Navy fight song, bounced around the stairwell near the Pentagon's Mall Entrance as the parade ascended to the second floor toward offices housing members of the Office of the Secretary of Defense.
"On Saturday, I will be neutral, but with some bias," said Gordon England, former Navy secretary and current deputy secretary of defense. "I hope it is a great game, and that's what we all want -- a great game between our two great service academies."
Donald C. Winter, secretary of the Navy, excited the crowd by listing significant Navy victories this season against the Air Force and Notre Dame. Amid the ruckus he added, "The season starts again on Saturday!"
"And one other thing," he said. "All the good words I said last week in theater about being part of the joint fight and the joint team -- on Saturday, those words are held in abeyance!"
Roughead, chief of naval operations and a 1973 Naval Academy graduate, thanked the Midshipmen musicians and cheerleaders for visiting his office. "You guys are getting spoiled; you never lose!" he said. "We'll see you there on Saturday; it's going to be a great day, and we're going to win!"
After interrupting staff meetings and conference calls in the Army Department corridor, the procession passed before a Pentagon display honoring Navy fleet admirals and sailors who went on to serve as president. Tubas blared before resolute photos of Chester Nimitz and William Halsey, and bass drums banged off near stately portraits of Gerald Ford and John F. Kennedy.
Navy Lt. Elizabeth Griffiths, the secretary of the Navy's protocol officer and a 2001 Naval Academy graduate, helped organize the rally, which is highly anticipated by Pentagon staffers, she said.
"I think this really gets people excited for the game, motivated for the game, and they just bring that much more spirit to the stadium, which really can help the players," she said. "I think that the best part about this game is how fierce the rivalry is, but when it comes down to it, everybody's playing on the same team.
"People enjoy the game so much because the teams are bonded for reasons that go way beyond just football," she said.
The CBS telecast of the game begins at noon EST tomorrow.
American Forces Press Service
Nov. 30, 2007 - Army and Navy drummers, buglers and cheerleaders stormed the halls of the Pentagon over the past two days, rallying or roiling soldiers and sailors in their wake before tomorrow's Army-Navy football game. The Navy Midshipmen, who enter the game with a 7-4 record, will try for their fifth consecutive win against the 3-8 Army Black Knights in the 108th year the teams face off on the gridiron. Despite being 14-point underdogs, the indomitable Black Knights, on hand at the Pentagon today, are poised to soldier on at M&T Bank Stadium in Baltimore tomorrow.
Lifting a yellow and black megaphone to his mouth, Army Secretary Pete Geren faced the crowd of Black Knight supporters and yelled, "GO ARMY!"
Geren led the throng to the office Army Chief of Staff Gen. George W. Casey Jr., who thanked the group for visiting him. He encouraged the vociferous crowd to make extra noise while passing by the office the Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Gary Roughead, his Navy counterpart.
Upon meeting Casey, Army Cadet Cpl. Jacob Frechette, a trumpeter in the band, made a deferential request of the chief of staff. Frechette asked Casey to order him to do push-ups while his fellow soldier took a picture.
"Nobody outranks him, so if somebody's going to make you do push-ups, it might as well be the highest-ranking guy in the Army," the cadet said.
But Frechette, who predicted an Army victory in the gridiron showdown, said the only reason the Army might do push-ups tomorrow would be to express celebration. "When we score a touchdown, we'll be out there pushing," he said.
Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates gave a somewhat ambiguous message to the crowd after he accepted an Army scarf from a soldier who donned a "Goatbusters" costume, a flippant reference to the Navy ram mascot.
"May the best team win," Gates said in tongue-in-cheek fashion. "How's that for diplomacy?"
Army Vice Chief of Staff Gen. Richard A. Cody had an unequivocal statement for the cheerleaders and band after they performed a choreographed medley that included the Army fight song. "I thought that was one of our best military operations to date!" he shouted.
"It's going to be a very tight game until the fourth quarter," Cody predicted to American Forces Press Service. "Then Army's going to win by seven."
Army Cadet Sgt. Wiley Grant, a trombonist in the band, said he's looking forward to seeing the first Army victory against Navy in his three years at U.S. Military Academy, at West Point, N.Y. Pep rallies like today's are the best way to get the hearts and minds of the fans -- known as the 12th man on a football team comprising 11 players -- prepared for the historic matchup, he added.
"Especially after five losses that we've had in the past, it's really important to get people fired up and to get people into the spirit and get them to believe," he said. "The players on the field are going to do their best, but without the crowd support, the support from the fans, and support from the Army at-large, we're not going to be able to win."
Grant said the Army-Navy game is one of the oldest football traditions in history, one that inculcates a sense of teamwork across military branches. "To borrow General (Douglas) MacArthur's quote, 'Upon the fields of friendly strife are sown the seeds that on other fields will bear the fruits of victory,'" he said. "There's no more evident example of that than the Army-Navy game."
Following in another rich tradition -- the tradition of one-upmanship -- Cadet Brian Kossler led several fellow cadets up escalators toward the Pentagon's fifth floor, where a banner hung that read, "GO NAVY! BEAT ARMY" Kossler ascended a ladder and worked at unfastening the bolt that held the banner in place.
Minutes later, the 40-foot plastic homage to the Midshipmen lay in a heap on the fifth floor. A sailor who witnessed the act chided, "You can take our banner, but you're still going to lose tomorrow!"
But those who say Army doesn't have a prayer in tomorrow's game are wrong, at least according to the Army's chief of chaplains. "I pray that God shows favor on the Army," said Maj. Gen. Douglas Carver. "And my biggest prayer is that everybody be safe as they play."
Yesterday, the Midshipmen's esprit de corps was boosted by some of the Defense Department's top officials.
"I know it's a great week, the spirit's great, and it's a spectacularly important game," said Navy Adm. Michael G. Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. "We want it to be played hard and played well, and in the end, let the best team win.
"And we have no doubt that's Navy!" Mullen, a 1968 graduate of the Naval Academy, in Annapolis, Md., shouted as the throng of Navy supporters gathered outside his office erupted in cheers.
Mullen told the crowd that in the spirit of "jointness" among military branches, he would sit on Army's side for the game's first half. "And then I'll be on the Navy side to see the victory," he said. "Just remember two words: Beat Army!"
"Anchors Aweigh," the Navy fight song, bounced around the stairwell near the Pentagon's Mall Entrance as the parade ascended to the second floor toward offices housing members of the Office of the Secretary of Defense.
"On Saturday, I will be neutral, but with some bias," said Gordon England, former Navy secretary and current deputy secretary of defense. "I hope it is a great game, and that's what we all want -- a great game between our two great service academies."
Donald C. Winter, secretary of the Navy, excited the crowd by listing significant Navy victories this season against the Air Force and Notre Dame. Amid the ruckus he added, "The season starts again on Saturday!"
"And one other thing," he said. "All the good words I said last week in theater about being part of the joint fight and the joint team -- on Saturday, those words are held in abeyance!"
Roughead, chief of naval operations and a 1973 Naval Academy graduate, thanked the Midshipmen musicians and cheerleaders for visiting his office. "You guys are getting spoiled; you never lose!" he said. "We'll see you there on Saturday; it's going to be a great day, and we're going to win!"
After interrupting staff meetings and conference calls in the Army Department corridor, the procession passed before a Pentagon display honoring Navy fleet admirals and sailors who went on to serve as president. Tubas blared before resolute photos of Chester Nimitz and William Halsey, and bass drums banged off near stately portraits of Gerald Ford and John F. Kennedy.
Navy Lt. Elizabeth Griffiths, the secretary of the Navy's protocol officer and a 2001 Naval Academy graduate, helped organize the rally, which is highly anticipated by Pentagon staffers, she said.
"I think this really gets people excited for the game, motivated for the game, and they just bring that much more spirit to the stadium, which really can help the players," she said. "I think that the best part about this game is how fierce the rivalry is, but when it comes down to it, everybody's playing on the same team.
"People enjoy the game so much because the teams are bonded for reasons that go way beyond just football," she said.
The CBS telecast of the game begins at noon EST tomorrow.
By Lisa Daniel
American Forces Press Service
Nov. 30, 2007 - U.S. sailors and Marines on a humanitarian mission to Bangladesh are being met with extreme gratitude as they work to prevent and treat waterborne illnesses and meet basic needs in the aftermath of a Nov. 15 cyclone, a U.S. commander there said today. "With all of our deliveries, we've been greeted warmly and with gratitude by the Bangladesh people," Rear Adm. Carol M. Pottenger, commander of Navy Task Force 76, said in a news briefing broadcast from the USS Kearsarge.
Upon receiving medical treatment, one local man told American troops, "In the eyes of my village, you are the face of the world. You show that the world cares," she said.
The Task Force arrived off the Bangladeshi coast aboard the USS Kearsarge, along with 22nd Marine Expeditionary Unit, on Nov. 23. In support of the U.S. Agency for International Development, the troops have flown more than 21 sorties and delivered more than 9,000 gallons of water and 18,000 pounds of medical supplies. The United States is one of 25 countries providing more than $4 billion in aid, defense officials said.
Waterborne illnesses are a growing concern in Bangladesh, where most wells were destroyed by the storm, Pottenger said. U.S. forces have treated and evaluated more than 600 patients, mostly for trauma and water contamination, she said.
A major role for U.S. troops is to produce fresh water aboard the Kearsarge, which can filter 200,000 gallons per day, and distribute it in 5-gallon containers to various locations, Col. Douglas Stilwell, commander of the Marine unit said. Marines also have taken time to bond with the local people, including playing soccer with Bangladeshi children, he said.
Providing disaster assistance "is what the Navy task force and Marine expeditionary force are really good at," Pottenger said. "We watch every storm very carefully, and we recognized this as it headed to Bangladesh.
"This is very rewarding for every sailor and Marine involved in this effort," she said.
Asked by a reporter why the Bangladeshi government waited until a week after the storm to make its request for aid, Cmdr. Mohammad Fazale Rabbi, a Bangladeshi liaison officer said, "The initial assessment was not that easy for us."
Still, Rabbi said, the Bangladeshi government took precautions, including evacuating hundreds of thousands of residents, that caused the small, impoverished nation to fare better than in previous catastrophic storms. More than 3,000 people were killed in the latest storm, compared to 140,000 in a 1991 disaster, he said.
Pottenger, who was deployed from Okinawa, Japan, stressed that U.S. forces will leave Bangladesh as soon as possible, but added that she does not know when that will be. The Bangladeshi government's request was for only initial humanitarian aid, defense officials said.
"It's really not our mission to be there a long time, but we will be there as long as the Bangladesh government wants us," Pottenger said. "I really can't put a timeline on it."
American Forces Press Service
Nov. 30, 2007 - U.S. sailors and Marines on a humanitarian mission to Bangladesh are being met with extreme gratitude as they work to prevent and treat waterborne illnesses and meet basic needs in the aftermath of a Nov. 15 cyclone, a U.S. commander there said today. "With all of our deliveries, we've been greeted warmly and with gratitude by the Bangladesh people," Rear Adm. Carol M. Pottenger, commander of Navy Task Force 76, said in a news briefing broadcast from the USS Kearsarge.
Upon receiving medical treatment, one local man told American troops, "In the eyes of my village, you are the face of the world. You show that the world cares," she said.
The Task Force arrived off the Bangladeshi coast aboard the USS Kearsarge, along with 22nd Marine Expeditionary Unit, on Nov. 23. In support of the U.S. Agency for International Development, the troops have flown more than 21 sorties and delivered more than 9,000 gallons of water and 18,000 pounds of medical supplies. The United States is one of 25 countries providing more than $4 billion in aid, defense officials said.
Waterborne illnesses are a growing concern in Bangladesh, where most wells were destroyed by the storm, Pottenger said. U.S. forces have treated and evaluated more than 600 patients, mostly for trauma and water contamination, she said.
A major role for U.S. troops is to produce fresh water aboard the Kearsarge, which can filter 200,000 gallons per day, and distribute it in 5-gallon containers to various locations, Col. Douglas Stilwell, commander of the Marine unit said. Marines also have taken time to bond with the local people, including playing soccer with Bangladeshi children, he said.
Providing disaster assistance "is what the Navy task force and Marine expeditionary force are really good at," Pottenger said. "We watch every storm very carefully, and we recognized this as it headed to Bangladesh.
"This is very rewarding for every sailor and Marine involved in this effort," she said.
Asked by a reporter why the Bangladeshi government waited until a week after the storm to make its request for aid, Cmdr. Mohammad Fazale Rabbi, a Bangladeshi liaison officer said, "The initial assessment was not that easy for us."
Still, Rabbi said, the Bangladeshi government took precautions, including evacuating hundreds of thousands of residents, that caused the small, impoverished nation to fare better than in previous catastrophic storms. More than 3,000 people were killed in the latest storm, compared to 140,000 in a 1991 disaster, he said.
Pottenger, who was deployed from Okinawa, Japan, stressed that U.S. forces will leave Bangladesh as soon as possible, but added that she does not know when that will be. The Bangladeshi government's request was for only initial humanitarian aid, defense officials said.
"It's really not our mission to be there a long time, but we will be there as long as the Bangladesh government wants us," Pottenger said. "I really can't put a timeline on it."
DoD Establishes Center of Excellence to Address Traumatic Brain Injury and Psychological Health
The Defense Center of Excellence (DCoE) for Psychological Health (PH) and Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) began initial operations today. The DCoE will be fully functional by October 2009. It is currently operating in temporary office spaces in Rosslyn, Va., as part of its initial phase.
The Department of Defense (DoD), with support from the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), is leading a national collaborative network to advance and disseminate PH/TBI knowledge, enhance clinical and management approaches, and facilitate other vital services to best serve the urgent and enduring needs of warrior families with PH and/or TBI.
"The center will integrate quality programs and advanced medical technology to give us unprecedented expertise in dealing with psychological health and traumatic brain injuries," said Assistant Secretary of Defense for Health Affairs Dr. S. Ward Casscells. "In developing the national collaborative network, the DCoE will coordinate existing medical, academic, research, and advocacy assets within the services, with those of the VA and Health and Human Services, other federal, state and local agencies, as well as academic institutions."
The Defense and Veterans Brain Injury Center (DVBIC) is now integrated into the center. DVBIC has DoD's primary subject matter expertise on TBI and many of its functions are transitioning to the DCoE. The DoD Center for Deployment Psychology, currently at the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, is also integrated into the training and education functions of the DCoE.
The Department of Defense (DoD), with support from the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), is leading a national collaborative network to advance and disseminate PH/TBI knowledge, enhance clinical and management approaches, and facilitate other vital services to best serve the urgent and enduring needs of warrior families with PH and/or TBI.
"The center will integrate quality programs and advanced medical technology to give us unprecedented expertise in dealing with psychological health and traumatic brain injuries," said Assistant Secretary of Defense for Health Affairs Dr. S. Ward Casscells. "In developing the national collaborative network, the DCoE will coordinate existing medical, academic, research, and advocacy assets within the services, with those of the VA and Health and Human Services, other federal, state and local agencies, as well as academic institutions."
The Defense and Veterans Brain Injury Center (DVBIC) is now integrated into the center. DVBIC has DoD's primary subject matter expertise on TBI and many of its functions are transitioning to the DCoE. The DoD Center for Deployment Psychology, currently at the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, is also integrated into the training and education functions of the DCoE.
Friday, November 30, 2007
Leadership in Film
A number of courses and seminars use film, movies and television to express leadership concepts. The co-author of Leadership: Texas Hold ‘em Style, Raymond E. Foster, is collecting practitioner, student and academic input on leadership in film. Have you used film, movies or television to teach leadership? Have you viewed something in a leadership course? Or, have you viewed something that expressed a leadership lesson that you would like to share? Share your thoughts on Leadership in Film.
http://www.pokerleadership.com/leadership-in-film/
http://www.pokerleadership.com/leadership-in-film/
Face of Defense: Soldier Sacrifices Family Time to Serve
By Sgt. 1st Class Rick Emert, USASpecial to American Forces Press Service
Nov. 29, 2007 - Army Staff Sgt. Rosie Threatt could have been lost in the group of her large family. She's the fifth of six children, and her siblings have distinguished themselves by working in the medical, criminal justice and teaching fields. Threatt went in another direction: a career in the Army, where she has touched the lives of about 3,000 soldiers in some way over the past 14 months.
"I joined in hopes of being able to take care of myself and my daughter," said Threatt, a Port Gibson, Miss., native who joined the Army in 1999.
When she first deployed to Iraq near the end of 2003, a few years after deploying to Kosovo for six months, she and her family were concerned about it. There would be more deployments to follow.
"My family was scared, and I was scared," Threatt said. "When I deployed a second time, I thought that I hadn't had enough time with my family. When this, the third one, came along, my mom (Angelia Gibson) said: 'That's it.'"
While it was hard on Threatt being away from her daughters, Aubri, 9, and Amari, 4, and her husband, Staff Sgt. Cleo Threatt, she said the deployments are a part of an Army career.
"It was difficult, but I had to think about my future," Threatt said. "I decided that I had come this far, and I plan to take my career all the way up to retirement."
On this, her fourth deployment, including three in Iraq and one in Kosovo, Threatt serves as the senior human resources noncommissioned officer for 1st Air Cavalry "Warrior" Brigade. All promotion packets, award recommendations and other personnel actions go through her staff.
"She brings a genuine desire to take care of soldiers and their administrative needs," said Maj. Kevin McPherson, the brigade's personnel officer, who hails from Aztec, N.M. "She is extremely customer-service oriented."
While her job is to support all of the soldiers in the brigade with administrative support, she finds time to take care of her own soldiers, too.
"I think what I'm most proud of for this deployment is that every single one of my soldiers got a chance to achieve some of their goals," she said. "Each got promoted to at least two grades higher than when they deployed."
She is also proud of her soldiers' accomplishments, she said. "They have done so much as a section," she said. "We have processed 3,200 awards and 600 promotions for the brigade. They have worked 12 hours a day six days a week, and half days on Sunday. Most of them are first-time deployers, and they have really stepped up."
Threatt also is working toward her personal goals of getting an associate's degree in general studies and putting in a packet for the Warrant Officer Candidate School to become a human resources technician. She said she ultimately hopes to work in the medical field as a radiologist.
But for now, she is focused on the mission at hand -- assisting in the redeployment process for the 1st Air Cavalry Brigade as it returns to Fort Hood, Texas.
Although her position normally is held by someone at least two pay grades higher, Threatt has adapted well to the position, McPherson said.
"She had never worked in a (brigade personnel office) before; she had always worked at a personnel service battalion," he said. "She came into this shop with the small focus of those services provided at the (personnel services battalion) level, and was put in a position as the (NCO in charge) of a brigade shop. She is a brand new staff sergeant filling a master sergeant position, and she is doing an amazing job."
While she is focused on the redeployment, thoughts of family reunions are in the back of her mind, she said. "I am excited about going home," Threatt said. "I just want to spend a lot of time with my family -- with my kids, my mom and my sisters. We are all really close, and it's been a long time away."
(Army Sgt. 1st Class Rick Emert is assigned to 1st Air Cavalry Brigade, 1st Cavalry Division, Public Affairs.)
Group Helps Disabled Vets Find Jobs
By Samantha L. Quigley
American Forces Press Service
Nov. 29, 2007 - Disabled veterans looking for employment opportunities have one more resource working for them. Hire Heroes USA, a program of the Georgia-based Health Careers Foundation, is working to link disabled veterans to employment opportunities nationwide. "Our mission is to be the bridge to a fulfilling career for our returning heroes with disabilities," said Bayne E. Tippins, director of the Hire Heroes USA program. "(We) want to ensure they have the opportunity to enjoy the freedoms they fought so hard to preserve."
The program offers career placement services to wounded veterans, regardless of their disability or its severity, Tippins said. To make these placements happen, Hire Heroes USA matches career interests and transferable skills to the needs of hiring companies who partner with the program.
"Now in our fifth month of operation, Hire Heroes USA is assisting more than 2,000 disabled veterans who are searching for career opportunities," Tippins said. "The program has received support through jobs (that need filling) and financial donations from more than 40 companies."
Hire Heroes USA is a new supporter of the Defense Department's America Supports You program, which connects citizens and corporations with military personnel and their families serving at home and abroad.
Tippins said he hopes to spread the program's message far and wide through the America Supports You network to reach those who could benefit from Hire Heroes USA.
"America Supports You will be a vital tool to ensure the continued success of Hire Heroes USA," Tippins said, adding that improvements in body armor and advances in medical technology are dramatically improving survival rates on the battlefield.
"Now more than ever before, our nation's disabled veterans will need support as they seek to establish productive lives, take care of their families and establish new careers," he said. "Programs such as Hire Heroes USA ... are instrumental in helping our wounded soldiers succeed I today's competitive job market."
American Forces Press Service
Nov. 29, 2007 - Disabled veterans looking for employment opportunities have one more resource working for them. Hire Heroes USA, a program of the Georgia-based Health Careers Foundation, is working to link disabled veterans to employment opportunities nationwide. "Our mission is to be the bridge to a fulfilling career for our returning heroes with disabilities," said Bayne E. Tippins, director of the Hire Heroes USA program. "(We) want to ensure they have the opportunity to enjoy the freedoms they fought so hard to preserve."
The program offers career placement services to wounded veterans, regardless of their disability or its severity, Tippins said. To make these placements happen, Hire Heroes USA matches career interests and transferable skills to the needs of hiring companies who partner with the program.
"Now in our fifth month of operation, Hire Heroes USA is assisting more than 2,000 disabled veterans who are searching for career opportunities," Tippins said. "The program has received support through jobs (that need filling) and financial donations from more than 40 companies."
Hire Heroes USA is a new supporter of the Defense Department's America Supports You program, which connects citizens and corporations with military personnel and their families serving at home and abroad.
Tippins said he hopes to spread the program's message far and wide through the America Supports You network to reach those who could benefit from Hire Heroes USA.
"America Supports You will be a vital tool to ensure the continued success of Hire Heroes USA," Tippins said, adding that improvements in body armor and advances in medical technology are dramatically improving survival rates on the battlefield.
"Now more than ever before, our nation's disabled veterans will need support as they seek to establish productive lives, take care of their families and establish new careers," he said. "Programs such as Hire Heroes USA ... are instrumental in helping our wounded soldiers succeed I today's competitive job market."
Thursday, November 29, 2007
Hockey Telecast to Feature U.S. Servicemembers in Kosovo
By Tech. Sgt. Jason Smith, USAF
Special to American Forces Press Service
Nov. 29, 2007 - Versus, the U.S. cable television home of the National Hockey League, has partnered with some troops deployed to Kosovo to give an early Christmas present to the peacekeepers and their families at home. At 7 p.m. EST on Dec. 11 , everyone watching the Pittsburgh Penguins battle the Philadelphia Flyers on Versus will get to see some pictures of the American soldiers, airmen and sailors who are serving at Camps Film City and Bondsteel, Kosovo.
At the same time their pictures are being shown on television in the United States, the troops will be gathered at the Morale, Welfare and Recreation Center at Camp Film City to watch the game on the American Forces Network. Due to the time difference, the game starts in Kosovo at 1 a.m. Dec. 12, but the late start won't discourage people from showing up. According to Air Force Tech. Sgt. Jay Valloric, one of the event coordinators, it's easy to stay up because he knows his kids will be watching for him at home in Ohio.
"Most of us will be here through Christmas and New Years," Valloric said. "I would rather be at home, but since that's just not possible, I think it's great that my kids will get to see me and know that I'm doing OK."
The idea for the game came about in an unusual way. A small group of troops gathered for the Oct. 24 game between the Penguins and Rangers. A story was written about the game and sent to Versus. Eventually, Michael Baker, coordinating producer of the National Hockey League for the cable network, received an e-mail with the story. Baker contacted the author of the story to thank the troops for watching the game.
"Mike was happy to hear that we watched the games," Army Sgt. Kai Tonti said. "He said if we wanted, he would try to show the photos that he received from the initial story during a future game we would be watching. Of course we were excited about it, so we said, 'Yes.' We were telling the other people here about it, and the idea just grew that it would be nice to do a live feed like they do sometimes during the Super Bowl."
Baker was onboard with the troops' idea, but mission requirements at Camp Film City trumped the valuable resources needed to pull off the transmission. The team putting the event together on the Kosovo side quickly started gathering troops for pictures that could be shown during breaks in the action.
"Our mission here doesn't make the headlines at home the way Iraq and Afghanistan do," Valloric said. "No one here is complaining, because the conditions aren't as bad as a lot of people have it, but we still miss our families, and to get some of our pictures on TV is a real morale booster."
In addition to American troops, other NATO and Partnership for Peace troops will be on hand at the MWR Center to cheer for their favorite team and watch the live broadcast. Camp Film City, which serves as the Kosovo Force Headquarters, is a deployed home to troops of 34 nations.
(Air Force Tech. Sgt. Jason Smith serves with the Kosovo Force Public Affairs Office.)
Special to American Forces Press Service
Nov. 29, 2007 - Versus, the U.S. cable television home of the National Hockey League, has partnered with some troops deployed to Kosovo to give an early Christmas present to the peacekeepers and their families at home. At 7 p.m. EST on Dec. 11 , everyone watching the Pittsburgh Penguins battle the Philadelphia Flyers on Versus will get to see some pictures of the American soldiers, airmen and sailors who are serving at Camps Film City and Bondsteel, Kosovo.
At the same time their pictures are being shown on television in the United States, the troops will be gathered at the Morale, Welfare and Recreation Center at Camp Film City to watch the game on the American Forces Network. Due to the time difference, the game starts in Kosovo at 1 a.m. Dec. 12, but the late start won't discourage people from showing up. According to Air Force Tech. Sgt. Jay Valloric, one of the event coordinators, it's easy to stay up because he knows his kids will be watching for him at home in Ohio.
"Most of us will be here through Christmas and New Years," Valloric said. "I would rather be at home, but since that's just not possible, I think it's great that my kids will get to see me and know that I'm doing OK."
The idea for the game came about in an unusual way. A small group of troops gathered for the Oct. 24 game between the Penguins and Rangers. A story was written about the game and sent to Versus. Eventually, Michael Baker, coordinating producer of the National Hockey League for the cable network, received an e-mail with the story. Baker contacted the author of the story to thank the troops for watching the game.
"Mike was happy to hear that we watched the games," Army Sgt. Kai Tonti said. "He said if we wanted, he would try to show the photos that he received from the initial story during a future game we would be watching. Of course we were excited about it, so we said, 'Yes.' We were telling the other people here about it, and the idea just grew that it would be nice to do a live feed like they do sometimes during the Super Bowl."
Baker was onboard with the troops' idea, but mission requirements at Camp Film City trumped the valuable resources needed to pull off the transmission. The team putting the event together on the Kosovo side quickly started gathering troops for pictures that could be shown during breaks in the action.
"Our mission here doesn't make the headlines at home the way Iraq and Afghanistan do," Valloric said. "No one here is complaining, because the conditions aren't as bad as a lot of people have it, but we still miss our families, and to get some of our pictures on TV is a real morale booster."
In addition to American troops, other NATO and Partnership for Peace troops will be on hand at the MWR Center to cheer for their favorite team and watch the live broadcast. Camp Film City, which serves as the Kosovo Force Headquarters, is a deployed home to troops of 34 nations.
(Air Force Tech. Sgt. Jason Smith serves with the Kosovo Force Public Affairs Office.)
Defense Department, VA Test New Disability Eval System
By Fred W. Baker III
American Forces Press Service
Nov. 29, 2007 - The departments of Defense and Veterans Affairs have teamed to test a pilot disability evaluation program that officials hope will streamline the confusing and often frustrating process for servicemembers and their families. For the next year, officials will test the new system at military hospitals in the national capital region, officials announced today. Officials will then decide if or when to expand the system.
In contrast to the current system, the pilot program will be based on only one medical examination and a single-sourced disability rating, instead of examinations and ratings from both departments separately. The hope is to transition servicemembers more smoothly to veteran benefits and compensation, officials said.
"The objectives of the pilot are to improve the timeliness, effectiveness, and transparency by integrating DoD and VA processes, eliminating duplication, and improving information provided to servicemembers and their families," according to a Defense Department news release.
The scope of the pilot program includes all nonclinical care and administrative activities, such as case management and counseling requirements, from the time the servicemember is referred to the board until veterans benefits are provided.
The test program is based on recommendations from reports including the President's Commission on Care for America's Returning Wounded Warriors and the Commission on Veterans' Disability Benefits.
American Forces Press Service
Nov. 29, 2007 - The departments of Defense and Veterans Affairs have teamed to test a pilot disability evaluation program that officials hope will streamline the confusing and often frustrating process for servicemembers and their families. For the next year, officials will test the new system at military hospitals in the national capital region, officials announced today. Officials will then decide if or when to expand the system.
In contrast to the current system, the pilot program will be based on only one medical examination and a single-sourced disability rating, instead of examinations and ratings from both departments separately. The hope is to transition servicemembers more smoothly to veteran benefits and compensation, officials said.
"The objectives of the pilot are to improve the timeliness, effectiveness, and transparency by integrating DoD and VA processes, eliminating duplication, and improving information provided to servicemembers and their families," according to a Defense Department news release.
The scope of the pilot program includes all nonclinical care and administrative activities, such as case management and counseling requirements, from the time the servicemember is referred to the board until veterans benefits are provided.
The test program is based on recommendations from reports including the President's Commission on Care for America's Returning Wounded Warriors and the Commission on Veterans' Disability Benefits.
Army Funds Crunch Would Affect Installations Worldwide
By Gerry J. Gilmore
American Forces Press Service
Nov. 29, 2007 - Installation operations and quality of life programs for soldiers and their families would be affected worldwide if the Army doesn't receive additional funding from Congress soon, a senior officer said here today. "Absolutely, it's an urgent need," Maj. Gen. Edgar E. Stanton III, director of the Army's budget office, said of the necessity for the Army to obtain nearly $55 billion from Congress to fund operations in Afghanistan and Iraq.
The active Army is now using $26 billion in appropriations that were earmarked for base-support operations to fund its overseas global war on terrorism operations, Stanton said.
Congress has approved supplemental funding for war operations, but the legislation comes attached with timetables for the withdrawal of U.S. troops from Iraq. President Bush has vowed to veto any such legislation that crosses his desk.
The Army is now spending about $7 billion monthly to support worldwide installation operations and overseas war fighting requirements, Stanton said. Without additional funding, the Army will exhaust its base operations and maintenance accounts by mid-February, he said.
In a memorandum dated Nov. 26, Gen. Richard A. Cody, vice chief of staff of the Army, directed that all Army commanders and agency directors begin planning to curtail operations and related expenses that do not directly support warfighters engaged in the global war on terrorism.
Cody's instructions tell Army commanders and civilian leaders to review all operations and to forward recommendations to cut costs back to him by Dec. 4.
"We are only in the prudent planning phase," Cody said in a statement released yesterday. The Defense Department has instructed all military services to review operational costs at installations as well as to prepare for possible furloughs of government civilian employees.
Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates directed the Army and Marine Corps to begin planning to reduce operations at all Army bases by mid-February and all Marine installations by mid-March.
About 200,000 Army civilians and contractors worldwide could be furloughed or temporarily laid off if the funding isn't provided, according to senior Defense Department officials. Persons affected by potential furloughs would need to be notified by around mid-December, Stanton noted, since 60 days of notice is required.
Soldiers will receive their paychecks even if the additional funding doesn't come through by February, Stanton said. However, installation child care services and other quality of life programs likely would be adversely affected, he said.
Also, available soldiers at Army installations could be called upon to perform security duty and other key tasks previously performed by civilians and contractors, Stanton said.
In view of a potential budget crunch, the call out to Army commanders to review installation and agency spending is simply part of responsible planning, Stanton explained.
If the Army doesn't receive the needed funding by mid-February, "there will be impacts," Stanton predicted, and he said officials are working to identify the specific effects a budget crunch would have on quality of life and family programs.
American Forces Press Service
Nov. 29, 2007 - Installation operations and quality of life programs for soldiers and their families would be affected worldwide if the Army doesn't receive additional funding from Congress soon, a senior officer said here today. "Absolutely, it's an urgent need," Maj. Gen. Edgar E. Stanton III, director of the Army's budget office, said of the necessity for the Army to obtain nearly $55 billion from Congress to fund operations in Afghanistan and Iraq.
The active Army is now using $26 billion in appropriations that were earmarked for base-support operations to fund its overseas global war on terrorism operations, Stanton said.
Congress has approved supplemental funding for war operations, but the legislation comes attached with timetables for the withdrawal of U.S. troops from Iraq. President Bush has vowed to veto any such legislation that crosses his desk.
The Army is now spending about $7 billion monthly to support worldwide installation operations and overseas war fighting requirements, Stanton said. Without additional funding, the Army will exhaust its base operations and maintenance accounts by mid-February, he said.
In a memorandum dated Nov. 26, Gen. Richard A. Cody, vice chief of staff of the Army, directed that all Army commanders and agency directors begin planning to curtail operations and related expenses that do not directly support warfighters engaged in the global war on terrorism.
Cody's instructions tell Army commanders and civilian leaders to review all operations and to forward recommendations to cut costs back to him by Dec. 4.
"We are only in the prudent planning phase," Cody said in a statement released yesterday. The Defense Department has instructed all military services to review operational costs at installations as well as to prepare for possible furloughs of government civilian employees.
Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates directed the Army and Marine Corps to begin planning to reduce operations at all Army bases by mid-February and all Marine installations by mid-March.
About 200,000 Army civilians and contractors worldwide could be furloughed or temporarily laid off if the funding isn't provided, according to senior Defense Department officials. Persons affected by potential furloughs would need to be notified by around mid-December, Stanton noted, since 60 days of notice is required.
Soldiers will receive their paychecks even if the additional funding doesn't come through by February, Stanton said. However, installation child care services and other quality of life programs likely would be adversely affected, he said.
Also, available soldiers at Army installations could be called upon to perform security duty and other key tasks previously performed by civilians and contractors, Stanton said.
In view of a potential budget crunch, the call out to Army commanders to review installation and agency spending is simply part of responsible planning, Stanton explained.
If the Army doesn't receive the needed funding by mid-February, "there will be impacts," Stanton predicted, and he said officials are working to identify the specific effects a budget crunch would have on quality of life and family programs.
Defense Department Outlines Recoupment Policies
By Fred W. Baker III
American Forces Press Service
Nov. 29, 2007 - Defense Department policy prohibits services from recouping bonuses and other pay from servicemembers who do not complete their military contracts due to no fault of their own. "Repayment will not be sought if the member's inability to fulfill the eligibility requirements is due to circumstances determined reasonably beyond the member's control," the policy guidance put in place this year reads.
Pentagon officials re-stated their policy this week after a wounded soldier in Pennsylvania received a bill from the Army. Jordan Fox was an Army private first class wounded in an improvised explosive device explosion in Iraq. He was medically discharged and later received a letter demanding repayment of $2,800 of his $7,500 enlistment bonus. A second letter from the Army stated interest would be charged if a payment wasn't made within 30 days.
Army officials later said Fox will not be required to pay back any enlistment money he received.
According to the policy, circumstances could include a servicemember's death, injury, illness or other impairment which is not the result of the servicemember's misconduct.
It could also apply if the servicemember is forced to reclassify into a new military specialty or if the servicemember is separated due to hardship.
The policy also allows for the service secretary to make case-by-case determinations on repayment.
Policy guidance published earlier this year also prohibits any debt collection from combat-related bonuses or incentives paid to a servicemember after medical evacuation form a combat zone. For example, if a soldier receives additional monthly combat pay and those payments are not stopped in a timely manner after his evacuation, the combat pay he receives after leaving the combat zone cannot be recouped by the services.
"Therefore, ... the secretaries of the military departments, in coordination with the Defense Finance and Accounting Service, will expeditiously remit or cancel all theater debt incurred by members of the U.S. armed forces who were medically evacuated from a combat zone due to battle injury or illness, nor non-battle injury or illness, except when misconduct on the part of the member contributed to the indebtedness," the guidance reads.
American Forces Press Service
Nov. 29, 2007 - Defense Department policy prohibits services from recouping bonuses and other pay from servicemembers who do not complete their military contracts due to no fault of their own. "Repayment will not be sought if the member's inability to fulfill the eligibility requirements is due to circumstances determined reasonably beyond the member's control," the policy guidance put in place this year reads.
Pentagon officials re-stated their policy this week after a wounded soldier in Pennsylvania received a bill from the Army. Jordan Fox was an Army private first class wounded in an improvised explosive device explosion in Iraq. He was medically discharged and later received a letter demanding repayment of $2,800 of his $7,500 enlistment bonus. A second letter from the Army stated interest would be charged if a payment wasn't made within 30 days.
Army officials later said Fox will not be required to pay back any enlistment money he received.
According to the policy, circumstances could include a servicemember's death, injury, illness or other impairment which is not the result of the servicemember's misconduct.
It could also apply if the servicemember is forced to reclassify into a new military specialty or if the servicemember is separated due to hardship.
The policy also allows for the service secretary to make case-by-case determinations on repayment.
Policy guidance published earlier this year also prohibits any debt collection from combat-related bonuses or incentives paid to a servicemember after medical evacuation form a combat zone. For example, if a soldier receives additional monthly combat pay and those payments are not stopped in a timely manner after his evacuation, the combat pay he receives after leaving the combat zone cannot be recouped by the services.
"Therefore, ... the secretaries of the military departments, in coordination with the Defense Finance and Accounting Service, will expeditiously remit or cancel all theater debt incurred by members of the U.S. armed forces who were medically evacuated from a combat zone due to battle injury or illness, nor non-battle injury or illness, except when misconduct on the part of the member contributed to the indebtedness," the guidance reads.
Pentagon Honors Business Leaders for Efforts in Iraq
By Lisa Daniel
American Forces Press Service
Nov. 29, 2007 - Twenty-one American business leaders were honored in a ceremony today for their efforts to revitalize Iraq's economy. Deputy Defense Secretary Gordon England honored the group -- mostly private defense industry executives and some former military members -- in the Pentagon's Hall of Heroes for their role in adding stability to the war-torn nation.
"This is about security and economic development, and you can't have one without the other," England said. He praised the group for its role in reopening factories and making economic assessments in Iraq.
The honorees are the first volunteers to return from the Defense Department's Task Force for Business and Stability Operations in Iraq. The task force was created in June 2006 under the direction of Paul Brinkley, deputy undersecretary of defense for business transformation. Thirty-five participants remain in Iraq.
"These business executives were under fire on a daily basis," Brinkley said. "Their contribution is really remarkable."
Honorees, though, said any hesitation they had about working in a war zone was overshadowed by their desire to improve conditions in Iraq.
"People are dying over there," William Duncan, a factory lead at Computer Sciences Corp. in St. Louis, said. "If we put people back to work, they won't plant (roadside bombs) for $200. These people, mostly, are just like us: they want to earn a living and feed their families."
Duncan signed on to the task force after receiving a call from Brinkley, with whom he worked at JDS Uniphase Corp. Duncan's role was to pull people from various sectors of American manufacturing to go into Iraq's closed, state-owned factories to determine what each needed to reopen.
"For every person I took over there, 80 people volunteered to go," Duncan said. "People don't realize how much the American people want to help out."
While the Iraqis initially distrusted the American workers, they soon came to realize that the American business people were helpful, Duncan said. "One man cried and kissed me on both cheeks when we got his factory reopened," he said.
Andrew Erdmann, a consultant with McKinsey & Co. in St. Louis, said he and other task force participants had the perfect backgrounds of public- and private-sector and military experience to improve the economic situation in Iraq. McKinsey required that its employees have military or war zone experience to participate on the task force. Erdmann worked for the State Department in Iraq in 2003 and 2004.
"I have friends in Iraq, so this was a personal commitment for me," Erdmann said. "Everyone on the team was motivated by wanting to contribute to this 'greatest problem.'"
David Adams, a consultant with McKinsey in Chicago, agreed. "I was very excited to be part of the solution of the biggest problem on the planet."
The task force has caused a "tremendous turnaround" for Iraqis, some 60 percent of whom were unemployed when the task force was created, Brinkley said. The unemployment rate now is below 50 percent, he said.
England reiterated comments Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates made last week in saying that "war is not strictly about the kinetics of warfare."
"You've been the nonmilitary instruments of power to make a difference in Iraq," he told the honorees. "You'll always be able to say, 'I did, personally, make a difference in Iraq."
England also declared that "the surge is working" and said Iraq is "coming back to a stable, rational state."
American Forces Press Service
Nov. 29, 2007 - Twenty-one American business leaders were honored in a ceremony today for their efforts to revitalize Iraq's economy. Deputy Defense Secretary Gordon England honored the group -- mostly private defense industry executives and some former military members -- in the Pentagon's Hall of Heroes for their role in adding stability to the war-torn nation.
"This is about security and economic development, and you can't have one without the other," England said. He praised the group for its role in reopening factories and making economic assessments in Iraq.
The honorees are the first volunteers to return from the Defense Department's Task Force for Business and Stability Operations in Iraq. The task force was created in June 2006 under the direction of Paul Brinkley, deputy undersecretary of defense for business transformation. Thirty-five participants remain in Iraq.
"These business executives were under fire on a daily basis," Brinkley said. "Their contribution is really remarkable."
Honorees, though, said any hesitation they had about working in a war zone was overshadowed by their desire to improve conditions in Iraq.
"People are dying over there," William Duncan, a factory lead at Computer Sciences Corp. in St. Louis, said. "If we put people back to work, they won't plant (roadside bombs) for $200. These people, mostly, are just like us: they want to earn a living and feed their families."
Duncan signed on to the task force after receiving a call from Brinkley, with whom he worked at JDS Uniphase Corp. Duncan's role was to pull people from various sectors of American manufacturing to go into Iraq's closed, state-owned factories to determine what each needed to reopen.
"For every person I took over there, 80 people volunteered to go," Duncan said. "People don't realize how much the American people want to help out."
While the Iraqis initially distrusted the American workers, they soon came to realize that the American business people were helpful, Duncan said. "One man cried and kissed me on both cheeks when we got his factory reopened," he said.
Andrew Erdmann, a consultant with McKinsey & Co. in St. Louis, said he and other task force participants had the perfect backgrounds of public- and private-sector and military experience to improve the economic situation in Iraq. McKinsey required that its employees have military or war zone experience to participate on the task force. Erdmann worked for the State Department in Iraq in 2003 and 2004.
"I have friends in Iraq, so this was a personal commitment for me," Erdmann said. "Everyone on the team was motivated by wanting to contribute to this 'greatest problem.'"
David Adams, a consultant with McKinsey in Chicago, agreed. "I was very excited to be part of the solution of the biggest problem on the planet."
The task force has caused a "tremendous turnaround" for Iraqis, some 60 percent of whom were unemployed when the task force was created, Brinkley said. The unemployment rate now is below 50 percent, he said.
England reiterated comments Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates made last week in saying that "war is not strictly about the kinetics of warfare."
"You've been the nonmilitary instruments of power to make a difference in Iraq," he told the honorees. "You'll always be able to say, 'I did, personally, make a difference in Iraq."
England also declared that "the surge is working" and said Iraq is "coming back to a stable, rational state."
Holiday Support for Troops Easy as 1-2-3
By Samantha L. Quigley
American Forces Press Service
Nov. 29, 2007 - As the holidays draw near and shopping lists get shorter, some may find they're still looking for the perfect way to thank "Any Servicemember" this year. The most popular ways to support the troops are through cards and letters, care packages and military family support. Hundreds of troop-support groups shared their holiday troop-support plans earlier this year.
Letters and cards are a simple, inexpensive way to show a servicemember they've got support back home, especially during such a family-oriented time of the year.
Marine Moms Online, www.marinemomsonline.net, based in Illinois, works to collect "letters, letters, letters," said Julie Callahan, a group representative. "(Marine Moms Online) members work with churches and schools collecting letters that are given to the recruits on Christmas morning," she said. "Encouraging letters from veterans, celebrities, sports teams, and politicians are collected and assembled into scrapbooks that are available to all recruits in the support battalions throughout the year."
The Military Support Group of Connection Pointe Christian Church in Brownsburg, Ind., www.cpmsglife.org, has a goal of sending 4,000 cards to men and women serving overseas. Those will accompany 18-inch decorated Christmas trees. "(We) have sent approximately 10,000 Christmas Cards," said Robert Leive, a representative of the group. Last year, the group sent 4,000 cards.
Many groups work hard to collect holiday greetings for the troops, and though it was common practice during past conflicts, sending a letter addressed to "Any Servicemember" is not a good idea. The Defense Department, citing security concerns, enforces a policy specifying mail not addressed to a specific individual will not be accepted. It's better to look to a troop-support organization that has established contacts to receive letters to the troops.
A box of goodies at the holidays is a sure way to brighten a deployed servicemember's day, and dozens of troop-support organizations are working to make sure no servicemember has a gloomy holiday.
"This will be our fifth year of sending holiday treats to our troops, as well as our weekly support care packages," said Meredith Kelly, chair of Illinois-based Operation Stars and Stripes, www.operationstars.com. "In November, we start sending new pre-lit 3- and 4-foot Christmas trees with all the trimmings to our units that we are supporting."
Those trees come complete with a DVD copy of the original "It's a Wonderful Life," she said. "We try to reach as many as we can to let them know they are not forgotten," Kelly added.
California's Operation Gratitude, www.opgratitude.com, has mastered the art of sending care packages, packing more than 34,000 boxes of goodies in the first four days of its 2007 Holiday Drive, which kicked off Veterans Day weekend. Group officials anticipate packing the 300,000th care package for a deployed servicemember on Dec. 15. That milestone package is expected to arrive on or around Christmas Eve and will contain a special gift for the recipient. "We will be sending 50,000 to 60,000 care packages to deployed troops," said Carolyn Blashek, the group's founder. "We welcome donations of items, letters, funds to pay for postage, and volunteers to help assemble the packages at our facility in Van Nuys, Calif."
Sometimes the best way to support the troops at any time of the year is to support their families back home. During the holidays, this can be especially powerful.
CRVA Charities, Inc.'s annual Toys for the Troops' Kids drive, www.toysforthetroopskids.org, began in 2003 with a goal of providing two toys for every child of a deployed military parent from the Sacramento, Calif. area. A booming success, the program has expanded, said William F. Stein, the group's president. "We will collect 50,000 toys for the kids of deployed troops (to be) distributed in four western states and Hawaii in December," he said.
The Homefront Cares, Inc., www.thehomefrontcares.org, which offers year-round support, will provide between 500 and 1,000 meals to families at Fort Carson, Colo.
Other organizations, like Our Military Kids, www.ourmilitarykids.org, operate year round, but having strong support during the holidays makes it easier for them to fulfill their missions. Our Military Kids provides grants to children of deployed and severely injured National Guardsman and reservists for enrichment activities and tutoring that nurture and sustain the children during the deployment.
Links to all of these groups and more than 300 others are available on the America Supports You Web site, www.AmericaSupportYou.com. America Supports You is a Defense Department program connecting citizens and corporations with military personnel and their families serving at home and abroad.
American Forces Press Service
Nov. 29, 2007 - As the holidays draw near and shopping lists get shorter, some may find they're still looking for the perfect way to thank "Any Servicemember" this year. The most popular ways to support the troops are through cards and letters, care packages and military family support. Hundreds of troop-support groups shared their holiday troop-support plans earlier this year.
Letters and cards are a simple, inexpensive way to show a servicemember they've got support back home, especially during such a family-oriented time of the year.
Marine Moms Online, www.marinemomsonline.net, based in Illinois, works to collect "letters, letters, letters," said Julie Callahan, a group representative. "(Marine Moms Online) members work with churches and schools collecting letters that are given to the recruits on Christmas morning," she said. "Encouraging letters from veterans, celebrities, sports teams, and politicians are collected and assembled into scrapbooks that are available to all recruits in the support battalions throughout the year."
The Military Support Group of Connection Pointe Christian Church in Brownsburg, Ind., www.cpmsglife.org, has a goal of sending 4,000 cards to men and women serving overseas. Those will accompany 18-inch decorated Christmas trees. "(We) have sent approximately 10,000 Christmas Cards," said Robert Leive, a representative of the group. Last year, the group sent 4,000 cards.
Many groups work hard to collect holiday greetings for the troops, and though it was common practice during past conflicts, sending a letter addressed to "Any Servicemember" is not a good idea. The Defense Department, citing security concerns, enforces a policy specifying mail not addressed to a specific individual will not be accepted. It's better to look to a troop-support organization that has established contacts to receive letters to the troops.
A box of goodies at the holidays is a sure way to brighten a deployed servicemember's day, and dozens of troop-support organizations are working to make sure no servicemember has a gloomy holiday.
"This will be our fifth year of sending holiday treats to our troops, as well as our weekly support care packages," said Meredith Kelly, chair of Illinois-based Operation Stars and Stripes, www.operationstars.com. "In November, we start sending new pre-lit 3- and 4-foot Christmas trees with all the trimmings to our units that we are supporting."
Those trees come complete with a DVD copy of the original "It's a Wonderful Life," she said. "We try to reach as many as we can to let them know they are not forgotten," Kelly added.
California's Operation Gratitude, www.opgratitude.com, has mastered the art of sending care packages, packing more than 34,000 boxes of goodies in the first four days of its 2007 Holiday Drive, which kicked off Veterans Day weekend. Group officials anticipate packing the 300,000th care package for a deployed servicemember on Dec. 15. That milestone package is expected to arrive on or around Christmas Eve and will contain a special gift for the recipient. "We will be sending 50,000 to 60,000 care packages to deployed troops," said Carolyn Blashek, the group's founder. "We welcome donations of items, letters, funds to pay for postage, and volunteers to help assemble the packages at our facility in Van Nuys, Calif."
Sometimes the best way to support the troops at any time of the year is to support their families back home. During the holidays, this can be especially powerful.
CRVA Charities, Inc.'s annual Toys for the Troops' Kids drive, www.toysforthetroopskids.org, began in 2003 with a goal of providing two toys for every child of a deployed military parent from the Sacramento, Calif. area. A booming success, the program has expanded, said William F. Stein, the group's president. "We will collect 50,000 toys for the kids of deployed troops (to be) distributed in four western states and Hawaii in December," he said.
The Homefront Cares, Inc., www.thehomefrontcares.org, which offers year-round support, will provide between 500 and 1,000 meals to families at Fort Carson, Colo.
Other organizations, like Our Military Kids, www.ourmilitarykids.org, operate year round, but having strong support during the holidays makes it easier for them to fulfill their missions. Our Military Kids provides grants to children of deployed and severely injured National Guardsman and reservists for enrichment activities and tutoring that nurture and sustain the children during the deployment.
Links to all of these groups and more than 300 others are available on the America Supports You Web site, www.AmericaSupportYou.com. America Supports You is a Defense Department program connecting citizens and corporations with military personnel and their families serving at home and abroad.
Bush Visits Pentagon, Weighs In on Defense Budget Shortfall
By Gerry J. Gilmore
American Forces Press Service
Nov. 29, 2007 - It's of paramount importance to the nation for Congress to provide money to the Pentagon for funding operations in Afghanistan and Iraq, President Bush told reporters at the Pentagon today. "The missions of this department are essential to saving Americans' lives," Bush told reporters after meeting with Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates and other senior defense leaders to discuss the long-term needs of the military and of the need to continue modernization efforts.
The department's missions "are too important to be disrupted or delayed or put at risk," Bush emphasized. He then expressed his frustration that the military has "waited for months" for congressional funding to support overseas operations in Afghanistan and Iraq.
Congress has approved supplemental funding for war operations, but such legislation comes attached with timetables for the withdrawal of U.S. troops from Iraq. Bush has vowed to veto any such legislation that crosses his desk.
Meanwhile, in anticipation of a shortfall of funds to support overseas military operations, Gates has directed that the Army and Marine Corps begin planning to reduce operations at all Army bases by mid-February and all Marine installations by mid-March.
"Pentagon officials have warned Congress that the continued delay in funding our troops will soon begin to have a damaging impact on the operations of this department," Bush said.
The shortfall cannot be alleviated by shifting more money around Pentagon accounts, Bush explained, noting that Congress limits the amount of money that can be transferred.
"No more money can be moved" within DoD, Bush said.
Gates has asked the services, the Army and Marines in particular, to review their spending with an eye to cut installation operational costs. Soldiers and Marines constitute the bulk of U.S. ground troops in Afghanistan and Iraq.
In a memorandum dated Nov. 26, Gen. Richard A. Cody, vice chief of staff of the Army, directed all Army commanders and agency directors to begin planning to curtail operations and related expenses that do not directly support warfighters engaged in the global war on terrorism, according to an Army news release issued yesterday.
In addition, about 200,000 government civilians and contractors could be furloughed in coming months if the required funds aren't provided, senior defense officials have said.
Cody's instructions tell Army commanders and civilian leaders to review all operations and to forward recommendations to cut costs back to him by Dec. 4.
"These are contingency steps that a prudent manager must take," Bush said.
Gates and other senior defense officials "have made a reasoned case to Congress for the funds they need to keep the military running," the president said.
The American people "do not want the government to create needless uncertainty for those defending our country" or uncertainty for servicemembers' families, Bush said.
People also expect the government not to disrupt the U.S. military's efforts in Iraq, which have helped to bring about reduced violence in that country.
"They do not want disputes in Washington to undermine our troops in Iraq, just as they're seeing clear signs of success," Bush said.
He added that U.S. political leaders "have a responsibility to send the right message to the rest of the world."
"Let us tell our enemies that America will do what it takes to defeat them," Bush said. "Let us tell Afghans and Iraqis that we will stand with them as they take the fight to our common enemies.
"Let us tell our men and women in uniform that we will give them what they need to succeed in their missions, without strings and without delay," Bush said.
Bush urged Congress to provide funding needed by the troops before members depart for the holiday recess. He also praised military members for their hard work, courage, sacrifice and dedication to peace.
American Forces Press Service
Nov. 29, 2007 - It's of paramount importance to the nation for Congress to provide money to the Pentagon for funding operations in Afghanistan and Iraq, President Bush told reporters at the Pentagon today. "The missions of this department are essential to saving Americans' lives," Bush told reporters after meeting with Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates and other senior defense leaders to discuss the long-term needs of the military and of the need to continue modernization efforts.
The department's missions "are too important to be disrupted or delayed or put at risk," Bush emphasized. He then expressed his frustration that the military has "waited for months" for congressional funding to support overseas operations in Afghanistan and Iraq.
Congress has approved supplemental funding for war operations, but such legislation comes attached with timetables for the withdrawal of U.S. troops from Iraq. Bush has vowed to veto any such legislation that crosses his desk.
Meanwhile, in anticipation of a shortfall of funds to support overseas military operations, Gates has directed that the Army and Marine Corps begin planning to reduce operations at all Army bases by mid-February and all Marine installations by mid-March.
"Pentagon officials have warned Congress that the continued delay in funding our troops will soon begin to have a damaging impact on the operations of this department," Bush said.
The shortfall cannot be alleviated by shifting more money around Pentagon accounts, Bush explained, noting that Congress limits the amount of money that can be transferred.
"No more money can be moved" within DoD, Bush said.
Gates has asked the services, the Army and Marines in particular, to review their spending with an eye to cut installation operational costs. Soldiers and Marines constitute the bulk of U.S. ground troops in Afghanistan and Iraq.
In a memorandum dated Nov. 26, Gen. Richard A. Cody, vice chief of staff of the Army, directed all Army commanders and agency directors to begin planning to curtail operations and related expenses that do not directly support warfighters engaged in the global war on terrorism, according to an Army news release issued yesterday.
In addition, about 200,000 government civilians and contractors could be furloughed in coming months if the required funds aren't provided, senior defense officials have said.
Cody's instructions tell Army commanders and civilian leaders to review all operations and to forward recommendations to cut costs back to him by Dec. 4.
"These are contingency steps that a prudent manager must take," Bush said.
Gates and other senior defense officials "have made a reasoned case to Congress for the funds they need to keep the military running," the president said.
The American people "do not want the government to create needless uncertainty for those defending our country" or uncertainty for servicemembers' families, Bush said.
People also expect the government not to disrupt the U.S. military's efforts in Iraq, which have helped to bring about reduced violence in that country.
"They do not want disputes in Washington to undermine our troops in Iraq, just as they're seeing clear signs of success," Bush said.
He added that U.S. political leaders "have a responsibility to send the right message to the rest of the world."
"Let us tell our enemies that America will do what it takes to defeat them," Bush said. "Let us tell Afghans and Iraqis that we will stand with them as they take the fight to our common enemies.
"Let us tell our men and women in uniform that we will give them what they need to succeed in their missions, without strings and without delay," Bush said.
Bush urged Congress to provide funding needed by the troops before members depart for the holiday recess. He also praised military members for their hard work, courage, sacrifice and dedication to peace.
England Emphasizes Importance of Internal Checks
By Donna Miles
American Forces Press Service
Nov. 29, 2007 - Deputy Defense Secretary Gordon England donned a Santa hat today to remind Defense Department managers to take the red-suited fellow's lead by checking their lists twice to enforce internal controls within the department. Internal controls are critical as DoD manages a budget of more than $500 billion, not including war costs, England told attendees at the Manager's Internal Control Program and Check-It Campaign Conference at Fort McNair here.
The way the department enforces its internal controls has a direct impact on the men and women in uniform defending the United States and its friends and allies, England said. "We are the people behind the lines, and we make it possible for our men and women who serve on the front lines ... to do their jobs. They count on us every single day. They count on us doing this job, and they count on us doing it right.
"And we know that we do it right when we check it every day," he said.
England pointed to DoD's "Check-It" program, which he kicked off in July 2006, as a key to that goal. The campaign aims to remind everyone throughout DoD of the importance of their jobs to the overall mission and of double-checking themselves to make sure they're doing them right and not cutting corners.
"If you check things, then what should happen will happen," England said in introducing the program. "It's what we want to do every day in the jobs we do."
That has big implications for the military, where "getting it right" is the only real option, he said.
Tina Jonas, DoD's comptroller, said the Check It program is paying off through greater return on investments, hundreds of millions of dollars in savings and governmentwide recognition of the department's accomplishments. "You are the ones who are making it happen," she told the managers.
She noted an 84 percent reduction in self-identified internal control weaknesses since 2001 – from 116 to 19 today. "That's progress," she said.
Jonas also pointed to other measures of this forward momentum. She noted that in 2001, only two DoD entities had achieved a clean audit opinion on their financial statements. By 2006, that number had increased to six. The department's goal is to bring two-thirds of its entities to this standard by fiscal 2009, she said.
England thanked defense managers for the hard work that's brought about this progress and challenged them to get the remaining 19 internal control weaknesses cleared up before he leaves office in 417 days. "I ask for your energy and support," he said. "What you do is vitally important to the Department of Defense."
American Forces Press Service
Nov. 29, 2007 - Deputy Defense Secretary Gordon England donned a Santa hat today to remind Defense Department managers to take the red-suited fellow's lead by checking their lists twice to enforce internal controls within the department. Internal controls are critical as DoD manages a budget of more than $500 billion, not including war costs, England told attendees at the Manager's Internal Control Program and Check-It Campaign Conference at Fort McNair here.
The way the department enforces its internal controls has a direct impact on the men and women in uniform defending the United States and its friends and allies, England said. "We are the people behind the lines, and we make it possible for our men and women who serve on the front lines ... to do their jobs. They count on us every single day. They count on us doing this job, and they count on us doing it right.
"And we know that we do it right when we check it every day," he said.
England pointed to DoD's "Check-It" program, which he kicked off in July 2006, as a key to that goal. The campaign aims to remind everyone throughout DoD of the importance of their jobs to the overall mission and of double-checking themselves to make sure they're doing them right and not cutting corners.
"If you check things, then what should happen will happen," England said in introducing the program. "It's what we want to do every day in the jobs we do."
That has big implications for the military, where "getting it right" is the only real option, he said.
Tina Jonas, DoD's comptroller, said the Check It program is paying off through greater return on investments, hundreds of millions of dollars in savings and governmentwide recognition of the department's accomplishments. "You are the ones who are making it happen," she told the managers.
She noted an 84 percent reduction in self-identified internal control weaknesses since 2001 – from 116 to 19 today. "That's progress," she said.
Jonas also pointed to other measures of this forward momentum. She noted that in 2001, only two DoD entities had achieved a clean audit opinion on their financial statements. By 2006, that number had increased to six. The department's goal is to bring two-thirds of its entities to this standard by fiscal 2009, she said.
England thanked defense managers for the hard work that's brought about this progress and challenged them to get the remaining 19 internal control weaknesses cleared up before he leaves office in 417 days. "I ask for your energy and support," he said. "What you do is vitally important to the Department of Defense."
Army Reservists Support Conference, Gain Experience
By Capt. Steven Alvarez, USASpecial to American Forces Press Service
Nov. 29, 2007 - As the Humvee tumbled side over side, the soldiers inside shouted: "Rollover!" They braced themselves as sand and debris once on the floorboards now fell on them, sprinkling them with dust. After quickly assessing the situation, the soldiers quickly managed to get themselves out of the upside-down vehicle and pulled a wounded comrade out with them.
The unique thing about this rollover is that it didn't happen in Iraq or Afghanistan but inside the Orlando Convention Center, where members of the armed forces, government, defense industry and academia have gathered for the Interservice/Industry Training, Simulation and Education Conference. The conference promotes cooperation between organizations to improve training and education programs and identify common training issues in the development of multiservice programs.
Soldiers from 143rd Sustainment Command (Expeditionary), an Army Reserve command, partnered with the Army's Program Executive Office for Simulation Training and Instrumentation to support the conference since both organizations have their headquarters in Orlando.
PEO STRI provides interoperable training and testing solutions and program management as well as life-cycle support for the Army's advanced training systems. The 143rd ESC commands and controls units, provides logistical planning and support operations and provides combat service support forces capable of supporting full-spectrum logistics.
The partnership enabled soldiers to receive training and provided the defense industry with real soldiers to demonstrate and test emerging technology.
"We want to take advantage of doing some training as well as supporting," Army Sgt. 1st Class Michael Segreaves, of the 143rd, said. "Repetition in demonstrating this stuff has its benefits. Being upside down and extracting yourself from a vehicle -- there are hardly any opportunities to get this type of training; (the conference) provides this opportunity," he said. "Rollover training is a hot item. We know soldiers are getting killed this way," Segreaves said.
The 16 soldiers supporting the conference are from the 143rd and from Florida. All are part-time warrior citizens from the 196th Transportation Company, the 1159th, 194th and the 76th Terminal Supervision Teams. Many of the soldiers supporting the conference have served as transporters in the U.S. Central Command area of responsibility.
"This is really good training," Sgt. Laura Jordan said. Ordinarily she drives a palletized loading system truck with the 196th, but she insisted the Humvee training is still beneficial. "It gives you the idea of what it is really like."
About 100 feet from the rollover simulator, three soldiers were patrolling an Iraqi street. The scenario was simulated on a large color screen as the soldiers moved throughout the warren of streets carrying M-4 rifles at the ready.
Suddenly gunfire erupted, and the team leader shouted, "Sniper!" The soldiers assumed firing positions and opened fire, aiming and shooting their rifles at the screen. As the rifles cracked, rounds bounced off the building where the sniper was perched atop a roof.
"Reloading!" another soldier shouted as he knelt to reload his weapon. The other two kept a steady flow of rounds on the target to protect the soldier as he reloaded. Before he was done, the insurgent was killed.
On an adjacent roof in the simulation, a civilian peeked out at the firefight; one of the soldiers watched him carefully, but did nothing more. Below on the busy streets, villagers scrambled about on the street.
The simulator is an extension of the Army's marksmanship training program, but it introduces the added elements of non-combatants, an urban environment and other soldiers involved in the mission.
"This does help with unit cohesion," Staff Sgt. Scott Zeman, of the 76th TST, said after he and two other soldiers encountered a sniper ambush in the simulator. He also noted that the rifle's recoil was realistic, and his teammates added that not only did the scenario simulator training help prepare them for duty on the frontlines, but it also taught them to communicate with each other during hostile actions.
On the other side of the show hall, Spc. Richard Abreu stood near a driving simulator, waiting at another shot to drive the Stryker simulator. The simulator consists of a vehicle cab, instructor operator system, a visual system, freedom motion system all linked by computer systems.
The instructor selected visual and mechanical scenarios and monitored and scored each driver trainee. The instructor can introduce malfunctions and emergencies in both tactical and nontactical environments. "It feels real -- the movement, especially when off-roading; the bouncing seems so real," Abreu said.
Abreu served as a scout in Operation Iraqi Freedom with 2nd Armored Cavalry Regiment, and said he believes simulators would help those entering vehicular professions. "It would be real good for people just coming into the military," Abreu said. "Giving them something like this to train in would be real good so they're more comfortable," he added.
Army Master Sgt. Daniel Lopez agreed that simulator training for new soldiers would be beneficial. He said he has been involved in rollover accidents and knows the value of simulators firsthand. With simulators, vehicles do not get damaged and, above all, soldiers do not get injured. "It's high-speed," Lopez said.
"I'm going to have these guys coming through it (the simulator) all night," he added about his soldiers.
Lopez said the simulators can indoctrinate soldiers into various conditions without traveling to actual locations. Desert, mountain and snowy environments can all be trained from one location when the simulator is programmed accordingly.
For his first try behind the wheel of the Stryker simulator, Lopez asked his instructor to introduce 100 mph winds into his scenario, as well as snow and hills. "I was trying to drive up a hill and didn't give it enough power, and I started to slide back down the hill," Lopez said smiling. "I also overcorrected with the wind."
(Army Capt. Steven Alvarez is the public affairs officer for 143rd Sustainment Command [Expeditionary], in Orlando, Fla.)
Bush to Visit Pentagon to Discuss Long-Range Plans for Military
By Donna Miles
American Forces Press Service
Nov. 28, 2007 - President Bush is slated to visit the Pentagon tomorrow afternoon to talk with senior leaders about long-term strategic plans for the military, the Pentagon press secretary told reporters today. Bush will meet with the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates, Deputy Secretary Gordon England and other defense and military officials, Geoff Morrell said during a Pentagon briefing. Eric Edelman, undersecretary of defense for policy, also is expected to participate.
The president's last Pentagon visit, on Aug. 31, focused primarily on the status of the Iraq war and the health of the force in light of more than four years of operations there. "This one is expected to take a longer-term, more strategic look at the military," Morrell said.
Among topics expected to top tomorrow's agenda will be "the need for sustained investment in our national defense long after the conflicts in which we are currently engaged have ended," he said.
Bush said in a statement released following the Aug. 31 Pentagon meeting that he had accepted Gates' recommendation to increase the overall strength of the Army and Marines by 92,000 over the next five years. The meeting included discussion about military and civilian coordination, noting that joint civilian and military teams currently are deployed in Afghanistan, the Horn of Africa, the Philippines and Iraq.
Tomorrow's meeting comes days after Gates pressed during a speech in Kansas for the United States to strengthen all elements of its national power -- the "soft" power as well as "hard" military might -- to face challenges in Iraq and Afghanistan and others it will confront in the future. Speaking during a Nov. 26 Landon Lecture speech at Kansas State University, Gates encouraged better funding for the State Department and other non-military U.S. entities so they can serve a broader role working as partners with the military in overseas operations.
Bush's Pentagon visit tomorrow will come on the heels of the Annapolis conference that brought Israeli, Palestinian and other world leaders together to discuss ways to advance peace in the Middle East.
Gates hosted Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak at the Pentagon last night. Barak was in Washington to attend the conference. Morrell told reporters the two defense leaders discussed "a range of issues" of mutual concern, taking advantage of Barak's time in Washington to "sit down face-to-face to discuss those issues."
American Forces Press Service
Nov. 28, 2007 - President Bush is slated to visit the Pentagon tomorrow afternoon to talk with senior leaders about long-term strategic plans for the military, the Pentagon press secretary told reporters today. Bush will meet with the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates, Deputy Secretary Gordon England and other defense and military officials, Geoff Morrell said during a Pentagon briefing. Eric Edelman, undersecretary of defense for policy, also is expected to participate.
The president's last Pentagon visit, on Aug. 31, focused primarily on the status of the Iraq war and the health of the force in light of more than four years of operations there. "This one is expected to take a longer-term, more strategic look at the military," Morrell said.
Among topics expected to top tomorrow's agenda will be "the need for sustained investment in our national defense long after the conflicts in which we are currently engaged have ended," he said.
Bush said in a statement released following the Aug. 31 Pentagon meeting that he had accepted Gates' recommendation to increase the overall strength of the Army and Marines by 92,000 over the next five years. The meeting included discussion about military and civilian coordination, noting that joint civilian and military teams currently are deployed in Afghanistan, the Horn of Africa, the Philippines and Iraq.
Tomorrow's meeting comes days after Gates pressed during a speech in Kansas for the United States to strengthen all elements of its national power -- the "soft" power as well as "hard" military might -- to face challenges in Iraq and Afghanistan and others it will confront in the future. Speaking during a Nov. 26 Landon Lecture speech at Kansas State University, Gates encouraged better funding for the State Department and other non-military U.S. entities so they can serve a broader role working as partners with the military in overseas operations.
Bush's Pentagon visit tomorrow will come on the heels of the Annapolis conference that brought Israeli, Palestinian and other world leaders together to discuss ways to advance peace in the Middle East.
Gates hosted Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak at the Pentagon last night. Barak was in Washington to attend the conference. Morrell told reporters the two defense leaders discussed "a range of issues" of mutual concern, taking advantage of Barak's time in Washington to "sit down face-to-face to discuss those issues."
Wednesday, November 28, 2007
Army Directs Cutbacks in Anticipation of Budget Shortfall
By Gerry J. Gilmore
American Forces Press Service
Nov. 28, 2007 - Army installation commanders worldwide have been directed to plan for spending scale-backs due to an anticipated budget crunch sparked by governmental wrangling over funding for the war on terrorism, according to an Army news release issued today. In a memorandum dated Nov. 26, Gen. Richard A. Cody, vice chief of staff of the Army, directed all Army commanders and agency directors to begin planning to curtail operations and related expenses that do not directly support warfighters engaged in the global war on terrorism, the release stated.
Cody's instructions tell Army commanders and civilian leaders to review all operations and to forward recommendations to cut costs back to him by Dec. 4.
"We are only in the prudent planning phase," Cody said in a statement issued today. The Defense Department has instructed all military services to review operational costs at installations as well as to prepare for possible furloughs of government civilian employees.
"It is an imperative of the senior Army leadership that our Army, especially while at war, understands the budget process, the decisions being made and any potential impacts on the total Army family."
Congress has approved supplemental funding for war operations, but such legislation comes attached with timetables for the withdrawal of U.S. troops from Iraq. President Bush has vowed to veto any such legislation that crosses his desk.
Having received no war-supplemental money since the fiscal year began on Oct. 1, the Army has had to use its budgeted operations and maintenance dollars normally employed to organize, train, equip and field forces, as well as to sustain soldiers and their families, to fund war-related operations and activities, according to the Army news release.
During a visit to Killeen, Texas, Nov. 26, Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates said federal legislators' failure to quickly pass an emergency funding supplemental bill would derail military gains made against insurgents in Iraq and Afghanistan. Army and Marine Corps members constitute the biggest ground presence in both Afghanistan and Iraq.
"Without these funds, Army operations and maintenance funds will be exhausted by mid-February, and similar Marine Corps funds about a month later," Gates told listeners gathered at the municipality's Chamber of Commerce.
"We cannot wait until mid-February to figure out how to deal with consequences of these accounts running dry," Gates said.
Cody has instructed Army installation chiefs and other leaders to be prepared to minimize operational and maintenance-funded activities that are "not required to protect the life, health and safety of occupants of Army installations, or required to maintain assets vital to the national defense."
The Army expects to exhaust all operational and maintenance funds by Feb. 23, even after considering a request from DoD to transfer more than $4 billion from Navy and Air Force personnel accounts and the Army's working capital fund, according to today's Army release.
Per current labor agreements and to provide some predictability to the civilian work force, supervisors would have to start notifying Army civilians of any impending February furloughs by mid-December, according to the Army news release.
During a Nov. 20 Pentagon news conference, DoD spokesman Geoff Morrell told reporters that Gates lamented that Congress hadn't quickly passed the emergency supplemental bill containing nearly $200 billion to fund war operations. In consequence, Morrell said, Gates directed the Army and Marine Corps to begin planning to reduce operations at all Army bases by mid-February and all Marine installations by mid-March.
"At that point, the bases will be all but shut down, able to provide only the most basic safety and security measures for those who reside there," Morrell said.
In addition, the Defense Department will begin notifying about 200,000 civilian employees and contractors "we can no longer afford their services and that, absent additional funding, they will be furloughed or temporarily laid off within a matter of weeks," Morrell told reporters.
The Army's planning actions "are absolutely necessary given the uncertain global war on terror funding," Cody stated in today's Army news release. "We will do everything we can to minimize the turbulence for our soldiers, civilians and their families."
American Forces Press Service
Nov. 28, 2007 - Army installation commanders worldwide have been directed to plan for spending scale-backs due to an anticipated budget crunch sparked by governmental wrangling over funding for the war on terrorism, according to an Army news release issued today. In a memorandum dated Nov. 26, Gen. Richard A. Cody, vice chief of staff of the Army, directed all Army commanders and agency directors to begin planning to curtail operations and related expenses that do not directly support warfighters engaged in the global war on terrorism, the release stated.
Cody's instructions tell Army commanders and civilian leaders to review all operations and to forward recommendations to cut costs back to him by Dec. 4.
"We are only in the prudent planning phase," Cody said in a statement issued today. The Defense Department has instructed all military services to review operational costs at installations as well as to prepare for possible furloughs of government civilian employees.
"It is an imperative of the senior Army leadership that our Army, especially while at war, understands the budget process, the decisions being made and any potential impacts on the total Army family."
Congress has approved supplemental funding for war operations, but such legislation comes attached with timetables for the withdrawal of U.S. troops from Iraq. President Bush has vowed to veto any such legislation that crosses his desk.
Having received no war-supplemental money since the fiscal year began on Oct. 1, the Army has had to use its budgeted operations and maintenance dollars normally employed to organize, train, equip and field forces, as well as to sustain soldiers and their families, to fund war-related operations and activities, according to the Army news release.
During a visit to Killeen, Texas, Nov. 26, Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates said federal legislators' failure to quickly pass an emergency funding supplemental bill would derail military gains made against insurgents in Iraq and Afghanistan. Army and Marine Corps members constitute the biggest ground presence in both Afghanistan and Iraq.
"Without these funds, Army operations and maintenance funds will be exhausted by mid-February, and similar Marine Corps funds about a month later," Gates told listeners gathered at the municipality's Chamber of Commerce.
"We cannot wait until mid-February to figure out how to deal with consequences of these accounts running dry," Gates said.
Cody has instructed Army installation chiefs and other leaders to be prepared to minimize operational and maintenance-funded activities that are "not required to protect the life, health and safety of occupants of Army installations, or required to maintain assets vital to the national defense."
The Army expects to exhaust all operational and maintenance funds by Feb. 23, even after considering a request from DoD to transfer more than $4 billion from Navy and Air Force personnel accounts and the Army's working capital fund, according to today's Army release.
Per current labor agreements and to provide some predictability to the civilian work force, supervisors would have to start notifying Army civilians of any impending February furloughs by mid-December, according to the Army news release.
During a Nov. 20 Pentagon news conference, DoD spokesman Geoff Morrell told reporters that Gates lamented that Congress hadn't quickly passed the emergency supplemental bill containing nearly $200 billion to fund war operations. In consequence, Morrell said, Gates directed the Army and Marine Corps to begin planning to reduce operations at all Army bases by mid-February and all Marine installations by mid-March.
"At that point, the bases will be all but shut down, able to provide only the most basic safety and security measures for those who reside there," Morrell said.
In addition, the Defense Department will begin notifying about 200,000 civilian employees and contractors "we can no longer afford their services and that, absent additional funding, they will be furloughed or temporarily laid off within a matter of weeks," Morrell told reporters.
The Army's planning actions "are absolutely necessary given the uncertain global war on terror funding," Cody stated in today's Army news release. "We will do everything we can to minimize the turbulence for our soldiers, civilians and their families."
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