Africa Partnership Station Aims to Boost Maritime Security

By John J. Kruzel
American Forces Press Service

Jan. 15, 2008 - A multinational crew aboard USS Fort McHenry is cruising port to port in the Gulf of Guinea off Africa's west coast, training African volunteers on bolstering regional security. Roughly halfway through a seven-month mission, the Africa Partnership Station is a U.S.-led response to requests by African nations for military-to-military or civilian-military maritime training, said Navy Vice Adm. Robert T. Moeller, U.S. Africa Command's deputy commander for military operations. AFRICOM is set to become fully functional Oct. 1.

"The concept of the Africa Partnership Station emanates from requests from the Africans themselves to be in a position where they could in fact have established the situational awareness and control over their maritime environment, which they recognized they did not have," the admiral said during an interview at the Pentagon today.

Moeller said the members of the training team -- which comprises U.S. Navy, Coast Guard and interagency members, plus European allies -- are working to increase the professional capabilities and capacity of their African counterparts.

"We're very much interested in working with our African partners on those security matters that are of most concern to them, and how we can work more closely with them in response to their desires, their needs that they themselves have identified," he said.

The admiral said maritime threats to the African continent include piracy, oil smuggling and human trafficking, among others. According to a fact sheet published by Navy Office of Information, 62 piracy attacks were reported in African waters in 2006, illegal oil bunkering in the Niger Delta is a $3 million-per-day industry, and 60-percent of human trafficking occurs in Sub-Saharan Africa.

"Recognizing (these threats) themselves, the Africans have requested that we provide this kind of assistance," Moeller noted.

To date, APS operators have trained more than 600 African sailors from nine countries in various subjects, including leadership, logistics, navigation, small boat handling, port security and martial arts, according to the Navy fact sheet.

In addition to military-to-military training, APS last month donated 15 pallets of food to AIDS patients and orphans in Cameroon. In concert with partners in Ghana, the APS crew used USS Fort McHenry's landing craft to deliver materials to ports at Tema and Sekondi.

The APS visit, designed to support and strengthen regional capabilities in West and Central Africa, is one in a series of activities aimed at building comprehensive maritime security on the African continent. APS is inspired by the belief that effective maritime safety and security will contribute to development, economic prosperity, and security ashore, Moeller said.

"Allowing (African participants) essentially to police and have control over (the maritime) environment leads directly and contributes directly to assure the ability of those countries to develop economically in a very stable way," he said, "because there's a direct relationship between a secure maritime environment and a secure and stable terrestrial environment."

The admiral said that by responding to specific African requests for assistance, and aligning itself with broad international and U.S. objectives, APS's charter reflects the overarching Africa Command mission.

"I think the Africa Partnership Station precisely epitomizes the kind of activities that AFRICOM will be doing with our African partners in the future," he said. "It is all about building the capacity of our African partners to be able to attend to their own security needs."

Home to a large section of the world's population, Africa is a continent of increasingly important strategic interests, Moeller said. It also is the site of humanitarian need, with regard to widespread instances of HIV, AIDS and malaria, and holds natural resources that haven't found their way to the global market, he added.

The Defense Department currently divides responsibility for Africa among three combatant commands: European Command, Pacific Command and Central Command. AFRICOM is a three-pronged defense, diplomatic and economic effort designed to enable U.S. government elements to work in concert with African partners without bureaucratic divisions created by the shared command structure.

The admiral said AFRICOM will begin to assume responsibilities from EUCOM over the coming months. As Oct. 1 approaches, AFRICOM will begin assuming PACOM and CENTCOM responsibilities.

Moeller said the transition from three combatant commands to one is "a work in progress." Members of the commands involved have held planning conferences over last several months to work through the details of how missions, activities, programs and exercises will be shifted into AFRICOM's purview.

Unlike other commands, AFRICOM will be staffed by a large number of State Department and U.S. Agency for International Development members, including a deputy commander of civilian-military operations.

Moeller said Africa Command was conceived by President Bush and the Pentagon as a way to maintain a sole focus on the interests of African partners. The consolidation allows for more responsiveness and effectiveness. Additionally, it recognizes the growing strategic importance in "full spectrum" of strategic issues.

"In rolling all that up into one command," Moeller said, "part of our focus was to think through how we could best support other parts of the U.S. government agencies that conduct activities with our African partners across the continent."

Polish Missile-Defense Site Would Benefit All Europe, Official Says

By Gerry J. Gilmore
American Forces Press Service

Jan. 15, 2008 - A proposed anti-ballistic missile defense site in Poland would benefit all of Europe, a senior Pentagon spokesman said here today. Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates and Polish Defense Minister Bogdan Klich discussed Iraq, missile defense and other issues today during meetings held at the Defense Department's headquarters, Pentagon Press Secretary Geoff Morrell told reporters.

Gates and Klich "had a discussion about a range of issues," Morrell reported, including Polish plans to reduce their forces in Iraq while increasing their troop contribution in Afghanistan. There are now about 900 Polish troops in Iraq and around 1,200 in Afghanistan. News reports say Poland is considering withdrawing its forces from Iraq sometime this year, while sending 400 more troops to Afghanistan.

But Gates and Klich spent most of their time together discussing missile-defense issues, Morrell said. American security experts believe that a missile-defense system should be installed in Eastern Europe, specifically placing an interceptor site in Poland and a related facility in the Czech Republic to counter the threat of a potential ballistic-missile strike from Iran.

A new Polish government was elected in November, and its senior officials have been examining the missile-defense issue, Morrell noted.

"I think we are now at the point where they understand where the previous government has negotiated" on the missile-defense issue, Morrell said of the senior Polish leaders in the new government. "They have some domestic concerns which they are trying to address."

Meanwhile, Defense Department and other U.S. government officials continue to negotiate the missile-defense issue with Poland's government.

The proposed missile-defense program is "of vital importance, not just for us, but really for Europe, and that's the key here," Morrell emphasized. "Putting these interceptors in Poland does far more to benefit Europe and our allies there than it does for us."

The missile-defense issue also involves the Atlantic Alliance, Morrell pointed out. The United States and Poland are NATO members.

"This is an issue for NATO. Deploying interceptors in Poland will provide NATO with the ability to protect itself from a missile threat virtually everybody recognizes exists today," Morrell said.

America Supports You: Virginia Group Stays True to Military History

By Samantha L. Quigley
American Forces Press Service

Jan. 14, 2008 - During the early days of World War II, the Bowler's Victory League completed its first project of purchasing two medical evacuation planes to bring wounded troops home. Some 66 years later, the organization's name is slightly different, but the organization's mission is still very much the same.

"The Bowlers to Veterans Link was founded in 1942 as the Bowler's Victory Legion to support the men returning from the battlefields of Europe," said Elizabeth Montanya, a spokeswoman for the group. "(Since then), BVL has provided the extras not funded by the government to our active-duty and veteran servicemen and women to help brighten their days."

To date, the group has raised nearly $36 million to purchase recreational equipment as well as to support therapeutic programs and services, she said.

"Currently, among (the organization's) many efforts, we are sending portable carpet bowling lanes and equipment to men and women on active duty in Iraq and Afghanistan, as well as hundreds of other locales around the globe," Montanya said. "The (kit), packaged in a nylon carrying bag, can be set up in a few minutes' time, whenever a break in the schedule permits."

The kits include a 26-foot-long red, white and blue carpet bowling lane, a 5-pound rubberized bowling ball, and lightweight plastic bowling pins. More than 500 kits already have been shipped, Montanya said.

Stateside, Bowlers to Veterans Link also offers tickets to museum and theater performances, and supports gardening and pet therapy programs.

It also is a longtime sponsor of four major recreation events each year that affect thousands of veterans -- the Golden Age Games, the Winter Sports Clinic, the Creative Arts Festival and the Wheelchair Games, according to the group's Web site.

Bowlers to Veterans Link is a supporter of America Supports You, a Defense Department program connecting citizens and corporations with military personnel and their families serving at home and abroad.

The affiliation holds promise for the group on several fronts. "We are looking forward to getting a better handle on other programs that are under way and to perhaps find partners to continue our efforts and, subsequently, expand programming," Montanya said.

Face of Defense: Family Bonds Keep Network Controller Going

By Pfc. Samantha Schutz, USA
Special to American Forces Press Service

Jan. 14, 2008 - As the Army's 4th Infantry Division settles into its recently assumed control of Multinational Division Baghdad, the Ironhorse credo -- "Mission, Soldier, Family, Team" -- remains a strong influence in the unit's everyday flow. For Army Sgt. 1st Class Anthony Rende, a native of Ilion, N.Y., and a network controller with Company C, Special Troops Battalion, being a deployed soldier on the Ivy team is an easy task as long as he knows his mission and has the support of his family.

Rende monitors communication links between the headquarters and its brigades. If a communication link stops working, he must act quickly to coordinate with the brigade and troubleshoot the problem. Communication is crucial, since other Multinational Division Baghdad troops are constantly patrolling various streets throughout Baghdad.

Ensuring continuous communication is an around-the-clock mission, so it is divided into day and night shifts. Rende tends his duties at night, while his family members back in the United States go about their day.

At his work station, Rende's computer wallpaper is a collage of family photos: pictures of himself with his girlfriend, Lisa; his two daughters, Katelyn, 12, and Renae, 9; and Lisa's children, Alan, 13, Ramon, 8, and Brianna, 3.

"They're the ones who keep me going," Rende said. "Sometimes it seems like my kids are there for me more than I am for them."

From the time he enlisted in the Army 12 years ago, Rende has been stationed in and deployed to countries all over the world, including Germany, Croatia and Macedonia. This particular deployment has been the most challenging, he said, because his children are beginning to understand the meaning of his absence.

"They're growing up," said Rende. "I hadn't even been here a month yet when Katelyn sent me a message on the Internet saying, 'Daddy, I had my first boyfriend. We broke up already. I don't like boys anymore because they don't know what they want.' She's just not my little girl anymore."

When Rende is relieved of his shift in the morning, the first thing he does when he gets back to his trailer is log on to the Internet so he can communicate with his family via e-mail and instant messaging programs.

Also, Rende said, he stays in touch with friends from all over the world who he met on an online program called PalTalk, on which he hosts his own Internet radio show. Because of his tendency to make bogus phone calls during the program, he earned the moniker "The Crank Caller" and a fan base to go with it.

"The Internet here is too slow for me to do the show, but all my friends support me and can't wait for me to come back," Rende said.

Although being away from his family and friends is difficult, Rende said, he tries to take advantage of the time he has to himself. He is pursuing an associate's degree in applied science and technology by taking online courses through Excelsior College.
"It's important to keep your education going," he said, adding that he advises young soldiers to take advantage of any kind of college or correspondence courses they can while they're deployed.

Rende also tells his fellow deployed soldiers not to get complacent. Some soldiers who work in support of a division are not constantly in the line of fire, but that doesn't mean the danger is gone, he explained. Rende said he also reminds fellow soldiers to stay in good physical condition. He said he's seen people gain 30 to 40 pounds during a deployment because physical training isn't always scheduled into their day.

"But of course, family is the most important thing. Don't shut your family out; have them help push you through," Rende said. "I wear this uniform for my family."

When he and the rest of the Ivy team complete their mission in Iraq, Rende will be eager to enjoy a day of putt-putt golfing and a night of movies with his family, he said. Until then, he said, he continues to always place the mission first.

(Army Pfc. Samantha Schutz serves with 4th Infantry Division Public Affairs.)

Joint Forces Command Exercise Trains Next Horn of Africa Task Force Leaders

By Donna Miles
American Forces Press Service

Jan. 14, 2008 - Leaders preparing to deploy to Djibouti as the next headquarters staff at Combined Joint Task Force Horn of Africa are wrapping up a week-long exercise to prepare them for the challenges they'll face. The mission rehearsal exercise is under way at U.S. Joint Forces Command's Joint Warfighting Center in Suffolk, Va. Navy Rear Adm. Philip H. Green Jr., slated to take command of CJTF-HOA next month, called the exercise a welcome opportunity for him and his staff to work together as a team confronting realistic scenarios.

The task force's mission is to prevent conflict, promote regional stability and protect coalition interests in East Africa and Yemen. Green pointed to "three pillars" of the operational environment in Africa – defense, diplomacy and development – and said they work hand in hand in furthering the task force's efforts.

"The three pillars are all served through military-to-military training engagements, cooperation efforts, (and) civil affairs programs there that add to our ability to build trust and confidence, develop capacity and capability and help forge ... relationships and partnerships with our African friends," he said.

"In the end, our efforts ... increase their security, improve stability and enable sovereignty for our African partners," he explained. "By doing that, we will make them contributors to the security environment, and we will also hopefully assist and facilitate their own economic and social development that helps to improve the lives of the people that are there."

Green called the training Joint Forces Command provides, particularly its use of best practices and lessons learned in training scenarios, as key to the task force's success.

Subject-matter experts from U.S. Central Command and several other government organizations, including the State Department and U.S. Agency for International Development, are participating in the mission rehearsal exercise.

Army Maj. Gen. Jason K. Kamiya, commander of the Joint Warfighting Center and JFCOM's joint training director, called the exercise another milestone in a training continuum that began in October with briefings about the Horn of Africa, its culture, ethnic makeup and embassy operations in the region, he explained.

In December, the JFCOM staff began focusing the new headquarters staff on staff functional training, from how the operations directorate would work, to how civil-military operations coordinate with other efforts, to the combined joint task force's working relationship with embassy staffs.

Much of the emphasis has been on the interagency nature of the mission in Africa, and the importance of drawing on more than just military capabilities to carry it out, Kamiya said.

More than 250 people, including representatives from Djibouti, Republic of Mauritius, United Kingdom and France, are participating in the mission rehearsal exercise that continues through Jan. 17. The training will continue after the task force deploys, with JFCOM trainers working with the new headquarters staff in the theater to improve their effectiveness and garner lessons for future task force headquarters to build on, Kamiya explained.

Green said he's excited by the challenges the upcoming mission presents.

"For my staff and me, the focus is developing friendships and forging partnerships with our African friends," he said. "We are there because they want us there, and we are in the business of helping them solve African challenges.

"In the end," he continued, "it's about solving African problems, and how we contribute to their efforts and their capacity and capability to do that is a very important role we play."

Defining Terrorism: A Difference of Opinion

In order to successfully combat terrorism around the world, there must be a universal method of identifying potential terrorists or terrorist organizations. In order to accomplish this task, nations must come to an agreement on an objective definition of the word terrorism. Unfortunately, many nations around the world define terrorism differently. The lack of a common definition of terrorism may allow one nation to identify an organization as terrorist group, while another nation identifies the same organization as a legitimate group. This is often referred to as, "one man's terrorist is another man's freedom fighter."

READ ON
http://www.police-writers.com/defining_terrorism_difference_opinion.html

Sensors May Lead to Faster Treatment for Traumatic Brain Injuries

By Fred W. Baker III
American Forces Press Service

Jan. 14, 2008 - While it still may be years away, military medical officials hope to one day place a sensor on every troop that would measure a blast's impact and alert a combat medic to the possibility of a brain injury. The latest fielding of helmets fitted with blast sensors to troops deploying to combat could be the first step to gathering the data to support that technology, Michael J. Leggieri Jr., deputy coordinator for DoD's Blast Injury Research Program Coordinating Office, said.

Brigades from the 101st Airborne and the 4th Infantry divisions will wear helmets fitted with sensors throughout their deployments to Afghanistan and Iraq, respectively. The sensors will record routine impact data, as well as any blasts, or "events," to which the soldiers are exposed.

Leggieri is quick to point out that at this stage, however, the data will not be used in diagnosing or treating soldiers. Still in its infancy, the technology's first hurtle will be to prove that a sensor reading can be matched to an event, he said.

"We need to figure out if we can actually, with some confidence, say that 'Yes, these data are representative of an ... event.' We don't know that yet," he explained.

The sensor data will be recorded along with other operational data that is typically gathered after an event such as a bomb explosion. That data is entered into an intelligence database with the National Ground Intelligence Center that already is in use in the field. At the same time, if an injury occurred, patient data is recorded in a trauma registry also already in place.

The two databases are kept separate, Leggieri said.

"These helmet sensors, they are not medical devices. The data that they record are not medical data. So you can't take, and we won't allow anyone to take, the raw sensor data and make any kinds of decisions about medical treatment, or injuries or anything else," Leggieri said.

After the blast data is studied, and officials determine that it is reliable, they will then go back and match the event data with injury data. The medical community has access to the data through the Joint Trauma Analysis and Prevention of Injury in Combat Program. Officials want to see if they can make a connection between what is seen on the sensor reading and any resulting injury. This will help them to begin "unraveling" some of the causes of brain injury, Leggieri said.

"We know that if you hit your head against something, or if something hits your head, that you can get a brain injury. But the mechanism, at the cellular level -- how does that happen? There are still a lot of unknowns there," Leggieri said.

For example, Leggieri said that despite reports that exposure to a blast – or primary blast overpressure – can cause mild traumatic brain injury, there are no definitive studies to show that link.

"We don't know, in fact, if being exposed to primary blast overpressure can cause a mild traumatic brain injury. And, if it can cause a mild traumatic brain injury, we don't know what that mechanism would be," he said.

The specific cause of the injury, or the mechanism, is used to develop protection strategies and to design diagnostic tools and treatments.

Within the next year, if the data proves reliable, the impact data may be used as an "event monitor," Leggieri said. Similar devices are used in football players' helmets, where a particularly hard hit would signal a doctor's need for review. Combat leaders on the ground could use the data to refer the servicemember to medical officials who would then use diagnostic tools to determine if an injury occurred.

But, first things first, Leggieri said. What makes this project valuable, he explained, is that researchers will be able to gather actual impact data from soldiers in combat, as opposed to research conducted in a laboratory.

"Right now we are getting an understanding of what happens out there – what kinds of impacts are the soldiers seeing – trying to understand that first, and then linking it to resulting injuries," he said.

Currently, data collection from only these two deployments is planned.

The sensor model fielded to 101st Airborne Division attaches to the back of the advanced combat helmet. It weights about 6 ounces and has enough memory to store data on 527 events. An internally mounted model will be fielded to the 4th Infantry Division. The sensor sits under the padding in the crown of the helmet. To harvest information from either sensor type, a soldier simply connects it to a computer using a USB port, hits "save" and sends the data to a secure database.

National Security Archive Update, January 14, 2008

In 1974 Estimate, CIA Found that Israel Already Had a Nuclear Stockpile and that "Many Countries" Would Soon Have Nuclear Capabilities

Washington DC, January 14, 2008 - In the wake of the Indian "peaceful nuclear explosion" on May 17, 1974 and growing concern about the spread of nuclear weapons capabilities, the U.S. intelligence community prepared a Special National Intelligence Assessment, "Prospects for Further Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons," published today by the National Security Archive.

The 1974 Indian test created shock waves in the U.S. government, not only because of its broader implications, but because the intelligence community had failed to detect that it was imminent (This failure led to an intelligence post-mortem.) The possibility that the Indian test might lead to a nuclear arms race in South Asia and create new pressures for nuclear proliferation elsewhere induced the U.S. government, which under Secretary of State Henry Kissinger had treated this problem as a lower-level issue, to begin viewing developing policies to curb proliferation as a higher priority.

That the SNIE estimated that "many countries" would have the economic and technological capability to produce nuclear weapons by the 1980s underlined the seriousness of the problem, as did another statement: "Terrorists might attempt theft of either weapons or fissionable materials." Noting that there were over 50,000 nuclear weapons in the world, the report observed that "absolute assurance about future security is impossible."

The CIA released the 1974 SNIE in response to a FOIA request by National Security Archive senior fellow Jeffrey Richelson, author of Spying on the Bomb: American Nuclear Intelligence from Nazi Germany to Iran and North Korea (New York: W.W. Norton,2006). Quicker than usual, the CIA posted the SNIE on its Web site before the National Security Archive published the document. In response to the CIA posting, the estimate has already received some play in the U.S. and Israeli press, as well as on www.armscontrolwonk.com. Interestingly, twenty years ago, the CIA released an excised version of the "Summary and Conclusions" of this document in response to a FOIA request by the Natural Resources Defense Council. It became the subject of a front-page story in The New York Times on 26 January 1978, under the headline, "C.I.A. Said in 1974 Israel had A-Bombs." In response to press queries, the CIA stated that the release was a mistake because it included some classified details.

Visit the Web site of the National Security Archive for more information about today's posting.

http://www.nsarchive.org

America Supports You: Foundation Offers Military Families Financial Help

By Samantha L. Quigley
American Forces Press Service

Jan. 11, 2008 - Servicemembers on extended deployments can rest easier knowing that if their family experiences an unexpected financial emergency, help is available. The American Soldier Foundation was created to assist servicemembers on extended duty and their families, Daniel Wright, the organization's president, said. Assistance also can extend to families of those killed in the line of duty.

"We believe that the lives of the men and women keeping our country safe should not be any harder than they have to be," Wright said. "The foundation can provide grants or interest-free loans for medical expenses, education, funeral expenses, marriage counseling, financial planning and a wide variety of other services."

Through its Web site, the organization also offers resources for education, family life, employment and personal finance. Military families can get advice on whether to buy or rent a home, check current mortgage rates or even determine how much a skill set is worth in different job markets.

The American Soldier Foundation recently became a supporter of America Supports You, a Defense Department program connecting citizens and corporations with military personnel and their families serving at home and abroad.

"I think the (affiliation) with America Supports You will provide a lot of exposure for a cause that can never be paid too much attention," Wright said. "There is no more valiant, heroic and, regrettably, too often a thankless job in this world than a (servicemember) in the United States military.

"It is because of these individuals that the rest of us can go to work, raise our families, and keep this country," he added.

Guard Won't Hold Recruits to Contracts if Bonuses Aren't Authorized

By Donna Miles
American Forces Press Service

Jan. 11, 2008 - Emphasizing that they expect a defense authorization act eventually to pass into law, Army officials indicated yesterday that National Guard recruits who enlist before it does won't be held to their contracts if the law doesn't provide the recruiting bonuses they're expecting. Army Secretary Pete Geren said he's confident the legislation will come, and that the Army will be able to offer the enlistment and re-enlistment incentives it relies on to attract and keep quality soldiers.

"I just can't imagine that we are not going to end up with an authorization bill at some point," he said adding that he believes Congress will make it retroactive to include the interim period before it takes effect. "I don't know how they'll get to the end game, but they will end up working it out."

The Fiscal 2008 National Defense Authorization Act, which authorizes enlistment, re-enlistment and a variety of other special and incentive pays, is the focus of a standoff between Congress and the administration. President Bush announced Dec. 28 that he won't sign the bill until Congress revises some of its provisions regarding Iraq.

As a result, recruiters find themselves having to tell prospective recruits they may be able to offer enlistment bonuses, but can't make any promises. So recruits end up signing contingency contracts that acknowledge they could feasibly get no bonus.

In the unlikely event that Congress doesn't pass the legislation or doesn't make it retroactive to cover the interim period, the Army National Guard director said yesterday that the National Guard will make good on its commitments to troops now enlisting.

Army Lt. Gen. Clyde Vaughn said the Guard counts on the trust it has built in communities around the country. He indicated that if recruits sign up expecting an enlistment bonus and don't get it, they won't be required to continue serving.

State adjutants general and governors are responsible for National Guard recruiting in their states and have a lot of leeway in ensuring they keep their promises to their troops, Vaughn said.

"There is no adjutant general that will hold them responsible for something that we told them that didn't happen," Vaughn said. "They have a lot of flexibility to turn around and let them go if they renege on a promise. Some organizations can't do that."
Defense officials have expressed concern that the impasse over the Defense Authorization Act will hurt recruiting. "That can have a chilling impact on the propensity of a person to sign one of those contracts," said Bill Carr, deputy undersecretary of defense for military personnel policy. "That might affect their willingness to enter into a contract that conditionally promises a bonus."

Officials are hopeful the delay doesn't reverse positive momentum on the recruiting front. Defense Department officials announced yesterday that all four services met or surpassed their monthly active-duty recruiting goals for December, before authority for bonus payments expired Dec. 31.

The Army recruited 789 active-duty soldiers last month, 105 percent of its December goal. On the reserve-component side, the Army National Guard recruited 4,985 members, 120 percent of its goal, and the Army Reserve, 3,280 soldiers, 107 percent of its goal.

Geren conceded yesterday that the authorization act delay poses yet another challenge to recruiters who work to attract high-quality men and women into a wartime force with a clear recognition that they're likely to deploy into combat. Adding to the challenge is the fact that the Army is increasing its end strength.

Despite these challenges, Geren expressed confidence the Army can overcome them and continue to meet its recruiting goals. "This will be a tough year; last year was a tough year," he said. "We are confident we will meet our goals this year, but I am also confident it won't come without a lot of work by a lot of folks."

While the authorization act situation also affects re-enlistments, Carr said, the impact isn't expected to be as big, or as immediate, as with recruiting bonuses. He said that's because many people already in the military have seen similar situations before -- in 1993, 1996 and most recently in 2006 -- and understand it's probably just a temporary hiccup.

"It has happened before, and Congress in the past has always gone back and made whole any circumstances that occurred during the lapse in authority," he said.

Carr said he's "guardedly optimistic" that Congress will do the same this year and make bonus payments in the authorization act retroactive to Jan. 1, and he's hopeful the situation will be resolved soon.

"The department is concerned whenever we throw a curve at those serving or at those who might choose to serve," he said. "When we upset the plans and the momentum you have in force, that is not good."

Another downside of the authorization act impasse is its impact on servicemembers' paychecks. The 2008 Defense Authorization Act had called for a 3.5 percent pay raise for military members. Bush authorized a 3 percent raise -- an amount based on an economic index – that took effect Jan. 1 until the authorization act passes into law, when the 3.5 percent figure takes effect. Carr said he hopes Congress will approve making the 3.5 percent hike retroactive to Jan. 1, as it has in the past.

Why We Serve: Army Major Wants to Share Her Success Story

By Gerry J. Gilmore
American Forces Press Service

Jan. 11, 2008 - Army Maj. Lisa L. Carter, a two-time Iraq veteran, wants to share her life's success story with the American public. Carter recalled her days as a single mother working at a post office in Atlanta while caring for her 2-year-old daughter a few years after her 1984 graduation from Fulton High School there.

"I met a lot of retired military personnel" at the post office, Carter said, noting the veterans encouraged her to join the Army Reserve as a way to improve her life.

Today, Carter is an active-duty Army officer. She also is among 12 servicemembers participating in the sixth quarterly iteration of the Defense Department's "Why We Serve" public-outreach program. Carter will tell her story to community, business and veterans group audiences, and at other gatherings.

Carter said she enjoys her career as an Army officer and wants the public to know military people have the same dreams and aspirations as their civilian counterparts. "We are human beings just as they are," Carter observed.

And although wartime deployments may be hard on servicemembers' personal lives, military members remain dedicated to their pledge to defend the nation, she said.

"It is stressful to be deployed. It is stressful to be away from your family. But servicemembers know that this is their job and responsibility -- to serve," Carter said.

Following the advice of her post office co-workers, Carter enlisted in the Army Reserve in 1987 as an administrative specialist. During her initial training at Fort Jackson, S.C., she said, she experienced a revelation that jolted her mind.

"I saw a black female officer," Carter recalled. "I looked at her and thought: 'If she can do it, surely I can do it.'"

Then and there, Carter set a personal goal to obtain a college degree and a commission. In 1996, she graduated from Georgia State University with a bachelor's degree in social work and earned an Army lieutenant's gold bars through the school's ROTC program.

Her quest to obtain a degree and a commission as a single parent "was a long process," Carter acknowledged, citing the effort and time required to balance work, school, and caring for her daughter.

In 1997, Carter, then a junior Quartermaster Corps officer, took her daughter along on a three-year duty tour in Hanau, Germany. "It was a great experience," Carter said of her service in Germany, noting her daughter learned German while overseas.

In the spring of 2003, Carter was a captain and the commander of a maintenance company in Iraq that supported a Patriot missile unit during Operation Iraqi Freedom. She earned the Bronze Star Medal for her wartime service.

Carter said all commanders carry responsibility not only in wartime, but also during periods of peace.

"I came to understand the importance of making sure that you take care of soldiers, because the family members depend on you as a leader to bring their son or daughter or husband or wife back all in one piece, and that is a great responsibility upon one individual's shoulders," she said.

Carter, whose maiden name is Weems, said she enriched her personal life when she married a fellow Army officer about three years ago.

In November 2007, Carter deployed to Iraq for a second time, but that tour was cut short due to her selection to participate in the Why We Serve program. By this time, she was an Acquisition Corps officer specializing in the management of unmanned sensors used for reconnaissance and targeting purposes in the Iraq and Afghanistan theaters of operation.

The Why We Serve program provides unfiltered communication between military members engaged in the war on terrorism and the American public, Carter said. The program, she added, features servicemembers' thoughts and viewpoints on military life, she noted.

Carter intends to convey a key personal message at each of her Why We Serve speaking appearances: "I wear this uniform and I enjoy doing what I'm doing," she declared.

Pacific Commander to Visit China to Bolster Communication, Cooperation

By Donna Miles
American Forces Press Service

Jan. 11, 2008 - The top U.S. military officer in the Pacific is slated to travel to China to help bolster the two countries' military relationship and iron out issues, including those over China's recent port denials to U.S. Navy ships. Navy Adm. Timothy J. Keating, commander of U.S. Pacific Command, will leave his Honolulu headquarters tomorrow for the four-day visit, his second visit to China since taking command in March. James Shinn, sworn in yesterday as the new assistant secretary of defense for Asian and Pacific affairs, will join Keating on the trip.

While in China, Keating is slated to meet with senior officials from the Central Military Commission, the Chinese People's Liberation Army, Guangzhou Military Area Command and the Foreign Affairs Ministry.

The trip also will include stops in Shanghai, China's financial hub, and Guangzhou, where Keating will visit Chinese army bases and hold a seminar with Chinese military officials, the Chinese National Defense Ministry announced.

Keating said he hopes build on groundwork laid during his visit to China in May to strengthen Sino-U.S. military ties.

The visit follows Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates' visit with Chinese leaders in early November and the U.S.-Peoples' Republic of China annual defense consultative talks, led by Undersecretary of Defense for Policy Eric S. Edelman, in early December.

"This trip is an opportunity to meet with key leaders and build relationships that will ultimately ensure greater cooperation and collaboration across the spectrum of military-to-military relations," Keating said.

Keating said his goal is to develop and enhance a constructive relationship through increased military-to-military engagement. "We will work with our Chinese counterparts to increase understanding between our militaries, encourage cooperation on mutual security concerns, capitalize on gains we have realized and reduce chances for miscalculation."

Discussions are expected to include China's denial of a Thanksgiving port call to Hong Kong by U.S. aircraft carrier Kitty Hawk battle group, and an earlier denial to U.S. minesweepers seeking refuge from a brewing storm.

Keating told Pentagon reporters days after the Kitty Hawk incident that he's concerned by the port visit denials, calling them "perplexing and troublesome," particularly when hundreds of the sailors' family members had flown from Japan to spend the holiday with their loved ones.

By the time China reversed its decision, the U.S. ships had already turned around. "It was too late by then," Keating told reporters.

The incident came on the heels of what the admiral called an even more troublesome situation: China's refusal to admit two U.S. minesweepers into Hong Kong to seek refuge from a brewing storm.

The Patriot and Guardian were operating in international waters when fierce weather conditions drove them to seek shelter in Hong Kong, Keating said. China refused their request, forcing them to get refueled at sea so they could return to their homeport in Sasebo, Japan.

China's denial of their request violated "an unwritten rule among seamen that if someone is in need, regardless of genus, phylum or species, you let them come in -- you give them safe harbor," Keating said.

A senior defense official said this week on background that the misunderstanding that led to the port visit denials signals the potential for much more serious misunderstandings in the future that could have strategic consequences if not cleared up now.

"The whole experience showed us that we have a lot to do to better understand what the Chinese are doing and to help the Chinese understand our position on things," he said.

The bottom line, Keating told reporters in November, is that solid communication between the United States and China will help reduce the potential for misunderstanding. This will leave "less room for confusion that could lead to confrontation, to crisis," he said.

"That's our goal," he said. "To get there, we reduce the chance for misunderstanding."

In addition to discussing the decision-making process within the Chinese military and explaining the United States' own process, Keating will push for more and larger U.S.-Sino exercises and exchanges.

China recently turned down an invitation to participate as an observer in the Rim of the Pacific naval exercise this summer in Hawaii. Russia announced that it will be a first-time participant in the multinational exercise that takes place every other year in the waters off Oahu and Kauai.

All Active Services Meet December Recruiting Goals

By Donna Miles
American Forces Press Service

Jan. 10, 2008 - All four services met or surpassed their monthly active-duty recruiting goals for December, and five of the six reserve components showing similar success, Defense Department officials announced today. The Army recruited 789 active-duty soldiers last month, 105 percent of its December goal. On the reserve-component side, the Army National Guard recruited 4,985 members, 120 percent of its goal, and the Army Reserve, 3,280 soldiers, 107 percent of its goal.

The Marine Corps recruited 1,992 active-duty Marines, 115 percent of its goal, and met its goal of recruiting 410 Marine Corps reservists.

The Air Force met its December goal of recruiting 1,772 active-duty airmen and 561 Air Force Reserve members. The Air National Guard achieved 96 percent of its goal, recruiting 624 members.

The Navy met its goals of recruiting 1,891 active-duty sailors and 682 Navy reservists.

Army Secretary Pete Geren conceded today that the Army has faced a "tough recruiting market for awhile," but said he's confident the Army will continue to meet its recruiting goals. He noted that last year alone, the Army recruited 175,000 people -- the size of the entire Marine Corps -- into its active force and the National Guard and Army Reserve.

"This will be a tough year; last year was a tough year," he said. "We are confident we will meet our goals this year, but I am also confident it won't come without a lot of work by a lot of folks."

Army Lt. Gen. Clyde Vaughn, director of the Army National Guard, expressed even more confidence today in the Guard's ability to maintain the current momentum. "I'm on record right now that all I've got to do is get out of bed every morning and have a cup of coffee, and we are going to be over strength this year," he said. "That's the kind of machine that's running right now, and it has a lot to do with pride in the force."

Ultimately, the Army's recruiting successes boil down to Americans' willingness to serve, Geren said. "At the end of the day, what makes the difference is there are young men and women out there that, despite the challenges, are willing to step up and join the Army," he said.

U.S., U.K. Monitor Possible Untested Blood Recipients

By Fred W. Baker III
American Forces Press Service

Jan. 10, 2008 - U.S. and British officials are monitoring less than 20 British soldiers who may have received U.S. blood or blood products since 2001 that did not meet U.S. testing standards. "The United Kingdom service personnel who received the U.S. blood or blood products were in emergency medical situations on military operations," Pentagon spokesman Bryan Whitman said. "Under the circumstances, an emergency blood transfusion was the only way of saving the lives of gravely wounded U.K. personnel."

In some combat operations, fresh whole blood and platelets were collected and transfused in the field to meet demands of multiple, severe trauma cases, he said. Those blood products were not tested in the field by U.S. Food and Drug Administration standards due to the need for rapid, life-saving transfusions.

"In a few cases, emergency blood collections are used to save lives in battlefield hospitals when platelets or fresh whole blood is required to stop massive hemorrhage," Whitman said. "These short-shelf-life blood components must come from donations collected as close as possible to the point of need and are as safe as possible within the time available.

"For the trauma surgeons, it is a matter of risk versus benefit," he said.

Most patients in U.S. forward-deployed military hospitals receive blood collected elsewhere in U.S. Food and Drug Administration-licensed blood donor centers where blood is screened and tested accordingly. That blood is then shipped overseas.

"U.S. blood is as safe as possible in emergency situations," Whitman said. "The U.K and U.S. cooperate closely in developing world-class, lifesaving combat medical care

America Supports You: Country Musician Comes by Patriotism Naturally

By Samantha L. Quigley
American Forces Press Service

Jan. 10, 2008 - Growing up as part of a military family, country music star Aaron Tippin learned a crucial lesson early in life: Freedom isn't free. "That might be a corny old saying, but you know what?" he asked. "It is still true. Freedom is not free."

Tippin, who was in Washington for some publicity appearances, said his father, Willis, served in the military. The senior Tippin always was deeply patriotic, even after he left the service, his son added.

"That really bled into me," he said. "So I have a great appreciation for my freedom and have a deep understanding that (servicemembers) are the people that are directly responsible for it."

The musician has expressed that appreciation many times through his music. One of his first hit songs, the 1991 single "You've Got to Stand for Something," earned him a spot entertaining the troops with comedian Bob Hope in the Persian Gulf region.

Since then, Tippin has entertained the troops numerous times, including the past three Thanksgiving holidays. Each visit gives him new perspective and renews his admiration for those serving the United States, he said.

What strikes him most is the progress being made and the troops' role in that growth. One Iraqi boy in particular made it clear that U.S. troops are making a difference during Tippin's 2007 trip.

After suffering serious facial injuries in a roadside bombing, the boy had undergone many surgeries and was still in the hospital recovering. He caught Tippin's attention as the singer visited the hospital, which just two years before had been filled with wounded American troops.

Tippin autographed a picture for the boy while a translator explained who the singer was and what he was doing.

"He got up off his little mat and he came over to me and he took the picture," the singer said. "He looked up at me and then looked at it again, and he walked over and gave me a great big hug and a kiss.

"That floored me," Tippin added.

The child's simple act was powerful enough, but it was more than just simple human emotion to Tippin.

"What I realized (through) the touch of that child (is), our troops know how to be great soldiers, great Marines, great airmen, great sailors," he said. "They do battle the way it should be done, and that was just so inspiring.

"If that would have been our enemy (that found the boy), they'd have left that little kid to die right there in the street," Tippin added.

The Nashville-based musician doesn't have to be oceans from home to be "wowed" by the troops, though. He frequently plays for military audiences in the states as well.

He considers it his reward when, while meeting fans at the end of a show, a servicemember shows him a photo from an overseas performance. It never fails that the photo strikes a familiar chord.

"It's me and them on the battlefield," Tippin said. "That's a cool moment because ... I've been waiting for the chance to see them here in our country and go, 'Thanks, Man. Glad to see you're home. Glad to see you're safe. Thanks so much; (we) appreciate what you do for us.'"

Tippin's overseas appearances are organized through Stars for Stripes, a nonprofit entertainment organization, and a supporter of the Defense Department's America Supports You program.

The DoD program connects citizens and corporations with military personnel and their families serving at home and abroad.

'Active First' Program Shows Promise in Army Recruiting

By Donna Miles
American Forces Press Service

Jan. 10, 2008 - Army Secretary Pete Geren is crediting a new National Guard program that brings new recruits into the active Army with a commitment to finish up their tours in the Guard or Reserve as an example of innovative initiatives that are helping maintain the force. More than 500 recruits enlisted in the "Active First" program since its kick-off Oct. 1. Army Lt. Gen. Clyde A. Vaughn, director of the Army Guard, said he has no doubt the program will live up to Geren's 1,600-recruit goal for fiscal 2008.

"Sixteen hundred is not going to be hard, not at all," Vaughn said.

Geren called the program a partnership that "shows our Army is truly one Army" and is helping the Army keep its ranks filled with quality recruits. That's particularly important, he said, as the Army increases its active-force end strength by .2 percent by the end of 2010.

"We're on track to meet that goal, and if our trends continue, we may well exceed it. Certainly we are on track to meet it," he said. "Active First deserves growing credit for our ability to meet that goal.

"This partnership is bearing great fruit for the total Army," he added.

The Active First program has three phases. Recruits first join their hometown National Guard unit, which prepares them for the second phase: basic training and an active Army tour. After finishing out their active-duty commitments, the soldiers return to the National Guard to resume their eight-year military obligation.

Vaugh acknowledged that some Active First recruits ultimately may decide to stay on active duty rather than returning to the Guard. "Do we care if they stay on active duty? No. That's a great thing for the nation," he said.

Those Active First troops who finish out their commitments in the Guard will be welcomed additions to their Guard units because they can hit the ground running without immediately having to be sent off for training, Vaughn said. "They come back from a professional development tour in the active duty and they become valued and treasured members of that organization," he said. "So when we look at this thing and say, 'Is this a win?' it is a big win."

Officials say the program's strength is that it draws on the National Guard's close ties in the communities to draw troops into the force. "The Guard has strong contacts in the community all over America, and it is these contacts and the trust that the communities of America have in Guardsmen that enabled this program to get off the ground with such great strength," Geren said.

Troops who enlist through the program get the benefit of being mentored in their hometowns to ensure they're prepared for basic training, Vaughn said. They go to the firing ranges with their units and get exposed to a variety of military training activities. "We try to get every experience to them before they get to training," Vaughn said. "We make sure they start up this path the right way, and they make something for all of us to be proud of," he said.

About 60 percent of recruits into the Active First program were referred through another soldier, officials said. Pfc. Matt Millen, who joined the program through the Kansas National Guard, said a friend referred him. One Active First recruit, 19-year-old Pvt. Damien L. Jones, said he's already referred three other recruits through the program.

The program offers big bonus incentives: $40,000 for troops who sign up for four years of active duty, $30,000 for 36 months of active duty, and $20,000 for 30 months of active duty. Active First recruits who return to the National Guard after their active-duty commitments receive another $20,000, officials said.

INTREPIDITY . . . .AND CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT WITHIN THE ARMY PROFESSION

How many Army soldiers, particularly Leaders, who just read the title of this opinion piece, knew the meaning of the first word; how many brought to their reading an accurate understanding of the term? More importantly, how many Army Leaders could place a true meaning of the word into the context of the Army as a unique profession producing, for the security of the American people, fighting forces for effective land combat? Where does intrepidity fit in what the Army produces and how does the profession develop such a thing?

READ ON
http://www.strategicstudiesinstitute.army.mil/pdffiles/pub847.pdf

ChemBio Weapons and WMD Terrorism News- January 9, 2008

New York Presses To Deploy More Bioweapons Sensors
“[New York] City officials last month quietly activated some of the nation's newest generation of early warning sensors to detect a biological attack, turning on a limited number of filing-cabinet-size air filters in sensitive, high-volume areas of Manhattan. But city officials say their effort to expand the program has run into surprising resistance from the White House, which is not widely deploying the machines. Five years ago, officials here note, the Bush administration was prodding local authorities to move faster to detect the use of biological weapons and pouring billions into biosecurity-related initiatives. New York's leaders now say the administration's enthusiasm and sense of urgency has flagged in its final year in office.” (Washington Post, 09Jan08; Spencer S. Hsu) http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/01/08/AR2008010803892.html?hpid=topnews

Will ‘NIMBY’ Syndrome Kill N.C. [North Carolina]’s Chances for Bioterror Lab?
“Tuesday’s news that the Granville County [North Carolina] Board of Commissioners has pulled support for building a bioterrorism lab near Butner is bad news for the project. The NIMBY syndrome – as in ‘not in my back yard’ – will chill local and state efforts to win the $450 million project and the hundreds of scientific research jobs that go with it.
However, […] federal officials are at fault for not helping to allay people’s concerns about the project. ‘Homeland Security is not talking to people, not answering their questions,’ local resident John Monroe [said]. Have concerns about the project? Go to our Web site, said Homeland Security. Poor communication about what exactly the project is – and how dangerous it could be – could very well throw North Carolina’s extensive recruitment efforts into turmoil.” (WRAL LocalTechWire.com, 09Jan08, Rick
Smith)
http://www.localtechwire.com/business/local_tech_wire/opinion/blogpost/2275140/

Lab electrician contends firing was retaliatory
“A former electrician at Rocky Mountain Laboratories in Hamilton [Montana] is alleging that he was fired last spring after lodging complaints about safety breaches at the research facility, which is building a lab to study dangerous diseases such as Ebola. The matter goes before a federal administrative judge in Missoula today for a two-day hearing to determine if managers fired the man as punishment for being a whistle-blower. Rick Hurley, a licensed master electrician who has worked for the federal government for more than 20 years, filed a whistle-blower complaint in March 2006. The National Institutes of Health, which ultimately oversees the lab, issued a statement Monday saying officials investigated all of Hurley's complaints regarding electrical safety at the lab and found them baseless. […] At issue in today's hearing is not whether Hurley's allegations are true, but if the lab was right to fire him and whether managers did so in retaliation for his allegations. The hearing is a result of Hurley's appealing his April 2007 termination.” (Billings Gazette, 07Jan08, Jennifer McKee) http://www.billingsgazette.net/articles/2008/01/08/news/state/24-electrician.txt

The growing number of immunocompromised
“It's estimated that about 10 million people in the United States (3.6 percent of the population) are immunocompromised. But that's likely an underestimate because it only includes those with HIV/AIDS (diagnosed and undiagnosed), organ transplant recipients, and cancer patients; there's a sizable population that takes immunosuppressive drugs for other disorders such as rheumatoid arthritis and inflammatory bowel disease. This is a concern because while modern medicine allows many immunocompromised individuals to live longer, they're at an increased risk for acquiring and spreading infections to others. […] Agents of bioterrorism such as smallpox also pose a great risk to the immunocompromised, who are ineligible for the smallpox vaccine because it contains an active (although weakened) virus that could cause a deadly adverse reaction.”
(Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists, 07Jan08, Laura H. Kahn) http://www.thebulletin.org/columns/laura-kahn/20080107.html

Oregon commission reopens public testimony on Umatilla waste
“In response to a lawsuit, the Oregon Environmental Quality Commission voted Tuesday to reopen public comment on the disposal of secondary waste from the destruction of aging chemical weapons stored at the Umatilla Chemical Depot near Hermiston. The waste includes plastic protective suits used by workers and contaminated carbon filters from the incinerators used to destroy the stockpile of Cold War chemical weapons at the Army depot in Eastern Oregon. The Government Accountability Project, based in Washington, D.C., won a ruling in April in Multnomah County Circuit Court in Portland ordering the state to review the ‘best available technology’ for disposing of secondary waste.” (OregonLive.com, 08Jan08, AP) http://www.oregonlive.com/newsflash/index.ssf?/base/news-22/1199832242189460.xml&storylist=orlocal

Army Corps hopes to resume chemical munitions dig
“The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is awaiting a safety board's approval to resume digging for buried chemical munitions near American University [Washington, D.C.]. Army Corps officials say they stopped digging in early December after the discovery of a shell that was configured to explode. Project manager Dan Noble says it's only the second explosively configured munition found in 15 years of digging for World War I munitions buried in the area. In a meeting with nearby residents late Tuesday, officials said the shell did not have a fuse attached, making the chance of an explosion highly unlikely. The Army operated a chemical warfare station at the university to develop and test weapons during the war. Munitions were buried behind the campus when the Army left decades ago.” (Examiner.com, 09Jan08)
http://www.examiner.com/a-1146999~Army_Corps_hopes_to_resume_chemical_munitions_dig.html

Feds, farm groups working to improve security of high-risk farm chemicals
“The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is working to make the screening process regarding chemical security regulations more appropriate for farmers. The department recently announced a delay that exempts farmers and other agricultural facilities from having to complete the vulnerability screening, which has caused some confusion about who should complete the screening and who is exempt. The screening will help DHS determine if it needs to follow up with individuals to do further vulnerability assessments, according to a university report. ‘The system that is in place for chemical manufacturing, refining and distribution plants is not ideal for farm operations,’ says Purdue University Extension Disaster Education Network communication specialist and field staff liaison Steve Cain. ‘The U.S. Department of Agriculture, the Extension Disaster Education Network (EDEN) and farm organizations will work with the department to help develop a system more appropriate for agriculture.’” (Agriculture Online, 09Jan08) http://www.agriculture.com/ag/story.jhtml?storyid=/templatedata/ag/story/data/1199892909300.xml

Poison sent to councillor 'strong enough to kill'
“The poison in a vodka bottle sent to a Blackburn [U.K.] councillor as part of a campaign for Scottish independence was strong enough to kill him, a court heard. Wayne Cook, 45, is on trial at the court charged with two counts of using noxious substances or things to cause harm and intimidate, under anti-terrorism legislation. The unemployed father-of-three is accused of sending a miniature bottle of vodka filled with caustic soda to Darwen councillor John Wright in April 2007 while another parcel with the same contents was posted to a Scottish journalist, Myra Philp. […] It is alleged that the parcels were sent as part of a campaign by the Scottish National Liberation Army (SNLA) to force the British Government out of Scotland. Cook denies the charges.” (Blackburn Citizen, 09Jan08, Telegraph Newsdesk) http://www.blackburncitizen.co.uk/news/newsheadlines/display.var.1953786.0.poison_sent_to_councillor_strong_enought_to_kill.php

Congress Calls for Outside Look at Radiation Detectors
“The omnibus spending bill passed late last year by Congress has placed additional hurdles in front of the Homeland Security Department’s drive to roll out next-generation radiation detectors at U.S. ports, including demanding an outside scientific evaluation of the technology. The new requirements are just the latest development in a more than yearlong battle between the Government Accountability Office, lawmakers and DHS officials over the efficacy of the new technology and the way in which the department has tested it. The new detectors, called Advanced Spectroscopic Portal monitors (or ASPs), are designed to not only detect radiation but to identify the nature of its source, eliminating the need for time-consuming secondary inspections to determine whether the material is innocuous or dangerous. A number of mundane items regularly shipped into the United States, including ceramic tiles and bananas, contain radioactive isotopes that can set off the radiation detectors.” (Global Security Newswire, 09Jan08, Jon Fox)
http://www.nti.org/d_newswire/issues/2008_1_9.html#65053A68

Press candidates on threat of nuclear terrorism, two say
“Voters should press the presidential candidates to say what they would do, if elected, to prevent terrorists from carrying out a nuclear attack in the U.S., an expert on nuclear terrorism and the daughter of a victim of the Sept. 11 attacks said Tuesday. Michael Hurley, a counter terrorism advisor to the Nuclear Threat Initiative and a senior staff member to the
911 Commission, and Carie Lemack, founder of Families of September 11, commended efforts since the 2001 attacks to avoid a promised al-Qaida-led nuclear attack on the nation, but they said more can be done.” (Arkansas News Bureau, 09Jan08, Rob Moritz) http://www.arkansasnews.com/archive/2008/01/09/News/344767.html

CNS ChemBio-WMD Terrorism News is prepared by the Chemical and Biological Weapons Nonproliferation Program of the James Martin Center for Nonproliferation Studies at the Monterey Institute of International Studies in order to bring timely and focused information to researchers and policymakers interested in the fields of chemical, biological, and radiological weapons nonproliferation and WMD terrorism.

For more information and resources on CBW and WMD terrorism, visit the web page of the Center for Nonproliferation Studies, at http://cns.miis.edu/research/cbw/index.htm

Sneak Peak at Leadership: Texas Hold ‘em Style

January 8, 2008 (San Dimas, CA) Dr. Andrew J. Harvey and Lieutenant Raymond E. Foster, LAPD (ret.), MPA announced that portions of their book, Leadership: Texas Hold ‘em Style, were available for public review using the “Search Inside” function on Amazon.com. Go to www.pokerleadership.com and click on the image of the book and you will be taken directly to the Amazon.com page.

About the Book:
Using poker as analogy for leadership, Captain Andrew J. Harvey, CPD (ret.), Ed.D. and Lieutenant Raymond E. Foster, LAPD (ret.), MPA found the right mix of practical experience and academic credentials to write a definitive book for leaders. Working together, Harvey and Foster have written Leadership: Texas Hold em Style. Most often leaders find they are given a set of resources people, equipment, funds, experience and a mission. As Foster noted, You are dealt a certain hand. How you play that hand as a leader determines your success

More than a book: A fun and entertaining journey through leadership that includes an interactive website to supplement knowledge gained from the book.
Proven and Tested: Not an academic approach to leadership, but rather a road-tested guide that has been developed through 50-years of author experience.
High Impact: Through the use of perspective, reflection, and knowledge, provides information that turns leadership potential into leadership practice.
Ease of Application: Theory is reinforced with real-life experience, which results in accessible and practical tools leaders can put to use immediately.
High Road Approach: Personal character and ethical beliefs are woven into each leadership approach, so leaders do the right thing for the right reasons.
Uses Game of Poker: Rather than a dry approach that is all fact and no flavor, the game of poker is used as a lens through which to view leadership concepts.

About the Authors:
Andrew J. Harvey served in law enforcement for 25 years, the last 12 as a captain with a Southern California police agency. He holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Cal State Los Angeles, and an educational doctorate in the field of organizational leadership from Pepperdine University. He is a graduate of the FBI National Academy, the California POST Command College, the West Point Leadership Program, and is recognized in California as a master instructor.

Dr. Andrew J. Harvey is an experienced college educator, currently serving as a professor at the University of Phoenix, and as a faculty advisor at the Union Institute and University. He has been published numerous times in national and international publications. He is a recognized expert in leadership and career development, and has served as an instructor in command leadership at the Los Angeles Police Department Academy.

Raymond E. Foster was a sworn member of the Los Angeles Police Department for 24 years. He retired in 2003 at the rank of Lieutenant. He holds a bachelor’s from the Union Institute and University in Criminal Justice Management and a Master’s Degree in Public Financial Management from California State University, Fullerton. He has completed the course work for his doctorate in Business Research. Raymond is a graduate of the West Point Leadership program and has attended law enforcement, technology and leadership programs such as the National Institute for Justice, Technology Institute, Washington, DC.

Raymond E. Foster is currently a part-time lecturer at California State University, Fullerton and the Union Institute and University. He has experience teaching upper division courses in law enforcement, public policy, technology and leadership. Raymond E. Foster is an experienced author who has published numerous articles in a wide range of venues including magazines such as Government Technology, Mobile Government, Airborne Law Enforcement Magazine, and Police One. He has appeared on the History Channel and radio programs in the United States and Europe as subject matter expert in technological applications in law enforcement.

For more information about the authors, send and email to editor@police-writers.com

Defense Secretary Meets With Troops in California

By Fred W. Baker III
American Forces Press Service

Jan. 8, 2008 - Sgt. Kevin Knight has been a Marine for four years. He has deployed three times to Iraq. The first was in 2004, when he was just out of his infantry training. He returned from his most recent deployment in November. With their commanders ushered from the room, Knight and about 50 other Marines fresh from deployment were able to sit across the table from Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates here yesterday to ask straight questions and get straight answers on whatever was on their minds.

The Marines met the secretary in a small conference room in a building nestled in the sprawling, scraggly hills of these coastal training grounds about 35 miles north of San Diego. Like Knight, many of the Marines in the room had served multiple deployments.

Pentagon Press Secretary Geoff Morrell said the meeting turned out to be anything but a gripe session, as questions ran the gamut from housing issues to educational benefits to politics. Most of the Marines were concerned not about their individual situations, but rather about what could be changed to benefit others, he said.

Fresh from his most recent deployment, Knight said he returned here to see a new urban assault training center being built. He wondered why such a training site was not built sooner, offering critical training for deploying troops.

"We lost a lot of Marines in urban combat that if we would have had these facilities two or three years ago, it could have helped prevent (that)," Knight said. The sergeant said he asked Gates why it seemed the military was "behind the curve" in funding training and facilities to prepare troops for urban combat.

The secretary's answer was straightforward and logical, Knight said: no one anticipated that U.S. forces would be in Iraq, fighting this kind of war for this long.

"He gave decisive answers," Knight said. "He actually talked to (us and) ... helped us understand what was going on with Iran, with Pakistan, Korea, Iraq in general.,"

Knight said the secretary helped the Marines understand some of the funding issues facing the military and gave them a "broader picture."

"I thought it went really well. All the questions that the secretary was asked, he was very knowledgeable about," he said. "I think it's incredible. Nobody would ever think that as young enlisted Marines we'd be able to talk to one of the senior members of our chain of command. I think it shows a lot about our nation caring about the opinions of the younger military forces -- not just looking at us as numbers, but wanting to hear our point of views on world matters."

In his first trip to the area as defense secretary, Gates visited Navy and Marine bases in southern California after spending the holidays at his home in Washington state. Morrell said officials try to fit in stops to bases in the United States as the defense secretary travels. Gates "derives a great deal of sustenance" from his meetings with servicemembers and goes back to the Pentagon "rejuvenated and confident" from the conversations, Morrell told reporters.

Gates started the morning touring the Naval Special Warfare Group 1 at Naval Amphibious Base Coronado, where he met with sailors and SEALs. He viewed the latest in robotic devices that help detect and dismantle roadside bombs in Iraq. He also pinned Bronze Stars on the chests of about 20 sailors just coming back from combat in Iraq, and he meritoriously promoted two of them.

He met with the sailors in closed-door sessions, and publicly thanked them for their service and that of their families.

The secretary had awards and special praise for members of a mobile explosive ordnance detachment who set up an EOD compound in southern Baghdad and performed 400 missions, disabling more than 90 improvised explosive devices.

"One of my great honors as the secretary of defense is to participate in ceremonies like these," he said. "I am always humbled and inspired by what our troops accomplish under the most demanding and challenging conditions."

Others receiving awards were SEALs who had just returned from secret duties against what Gates called "some of the most ruthless killers" in Iraq. He noted most of the SEALs' duties are performed in the shadows and are rarely recognized.

"That's why I'm particularly grateful to be here today -- to have the opportunity to look them in the eye, and say 'thank you' from the bottom of my heart," Gates said.

A small group of families sat on the sidelines during the ceremonies, holding babies and toddlers who fidgeted as their fathers received the awards. Gates acknowledged that the secrecy and imminent danger of the SEALs' missions sometimes make the life especially hard for their families.

"Your loved ones are deployed most often to the most hostile places. You may know next to nothing about where your husband or son is serving, and when or whether he will return," Gates said. "To the families, to all of you here today, you have my deepest personal appreciation and respect."

As he was leaving, a small group of SEAL first-week recruits issued a customary greeting to the secretary. "Hoo-yah, Secretary Gates," they shouted in unison.

Gates went on to tour the latest San Antonio-class vessel, the USS New Orleans, docked in San Diego. Commissioned in March, it's an amphibious transport ship made to accommodate the latest in Marine equipment. It holds a crew of about 350 and can accommodate 800 Marines with gear and vehicles. It also has a complete hospital and can perform humanitarian aid missions. The ship is scheduled for its first deployment next year.

Gates lunched with sailors, again hearing concerns and fielding questions. In the afternoon, he went to Camp Pendleton for more meetings, and a quick stop to talk to some recruits in their 11th week of training, readying for their final field exercise before becoming full-fledged Marines.

He then boarded a flight to Nellis Air Force Base, Nev., where he's scheduled to talk with commanders today about intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance needs in the combat theater and how to field more unmanned aerial vehicles there, Morrell said.