New Army Operations Manual Leverages 'Soft Power' Assets

By Gerry J. Gilmore
American Forces Press Service

Oct. 9, 2008 - The U.S. Army's new "how-to" manual on stability operations is a unique document that embraces joint effort as a reflection of the realities of a 21st-century world, a senior U.S. military officer said yesterday. Field Manual 3-07, titled, "Stability Operations," was developed from 10 months of collaboration among Army planners, the Defense Department, the State Department and military allies, Lt. Gen. William B. Caldwell IV, commander of the U.S. Army Combined Arms Center and Fort Leavenworth, Kan., told reporters at the Foreign Press Center here.

The CAC at Leavenworth is the Army's "brain trust," where it educates and develops future military leaders and develops much of its operational doctrine.

"As we crafted this doctrine, we did so with great respect for the roles and missions of our respective organizations," Caldwell explained. "It's critical that we each preserve our proven core competencies, not only those of us in the military, but [also] those outside the military."

Lessons learned from current overseas U.S. military operations played an important role in the development of the new field manual, the three-star general said.

"We set out to revise the Army's stability operations doctrine, drawing on the experience of the practitioners that are out there in the field, doing it day-to-day today, in both Iraq and Afghanistan," Caldwell said.

Today's 21st-century, globalized world presents very different challenges than existed in the past, Caldwell said. The emergence of trans-national terrorism as a global threat, he said, highlighted the necessity for a different approach in conducting stability operations.

Fragile states susceptible to takeover or influence by global terrorists "pose the greatest threat to our national security," Caldwell pointed out. Under this scenario, he said, regional conflicts could quickly flare into international crises.

"So, the more that we as a world, an international body, can collectively come together to find solutions for challenges that are out there, the better it will be," Caldwell said.

In fact, foreign military officers from Turkey, Belgium, Germany, India, Pakistan, South Africa and other countries provided input and comments for the new manual, Caldwell said.

"If we're going to win the peace, it requires stability operations to be understood, embraced and worked in a comprehensive manner that involves not just the United States military, but all of our friends, our allies," he said.

Stability operations doctrine promulgated in the new field manual, Caldwell said, is based on five principles: building partner capacity; governance, or strengthening institutions of legitimate governments; establishing and maintaining the rule of law; fostering economic growth, and forging a strong sense of national unity.

"It is essentially chartering a path from violent conflict to stable, lasting peace by providing a road map to the future while studying critical waypoints for the conflicts of today," Caldwell explained.

military power alone cannot achieve successful stability operations in the 21st century, Caldwell said. It's also necessary, he said, to incorporate "the soft power capabilities our military has in support of other instruments of national and international power – something very vital to an effective strategy at this very crucial time in our history."

The human element, or how to provide societal, political and economic stability for populations affected by conflict, should be a primary focus factor during stability operations, Caldwell said. Elements of soft power, he said, include the diplomatic capabilities of the U.S. State Department, as well as the civil-economic expertise possessed by the U.S. Agency for International Development, the U.S. Institute for Peace, and other U.S. and international agencies.

The new field manual "is a powerful force for change," Caldwell said, that says military and non-military agencies must blend capabilities and share responsibility to effect successful stability operations.

"This manual calls together those experiences into a doctrine built on unity of effort, a comprehensive, collaborative and cooperative approach that forges a shared vision of a common goal," Caldwell said.

MILITARY CONTRACTS October 9, 2008

DEFENSE LOGISTICS AGENCY

Valero Marketing & Supply Co., San Antonio, Texas is being awarded a maximum $234,721,965 fixed price with economic price adjustment, indefinite delivery and indefinite quantity contract for fuel. Other locations of performance are Pasadena and Corpus Christi, Texas. Using service is Foreign Military Sales. This proposal was originally Web solicited with three responses. Contract funds will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The date of performance completion is Sept. 30, 2009. The contracting activity is Defense Energy Support Center, Fort Belvoir, Va., (SP0600-08-D-0454).

NAVY

Lockheed Martin Systems Integration, Owego, N.Y., is being awarded a $173,000,000 modification to a previously awarded cost plus award fee contract (N00019-05-C-0030) for the System Development and Demonstration (SDD) of the VH-71 Presidential Helicopter. The SDD Phase will consist of engineering design and integration activities for the various communications, navigation, and mission systems required for the Presidential Helicopter support mission. Work will be performed in Patuxent River, Md., (28 percent); Owego, N.Y., (26 percent); Yeovil, United Kingdom, (20 percent); Cascina Costa, Italy, (15 percent); Rolling Meadows, Ill., (3 percent); Lynn, Mass., (3 percent); Clifton, N.J., (2 percent); Denton, Texas, (1 percent); Grand Rapids, Mich., (1 percent); and Rancho Santa Margarita, Calif., (1 percent), and is expected to be completed in Sept. 2011. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Naval Air Systems Command, Patuxent River, Md., is the contracting activity.

Raytheon Co., Integrated Defense Systems, Keyport, Wash., is being awarded a $171,124,519 modification to previously awarded contract (N00024-04-C-6101) to provide MK48 and MK54 torpedoes on a firm fixed-price basis. This effort is a continuation of MK48 ADCAP, MK48 Common Broadband Advance Sonar System and MK54 torpedo programs under contracts N00024-98-C-6107, N00024-00-C-6100, N00024-00-C-6102 and N00024-03-C-6104. The primary purpose of this contract is to purchase the necessary quantities of torpedoes and support services necessary to support Fleet operational requirements for the various torpedo product lines. Work will be performed in Keyport, Wash., (50 percent) and Portsmouth, R.I., (50 percent), and is expected to be completed by Jul. 2011. The total amount funded at contract award will be $166,368,226. Contract funds in the amount of $48,946,820 will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Naval Sea Systems Command, Washington, D.C., is the contracting activity.

AIR FORCE

Systems Research and Applications Corp., of Fairfax, Va., is being awarded an indefinite delivery indefinite quantity contract for $49 million. The objective of this program is to improve human performance and organizational effectiveness within Cyber Science and Technology, Intelligence, Surveillance, Reconnaissance operator optimization S&T, Special Programs, Information/Influence Operations (S&T), Training S&T, and related research domains. Focus areas include: Cyber R&D, Information Operations/ISR, Special Programs/ISR, Special/Bio-Math, Influence Operations, IO/Cyber/ISR Training, Cyberspace Target Characterization/ Visualization, Anticipatory/Predictive Environment, IO Speech-to-Speech Translation, and AF Transformation. At this time $600,000 has been obligated. AFRL Det 1 /PKHB, WPAFB, Ohio, is the contracting activity (FA8650-09-D-6939, Task Order: 2013).

Teledyne Technologies Inc., Teledyne Continental Motors – Turbine Engines, of Toledo, Ohio, is being awarded an indefinite delivery indefinite quantity contract not to exceed $15 million. The Versatile Affordable Advanced Turbine Engines (VAATE) Phase I. The VAATE Program is a Joint DOD/NASA/DOE/Industry effort to develop revolutionary and innovative technologies by the 2017 timeframe that will permit an order of magnitude increase in turbo-propulsion affordability over the year 2000 state-of-the-art Technology. The Task order 0001 will conduct a study of conceptual candidate turbofan engine configurations and component technologies that meet the requirements of 1000 1b missile systems. At this time $1,000 has been obligated. Det 1 AFRK/PKPB, WPAFB, Ohio, is the contracting activity (FA8650-09-D-2929 and Task Order: 0001).

The Air Force is modifying a firm fixed price contract with McDonnell Douglas Corp., a wholly-owned subsidiary of The Boeing Co., of St Louis, Mo., for $11,859,754. The T-38C Data and Video Transfer System, which improve the audio and video recording capability of the T-38C aircraft by replacing the current video tape recorder and data transfer system with a more modern, robust design that combines all data transfer functions into a single recording device, alleviates impending obsolescence issues, improve resistance to damage, and enhances operations. At this time all funds have been obligated. 663 AESS/SYKA, WPAFB, Ohio, is the contracting activity (FA8617-04-C-6153, Modification Number: P00096).

Army

L-3 Communications System West, Salt Lake City, Utah, was awarded Oct. 7, 2008, a $26,649,683 firm fixed price contract for Remote Operational Video Enhanced Receiver systems. Work will be performed in Salt Lake City, Utah, with estimated and completion date of Dec. 30, 2009. One bid was solicited and one bid was received. The U.S. Army Aviation and Missile, is the contracting activity (W58RGZ-07-C-0209).

Conrad Shipyard LLC, Morgan City, La., was awarded on Oct. 8, 2008, a $19,926,923 firm fixed price contract for acquisition of 250 feet crane barge for the Montgomery Point Lock and Dam Project. Work will be performed in Morgan City, La., with an estimated completion date of May 31, 2010. Bids were solicited via the Web and one bid was received. Corp of Engineer, Philadelphia, Pa., is the contracting activity (W912BU-09-C-0001).

AM General LLC, South Bend, Ind., was awarded Oct. 7, 2008, a $14,600,563 firm fixed price contract. These kits are urgently needed to improve the overhead protection from small arm weapons for the M1151A1 Up-Armored High Mobility Multipurpose Wheeled Vehicles. Work will be performed in Mishawaka, Ind., with estimated and completion date of Dec. 31, 2009. TACOM, Warren, Mich., is the contracting (DAAE-07-01-C-S001).

Correction: This contract has not been signed for Oshkosh Corp., Killeen, Texas, was awarded on Sept. 26, 2008, a $17,500,000 cost plus fixed price contract for technical services and M939 Repower Kit. Work will be performed in Killeen, Texas, with an estimated completion date of Sept. 30, 2012. Bids were solicited via the Web and one bids were received. TACOM, Warren, Mich., is the contracting activity (W56HZV-08-C-0730).

America Supports You: Veterans to See Stars on 'Road 2 Recovery'

By Samantha L. Quigley
American Forces Press Service

Oct. 8, 2008 - Dozens of injured troops set out on a seven-day, 420-mile trip from San Francisco to Los Angeles on Sept. 28 to raise funds to support outdoor cycling programs and to let other wounded servicemembers know they can be active. "This trip is not so much about having fun as it is about transforming your new body with something you can work with the rest of your life," former Army Capt. Ferris Butler said about Road2Recovery's California Challenge.

In fact, the Challenge, which began with 60 riders, was part of Road2Recovery's mission of improving wounded servicemembers' health and wellness through life-changing experiences. Road2Recovery is a supporter of America Supports You, a Defense Department program connecting citizens and companies with servicemembers and their families serving at home and abroad.

"The goal was to get wounded warriors who had never ridden a bike [since being injured] out on a bike and to have an experience of a lifetime," said John Wordin, founder of Road2Recovery and the Fitness Challenge Foundation. "Not only [to show them] that it could be done, but that cycling is a therapeutic outlet that can really benefit them in their recovery."

Cycling can be an important part of recovery for wounded troops, Wordin said, because almost anyone with mental or physical disabilities can participate and it helps to speed up the recovery process.

While the riders promoted cycling as an integral part of a recovery process, they didn't go on the grueling trip alone. Actor Mike Vogel, star of the movie "Cloverdale" and chairman of this year's Veterans Affairs National Salute to Hospitalized Veterans, participated, as did fellow actors Gary Sinise and Ed Begley Jr. Other riders included cycling Olympian Wayne Stetina and the National Board of the United Service Organizations.

The Challenge passed several military bases and was welcomed for rest stops and dinners at several veteran service organization posts before arriving at the West Los Angeles Veterans Affairs medical facility, where they were treated to a USO-sponsored concert by Sinise's "Lt. Dan Band."

The effort is estimated to have raised $100,000 in support of "Spinning" group cycling classes and other outdoor cycling programs at military and Veterans Affairs locations across the country.

The Road2Recovery team will be in Virginia Beach, Va., Oct. 10 to 12 to introduce the military installations in the area to its program. Wordin said he hopes to conduct six of these events across the country next year.

Normalized Tours, Wartime Control Transfer to Enhance U.S.-Korean Alliance

By Donna Miles
American Forces Press Service

Oct. 8, 2008 - Efforts to lengthen U.S. military tours in South Korea to three years and to turn wartime operational control of South Korea forces to their own military are on track and moving full-speed ahead, the top U.S. commander there told Pentagon reporters today. Army Gen. Walter "Skip" Sharp, commander of U.S. Forces Korea, called the initiatives important to readiness in a theater he said remains critically important to the United States.

Sharp, who also commands United Nations Command Korea and Combined Forces Command, said he set three priorities since assuming his post in June. He vowed to strengthen the U.S.- South Korean alliance, ensure its ability to overcome North Korean aggression should it occur, and to improve the quality of life for U.S. troops and civilian employees serving in South Korea, as well as their families.

Sharp called normalizing tours a big step toward fulfilling these priorities, improving servicemembers' quality of life as it promotes continuity within the command. But he said he's making the transition in steps -- not bounds -- to ensure it goes smoothly and doesn't leave military families without the infrastructure to support them.

"I'm very excited about this initiative, but we've got to do it right," Sharp said. "I'm not going to have a whole bunch of families come over and not be able to properly take care of them. So we're doing this in several phases."

About 1,800 command-sponsored families are now in South Korea, but another 2,100 families there are not command-sponsored. Sharp said the first step in his plan is to offer command sponsorship to families that don't already have it, most of them in the 2nd Infantry Division area north of Seoul.

As part of that plan, Sharp said, he wants to take places like Seoul and Osan that currently have two-year command sponsorships and extend those tours to three years. For areas with lesser facilities and services, he said, he plans to change 12-month tours to two years for those who would like it.

"Beyond that, we are working very hard in order to be able to establish housing for families at a much greater rate, especially down at Camp Humphreys and other places," Sharp said. He noted several initiatives to support this effort: a partnership in which the Koreas build the housing, a plan to provide more schooling for military children and a new hospital the Koreans will build at Camp Humphreys to replace the one at Yongsan Garrison.

Housing and medical facility construction is on track. Sharp said schools are the biggest sticking point, because he doesn't want to risk bringing families to Korea without ensuring the schools are ready for them. "So we've got to figure out a way to do some partnership things, to be able to get some schools built," he said.

As this effort moves forward, Sharp said, he's also optimistic about the effort to transfer wartime operational control of South Korean forces to South Korea in 2012.

"What this means is that the Republic of Korea military, under the leadership of a Korean warfighting headquarters, will have operational control of its forces in wartime and will be responsible for the defense of their country, with the U.S. in a supporting role," he explained.

As this happens, Combined Forces Command will dissolve, to be replaced by two headquarters: the Republic of Korea Joint Forces Command and U.S. Korea Command.

Sharp called the transfer "the next logical step" in the U.S.-South Korean military alliance that he said is essential to maintaining U.S. forces in there for the foreseeable future.

The Ulchi Freedom Guardian exercise in August tested the construct for the first time and showed it will work, Sharp said.

"We have plenty of work to do between now and 2012, but I am very pleased with the baseline that came out of this exercise," he said. "The Korean military is a very professional military force, and their military leadership is outstanding. They are and will be ready for this new challenge."

Ultimately, these initiatives will strengthen the longstanding alliance that has deterred aggression and maintained peace on the peninsula for the past 55 years, he said.

"The Korean-U.S. alliance is one of the most enduring alliances in the world. It remains the cornerstone of peace, security and stability in the key region of Northeast Asia," Sharp said. "The alliance already has a long history and will only become stronger and more important in the years to come."

Face of Defense: Corporal Keeps Weapons, Marines Ready for Battle

By Marine Lance Cpl. Joshua Murray
Special to American Forces Press Service

Oct. 8, 2008 - A Marine assigned to Combat Outpost Rawah here repairs various weapons systems. But while his daily job takes priority, teaching Marines how to use the weapons they were born with is Marine Cpl. Trevor Ryan's true passion. Ryan, 21, a native of Sandusky, Ohio, serves with Task Force 2nd Battalion, 2nd Marine Regiment, Regimental Combat Team 5.

"I love to teach, I love being a Marine, and I am completely infatuated with [the Marine Corps Martial Arts Program]," Ryan said.

Over the five months Ryan has spent deployed to Iraq, he has graduated 50 Marines from his MCMAP courses. He said he prides himself in helping Marines achieve their martial arts goals.

"He makes his students earn their belts, and doesn't just give them to them," said Cpl. Demario Walker, 21, from Greenville, S.C., an administration clerk with Task Force 2nd Battalion, 2nd Marines. "If the student is willing to put in the time to learn and [work hard] during the class, he will make sure they succeed."

Although the ongoing point of his classes is to make Marines proficient in hand-to-hand combat techniques, Ryan tries to add some of his own goals.

"I teach self defense, leadership traits and how to be a good Marine," Ryan said. "[MCMAP] gives me another sense of purpose and pride in the Marine Corps besides just doing my job. I love what I do."

Ryan said he plans to not only continue teaching Marines in MCMAP, but also to help new servicemembers learn his specialty as he continues his military career. He has received orders for small arms repairer/technician instructor duty at Aberdeen Proving Ground, Md.

"I know while I'm there, I want to be a MCMAP instructor, too," he said.

(Marine Lance Cpl. Joshua Murray serves with Regimental Combat Team 5.)

Pilot Missing in Action From The Vietnam War is Identified

The Department of Defense POW/Missing Personnel Office (DPMO) announced today that the remains of a U.S. serviceman, missing in action from the Vietnam War, have been identified and will be returned to his family for burial with full military honors.

He is Capt. Lorenza Conner, U.S. Air Force, of Cartersville, Ga. He will be buried Oct. 25 in Cartersville.

On Oct. 27, 1967, Conner and his copilot flew an F-4D Phantom II fighter jet in a flight of four on a combat air patrol mission over North Vietnam where the plane was hit by anti-aircraft fire over Tuyen Quang Province, North Vietnam. The copilot ejected safely, was captured and later released by Vietnamese forces, but Conner could not eject from the aircraft before it crashed.

In 1992, Vietnamese citizens told U.S. officials that they had information concerning the remains of missing U.S. servicemen and they turned over Conner's identification tag.

Between 1992 and 2003, several joint U.S./Socialist Republic of Vietnam (S.R.V.) teams, led by the Joint POW/MIA Accounting Command (JPAC), investigated this incident, interviewed witnesses and surveyed the crash site. At the crash site, teams found aircrew-related equipment and aircraft wreckage consistent with an F-4 Phantom II.

In 2007, another joint team excavated the site and recovered human remains.

Among other forensic identification tools and circumstantial evidence, scientists from JPAC also used dental comparisons in the identification of Conner's remains.

For additional information on the Defense Department's mission to account for missing Americans, visit the DPMO Web site at http://www.dtic.mil/dpmo or call (703) 699-1169.

Gates Reaffirms U.S. Commitment to Ukrainian NATO Membership

By Jim Garamone
American Forces Press Service

Oct. 8, 2008 - The United States continues to support NATO membership action plans for Ukraine and Georgia, Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates said today following a meeting with Ukraine's defense minister. Gates met with Yuriy Yekhanurov as part of the South East European Defense Ministerial conference here. The two men met in advance of a NATO defense ministerial meeting in Budapest tomorrow.

President Bush expressed support for the NATO membership action plans during the alliance's April summit meeting in Bucharest, Romania.

"We reaffirmed the president's pledge in Bucharest of U.S. support for MAP for Ukraine," Gates said after today's meeting with Yekhanurov. "I encouraged the Ukrainian government to continue educating their citizens as to the benefits of being in NATO, and also the importance of continuing their efforts toward defense reform and interoperability.

"Our position, in principle, remains unchanged," Gates said.

At the April meeting of NATO heads of state in Bucharest, the alliance welcomed Ukraine's Euro-Atlantic aspirations and agreed that Ukraine will become a member of NATO. The membership action plan is the next step, and that will be discussed at a NATO foreign ministers meeting in December.

Ukraine is the only non-NATO country that participates in every NATO activity, Gates said. The country also has provided aid and troops in Afghanistan and Iraq.

But German Chancellor Angela Merkel declared in St. Petersburg, Russia, last week that Germany views the December meeting as "an initial evaluation on the road to MAP." She said Germany's stance has not changed since the Bucharest summit. Critics of Germany's policy say NATO's failure to invite Georgia and Ukraine into the alliance in April paved the way for Russia's invasion of Georgia in August.

Ukraine is in the midst of political change, with a new prime minister and a coalition government. Gates said he told Yekhanurov that the United States stands ready to work with whatever coalition faction takes charge.

The secretary said he is pleased that Russia appears to be fulfilling its obligations under a cease-fire agreement to withdraw its troops from Georgia by the Oct. 10 deadline. "At the same time, I want to take advantage of the opportunity to reaffirm the United States' strong support for Georgia's sovereignty and territorial integrity," he said.

Yekhanurov said Ukraine will continue to work with the United States to professionalize its military and reform its defense structure. He pointed to establishment of a noncommissioned officers academy in the eastern part of the country as one example of the progress the military is making. U.S. servicemembers have worked with Ukraine's military to make the academy a reality.

The defense minister said 31 percent of the Ukrainian people are in favor of NATO membership, with 40 percent undecided. "Most members of the government are in favor of membership," he said through a translator.

The minister thanked Gates for the "continued support of the United States concerning Ukraine's integration and participation in all kinds of NATO operations."

"I think this is really instrumental, and we have seen the practical results right now," he said.

Ukraine has a significant airlift capability, and the defense minister pledged to ensure it remains "one of the best in the world."

Gates Visits U.S. Troops in Kosovo

By Jim Garamone
American Forces Press Service

Oct. 7, 2008 - Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates visited with U.S. troops assigned to NATO's Kosovo Force here today. Gates – making the first visit to Kosovo by a defense secretary since 2001 -- said he wanted to thank the 1,400 American servicemembers deployed here.

"We haven't forgotten about them, and we know how important they are," Gates said during a news conference with Pentagon reporters.

The Europeans and Kosovars depend on the American presence, Gates noted. "There has been a great concern that we might pull out, and what I have reassured our allies is that when the president said 'in together, out together,' [it] will continue to be our policy," Gates said. "We will continue to fulfill our responsibilities there."

The troops are National Guardsmen assigned to the 110th Maneuver Enhanced Brigade of the Missouri National Guard. The Kansas City-based unit also has Guardsmen from Alabama, Illinois, South Dakota, California, Texas and New Mexico. The unit arrived at Camp Bondsteel in June and will return to the United States in March. A unit from the California National Guard will take its place.

The unit works with other NATO units to ensure Kosovo remains safe and secure as the country works through its political issues, said command spokesman Army Sgt. 1st Class Craig L. Collins. Task Force Sabre and Task Force Thunder – two units built around the 110th's maneuver battalions – patrol various areas of the country and work with Kosovar security forces to maintain calm.

Other members of the unit set up medical and dental civil affairs programs for more remote villages in their area of operations.

Camp Bondsteel itself looks like the movie version of a World War II prisoner-of-war camp. Gravel roads and paths run between wooden buildings, and the whole is surrounded by a barbed-wire fence, with guard towers at regular intervals. "But the rooms are decent, the offices are good and we've got movies, a post exchange, coffee bars and gyms," Collins said. "Believe me, no one is complaining here."

Gates Meets With Kosovo Leaders, Promises Continued U.S. Support

By Jim Garamone
American Forces Press Service

Oct. 7, 2008 - Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates today congratulated the citizens of Kosovo on their progress in establishing the newest nation on Earth. Gates became the first U.S. cabinet officer to visit Kosovo since it declared its independence from Serbia in February.

Kosovo President Fatmir Sejdiu thanked America for its support of the nation and thanked Gates for his efforts. Prime Minister Hashim Thaci also thanked the secretary following meetings at the airport and promised the country would do all it can to integrate Serbs and Kosovar Albanians in the new nation. Thaci promised that the Kosovo security force would be pro-Western and under civilian control.

"I'm pleased to be here to congratulate your leaders in person and to re-emphasize our commitment to all of the citizens of Kosovo," Gates said.

Gates said the discussions he had with Kosovo's leaders were productive. "We reiterated our commitment to maintain current U.S. troops levels under United Nations authority," he said. About 1,600 American troops are serving in Kosovo.

"I reaffirmed the pledge that President Bush made to the people of this region and our NATO partners: 'We came in together, and we go our together,'" Gates said. "We all look forward to the day when peace is self-sustaining."

Gates also is visiting U.S. troops. "I want to thank our troops that stationed here," he said. "We often hear about deployments elsewhere in the world, but I want to personally convey to the members of the Kosovo Force that they are neither forgotten nor unappreciated -- a point made abundantly clear in our meetings this morning."

The secretary said the dedication and professionalism of American troops is a bedrock in making NATO's Kosovo Force "the most trusted and respected institution in Kosovo."

"It has helped transform a once-troubled region into a peaceful place where all citizens have the opportunity to live in freedom," he said.

Face of Defense: Soldier Serves as Jack of All Trades

By Army Spc. Justin Snyder
Special to American Forces Press Service

Oct. 7, 2008 - The phone at the desk is ringing. At the same time, a soldier is hovering, asking for help with getting lights for an event to be held later. You can almost sense that a doorknob just broke somewhere or the air conditioning isn't working in someone's office.

This is the daily juggling act of Army Staff Sgt. Christopher Baird, Mountain Visitor Bureau Commandant at the Multinational Division Center headquarters building here.

"I do the little stuff to keep this building running," said Baird, a native of Bartlett, Ill. "The command group is in charge of near 21,000 troops, so it's my job to keep things going so they don't have to worry about the smaller things."

Baird has coordinated projects such as the construction of walls around offices and fixing the electrical grid coming into the headquarters, as well as fixing up the gym in the building's basement.

He also is the "go-to guy" when it comes to work orders coming through the headquarters building.

"Things are always going to need [to be] fixed, and I'm that middle man between it getting done or not," Baird said. "Right now, the biggest issue is working with the electricity. We are going to keep working with things to make life for the soldiers who are here, or will be here, better."

His efforts haven't gone unnoticed among his fellow soldiers.

"He's very proactive, and he is constant at getting his job done," said Army Spc. Sam White, a driver for the 10th Mountain Division's deputy commander for operations. "You can't walk around the building and not see him doing something to improve [it]. He's great at what he does and is important."

Baird, who owned a miniature golf course in Illinois prior to joining the Army, said that while his job is important, he isn't any more important than any other soldier.

"Duty is duty, and everybody has a job that needs to be done," he said. "I believe that every soldier is equally important in accomplishing the overall mission. All I am is another soldier serving their country and doing their job."

Baird knows a few things about serving his country. He's been in the military since 2002, when he felt the call to duty following the 9/11 attacks. This is his fourth deployment – three times to Iraq in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom and once to Afghanistan in support of Operation Enduring Freedom.

He served with the infantry in 2003 and 2005, and worked under a command group in 2006. Though his role has changed with each deployment, he said, his overall mission remains the same: "We are here to take care of one another and make sure everyone comes home," he said. "Deployments are deployments, no matter which way you look at things. No matter what I'm doing, I'm still [a noncommissioned officer]. Whether it's a private or a general, my main focus is to take care of soldiers and improve their quality of life."

Baird was rewarded for his hard work with an Oct. 1 promotion from sergeant to staff sergeant. A small ceremony was held outside his office, where nearly 100 of his colleagues came to show their support.

"It was really outstanding to see that many people come for my promotion," he said. "Lieutenant Colonel Steven Parker pinned me, and Command Sergeant Major James Redmore pinned my hat. People in this building are working hard, and for them to take time out of their busy schedule, I appreciated it a lot."

Baird said he has a lot of plans for when he returns to his home station at Fort Drum, N.Y., but that he remains focused on getting his job done now.

"I recently bought a new home and have plans to renovate it when I get back," he said. "I've got a few months to go, so I'll keep working, just taking every day as it comes and roll with the flow."

(Army Spc. Justin Snyder serves in the Multinational Division Center Public Affairs Office.)

Iranian Reports of Downed U.S. Plane Are Contradictory, Official Says

By Gerry J. Gilmore
American Forces Press Service

Oct. 7, 2008 - A senior Defense Department spokesman dismissed Iranian-sourced reports that a U.S. military aircraft had been forced down in Iran. The Iranian reports he has reviewed contradict themselves, Pentagon spokesman Bryan Whitman told reporters today. One story he read claimed that an American military aircraft had unintentionally violated Iranian airspace and had been forced to land in Iran, Whitman said. A subsequent Iranian state television report, he said, stated that the plane that was forced to land in Iran was not a U.S. military plane, but had Americans on board. Another Iranian TV report said the plane was not American, Whitman said.

A follow-on Iranian state television report, Whitman continued, said the plane in question was Hungarian.

"While we're looking into those reports, there's no evidence to suggest any of these reports are true, with perhaps the exception of the last one about some Hungarian plane," Whitman said. There's nothing to suggest the accuracy of any of the Iranian reports, he added.

Officials at Multinational Force Iraq issued a statement today saying all U.S. aircraft are accounted for, and none is missing.

Turning to other issues, Whitman said senior Chinese officials have canceled or postponed some previously scheduled military-to-military meetings with U.S. military representatives.

"These were some bilateral events, senior-level visits," he said. "There was also a humanitarian assistance/disaster relief exchange that was scheduled to occur between now and the end of November."

The Chinese government has publicly voiced its displeasure with a recently concluded $6 billion U.S.-Taiwan arms deal. Taiwan, an island off the Chinese coast, broke away from the mainland in 1949 after Mao Zedong's communist government emerged victorious in the Chinese civil war. Since then, China has vowed to reunite with Taiwan.

The United States supports a "One China" policy, recognizing China's interests in Taiwan while supporting the Taiwanese government as an ally. The arms deal, which includes Apache helicopters and Patriot missiles, will be used to help modernize Taiwan's military.

The Pentagon is disappointed with China's apparent reaction to the arms deal with Taiwan, Whitman said. U.S. military-to-military relationships with China are important, he said, and contribute to regional understanding.

Gates Tours Bondsteel, Gjilan During Kosovo Visit

By Jim Garamone
American Forces Press Service

Oct. 7, 2008 - Flying over Kosovo, it's hard to believe that this new country was the site of suffering. Livestock graze in the fields, and new construction is building factories, barns and apartment buildings. Farmers run tractors over fields, tilling and fertilizing them in advance of winter. Small fires burn off the chaff from the last corn or wheat crop.

This was not what Kosovo looked like in March 1999. That was when the Serbian military cut through the province and drove more than 100,000 Kosovar Albanians from their homes. NATO – with United Nations approval – launched an air campaign against the Serb military that finally drove the Serbs from the nation in June.

Those flying over Kosovo then saw pillars of smoke from farmhouses and uninhabited towns. Whole portions of cities were emptied. The fields were untended, and houses sported blue roofs – tarps spread over blown-up buildings to protect them from the elements.

The United Nations asked NATO to establish the Kosovo Force to provide security and allow stability to grow. KFOR, as it's called, has been in operation ever since. The current peace in Kosovo is a testament to the force's success.

Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates toured Camp Bondsteel, met with servicemembers there and in Gjilan and saw for himself the changes KFOR has brought to this nation. He met with members of the 110th Maneuver Enhanced Brigade during his trip.

The Americans are part of the 16th rotation of troops into Kosovo. Part of the Missouri National Guard, the brigade also contains elements from Alabama, Illinois, South Dakota, California, Texas and New Mexico. The medical establishment is from the Army Reserve. All of them come under the command of Multinational Task Force East, based at Camp Bondsteel.

The U.S. unit has responsibility for the eastern part of Kosovo, but is on call if needed anywhere in the country, said the unit's commander, Army Brig. Gen. Larry D. King, during an interview with reporters traveling with Gates. The people of Kosovo believe Americans are their saviors, the general said. The main street in the capital of Pristina is named after President Bill Clinton. Kids seeing Americans in uniform wave, and all ethnicities understand the Americans are in the country for their safety, King said.

The American troops work with those other nationalities and with Kosovo's security forces. The biggest danger the KFOR faces today is the ready availability of weapons, ammunition and explosives in the region. King said his explosive ordnance disposal teams have had to blow up World War I munitions. The emptying of Albania's arsenals in the 1990s put hundreds of thousands of weapons on the street. A large black market weapons business – featuring rocket-propelled grenades, missile systems and hand grenades – operates in Kosovo, officials said. Weapons smuggling has increased over the years, following traditional land routes through the region.

The citizen-soldier background of the American unit helps in accomplishing the mission, King said. "We have a depth of civilian experiences that feed into [mission accomplishment]," he said. "It's a civil-military mission with high-intensity information operations."

Many of the soldiers with the unit do these same jobs in civilian life.

"They are the people back in Missouri launching the campaigns to get people to wear seat belts, not drink and drive or use a child seat," he said. "These types of campaigns are what we use to influence the Kosovars."

Peace and stability have come to Kosovo, which declared its independence from Serbia in February. Keeping the country stable and giving the Kosovars the time to get civilian infrastructure in place is KFOR's mission.

For the most part, the NATO soldiers work in a permissive environment. Maneuver units patrol in Humvees and soft caps. Soldiers patrol the streets carrying only 9 mm pistols. They have interceptor ballistic armor and heavier weapons in their vehicles if they need them, but haven't had to use them during this rotation, said Army Command Sgt. Maj. Mike Lederle, the senior enlisted advisor for the brigade.

"Our troops are absolutely motivated and excited about what they are doing on this mission," Lederle said. "This is really a mission of intellect, because the soldier has to think about everything they do and what the second- or third- or sometimes even the fourth-order effects what they do will have on the population, because this part of the world really doesn't forget."

The unit went through five months of training before deploying. Most of that was hammering home that soldiers have to use common sense and understand the culture before making decisions, Lederle said.

"We know how to escalate," the sergeant major said. "In this situation, with these people, we have to know how to de-escalate."

Armed Forces Retirement Home Receives Prestigious Accreditation

For the first time in its history, the Armed Forces Retirement Home has applied for and received accreditation from the prestigious Commission on Accreditation of Rehabilitation Facilities (CARF)-Continuing Care Accreditation Commission (CCAC).

The accreditation, which will extend through August 2013, results from the findings of an on-site survey of the AFRH facilities conducted Aug. 18-22, 2008. It was awarded in five services and programs at AFRH, an independent federal agency which serves more than 1,100 military retirees and veterans.

CARF is an independent, nonprofit accrediting body whose mission is to promote the quality, value and optimal outcome of services through a consultative accreditation process. Founded in 1966 as the Commission on Accreditation of Rehabilitation Facilities, and now known as CARF, it is the leading accrediting body of human services. CARF-CCAC accreditation represents the highest level of endorsement achievable.

"This was a tremendous accomplishment for AFRH" stated Timothy Cox the retirement home's chief operating officer. "Our dedicated staff put many hours into the accreditation process, and they are to be congratulated."

The CARF-CCAC survey report labeled these five AFRH areas exemplary:

There are a wide variety of on-and off-campus activities. The on-campus activity facilities include a movie theater, bowling alley, and a 50,000 volume library.

The performance and accountability annual reports to Congress are extensive, clear, timely documents that give an in-depth overview of the organization and its forward-looking and creative pictures of the strategic direction of AFRH.

AFRH'S chief operating officer has minimized long-term financial threats by developing and seeking implementation of an innovative strategic initiative to lease 77 acres of land to provide a long-term revenue stream.

The strategic plan for AFRH is a complete document that is well developed with input from stakeholders who thoroughly research and outline their respective areas with solid recommendations for consideration in the final strategic plan document.

AFRH's total excess margin ratio, operating ratio, and days cash on hand ratio exceed the 75th percentile for single-site continuing care retirement community in CARF-CCAC's database.

AFRH currently holds an accreditation through the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations (JCAHO). JCAHO evaluates and accredits more than 15,000 health care organizations and programs in the United States.

Defense Secretary 'Walks the Beat' in Kosovo

By Jim Garamone
American Forces Press Service

Oct. 7, 2008 - Some U.S. soldiers in Kosovo have a job similar to that of a beat cop, and today they took Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates along with them as they walked the streets. The soldiers are members of liaison monitoring teams that grew out of the nationwide riots in March 2004 that caught the NATO-led Kosovo Force unaware.

"We walk the streets. We try to see what's happening in the neighborhoods, so we can perhaps stop something like the riots," said Army Sgt. John Mitchell, a Missouri National Guardsmen who leads a four-man team here.

This is an overt information-gathering group; the soldiers do not spy on people or do "black-bag" jobs to get information. Rather, they meet with the people, they read the fliers being handed out, they decipher the graffiti on the walls and they check out the posters going up, Mitchell said. "We're taking the pulse of the population," he said.

Army 1st Lt. Shelby Wilson, another Guardsman, told the secretary that the teams look at all the nuances behind the scenes. "We don't know what piece of information will be important somewhere else," he told Gates as they stood in the street. "What we turn in may be the small piece of the puzzle that makes it clear farther up the chain of command."

Understanding the mood of the people, what they are concerned about and who worries them allows the 110th Maneuver Enhanced Brigade to better place its other elements. The teams – made up of two or three American soldiers and a translator – walk through the city or ride in a regular sport-utility vehicle in the country. The teams cover 63 rural villages and Gjilan. Team members meet all types and ethnicities of Kosovars and simply talk with them.

The teams also provide a way for the citizens of this new country to get their suggestions, complaints or grievances heard. "They see the patch, they'll talk to us," Wilson told Gates. "We have to build trust and confidence with these people."

It takes a special person to work the teams, for which no military occupational specialty exists. "We have infantrymen, artillerymen, cooks, medics, you name it," said Army Command Sgt. Maj. Mike Lederle, the brigade senior enlisted advisor. "We had a very stringent interview process after people volunteered. They have to be able to talk to people and then write their impressions and communicate them up the chain."

Gates walked through the streets with Wilson. He saw businesses open and filled with people. He saw streets crowded with cars and pedestrians. And he saw people everywhere waving at the beat cops in the Army camouflage uniforms.

AbilityOne Program Provides Jobs for Disabled Veterans

By Gerry J. Gilmore
American Forces Press Service

Oct. 7, 2008 - The Defense Department is a strong supporter of the federally managed AbilityOne program, which works with private and public groups to provide goods and services to the government and jobs for the blind and other people who have severe disabilities, including wounded veterans. "As the largest customer of this program, the Department of Defense has a responsibility and a tremendous opportunity to increase support by procuring more goods and services provided by the AbilityOne program," John J. Young Jr., undersecretary of defense for acquisition, technology and logistics, stated in a March 24 memorandum.

AbilityOne, formerly known as the Javits-Wagner-O'Day Act, or JWOD, is administered by the Committee for Purchase From People Who Are Blind or Severely Disabled, an independent federal agency.

More than 1,300 wounded military veterans are part of the program's 43,000-strong work force, according to a DoD news release. The Defense Department is the program's largest customer, the release said, as it purchases more than $1.3 billion in goods and services each year, including laundry services, uniforms, office supplies and grounds maintenance.

Work contracts arranged through the AbilityOne program provide most of the chemical-protection coats and pants used by U.S. servicemembers. Skilcraft-brand office supplies found across the federal government also are part of the AbilityOne program.

President Bush, in a White House document dated Feb. 11, stated that the AbilityOne program "has taken steps to embrace successful business practices, including e-commerce and performance-based contracting." The program, he said, provides work for tens of thousands of disabled Americans employed at more than 600 community-based nonprofit organizations.

Deputy Defense Secretary Gordon England will host a Pentagon ceremony tomorrow to honor the AbilityOne program.

The AbilityOne program can trace its roots to the passage of the Wagner-O'Day Act of 1938, sponsored by Sen. Robert F. Wagner and U.S. Rep. Caroline O'Day. This legislation mandated that the federal government purchase brooms, mops and other items provided by nonprofit agencies employing people who are blind.

The Wagner-O'Day Act was expanded in 1971 through the efforts of Sen. Jacob Javits. The resultant legislation, known as the Wagner-O'Day-Javits Act, permits nonprofit agencies serving people with other severe disabilities in addition to blindness to participate in the JWOD program and authorized nonprofit agencies to provide not only supplies, but also services to the federal government.

The executive-branch Committee for Purchase From People Who Are Blind or Severely Disabled, the National Industries for the Blind, and NISH, formerly known as National Industries for the Severely Handicapped, form a triad of support for JWOD, whose name was changed to AbilityOne by the U.S. Congress in 2006.

Army Officials Tout Success of Warrior Transition Units

By John J. Kruzel
American Forces Press Service

Oct. 7, 2008 - Before a major newspaper shed light on the sub-par outpatient conditions at Walter Reed Army Medical Center here, the hospital had appointed one soldier to track the recoveries of 200 wounded troops, an Army official said. But now, some 20 months after publication of the provocative series, the Army has three dozen Warrior Transition Units across the country dedicated to nurturing the wounded back to health and even into civilian life, Army Brig. Gen. Gary H. Cheek, director of the Warrior Care and Transition Program, said today.

"If you compare this to Walter Reed and the organization we had in place in February 2007 when the articles from the Washington Post came out, we had one noncommissioned officer responsible for a couple hundred soldiers," he said. "That soldier, in fact, was also a cancer patient."

The key to the 36 transition units across the country is what the Army calls its "triad" of care. One primary-care manager is assigned to 200 soldiers, a nurse case manager is responsible for 20 soldiers, and each squad leader monitors 10. Medical personnel provide individual attention at every turn and coordinate closely to ensure no detail falls through the cracks, officials said.

"Warrior Transition Units [allow us] to house and manage and lead all the soldiers that are going through medical treatment to either return them to the force or to civilian life if necessary," Cheek told an audience at the Association of the U.S. Army conference.

The general also addressed how the Army has mitigated the chaotic bureaucracy that families faced while attempting to visit the injured servicemember they love. Thanks to the Soldier Family Assistance Center, he said, connecting wounded troops and family members is far easier than in the past.

"When the Walter Reed articles were first written, families would have to go all over the place on the Army installation just to get some of these things taken care of," he said.

But now, imagine that a soldier who hails from Wisconsin is hurt while on deployment in Iraq. He is medically evacuated to Landstuhl Regional Medical Center, Germany, en route to the hospital here.

"What we can do with the Soldier Family Assistance Center is assist that family in their travel to Walter Reed, accommodations when they get there [and with] expectations of what their family member's going to go through," Cheek said. "We basically help them with any issue or problem they have in a single place and focus where they can go."

In addition to these initiatives, the Army has invested $350 million into upgrading its facilities to comply with Americans with Disabilities Act strictures. And with an increase in numbers, some 3,200 medical personnel now are committed to helping wounded warriors heal from the moment they "inprocess" to the time they transition back to civilian life.

Army Col. James Rice directs the Army Wounded Warrior Program, which signed a memorandum of agreement with the National Organization on Disability to help increase the rate that disabled Americans are hired. He said that while some employers are reticent to hire recovering troops, others are eager.

"Companies – large and small – will come to organizations like the Army Wounded Warrior Program and say, 'We want to hire wounded warriors,'" he said today. "And that's great, and we want to help them do that."

Echoing Rice's comments, Cheek emphasized the role of employment in a wounded warrior's recovery. "If a soldier is employed, suddenly he begins to heal a lot faster," Cheek said.

MILITARY CONTRACTS

Army

Raytheon Co., Largo, Fla., was awarded Sept. 30, 2008, a $21,635,359 cost plus fixed price contract for development effort for the Joint–Tactical Terminal senior upgrade kit. Work will be performed in Ontario, Canada, Linthicum, Md., and Columbia Md., with estimated and completion date of Oct. 1, 2010. Bids solicited were IBOP and one bid was received. CECOM Acquisition Center, Fort Monmouth, N.J., is the contracting activity (W15P7T-08-C-T210).

John C. Grimberg, Rockville, Md., was awarded on Sept. 29, 2008, a $19,959,706 firm fixed price contract for a central heating plant at Defense Distribution Depot Susquehanna, New Cumberland, Pa. Work will be performed in New Cumberland, Pa., with an estimated completion date of Jun. 30, 2011. Bids solicited were via the web and three bids were received. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Baltimore, Md., is the contracting activity (W912DR-08-C-0047).

MaxFour-Weitz, JV, Englewood, Colo., was awarded on Sept. 30, 2008, a $19,921,822 construction firm fixed price contract for construction of permanent party barracks, Phase 2, Fort Leonard Wood, Mo. Work will be performed in Fort Leonard Wood, Mo., with an estimated completion date of Mar. 30, 2010. Bids solicited were via the Web and one bid was received. Corp of Engineer, Kansas, Mo., is the contracting activity (W912DQ-07-D-0031).

Alacran/O&S, Joint Venture, Rockford, Ill., was awarded Sept. 30, 2008, a $19,487,767 firm fixed price contract. The work consists of relocation of the metal parts and machinery operations at Riverbank Army Munitions Plant and Miss., Army Ammunition Plant to Rock Island Arsenal. Work will be performed in Rock Island, Ill., with estimated and completion date of Mar. 31, 2010. U.S. Army Corps of Engineer, Louisville, Ky., is the contracting (W912QR-08-C-0057).

BAE Systems Tactical Vehicle Systems, Sealy, Texas, was awarded Oct. 1, 2008, a $19,000,000 firm fixed price contract for Mine Resistant Ambush Protected (MRAP) sustainment parts. Work will be performed in Humble, Texas, Lufkin, Texas and Houston, Texas, with estimated and completion date of Aug. 5, 2008. One bid was solicited and one bid was received. ACOM, Warren, Mich., is the contracting activity (W56HZV-09-C-0010).

L-3 Communications, Linkabit Division, San Diego, Calif., was awarded Sept. 30, 2008, a $16,546,100 cost plus fixed price contract for a fourteen-month period of performance to provide Technology refresh for the Prophet Block III Spiral I Sensor Vehicle with Satellite Communications on the Move capabilities. Work will be performed in San Diego, Calif., Melbourne, Fla., Scottsdale, Ariz., Austin, Texas, and Aberdeen, Md., with estimated and completion date of Dec. 1, 2010. Bids solicited were via IBOP and three bids were received. CECOM Acquisition Center, Fort Monmouth, N.J., is the contracting activity (DAAB07-C-L-539).

Cox Construction, Vista, Calif., was awarded on Sept. 29, 2008, a $15,787,000 firm fixed fee price contract for Building 1 Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioning (HVAC) remodel at VA Medical Center, Reno, Nev. Work will be performed in Reno, Washoe, Nev., with an estimated completion date of Nov 4, 2011. Bids solicited were via the web and four bids were received. U.S. Army Engineer, Sacramento, Calif., is the contracting activity (W912BV-06-D-2019).

Tanner Heavy Equipment Co., of Leesville, La., was awarded Sept. 29, 2008, a $14,900,000 firm fixed price contract to construct and repair roads as well as drainage systems at Fort Polk, La. The work also will include military and civil projects within the Corps of Engineers' Southwestern Division. The work will be performed primarily at Fort Polk and will be completed by Sept. 29, 2012. The U.S. Army Engineer District, Fort Worth, Texas, is the contracting activity (W91-26G-08-D-0074).

U.S. Ordnance of Reno, Nev., was awarded Sept. 27, 2008, a $14,001,700 firm fixed price contract to purchase M2HB nonstandard machines for Afghanistan. The work is being performed at the contractor's Reno plant and was to be completed by Sept. 30, 2009. The U.S. Army Tank Automotive Command at Rock Island, Ill., is the contracting activity (W52H09-08-C-0218).

Staffco Construction Co., of Fairborn, Ohio, was awarded Sept. 30, 2008, a $13,938,000 contract to construct an Armed Forces Reserve Center and field maintenance shop in Springfield, Ohio. The work will be performed in Springfield and will be completed by Apr. 30, 2010. Bids were solicited via the worldwide web and five bids were received. The National Guard Bureau's office in Columbus, Ohio, is the contracting activity (W91364-08-C-0002).

Great Lakes Dredge & Dock, LLC, of Oak Brook, Ill., was awarded Sept. 30, 2008, a $13,595,100 firm fixed price contract for erosion and hurricane protection projects in Westhampton, Suffolk County, N.Y. The work will be performed there and will be completed by Mar. 30, 2009. Twenty bids were solicited and two bids were received. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, CENAN-CT, in New York City is the contracting activity (W912DS-08-C-0027).

Greenleaf Construction Co., Inc, Kansas City, Mo., was awarded on Sept. 30, 2008, a $12,048,527 firm fixed fee price contract for construction of a chapel complex, Fort Leavenworth, Kan. Work will be performed in Fort Leavenworth, Kan., with an estimated completion date of Sept. 29, 2010. Bids were solicited via the Web and two bids were received. U.S. Army Corp of Engineer, Omaha, Neb., is the contracting activity (W9128F-08-C-0037).

Alutiiq International Solution, LLC, Fort Drum, N.Y., was awarded on Sept. 29, 2008, a $11,041,307 firm fixed price contract for construction of a standard Automated Qualification Training Range on Range 44 at fort drum, N.Y. Work will be performed in Fort Drum Leray, N.Y., with an estimated completion date of Jun. 30, 2010. One bid was solicited and one bid was received. Corp of Engineer, New York City, N.Y., is the contracting activity (W912DS-08-C-0030).

Intercontinental Construction Contracting of Passaic, N.J., was awarded Sept. 30, 2008, a $9,163,524 firm fixed price contract for construction and restoration of Michie Stadium, Phase four at West Point, N.Y. The work will be performed at the campus of the U.S. Military Academy at West Point and will be completed by Mar. 31, 2010. Bids were solicited via the worldwide web and seven bids were received. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineer in New York, N.Y., is the contracting activity (W912DS-07-C-0029).

Veteran's Enterprise Technology Services, Inc., of Knoxville, Tenn., was awarded Sept. 30, 2008, a $9,459,000 firm fixed price contract for the design and construction of an Army dining facility for 2,400 people at Fort Leonard Wood, Mo. The work will be performed at Fort Leonard Wood and will be completed by Dec. 30, 2010. Bids were solicited by FedBizOps and two bids were received. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Norfolk District, is the contracting activity (W91236-08-D-0055).

Affolter Contracting, Ltd., of Texas City, Texas, was awarded Sept. 29, 2008, a $8,950,000 firm fixed price contract for flood control measures along the Mississippi River and its tributaries, the West Bank Mississippi River levees, as well as levee enlargement and beams. The work will be performed from Texas City and will be completed by Sept. 30, 2009. Eleven bids were received for these projects. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Vicksburg District, is the contracting activity (W912EE-08-C-0036).

Greenleaf/ECI Joint Venture of Kansas City, Mo., was awarded Sept. 30, 2008, a $7,941,714 firm fixed price contract to modify firing ranges seven and eight at Fort Leonard Wood, Mo. The work will be performed at Fort Leonard Wood and will be completed by Sept. 29, 2009. Four bids were solicited and one bid was received. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Kansas City District, is the contracting activity (W912DQ-07-0045).

The Selmer Co., of Green Bay, Wis., was awarded Sept. 30, 2008, a $7,046,600 firm fixed price contract to construct an Army Reserve Center at Hammond, Wis. The work will be performed in Hammond and will be completed by Apr. 2, 2010. Bids were solicited via FedBizOps and six bids were received. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Louisville District, is the contracting activity (W912QE-08-C-0061).

Evergreen Fire Alarm and Security of Tacoma, Wash., was awarded Sept. 30, 2008, a $7,025,298 firm fixed price contract for Fire-alarm inspections and testing at Fort Lewis, Wash. The work will be performed on Fort Lewis and will be completed by Oct. 1, 2013. Bids were solicited via the worldwide web and three bids were received. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Seattle District, is the contracting activity (W912DW-08-C-0022).

Alutiiq International Solutions, LLC, of Dallas, Texas, was awarded Sept. 30, 2008, a $6,965,366 indefinite delivery, indefinite quantity firm fixed price contract to design and building modular buildings for the 5th Armored Brigade at Fort Bliss, Texas, near Chaparral, N.M. The work will be performed there and will be completed by Jun. 30, 2009. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers District, Little Rock, Ark., is the contracting activity (W9127S-08-C06006).

Tanner Heavy Equipment Co., of Leesville, La., was awarded Sept. 29, 2008, a $6,464,817 firm fixed price contract for construction and paving of parking lots at Fort Polk, La. The work will be performed on Fort Polk and will be completed by Apr. 1, 2009. Two bids were received for this small-business set-aside project. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers District, Fort Worth, Texas, is the contracting activity (W9126G-08-C-0077).

K.O.O. Construction, Inc., of West Sacramento, Calif., was awarded Sept. 30, 2008, a $6,019,642 firm fixed price contract for electrical upgrades at Dock 1 on Beale Air Force Base, Calif. The work will be performed on Beale and will complete by Jan. 3, 2010. Bids were solicited via the worldwide web and two bids were received. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers District, Sacramento, is the contracting activity (W91238-08-C-0026).

Computer Sciences Corp. of Alexandria, Va., was awarded Sept. 29, 2008, a $5,727,870 contract for automation support to assist the Defense Threat Reduction Agency. The work will be performed at the agency's Fort Belvoir, Va., facility and will be completed by Feb. 27, 2010. The Defense Threat Reduction Agency is the contracting activity (HDTRA1-08-C-0073).

Bluegrass Construction Corp. of Lexington, Ky., was awarded Sept. 30, 2008, a $5,721,103 firm fixed price contract for improvements at the east-access corridor on Fort Knox, Ky. The work will be performed there and will be complete by Mar. 24, 2010. Bids were solicited via FedBizOps and three bids were received. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers District, Louisville, is the contracting activity (W912QR-08-C-0060).

Science Applications International Corp., (SAIC) of Chantilly, Va., was awarded Sept. 30, 2008, a $5,104,498 contract for acquisition of topographic data. The work will be performed at SAIC's Chantilly facility and will be completed by Sept. 29, 2009. The National Geospatial Agency, Arnold, Mo., is the contracting activity (NMA302-03-D-0006).

Dredge Technology Corp. of Wayne, N.J., was awarded Sept. 30, 2008, a $5,052,453 firm fixed price contract to acquire 2,000 free of 32-inch floating dredging hose for dredging operations on the Miss., River. Bids were solicited via the worldwide web and two bids were received. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers District, Philadelphia, is the contracting activity (W912BU-08-P-0335).

Navy

Manu Kai, LLC, Honolulu, Hawaii, is being awarded a $52,983,851 fixed price, indefinite quantity cost plus fixed fee contract for range operations support and base operations support services. This contract includes a one-year base period, with nine one-year option periods which, if exercised, bring the total estimated value of the contract to $737,932,436. Work will be performed in Kauai, Hawaii, and work is expected to be completed by Sept. 2018. Contract funds in the amount of $31,700,310 will expire before the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was competitively procured through Navy Electronic Commerce Online and Federal Business Opportunities website, with four offers received. The Fleet and Industrial Supply Center Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, is the contracting activity.

Navistar Defense LLC, Warrenville, Ill, is being awarded a $35,852,606 firm fixed priced modification to delivery order #0006 under previously awarded contract (M67854-07-D-5032) for sustainment items needed to support Category I Mine Resistant Ambush Protected (MRAP) Low Rate Initial Production (LRIP) vehicles in theater. This order will also be used to support several engineering change proposals to increase the vehicles' capabilities. Work will be performed in West Point, Miss., and work is expected to be completed Apr. 2009. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was competitively procured. The Marine Corps Systems Command, Quantico, Va., is the contracting activity.

Terex Corp., Stafford, Va., is being awarded an $11,703,202 firm fixed price delivery order # 0015 under previously awarded contract (M67854-05-D-5145) for 19 cranes and associated items. Work will be performed by Terex-Demag GmbH&Co.KG, Dinglerstr.24, 66482 Zweibrucken, Germany, and work is expected to be completed by May 2010. Contract funds will not expire during the current fiscal year. The Marine Corps Systems Command, Quantico, Va., is the contracting activity.

Air Force

ITT Industries Systems Division of Cape Canaveral, Fla., is having a contract modified for $10,419,168. This in-scope modification is issued in accordance with the terms and conditions of the contract. It increases the house ordered and estimated cost for sustainment activities and adds the Defense Information Assurance Certification and Accreditation Process to Department of Defense Information Assurance Certification and Accreditation Process project requirement for several Contract Line Items Numbers on the contract. $10,419,168 has been obligated. Peterson AFB, Colo., is the contracting activity F0470-01-C-0001, Modification P00520.

California Guard Assists in Fossett Recovery

By Army Staff Sgt. Jon Soucy
Special to American Forces Press Service

Oct. 6, 2008 - When the wreckage of multi-millionaire Steve Fossett's plane was found near Mammoth Lakes, Calif., last week, it ended the year-long search for the missing adventurer. Fossett vanished in September 2007 during what was supposed to be a short pleasure flight.

There are still many unanswered questions, and the California Army National Guard began helping to find answers on Oct. 2.

Using a single UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter, California Army National Guard pilots completed several missions in support of the Madera County sheriff's office, flying in supplies, search dogs and personnel, said Jonathan Guibord, a California Guard spokesman.

The California Guard normally would not take part in a mission like this, he said, but state officials asked for help with the recovery operations.

"Due to the dangerous terrain and high altitude, [the Office of Emergency Services] has determined that the California National Guard's specialized aircrew and aircraft were required," Guibord said.

The pilots supported insertion and extraction missions into the area on Oct. 2, but snowfall ended the search in the Sierra Nevada on Oct. 3.

California officials told the Associated Press that recovery efforts around the site may not resume until summer. Authorities said they completed most of what they needed to do on Oct. 3, when they found three more bone fragments that scientists will test to determine whether they came from Fossett.

(Army Staff Sgt. Jon Soucy serves at the National Guard Bureau.)

New Marine Test Reflects Broad Military Emphasis on Combat Fitness

By Donna Miles
American Forces Press Service

Oct. 6, 2008 - Ask Marines deployed aboard USS Iwo Jima what they think of a new Marine Corps test to assess their combat fitness, and one might be surprised by the lack of complaining. After two deployments to Iraq, Sgt. Richard Williams said he's seen firsthand the importance of both strength and stamina that the new combat fitness test will assess. Williams, a machine gunner with the 26th Marine Expeditionary Unit, remembers running across danger areas in Fallujah, Iraq, loaded to the hilt with combat gear and ammunition.

"If you can't keep up, you're dead weight to that squad," he told American Forces Press Service as he and the rest of the Iwo Jima strike group transited toward the U.S. Central Command area of responsibility. "You've got to be fit, because it's not just for you. It's for the team."

Williams' sentiment echoed loudly throughout the 26th MEU as the Marines geared up for the new combat fitness test being phased in throughout the Corps. The test was to be fully implemented by Sept. 30 as a supplement to the standard physical fitness test.

Marine Corps Commandant Gen. James T. Conway ordered the new test to replicate more closely the demands Marines are likely to face downrange. They'll run a timed 800-yard run, repeatedly lift a 30-pound ammunition can for two minutes, then maneuver through a 300-yard course that requires them to conduct a combat crawl, ammunition resupply, body drag, casualty carry and grenade throw.

The entire test will be conducted in combat boots and utility uniforms.

Col. Mark Desens, the 26th MEU commander, said the test represents heavy emphasis being put on fitness for all ground troops – not just those performing infantry and other highly physical missions. A truck driver running a convoy route, for example, needs to be as ready as the infantrymen he's supporting to respond to an attack and, if necessary, to drag a buddy to safety.

"This combat fitness test is a result of those exact experiences and ensuring that regardless of their jobs, all Marines are physically able to handle themselves in combat," he said.

But Desens said physical fitness is just half of what the new test will deliver. "It's also about the mental piece, and the confidence that comes with it," he said. A Marine who goes into combat knowing he's well-trained, well-equipped and fit for the mission – and that his buddy is equally prepared and can get him to safety or medical help if necessary – is better able to focus on the mission, he said.

"You fight harder and you fight more confidently and you are focused on defeating the enemy, not on [wondering], 'Is today the day that a bad letter is going to go back home?'" Desens said. "So it is mental as much as physical."

Staff Sgt. Vedel Poindexter, a black-belt martial arts instructor with the 26th MEU, said he likes the idea of a test that assesses Marines' combat fitness.

"It's a lot more realistic and geared toward the things Marines would actually do in combat," he said. "You're sprinting. You're manipulating your buddy. You're doing a combat drag. And we're going to be tested the way we fight -- in uniform."

Staff Sgt. William Korth, platoon sergeant for Fox Company's 3rd Platoon, said he has no delusions that the new test is going to be easy. "It's definitely going to be tough," he said, noting that performing well requires speed and strength, as well as endurance. "I think this is going to weed out the weak."

After two combat deployments, Staff Sgt. Angel Alejandre, Golf Company's machine gun section leader, said the test will measure the exact capabilities Marines need in combat.

"You never know when you are going to have to sprint 500 meters with combat gear to chase an insurgent or support someone else," he said. "This test ensures we train the way we fight. Overall, I think it will be good for the Marine Corps."

The Army, too, is putting increased emphasis on fitness to ensure soldiers' combat readiness.

"Fitness has gone beyond just passing the PT test," Army Col. Timothy Touzinsky, chief of staff for the Joint Multinational Training Command, said in Grafenwoehr, Germany. The command ensures U.S. European Command's 45,000 soldiers remain combat-ready.

"It's how to survive the rigors of the combat zone: the extreme heat, the gear we wear, the weapons we carry, the [body armor] we wear, the long hours and the stress," he said. "It all takes a toll on soldiers, and the more fit they are going into a combat zone, the better they are going to be able to sustain themselves there."

As a result, the Army has integrated fitness training into soldiers' regular training schedules.

"The reality of the [operational tempo] and the reality on soldiers now is that physical fitness and nutrition is integral into their day. They do PT every day," Touzinsky said. "Staying fit is a mission. We have got to be ready ... for that next deployment."

Meanwhile, new approaches are maximizing the benefits of the training offered, he said. Mass formation runs have become a thing of the past, except for rare ceremonial events. Soldiers now train in small groups based on ability that push troops to capacity or beyond. Meanwhile, more training has moved indoors, taking advantage of high-tech weight-training and aerobic equipment.

"No longer do you just do push-ups, sit-ups and a three-mile run," Touzinsky said. "These guys are going at it smart. They are training for strength. They are training for stamina. They are training aerobically, [and] they are training anaerobically so they can do it all."

Military Olympians Visit Pentagon, Express Thanks for Support

By Army Staff Sgt. Michael J. Carden
American Forces Press Service

Oct. 6, 2008 - Military Olympians and Paralympians visited the Pentagon today and expressed their gratitude for the Defense Department's support and partnership. "There's been a long history of Military involvement in the Olympic and Paralympic games," Charlie Huebner, chief of Paralympics in Colorado Springs, Col., said.

More than 25 Military athletes in this year's Olympic and Paralympic Games in Beijing were involved in the armed forces, either on active duty or as veterans, Huebner said. They earned seven gold medals, one silver medal and three bronze medals.

Retired Army 1st Lt. Melissa Stockwell, a Paralympic swimmer, is the first Operation Iraqi Freedom veteran to participate in the Paralympic games. Stockwell lost most of her left leg in April 2004 when her convoy was struck by a roadside bomb. Her strength and determination should serve as an inspirational example for other wounded warriors, Huebner said.

Huebner said Stockwell, better than anybody, can walk the halls of Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington, D.C., and the National Naval Medical Center in Bethesda, Md.

"One of the biggest things [Military Paralympians] can do is assume roles as mentors for other wounded servicemembers," he said. "Being able to go and spend time with other wounded warriors is critically important, and I can think of none better than those who've been wounded in war [and] then became Olympians."

As chief of Paralympics, one of Huebner's objectives is developing athletic and community programs for wounded veterans. The programs assist the newly injured and their families in letting them know that their lives are not over, he said.

"We just want to let wounded [veterans] know that they can still be physically active, they can still pursue education, and if they want, they can represent their country again at the Paralympic games," he said.

Stockwell expressed her appreciation for the Defense Department's support of returning Iraq and Afghanistan war veterans and wounded warrior programs, citing how sports and competition are important to rehabilitating servicemembers.

"Sports have played a huge role for all of us here," Stockwell said, "and just getting back out there in life and enjoying the things that we used to do and the new things we try is something we have to do. These programs do give hope."