Face of Defense: Airman Contributes to Nuclear Airlift Mission

By Dona Fair
Special to American Forces Press Service

March 9, 2009 - For Air Force Tech. Sgt. Nicholas Thompson, there is no such thing as making a mistake. He is one of a small group of Air Force men and women responsible for the safety, security and reliability of a part of the nation's nuclear arsenal, a job that leaves no room for error.

Thompson is a C-17 Globemaster III aircraft propulsion specialist with the 62nd Airlift Wing here, a part of the Prime Nuclear Airlift Force mission. Thompson's job is to focus on the aircraft's four main engines and auxiliary power unit, he said.

"I maintain, repair, service and operate these systems to make sure the C-17 is in top shape to transport these weapon systems if ever needed," said Thompson, a Lutz, Fla., native.

This nuclear airlift mission is divided into three main areas. One area is the personnel reliability program. This program ensures that airmen who deal with nuclear weapons are emotionally stable, reliable and physically able to do their jobs. Another area is the upkeep and maintenance of the aircraft and the third, and perhaps most important, is training to ensure the proper transport of the weapons.

For Thompson and his fellow maintainers and aircrew members, this training is hardly left to chance.

He and his fellow airmen recently took part in a weeklong nuclear surety inspection and received the highest score possible. The training leading up to the inspection included at least a year of experience on the airframe, as well as qualification on engine-run training, borescope training, engine fan blade blending, and inlet and exhaust training, Thompson said.

"There was also a rigorous interview and singular senior review of my qualifications, as well as a training session with an experienced team member during an actual mission preparation," he said.

In a job where second chances are rare, Thompson said attention to detail in every aspect of the job is paramount to success.

"It is what we are supposed to do every day and, for us, that second look and extra attention to detail is critical," Thompson said. "During mission prep, the shift hours are longer to allow us the extra time to spend on those details and make sure everything gets done right the first time."

(Dona Fair works at the Army and Air Force Hometown News Service.)

MILITARY CONTRACTS March 9, 2009

DEFENSE INFORMATION SYSTEMS AGENCY

Verizon Business Network Services Inc., Ashburn, Va., was awarded a firm-fixed-price, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract consisting of one five-year base period, two 24-month option periods and one 12-month option period and a maximum ceiling amount of $2,500,000,000. This requirement was announced via the Federal Business Opportunities website and two offers were received. This action, the Defense Information Systems Network (DISN) transmission services - Pacific II (DTS-P II) contract, provides end-to-end transmission services and capabilities essential to Defense Information System Network - Pacific, DoD's consolidated enterprise level telecommunications infrastructure for the expanded Pacific region. The Defense Information Technology Contracting Organization, Pacific is the contracting activity (HC1019-09-D-2000).

NAVY

Raytheon Co., Tucson, Ariz., is being awarded a $30,000,000 modification to previously awarded contract (N00024-09-C-5303) for fiscal year 2009 engineering and technical services in support of STANDARD Missile – 2 (SM-2) for Foreign Military Sales requirements. Work will be performed in Tucson, Ariz., and is expected to be completed by Mar. 2010. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Naval Sea Systems Command, Washington Navy Yard, D.C., is the contracting activity.

SDV Engineering & Construction, JV.*, San Diego, Calif., is being awarded an indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity, firm-fixed-price contract for environmental restoration projects, at Marine Corps installations within the Naval Facilities Engineering Command Southwest (NAVFAC SW) area of responsibility (AOR). The total contract amount is not to exceed $30,000,000 (base year and four option years). Work will be performed at Marine Corps installations in the NAVFAC SW AOR, and is expected to be completed by Mar. 2014. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was competitively procured via the Navy Electronic Commerce Online website with four proposals received. The NAVFAC SW, San Diego, Calif., is the contracting activity (N62473-09-D-1212).

National Technical Systems, East Camden, Ark., is being awarded a $9,582,463 firm-fixed-price-service, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract for the engineering services and rapid response testing support for a variety of programs that protect and support the warfighter. The testing support will require specialized test facilities with the capability to handle live ordnance and fixturing to accommodate extreme size and weights. This support will include, but not be limited to, engineering services and infrastructure for characterizing, testing, and documenting the performance of weapons, ammunition, munitions, and energetic systems, components and related systems. Work will be performed in East Camden, Ark., and is expected to be completed by Mar. 2015. Contract funds in the amount of $157,985 will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was not competitively procured. Naval Surface Warfare Center, Indian Head Division, Indian Head, Md., is the contracting activity (N00174-09-D-0007).

LPI Technical Services *, Chesapeake, Va., is being awarded a $7,315,330 cost-plus-fixed-fee, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract for the alteration installation team support. This contract provides for enginee-ring and technical services for shipboard systems and equipment associated with firefighting, damage control, and personnel protection. Work will be performed in Norfolk, Va., (30 percent), San Diego, Calif., (30 percent), various unspecified locations (14 percent), Mayport, Fla., (10 percent), Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, (10 percent), Ingleside, Texas, (3 percent), Pascagoula, Miss., (3 percent), and work is expected to be completed by Mar. 2012. Contract funds in the amount of $200,000 will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was competitively procured with two proposals solicited and two offers received via Federal Business Opportunities. The Naval Surface Warfare Center, Panama City Division, Panama City, Fla., is the contracting activity (N61331-09-D-0014).

DEFENSE LOGISTICS AGENCY

Signature Flight Support Corp., Miami, Fla. is being awarded a maximum $11,093,629 fixed price with economic price adjustment contract for fuel delivery. Other location of performance is Fla. Using service is Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps and federal civilian agencies. There was one proposal originally solicited with three responses. Contract funds will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The date of performance completion is Mar. 31, 2013. The contracting activity is the Defense Energy Support Center, Fort Belvoir, Va., (SP0600-09-D-0067).

Sopakco Inc., Mullins, S.C.*, is being awarded a maximum $9,042,240 firm fixed price, indefinite quantity contract for first strike rations. There are no other locations of performance. Using services are Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps and federal civilian agencies. There were 38 proposals originally solicited with three responses. Contract funds will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract is exercising the first option year period. The date of performance completion is Mar. 31, 2010. The contracting activity is the Defense Supply Center Philadelphia, Philadelphia, Pa., (SPM3S1-08-D-Z101).

AIR FORCE

The Air Force is awarding a cost plus fixed fee contract to BAE Systems National Security Solutions of Burlington, Mass., for $11,934,121. The purpose of this contract is to improve programmer productivity and application performance through the development of a productive, computationally efficient architecture aware compiler environment. At this time, $2,223,417 has been obligated. AFRL/PKDA, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio is the contracting activity (FA8650-09-C-7918).

The Air Force is modifying a contract with Lockheed Martin Space Systems Corp., of Sunnyvale, Calif. The purpose of this modification is to install hybrid bearings on one AEHF reaction wheel assembly ship set. At this point $1,950,000 has been obligated. SMC/PKA, El Segundo, Calif., is the contracting activity (F047)1-02-C-0002, P00357).

Navy, Coast Guard Ships Participate in Exercise Aman

American Forces Press Service

March 9, 2009 - U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Boutwell left Karachi, Pakistan, today after a four-day port visit to participate in the international naval exercise Aman 2009, marking the first time a U.S. ship has pulled into Pakistan since May. The 10-day exercise, which began March 5, focuses on air, surface and maritime security training. It includes representatives from 38 countries, as well as ships from 11 nations that include the United States, United Kingdom, Pakistan and Australia. The at-sea portion of the exercise is being conducted primarily in the North Arabian Sea, off the coast of Pakistan.

"This exercise provides U.S. and international forces the opportunity to work together and train across the spectrum of naval disciplines," Navy Capt. Rick Williams, director of the U.S. 5th Fleet Maritime Operations Center, said. "Aman 2009 will improve the interoperability and tactical proficiency between coalition nations, and enhance our navies' effectiveness in supporting maritime security objectives."

U.S. ships participating in the exercise include Boutwell, USS Theodore Roosevelt and USS Lake Champlain, all assigned to the U.S. 5th Fleet.

During the exercise, ships will conduct surface exercises, air-defense training, explosive ordnance disposal exercises, and also will participate in foreign officer exchanges. The exercise is designed to improve maritime security in the region, strengthen international partnerships and highlight the importance of maritime cooperation, officials said.

Maritime security operations enhance stability in the maritime environment, which promotes global prosperity, officials noted. These operations complement the counterterrorism and security efforts of regional nations and seek to disrupt violent extremists' use of the maritime environment as a venue for attack or to transport personnel, weapons or illicit material.

(From a U.S. Naval Forces Central Command news release.)

Former Hostages to Receive Defense of Freedom Medal

By Donna Miles
American Forces Press Service

March 9, 2009 - Three U.S. defense contractors held captive for more than five years by Colombian narcoterrorists will receive the civilian equivalent of the Purple Heart award this week at the U.S. Southern Command headquarters in Miami. Southcom Commander Navy Adm. James Stavridis will present the Defense of Freedom Medal to Keith Stansell, Marc Gonsalves and Thomas Howes during the March 12 ceremonies. All three were injured during 1,967 days of captivity in the jungles of Colombia at the hands of the Colombian Revolutionary Armed Forces, known as the FARC.

The Defense Department established the Defense of Freedom Medal following the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks to honor Defense Department employees and defense contractors injured or killed while supporting department activities. To date, 37 people have received the award.

Stansell, Gonsalves and Howes were crewmembers taking part in a routine mission to detect cocaine crops over southern Colombia on Feb. 13, 2003, when an in-flight emergency forced the pilot to crash-land the aircraft they were riding in. FARC members stormed the site and murdered pilot Thomas Janis, a U.S. citizen, and Colombian Army Sgt. Luis Alcides Cruz before taking the three other Americans captive.

In a recently published book, Stansell, Gonsalves and Howes chronicle the challenges of their captivity, during which they were detained in jungle cages and forced on marches in chains.

Their imprisonment came to a dramatic end July 2, 2008, when Colombian military agents posing as humanitarian workers foiled the captors into releasing them. The mission, conducted without a single shot being fired, also freed a dozen other hostages.

An Air Force C-17 Globemaster III aircraft transported Gonsalves, Stansell and Howes later that day to Lackland Air Force Base in San Antonio. They were transferred to Brooke Army Medical Center at neighboring Fort Sam Houston, where they underwent a medical evaluation, were reunited with their families, and received assistance to help them smoothly transition back into their lives as free U.S. citizens.


In an Independence Day message issued two days after their release, the three expressed thanks to the U.S. and Colombian governments for not abandoning them during their captivity.

"We want to offer our heartfelt thanks to the government and the armed forces of Colombia," they wrote. "The operation they conducted to rescue us was one for the history books – something we will never forget for the rest of our lives."

They also praised the "tireless efforts" of the U.S. Embassy in Bogota and the care they received at Brooke Army Medical Center.

"The personal and professional concern they have taken in our well-being is deeply touching, and the reintegration process they are conducting on our behalf is worthwhile and important," they wrote. "We are all obviously eager to return home, but first we want to complete this entire process so we can return to our lives in the best physical and emotional shape possible."

Chairman, President Discuss U.S. Support to Mexico

By Jim Garamone
American Forces Press Service

March 9, 2009 - The chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and President Barack Obama discussed the situation in Mexico and the military capabilities that could assist the country in a March 7 conversation. Navy Adm. Mike Mullen had just returned from a trip to Brazil, Chile, Peru, Colombia and Mexico. The president and the chairman talked about the trip as a whole, but focused specifically on Mexico and the country's fight against organized crime and drug cartels.

"The president is obviously interested in the situation in Mexico, and asked the chairman to back-brief him on the trip," a Joint Staff official speaking on background said.

The U.S.-Mexican border is an area of concern. More than 5,000 people were killed in Mexico last year as a result of drug-related violence, and more than 2,000 have been killed so far this year. Most of the deaths occurred in the northern Mexican states, but it is not limited to that area.

The chairman's trip was aimed at improving the military-to-military relationship between the two countries. To that end, Mullen met with Mexican Secretary of National Defense Army Gen. Guillermo Galvan and Secretary of the Navy Adm. Juan Francisco Saynez on March 6.

Mexican President Felipe Calderon ordered the Mexican military to take on the cartels. U.S. officials are working with Mexican authorities to stem the flow of weapons from the United States to Mexico and to stop money laundering in the United States.

In Mexico, Mullen talked about a "shared responsibility" for the cause of the crisis, and said the United States had a shared responsibility to clean it up as well.

Obama and Mullen discussed what military capabilities might apply to the situation, the official said. This is not any kind of commitment, but rather is just a discussion at this point, the official emphasized.

In Mexico, Mullen said the U.S. military had learned what capabilities worked against terrorist networks. The same capabilities also may work against drug trafficking networks.

Chinese Vessels Shadow, Harass Unarmed U.S. Survey Ship

By Jim Garamone
American Forces Press Service

March 9, 2009 - Five Chinese vessels shadowed and aggressively maneuvered close to the USNS Impeccable in the South China Sea yesterday, a senior Pentagon official said today. The U.S. oceanographic ship was 70 miles south of Hainan Island conducting routine operations in international waters when the ships approached, Pentagon spokesman Bryan Whitman said.

"We view these as unprofessional maneuvers by the Chinese vessels and violations under international law to operate with due regard for the rights and safety of other lawful users of the ocean," Whitman said.

A civilian crew mans the ship, which operates under the auspices of the Military Sealift Command.

The incident began as the ships surrounded the Impeccable and two craft closed to within 50 feet, Whitman said. The Chinese ships included a Chinese navy intelligence collection ship, a Bureau of Maritime Fisheries patrol vessel, a State Oceanographic Administration patrol vessel and two small Chinese-flagged trawlers.

Crewmen aboard the Impeccable used fire hoses to spray one of the vessels as a protective measure. The Chinese crewmembers disrobed to their underwear and continued closing to within 25 feet.

The Chinese vessels dropped pieces of wood in the water directly in the Impeccable's path, and two of the ships stopped directly in the U.S. vessel's path, forcing it to stop.

Whitman said the Chinese used poles in an attempt to snag the Impeccable's towed acoustic array sonars. Impeccable's master used bridge-to-bridge radio circuits to inform the Chinese ships in a friendly manner that it was leaving the area and requested a safe path to navigate.

"These are dangerous close maneuvers that these vessels engaged in," Whitman said.

The incident was the culmination of earlier harassment. A Chinese patrol vessel shined a high-intensity spotlight March 4 on the USNS Victorious operating in the Yellow Sea 125 miles from China's coast. Chinese maritime aircraft "buzzed" the ship 12 times March 5.

A Chinese frigate crossed the bow of the Impeccable at a range of about 100 yards March 5. Maritime aircraft buzzed the ship after that incident.

Another Chinese ship challenged Impeccable over bridge-to-bridge radio March 7, calling its operations illegal and directing the American ship to leave the area or "suffer the consequences," officials said.

The Impeccable is one of six surveillance ships that gather underwater acoustical data, Whitman said. U.S. ships routinely operate in the area.

"We expect Chinese ships to act responsibly and refrain from provocative activities that could lead to miscalculation or a collision at sea, endangering vessels and the lives of U.S. and Chinese mariners," a Defense Department official said.

U.S. embassy officials lodged a protest against these actions with the Foreign Ministry in China, and Defense Department officials have protested with the Chinese embassy here.

Mullen Praises Military Cooperation Between Mexico, U.S.

By Jim Garamone
American Forces Press Service

March 7, 2009 - The combined capabilities and military cooperation between Mexico and the United States can defeat the drug cartels that plague both countries, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff said in Mexico City yesterday. Navy Adm. Mike Mullen held discussions with Mexican leaders and then spoke to students at the Mexican Naval War College during a visit that capped a five-day trip to Latin America.

"We are capable countries," Mullen said at the war college. "This is not a threat we can't beat. We can, working together, defeat it."

The chairman praised Mexican leaders for their firm stand against the drug cartels and all the destruction they bring to civil society. "From my perspective, we have shared responsibilities for the cause and shared responsibilities for the solutions," he said. "How we work those shared responsibilities are very important."

Mullen met with Mexican Secretary of National Defense Gen. Guillermo Galvan and Secretary of the Navy Adm. Mariano Francisco Saynez. Both men lasered in on the drug cartels and the inherent danger for both countries. "It is an enormously serious problem that has grave implications," he told the students.

The chairman noted the similarities between terrorist groups and drug cartels. Both are amorphous networks, and good intelligence is crucial to breaking both, he explained.

"There are characteristics of it that we have developed the capabilities to fight in our military in the last several years that have direct application, and I think can assist greatly," he said. "Through cooperative efforts, we have to figure what's the best way to do that."

During an interview aboard the plane on the way back to Washington, Mullen praised the stand that Mexican President Felipe Calderon has taken against the cartels. The commitment of the Mexican military to the fight is significant, he said, and came about in response to the level of corruption that exists in government, including in the police.

"The best I can tell, the leadership in Mexico is aware of the problem and is addressing it," Mullen said.

Intelligence sharing and intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance capabilities are two areas where the United States military can help Mexican forces, Mullen said. And the opportunity is there. The military-to-military relationship with Mexico is in the best shape he has ever seen, he added.

"There is a significant opportunity to continue to cooperate and to focus very heavily with respect to the needs on the border and the kinds of capabilities that they need from an intelligence and equipping piece," he said.

The U.S. and Mexican militaries have had fairly extensive military-to-military training for some time, especially between the Mexican navy and the U.S. Navy and Coast Guard. "There has been training evolving with respect to their army," Mullen said. "General Galvan is very enthusiastic about continuing and increasing that training."

Mullen stressed that while the military has a role to play, there a number of other U.S. agencies are working with Mexico, including the State Department, the Department of Homeland Security and the Drug Enforcement Agency. "There are fairly far-reaching areas of cooperation, and these are very much ongoing," Mullen said during the interview.

Funding the fight correctly is important, the chairman said. The United States continues to help Colombia battle narcoterrorists. He noted that funding for aid to Colombia was consistent over a number of years. "The level of assistance that was predictable over a period of time," the chairman said, "allowed the capabilities to be developed there."

Mullen discussed the Merida Initiative with Mexican leaders. The unprecedented initiative calls for close cooperation between the United States and Mexico to combat drug trafficking, arms smuggling, money laundering and other transnational crimes.

The program calls for the United States to provide $1.4 billion for equipment and training over the next three years. Congress approved the first funds in December. "We're working very hard to ... move those resources to Mexico as quickly as we can," Mullen said.

At the Naval War College, Mullen said it is important to set expectations for the Merida Initiative.

"It's a lot of money," he acknowledged. "That said, my own system can be pretty bureaucratic, and it can take longer than we want to deliver. Where I see us on Merida right now is we are getting started – getting the pump primed – for a significant increase in assistance."

Aboard the plane, Mullen said he was impressed with the level of commitment he saw for the fight on the drug cartels.

"What struck me about the questions [at the war college] was they were all focused on this crisis," he said. "That says to me that the entire Mexican military is focused on this crisis."

And the questions were not confrontational, he noted. They were more on the line of how and where the two militaries can work together.

The visit to Mexico culminated a high-profile trip to Latin America, in which he also visited Brazil, Chile, Peru and Colombia. The main purpose of the visits was to connect with military leaders and to understand mutual challenges.

"I have been and will be a proponent of focusing on Latin America – the relationships, the strengths and the challenges," Mullen said. "None of us can do it alone. The challenges continue to grow, and they must be addressed collectively."

The United States is fighting two wars in the greater Middle East. "I've had notionally 80 percent of my forces focused on the Central Command region – the two wars," he said at the War College. "There's another 20 percent available to focus on other parts of the world. We work very hard to focus on Latin America and the relationships. We've had significant successes in support of and in cooperation with many countries."

Mullen told the students he is pleased with the improvement in U.S.-Latin American relations. He praised the leaders of the region, and Mexico in particular, for the way they have opened doors to military cooperation.

"I think because of the leadership in Mexico has opened the doors and the strong desire to connect, I'm encouraged by the change in engagement and the exchanges between our militaries," he said.

"You are not just a neighbor, but a great friend," Mullen said at the War College. "We share a rich heritage, and that heritage will become richer for our children and grandchildren. It is for leaders to act now so that the heritage continues to be robust and provide for the safety and security of our young ones."

Mullen Visits Bit of America in Heart of Mexico

By Jim Garamone
American Forces Press Service

March 7, 2009 - In the heart of this thoroughly Mexican metropolis, there is a little bit America. Navy Adm. Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, took time from a busy schedule of meetings with Mexican military and naval leaders yesterday to visit the Mexico City National Cemetery.

The American Battle Monuments Commission oversees the cemetery, where 1,563 Americans are buried. Mullen had finished a meeting with Mexican army Gen. Guillermo Galvan, secretary of national defense, and was on his way to meet with Mexican navy Adm. Mariano Francisco Saynez when he asked to visit the American shrine.

The cemetery contains the remains of 750 Americans killed in the Mexican-American War in 1846 and 1847. "I wanted to pay my respects and honor those who served," Mullen said. Leslie Bassett, charge d'affaires at the U.S. Embassy here, accompanied the admiral.

Superintendent Hector de Jesus led the admiral's party along the cemetery's paths, pointing out famous and not-so-famous names. He lamented the fact that the admiral wasn't visiting later in the spring, "when all the flowers will be out."

But purple bougainvillea blossoms add highlights to the trees, and a variety of flowers bloomed around the monument to those "known but to God." The grass is perfectly trimmed along the pathways, and hedges allow privacy from the busy city.

"This is reflective of how Americans take care of those who serve and sacrifice," Mullen said. "There are 24 military cemeteries overseas, and they are all beautifully maintained."

The cemetery was the first American military cemetery established outside the United States in 1851. Congress authorized $10,000 to buy the land and hired people to collect the remains of 750 American soldiers from shallow graves around Mexico City. There was no way at the time to identify the remains, and they all are buried under a white-marble monument.

A further 813 veterans, members of their families and members of the U.S. Diplomatic Service also are buried at the cemetery. The last burial was in 1924.

Navy Names Littoral Combat Ship USS Fort Worth

Secretary of the Navy Donald Winter announced today that the newest littoral combat ship (LCS) will be named USS Fort Worth. The announcement continues the practice of naming the agile LCS vessels after American mid-sized cities, small towns and communities. For more than 150 years, the patriotic citizens of Fort Worth have supported the Navy and all of our men and women in uniform. Home to ranger outposts, training facilities, aviation depots, and defense manufacturing, Fort Worth has answered the call whenever our nation needed it.

Designated LCS 3, the future USS Fort Worth is designed to defeat growing littoral threats and provide access and dominance in coastal waters for missions such as mine warfare, anti-submarine warfare and surface warfare.

There are two different LCS hull forms – a semiplaning monohull and an aluminum trimaran – designed and built by two industry teams, respectively led by Lockheed Martin and General Dynamics. These seaframes will be outfitted with reconfigurable payloads, called mission packages, which can be changed out quickly. Mission packages are supported by special detachments that will deploy manned and unmanned vehicles and sensors.

USS Fort Worth will be 378 feet in length, have a waterline beam of 57 feet, displace approximately 3000 tons, and will make speed in excess of 40 knots.

More information can be seen at http://www.navy.mil/navydata/fact_display.asp?cid=4200&tid=1650&ct=4.

Defense Travel System Expands, Earns Greater Customer Approval

By Samantha L. Quigley
American Forces Press Service

March 6, 2009 - The Defense Travel System has expanded its reach and gained ground in customer satisfaction, the director of the Defense Travel Management Office told a congressional panel yesterday. "In terms of improvements, the department has focused its efforts on expanding DTS usage, making DTS more user friendly, and improving customer satisfaction," Pamela S. Mitchell told the House Armed Services Committee's Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigation. "Currently, DTS operates at over 9,500 sites and organizations worldwide and fielding is 96 percent complete."

DTS is a travel management system enabling Defense Department travelers to create travel orders, make reservations, and create travel vouchers to generate payment of authorized charges to their government travel cards and per diem entitlement to their bank accounts.

The department is moving forward to field the system with reserve components and the National Guard, Mitchell said while reading from a joint statement prepared by herself and David M. Fisher, director of the Business Transformation Agency. Most of the sites fielded are Army and Air Reserve, and National Guard.

DTS also will be expanded to ships afloat, if technology allows, Mitchell said.

"This has been a challenge, particularly with respect to bandwidth concerns and the need for persistent connectivity," she said. "The Navy is currently conducting a pilot to determine the most feasible option to complete this transformation."

As system usage has grown, so has its usage for voucher processing. More than 5 million vouchers for temporary duty travel were filed in fiscal 2008. More than 3.2 million were processed through DTS -- a rate of 64.8 percent. That represents a 36.5 percent increase over fiscal 2007, Mitchell said.

The trend has continued this year with a year-to-date processing rate of 73.2 percent, Mitchell said. The average time between signing a voucher and receiving payment has averaged 8.7 days, more than three times faster than the requirement for reimbursement, she said.

The cost to process vouchers decreases as more vouchers are processed electronically. The Travel Management Department looked at the cost associated with manually processing Army and some defense agencies' paper vouchers through the Defense Finance Accounting Service and compared that with processing them electronically through DTS. The finding was that DTS processing resulted in a more than 40 percent cost reduction from fiscal 2007 to fiscal 2008.

The Defense Travel Management Office has taken steps in the last year to address customer concerns and make DTS more user- friendly, Mitchell said.

"The department is aware of traveler issues with using DTS, and increasing the system's usability remains a top priority," she said.

A DTS Usability Review, contracted by the department, focused on areas where users had the most difficulty and involved nearly 300 participants at 10 installations, including military and defense agencies.

Completed in September, several recommended changes are being implemented through a two-phase approach. The first phase, planned to start in February 2010, will revise DTS screens and navigation buttons to make the system more intuitive, Mitchell said.

The second phase, planned for May 2010, will include more expensive systemic enhancements to improve usability, such as easier interoperability with graphics, she said.

Updates in this phase are a result of direct input from the DTS user community, she added.

This kind of input will continue now that the travel community has access to what Mitchell described as a "meaningful customer satisfaction program." The 2008 results of the QuickCompass survey, a key component of that program, showed that more than half of all travelers found DTS easy to use when making airline or rental car reservations.

"The ease of use is expected to lead to increased preference for using DTS over other methods of reservations," Mitchell said.

DTS training also will undergo an overhaul, Mitchell said.

"The department is revamping all of its training programs to provide the knowledge and skills necessary for successful and efficient travel," she said. "Since July 2008, the department has launched five online training modules for DTS users. Over 24,000 travelers have taken advantage of this training since inception of these five modules."

As DTS continues to gain capability to support more defense travel, the number of legacy travel systems will decrease, resulting in cost savings, Mitchell said.

"The department's projected sunset date for all identified systems that can be shut down is 2013," she said. "DTS functionality will continue to be enhanced to support capabilities of the legacy systems through 2012."

While the Defense Travel Management Office presented many gains in DTS, the Government Accountability Office pointed out areas needing improvement.

The GAO made 14 recommendations in reports issued in January and September 2006 aimed at improving the Defense Department's management oversight and implementation of DTS and related travel policies. Based on the Defense Department's work, GAO considers seven of those recommendations unmet, Asif A. Khan, GAO's director of financial management told the subcommittee.

Of those seven recommendations, three relate to inadequacies in DTS' management and system testing and three to the system's underutilization.

Still, Khan acknowledged the daunting challenge in overhauling the Defense Department's financial management and business operations.

"With 3.3 million military and civilian personnel as potential travel system users at approximately 9,800 locations around the world, the sheer size and complexity of the undertaking overshadows any such project in the private sector," he said.

DoD Awards $52.5 Million To Universities For Research Equipment

The Department of Defense (DoD) today announced the awarding of $52.5 million to support the purchase of university research equipment. The 222 awards to 107 academic institutions are being made under the Defense University Research Instrumentation Program (DURIP). These fiscal 2009 DURIP awards are expected to range from $50,000 to $1 million and average approximately $235,000.

The DURIP is designed to fill a critical need of scholars by purchasing state-of-the-art equipment that augments current university capabilities or develops new capabilities to perform cutting edge defense research. Academic institutions generally have difficulty purchasing instruments costing $50,000 or more under most research contracts and grants.

These awards are the result of a merit competition for DURIP funding conducted by the Army Research Office (ARO), Office of Naval Research (ONR), and Air Force Office of Scientific Research (AFOSR). Each office requested proposals from university investigators conducting research of importance to the DoD. This includes research related to information technology, remote sensing, propulsion, electronics and electro-optics, advanced materials, and ocean science and engineering. The DoD research offices collectively received more than 700 proposals requesting $224 million in equipment support.

All awards are subject to the successful completion of negotiations between the academic institutions and the DoD research offices to include the ARO (http://www.aro.army.mil/), the ONR (http://www.onr.navy.mil/), and the AFOSR (http://www.afosr.af.mil/).

U.N. Command, North Korean Officers Meet to Reduce Tensions in Korea

By Donna Miles
American Forces Press Service

March 6, 2009 - General officers from the United Nations Command today called North Korean assertions that its army could not guarantee the safety of commercial aircraft flying near North Korean airspace "entirely inappropriate" during another historic meeting with North Korean army officers. These statements "have raised great concern in the international aviation community and should be retracted immediately," the U.N. delegation told the North Koreans, according to a UNC statement released after the 45-minute session in Panmunjom, located on the border between North and South Korea.

The UNC military officers also reassured the North Koreans that the upcoming Key Resolve-Foal Eagle exercises in Korea are purely defensive and are in no way connected to mounting tensions in the region.

U.S. Air Force Maj. Gen. Johnny Weida and military leaders from South Korea, United Kingdom and New Zealand represented the command at the meeting held to discuss ways to reduce tensions. North Korean Maj. Gen. Kwak Chul Hui represented the Korean People's Army.

The meeting was the second this week between U.N. and North Korean generals, who previously had not met for more than six years.

The United States leads UNC, which monitors the armistice along the demilitarized zone between North and South Korea.

The command's delegation emphasized during today's session that Key Resolve-Foal Eagle is an annual exercise and that North Korea is routinely notified when it takes place. This is done to ensure "transparency of purpose and to prevent miscalculation," they told the North Koreans, according to the UNC statement.

Meanwhile, preparations continue for the exercises, which Pentagon officials said will run from March 9 to 20.

The amphibious command and control flagship USS Blue Ridge arrived in Busan, South Korea, yesterday to participate.

Army Gen. Walter Sharp, commander of U.S. Forces Korea, called Key Resolve-Foal Eagle "an excellent opportunity to improve [South Korea]-U.S. combat readiness and joint-combined interoperability."

Addressing participants in a message emphasizing safety during the exercises, he called the exercises "a key to our readiness and effective deterrence."

U.S. Maintains Commitment to South Korean Security, Commander Says

By Donna Miles
American Forces Press Service

March 6, 2009 - The United States will provide South Korea missile defense against a "very real threat" from North Korea as the South Koreans boost their own ballistic defense capabilities, the commander of U.S. Forces Korea said in a published report. "The North Korean ballistic missile threat to [South Korea] and its allies is very real," Army Gen. Walter "Skip" Sharp said in a written interview published last week in The Korea Times, a daily, English-language newspaper published in South Korea. "They have 800 increasingly sophisticated missiles and have tested a missile that many think could reach the United States."

Because South Korea doesn't currently have a robust missile defense capability in place, the United States likely will provide it as a "bridging capability" until they do, Sharp said.

"In this regard, both [South Korea] and [the] U.S. would benefit greatly with interoperability and exchange of data between missile defense systems," he said. "We encourage [South Korea] to develop a layered and robust defense that provides protection at all levels."

Sharp's assurances came as Stephen W. Bosworth, the Obama administration's special envoy for North Korea, is slated to visit Seoul this weekend in an effort to restart the stalled Six-Party talks.

Those talks, which include North and South Korea, Russia, China and Japan, are viewed as critically important in light of wide speculation that North Korea may soon test fire a long-range ballistic missile.

Further flaming the situation is North Korea's recent statement that it cannot guarantee the security of civilian aircraft flying through its airspace during the upcoming Key Resolve-Foal Eagle exercises.

A United Nations Command delegation met today with North Korean army officers to help reduce mounting tensions on the peninsula.

Sharp emphasized the longstanding and unwavering U.S. commitment to South Korea, and said it will continue to provide capabilities needed to ensure the republic's defense.

"My top priorities as commander are to ensure we are ready to fight and win should we be called upon to do so in the defense of the Republic of Korea and to strengthen the alliance," he said. "That first priority has been the primary mission of the ... alliance for more than 55 years and will remain our top priority."

Sharp offered assurance that sending F-16 aircraft to Korea as a battalion of Korea-based Apache attack helicopters deploy to Afghanistan won't leave a security vacuum on the Korean peninsula.

"The key consideration for the F-16 deployment to Korea was ensuring there was no gap in capability when the Apaches departed," he said. "The F-16 is a highly capable aircraft that adds additional precision firepower to the ... alliance."

The F-16s can conduct a broad range of missions, including close-air support, precision strike and counter-air defense, he said. "So they add significant capability in several areas," he said.

Sharp said he would not rule out that the Apache battalion could return to South Korea when it's no longer needed to support the war on terror. But "there are no plans for that to take place at this time," he said.

The decision to normalize tours in Korea is a key initiative for strengthening the countries' alliance, Sharp said.

"Bringing our families over here strengthens the alliance in signaling our national commitment to the Republic of Korea," he said. "Tour normalization signals a strong and visible commitment by [the United States] to [South Korea], reaffirming our intention to remain here for the long-term."

Also key, Sharp said, is U.S. Forces Korea's Good Neighbor Program that encourages friendship and engagement between U.S. and South Korean citizens. This program helps forge "lifelong friendships at the family level" that personalize a national-level commitment, he said.

Tour normalization will require support from both countries to be successful, Sharp said. While the initiative is already being implemented, he said it will require additional housing, schools and other support facilities.

A longstanding bilateral cost-sharing agreement signed Jan. 15 will help move these efforts forward while supporting long-range alliance planning and the continuity of operations, he said.

Sharp conceded that numerous variables will affect the timeline for relocating U.S. forces to Pyeongtaek. "But we are making real progress in preparing for the future," he said.

MILITARY CONTRACTS March 6, 2009

AIR FORCE

The Air Force is modifying a firm-fixed price contract to General Electric Aircraft Engines of Cincinnati, Ohio for an estimated $214,971,549. This contract action is for F101, F110, and F118 General Electric Sol source replenishment spare requirements during the period of FY09 through FY17. At this time, no money has been obligated. 448 SCMG/PKBC, Tinker Air Force Base, Oklahoma is the contracting activity. (FA8122-09-D-0001)

The Air Force is awarding an indefinite delivery/indefinite quantity contract to Northrop Grumman Systems Corporation of El Segundo, California for a maximum of $30,000,000. This contract will fund the VAATE Program, a joint DoD/NASA/DOE/industry effort. Funds will be obligated on individual delivery orders. AFRL/PKPC, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio is the contracting activity. (FA8650-09-D-2927)

The Air Force is awarding a cost plus award fee contract to Spain AFS of Madison, Alabama for $14,896,698. This action will provide Base Operating and Maintenance Services using government-furnished facilities at Moron Air Base and Zaragoza, Spain. At this time, no money has been obligated. 496 ABS/LGC, Air Postal Office, Europe is the contracting activity. (FA5613-07-C-5400, A00026)

The Air Force is awarding an indefinite delivery/indefinite quantity contract to Ball Aerospace and Technologies Corporation of Boulder Colorado for a maximum of $12,000,000. This action will develop methodologies, tools, and techniques for producing adaptive, distributed sensing architectures in support of the Air Force Research Laboratory multi layered sensing vision. At this time, $299,956 has been obligated. AFRL/PKSE, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio is the contracting activity. (FA8650-09-D-1500)

NAVY

Raytheon Company, Integrated Defense Systems, Tewksbury, Mass., is being awarded a $57,000,000 cost-plus-incentive-fee modification to previously awarded contract (N00024-05-C-5346) for the procurement of selected Zumwalt Class Destroyer mission system equipment (MSE) which will be integrated at Wallops Island, Va. MSEs are required to mitigate production and integration risk, and conduct at-sea testing in support of the Zumwalt Class of destroyers Test and Evaluation Master Plan (TEMP) aboard the US Navy Self Defense Test Ship (SDTS). The equipment is being checked out at Wallops Island before being shipped to the SDTS. Work will be performed in Tewksbury, Mass. (40 percent); Andover, Mass. (40 percent), Wallops Island, Va. (10 percent) and Portsmouth, R.I. (10 percent), and is to be completed by March 2011. Contract funds in the amount of $27,500,000 will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Naval Sea Systems Command, Washington, D.C. is the contracting activity.

Construction & Cabling Specialists, Incorporated* , Portsmouth, Va., is being awarded an indefinite delivery indefinite quantity contract with a maximum amount of $17,460,942 for construction maintenance, roofing repair and replacement on federal activities in the Hampton Roads region. Work on this contract will be performed in Norfolk, Yorktown, Virginia Beach and Portsmouth, Va. The term of the contract is not to exceed 36 months with an expected completion date of March 2012. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was competitively procured via the Navy Electronic Commerce Online website, with 12 proposals received. The Naval Facilities Engineering Command, Mid-Atlantic, Norfolk, Va., is the contracting activity (N40085-09-D-5012).

Hourigan Construction Corp., Virginia Beach, Va., is being awarded $9,230,000 for firm-fixed price task order #0002 under a previously awarded multiple award construction contract (N40085-07-D-7022) for the construction of an E2/C2 Aircrew Training Facility, Naval Station Norfolk. The work to be performed shall construct a two-story building. The functional requirements include two high-bay trainers and associated development, brief/debrief, administration, and security spaces. The contract contains two options, which if exercised, would increase the cumulative contract value to $9,393,000. Work will be performed in Norfolk, Va., and is expected to be completed by July 2010. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was competitively procured on the Navy Electronic Commerce Online website with four proposals received. The Naval Facilities Engineering Command, Mid-Atlantic, Norfolk, Virginia is the contracting activity.

Northrop Grumman Systems Corp., Bethpage, N.Y., is being awarded an $8,000,000 ceiling-priced delivery order against a previously issued basic ordering agreement (N00421-05-G-0001) to support design requirements for Phase I of the E-2 aircraft core open architecture common component mission computer. Work will be performed in Bethpage, N.Y., and is expected to be completed in March 2010. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division, Patuxent River, Md., is the contracting activity.

Ocean Systems Engineering Corporation, Oceanside, Calif., is being awarded $5,591,880 for task order #0052 under previously awarded contract (M67854-02-A-9020) to provide sustained programmatic, financial, technical, logistics, and administrative services in support of Marine Corps Systems Command, program manager autonomic logistics. Duties and tasks include, but is not limited to, development of required acquisition documentation to establish and execute an Integrated Logistics Support Plan, develop briefings and presentations, conduct required analysis, participate in various meetings, conferences, and seminars, review and comment on various contract deliverables, develop and execute test plans, develop cost and budget estimates, draft reports, and advise the government program manager and other designated Government personnel across a board range of programmatic, technical and logistic issues over the course of the program and associated contracts. Work will be performed in Quantico, Va., and work is expected to be completed in March 2010. Contract funds will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Marine Corps System Command, Quantico, Va., is the contracting activity.

DEFENSE LOGISTICS AGENCY

GE Datex Obmeda, Inc., Madison, Wis. is being awarded a maximum $19,847,688 fixed price with economic price adjustment contract for medical system parts and training. There are no other locations of performance. Using services are Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps and federal civilian agencies. There were 17 proposals originally solicited with 9 responses. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The date of performance completion is March 5, 2010. The contracting activity is the Defense Supply Center Philadelphia (DSCP), Philadelphia, Pa. (SPM2D1-09-D-8348).

Petro Air, Aguadilla, Puerto Rico* is being awarded a maximum $13,256,751 fixed price with economic price adjustment contract for fuel. Other location of performance is Puerto Rico. Using service is Air Force. The proposal was originally solicited on FedBizOps with 8 responses. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The date of performance completion is March 31, 2012. The contracting activity is the Defense Energy Support Center (DESC), Fort Belvoir, Va. (SP0600-09-D-1006).

Total Petroleum Puerto Rico Corp., San Juan, Puerto Rico is being awarded a maximum $12,739,664 fixed price with economic price adjustment contract for fuel. Other location of performance is Puerto Rico. Using services are Army, Navy, Air Force, Coast Guard and federal civilian agencies. The proposal was originally solicited on FedBizOps with 8 responses. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The date of performance completion is March 31, 2012. The contracting activity is the Defense Energy Support Center (DESC), Fort Belvoir, Va. (SP0600-09-D-1008).

Army Creates Suicide Prevention Task Force During 'Stand Down'

By Gary Sheftick
Special to American Forces Press Service

March 6, 2009 - The Army has created a suicide prevention task force as part of its month-long "stand-down" to address suicides among soldiers, the service's vice chief of staff said yesterday. Maj. Gen. Colleen McGuire, the Army's director of senior leader development, has been selected to head up the task force, Gen. Peter W. Chiarelli told military bloggers and online journalists at a Blogger's Roundtable hosted by the Defense Media Activity.

"Suicide is a multi-dimensional problem and, as such, will take a multi-disciplinary approach to dealing with it," Chiarelli said.

In keeping with the complexity of the problem, the task force will have members from a range of staff sections and functional areas. "My charter is ... to look across all disciplines so... commander[s] can have a menu of tools and training programs and experts and know how to best deploy them," McGuire said.

The task force will include representatives from the Army's offices of personnel and human resources, the provost marshal's office, and the medical department, and it will coordinate closely with the chief of chaplains, Lt. Col. Leo Ruth, a task force member, said in an interview with Army News Service.

The task force will examine all of the Army's recent suicides and try to find commonalities, Ruth said.

"The whole idea ... is to identify a common theme," he said. "We may not find a trend," but he added that the task force "owed it to leadership" to examine demographics such as age and deployment history to see if any trends exist.

The task force will report to Secretary of the Army Pete Geren. Its recommendations first will be looked at by a senior officer steering group, Ruth explained. The ultimate product, he said, will be a suicide prevention campaign plan.

The task force will only form the genesis of the campaign plan, Ruth said, stressing that the task force is a temporary organization. The Army also has partnered with the National Institute of Mental Health for a long-range study to determine the causes of suicide in the Army.

An Armywide "stand down" for suicide prevention training continues through March 15 whereby commands and individual units take part in four-hour training sessions on how to recognize and try to prevent suicides.

The centerpiece of the training is an interactive video called "Beyond the Front" that Chiarelli told online journalists is "some of the best facilitation for training that I've seen in 36 years in the Army." He said the purpose of the video is to reduce the stigma of seeking help, to teach soldiers to recognize the signs of suicide and how to provide help to a buddy.

It's especially important for junior officers and noncommissioned officers to train with the video and be able to offer intervention to soldiers at risk, Chiarelli said.

The stand-down will be followed by a "chain" teaching program, which is intended to be leader-led training, cascaded across the entire service and completed by July 15.

"Unfortunately, suicide is touching every segment of our force -- active, reserve and National Guard, officer and enlisted, deployed and non-deployed, and yet-to-be-deployed," Chiarelli said.

In the last fiscal year, 138 soldiers committed suicide, Chiarelli said, and five additional cases are being reviewed as possible suicides. In January, 12 soldiers committed suicide with another 12 cases under review. In February, two soldiers committed suicide and another 16 cases are being reviewed.

"As a soldier and a leader, I'm deeply saddened every time a soldier loses his or her life," Chiarelli said, "but it's especially troubling when a soldier commits suicide."

About a third of those soldiers were deployed, Chiarelli said. Another third had returned from a deployment, and the last third had never deployed.

"The rational person might think, the more deployments, the more likely you are to commit suicide," Chiarelli said. "But we saw just the opposite."

"A certain resiliency" seems to grow in soldiers that have completed multiple deployments, he said.

Chiarelli said the task force will look across multiple disciplines – from personnel to medical – to try and discern the root causes of suicide and synchronize solutions.

There's no single solution to the problem, he said, characterizing it as "very, very complicated."

About half of the soldiers who committed suicide last year sought treatment from mental-health care providers, Chiarelli said.

Only 5.4 percent of the suicide victims had been diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder, said Col. Elspeth C. Ritchie, a psychiatrist who serves as director of strategic communications for the Army Medical Department. She said 17 percent had problems with substance abuse.

At least 60 percent of those who committed suicide had relationship problems, said Col. Thomas Languirand of Army G-1. Some also had compounded legal problems, financial problems, or work problems, he said.

On Wednesday, Chiarelli participated in a two-hour video teleconference with commanders across the Army whose units have been affected by suicides. Commanders in Iraq, Korea and other locations shared feedback. The video teleconference is to be followed by a written report.

Also on Wednesday, Chiarelli spoke to more than 100 chaplains from across the Army who gathered for a suicide-prevention "summit" meeting.

Many of the chaplains came from brigade level and lower and deal with soldier problems on a daily basis, said Col. Dave Reese, director of ministry initiatives for the Army's Chief of Chaplains Office, and a planner of the summit.

Reese said the chaplains broke into four groups to discuss suicide prevention across four domains: life skills training, intervention and crises, fostering hope, and engaging grief and recovery. The initiatives will eventually comprise what Reese termed a renewed "holistic approach" to suicide prevention for chaplains.

(Gary Sheftick writes for the Army News Service).

Technology, Threats Accelerate Army Focus on Ground Electronic Warfare

By John Ohab
Special to American Forces Press Service

March 6, 2009 - Portable electronic devices such as iPods and cell phones have provided U.S. adversaries in Iraq and Afghanistan with lethal capabilities, the Army's chief of electronic warfare said this week. "They may be living in rough terrain and may not have all the comforts that we do, but they have the same access to technology," said Col. Laurie Moe Buckhout, chief of the Army's Electronic Warfare Division in the Operations, Readiness and Mobilization Directorate. She explained the Army's efforts to increase ground electronic warfare capabilities during a March 4 "Armed with Science: Research and Applications for the Modern Military" audio webcast on Pentagon Web Radio.

In 2006, Buckhout stood up the Army's Electronic Warfare Division with the goal of reducing the number of casualties caused by improvised explosive devices in Iraq and Afghanistan.

"It was really the IED fight that raised our attention on it, because we had remote-controlled, radio-controlled IEDs killing soldiers and Marines," Buckhout said. "[We] had to do something about it."

The Army's first step was training soldiers to maintain and operate the Counter Remote Control Improvised Explosive Device Electronic Warfare, or CREW, systems. These systems disrupt communication between an insurgent's transmitter and the detonating device, effectively creating a protective radio frequency bubble around a vehicle or a soldier on foot. Buckhout reported that CREW systems have saved thousands of lives.

"You've seen the casualty rate and the IED rate just go down in huge numbers as a result," she said. "That's kind of the tip of the iceberg on what we're doing."

In combating future threats, the Army's electronic warfare requirements will extend beyond counter-IED measures alone, she explained. Soldiers often face the challenges of complex urban terrain, including hills, trees, buildings, and radio signals, all of which cause electromagnetic interference. In Iraq, for instance, the ground environment includes other U.S. military forces, coalition forces, Iraqi police, civilians, and emergency response networks. In the air, U.S., coalition, and commercial aircraft use their own geo-positioning, targeting, and navigation capabilities.

Buckhout explained the importance of precisely tailored electronic warfare capabilities that can neutralize threats and protect soldiers without disrupting land and air operations.

"It makes us sort of unique in that we have to operate inside that environment, but we have to do it without knocking out our own communications, without knocking out the communications of the people we're there to protect, and without knocking out emergency response networks," she said.

The Army leverages the electronic warfare expertise of the Air Force, Navy, and Marines, training more than 2,000 soldiers, sailors, airmen, and Marines to function as experts in electronic warfare and CREW technologies. In addition, they've trained more than 55,000 soldiers on the employment of CREW devices. The Army recently approved a new force structure of more than 1,600 electronic warfare specialists that includes enlisted soldiers and warrant and commissioned officers, providing the Army with the largest electronic warfare capability in the U.S. military.

"This shows, really the commitment of senior leaders to this mission, and it shows that we're ushering in a new era of technology," Buckhout said.

The services are conducting a requirements analysis of all electronic warfare in Iraq and Afghanistan, as well as efforts globally. In April, officials expect to release a list of solutions to counter the global threat and expand future electronic warfare capabilities.

"Afghanistan and Iraq are microcosms of what could be going on globally," Buckhout said. "We need to prepare ourselves not just for that, but for what may be happening in the years ahead."

(John Ohab holds a doctorate in neuroscience and works for the Defense Media Activity's Emerging Media directorate.)

Pentagon Plans Sexual Assault Prevention Campaign

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

March 6, 2009 - Just as the armed forces paved the way for integration more than 60 years ago, the Defense Department is working to prevent sexual assault, not only in the military, but also throughout the nation, the department's top prevention expert said here today. "It is our goal to develop a sexual assault prevention program that can be a benchmark for the nation," Kaye Whitley, director of the department's sexual assault prevention and response program, told members of the House Armed Services Committee's military personnel subcommittee.

The department's prevention efforts really only began in 2007, and its success will take more than just good ideas, Whitley said. Through joint efforts with private-sector experts and collaborative studies, the department realized that programs supported by legitimate research will ensure the best results, she added.

Those experts, Whitley said, have determined three points from the past year's research they think will improve prevention and response:

-- Implementing lasting prevention measures by using a framework that takes action at all levels of military society;

-- Using social marketing campaigns to link all of its efforts to prevent sexual assault; and

-- Focusing on using bystander intervention techniques to complement its efforts.

"The department believes that prevention can only occur with an organized, comprehensive approach that is based on research," Whitley said, noting that each of the services used these points to develop their own sexual assault prevention programs.

The department's strategy is built on what officials call the "spectrum of prevention," she said, a nationally recognized framework that has been used in other campaigns throughout the country.

"The spectrum of prevention suggests that social harm can only be prevented by taking multiple actions at every level of society," she explained. "The levels range from improving individual skills at the lowest levels to influencing policy at the highest."

The department will launch a marketing campaign featuring two public service announcements in April during Sexual Assault Awareness Month. Whitley said she hopes the campaign will persuade people to "behave in ways that improves their own personal welfare and that of society."

"The campaign makes it very clear that each military member has a moral duty to step up and take action to prevent sexual assault," she added.

The initial campaign is designed to inform military members about the sexual assault prevention and response programs and to demonstrate key points in the bystander intervention approach. The strategy will require commitment, cooperation, time and patience, she said.

Whitley said she hopes the sexual assault prevention strategy will have similarly positive effects as that of campaigns against drunken driving. As the program progresses, she added, she expects the number of reports to increase as bystander intervention improves and culture changes.

"As the comprehensive strategy takes hold over the years," she said, "we look forward to the day that those numbers decrease, not because of fear or stigma of reporting, but because sexual assault is being systematically prevented."

Today's hearing was the second in a three-part series the House Armed Services Committee is holding on sexual assault prevention, awareness and response programs and strategies in the Defense Department. The first occurred in January, and the third will take place later this year.

MILITARY CONTRACTS March 5, 2009

AIR FORCE

The Air Force is modifying a contract with Northrop Grumman Systems Corporation of San Diego, California not to exceed $107,575,999. This action will provide for long lead items associated with Lot 8 Global Hawk Block 40 Air Vehicles. At this time $25,999,999 has been obligated. 303 AESG/SYK, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio is the contracting activity. (FA8620-08-C-3001, P00007)

The Air Force is modifying a contract to L3 Communications Corporations, of Arlington, Texas for $19,472,016. This modification acquires the first Mission Training Center and spares that will remain at the contractor's facility as a Training System support Center throughout production, and then will be shipped to the final ACC identified operational site. At this time the entire amount has been obligated. 677 AESG/PK, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio is the contracting activity. (FA8621-09-C-6292, P00003)

NAVY

Raytheon Space and Airborne Systems, El Segundo, Calif., is being awarded $55,500,000 for delivery order #0007 under previously awarded firm fixed price, definite-delivery/definite-quantity contract (N00383-04-G-200H) for advanced targeting forward infrared (ATFLIT) system components used on the F/A-18 aircraft. Work will be performed at McKinney, Texas (50 percent); and El Segundo, Calif. (50 percent), and work is expected to be completed by September 2009. Contract funds will not expire before the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was not competitively procured. The Naval Inventory Control Point is the contracting activity.

Pentagon Spokesman Addresses Afghanistan, Mexico, Other Key Issues

By Gerry J. Gilmore
American Forces Press Service

March 5, 2009 - A senior Pentagon spokesman offered gratitude to Canada and touched on a variety of other topics in a wide-ranging news conference today. Press Secretary Geoff Morrell said the United States and the Defense Department appreciate the military support Canada has provided for operations in Afghanistan.

"The Canadian military has been an invaluable partner in southern Afghanistan," he said. "Their nearly 3,000 forces are among the bravest and the most effective in [Regional Command South], and they have paid dearly for their efforts to help the Afghan people improve their lives, losing 111 troops in the process."

Canadian Defense Minister Peter MacKay is slated to meet with Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates at the Pentagon today, Morrell said. Gates and MacKay met last month at a NATO defense ministers conference in Krakow, Poland.

In today's meeting, Gates and MacKay likely will review issues they discussed in Krakow, Morrell said, including the situation in Afghanistan, the status of President Barack Obama's Afghanistan-Pakistan policy review, and the upcoming NATO Summit marking the alliance's 60th anniversary, slated to take place in early April at Baden-Baden and Kehl, Germany, and in Strasbourg, France.

Gates also will offer his deepest condolences to MacKay and the Canadian people, Morrell said, for the three Canadian soldiers killed in an improvised explosive device attack near Kandahar, Afghanistan, March 3. Canada's troop losses in Afghanistan represent the highest level proportionally among all forces deployed in that country, Morrell said.

"We honor their sacrifices and appreciate their steadfast commitment to bettering the situation in Kandahar," Morrell said of Canadian forces' contributions in Afghanistan.

Morrell also addresses a variety of other defense-related issues.

On North Korea:

Morrell said he wouldn't comment on intelligence reports concerning "what the North Koreans may or may not be up to" regarding their alleged preparations for another ballistic missile launch. However, he said, senior military members of the United Nations Command and the North Korean army are slated to attend a round of talks tomorrow to discuss issues of mutual trust and tension reduction.

"We are pleased that the [North Korean army has] accepted the U.N. Command's proposal for these general-officer talks," Morrell said, noting that such a meeting of senior-level officers hasn't taken place since 2002.

On the military's "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy on homosexuality:

Morrell said he knew of no current Pentagon internal review of the "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy, which prohibits inquiring into a servicemember's sexual preference in the absence of disallowed behavior, but allows action to be taken against homosexual servicemembers who disclose their orientation by words or actions.

"'Don't Ask, Don't Tell' remains the law of the land, and we are following it," Morrell said. However, he didn't rule out a review of the U.S. military's rules regarding homosexuality in the future.

On the status of U.S. strategy reviews on Afghanistan and Pakistan:

"The only review, as I've said to you before, that I believe counts is the one that the president has asked for," Morrell told reporters. The White House-level review, he said, is chaired by Bruce Riedel and is co-vice-chaired by Michèle Flournoy, the Pentagon's undersecretary of defense for policy, and Ambassador Richard Holbrooke, the U.S. envoy to Afghanistan and Pakistan.

Gates has been briefed on the status of the White House review, Morrell said, noting U.S. Central Command's review on Afghanistan and Pakistan is completed and would be provided to the White House as part of its review.

On U.S. requests for allied support in Afghanistan:

The Unites States' NATO allies have increased their troop commitments in Afghanistan over the past 18 months, Morrell said, noting that Gates recognizes there probably isn't much more military capacity to be had for NATO countries to send to Afghanistan. However, he said, there likely is significant civilian capacity available in the form of money, banking, governance and other kinds of experts, as well as trainers for the Afghan police.

On Mexico:

"The situation in Mexico is clearly a cause for concern," Morrell said, citing the violence there among illegal drug cartels. Gates, he said, addressed the drug problem in Mexico during his appearance March 1 on NBC-TV's "Meet the Press." Navy Adm. Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, is slated to visit Mexico later this week, Morrell said, to see what else the United States can do to assist the Mexican military in its fight against the drug cartels.

State Department and Pentagon officials support the Merida Initiative, which involves U.S. intelligence sharing, law enforcement cooperation and training programs with Mexican authorities to fight drug trafficking and other transnational crime, Morrell said. Former President George W. Bush signed the initiative June 30.

On Kyrgyzstan:

Morrell said "a slew of alternatives" exist to Manas Air Base in Kyrgyzstan, a major logistics hub for the war in Afghanistan, which is slated to close to U.S. military use later this year.

On the Defense Department's fiscal 2010 budget:

The budget process is under way and "very closely held," Morrell said. Gates, he said, wants to change the Defense Department's acquisition process to make it more efficient, to better serve the military, and to save taxpayer dollars. Gates believes the military services have to operate far more jointly in their procurement processes, Morrell said.

"So, that if one service has a particular capability, it doesn't necessarily need to be replicated in the other services," he explained. "The other services can accept a degree of risk in that area, because one of the other services has that [capability]."

Tradewinds Exercise Begins in Bahamas

By Marine Corps Staff Sgt. A.C. Mink
Special to American Forces Press Service

March 5, 2009 - More than 400 U.S. servicemembers, as well as security forces and officials from the Caribbean nation and British Royal Marines, were on hand here yesterday for the opening ceremonies of the 25th annual Tradewinds exercise. "This exercise is yet another demonstration of the U.S. government's commitment to the peace and security of the Bahamas, the Caribbean region and the Western Hemisphere through a continuous program of cooperation among all partner nations," Timothy Zuniga-Brown, charge d'affaires at the U.S. Embassy in the Bahamas, said in his opening remarks.

Tradewinds is a chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff-directed, U.S. Southern Command-sponsored annual exercise designed to improve cooperation and interoperability of partner nations in responding to regional security threats.

"The Tradewinds exercise, now in its 25th year, has established itself as an essential and dynamic collaborative framework for improving cooperation and interoperability among participating countries to confront head-on [the] grave security challenges in the Caribbean region," Bahamas National Security Minister O.A. "Tommy" Turnquest said.

Turnquest thanked the U.S. government and Southcom for their support through the Tradewinds exercise series and the Enduring Friendship program, through which the nation received four interceptor vessels to help its own security efforts.

The program provides high-speed interceptor boats with extensive communication and surveillance suites, as well as a command, control and communication package that links U.S. Joint Interagency Task Force South with partner nations' operations centers to track and coordinate seizure of illicit maritime traffic.

"The focus of this year's activities on maritime interdiction is critical and timely, and is in line with our determination that every effort should be made to prevent a significant upsurge in drug trafficking in the Caribbean region," Turnquest said.

Marine Corps Lt. Col. Trent Blackson of Marine Corps Forces South, the exercise director, emphasized the effect of the cooperative effort.

"Exercise Tradewinds 2009 provides an excellent opportunity for our forces to train together to counter the illicit trafficking threat," he said. "We have brought together a team of experts with wide-ranging skill sets to improve our collective capability across the Caribbean Basin to stop the flow of illegal narcotics, weapons, explosives, terrorists and human trafficking."

Given those issues affecting maritime traffic, as well as the area's vulnerability to natural disasters such as hurricanes, Turnquest said he is "pleased with the focus on search-and-rescue operations, with emphasis on command and control," and that he's "convinced the training will provide invaluable expertise and experience for all participants."

Nations participating in Tradewinds 2009 include Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Grenada, Guyana, Haiti, Honduras, Jamaica, Nicaragua, St. Kitts-Neves, St. Lucia, St. Vincent and Grenadines, Suriname, Trinidad-Tobago, the United Kingdom and the United States.

In addition to servicemembers from the Marine Corps, Coast Guard, Army, Navy, Air Force and the National Guard, U.S. participation includes members of Joint Interagency Task Force South, Naval Criminal Investigative Service and the Drug Enforcement Administration.

Partner nations' maritime security forces, Royal Marine commandos and personnel from the Caribbean Regional Security System also will participate.

(Marine Corps Staff Sgt. A.C. Mink is deployed to Tradewinds 2009 from Marine Corps Air Station New River, N.C.)