Sailors' Opinions Sought in Sub Survey

From Chief of Naval Personnel Public Affairs

WASHINGTON (NNS) -- The Navy has opened a voluntary online survey to all female enlisted Sailors to understand the level of interest among women to serve aboard submarines.

A Navy task force was formed last summer to develop options for integrating enlisted women into the submarine force. The survey results will be used to help guide ongoing planning efforts.

"We seek input from professional women Sailors throughout our Navy, even if they aren't interested in serving aboard submarines," said Rear Adm. Ken Perry, a career submariner who leads the task force. "Responses to the survey questions will help shape future Navy policy and are key to getting the integration right."

Perry emphasized that all survey responses will remain anonymous. "I value honest input. Give it to us straight. All responses will remain anonymous, period," he said.

Female Sailors can access the online survey by logging on the Navy Standard Integrated Personnel System commonly known as NSIPS. Once logged on, personnel can follow these steps:

- Locate the "Employee Self Service" link in the column on the left side of the page titled "Menu."

- Expand the "Employee Self Service" link options.

- Then expand the options under the "Electronic Service Record" link.

- Click the "Tasks" link.

- Then click the "Survey Requests" link.

The survey will be visible under the "Pending Surveys" window if these steps are followed.

The survey takes approximately 15 minutes to complete. It is scheduled to remain open through the spring.

The submarine force is developing plans to integrate enlisted women following the Secretary of Defense's rescission of the 1994 Direct Ground Combat Definition and Assignment rule last year. All positions currently closed to women are to be opened by January 2016 unless granted an exception by the Defense Secretary.

Today's submarine force includes 72 nuclear-powered submarines located among seven homeports in the Atlantic and Pacific regions.

The submarine force began integrating female officers into ballistic-missile and guided-missile submarine crews in 2011. Many have since earned submarine qualifications and completed a number of strategic deterrent patrols and missions in multiple theaters of operation.

Frozen dangers demand sharpened skillset

by SPC True Thao
364th Press Camp Headquarters

3/31/2014 - VALDEZ, Alaska -- The Valdez Fire Department participated in Alaska Shield 14 by conducting a glacier rescue scenario here March 30, 2014. Alaska Shield 14 is an exercise that involves federal, state, local and military designed to test response and coordination efforts during a disaster and is modeled after the 1964 earthquake.

The exercise began when citizens were trapped in a glacier crevasse early morning. The fire department worked closely with other agencies and the military, to perform a slow and steady glacier rescue scenario to ensure their readiness for future catastrophic events. The local agencies were able to complete the mission using all the resources available.

"We used multi-agencies to accomplish the mission," said Mike Weber, captain of the Valdez Fire Department. "It is very seldom that one agency has all the necessary resources to perform a rescue."

Being part of Alaska Shield 14 allows the Valdez Fire Dept. to reach out to other local and federal agencies in assisting with the rescue efforts. One local agency they worked hand in hand with was the Alaskan State Troopers. Working with the troopers allowed the fire department to have access to a helicopter and other resources that are usually unavailable to them.

"We work really well with the state troopers to coordinate rescue efforts," said Weber. "We coordinate most of our rescues with them."

Part of the Valdez Fire Department's purpose is to provide emergency medical services and rescue as defined by professional standards. Participating in Alaska Shield 14 allowed the local agencies scenario-based training that can help reduce any risk during an emergency rescue. Having more rescue members can also minimize the risk.

"We need as many people as we can get to complete the mission," said Chris Moulton, a firefighter with the Valdez Fire Department. "Working with other agencies is great."

With Alaska Shield 14 continuing through March 31 for the city of Valdez, the local agencies will continue to play their role in the exercise working with federal, state, local and military agencies to help local citizens prepare for catastrophic events similar to the one that occurred 50 years ago.

Navy Yard Shooting Survivors to Throw Nationals' First Pitch

By Chris Johnson, Naval Sea Systems Office of Corporate Communication

WASHINGTON (NNS) -- Staring her shooter dead in the eyes, Jen Bennett was overcome with a profound sense of calm. He blinked; she blinked, and her world exploded.

Within minutes, Bennett was on her feet, calmly walking back the way she came, fully aware that her left shoulder, arm and chest had been shredded by a point-blank shotgun blast. But barely aware of how close she had come to death. It was 8:40 a.m. on Sept. 16, 2013, and Bennett had just become one of many improbable survivors of Aaron Alexis' rampage through the Naval Sea Systems Command (NAVSEA) headquarters building on the Washington Navy Yard.

Within a matter of months, and ignoring the advice of her medical team, Bennett was back at work. She had been through two major surgeries, with at least one more to go, and almost lost the use of her arm.

Bennett's story, and the stories of those who stayed behind to keep her alive, stand as a testament to NAVSEA's resilience in the face of an incomprehensible tragedy. Because Bennett and the three men who helped keep her alive that day - Navy Capt. Chip Zawislak, Michael Jackson and Makonnen Eyob - represent NAVSEA's courage and perseverance in the face of extreme tragedy, the Washington Nationals have asked them to throw out the first pitch during their home opener April 4.

The pitch will be one in a series of events that day dedicated to NAVSEA's resilience, and the game will be attended by members of the command as well as the families of those who lost their lives on 9/16. First pitch is scheduled for 1 p.m.

"We feel incredibly honored that the Nationals chose to make this day about the perseverance of our workforce" said Vice Adm. Willy Hilarides, NAVSEA's commander. "From the beginning, the entire Nats organization has been the ultimate good neighbor - offering space for families to reconnect after the shooting, providing food, honoring the victims on the field. We are truly grateful for all they've done and continue to do."

Though the home opener event is an opportunity to remember the day and the lives that were lost, the Nationals chose Bennett and her rescuers - who call themselves the rooftop gang - precisely because they represent the strength and courage NAVSEA showed following the shooting, and the fact that those affected were able to overcome the tragedy and its aftermath. In fact, most NAVSEA employees returned to work within days of the shooting, where they continued their critical work building and maintaining Navy ships and weapon systems. And though inspirational stories of the day abound, the story of these four is truly remarkable.

Fire Alarm

Bennett's morning started like any other, until she heard the "pops." Like so many others, Bennett had no concept those "pops" were gun shots, and Alexis had already found his first victims.

"To me it smelled like, and it sounded like, the mainframe computer...exploded," she recalled.

Because the fire alarm sounded, Bennett gathered her possessions and began making her way down the hall, toward the stairs that would lead her out of the building. Running into fellow employees Jackson and Zawislak, they continued their journey to the stairs, unaware what waited for them.

"We were on the 5th [floor]," said Bennett. "And I have to tell you, I had a hymn in my head, and I was humming it and leisurely walking down the steps. I was in my own world."

It was here she ran into Alexis.

"I came around the corner of the stairs leading to the 3rd floor, and there was Alexis. I looked at him, and he looked at me. I wasn't afraid; I had no fear. He blinked and he had to make a decision. I watched him pull the trigger, saw the smoke, heard the blast, and I fell down."

Thinking her arm had been completely shot off, Jen stood, called to God for strength, and began making her way back up the stairs, looking for a place to hide and stop the bleeding. Attributing her strength to her faith, Bennett made it up three-and-a-half flights of stairs before running into Jackson, who helped her reach the 7th floor roof access.

The Roof

I didn't know there was a shooter until I saw Jen get shot," recalled Zawislak.

Like other senior Navy officers in the building, Zawislak did what he usually does when he heard a fire alarm: He walked the halls, keeping people calm and pointing them to the exits before making his own way down the stairs and out of the building. He had no way of knowing what was really happening until it was too late.

"Flash. Bang. And Jen's been shot," he said, trying to capture the moment he first realized there was a shooter, or shooters, in the building.

Turning around to make his way back up the stairs, away from the shooter, Zawislak ran into several locked doors until he found an opening to the roof. That's when he heard Jen's screams of pain.

"'Jesus, help me; Jesus, help me' I heard her yell. I started back down the stairs to help, and I ran into her and [Jackson] coming up the steps."

Zawislak and Jackson helped Bennett to the roof and sat her against a wall, and then Zawislak made his way to the edge to find someone, anyone, who could send for help.

"People were still coming out of the building, and I made eye contact with [a coworker] on the ground. I told him there were four of us on the roof, and one of us had been shot. Then more shots rang out and people just scattered.

Realizing it wasn't safe to keep shouting down from the roof, Zawislak an Eagle Scout, returned to the injured Bennett, removed his jacket, and used it to stop the bleeding.

"I could tell she was hurt pretty bad, but none of us knew how bad it was. So I stuffed my jacket sleeves into the wounds, and used the rest to help keep her covered," said Zawislak.

Realizing no one knew where they were, Zawislak dictated a note to Makonnen Eyob, another employee who had made his way to the roof. Explaining that there was an injured person on the roof, Eyob threw the note to the gathering police below, hoping they would send help.

"The police learned we were up there because of that note, I later learned," said Zawislak.

And then they waited. And they prayed.

"I asked the others if they were men of faith, and I asked them to pray with me for the shooter and his family," said Bennett. "I knew that no matter what he'd done, he still had a mother, and that mother was going to be heartbroken."

The Rescue

"There was a helicopter that kept circling, but we could never get its attention," said Bennett. "Until a SWAT team busted through a door onto the roof."

After securing the scene, A SWAT team officer with medical training began working to stabilize Jen, allowing the rest of the team to get back into the building.

"The officer and [Zawislak] pulled the jacket out of the wound, which was incredibly painful, and then they replaced that with gauze and prepared me to be evacuated on a helicopter," she said.

Within minutes a Park Police helicopter arrived, and Bennett was loaded into a 3-foot by 3-foot metal basket. Realizing the extent of Bennett's injuries, the helicopter crew made the decision to keep her in the basket, hanging outside the helicopter, instead of transferring her into the helicopter. She dangled this way all the way to MedStar Washington Hospital Center.

"I always wanted to ride in a helicopter, but this isn't how I wanted to do it," laughed Bennett.

Meanwhile, back on the roof, the SWAT officer who tended to Bennett's wounds took a position guarding the door, bringing a desperately needed sense of relief to three employees remaining on the roof. Additional SWAT officers were delivered in a Maryland State Police Department helicopter shortly thereafter to help with guard duty.

After dropping Jen off at the hospital, the Park Police helicopter returned to evacuate Zawislak, Jackson and Eyob, one by one, eventually taking them to Park Police headquarters. Finally, their ordeal had ended.

Bennett's, however, had practically just begun.

"When I landed at the hospital, the surgeon and the trauma nurse struggled with how best to remove me from the basket. They didn't know what to do with me, because they didn't know what was wrong. So, watching the confusion, I just stood up and said 'I'll do it myself.' So I asked the Park Policeman to take my hand, and I climbed out of the basket and put myself on the gurney."

In preparation for a mass casualty, MedStar had brought in close to 200 medical professionals to assist the wounded.

"About 20 people triaged me, counting my wounds, getting my clothes off. Of course, I told them 'there's nothing like being naked in front of my 20 closest friends,'" she quipped.

By 5 p.m., after talking to her husband for the first time that day, Bennett went in for her first surgery.

Returning to Work

NAVSEA employees have prided themselves on how quickly they returned to work. Many were back in desks, scattered around the region, days later. Chip Zawislak took it a step further. The man who just hours before had worked to save Jen Bennett's life was performing funeral duties at Arlington National Cemetery the next morning.

"I had to do the funeral," he said. "The last thing in my mind was a family expecting an officer to be there to present a flag, and that officer not show up. That's just not acceptable."

Zawislak went back to work at NAVSEA, where he works as the Deputy Comptroller, the following day.

Eyob, too, was back to work that week, serving in his position as cost analysis engineer. Jackson returned earlier this month.

Bennett's return was far less likely. Her medical team ordered her to stay out of work until late April, saying she needed time to heal. To their consternation, Bennett was back in her office by early February, where she serves as the chief of operations in NAVSEA's cost estimating organization.

"I told them I had to. For me, someone in my NAVSEA family was having to do my job. I felt it was time for me to come back and at least try to take on those things that were mine."

Hers is a remarkable recovery, aided by faith, courage and a commitment to her coworkers. Though her arm is still too weak to actually throw the first pitch at the game - that responsibility will be Zawislak's - Bennett's perseverance exemplifies the highest standards of NAVSEA and the Navy.

Stratcom Chief: Trained, Ready Force Key to Combating Threats

By Amaani Lyle

American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, April 2, 2014 – As concerns persist that sequestration spending cuts will continue to stress the human element of U.S. Strategic Command’s capabilities, the United States must implement and maintain a defensible joint information environment, Stratcom’s commander told the House Armed Services Committee here today.

Navy Adm. Cecil D. Haney reported that the global security environment is getting more complex, dynamic and uncertain than at any time in recent history, as evidenced by ongoing events in Ukraine and North Korea.

As a result, he said, Stratcom will execute a tailored deterrence and assurance plan that includes providing a safe, secure and effective nuclear deterrent force, partnering with other combatant commands, addressing space challenges, building cyberspace capability and capacity and preparing for uncertainty.

The campaign, he said, is critical in addressing advances in state and nonstate military capabilities across air, sea, land and space domains, as well as in cyberspace.

“The space domain is becoming ever more congested, contested and competitive, [and] worldwide cyber threats are growing in scale and sophistication,” he said, adding that the proliferation of weapons and nuclear technologies also continues. “No region of the world is immune from potential chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear risk.”

Terrorist threats also remain a source of significant ambiguity, and the threat of home-grown violent extremists remains a concern, the admiral emphasized.

Against this dynamic and uncertain backdrop, Haney said, Stratcom’s missions are to partner with other combatant commands to deter attack, detect strategic attack against the United States and its allies, and defeat those attacks if deterrence fails. “Our unified command plan assigned missions are strategic in nature, global in scope and intertwined with the capabilities of the joint force, the interagency and the whole of government,” he added.

These attributes, Haney told the panel, require linkages and synergies at all levels to bring integrated capabilities to bear through synchronized planning, simultaneous execution of missions and coherent strategic communications.

But trained, ready people are at the heart of the command’s missions and priorities, Haney said, citing recent personal integrity concerns associated with the intercontinental ballistic missile force at Malmstrom Air Force Base, Mont.

“I fully support [Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel’s] initiatives to assemble key Department of Defense stakeholders to fully assess and understand the implications of recent events and seek long-term systematic solutions that will maintain the trust and confidence in our nuclear enterprise,” Haney said.

In addition to critical deterrence and assurance work, Stratcom is engaged in broader missions such as intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance; missile defense; joint electronic warfare; global strike; and analysis and targeting.

"While these diverse activities are being synchronized and integrated by an outstanding team, none of this work … could be accomplished without trained, ready, motivated people,” the admiral said. “They remain our most precious resource and deserve our unwavering support.”

Former MTI now pushes flight as diamond

by Airman 1st Class Samantha Saulsbury
460th Space Wing Public Affairs

4/1/2014 - Buckley AFB, Colo. -- Since the beginning of his career, Master Sgt. Jesse White, 460th Medical Group first sergeant, has had a knack for molding excellent Airmen.

"I hope my Airmen strive to be the best Airmen they can be," White said. " I want my Airmen to succeed."

White served as a role model to the future of the Air Force as a military training instructor for five years, eventually continuing on to become a first sergeant. As a first sergeant, he is still able to help Airmen become the best they can be.

"I'm a hands-on person, that's why I liked being an MTI," White said. "You get to take someone that has no idea about the military and you make them an Airman. Now, as a shirt, I get to continue to watch them advance and grow."

Although transitioning from an MTI to a first sergeant prepared White for his future duties, it wasn't free of challenges. According to White, the difficulties of a being a first sergeant surpass those of being an MTI. He elaborated by saying it takes a lot more work for someone that has been in the military for a few years to trust and respect him.

"When you're an MTI, you're expected to be loud," White said. "As a first sergeant, I have to rely a lot more on my personal power to make things happen. If I go in there and make obnoxious noises and things like that, I'm obviously going to lose respect."

White serves as an advisor; someone he hopes Airmen will feel safe approaching for any reason.

"Things like advising the commander when it comes to awards programs, that's what we're there for," White stressed. "I hope I can be that individual that people come to either for advice or to help out. Any way that I can prevent Airmen from doing something that's going to misstep them on their career, that's the way I see my job. I try to focus my energy on preventing those things."

While some Airmen might associate negative connotations with first sergeants, White explains that they are inaccurate, saying that he is only an advisor when it comes to disciplinary actions.

"A big misconception is that first sergeants are the disciplinarian," White said. "I think that's the negative aspect of what we deal with. But it's not always hugs. My philosophy is to take care of people. "

White speaks highly of his Airmen, saying they continue to be the number one reason he has the most rewarding job.

"The people make it all worth it," he said.

MQ-1B Predator accident report released

Release Number: 020414

4/2/2014 - LANGLEY AIR FORCE BASE, Va. -- A failed power converter in an MQ-1B Predator's onboard control module led to the crash of the aircraft over the Mediterranean Sea, Sept. 17, 2013, according to an Air Combat Command Abbreviated Accident Investigation Board report released today.

The remotely piloted aircraft was deployed from the 432d Wing at Creech Air Force Base, Nev. When the accident occurred, the aircraft was returning from a 20- hour intelligence, surveillance and reconnaisance operational mission in support of U.S. Africa Command. The aircraft and one communication pod were lost on impact, with a loss valued at approximately $5.3 million. There were no injuries or damage to other government or private property.

According to the report, the crew noticed a loss in communications with the aircraft prior to handing control over to the Launch and Recovery Element. The crew completed appropriate checklists, and notified the GCS that they could not establish communications with the aircraft.

Two seconds prior to the loss of satellite link with the aircraft, the GCS logged electrical, flight control and engine warning indications. The board president found that these indicators were a direct result of a power converter malfunction in the aircraft's control module, which forced the RPA to lose control in the air and begin a rapid spiral descent into the Mediterranean Sea.

The board president found by clear and convincing evidence, that the mishap was caused by failure of the power converter in the control module, which led to loss of control of stabilizers and engine power output. For more information, contact Air Combat Command Public Affairs at (757) 764-5007 or e-mail accpa.operations@us.af.mil.

DOD, Service Energy Programs Share Common Thread

By Claudette Roulo

American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, April 2, 2014 – At a cost of about $20 billion a year, the Defense Department is the country's single-largest consumer of energy, the assistant defense secretary for operational energy plans and programs said today.

The services and the department each have specific roles and missions relating to that energy use, Sharon E. Burke said at a hearing of the Senate Armed Services Committee Subcommittee on Readiness And Management Support.

“But, we also have a common narrative that unites us, and that is by design,” she said.

Last year, then-Deputy Defense Secretary Ash Carter directed the department's senior leaders to develop a shared narrative to guide the full range of defense energy activities, Burke said. This instruction included operational and facilities energy and the energy related elements of mission assurance, she noted.

The narrative should be finalized soon, the assistant secretary told committee members. “But, I believe it's very fair to say that the basic principles already guide our activities and have for some time,” Burke added.

The assistant secretary provided a preview of the policy for the committee.

“The Department of Defense will enhance military capability, improve energy security and mitigate costs in its use and management of energy,” she said.

It will improve the energy performance of weapons, installations and military forces, Burke said, by diversifying and expanding energy supplies and sources -- including renewable energy and alternative fuels; by analyzing the requirements and risks related to energy use; and by promoting innovation for equipment and education and training for personnel.

The policy, she said, affirms the value that the Defense Department places on energy as a mission-essential resource that can also shape the mission.

The president's fiscal year budget request advances the goals of the common narrative, Burke said.

“Energy, and liquid fuel in particular, is the lifeblood of military operations. It powers our vehicles, our ships, our aircraft and the generators that, in turn, provide electricity to a range of systems,” she said.

“It can also be a vulnerability on the battlefield,” Burke noted, “and our adversaries in Afghanistan have targeted our supply lines at times. And, while we've had no operationally significant disruption of those fuel supplies, the opportunity cost, including in lives lost, has been higher than it had to be.”

As the department rebalances to the Asia-Pacific region, this vulnerability has potential to be an even bigger concern, she said.

There, the assistant secretary noted, “full-spectrum operations over vast distances create even greater logistical challenges.” A range of potential adversaries in the region are growing capabilities to constrain or deny logistics and are developing more precise weapons, Burke added.

While the demand for operational energy varies from year to year based on mission requirements and operational tempo, she said, in fiscal year 2015 the department estimates it will consume 96 million barrels of liquid fuel at a cost of approximately $15 billion.

“In FY 15 we will also invest $1.7 billion in initiatives to improve how we consume that energy for military operations, and about $9 billion over the future year defense program,” Burke told the committee. “More than 90 percent of that investment will go to improve the energy performance of our weapons and our military forces.”

Those improvement efforts include procurement of equipment, the assistant secretary noted, such as the Army's efficient generator program, and major innovation efforts, such as engine programs for fighter aircraft and helicopters.

Of the overall investment, she said, 7 percent will go to diversifying and securing operational energy supplies, including the Marine Corps program to procure tactical solar generation and solar battery charging systems.

“Underlying all of these investments are efforts to develop better analytical tools for the whole force development process,” Burke said. These tools will inform strategy development, plans, requirements and the acquisition process, she noted.

This effort has been a key focus of Burke’s office since it was established about four years ago, she said. In that time, there has been a “great deal of progress,” the assistant secretary added.

Energy and energy logistics are increasingly incorporated into major war games, she noted, and a mandatory key performance parameter for energy is included in the requirements process enforced by Army Gen. Martin E. Dempsey, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

In addition to focusing on future force development, Burke said her office will continue to promote operational energy innovation, including through its own investment fund.

“We will continue to study and analyze how global energy dynamics affect national security and shape the defense mission,” she said. “We will continue to analyze how climate change will affect our operational missions.

“And finally,” she continued, “we will continue to look for ways to support deployed forces with operational energy solutions. From rapid fielding of new technologies, to adapting war plans, to incorporating energy into international partnerships, and we are gathering and applying the lessons learned in Afghanistan.”