Carter Meets at Pentagon With Senior Leaders From Djibouti

DoD News, Defense Media Activity

WASHINGTON, Feb. 26, 2015 – Defense Secretary Ash Carter discussed regional security interests and bilateral issues with senior leaders from the African nation of Djibouti during a 30-minute meeting at the Pentagon yesterday, Pentagon Press Secretary Navy Rear Adm. John Kirby said last night.

The secretary met with Foreign Minister Mahmood Ali Youssouf, Defense Minister Hassan Darar Houffaneh and other senior Djiboutian officials, Kirby said in a statement.

Topics the leaders discussed included this week's inaugural binational forum, counterterrorism and maritime operations, support for Camp Lemonnier, and the initiation of a partnership between Djibouti and the Kentucky National Guard via the State Partnership Program.

Shared Commitment to Fighting Terrorism

Camp Lemonnier is home to Combined Joint Task Force Horn of Africa, a U.S. military headquarters that works with partner nations, coalition forces, and interagency and governmental organizations to achieve a unified effort in countering violent extremist groups in East Africa.

“Secretary Carter highlighted U.S. and Djiboutian shared commitment to fighting terrorism throughout the Horn of Africa that has made East Africa and America safer,” Kirby said. “He lauded Djibouti's decision to deploy additional forces to Somalia, emphasizing the importance of continued bilateral and regional cooperation in operations to defeat al-Shabab.”

First AFSPC Command Chief honored at AF Museum

by Master Sgt. Kevin Williams
Air Force Space Command Public Affairs

2/26/2015 - PETERSON AIR FORCE BASE, Colo.  -- Chief Master Sgt. Douglas McIntyre, Command Chief,  Air Force Space Command, recognized the command's first-ever command chief during the Enlisted Board of Directors dinner hosted by the Chief Master Sergeant of the Air Force at Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio, Feb. 18.

Chief Master Sgt. of the Air Force, James Cody, asked all MAJCOM command chiefs to honor an enlisted hero from their command's past.

"The first name that came to my mind was Chief Master Sgt. (retired) Chuck Zimkas," said Chief McIntyre. "Not only is he the first command chief for AFSPC, his continued work through the Space Foundation after he retired from the Air Force earned him the Hartinger Award - the only enlisted person to achieve such an honor."

At the dinner, Chief McIntyre shared a few of the many highlights of Chief Zimkas' 26-year Air Force career and his post Air Force career as a lifetime advocate of space development.  During his career he was selected as one of the Outstanding Airmen of the Year, which led to greater involvement in the Air Force Association from chapter to national level.

Prior to his Air Force retirement, Zimkas served as the national Noncommissioned Officer Association Chairman of the Board when he was invited to the White House to present President Ronald Reagan an honorary membership into the NCOA. 

Scheduled for just a few minutes, the visit resulted in 15 minutes with the president.  The Chief was awarded the Legion of Merit on retirement from the Air Force and the Air Force Space Command Headquarters Enlisted Heritage Room was named in his honor.

Not his only namesake, The Space Foundation announced the establishment of the Zimkas Space Library, named in honor of Chuck and Ursula Zimkas, to serve students, teachers, book clubs and space-related interest groups when Chief Zimkas retired as President of the Space Foundation, after a 27 year affiliation with the global, non-profit organization dedicated to space awareness activities in education and industry.

Chief Zimkas was awarded the General James V. Hartinger Award in 2013 for his actions during his Air Force career and his work with the Space Foundation. Part of the citation reads; "Chief Zimkas joined the Space Foundation in July 1986, as the Director of Operations becoming the Chief Operating Officer until 2012. As the Chief Operating Officer, he was responsible for the operations and logistical support functions of the Foundation. In 2012, he was chosen President of the Space Foundation.  As President, he was responsible for operations, education programs, marketing and communications, customer service, facilities, human resources, event planning, information technology, logistics and operation of the new Space Foundation Visitors Center. Throughout his career with the Space Foundation he played a key role in the continued success of the annual Space Symposium, relocation of the Space Foundation to its new world headquarters and creation of the Space Foundation Discovery Center.  Chief Zimkas was also the Program Manager for the 'Reaching for the Stars,' a highly successful program that recognized the need to bring technology into the field of education."

Chief Zimkas explained what an honor it was when he found out the current command chief would recognize him in front of the Enlisted Board of Directors.

"I was completely surprise when Chief McIntyre told me that I was going to be the topic of his speech at the dinner," said Chief Zimkas. "I was grateful and deeply honored that he singled me out for this occasion and knowing there others also worthy of this special consideration and recognition. My everyday challenge is living up to the high expectations that people expect from me.

"I'm currently the Vice Chair for the Peterson Air and Space Museum Foundation as well as Chair of the Development Committee," said the chief. "The board has been very busy lately and will soon announce a $1.8M capital campaign to renovate the Broadmoor Hangar, which is part of the museum complex. I'm a member of this year's NDIA General James V. Hartinger Award's committee and volunteer some of my time with the local Lance P. Sijan Air Force Association Chapter as well as other organizations."

Following retirement from the Air Force, and now retirement from the Space Foundation, Chief Zimkas continues to remain active in the community and advocate for Airmen and air and space power.

Battaglia Explains Importance of Financial Literacy

By Amaani Lyle

DoD News, Defense Media Activity

WASHINGTON, Feb. 26, 2015 – Service members and their families need to make informed investment decisions and avoid unnecessary risks to ensure financial readiness both during and after their service commitments, the senior enlisted advisor to the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff said.

Discussing the Feb. 23-28 observance of Military Saves Week in a DoD News broadcast interview, Marine Corps Sgt. Maj. Bryan Battaglia said structure is important in handling household financial transactions.

“There are going to be purchases to meet the needs of survival, whether it be a car, a home or bare necessities of everyday life,” he said. “You must have discipline in your financial portfolio that allows you to sidestep … unnecessary purchases … and make a wise and informed decision. That’s what financial readiness is all about.”

Battaglia recalled his own challenges as a young Marine, when he his wife, Lisa, learned to resist impulse-purchase temptations.

“I’m hoping one thing Lisa and I can do for the military force and families is show things we could have done better as a younger couple growing up that they can avoid nowadays,” the sergeant major said.

Small financial considerations can add up, the sergeant major said, noting that he has cut his own hair for the past 25 years. “I can take care of myself and save the 10 to 15 [dollars] a week that I would normally use to get a haircut at a regular barber,” he said.

Loan and Investment Pitfalls

Loan and investment pitfalls exist, some of them specifically targeting service members, Battaglia said. He urged young troops to take advantage of programs and advisors the Defense Department provides to help them navigate and avoid those risks.

“There are loan sharks and payday lenders that are not up-front, … so the advertisement is enticing for the young service member. … All of a sudden, they’re paying for a [purchase] or loan at 28 percent interest, and it wasn’t a smart financial move, but an impulse buy,” he said.

Battaglia recommended investments such as the Thrift Savings Plan, a long-term financial strategy in which service members can deposit up to 15 percent of their pay into accounts of varying growth speed.

“It’s a great investment tool that we are allowed to use while serving in the military, and it starts to build a financial nest egg or portfolio,” he said. “It’ll be 80 to 85 percent of our force who never reach 20 years to retire, so what do they have to show for it at the end of four, six or 10 years?”

In any event, the sergeant major added, all military careers come to end, no matter how long a member serves. “We want to have an emergency fund … so when retirement or end of enlistment or commission comes, you don’t walk out empty-handed,” he said.

Fiscal Fitness Includes Rewards

Fiscal fitness enables him and his family to live in a less stressful environment, Battaglia said, and even permits them to enjoy the occasional reward.

“That may incur some sacrifices along the way, but we can spoil ourselves every once in a while, because we have lived in a financially stable and structured military life cycle,” the sergeant major said.

Battaglia encouraged all service members and components to take the Military Saves Week pledge to develop a disciplined, structured and measurable financial goal.

“Go online and take the pledge … to save each and every month when that paycheck comes in,” he said.

Air National Guard Civil Engineering Squadron clears way

by Tech. Sgt. Regina Young
116th Air Control Wing Public Affairs

2/24/2015 - ROBINS AIR FORCE BASE, Ga. -- A team from the 116th Air Control Wing here was recently ready to support the community by pre-positioned snow and debris removal equipment in preparation for potential inclement weather.

The 116th Civil Engineering Squadron, in coordination with the Joint Operations Center, Dobbins Air Reserve Base, Georgia, readied their equipment to perform initial route clearance, including removing trees and concrete debris from the roadways.

"The advantage of utilizing us is that we are a force-multiplier to the civilian authorities who may not be able to respond as rapidly as we can," said Senior Master Sgt. James Love, superintendent with the 116th CES.

The civil engineer personnel utilize two all-track multi-purpose, multi-attachment vehicles, chainsaws, hand tools and personal protective gear to get the job done.

"Providing assistance as augmentees strengthens the relationship with state and local authorities while minimizing the impact to the community," said Love.

Through past performance the ANG proven that it has the ability to respond quickly when a homeland emergency arises, delivering critical supplies and personnel. This is made possible through long-term relationships established with first responders in local communities. The ANGs unique state and federal mission makes the ANG a readily accessible resource during an emergency.

The 116th CES demonstrates the ANGs balanced strategy of being the first choice for homeland operations through supporting the Defense Support of Civil Authorities by utilizing dual-use equipment, training and personnel, providing a variety of capabilities to the state's governor. A component of these capabilities includes responses to natural and man-made disasters.

IDCERTEX Advances Readiness in Pacific

By Commander, U.S. 3rd Fleet Public Affairs

SAN DIEGO (NNS) -- Five U.S. Navy ships concluded a two-week independent deployer certification exercise (IDCERTEX) off the coast of Southern California and Hawaii Feb. 20.

The exercise provided a multi-ship environment to train and certify independent deployers in surface warfare, air defense, maritime interception operations, command and control/information warfare, command, control, computers and combat systems intelligence and mine warfare.

The exercise led by Commander, U.S. 3rd Fleet (C3F) and executed by Commander, Carrier Strike Group Fifteen (CSG 15), included the guided-missile cruisers USS Lake Champlain (CG 57), USS Chosin (CG 65), guided-missile destroyers USS Preble (DDG 88), USS Chafee (DDG 90), littoral combat ship USS Freedom (LCS 1) and USS Fort Worth's (LCS 3) Crew 102.

IDCERTEX served as CSG 15's final opportunity to evaluate and certify Preble, Chafee and Fort Worth Crew 102, embarked aboard Freedom, across multiple warfare areas prior to regularly scheduled deployments.

According to Rear Adm. Rick Williams, commander, Navy Region Hawaii and Naval Surface Group Middle Pacific (MIDPAC), IDCERTEX was a success for the ships involved that demonstrated their readiness to deploy and operate in an integrated, multi-ship environment. Crew 102's certification will enable them to turn over with Crew 103, who departed San Diego for Singapore Feb. 8 to relieve Crew 104.

"IDCERTEX was successful thanks to outstanding work and commitment by all participants," said Williams.

Chafee, Chosin, Lake Champlain and Preble conducted their training off the coast of Hawaii while Freedom participated off the coast of Southern California.

"Having a split location is challenging no matter what you're doing, and this is no different, yet this did not hinder our ability to train and assess them and get them fully certified," said Capt. Patrick Keyes, commander, U.S. 3rd Fleet, assistant chief of staff for plans, policy, training and readiness. "In the end, Chafee, Preble and Crew 102 were able to get fully certified, and now they are ready to execute all mission areas while deployed in the Western Pacific and Arabian Gulf."

Crew 102 was certified in shipboard firefighting, man-overboard drills, visit, board, search, and seizure (VBSS), and other ship specific training. The integrated phase consists of flight operations, submarine tracking, strait transit formations, replenishment-at-sea between multiple ships and aircraft, and other required mission evolutions.

"The fact that our crew has progressed from a shore-based training environment directly to the successful accomplishment of an advanced level independent deployer certification exercise in only three weeks is an amazing validation of the training concept for LCS rotational crews," said Cmdr. Michael Jarrett, commanding officer of LCS Crew 102. "The crew's ability to perform at a fast pace and demonstrate proficiency suitable for deployment is a testament to the enthusiasm and work ethic of our Sailors and their teammates from the Surface Warfare Detachment Four and Detachment three from the "Magicians" of Helicopter Maritime Strike Squadron (HSM) 35."

Supporting staffs included Commander, Naval Surface Forces Pacific, Naval Surface Group Middle Pacific, DESRON 31, Marine Aircraft Group 24, Hawaii Air National Guard and the 25th Combat Aviation Brigade.

"This exercise advances our readiness to operate on, above and below the seas as one team," said Williams. "Certification demonstrates that our ships are focused, capable and ready to deploy forward."

Leading the naval forces in the Eastern Pacific from the West Coast of North America to the international date line, U.S. 3rd Fleet provides the realistic, relevant training necessary for an effective global Navy.