By Gerry J. Gilmore
American Forces Press Service
Nov. 10, 2009 - President Barack Obama today traveled to Fort Hood, Texas, where he comforted survivors and families during a memorial service honoring the 13 people who had perished during the Nov. 5 shootings there. "For those families who have lost a loved one, no words can fill the void that has been left," Obama said.
Nonetheless, he said, the memory of the 12 fallen soldiers and one Fort Hood civilian employee who died "will be honored in the places they lived and by the people they touched."
Neither the United States nor its values could endure without the efforts of its military members, to include the service of the 10 men and three women who had died as a result of the Fort Hood shootings, Obama said.
"And, that is why we pay tribute to their stories," Obama said, citing the tale of fallen soldier Lt. Col. Juanita L. Warman, 55, of Havre De Grace, Md. Warman was assigned to the 1908th Medical Company, Independence, Mo.
Warman "was the daughter and granddaughter of Army veterans," Obama said. "She was a single mom who put herself through college and graduate school, and served as a nurse practitioner while raising her two daughters." Warman, he said, also left behind a loving husband.
The other soldiers and one civilian employee killed in the shootings are:
-- Maj. Libardo Caraveo, 52, of Woodbridge, Va., assigned to the 467th Medical Detachment, Madison, Wis.;
-- Capt. John P. Gaffaney, 54, of San Diego, assigned to the 1908th Medical Company, Independence, Mo.;
-- Capt. Russell Seager, 41, of Racine, Wis., assigned to the 467th Medical Company, Madison;
-- Staff Sgt. Justin Decrow, 32, of Plymouth, Ind., assigned to the 16th Signal Company at Fort Hood;
-- Sgt. Amy Krueger, 29, of Kiel, Wis.. assigned to the 467th Medical Company;
-- Spc. Jason Hunt, 22, of Tillman, Okla., assigned to the 1st Brigade at Fort Hood;
-- Spc. Frederick Greene, 29, of Mountain City, Tenn., assigned to the 16th Signal Company at Fort Hood;
-- Pfc. Aaron Nemelka, 19, of West Jordan, Utah, assigned to the 510th Engineer Company, 20th Engineer Battalion, at Fort Hood;
-- Pfc. Michael Pearson, 22, of Bolinbrook, Ill., assigned to the 510th Engineer Company, 20th Engineer Battalion, at Fort Hood;
-- Spc. Kham Xiong, 23, of St. Paul, Minn., assigned to the 510th Engineer Company, 20th Engineer Battalion, at Fort Hood;
-- Pvt. Francheska Velez, 21, of Chicago, assigned to the 15th Combat Support Battalion at Fort Hood; and
-- Michael Cahill of Cameron, Texas, a Fort Hood civilian employee.
The suspected gunman, Army Maj. Nidal Malik Hasan, also allegedly wounded 38 other people during the rampage. Hasan, who was wounded by Fort Hood civilian security officers Sgt. Kimberly Munley and Senior Sgt. Mark Todd, is in intensive care at Brooke Army Medical Center in San Antonio. Munley was injured during an exchange of gunfire with the suspect; Todd was unharmed.
Obama, who met privately with family members of victims during his visit at Fort Hood, cited the shootings as a senseless tragedy and he promised that justice would be served.
"It may be hard to comprehend the twisted logic that led to this tragedy," Obama said. "But, this much we do know – no faith justifies these murderous and craven acts; no just and loving God looks upon them with favor."
America is experiencing trying times, Obama said, noting the U.S. military continues to combat extremists in Afghanistan, as efforts also continue to bring the war in Iraq to a successful end.
And, as the United States faces challenges abroad, "the stories of those at Fort Hood reaffirm the core values that we are fighting for, and the strength that we must draw upon," Obama said, citing the service of the fallen and the documented acts of valor of Fort Hood personnel who rushed in to protect and treat the wounded amid the gunfire.
"We are a nation that endures because of the courage of those who defend it," Obama said. "We saw that valor in those who braved bullets here at Fort Hood, just as surely as we see it in those who signed up knowing they would serve in harm's way."
The president was accompanied by First Lady Michelle Obama, Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates, Joint Chiefs Chairman Navy Adm. Mike Mullen, Army Secretary John M. McHugh, Army Chief of Staff Gen. George W. Casey Jr. and other officials.
The Fort Hood shootings "will impact the families, the Fort Hood community and the Army for a long time to come," Casey said during his remarks.
Yet, the tragedy also featured "the courageous actions of the first responders, the caregivers, the selflessness of fellow soldiers who risked their lives to help one another, the calm leadership of the command and the overwhelming outpouring of support from the community," Casey said.
"These responses in the aftermath of tragedy have been uplifting, if not heroic," Casey said, noting such acts reflect the values and determination of U.S. soldiers and Army civilians that serve in Afghanistan, Iraq and elsewhere in the world.
U.S. soldiers' "willingness to sacrifice to preserve our way of life and to build a better future for others is a great strength of this nation," Casey said. Their service and the service of the 13 people honored at Fort Hood, he said, "epitomize the best of America."
Fort Hood and its civilian neighbors stepped up to meet the challenge of the Nov. 5 shootings, said Army Lt. Gen. Robert W. Cone, commander of 3rd Corps and Fort Hood.
"In times like these our Army family and surrounding community pulled together in selfless service," Cone said, noting that the giving of blood and provision of medical care to help the wounded were among the "countless instances" of civilian support and concern following the shootings.
"Nothing can erase our grief over the loss of the loved ones we honor here today," Cone said. "But, our commitment to our country, our Army and our families will help us move forward together."
Tuesday, November 10, 2009
Biden Offers Condolences for Slain Stryker Squadron
By John J. Kruzel
American Forces Press Service
Nov. 10, 2009 - Vice President Joe Biden delivered condolences today at a memorial ceremony honoring seven soldiers killed in an attack in southern Afghanistan last month. The soldiers of the 2nd Infantry Division's 1st Battalion, 17th Infantry Regiment, 5th Stryker Brigade Combat Team, were in a Stryker vehicle struck by a 1,000-pound roadside bomb in northwest Kandahar province Oct. 27.
"On behalf of the president of the United States, I am here to express my condolences to all those we honor today," Biden said at a ceremony on Fort Lewis, Washington, the squadron's home base.
Biden said the undaunted courage and purpose exemplified by Meriwether Lewis -- the namesake of the Army facility -- is imbued in those serving at the base. He said that it will be eternally embodied by the service and sacrifice of those killed in the attack. They are:
-- Staff Sgt. Luis M. Gonzalez, 27, of South Ozone Park, N.Y.;
-- Sgt. Fernando Delarosa, 24, of Alamo, Texas.;
-- Sgt. Dale R. Griffin, 29, of Terre Haute, Ind.;
-- Sgt. Issac B. Jackson, 27, of Plattsburg, Mo.;
-- Sgt. Patrick O. Williamson, 24, of Broussard, La.;
-- Spc. Jared D. Stanker, 22, of Evergreen Park, Ill.; and
-- Pfc. Christopher I. Walz, 25, of Vancouver, Wash.
Biden said he was amazed by the courage and resilience of the Gold Star families he met before attending the memorial service. A Gold Star family is one that has suffered the loss of a loved one fighting on behalf of U.S. operations, while Blue Star families refer to those with a family member deployed.
"Like every Blue Star family member, as my wife and I are, we realize that but for the grace of God we could be a member of that organization, Gold Star parents," said Biden, whose son Capt. Beau Biden returned in October after a year-long deployment in Iraq with the Delaware Air National Guard's 261st Signal Brigade.
"In a sense, those of us who've had children, husbands and wives, who served in Afghanistan and Iraq," he said, "I guess we all share a sense of relief and a sense of guilt that we're here having our loved ones back."
In his remarks, Biden alluded to the grief he experienced after his wife and 1-year-old daughter were killed in a car accident in Delaware around Christmas time in 1972. He said he has had the unfortunate occasion to attend memorial services, both as a vice president and as a grieving father and husband.
"As vice president, I'm here to praise and honor your sons, your husbands, your fathers, your brothers, and let you know that the president and all the United States of America honors the sacrifice they've made and that you made," he said.
"But as a father and a husband, I'm here to share with you the pain and to grieve with you, for I know there is nothing that any of us can say, clearly nothing I can say, that is likely to heal you today," he said. "No solace I can offer to numb the grief consuming the wives and children and parents of those who are left behind; that void you feel in your chest, that deep, black hole that feels like it's sucking you in."
The vice president said that as the slain soldiers take their place on the rolls of the greatest American heroes, the rest of the country should remind itself of its duty.
"The only sacred responsibility we have as a nation is to give all those we send all they need, and care for them and their families when they come home," he said. "That's the only truly sacred obligation our government has.
"Not today but someday, God willing, there will be some consolation you'll find in the knowledge that your son, your husband, your brother, your father gave his life in the pursuit of the noblest of all earthly goals: defending his family, defending his country, defending and fighting for what he believed in," he said. "That pursuit defined each of the warriors we honor today; each of the fallen angels that we brought home. And it will define them, and has defined them, until the very end."
American Forces Press Service
Nov. 10, 2009 - Vice President Joe Biden delivered condolences today at a memorial ceremony honoring seven soldiers killed in an attack in southern Afghanistan last month. The soldiers of the 2nd Infantry Division's 1st Battalion, 17th Infantry Regiment, 5th Stryker Brigade Combat Team, were in a Stryker vehicle struck by a 1,000-pound roadside bomb in northwest Kandahar province Oct. 27.
"On behalf of the president of the United States, I am here to express my condolences to all those we honor today," Biden said at a ceremony on Fort Lewis, Washington, the squadron's home base.
Biden said the undaunted courage and purpose exemplified by Meriwether Lewis -- the namesake of the Army facility -- is imbued in those serving at the base. He said that it will be eternally embodied by the service and sacrifice of those killed in the attack. They are:
-- Staff Sgt. Luis M. Gonzalez, 27, of South Ozone Park, N.Y.;
-- Sgt. Fernando Delarosa, 24, of Alamo, Texas.;
-- Sgt. Dale R. Griffin, 29, of Terre Haute, Ind.;
-- Sgt. Issac B. Jackson, 27, of Plattsburg, Mo.;
-- Sgt. Patrick O. Williamson, 24, of Broussard, La.;
-- Spc. Jared D. Stanker, 22, of Evergreen Park, Ill.; and
-- Pfc. Christopher I. Walz, 25, of Vancouver, Wash.
Biden said he was amazed by the courage and resilience of the Gold Star families he met before attending the memorial service. A Gold Star family is one that has suffered the loss of a loved one fighting on behalf of U.S. operations, while Blue Star families refer to those with a family member deployed.
"Like every Blue Star family member, as my wife and I are, we realize that but for the grace of God we could be a member of that organization, Gold Star parents," said Biden, whose son Capt. Beau Biden returned in October after a year-long deployment in Iraq with the Delaware Air National Guard's 261st Signal Brigade.
"In a sense, those of us who've had children, husbands and wives, who served in Afghanistan and Iraq," he said, "I guess we all share a sense of relief and a sense of guilt that we're here having our loved ones back."
In his remarks, Biden alluded to the grief he experienced after his wife and 1-year-old daughter were killed in a car accident in Delaware around Christmas time in 1972. He said he has had the unfortunate occasion to attend memorial services, both as a vice president and as a grieving father and husband.
"As vice president, I'm here to praise and honor your sons, your husbands, your fathers, your brothers, and let you know that the president and all the United States of America honors the sacrifice they've made and that you made," he said.
"But as a father and a husband, I'm here to share with you the pain and to grieve with you, for I know there is nothing that any of us can say, clearly nothing I can say, that is likely to heal you today," he said. "No solace I can offer to numb the grief consuming the wives and children and parents of those who are left behind; that void you feel in your chest, that deep, black hole that feels like it's sucking you in."
The vice president said that as the slain soldiers take their place on the rolls of the greatest American heroes, the rest of the country should remind itself of its duty.
"The only sacred responsibility we have as a nation is to give all those we send all they need, and care for them and their families when they come home," he said. "That's the only truly sacred obligation our government has.
"Not today but someday, God willing, there will be some consolation you'll find in the knowledge that your son, your husband, your brother, your father gave his life in the pursuit of the noblest of all earthly goals: defending his family, defending his country, defending and fighting for what he believed in," he said. "That pursuit defined each of the warriors we honor today; each of the fallen angels that we brought home. And it will define them, and has defined them, until the very end."
Army Casualties
The Department of Defense announced today the death of two soldiers who were supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom. They died Nov. 8 in Tikrit, Iraq, of injuries sustained when their OH-58D helicopter crashed. They were assigned to the 2nd Squadron, 6th Cavalry Regiment, 25th Brigade Combat Team, 25th Infantry Division, Schofield Barracks, Hawaii.
Killed were:
Chief Warrant Officer Mathew C. Heffelfinger, 29, of Kimberly, Idaho; and
Chief Warrant Officer Earl R. Scott III, 24, of Jacksonville, Fla.
The circumstances of the incident are under investigation.
For more information the media may contact U.S. Army Garrison, Hawaii, public affairs office at (808) 656-3157 or (808) 656-3160.
Killed were:
Chief Warrant Officer Mathew C. Heffelfinger, 29, of Kimberly, Idaho; and
Chief Warrant Officer Earl R. Scott III, 24, of Jacksonville, Fla.
The circumstances of the incident are under investigation.
For more information the media may contact U.S. Army Garrison, Hawaii, public affairs office at (808) 656-3157 or (808) 656-3160.
Marine Casualty
The Department of Defense announced today the death of a Marine who was supporting Operation Enduring Freedom.
Sgt. Charles I. Cartwright, 26, of Union Bridge, Md., died Nov. 7 while supporting combat operations in Farah province, Afghanistan. He was assigned to 1st Marine Special Operations Battalion, U.S. Marine Corps Forces Special Operations Command, Camp Pendleton, Calif.
For additional background information on this Marine, news media representatives may contact the U.S. Marine Corps Forces Special Operations Command public affairs office at910-440-0770.
Sgt. Charles I. Cartwright, 26, of Union Bridge, Md., died Nov. 7 while supporting combat operations in Farah province, Afghanistan. He was assigned to 1st Marine Special Operations Battalion, U.S. Marine Corps Forces Special Operations Command, Camp Pendleton, Calif.
For additional background information on this Marine, news media representatives may contact the U.S. Marine Corps Forces Special Operations Command public affairs office at910-440-0770.
Efforts Focus on Iraq's Election, U.S. Commander Says
By John J. Kruzel
American Forces Press Service
Nov. 10, 2009 - A U.S. commander in Baghdad today said all efforts are focused on helping Iraqi forces provide security for upcoming national elections in Iraq. Army Col. Gregory Lusk, commander of the North Carolina National Guard's 30th Heavy Brigade Combat Team, joined a chorus of U.S. officials praising the Iraqi Parliament's passage this week of key legislation that paves the way for balloting in January.
"With the recent passing of the election law, Iraq has indeed reached an important milestone," he said by satellite in a Pentagon news conference. "All of our efforts since our day of arrival have been dedicated towards accomplishing this goal and setting the conditions and supporting the Iraqi desires for holding these important elections."
After weeks of debate, Iraqi legislators on Nov. 8 approved a new election law to supersede one put in place in 2005, overcoming earlier hurdles that included disputes over Kurd and Arab political representation in Kirkuk -- part of Iraq's multiethnic northern region.
About 120,000 U.S. troops are in Iraq, with that number expected to decline to roughly 50,000 by the end of July as the U.S. military mission there transitions from combat to stability operations, in accordance with an agreement between Washington and Baghdad.
But even as the 30th Heavy Brigade Combat Team, which arrived in May, prepares for its eventual redeployment next year, Lusk said the unit is focused on helping Iraq achieve a safe balloting process.
"In conjunction with this historical event, we will also be preparing our soldiers and equipment for our eventual redeployment back to home station," he said. "However, that will not prevent, nor will it hinder us from accomplishing our mission of supporting the elections."
Beyond the election, Lusk said, the brigade will focus on executing a "responsible and honorable" drawdown as it continues its mission to support Iraqi forces in protecting the population.
"As we look ahead at our impending departure and future reduced presence in the southern belts of Iraq, our focus will be to ensure that we execute both a responsible and an honorable withdrawal," he said. "However, in our remaining time here, the 30th Heavy Brigade Combat Team will continue to support the government of Iraq in their effort to make the lives of Iraqi people safe, secure and, indeed, prosperous."
Since the U.S. transferred authority to Iraqi security forces July 31, Iraqis have taken the lead in detaining hundreds of insurgents, including key insurgent leaders, financiers and car-bomb manufacturers, Lusk said.
"This fruitful and productive relationship with our Iraqi security force partners has resulted in the reduction of capabilities for al-Qaida in Iraq operating within our operating environment, as well as the reduction in capacity of former 'special groups' and other rejectionists," he said, noting a reduction of bombings and other high-profile attacks since May.
Lusk estimated that by the time the unit redeploys next year, soldiers in his brigade will have committed to more than 200 civilian works projects totaling about $20 million, with $1 million targeting independent business owners in the Iraqi capital.
American Forces Press Service
Nov. 10, 2009 - A U.S. commander in Baghdad today said all efforts are focused on helping Iraqi forces provide security for upcoming national elections in Iraq. Army Col. Gregory Lusk, commander of the North Carolina National Guard's 30th Heavy Brigade Combat Team, joined a chorus of U.S. officials praising the Iraqi Parliament's passage this week of key legislation that paves the way for balloting in January.
"With the recent passing of the election law, Iraq has indeed reached an important milestone," he said by satellite in a Pentagon news conference. "All of our efforts since our day of arrival have been dedicated towards accomplishing this goal and setting the conditions and supporting the Iraqi desires for holding these important elections."
After weeks of debate, Iraqi legislators on Nov. 8 approved a new election law to supersede one put in place in 2005, overcoming earlier hurdles that included disputes over Kurd and Arab political representation in Kirkuk -- part of Iraq's multiethnic northern region.
About 120,000 U.S. troops are in Iraq, with that number expected to decline to roughly 50,000 by the end of July as the U.S. military mission there transitions from combat to stability operations, in accordance with an agreement between Washington and Baghdad.
But even as the 30th Heavy Brigade Combat Team, which arrived in May, prepares for its eventual redeployment next year, Lusk said the unit is focused on helping Iraq achieve a safe balloting process.
"In conjunction with this historical event, we will also be preparing our soldiers and equipment for our eventual redeployment back to home station," he said. "However, that will not prevent, nor will it hinder us from accomplishing our mission of supporting the elections."
Beyond the election, Lusk said, the brigade will focus on executing a "responsible and honorable" drawdown as it continues its mission to support Iraqi forces in protecting the population.
"As we look ahead at our impending departure and future reduced presence in the southern belts of Iraq, our focus will be to ensure that we execute both a responsible and an honorable withdrawal," he said. "However, in our remaining time here, the 30th Heavy Brigade Combat Team will continue to support the government of Iraq in their effort to make the lives of Iraqi people safe, secure and, indeed, prosperous."
Since the U.S. transferred authority to Iraqi security forces July 31, Iraqis have taken the lead in detaining hundreds of insurgents, including key insurgent leaders, financiers and car-bomb manufacturers, Lusk said.
"This fruitful and productive relationship with our Iraqi security force partners has resulted in the reduction of capabilities for al-Qaida in Iraq operating within our operating environment, as well as the reduction in capacity of former 'special groups' and other rejectionists," he said, noting a reduction of bombings and other high-profile attacks since May.
Lusk estimated that by the time the unit redeploys next year, soldiers in his brigade will have committed to more than 200 civilian works projects totaling about $20 million, with $1 million targeting independent business owners in the Iraqi capital.
Forces in Afghanistan Seize Bomb Materials
American Forces Press Service
Nov. 10, 2009 - Afghan National Police and international forces seized 250 tons of suspected bomb-making material and detained 15 people in a Nov. 8 raid in southeastern Afghanistan, military officials reported. Based on reliable information, the combined force searched a warehouse in Kandahar province, where they seized 1,000 100-pound bags of ammonium nitrate fertilizer and detained 15 people. They found an additional 4,000 100-pound bags of fertilizer at a nearby compound, and also seized 5,000 components used in improvised explosive devices.
Ammonium nitrate fertilizer is a key ingredient in IEDs and is illegal in Afghanistan.
"This was a tremendous success for the Afghan National Police who led this operation," said Air Force Lt. Col. Todd Vician, an International Security Assistance Force spokesman. "This find will undoubtedly save many lives and points to the increasing capability of the Afghan national security forces."
In other operations in Afghanistan:
-- A combined force detained several suspected insurgents in Logar province while pursuing a Taliban commander operating in the area and linked to other local Taliban shadow government leaders. The force targeted compounds in the Baraki Barak district after intelligence indicated militant activity there. The force searched the compounds without incident and detained the suspects.
-- A combined force detained several suspected insurgents in Helmand province, including a sought-after Taliban leader linked to drug trafficking and responsible for weapons shipments to other militants in the area. The force searched a compound in the Garmsir district where sources reported the wanted man to be located. The force searched the compound without incident, recovered bomb-making materials and manuals and detained the suspects, one of whom identified himself as the Taliban leader. No shots were fired, and no civilians were injured.
(From an International Security Assistance Force Joint Command news release.)
Nov. 10, 2009 - Afghan National Police and international forces seized 250 tons of suspected bomb-making material and detained 15 people in a Nov. 8 raid in southeastern Afghanistan, military officials reported. Based on reliable information, the combined force searched a warehouse in Kandahar province, where they seized 1,000 100-pound bags of ammonium nitrate fertilizer and detained 15 people. They found an additional 4,000 100-pound bags of fertilizer at a nearby compound, and also seized 5,000 components used in improvised explosive devices.
Ammonium nitrate fertilizer is a key ingredient in IEDs and is illegal in Afghanistan.
"This was a tremendous success for the Afghan National Police who led this operation," said Air Force Lt. Col. Todd Vician, an International Security Assistance Force spokesman. "This find will undoubtedly save many lives and points to the increasing capability of the Afghan national security forces."
In other operations in Afghanistan:
-- A combined force detained several suspected insurgents in Logar province while pursuing a Taliban commander operating in the area and linked to other local Taliban shadow government leaders. The force targeted compounds in the Baraki Barak district after intelligence indicated militant activity there. The force searched the compounds without incident and detained the suspects.
-- A combined force detained several suspected insurgents in Helmand province, including a sought-after Taliban leader linked to drug trafficking and responsible for weapons shipments to other militants in the area. The force searched a compound in the Garmsir district where sources reported the wanted man to be located. The force searched the compound without incident, recovered bomb-making materials and manuals and detained the suspects, one of whom identified himself as the Taliban leader. No shots were fired, and no civilians were injured.
(From an International Security Assistance Force Joint Command news release.)
Iraqi Police Arrest Terrorism Suspects
American Forces Press Service
Nov. 10, 2009 - Iraqi police, working with U.S. advisors, arrested five suspected members of the al-Qaida in Iraq and Islamic State of Iraq terrorist groups today during operations in Iraq's Diyala and Salahuddin provinces, military officials reported. In Saytiyah, about 65 miles northeast of Baghdad, Iraqi police and U.S. advisors searched with an arrest warrant for an alleged Islamic State of Iraq member known to be directly linked to a—Qaida in Iraq. The man is suspected of orchestrating attacks in Baghdad from remote locations in Diyala province, and also is wanted for providing vehicles for vehicle-borne bombings in the region.
Iraqi police established a cordon and searched a building during the operation. During preliminary questioning and based on evidence found at the scene, a suspect was determined to be connected with the Islamic State of Iraq network and was arrested without incident. The warranted man was not apprehended.
In a separate operation, Iraqi police and U.S. advisors searched for an alleged al-Qaida in Iraq and Islamic State of Iraq associate in a rural area about 50 miles northwest of Baghdad.
The team searched a building and questioned people. Based on information gathered at the scene, they arrested four people suspected of engaging in terrorist activity.
(From a Multinational Force Iraq news release.)
Nov. 10, 2009 - Iraqi police, working with U.S. advisors, arrested five suspected members of the al-Qaida in Iraq and Islamic State of Iraq terrorist groups today during operations in Iraq's Diyala and Salahuddin provinces, military officials reported. In Saytiyah, about 65 miles northeast of Baghdad, Iraqi police and U.S. advisors searched with an arrest warrant for an alleged Islamic State of Iraq member known to be directly linked to a—Qaida in Iraq. The man is suspected of orchestrating attacks in Baghdad from remote locations in Diyala province, and also is wanted for providing vehicles for vehicle-borne bombings in the region.
Iraqi police established a cordon and searched a building during the operation. During preliminary questioning and based on evidence found at the scene, a suspect was determined to be connected with the Islamic State of Iraq network and was arrested without incident. The warranted man was not apprehended.
In a separate operation, Iraqi police and U.S. advisors searched for an alleged al-Qaida in Iraq and Islamic State of Iraq associate in a rural area about 50 miles northwest of Baghdad.
The team searched a building and questioned people. Based on information gathered at the scene, they arrested four people suspected of engaging in terrorist activity.
(From a Multinational Force Iraq news release.)
Soldiers Renovate Base in Afghanistan
By Army Sgt. Rob Frazier
Special to American Forces Press Service
Nov. 10, 2009 - Soldiers here continued the renovation of their base by relocating and resizing the fuel point area at Forward Operating Base Altimur, Nov. 7. Several months ago, soldiers from 3rd Squadron, 71st Cavalry Regiment, implemented a new program called "Operation Extreme Make Over." The goal was to coordinate quick, Afghan-led projects to improve areas in local villages, instill pride and build on the U.S.-Afghan partnership.
The fuel point is the latest improvement project for the unit's soldiers, who have worked steadily for the past 11 months to ensure they leave the base better than they found it. The change offered multi-faceted benefits, said Army Capt. Kamil Sztalkoper, Headquarters, Headquarters Troop commander.
"Today we are installing two new fuel tanks to increase the fuel capacity," the Cleveland native said. "This strengthens force protection and improves the distribution and reception points at Altimur."
Until recently, the squadron had been using the area that was created when the 101st Airborne Division established the base in late 2008. However, growing concerns over its location prompted the unit's leaders to make moving it a priority before they finished their year-long tour next month.
Army Sgt. Luke Morgan, a petroleum supply specialist, was sent from the 710th Brigade Support Battalion at Forward Operating Base Shank to supervise the construction. He noticed right away the new location would be a huge asset by providing better service to traffic and a more convenient spot to refuel.
"The old location created a traffic jam," the Springfield, Mo., soldier said. "With the new location, vehicles can pull off to the side of the road, refuel and be on their way without causing any slowdowns on the route."
Using local workers, Morgan supervised construction of the barriers that will serve as the perimeter for the two fueling points, which will sit side by side.
"We have to make sure we have the right dimensions to prevent slack in the liners," he said as an Afghan worker lowered dirt into the last remaining barriers from a front-end loader.
Meticulous planning for every detail will go a long way to ensuring the efficiency and durability of the fuel point for soldiers, Morgan said.
An added benefit to moving the fueling point to the new location is placing it on level ground.
"The earth work is very important," Morgan said. "When something like this is on a slant, it messes with the gauging of the bags and the fuel count."
Soldiers are installing two 50,000-gallon bladders that will encompass an area 100 feet long and 60 feet wide. That size, Sztalkoper said, will ensure soldiers have more than enough fuel to carry them through the long, weekly stretches of a deployment when the grueling tempo promotes an increase in movement.
Soldiers also factored in the harsh winter weather by installing a backup drain system, Morgan said. "This is essential for snow and water build-up so we can be certain the area will drain properly to prevent problems."
Within the next several days, the bladders will inflate with thousands of gallons of fuel, and the last major project for the Titan soldiers on Altimur will be completed.
Sztalkoper said the new fueling system, along with the finished construction of the new chapel, hard-structure billeting and the doubling of the helicopter landing zone, will go a long way to helping the 1st Squadron, 91st Cavalry Regiment, when that unit's soldiers assume operational control of the base in the next few months.
"We've definitely done a lot of good things here over the past year," he said. "The most important thing is that each project we've done impacts the soldiers directly in a positive way. We can confidently say that we have left this [base] better than we found it."
(Army Sgt. Rob Frazier serves with the 5th Mobile Public Affairs Detachment.)
Special to American Forces Press Service
Nov. 10, 2009 - Soldiers here continued the renovation of their base by relocating and resizing the fuel point area at Forward Operating Base Altimur, Nov. 7. Several months ago, soldiers from 3rd Squadron, 71st Cavalry Regiment, implemented a new program called "Operation Extreme Make Over." The goal was to coordinate quick, Afghan-led projects to improve areas in local villages, instill pride and build on the U.S.-Afghan partnership.
The fuel point is the latest improvement project for the unit's soldiers, who have worked steadily for the past 11 months to ensure they leave the base better than they found it. The change offered multi-faceted benefits, said Army Capt. Kamil Sztalkoper, Headquarters, Headquarters Troop commander.
"Today we are installing two new fuel tanks to increase the fuel capacity," the Cleveland native said. "This strengthens force protection and improves the distribution and reception points at Altimur."
Until recently, the squadron had been using the area that was created when the 101st Airborne Division established the base in late 2008. However, growing concerns over its location prompted the unit's leaders to make moving it a priority before they finished their year-long tour next month.
Army Sgt. Luke Morgan, a petroleum supply specialist, was sent from the 710th Brigade Support Battalion at Forward Operating Base Shank to supervise the construction. He noticed right away the new location would be a huge asset by providing better service to traffic and a more convenient spot to refuel.
"The old location created a traffic jam," the Springfield, Mo., soldier said. "With the new location, vehicles can pull off to the side of the road, refuel and be on their way without causing any slowdowns on the route."
Using local workers, Morgan supervised construction of the barriers that will serve as the perimeter for the two fueling points, which will sit side by side.
"We have to make sure we have the right dimensions to prevent slack in the liners," he said as an Afghan worker lowered dirt into the last remaining barriers from a front-end loader.
Meticulous planning for every detail will go a long way to ensuring the efficiency and durability of the fuel point for soldiers, Morgan said.
An added benefit to moving the fueling point to the new location is placing it on level ground.
"The earth work is very important," Morgan said. "When something like this is on a slant, it messes with the gauging of the bags and the fuel count."
Soldiers are installing two 50,000-gallon bladders that will encompass an area 100 feet long and 60 feet wide. That size, Sztalkoper said, will ensure soldiers have more than enough fuel to carry them through the long, weekly stretches of a deployment when the grueling tempo promotes an increase in movement.
Soldiers also factored in the harsh winter weather by installing a backup drain system, Morgan said. "This is essential for snow and water build-up so we can be certain the area will drain properly to prevent problems."
Within the next several days, the bladders will inflate with thousands of gallons of fuel, and the last major project for the Titan soldiers on Altimur will be completed.
Sztalkoper said the new fueling system, along with the finished construction of the new chapel, hard-structure billeting and the doubling of the helicopter landing zone, will go a long way to helping the 1st Squadron, 91st Cavalry Regiment, when that unit's soldiers assume operational control of the base in the next few months.
"We've definitely done a lot of good things here over the past year," he said. "The most important thing is that each project we've done impacts the soldiers directly in a positive way. We can confidently say that we have left this [base] better than we found it."
(Army Sgt. Rob Frazier serves with the 5th Mobile Public Affairs Detachment.)
Official Cites Benefits of Deploying Civilians
By John J. Kruzel
American Forces Press Service
Nov. 10, 2009 - A recent Facebook post by a U.S. soldier heading home from Iraq highlights some of the nonmilitary roles American troops often assume in today's counterinsurgency wars. "My time in Iraq approaches its end," the junior enlisted soldier wrote, listing military duties he performed on tour, followed by the more unorthodox roles: "I've been a public affairs guy, mechanic, carpenter, custodian, business capital injector and loan approval officer."
To relieve troops of these additional tasks, a Defense Department initiative known as the Civilian Expeditionary Workforce, or CEW, is training and equipping a civilian work force of department employees capable of deploying overseas to support military missions.
"We call it a 'force multiplier,'" said Marilee Fitzgerald, the acting deputy undersecretary of defense for civilian personnel policy. "It allows the military to do what they do best, and it relieves them, because we can do some of the things they don't need a warfighter for."
Currently, about 110 such civilian volunteers are participating overseas as part of the CEW, which the department officially established in January, and the program has received more than 7,200 resumes, according to defense officials.
In addition to a salary bump, one benefit of CEW is that when participants return to their domestic Defense Department jobs – which are guaranteed upon return – they do so with a broadened perspective, Fitzgerald said in an interview last week.
"They understand the mission better, they understand how to contribute better, and they have an understanding of what this Department of Defense is all about," she said. "It translates to some really powerful messages for them."
Jobs in highest demand at the CEW have been in the fields of intelligence and contracting, but the program covers a broad range of career fields, including engineering, acquisitions, human resources, law enforcement and logistics management. Employees in deployable-designated positions will be trained, equipped and prepared to serve overseas in support of humanitarian, reconstruction and, if absolutely necessary, combat-support missions.
Certain duty positions may require compulsory deployment, but eligible employees will be asked to sign an agreement at the time of hire, officials said, adding that all participants to date have been volunteers – none of whom were directed by the department to deploy.
The CEW comes to fruition as the military's focus on the counterinsurgency approach in Iraq and Afghanistan places an emphasis on "soft power," or means of government influence traditionally carried out by nonmilitary personnel. Counterinsurgency -- known as COIN in military circles -- is a form of warfare in which a civilian population is in the center of a tug-of-war between an insurgency and the forces attempting to stop it.
According to the U.S. military's COIN doctrine, military operators have assumed these typically civilian roles because the military often possesses the only readily available personnel capable of meeting a local populace's needs.
"Military forces can perform civilian tasks, but often not as well as the civilian agencies with people trained in those skills," the manual reads. "Further, military forces performing civilian tasks are not performing military tasks. Diverting them from those tasks should be a temporary measure, one taken to address urgent circumstances."
Fitzgerald said one change that could help draw attention to the civilian talent pool at CEW is the fact that the civilians increasingly are considered in the policymaking decision process.
"It is both in theater at the [combatant command] level and here at the expeditionary cell that they begin to talk about which [job] could be civilian and which one needs to be military," she said, referring to military command centers where personnel needs are first formulated.
"We are building the capability to continue the conversation at [U.S. Joint Forces Command] so that we get it at all three spots," she said of the combatant command responsible for tracking and allotting forces for U.S. operations. "This notion of the combatant commands having the capability to consider the civilian talent is a major paradigm shift."
Fitzgerald, who returned recently from a trip to Iraq, where she got an up-close view of CEW participants on the job, said those interested in joining the work force are well served by a "pioneering spirit." But she added that participants can deploy with assurance that their former job will be there upon their return.
"Know that when you leave, you leave with the tremendous support and care and concern of the organization that you left, and your job will be waiting," Fitzgerald said. "We tell them the coffee cup will be where you left it."
American Forces Press Service
Nov. 10, 2009 - A recent Facebook post by a U.S. soldier heading home from Iraq highlights some of the nonmilitary roles American troops often assume in today's counterinsurgency wars. "My time in Iraq approaches its end," the junior enlisted soldier wrote, listing military duties he performed on tour, followed by the more unorthodox roles: "I've been a public affairs guy, mechanic, carpenter, custodian, business capital injector and loan approval officer."
To relieve troops of these additional tasks, a Defense Department initiative known as the Civilian Expeditionary Workforce, or CEW, is training and equipping a civilian work force of department employees capable of deploying overseas to support military missions.
"We call it a 'force multiplier,'" said Marilee Fitzgerald, the acting deputy undersecretary of defense for civilian personnel policy. "It allows the military to do what they do best, and it relieves them, because we can do some of the things they don't need a warfighter for."
Currently, about 110 such civilian volunteers are participating overseas as part of the CEW, which the department officially established in January, and the program has received more than 7,200 resumes, according to defense officials.
In addition to a salary bump, one benefit of CEW is that when participants return to their domestic Defense Department jobs – which are guaranteed upon return – they do so with a broadened perspective, Fitzgerald said in an interview last week.
"They understand the mission better, they understand how to contribute better, and they have an understanding of what this Department of Defense is all about," she said. "It translates to some really powerful messages for them."
Jobs in highest demand at the CEW have been in the fields of intelligence and contracting, but the program covers a broad range of career fields, including engineering, acquisitions, human resources, law enforcement and logistics management. Employees in deployable-designated positions will be trained, equipped and prepared to serve overseas in support of humanitarian, reconstruction and, if absolutely necessary, combat-support missions.
Certain duty positions may require compulsory deployment, but eligible employees will be asked to sign an agreement at the time of hire, officials said, adding that all participants to date have been volunteers – none of whom were directed by the department to deploy.
The CEW comes to fruition as the military's focus on the counterinsurgency approach in Iraq and Afghanistan places an emphasis on "soft power," or means of government influence traditionally carried out by nonmilitary personnel. Counterinsurgency -- known as COIN in military circles -- is a form of warfare in which a civilian population is in the center of a tug-of-war between an insurgency and the forces attempting to stop it.
According to the U.S. military's COIN doctrine, military operators have assumed these typically civilian roles because the military often possesses the only readily available personnel capable of meeting a local populace's needs.
"Military forces can perform civilian tasks, but often not as well as the civilian agencies with people trained in those skills," the manual reads. "Further, military forces performing civilian tasks are not performing military tasks. Diverting them from those tasks should be a temporary measure, one taken to address urgent circumstances."
Fitzgerald said one change that could help draw attention to the civilian talent pool at CEW is the fact that the civilians increasingly are considered in the policymaking decision process.
"It is both in theater at the [combatant command] level and here at the expeditionary cell that they begin to talk about which [job] could be civilian and which one needs to be military," she said, referring to military command centers where personnel needs are first formulated.
"We are building the capability to continue the conversation at [U.S. Joint Forces Command] so that we get it at all three spots," she said of the combatant command responsible for tracking and allotting forces for U.S. operations. "This notion of the combatant commands having the capability to consider the civilian talent is a major paradigm shift."
Fitzgerald, who returned recently from a trip to Iraq, where she got an up-close view of CEW participants on the job, said those interested in joining the work force are well served by a "pioneering spirit." But she added that participants can deploy with assurance that their former job will be there upon their return.
"Know that when you leave, you leave with the tremendous support and care and concern of the organization that you left, and your job will be waiting," Fitzgerald said. "We tell them the coffee cup will be where you left it."
DNI CITES PROGRESS AGAINST AIR AND SEA-BASED THREATS
The U.S. intelligence community is making steady progress towards "an advanced state of intelligence integration and information sharing" regarding potential threats to the U.S. and its allies from the sea and the air, according to a new report from the Director of National Intelligence.
"Threats that terrorists and other illicit actors pose to the nation's ports, waterways and airways remain persistent and grave, leaving no room for error or delay in this effort," the report said.
In response to such threats, a new ODNI National Maritime Intelligence Center has been established, new information sharing protocols have been put in place, and collaborative "communities of interest" have been nurtured. But "challenges remain" in both air and maritime intelligence "to overcome cultural and institutional resistance" to cooperation, particularly given the "sharply diminished" sense of urgency since 9/11.
One enduring difficulty is that "a lack of robust foreign and domestic HUMINT assets hampers the capability to detect and identify place and time of hostile or disruptive actions...." However, the report says, "examining smuggling networks, front companies, and 'gray' actors and transactions has resulted in successful interdictions of people and cargo who clearly pose national security threats."
The unclassified report did not mention any specific interdictions. But last month, U.S. forces intercepted a German cargo ship carrying arms from Iran to Syria, according to an October 12 story in Der Spiegel. Last week, reportedly based on a tip from U.S. intelligence, Israel seized a ship carrying weapons said to be supplied by Iran and intended for Hezbollah fighters.
The DNI report described the formidable intelligence challenges posed by the vast maritime and air domains.
"Worldwide maritime activity includes more than 30,000 ocean-going ships of 10,000 gross tons or greater," operating under more than 150 different national flags, making tens of thousands of calls at 125 major U.S. ports each year. Meanwhile, "there are over 43,000 fixed airfields worldwide with over 300,000 active aircraft, making the air domain a dense, complex operating environment with attendant reduced reaction time to potential airborne threats."
"The economy's inherent lack of resiliency to a major [trade or transportation] disruption event presents a substantial opportunity for those who seek to attack our institutions asymmetrically," the report said.
The ultimate intelligence goal, therefore, is nothing less than "to create and maintain a persistent awareness of all aspects of passenger and intermodal cargo conveyance. This single integrated team approach would permit 24/7 coverage of the entire transportation spectrum...."
The new report is heavy on management jargon, with lots of integration, alignment and leveraging said to be taking place. ("ODNI remains committed to expediting horizontal intelligence integration supported by the implementation of data sharing standards that are breaking down barriers to information sharing, thereby facilitating rapid decision
support.")
Some of the "successes" touted by the report seem paltry or oversold, such as a "precedent setting conference" on piracy in the Horn of Africa last April which "drew more than 280 attendees." And the new ODNI National Maritime Intelligence Center is confusingly housed within the existing National Maritime Intelligence Center that also hosts the Office of Naval Intelligence. But overall the 62-page report testifies to a level of bureaucratic churning within the intelligence community that rarely leaves a trace on the public record.
A copy of the new report was obtained by Secrecy News. See "The Inaugural Report of the Global Maritime and Air Communities of Interest Intelligence Enterprises," Director of National Intelligence, November 2009:
http://www.fas.org/irp/dni/gmaci.pdf
"Threats that terrorists and other illicit actors pose to the nation's ports, waterways and airways remain persistent and grave, leaving no room for error or delay in this effort," the report said.
In response to such threats, a new ODNI National Maritime Intelligence Center has been established, new information sharing protocols have been put in place, and collaborative "communities of interest" have been nurtured. But "challenges remain" in both air and maritime intelligence "to overcome cultural and institutional resistance" to cooperation, particularly given the "sharply diminished" sense of urgency since 9/11.
One enduring difficulty is that "a lack of robust foreign and domestic HUMINT assets hampers the capability to detect and identify place and time of hostile or disruptive actions...." However, the report says, "examining smuggling networks, front companies, and 'gray' actors and transactions has resulted in successful interdictions of people and cargo who clearly pose national security threats."
The unclassified report did not mention any specific interdictions. But last month, U.S. forces intercepted a German cargo ship carrying arms from Iran to Syria, according to an October 12 story in Der Spiegel. Last week, reportedly based on a tip from U.S. intelligence, Israel seized a ship carrying weapons said to be supplied by Iran and intended for Hezbollah fighters.
The DNI report described the formidable intelligence challenges posed by the vast maritime and air domains.
"Worldwide maritime activity includes more than 30,000 ocean-going ships of 10,000 gross tons or greater," operating under more than 150 different national flags, making tens of thousands of calls at 125 major U.S. ports each year. Meanwhile, "there are over 43,000 fixed airfields worldwide with over 300,000 active aircraft, making the air domain a dense, complex operating environment with attendant reduced reaction time to potential airborne threats."
"The economy's inherent lack of resiliency to a major [trade or transportation] disruption event presents a substantial opportunity for those who seek to attack our institutions asymmetrically," the report said.
The ultimate intelligence goal, therefore, is nothing less than "to create and maintain a persistent awareness of all aspects of passenger and intermodal cargo conveyance. This single integrated team approach would permit 24/7 coverage of the entire transportation spectrum...."
The new report is heavy on management jargon, with lots of integration, alignment and leveraging said to be taking place. ("ODNI remains committed to expediting horizontal intelligence integration supported by the implementation of data sharing standards that are breaking down barriers to information sharing, thereby facilitating rapid decision
support.")
Some of the "successes" touted by the report seem paltry or oversold, such as a "precedent setting conference" on piracy in the Horn of Africa last April which "drew more than 280 attendees." And the new ODNI National Maritime Intelligence Center is confusingly housed within the existing National Maritime Intelligence Center that also hosts the Office of Naval Intelligence. But overall the 62-page report testifies to a level of bureaucratic churning within the intelligence community that rarely leaves a trace on the public record.
A copy of the new report was obtained by Secrecy News. See "The Inaugural Report of the Global Maritime and Air Communities of Interest Intelligence Enterprises," Director of National Intelligence, November 2009:
http://www.fas.org/irp/dni/gmaci.pdf
Monday, November 09, 2009
Forces Arrest Terrorism Suspects in Iraq
American Forces Press Service
Nov. 9, 2009 - Iraqi forces, partnered with U.S. advisors, have arrested numerous terrorism suspects in Iraq in recent days, military officials reported. Credible intelligence led team Iraqi soldiers and their U.S. advisors to a northeastern Baghdad neighborhood to serve an arrest warrant on a Kataib Hezbollah terrorist group member suspected of planning and conducting attacks against security forces in Iraq.
During preliminary questioning of those at the scene, the security team positively identified the man and arrested him without incident.
In other recent operations in Iraq:
Iraqi security forces today arrested an alleged al-Qaida in Iraq associate in central Tikrit. A Salahuddin province police with an arrest warrant and U.S. advisors searched two houses while pursuing a man with alleged ties to al-Qaida in Iraq leaders in the province. The security team questioned several people and arrested the wanted man and a second suspect associated with terrorist activity.
Iraq's 5th Emergency Response Battalion, advised by U.S. forces, arrested a suspected terrorist leader wanted on a warrant and linked to numerous terrorist cells in Ninevah province Nov. 3. Khalil Nazir Khalil, also known as Abu Abdallah, was arrested in his home near Mosul.
Khalil is suspected of being a key leader of numerous Jaysh Rijal al-Tariq al-Naqshabandi terrorist group cells operating in Mosul. The cell has been linked to numerous bombing attacks throughout Ninevah province.
In Ramadi, an Iraqi special weapons and tactics unit, with U.S. forces advisors, arrested two people suspected of al-Qaida in Iraq activities Nov 3. The arrests were made with a court warrant.
"This is the third operation conducted in the last month in the Ramanah district," said Lt. Mukhlis, an Al Qaim SWAT commander. "Local Iraqis are beginning to come forward with known locations of terrorists throughout the Al Qaim district."
Iraqi forces arrested six suspected terrorists yesterday during two combined operations in search of al-Qaida in Iraq members in Baghdad.
In western Baghdad, Iraqi forces and U.S. advisors searched a building for an alleged Baghdad-based al-Qaida in Iraq leader, but did not locate him. However, the security team arrested five people they questioned at the scene and determined to be members of the terrorist group. Iraqi forces made the arrests without incident.
During a combined operation in southwestern Baghdad, Iraqi forces with an arrest warrant and U.S. advisors searched a building for a suspected al-Qaida in Iraq member alleged to coordinate vehicle-bomb attacks against civilians. One person was arrested based on evidence found at the scene linking him to suspicious activity. The suspected al-Qaida in Iraq member sought under the warrant was not apprehended.
(Compiled from Multinational Force Iraq and Multinational Corps Iraq news releases.)
Nov. 9, 2009 - Iraqi forces, partnered with U.S. advisors, have arrested numerous terrorism suspects in Iraq in recent days, military officials reported. Credible intelligence led team Iraqi soldiers and their U.S. advisors to a northeastern Baghdad neighborhood to serve an arrest warrant on a Kataib Hezbollah terrorist group member suspected of planning and conducting attacks against security forces in Iraq.
During preliminary questioning of those at the scene, the security team positively identified the man and arrested him without incident.
In other recent operations in Iraq:
Iraqi security forces today arrested an alleged al-Qaida in Iraq associate in central Tikrit. A Salahuddin province police with an arrest warrant and U.S. advisors searched two houses while pursuing a man with alleged ties to al-Qaida in Iraq leaders in the province. The security team questioned several people and arrested the wanted man and a second suspect associated with terrorist activity.
Iraq's 5th Emergency Response Battalion, advised by U.S. forces, arrested a suspected terrorist leader wanted on a warrant and linked to numerous terrorist cells in Ninevah province Nov. 3. Khalil Nazir Khalil, also known as Abu Abdallah, was arrested in his home near Mosul.
Khalil is suspected of being a key leader of numerous Jaysh Rijal al-Tariq al-Naqshabandi terrorist group cells operating in Mosul. The cell has been linked to numerous bombing attacks throughout Ninevah province.
In Ramadi, an Iraqi special weapons and tactics unit, with U.S. forces advisors, arrested two people suspected of al-Qaida in Iraq activities Nov 3. The arrests were made with a court warrant.
"This is the third operation conducted in the last month in the Ramanah district," said Lt. Mukhlis, an Al Qaim SWAT commander. "Local Iraqis are beginning to come forward with known locations of terrorists throughout the Al Qaim district."
Iraqi forces arrested six suspected terrorists yesterday during two combined operations in search of al-Qaida in Iraq members in Baghdad.
In western Baghdad, Iraqi forces and U.S. advisors searched a building for an alleged Baghdad-based al-Qaida in Iraq leader, but did not locate him. However, the security team arrested five people they questioned at the scene and determined to be members of the terrorist group. Iraqi forces made the arrests without incident.
During a combined operation in southwestern Baghdad, Iraqi forces with an arrest warrant and U.S. advisors searched a building for a suspected al-Qaida in Iraq member alleged to coordinate vehicle-bomb attacks against civilians. One person was arrested based on evidence found at the scene linking him to suspicious activity. The suspected al-Qaida in Iraq member sought under the warrant was not apprehended.
(Compiled from Multinational Force Iraq and Multinational Corps Iraq news releases.)
Forces Clear Taliban from Northern Afghan Province
American Forces Press ServiceNov. 9, 2009 - More than 750 Afghan and international forces in recent days completed the largest operation to date in Afghanistan's Kunduz province, clearing the northern border area of hundreds of insurgent fighters, military officials reported. The combined forces conducted operations Nov. 1 through 6 in the province's northern region bordering Turkmenistan, killing more than 130 insurgents, including eight Taliban commanders. The operations, designed to stop insurgent activity and weapons trafficking in the Chahar Dara district, also disrupted the province's insurgent shadow governor.
The Afghan-international force provided humanitarian supplies to the affected villages after the operation. Six trucks delivered warm clothing and food, including staple items such as cooking oil, rice and beans.
Kunduz Gov. Mohammad Omar praised the accuracy of International Security Assistance Force air strikes against the insurgents while avoiding civilians.
"It is the largest operation I've ever seen in Kunduz," the governor said. "You've got the Taliban running all over the place. Overall, I think this operation is wonderful."
Military officials will continue to meet with village elders to ensure the area remains secure after combat operations.
"People of Kunduz are very appreciative that international forces and Afghan national security forces are working together to better Afghanistan," Omar said. "Taliban in the area are on the run, and we have shown them that they cannot control the area."
No Afghan or international personnel were killed, and no civilians were injured during the operations.
In other news from Afghanistan, an Afghan-international security force killed an enemy militant and detained several suspects in the southern province of Kandahar yesterday while pursuing a senior Taliban commander in charge of local and foreign fighters in the area.
The combined force targeted a vehicle in the Khakriz district after intelligence indicated militant activity. The force killed one insurgent, detained several suspects and recovered nine 50-pound containers of homemade explosives, an assault rifle and ammunition. All of the explosives were destroyed safely, and no civilians were injured during the operation.
A combined force detained several suspected militants in Kandahar province after searching buildings known to be used by a Taliban district commander responsible for several attacks and linked to senior Taliban leadership in the area.
The force targeted the buildings on the east side of Kandahar City after intelligence indicated militant activity there, searched the buildings without incident and detained the suspects. No shots were fired, and no civilians were injured.
Meanwhile, search operations continue for two U.S. paratroopers from the 82nd Airborne Division's 4th Brigade Combat Team, missing since Nov. 4 in western Afghanistan.
"ISAF personnel will endeavor to ensure no servicemember, regardless of nationality, is left behind," said Navy Capt. Jane Campbell, ISAF Joint Command spokeswoman. "Our search operations continue in earnest, and our thoughts and prayers are with their friends and families."
Further information is being withheld while search and rescue operations continue and while the incident is under investigation.
Elsewhere, a combined force killed several enemy militants and detained a group of suspects in Kandahar province Nov. 7 while pursuing a Taliban operative suspected of being responsible for targeting Afghan civilians and providing improvised explosive devices and suicide bombers to other militants in the area.
The force's convoy was in transit when enemy militants attempted to hit it with an IED strike. The force immediately located the enemy position and returned fire, killing the enemy militants. A security element with the force pursued and detained the group who were seen leaving the enemy's location. The force searched the enemy position and recovered IED materials, an assault rifle, chest racks and assault-rifle ammunition magazines. No civilians were harmed.
A combined force killed an enemy militant and detained several suspects in the southeast province of Zabul. One of the detained is believed to be a Taliban bomber operating out of Qalat City and responsible for financing militant activities and the transport of IED materials and weapons into the area.
The force targeted a compound on the west side of Qalat City that intelligence reports identified as a location used by Taliban commanders.
Since the compound was close to an Afghan police station, the force coordinated with the police chief to accompany and assist with the operation. When the police chief called for occupants to exit the compound, the force received hostile fire and returned fire, killing one militant.
The force searched the compound and detained the suspects, one of whom surrendered and identified himself as the Taliban bomb coordinator. He was found hiding in a building later discovered to be a Red Cross office on the compound. Further questioning of the Taliban facilitator revealed he is relative of a local Red Cross employee.
In a separate operation, another combined force detained several suspected militants in Khowst province, one of whom was a sought-after Haqqani terrorist leader responsible for the financial and logistical support of militant activities in the area.
The force targeted compounds in the Sabari district after intelligence indicated militant activity there, searched the compounds without incident, and detained six suspects, one of whom was identified as the Haqqani suspect. No shots were fired, and no one was injured.
In another operation, a combined force detained suspected militants in Logar province after searching a compound known to be used by a Haqqani financier with numerous ties to militant elements in the area.
The combined force targeted the compound in the Baraki Barak district after intelligence indicated militant activity there. The force searched the compound without incident and detained the suspects. No shots were fired, and no one was injured.
(Compiled from International Security Assistance Force Joint Command news releases.)
Marines Inhabit Taliban Fortress
By Marine Corps Lance Cpl. John M. McCallSpecial to American Forces Press Service
Nov. 9, 2009 - Marines have an uncanny ability to call any place "home," even if it's a mixture of sand and gravel, or in this instance, a Taliban compound. Marines with Weapons Company, 1st Battalion, 5th Marine Regiment, have been operating out of what Marines refer to as "the mansion" here, since Aug. 1.
Local Afghans have told Marines the compound belonged to a drug lord who was having it built to house his entire family. However, the construction was never completed, because he was arrested and taken to prison. Marines were sent to the compound to clear it out, believing it was a Taliban stronghold. They expected resistance when taking over the compound, but were met with an empty home in need of some landscaping.
"It was a real mess when we first got here," said Marine Corps Cpl. Jacob Mikesell, 22, a mortarman from Papillion, Neb. "There was grass growing up to our chests. The buildings had mounds of dust covering everything, and trash was thrown all over the place."
The compound consists of two three-story buildings, which Marines and Afghan National Army soldiers inhabit. The two main buildings are made mostly of marble and concrete, and have wooden window frames and doors with designs carved into them. Colored tiles cover the outside. The compound is surrounded by gigantic walls, giving it the look of a castle from the outside. Marines can't help but call their home a mansion.
"After we moved in, [local people] told us that most of the Taliban in the area had run away," said Marine Corps Sgt. Nicholas Hine, a squad leader. "But we know there are still some here who are trying to coerce the population to go against us."
Marines patrol daily to keep the surrounding area safe, and other forward operating positions rely on being supplied with food and water from the mansion. During local village visits, Marines promise to provide security and try to help the Afghan people with their issues and concerns.
"We try to get to know people by talking to them, learning where they live and understand what problems they have," said Hine, a 24-year-old from Mohnton, Pa.
(Marine Corps Lance Cpl. John M. McCall serves with Regimental Combat Team 7.)
Fort Hood Officials Release Names of Casualties
American Forces Press Service
Nov. 9, 2009 - Officials at Fort Hood, Texas, released the names of the 12 soldiers and one civilian employee killed in the Nov. 5 shooting incident on the post.
Dead are:
-- Lt. Col. Juanita L. Warman, 55, of Havre De Grace, Md. She was assigned to the 1908th Medical Company, Independence, Mo.
-- Maj. Libardo Caraveo, 52, of Woodbridge, Va. He was assigned to the 467th Medical Detachment, Madison, Wis.
-- Capt. John P. Gaffaney, 54, of San Diego. He was assigned to the 1908th Medical Company, Independence, Mo.
-- Capt. Russell Seager, 41, of Racine, Wis. He was assigned to the 467th Medical Company, Madison, Wis.
-- Staff Sgt. Justin Decrow, 32, of Plymouth, Ind. He was assigned to the 16th Signal Company at Fort Hood.
-- Sgt. Amy Krueger, 29, of Kiel, Wis. She was assigned to the 467th Medical Company, Madison, Wis.
-- Spc. Jason Hunt, 22, of Tillman, Okla. He was assigned to the 1st Brigade at Fort Hood.
-- Spc. Frederick Greene, 29, of Mountain City, Tenn. He was assigned to the 16th Signal Company at Fort Hood.
-- Pfc. Aaron Nemelka, 19, of West Jordan, Utah. He was assigned to the 510th Engineer Company, 20th Engineer Battalion, at Fort Hood.
-- Pfc. Michael Pearson, 22, of Bolinbrook, Ill. He was assigned to the 510th Engineer Company, 20th Engineer Battalion, at Fort Hood.
-- Spc. Kham Xiong, 23, of St. Paul, Minn. He was assigned to the 510th Engineer Company, 20th Engineer Battalion, at Fort Hood.
-- Pvt. Francheska Velez, 21, of Chicago. She was assigned to the 15th Combat Support Battalion at Fort Hood.
-- Michael Cahill of Cameron, Texas, a Fort Hood civilian employee.
Nov. 9, 2009 - Officials at Fort Hood, Texas, released the names of the 12 soldiers and one civilian employee killed in the Nov. 5 shooting incident on the post.
Dead are:
-- Lt. Col. Juanita L. Warman, 55, of Havre De Grace, Md. She was assigned to the 1908th Medical Company, Independence, Mo.
-- Maj. Libardo Caraveo, 52, of Woodbridge, Va. He was assigned to the 467th Medical Detachment, Madison, Wis.
-- Capt. John P. Gaffaney, 54, of San Diego. He was assigned to the 1908th Medical Company, Independence, Mo.
-- Capt. Russell Seager, 41, of Racine, Wis. He was assigned to the 467th Medical Company, Madison, Wis.
-- Staff Sgt. Justin Decrow, 32, of Plymouth, Ind. He was assigned to the 16th Signal Company at Fort Hood.
-- Sgt. Amy Krueger, 29, of Kiel, Wis. She was assigned to the 467th Medical Company, Madison, Wis.
-- Spc. Jason Hunt, 22, of Tillman, Okla. He was assigned to the 1st Brigade at Fort Hood.
-- Spc. Frederick Greene, 29, of Mountain City, Tenn. He was assigned to the 16th Signal Company at Fort Hood.
-- Pfc. Aaron Nemelka, 19, of West Jordan, Utah. He was assigned to the 510th Engineer Company, 20th Engineer Battalion, at Fort Hood.
-- Pfc. Michael Pearson, 22, of Bolinbrook, Ill. He was assigned to the 510th Engineer Company, 20th Engineer Battalion, at Fort Hood.
-- Spc. Kham Xiong, 23, of St. Paul, Minn. He was assigned to the 510th Engineer Company, 20th Engineer Battalion, at Fort Hood.
-- Pvt. Francheska Velez, 21, of Chicago. She was assigned to the 15th Combat Support Battalion at Fort Hood.
-- Michael Cahill of Cameron, Texas, a Fort Hood civilian employee.
U.S. Leaders Hail New Iraqi Election Law
By Gerry J. Gilmore
American Forces Press Service
Nov. 9, 2009 - President Barack Obama, Vice President Joe Biden and other senior U.S. government officials hailed yesterday's Iraqi-parliament passage of a new election law that governs that country's voting processes. The election law's passage "is an important milestone" that opens the path for national voting in parliamentary elections slated early next year, Obama said yesterday in a White House statement.
"I want to congratulate Iraq's leaders for reaching this agreement," the president said. "Their flexibility and commitment to their country sends an important signal to the world about Iraq's democracy and national unity."
Obama said he looks forward to prompt approval of the new election law by Iraq's Presidency Council.
Iraqi legislators worked for weeks to craft a new election law to supersede one put in place in 2005. Using the 2005 election law as a starting point, they aimed to complete work on an updated law governing the country's voting processes by Oct. 15. But consensus was delayed on some issues, such as how to apportion Kurd and Arab political representation in Kirkuk -- part of Iraq's multiethnic northern region -- and whether candidates should be identified just by political party as was the case in the 2005 parliamentary election, or also by name.
Yesterday's approval of the new agreement, Obama said, "advances the political progress that can bring lasting peace and unity to Iraq, and allow for the orderly and responsible transition of American combat troops out of Iraq by next September."
The United States remains committed to plans to remove all of its combat forces from Iraq by the end of July. All U.S. troops are to depart Iraq by the end of 2011.
"Iraq has known many challenges," Obama said, citing recent extremist bombings in Baghdad and other locales that killed or maimed hundreds of innocent people. Yet, passage of the new election law, he said, "is another reminder that these enemies of the Iraqi people will fail."
The United States "will continue to stand with Iraq as a strong partner and as a friend," Obama said, as the Iraqi government continues to strengthen.
About 120,000 U.S. troops are in Iraq. By the end of July, about 50,000 U.S. troops will remain, when the U.S. military mission there transitions from combat to stability operations.
"So, I want to congratulate our troops and civilians who are serving so capably in Iraq," Obama said, "and, I want to congratulate the Iraqi people, who have taken an important step forward in pursuit of a better future."
With the passage of the new election law, according to news reports, the Iraqi government is gearing up to hold legislative elections Jan. 21 and general elections Jan. 30.
Biden also congratulated Iraqi political leaders for approving the new election law. In a White House statement issued yesterday, Biden commended the legislators "for coming to agreement on the various difficult issues of considerable importance to Iraqis."
The vice president also saluted the United Nations assistance mission in Iraq for its important role in providing technical advice.
The Iraqi elections in January, Biden said, will mark "a critical step forward in advancing national unity and forming an inclusive government. Our commitment and friendship to Iraq remain strong."
Visiting the German capital of Berlin yesterday, Secretary of State Hillary Rodman Clinton issued a statement in which she congratulated Iraqi legislators "for reaching agreement on a law to govern the January parliamentary elections."
Clinton also praised Iraqi leaders "for finding ways to resolve complex, important issues so that the elections can go forward and look forward to prompt confirmation of this legislation by Iraq's Presidency Council."
Iraq's Independent High Electoral Commission, the lead agency for conducting the upcoming elections, "will now be able to move ahead and implement the procedures for Iraq to hold credible and legitimate elections in accordance with international standards," Clinton said.
The elections, she said, will mark "a major step forward in the development of Iraq's democracy."
Election results are to be certified by the Iraqi Supreme Court.
U.S. Ambassador to Iraq Christopher R. Hill and Army Gen. Raymond T. Odierno, commander of Multinational Force Iraq, welcomed the passage of the new law in a joint statement issued yesterday.
"We congratulate members of the Council of Representatives for coming to agreement on the various difficult issues of considerable importance to Iraqis," the statement said, in part. "With the passage of this law, the Iraqi people, through their representatives, have shown their desire to uphold democratic and consultative government. We encourage all Iraqis to exercise their right to vote in the upcoming elections.
American Forces Press Service
Nov. 9, 2009 - President Barack Obama, Vice President Joe Biden and other senior U.S. government officials hailed yesterday's Iraqi-parliament passage of a new election law that governs that country's voting processes. The election law's passage "is an important milestone" that opens the path for national voting in parliamentary elections slated early next year, Obama said yesterday in a White House statement.
"I want to congratulate Iraq's leaders for reaching this agreement," the president said. "Their flexibility and commitment to their country sends an important signal to the world about Iraq's democracy and national unity."
Obama said he looks forward to prompt approval of the new election law by Iraq's Presidency Council.
Iraqi legislators worked for weeks to craft a new election law to supersede one put in place in 2005. Using the 2005 election law as a starting point, they aimed to complete work on an updated law governing the country's voting processes by Oct. 15. But consensus was delayed on some issues, such as how to apportion Kurd and Arab political representation in Kirkuk -- part of Iraq's multiethnic northern region -- and whether candidates should be identified just by political party as was the case in the 2005 parliamentary election, or also by name.
Yesterday's approval of the new agreement, Obama said, "advances the political progress that can bring lasting peace and unity to Iraq, and allow for the orderly and responsible transition of American combat troops out of Iraq by next September."
The United States remains committed to plans to remove all of its combat forces from Iraq by the end of July. All U.S. troops are to depart Iraq by the end of 2011.
"Iraq has known many challenges," Obama said, citing recent extremist bombings in Baghdad and other locales that killed or maimed hundreds of innocent people. Yet, passage of the new election law, he said, "is another reminder that these enemies of the Iraqi people will fail."
The United States "will continue to stand with Iraq as a strong partner and as a friend," Obama said, as the Iraqi government continues to strengthen.
About 120,000 U.S. troops are in Iraq. By the end of July, about 50,000 U.S. troops will remain, when the U.S. military mission there transitions from combat to stability operations.
"So, I want to congratulate our troops and civilians who are serving so capably in Iraq," Obama said, "and, I want to congratulate the Iraqi people, who have taken an important step forward in pursuit of a better future."
With the passage of the new election law, according to news reports, the Iraqi government is gearing up to hold legislative elections Jan. 21 and general elections Jan. 30.
Biden also congratulated Iraqi political leaders for approving the new election law. In a White House statement issued yesterday, Biden commended the legislators "for coming to agreement on the various difficult issues of considerable importance to Iraqis."
The vice president also saluted the United Nations assistance mission in Iraq for its important role in providing technical advice.
The Iraqi elections in January, Biden said, will mark "a critical step forward in advancing national unity and forming an inclusive government. Our commitment and friendship to Iraq remain strong."
Visiting the German capital of Berlin yesterday, Secretary of State Hillary Rodman Clinton issued a statement in which she congratulated Iraqi legislators "for reaching agreement on a law to govern the January parliamentary elections."
Clinton also praised Iraqi leaders "for finding ways to resolve complex, important issues so that the elections can go forward and look forward to prompt confirmation of this legislation by Iraq's Presidency Council."
Iraq's Independent High Electoral Commission, the lead agency for conducting the upcoming elections, "will now be able to move ahead and implement the procedures for Iraq to hold credible and legitimate elections in accordance with international standards," Clinton said.
The elections, she said, will mark "a major step forward in the development of Iraq's democracy."
Election results are to be certified by the Iraqi Supreme Court.
U.S. Ambassador to Iraq Christopher R. Hill and Army Gen. Raymond T. Odierno, commander of Multinational Force Iraq, welcomed the passage of the new law in a joint statement issued yesterday.
"We congratulate members of the Council of Representatives for coming to agreement on the various difficult issues of considerable importance to Iraqis," the statement said, in part. "With the passage of this law, the Iraqi people, through their representatives, have shown their desire to uphold democratic and consultative government. We encourage all Iraqis to exercise their right to vote in the upcoming elections.
Army Casualty
The Department of Defense announced today the death of a soldier who was supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom.
Spc. Tony Carrasco Jr., 25, of Berino, N.M., died Nov. 4 in Ad Dawr, Iraq, of a gunshot wound suffered when enemy forces attacked his unit. He was assigned to 2nd Battalion, 32nd Field Artillery Regiment, 4th Infantry Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division, Fort Riley, Kan.
For more information media may contact the Fort Riley public affairs office at 785-239-3410 or 785-239-3033.
Spc. Tony Carrasco Jr., 25, of Berino, N.M., died Nov. 4 in Ad Dawr, Iraq, of a gunshot wound suffered when enemy forces attacked his unit. He was assigned to 2nd Battalion, 32nd Field Artillery Regiment, 4th Infantry Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division, Fort Riley, Kan.
For more information media may contact the Fort Riley public affairs office at 785-239-3410 or 785-239-3033.
Army Casualties
The Department of Defense announced today the death of two soldiers who were supporting Operation Enduring Freedom.
They died Nov. 5 in Jelewar, Afghanistan, of wounds suffered when enemy forces attacked their vehicle with an improvised explosive device. The soldiers were assigned to the 1st Battalion, 17th Infantry Regiment, 5th Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division, Fort Lewis, Wash.
Killed were:
Spc. Aaron S. Aamot, 22, of Custer, Wash.
Spc. Gary L. Gooch Jr., 22, of Ocala, Fla.
For more information media may contact the Fort Lewis public affairs office at 253-967-0147 or 253-967-0152.
They died Nov. 5 in Jelewar, Afghanistan, of wounds suffered when enemy forces attacked their vehicle with an improvised explosive device. The soldiers were assigned to the 1st Battalion, 17th Infantry Regiment, 5th Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division, Fort Lewis, Wash.
Killed were:
Spc. Aaron S. Aamot, 22, of Custer, Wash.
Spc. Gary L. Gooch Jr., 22, of Ocala, Fla.
For more information media may contact the Fort Lewis public affairs office at 253-967-0147 or 253-967-0152.
Engineers in Iraq Take on New Role
By Army 1st Lt. Brendon HischarSpecial to American Forces Press Service
Nov. 9, 2009 - For most soldiers assigned to the 1st Armored Division's 4th Brigade "Highlanders," the unit's "advise and assist" mission requires a rethinking of traditional roles in a stability operations environment. The engineers of 2nd Platoon, Company E, 4th Battalion, 6th Infantry Regiment, are no different.
Some people associate engineers with route clearance here, but that's only a small portion of the much larger combat engineer skill set these soldiers are learning to apply in new ways to support the mission.
Based at Contingency Operating Site Hunter in southern Maysan province and attached to 2nd Squadron, 13th Cavalry Regiment, Task Force Saber, the engineers clear about 400 miles of rural highway each week to allow free and safe movement of U.S. forces and Iraqi civilians. Recently, the engineers began training soldier trainees of 3rd Battalion, 41st Iraqi Army Brigade, in the use of mine detectors.
Mine detectors not only finding mines or live munitions, but also discover hidden caches of weapons and weapon components in the marshy terrain of Maysan province.
"Finding [weapons] is a priority not only for us, but also for our Iraqi army partners," said Army Maj. Evan Wollen, Task Force Saber operations officer. "Every successful interdiction means less lethal aid ending up in the hands of anti-Iraq forces."
The first training session was classroom instruction focused on mine-detector familiarization and applications. Soldiers gained valuable insight on sweeping techniques for maximum effectiveness. The trainees asked numerous questions of the two primary instructors, combat engineers Army Spc. Carlos Heres and Army Pfc. Ivan Ortega-Rojas, who have extensive mine-detector training.
The training motivated the Iraqis, Ortega-Rojas said. "We are eager to teach them, because they are ready to handle their own security."
Army Sgt. Jacob Irish, a combat engineer who supervised the training, agreed with that assessment.
"[The Iraqi trainees] seemed eager to learn," he said. "They seemed to know exactly what they were going to do with [the mine detector] and how they wanted to use it."
The Iraqi soldiers then moved to lanes training to learn how various objects sound when detected by the mine detector.
The first lanes feature shallowly buried metal objects, such as inert ordnance and metal ammunition links, which kept students engaged and focused on minute changes in the soil. Other lanes simulated deeply buried caches, featuring metal ammunition cans and cardboard boxes filled with inert munitions to illustrate the equipment's sensitivity.
All students had an opportunity to operate the mine detector, probe findings and recover buried objects until the soldiers felt proficient in all tasks assigned.
(Army 1st Lt. Brendon Hischar serves with 4th Battalion, 6th Infantry Regiment.)
Saturday, November 07, 2009
Soldiers, Families Gather for Twilight Vigil
American Forces Press ServiceNov. 7, 2009 - Grieving soldiers and family members gathered for a twilight vigil last night in remembrance of comrades and loved ones who were killed or wounded in the Nov. 5 shooting attack here. Substituting chemical lights for candles, the soldiers paid tribute to their fallen comrades and to those who remain hospitalized.
Army Maj. Gen. Charles A. Anderson, commander of First Army Division West, expressed his condolences at the solemn event at the North Fort Hood training complex. With anecdotal stories of past tragedies and the heroism and perseverance of the American soldier, Anderson drew parallels between the "Greatest Generation" and the service men and women of today.
Anderson highlighted acts of heroism that emerged from the violence, and commended the acts of Milledgeville, Ga., native Army Pfc. James Armstrong, who helped get people out of harm's way despite having been shot twice.
Armstrong, a mental health specialist with the 1908th Medical Detachment, Combat Stress Control, was training and processing here for deployment with his unit.
On crutches and in bandages, Armstrong and his wife, Roxanne, were in attendance for the vigil.
Friday, November 06, 2009
CBR Weapons and WMD Terrorism News, November 6, 2009
[Approximately 200] soldiers nearly killed [since 2002] with Military's bioterrorism vaccine[s]
"Approximately 200 soldiers have suffered from serious and even life-threatening complications from the government-mandated smallpox vaccine, and one has even died. [...] Fears over a bioterrorist attack have led the U.S. government to require that all of its military service-people receive vaccination against a variety of diseases before deployment, including anthrax and smallpox. An estimated 1.7 million have been vaccinated against smallpox. [...] In a number of cases, the vaccine has led to severe complications such as inflammations of the brain or heart. [...] Awareness of the risks over the smallpox vaccine has prevented the government from requiring vaccination of civilians. [...] In a recent case, Lance Cpl. Cory Belken [...] was diagnosed with acute myelogenous leukemia, which was destroying his circulatory system, and was immediately placed on chemotherapy." (Natural News; 03Nov09)
http://www.naturalnews.com/027381_smallpox_bioterrorism_vaccination.html
NIAID [National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases] announces new human immunology research awards to help fight emerging infectious disease
"The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), part of the National Institutes of Health, has awarded approximately $208 million to two programs that support research to better understand the human immune response to emerging and re-emerging infectious diseases, including those that may be introduced into a community through acts of bioterrorism. The grants were awarded to the Cooperative Centers for Translational Research on Human Immunology and Biodefense (CCHI) and the Immune Mechanisms of Virus Control (IMVC), NIAID also has received approximately $21 million under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act to supplement these two programs and fund some additional researchers. [...] The long-term goal of the CCHI and IMVC programs is to identify new vaccines and drug targets." (Eureka Alert; 04Nov09)
http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2009-11/nioa-nan110409.php
After delay, Senate committee approves biosecurity bill
"The U.S. Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee yesterday approved a bill intended to improve security at the nation's biological research facilities. [...] The panel voted 8-1 in favor of the Weapons of Mass Destruction Prevention and Preparedness Act of 2009. 'This is an urgently needed bill, and I am pleased the committee has moved it forward,' Chairman Joseph Lieberman (I-Conn.) said in a statement. It was unclear when the full Senate would take up the legislation. The measure [...] would require the Homeland Security Department to prepare security regulations for laboratories. It would also divide the government's list of select agents and toxins into three tiers, subjecting facilities that handle the eight to 10 most harmful pathogens to the highest security. Homeland Security would be in charge of regulating those laboratories while the Health and Human Services Department would oversee sites in the remaining two tiers. Collins has estimated the measure could impact as many as 400 facilities and 15,000 individuals authorized to work with deadly pathogens." (Global Security Newswire; 05Nov09; Martin Matishak)
http://www.globalsecuritynewswire.org/gsn/nw_20091105_8558.php
Plague [bacteria] attack: an international bioterrorism table-top exercise
"INTERPOL has just released details of an international bioterrorism tabletop exercise that took place in late September 2009. Senior law enforcement officials, health care professionals and experts from international organizations took part in responding to a simulated global bioterrorism attack and its aftermath. Participants in the Black Death scenario were faced with a fictional, intentional plague [bacteria] attack involving countries from their region, with the exercise designed to assist them in identifying any critical co-operation and co-ordination issues which could hinder a quick and successful response to such an attack in real life. [...] Organized by the INTERPOL Bioterrorism Unit, this exercise took place from 29-30 September in Warsaw, Poland." (Continuity Central; 04Nov09)
http://continuitycentral.com/news04848.html
Anthrax bomb [sic] answers demanded
"There have been concerns about water quality and the death of cockles in the Burry estuary. The Ministry of Defence said there was no contamination following the [...]1942 [...] trial to test the biological weapon. [...Llanelli MP Nia] Griffith has now written to the MoD [Ministry of Defense] asking for further details. 'We know there was a lot of research going on during the war into germ warfare and we know this was an area that may have been used,' she said. 'Obviously all of that is top secret and they will have to look through a fair number of documents to give us the answers we want. What we really need [...] is clarification - what did happen, what were they handling and what were the consequences and was everything cleaned up?' Local councillor Hubert Hitchman said there had been long-standing rumours anthrax [spore] weapons had been tested in the estuary between Llanelli and Gower. [...] A spokesman for the MoD said: 'The Gower coast was often used for munition testing during WWII.'" (British Broadcasting Corporation; 30Oct09)
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/wales/south_west/8334592.stm
Death sentences for 2 ex-Aum [Shinrikyo] members [Toru Toyoda and Kenichi Hirose] to stand
"The [Japanese] Supreme Court on Friday upheld lower court rulings that sentenced two former members of the Aum Shinrikyo religious cult to death for their involvement in the deadly 1995 sarin nerve gas attack on the Tokyo subway system that killed 12 people and left thousands ill.
The top court's second petty bench turned down appeals from Toru Toyoda, 41, and Kenichi Hirose, 45, against the sentences by the Tokyo High Court in 2004. [...] Friday's decision is expected to eventually become final as the top court has rarely accepted such an objection. This would bring the number of former Aum members on death row to eight for their involvement in a series of crimes. Among them is Aum founder Shoko Asahara, 54, whose real name is Chizuo Matsumoto. Death penalties would stand for four of the five former Aum members who were convicted of actually dispersing the sarin gas in the subway system. [...] The death penalty is inevitable for the two men even though they committed the crime under instructions from higher cult members, justice [Yukio Takeuchi] said. Both Toyoda and Hirose had sought lighter penalties, arguing they were victims of Asahara's mind control." (Breitbart; 06Nov09)
http://www.breitbart.com/article.php?id=D9BPU4H00&show_article=1
Indiana governor [Mitch Daniels] to announce jobs at Army's Newport Chemical Depot
"Pre-empting a vote about whether to open part of the Army's Newport Chemical Depot to business development, a state board headed by Gov. Mitch Daniels said today that he will travel to the western Indiana depot to make an economic development announcement Thursday. The morning announcement will involve jobs, according to a news release from Indiana Economic Development Corp. [...] For months, talk has swirled about converting the depot [...] into something economically viable. [...] On Nov. 19, the Newport Chemical Depot Reuse Authority is expected to vote on a plan it devised to convert a swath of land at the depot to civilian use. The plan recommends that nearly 3,500 acres be set aside for potential development, along with 2,400 acres for parkland and 1,200 acres for agriculture. After the vote, the plan will be sent to the Army for consideration. It's unclear how the governor's announcement will affect those plans." (Indianapolis Star; 04Nov09)
http://www.indystar.com/article/20091104/BUSINESS/911040372/Daniels+to+announce+jobs+at+closing+Army+site+in+west+central+Indiana
Oregon Judge [Michael Marcus] rules for Army in incineration lawsuit [Umatilla Chemical Depot]
"Michael H. Marcus, Judge for the Circuit Court of the State of Oregon, denied the petitioner's [GASP – Group Against Smog and Pollution] motion for summary judgment and entered a judgment in favor of the State of Oregon and its co-defendants in the case, including the U.S. Army. [...] Petitioners had questioned the use of [mustard agent] incineration as the best available technology, claiming that other, safer methods were readily available and should be used instead. Petitioners also alleged that the state agency had allowed the Army to operate in violation of hazardous waste laws, without a Clean Air Act Permit and without adequate characterization of wastes. [...] Judge Marcus' ruling allows the Umatilla Chemical Agent Disposal Facility to continue destruction of mustard-agent filled bulk containers at the site." (U.S. Army Chemical Materials Agency; 30Oct09)
http://www.cma.army.mil/fndocumentviewer.aspx?docid=003681779
[Umatilla Chemical] Depot plans drill wednesday [OR]
"A quarterly emergency preparedness drill is scheduled for Wednesday, Nov. 4, at the Umatilla Chemical Depot. [...] This is a coordinated exercise between the depot, the Umatilla Chemical Agent Disposal Facility, and off-post communities. [...] Chemical Stockpile Emergency Preparedness officials recommend residents develop emergency plans for their homes and businesses." (U.S. Army Chemical Materials Agency; 05Nov09)
http://www.cma.army.mil/fndocumentviewer.aspx?docid=003681744
Clorox to halt use of chlorine [a known chemical weapons agent] at bleach production sites
"Clorox Co. said today that it would begin phasing out use of chlorine in the production of bleach. Chlorine is a known chemical weapons agent that was used during World War I and more recently by insurgents in Iraq. Observers have expressed concern that would-be terrorists might target U.S. industrial plants that employ the material. Beginning with a facility in California, Clorox over the next several years will convert seven plants to use high-strength bleach rather than chlorine in the manufacturing of household bleach. 'This decision was driven by our commitment to strengthen our operations and add another layer of security,' Clorox Chairman and CEO Don Knauss said in a press release." (Global Security Newswire; 02Nov09)
http://www.globalsecuritynewswire.org/gsn/nw_20091102_6428.php
Golder Associates' Colorado unit lands $29M[illion] Pueblo Chemical Depot contract
"A Colorado-based unit of Canadian engineering giant Golder Associates said Monday it has been awarded a $28.7 million contract to provide biological treatment and odor control systems at the Pueblo Chemical Depot, where chemical weapons are stored. [...] Golder will work on the project under Bechtel National Inc. as part of a team that is working on neutralizing and destroying projectiles and mortars at the Pueblo plant containing 2,600 tons of mustard agent. The 10-year project is expected to cost about $3.5 billion. In a statement, Golder said its role will be 'to design, fabricate and commission bio-treatment modules that will remove contaminants from wastewater generated by the mustard agent neutralization process.'" (Denver Business Journal; 02Nov09)
http://denver.bizjournals.com/denver/stories/2009/11/02/daily22.html
House GOP [Grand Old Party] set to challenge chemical plant security bill
"A partisan House floor fight is expected this week over legislation that would place new security requirements on facilities across the country that use or store dangerous chemicals. Tensions have simmered as the legislation made its way through House committees, stoked by heavy lobbying from the chemical industry on one hand, which wants to kill the most controversial parts of the bill, and environmental and labor groups on the other hand, which support stricter regulations. But Democrats have roundly defeated Republican efforts to water down the bill at the committee level, and are expected to prevail again on the floor. The bill would reauthorize and expand the ability of the Homeland Security Department to enforce chemical security regulations. [...] The House Rules Committee agreed Tuesday to give Republicans the ability to offer amendments during floor debate. Homeland Security Transportation Security Subcommittee ranking member Charles Dent (R-Pa.) will offer an amendment to strip out a provision that would allow the department to require chemical facilities to use safer technologies and processes. Republicans, backed by the chemical industry, argue that a safer-technology mandate would be onerous and costly for facilities." (Global Security Newswire; 04Nov09; Chris Strohm, CongressDaily)
http://www.globalsecuritynewswire.org/gsn/nw_20091104_5696.php
Honduras designates OPCW National Authority
"In compliance with its obligations under the Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC), Honduras has informed the OPCW that it has designated a focal point within the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to assume the functions of CWC National Authority. [...] The National Authority is responsible for implementing the provisions of the Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC) at the national level. To meet its basic obligations, each State Party must be able to submit all the required declarations, communicate with the OPCW, cooperate with other States Parties, facilitate OPCW inspections, respond to OPCW requests for assistance, protect the confidentiality of classified information, monitor and enforce national compliance and cooperate in the peaceful uses of chemistry." (OPCW; 05Nov09)
http://www.opcw.org/news/news/article/honduras-designates-opcw-national-authority/
TVA [Tennessee Valley Authority] to conduct [preparedness] tests at Brown Ferry
"TVA [Tennessee Valley Authority] and other federal, state and local agencies will conduct a regularly scheduled emergency preparedness exercise for Browns Ferry Nuclear Plant on Wednesday. The exercise will involve about 1,000 Tennessee Valley Authority and state of Alabama employees and emergency responders. [...] Residents may see radiological monitoring teams or other responders in action as part of the exercise. [...] Representatives of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and the Nuclear Regulatory Commission will evaluate responders on the appropriateness of their actions to ensure the health and safety of the public.
The emergency exercise is part of a long-term drill and exercise program." (Times Daily, AL; 03Nov09)
http://www.timesdaily.com/article/20091103/NEWS/911039993/1011/NEWS?Title=TVA-to-conduct-tests-at-Browns-Ferry
New radiation monitors to be installed at Yankee Nuclear Power Plant [Brattleboro, VT]
"Entergy will install a pair of new radiation monitors at the [Vermont Yankee nuclear power] plant's site boundary. [...] A memorandum of understanding was signed between Entergy, which owns and operates Yankee, and the [Vermont] DPS [Department of Public Service]. One of the requirements of the MOU was that Entergy continuously monitor the temperature and conduct a monthly radiation surveillance of each cask. Entergy was also required to establish a protocol for reporting the results of both procedures to the DPS and the Vermont Department of Health. [...] The new radiation monitors that Entergy agreed to install are called high pressure ionization chambers [HPIC] and will supplement the thermoluminescent dosimeters the state currently uses to measure radiation four times a year at the plant's site boundary. The HPICs will be installed on new site boundary fences that the PSB is considering. [...] 'HPICs are state of the art gamma radiation measurement instruments,' said Bill Irwin, the radiological health chief for the Vermont Department of Health. 'They can measure the exposure rates of most radiation energies with excellent precision and accuracy. They are especially good for very low levels of gamma radiation, at near background levels.'" (Brattleboro Reformer; Nov09; Bob Audette)
http://www.reformer.com/localnews/ci_13682914
Group [Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility] sues EPA [Environmental Protection Agency] for background on disputed radiological cleanup guide
"An activist organization last week sued the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency in hopes of obtaining internal comments used in preparing a draft guide that could relax requirements for decontaminating sites affected by radiological incidents such as a dirty bomb attack, Environment and Energy Daily reported last week. The lawsuit, filed by Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility, seeks background analyses used by the Bush administration to formulate the draft Protective Action Guidance for Radiological Incidents. [...] Representative Edward Markey (D-Mass.) expressed concern about the draft guide last week in a letter to EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson. 'These guidelines actually allow for levels of radioactivity that are thousands of times higher than the requirements found in traditional toxic cleanup guidance,' the letter states. 'Additionally, long-term cleanup standards are proposed that are so remarkably high that they could result in a cancer risk that EPA itself estimates at a breathtaking one in four.'" (Global Security Newswire; 02Nov09)
http://www.globalsecuritynewswire.org/gsn/nw_20091102_5211.php
Radiation sensors installed along U.S.-Canadian border
"The United States has finished fielding new equipment at all border crossings with Canada to aid in the detection of potential nuclear- and radiological-weapon materials, the U.S. Homeland Security Department announced yesterday. The radiation portal monitors are expected to scan all vehicles entering the United States for radiation sources that could include material in a nuclear device or a radiological dirty bomb. When the sensors pick up radiation strong enough to indicate a potential hazard, border personnel are expected to investigate the source of the reading in accordance with official procedure. [...] Radiation portal monitors are now able to scan all cargo and personal vehicles entering the United States from Canada; all mail entering the country from Mexico undergoes scanning in addition to cargo and personal vehicles." (Global Security Newswire; 06Nov09)
http://www.globalsecuritynewswire.org/gsn/nw_20091106_4798.php
U.S. sends HEU [highly enriched uranium] across the globe for smuggling drill
"The United States has sent small samples of highly enriched uranium across the globe to support an international nuclear smuggling and detection exercise, the Knoxville News Sentinel reported yesterday. The National Nuclear Security Administration and the Y-12 National Security Complex in Oak Ridge, Tenn., spent much of the past summer obtaining permission from the Nuclear Regulatory Commission to send limited amounts of enriched uranium to countries abroad. 'Y-12 is supplying small quantities of enriched uranium to certain foreign and domestic laboratories in support of the Nuclear Smuggling International Technical Working Group,' said Y-12 spokesman Steven Wyatt. 'The samples will be distributed to support an analytical exercise associated with nuclear forensics analysis.' Wyatt added that no other details would be released to the public except the information already available on the Nuclear Regulatory Commission export licenses for the uranium. [...] Australia, Brazil, Canada, the Czech Republic, France, Germany, Hungary and the United Kingdom were all expected to receive no more than 14 grams of the material. [...] It was not immediately known if the exercise had yet occurred. The uranium is apparently to be destroyed as part of the technical exercise." (Global Security Newswire; 06Nov09)
http://gsn.nti.org/gsn/nw_20091106_4962.php
Clandestine labs can be hazardous to responders' health
"Clandestine laboratories present huge hazards for all responders who encounter them. Police risk injury and illness responding to the crime scene or investigating suspicious activities. Firefighters expose themselves to hazardous materials as they put out fires or try to deal with contaminated sites. And EMS providers expose themselves to the same risks trying to treat the responders and the perpetrators, who may have been adversely affected by the materials used and produced in these clandestine labs. Arthur Musselman, a hazardous materials specialist for the Georgia Police Academy, Drug Training Section, gave a presentation on clandestine laboratory safety and awareness for first responders at the 2009 EMS Expo/Firehouse Central/Enforcement Expo Southeast in Atlanta, Ga. The session was designed for responders who have little or no experience with clandestine laboratories but may, in the course of their work, encounter meth labs, bioterrorism and explosive labs in all forms. [...] Clandestine labs are used to produce drugs, biological and chemical agents and explosives and can be established virtually anywhere by anyone with a mission to produce something that is otherwise controlled or illegal, Musselman said." (Law Enforcement News; 03Nov09; Ed Ballam)
http://www.officer.com/web/online/Top-News-Stories/Clandestine-Labs-Can-Be-Hazardous-To-Responders-Health/1$49156
Vacant apartments host WMD exercises [Indianapolis, IN]
"Emergency workers are combing through a decrepit apartment building today as if a chemical or biological weapon were detonated in it. [...] It's a training exercise for local police, firefighters and other first responders. The scenario: a Weapons of Mass Destruction incident at the Keystone Towers, a vacant high-rise on the Indianapolis Northeastside. [...] The emergency workers were donning suits designed to protect from hazardous materials and then inspect the building for toxic residue. They may find some, even though the WMD is make-believe. [...] Two three-person teams would be going into each of the two towers shortly after 9 a.m. They will inspect each floor videotaping and documenting the conditions." (Indianapolis Star; 03Nov09)
http://www.indystar.com/article/20091103/NEWS02/911030378/Vacant+apartments+host+WMD+exercises
Physical training gear does double duty for CERFP [CBRN Enhance Response Force Package] soldiers
"The Massachusetts National Guard CERFP team members say their physical training uniforms are well-suited for their mission: to find, decontaminate and evacuate disaster victims. The Massachusetts CERFP team is one of several such elements taking part in Exercise Vigilant Guard, a joint training opportunity for National Guard and emergency response organizations to build relationships with local, state, regional and federal partners against a variety of different homeland security threats including natural disasters and potential terrorist attacks. [...] CERFP [...] team members must don decontamination suits, gasmasks, rubber boots, rubber gloves and hardhats. [...] The CERFP team explained that deploying [...] in physical training uniforms, commonly known as PT clothes [...] is all about speed and safety. [...] Exercise Vigilant Guard is a national exercise sponsored by the National Guard Bureau and United States Northern Command. The Spaulding Fibre Site is just one area being used for the exercise, which more than 1300 National Guard troops and hundreds of local and regional emergency response professionals are taking part in." (Read Media Newswire; 04 Nov09)
http://readme.readmedia.com/news/show/Physical-Training-Gear-Does-Double-Duty-for-CERFP-Soldiers/976994
[Round Rock] City hosts regional emergency operations training exercise, Tuesday Nov. 3 [TX]
"Flashing lights, police tape, a mobile command post, and emergency responders and their vehicles will all be part of an all-day, regional training exercise taking place in Round Rock on Tuesday, Nov. 3. Emergency responders from the City of Round Rock and throughout Williamson, Travis and Hays counties will be participating in an annual exercise designed to simulate a disaster scenario requiring regional Chemical, Biological, Radiological, Nuclear and Explosives (CBRNE) Task Force Teams to work together in a coordinated response. The exercise will include staging areas at the Dell Diamond parking lot and nearby utility facilities on U.S. 79. [...] The exercise enables emergency responders to practice plans created in response to a request from the Governor's Division of Emergency Management in 2005 for the development of regional response plans for Texas." (City of Round Rock; 03 Nov09)
http://www.roundrocktexas.gov/home/index.asp?page=10&recordid=1648&returnurl=index.asp%3Fpage%3D10
[U.S.] Customs and Border Protection [officials] faulted for preparation against bio[logical], chem[ical] threats
"In a partially redacted document, the Inspector General's Office found that Customs and Border Protection officials had 'not conducted a formal risk assessment to determine which pathways, including maritime cargo, pose the highest risk of biological and chemical weapons entering the nation.' The report recommends that a formal risk assessment be carried out to make certain that Customs and Border Protection was assigning its detection resources to those points of entry that offer the greatest threat to national security. [...] Agency officials have said new detectors that would aid inspectors in the detection and identification of biological and chemical weapons are under development. The Inspector General's Office also recommended that Customs and Border Protection revisit and make current its protocols on the investigation of containers suspected of carrying chemical and biological weapons. 'Without updated policies to focus cargo inspections, biological and chemical threats may go undetected,' according to the report. Customs and Border Protection agreed with the findings of the report." (Global Security Newswire; 03Nov09)
http://www.globalsecuritynewswire.org/gsn/nw_20091103_2073.php
Battelle extending ties with EPA [Environmental Protection Agency] on homeland security work
"The U.S. EPA is expanding its work with Battelle for another five years as the research and development giant helps develop the government's strategy in the event of a terrorist attack that contaminates air or water. Columbus [OH]-based Battelle on Tuesday said it was awarded a five-year, $13 million contract with the EPA, which is in charge of protecting drinking water and wastewater and cleaning up areas contaminated by a biological, chemical or radiological attack. [...] Battelle will be evaluating technology used to decontaminate water supplies, buildings and public places and monitor the quality of water and ambient air." (Columbus Business First; 03Nov09)
http://columbus.bizjournals.com/columbus/stories/2009/11/02/daily14.html
DeKalb firefighters get new SCBA [self-contained breathing apparatus] masks [GA]
"DeKalb County firefighters have a new tool to protect themselves when they respond to a fire or any other type of emergency. The firefighters in DeKalb County are the only ones in the state to have the high-tech $2 million equipment. Firefighters now have the use of new self-contained breathing apparatus masks or (SCBA). The SCBA masks help protect firefighters from chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear threats. So, if firefighters are dealing with an act of terrorism, they can respond to it. [...] The masks were paid for by the Federal Emergency Management Agency." (My Fox Atlanta; 05Nov09)
http://www.myfoxatlanta.com/dpp/news/dekalb_firefighters_get_new_sbca_masks_110409
Government ignores Cargo Scanning Law, port operator [Gary Gilbert] says
"The Department of Homeland Security is ignoring a law that calls on it to monitor, by 2012, every container that enters a U.S. port, an executive at one of the world's leading port-operating companies charged. The United States is opening itself up to a nuclear attack or economic catastrophe, he said. 'The vulnerabilities are as great as they've ever been,' said Gary Gilbert, senior vice president of Hutchison Port Holdings, at a National Defense Industrial Association homeland security conference. 'We've got all these containers going around. We don't know where they are, and we don't know where they've been.' In 2006, Congress passed the Safe Port Act, which directs Customs and Border Protection to implement a program that would screen for radiation and contraband every container entering the country. In 2007, Congress passed the 9/11 Commission Act, which set a 2012 deadline for the department to put the program in place. [...] 'We have a law on the books, and nobody gives a rat's,' Gilbert said. 'And as a leader in the industry, my company is very concerned. What happens if we have a calamity in a container?' [...] The United States could prevent such a disaster by mandating that shipping companies employ scanning equipment, Gilbert added." (National Defense Magazine; Nov09; Austin Wright and Stew Magnuson)
http://www.nationaldefensemagazine.org/archive/2009/November/Pages/GovernmentIgnoresCargoScanningLaw,PortOperatorSays.aspx
First responders exercise emergency plans for Richmond [2010 Olympics prep, British Columbia]
"Tuesday's mock emergency response exercise at the former home of the Steveston Packers will serve the city well during the Olympics and beyond, according to city spokesperson Ted Townsend. More than 140 federal, provincial and municipal organizations participated in Exercise Gold, the third and final Olympic security exercise that will help officials coordinate duties and responsibilities in the event of a major emergency. [...] The mock scenario [...] included a snow blowing machine, and the disaster is sparked by the introduction of a toxin to the blower, which leads to people suddenly falling ill en masse and exhibiting symptoms from vomiting to coughing and respiratory distress. [...] This week-long exercise is part of a larger scenario, Townsend explained, in which police were called to a home in Delta one night earlier, where they found someone working with what's suspected to be nuclear materials, and then identifying a terrorist threat incorporating the use of nuclear toxins [sic] and a plan to disrupt the games." (British Columbia Local News; 03Nov09; Martin van den Hemel, Richmond Review)
http://www.bclocalnews.com/news/68993517.html
U.S. to remove N[orth] Korean WMDs in contingency
"U.S. forces in Korea will take charge of securing or eliminating weapons of mass destruction (WMDs) in North Korea when contingency situations occur, even after South Korea takes over wartime operational control (OPCON) of its troops from the United States in 2012, according to Korean and American military officials here. The plan is part of a newly developed Korea-U.S. operational plan (OPLAN), codenamed 5029, to respond to any type of internal instability in the communist state, they say. U.S. Gen. Walter Sharp, commander of the ROK-U.S. Combined Forces Command (CFC), confirmed the move. [...] Both militaries agreed that American forces will still spearhead operations to eliminate North Korean WMDs and Marine amphibious assaults after the OPCON transfer on April 17, 2012. A South Korean CFC commander said that under OPLAN 5029, either South Korean and U.S. troops would conduct stabilizing operations in North Korea, such as securing the North's WMDs and nuclear sites, in a flexible manner in case of an emergency. 'There are various case-by-case scenarios in the operational plan," the commander said."Both troops will conduct contingency operations jointly or independently in accordance with emerging situations. That is, the U.S. military will take charge of WMD elimination works if needed.'" (Defense News; 05Nov09; Jung Sung-Ki)
http://www.defensenews.com/story.php?i=4361727&c=ASI&s=TOP
AAAS [American Association for the Advancement of Sciences] Chief [Alan Leshner] calls for greater EU-US [nuclear and radiological security] research cooperation
"The EU and the US must forge stronger research ties in order to tackle the greatest challenges facing the world today, Alan Leshner, CEO of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), told attendees at the inaugural annual lecture of the Joint Research Centre (JRC) in Brussels, Belgium. [...] Dr Leshner noted that [...] 'The US and Europe should be collaborating on all these issues!' [...] Dr Leshner and the JRC (represented by its Director-General Roland Schenkel) signed a Memorandum of Understanding between their two organizations. The three-year agreement will see the JRC and the AAAS organize joint workshops, collaborate on the publication of reports and share information on key issues. The first activities under the agreement are likely to focus on nuclear forensics, nuclear and radiological security, and technologies for the monitoring of arms control treaties." (Cordis News; 29Oct09)
http://cordis.europa.eu/fetch?CALLER=EN_NEWS_FP7&ACTION=D&DOC=1&CAT=NEWS&QUERY=0124a59d4913:5291:2cb6853e&RCN=31418
CNS ChemBio-WMD Terrorism News is prepared by the Chemical and Biological Weapons Nonproliferation Program of the James Martin Center for Nonproliferation Studies at the Monterey Institute of International Studies in order to bring timely and focused information to researchers and policymakers interested in the fields of chemical, biological, and radiological weapons nonproliferation and WMD terrorism.
"Approximately 200 soldiers have suffered from serious and even life-threatening complications from the government-mandated smallpox vaccine, and one has even died. [...] Fears over a bioterrorist attack have led the U.S. government to require that all of its military service-people receive vaccination against a variety of diseases before deployment, including anthrax and smallpox. An estimated 1.7 million have been vaccinated against smallpox. [...] In a number of cases, the vaccine has led to severe complications such as inflammations of the brain or heart. [...] Awareness of the risks over the smallpox vaccine has prevented the government from requiring vaccination of civilians. [...] In a recent case, Lance Cpl. Cory Belken [...] was diagnosed with acute myelogenous leukemia, which was destroying his circulatory system, and was immediately placed on chemotherapy." (Natural News; 03Nov09)
http://www.naturalnews.com/027381_smallpox_bioterrorism_vaccination.html
NIAID [National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases] announces new human immunology research awards to help fight emerging infectious disease
"The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), part of the National Institutes of Health, has awarded approximately $208 million to two programs that support research to better understand the human immune response to emerging and re-emerging infectious diseases, including those that may be introduced into a community through acts of bioterrorism. The grants were awarded to the Cooperative Centers for Translational Research on Human Immunology and Biodefense (CCHI) and the Immune Mechanisms of Virus Control (IMVC), NIAID also has received approximately $21 million under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act to supplement these two programs and fund some additional researchers. [...] The long-term goal of the CCHI and IMVC programs is to identify new vaccines and drug targets." (Eureka Alert; 04Nov09)
http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2009-11/nioa-nan110409.php
After delay, Senate committee approves biosecurity bill
"The U.S. Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee yesterday approved a bill intended to improve security at the nation's biological research facilities. [...] The panel voted 8-1 in favor of the Weapons of Mass Destruction Prevention and Preparedness Act of 2009. 'This is an urgently needed bill, and I am pleased the committee has moved it forward,' Chairman Joseph Lieberman (I-Conn.) said in a statement. It was unclear when the full Senate would take up the legislation. The measure [...] would require the Homeland Security Department to prepare security regulations for laboratories. It would also divide the government's list of select agents and toxins into three tiers, subjecting facilities that handle the eight to 10 most harmful pathogens to the highest security. Homeland Security would be in charge of regulating those laboratories while the Health and Human Services Department would oversee sites in the remaining two tiers. Collins has estimated the measure could impact as many as 400 facilities and 15,000 individuals authorized to work with deadly pathogens." (Global Security Newswire; 05Nov09; Martin Matishak)
http://www.globalsecuritynewswire.org/gsn/nw_20091105_8558.php
Plague [bacteria] attack: an international bioterrorism table-top exercise
"INTERPOL has just released details of an international bioterrorism tabletop exercise that took place in late September 2009. Senior law enforcement officials, health care professionals and experts from international organizations took part in responding to a simulated global bioterrorism attack and its aftermath. Participants in the Black Death scenario were faced with a fictional, intentional plague [bacteria] attack involving countries from their region, with the exercise designed to assist them in identifying any critical co-operation and co-ordination issues which could hinder a quick and successful response to such an attack in real life. [...] Organized by the INTERPOL Bioterrorism Unit, this exercise took place from 29-30 September in Warsaw, Poland." (Continuity Central; 04Nov09)
http://continuitycentral.com/news04848.html
Anthrax bomb [sic] answers demanded
"There have been concerns about water quality and the death of cockles in the Burry estuary. The Ministry of Defence said there was no contamination following the [...]1942 [...] trial to test the biological weapon. [...Llanelli MP Nia] Griffith has now written to the MoD [Ministry of Defense] asking for further details. 'We know there was a lot of research going on during the war into germ warfare and we know this was an area that may have been used,' she said. 'Obviously all of that is top secret and they will have to look through a fair number of documents to give us the answers we want. What we really need [...] is clarification - what did happen, what were they handling and what were the consequences and was everything cleaned up?' Local councillor Hubert Hitchman said there had been long-standing rumours anthrax [spore] weapons had been tested in the estuary between Llanelli and Gower. [...] A spokesman for the MoD said: 'The Gower coast was often used for munition testing during WWII.'" (British Broadcasting Corporation; 30Oct09)
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/wales/south_west/8334592.stm
Death sentences for 2 ex-Aum [Shinrikyo] members [Toru Toyoda and Kenichi Hirose] to stand
"The [Japanese] Supreme Court on Friday upheld lower court rulings that sentenced two former members of the Aum Shinrikyo religious cult to death for their involvement in the deadly 1995 sarin nerve gas attack on the Tokyo subway system that killed 12 people and left thousands ill.
The top court's second petty bench turned down appeals from Toru Toyoda, 41, and Kenichi Hirose, 45, against the sentences by the Tokyo High Court in 2004. [...] Friday's decision is expected to eventually become final as the top court has rarely accepted such an objection. This would bring the number of former Aum members on death row to eight for their involvement in a series of crimes. Among them is Aum founder Shoko Asahara, 54, whose real name is Chizuo Matsumoto. Death penalties would stand for four of the five former Aum members who were convicted of actually dispersing the sarin gas in the subway system. [...] The death penalty is inevitable for the two men even though they committed the crime under instructions from higher cult members, justice [Yukio Takeuchi] said. Both Toyoda and Hirose had sought lighter penalties, arguing they were victims of Asahara's mind control." (Breitbart; 06Nov09)
http://www.breitbart.com/article.php?id=D9BPU4H00&show_article=1
Indiana governor [Mitch Daniels] to announce jobs at Army's Newport Chemical Depot
"Pre-empting a vote about whether to open part of the Army's Newport Chemical Depot to business development, a state board headed by Gov. Mitch Daniels said today that he will travel to the western Indiana depot to make an economic development announcement Thursday. The morning announcement will involve jobs, according to a news release from Indiana Economic Development Corp. [...] For months, talk has swirled about converting the depot [...] into something economically viable. [...] On Nov. 19, the Newport Chemical Depot Reuse Authority is expected to vote on a plan it devised to convert a swath of land at the depot to civilian use. The plan recommends that nearly 3,500 acres be set aside for potential development, along with 2,400 acres for parkland and 1,200 acres for agriculture. After the vote, the plan will be sent to the Army for consideration. It's unclear how the governor's announcement will affect those plans." (Indianapolis Star; 04Nov09)
http://www.indystar.com/article/20091104/BUSINESS/911040372/Daniels+to+announce+jobs+at+closing+Army+site+in+west+central+Indiana
Oregon Judge [Michael Marcus] rules for Army in incineration lawsuit [Umatilla Chemical Depot]
"Michael H. Marcus, Judge for the Circuit Court of the State of Oregon, denied the petitioner's [GASP – Group Against Smog and Pollution] motion for summary judgment and entered a judgment in favor of the State of Oregon and its co-defendants in the case, including the U.S. Army. [...] Petitioners had questioned the use of [mustard agent] incineration as the best available technology, claiming that other, safer methods were readily available and should be used instead. Petitioners also alleged that the state agency had allowed the Army to operate in violation of hazardous waste laws, without a Clean Air Act Permit and without adequate characterization of wastes. [...] Judge Marcus' ruling allows the Umatilla Chemical Agent Disposal Facility to continue destruction of mustard-agent filled bulk containers at the site." (U.S. Army Chemical Materials Agency; 30Oct09)
http://www.cma.army.mil/fndocumentviewer.aspx?docid=003681779
[Umatilla Chemical] Depot plans drill wednesday [OR]
"A quarterly emergency preparedness drill is scheduled for Wednesday, Nov. 4, at the Umatilla Chemical Depot. [...] This is a coordinated exercise between the depot, the Umatilla Chemical Agent Disposal Facility, and off-post communities. [...] Chemical Stockpile Emergency Preparedness officials recommend residents develop emergency plans for their homes and businesses." (U.S. Army Chemical Materials Agency; 05Nov09)
http://www.cma.army.mil/fndocumentviewer.aspx?docid=003681744
Clorox to halt use of chlorine [a known chemical weapons agent] at bleach production sites
"Clorox Co. said today that it would begin phasing out use of chlorine in the production of bleach. Chlorine is a known chemical weapons agent that was used during World War I and more recently by insurgents in Iraq. Observers have expressed concern that would-be terrorists might target U.S. industrial plants that employ the material. Beginning with a facility in California, Clorox over the next several years will convert seven plants to use high-strength bleach rather than chlorine in the manufacturing of household bleach. 'This decision was driven by our commitment to strengthen our operations and add another layer of security,' Clorox Chairman and CEO Don Knauss said in a press release." (Global Security Newswire; 02Nov09)
http://www.globalsecuritynewswire.org/gsn/nw_20091102_6428.php
Golder Associates' Colorado unit lands $29M[illion] Pueblo Chemical Depot contract
"A Colorado-based unit of Canadian engineering giant Golder Associates said Monday it has been awarded a $28.7 million contract to provide biological treatment and odor control systems at the Pueblo Chemical Depot, where chemical weapons are stored. [...] Golder will work on the project under Bechtel National Inc. as part of a team that is working on neutralizing and destroying projectiles and mortars at the Pueblo plant containing 2,600 tons of mustard agent. The 10-year project is expected to cost about $3.5 billion. In a statement, Golder said its role will be 'to design, fabricate and commission bio-treatment modules that will remove contaminants from wastewater generated by the mustard agent neutralization process.'" (Denver Business Journal; 02Nov09)
http://denver.bizjournals.com/denver/stories/2009/11/02/daily22.html
House GOP [Grand Old Party] set to challenge chemical plant security bill
"A partisan House floor fight is expected this week over legislation that would place new security requirements on facilities across the country that use or store dangerous chemicals. Tensions have simmered as the legislation made its way through House committees, stoked by heavy lobbying from the chemical industry on one hand, which wants to kill the most controversial parts of the bill, and environmental and labor groups on the other hand, which support stricter regulations. But Democrats have roundly defeated Republican efforts to water down the bill at the committee level, and are expected to prevail again on the floor. The bill would reauthorize and expand the ability of the Homeland Security Department to enforce chemical security regulations. [...] The House Rules Committee agreed Tuesday to give Republicans the ability to offer amendments during floor debate. Homeland Security Transportation Security Subcommittee ranking member Charles Dent (R-Pa.) will offer an amendment to strip out a provision that would allow the department to require chemical facilities to use safer technologies and processes. Republicans, backed by the chemical industry, argue that a safer-technology mandate would be onerous and costly for facilities." (Global Security Newswire; 04Nov09; Chris Strohm, CongressDaily)
http://www.globalsecuritynewswire.org/gsn/nw_20091104_5696.php
Honduras designates OPCW National Authority
"In compliance with its obligations under the Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC), Honduras has informed the OPCW that it has designated a focal point within the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to assume the functions of CWC National Authority. [...] The National Authority is responsible for implementing the provisions of the Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC) at the national level. To meet its basic obligations, each State Party must be able to submit all the required declarations, communicate with the OPCW, cooperate with other States Parties, facilitate OPCW inspections, respond to OPCW requests for assistance, protect the confidentiality of classified information, monitor and enforce national compliance and cooperate in the peaceful uses of chemistry." (OPCW; 05Nov09)
http://www.opcw.org/news/news/article/honduras-designates-opcw-national-authority/
TVA [Tennessee Valley Authority] to conduct [preparedness] tests at Brown Ferry
"TVA [Tennessee Valley Authority] and other federal, state and local agencies will conduct a regularly scheduled emergency preparedness exercise for Browns Ferry Nuclear Plant on Wednesday. The exercise will involve about 1,000 Tennessee Valley Authority and state of Alabama employees and emergency responders. [...] Residents may see radiological monitoring teams or other responders in action as part of the exercise. [...] Representatives of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and the Nuclear Regulatory Commission will evaluate responders on the appropriateness of their actions to ensure the health and safety of the public.
The emergency exercise is part of a long-term drill and exercise program." (Times Daily, AL; 03Nov09)
http://www.timesdaily.com/article/20091103/NEWS/911039993/1011/NEWS?Title=TVA-to-conduct-tests-at-Browns-Ferry
New radiation monitors to be installed at Yankee Nuclear Power Plant [Brattleboro, VT]
"Entergy will install a pair of new radiation monitors at the [Vermont Yankee nuclear power] plant's site boundary. [...] A memorandum of understanding was signed between Entergy, which owns and operates Yankee, and the [Vermont] DPS [Department of Public Service]. One of the requirements of the MOU was that Entergy continuously monitor the temperature and conduct a monthly radiation surveillance of each cask. Entergy was also required to establish a protocol for reporting the results of both procedures to the DPS and the Vermont Department of Health. [...] The new radiation monitors that Entergy agreed to install are called high pressure ionization chambers [HPIC] and will supplement the thermoluminescent dosimeters the state currently uses to measure radiation four times a year at the plant's site boundary. The HPICs will be installed on new site boundary fences that the PSB is considering. [...] 'HPICs are state of the art gamma radiation measurement instruments,' said Bill Irwin, the radiological health chief for the Vermont Department of Health. 'They can measure the exposure rates of most radiation energies with excellent precision and accuracy. They are especially good for very low levels of gamma radiation, at near background levels.'" (Brattleboro Reformer; Nov09; Bob Audette)
http://www.reformer.com/localnews/ci_13682914
Group [Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility] sues EPA [Environmental Protection Agency] for background on disputed radiological cleanup guide
"An activist organization last week sued the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency in hopes of obtaining internal comments used in preparing a draft guide that could relax requirements for decontaminating sites affected by radiological incidents such as a dirty bomb attack, Environment and Energy Daily reported last week. The lawsuit, filed by Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility, seeks background analyses used by the Bush administration to formulate the draft Protective Action Guidance for Radiological Incidents. [...] Representative Edward Markey (D-Mass.) expressed concern about the draft guide last week in a letter to EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson. 'These guidelines actually allow for levels of radioactivity that are thousands of times higher than the requirements found in traditional toxic cleanup guidance,' the letter states. 'Additionally, long-term cleanup standards are proposed that are so remarkably high that they could result in a cancer risk that EPA itself estimates at a breathtaking one in four.'" (Global Security Newswire; 02Nov09)
http://www.globalsecuritynewswire.org/gsn/nw_20091102_5211.php
Radiation sensors installed along U.S.-Canadian border
"The United States has finished fielding new equipment at all border crossings with Canada to aid in the detection of potential nuclear- and radiological-weapon materials, the U.S. Homeland Security Department announced yesterday. The radiation portal monitors are expected to scan all vehicles entering the United States for radiation sources that could include material in a nuclear device or a radiological dirty bomb. When the sensors pick up radiation strong enough to indicate a potential hazard, border personnel are expected to investigate the source of the reading in accordance with official procedure. [...] Radiation portal monitors are now able to scan all cargo and personal vehicles entering the United States from Canada; all mail entering the country from Mexico undergoes scanning in addition to cargo and personal vehicles." (Global Security Newswire; 06Nov09)
http://www.globalsecuritynewswire.org/gsn/nw_20091106_4798.php
U.S. sends HEU [highly enriched uranium] across the globe for smuggling drill
"The United States has sent small samples of highly enriched uranium across the globe to support an international nuclear smuggling and detection exercise, the Knoxville News Sentinel reported yesterday. The National Nuclear Security Administration and the Y-12 National Security Complex in Oak Ridge, Tenn., spent much of the past summer obtaining permission from the Nuclear Regulatory Commission to send limited amounts of enriched uranium to countries abroad. 'Y-12 is supplying small quantities of enriched uranium to certain foreign and domestic laboratories in support of the Nuclear Smuggling International Technical Working Group,' said Y-12 spokesman Steven Wyatt. 'The samples will be distributed to support an analytical exercise associated with nuclear forensics analysis.' Wyatt added that no other details would be released to the public except the information already available on the Nuclear Regulatory Commission export licenses for the uranium. [...] Australia, Brazil, Canada, the Czech Republic, France, Germany, Hungary and the United Kingdom were all expected to receive no more than 14 grams of the material. [...] It was not immediately known if the exercise had yet occurred. The uranium is apparently to be destroyed as part of the technical exercise." (Global Security Newswire; 06Nov09)
http://gsn.nti.org/gsn/nw_20091106_4962.php
Clandestine labs can be hazardous to responders' health
"Clandestine laboratories present huge hazards for all responders who encounter them. Police risk injury and illness responding to the crime scene or investigating suspicious activities. Firefighters expose themselves to hazardous materials as they put out fires or try to deal with contaminated sites. And EMS providers expose themselves to the same risks trying to treat the responders and the perpetrators, who may have been adversely affected by the materials used and produced in these clandestine labs. Arthur Musselman, a hazardous materials specialist for the Georgia Police Academy, Drug Training Section, gave a presentation on clandestine laboratory safety and awareness for first responders at the 2009 EMS Expo/Firehouse Central/Enforcement Expo Southeast in Atlanta, Ga. The session was designed for responders who have little or no experience with clandestine laboratories but may, in the course of their work, encounter meth labs, bioterrorism and explosive labs in all forms. [...] Clandestine labs are used to produce drugs, biological and chemical agents and explosives and can be established virtually anywhere by anyone with a mission to produce something that is otherwise controlled or illegal, Musselman said." (Law Enforcement News; 03Nov09; Ed Ballam)
http://www.officer.com/web/online/Top-News-Stories/Clandestine-Labs-Can-Be-Hazardous-To-Responders-Health/1$49156
Vacant apartments host WMD exercises [Indianapolis, IN]
"Emergency workers are combing through a decrepit apartment building today as if a chemical or biological weapon were detonated in it. [...] It's a training exercise for local police, firefighters and other first responders. The scenario: a Weapons of Mass Destruction incident at the Keystone Towers, a vacant high-rise on the Indianapolis Northeastside. [...] The emergency workers were donning suits designed to protect from hazardous materials and then inspect the building for toxic residue. They may find some, even though the WMD is make-believe. [...] Two three-person teams would be going into each of the two towers shortly after 9 a.m. They will inspect each floor videotaping and documenting the conditions." (Indianapolis Star; 03Nov09)
http://www.indystar.com/article/20091103/NEWS02/911030378/Vacant+apartments+host+WMD+exercises
Physical training gear does double duty for CERFP [CBRN Enhance Response Force Package] soldiers
"The Massachusetts National Guard CERFP team members say their physical training uniforms are well-suited for their mission: to find, decontaminate and evacuate disaster victims. The Massachusetts CERFP team is one of several such elements taking part in Exercise Vigilant Guard, a joint training opportunity for National Guard and emergency response organizations to build relationships with local, state, regional and federal partners against a variety of different homeland security threats including natural disasters and potential terrorist attacks. [...] CERFP [...] team members must don decontamination suits, gasmasks, rubber boots, rubber gloves and hardhats. [...] The CERFP team explained that deploying [...] in physical training uniforms, commonly known as PT clothes [...] is all about speed and safety. [...] Exercise Vigilant Guard is a national exercise sponsored by the National Guard Bureau and United States Northern Command. The Spaulding Fibre Site is just one area being used for the exercise, which more than 1300 National Guard troops and hundreds of local and regional emergency response professionals are taking part in." (Read Media Newswire; 04 Nov09)
http://readme.readmedia.com/news/show/Physical-Training-Gear-Does-Double-Duty-for-CERFP-Soldiers/976994
[Round Rock] City hosts regional emergency operations training exercise, Tuesday Nov. 3 [TX]
"Flashing lights, police tape, a mobile command post, and emergency responders and their vehicles will all be part of an all-day, regional training exercise taking place in Round Rock on Tuesday, Nov. 3. Emergency responders from the City of Round Rock and throughout Williamson, Travis and Hays counties will be participating in an annual exercise designed to simulate a disaster scenario requiring regional Chemical, Biological, Radiological, Nuclear and Explosives (CBRNE) Task Force Teams to work together in a coordinated response. The exercise will include staging areas at the Dell Diamond parking lot and nearby utility facilities on U.S. 79. [...] The exercise enables emergency responders to practice plans created in response to a request from the Governor's Division of Emergency Management in 2005 for the development of regional response plans for Texas." (City of Round Rock; 03 Nov09)
http://www.roundrocktexas.gov/home/index.asp?page=10&recordid=1648&returnurl=index.asp%3Fpage%3D10
[U.S.] Customs and Border Protection [officials] faulted for preparation against bio[logical], chem[ical] threats
"In a partially redacted document, the Inspector General's Office found that Customs and Border Protection officials had 'not conducted a formal risk assessment to determine which pathways, including maritime cargo, pose the highest risk of biological and chemical weapons entering the nation.' The report recommends that a formal risk assessment be carried out to make certain that Customs and Border Protection was assigning its detection resources to those points of entry that offer the greatest threat to national security. [...] Agency officials have said new detectors that would aid inspectors in the detection and identification of biological and chemical weapons are under development. The Inspector General's Office also recommended that Customs and Border Protection revisit and make current its protocols on the investigation of containers suspected of carrying chemical and biological weapons. 'Without updated policies to focus cargo inspections, biological and chemical threats may go undetected,' according to the report. Customs and Border Protection agreed with the findings of the report." (Global Security Newswire; 03Nov09)
http://www.globalsecuritynewswire.org/gsn/nw_20091103_2073.php
Battelle extending ties with EPA [Environmental Protection Agency] on homeland security work
"The U.S. EPA is expanding its work with Battelle for another five years as the research and development giant helps develop the government's strategy in the event of a terrorist attack that contaminates air or water. Columbus [OH]-based Battelle on Tuesday said it was awarded a five-year, $13 million contract with the EPA, which is in charge of protecting drinking water and wastewater and cleaning up areas contaminated by a biological, chemical or radiological attack. [...] Battelle will be evaluating technology used to decontaminate water supplies, buildings and public places and monitor the quality of water and ambient air." (Columbus Business First; 03Nov09)
http://columbus.bizjournals.com/columbus/stories/2009/11/02/daily14.html
DeKalb firefighters get new SCBA [self-contained breathing apparatus] masks [GA]
"DeKalb County firefighters have a new tool to protect themselves when they respond to a fire or any other type of emergency. The firefighters in DeKalb County are the only ones in the state to have the high-tech $2 million equipment. Firefighters now have the use of new self-contained breathing apparatus masks or (SCBA). The SCBA masks help protect firefighters from chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear threats. So, if firefighters are dealing with an act of terrorism, they can respond to it. [...] The masks were paid for by the Federal Emergency Management Agency." (My Fox Atlanta; 05Nov09)
http://www.myfoxatlanta.com/dpp/news/dekalb_firefighters_get_new_sbca_masks_110409
Government ignores Cargo Scanning Law, port operator [Gary Gilbert] says
"The Department of Homeland Security is ignoring a law that calls on it to monitor, by 2012, every container that enters a U.S. port, an executive at one of the world's leading port-operating companies charged. The United States is opening itself up to a nuclear attack or economic catastrophe, he said. 'The vulnerabilities are as great as they've ever been,' said Gary Gilbert, senior vice president of Hutchison Port Holdings, at a National Defense Industrial Association homeland security conference. 'We've got all these containers going around. We don't know where they are, and we don't know where they've been.' In 2006, Congress passed the Safe Port Act, which directs Customs and Border Protection to implement a program that would screen for radiation and contraband every container entering the country. In 2007, Congress passed the 9/11 Commission Act, which set a 2012 deadline for the department to put the program in place. [...] 'We have a law on the books, and nobody gives a rat's,' Gilbert said. 'And as a leader in the industry, my company is very concerned. What happens if we have a calamity in a container?' [...] The United States could prevent such a disaster by mandating that shipping companies employ scanning equipment, Gilbert added." (National Defense Magazine; Nov09; Austin Wright and Stew Magnuson)
http://www.nationaldefensemagazine.org/archive/2009/November/Pages/GovernmentIgnoresCargoScanningLaw,PortOperatorSays.aspx
First responders exercise emergency plans for Richmond [2010 Olympics prep, British Columbia]
"Tuesday's mock emergency response exercise at the former home of the Steveston Packers will serve the city well during the Olympics and beyond, according to city spokesperson Ted Townsend. More than 140 federal, provincial and municipal organizations participated in Exercise Gold, the third and final Olympic security exercise that will help officials coordinate duties and responsibilities in the event of a major emergency. [...] The mock scenario [...] included a snow blowing machine, and the disaster is sparked by the introduction of a toxin to the blower, which leads to people suddenly falling ill en masse and exhibiting symptoms from vomiting to coughing and respiratory distress. [...] This week-long exercise is part of a larger scenario, Townsend explained, in which police were called to a home in Delta one night earlier, where they found someone working with what's suspected to be nuclear materials, and then identifying a terrorist threat incorporating the use of nuclear toxins [sic] and a plan to disrupt the games." (British Columbia Local News; 03Nov09; Martin van den Hemel, Richmond Review)
http://www.bclocalnews.com/news/68993517.html
U.S. to remove N[orth] Korean WMDs in contingency
"U.S. forces in Korea will take charge of securing or eliminating weapons of mass destruction (WMDs) in North Korea when contingency situations occur, even after South Korea takes over wartime operational control (OPCON) of its troops from the United States in 2012, according to Korean and American military officials here. The plan is part of a newly developed Korea-U.S. operational plan (OPLAN), codenamed 5029, to respond to any type of internal instability in the communist state, they say. U.S. Gen. Walter Sharp, commander of the ROK-U.S. Combined Forces Command (CFC), confirmed the move. [...] Both militaries agreed that American forces will still spearhead operations to eliminate North Korean WMDs and Marine amphibious assaults after the OPCON transfer on April 17, 2012. A South Korean CFC commander said that under OPLAN 5029, either South Korean and U.S. troops would conduct stabilizing operations in North Korea, such as securing the North's WMDs and nuclear sites, in a flexible manner in case of an emergency. 'There are various case-by-case scenarios in the operational plan," the commander said."Both troops will conduct contingency operations jointly or independently in accordance with emerging situations. That is, the U.S. military will take charge of WMD elimination works if needed.'" (Defense News; 05Nov09; Jung Sung-Ki)
http://www.defensenews.com/story.php?i=4361727&c=ASI&s=TOP
AAAS [American Association for the Advancement of Sciences] Chief [Alan Leshner] calls for greater EU-US [nuclear and radiological security] research cooperation
"The EU and the US must forge stronger research ties in order to tackle the greatest challenges facing the world today, Alan Leshner, CEO of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), told attendees at the inaugural annual lecture of the Joint Research Centre (JRC) in Brussels, Belgium. [...] Dr Leshner noted that [...] 'The US and Europe should be collaborating on all these issues!' [...] Dr Leshner and the JRC (represented by its Director-General Roland Schenkel) signed a Memorandum of Understanding between their two organizations. The three-year agreement will see the JRC and the AAAS organize joint workshops, collaborate on the publication of reports and share information on key issues. The first activities under the agreement are likely to focus on nuclear forensics, nuclear and radiological security, and technologies for the monitoring of arms control treaties." (Cordis News; 29Oct09)
http://cordis.europa.eu/fetch?CALLER=EN_NEWS_FP7&ACTION=D&DOC=1&CAT=NEWS&QUERY=0124a59d4913:5291:2cb6853e&RCN=31418
CNS ChemBio-WMD Terrorism News is prepared by the Chemical and Biological Weapons Nonproliferation Program of the James Martin Center for Nonproliferation Studies at the Monterey Institute of International Studies in order to bring timely and focused information to researchers and policymakers interested in the fields of chemical, biological, and radiological weapons nonproliferation and WMD terrorism.
Army Casualty
The Department of Defense announced today the death of a soldier who was supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom.
Staff Sgt. Amy C. Tirador, 29, of Albany, N.Y., died Nov. 4 in Kirkush, Iraq, of injuries sustained from a non-combat related incident. She was assigned to the 209th Military Intelligence Company, 1st Squadron, 14th Cavalry Regiment, 3rd Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division, Fort Lewis, Wash.
The circumstances surrounding the incident are under investigation.
For more information media may contact the Fort Lewis public affairs office at 253-967-0152, 253-967-0147.
Staff Sgt. Amy C. Tirador, 29, of Albany, N.Y., died Nov. 4 in Kirkush, Iraq, of injuries sustained from a non-combat related incident. She was assigned to the 209th Military Intelligence Company, 1st Squadron, 14th Cavalry Regiment, 3rd Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division, Fort Lewis, Wash.
The circumstances surrounding the incident are under investigation.
For more information media may contact the Fort Lewis public affairs office at 253-967-0152, 253-967-0147.
Army Casualty
The Department of Defense announced today the death of a soldier who was supporting Operation Enduring Freedom.
Spc. Julian L. Berisford, 25, of Benwood, W.V., died Nov. 4 in Paktika province, Afghanistan, of wounds suffered when insurgents attacked his unit using small arms and rocket-propelled grenade fires. He was assigned to the 3rd Battalion, 509th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team (Airborne), 25th Infantry Division, Fort Richardson, Alaska.
For more information the media may contact the U.S. Army, Alaska, public affairs office at 907-384-2072.
Spc. Julian L. Berisford, 25, of Benwood, W.V., died Nov. 4 in Paktika province, Afghanistan, of wounds suffered when insurgents attacked his unit using small arms and rocket-propelled grenade fires. He was assigned to the 3rd Battalion, 509th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team (Airborne), 25th Infantry Division, Fort Richardson, Alaska.
For more information the media may contact the U.S. Army, Alaska, public affairs office at 907-384-2072.
Officer Reflects on Deployment
By Cathy HopkinsSpecial to American Forces Press Service
Nov. 6, 2009 - When he joined the Navy 15 years ago, Cmdr. Trent Kalp probably expected to serve six-month deployments to the middle of the ocean during his career. But at the time, it might have come as a surprise to learn he also would one day be packing his bags at his home in Midlothian, Va., for six months in Afghanistan. As operations officer for aviation customer operations at Defense Supply Center Richmond, Kalp usually works stateside as part of Defense Logistics Agency's aviation demand and supply chain. But from January to July this year, he commanded DLA Support Team Afghanistan.
Kalp's 16-member team worked with the Army's 45th Sustainment Brigade at Bagram Airfield and U.S. forces serving in Regional Command South in Kandahar, where they supported U.S. forces throughout the country.
The deployment was a unique opportunity for a Navy officer, Kalp said.
"It was like being a fish out of water," he acknowledged, adding that Navy personnel "aren't used to deploying in this 'boots on the ground' capacity in a desert environment, as opposed to on a ship.
"Five to 10 years ago it wasn't so common," he continued. "Now, in the joint environment, we are breaking down barriers ... and gaining more credibility with each other."
Kalp's team was restricted to bases in Afghanistan, and traveled primarily by air. But on a few occasions, they did have to travel in armored vehicles to visit other military locations.
"It was a good opportunity for me to see what was going on in the country outside of the bases," he said. "An image I'll always remember is the sight of kids walking to school, especially girls in white head scarves. To me, it was a sign of hope that what we are doing there is helpful -- that, if nothing else, they get a chance to go to school."
Kalp said he also saw the infrastructure challenges the country faces when his armored car got stuck in a pothole. "It was a little tense when a crowd started to surround us just to see what was going on," he said. "Then an Afghanistan policeman with a winch pulled the car out of the hole."
As the Army activated new commands to accommodate an influx of additional troops, Kalp's team picked up additional members so DLA could continue providing the best support possible to developing organizations.
"The team is made up of active duty and reserve military, as well as civilians," he said. "The billets are very fluid to meet the customer needs, and DLA is pushing more billets into the southern part of the country."
Kalp said two hot issues during his deployment were food and construction materials. The influx of new forces already was under way when he arrived, and it increased during the first two months of his deployment. He said the number of troops almost doubled, and the buildup continued after he left.
"Food requirements increased on a faster timeline, stressing the contractors' ability to provide the food," Kalp said. As a result, he spent a lot of time working with DLA's prime food vendor and meeting with his Army customers to see what was working on the supply lines and what wasn't.
"The biggest logistic challenge in the area is the austere environment," Kalp said. Afghanistan has no seaports, and ground transportation must come through Pakistan and countries to the north.
"A drive of 300 miles may take a week or longer because of the road conditions to get into the country, and then there are challenges in the country to get materials to the troops," Kalp said. "Any change in weather and combative forces working against us delayed deliveries."
Kalp said DLA's prime vendor uses local truckers to make deliveries, because they know the routes and what is safe or not. He said militant forces still hampered their ability to move quickly, but some convoys also were aided by locally contracted security forces.
Construction material was the other hot item. Kalp said keeping available supplies of lumber, plywood and other materials was challenging. The DLA team's involvement grew when Army engineers needed help getting their relocatable-building project up and running.
Relocatable buildings are modular structures designed to be disassembled, moved and reassembled with relative ease.
"The engineers needed some line items that hadn't arrived in a timely fashion," Kalp said. "We were able to use a contracting vehicle managed by Defense Supply Center Philadelphia to purchase needed items. DSCP, working with Defense Distribution Center, was able to quickly acquire and deliver the items."
Kalp said the most impressive part of the project was the size of its environmental footprint.
"We essentially built up the equivalent of eight cities with all of the forward operating bases and combat outposts in the country," he said, "but through coordination with the local populace, our environmental impact was minimal.
"Many customers are still unaware of all DLA can do," said he continued. "We helped educate them on our capabilities; but if customers could learn about how DLA can help them before they deploy, it would be better. It's a hard environment to train in once the units are deployed, because they're so busy."
Kalp said his deployment changed the way he reacts to overseas requests, among other things.
"Deploying is definitely worthwhile, but not for everyone," he said. "It reset my priorities. After living there, you don't let things work you up that did beforehand. You have a better view of the bigger picture – of what is important."
Kalp said employees need to make sure they are able to perform well in their job, and need to understand it isn't a glamorous environment. "You are living in less-than-ideal circumstances, and every once in a while the 'bad guys' remind you that they are there," he said.
(Cathy Hopkins works in the Defense Supply Center Richmond public affairs office.)
Iraqi Army Engineers Improve Skills
By Army 2nd Lt. Benjamin HannSpecial to American Forces Press Service
Nov. 6, 2009 - Iraqi army engineers put their training to good use Oct. 18 on a reconnaissance mission to evaluate a local bridge. Engineers from the 10th Iraqi Army Field Engineer Regiment Detachment joined their trainers from Company E, 4th Battalion, 6th Infantry Regiment, on a type of mission that's equally important to U.S. forces and the Iraqi people.
"This is the only bridge for miles," said Army Sgt. 1st Class Carl Rogers, a combat engineer from Boston. "If it has deteriorated to an extent that no one can use it, both [civilian and military] movement will be hindered."
Army Staff Sgt. Fabio Herrera, a combat engineer from Hawthorne, Calif., said it was easy for him to get the Iraqi soldiers involved in the mission.
"On my last deployment to Iraq, I was able to learn a lot of Arabic," he said. "This gives me the ability to talk to and help guide the Iraqi soldiers without the use of an interpreter."
The Iraqi soldiers helped with taking measurements and pointing out weak spots on the bridge, and aided in traffic control. Iraqi civilians find it easier communicating with an Iraqi soldier than trying to communicate with U.S forces through an interpreter, explained Army Sgt. Michael Cohoon, an engineer from Rockville, Md.
"The Iraqi soldiers are very good at giving instructions to the civilians, and at the same time concentrating on the evaluation of the bridge," he said.
At the end of the mission, Army Sgt. Ryan Loseby, a combat engineer from Rutland, Vt., said the successful mission reflect the Iraqi engineers' continued progress.
"We can tell that the past training events have been effective," he said. "Each time the [Iraqi] soldiers go on missions with Eagle Company, they show more and more confidence in their ability to get the job done without our help."
(Army 2nd Lt. Benjamin Hann serves with the 1st Armored Division's 4th Brigade Combat Team.)
FEMA Announces Public Outreach Efforts And Comment Period Extension For PS-Prep
The Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) announced today a series of public meetings that will be held to discuss the DHS Voluntary Private Sector Preparedness Accreditation and Certification Program (PS-Prep). PS-Prep is a partnership between DHS and the private sector that will enable private entities—including businesses, non-profit organizations and universities—to receive emergency preparedness certification from a system DHS created in coordination with the private sector.
The purpose of these meetings is to provide the public with an opportunity to engage in dialogue with DHS staff and program managers regarding an October 16, 2009, Federal Register Notice (74 FR 53286) announcing DHS’ intent to select three standards for adoption in the PS-Prep program.
The dates, times (local time) and locations of the public meetings are listed below. Meeting participants are requested to be seated no later than 12:50 p.m. (local time).
Date Time Location
November 17 1 p.m. – 5 p.m. Holiday Inn Chicago O’Hare.
5615 North Cumberland Avenue
Chicago, IL 60631
www.hiohare.com
November 18 1 p.m. – 5 p.m. Holiday Inn Kansas City Airport
11728 NW Ambassador Drive
Kansas City, MO 64153
www.holidayinn.com/kciairport
November 19 1 p.m. – 5 p.m. Dallas/Fort Worth Marriott Hotel & Golf Club at Champions Circle
3300 Championship Parkway
Fort Worth, Texas 76177
www.marriott.com/dfwmc
December 1 1 p.m. – 5 p.m. Oakland Marriott City Center
1001 Broadway
Oakland, CA 94607
www.oaklandmarriott.com
December 2 1 p.m. – 5 p.m. Holiday Inn SEATAC International Airport
17338 International Boulevard
Seattle, WA 98188
www.holidayinn.com
December 3 1 p.m. – 5 p.m. Marriott Denver City Center
1701 California Street
Denver, CO 80202
www.marriott.com
December 8 1 p.m. – 5 p.m. Marriott Philadelphia Airport.
One Arrivals Road
Philadelphia, PA 19153
www.marriott.com
December 9 1 p.m. – 5 p.m. Sheraton Boston Hotel
39 Dalton Street
Boston, MA 02199
www.sheratonboston.com
December 10 1 p.m. – 5 p.m. LaGuardia Marriott
102-05 Ditmars Boulevard
East Elmhurst, NY 11369
www.marriott.com
December 14 1 p.m. – 5 p.m. Sheraton Gateway Hotel
1900 Sullivan Road
Atlanta, GA 30337
www.sheraton.com
As a result of these outreach efforts, the comment period that was originally established in the October 16, 2009, Federal Register Notice (74 FR 53286) has been extended to January 15, 2010.
For more information about PS-Prep, please visit: www.fema.gov/privatesectorpreparedness/.
FEMA’s mission is to support our citizens and first responders to ensure that as a nation we work together to build, sustain, and improve our capability to prepare for, protect against, respond to, recover from, and mitigate all hazards.
The purpose of these meetings is to provide the public with an opportunity to engage in dialogue with DHS staff and program managers regarding an October 16, 2009, Federal Register Notice (74 FR 53286) announcing DHS’ intent to select three standards for adoption in the PS-Prep program.
The dates, times (local time) and locations of the public meetings are listed below. Meeting participants are requested to be seated no later than 12:50 p.m. (local time).
Date Time Location
November 17 1 p.m. – 5 p.m. Holiday Inn Chicago O’Hare.
5615 North Cumberland Avenue
Chicago, IL 60631
www.hiohare.com
November 18 1 p.m. – 5 p.m. Holiday Inn Kansas City Airport
11728 NW Ambassador Drive
Kansas City, MO 64153
www.holidayinn.com/kciairport
November 19 1 p.m. – 5 p.m. Dallas/Fort Worth Marriott Hotel & Golf Club at Champions Circle
3300 Championship Parkway
Fort Worth, Texas 76177
www.marriott.com/dfwmc
December 1 1 p.m. – 5 p.m. Oakland Marriott City Center
1001 Broadway
Oakland, CA 94607
www.oaklandmarriott.com
December 2 1 p.m. – 5 p.m. Holiday Inn SEATAC International Airport
17338 International Boulevard
Seattle, WA 98188
www.holidayinn.com
December 3 1 p.m. – 5 p.m. Marriott Denver City Center
1701 California Street
Denver, CO 80202
www.marriott.com
December 8 1 p.m. – 5 p.m. Marriott Philadelphia Airport.
One Arrivals Road
Philadelphia, PA 19153
www.marriott.com
December 9 1 p.m. – 5 p.m. Sheraton Boston Hotel
39 Dalton Street
Boston, MA 02199
www.sheratonboston.com
December 10 1 p.m. – 5 p.m. LaGuardia Marriott
102-05 Ditmars Boulevard
East Elmhurst, NY 11369
www.marriott.com
December 14 1 p.m. – 5 p.m. Sheraton Gateway Hotel
1900 Sullivan Road
Atlanta, GA 30337
www.sheraton.com
As a result of these outreach efforts, the comment period that was originally established in the October 16, 2009, Federal Register Notice (74 FR 53286) has been extended to January 15, 2010.
For more information about PS-Prep, please visit: www.fema.gov/privatesectorpreparedness/.
FEMA’s mission is to support our citizens and first responders to ensure that as a nation we work together to build, sustain, and improve our capability to prepare for, protect against, respond to, recover from, and mitigate all hazards.
Iraqi Forces Arrest 5 Suspected Terrorists
American Forces Press Service
Nov. 6, 2009 - Iraqi security forces arrested five suspected terrorists today in two security operations. In northeastern Baghdad, the Iraqi soldiers, with U.S. advisors, searched two buildings looking for a Promise Day Brigade terrorist group leader who allegedly coordinates attacks against security forces in Iraq.
The Iraqi soldiers questioned and then arrested three people suspected of being Promise Day Brigade associates without incident.
Near Sharqat, about 50 miles northwest of Kirkuk, Iraqi police and U.S. advisors searched two buildings for a suspected al-Qaida in Iraq member who has ties to senior leaders of the terrorist group.
Based on evidence at the scene, two suspects were arrested without incident.
(From a Multinational Force Iraq news release.)
Nov. 6, 2009 - Iraqi security forces arrested five suspected terrorists today in two security operations. In northeastern Baghdad, the Iraqi soldiers, with U.S. advisors, searched two buildings looking for a Promise Day Brigade terrorist group leader who allegedly coordinates attacks against security forces in Iraq.
The Iraqi soldiers questioned and then arrested three people suspected of being Promise Day Brigade associates without incident.
Near Sharqat, about 50 miles northwest of Kirkuk, Iraqi police and U.S. advisors searched two buildings for a suspected al-Qaida in Iraq member who has ties to senior leaders of the terrorist group.
Based on evidence at the scene, two suspects were arrested without incident.
(From a Multinational Force Iraq news release.)
Afghan Farmers Learn New Techniques
By Air Force 2nd Lt. Brooke BrzozowskeSpecial to American Forces Press Service
Nov. 6, 2009 - Civil affairs members of the provincial reconstruction team hosted an Afghan-led agricultural training event in the Bermel district here. The training offered instruction and discussion on agricultural topics for seven Bermel area farmers.
"Most of the people in this area are farmers," said Army Cpl. David Ferris, a civil affairs team member. "Even if they have other jobs, they often have an orchard, garden, field or herd."
Each of the training sessions was studied in detail over the three-day course, which ended Nov. 1.
"Trainees practiced teaching various topics, and are expected to teach other farmers upon returning to their village," said Army Sgt. Army Sgt. Lara Gale, a civil affairs team member.
Two local Afghan farmers, Isalmudin and Hamimmullah, taught the course. Having studied agriculture in universities in Pakistan and Afghanistan, they brought skill sets in agricultural awareness to the teaching opportunity. Bermel's sub-governor, Daulat Khan, also assisted in orchard care training, based on extensive experience with his own orchards.
Ferris said the event seemed to accomplish its goal.
"The students seemed excited for future collaborations between the government and the farmers in this area," he said.
(Air Force 2nd Lt. Brooke Brzozowske serves with the provincial reconstruction team in Afghanistan's Paktika province.)
Forces in Afghanistan Detain Suspected Bomber
American Forces Press Service
Nov. 6, 2009 - Afghan and international forces detained a group of suspected insurgents, including a Taliban leader, in Afghanistan's Kandahar province yesterday, military officials reported. The Taliban leader is believed to be responsible for financing suicide bombings and planting roadside bombs in the area. He also is linked to Taliban leadership outside of Afghanistan, officials said.
The combined force targeted a compound near the village of Spin Kalacheh, southwest of Kandahar City, after intelligence indicated militant activity there. The force searched the compound without incident and detained the five suspects, including the wanted man who identified himself as a Taliban facilitator.
No shots were fired, and no one was injured.
(From an International Security Assistance Force Joint Command news release.)
Nov. 6, 2009 - Afghan and international forces detained a group of suspected insurgents, including a Taliban leader, in Afghanistan's Kandahar province yesterday, military officials reported. The Taliban leader is believed to be responsible for financing suicide bombings and planting roadside bombs in the area. He also is linked to Taliban leadership outside of Afghanistan, officials said.
The combined force targeted a compound near the village of Spin Kalacheh, southwest of Kandahar City, after intelligence indicated militant activity there. The force searched the compound without incident and detained the five suspects, including the wanted man who identified himself as a Taliban facilitator.
No shots were fired, and no one was injured.
(From an International Security Assistance Force Joint Command news release.)
Thursday, November 05, 2009
Forces Kill, Detain Militants in Afghanistan
American Forces Press Service
Nov. 5, 2009 - Combined Afghan and international forces killed or detained suspected militants in Afghanistan's Wardak and Khowst provinces yesterday, and officials are investigating whether an International Security Assistance Force rocket attack caused civilian casualties, military officials reported. A combined force targeted a compound near the village of Babur Kheyl in Wardak's Sayed Abad district after intelligence indicated militant activity there. After entering the compound, the force received hostile fire and returned fire, killing the militants. The patrol searched the compound and detained a group of suspected militants. No civilians were harmed during the operation, officials said.
In another operation, a combined force searched compounds near the village of Baran Kheyl in Khowst province's Manduzai district, looking for a Haqqani terrorist suspect responsible for funneling foreign fighters into the area. The combined force killed an enemy militant and detained a suspect. No civilians were harmed during the operation.
The Haqqani network uses a generations-old system of routes in eastern Afghanistan to conduct attacks, gain strongholds and arm other militants, officials said.
Meanwhile, ISAF officials are investigating allegations in media reports that a surface-to-surface rocket strike near Babaji village in the Lashkar Gah district of Afghanistan's Helmand province yesterday caused civilian casualties.
ISAF officials said the strike targeted nine militants believed to be emplacing an improvised explosive device, and that ISAF forces were not aware of any civilians in the vicinity. "Only those involved in the IED emplacement were targeted," officials said in a statement.
"ISAF takes all credible allegations of civilian casualties very seriously and investigates each allegation to determine the facts," said Navy Capt. Jane Campbell, spokeswoman for ISAF's Joint Command. "If any civilians were injured through our actions, we deeply regret it."
(Compiled from International Security Assistance Force Joint Command news releases.)
Nov. 5, 2009 - Combined Afghan and international forces killed or detained suspected militants in Afghanistan's Wardak and Khowst provinces yesterday, and officials are investigating whether an International Security Assistance Force rocket attack caused civilian casualties, military officials reported. A combined force targeted a compound near the village of Babur Kheyl in Wardak's Sayed Abad district after intelligence indicated militant activity there. After entering the compound, the force received hostile fire and returned fire, killing the militants. The patrol searched the compound and detained a group of suspected militants. No civilians were harmed during the operation, officials said.
In another operation, a combined force searched compounds near the village of Baran Kheyl in Khowst province's Manduzai district, looking for a Haqqani terrorist suspect responsible for funneling foreign fighters into the area. The combined force killed an enemy militant and detained a suspect. No civilians were harmed during the operation.
The Haqqani network uses a generations-old system of routes in eastern Afghanistan to conduct attacks, gain strongholds and arm other militants, officials said.
Meanwhile, ISAF officials are investigating allegations in media reports that a surface-to-surface rocket strike near Babaji village in the Lashkar Gah district of Afghanistan's Helmand province yesterday caused civilian casualties.
ISAF officials said the strike targeted nine militants believed to be emplacing an improvised explosive device, and that ISAF forces were not aware of any civilians in the vicinity. "Only those involved in the IED emplacement were targeted," officials said in a statement.
"ISAF takes all credible allegations of civilian casualties very seriously and investigates each allegation to determine the facts," said Navy Capt. Jane Campbell, spokeswoman for ISAF's Joint Command. "If any civilians were injured through our actions, we deeply regret it."
(Compiled from International Security Assistance Force Joint Command news releases.)
Pioneering Iraqi Women Graduate Basic Combat Training
American Forces Press Service
Nov. 5, 2009 - The Iraqi army graduated 42 women here as the first all-female class to complete its enlisted basic combat training course. Iraqi Staff Brig. Gen. Mohammed Abdul Razq, deputy director of the tactical training directorate and Iraqi Staff Col. Mohammed Abdul Rahman Essa, deputy commander of the Regional Training Center, delivered congratulatory remarks to the pioneering women at an Oct. 29 graduation.
Iraqi army recruit Junde Lubab Ibrahim Kaleel said she was very excited about graduation. "It is important for me, for Iraqi women and for Iraq because we have a chance for a new life for the next generation," she said.
Iraqi army recruit Junde Mona Kidam said she was happy about graduating. "It felt like being in college," she said.
The new soldiers proceed now to their newly assigned units, with the top five honor graduates selected to work for Iraqi general officers.
Ongoing training continues at their home units.
(From a Multinational Security Transition Command Iraq news release.)
Nov. 5, 2009 - The Iraqi army graduated 42 women here as the first all-female class to complete its enlisted basic combat training course. Iraqi Staff Brig. Gen. Mohammed Abdul Razq, deputy director of the tactical training directorate and Iraqi Staff Col. Mohammed Abdul Rahman Essa, deputy commander of the Regional Training Center, delivered congratulatory remarks to the pioneering women at an Oct. 29 graduation.
Iraqi army recruit Junde Lubab Ibrahim Kaleel said she was very excited about graduation. "It is important for me, for Iraqi women and for Iraq because we have a chance for a new life for the next generation," she said.
Iraqi army recruit Junde Mona Kidam said she was happy about graduating. "It felt like being in college," she said.
The new soldiers proceed now to their newly assigned units, with the top five honor graduates selected to work for Iraqi general officers.
Ongoing training continues at their home units.
(From a Multinational Security Transition Command Iraq news release.)
Center Looks Ahead to 'Hybrid Threat' Training
By Donna MilesAmerican Forces Press Service
Nov. 5, 2009 - When the National Training Center opened here in 1981, it presented the most realistic training environment imaginable to prepare troops for a potential large-scale, tank-on-tank confrontation with the Soviet Union in Germany's Fulda Gap. After the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, NTC transformed dramatically to train deploying warfighters for the fight against terrorists and insurgent groups in Iraq, and to a lesser degree, Afghanistan. The Joint Readiness Training Center at Fort Polk, La., conducts most Afghanistan-based mission rehearsal exercises.
Today, as the military begins drawing down in Iraq, the NTC cadre is looking ahead to what they believe will be this sweeping training center's future role. Instead of preparing troops for either conventional or irregular warfare, they expect to train them to face "hybrid threats" that include both ends of the spectrum and everything in between.
That will require another major transformation at NTC, a post larger than Rhode Island deep within the Mojave Desert.
NTC long ago shed its Cold War focus, with a permanent opposing force that used Warsaw Pact tactics, dressed in Soviet-type uniforms and navigated the training grounds in Vietnam-era M-551 Sheridan tanks modified to look like the T-72 and BMP tanks.
The focus turned to counterinsurgency operations required in Iraq and Afghanistan. Troops deploying to the combat theater were trained in mounted and dismounted patrols, cordon-and-search missions, searches for weapons and high-value targets, bilateral talks with Iraqi officials and infrastructure missions. They also learned how to detect the enemy's weapon of choice: improvised explosive devices.
As Iraqi security forces increasingly took the lead in security operations, the NTC cadre began training the new "advise and assist" brigades deploying to support them.
Army Col. Ted Martin, chief of NTC's operations group, said looking ahead to the next fight – one for which the Army's Combined Center and Training and Doctrine Command are now developing doctrine – will require a new level of flexibility at NTC.
Martin's team is instrumental in developing the NTC training scenarios, and its observer-controllers monitor the training and provide after-action reviews.
"No one has experienced the hybrid threat or knows exactly what it looks like, so we have to begin by training ourselves," he said.
Martin described what he believes the hybrid threat will look like. "It is not the Russian Army coming across the East German-West German border. That is gone," he said.
It could look more like the 2006 Israel-Hezbollah War or the 2008 Russia-Georgia conflict. "You are going to be confronted by an irregular force, criminals, terrorists and some conventional capability," Martin predicted.
The 11th Armored Cavalry Regiment, NTC's permanent opposing force, had the conventional fight down pat back in the days when it regularly engaged in tank-on-tank conflict simulating a major Cold War confrontation.
"Back then, the scenario was a heavy armor-oriented training scenario that focused on combined-arms maneuver warfare against a near-peer competitor," recalled Army Lt. Col. Scott Coulson, the "Black Horse" Regiment's deputy commander.
Repetitive training iterations, along with a home court advantage, made the regiment a formidable opponent. "Very infrequently did they lose," Coulson said. "There were a number of times when the rotational training unit did well enough to be told that they 'won,' but it could be counted on basically one hand over 15 or so years."
The regiment has had similar successes preparing units to deploy into combat for the counterinsurgency fight. But in doing so, Coulson expressed concern that the 11th ACR – and the Army as a whole -- has lost some of its conventional fighting edge.
"We recognize that our long-term focus on counterinsurgency operations has allowed our heavy combat skills to atrophy somewhat," he said. "As an example, there aren't out in the Army right now a lot of staff sergeants, sergeants first class and captains who understand how to conduct a mounted breach at the battalion and brigade level."
He called restoring that capability essential to the Army's future, particularly in light of emerging hybrid threats.
"We don't want to allow the skills we have honed over 30 years of getting ready to fight hard to just vanish and go away," he said. "Combined with that, there are some legitimate reasons to believe that future wars might include some of that threat."
So the NTC leadership is looking ahead, trying to determine the best way to incorporate the full spectrum of threats -- conventional as well as asymmetric -- into the training.
Coulson offered one concept of what a future NTC rotation might look like, when the rotational training unit doesn't deploy immediately afterward to the combat theater.
"On any given day, you might face an opposed-entry scenario, where some sort of conventional force will oppose you, maybe with armored vehicles and some organized dismounted infantryman," he said.
"It might then devolve into an irregular warfare fight, where you are up against an insurgency and trying to interact with local townspeople in an area you have seized," he said. "You might then be faced with making an offensive move into an area that is defended by something that looks a lot like Hezbollah, that fought the Israelis in 2006 -- irregular warfare, but at a higher level than the current insurgencies we are fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan."
Stability operations like those being conducted in Iraq and Afghanistan also are likely to be incorporated into the play, he said.
"So the idea would be that we develop the capability to replicate this entire spectrum, from throwing Warsaw Pact-style tanks, artillery and air attacks ... at a unit, to lots of dismounted guys with anti-tank missiles and [improvised explosive devices] ... to kidnapping and crime," Coulson said.
Squeezing all that into a single rotation will take some juggling, he conceded. If rotational units conducted the situational training exercises at their home stations before arriving at NTC, it could free up more time for full-spectrum, hybrid threat operations, he said.
As the Army's hybrid threat doctrine gets hammered out, NTC's immediate attention remains on warfighters deploying to the combat theater. "It might seem like we're ramping down in Iraq, but we have a lot of brigades in line to come here and do their training, and that's not to mention Afghanistan," Martin said.
But during each NTC rotation, about 200 11th ACR troops break away from the scenario to ensure that when they're called on to begin hybrid threat training, they're ready.
"We are calling it hybrid threat training, but basically it means taking our OPFOR surrogate vehicles, our fake Soviet vehicles, out into the maneuver training area and practicing maneuver warfare," Coulson said.
As they rehearse platoon- and company-level attacks and defenses in a remote corner of the center, the regiment is starting to rebuild skills Coulson said made them "historically lethal and effective."
Terrorist Financing
Written Testimony of Assistant Secretary for Terrorist Financing David S. Cohen Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs
“Business Formation and Financial Crime: Finding a Legislative Solution”
I. Introduction
Chairman Lieberman, Ranking Member Collins, distinguished members of the Committee, thank you for inviting me to testify today. I am pleased to have the opportunity to present the Department of the Treasury's views on the global challenge of enhancing access to beneficial ownership information in order to combat the abuse of legal entities by those engaging in financial crime.
I would like to begin by thanking Senator Levin for his leadership on this important and pressing topic, and for raising awareness in the U.S. and globally of an issue that is of paramount importance in our efforts to combat financial crime. I would also like to extend my appreciation to colleagues across the government and private sector, here at home and internationally, who have worked with the Department of the Treasury and invested a tremendous amount of time and energy in attempting to address the challenges of making beneficial ownership information more readily available.
My colleagues across the Department of the Treasury, including from the Office of Terrorism and Financial Intelligence, Domestic Finance, International Affairs and Tax Policy, have all contributed to Treasury's thinking on how best to require the disclosure of beneficial ownership information in a way that effectively combats the criminal misuse of legal entities while, at the same time, ensuring that we do not unduly complicate the company formation process, which plays such an important role in our nation's economic prosperity. I look forward today to outlining Treasury's approach to this critically important and difficult challenge, explaining the basis for our current thinking, and offering the Administration's views on S. 569, the "Incorporation Transparency and Law Enforcement Assistance Act".
At the outset, it is important to recognize a number of key considerations that have informed our thinking:
First, the ability of criminal and other illicit actors to form corporations in the United States without disclosing their true identity presents a serious vulnerability. It creates a pathway for criminal actors to gain access to the international financial system, and creates significant obstacles in our ability to investigate financial crime. As I will explain, there is ample evidence that criminal organizations and others who threaten our national security exploit this vulnerability.
Second, information on the true beneficial ownership of a legal entity – at the time a business is formed, as ownership changes during its lifespan, and when it seeks to open accounts at financial institutions – is critical to stopping the exploitation of legal entities by criminal actors.
Third, the challenge of enhancing access to the beneficial ownership information of legal entities is complex and requires a global solution. While we work within the Administration and with Congress to address this issue domestically, Treasury is also working with our foreign counterparts to improve global understanding and capability to address this challenge worldwide.
Fourth, in seeking to make beneficial ownership information available in ways that effectively address the misuse of legal entities, we are keenly aware of the need to preserve an efficient and straightforward entity formation process in the United States, and not to create unnecessary impediments to accessing the financial system for the vast majority of new and existing businesses that pose no threat whatsoever.
Finally, because we are starting from a situation in which beneficial ownership information is not required at the time of company formation, we believe that even incremental progress in this area is likely to yield substantial positive results.
These considerations inform and shape our views on S. 569. This bill addresses a key issue – namely, helping ensure that information on the beneficial ownership of legal entities created in the United States is readily available to law enforcement for investigative purposes. As I will explain in detail, the Administration believes that S. 569 is an important step in the right direction on this issue, and provides a useful platform on which to construct an effective legislative solution, provided that it is amended and modified in the manner that I describe below. We are fully committed to working with the Congress and our interagency partners to craft legislative text to amend the Bill in order to address our concerns.
My testimony will focus on the following three areas:
(i) The ways in which lax company formation laws are abused by criminals to perpetrate crime while hiding behind the corporate form;
(ii) Treasury's comprehensive approach to enhance access to information on the beneficial ownership of legal entities; and
(iii) Our views on S. 569, in particular the amendments and modifications that we think are necessary to craft legislation that will effectively and efficiently enhance the availability of beneficial ownership information of legal entities created in the United States.
II. Challenges Posed by the Misuse of Legal Entities
In order to develop an effective way forward in combating the criminal abuse of legal entities through enhanced access to beneficial ownership information, it is essential at the outset to recognize and balance the substantial threat presented by the abuse of legal entities to facilitate financial crime, and the countervailing importance of maintaining efficient processes in creating legal entities and in promoting access to financial services.
The substantial threat presented by abuse of legal entities to facilitate financial crime
Criminal organizations abuse legal entities to obscure the beneficial ownership and control of businesses they operate. This allows criminal actors to gain access to the international financial system – because the true risk associated with providing accounts to these entities is masked – and thus facilitates financial crime. Years of research and law enforcement investigations have conclusively demonstrated the link between the abuse of legal entities, on the one hand, and, on the other hand, WMD proliferation, terrorist financing, sanctions evasion, tax evasion, corruption and money laundering for virtually all forms of serious criminal activity.[1]
As these reports and investigations indicate, this abuse is particularly prevalent with respect to legal entities created in the United States. We know how easy it is for illicit actors around the world to create a legal entity in the United States. And we know that these actors then use the presumed legitimacy of a US-based entity to gain access to the international financial system and disguise the source of their funds or the purpose of their financial transactions. We also know that some disreputable company formation agents in the United States have facilitated this activity by promoting the ease of setting up a legal entity – in some cases it can be done in a matter of minutes – together with techniques that legally enable individuals behind the legal entity to maintain anonymity even when the legal entity becomes the subject of a criminal investigation.
These practices have been highlighted in a number of public reports, such as the 2006 GAO Report on Company Formation, the 2006 Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) Guidance on Potential Money Laundering Risk Related to Shell Companies, and the 2007 National Money Laundering Strategy. The two prior hearings on beneficial ownership held by this Committee and the Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations also provided detailed testimony from the Department of the Treasury, the Department of Justice, the Department of Homeland Security, the New York District Attorney and others on the extent of this problem.
These reports, and the testimony previously presented to this Committee and its subcommittee, are replete with examples of how criminals and other illicit actors abuse the lax company formation processes in the United States to facilitate their endeavors. These reports and prior testimony from the Treasury Department and other agencies describe in great detail how our existing company formation laws undermine efforts to promote transparency across the international financial system and impede investigations of significant cases of money laundering, terrorist financing, and other financial crime.
It is important to note, however, that the United States is not alone in grappling with this question. Jurisdictions all over the world continue to struggle to find ways of making meaningful beneficial ownership information about legal entities available to relevant authorities. The Financial Action Task Force (FATF), the international policy and standard-setting body for combating financial crime, has issued an international standard stating that "[c]ountries should ensure that there is adequate, accurate, and timely information on the beneficial ownership and control of legal persons that can be obtained or accessed in a timely fashion by competent authorities." Out of over 125 jurisdictions assessed against this standard by the FATF, FATF-Style Regional Bodies, the International Monetary Fund or the World Bank, the overwhelming majority have failed to substantially comply. In the case of legal entities created in the United States, the FATF has stated that "there are no measures in place to ensure that there is adequate, accurate and timely information on the beneficial ownership and control of legal persons that can be obtained or accessed in a timely fashion by competent authorities." Bringing our company formation laws in line with FATF's standards is an important objective, especially when, as here, it reinforces a clearly articulated law enforcement priority.
The importance of maintaining efficient processes in creating legal entities and in promoting access to financial services
In working to enhance access to beneficial ownership information, Treasury is also mindful of the very significant interests in preserving efficient processes in creating legal entities and in promoting access to financial services, both of which are essential to a well-functioning economy and the efficient operation of the domestic and international financial system. Foreign and domestic persons with legitimate economic interests rely upon the ability to create legal entities quickly and easily for a variety of entirely beneficial and lawful reasons. In addition, ensuring the ability of legal entities to open bank accounts and otherwise access financial services facilitates entrepreneurship, economic growth and development. In considering ways to enhance the availability of beneficial ownership information of legal entities, we must be careful not to infringe on these entirely legitimate, and fundamentally important, interests.
III. Treasury's Comprehensive Approach to Enhance Access to Beneficial Ownership Information of Legal Entities
The Department of the Treasury has been focused for several years on the question of how best to enhance access to beneficial ownership information to combat the abuse of legal entities, and we are currently pursuing a three-pronged approach to advance these interests. Our approach generally balances the need to enhance access to beneficial ownership information of legal entities with the need to maintain efficient processes in creating legal entities and in promoting access to financial services. Our comprehensive approach includes the following elements:
Enhance the availability of beneficial ownership information of legal entities created in the United States: Promote legislation that requires (a) the submission of beneficial ownership information at the time of company formation; (b) the obligation to keep that information updated throughout the entity's existence; and (c) the availability of that information upon proper request by law enforcement. To ensure compliance, the legislation must impose significant penalties for failure to abide by these requirements. We are focusing our current efforts on working with our interagency partners and the Congress to amend S. 569 so that it more effectively and efficiently accomplishes these goals.
Clarify and strengthen customer due diligence requirements for U.S. financial institutions with respect to the beneficial ownership of legal entity accountholders: Treasury is currently working with the federal financial regulatory agencies to consider guidance for U.S. financial institutions that will clarify when and how financial institutions should identify and verify beneficial ownership as a component of conducting customer due diligence of accountholders that are legal entities. We are also working with the regulatory and law enforcement communities, and consulting with the private sector, to determine whether and, if so, how such due diligence requirements should be strengthened through rulemaking or otherwise.
Clarify and facilitate global implementation of international standards regarding beneficial ownership: In 2003 the FATF reviewed and updated its 40 Recommendations for jurisdictions to implement appropriate countermeasures against money laundering. Three of those Recommendations – Recommendations 5, 33 and 34 – specifically address obtaining beneficial ownership information. These Recommendations, however, have created implementation challenges for the overwhelming majority of jurisdictions around the world. As we move forward in addressing the issue of beneficial ownership in the United States, we are also working with our counterparts in the FATF to ensure that its standards evolve in a way in which compliance is both achievable and effective. Even if we make progress domestically, failure to achieve consistency internationally will merely shift the locus of the problem to another jurisdiction and fail to address the problems that flow from lack of beneficial ownership transparency.
IV. Amending S. 569 to Enhance the Availability of Beneficial Ownership Information of Legal Entities Created in the United States
The Treasury Department clearly recognizes the need for federal legislation to enhance the availability of beneficial ownership information of legal entities created in the United States. The gravity and complexity of the ongoing abuse of legal entities by a broad spectrum of criminals and others who threaten our national security demand nothing less. And we view S. 569 as a productive step in the direction of requiring the availability of meaningful beneficial ownership information about legal entities created in the United States. We believe that with modifications, S. 569 could serve as the appropriate legislative vehicle to address this issue.
I also want to be clear that Treasury recognizes that there is no perfect solution to this complex problem. Whatever action we take will not prevent all criminals from misusing legal entities to perpetrate financial crime. And whatever action we take will entail some cost and burden in the company formation process. Our goal is meaningful progress, capitalizing on what we have learned over the past few years in studying this problem, and laying the groundwork for future action if it proves necessary.
While Treasury fully supports the objective of enhancing law enforcement access to beneficial ownership information of legal entities created in the United States, in order for us to support S. 569, we believe it must be amended to address the following key issues:
Clarify and limit the beneficial ownership definition and corresponding information disclosure requirements: Under S. 569 as currently drafted, the ambiguity and breadth of the definition of beneficial ownership, coupled with burdensome disclosure requirements, makes compliance uncertain, time-consuming and costly. The definition and application of beneficial ownership information requirements should be sufficiently straightforward and simple in application to work for the full range of covered legal entities – from small, start-up businesses to large, complex legal entities – and regardless of whether the applicant is a foreign or U.S. person.
Eliminate expansion of anti-money laundering obligations to company formation agents in favor of broader civil and criminal federal liability for noncompliance: As currently drafted, S. 569 would effectively require Treasury to subject attorneys who provide company formation services for their clients to anti-money laundering regulation, thereby raising substantial legal, policy and practical challenges. Subjecting company formation agents in general to such regulation would also present tremendous administrative challenges for Treasury, largely due to the lack of an existing functional regulator for this industry. We believe S. 569 should not attempt to regulate company formation agents under the Bank Secrecy Act, but instead should establish clear and significant federal criminal and civil liability for persons who fail to provide accurate beneficial ownership information as required by law.
Establish documentation requirements: As currently drafted, S. 569 does not establish any documentation requirements for beneficial owners who are U.S. persons, although it does require foreign persons to provide a copy of a passport page on which the beneficial owner's photograph appears. In our view, S. 569 should require robust documentation for all beneficial owners, foreign and domestic, to be held within the State and made available upon proper demand by law enforcement. Generally, that documentation would be a credible and legible copy of government-issued photographic identification, such as driver's license or a passport.
Require further study of illicit finance vulnerabilities associated with the transfer of legal entities and potential solutions for updating beneficial ownership information: S. 569 allows for company formation applicants to update their beneficial ownership information in an annual filing with the State. This time gap introduces a significant vulnerability for abuse upon the transfer of a legal entity and requires further study.
Preserve State Homeland Security Grant funds: As currently drafted, S. 569 authorizes States to use State Homeland Security Grant funds to carry out the obligations imposed by the Bill. These funds, however, are already relied upon by States to finance first responders in preparing for and responding to emergency situations. In our view, S. 569 should not authorize States to draw from the State Homeland Security Grant program to defray the costs of implementation.
Based on recent discussions with our interagency partners and the Congress, we firmly believe that S. 569 can be amended to address these key issues. We are fully committed to working with our interagency partners and the Congress to make this happen, and we have already begun to draft proposed legislative text to address the five concerns I have described above.
V. Conclusion
Looking ahead, Treasury intends to make progress on each of the elements of our comprehensive beneficial ownership strategy to address the abuse of legal entities in facilitating all forms of financial crime:
Treasury will work in earnest with the Congress and our interagency partners to have S. 569 amended along the lines described above in order to enhance the availability of beneficial ownership information of entities created in the United States in an effective and workable manner.
In consultation with the federal financial regulators, Treasury will be considering guidance to the financial community, and will consider engaging in rulemaking, to clarify and enhance customer due diligence obligations for financial institutions regarding the identification and verification of beneficial ownership information of legal entity accountholders under a risk-based approach.
Treasury will continue to work with the Financial Action Task Force to clarify and facilitate implementation of international standards addressing beneficial ownership, building from our domestic experience.
Although we know that there is still much to do, we have seen tremendous progress over the last several years. We have developed and are moving forward with a comprehensive approach to address the challenges of beneficial ownership. With respect to the particular challenge of enhancing the availability of beneficial ownership information of legal entities created in the United States, we have moved from discussions about the problem to discussions about solutions. This is no simple accomplishment, especially considering that the issue involves the highly sensitive issue of modifying the process by which corporate entities are created.
On behalf of the Department of the Treasury, I would like to thank the Committee for inviting me to testify today, and I look forward to answering your questions.
[1] See, e.g., 2007 National Money Laundering Strategy at 63-65; "Potential Money Laundering Risk Related to Shell Companies," FinCEN, FIN-2006-G014, November 9, 2006; S.539, 111th Cong. 1st Session, Section 2 Findings; Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs: `Examining State Business Incorporation Practices: A Discussion of the Incorporation Transparency and Law Enforcement Assistance Act.' June 18th, 2009:http://hsgac.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?FuseAction=Hearings.Hearing&Hearing_ID=ef10e125-2c1d-4344-baf1-07f6061611c1; House Committee on Financial Services: `Capital Loss, Corruption, and the Role of Western Financial Institutions.' May 19th, 2009. http://www.house.gov/apps/list/hearing/financialsvcs_dem/hrfc051309.shtml
“Business Formation and Financial Crime: Finding a Legislative Solution”
I. Introduction
Chairman Lieberman, Ranking Member Collins, distinguished members of the Committee, thank you for inviting me to testify today. I am pleased to have the opportunity to present the Department of the Treasury's views on the global challenge of enhancing access to beneficial ownership information in order to combat the abuse of legal entities by those engaging in financial crime.
I would like to begin by thanking Senator Levin for his leadership on this important and pressing topic, and for raising awareness in the U.S. and globally of an issue that is of paramount importance in our efforts to combat financial crime. I would also like to extend my appreciation to colleagues across the government and private sector, here at home and internationally, who have worked with the Department of the Treasury and invested a tremendous amount of time and energy in attempting to address the challenges of making beneficial ownership information more readily available.
My colleagues across the Department of the Treasury, including from the Office of Terrorism and Financial Intelligence, Domestic Finance, International Affairs and Tax Policy, have all contributed to Treasury's thinking on how best to require the disclosure of beneficial ownership information in a way that effectively combats the criminal misuse of legal entities while, at the same time, ensuring that we do not unduly complicate the company formation process, which plays such an important role in our nation's economic prosperity. I look forward today to outlining Treasury's approach to this critically important and difficult challenge, explaining the basis for our current thinking, and offering the Administration's views on S. 569, the "Incorporation Transparency and Law Enforcement Assistance Act".
At the outset, it is important to recognize a number of key considerations that have informed our thinking:
First, the ability of criminal and other illicit actors to form corporations in the United States without disclosing their true identity presents a serious vulnerability. It creates a pathway for criminal actors to gain access to the international financial system, and creates significant obstacles in our ability to investigate financial crime. As I will explain, there is ample evidence that criminal organizations and others who threaten our national security exploit this vulnerability.
Second, information on the true beneficial ownership of a legal entity – at the time a business is formed, as ownership changes during its lifespan, and when it seeks to open accounts at financial institutions – is critical to stopping the exploitation of legal entities by criminal actors.
Third, the challenge of enhancing access to the beneficial ownership information of legal entities is complex and requires a global solution. While we work within the Administration and with Congress to address this issue domestically, Treasury is also working with our foreign counterparts to improve global understanding and capability to address this challenge worldwide.
Fourth, in seeking to make beneficial ownership information available in ways that effectively address the misuse of legal entities, we are keenly aware of the need to preserve an efficient and straightforward entity formation process in the United States, and not to create unnecessary impediments to accessing the financial system for the vast majority of new and existing businesses that pose no threat whatsoever.
Finally, because we are starting from a situation in which beneficial ownership information is not required at the time of company formation, we believe that even incremental progress in this area is likely to yield substantial positive results.
These considerations inform and shape our views on S. 569. This bill addresses a key issue – namely, helping ensure that information on the beneficial ownership of legal entities created in the United States is readily available to law enforcement for investigative purposes. As I will explain in detail, the Administration believes that S. 569 is an important step in the right direction on this issue, and provides a useful platform on which to construct an effective legislative solution, provided that it is amended and modified in the manner that I describe below. We are fully committed to working with the Congress and our interagency partners to craft legislative text to amend the Bill in order to address our concerns.
My testimony will focus on the following three areas:
(i) The ways in which lax company formation laws are abused by criminals to perpetrate crime while hiding behind the corporate form;
(ii) Treasury's comprehensive approach to enhance access to information on the beneficial ownership of legal entities; and
(iii) Our views on S. 569, in particular the amendments and modifications that we think are necessary to craft legislation that will effectively and efficiently enhance the availability of beneficial ownership information of legal entities created in the United States.
II. Challenges Posed by the Misuse of Legal Entities
In order to develop an effective way forward in combating the criminal abuse of legal entities through enhanced access to beneficial ownership information, it is essential at the outset to recognize and balance the substantial threat presented by the abuse of legal entities to facilitate financial crime, and the countervailing importance of maintaining efficient processes in creating legal entities and in promoting access to financial services.
The substantial threat presented by abuse of legal entities to facilitate financial crime
Criminal organizations abuse legal entities to obscure the beneficial ownership and control of businesses they operate. This allows criminal actors to gain access to the international financial system – because the true risk associated with providing accounts to these entities is masked – and thus facilitates financial crime. Years of research and law enforcement investigations have conclusively demonstrated the link between the abuse of legal entities, on the one hand, and, on the other hand, WMD proliferation, terrorist financing, sanctions evasion, tax evasion, corruption and money laundering for virtually all forms of serious criminal activity.[1]
As these reports and investigations indicate, this abuse is particularly prevalent with respect to legal entities created in the United States. We know how easy it is for illicit actors around the world to create a legal entity in the United States. And we know that these actors then use the presumed legitimacy of a US-based entity to gain access to the international financial system and disguise the source of their funds or the purpose of their financial transactions. We also know that some disreputable company formation agents in the United States have facilitated this activity by promoting the ease of setting up a legal entity – in some cases it can be done in a matter of minutes – together with techniques that legally enable individuals behind the legal entity to maintain anonymity even when the legal entity becomes the subject of a criminal investigation.
These practices have been highlighted in a number of public reports, such as the 2006 GAO Report on Company Formation, the 2006 Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) Guidance on Potential Money Laundering Risk Related to Shell Companies, and the 2007 National Money Laundering Strategy. The two prior hearings on beneficial ownership held by this Committee and the Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations also provided detailed testimony from the Department of the Treasury, the Department of Justice, the Department of Homeland Security, the New York District Attorney and others on the extent of this problem.
These reports, and the testimony previously presented to this Committee and its subcommittee, are replete with examples of how criminals and other illicit actors abuse the lax company formation processes in the United States to facilitate their endeavors. These reports and prior testimony from the Treasury Department and other agencies describe in great detail how our existing company formation laws undermine efforts to promote transparency across the international financial system and impede investigations of significant cases of money laundering, terrorist financing, and other financial crime.
It is important to note, however, that the United States is not alone in grappling with this question. Jurisdictions all over the world continue to struggle to find ways of making meaningful beneficial ownership information about legal entities available to relevant authorities. The Financial Action Task Force (FATF), the international policy and standard-setting body for combating financial crime, has issued an international standard stating that "[c]ountries should ensure that there is adequate, accurate, and timely information on the beneficial ownership and control of legal persons that can be obtained or accessed in a timely fashion by competent authorities." Out of over 125 jurisdictions assessed against this standard by the FATF, FATF-Style Regional Bodies, the International Monetary Fund or the World Bank, the overwhelming majority have failed to substantially comply. In the case of legal entities created in the United States, the FATF has stated that "there are no measures in place to ensure that there is adequate, accurate and timely information on the beneficial ownership and control of legal persons that can be obtained or accessed in a timely fashion by competent authorities." Bringing our company formation laws in line with FATF's standards is an important objective, especially when, as here, it reinforces a clearly articulated law enforcement priority.
The importance of maintaining efficient processes in creating legal entities and in promoting access to financial services
In working to enhance access to beneficial ownership information, Treasury is also mindful of the very significant interests in preserving efficient processes in creating legal entities and in promoting access to financial services, both of which are essential to a well-functioning economy and the efficient operation of the domestic and international financial system. Foreign and domestic persons with legitimate economic interests rely upon the ability to create legal entities quickly and easily for a variety of entirely beneficial and lawful reasons. In addition, ensuring the ability of legal entities to open bank accounts and otherwise access financial services facilitates entrepreneurship, economic growth and development. In considering ways to enhance the availability of beneficial ownership information of legal entities, we must be careful not to infringe on these entirely legitimate, and fundamentally important, interests.
III. Treasury's Comprehensive Approach to Enhance Access to Beneficial Ownership Information of Legal Entities
The Department of the Treasury has been focused for several years on the question of how best to enhance access to beneficial ownership information to combat the abuse of legal entities, and we are currently pursuing a three-pronged approach to advance these interests. Our approach generally balances the need to enhance access to beneficial ownership information of legal entities with the need to maintain efficient processes in creating legal entities and in promoting access to financial services. Our comprehensive approach includes the following elements:
Enhance the availability of beneficial ownership information of legal entities created in the United States: Promote legislation that requires (a) the submission of beneficial ownership information at the time of company formation; (b) the obligation to keep that information updated throughout the entity's existence; and (c) the availability of that information upon proper request by law enforcement. To ensure compliance, the legislation must impose significant penalties for failure to abide by these requirements. We are focusing our current efforts on working with our interagency partners and the Congress to amend S. 569 so that it more effectively and efficiently accomplishes these goals.
Clarify and strengthen customer due diligence requirements for U.S. financial institutions with respect to the beneficial ownership of legal entity accountholders: Treasury is currently working with the federal financial regulatory agencies to consider guidance for U.S. financial institutions that will clarify when and how financial institutions should identify and verify beneficial ownership as a component of conducting customer due diligence of accountholders that are legal entities. We are also working with the regulatory and law enforcement communities, and consulting with the private sector, to determine whether and, if so, how such due diligence requirements should be strengthened through rulemaking or otherwise.
Clarify and facilitate global implementation of international standards regarding beneficial ownership: In 2003 the FATF reviewed and updated its 40 Recommendations for jurisdictions to implement appropriate countermeasures against money laundering. Three of those Recommendations – Recommendations 5, 33 and 34 – specifically address obtaining beneficial ownership information. These Recommendations, however, have created implementation challenges for the overwhelming majority of jurisdictions around the world. As we move forward in addressing the issue of beneficial ownership in the United States, we are also working with our counterparts in the FATF to ensure that its standards evolve in a way in which compliance is both achievable and effective. Even if we make progress domestically, failure to achieve consistency internationally will merely shift the locus of the problem to another jurisdiction and fail to address the problems that flow from lack of beneficial ownership transparency.
IV. Amending S. 569 to Enhance the Availability of Beneficial Ownership Information of Legal Entities Created in the United States
The Treasury Department clearly recognizes the need for federal legislation to enhance the availability of beneficial ownership information of legal entities created in the United States. The gravity and complexity of the ongoing abuse of legal entities by a broad spectrum of criminals and others who threaten our national security demand nothing less. And we view S. 569 as a productive step in the direction of requiring the availability of meaningful beneficial ownership information about legal entities created in the United States. We believe that with modifications, S. 569 could serve as the appropriate legislative vehicle to address this issue.
I also want to be clear that Treasury recognizes that there is no perfect solution to this complex problem. Whatever action we take will not prevent all criminals from misusing legal entities to perpetrate financial crime. And whatever action we take will entail some cost and burden in the company formation process. Our goal is meaningful progress, capitalizing on what we have learned over the past few years in studying this problem, and laying the groundwork for future action if it proves necessary.
While Treasury fully supports the objective of enhancing law enforcement access to beneficial ownership information of legal entities created in the United States, in order for us to support S. 569, we believe it must be amended to address the following key issues:
Clarify and limit the beneficial ownership definition and corresponding information disclosure requirements: Under S. 569 as currently drafted, the ambiguity and breadth of the definition of beneficial ownership, coupled with burdensome disclosure requirements, makes compliance uncertain, time-consuming and costly. The definition and application of beneficial ownership information requirements should be sufficiently straightforward and simple in application to work for the full range of covered legal entities – from small, start-up businesses to large, complex legal entities – and regardless of whether the applicant is a foreign or U.S. person.
Eliminate expansion of anti-money laundering obligations to company formation agents in favor of broader civil and criminal federal liability for noncompliance: As currently drafted, S. 569 would effectively require Treasury to subject attorneys who provide company formation services for their clients to anti-money laundering regulation, thereby raising substantial legal, policy and practical challenges. Subjecting company formation agents in general to such regulation would also present tremendous administrative challenges for Treasury, largely due to the lack of an existing functional regulator for this industry. We believe S. 569 should not attempt to regulate company formation agents under the Bank Secrecy Act, but instead should establish clear and significant federal criminal and civil liability for persons who fail to provide accurate beneficial ownership information as required by law.
Establish documentation requirements: As currently drafted, S. 569 does not establish any documentation requirements for beneficial owners who are U.S. persons, although it does require foreign persons to provide a copy of a passport page on which the beneficial owner's photograph appears. In our view, S. 569 should require robust documentation for all beneficial owners, foreign and domestic, to be held within the State and made available upon proper demand by law enforcement. Generally, that documentation would be a credible and legible copy of government-issued photographic identification, such as driver's license or a passport.
Require further study of illicit finance vulnerabilities associated with the transfer of legal entities and potential solutions for updating beneficial ownership information: S. 569 allows for company formation applicants to update their beneficial ownership information in an annual filing with the State. This time gap introduces a significant vulnerability for abuse upon the transfer of a legal entity and requires further study.
Preserve State Homeland Security Grant funds: As currently drafted, S. 569 authorizes States to use State Homeland Security Grant funds to carry out the obligations imposed by the Bill. These funds, however, are already relied upon by States to finance first responders in preparing for and responding to emergency situations. In our view, S. 569 should not authorize States to draw from the State Homeland Security Grant program to defray the costs of implementation.
Based on recent discussions with our interagency partners and the Congress, we firmly believe that S. 569 can be amended to address these key issues. We are fully committed to working with our interagency partners and the Congress to make this happen, and we have already begun to draft proposed legislative text to address the five concerns I have described above.
V. Conclusion
Looking ahead, Treasury intends to make progress on each of the elements of our comprehensive beneficial ownership strategy to address the abuse of legal entities in facilitating all forms of financial crime:
Treasury will work in earnest with the Congress and our interagency partners to have S. 569 amended along the lines described above in order to enhance the availability of beneficial ownership information of entities created in the United States in an effective and workable manner.
In consultation with the federal financial regulators, Treasury will be considering guidance to the financial community, and will consider engaging in rulemaking, to clarify and enhance customer due diligence obligations for financial institutions regarding the identification and verification of beneficial ownership information of legal entity accountholders under a risk-based approach.
Treasury will continue to work with the Financial Action Task Force to clarify and facilitate implementation of international standards addressing beneficial ownership, building from our domestic experience.
Although we know that there is still much to do, we have seen tremendous progress over the last several years. We have developed and are moving forward with a comprehensive approach to address the challenges of beneficial ownership. With respect to the particular challenge of enhancing the availability of beneficial ownership information of legal entities created in the United States, we have moved from discussions about the problem to discussions about solutions. This is no simple accomplishment, especially considering that the issue involves the highly sensitive issue of modifying the process by which corporate entities are created.
On behalf of the Department of the Treasury, I would like to thank the Committee for inviting me to testify today, and I look forward to answering your questions.
[1] See, e.g., 2007 National Money Laundering Strategy at 63-65; "Potential Money Laundering Risk Related to Shell Companies," FinCEN, FIN-2006-G014, November 9, 2006; S.539, 111th Cong. 1st Session, Section 2 Findings; Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs: `Examining State Business Incorporation Practices: A Discussion of the Incorporation Transparency and Law Enforcement Assistance Act.' June 18th, 2009:http://hsgac.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?FuseAction=Hearings.Hearing&Hearing_ID=ef10e125-2c1d-4344-baf1-07f6061611c1; House Committee on Financial Services: `Capital Loss, Corruption, and the Role of Western Financial Institutions.' May 19th, 2009. http://www.house.gov/apps/list/hearing/financialsvcs_dem/hrfc051309.shtml
Wednesday, November 04, 2009
Center Assesses Psychological Trauma Treatments
By Jim Garamone
American Forces Press Service
Nov. 4, 2009 - Treatment for servicemembers suffering from psychological trauma really is a brave new world. Before the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, there was little research on effective treatments and not much pressure to add to what existed, said Army Brig. Gen. (Dr.) Loree Sutton, director of the Defense Center of Excellence for Psychological Health and Traumatic Brain Injury.
Sutton, at a Warrior Resilience Conference here, said her office has been working with the services to develop treatment programs and is researching best medical practices. But the effort isn't a simple matter of an open checkbook; results count.
"Everyone has good intentions," she said during an interview. "But as I'm fond of saying, 'In God we trust. All others bring data.' We continue to add to our data."
The center has sponsored a number of promising initiatives to combat the signature psychological wounds of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, as a result of funding that flowed in to military medicine after revelations of substandard care at Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington.
The initiatives provide a chance to standardize the hundreds of disjointed programs around the country, Sutton said. "Some are pilot programs, some we added to established programs, and with some we have ventured in to completely new kinds of approaches," she said.
The initiatives are just approaching maturity now, the general said. "We are putting outcome metrics against the programs to see what works [and] what doesn't," she said. "The services and everyone involved knows that we will go where the evidence leads."
Sutton explained some successful initiatives. The first is the publishing of a clinical practice guideline for concussion or mild traumatic brain injury. "It's the first that has been signed off on," she said. "We're in the process of taking the guideline and transforming it into a mandatory, event-driven protocol."
The protocol mandates that if a vehicle is struck by a roadside bomb, everyone in that vehicle must go through a standardized treatment. "There is no choice," she said. "It's a partnership between the line leadership and the medical leadership. It gets past the stigma and the 'suck-it-up' leadership. No excuses, no exceptions, this is what happens."
The tools have been implemented and have ripened, The medical community is ready to link up with line partners, and the whole process can now be implemented in units, Sutton said.
The office also stepped in to look at cognitive rehabilitation programs. This is a concern throughout the country, Sutton said, acknowledging that confusion exists about what it involves and whether it should it be reimbursed by the Tricare military health plan.
Much like rehabilitation after a stroke, she explained, cognitive rehabilitation is a series of treatments designed to re-teach those suffering from traumatic brain injury the skills they lost. Sutton's office brought together a group of nationally known experts to determine where things stand. "This will put the foundation under our research efforts and the way ahead," she said.
Another initiative is the "Real Warriors" campaign, which uses public service announcements to tell the stories of servicemembers who are dealing with psychological trauma. It is an attempt to get servicemembers to get past the stigma associated with these ailments.
"The power of this campaign comes from the fact that these are real warriors," Sutton said. "It's a volunteer program, and they come forward and tell their own stories. It helps them, and it certainly helps their peers who may be suffering in silence and isolation and feeling that they are all alone."
Finally, the office is part of the National Intrepid Center for Excellence. Philanthropist Arnold Fisher raised the money and built a world-class center in San Antonio for amputee care.
"A couple of years ago, Mr. Fisher came forward and said he wanted to pledge the same level of support to the invisible injuries of war," Sutton said. "That center will become the hub of our networks from around the world."
The 72,000-square-foot facility will be adjacent to the Navy's Bethesda, Md., medical campus and, while built with private funds, will be manned by military and civilian employees. The center will treat those with psychological trauma, and families will stay at Fisher Houses to participate in treatments. The center is due to open in the spring.
American Forces Press Service
Nov. 4, 2009 - Treatment for servicemembers suffering from psychological trauma really is a brave new world. Before the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, there was little research on effective treatments and not much pressure to add to what existed, said Army Brig. Gen. (Dr.) Loree Sutton, director of the Defense Center of Excellence for Psychological Health and Traumatic Brain Injury.
Sutton, at a Warrior Resilience Conference here, said her office has been working with the services to develop treatment programs and is researching best medical practices. But the effort isn't a simple matter of an open checkbook; results count.
"Everyone has good intentions," she said during an interview. "But as I'm fond of saying, 'In God we trust. All others bring data.' We continue to add to our data."
The center has sponsored a number of promising initiatives to combat the signature psychological wounds of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, as a result of funding that flowed in to military medicine after revelations of substandard care at Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington.
The initiatives provide a chance to standardize the hundreds of disjointed programs around the country, Sutton said. "Some are pilot programs, some we added to established programs, and with some we have ventured in to completely new kinds of approaches," she said.
The initiatives are just approaching maturity now, the general said. "We are putting outcome metrics against the programs to see what works [and] what doesn't," she said. "The services and everyone involved knows that we will go where the evidence leads."
Sutton explained some successful initiatives. The first is the publishing of a clinical practice guideline for concussion or mild traumatic brain injury. "It's the first that has been signed off on," she said. "We're in the process of taking the guideline and transforming it into a mandatory, event-driven protocol."
The protocol mandates that if a vehicle is struck by a roadside bomb, everyone in that vehicle must go through a standardized treatment. "There is no choice," she said. "It's a partnership between the line leadership and the medical leadership. It gets past the stigma and the 'suck-it-up' leadership. No excuses, no exceptions, this is what happens."
The tools have been implemented and have ripened, The medical community is ready to link up with line partners, and the whole process can now be implemented in units, Sutton said.
The office also stepped in to look at cognitive rehabilitation programs. This is a concern throughout the country, Sutton said, acknowledging that confusion exists about what it involves and whether it should it be reimbursed by the Tricare military health plan.
Much like rehabilitation after a stroke, she explained, cognitive rehabilitation is a series of treatments designed to re-teach those suffering from traumatic brain injury the skills they lost. Sutton's office brought together a group of nationally known experts to determine where things stand. "This will put the foundation under our research efforts and the way ahead," she said.
Another initiative is the "Real Warriors" campaign, which uses public service announcements to tell the stories of servicemembers who are dealing with psychological trauma. It is an attempt to get servicemembers to get past the stigma associated with these ailments.
"The power of this campaign comes from the fact that these are real warriors," Sutton said. "It's a volunteer program, and they come forward and tell their own stories. It helps them, and it certainly helps their peers who may be suffering in silence and isolation and feeling that they are all alone."
Finally, the office is part of the National Intrepid Center for Excellence. Philanthropist Arnold Fisher raised the money and built a world-class center in San Antonio for amputee care.
"A couple of years ago, Mr. Fisher came forward and said he wanted to pledge the same level of support to the invisible injuries of war," Sutton said. "That center will become the hub of our networks from around the world."
The 72,000-square-foot facility will be adjacent to the Navy's Bethesda, Md., medical campus and, while built with private funds, will be manned by military and civilian employees. The center will treat those with psychological trauma, and families will stay at Fisher Houses to participate in treatments. The center is due to open in the spring.
Forces Detain Militants, Seize Weapons in Afghanistan
American Forces Press Service
Nov. 4, 2009 - Combined Afghan and international security forces killed or detained several militants and recovered multiple weapons and explosives in operations in Afghanistan yesterday, military officials reported. A combined security force detained a group of suspects in Khowst province, including a Hezb-i-Islami Gulbuddin militant group commander believed to be responsible for managing a homemade-bomb network and working with Haqqani terrorist network elements in the area.
Recent media reports profile the Hezb-i-Islami Gulbuddin as one of the three main militant groups in Afghanistan, officials said. The group keeps a low profile by cooperating with Taliban and Haqqani elements and deferring credit to those factions for attacks it conducts.
The combined force targeted compounds near Paru Kheyl village in the Sabari district, north of Khowst City, after intelligence indicated militant activity there. The force searched the compounds without incident and detained the suspects. One of the men surrendered and identified himself as the Hezb-i-Islami Gulbuddin commander. No shots were fired, and no one was injured.
Elsewhere, a combined force detained several militants in Kandahar province while pursuing a Taliban commander associated with homemade-bomb attacks in the province.
Acting on intelligence that indicated the Taliban commander's presence, the force targeted a vehicle outside Mokhanjak village in the Meyan Nashin district and found about 1,300 pounds of urea nitrate, several cans of fuel and assorted documents.
Urea nitrate is a primary ingredient for homemade explosives and becomes a powerful explosive when mixed with fuel. The force destroyed the urea nitrate and fuel in place. No shots were fired, and no one was injured or killed.
In a separate operation, a combined force killed multiple militants and detained several suspected militants in Logar province while pursuing a Taliban commander responsible for numerous attacks in the area.
The force targeted a compound near Shah Mazar village in the Baraki Barak district after intelligence indicated militant activity there. The force received hostile fire and returned fire, killing the militants, then searched the compound, recovered pistols, hand grenades and ammunition, and detained several suspected militants. All recovered items were destroyed at a safe distance from buildings and other structures. No civilians were harmed during this operation.
Meanwhile, a combined force killed several militants in Nangarhar province while pursuing an al-Qaida operative known for a range of duties, including militant training. He also is believed to be responsible for several attacks in the area.
The force targeted a compound near Baghdarreh village, south of Jalalabad City, after intelligence indicated militant activity there. The force received hostile fire and returned fire, killing the militants. The force recovered a machine gun and assault rifles. All weapons were destroyed at a safe distance from the compound.
In a separate operation, a combined force killed a militant and detained a suspected militant while pursuing a Taliban commander responsible for supplying foreign fighters and homemade bombs to other militant elements in the area. He is known to be in charge of as many as 40 Taliban fighters.
The force targeted the building near Stazkhan village in Achin district after intelligence indicated militant activity there. The joint force received hostile fire and returned fire, killing the militant. The force then searched the building, detained a suspected militant and recovered bomb materials, rocket-propelled grenades, hand grenades and chest racks fully loaded with ammunition. No civilians were harmed during this operation.
(From an International Security Assistance Force Joint Command news release.)
Nov. 4, 2009 - Combined Afghan and international security forces killed or detained several militants and recovered multiple weapons and explosives in operations in Afghanistan yesterday, military officials reported. A combined security force detained a group of suspects in Khowst province, including a Hezb-i-Islami Gulbuddin militant group commander believed to be responsible for managing a homemade-bomb network and working with Haqqani terrorist network elements in the area.
Recent media reports profile the Hezb-i-Islami Gulbuddin as one of the three main militant groups in Afghanistan, officials said. The group keeps a low profile by cooperating with Taliban and Haqqani elements and deferring credit to those factions for attacks it conducts.
The combined force targeted compounds near Paru Kheyl village in the Sabari district, north of Khowst City, after intelligence indicated militant activity there. The force searched the compounds without incident and detained the suspects. One of the men surrendered and identified himself as the Hezb-i-Islami Gulbuddin commander. No shots were fired, and no one was injured.
Elsewhere, a combined force detained several militants in Kandahar province while pursuing a Taliban commander associated with homemade-bomb attacks in the province.
Acting on intelligence that indicated the Taliban commander's presence, the force targeted a vehicle outside Mokhanjak village in the Meyan Nashin district and found about 1,300 pounds of urea nitrate, several cans of fuel and assorted documents.
Urea nitrate is a primary ingredient for homemade explosives and becomes a powerful explosive when mixed with fuel. The force destroyed the urea nitrate and fuel in place. No shots were fired, and no one was injured or killed.
In a separate operation, a combined force killed multiple militants and detained several suspected militants in Logar province while pursuing a Taliban commander responsible for numerous attacks in the area.
The force targeted a compound near Shah Mazar village in the Baraki Barak district after intelligence indicated militant activity there. The force received hostile fire and returned fire, killing the militants, then searched the compound, recovered pistols, hand grenades and ammunition, and detained several suspected militants. All recovered items were destroyed at a safe distance from buildings and other structures. No civilians were harmed during this operation.
Meanwhile, a combined force killed several militants in Nangarhar province while pursuing an al-Qaida operative known for a range of duties, including militant training. He also is believed to be responsible for several attacks in the area.
The force targeted a compound near Baghdarreh village, south of Jalalabad City, after intelligence indicated militant activity there. The force received hostile fire and returned fire, killing the militants. The force recovered a machine gun and assault rifles. All weapons were destroyed at a safe distance from the compound.
In a separate operation, a combined force killed a militant and detained a suspected militant while pursuing a Taliban commander responsible for supplying foreign fighters and homemade bombs to other militant elements in the area. He is known to be in charge of as many as 40 Taliban fighters.
The force targeted the building near Stazkhan village in Achin district after intelligence indicated militant activity there. The joint force received hostile fire and returned fire, killing the militant. The force then searched the building, detained a suspected militant and recovered bomb materials, rocket-propelled grenades, hand grenades and chest racks fully loaded with ammunition. No civilians were harmed during this operation.
(From an International Security Assistance Force Joint Command news release.)
Mullen Urges Afghan President to Stop Corruption
By John J. Kruzel
American Forces Press Service
Nov. 4, 2009 - Newly re-elected Afghan President Hamid Karzai must take significant measures to cut government corruption and establish its legitimacy, the top U.S. military officer said today. Navy Adm. Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, expressed concern about the government under Karzai, who was re-elected following a national election fraught with allegations of fraud.
"We are extremely concerned about the level of corruption and the legitimacy of this government," Mullen said at the National Press Club today. "It's far too much endemic."
Karzai, who sealed a victory this week after his opponent dropped out of a runoff election, "has got to take significant steps to eliminate corruption," Mullen said.
"That means that you have to rid yourself of those who are corrupt; you have to actually arrest and prosecute them," he said. "You have to show those visible signs."
The chairman added that "it will be evident pretty quickly" whether Karzai is serious about improving government legitimacy.
"You have to have governance, not just in Kabul, ... but we also have to have it in provinces, in districts and the sub-districts," Mullen said. "The legitimacy really needs to be in the eyes of the Afghan people. That is, at best, in question and, at worst, doesn't exist."
The critique of the Afghan government comes as President Barack Obama and his advisors debate the U.S. strategy in Afghanistan, which includes weighing a request from the top U.S. commander there for additional troops. But Mullen said today that military success depends on improvements to the Afghan government.
"If we don't get a level of legitimacy and governance, then all the troops in the world aren't going to make any difference," he said. Roughly 67,000 U.S. forces and 42,000 allied troops are in Afghanistan.
Deliberations within the U.S. national security apparatus about the way forward in Afghanistan are said to cover a spectrum of proposals ranging from deploying more troops to counter the insurgency to a narrower, scaled-down approach that targets terrorists.
Counterinsurgency, a form of warfare in which a civilian population is viewed as the center of a tug-of-war between an insurgency and the forces attempting to stop it, is the strategy endorsed by Army Gen. Stanley A. McChrystal, the top American and allied commander in Afghanistan.
Mullen today said positive effects are beginning to be seen from the international counterinsurgency campaign in Helmand province, where Marines have been heavily engaged since August. But he warned that problems in Afghanistan would not be fixed by the military alone.
"It's clearly not just a military solution here," he said. "The military is a necessary part of this, but it is not sufficient. There has to be some level of government and development."
American Forces Press Service
Nov. 4, 2009 - Newly re-elected Afghan President Hamid Karzai must take significant measures to cut government corruption and establish its legitimacy, the top U.S. military officer said today. Navy Adm. Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, expressed concern about the government under Karzai, who was re-elected following a national election fraught with allegations of fraud.
"We are extremely concerned about the level of corruption and the legitimacy of this government," Mullen said at the National Press Club today. "It's far too much endemic."
Karzai, who sealed a victory this week after his opponent dropped out of a runoff election, "has got to take significant steps to eliminate corruption," Mullen said.
"That means that you have to rid yourself of those who are corrupt; you have to actually arrest and prosecute them," he said. "You have to show those visible signs."
The chairman added that "it will be evident pretty quickly" whether Karzai is serious about improving government legitimacy.
"You have to have governance, not just in Kabul, ... but we also have to have it in provinces, in districts and the sub-districts," Mullen said. "The legitimacy really needs to be in the eyes of the Afghan people. That is, at best, in question and, at worst, doesn't exist."
The critique of the Afghan government comes as President Barack Obama and his advisors debate the U.S. strategy in Afghanistan, which includes weighing a request from the top U.S. commander there for additional troops. But Mullen said today that military success depends on improvements to the Afghan government.
"If we don't get a level of legitimacy and governance, then all the troops in the world aren't going to make any difference," he said. Roughly 67,000 U.S. forces and 42,000 allied troops are in Afghanistan.
Deliberations within the U.S. national security apparatus about the way forward in Afghanistan are said to cover a spectrum of proposals ranging from deploying more troops to counter the insurgency to a narrower, scaled-down approach that targets terrorists.
Counterinsurgency, a form of warfare in which a civilian population is viewed as the center of a tug-of-war between an insurgency and the forces attempting to stop it, is the strategy endorsed by Army Gen. Stanley A. McChrystal, the top American and allied commander in Afghanistan.
Mullen today said positive effects are beginning to be seen from the international counterinsurgency campaign in Helmand province, where Marines have been heavily engaged since August. But he warned that problems in Afghanistan would not be fixed by the military alone.
"It's clearly not just a military solution here," he said. "The military is a necessary part of this, but it is not sufficient. There has to be some level of government and development."
Iraqi Forces Arrest 21 Terrorism Suspects
American Forces Press Service
Nov. 4, 2009 - Iraqi security forces arrested 21 suspects today during operations targeting vehicle-borne bomb network members in Baghdad and Bayji, Iraq, military officials reported. Iraqi security forces in western Baghdad arrested 17 suspects while serving a warrant for a man charged with being involved in vehicle-borne bomb attacks.
The security team searched several buildings and sequestered several people for questioning. Based on information gathered, 17 were determined to be suspected associates of the warranted man, who was not apprehended in the operation.
In Bayji, southwest of Kirkuk, Iraqi police and U.S. advisors searched with a warrant for a vehicle-borne bomb network leader. The suspect allegedly plans attacks in coordination with vehicle-borne bomb network leaders throughout Salahuddin province.
Iraqi forces questioned those at the scene and arrested four suspects based on incriminating information and evidence found on the premises. The warranted suspect was not apprehended during the operation.
(From a Multinational Force Iraq news release.)
Nov. 4, 2009 - Iraqi security forces arrested 21 suspects today during operations targeting vehicle-borne bomb network members in Baghdad and Bayji, Iraq, military officials reported. Iraqi security forces in western Baghdad arrested 17 suspects while serving a warrant for a man charged with being involved in vehicle-borne bomb attacks.
The security team searched several buildings and sequestered several people for questioning. Based on information gathered, 17 were determined to be suspected associates of the warranted man, who was not apprehended in the operation.
In Bayji, southwest of Kirkuk, Iraqi police and U.S. advisors searched with a warrant for a vehicle-borne bomb network leader. The suspect allegedly plans attacks in coordination with vehicle-borne bomb network leaders throughout Salahuddin province.
Iraqi forces questioned those at the scene and arrested four suspects based on incriminating information and evidence found on the premises. The warranted suspect was not apprehended during the operation.
(From a Multinational Force Iraq news release.)
Dominoes Deliver Kinship to Soldiers, Iraqis
By Army Pfc. J.P. Lawrence
Special to American Forces Press Service
Nov. 4, 2009 - The game is dominoes on this autumnal night on Camp Savage. Army Maj. Joan Carrick shuffles the small spotted tiles, then sends them skidding around the card table. Across the table sits Carrick's dominoes partner, Army Staff Sgt. Larry Saunders. To her left and right sit her opponents for the night, Army Capt. Timothy Vandewalle and an Iraqi interpreter known as Denzel. By day, the four members of Multinational Security Transition Command Iraq help to develop and equip Iraqi security forces. But late at night, when they gather around the table and break out the "bones," they have a chance to connect over the friendly competition of an ancient game, a game where the loudest language spoken is the clickety-clack-clack of dominoes.
Dominoes is something of an Iraqi pastime, although less so among the younger generations, says Denzel, who has been playing for 30 years.
While many Americans associate dominoes with a pizza chain or toppling the tiles, the game is serious business in Iraq, often played in coffee shops from Mosul to Baghdad to Basra, as well as in many other countries. Hundreds of players from across the globe traveled to Russia for the World Domino Championship recently, and matches often are televised in Latin America.
Far from being just a children's game, dominoes is a game of skill requiring players to use the dominoes in their hand to create the most opportunities for themselves and eliminate possibilities for their opponents, while not unintentionally blocking their partner.
"This game is about two things: counting and guessing," Denzel said. "Counting the dominoes on the table and guessing what your partner has. If you are doing well with this, you're going to have something."
Each player is involved in a race to match all their tiles with those laid out. Partners gain points equivalent to the value of their opponents' remaining tiles when one of them runs out, until one team scores 151 points or higher.
After the shuffle, Carrick and Saunders, both from southwestern Virginia, raced out to a huge lead against Vandewalle, of Illinois, and Denzel.
"Are you ready to hit the panic button?" Saunders says.
"Not yet," says Denzel. "Just a few big hands and we're back."
Carrick and Saunders had ample reason for worry. Their first game of Iraqi dominoes ended in a huge comeback.
"We played Denzel and another interpreter," Carrick said. "The first couple hands were kind of rough, because I didn't understand the rules. I was thinking American dominoes, and once I figured it was counting dominoes and knowing there was only seven of every type, by the third hand we started winning, and we ended up wining the game overall."
"It was a 118 to zero, and we came back and won," Saunders said.
After a spirited comeback, Vandewalle and Denzel soon found themselves on the brink of defeat.
"Can't stop it," Vandewalle says. "Either way, they'll go out."
"That's the life," Denzel says. "Maybe we'll have a lead tomorrow."
The final tile was laid, and then it was over. Watches were glanced at. It was late. Tomorrow, the work of building relationships with the Iraqi people would resume. The game was packed up and the table stood empty.
By playing these night games, the four are able to connect the dots on positive relationships between Americans and Iraqis, with each side learning from the other.
When she first started playing Iraqi-style dominoes, Carrick recalled, she had trouble understanding the rules. But with help from Denzel, she was able to master and enjoy a game that is part of Iraqi culture.
The next night, the four played a different game, and this time, Denzel was the student. It is a cycle repeated across Iraq during this stage of the war: growth through symbiosis, and symbiosis through mutual respect.
"It makes me have a good relationship with the people I work with," Denzel said. "We are living here like a big family."
Special to American Forces Press Service
Nov. 4, 2009 - The game is dominoes on this autumnal night on Camp Savage. Army Maj. Joan Carrick shuffles the small spotted tiles, then sends them skidding around the card table. Across the table sits Carrick's dominoes partner, Army Staff Sgt. Larry Saunders. To her left and right sit her opponents for the night, Army Capt. Timothy Vandewalle and an Iraqi interpreter known as Denzel. By day, the four members of Multinational Security Transition Command Iraq help to develop and equip Iraqi security forces. But late at night, when they gather around the table and break out the "bones," they have a chance to connect over the friendly competition of an ancient game, a game where the loudest language spoken is the clickety-clack-clack of dominoes.
Dominoes is something of an Iraqi pastime, although less so among the younger generations, says Denzel, who has been playing for 30 years.
While many Americans associate dominoes with a pizza chain or toppling the tiles, the game is serious business in Iraq, often played in coffee shops from Mosul to Baghdad to Basra, as well as in many other countries. Hundreds of players from across the globe traveled to Russia for the World Domino Championship recently, and matches often are televised in Latin America.
Far from being just a children's game, dominoes is a game of skill requiring players to use the dominoes in their hand to create the most opportunities for themselves and eliminate possibilities for their opponents, while not unintentionally blocking their partner.
"This game is about two things: counting and guessing," Denzel said. "Counting the dominoes on the table and guessing what your partner has. If you are doing well with this, you're going to have something."
Each player is involved in a race to match all their tiles with those laid out. Partners gain points equivalent to the value of their opponents' remaining tiles when one of them runs out, until one team scores 151 points or higher.
After the shuffle, Carrick and Saunders, both from southwestern Virginia, raced out to a huge lead against Vandewalle, of Illinois, and Denzel.
"Are you ready to hit the panic button?" Saunders says.
"Not yet," says Denzel. "Just a few big hands and we're back."
Carrick and Saunders had ample reason for worry. Their first game of Iraqi dominoes ended in a huge comeback.
"We played Denzel and another interpreter," Carrick said. "The first couple hands were kind of rough, because I didn't understand the rules. I was thinking American dominoes, and once I figured it was counting dominoes and knowing there was only seven of every type, by the third hand we started winning, and we ended up wining the game overall."
"It was a 118 to zero, and we came back and won," Saunders said.
After a spirited comeback, Vandewalle and Denzel soon found themselves on the brink of defeat.
"Can't stop it," Vandewalle says. "Either way, they'll go out."
"That's the life," Denzel says. "Maybe we'll have a lead tomorrow."
The final tile was laid, and then it was over. Watches were glanced at. It was late. Tomorrow, the work of building relationships with the Iraqi people would resume. The game was packed up and the table stood empty.
By playing these night games, the four are able to connect the dots on positive relationships between Americans and Iraqis, with each side learning from the other.
When she first started playing Iraqi-style dominoes, Carrick recalled, she had trouble understanding the rules. But with help from Denzel, she was able to master and enjoy a game that is part of Iraqi culture.
The next night, the four played a different game, and this time, Denzel was the student. It is a cycle repeated across Iraq during this stage of the war: growth through symbiosis, and symbiosis through mutual respect.
"It makes me have a good relationship with the people I work with," Denzel said. "We are living here like a big family."
Brigade Tests New Concept in Iraq
By Donna Miles
American Forces Press Service
Nov. 4, 2009 - The first new "advise and assist" brigades already in Iraq and others slated to arrive soon have a big leg up on their new mission, thanks to the groundwork laid by the "Highlander" brigade, which provided a test bed for the new concept. The 1st Armored Division's 4th Brigade has been on the ground in Iraq since April, conducting the initial advise and assist operations to pass on to the first officially designated AAB, explained Army Col. Peter Newell, the brigade commander.
The Defense Department announced in July plans to send four of the new brigades to Iraq beginning this fall to train and mentor Iraqi security forces.
The brigades will focus less on traditional combat operations and more on advising, assisting and developing capabilities within the Iraqi security forces, Newell said. They also will conduct coordinated counterterrorism missions and support the State Department's provincial reconstruction teams and other U.S. interagency partners in Iraq.
The first units assigned the mission are the 3rd Infantry Division's 1st and 2nd Brigade Combat Teams based at Fort Stewart Ga., and its 3rd BCT at Fort Benning, Ga.; and the 4th Infantry Division's 3rd BCT at Fort Carson, Colo. In addition, the 82nd Airborne Division's 1st Brigade, which recently arrived in Iraq, has taken on the AAB mission.
Newell's job has been to help the new brigades determine what specific skills to train for and how to organize themselves to better conduct their new mission, he told American Forces Press Service by phone from Iraq.
To prepare themselves, his soldiers went through a standard National Training Center rotation focused on counterinsurgency operations, but also sought out additional training in subjects ranging from civil affairs to Iraqi law.
Once they arrived in Iraq, they provided the inbound AABs regular feedback about their activities and the conditions they encountered. They also shared insights into what training benefitted them the most, and what they might have eliminated.
"I am merely providing the insight of the guy who has been tagged with the advise-and-assist proof of principle, and talking to them about changes we have taken on internally, and how they have worked for us," Newell said.
There's no cookie-cutter formula that will work for every such brigade in every Iraqi province, he said. Each must be tailored to the specific environment, based on regular assessments of the local Iraqi security forces' capacity, the maturity of the local provincial government, and the politics within that province, he said.
"What I will tell you is that no two AABs are going to look alike," Newell said. "They have to fine-tune to fit the environment they are in. But if we provide them the right people, the right training and the right training at the right time before they deploy, as long as it is focused on the environment they are going to, they will do well."
"Doing well" for an advise and assist brigade involves a lot more than traditional counterinsurgency operations. Much of the 4th Brigade's work, for example, involves teaching forensics and the evidentiary and judiciary processes to Iraqi police. In another major shift, the brigade's artillery battalion is focused on civil capacity and directly supporting provincial reconstruction teams.
"That is radically different from kicking in doors and how to do a raid and other things," Newell said.
The different focus requires a new mindset for the brigade's soldiers, he said, and a major emphasis on building and maintaining relationships with their Iraqi counterparts.
"Relationships are paramount," Newell said. "When you are in an advise and assist and enable role, it is incumbent on you to work with your counterpart, to couch the training in terms that they can use ... and inculcate it, and in a timeline and capacity that they can actually work with it."
That's not how traditional combat elements have operated in the past, he acknowledged.
It's "a lot different than us coming in and saying, 'Hey, we think you need to do the following three things, and this is how you do it,'" Newell said. "Now, it is a case of sitting down with your counterparts and working with them to understand what it is they need to be doing, and how they want to proceed with the training."
It also entails explaining to the Iraqi security forces what enablers the U.S. troops can provide, if required, to help them do their job.
Toward this end, Newell and his staff spend much of their time with their counterparts within the 10th Iraqi Army Division as well as local provincial police and border enforcement brigade. They also work hand in hand with U.S. interagency partners assigned to the provincial reconstruction teams or otherwise supporting reconstruction and development efforts.
"That permeates so much of what we do," Newell said, noting that the myriad meetings, discussions and other engagements his staff participates in can be "intellectually exhausting."
"But the output of those discussions is so much more productive, because [the Iraqis] are coming to the table and saying, 'This is exactly what I need. I need more of this; I need less of this.'" Newell said. "And when you do that, they show up ready to go, wanting to take the material, and then you see them go out in the field and do it."
At no time was the strength of that relationship-building process more evident than on June 30, as U.S. combat troops left the Iraqi cities, but Newell's soldiers were in more demand than ever.
"I have more soldiers today operating in Iraqi cities than I had prior to the 30th of June. The difference is, they are there because they were invited there, and the Iraqis insist on having them with them," Newell said. "So the [value of] the relationships is a huge lesson learned."
These relationships are growing increasingly strong, because the 4th Brigade soldiers embed directly with the Iraqi partners they work with. "We embed, we don't commute," Newell said of his soldiers. "So if you have an Iraqi brigade that you are working with, the transition team and the company that are partnering with that brigade go live with that brigade, not on a [forward operating base] someplace.
"And their partnerships are so much better for it," he said. "They work together, they live together, they eat together, they play together. They truly are partners out there."
Newell conceded that some of his more junior soldiers, who thought they were going off to war when they deployed, may be less excited about the advise and assist mission than those who've already been in combat.
"In many cases, some of the younger guys will tell you they would rather be in Afghanistan than here doing this," he acknowledged. "But the more senior guys who have been here for awhile, and have been at this for a couple times, will tell you that this is, in many cases, much more emotionally rewarding than their previous experiences here."
The soldiers recognize, Newell said, that they're helping the Iraqis take on new responsibilities that will be critical as the United States scales down its forces in Iraq. "They are seeing success in the Iraqis, and they are seeing themselves drawn into the Iraqi operations by invitation," he said. "And that is a huge difference, if you have been at this for awhile."
American Forces Press Service
Nov. 4, 2009 - The first new "advise and assist" brigades already in Iraq and others slated to arrive soon have a big leg up on their new mission, thanks to the groundwork laid by the "Highlander" brigade, which provided a test bed for the new concept. The 1st Armored Division's 4th Brigade has been on the ground in Iraq since April, conducting the initial advise and assist operations to pass on to the first officially designated AAB, explained Army Col. Peter Newell, the brigade commander.
The Defense Department announced in July plans to send four of the new brigades to Iraq beginning this fall to train and mentor Iraqi security forces.
The brigades will focus less on traditional combat operations and more on advising, assisting and developing capabilities within the Iraqi security forces, Newell said. They also will conduct coordinated counterterrorism missions and support the State Department's provincial reconstruction teams and other U.S. interagency partners in Iraq.
The first units assigned the mission are the 3rd Infantry Division's 1st and 2nd Brigade Combat Teams based at Fort Stewart Ga., and its 3rd BCT at Fort Benning, Ga.; and the 4th Infantry Division's 3rd BCT at Fort Carson, Colo. In addition, the 82nd Airborne Division's 1st Brigade, which recently arrived in Iraq, has taken on the AAB mission.
Newell's job has been to help the new brigades determine what specific skills to train for and how to organize themselves to better conduct their new mission, he told American Forces Press Service by phone from Iraq.
To prepare themselves, his soldiers went through a standard National Training Center rotation focused on counterinsurgency operations, but also sought out additional training in subjects ranging from civil affairs to Iraqi law.
Once they arrived in Iraq, they provided the inbound AABs regular feedback about their activities and the conditions they encountered. They also shared insights into what training benefitted them the most, and what they might have eliminated.
"I am merely providing the insight of the guy who has been tagged with the advise-and-assist proof of principle, and talking to them about changes we have taken on internally, and how they have worked for us," Newell said.
There's no cookie-cutter formula that will work for every such brigade in every Iraqi province, he said. Each must be tailored to the specific environment, based on regular assessments of the local Iraqi security forces' capacity, the maturity of the local provincial government, and the politics within that province, he said.
"What I will tell you is that no two AABs are going to look alike," Newell said. "They have to fine-tune to fit the environment they are in. But if we provide them the right people, the right training and the right training at the right time before they deploy, as long as it is focused on the environment they are going to, they will do well."
"Doing well" for an advise and assist brigade involves a lot more than traditional counterinsurgency operations. Much of the 4th Brigade's work, for example, involves teaching forensics and the evidentiary and judiciary processes to Iraqi police. In another major shift, the brigade's artillery battalion is focused on civil capacity and directly supporting provincial reconstruction teams.
"That is radically different from kicking in doors and how to do a raid and other things," Newell said.
The different focus requires a new mindset for the brigade's soldiers, he said, and a major emphasis on building and maintaining relationships with their Iraqi counterparts.
"Relationships are paramount," Newell said. "When you are in an advise and assist and enable role, it is incumbent on you to work with your counterpart, to couch the training in terms that they can use ... and inculcate it, and in a timeline and capacity that they can actually work with it."
That's not how traditional combat elements have operated in the past, he acknowledged.
It's "a lot different than us coming in and saying, 'Hey, we think you need to do the following three things, and this is how you do it,'" Newell said. "Now, it is a case of sitting down with your counterparts and working with them to understand what it is they need to be doing, and how they want to proceed with the training."
It also entails explaining to the Iraqi security forces what enablers the U.S. troops can provide, if required, to help them do their job.
Toward this end, Newell and his staff spend much of their time with their counterparts within the 10th Iraqi Army Division as well as local provincial police and border enforcement brigade. They also work hand in hand with U.S. interagency partners assigned to the provincial reconstruction teams or otherwise supporting reconstruction and development efforts.
"That permeates so much of what we do," Newell said, noting that the myriad meetings, discussions and other engagements his staff participates in can be "intellectually exhausting."
"But the output of those discussions is so much more productive, because [the Iraqis] are coming to the table and saying, 'This is exactly what I need. I need more of this; I need less of this.'" Newell said. "And when you do that, they show up ready to go, wanting to take the material, and then you see them go out in the field and do it."
At no time was the strength of that relationship-building process more evident than on June 30, as U.S. combat troops left the Iraqi cities, but Newell's soldiers were in more demand than ever.
"I have more soldiers today operating in Iraqi cities than I had prior to the 30th of June. The difference is, they are there because they were invited there, and the Iraqis insist on having them with them," Newell said. "So the [value of] the relationships is a huge lesson learned."
These relationships are growing increasingly strong, because the 4th Brigade soldiers embed directly with the Iraqi partners they work with. "We embed, we don't commute," Newell said of his soldiers. "So if you have an Iraqi brigade that you are working with, the transition team and the company that are partnering with that brigade go live with that brigade, not on a [forward operating base] someplace.
"And their partnerships are so much better for it," he said. "They work together, they live together, they eat together, they play together. They truly are partners out there."
Newell conceded that some of his more junior soldiers, who thought they were going off to war when they deployed, may be less excited about the advise and assist mission than those who've already been in combat.
"In many cases, some of the younger guys will tell you they would rather be in Afghanistan than here doing this," he acknowledged. "But the more senior guys who have been here for awhile, and have been at this for a couple times, will tell you that this is, in many cases, much more emotionally rewarding than their previous experiences here."
The soldiers recognize, Newell said, that they're helping the Iraqis take on new responsibilities that will be critical as the United States scales down its forces in Iraq. "They are seeing success in the Iraqis, and they are seeing themselves drawn into the Iraqi operations by invitation," he said. "And that is a huge difference, if you have been at this for awhile."
Troops Find Common Ground With Afghan Counterparts
By Army Sgt. Stephen DecaturSpecial to American Forces Press Service
Nov. 4, 2009 - Many U.S. servicemembers working and living alongside Afghan soldiers here find they have much in common with their Afghan counterparts. Paratroopers of the 82nd Airborne Division's 4th Brigade Combat Team live on the same bases with their Afghan counterparts and work side by side with them during combat operations. The U.S. soldiers advise and mentor Afghan forces to become self-sufficient in fighting, and eventually defeating, the Taliban.
To avoid the pitfalls of culture shock, one of the first things combat advisors have to do is get to know their new neighbors. And that begins with a history lesson.
The Afghan National Army was established in 1880 by the Afghan king Emir Abdur Rahman Khan. After the Soviet Union toppled the monarchy in 1979, the army continued under the socialist government of Afghanistan. Numerous officers and soldiers of the ANA have been fighting since that time. In fact, many of the troops serving together today fought on opposite sides during the insurgency that lasted until the collapse of the Afghan government in 1992. Since then, they have fought together against the Taliban.
"The Afghan army is a national army," said Maj. Mohammed Ahmin, executive officer for 3rd Kandak, 2nd Brigade, 205th Corps. "We have soldiers from different tribes, who speak different languages, all serving together. Every soldier is a volunteer, and all of them love their country."
In his 28 years of military service, Ahmin has been wounded five times and has served in every region of the country.
"When I first joined the army, everyone wanted to serve," he said. "Everyone loved Afghanistan and was very proud. I used to work in civilian government as a clerk, but the situation in the country was not good. I was keen to become a soldier, because I felt like I could serve the people."
Ahmin eventually rose to the rank of colonel and, at one time commanded a regiment, but when he joined the re-established army after the fall of the Taliban, he had to start over from the rank of captain.
"I love my country," Ahmin said. "Rank does not matter to me. I just want to be in the army." He said the same patriotism he remembers from his youth is alive and well in his soldiers today.
Some U.S. soldiers are finding that their Afghan counterparts chose to serve for the same reasons they did: they were looking for a stable job to provide for their families, or for patriotism, or because of a life changing event.
Afghan Capt. Zalmay remembers the day he first wanted to become a soldier. When he was a small boy, he looked up to an older brother who was serving in the Afghan air force. When his brother visited home wearing his uniform, Zalmay said, he was so impressed that he wanted to be in the armed forces as well.
When Zalmay graduated from high school in 1986, he enrolled in the military academy in Kabul and has been a soldier ever since, fighting with the army until the collapse of the government in 1992, and later joining a paramilitary group to fight against the Taliban.
Zalmay says he hates the Taliban fervently, as do the villagers whom the Taliban threaten with decapitation if they don't cooperate with them.
"On election day, I was outside a school being used for a polling station," Zalmay said. "The people had to put their fingers in ink to vote, so I asked them what they would do if the Taliban see it. They told me they didn't care. The Taliban were less than dogs to them."
Afghan Sgt. 1st Class Faizullah has been serving in the army for five years. His parents were farmers, and he grew up in poverty, he said.
One day when Faizullah was 20, he said, he saw a group of Afghan soldiers and thought they were probably no different from other fighter he had seen who served warlords during the time of anarchy before the Taliban. He decided to talk to them out of curiosity.
"I asked them who they were and where they were from," Faizullah said. "They told me, 'We are the ANA. We're here to protect the people.' And they told me how to join."
Faizullah joined and later took an exam to become a noncommissioned officer. He passed, and has steadily advanced in rank. He hopes to become an officer, he said. "When I joined, I brought hope with me," he said. "Everything depends on hope."
Many Afghan soldiers' hopes and dreams would sound familiar to Americans. Faizullah is engaged to be married and wants to raise a family. Because he never finished school, it's important to him that his children have an education, he said.
Education also is very important to Zalmay, who is a father of two and a widower. He wants one of his sons to be a doctor and the other to be an engineer, he said.
"They're just like we are," said U.S. Army Capt. Jacob White, commander of Company A, 1st Battalion, 508th Parachute Infantry Regiment. "They want a safe environment to raise their family, and a steady job."
Faizullah's family urged him to leave the army because of his upcoming marriage, he said, but he explained that he doesn't want to leave until he has a son old enough to replace him.
Afghan soldier Abdul Fatah, a radio operator, has similar ideas about service.
"Our fathers are too old; they can't fight," Fatah said. "If we don't serve the country, the Taliban will destroy everything. There will be no future for Afghanistan. As long as I'm alive, I will be in the army."
Afghan attitudes are influenced greatly not only by Islam, but also by "pushtunwali," a code of hospitality, solidarity and courage recognized as virtues in Afghan society.
"If we show an interest in their culture, we will gain their respect," said U.S. Army Lt. Col. David Oclander, commander of 1st Battalion, 508th Parachute Infantry Regiment. "This is a culture that is all about respect."
U.S. Army Sgt. 1st Class Michael Lindsay, a platoon sergeant with the battalion's Company A, said he is impressed by how respectful Afghans are of their elders.
"So many young people think they can do it better," Lindsay said. "Here, they listen to their elders and place their trust in them."
Every Afghan army unit has a cultural officer who educates the soldiers about respecting the civilian population and respecting other cultures, Ahmin said. The cultural officer also helps Afghan soldiers learn to read and write, because illiteracy is so prevalent in the country.
Most Afghans react very well to patrols by Afghan soldiers, Faizullah said. He recalled a memorable patrol to a remote village that rarely saw Afghan forces. An old woman was frightened when she saw the patrol coming and came outside with a stick to hit them, he said.
But the soldiers spoke to her in a respectful tone and explained who they were. The woman calmed down when she realized they were Afghans and they told who they were and why they were there.
"We're the Afghan National Army," Faizullah said. "We're here to protect the people."
(Army Sgt. Stephen Decatur serves with the 82nd Airborne Division's 4th Brigade Combat Team public affairs office.
Tuesday, November 03, 2009
Army Casualty
The Department of Defense announced today the death of a soldier who was supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom.
Spc. Jonathon M. Sylvestre, 21, of Colorado Springs, Colo., died Nov. 2 in Kut, Iraq, of injuries sustained from a non-combat related incident. He was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 10th Field Artillery Regiment, 3rd Heavy Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division, Fort Benning, Ga.
The circumstances surrounding the incident are under investigation.
For more information the media may contact the Fort Benning public affairs office at 706-545-3367.
Spc. Jonathon M. Sylvestre, 21, of Colorado Springs, Colo., died Nov. 2 in Kut, Iraq, of injuries sustained from a non-combat related incident. He was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 10th Field Artillery Regiment, 3rd Heavy Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division, Fort Benning, Ga.
The circumstances surrounding the incident are under investigation.
For more information the media may contact the Fort Benning public affairs office at 706-545-3367.
Marine Casualty
The Department of Defense announced today the death of a Marine who was supporting Operation Enduring Freedom.
Sgt. Cesar B. Ruiz, 26, of San Antonio, Texas, died Oct. 31 while supporting combat operations in Helmand province, Afghanistan. He was assigned to Marine Forces Reserve, New Orleans.
For additional background information on this Marine, news media representatives may contact the Marine Forces Reserve public affairs office at 504-678-6539.
Sgt. Cesar B. Ruiz, 26, of San Antonio, Texas, died Oct. 31 while supporting combat operations in Helmand province, Afghanistan. He was assigned to Marine Forces Reserve, New Orleans.
For additional background information on this Marine, news media representatives may contact the Marine Forces Reserve public affairs office at 504-678-6539.
Combat Advisors See Afghan Troops in Action
By Army Sgt. Stephen DecaturSpecial to American Forces Press Service
Nov. 3, 2009 - Afghan soldiers in armored Humvees led a combined convoy of Afghans and Americans down Highway 1. As dawn broke, they passed an Afghan National Police checkpoint and dismounted by an Afghan army combat outpost. Their objective was Shah Hasan Kheyl, a village about a half mile off the road. Starting in August, small, embedded training teams dispersed throughout Afghanistan started getting replaced with combat units from the 82nd Airborne Division's 4th Brigade Combat Team to serve as combat advisors. The battalion-sized operation involved several companies of the Afghan National Army, their combat advisors, the Afghan National Police, and a company from the 2nd Infantry Division's 5th Stryker Brigade Combat Team.
It was the first large-scale mission conducted by the Afghan soldiers in conjunction with their new combat advisors, and was aimed at increasing Afghan army presence in the village and surrounding communities in Zabul province.
As the soldiers made the uphill journey to the village, they spread out across multiple avenues of approach up terraces and into orchards. Green grass and trees by the Tarnak River made the area look like a completely different country from the broad desert they just came from.
People waking up for their morning chores stopped and watched the group coming. Inside the village, Afghan soldiers knocked on doors, searched houses and interviewed the inhabitants.
U.S. combat advisors watched and observed their techniques. The people told the Afghan soldiers that the Taliban come in the evening and take their food and water. One boy came to a U.S paratrooper and told him in English that the Taliban beat him for going to school.
After searching outside the village, the paratroopers found fresh camp sites in nearby orchards.
The district chief arrived in the middle of the operation driving a sedan and carrying a Kalashnikov rifle. Shortly afterward, he and the executive officer for the Afghan 3rd Kandak, Maj. Mohammed Ahmin, gathered all the military-aged men in the village to hold a shura, or traditional meeting.
"This is a major opportunity for the [Afghan army] to get and prove what they can do," said Army Capt. Jacob White, commander of Company A, 1st Battalion, 508th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 4th BCT. "It's also a chance to see where we're at and assess what we can improve."
Prior to the operation, the paratroopers were conducting patrols day and night with the Afghan soldiers in the district, and trained with them on tasks ranging from weapons skills to first aid and equipment maintenance. Part of the reason for conducting combined operations is to instill confidence in Afghan soldiers, said Army Lt. Col. David Oclander, commander of the regiment.
While on patrol with Americans, the Afghans have access to medical evacuation helicopters and heavier fire support.
Najibullah, a 3rd Kandak soldier who has been at his unit for about a year, said he has participated in numerous patrols and missions alongside Americans.
"I've done more than 100," he said. "Who can count? If they're with us, we can get a medevac. If not, there's no medevac. I feel safer because they're with us."
Daily marksmanship practice also is one of Oclander's priorities for the ANA, he said.
"When they hit what they aim at, it'll send a message that they are capable of fighting on their own. It'll also send a message to the Taliban that not only can they not stand up to the Americans, they can't stand up to the [Afghan army], either," he said.
One of the biggest confidence boosting measures taken in the past year was to equip Afghan soldiers with armored Humvees and weapons like the M16 rifle and M249 squad automatic weapon. Having the same equipment not only makes the Afghans easier to train, it also brings them closer to their American allies by leveling the playing field, Oclander said.
Transitioning from the routine mission of controlling battle space and pursuing the Taliban to training and assisting the Afghan security forces was not a difficult switch, said Army Sgt. 1st Class Michael Lindsay, a platoon sergeant with A Company.
"This mission isn't any different from what we do every day," Lindsay said. "A squad leader's job is to teach soldiers. A platoon sergeant's job is to teach squad leaders."
The only difference, Lindsay said, is that not only is he responsible for a 30-man platoon, he also is responsible for advising a 200-man company. But one thing Lindsay doesn't have to teach his Afghan counterparts is how to fight, he said.
"They're very proficient at their weapons and at their combat skills," Lindsay, said. "They're good warriors and fighters. A guy that comes in the army here and shows up at his unit is already at war. We talk about multiple deployments; there are soldiers who have been in this province for six years"
"They're fairly proficient as it is." White said. "Right now we're working more on planning and logistics."
Many of the issues facing the Afghan troops are supply-related, Oclander said. Lack of winter clothing and other necessities is extremely detrimental to the well-being and morale of many Afghan units, he said.
"Their greatest challenge is logistics," he said. "If they don't have the supplies they need, they'll lose the confidence to sustain the fight and take the fight to the enemy."
The combat advisors often must take a hands-off approach to resolving problems such as supply, because their ultimate goal is to make the Afghan army capable of accomplishing the mission on its own.
"Before, if something was wrong, it often got fixed for them," Lindsay said. "We want them to fix it themselves."
White, who also served as a combat advisor for the Iraqi army, said he sees a lot of potential in the Afghan soldiers.
"These guys are head and shoulders above the Iraqi army when I worked with them," White said. "We've got the opportunity to sow the seeds for future success here. We can go out and play and kill the Taliban, but if we don't build the local security forces, they'll just get replaced."
"It's rewarding seeing the Afghans learning," Lindsay said. "They want to go out and do better. They want to help their country. Ultimately, I hope the reward is that in three or four years we will not have to be here, or that my 12-year-old son won't have to come here 10 years from now."
(Army Sgt. Stephen Decatur serves with the 82nd Airborne Division's 4th Brigade Combat Team public affairs office.)
Brigade Prepares for 'Advise, Assist' Mission
By Donna MilesAmerican Forces Press Service
Calif., Nov. 3, 2009 - As the 3rd Infantry Division's 1st Brigade prepares for its fourth deployment to Iraq, its soldiers are getting lessons in the art of leading from behind as they help to set the stage for the eventual drawdown of U.S. forces in Iraq. The "Raider Brigade" was part of the initial U.S. invasion into Iraq, and returned for two more deployments, in 2005 and 2007. Now, Army Col. Roger Cloutier, the brigade commander, calls it fitting that his soldiers will serve as one of four new "advise-and-assist" brigades tailored specifically to support Iraqi security forces.
Cloutier spoke to American Forces Press Service about the new mission last week as his troops wrapped up their month-long rehearsal exercise at the National Training Center here. The rotation was their last major training before they deploy next month to assume a role unlike any they've had before in Iraq.
"This rotation was less about 1st Brigade, 3rd ID going out and doing the combat missions, and more about us advising and assisting our Iraqi partners in doing that," Cloutier explained.
"Our mission is by, with and through our Iraqi partners. They clearly have the lead," he said. "So the rotation here was focused on that," with training operations and scenarios focused on helping the soldiers learn how to provide support as required without taking charge.
To Cloutier, the new mission recognizes major strides made by the Iraqi security forces. "This will be my fourth deployment to Iraq, and each time I have seen the [Iraqi security forces] get stronger and more capable," he said. "So at least in my mind, it is a natural progression."
So during the NTC rotation, the Iraqis - portrayed by the 11th Armored Cavalry Regiment, NTC's permanent opposing force - took the lead in planning and carrying out every operation. During two out-of-sector operations, one at battalion level and one at brigade level, the Iraqi security forces led the planning, with concept development support from the U.S. stability transition teams.
"They did the fighting, and they cordoned off the town and went inside and did most of the clearing," Cloutier said of the Iraqi forces role players.
The 11th ACR "Black Horse Regiment" welcomed its new, more active role leading counterinsurgency missions. Army Lt. Col. Scott Coulson, the 11th ACR deputy commander, said his soldiers reflected the growing capabilities of the Iraqi security forces, while applying the wealth of expertise they've gained during their own Iraq deployment as well as preparing multiple Army brigades for deployments.
"We want to show [the rotational brigade] what right looks like. We want to show them the best doggone urban dismounted operations at platoon level they have ever seen in their military careers," Coulson said. "And our guys are gaining more and more urban, small-unit combat experience, and they get better and better at it."
Meanwhile, 1st Brigade soldiers played a supporting role, providing the "Iraqi forces" attack aviation, artillery, intelligence and other enabling capabilities, as required, while mentoring from behind.
The mission gave the Raider Brigade a sense of what it feels like to pass the lead responsibility and accept the outcome. "The biggest difference is [the Iraqis] are now clearly in the lead, and they have the final say in what does and does not happen," Cloutier said.
Army Col. Ted Martin, chief of NTC's operations group, said training scenarios are geared to help the advise-and-assist brigades apply new skills to the Iraq mission.
"Not only do they have to do their own survival mission to prevail on the battlefield, but they have to do it by, with and through the Iraqis, with the Iraqis in the lead," he said.
"In the olden days, the U.S. Army would sit around the table, figure out what we want to do, and then launch a unilateral attack to get it done -- or a search, or a recon, or you name it," he said. "Now, we have to have Iraqi buy-in. They have to understand what the problem is, and then agree to the method to solve it. That's the tough nut they have to crack out there."
But as the brigade rotations progress, Martin said, he's gratified to see how the process unfolds. "Most of the time, units come in here without a lot of practice or experience doing this, but they get multiple repetitions at it here," he said. "On Day One, they are going to try to push everybody out of the way. On Day 14, they will socialize the plan and come to an agreement. It's interesting to watch this evolution happen."
Cloutier credited a recent mission, in which 1st Brigade spent 12 months as the first active-duty unit dedicated to supporting U.S. civilian authorities in the event of a homeland nuclear, biological or chemical attack, with helping to lay groundwork for its upcoming deployment. The Raider Brigade played a support role to U.S. civilian authorities as part of the Chemical, Radiological, Nuclear or High-Yield Explosive Consequence Management Force.
"So we came in here understanding that construct," Cloutier said. "It is really the same mindset."
The brigade's advise-and-assist mission puts increased emphasis on relationships - with Iraqi security forces, mayors, governors, police chiefs, tribal sheiks and everyday citizens.
"It's all about the relationship," Cloutier said. "Every day, you have to earn the right to be heard, and you have to have enough credibility with your Iraqi counterparts
that they want to listen."
That's a whole new way of doing business, he conceded, especially for soldiers who've operated at the tip of the sword during multiple past deployments.
"You are used to developing your own plans and going out and getting after the enemy, but that is not your role any more," Cloutier said. "You are here to assist the Iraqi security forces, so it does take a mental shift."
The new mission required some concrete changes, too, as the brigade realigned some of its combat power to support security transition teams. The NTC rotation gave the 1st Brigade an opportunity to adjust to the new roles and the responsibilities those roles entail.
"It takes some getting used to: How do you do that? Who talks to whom? And how does information flow?" Cloutier said. "Those are all things we had to work through."
He welcomed the opportunity to iron out the kinks in a training environment.
"Were there points of friction? Absolutely," he said. "Did we work through them? Absolutely. Better to do it here than on the ground in Iraq. And that is what makes NTC so valuable. You are able to learn from your mistakes here and figure out where your weaknesses are and train on them."
Cloutier said he's leaving the National Training Center "with an extreme sense of confidence in our soldiers' ability to get the mission done."
Army Spc. Daniel Fyne and Army Pvt. Reinaldo Gonzalez, both 1st Brigade soldiers about to deploy for the first time, said they recognize their upcoming mission as an important step toward helping the Iraqis take full security responsibility for their country.
"It feels pretty good, just to be there, closing down things and letting them take control," Fyne said. "I think it's pretty cool."
"They are savvy. They get it," Cloutier said of his soldiers. "They understand that it is not about us any more. It's a step toward the eventual withdrawal of U.S. forces."
Cloutier praised his troops for the role they will play in helping to bring the U.S. mission in Iraq to a close. "They don't want to read about history," he said. "They want to be part of history."
Combined Force Detains Suspects in Afghanistan
American Forces Press Service
Nov. 3, 2009 - A combined Afghan and international security force detained several suspected militants today and yesterday in Afghanistan's Helmand and Kandahar provinces, military officials reported. A combined force detained several suspects in Helmand province today after searching a compound known to be used by a Taliban leader in charge of coordinating attacks and supplying homemade bombs to other militants in the region.
The force targeted the compound near Koshtay village in Garmsir district after intelligence indicated militant activity there. The force searched the compound without incident; no shots were fired and no one was injured.
Elsewhere, a combined security force detained several suspected militants during the search of a compound in Kandahar province yesterday known to be used by a Taliban operator in the area.
The force targeted the compound in northern Kandahar City after intelligence indicated militant activity. The force searched the compound without incident. No shots were fired, and no one was injured.
(From an International Security Assistance Force Joint Command news release.)
Nov. 3, 2009 - A combined Afghan and international security force detained several suspected militants today and yesterday in Afghanistan's Helmand and Kandahar provinces, military officials reported. A combined force detained several suspects in Helmand province today after searching a compound known to be used by a Taliban leader in charge of coordinating attacks and supplying homemade bombs to other militants in the region.
The force targeted the compound near Koshtay village in Garmsir district after intelligence indicated militant activity there. The force searched the compound without incident; no shots were fired and no one was injured.
Elsewhere, a combined security force detained several suspected militants during the search of a compound in Kandahar province yesterday known to be used by a Taliban operator in the area.
The force targeted the compound in northern Kandahar City after intelligence indicated militant activity. The force searched the compound without incident. No shots were fired, and no one was injured.
(From an International Security Assistance Force Joint Command news release.)
Treasury Removes Three Former Terrorist Supporters from Specially Designated Nationals List
The U.S. Department of the Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) today removed Patricia Rosa Vinck, Barakaat International, and Barakaat International Foundation from its Specially Designated Nationals List, having found that Vinck and the two entities no longer present a significant threat of supporting terrorism. Today's action was taken in conjunction with a removal of the three names from the United Nations' 1267 Sanctions Committee (U.N. 1267 Committee) Consolidated List of individuals and entities subject to U.N. sanctions measures. "The U.S. Government is actively supporting the comprehensive review underway at the U.N. 1267 Committee to ensure the efficacy, accuracy, and fairness of this vital sanctions regime," said OFAC Director Adam J. Szubin. "We are reviewing the evidentiary records for hundreds of listings – advocating for continued preventative sanctions against those who pose a significant threat of supporting terrorism and removal of those who do not."
Vinck, Barakaat International, and Barakaat International Foundation were all designated by the Treasury Department under Executive Order 13224 and by the U.N. 1267 Committee. The Treasury Department and the United Nations designated Vinck in January 2003 and the two Barakaat entities in November 2001.
Vinck is the wife of Nabil Abdul Salam Sayadi, who headed the Belgium office of the Global Relief Foundation (GRF), an organization designated in October 2002 by the United States and the United Nations for its support to al Qaida. Vinck served as the secretary of GRF's Belgium office and facilitated GRF's activities. Following U.S. and U.N. sanctions against her, Vinck ceased her activities on behalf of GRF.
The Barakaat organizations were part of a financial conglomerate operating in 40 countries around the world that facilitated the financing and operations of al Qaida and other terrorist organizations. The U.S. and U.N. sanctions against these entities assisted the global effort to prevent them from routing funds to al Qaida and other terrorist groups, and the two organizations are no longer operating. Other designated entities and individuals related to the Barakaat conglomerate remain on the U.S. and U.N. sanctions lists.
The U.N. 1267 Committee is currently implementing a number of procedural and other measures called for by U.N. Security Council Resolution 1822, adopted in June 2008, to improve the effectiveness and fairness of U.N. sanctions. These measures include a comprehensive review of the approximately 500 names on the U.N. 1267 Committee's Consolidated List to be completed by June 2010. The resolution also mandates the establishment and posting on the U.N. 1267 Committee's website of narrative summaries of reasons for the listing of all individuals and entities on the Consolidated List, and updates to the U.N. 1267 Committee's listing and delisting procedures. The United States strongly supports and is participating vigorously in these efforts.
More information about the activities of the U.N. 1267 Committee, including the Consolidated List and corresponding narrative summaries, can be found on the U.N. 1267 Committee's website at www.un.org/sc/committees/1267.
Detailed information about Treasury's anti-terrorism sanctions program and the Specially Designated Nationals List are provided on OFAC's website at www.treas.gov/ofac.
Vinck, Barakaat International, and Barakaat International Foundation were all designated by the Treasury Department under Executive Order 13224 and by the U.N. 1267 Committee. The Treasury Department and the United Nations designated Vinck in January 2003 and the two Barakaat entities in November 2001.
Vinck is the wife of Nabil Abdul Salam Sayadi, who headed the Belgium office of the Global Relief Foundation (GRF), an organization designated in October 2002 by the United States and the United Nations for its support to al Qaida. Vinck served as the secretary of GRF's Belgium office and facilitated GRF's activities. Following U.S. and U.N. sanctions against her, Vinck ceased her activities on behalf of GRF.
The Barakaat organizations were part of a financial conglomerate operating in 40 countries around the world that facilitated the financing and operations of al Qaida and other terrorist organizations. The U.S. and U.N. sanctions against these entities assisted the global effort to prevent them from routing funds to al Qaida and other terrorist groups, and the two organizations are no longer operating. Other designated entities and individuals related to the Barakaat conglomerate remain on the U.S. and U.N. sanctions lists.
The U.N. 1267 Committee is currently implementing a number of procedural and other measures called for by U.N. Security Council Resolution 1822, adopted in June 2008, to improve the effectiveness and fairness of U.N. sanctions. These measures include a comprehensive review of the approximately 500 names on the U.N. 1267 Committee's Consolidated List to be completed by June 2010. The resolution also mandates the establishment and posting on the U.N. 1267 Committee's website of narrative summaries of reasons for the listing of all individuals and entities on the Consolidated List, and updates to the U.N. 1267 Committee's listing and delisting procedures. The United States strongly supports and is participating vigorously in these efforts.
More information about the activities of the U.N. 1267 Committee, including the Consolidated List and corresponding narrative summaries, can be found on the U.N. 1267 Committee's website at www.un.org/sc/committees/1267.
Detailed information about Treasury's anti-terrorism sanctions program and the Specially Designated Nationals List are provided on OFAC's website at www.treas.gov/ofac.
As Iraq Tour Nears End, Truckers' Mission Continues
By Army Sgt. Andy MehlerSpecial to American Forces Press Service
Nov. 3, 2009 - When a deployed unit approaches its end-of-tour date, the focus begins to shift from the deployment at hand to redeployment stateside. But not so for those who support the mission until its final moment, such as the mechanics with the 628th Aviation Support Battalion, who face the pressures of repairing vehicles quickly while also taking steps to shut down operations.
The motor pool's mechanics collectively operate nearly 24 hours each day, said Army Sgt. Nic Light, a mechanic with Headquarters Support Company, 628th Aviation Support Battalion, with the 28th Combat Aviation Brigade.
The mechanics are grouped into work teams, with some working on vehicle repairs and maintenance, while others clean and pack tools. The mechanics pull all tools and equipment from their storage trailers, inventory them, clean them individually, pressure-wash the trailer and then replace all the tools inside, Light said.
The storage trailer is then locked until it can be inspected by customs officials for shipment back home, adding that ensuring the tools are free of dirt and dust is not an easy task in a desert environment.
They faced another big hurdle as well. No support was in place for nontactical vehicles, the civilian-model trucks and sport-utility vehicles used around the camp, Light said.
"We had to build up a parts stock and create an inventory for them," he said. The mechanics had to research all of the parts and corresponding stock numbers for the civilian vehicles and enter them into their military parts data base for future ordering needs.
Updating the parts inventory to include civilian vehicles will greatly assist the incoming unit, as Light's unit soon will be unable to order parts because their online system will be shut down.
To avoid having vehicles sit immobile, the maintenance crew is working to quickly get disabled vehicles back on the road and mission-ready, while at the same time preparing to shut down and head back home.
The motor pool also is the operations area for the truck platoon of Company A, 628th ASB, which transports cargo around the base. As their deployment winds down, the truck platoon remains busy assisting in the expansion of the camp. The platoon has been hauling large storage containers and housing trailers, as well as concrete security walls and road barriers that are placed around the living areas for added safety.
"The only thing that could potentially be an issue for us is if the mechanics have already discontinued their operations prior to our missions being completed," Staff Sgt. Douglas Kimmel, platoon sergeant from Manheim, Pa., said.
(Army Sgt. Andy Mehler serves in the 28th Combat Aviation Brigade public affairs office.)
Enhanced Tools and Techniques to Support Debris Management in Disaster Response Missions
The U.S. Army Engineer Research and Development Center announces the publication of a new document on its Web site.
ERDC/EL TR-09-12
Enhanced Tools and Techniques to Support Debris Management in Disaster Response Missions by Mike Channell, Mark R. Graves, Victor F. Medina, Agnes B. Morrow, Dennis Brandon, and Catherine C. Nestler
Abstract:
Debris management is a critical function of disaster response activities. Debris can represent a serious health hazard in its own right, can hamper emergency response, and, by clogging streams and waterways, promote flooding. During an actual disaster, time is a limiting factor for the formulation and testing of improved debris management approaches. The time to improve management and technical approaches is before disasters strike. This report proposes that research can be effective in improving emergency response regarding debris management. This study investigated three aspects of debris management: debris management in stream beds, hazardous aspects of debris, and the use of geospatial measurements and techniques to improve management. The state of the practice for each was established. Areas of research opportunities were then identified and discussed. This document can serve as a framework for a debris management research focus area, which will provide guidance for emergency management organizations and professionals.
If you wish to access/download the document (56 pages, 1.79 mb) in pdf format, the address is: http://libweb.wes.army.mil/uhtbin/hyperion/EL-TR-09-12.pdf
ERDC/EL TR-09-12
Enhanced Tools and Techniques to Support Debris Management in Disaster Response Missions by Mike Channell, Mark R. Graves, Victor F. Medina, Agnes B. Morrow, Dennis Brandon, and Catherine C. Nestler
Abstract:
Debris management is a critical function of disaster response activities. Debris can represent a serious health hazard in its own right, can hamper emergency response, and, by clogging streams and waterways, promote flooding. During an actual disaster, time is a limiting factor for the formulation and testing of improved debris management approaches. The time to improve management and technical approaches is before disasters strike. This report proposes that research can be effective in improving emergency response regarding debris management. This study investigated three aspects of debris management: debris management in stream beds, hazardous aspects of debris, and the use of geospatial measurements and techniques to improve management. The state of the practice for each was established. Areas of research opportunities were then identified and discussed. This document can serve as a framework for a debris management research focus area, which will provide guidance for emergency management organizations and professionals.
If you wish to access/download the document (56 pages, 1.79 mb) in pdf format, the address is: http://libweb.wes.army.mil/uhtbin/hyperion/EL-TR-09-12.pdf
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