Special Operations Officials Emphasize Capacity Building

By Donna Miles
American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, July 22, 2013 – Building on the lessons learned in Iraq and Afghanistan, U.S. Special Operations Command is refocusing on helping partner militaries across the geographic commands build special operations capacity, Socom’s commander reported.

The drawdown in Afghanistan will free up more special operators to support other theaters, Navy Adm. William H. McRaven said during a July 19 panel discussion at the 2013 Aspen Security Forum in Aspen, Colo.

McRaven reported that he already has sat down with all of the geographic combatant commanders to discuss their objectives and determine how more special operations forces can support them.

Toward that goal, Socom is returning to its pre-9/11 concept of aligning forces to specific geographic areas and providing them cultural and language training for that region, he said.
By necessity, special operators shifted their focus to Iraq and Afghanistan over the past 12 years, McRaven said, and fluency in languages other than Arabic, Dari and Pashto suffered. To rebuild lost skill sets, the command is reinvigorating its language and cultural awareness program and aligning it to the theaters “so that the right people speak the right languages and understand the right cultures in the right regions,” the admiral added.

One of the big takeaways from Afghanistan has been the effectiveness of the command structure provided through the Special Operations Joint Task Force Afghanistan, he reported. It aligns all special operations missions across Afghanistan, to make them more coordinated and effective.

The task force has provided “effects that we hadn’t seen in the previous decade,” McRaven said. The challenge now, he told the forum, is to take the lessons learned and export them to other special operations missions around the world.

Special operators “will always be able to do the kinetic piece … better than anyone else in the world,” he said. “When somebody needs to rescue Americans or when someone needs to capture or kill the enemy, I think we have the best force in the world and will for a long time.”
McRaven acknowledged, however, that “that’s a small part of what we do in the special operations community.”

Building partner capacity is the larger mission, he reported, and it currently involves about 3,000 special operations forces in about 84 countries outside Afghanistan. Working in small teams, they are helping partner-nation militaries build special operations capacity so their sovereign governments can deal with their own problems without the need for U.S. forces, he said.

These are core special operations capabilities that the special operations community has been conducting “for a very, very long time,” McRaven said. “So any thought that this is a new idea is not correct,” he added.

What has changed is the fiscal environment, he noted. “Now, we’ve got to do it in a little more structured fashion,” McRaven said. “We have limited resources, [so] we’ve got to figure out where to apply those resources.”

Michael A. Sheehan, assistant secretary of defense for special operations and low intensity conflict, joined McRaven for the panel discussion. A former Green Beret, Sheehan recalled being among only about 12 special operations advisors in El Salvador during its civil war. “I think in many ways, we’re going to go back to the future in terms of the SOF mission set,” he said.

Counterterrorism is actually a two-part effort, both with a special operations forces component, Sheehan explained.

“One is [that] we have to deny sanctuary to terrorists. We can’t let them sit and be comfortable, or they will be able to attack us strategically,” he said. “And secondly, we need to pressure the network. We need to attack the leaders, safe houses, training sites, their assets, lines of communications, et cetera.”

Typically, a special operations forces advisor works with a host-nation military to help train and equip the force and plan activities designed to deny space to the enemy, Sheehan said. “On the other side, we want to have a relationship, the training, advising, equipping for the host country’s kinetic action for their direct action against the enemy,” he explained.

The key, Sheehan said, is to identify the best way to train, equip and advise the host-nation forces so they can successfully conduct their own special operations missions.

“When we are successful in doing that, we have then pushed ourselves back into the secondary role and enabled host countries to defend their own country,” Sheehan said. “And that’s our goal for the next 10 years.”

Dempsey Praises Afghan Campaign Plan, Meets German Commanders

By Jim Garamone
American Forces Press Service

MAZAR-I-SHARIF, Afghanistan, July 21, 2013 – The clarity of the International Security Assistance Force campaign in Afghanistan is impressive, the top U.S. military leader said here today, and that is a tribute to leaders at all levels.

Army Gen. Martin E. Dempsey, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, met with U.S. and allied personnel at the German-led headquarters of Regional Command-North here today.

German army Maj. Gen. Jorg Vollmer escorted Dempsey and U.S. Army Lt. Gen. Mark Milley, commander of ISAF Joint Command, as they visited the base.

Following a lunch meeting with German and American troops, the chairman told them they are united in a common purpose and are on track to accomplish the mission. There are 2,000 U.S. troops and 8,000 service members from 17 NATO and partner nations in Regional Command-North.

Vollmer briefed Dempsey on the situation throughout the northern Afghan provinces of Badakhshan, Baghlan, Balkh, Faryab, Jowzjan, Kunduz, Samangan, Sar-e Pul and Takhar. “It’s a chance for me to learn what’s going well and what’s not,” the chairman said during his lunch with the troops. It was Dempsey’s first visit to the regional command since 2007, he said.

NATO and partner nations are heavily involved with training and advising Afghan National Army forces, Afghan uniformed police and Afghan local police. Dempsey, Milley and Vollmer discussed operations through the end of 2014, which is when the NATO mission in Afghanistan expires, and the retrograde movement out of the country.

Officials speaking on background said one theme of the meeting involved the Afghan elections and the retrograde movement of NATO and allied personnel and equipment from the country.
The U.S. will maintain more than 60,000 troops in Afghanistan through this year’s fighting season. That number will drop to 34,000 by February 2014, and will remain there through Afghanistan’s national elections, scheduled for April 5.

U.S. forces will make up a bit more than half of the NATO and partner forces in Afghanistan for the election. And NATO has agreed to keep the number of troops in Afghanistan at 60,000 for 90 days after the election.

If Afghan officials move the elections to later in the year, it would become difficult for the U.S., NATO and partner nations to meet the retrograde timeline, the official said. “There is physics involved with this,” the official added.

All NATO and partner nations are anticipating the U.S.-Afghanistan Bilateral Security Agreement, officials said. The agreement will provide the basis for the follow-on mission, which NATO has named Resolute Support. Once the United States and Afghan leaders ink a pact, which will include legal protections for American service members, NATO will follow suit.

This will mean the number of NATO personnel training and advising Afghan forces will be known and make the retrograde movement somewhat easier, officials said.

Following his meetings, Dempsey moved to gatherings with American, German and Swedish soldiers and airmen.

Mazar-i-Sharif now hosts U.S. Air Force personnel involved with flying and maintaining KC-135 Stratotanker refueling aircraft. They are part of a group based at the Transit Center at Manas, Kyrgyzstan.

“Since I’ve become chairman I’ve learned so much about what things make our military the most agile military in the world,” Dempsey told the airmen.

“Among those is our ability to establish air bridges for that global reach that literally no one else has.” The chairman thanked the airmen for their service, commitment and sacrifices, and asked that they pass his thanks on to their families as well.

Dempsey also met with American and Swedish medevac crews and toured a German HH-90 medevac helicopter. A planned aerial tour to other bases around the area had to be scrubbed because of dust and high winds.

Dempsey will continue his meetings in country tomorrow.

Dempsey to Visit Afghanistan, Meet With Dunford, Others

By Jim Garamone
American Forces Press Service

ABOARD A U.S. MILITARY AIRCRAFT, July 20, 2013 – Army Gen. Martin E. Dempsey will visit Afghanistan to meet with Afghan, NATO and U.S. leaders.

The chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff makes frequent trips to the combat zone to see conditions firsthand and to speak with the men and women shouldering the burden. These visits are well-planned, but unannounced.

Dempsey will meet with NATO’s International Security Assistance Force Commander Marine Gen. Joseph F. Dunford Jr. The chairman and the NATO chief will discuss the campaign plan, the current fighting season, the April 2014 Afghan elections and plans for the post-2014 U.S. presence in Afghanistan, officials said.

U.S. and Afghan negotiators are working on a bilateral security agreement, and Dempsey will get a briefing on that. The general said yesterday during his reconfirmation hearing before the Senate that legal protections for American service members based in Afghanistan after the NATO mandate ends on Dec. 31, 2014, will be of paramount importance.

Having American troops in Afghanistan post-2014 to train and advise the Afghan national security forces will be crucial to success in the country, Dempsey said yesterday.

Dempsey and Dunford will also discuss the retrograde movement of American equipment from Afghanistan.

Alexander: Terrorists Benefit from Snowden’s Actions

By Cheryl Pellerin
American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, July 19, 2013 – The director of the National Security Agency said he has proof that terrorist groups are benefitting from former NSA contractor Edward Snowden’s public disclosure about agency data-gathering efforts.

Army Gen. Keith B. Alexander, also commander of U.S. Cyber Command, spoke yesterday with Pete Williams, chief justice correspondent for NBC News, at the annual Aspen Institute Security Forum in Colorado.

“We have concrete proof that … terrorist groups and others are [already] taking action, making changes, and it's going to make our job tougher,” said Alexander, comparing the leaks of such sensitive information to, in football parlance, giving the enemy the U.S. playbook.

There are reasons that such information is kept secure, the general said, and it’s not because the American people aren’t trusted.

“The reality is that terrorists use our communications devices,” Alexander said. “They use our networks, they know how to plan around this. They use Skype, they use Yahoo, they use Google. They are amongst us and they're trying to kill our people.”

Snowden, now a fugitive wanted by the United States, was a system administrator who ran what is called the SharePoint account as a contractor for NSA in Hawaii, Alexander said.

The former NSA contractor’s responsibility, the general said, was to move data, and as a system administrator he had access to thumb drives and other tools.

“What we had is a person who was given the responsibility and the trust to do this job. [Snowden] betrayed that responsibility and trust and took this data,” Alexander said.

Meanwhile, the general added, the U.S. government is “taking actions to fix this.”

In his leaks to the media, Snowden described two NSA surveillance programs authorized by the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, which Congress created in 2008. Section 702 of FISA authorizes access to records and other items of foreign targets located outside the United States under court oversight.

Section 215 of the Patriot Act broadened FISA to allow the FBI director or another high-ranking official there to apply for orders to produce telephone records, books and other materials to help with terrorism investigations.

Revelations about the programs have launched a nationwide debate about citizens’ privacy, because Section 215 allows NSA to collect something called metadata -- information about call length and connections -- for phone calls that occur inside the United States and between the United States and other countries.

In 2012, these programs resulted in the examination of fewer than 300 selectors, or phone numbers, in the NSA database, Alexander said.

“That’s a very focused effort,” the general said. “It’s based on a nexus to al-Qaida and terrorism … meant to connect the dots between foreign intelligence agencies and the … FBI.”

In the same year, he added, that surveillance effort helped stop 42 different plots, and 12 people were caught providing material support to terrorists. And 41 of the terrorist actions that were prevented would have affected U.S. allies like Germany, France, Denmark and other countries around the world, the general said.

Pulling such information together is like putting together a puzzle or connecting the dots, Alexander said.

“What we're trying to do for the United States is to provide that information to the FBI,” he added. “What you can't afford to do is what we did in 9/11 -- not have enough information to connect the dots. We all came together as a country and said never again. We don't want another 9/11.”

The track record since 9/11 is extraordinary, the general said, referring to the work of the FBI, CIA, NSA and the Defense Department to the nation.

In a comment to Alexander, Williams said Apple, Google, Facebook, Yahoo, Microsoft, Facebook and several other computer and communication companies wrote to the administration and copied Alexander, requesting the legal authority to publicly disclose the number of national security requests for information they get from NSA.

“Would you be in favor of that?” Williams asked the general.

Alexander said yes, but with a caveat.

“These carriers are compelled to support us in these programs, they don't have a choice … and these are global companies. They are oftentimes compelled, if they have a headquarters in another country, to do the same thing -- a lawful intercept program,” the general said.

The FBI and the NSA are examining how to comply with the computer and communication companies’ request “without hurting any of the ongoing FBI investigations,” Alexander said.

“From my perspective, what the American people and the rest of the people of the world should know, what these companies are doing, they're compelled to do,” the general said.

“And I will tell you,” Alexander added, “they know that they're helping us save lives here and in other countries around the world, and that's good business.”

Hagel Stresses Value of Special Operations Forces to Security

By Marine Corps Lance Cpl. Steven Fox
U.S. Marine Corps Forces Special Operations Command

MARINE CORPS BASE CAMP LEJEUNE, N.C., July 18, 2013 – Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel highlighted the value of special operations forces during a visit with Marines at the Stone Bay facility here yesterday.

Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel speaks to Marines and sailors of U.S. Marine Corps Forces Special Operations Command at Camp Lejeune, N.C., July 17, 2013. U.S. Marine Corps photo by Lance Cpl. Steven Fox   (Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available.

The secretary told Marines and sailors of U.S. Marine Corps Forces Special Operations Command that MARSOC’s strength lies in its seasoned Marines who are capable of dealing with developing situations in a complex operational environment.

“Special operations are going to continue to be a critical, critical component of our national security,” Hagel said. “I see a tremendous future. We can learn a lot from what special operations does. It’s going to be a main piece of our national defense strategy.”

Defense Department officials said the purpose of Hagel’s visit was to candidly engage with Marines and sailors here on military budget cut impacts and to gain understanding of how MARSOC plans to posture an enabled Marine Special Operations Company for current and future operations.

In meeting with service members here, the secretary expressed his appreciation to them and their families for their continued sacrifice.

“I understand that I’m the first secretary of defense to visit MARSOC, and let me just say thank you,” he said. “I try to come out to better understand my job so that I can better support you.”

Hagel also stressed that current budget realities in a dangerous world require the Defense Department to learn to do more with less.

“The last 10 or 12 years, the defense budget has been unchallenged, and those days are over,” he said. “We have to be more agile and flexible.”

U.S. on Track in Afghanistan, Military Leaders Tell Senate

By Jim Garamone
American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, July 18, 2013 – Despite Taliban resistance, U.S. military objectives in Afghanistan are on track, senior U.S. military leaders told the Senate Armed Services Committee today.

Army Gen. Martin E. Dempsey, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, testifies on his nomination to serve a second two-year term during a hearing before the Senate Armed Services Committee in Washington, D.C., July 18, 2013. DOD photo by Navy Petty Officer 1st Class Daniel Hinton   (Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available.

Army Gen. Martin E. Dempsey and Navy Adm. James A. Winnefeld Jr. told the committee during their reconfirmation hearing that the International Security Assistance Force mission is on track to achieve its objectives in Afghanistan and end its mission by 2015.

President Barack Obama nominated Dempsey and Winnefeld for second terms as chairman and vice chairman, respectively, of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

Dempsey told the senators that Marine Corps Gen. Joseph F. Dunford Jr., the ISAF commander, said he will achieve his campaign objectives in developing the Afghan security forces.
“Now, he does also acknowledge there are some potential gaps that he will have better clarity on after this fighting season,” Dempsey said.

The chairman and vice chairman told the senators that they have given their recommendations for the size of a residual force the United States will leave in Afghanistan post-2014.

“We’ve provided several options,” Dempsey said. “As the Joint Chiefs, we have made a recommendation on the size, and we’ve also expressed our view on when that announcement would best meet the campaign objectives.”

The United States and Afghanistan must finalize a bilateral security arrangement -- with legal protections for American service members -- before a decision is made. Dempsey said he would stress this when he meets with Afghan President Hamid Karzai.

Dempsey told the senators he seeks opinions about Afghanistan.

“Besides speaking with General Dunford on a weekly basis and visiting him about quarterly, I also reach out to as many other people as I can possibly reach out to who can give us other views,” he said.
All these reports align, the chairman added.

Having American troops in Afghanistan beyond 2014 is crucial to success in the country, Dempsey said.

“Although I've told you that the progress of the security forces has been significant,” he added, “they would not have the level of confidence to sustain themselves over time if it happens that precipitously.

A Culture Lost - Five Ways Federal Air Marshals Have Changed Since 9/11

by Clay Biles

Federal Air Marshals have been protecting U.S. flagged aircrafts for over fifty years.  Their position is intricately woven into the fabric of history which was born almost a century ago, when the first aircraft was hijacked in Peru.  Since that initial spark, a fire has raged in civil aviation security, to tame the many criminal and terrorist threats that have threatened the entire aviation system.  In 1961, President Kennedy realized that the threat against aviation was a major problem, and called for the use of armed guards on select flights.  The first group of air marshals was staffed by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) a short time later, in March 1962.  Since their initial inception, Federal Air Marshals have gone through a number of changes that have ebbed and flowed with the tide of terrorism and criminal acts targeting aviation.  Throughout the long and proud history of air marshals, however, the most rapid changes to their ranks came after the attacks on September 11, 2001 (9/11).

The first change to occur immediately after 9/11 was the need to standup 600 air marshals in one month, and thousands more after that.  The U.S. had 33 air marshals working in a full time capacity on 9/11, and the Bush Administration was pushing to expand the program fast.  The training of so many air marshals was not an easy task.  The standard for their firearms qualification was so stringent that many of the post-9/11 candidates could not pass the course.  This standard had made the air marshals the top 1% of shooters in the world, however, was considered too difficult by many post-9/11 managers.  By early 2002, a revolver qualification course that had been used by air marshals in the mid-1970s, had permanently replaced the qualification standard.  The increase in manpower for air marshals also brought more government oversight, and the FAA, with its decades of experience in civil aviation security, started slowly being replaced by a new organization: The signing of the Transportation Security Act by President George W. Bush, established the Transportation Security Administration (TSA), in November 2001. In January 2002, the FAA had begun to hand over all aviation security duties to the TSA, and over time, air marshals eventually came to fall into their grasp as well.  By September 2002, thousands of air marshals were being trained. It was a new beginning for these men and women, and they were mostly unaware of the rich history of air marshals that came before them.  Any trace of culture that remained in the ashes of 9/11, was forever erased with the rapid standup of personnel.  The culture of the Federal Air Marshal had sustained many hits over the decades. However, the increase in manpower after the attacks on 9/11, had delivered the final and fatal blow to that culture by late 2002.

The second major change to occur for Federal Air Marshals since 9/11 was the new focus of air marshal missions.  After 9/11, the focus shifted from an international one, to a more broad-spectrum approach.  Prior to 9/11, air marshal missions were focused on international routes.  Airline plots like Bojinka, and hijackings such as TWA 847 and Kuwait Air Flight 422, had steered the security program towards an international, “long arm” approach.  Although terrorists had used their own trained pilots in the past, and had even shown a desire to steer aircraft into symbols of power, the violence that played out on 9/11 had not been planned for.  By covering flights on domestic and international routes, terrorists and criminals targeting U.S. aircraft have a higher probability of being confronted with armed law enforcement personnel.  The reach and resolve of terrorists have forced aviation security professionals to adapt to these problems.  The continued use of air marshals on a higher percentage of U.S. flights tilts the balance of security back towards the safety of the public.

The third change that occurred after 9/11 was the loss of many hard-earned connections with U.S. intelligence agencies.  Air marshals were very closely associated with the intelligence community throughout the 1990s.  The excellent training air marshals received before 9/11, given their small numbers, enabled them to establish themselves as experts in their fields.  These air marshals, as FAA Inspectors, had an intimate knowledge of the aviation system.  They were all issued a Top Secret clearance because of their positions and the Director of the FAA Federal Air Marshal Program also secured SCI (Sensitive Compartmented Information) classifications for them, in order for pre-9/11 air marshals to work with more sensitive intelligence information.  These SCI classifications allowed air marshals to gather and assess information when evaluating airports overseas, which was a collateral duty for air marshals at the time. This sharing of information was important for an overall picture of potential threats, and for better evaluation of security loop holes at gateway airports to the United States.  This close association with the intelligence community was lost after 9/11.  The contacts and associations made in these important areas were killed in the realignment and takeover of the FAA program by the TSA.  This precious link may never be re-established by air marshals, and the niche that was groomed for nearly a decade, throughout the 1990s, will likely never reach that level of cooperation or expertise.

Air marshals were used for flying missions as collateral duty prior to 9/11, and this is the fourth major change for Federal Air Marshals after the attacks: This is the first time in history that they have flown missions in a full-time capacity.  Before 9/11, air marshals worked primarily as FAA Inspectors, and the position of Federal Air Marshal was a duty performed only for specific events or heightened threats against the aviation system.  As FAA Inspectors, air marshals learned invaluable experience about civil aviation.  Today, air marshals less extensive training leaves a gap in knowledge and experience that is crucial for successful and robust in-flight security.  

Aviation continues to be tempting for terrorist attack: Terrorist organizations have spent decades infiltrating and studying the aviation system.  This fact should revitalize the air marshal commitment today; however, the fifth change that has taken place in the ranks of air marshals since 9/11 is a loss of purpose amongst many of the rank and file.  The reasons for this are many, and are sensitive subjects for today’s air marshals.  Issues between air marshals and management, and the time, distance, and separation from the attacks on 9/11, make for a dangerous brew for our aviation system.  Air marshals had very distinctive threats before 9/11, and these were very prevalent against aviation from 1970 to September 11, 2001.  Knowledge is power, and pre-9/11 air marshals had the tools at their disposal to identify the threat they faced: Air marshals today are not as informed.  After 9/11, the confusion between training for a counter-terrorist engagement and performing law enforcement duties left many air marshals questioning their positions.  One of the significant changes in air marshal training after 9/11 pushed them towards more of a law enforcement role.  Air marshals today continue to find themselves caught between counter-terrorist and law enforcement officer.  This confusion leaves air marshals in a position of vulnerability, and many air marshals fear that the Federal Air Marshal Service will not support them even if performing work within the scope of their duties.  The culmination of the many changes after 9/11 have helped feed this loss of purpose and send mixed signals as to what the threat towards civil aviation really is.

Prior to 9/11 air marshals faced a very distinctive threat.  Many air marshals woke up every morning with the fear of this threat, and many resigned because they were not prepared to face that threat.  Air marshals today still face a considerable danger in the skies.  Although, it is not a realized and readily identifiable one, terrorists have studied our aviation system, and they, like air marshals, wait for an opportunity.  The difference air marshals make as a deterrent and physical presence on U.S. flagged air carriers is necessary.  The United States cannot afford another 9/11.  The Federal Air Marshal stands in the face of this threat, and by understanding better their past, and the threat they face, they can use their own culture and history as a force multiplier in the protection of this most vital national security resource.

Clay W. Biles has a long and varied career in U.S defense, beginning with his career in the Navy in 1994. Using this experience, Biles then moved into Explosives Demolition in Los Angeles, followed by his studies to become a doctor and two years spent as a medical researcher at Stanford University Medical Center. In 2001, after the attacks on 9/11, he returned to the military and served with SEAL Team Three until 2004. After years spent in the UAE, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Afghanistan, Iraq, and Mexico on overseas security contracts, Biles joined the Federal Air Marshal Service where he was assigned as his class’ training leader during the air marshal academy, and was given the Distinguished Honor Graduate Award upon graduation. He recently left the air marshal service and now enjoys spending time with his wife, Wendy, and kayaking. For more information, please visit www.famhistorybook.com.

Army Casualty

The Department of Defense announced today the death of a soldier who was supporting Operation Enduring Freedom.

Staff Sgt. Sonny C. Zimmerman, 25, of Waynesfield, Ohio, died July 16, in Mushaka, Afghanistan, of wounds suffered when his vehicle was attacked by a rocket propelled grenade. He was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 506th Infantry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, Fort Campbell, Ky.

For more information, media may contact the Fort Campbell public affairs office at 931-217-5074 or 931-220-7993.

A 5,000-mile journey to recovery

by Senior Airman Hailey Haux
86th Airlift Wing Public Affairs

7/15/2013 - RAMSTEIN AIR BASE, Germany (AFNS) -- An active-duty Air Force crew aboard a C-17 Globemaster III made history July 10 while flying specialized medical teams and a patient requiring equipment never before used on board a tran-Atlantic mission.

The spouse of an active-duty Army service member, who wishes to remain anonymous, was being treated with extracorporeal membrane oxygenation, or ECMO, at a local German hospital prior to being temporarily transferred to Landstuhl Regional Medical Center here for movement back to the United States.

The patient had been receiving the treatment in veno-venous mode by a German medical staff for approximately one week prior to arriving at LRMC. ECMO is the process of removing blood through a large vein, placing it through an oxygenator to remove carbon dioxide, and depositing the blood back into the body through another large vein -- a medical process similar to dialysis treatment.

ECMO teams from San Antonio Military Medical Center, a 24-person staffed hub officially recognized as an ECMO center in May, flew to Germany to coordinate and fly the 5000 mile specialized mission back to SAMMC in Texas, alongside LRMC medical staff.

"ECMO is designed to replace the heart and lung function as a temporary measure to give the body the ability to recover," said Lt. Col. David Zonies, the LRMC medical director of the ECMO program. "Today's mission is to bring the team that is similarly developing in the states our experience and fly together as a validation. So the next step for the San Antonio team will be to stand alone to perform the long-range strategic evacuations."

For order for something of this magnitude to be successful in flight, there are several things that need to happen. Crew members said teamwork is essential.

"We need to make sure the equipment and patient are secure while in flight," said Maj. Michelle Langdon, the U.S. Air Forces in Europe-Air Forces Africa critical care air-transport team lead. "It is important that the team knows their equipment and the other people on the team and what roles they are good at."

The LRMC team first purchased ECMO equipment in 2010, using it primarily to transport patients back from Afghanistan. This trip was the first opportunity for the San Antonio and German-based ECMO teams to transport a patient such a far distance.

"We have practiced this type of movement in short chunks," Langdon said. "We anticipate what could happen and practice our responses, but there is more to consider while transporting someone this far."

The challenges increase for medical teams when a patient is in the aircraft for an extended period of time.

"We could have equipment failure, where we would then hand-crank the machine until we were able to troubleshoot and get the device running again," Langdon said. "We have little control over the environment in the back of the aircraft. It could be hot or cold and sometimes dry, but we do our best to keep the patient as comfortable as possible."

This ECMO capability is a breakthrough on many levels for the medical field.

"This is a huge milestone; from technology application, to team development, to standing up ECMO capabilities both in Germany and San Antonio," said Lt. Col. Jeremy Cannon, the SAMMC chief of trauma and ECMO medical director. "The original vision was to maintain this capability for our combat wounded, but everyone in the (Department of Defense) community benefits."

This program not only touches the patient but their family as well.

"We're excited that this technology is available for Soldiers and spouses alike, and that they care as much for family members as they do for (active-duty Airmen)," said the patient's husband. "It makes me excited and happy that this capability is there and they're willing to do it in such a quick fashion. We were thinking the transport (back to the U.S.) would take months, not days."

Last year alone the LRMC ECMO team made 18 trips to Afghanistan. Of those, six patients were put on ECMO treatment prior to being taken back to Germany.

One of the Air Force's key capabilities is global reach, and this mission solidifies that concept. According to both Zonies and Cannon, the idea is to create teams in Europe, the U.S. and in the Pacific so there is an ability to strategically move patients from around the globe to the central ECMO center in San Antonio.

Marine Casualty

The Department of Defense announced today the death of a Marine who was supporting Operation Enduring Freedom.

Lance Cpl. Benjamin W. Tuttle, 19, of Gentry, Ark., died July 14 at the Landstuhl Regional Medical Center following a medical evacuation from the aircraft carrier the USS Nimitz (CVN 68) during a scheduled port visit in the 5th Fleet Area of Responsibility.  This incident is under investigation.

He was assigned to Marine Fighter Attack Squadron 323, Marine Aircraft Group 11, 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing, I Marine Expeditionary Force, Marine Corps Air Station Miramar, Calif.

For more information media may contact the 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing Public Affairs Office at 858-577-6000.

Pennsylvania Man Sentenced for Terrorist Solicitation and Firearms Offense

Emerson Winfield Begolly, 24, of New Bethlehem, Penn., was sentenced today in Pittsburgh to 102 months in prison for soliciting others to engage in acts of terrorism within the United States and for using a firearm during and in relation to an assault on FBI agents.

 In addition, he was sentenced to serve five years supervised release.  Begolly pleaded guilty on Aug. 9, 2011, to charges filed in the Eastern District of Virginia and the Western District of Pennsylvania.
 The sentence was announced by David J. Hickton, U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Pennsylvania; Neil H. MacBride, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia; John P. Carlin, Acting Assistant Attorney General for National Security; Valerie Parlave, Assistant Director in Charge of the FBI’s Washington Field Office; and Gary Perdue, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Pittsburgh Division.

“Emerson Begolly used the Internet to solicit likeminded radical jihadists to commit atrocities and murder,” stated U.S. Attorney Hickton. “Through effective use of court-sanctioned investigative tools, mass tragedy was averted.”

“We now find ourselves in an era where one of the greatest innovations of the modern era – the Internet—is being utilized by radical jihadists who seek to use that medium to endanger American lives,” said U.S. Attorney MacBride.  “Those, like Mr. Begolly, who solicit others to engage in acts of terrorism will be brought to justice and prosecuted to the fullest extent of law.”

“This case highlights the need for continued vigilance against homegrown extremism and use of the Internet to incite violence,” said Acting Assistant Attorney General Carlin.  “I want to thank the agents, analysts and prosecutors whose work resulted in today’s sentence.”

“Today’s sentence is the result of the effective coordination and enduring resolve of law enforcement to protect our citizens,” said Assistant Director Parlave.  “Together with our partners, we will continue to work to combat the threat of violent homegrown extremism and keep our country safe.”

“The case against Mr. Begolly is an important reminder that online-inspired terrorism can occur anywhere, including Western Pennsylvania. Our efforts to detect and disrupt this threat are enduring,” said Special Agent in Charge Perdue.  “The FBI, along with our law enforcement partners in the FBI Joint Terrorism Task Force, will continue to proactively employ all necessary resources in order to predict and prevent terrorist attacks from occurring and to ensure the ongoing safety of our communities.”

 According to information presented by the government in court, Begolly was an active administrator on the Ansar al-Mujahideen English Forum (AMEF), which is an internationally used Islamic extremist Internet forum.  Using the pseudonym of Abu Nancy, Begolly systematically solicited jihadists to use firearms, explosives and propane tanks against targets such as police stations, post offices, Jewish schools and daycare centers, military facilities, train lines, bridges, cell phone towers and water plants.

 In the summer of 2010, Begolly urged jihadists on the AMEF to “write their legacy in blood.” Begolly promised a special place in the afterlife for violent action in the name of Allah. Following the reported shootings in Northern Virginia at the Pentagon and the Marine Corps Museum in October 2010, Begolly posted a comment online that praised the shootings and hoped the shooter had followed his previous postings encouraging similar acts of violence.  On Dec. 28, 2010, Begolly further solicited his AMEF audience to violence by posting a manual on how to manufacture a bomb.

 Days later, on Jan. 4, 2011, FBI agents were assaulted by Begolly as they attempted to prevent him from reaching a loaded 9 mm semi-automatic handgun, which he had concealed on his body. While violently struggling with the agents, Begolly bit the agents on their fingers in an attempt to free himself to reach his firearm. His actions are consistent with a posting in which he urged his audience not to be taken alive by law enforcement, to always carry a loaded firearm, and to aggressively resist any law enforcement encounter including biting fingers if necessary.

 These cases were investigated by the FBI Washington Field Office and the FBI Pittsburgh Field Office.  Assistant U.S. Attorney Neil Hammerstrom of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia’s National Security and International Crime Unit, Assistant U.S. Attorney James Kitchen of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Pennsylvania’s National Security and Cybercrime Section, and Trial Attorney Stephen Ponticiello of the Counterterrorism Section in the Justice Department’s National Security Division are prosecuting the cases.