By Navy Lt. Neil Myers
Special to American Forces Press Service
July 7, 2008 - As the security situation becomes more stable in five of this Afghan province's southern districts, coalition civil affairs teams are helping improve governance and infrastructure. Army Capt. Roman Skaskiw, 451st Civil Affairs Battalion, is responsible for the five southern Konar districts. Although these districts differ in the quality of governance and development, they all suffer from a lack of security, power and infrastructure.
"The overall security situation is becoming more stable," Skaskiw said. "The reason for the fighting is local animosities influenced by people who feel they are not getting their share of the redevelopment. However, development dampens the insurgency, as evidenced in the improving police, the roads connecting the people to the government, and the burgeoning health care system."
The civil affairs team works with the Afghan government and international humanitarian organizations to rebuild infrastructure and restore stability in areas stricken by war or natural disasters. Joint civil-military efforts are key components in winning the hearts and minds of Afghans, buttressing the authority of the government in Kabul, and providing a central effort in the U.S.-led counterinsurgency campaign, Skaskiw said. The teams work in partnership with representatives from U.S. government agencies such as the State and Agriculture departments and the U.S. Agency for International Development.
Provincial reconstruction teams were established to facilitate infrastructure development necessary for the Afghan people to succeed in a post-conflict environment. Most PRTs are run by Navy and Air Force officers and are the face of the U.S. redevelopment aid for millions of Afghans.
"PRTs fill specific needs and challenges, such as security and stability, which is apparent in Afghanistan's rebuilding process," said Navy Cmdr. Daniel Dwyer, the Konar PRT commander. "Development without security is unsustainable, and security without development is meaningless."
(Navy Lt. Neil Myers serves with the Konar Provincial Reconstruction Team.)
Monday, July 07, 2008
Mullen Gets First-Hand Look at Sadr City Improvements
By Army Staff Sgt. Michael J. Carden
American Forces Press Service
July 7, 2008 - The U.S. military's top-ranking officer encountered one of Iraq's most dangerous areas today and saw first-hand the improvements Iraqi and U.S. forces have made during recent months. Navy Adm. Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, received a glimpse of the success that has seen attack levels in Iraq fall to their lowest in four years -- a 90 percent decline in attacks during the past year alone. The progress in security has allowed coalition forces to focus more on other issues, military officials in Baghdad said.
Less than 60 days ago, the streets of Jamilla Market in Baghdad's Sadr City district weren't even safe to walk. Now shops are open and business is coming back, said Mullen, who spoke with local merchants as well as U.S. troops during his tour of the two-mile stretch of market.
"We didn't know where Sadr City was going to go," the chairman said to soldiers from the 4th Infantry Division's 3rd Brigade Combat Team. "Thanks to you, the area is much better and safer; you've really made an impact."
Senior leaders from the 4th Infantry Division and its 3rd Brigade Combat Team explained to Mullen that a continuous presence and increased confidence in the Iraqi security forces are the main reasons for the progress. Iraqi security forces are better equipped and better prepared than they've been in many months, said Army Col. John Hort, the brigade's commander.
The 4th Infantry Division soldiers patrol the streets five to seven times a day, and at least two patrols are conducted jointly with Iraqi forces, said Army Capt. Erik Oksenvaag, commander of the company responsible for security in the market and some surrounding areas.
"Sadr City has been in a tremendous fight to get to this stage," Mullen said during a media roundtable in Baghdad. "The commanders are telling me the fight is being carried out in great confidence, and they have confidence in the Iraqi security forces – that they've seen progress."
Mullen said he remains "modestly optimistic," and acknowledged that Sadr City has a long way to go before it will be in reach of full government control. He said it's going to take continued focus and one step at a time in one area at a time.
"I don't see an end state right now in Sadr City, because it's got a long way to go," he said. "It was a place that not too many months ago was a big question for all of us, but continued progress will create a more complete answer down the road. You have to remember that success is a marathon, not a sprint."
Although complete success may not happen overnight, Mullen said, his walk through the market and other areas today was a sure indicator of progress in areas where only a few months ago people couldn't safely walk.
American Forces Press Service
July 7, 2008 - The U.S. military's top-ranking officer encountered one of Iraq's most dangerous areas today and saw first-hand the improvements Iraqi and U.S. forces have made during recent months. Navy Adm. Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, received a glimpse of the success that has seen attack levels in Iraq fall to their lowest in four years -- a 90 percent decline in attacks during the past year alone. The progress in security has allowed coalition forces to focus more on other issues, military officials in Baghdad said.
Less than 60 days ago, the streets of Jamilla Market in Baghdad's Sadr City district weren't even safe to walk. Now shops are open and business is coming back, said Mullen, who spoke with local merchants as well as U.S. troops during his tour of the two-mile stretch of market.
"We didn't know where Sadr City was going to go," the chairman said to soldiers from the 4th Infantry Division's 3rd Brigade Combat Team. "Thanks to you, the area is much better and safer; you've really made an impact."
Senior leaders from the 4th Infantry Division and its 3rd Brigade Combat Team explained to Mullen that a continuous presence and increased confidence in the Iraqi security forces are the main reasons for the progress. Iraqi security forces are better equipped and better prepared than they've been in many months, said Army Col. John Hort, the brigade's commander.
The 4th Infantry Division soldiers patrol the streets five to seven times a day, and at least two patrols are conducted jointly with Iraqi forces, said Army Capt. Erik Oksenvaag, commander of the company responsible for security in the market and some surrounding areas.
"Sadr City has been in a tremendous fight to get to this stage," Mullen said during a media roundtable in Baghdad. "The commanders are telling me the fight is being carried out in great confidence, and they have confidence in the Iraqi security forces – that they've seen progress."
Mullen said he remains "modestly optimistic," and acknowledged that Sadr City has a long way to go before it will be in reach of full government control. He said it's going to take continued focus and one step at a time in one area at a time.
"I don't see an end state right now in Sadr City, because it's got a long way to go," he said. "It was a place that not too many months ago was a big question for all of us, but continued progress will create a more complete answer down the road. You have to remember that success is a marathon, not a sprint."
Although complete success may not happen overnight, Mullen said, his walk through the market and other areas today was a sure indicator of progress in areas where only a few months ago people couldn't safely walk.
CBR Weapons and WMD Terrorism News- July 7, 2008
Still an anthrax mystery [2001 ‘Amerithrax’ attacks]
“It took the Justice Department six years, endless bad publicity and $4.6 million to concede that it had no case against Steven Hatfill, the most famous ‘person of interest’ in the nation's history. Last week, the former Army germ warfare scientist collected close to $3 million in cash and a $150,000-a-year annuity to settle his lawsuit against the federal government. Mr. Hatfill accused FBI agents and Justice Department officials of violating his privacy and recklessly accusing him of involvement in the spate of anthrax letters that killed five - the first victim in Boca Raton - and sickened at least 17 others just after 9/11.
[…] In her 2003 suit, Ms. [Maureen] Stevens accused the government of lax security in safeguarding anthrax samples at the Fort Detrick Army research facility in Maryland. The theory is that the anthrax came from there. Mr. Hatfill once worked at Fort Detrick.” (Palm Beach Post; 05Jul08) http://www.palmbeachpost.com/opinion/content/opinion/epaper/2008/07/05/a10a_hatfill_edit_0705.html
Germ warfare’ fear over African monkeys taken to Iran
“The revelation will fuel speculation that the monkeys may be used for research involving biological weapons. Primates are typically used by scientists wishing to test both the effectiveness of germ warfare agents and defences against them. […] According to US intelligence, the pharmaceutical industry in Iran has long been used as a cover for developing a germ warfare capability. […] America, Russia, China and Iran are among the countries still using wild monkeys.” (The Sunday Times; 06Jul08; Daniel Foggo) http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/africa/article4276460.ece
What’s going on with Ebola? I thought it was going to kill us all.
“Since 2000, there has been an Ebola outbreak every year. In late 2007, Ebola was diagnosed in nearly 100 people in Uganda, killing 25 percent. Ebola is unlikely to cause an epidemic because it is too effective a killer. For a virus to really be successful, its host has to stay alive long enough to find a new host. […] Eventually, the current human volunteers will need to be tested for immunity. Just as it would be unethical to inject people with a weakened Ebola virus, it would be unthinkable to knowingly give anyone the real virus to see if a vaccine is effective. Instead, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has created an exception known as the animal rule for just this situation. The FDA will approve vaccines for highly virulent agents such as Ebola and anthrax if the same immunity can be shown in two different animal species. And if the current National Institutes of Health trial were successful, it would be the first vaccine to invoke the animal rule for approval.” (Science Line; 07Jul08; Katherine Tweed) http://scienceline.org/2008/07/07/ask-tweed-ebola/
Indonesia seeks to shut [U.S.] Navy lab researching avian flu [in Jakarta]
“Indonesia suspended negotiations with the United States over the fate of Naval Medical Research Unit No. 2 last month after senior politicians said it didn't benefit Indonesia and could be a cover for spying. The U.S. Embassy firmly denied that the facility is used to gather intelligence, and said most of the lab's staff members are Indonesians helping with research carried out in cooperation with local health officials. The biomedical research lab opened in Jakarta in 1970 and is used to study tropical diseases, including malaria, dengue fever and avian flu, according to an embassy fact sheet.” (Los Angeles Times; 05Jul08; Paul Watson)
http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/la-fg-virus5-2008jul05,0,2146766.story
Mimic molecules to protect against~plague
“Now, scientists have discovered a way to protect against death following infection with plague bacteria, by using molecules that can mimic the pathogens. According to research published in the July issue of Microbiology, these molecules make antibiotics more effective and can even be used to protect against other diseases. […] The results of this study suggest that synthetic modified lipid A compounds may provide a new therapeutic tool against plague infection. In a control group that did not receive the treatment, only 23% of mice survived for 3 days. When given the mimic molecules, up to 93% of mice survived for 3 days, 70% for 4 days and 34% recovered completely.” (E! Science News; 04Jul08) http://esciencenews.com/articles/2008/07/04/mimic.molecules.protect.against.plague
US medical intelligence center expanding to track health threats at home, abroad
“A U.S. military intelligence unit that had tracked medical threats to troops worldwide is expanding its mission to include civilians at home. The National Center for Medical Intelligence at Fort Detrick had previously been known as the Armed Forces Medical Intelligence Center and focused on protecting military personnel. The center will now be the ‘premier producer and coordinator of all-source medical intelligence,’ the Defense Intelligence Agency announced. […] A ribbon-cutting ceremony was scheduled Wednesday for the renamed center and the base plans to break ground in December on a 15,000 square-foot addition to the center's headquarters. The center's budget is not being released, but it will have less than 200 employees, DIA spokeswoman Paige Parham said.” (Foster’s Daily Democrat; 07Jul08; AP) http://www.citizen.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080707/GJLIFESTYLES/954526536/-1/CITNEWS
The Last Ghost of War broadcasts today
“The spine-chilling documentary Bong Ma Cuoi Cung Cua Chien Tranh (The Last Ghost of War), about the corrosive effects of Agent Orange (the toxic defoliant used by the Americans during the war in Viet Nam), will be aired for the first time on Vietnamese television today. […] ‘Thirty years after the end of the Viet Nam War there are several million people diagnosed by the Vietnamese [health services] as victims of Agent Orange,’ says the Gardner Documentary Group’s website […] ‘These Vietnamese victims are seeking compensation and justice. The question is: were these dioxin-laden herbicides chemical weapons? And if so, who should be held accountable in the wake of what was allegedly the largest chemical warfare operation in history?’” (Vietnam News; 05Jul08)
http://vietnamnews.vnagency.com.vn/showarticle.php?num=01FIL050708
[Pine Bluff, Arkansas] Arsenal May Get More Weapons
“The Pine Bluff Arsenal has been so efficient at eliminating stockpiled chemical weapons that the facility is on a Department of Defense list for consideration to receive chemical weapons from other facilities, Sen. Mark Pryor, D-Ark., told the Pine Bluff Commercial last week. […] The lawmaker emphasized during an interview that the report is classified as ‘tentative.’ […] Congress ordered the military to destroy all chemical weapons by the 2017 deadline imposed in a 1997 treaty banning the weapons. The U.S. has already acknowledged it can't meet a 2012 deadline established by the international Chemical Weapons Convention. Destruction facilities are currently under construction at the Pueblo Chemical Depot in Colorado and Blue Grass Army Depot in Kentucky. Options to accelerate ‘destruction of the remaining chemical weapons stockpile’ include incentives to ensure destruction is completed by 2012 at all Army Chemical Materials Agency sites and transporting portions of the stockpile to operational facilities like Pine Bluff.” (The Morning News; 05Jul08; Larry Fugate)
http://www.nwaonline.net/articles/2008/07/05/news/070608pbarsenal.txt
Tainted PCI [Pacific Consultants International] to return ¥300 million
“Scandal-tainted construction consultancy Pacific Consultants International has decided to return about ¥300 million in suspected illegal profits to the government in an apparent bid to avoid being sued for fraud, sources close to the matter said. Prosecutors indicted former PCI President Masayoshi Taga, 62, and three others in June on charges of swindling the Cabinet Office by overcharging the government on a project.
The project was aimed at disposing of chemical weapons abandoned by the former Imperial Japanese Army in China at the end of World War Two.” (The Japan Times; 06Jul08) http://search.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/nn20080706a5.html
US wanted to test lethal gas on [Australian Troops]
“Newly declassified Defence and Prime Minister's office files show the US was strongly pushing then prime minister Harold Holt's government in the 1960s to allow tests of two of the deadliest chemical weapons ever developed -- VX and GB, better known as Sarin nerve gas. It says the top-secret plan involved allowing 200 mainly Australian combat troops to be aerially bombed and sprayed with the chemical weapons.” (Mercury News; 07Jul08; AAP) http://www.news.com.au/mercury/story/0,22884,23980051-921,00.html
Japan, U.S. launch joint cargo screening project against nuclear terrorism
“Japan and the United States announced Thursday that they will introduce a nuclear screening project to detect nuclear and other radioactive materials in cargoes at Yokohama port against nuclear terrorism. […] The Megaports Initiative, which has included 27 countries and regions, is part of U.S. efforts to intensify cargo screening inspections to prevent inflows of nuclear materials at the ports of exporter countries.”
(Mathaba; 04Jul08)
http://mathaba.net/news/?x=597384
Analysis: Will terrorists go nuclear?
“From a financial and cost-effective perspective, biological agents remain most likely the cheapest and, in all probability, the most likely agent of mass destruction to become available to terror groups. […] A nuclear device, on the other hand, would completely devastate the immediate area […] but the damage would be confined to the immediate area of detonation, plus the fallout zone […] But psychologically the image of a nuclear blast carries greater impact.” (United Press International; 07Jul08; Claude Salhani)
http://www.upi.com/Emerging_Threats/2008/07/07/Analysis_Will_terrorists_go_nuclear/UPI-21581215440567/
Accused Vegas poker dealer is just a 'patsy', hitman trial told
“A former Las Vegas poker dealer accused of conspiring with a Clare [county] woman to murder her partner and his two sons is a ‘patsy’ that the prosecution is using to secure the conviction of his co-accused, the Central Criminal Court was told yesterday. […] He said the main evidence that the prosecution had of Mr Eid being involved in a murder plot was the finding of an empty contact lens case in his cell in Limerick Prison that had tested positive for the deadly toxin Ricin. He told the jury that they were not being told that Mr Eid was actually in possession of Ricin powder and had made it in his home in Las Vegas.” (Irish Independent; 05Jul08; Abigail Rieley) http://www.independent.ie/national-news/accused-vegas-poker-dealer-is--just-a-patsy--hitman-trial-told-1428097.html
NYPD [New York Police Department] Unveils Super Anti-Terror Patrol Boats
“Just in time for the Fourth of July, the NYPD is dramatically stepping up its war against seaborne terrorist threats. […] It's called a ‘TRACS’ boat. Because of security purposes, WCBS-TV can't reveal all of the equipment on board, but it has the unique capacity to detect even the most minute traces of radiation to prevent one of the city's top security nightmares – the smuggling of radioactive material that could be used to make a dirty bomb. […] Ultimately the city will have 10 TRACS boats. They were custom made after lengthy consultations between scientists and the NYPD Counter terrorism Unit.” (CBS News; 03Jul08) http://cbs4denver.com/watercooler/tracs.boat.nypd.2.763645.html
Japan, Russia plan treaty on Criminal probes
“The Japanese and Russian governments agreed Saturday to conclude a bilateral treaty on criminal investigation cooperation by the end of this year, according to sources. The agreement was reached for the purpose of smoothly and swiftly conducting probes of criminal cases involving parties in the two countries, the sources said. […] Investigative cooperation with Russia is also expected to be helpful in the field of terrorism. After the sarin nerve gas attacks on the Tokyo subway system in 1995 carried out by the Aum Supreme Truth cult, the Russian government said it might have been possible to prevent the incidents if the Russian and Japanese governments had engaged in closer cooperation on antiterrorism measures. At the time, Aum had a base of activities in Russia. It is said Russian intelligence had obtained information that might have helped the Japanese government prevent the cult's terrorist activities.” (Yomiuri Shimbun; 06Jul08) http://www.yomiuri.co.jp/dy/national/20080706TDY01304.htm
Call for Arthington professor [honoured at Leeds University] to be nominated for Nobel Peace Prize
“Arthington [West Yorkshire, England] professor Alastair Hay spent many years working to bring about an international ban on the use of chemical weapons. […] Shirley Beardsworth is calling for the professor to be nominated for the prize which has been awarded to 95 individuals and 20 organisations since 1901.” (Wharfedale & Airedale Observer; 04Jul08; Annette McIntyre) http://www.wharfedaleobserver.co.uk/news/newsroundup/display.var.2377305.0.call_for_arthington_professor_to_be_nominated_for_nobel_peace_prize.php
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.
“It took the Justice Department six years, endless bad publicity and $4.6 million to concede that it had no case against Steven Hatfill, the most famous ‘person of interest’ in the nation's history. Last week, the former Army germ warfare scientist collected close to $3 million in cash and a $150,000-a-year annuity to settle his lawsuit against the federal government. Mr. Hatfill accused FBI agents and Justice Department officials of violating his privacy and recklessly accusing him of involvement in the spate of anthrax letters that killed five - the first victim in Boca Raton - and sickened at least 17 others just after 9/11.
[…] In her 2003 suit, Ms. [Maureen] Stevens accused the government of lax security in safeguarding anthrax samples at the Fort Detrick Army research facility in Maryland. The theory is that the anthrax came from there. Mr. Hatfill once worked at Fort Detrick.” (Palm Beach Post; 05Jul08) http://www.palmbeachpost.com/opinion/content/opinion/epaper/2008/07/05/a10a_hatfill_edit_0705.html
Germ warfare’ fear over African monkeys taken to Iran
“The revelation will fuel speculation that the monkeys may be used for research involving biological weapons. Primates are typically used by scientists wishing to test both the effectiveness of germ warfare agents and defences against them. […] According to US intelligence, the pharmaceutical industry in Iran has long been used as a cover for developing a germ warfare capability. […] America, Russia, China and Iran are among the countries still using wild monkeys.” (The Sunday Times; 06Jul08; Daniel Foggo) http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/africa/article4276460.ece
What’s going on with Ebola? I thought it was going to kill us all.
“Since 2000, there has been an Ebola outbreak every year. In late 2007, Ebola was diagnosed in nearly 100 people in Uganda, killing 25 percent. Ebola is unlikely to cause an epidemic because it is too effective a killer. For a virus to really be successful, its host has to stay alive long enough to find a new host. […] Eventually, the current human volunteers will need to be tested for immunity. Just as it would be unethical to inject people with a weakened Ebola virus, it would be unthinkable to knowingly give anyone the real virus to see if a vaccine is effective. Instead, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has created an exception known as the animal rule for just this situation. The FDA will approve vaccines for highly virulent agents such as Ebola and anthrax if the same immunity can be shown in two different animal species. And if the current National Institutes of Health trial were successful, it would be the first vaccine to invoke the animal rule for approval.” (Science Line; 07Jul08; Katherine Tweed) http://scienceline.org/2008/07/07/ask-tweed-ebola/
Indonesia seeks to shut [U.S.] Navy lab researching avian flu [in Jakarta]
“Indonesia suspended negotiations with the United States over the fate of Naval Medical Research Unit No. 2 last month after senior politicians said it didn't benefit Indonesia and could be a cover for spying. The U.S. Embassy firmly denied that the facility is used to gather intelligence, and said most of the lab's staff members are Indonesians helping with research carried out in cooperation with local health officials. The biomedical research lab opened in Jakarta in 1970 and is used to study tropical diseases, including malaria, dengue fever and avian flu, according to an embassy fact sheet.” (Los Angeles Times; 05Jul08; Paul Watson)
http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/la-fg-virus5-2008jul05,0,2146766.story
Mimic molecules to protect against~plague
“Now, scientists have discovered a way to protect against death following infection with plague bacteria, by using molecules that can mimic the pathogens. According to research published in the July issue of Microbiology, these molecules make antibiotics more effective and can even be used to protect against other diseases. […] The results of this study suggest that synthetic modified lipid A compounds may provide a new therapeutic tool against plague infection. In a control group that did not receive the treatment, only 23% of mice survived for 3 days. When given the mimic molecules, up to 93% of mice survived for 3 days, 70% for 4 days and 34% recovered completely.” (E! Science News; 04Jul08) http://esciencenews.com/articles/2008/07/04/mimic.molecules.protect.against.plague
US medical intelligence center expanding to track health threats at home, abroad
“A U.S. military intelligence unit that had tracked medical threats to troops worldwide is expanding its mission to include civilians at home. The National Center for Medical Intelligence at Fort Detrick had previously been known as the Armed Forces Medical Intelligence Center and focused on protecting military personnel. The center will now be the ‘premier producer and coordinator of all-source medical intelligence,’ the Defense Intelligence Agency announced. […] A ribbon-cutting ceremony was scheduled Wednesday for the renamed center and the base plans to break ground in December on a 15,000 square-foot addition to the center's headquarters. The center's budget is not being released, but it will have less than 200 employees, DIA spokeswoman Paige Parham said.” (Foster’s Daily Democrat; 07Jul08; AP) http://www.citizen.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080707/GJLIFESTYLES/954526536/-1/CITNEWS
The Last Ghost of War broadcasts today
“The spine-chilling documentary Bong Ma Cuoi Cung Cua Chien Tranh (The Last Ghost of War), about the corrosive effects of Agent Orange (the toxic defoliant used by the Americans during the war in Viet Nam), will be aired for the first time on Vietnamese television today. […] ‘Thirty years after the end of the Viet Nam War there are several million people diagnosed by the Vietnamese [health services] as victims of Agent Orange,’ says the Gardner Documentary Group’s website […] ‘These Vietnamese victims are seeking compensation and justice. The question is: were these dioxin-laden herbicides chemical weapons? And if so, who should be held accountable in the wake of what was allegedly the largest chemical warfare operation in history?’” (Vietnam News; 05Jul08)
http://vietnamnews.vnagency.com.vn/showarticle.php?num=01FIL050708
[Pine Bluff, Arkansas] Arsenal May Get More Weapons
“The Pine Bluff Arsenal has been so efficient at eliminating stockpiled chemical weapons that the facility is on a Department of Defense list for consideration to receive chemical weapons from other facilities, Sen. Mark Pryor, D-Ark., told the Pine Bluff Commercial last week. […] The lawmaker emphasized during an interview that the report is classified as ‘tentative.’ […] Congress ordered the military to destroy all chemical weapons by the 2017 deadline imposed in a 1997 treaty banning the weapons. The U.S. has already acknowledged it can't meet a 2012 deadline established by the international Chemical Weapons Convention. Destruction facilities are currently under construction at the Pueblo Chemical Depot in Colorado and Blue Grass Army Depot in Kentucky. Options to accelerate ‘destruction of the remaining chemical weapons stockpile’ include incentives to ensure destruction is completed by 2012 at all Army Chemical Materials Agency sites and transporting portions of the stockpile to operational facilities like Pine Bluff.” (The Morning News; 05Jul08; Larry Fugate)
http://www.nwaonline.net/articles/2008/07/05/news/070608pbarsenal.txt
Tainted PCI [Pacific Consultants International] to return ¥300 million
“Scandal-tainted construction consultancy Pacific Consultants International has decided to return about ¥300 million in suspected illegal profits to the government in an apparent bid to avoid being sued for fraud, sources close to the matter said. Prosecutors indicted former PCI President Masayoshi Taga, 62, and three others in June on charges of swindling the Cabinet Office by overcharging the government on a project.
The project was aimed at disposing of chemical weapons abandoned by the former Imperial Japanese Army in China at the end of World War Two.” (The Japan Times; 06Jul08) http://search.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/nn20080706a5.html
US wanted to test lethal gas on [Australian Troops]
“Newly declassified Defence and Prime Minister's office files show the US was strongly pushing then prime minister Harold Holt's government in the 1960s to allow tests of two of the deadliest chemical weapons ever developed -- VX and GB, better known as Sarin nerve gas. It says the top-secret plan involved allowing 200 mainly Australian combat troops to be aerially bombed and sprayed with the chemical weapons.” (Mercury News; 07Jul08; AAP) http://www.news.com.au/mercury/story/0,22884,23980051-921,00.html
Japan, U.S. launch joint cargo screening project against nuclear terrorism
“Japan and the United States announced Thursday that they will introduce a nuclear screening project to detect nuclear and other radioactive materials in cargoes at Yokohama port against nuclear terrorism. […] The Megaports Initiative, which has included 27 countries and regions, is part of U.S. efforts to intensify cargo screening inspections to prevent inflows of nuclear materials at the ports of exporter countries.”
(Mathaba; 04Jul08)
http://mathaba.net/news/?x=597384
Analysis: Will terrorists go nuclear?
“From a financial and cost-effective perspective, biological agents remain most likely the cheapest and, in all probability, the most likely agent of mass destruction to become available to terror groups. […] A nuclear device, on the other hand, would completely devastate the immediate area […] but the damage would be confined to the immediate area of detonation, plus the fallout zone […] But psychologically the image of a nuclear blast carries greater impact.” (United Press International; 07Jul08; Claude Salhani)
http://www.upi.com/Emerging_Threats/2008/07/07/Analysis_Will_terrorists_go_nuclear/UPI-21581215440567/
Accused Vegas poker dealer is just a 'patsy', hitman trial told
“A former Las Vegas poker dealer accused of conspiring with a Clare [county] woman to murder her partner and his two sons is a ‘patsy’ that the prosecution is using to secure the conviction of his co-accused, the Central Criminal Court was told yesterday. […] He said the main evidence that the prosecution had of Mr Eid being involved in a murder plot was the finding of an empty contact lens case in his cell in Limerick Prison that had tested positive for the deadly toxin Ricin. He told the jury that they were not being told that Mr Eid was actually in possession of Ricin powder and had made it in his home in Las Vegas.” (Irish Independent; 05Jul08; Abigail Rieley) http://www.independent.ie/national-news/accused-vegas-poker-dealer-is--just-a-patsy--hitman-trial-told-1428097.html
NYPD [New York Police Department] Unveils Super Anti-Terror Patrol Boats
“Just in time for the Fourth of July, the NYPD is dramatically stepping up its war against seaborne terrorist threats. […] It's called a ‘TRACS’ boat. Because of security purposes, WCBS-TV can't reveal all of the equipment on board, but it has the unique capacity to detect even the most minute traces of radiation to prevent one of the city's top security nightmares – the smuggling of radioactive material that could be used to make a dirty bomb. […] Ultimately the city will have 10 TRACS boats. They were custom made after lengthy consultations between scientists and the NYPD Counter terrorism Unit.” (CBS News; 03Jul08) http://cbs4denver.com/watercooler/tracs.boat.nypd.2.763645.html
Japan, Russia plan treaty on Criminal probes
“The Japanese and Russian governments agreed Saturday to conclude a bilateral treaty on criminal investigation cooperation by the end of this year, according to sources. The agreement was reached for the purpose of smoothly and swiftly conducting probes of criminal cases involving parties in the two countries, the sources said. […] Investigative cooperation with Russia is also expected to be helpful in the field of terrorism. After the sarin nerve gas attacks on the Tokyo subway system in 1995 carried out by the Aum Supreme Truth cult, the Russian government said it might have been possible to prevent the incidents if the Russian and Japanese governments had engaged in closer cooperation on antiterrorism measures. At the time, Aum had a base of activities in Russia. It is said Russian intelligence had obtained information that might have helped the Japanese government prevent the cult's terrorist activities.” (Yomiuri Shimbun; 06Jul08) http://www.yomiuri.co.jp/dy/national/20080706TDY01304.htm
Call for Arthington professor [honoured at Leeds University] to be nominated for Nobel Peace Prize
“Arthington [West Yorkshire, England] professor Alastair Hay spent many years working to bring about an international ban on the use of chemical weapons. […] Shirley Beardsworth is calling for the professor to be nominated for the prize which has been awarded to 95 individuals and 20 organisations since 1901.” (Wharfedale & Airedale Observer; 04Jul08; Annette McIntyre) http://www.wharfedaleobserver.co.uk/news/newsroundup/display.var.2377305.0.call_for_arthington_professor_to_be_nominated_for_nobel_peace_prize.php
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 Enduring Freedom.
1st Lt. Daniel Farkas, 42, of Brooklyn, N.Y., died on July 4 of injuries suffered from a non-hostile incident in Kabul, Afghanistan (Camp Phoenix). He was assigned to the 27th Infantry Brigade Combat Team, Syracuse, N.Y.
The incident is under investigation.
For more information, media may contact the New York National Guard public affairs office at (518) 786-4581, or after hours at (518) 429-5186.
1st Lt. Daniel Farkas, 42, of Brooklyn, N.Y., died on July 4 of injuries suffered from a non-hostile incident in Kabul, Afghanistan (Camp Phoenix). He was assigned to the 27th Infantry Brigade Combat Team, Syracuse, N.Y.
The incident is under investigation.
For more information, media may contact the New York National Guard public affairs office at (518) 786-4581, or after hours at (518) 429-5186.
Army Casualty
The Department of Defense announced today the death of a soldier who was supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom.
Sgt. 1st Class Anthony L. Woodham, 37, of Rogers, Ark., died on July 5 of injuries suffered in a non-combat incident at Camp Adder, Tallil, Iraq. He was assigned to the 39th Brigade Support Battalion, 39th Infantry Brigade Combat Team, Arkansas Army National Guard, Heber Springs, Ark.
The incident is under investigation.
For more information media may contact the Arkansas National Guard public affairs office at (501) 212-5023 or after hours at (501) 590-0318.
Sgt. 1st Class Anthony L. Woodham, 37, of Rogers, Ark., died on July 5 of injuries suffered in a non-combat incident at Camp Adder, Tallil, Iraq. He was assigned to the 39th Brigade Support Battalion, 39th Infantry Brigade Combat Team, Arkansas Army National Guard, Heber Springs, Ark.
The incident is under investigation.
For more information media may contact the Arkansas National Guard public affairs office at (501) 212-5023 or after hours at (501) 590-0318.
Airport Road Revitalization Project Begins in Baghdad
By Army Spc. David Hodge
Special to American Forces Press Service
Iraq, July 7, 2008 - Leaders from Multinational Division Baghdad, the Iraqi security forces and the Iraqi government broke ground July 5 for a project to revitalize the road from Baghdad International Airport to the heart of the Iraqi capital. "It was a great day for all of Iraq," Army Col. Ted Martin, commander of the 4th Infantry Division's 1st Brigade Combat Team, said. "I am proud to say that I stand beside my Iraqi brothers on this great day."
When people fly into the airport and come to visit Baghdad, they will drive down Airport Road and see the best Iraq has to offer, added Martin, who hails from Jacksonville Beach, Fla.
"Airport Road is the new beginning for southern Baghdad," Martin explained.
Iraqi leaders used the event to celebrate the project and to thank Multinational Division Baghdad for its help with security in the Iraqi capital.
"Progress starts from here," said Moayad Hamed, the lead contractor for the area in which the ceremony was held. "This is a positive step forward in the building of Iraq. I hope the government understands the hard work of coalition forces and moves only forward from here."
Hamed, who was in charge of the groundwork for the ceremony, said the many hours of labor paid off.
"I created a nice setting for the ceremony -- it only took four days, with many workers out here 24 hours each day," Hamed said. "I hope it showed the people in attendance how nice Iraq could look with enough effort and security."
One of the adornments, a decorative-art sailboat, displayed both the Iraqi flag and 4th Infantry Division patch.
"The ship represents the country of Iraq, and the sail represents [coalition forces]," Hamed explained. "The sail helps the boat move forward."
Othman al-Haythm Karim, who contributed a prayer from the Quran at the ceremony, said he enjoyed his opportunity to be a part of Iraq's history.
"I was excited to read from the Quran at the ceremony, because the book comes from God," he said. "This construction project marks a good day for Iraq."
Baghdad Mayor Saber al-Esawi spoke about the importance of Airport Road and how the Iraqi security forces play a vital part in allowing events like this to take place.
"The [Iraqi forces] played a huge role in chasing out the terrorists," Esawi said. "They lost many soldiers in the process. The residents took notice and know that without that support, they would have no projects."
Over the past two months, the security situation has changed for the better, Martin said, as many criminal cells and militia leaders have left the area.
"Due to the security of the Rashid district, we are now able to shift our efforts from full-spectrum combat operations toward helping rebuild and make life better for the people of Baghdad," Martin said. "That is victory, my friends!"
Reconstruction projects similar to the Airport Road revitalization will continue at many locations in the Rashid district, Martin said, adding that the people have decided that Iraq has no future with terrorists and criminals.
(Army Spc. David Hodge serves in Multinational Division Baghdad with the 4th Infantry Division's 1st Brigade Combat Team Public Affairs Office.)
Special to American Forces Press Service
Iraq, July 7, 2008 - Leaders from Multinational Division Baghdad, the Iraqi security forces and the Iraqi government broke ground July 5 for a project to revitalize the road from Baghdad International Airport to the heart of the Iraqi capital. "It was a great day for all of Iraq," Army Col. Ted Martin, commander of the 4th Infantry Division's 1st Brigade Combat Team, said. "I am proud to say that I stand beside my Iraqi brothers on this great day."
When people fly into the airport and come to visit Baghdad, they will drive down Airport Road and see the best Iraq has to offer, added Martin, who hails from Jacksonville Beach, Fla.
"Airport Road is the new beginning for southern Baghdad," Martin explained.
Iraqi leaders used the event to celebrate the project and to thank Multinational Division Baghdad for its help with security in the Iraqi capital.
"Progress starts from here," said Moayad Hamed, the lead contractor for the area in which the ceremony was held. "This is a positive step forward in the building of Iraq. I hope the government understands the hard work of coalition forces and moves only forward from here."
Hamed, who was in charge of the groundwork for the ceremony, said the many hours of labor paid off.
"I created a nice setting for the ceremony -- it only took four days, with many workers out here 24 hours each day," Hamed said. "I hope it showed the people in attendance how nice Iraq could look with enough effort and security."
One of the adornments, a decorative-art sailboat, displayed both the Iraqi flag and 4th Infantry Division patch.
"The ship represents the country of Iraq, and the sail represents [coalition forces]," Hamed explained. "The sail helps the boat move forward."
Othman al-Haythm Karim, who contributed a prayer from the Quran at the ceremony, said he enjoyed his opportunity to be a part of Iraq's history.
"I was excited to read from the Quran at the ceremony, because the book comes from God," he said. "This construction project marks a good day for Iraq."
Baghdad Mayor Saber al-Esawi spoke about the importance of Airport Road and how the Iraqi security forces play a vital part in allowing events like this to take place.
"The [Iraqi forces] played a huge role in chasing out the terrorists," Esawi said. "They lost many soldiers in the process. The residents took notice and know that without that support, they would have no projects."
Over the past two months, the security situation has changed for the better, Martin said, as many criminal cells and militia leaders have left the area.
"Due to the security of the Rashid district, we are now able to shift our efforts from full-spectrum combat operations toward helping rebuild and make life better for the people of Baghdad," Martin said. "That is victory, my friends!"
Reconstruction projects similar to the Airport Road revitalization will continue at many locations in the Rashid district, Martin said, adding that the people have decided that Iraq has no future with terrorists and criminals.
(Army Spc. David Hodge serves in Multinational Division Baghdad with the 4th Infantry Division's 1st Brigade Combat Team Public Affairs Office.)
Face of Defense: Soldier's Music Carries Positive Messages
By Army Staff Sgt. Michel Sauret
Special to American Forces Press Service
July 7, 2008 - He has the fast-flowing lips of a rap artist whose lyrics don't stumble. His songs tell stories instead of just describing hanging emotions. He rhymes with passion and recites his own words as if he were creating them on the spot. "You know, I like to tell stories with my music, that's the thing," Army Master Sgt. Isaac Alexis, a Houston native, said. "Stories will capture people. ... Songs work best when there's something that falls in a role that people can see in, something that people can relate to, ... because then they know somebody went through what they went through."
On stage, Alexis goes by Abcd, pronounced "Absidy." The letters stand for Ambitious Behavior, Confident and Disciplined -- characteristics Alexis said he values and shows when performing his music.
Around Camp Victory and Camp Liberty, Alexis attends and even hosts open-mic events and contests at Morale, Welfare and Recreation centers. His main goal through music, he said, is to tell stories that make people want to rethink and improve their lives. He said he understands that rap music often evokes values that aren't constructive, but that he wants his lyrics to evoke more than fame, sex or violence.
"If you really want to get something across to people, music is the way to make it happen," he said. "A lot of my songs are positive, ... trying to make change in someone's life."
His music promotes ideas such as taking care of one's spouse, maintaining a commitment to service, discouraging youth from joining gangs and becoming involved in the church, among others.
His first album is titled, "Soldier for Life." He said he's served in the Army for 18 years and feels as if his whole life revolves around being a soldier. He served as a drill sergeant in Fort Knox, Ky., as an instructor at the New Mexico Military Institute in Roswell, as a gunner and as a team leader. He has been stationed in Hawaii and South Korea, and at Fort Campbell, Ky., Fort Benning, Ga., and Fort Drum, N.Y.
Now is on his third deployment, Alexis leads troops as the noncommissioned officer in charge of Team Hunter under Task Force Vigilant, a unit that conducts presence patrols around Camp Victory. His team also secures and manages an entry control point with Ugandan soldiers.
"Here, you see soldiers who work hard all the time," Alexis said. "It's the reason why we're here."
Alexis has been writing music since he was a private in the early 1990s, he said, but it was during his second deployment, from 2004 to 2005, that he realized his music touched people. After his performances at MWR events, Alexis had audience members come to him and tell him how much his lyrics touched them. He's even seen people cry during his performance of "We Gotta Go," a song about soldiers leaving their homes to serve in Iraq.
"That's an emotional song for people," he said. "When I performed that song, [other musicians] moved closer to the stage, and when I got done, there was a whole line of performers up there who hugged me on the way out."
Those types of reactions, Alexis said, make him realize his music has more than volume; it has impact.
Following his second deployment, Alexis taught at the New Mexico Military Institute and would visit local middle schools to give inspirational speeches and perform songs to kids in danger of being swallowed up by gangs. With a song titled "Think on Your Own," he encouraged the youth to rethink their commitment to violence. There, he saw former gang members attend the church where Alexis worshiped with his wife, Darla, who sings gospel music.
"Definitely powerful," he said about the experience. "I'm not going to give myself credit for that. You know, it was the Lord, since he pretty much guided me to do everything I did. To see them actually get out of the gang and get a job and try to live right, ... that's great. And that's what I wanted to see."
Since then, Alexis wrote songs and performed for special events such as boxing matches and redeployment ceremonies. He organized concerts, performed for cadets at the military institute, sang at a city council meeting, helped his church reach out to his community, opened for rap artist Lil' Flip, and organized other music events. He said he's even sold more than 3,000 CDs on his own, out of the back of his truck.
During this deployment, he said, he hopes to revise about 30 of his songs and compile at least one more CD. He also has shifted some of his music toward gospel singing because of rap music's image. Most importantly, he's made a commitment to writing clean lyrics to keep his messages pure.
"It's definitely for people's entertainment, but at the same time, [audiences] are getting messages that can have an influence on their life."
(Army Staff Sgt. Michel Sauret serves in the Multinational Division Center Public Affairs Office.)
Special to American Forces Press Service
July 7, 2008 - He has the fast-flowing lips of a rap artist whose lyrics don't stumble. His songs tell stories instead of just describing hanging emotions. He rhymes with passion and recites his own words as if he were creating them on the spot. "You know, I like to tell stories with my music, that's the thing," Army Master Sgt. Isaac Alexis, a Houston native, said. "Stories will capture people. ... Songs work best when there's something that falls in a role that people can see in, something that people can relate to, ... because then they know somebody went through what they went through."
On stage, Alexis goes by Abcd, pronounced "Absidy." The letters stand for Ambitious Behavior, Confident and Disciplined -- characteristics Alexis said he values and shows when performing his music.
Around Camp Victory and Camp Liberty, Alexis attends and even hosts open-mic events and contests at Morale, Welfare and Recreation centers. His main goal through music, he said, is to tell stories that make people want to rethink and improve their lives. He said he understands that rap music often evokes values that aren't constructive, but that he wants his lyrics to evoke more than fame, sex or violence.
"If you really want to get something across to people, music is the way to make it happen," he said. "A lot of my songs are positive, ... trying to make change in someone's life."
His music promotes ideas such as taking care of one's spouse, maintaining a commitment to service, discouraging youth from joining gangs and becoming involved in the church, among others.
His first album is titled, "Soldier for Life." He said he's served in the Army for 18 years and feels as if his whole life revolves around being a soldier. He served as a drill sergeant in Fort Knox, Ky., as an instructor at the New Mexico Military Institute in Roswell, as a gunner and as a team leader. He has been stationed in Hawaii and South Korea, and at Fort Campbell, Ky., Fort Benning, Ga., and Fort Drum, N.Y.
Now is on his third deployment, Alexis leads troops as the noncommissioned officer in charge of Team Hunter under Task Force Vigilant, a unit that conducts presence patrols around Camp Victory. His team also secures and manages an entry control point with Ugandan soldiers.
"Here, you see soldiers who work hard all the time," Alexis said. "It's the reason why we're here."
Alexis has been writing music since he was a private in the early 1990s, he said, but it was during his second deployment, from 2004 to 2005, that he realized his music touched people. After his performances at MWR events, Alexis had audience members come to him and tell him how much his lyrics touched them. He's even seen people cry during his performance of "We Gotta Go," a song about soldiers leaving their homes to serve in Iraq.
"That's an emotional song for people," he said. "When I performed that song, [other musicians] moved closer to the stage, and when I got done, there was a whole line of performers up there who hugged me on the way out."
Those types of reactions, Alexis said, make him realize his music has more than volume; it has impact.
Following his second deployment, Alexis taught at the New Mexico Military Institute and would visit local middle schools to give inspirational speeches and perform songs to kids in danger of being swallowed up by gangs. With a song titled "Think on Your Own," he encouraged the youth to rethink their commitment to violence. There, he saw former gang members attend the church where Alexis worshiped with his wife, Darla, who sings gospel music.
"Definitely powerful," he said about the experience. "I'm not going to give myself credit for that. You know, it was the Lord, since he pretty much guided me to do everything I did. To see them actually get out of the gang and get a job and try to live right, ... that's great. And that's what I wanted to see."
Since then, Alexis wrote songs and performed for special events such as boxing matches and redeployment ceremonies. He organized concerts, performed for cadets at the military institute, sang at a city council meeting, helped his church reach out to his community, opened for rap artist Lil' Flip, and organized other music events. He said he's even sold more than 3,000 CDs on his own, out of the back of his truck.
During this deployment, he said, he hopes to revise about 30 of his songs and compile at least one more CD. He also has shifted some of his music toward gospel singing because of rap music's image. Most importantly, he's made a commitment to writing clean lyrics to keep his messages pure.
"It's definitely for people's entertainment, but at the same time, [audiences] are getting messages that can have an influence on their life."
(Army Staff Sgt. Michel Sauret serves in the Multinational Division Center Public Affairs Office.)
Sunday, July 06, 2008
U.S. Troops in Afghanistan Celebrate Independence Day
By Navy Petty Officer 1st Class Shawn D. Graham
American Forces Press Service
July 6, 2008 - U.S. servicemembers assigned to the Combined Security Transition Command-Afghanistan celebrated America's 232nd Independence Day in the traditional way, but in a non-traditional setting. Serving thousands of miles away from home in a warzone, servicemembers took time off to recharge and partake in the things that make the Fourth of July a special holiday.
Camp Eggers' Morale, Welfare and Recreation organized the event, providing a taste of home for all soldiers, sailors, airmen, Marines and U.S. civilians here.
CSTC-A MWR officer, Air Force Maj. Regina Rockel praised all volunteers who assisted in planning and the setup.
"I'm so pleased it turned out well. The garrison commander and all the NCO's (noncommissioned officers) did an outstanding job in making this a fun time for everyone on Camp Eggers."
Kicking off the day's events were opening remarks and a cake-cutting ceremony led by Army Maj. Gen. Robert Cone, CSTC-A commanding general.
"Today, we see our flag displayed in Blackhawks and Humvees, on aircraft carriers and fighter jets, in tactical operations centers and combat outposts. We wear the flag on our uniforms and bear it in our hearts. We salute it, we serve under it, and we fight for it," Cone said.
During the celebration, servicemembers relaxed and enjoyed a myriad of traditional Fourth of July events including a basketball tournament, horse shoes, pie-eating contest and barbeque.
Adding to the festive atmosphere was Camp Eggers' own Freedom Band. The Freedom Band, made up of servicemembers from Camp Eggers, played patriotic tunes throughout the day.
"We formed just for this occasion," said the Freedom Band's leader and guitarist, Air Force Master Sgt. Donnell Woodard of Chicago, Ill. "This is how we celebrate when we're home too. Good music, family and friends. We have that here as well."
For most servicemembers, the celebration was a reminder of home, with many activities being identical to those held stateside. Many servicemembers reflected on what their families were doing to celebrate America's independence.
"At home we would be going to the beach and having a big cookout," said Navy Lt. Kevin Davis, a Jacksonville, Fla., native. "We make the entire day one to remember."
(Petty Officer 1st Class Shawn D. Graham, USN, is assigned to Combined Security Transition Command-Afghanistan)
American Forces Press Service
July 6, 2008 - U.S. servicemembers assigned to the Combined Security Transition Command-Afghanistan celebrated America's 232nd Independence Day in the traditional way, but in a non-traditional setting. Serving thousands of miles away from home in a warzone, servicemembers took time off to recharge and partake in the things that make the Fourth of July a special holiday.
Camp Eggers' Morale, Welfare and Recreation organized the event, providing a taste of home for all soldiers, sailors, airmen, Marines and U.S. civilians here.
CSTC-A MWR officer, Air Force Maj. Regina Rockel praised all volunteers who assisted in planning and the setup.
"I'm so pleased it turned out well. The garrison commander and all the NCO's (noncommissioned officers) did an outstanding job in making this a fun time for everyone on Camp Eggers."
Kicking off the day's events were opening remarks and a cake-cutting ceremony led by Army Maj. Gen. Robert Cone, CSTC-A commanding general.
"Today, we see our flag displayed in Blackhawks and Humvees, on aircraft carriers and fighter jets, in tactical operations centers and combat outposts. We wear the flag on our uniforms and bear it in our hearts. We salute it, we serve under it, and we fight for it," Cone said.
During the celebration, servicemembers relaxed and enjoyed a myriad of traditional Fourth of July events including a basketball tournament, horse shoes, pie-eating contest and barbeque.
Adding to the festive atmosphere was Camp Eggers' own Freedom Band. The Freedom Band, made up of servicemembers from Camp Eggers, played patriotic tunes throughout the day.
"We formed just for this occasion," said the Freedom Band's leader and guitarist, Air Force Master Sgt. Donnell Woodard of Chicago, Ill. "This is how we celebrate when we're home too. Good music, family and friends. We have that here as well."
For most servicemembers, the celebration was a reminder of home, with many activities being identical to those held stateside. Many servicemembers reflected on what their families were doing to celebrate America's independence.
"At home we would be going to the beach and having a big cookout," said Navy Lt. Kevin Davis, a Jacksonville, Fla., native. "We make the entire day one to remember."
(Petty Officer 1st Class Shawn D. Graham, USN, is assigned to Combined Security Transition Command-Afghanistan)
Command Flies Historic American Flag in Afghanistan
By Army Staff Sgt. Beth Del Vecchio
American Forces Press Service
July 6, 2008 - More than 50 U.S. sailors rendered a salute as their nation's colors were raised over Camp Eggers in honor of America's Independence Day. What made the ceremony so special was the American flag had only 48 stars. The flag was flown courtesy of retired Navy Cmdr. Joseph Agra III, who works at the Kabul International Airport as a logistics mentor for the Afghan National Army Air Corps.
Agra acquired the flag from a Filipino fisherman while living in the Philippines in 2000. The fisherman retrieved it from his net while fishing off the coast of the Bataan Peninsula.
"I saw the flag on a pole and asked the fisherman where he got it," Agra said. "After he told me, I asked if I could have it. He sold it to me for ten dollars."
Agra said after taking the flag home and washing it, his son realized it only had 48 stars. Upon this discovery, Agra started researching flags for a hint of its origin.
Because the 48-star flag was only flown between 1912 and 1959, Agra theorized that it came from one of five U.S. Navy ships that were sunk by the Imperial Japanese Forces in the opening months of World War Two.
"I researched the ships that were sunk in hostile fire, instead of being scuttled," Agra said. "When you're scuttled, you take everything you can off the ship. I think this flag went down with a ship."
For eight years, Agra carried the flag with him to several locations. He has flown the flag over camps in the Philippines, Kuwait, Iraq and now, Afghanistan.
After the flag was raised, Navy Capt. Shawno May, Combined Security Transition Command-Afghanistan command surgeon directorate, spoke to the formation of sailors.
"The men that served under this flag more than 50 years ago gave their last full measure of devotion," May said. "These men were fighting in the Philippines to help freedom ring in a land where it wasn't. Again, America finds itself in a country where freedom is just beginning to ring."
Master Chief Bennie Gloria, CSTC-A Equal Opportunity advisor, said the ceremony was a perfect way to start the Independence Day celebration.
"It's very important that we remember our shipmates that came before us and lost their lives," Gloria said. "We are their legacy."
When the ceremony ended, the sailors took turns touching the flag and taking in a little part of history.
"I wanted to share it with others," Agra said. "I could have kept it and hung it in my living room, but then I would only see it."
Agra retired from active duty last year and will return to his home in the Philippines after his tour in Afghanistan. When he returns, he plans to donate the flag to a World War Two museum and American cemetery near the location it was found.
"It's their flag," Agra said, speaking of the veterans who lost their life in World War Two. "It's a symbol. These men lost their lives fighting for their country, they are buried there. That is where the flag should be."
(Army Staff Sgt. Beth Del Vecchio is assigned to Combined Security Transition Command-Afghanistan)
American Forces Press Service
July 6, 2008 - More than 50 U.S. sailors rendered a salute as their nation's colors were raised over Camp Eggers in honor of America's Independence Day. What made the ceremony so special was the American flag had only 48 stars. The flag was flown courtesy of retired Navy Cmdr. Joseph Agra III, who works at the Kabul International Airport as a logistics mentor for the Afghan National Army Air Corps.
Agra acquired the flag from a Filipino fisherman while living in the Philippines in 2000. The fisherman retrieved it from his net while fishing off the coast of the Bataan Peninsula.
"I saw the flag on a pole and asked the fisherman where he got it," Agra said. "After he told me, I asked if I could have it. He sold it to me for ten dollars."
Agra said after taking the flag home and washing it, his son realized it only had 48 stars. Upon this discovery, Agra started researching flags for a hint of its origin.
Because the 48-star flag was only flown between 1912 and 1959, Agra theorized that it came from one of five U.S. Navy ships that were sunk by the Imperial Japanese Forces in the opening months of World War Two.
"I researched the ships that were sunk in hostile fire, instead of being scuttled," Agra said. "When you're scuttled, you take everything you can off the ship. I think this flag went down with a ship."
For eight years, Agra carried the flag with him to several locations. He has flown the flag over camps in the Philippines, Kuwait, Iraq and now, Afghanistan.
After the flag was raised, Navy Capt. Shawno May, Combined Security Transition Command-Afghanistan command surgeon directorate, spoke to the formation of sailors.
"The men that served under this flag more than 50 years ago gave their last full measure of devotion," May said. "These men were fighting in the Philippines to help freedom ring in a land where it wasn't. Again, America finds itself in a country where freedom is just beginning to ring."
Master Chief Bennie Gloria, CSTC-A Equal Opportunity advisor, said the ceremony was a perfect way to start the Independence Day celebration.
"It's very important that we remember our shipmates that came before us and lost their lives," Gloria said. "We are their legacy."
When the ceremony ended, the sailors took turns touching the flag and taking in a little part of history.
"I wanted to share it with others," Agra said. "I could have kept it and hung it in my living room, but then I would only see it."
Agra retired from active duty last year and will return to his home in the Philippines after his tour in Afghanistan. When he returns, he plans to donate the flag to a World War Two museum and American cemetery near the location it was found.
"It's their flag," Agra said, speaking of the veterans who lost their life in World War Two. "It's a symbol. These men lost their lives fighting for their country, they are buried there. That is where the flag should be."
(Army Staff Sgt. Beth Del Vecchio is assigned to Combined Security Transition Command-Afghanistan)
Troops in Afghanistan Kill, Detain Militants, Seize Weapons
American Forces Press Service
July 6, 2008 - Coalition and Afghan forces killed more than a dozen enemy fighters, captured two others and seized a weapons cache in Afghanistan the past three days, military officials said. Combined forces killed an unknown number of militants yesterday in a precision airstrike aimed at a large group of enemy fighters on a mountain range in the Deh Bala district of Nangarhar province.
During operations in Afghanistan July 4, troops killed more than a dozen militants following an attack on a combat outpost in Nuristan province.
Troops at the outpost observed militants firing at coalition positions. Ground forces defended themselves with small arms-fire as the insurgents entered two vehicles and fled.
Coalition attack helicopters destroyed the vehicles, killing more than a dozen enemy fighters. U.S. military officials said they are working with Afghan officials to investigate allegations of civilian casualties resulting from the airstrike.
Elsewhere in Afghanistan July 4, coalition forces killed several militants and detained two others during operation in the Ghazni province.
As they searched several dwellings in the Jaghatu district for a militant leader responsible for attacks on Afghan and coalition forces, troops engaged and killed several enemy fighters, military officials said.
Forces also discovered and confiscated a cache of weapons and ammunition on site.
(Compiled from Combined Joint Task Force-101 news releases.)
July 6, 2008 - Coalition and Afghan forces killed more than a dozen enemy fighters, captured two others and seized a weapons cache in Afghanistan the past three days, military officials said. Combined forces killed an unknown number of militants yesterday in a precision airstrike aimed at a large group of enemy fighters on a mountain range in the Deh Bala district of Nangarhar province.
During operations in Afghanistan July 4, troops killed more than a dozen militants following an attack on a combat outpost in Nuristan province.
Troops at the outpost observed militants firing at coalition positions. Ground forces defended themselves with small arms-fire as the insurgents entered two vehicles and fled.
Coalition attack helicopters destroyed the vehicles, killing more than a dozen enemy fighters. U.S. military officials said they are working with Afghan officials to investigate allegations of civilian casualties resulting from the airstrike.
Elsewhere in Afghanistan July 4, coalition forces killed several militants and detained two others during operation in the Ghazni province.
As they searched several dwellings in the Jaghatu district for a militant leader responsible for attacks on Afghan and coalition forces, troops engaged and killed several enemy fighters, military officials said.
Forces also discovered and confiscated a cache of weapons and ammunition on site.
(Compiled from Combined Joint Task Force-101 news releases.)
Coalition Forces Kill Two Militants, Detain 35 Suspects, Capture Weapons
American Forces Press Service
July 6, 2008 - Coalition and Iraqi forces killed two enemy fighters, captured 35 suspects and seized weapons caches in Iraq the past three days, military officials said.
In Iraq today:
-- During separate operations aimed at capturing al-Qaida associates in Sharqat, Husaybah, Beiji and Baghdad, coalition forces killed one suspected terrorist, and detained three others.
-- Troops detained seven suspects during an operation near Iskandariyah targeting a man who military officials believe is responsible for coordinating suicide car bombings.
-- Coalition forces captured the suspected member of an Iranian-backed "Special Group" during operations in the Karadah district of the Iraqi capital. The suspect has conducted rocket attacks on coalition and Iraqi bases, smuggled weapons from Iran, and has helped associates travel to the Islamic Republic for militant training, U.S. military officials said.
Yesterday in Iraq:
-- Coalition forces detained nine suspects during two operations targeting al-Qaida in Iraq's senior leaders and operatives in Bi'aj and Beiji. One of the suspects allegedly is a terrorist financier, and several others are believed to be members of a bombing network that operates in the Tigris River Valley, military officials said.
-- Iraqi army and Multinational Division Baghdad soldiers captured four individuals in the Rashid district of the Iraqi capital suspected of making fake identification cards. Troops also confiscated stockpiles of weapons that included grenades, assault rifles, mortar rounds and homemade explosives.
-- Multinational Division Baghdad soldiers detained three suspects in Baghdad's Rashid district. The 1st Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division soldiers captured the suspects in the Shurta community before transferring them to a coalition forces base for further processing. Troops also discovered a weapons cache in the southern district of the Iraqi capital.
During July 4 operations, Iraqi special operations forces and Iraqi army soldiers killed a suicide bomber and detained eight suspects in the Ninewah province.
In the first of two operations, an enemy fighter fled into a home and reemerged wearing a vest laden with explosives. Iraqi forces killed the individual with small-arms fire before he was able to detonate the suicide bomb.
Seven of the suspects captured in this operation comprise a cell that reportedly uses intimidation and extortion to finance the Islamic State of Iraq, a front organization for al-Qaida in Iraq, military officials said. The cell leader also is suspected of killing an Iraqi police officer.
In another Ninewah province operation, troops captured the other suspect, who military officials believe is the leader of a separate al-Qaida in Iraq cell.
Meanwhile in Taji, Multinational Division Baghdad soldiers seized a munitions cache. The stockpile contained two tanks of chlorine and other bomb-making materials, mortar rounds, grenades and other military equipment.
(Compiled from Multinational Force Iraq news releases.)
July 6, 2008 - Coalition and Iraqi forces killed two enemy fighters, captured 35 suspects and seized weapons caches in Iraq the past three days, military officials said.
In Iraq today:
-- During separate operations aimed at capturing al-Qaida associates in Sharqat, Husaybah, Beiji and Baghdad, coalition forces killed one suspected terrorist, and detained three others.
-- Troops detained seven suspects during an operation near Iskandariyah targeting a man who military officials believe is responsible for coordinating suicide car bombings.
-- Coalition forces captured the suspected member of an Iranian-backed "Special Group" during operations in the Karadah district of the Iraqi capital. The suspect has conducted rocket attacks on coalition and Iraqi bases, smuggled weapons from Iran, and has helped associates travel to the Islamic Republic for militant training, U.S. military officials said.
Yesterday in Iraq:
-- Coalition forces detained nine suspects during two operations targeting al-Qaida in Iraq's senior leaders and operatives in Bi'aj and Beiji. One of the suspects allegedly is a terrorist financier, and several others are believed to be members of a bombing network that operates in the Tigris River Valley, military officials said.
-- Iraqi army and Multinational Division Baghdad soldiers captured four individuals in the Rashid district of the Iraqi capital suspected of making fake identification cards. Troops also confiscated stockpiles of weapons that included grenades, assault rifles, mortar rounds and homemade explosives.
-- Multinational Division Baghdad soldiers detained three suspects in Baghdad's Rashid district. The 1st Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division soldiers captured the suspects in the Shurta community before transferring them to a coalition forces base for further processing. Troops also discovered a weapons cache in the southern district of the Iraqi capital.
During July 4 operations, Iraqi special operations forces and Iraqi army soldiers killed a suicide bomber and detained eight suspects in the Ninewah province.
In the first of two operations, an enemy fighter fled into a home and reemerged wearing a vest laden with explosives. Iraqi forces killed the individual with small-arms fire before he was able to detonate the suicide bomb.
Seven of the suspects captured in this operation comprise a cell that reportedly uses intimidation and extortion to finance the Islamic State of Iraq, a front organization for al-Qaida in Iraq, military officials said. The cell leader also is suspected of killing an Iraqi police officer.
In another Ninewah province operation, troops captured the other suspect, who military officials believe is the leader of a separate al-Qaida in Iraq cell.
Meanwhile in Taji, Multinational Division Baghdad soldiers seized a munitions cache. The stockpile contained two tanks of chlorine and other bomb-making materials, mortar rounds, grenades and other military equipment.
(Compiled from Multinational Force Iraq news releases.)
Colombian Military Rescues Hostages, Including U.S. Contractors
By John J. Kruzel
American Forces Press Service
July 3, 2008 - Colombia's military yesterday rescued 15 hostages, including three U.S. government contractors, from leftist revolutionary captors who had imprisoned the group in jungle camps since 2003. The contractors returned to the United States aboard a U.S. Air Force C-17 Globemaster III transport jet, which delivered them to Lackland Air Force Base, Texas, shortly before midnight.
They then traveled by helicopter to Brooke Army Medical Center in San Antonio for treatment.
Marc Gonsalves, Thomas Howes and Keith Stansell -- all employees of the Los Angeles-based Northrop Grumman Corp. -- were captured in February 2003 after their drug-surveillance plane went down in the jungles of southern Colombia. They spent five years in captivity, the longest period of captivity for any American hostages.
"We are delighted with the safe recovery of these Americans after more than five years of captivity," Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said in a statement yesterday.
"We commend the government of Colombia for its sustained efforts to secure the safe return of all FARC hostages," Rice said, using the Spanish acronym for the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia captors. The United States has considered FARC a terrorist organization since November 2001.
"The United States calls on the FARC to release immediately all remaining hostages so they may be returned safely to their families," she said. "We hold the FARC responsible for the health and well-being of all hostages. Our thoughts and prayers remain with those still held by the FARC and their loved ones."
The rescue mission took place in Guaviare province, a jungle region in south-central Colombia, where commandos deceived a rebel unit into handing over the hostages, according to news reports.
By late afternoon, the prisoners, who included former Colombian presidential candidate Ingrid Betancourt, were flown to the main military air base in the Colombian capital of Bogota.
Pentagon spokesman Bryan Whitman said the operation was planned, led and executed by Colombia.
Asked today if the United States played a role in the mission, Whitman said only that the two countries' militaries have a strong relationship that includes "a certain amount of cooperation and information sharing."
American Forces Press Service
July 3, 2008 - Colombia's military yesterday rescued 15 hostages, including three U.S. government contractors, from leftist revolutionary captors who had imprisoned the group in jungle camps since 2003. The contractors returned to the United States aboard a U.S. Air Force C-17 Globemaster III transport jet, which delivered them to Lackland Air Force Base, Texas, shortly before midnight.
They then traveled by helicopter to Brooke Army Medical Center in San Antonio for treatment.
Marc Gonsalves, Thomas Howes and Keith Stansell -- all employees of the Los Angeles-based Northrop Grumman Corp. -- were captured in February 2003 after their drug-surveillance plane went down in the jungles of southern Colombia. They spent five years in captivity, the longest period of captivity for any American hostages.
"We are delighted with the safe recovery of these Americans after more than five years of captivity," Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said in a statement yesterday.
"We commend the government of Colombia for its sustained efforts to secure the safe return of all FARC hostages," Rice said, using the Spanish acronym for the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia captors. The United States has considered FARC a terrorist organization since November 2001.
"The United States calls on the FARC to release immediately all remaining hostages so they may be returned safely to their families," she said. "We hold the FARC responsible for the health and well-being of all hostages. Our thoughts and prayers remain with those still held by the FARC and their loved ones."
The rescue mission took place in Guaviare province, a jungle region in south-central Colombia, where commandos deceived a rebel unit into handing over the hostages, according to news reports.
By late afternoon, the prisoners, who included former Colombian presidential candidate Ingrid Betancourt, were flown to the main military air base in the Colombian capital of Bogota.
Pentagon spokesman Bryan Whitman said the operation was planned, led and executed by Colombia.
Asked today if the United States played a role in the mission, Whitman said only that the two countries' militaries have a strong relationship that includes "a certain amount of cooperation and information sharing."
Become a Police Officer
June 13, 2008, 2008 (San Dimas, CA) On July 11, 2008, Conversations with Cops at the Watering Hole will feature a conversation with Lieutenant Barry Baker, Baltimore Police Department (ret.), on how to become a police officer.
Program Date: July 11, 2008
Program Time: 2100 hours, Pacific
Topic: Become a Police Officer
Listen Live:
http://www.blogtalkradio.com/LawEnforcement/2008/07/12/Become-a-Police-Officer
About the Guest
Detective Lieutenant Barry Baker retired from the Baltimore Police Department in 2004. During his thirty-two year career, Barry Baker served as a patrol officer, sergeant, and lieutenant, as well as a special operations lieutenant and detective lieutenant. Lieutenant Barry Baker is the author of Becoming a Police Officer: An Insider's Guide to a Career in Law Enforcement.
According to Barry Baker’s book, Becoming a Police Officer: An Insider’s Guide to a Career in Law Enforcement “is a serious examination of police work that is directed toward young people who are contemplating a career as a police officer. Author Barry Baker draws on over thirty-two years of experience from some of the most violent streets of any city in the United States to show you the unembellished truths of law enforcement.
Barry Baker describes the self-satisfaction that can be found in police work while identifying its pitfalls and how to avoid them. Before ending his career as a detective lieutenant, Baker spent his first twenty years on the force as a patrol officer, making him uniquely qualified to speak from a breadth and depth of experience.
Becoming a Police Officer: An Insider’s Guide to a Career in Law Enforcement covers topics a newly trained police officer must appreciate—and master—to ensure success and safety, including the following: Self-evaluation for a police career; Recognizing and ignoring bad advice; Rapid advancement toward self-sufficiency; The immeasurable importance of integrity; and, Matters of life and death.
Becoming a Police Officer: An Insider’s Guide to a Career in Law Enforcement is a valuable insight for those seeking a career in the honorable and important profession of law enforcement.”
About the Watering Hole
The Watering Hole is police slang for a location cops go off-duty to blow off steam and talk about work and life. Sometimes funny; sometimes serious; but, always interesting.
About the Host
Lieutenant Raymond E. Foster was a sworn member of the Los Angeles Police Department for 24 years. He retired in 2003 at the rank of Lieutenant. He holds a bachelor’s from the Union Institute and University in Criminal Justice Management and a Master’s Degree in Public Financial Management from California State University, Fullerton; and, has completed his doctoral course work. Raymond E. Foster has been a part-time lecturer at California State University, Fullerton and Fresno; and is currently a faculty advisor and lecturer with the Union Institute and University. He has experience teaching upper division courses in law enforcement, public policy, law enforcement technology and leadership. Raymond is an experienced author who has published numerous articles in a wide range of venues including magazines such as Government Technology, Mobile Government, Airborne Law Enforcement Magazine, and Police One. He has appeared on the History Channel and radio programs in the United States and Europe as subject matter expert in technological applications in law enforcement.
Listen, call, join us at the Watering Hole.
http://www.blogtalkradio.com/LawEnforcement
Program Contact Information
Lieutenant Raymond E. Foster, LAPD (ret.), MPA
editor@police-writers.com
909.599.7530
Program Date: July 11, 2008
Program Time: 2100 hours, Pacific
Topic: Become a Police Officer
Listen Live:
http://www.blogtalkradio.com/LawEnforcement/2008/07/12/Become-a-Police-Officer
About the Guest
Detective Lieutenant Barry Baker retired from the Baltimore Police Department in 2004. During his thirty-two year career, Barry Baker served as a patrol officer, sergeant, and lieutenant, as well as a special operations lieutenant and detective lieutenant. Lieutenant Barry Baker is the author of Becoming a Police Officer: An Insider's Guide to a Career in Law Enforcement.
According to Barry Baker’s book, Becoming a Police Officer: An Insider’s Guide to a Career in Law Enforcement “is a serious examination of police work that is directed toward young people who are contemplating a career as a police officer. Author Barry Baker draws on over thirty-two years of experience from some of the most violent streets of any city in the United States to show you the unembellished truths of law enforcement.
Barry Baker describes the self-satisfaction that can be found in police work while identifying its pitfalls and how to avoid them. Before ending his career as a detective lieutenant, Baker spent his first twenty years on the force as a patrol officer, making him uniquely qualified to speak from a breadth and depth of experience.
Becoming a Police Officer: An Insider’s Guide to a Career in Law Enforcement covers topics a newly trained police officer must appreciate—and master—to ensure success and safety, including the following: Self-evaluation for a police career; Recognizing and ignoring bad advice; Rapid advancement toward self-sufficiency; The immeasurable importance of integrity; and, Matters of life and death.
Becoming a Police Officer: An Insider’s Guide to a Career in Law Enforcement is a valuable insight for those seeking a career in the honorable and important profession of law enforcement.”
About the Watering Hole
The Watering Hole is police slang for a location cops go off-duty to blow off steam and talk about work and life. Sometimes funny; sometimes serious; but, always interesting.
About the Host
Lieutenant Raymond E. Foster was a sworn member of the Los Angeles Police Department for 24 years. He retired in 2003 at the rank of Lieutenant. He holds a bachelor’s from the Union Institute and University in Criminal Justice Management and a Master’s Degree in Public Financial Management from California State University, Fullerton; and, has completed his doctoral course work. Raymond E. Foster has been a part-time lecturer at California State University, Fullerton and Fresno; and is currently a faculty advisor and lecturer with the Union Institute and University. He has experience teaching upper division courses in law enforcement, public policy, law enforcement technology and leadership. Raymond is an experienced author who has published numerous articles in a wide range of venues including magazines such as Government Technology, Mobile Government, Airborne Law Enforcement Magazine, and Police One. He has appeared on the History Channel and radio programs in the United States and Europe as subject matter expert in technological applications in law enforcement.
Listen, call, join us at the Watering Hole.
http://www.blogtalkradio.com/LawEnforcement
Program Contact Information
Lieutenant Raymond E. Foster, LAPD (ret.), MPA
editor@police-writers.com
909.599.7530
CBR Weapons and WMD Terrorism News- July 4, 2008
Will [County, Illinois] prepared for bioterrorism?
“The Will County Health Department received one of the highest scores possible during its 2007-2008 Public Health Emergency Local Technical Assistance Review. Will County's Bioterrorism Preparedness Program, specifically the Pharmaceutical Distribution Plan, earned 99 percent out of a possible 100 percent after a review conducted by the Illinois Department of Public Health.” (The Herald News; 03July08) http://www.suburbanchicagonews.com/heraldnews/news/1037620,4_1_JO03_HEALTH_S1.article
Government-Owned Inventions; Availability for Licensing
“The invention is a composition and method for prophylactic and therapeutic treatment of tularemia caused by Francisella tularensis comprised of Cationic Liposome DNA Complexes (CLDC) complexed with noncoding DNA and membrane antigens isolated from F. tularensis strain LVS (MPF). F. tularensis is category A pathogen (as designated by the NIH) that was previously weaponized by both the former Soviet Union and the United States of America and is currently a potential bioweapon and bioterrorism threat. Furthermore, tularemia is endemic to the U.S. (majority of the cases occurring in the Midwest) and Europe.” (Trading Markets; 03July08) http://www.tradingmarkets.com/.site/news/Stock%20News/1733701/
Report: Weapons can’t be destroyed by 2017
“Transporting chemical weapons from the Blue Grass Army Depot to Arkansas and Alabama, as well as halting construction plans for the weapons disposal facility, are just a few among many alternatives the Department of Defense (DOD) has offered to help speed up the process of destroying America’s remaining chemical warfare.” (Richmond Register; 03July08; Ronica Shannon) http://www.richmondregister.com/localnews/local_story_185080545.html
PB [Pine Bluff] Arsenal to get more to destroy?
“The Pentagon has drafted a plan to send more of its chemical weapon stockpile to the Pine Bluff Arsenal and three additional disposal sites to meet a 2017 deadline to destroy lethal chemical agents and munitions.”
(Arkansas Democrat; 03July08; Mike Linn) http://www.nwanews.com/adg/News/230358/
Immune Buildings’ Designed to Combat Chemical Warfare and Diseases
“Researchers at the University of Saskatchewan (U of S) [Canada] have opened a new engineering lab to design a ventilation system that could protect schools, hospitals, and other public buildings from chemical warfare and bioterrorist attacks. ‘Think of it as a complex fire alarm for industrial chemical spills, airborne diseases, and biological warfare strikes on vulnerable public spaces,’ says engineering dean and lead researcher Janusz Kozinski.” (NewsWise; 03July08) http://www.newswise.com/articles/view/542328/
Thompson veterans bill prompts hearing
“Legislation introduced by Rep. Mike Thompson, D-St. Helena to help veterans who were unknowingly tested with chemical and biological weapons in the 1960s and ‘70s, recently prompted a House of Representatives subcommittee meeting. […] In a statement, Thompson said he hopes the hearing will ultimately push his bill toward consideration by the House.” (The St. Helena Star; 03July08)
http://www.sthelenastar.com/articles/2008/07/03/news/local/doc486bebb0537f1480731104.txt
U.S. Issues Broad Threat to WMD Accomplices
“Serious consequences await those that aid terrorists in acquiring or using unconventional weapons under a new policy that national security adviser Stephen Hadley has broadcast. The Bush administration, however, is not clarifying whether the punishment could include U.S. nuclear weapons use, an ambiguity that suits some experts but troubles others. Speaking May 28 to representatives of some 80 governments attending a Washington meeting on curbing the spread of unconventional arms, Hadley noted that the United States for many years has maintained that any state that employs biological, chemical, or nuclear weapons, often referred to collectively as weapons of mass destruction (WMD), against the United States, its forces, or friends and allies could face U.S. retaliation with ‘overwhelming force.’” (Arms Control Association; 02July08; Wade Boese) http://www.armscontrol.org/act/2008_07-08/WMD.asp
GAO: First Responders' Detection of Hazardous Releases Inadequate
“More than six years after the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, local first responders do not have tools to accurately and quickly identify the release of chemical, biological, radiological, or nuclear materials in an urban environment, according to a new report issued by the Government Accountability Office, GAO, the investigative branch of Congress.” (Environmental News Service; 03July08) http://www.ens-newswire.com/ens/jul2008/2008-07-03-092.asp
NYPD Unveils $1 Million Anti-Terror Patrol Boats
“Just in time for the Fourth of July, the NYPD is dramatically stepping up its war against seaborne terrorist threats. CBS 2 HD went along on one of the first patrols of the new vessel for an exclusive look at this new and important way to help keep the city safe.” (WCBS TV; 04July08; ChrisWragge)
http://wcbstv.com/technology/tracs.boat.nypd.2.763644.html
Terror suspect out on bail seven years after arrest
“An alleged al-Qaeda operative said to have ‘direct links’ with Osama bin Laden was released on bail from a top-security jail. The Algerian man, identified only as U, left Long Lartin prison in Worcestershire after spending more than seven years in jail fighting extradition and deportation. His release came two weeks after the Special Immigration Appeals Commission (SIAC) granted bail to the radical preacher Abu Qatada. A third terror suspect, who was cleared of conspiracy to murder in the ‘ricin plot’ trial in 2005, is negotiating for his release on bail.”
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/article4265640.ece
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.
“The Will County Health Department received one of the highest scores possible during its 2007-2008 Public Health Emergency Local Technical Assistance Review. Will County's Bioterrorism Preparedness Program, specifically the Pharmaceutical Distribution Plan, earned 99 percent out of a possible 100 percent after a review conducted by the Illinois Department of Public Health.” (The Herald News; 03July08) http://www.suburbanchicagonews.com/heraldnews/news/1037620,4_1_JO03_HEALTH_S1.article
Government-Owned Inventions; Availability for Licensing
“The invention is a composition and method for prophylactic and therapeutic treatment of tularemia caused by Francisella tularensis comprised of Cationic Liposome DNA Complexes (CLDC) complexed with noncoding DNA and membrane antigens isolated from F. tularensis strain LVS (MPF). F. tularensis is category A pathogen (as designated by the NIH) that was previously weaponized by both the former Soviet Union and the United States of America and is currently a potential bioweapon and bioterrorism threat. Furthermore, tularemia is endemic to the U.S. (majority of the cases occurring in the Midwest) and Europe.” (Trading Markets; 03July08) http://www.tradingmarkets.com/.site/news/Stock%20News/1733701/
Report: Weapons can’t be destroyed by 2017
“Transporting chemical weapons from the Blue Grass Army Depot to Arkansas and Alabama, as well as halting construction plans for the weapons disposal facility, are just a few among many alternatives the Department of Defense (DOD) has offered to help speed up the process of destroying America’s remaining chemical warfare.” (Richmond Register; 03July08; Ronica Shannon) http://www.richmondregister.com/localnews/local_story_185080545.html
PB [Pine Bluff] Arsenal to get more to destroy?
“The Pentagon has drafted a plan to send more of its chemical weapon stockpile to the Pine Bluff Arsenal and three additional disposal sites to meet a 2017 deadline to destroy lethal chemical agents and munitions.”
(Arkansas Democrat; 03July08; Mike Linn) http://www.nwanews.com/adg/News/230358/
Immune Buildings’ Designed to Combat Chemical Warfare and Diseases
“Researchers at the University of Saskatchewan (U of S) [Canada] have opened a new engineering lab to design a ventilation system that could protect schools, hospitals, and other public buildings from chemical warfare and bioterrorist attacks. ‘Think of it as a complex fire alarm for industrial chemical spills, airborne diseases, and biological warfare strikes on vulnerable public spaces,’ says engineering dean and lead researcher Janusz Kozinski.” (NewsWise; 03July08) http://www.newswise.com/articles/view/542328/
Thompson veterans bill prompts hearing
“Legislation introduced by Rep. Mike Thompson, D-St. Helena to help veterans who were unknowingly tested with chemical and biological weapons in the 1960s and ‘70s, recently prompted a House of Representatives subcommittee meeting. […] In a statement, Thompson said he hopes the hearing will ultimately push his bill toward consideration by the House.” (The St. Helena Star; 03July08)
http://www.sthelenastar.com/articles/2008/07/03/news/local/doc486bebb0537f1480731104.txt
U.S. Issues Broad Threat to WMD Accomplices
“Serious consequences await those that aid terrorists in acquiring or using unconventional weapons under a new policy that national security adviser Stephen Hadley has broadcast. The Bush administration, however, is not clarifying whether the punishment could include U.S. nuclear weapons use, an ambiguity that suits some experts but troubles others. Speaking May 28 to representatives of some 80 governments attending a Washington meeting on curbing the spread of unconventional arms, Hadley noted that the United States for many years has maintained that any state that employs biological, chemical, or nuclear weapons, often referred to collectively as weapons of mass destruction (WMD), against the United States, its forces, or friends and allies could face U.S. retaliation with ‘overwhelming force.’” (Arms Control Association; 02July08; Wade Boese) http://www.armscontrol.org/act/2008_07-08/WMD.asp
GAO: First Responders' Detection of Hazardous Releases Inadequate
“More than six years after the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, local first responders do not have tools to accurately and quickly identify the release of chemical, biological, radiological, or nuclear materials in an urban environment, according to a new report issued by the Government Accountability Office, GAO, the investigative branch of Congress.” (Environmental News Service; 03July08) http://www.ens-newswire.com/ens/jul2008/2008-07-03-092.asp
NYPD Unveils $1 Million Anti-Terror Patrol Boats
“Just in time for the Fourth of July, the NYPD is dramatically stepping up its war against seaborne terrorist threats. CBS 2 HD went along on one of the first patrols of the new vessel for an exclusive look at this new and important way to help keep the city safe.” (WCBS TV; 04July08; ChrisWragge)
http://wcbstv.com/technology/tracs.boat.nypd.2.763644.html
Terror suspect out on bail seven years after arrest
“An alleged al-Qaeda operative said to have ‘direct links’ with Osama bin Laden was released on bail from a top-security jail. The Algerian man, identified only as U, left Long Lartin prison in Worcestershire after spending more than seven years in jail fighting extradition and deportation. His release came two weeks after the Special Immigration Appeals Commission (SIAC) granted bail to the radical preacher Abu Qatada. A third terror suspect, who was cleared of conspiracy to murder in the ‘ricin plot’ trial in 2005, is negotiating for his release on bail.”
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/article4265640.ece
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.
Saturday, July 05, 2008
10,000th MRAP Delivered To DoD
The rapid response by the Department of Defense to protect the warfighters reached a major milestone today when the 10,000th Mine Resistant Ambush Protected (MRAP) vehicle rolled off the assembly line and into government hands.
In February 2008 the MRAP program office, headed by Marine Corps Systems Command, recorded its 5,000th MRAP vehicle acceptance. That milestone was reached less than a year after the Secretary of Defense Robert Gates made MRAPs the DoD's top acquisition priority. Since then, the program has advanced at near-unprecedented speed, doubling production of the life-saving vehicle in just over four months.
Gates said, "This is a significant achievement. This program has gone from zero to ten thousand in just about a year and a half. These vehicles have proven themselves on the battlefield and are saving lives"
"The many successes of the joint MRAP vehicle program are the result of an overwhelming team effort by the many players in this program," said Marine Corps Brig. Gen. Michael Brogan, MCSC commander. "From production to integration, from transportation to fielding, many commands and organizations have played major roles in this program."
Within weeks this 10,000th truck, which is built to help withstand close-up impact of an improvised explosive device while protecting people inside, will join its predecessors on the front lines in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Marine Corps Systems Command in Quantico, Va., is the designated joint program office and manages the overall program for DoD. Before being shipped overseas, the MRAP will be installed with weapons, radios and other equipment by the Space and Naval Warfare Systems Command center at Charleston, S.C. From that point U.S. Transportation Command takes over and moves the vehicles by air and sea to the combat zone.
The final contract order for MRAP vehicles is expected later in the summer, bringing the overall total more than 15,000 vehicles in the current build-up. More information on the MRAP program can be found at http://www.defenselink.mil/home/features/2008/0108_mrap/.
In February 2008 the MRAP program office, headed by Marine Corps Systems Command, recorded its 5,000th MRAP vehicle acceptance. That milestone was reached less than a year after the Secretary of Defense Robert Gates made MRAPs the DoD's top acquisition priority. Since then, the program has advanced at near-unprecedented speed, doubling production of the life-saving vehicle in just over four months.
Gates said, "This is a significant achievement. This program has gone from zero to ten thousand in just about a year and a half. These vehicles have proven themselves on the battlefield and are saving lives"
"The many successes of the joint MRAP vehicle program are the result of an overwhelming team effort by the many players in this program," said Marine Corps Brig. Gen. Michael Brogan, MCSC commander. "From production to integration, from transportation to fielding, many commands and organizations have played major roles in this program."
Within weeks this 10,000th truck, which is built to help withstand close-up impact of an improvised explosive device while protecting people inside, will join its predecessors on the front lines in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Marine Corps Systems Command in Quantico, Va., is the designated joint program office and manages the overall program for DoD. Before being shipped overseas, the MRAP will be installed with weapons, radios and other equipment by the Space and Naval Warfare Systems Command center at Charleston, S.C. From that point U.S. Transportation Command takes over and moves the vehicles by air and sea to the combat zone.
The final contract order for MRAP vehicles is expected later in the summer, bringing the overall total more than 15,000 vehicles in the current build-up. More information on the MRAP program can be found at http://www.defenselink.mil/home/features/2008/0108_mrap/.
Afghan Agricultural Center Contributes to Better Security
By Army Spc. Anna Perry
Special to American Forces Press Service
July 3, 2008 - U.S. special operations warriors serving in western Afghanistan's volatile Herat province have a unique security-enhancing capability in their own backyard, and it involves neither bullets nor bombs. The Shindand Agricultural Experiment Station, located within the perimeter of Shindand Airfield, is an attempt to provide desperately needed agricultural skills to Afghans and an effort to jumpstart agricultural production in the Shindand district.
"The agricultural center has many positive effects for the both the troops and the local population," a U.S. Special Forces civil affairs team leader said. "This allows us to build a rapport with the villagers through education and employment; therefore, they are given a reason to think twice about allowing the anti-Afghan forces to step in and influence their lives in a negative way. The presence of this agricultural center is a security measure in and of itself."
The agricultural center, which officially opened in May, boasts a greenhouse, honey house, four concrete fish ponds, a classroom and living quarters for three scientists. Thousands of pomegranates, grape vines, fruit trees, rose bushes and vegetables grow around the station.
"The station is intended to be used for the development of innovative approaches to agricultural production, the demonstration of new technologies and to teach and support local farmers," said the station's agricultural advisor, a coalition officer who will be the primary mentor to the three Afghan scientists who soon will be hired to operate the station.
Thirty years ago, the advisor said, Afghanistan was an exporter of food, with pomegranates, nuts and vegetables among the major crops. "I believe they have the capacity to once again export food, but they need a better handle on concepts like water conservation and adapting new technologies like drip irrigation," the agricultural advisor said.
The intent is to hire Afghan scientists who have a wide array of specialty skills ranging from vegetable production to fish farming. The scientists will teach classes and conduct research at the station and will go out into the villages and share their knowledge with local farmers, the agricultural advisor added.
Six Afghans who work at the station provide maintenance, crop irrigation, weeding and planting support.
The vast majority of Afghans are employed in some type of agricultural profession, and until a legitimate way to make money is provided, they will continue to use poppy production as a main source of income, the agricultural advisor said. The station provides Shindand-area farmers with a realistic alternative to poppy production.
Roughly two dozen local farmers are taking a three-week-long beekeeping course at the station. The material covered in the class, which is being taught by an Afghan instructor, will enable the farmers to manage beehives and to extract and market honey.
One local farmer said he is grateful to have an opportunity to learn a skill as lucrative as honey production.
A beekeeping student who resides in the village of Changan said his view is the same as that of other villagers at the course. "We came here because this is one of the best ways to make money in Afghanistan," he said. "Honey is the most expensive thing to buy at the bazaar. We are here to support our families, economy and country."
At the end of the course, the graduating students will receive three beehives, bees and the equipment necessary to extract honey.
In the future, the station also will provide courses on agricultural skills such as poultry production and fish farming. In addition, the agricultural advisor will work hand in hand with a U.S. Special Forces civil affairs team in establishing a fruit-drying warehouse and a poultry farm, which will be extensions of the agricultural station.
Through one class at a time and one job at a time, the agricultural station peacefully is creating a more secure Shindand district for both the villagers who live there and the troops who serve there.
"My idea is that we should provide all Afghan people with jobs and there will be peace," the beekeeping student said. "Run this kind of project all over the country. ... You can hold security with weapons and rifles, but if there are enough jobs, people will go to work and not steal or fight to support their families. There is hope, because the economy is improving. The security of this country depends on the jobs."
(Army Spc. Anna Perry serves with the Combined Joint Special Operations Task Force Afghanistan Public Affairs Office.)
Special to American Forces Press Service
July 3, 2008 - U.S. special operations warriors serving in western Afghanistan's volatile Herat province have a unique security-enhancing capability in their own backyard, and it involves neither bullets nor bombs. The Shindand Agricultural Experiment Station, located within the perimeter of Shindand Airfield, is an attempt to provide desperately needed agricultural skills to Afghans and an effort to jumpstart agricultural production in the Shindand district.
"The agricultural center has many positive effects for the both the troops and the local population," a U.S. Special Forces civil affairs team leader said. "This allows us to build a rapport with the villagers through education and employment; therefore, they are given a reason to think twice about allowing the anti-Afghan forces to step in and influence their lives in a negative way. The presence of this agricultural center is a security measure in and of itself."
The agricultural center, which officially opened in May, boasts a greenhouse, honey house, four concrete fish ponds, a classroom and living quarters for three scientists. Thousands of pomegranates, grape vines, fruit trees, rose bushes and vegetables grow around the station.
"The station is intended to be used for the development of innovative approaches to agricultural production, the demonstration of new technologies and to teach and support local farmers," said the station's agricultural advisor, a coalition officer who will be the primary mentor to the three Afghan scientists who soon will be hired to operate the station.
Thirty years ago, the advisor said, Afghanistan was an exporter of food, with pomegranates, nuts and vegetables among the major crops. "I believe they have the capacity to once again export food, but they need a better handle on concepts like water conservation and adapting new technologies like drip irrigation," the agricultural advisor said.
The intent is to hire Afghan scientists who have a wide array of specialty skills ranging from vegetable production to fish farming. The scientists will teach classes and conduct research at the station and will go out into the villages and share their knowledge with local farmers, the agricultural advisor added.
Six Afghans who work at the station provide maintenance, crop irrigation, weeding and planting support.
The vast majority of Afghans are employed in some type of agricultural profession, and until a legitimate way to make money is provided, they will continue to use poppy production as a main source of income, the agricultural advisor said. The station provides Shindand-area farmers with a realistic alternative to poppy production.
Roughly two dozen local farmers are taking a three-week-long beekeeping course at the station. The material covered in the class, which is being taught by an Afghan instructor, will enable the farmers to manage beehives and to extract and market honey.
One local farmer said he is grateful to have an opportunity to learn a skill as lucrative as honey production.
A beekeeping student who resides in the village of Changan said his view is the same as that of other villagers at the course. "We came here because this is one of the best ways to make money in Afghanistan," he said. "Honey is the most expensive thing to buy at the bazaar. We are here to support our families, economy and country."
At the end of the course, the graduating students will receive three beehives, bees and the equipment necessary to extract honey.
In the future, the station also will provide courses on agricultural skills such as poultry production and fish farming. In addition, the agricultural advisor will work hand in hand with a U.S. Special Forces civil affairs team in establishing a fruit-drying warehouse and a poultry farm, which will be extensions of the agricultural station.
Through one class at a time and one job at a time, the agricultural station peacefully is creating a more secure Shindand district for both the villagers who live there and the troops who serve there.
"My idea is that we should provide all Afghan people with jobs and there will be peace," the beekeeping student said. "Run this kind of project all over the country. ... You can hold security with weapons and rifles, but if there are enough jobs, people will go to work and not steal or fight to support their families. There is hope, because the economy is improving. The security of this country depends on the jobs."
(Army Spc. Anna Perry serves with the Combined Joint Special Operations Task Force Afghanistan Public Affairs Office.)
Troops in Afghanistan Kill, Detain Enemy Fighters
American Forces Press Service
July 3, 2008 - Coalition forces in Afghanistan killed several enemy fighters and detained eight others in recent days, military officials said.
Yesterday in Afghanistan:
-- An Afghan noncombatant was killed and several were wounded when a militant mortar attack directed at a coalition base in Konar province missed and struck near a group of local citizens. The militants, 300 meters inside Pakistan, repeatedly fired mortars at a coalition base and missed, officials said. Coalition forces returned artillery fire, and the militants retreated, officials added.
-- Three Taliban militants were detained in Ghazni province, where coalition forces were targeting a Taliban militant in the area.
-- Coalition forces detained five militants while targeting a senior Taliban leader and homemade-bomb facilitator in Helmand province. During the search, forces discovered assault rifles and a cache of opium. The weapons and drugs were destroyed to prevent possible militant use.
In an operation June 30, several militants were killed during a reconnaissance patrol by Afghan national security forces and coalition forces in the Maywand district of Kandahar province. The militants attacked the patrol using rockets. The militants were pursued and were later killed with precision air strikes, officials said.
(Compiled from Combined Joint Task Force 101 news releases.)
July 3, 2008 - Coalition forces in Afghanistan killed several enemy fighters and detained eight others in recent days, military officials said.
Yesterday in Afghanistan:
-- An Afghan noncombatant was killed and several were wounded when a militant mortar attack directed at a coalition base in Konar province missed and struck near a group of local citizens. The militants, 300 meters inside Pakistan, repeatedly fired mortars at a coalition base and missed, officials said. Coalition forces returned artillery fire, and the militants retreated, officials added.
-- Three Taliban militants were detained in Ghazni province, where coalition forces were targeting a Taliban militant in the area.
-- Coalition forces detained five militants while targeting a senior Taliban leader and homemade-bomb facilitator in Helmand province. During the search, forces discovered assault rifles and a cache of opium. The weapons and drugs were destroyed to prevent possible militant use.
In an operation June 30, several militants were killed during a reconnaissance patrol by Afghan national security forces and coalition forces in the Maywand district of Kandahar province. The militants attacked the patrol using rockets. The militants were pursued and were later killed with precision air strikes, officials said.
(Compiled from Combined Joint Task Force 101 news releases.)
Officials Dedicate Medical Intelligence Facility
American Forces Press Service
July 3, 2008 - Leaders from across the U.S. intelligence community dedicated the National Center for Medical Intelligence yesterday at Fort Detrick, Md. Established by the secretary of defense as the premier producer and coordinator of medical intelligence, NCMI produces medical intelligence for global force protection and homeland health protection to safeguard U.S. interests worldwide, officials said.
"The National Center for Medical Intelligence is the critical link between Department of Defense force protection and broader homeland health protection," said Army Lt. Gen. Michael D. Maples, director of the Defense Intelligence Agency. "It demonstrates the vital contribution that medical intelligence makes to public health security."
Medical intelligence is the assessment of potential health risks and health care capabilities that allows planning for medical countermeasures, health care support and medical personnel support. NCMI, formerly known as the Armed Forces Medical Intelligence Center, was established in 1982.
NCMI's designation as a national center reflects the growth in its roles and responsibilities which has been under way for several years, officials said. This growth has included expanded relationships beyond the Defense Department and the intelligence community, and now includes the Department of Homeland Security, the White House, the State Department, coalition and foreign partners, and other domestic, non-Defense Department customers.
The growing integration between homeland health protection and medical intelligence allows NCMI to focus on a broader range of foreign medical threats to U.S. military and civilian personnel, allies, and other critical national interests, officials explained -- pandemic flu, avian flu or other animal diseases that potentially could threaten the United States, for example.
The national center includes a growing network for enhanced situational awareness and early warning, officials added, which will strengthen the integrated picture of health threats to U.S. citizens at home and abroad.
NCMI officials expect to break ground in December on a 15,000-square-foot addition to the existing facility.
(From a Defense Intelligence Agency news release.)
July 3, 2008 - Leaders from across the U.S. intelligence community dedicated the National Center for Medical Intelligence yesterday at Fort Detrick, Md. Established by the secretary of defense as the premier producer and coordinator of medical intelligence, NCMI produces medical intelligence for global force protection and homeland health protection to safeguard U.S. interests worldwide, officials said.
"The National Center for Medical Intelligence is the critical link between Department of Defense force protection and broader homeland health protection," said Army Lt. Gen. Michael D. Maples, director of the Defense Intelligence Agency. "It demonstrates the vital contribution that medical intelligence makes to public health security."
Medical intelligence is the assessment of potential health risks and health care capabilities that allows planning for medical countermeasures, health care support and medical personnel support. NCMI, formerly known as the Armed Forces Medical Intelligence Center, was established in 1982.
NCMI's designation as a national center reflects the growth in its roles and responsibilities which has been under way for several years, officials said. This growth has included expanded relationships beyond the Defense Department and the intelligence community, and now includes the Department of Homeland Security, the White House, the State Department, coalition and foreign partners, and other domestic, non-Defense Department customers.
The growing integration between homeland health protection and medical intelligence allows NCMI to focus on a broader range of foreign medical threats to U.S. military and civilian personnel, allies, and other critical national interests, officials explained -- pandemic flu, avian flu or other animal diseases that potentially could threaten the United States, for example.
The national center includes a growing network for enhanced situational awareness and early warning, officials added, which will strengthen the integrated picture of health threats to U.S. citizens at home and abroad.
NCMI officials expect to break ground in December on a 15,000-square-foot addition to the existing facility.
(From a Defense Intelligence Agency news release.)
Friday, July 04, 2008
Face of Defense: Security Officer Puts Medical Skills to Work
By Army Sgt. 1st Class Damian Steptore
Special to American Forces Press Service
July 2, 2008 - A military intelligence officer here finally got to work where her heart is -- in the medical community. After originally enlisting to become a combat medic in the Army Reserve nine years ago, Army 1st Lt. Khara Keegan, a native of Sioux City, Iowa, enrolled in the U.S. Military Academy, at West Point, N.Y., where she graduated and received her commission in the Military Intelligence Corps.
"I like my current job a lot, but the medical profession is where my heart is," said the 26-year-old security officer, who's serving here with the 1st Cavalry Division's 4th Brigade Combat Team.
Keegan was reunited with her passion for providing medical care only four days after arriving in Iraq. At the Smith Gate Burn Clinic here, she encountered a 2-year old Iraqi boy who was badly burned on his legs, his stomach and his left arm.
"I didn't want to be emotional, but I could tell the boy was in a lot of pain," Keegan recalled. "I cleaned off his dead skin and applied ointment and a wrap for protection while his parents were holding him and consoling him."
After only that initial treatment, the boy was smiling and holding hands with Keegan.
"He will need treatment for weeks," Keegan said. "The patients here are authorized to have their bandages changed and re-dressed three times per week."
Keegan and about 700 soldiers of 1st Squadron, 9th Cavalry Regiment, are taking over operations at the convoy support center. The brigade headquarters is located at Contingency Operating Base Adder in Tallil Air Base, about 200 miles south of Scania.
The burn clinic's current noncommissioned officer in charge is hopeful the Long Knife Brigade soldiers will continue what the 82nd Airborne Division's 1st Brigade started.
"I didn't know what the new unit was going to do," said Army Sgt. Joe Burzeski, a combat medic assigned to the Strike Hold Brigade. "I'm seeing the 1st Cav. soldiers come in and volunteer on their down time, so I can go home at peace knowing this clinic will continue and prosper."
The burn clinic operates with mostly volunteer personnel and supplies that are shipped into Iraq from various hospitals in the United States. Burzeski was one of the first medics assigned to the clinic when he arrived more than a year ago. At the time, the staff of two to five soldiers worked inside a 20-foot shipping container with very few supplies. Today, the clinic accommodates about 40 patients per day inside the same structure.
"As soon as I heard about this place, I knew I had to help out," Keegan said. "Today, I saw immediate results from my efforts; that's why I like the medical profession."
Keegan said she plans to volunteer at the burn clinic as much as her primary mission allows.
(Army Sgt. 1st Class Damian Steptore serves with the 1st Cavalry Division's 4th Brigade Combat Team Public Affairs Office.)
Special to American Forces Press Service
July 2, 2008 - A military intelligence officer here finally got to work where her heart is -- in the medical community. After originally enlisting to become a combat medic in the Army Reserve nine years ago, Army 1st Lt. Khara Keegan, a native of Sioux City, Iowa, enrolled in the U.S. Military Academy, at West Point, N.Y., where she graduated and received her commission in the Military Intelligence Corps.
"I like my current job a lot, but the medical profession is where my heart is," said the 26-year-old security officer, who's serving here with the 1st Cavalry Division's 4th Brigade Combat Team.
Keegan was reunited with her passion for providing medical care only four days after arriving in Iraq. At the Smith Gate Burn Clinic here, she encountered a 2-year old Iraqi boy who was badly burned on his legs, his stomach and his left arm.
"I didn't want to be emotional, but I could tell the boy was in a lot of pain," Keegan recalled. "I cleaned off his dead skin and applied ointment and a wrap for protection while his parents were holding him and consoling him."
After only that initial treatment, the boy was smiling and holding hands with Keegan.
"He will need treatment for weeks," Keegan said. "The patients here are authorized to have their bandages changed and re-dressed three times per week."
Keegan and about 700 soldiers of 1st Squadron, 9th Cavalry Regiment, are taking over operations at the convoy support center. The brigade headquarters is located at Contingency Operating Base Adder in Tallil Air Base, about 200 miles south of Scania.
The burn clinic's current noncommissioned officer in charge is hopeful the Long Knife Brigade soldiers will continue what the 82nd Airborne Division's 1st Brigade started.
"I didn't know what the new unit was going to do," said Army Sgt. Joe Burzeski, a combat medic assigned to the Strike Hold Brigade. "I'm seeing the 1st Cav. soldiers come in and volunteer on their down time, so I can go home at peace knowing this clinic will continue and prosper."
The burn clinic operates with mostly volunteer personnel and supplies that are shipped into Iraq from various hospitals in the United States. Burzeski was one of the first medics assigned to the clinic when he arrived more than a year ago. At the time, the staff of two to five soldiers worked inside a 20-foot shipping container with very few supplies. Today, the clinic accommodates about 40 patients per day inside the same structure.
"As soon as I heard about this place, I knew I had to help out," Keegan said. "Today, I saw immediate results from my efforts; that's why I like the medical profession."
Keegan said she plans to volunteer at the burn clinic as much as her primary mission allows.
(Army Sgt. 1st Class Damian Steptore serves with the 1st Cavalry Division's 4th Brigade Combat Team Public Affairs Office.)
Forces in Iraq Kill Enemy Fighters, Detain Suspects, Find Weapons
American Forces Press Service
July 3, 2008 - Coalition forces in Iraq killed enemy fighters, detained terrorism suspects and found illegal weapons stockpiles in operations over the last three days, military officials reported. Coalition forces conducted operations spanning central and northwestern Iraq today, killing two enemy fighters and detaining eight suspected terrorists while targeting al-Qaida networks.
In Mosul, coalition forces netted an alleged terrorist leader and a suspected associate. The alleged leader is believed to oversee kidnappings, assassinations and extortion operations in the city, officials said.
Coalition forces also targeted a suspected al-Qaida in Iraq foreign terrorist facilitator near Ribat, a town along the Euphrates River near the Iraq-Syria border. The man barricaded himself in a room with a weapon. Perceiving hostile intent, coalition forces engaged and killed him. Three associates were detained.
Also today, coalition forces targeted the alleged leader of an al-Qaida in Iraq cell in Shargat. Two people complied when the force called for occupants of a building to surrender, but one man refused to follow coalition forces' instructions. Perceiving hostile intent from the man, coalition forces engaged and killed him. Coalition forces later found a suicide vest on the roof and an underground tunnel outside the building.
In operations yesterday:
-- A precision operation in Baghdad led coalition forces to capture a man suspected of being a leader of several al-Qaida in Iraq cells in the southern area of the city. The suspect is believed to be responsible for bombings, kidnappings and attacks against coalition forces.
-- Coalition forces in Baghdad detained a man suspected of involvement in the al-Qaida propaganda network.
-- Soldiers working with Iraqi security forces detained seven suspected criminal during a search in Baghdad's Rashid district.
-- In two operations, Multinational Division Baghdad soldiers discovered a rocket rigged as a roadside bomb, as well as a rocket-propelled grenade round and an artillery round. An explosive ordnance disposal team responded to handle the explosive device.
-- Soldiers detained a suspected criminal in the Hadar community. The patrol returned with the suspect to a combat outpost for further questioning.
-- In three separate operations, Multinational Division Baghdad soldiers seized rocket-propelled grenades, a machine gun, two containers of propellant, various rounds, command wires, anti-tank mines, rockets and mortar rounds.
In operations July 1:
-- While on patrol near the city of Karmah, an Iraqi quick-reaction force discovered a substantial weapons cache that contained various sized mortars, rounds, projectiles, rocket-propelled grenades, rockets, mortar fillings, mortar stabilizing fins, and a hand grenade.
-- Multinational Division Baghdad soldiers seized eight weapons caches in separate operations. The caches contained 80 cans of anti-aircraft rounds, rockets, rocket tubes and several tubes of various sizes, a rocket-propelled-grenade round, mortar rounds, a machine gun, AK-47 assault rifle magazines, a pistol belt, a bayonet, bomb-making materials, grenades, artillery rounds, a primer connected to a power sources, and a license plate.
-- Iraqi National Police seized a cache inside a mosque in the New Baghdad security district of eastern Baghdad. They found artillery rounds, TNT, a license plate, and two steel barriers in the Al-Sadrayn Mosque. No coalition forces were present inside the mosque, officials said.
(Compiled from Multinational Force Iraq and Multinational Corps Iraq news releases.)
July 3, 2008 - Coalition forces in Iraq killed enemy fighters, detained terrorism suspects and found illegal weapons stockpiles in operations over the last three days, military officials reported. Coalition forces conducted operations spanning central and northwestern Iraq today, killing two enemy fighters and detaining eight suspected terrorists while targeting al-Qaida networks.
In Mosul, coalition forces netted an alleged terrorist leader and a suspected associate. The alleged leader is believed to oversee kidnappings, assassinations and extortion operations in the city, officials said.
Coalition forces also targeted a suspected al-Qaida in Iraq foreign terrorist facilitator near Ribat, a town along the Euphrates River near the Iraq-Syria border. The man barricaded himself in a room with a weapon. Perceiving hostile intent, coalition forces engaged and killed him. Three associates were detained.
Also today, coalition forces targeted the alleged leader of an al-Qaida in Iraq cell in Shargat. Two people complied when the force called for occupants of a building to surrender, but one man refused to follow coalition forces' instructions. Perceiving hostile intent from the man, coalition forces engaged and killed him. Coalition forces later found a suicide vest on the roof and an underground tunnel outside the building.
In operations yesterday:
-- A precision operation in Baghdad led coalition forces to capture a man suspected of being a leader of several al-Qaida in Iraq cells in the southern area of the city. The suspect is believed to be responsible for bombings, kidnappings and attacks against coalition forces.
-- Coalition forces in Baghdad detained a man suspected of involvement in the al-Qaida propaganda network.
-- Soldiers working with Iraqi security forces detained seven suspected criminal during a search in Baghdad's Rashid district.
-- In two operations, Multinational Division Baghdad soldiers discovered a rocket rigged as a roadside bomb, as well as a rocket-propelled grenade round and an artillery round. An explosive ordnance disposal team responded to handle the explosive device.
-- Soldiers detained a suspected criminal in the Hadar community. The patrol returned with the suspect to a combat outpost for further questioning.
-- In three separate operations, Multinational Division Baghdad soldiers seized rocket-propelled grenades, a machine gun, two containers of propellant, various rounds, command wires, anti-tank mines, rockets and mortar rounds.
In operations July 1:
-- While on patrol near the city of Karmah, an Iraqi quick-reaction force discovered a substantial weapons cache that contained various sized mortars, rounds, projectiles, rocket-propelled grenades, rockets, mortar fillings, mortar stabilizing fins, and a hand grenade.
-- Multinational Division Baghdad soldiers seized eight weapons caches in separate operations. The caches contained 80 cans of anti-aircraft rounds, rockets, rocket tubes and several tubes of various sizes, a rocket-propelled-grenade round, mortar rounds, a machine gun, AK-47 assault rifle magazines, a pistol belt, a bayonet, bomb-making materials, grenades, artillery rounds, a primer connected to a power sources, and a license plate.
-- Iraqi National Police seized a cache inside a mosque in the New Baghdad security district of eastern Baghdad. They found artillery rounds, TNT, a license plate, and two steel barriers in the Al-Sadrayn Mosque. No coalition forces were present inside the mosque, officials said.
(Compiled from Multinational Force Iraq and Multinational Corps Iraq news releases.)
Soldiers in Iraq Give Reasons for Re-enlisting
By Army Spc. Sophia R. Lopez
Special to American Forces Press Service
July 3, 2008 - As soldiers' enlistments near their end, they must decide whether they want to leave the service or stay on for another term. Some soldiers in Iraq who decide to stay in the Army face another choice: whether to re-enlist here or wait until they're back in the United States. Some may want to re-enlist while in Iraq for the chance at their pick of duty station or for the tax-free bonus. Others do it for more personal reasons.
"I knew I was going to stay. I had already made up my mind about four or five years ago," said Army Staff Sgt. Dimas Estrada, an air and missile defense operations sergeant for Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 10th Mountain Division.
For Estrada, the chance to re-enlist while serving here was a significant event. He comes from a long line of Army veterans, but his father, who served in Iraq during Operation Desert Storm, had also re-enlisted here.
"I was going to re-enlist when I got back," said Estrada, a Phoenix native, stationed at Fort Drum, N.Y. This is Estrada's fourth time taking the enlistment oath, having already served 12 years.
With only three years of service thus far, Army Spc. Jeremy Giddings, of Watertown, N.Y., also had an important decision ahead of him.
"I've been considering re-enlisting for at least the past year," said Giddings, a member of a battalion security detail for Headquarters and Support Company, Division Special Troops Battalion. "I realized I wanted to stay in and make a career out of it. Besides, you can't beat the benefits," he said with a smile.
Those benefits come with the possibility of deploying again, but Giddings said that had no effect on his decision.
"I expect at least two or three more after this," he calmly said.
For Estrada, the possibility of future deployments was something he took into account.
"I had to really think about it at first," he said. "I know I'm going to deploy again, but I don't have much time left [until retirement]. It's a good thing for my kids. My family, after all, is secure -- not just financially. I feel that my family is safer with me being in the military," he added, mentioning the presence of military police at Fort Drum, where his family lives.
Soldiers have many reasons for re-enlisting and these reasons often differ whether they're in the United States or in Iraq. But Giddings said his decision to re-enlist would have had the same outcome either way.
"This is just one of many [re-enlistments] to come," he said, making it clear that no matter where he hangs his hat at night, he's staying in the Army.
About 1,200 soldiers are re-enlisting in a mass ceremony at Al Faw Palace tomorrow, with Army Gen. David H. Petraeus, commander of Multinational Force Iraq, swearing them in for their next term.
(Army Spc. Sophia R. Lopez serves in the Multinational Division Center Public Affairs Office.)
Special to American Forces Press Service
July 3, 2008 - As soldiers' enlistments near their end, they must decide whether they want to leave the service or stay on for another term. Some soldiers in Iraq who decide to stay in the Army face another choice: whether to re-enlist here or wait until they're back in the United States. Some may want to re-enlist while in Iraq for the chance at their pick of duty station or for the tax-free bonus. Others do it for more personal reasons.
"I knew I was going to stay. I had already made up my mind about four or five years ago," said Army Staff Sgt. Dimas Estrada, an air and missile defense operations sergeant for Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 10th Mountain Division.
For Estrada, the chance to re-enlist while serving here was a significant event. He comes from a long line of Army veterans, but his father, who served in Iraq during Operation Desert Storm, had also re-enlisted here.
"I was going to re-enlist when I got back," said Estrada, a Phoenix native, stationed at Fort Drum, N.Y. This is Estrada's fourth time taking the enlistment oath, having already served 12 years.
With only three years of service thus far, Army Spc. Jeremy Giddings, of Watertown, N.Y., also had an important decision ahead of him.
"I've been considering re-enlisting for at least the past year," said Giddings, a member of a battalion security detail for Headquarters and Support Company, Division Special Troops Battalion. "I realized I wanted to stay in and make a career out of it. Besides, you can't beat the benefits," he said with a smile.
Those benefits come with the possibility of deploying again, but Giddings said that had no effect on his decision.
"I expect at least two or three more after this," he calmly said.
For Estrada, the possibility of future deployments was something he took into account.
"I had to really think about it at first," he said. "I know I'm going to deploy again, but I don't have much time left [until retirement]. It's a good thing for my kids. My family, after all, is secure -- not just financially. I feel that my family is safer with me being in the military," he added, mentioning the presence of military police at Fort Drum, where his family lives.
Soldiers have many reasons for re-enlisting and these reasons often differ whether they're in the United States or in Iraq. But Giddings said his decision to re-enlist would have had the same outcome either way.
"This is just one of many [re-enlistments] to come," he said, making it clear that no matter where he hangs his hat at night, he's staying in the Army.
About 1,200 soldiers are re-enlisting in a mass ceremony at Al Faw Palace tomorrow, with Army Gen. David H. Petraeus, commander of Multinational Force Iraq, swearing them in for their next term.
(Army Spc. Sophia R. Lopez serves in the Multinational Division Center Public Affairs Office.)
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