By John J. Kruzel
American Forces Press Service
Jan. 12, 2009 - U.S. and Iraqi forces in Iraq's Diyala province are preparing for rising violence amid upcoming provincial elections, an Army commander in Iraq said at a Pentagon news conference today. Army Col. Burt Thompson, commander of the 25th Infantry Division's 1st Stryker Brigade Combat Team, said he anticipates an increase in violent activities as the Jan. 31 polling date nears.
"It's pretty clear what they'd be going after," Thompson said, referring to potential election saboteurs. "It's to sway the hearts and the minds, to intimidate those civilians from going and voting."
Thompson, speaking via video teleconference from Forward Operating Base Warhorse, said Diyala province experiences about one "security incident" per week. A typical occurrence includes a bombing with homemade explosives targeting civilians in market areas.
He identified members of al-Qaida and Jaysh al-Mahdi, the militant constituency of the Iranian-influenced Shiite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr, as the main perpetrators of violence in the region.
To mitigate potential threats, Thompson said, Iraqi security forces have detailed plans for securing polling sites and the routes leading to and from them.
"Al-Qaida, the enemy, the opponent, obviously, has a vote. And he will look for those critical vulnerabilities, if he can find them, and he'll try to exploit those," he said. "Our job is to prevent that from happening."
Iraqi forces are culling "human intelligence" -- word-of-mouth information from local people -- to inform their preparations leading up to the elections.
"The individuals that you talk to on the street are the greatest values, because quite frankly, most of the folks in Diyala province ... want peace, they want stability, they want to move ahead, they want to get this behind them," he said.
Thompson added that combined forces are emphasizing the security of ballots to ensure the accountability and responsibility of the process.
Participants responsible for election security met for six hours yesterday ahead of a rehearsal planned for this week, Thompson said. Iraqi police will act as the "inner cordon" at voting sites and other sensitive locations, with Iraqi soldiers serving a support role as U.S. forces provide the "outer layer."
The colonel characterized the upcoming vote as a moment of great historical and political significance for Iraq, marking the first real opportunity to seat a representative government at the provincial level.
"The 2005 election was to prove that, 'I've got some ink on my finger, and we can actually do this election,'" he said, alluding to iconic images of Iraqis displaying ink-stained fingers indicating a ballot cast in national elections.
But while the January 2005 voting represented the first general election since the 2003 invasion of Iraq, reports of widespread boycotting by Sunni Arabs called into question the vote's legitimacy.
"The 2009 elections are a little bit different," Thompson said. "This is an opportunity to seat governance, [which makes it] a critical period in the history of Iraq, certainly the history of Diyala, to move this place forward, to continue the growth, to continue the stability and prosperity that we're starting to see now in Diyala province."
Monday, January 12, 2009
Army Casualties
The Department of Defense announced today the death of three soldiers who were supporting Operation Enduring Freedom. They died Jan. 9 in the Zabul Province of Afghanistan, of wounds suffered when an improvised explosive device detonated near their vehicle in Jaldak. They were assigned to the 1st Battalion, 4th Infantry Regiment, Hohenfels, Germany.
Killed were:
Maj. Brian M. Mescall, 33, of Hopkinton, Mass.,
Spc. Joseph M. Hernandez, 24, of Hammond, Ind.,
Spc. Jason R. Parsons, 24, of Lenoir, N.C.
For more information media may contact the Joint Multinational Readiness Center PAO at 011-49-9472-83-5047.
Killed were:
Maj. Brian M. Mescall, 33, of Hopkinton, Mass.,
Spc. Joseph M. Hernandez, 24, of Hammond, Ind.,
Spc. Jason R. Parsons, 24, of Lenoir, N.C.
For more information media may contact the Joint Multinational Readiness Center PAO at 011-49-9472-83-5047.
Combined Forces Capture Criminal Suspects, Find Weapons
American Forces Press Service
Jan. 12, 2009 - Iraqi and U.S. soldiers and Iraqi National Police detained suspected criminals and seized weapons in operations in Baghdad yesterday and Jan. 10, military officials reported.
In operations yesterday:
-- In the city's Rashid district, Iraqi and U.S. soldiers arrested a suspected insurgent with a fake identification card, bomb-making materials and CDs that allegedly contained insurgent plans.
-- Iraqi and U.S. soldiers served a warrant for the arrest of a suspected weapons trafficker with alleged ties to criminal organizations in Rashid district's Hadar community.
-- In Rashid district's Saydiyah community, Iraqi and U.S. soldiers served warrants for the arrest of two Iraqis suspected of serving as informants for criminal elements.
-- In northwestern Baghdad, Iraqi National Police and U.S. soldiers confiscated a cache yesterday that contained 10 projectile fuses, propellant, small-arms rounds, two 130 mm high-explosive projectiles and a 122 mm high-explosive projectile. An explosive ordnance disposal team destroyed the cache.
-- Iraqi National Police and U.S. soldiers seized an unexploded artillery round in Rashid district's Shurta community. The patrol transported the round to a nearby national police headquarters for disposal by an EOD team.
In Jan. 10 operations:
-- In Rashid district's Saha neighborhood, a tip from a local civilian led Iraqi National Police and U.S. soldiers to a suspected criminal wanted for acts of violence, murder, extortion and kidnapping in connection with known terrorist groups operating in Baghdad.
-- In Rashid district, Iraqi and U.S. soldiers confiscated three AK-47 assault rifles from three different houses and moved the weapons to their headquarters.
(Compiled from Multinational Corps Iraq news releases.)
Jan. 12, 2009 - Iraqi and U.S. soldiers and Iraqi National Police detained suspected criminals and seized weapons in operations in Baghdad yesterday and Jan. 10, military officials reported.
In operations yesterday:
-- In the city's Rashid district, Iraqi and U.S. soldiers arrested a suspected insurgent with a fake identification card, bomb-making materials and CDs that allegedly contained insurgent plans.
-- Iraqi and U.S. soldiers served a warrant for the arrest of a suspected weapons trafficker with alleged ties to criminal organizations in Rashid district's Hadar community.
-- In Rashid district's Saydiyah community, Iraqi and U.S. soldiers served warrants for the arrest of two Iraqis suspected of serving as informants for criminal elements.
-- In northwestern Baghdad, Iraqi National Police and U.S. soldiers confiscated a cache yesterday that contained 10 projectile fuses, propellant, small-arms rounds, two 130 mm high-explosive projectiles and a 122 mm high-explosive projectile. An explosive ordnance disposal team destroyed the cache.
-- Iraqi National Police and U.S. soldiers seized an unexploded artillery round in Rashid district's Shurta community. The patrol transported the round to a nearby national police headquarters for disposal by an EOD team.
In Jan. 10 operations:
-- In Rashid district's Saha neighborhood, a tip from a local civilian led Iraqi National Police and U.S. soldiers to a suspected criminal wanted for acts of violence, murder, extortion and kidnapping in connection with known terrorist groups operating in Baghdad.
-- In Rashid district, Iraqi and U.S. soldiers confiscated three AK-47 assault rifles from three different houses and moved the weapons to their headquarters.
(Compiled from Multinational Corps Iraq news releases.)
Baghdad Sports Complex Reopens After Renovations
By Army Sgt. Whitney Houston
Special to American Forces Press Service
Jan. 12, 2009 - A sports center reopened here Jan. 9 after an extensive refurbishing project that coalition forces and Iraqis undertook to improve the impoverished Qahira community, a Shiia enclave in the Iraqi capital's Adhamiyah district. "When we took over this area, we assessed all of the areas to see what nonlethal missions we could conduct to fight off a lethal threat. And what we did was target an area that we thought needed the most help," said Army Capt. John Spencer, who serves in Multinational Division Baghdad with the 4th Infantry Division's 1st Combined Arms Battalion, 68th Armor Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team.
Spencer said Qahira is an important neighborhood because it had a substantial militia at one time that campaigned against the government of Iraq. The refurbished Talaba Sports Center, he explained, will have a huge impact on the community and will help to counteract propaganda.
"If you create just a little bit of happiness for [the neighborhood's residents], you'll create a lot of happiness within the community, which shows forward progression toward a better life," he said.
The renovation was a huge undertaking that was funded through the Commanders Emergency Relief Program, with manpower provided by area residents, Spencer said. The $187,300 project included repairing the gym floor, roof, stadium seating, kitchen, bathrooms, locker rooms, light fixtures, electrical systems and the parking area. The work also included painting and cleaning the inside and outside walls, as well as other cosmetic improvements.
Among the facility's amenities, Spencer said, is a basketball court that also can be used as an indoor soccer arena. It is one of two gyms in the area that measures up to Olympic standards.
The sports center will be used predominantly by six schools in the area, and is open to children of all ages. It has been well received by residents of the area.
"There are approximately 80,000 residents that live in Qahira, and this is the only sports complex in the area," said Muhammad Madlom, the Neighborhood Advisory Council chairman. "So, it is a good achievement for coalition forces – and it is good they focus on and care about sports for youth, because these guys are the future of this country. It will have a huge psychological impact on them as well as influence them for the good as they participate in sports."
(Army Sgt. Whitney Houston serves in Multinational Division Baghdad in the 4th Infantry Division's 3rd Brigade Combat Team public affairs office.)
Special to American Forces Press Service
Jan. 12, 2009 - A sports center reopened here Jan. 9 after an extensive refurbishing project that coalition forces and Iraqis undertook to improve the impoverished Qahira community, a Shiia enclave in the Iraqi capital's Adhamiyah district. "When we took over this area, we assessed all of the areas to see what nonlethal missions we could conduct to fight off a lethal threat. And what we did was target an area that we thought needed the most help," said Army Capt. John Spencer, who serves in Multinational Division Baghdad with the 4th Infantry Division's 1st Combined Arms Battalion, 68th Armor Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team.
Spencer said Qahira is an important neighborhood because it had a substantial militia at one time that campaigned against the government of Iraq. The refurbished Talaba Sports Center, he explained, will have a huge impact on the community and will help to counteract propaganda.
"If you create just a little bit of happiness for [the neighborhood's residents], you'll create a lot of happiness within the community, which shows forward progression toward a better life," he said.
The renovation was a huge undertaking that was funded through the Commanders Emergency Relief Program, with manpower provided by area residents, Spencer said. The $187,300 project included repairing the gym floor, roof, stadium seating, kitchen, bathrooms, locker rooms, light fixtures, electrical systems and the parking area. The work also included painting and cleaning the inside and outside walls, as well as other cosmetic improvements.
Among the facility's amenities, Spencer said, is a basketball court that also can be used as an indoor soccer arena. It is one of two gyms in the area that measures up to Olympic standards.
The sports center will be used predominantly by six schools in the area, and is open to children of all ages. It has been well received by residents of the area.
"There are approximately 80,000 residents that live in Qahira, and this is the only sports complex in the area," said Muhammad Madlom, the Neighborhood Advisory Council chairman. "So, it is a good achievement for coalition forces – and it is good they focus on and care about sports for youth, because these guys are the future of this country. It will have a huge psychological impact on them as well as influence them for the good as they participate in sports."
(Army Sgt. Whitney Houston serves in Multinational Division Baghdad in the 4th Infantry Division's 3rd Brigade Combat Team public affairs office.)
Wounded Warrior Diaries: Life Lessons Shape Iraq War Veteran
By Navy Lt. Jennifer Cragg
Special to American Forces Press Service
Jan. 12, 2009 - A former basketball star from Chicago's inner city who served in the Army and was injured in Iraq has learned that time does really heal wounds. Danielle Green-Byrd, one of the first women injured during the beginning of the conflict in Iraq, said she believes her successful transition comes from traveling on the road of hard knocks, inspired by a Robert Frost poem.
"It's called 'The Road Less Traveled,' and I think that poem defines my life," she said. "I have always traveled [this] road. I was raised in a dysfunctional family. My mom was on drugs; my dad wasn't around. I was 7 years old and had to figure out what [I was] going to do."
Green-Byrd recalled watching Notre Dame basketball in the early 1980s and knowing the road away from the inner city ran through the basketball court.
"I said that this must be the place -- I am going to play basketball, make good grades, and I am going to earn a scholarship to go to this school," she explained.
Green-Byrd said she maintained that mindset throughout her elementary and high school years, because she knew her mother didn't have the money to send her to college. Nearly everyone she told of her lofty goals laughed at her and dismissed her whimsical ideas as merely dreams that would never evolve. But she proved them wrong when a representative of the famed Catholic university in South Bend, Ind., came knocking on her door.
"[Here I was, an] African-American child playing basketball," she said. "I'm not Catholic. I'm not Irish. That is the road less traveled."
Green-Byrd drew on the strength and determination she'd built up in her childhood and brought it to the basketball courts of Notre Dame at 18. Her basketball prowess earned her a full scholarship. She scored 1,106 points, averaging 9.5 points and 4.5 rebounds per game for the women's basketball team. She graduated in 1999 with a bachelor's degree in psychology.
After graduation, Green-Byrd worked for two years as a teacher at the Chicago International Charter School. During that time, she said, she knew she had another road to travel. This time, this road would lead her to the sands of Iraq.
Despite having a college degree, Green-Byrd chose instead to enlist into the Army in 2002 at age 26. She explained that she wanted to gain life lessons as an enlisted soldier before one day receiving a commission. In January 2004, she was sent to Iraq with the 571st Military Police Company from Fort Lewis, Wash.
After spending a few months deployed to Iraq, she was granted permission to return to the United States to marry Willie Byrd, a retired basketball coach and physical education instructor 32 years her senior.
Soon after taking her wedding vows, she returned to Iraq to continue her duties with the 571st. A month later, fate would deal her a card that would send her out on another road less traveled.
When Fate Deals a Card
May 25, 2004, was one of the hottest days she had experienced while serving her tour in Baghdad, Green-Byrd said.
"It was 110 degrees that day," she recalled. She had awakened with a stomach ache and said she wasn't feeling her normal self. As she prepared for her assignment guarding an Iraqi police station, she said, she couldn't shake off a nagging feeling that something was going to happen that day.
En route to the police station, Green-Byrd said, a car accident blocked the road and delayed her convoy. She recalled feeling uneasy as she and her fellow soldiers waited in the open for the roadblock to clear. Once they made it through and arrived at the police station, she said, her feeling of uneasiness only grew. She noticed that no townspeople were on hand to greet the soldiers, as they normally were, and no Iraqi police were in sight.
The soldiers took turns guarding the rooftop of the two-story Iraqi police station that was within five miles of Baghdad's International Zone. Green-Byrd had been at her post for only a few minutes when two rocket-propelled grenades hit a barrier on the ground and exploded. A third one hit her arm and damaged her thigh and face. All she remembers of the incident was grabbing her rifle and taking cover, but it was too late.
"I looked over at my left leg and saw my uniform busted open," she said. "The initial hit, when I first went down, I thought that I was about to die in Iraq, on the rooftop, in the sand, in Iraq. To me, that was the hardest moment -- to think that at 27 years old, I was about to die."
She said that at that moment she was "waiting to die." As she continued to pray, she remembered, she gained strength and tried to use that energy to leave the rooftop for a safer area to assess her injuries. But she was unable to move, feeling trapped as she continued to hear the small-arms fire in the distance.
Though it seemed what like a lifetime of waiting, she said, comrades were treating her within five minutes of the attack. She later learned that her sergeants had gone up to the rooftop against the company commander's orders to find her wedding rings.
"When I woke up, I still didn't know that my arm was missing" she said. But she saw her whole chain of command at her bedside, she recalled, and she thought, 'Why are you standing there? You look like someone just died."
That's when her master sergeant told her about the selfless deed her sergeants had performed by finding her wedding rings and asked her where she would like to place them. Green-Byrd replied that she could place them on her right hand.
Green-Byrd said that while on the rooftop waiting for her comrades to arrive, she didn't know for sure that her left hand was missing, but suspected it might be. "What if my hand is gone?" she remembered thinking. "My husband will be paying on rings that I don't even have."
From Rehabilitation and Recovery to Empowerment
Soon after her injuries were stabilized, she was transferred to Walter Reed Army Medical Center. Occupational therapy was the toughest part of her rehabilitation, she said.
"I was probably a 95 percent left-handed person," she said, "and only played softball and golf with my right hand."
For Green-Byrd, learning to do everything with her right hand was a struggle, but she persevered. Her time at Walter Reed was beneficial to her recovery, she said.
"I have many great memories at Walter Reed," Green-Byrd said. "All of them were very instrumental in my recovery. But my fondest moment [came] four months after I was injured. [I was] talked into doing a five-mile run at Central Park in New York."
Though she wasn't sure she could run five miles only four months after her injury, Green-Byrd said, she decided to go for it. Along with nearly 2,000 other wounded soldiers, she participated in the annual Hope and Possibility race in August 2004.
"I would think that five-mile run, four months after I was injured, was probably the highlight at Walter Reed," said Green-Byrd. "And I have been running ever since."
While the running event instilled courage to continue her rehabilitation, she added, she gained most of her strength from the people who helped her during her recovery.
"I was proud that people hadn't forgotten about us," she said. "When you are in Iraq, you really don't know how people back in the States feel about this war, what they think about you. But, when you come home, we were just embraced. All these organizations coming to help us, and they are still helping us today. That is what I am most proud of -- the people who came and said, 'You can do it, and we are here to help you.'"
Nearly eight months after her injury in Iraq, Green-Byrd left Walter Reed and returned to Chicago. She was medically retired from the military on Dec. 7, 2004.
Keeping true to tradition, Green-Byrd wasn't going home to be idle; instead she refocused her priorities and started down another road.
"Maybe five months after I returned home, instead of hiding, I went right into the work force," she said. "I started working for the Chicago Board of Education in their sports department. I think my goal is just to live life to the fullest. When I was younger, I thought the glass was half empty. Now it is a glass half full all the time."
Her next goal after returning to Chicago was to further her education. She met that goal.
"It took three years. It was tough. Can you imagine typing 20-page papers with one hand?" she said. "It was a challenge."
Almost four years to the date after she was injured in Iraq, Green-Byrd graduated on May 17, 2008, with a master's degree in school counseling.
Green-Byrd said her passion is improving herself and those around her, and that she believes education can make that happen. She expects to complete her master's degree in educational leadership by summer.
Green-Byrd said people often ask her how she is doing and whether her experience defined her.
"I tell people I only lost an arm," she said. "The Army didn't define who I was. I was 26 years old when I came in, and I was pretty confident who I was as a person. I discovered that person at Notre Dame. Yeah, I have a missing arm, but that does not have to shape who I am."
She added that losing an arm has brought her more patience. "It teaches me with one hand, you have to be patient, because you aren't going to be quick," she said.
Green-Byrd said her road less traveled also has given her a different perspective on life: not to take it for granted.
(Editor's note: This is fifth in an ongoing series of Wounded Warrior Diaries. Navy Lt. Jennifer Cragg works in the New Media directorate of the Defense Media Activity.)
Special to American Forces Press Service
Jan. 12, 2009 - A former basketball star from Chicago's inner city who served in the Army and was injured in Iraq has learned that time does really heal wounds. Danielle Green-Byrd, one of the first women injured during the beginning of the conflict in Iraq, said she believes her successful transition comes from traveling on the road of hard knocks, inspired by a Robert Frost poem.
"It's called 'The Road Less Traveled,' and I think that poem defines my life," she said. "I have always traveled [this] road. I was raised in a dysfunctional family. My mom was on drugs; my dad wasn't around. I was 7 years old and had to figure out what [I was] going to do."
Green-Byrd recalled watching Notre Dame basketball in the early 1980s and knowing the road away from the inner city ran through the basketball court.
"I said that this must be the place -- I am going to play basketball, make good grades, and I am going to earn a scholarship to go to this school," she explained.
Green-Byrd said she maintained that mindset throughout her elementary and high school years, because she knew her mother didn't have the money to send her to college. Nearly everyone she told of her lofty goals laughed at her and dismissed her whimsical ideas as merely dreams that would never evolve. But she proved them wrong when a representative of the famed Catholic university in South Bend, Ind., came knocking on her door.
"[Here I was, an] African-American child playing basketball," she said. "I'm not Catholic. I'm not Irish. That is the road less traveled."
Green-Byrd drew on the strength and determination she'd built up in her childhood and brought it to the basketball courts of Notre Dame at 18. Her basketball prowess earned her a full scholarship. She scored 1,106 points, averaging 9.5 points and 4.5 rebounds per game for the women's basketball team. She graduated in 1999 with a bachelor's degree in psychology.
After graduation, Green-Byrd worked for two years as a teacher at the Chicago International Charter School. During that time, she said, she knew she had another road to travel. This time, this road would lead her to the sands of Iraq.
Despite having a college degree, Green-Byrd chose instead to enlist into the Army in 2002 at age 26. She explained that she wanted to gain life lessons as an enlisted soldier before one day receiving a commission. In January 2004, she was sent to Iraq with the 571st Military Police Company from Fort Lewis, Wash.
After spending a few months deployed to Iraq, she was granted permission to return to the United States to marry Willie Byrd, a retired basketball coach and physical education instructor 32 years her senior.
Soon after taking her wedding vows, she returned to Iraq to continue her duties with the 571st. A month later, fate would deal her a card that would send her out on another road less traveled.
When Fate Deals a Card
May 25, 2004, was one of the hottest days she had experienced while serving her tour in Baghdad, Green-Byrd said.
"It was 110 degrees that day," she recalled. She had awakened with a stomach ache and said she wasn't feeling her normal self. As she prepared for her assignment guarding an Iraqi police station, she said, she couldn't shake off a nagging feeling that something was going to happen that day.
En route to the police station, Green-Byrd said, a car accident blocked the road and delayed her convoy. She recalled feeling uneasy as she and her fellow soldiers waited in the open for the roadblock to clear. Once they made it through and arrived at the police station, she said, her feeling of uneasiness only grew. She noticed that no townspeople were on hand to greet the soldiers, as they normally were, and no Iraqi police were in sight.
The soldiers took turns guarding the rooftop of the two-story Iraqi police station that was within five miles of Baghdad's International Zone. Green-Byrd had been at her post for only a few minutes when two rocket-propelled grenades hit a barrier on the ground and exploded. A third one hit her arm and damaged her thigh and face. All she remembers of the incident was grabbing her rifle and taking cover, but it was too late.
"I looked over at my left leg and saw my uniform busted open," she said. "The initial hit, when I first went down, I thought that I was about to die in Iraq, on the rooftop, in the sand, in Iraq. To me, that was the hardest moment -- to think that at 27 years old, I was about to die."
She said that at that moment she was "waiting to die." As she continued to pray, she remembered, she gained strength and tried to use that energy to leave the rooftop for a safer area to assess her injuries. But she was unable to move, feeling trapped as she continued to hear the small-arms fire in the distance.
Though it seemed what like a lifetime of waiting, she said, comrades were treating her within five minutes of the attack. She later learned that her sergeants had gone up to the rooftop against the company commander's orders to find her wedding rings.
"When I woke up, I still didn't know that my arm was missing" she said. But she saw her whole chain of command at her bedside, she recalled, and she thought, 'Why are you standing there? You look like someone just died."
That's when her master sergeant told her about the selfless deed her sergeants had performed by finding her wedding rings and asked her where she would like to place them. Green-Byrd replied that she could place them on her right hand.
Green-Byrd said that while on the rooftop waiting for her comrades to arrive, she didn't know for sure that her left hand was missing, but suspected it might be. "What if my hand is gone?" she remembered thinking. "My husband will be paying on rings that I don't even have."
From Rehabilitation and Recovery to Empowerment
Soon after her injuries were stabilized, she was transferred to Walter Reed Army Medical Center. Occupational therapy was the toughest part of her rehabilitation, she said.
"I was probably a 95 percent left-handed person," she said, "and only played softball and golf with my right hand."
For Green-Byrd, learning to do everything with her right hand was a struggle, but she persevered. Her time at Walter Reed was beneficial to her recovery, she said.
"I have many great memories at Walter Reed," Green-Byrd said. "All of them were very instrumental in my recovery. But my fondest moment [came] four months after I was injured. [I was] talked into doing a five-mile run at Central Park in New York."
Though she wasn't sure she could run five miles only four months after her injury, Green-Byrd said, she decided to go for it. Along with nearly 2,000 other wounded soldiers, she participated in the annual Hope and Possibility race in August 2004.
"I would think that five-mile run, four months after I was injured, was probably the highlight at Walter Reed," said Green-Byrd. "And I have been running ever since."
While the running event instilled courage to continue her rehabilitation, she added, she gained most of her strength from the people who helped her during her recovery.
"I was proud that people hadn't forgotten about us," she said. "When you are in Iraq, you really don't know how people back in the States feel about this war, what they think about you. But, when you come home, we were just embraced. All these organizations coming to help us, and they are still helping us today. That is what I am most proud of -- the people who came and said, 'You can do it, and we are here to help you.'"
Nearly eight months after her injury in Iraq, Green-Byrd left Walter Reed and returned to Chicago. She was medically retired from the military on Dec. 7, 2004.
Keeping true to tradition, Green-Byrd wasn't going home to be idle; instead she refocused her priorities and started down another road.
"Maybe five months after I returned home, instead of hiding, I went right into the work force," she said. "I started working for the Chicago Board of Education in their sports department. I think my goal is just to live life to the fullest. When I was younger, I thought the glass was half empty. Now it is a glass half full all the time."
Her next goal after returning to Chicago was to further her education. She met that goal.
"It took three years. It was tough. Can you imagine typing 20-page papers with one hand?" she said. "It was a challenge."
Almost four years to the date after she was injured in Iraq, Green-Byrd graduated on May 17, 2008, with a master's degree in school counseling.
Green-Byrd said her passion is improving herself and those around her, and that she believes education can make that happen. She expects to complete her master's degree in educational leadership by summer.
Green-Byrd said people often ask her how she is doing and whether her experience defined her.
"I tell people I only lost an arm," she said. "The Army didn't define who I was. I was 26 years old when I came in, and I was pretty confident who I was as a person. I discovered that person at Notre Dame. Yeah, I have a missing arm, but that does not have to shape who I am."
She added that losing an arm has brought her more patience. "It teaches me with one hand, you have to be patient, because you aren't going to be quick," she said.
Green-Byrd said her road less traveled also has given her a different perspective on life: not to take it for granted.
(Editor's note: This is fifth in an ongoing series of Wounded Warrior Diaries. Navy Lt. Jennifer Cragg works in the New Media directorate of the Defense Media Activity.)
Face of Defense: U.S. Engineer in Iraq Earns Top Honors
By Mike Scheck
Special to American Forces Press Service
Jan. 12, 2009 - A project engineer from the Balad Resident Office in Iraq was selected as one of the 2009 "Top Five New Faces in Engineering" for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Elizabeth Burg, an Army civilian who volunteered to deploy to Iraq, was selected for the award from among 22 engineer nominees by the panel at Corps of Engineers headquarters in Washington, D.C. The panel's selection criteria included reviewing nominees' pursuit of professional registration, engineering achievements, professional and technical society activities and support of community and humanitarian activities outside of the workplace.
Army Lt. Gen. Robert L. Van Antwerp, Corps of Engineers commander, stressed the accomplishments that led to Burg's selection, referencing her work on coastal hydraulic models and physical structures and how they are "helping to ensure the safety and welfare of the nation's people, commerce, and natural resources."
Van Antwerp commended Burg's design of water systems for a women's ministry complex in Uganda and volunteer work supporting engineering, math, and science education, which he said are helping to build communities and the engineering profession.
The "New Faces" program provides a national forum to single out the contributions of new civilian and military engineers and to promote the opportunities for prospective engineers considering a career with the Corps of Engineers.
Burg said the award validates her work. "I feel very honored to have been recognized for this award," she said. "It's nice to know that my peers and superiors think I'm doing a good job."
Being part of something that's positively influencing the future of a nation is "pretty incredible," she said.
"Back home I do research, so hands-on construction is something totally different than what I normally do, but I love it," she said. "All fields of engineering offer the opportunity to help people and create great change in a very tangible way. It's a very hands-on way to leave your mark and create something to be proud of."
Burg's current projects in Iraq include a number of military construction projects, construction of two Iraqi police stations and the Pipeline Exclusion Zone project.
Co-workers and her immediate supervisors in Balad have no doubt the panel made the right decision on selecting Burg for the award.
"Liz is not afraid to bring up tough questions with the contractors and put herself on the spot when she feels it's the right thing to do," construction representative Susan Fox said. Air Force Maj. Brad Bugg, the Balad construction management officer in charge, also offered praise.
"Elizabeth Burg has excelled as a project engineer on time-sensitive construction projects, having a direct impact on the Air Force's ability to launch and recover aircraft on the Defense Department's busiest airfield," he said. "Her leadership has been critical in exceeding contract completion milestones."
Peter Gauer, resident engineer in Balad, said Burg possesses a "meticulous attention to detail, an eagerness to learn and willingness to ask questions when she is not sure how to proceed."
"Once she is shown how to do something or corrected on how to do it properly, no further assistance is required," he said, calling Burg as a "self starter in the highest sense."
Frank Scopa, area engineer for the Balad office, said it's difficult to believe that Burg has been out of college for only three years.
"Her poise, demeanor and abilities far exceed what her apparent experience level ought to be," he said. "Her contribution as a full member of the project delivery team belies her relatively short period of time in the construction field. We have come to expect excellent performance from Elizabeth, and she is delivering."
A self–described "Air Force brat," Burg graduated from the South Dakota School of Mines and Technology in 2006 with a bachelor's degree in civil engineering. She now attends Mississippi State University, working toward her master's degree in civil engineering.
Burg started her career with the Army Corps of Engineers as a co-op student in the Omaha district. After graduation, she joined the Engineering Research and Development Center, Coastal and Hydraulics Lab, in Vicksburg, Miss., where she does physical modeling. She volunteered to deploy, and has been working in the Balad office as a project engineer since November.
The Army Corps of Engineers competition coincides with the annual "New Faces in Engineering" program by the Engineers Week Foundation, a professional engineering society.
(Mike Scheck works in the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Gulf Region North district.)
Special to American Forces Press Service
Jan. 12, 2009 - A project engineer from the Balad Resident Office in Iraq was selected as one of the 2009 "Top Five New Faces in Engineering" for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Elizabeth Burg, an Army civilian who volunteered to deploy to Iraq, was selected for the award from among 22 engineer nominees by the panel at Corps of Engineers headquarters in Washington, D.C. The panel's selection criteria included reviewing nominees' pursuit of professional registration, engineering achievements, professional and technical society activities and support of community and humanitarian activities outside of the workplace.
Army Lt. Gen. Robert L. Van Antwerp, Corps of Engineers commander, stressed the accomplishments that led to Burg's selection, referencing her work on coastal hydraulic models and physical structures and how they are "helping to ensure the safety and welfare of the nation's people, commerce, and natural resources."
Van Antwerp commended Burg's design of water systems for a women's ministry complex in Uganda and volunteer work supporting engineering, math, and science education, which he said are helping to build communities and the engineering profession.
The "New Faces" program provides a national forum to single out the contributions of new civilian and military engineers and to promote the opportunities for prospective engineers considering a career with the Corps of Engineers.
Burg said the award validates her work. "I feel very honored to have been recognized for this award," she said. "It's nice to know that my peers and superiors think I'm doing a good job."
Being part of something that's positively influencing the future of a nation is "pretty incredible," she said.
"Back home I do research, so hands-on construction is something totally different than what I normally do, but I love it," she said. "All fields of engineering offer the opportunity to help people and create great change in a very tangible way. It's a very hands-on way to leave your mark and create something to be proud of."
Burg's current projects in Iraq include a number of military construction projects, construction of two Iraqi police stations and the Pipeline Exclusion Zone project.
Co-workers and her immediate supervisors in Balad have no doubt the panel made the right decision on selecting Burg for the award.
"Liz is not afraid to bring up tough questions with the contractors and put herself on the spot when she feels it's the right thing to do," construction representative Susan Fox said. Air Force Maj. Brad Bugg, the Balad construction management officer in charge, also offered praise.
"Elizabeth Burg has excelled as a project engineer on time-sensitive construction projects, having a direct impact on the Air Force's ability to launch and recover aircraft on the Defense Department's busiest airfield," he said. "Her leadership has been critical in exceeding contract completion milestones."
Peter Gauer, resident engineer in Balad, said Burg possesses a "meticulous attention to detail, an eagerness to learn and willingness to ask questions when she is not sure how to proceed."
"Once she is shown how to do something or corrected on how to do it properly, no further assistance is required," he said, calling Burg as a "self starter in the highest sense."
Frank Scopa, area engineer for the Balad office, said it's difficult to believe that Burg has been out of college for only three years.
"Her poise, demeanor and abilities far exceed what her apparent experience level ought to be," he said. "Her contribution as a full member of the project delivery team belies her relatively short period of time in the construction field. We have come to expect excellent performance from Elizabeth, and she is delivering."
A self–described "Air Force brat," Burg graduated from the South Dakota School of Mines and Technology in 2006 with a bachelor's degree in civil engineering. She now attends Mississippi State University, working toward her master's degree in civil engineering.
Burg started her career with the Army Corps of Engineers as a co-op student in the Omaha district. After graduation, she joined the Engineering Research and Development Center, Coastal and Hydraulics Lab, in Vicksburg, Miss., where she does physical modeling. She volunteered to deploy, and has been working in the Balad office as a project engineer since November.
The Army Corps of Engineers competition coincides with the annual "New Faces in Engineering" program by the Engineers Week Foundation, a professional engineering society.
(Mike Scheck works in the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Gulf Region North district.)
Sunday, January 11, 2009
Obama: Continued Vigilance Critical in Protecting American People
By Donna Miles
American Forces Press Service
Jan. 11, 2009 - The United States must remain vigilant to defend against terrorists and other potential threats such as Iran, President-elect Barack Obama said this morning on ABC News' "This Week." Obama said his top priority as president will be ensuring the American people are safe. "Homeland security always has to be our number one priority," he said. "We are going to have to stay vigilant. That is something that does not change from administration to administration."
Iran will be among the big security challenges Obama said he will have to confront. "We have a situation in which not only is Iran exporting terrorism through Hamas, through Hezbollah, but they are pursuing a nuclear weapon that could potentially trigger a nuclear arms race in the Middle East," he said.
The president-elect also expressed concern that the terrorist bombings in Mumbai, India, in November could spark copycat attacks. "So we are going to have to be vigilant in terms of our intelligence, we are going to have to make sure that we are more effective in terms of anticipating some of these issues and we have got to continue putting pressure on al-Qaeda," he said.
Obama said he believes the United States has made progress in improving security, "but those dangers are still there, and those dangers are not immediately going to go away."
He noted the difficulty of defending against unconventional threats. "If you have small group of people in today's world with today's technology who are intent on doing harm and are willing to die, that is something that is always going to be a challenge," he said.
While critical of some interrogation practices, Obama said he recognizes the importance of good intelligence for national security. "My general view is that our United States military is under fire and has huge stakes in getting good intelligence," he said.
"And if our top Army commanders feel comfortable with interrogation techniques that are squarely within the boundaries of rule of law, our constitution and international standards, then those are things that we should be able to."
Obama also reiterated his commitment to closing the Guantanamo Bay detention facility. The challenge, he said, is to do it in a way that adheres to the law and spirit of the law but doesn't release people "intent on blowing us up."
"I don't want to be ambiguous about this. We are going to close Guantanamo and we are going to make sure that the procedures we set up are ones that abide by our constitution," he said.
"That is not only the right thing to do but it actually has to be part of our broader national security strategy because we will send a message to the world that we are serious about our values."
Obama said the closure won't likely happen during his first 100 days as president. "I think it's going to take some time and our legal teams are working in consultation with our national security apparatus as we speak to help design exactly what we need to do," he said.
Closing the facility "is more difficult than I think a lot of people realize," he said.
"Part of the challenge that you have is that you have a bunch of folks that have been detained, many of whom who may be very dangerous who have not been put on trial or have not gone through some adjudication," he said. "And some of the evidence against them may be tainted even though it's true."
So the challenge, he said, is "how to balance creating a process that adheres to rule of law, habeas corpus, basic principles of Anglo American legal system, by doing it in a way that doesn't result in releasing people who are intent on blowing us up."
American Forces Press Service
Jan. 11, 2009 - The United States must remain vigilant to defend against terrorists and other potential threats such as Iran, President-elect Barack Obama said this morning on ABC News' "This Week." Obama said his top priority as president will be ensuring the American people are safe. "Homeland security always has to be our number one priority," he said. "We are going to have to stay vigilant. That is something that does not change from administration to administration."
Iran will be among the big security challenges Obama said he will have to confront. "We have a situation in which not only is Iran exporting terrorism through Hamas, through Hezbollah, but they are pursuing a nuclear weapon that could potentially trigger a nuclear arms race in the Middle East," he said.
The president-elect also expressed concern that the terrorist bombings in Mumbai, India, in November could spark copycat attacks. "So we are going to have to be vigilant in terms of our intelligence, we are going to have to make sure that we are more effective in terms of anticipating some of these issues and we have got to continue putting pressure on al-Qaeda," he said.
Obama said he believes the United States has made progress in improving security, "but those dangers are still there, and those dangers are not immediately going to go away."
He noted the difficulty of defending against unconventional threats. "If you have small group of people in today's world with today's technology who are intent on doing harm and are willing to die, that is something that is always going to be a challenge," he said.
While critical of some interrogation practices, Obama said he recognizes the importance of good intelligence for national security. "My general view is that our United States military is under fire and has huge stakes in getting good intelligence," he said.
"And if our top Army commanders feel comfortable with interrogation techniques that are squarely within the boundaries of rule of law, our constitution and international standards, then those are things that we should be able to."
Obama also reiterated his commitment to closing the Guantanamo Bay detention facility. The challenge, he said, is to do it in a way that adheres to the law and spirit of the law but doesn't release people "intent on blowing us up."
"I don't want to be ambiguous about this. We are going to close Guantanamo and we are going to make sure that the procedures we set up are ones that abide by our constitution," he said.
"That is not only the right thing to do but it actually has to be part of our broader national security strategy because we will send a message to the world that we are serious about our values."
Obama said the closure won't likely happen during his first 100 days as president. "I think it's going to take some time and our legal teams are working in consultation with our national security apparatus as we speak to help design exactly what we need to do," he said.
Closing the facility "is more difficult than I think a lot of people realize," he said.
"Part of the challenge that you have is that you have a bunch of folks that have been detained, many of whom who may be very dangerous who have not been put on trial or have not gone through some adjudication," he said. "And some of the evidence against them may be tainted even though it's true."
So the challenge, he said, is "how to balance creating a process that adheres to rule of law, habeas corpus, basic principles of Anglo American legal system, by doing it in a way that doesn't result in releasing people who are intent on blowing us up."
Joint Forces Target Foreign Fighters in Afghanistan
American Forces Press Service
Jan. 11, 2009 - Afghan and coalition forces detained eight suspected militants, including two wanted men, during operations in Afghanistan's Khost and Kandahar provinces Jan. 9, U.S. military officials in Afghanistan reported. Afghan National Police and coalition forces detained three militants in the first operation, including a wanted Haqqani militant. In Sabari district, about 140 miles southeast of Kabul City, the combined force targeted the Haqqani foreign fighter network netting a militant known to coordinate and facilitate the movement of Arab fighters into the region. The militant also is believed to be in contact with senior Haqqani leaders, planning attacks against Afghan civilians and coalition forces, officials said.
The combined force searched the building without incident.
In Kandahar City, coalition forces detained five suspected militants, including a targeted Taliban financier, during an operation to disrupt the organization's ability to fund terrorist activities. Believed to aid the militant organization through funding and other support, the financier is assessed to have direct ties to numerous Taliban commanders in the region.
"These intelligence-driven missions with combined Afghan and coalition forces are excellent examples of the cooperation needed to defeat Afghanistan's enemies," said Zemarai Bashary, an Afghanistan Ministry of Interior spokesperson.
(From a U.S. Forces Afghanistan news release.)
Jan. 11, 2009 - Afghan and coalition forces detained eight suspected militants, including two wanted men, during operations in Afghanistan's Khost and Kandahar provinces Jan. 9, U.S. military officials in Afghanistan reported. Afghan National Police and coalition forces detained three militants in the first operation, including a wanted Haqqani militant. In Sabari district, about 140 miles southeast of Kabul City, the combined force targeted the Haqqani foreign fighter network netting a militant known to coordinate and facilitate the movement of Arab fighters into the region. The militant also is believed to be in contact with senior Haqqani leaders, planning attacks against Afghan civilians and coalition forces, officials said.
The combined force searched the building without incident.
In Kandahar City, coalition forces detained five suspected militants, including a targeted Taliban financier, during an operation to disrupt the organization's ability to fund terrorist activities. Believed to aid the militant organization through funding and other support, the financier is assessed to have direct ties to numerous Taliban commanders in the region.
"These intelligence-driven missions with combined Afghan and coalition forces are excellent examples of the cooperation needed to defeat Afghanistan's enemies," said Zemarai Bashary, an Afghanistan Ministry of Interior spokesperson.
(From a U.S. Forces Afghanistan news release.)
Combined Iraqi, Coalition Forces Seize Weapons in Baghdad
American Forces Press Service
Jan. 11, 2009 - Iraqi police, Iraqi army and Multinational Division Baghdad Soldiers seized multiple weapons and munitions caches in Baghdad Jan. 10, officials in Iraq reported.
- Iraqi Army soldiers serving with 1st Battalion, 25th Brigade, 17th Iraq Army Division discovered a weapons cache south of Baghdad yesterday. It consisted of SA-7 missiles and SA-7 thermal batteries and was turned over to 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Armor Division, to be destroyed.
- Sons of Iraq members discovered a 60 mm mortar tube and a smoke grenade about 20 minutes later in Dhamiyah.
- Northwest of Bagdad, Iraqi Army soldiers serving with 4th Battalion, 36th Brigade, 9th Iraq Army Division, seized 57 mm projectiles northwest of Baghdad. The munitions were turned in to 2nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 25th Infantry Division, for disposal.
- In Karadah, soldiers of Company B, 1st Battalion, 66th Armor Regiment, serving with 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division, found rocket rails and a rocket.
- While serving an arrest warrant in Shulla, Iraqi Army soldiers serving with 2nd Battalion, 22nd Brigade, 6th Iraq Army Division, along with soldiers of Company B, 1st Battalion, 18th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division, confiscated another cache. It included an AK-47 rifle, a 100-round drum of AK-47 ammunition, magazines, a rifle butt-stock, 7.62 mm sniper rounds, pistol rounds, pistol holsters, electric breakers, a bag of wires and compact discs.
- In the Saydiyah community, soldiers from the 1st Battalion, 24th Brigade, 6th Iraqi Army Division, and national police from the 5th Brigade, 2nd Iraqi National Police Division, partnered with Company B, 1st Battalion, 22nd Infantry Regiment, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, confiscated AK-47 assault rifles from three different locations while conducting a combined clearance operation.
In Jan. 9, operations in Iraq:
- Soldiers from Troop A, 7th Squadron, 10th Cavalry Regiment, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, Multinational Division Baghdad, reported the Sons of Iraq discovered a 122 mm rocket and makeshift rail system. The discovery occurred after members noticed suspicious activity in the Ghartan community. An explosives disposal unit properly disposed of the rocket.
- In the Bayaa community, soldiers from Company A, 1st Battalion, 22nd Infantry Regiment, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, Multinational Division Baghdad, partnered with the 2nd Battalion, 5th Brigade, 2nd National Police Division, discovered an AK-47 assault rifle, an AK-47 magazine and pistols.
- Soldiers from Company D, 1st Battalion, 505th Parachute Infantry Regiment, attached to the 1st Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, Multinational Division Baghdad, partnered with the 1st Battalion, 7th Brigade, 2nd Iraqi National Police Division, discovered a 225-pound bomb near a road in the Karb De Gla community. An explosives ordnance disposal unit destroyed the bomb on site.
- In the Shurta community, soldiers from Company D, 1st Battalion, 22nd Infantry Regiment, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, Multinational Division Baghdad, partnered with the 3rd Battalion, 5th Brigade, 2nd Iraqi National Police Division, discovered a homemade bomb made of plastic explosives. An Iraqi explosives disposal unit properly disposed of the bomb.
(From Multinational Corps Iraq and Multinational Division Baghdad news releases.)
Jan. 11, 2009 - Iraqi police, Iraqi army and Multinational Division Baghdad Soldiers seized multiple weapons and munitions caches in Baghdad Jan. 10, officials in Iraq reported.
- Iraqi Army soldiers serving with 1st Battalion, 25th Brigade, 17th Iraq Army Division discovered a weapons cache south of Baghdad yesterday. It consisted of SA-7 missiles and SA-7 thermal batteries and was turned over to 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Armor Division, to be destroyed.
- Sons of Iraq members discovered a 60 mm mortar tube and a smoke grenade about 20 minutes later in Dhamiyah.
- Northwest of Bagdad, Iraqi Army soldiers serving with 4th Battalion, 36th Brigade, 9th Iraq Army Division, seized 57 mm projectiles northwest of Baghdad. The munitions were turned in to 2nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 25th Infantry Division, for disposal.
- In Karadah, soldiers of Company B, 1st Battalion, 66th Armor Regiment, serving with 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division, found rocket rails and a rocket.
- While serving an arrest warrant in Shulla, Iraqi Army soldiers serving with 2nd Battalion, 22nd Brigade, 6th Iraq Army Division, along with soldiers of Company B, 1st Battalion, 18th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division, confiscated another cache. It included an AK-47 rifle, a 100-round drum of AK-47 ammunition, magazines, a rifle butt-stock, 7.62 mm sniper rounds, pistol rounds, pistol holsters, electric breakers, a bag of wires and compact discs.
- In the Saydiyah community, soldiers from the 1st Battalion, 24th Brigade, 6th Iraqi Army Division, and national police from the 5th Brigade, 2nd Iraqi National Police Division, partnered with Company B, 1st Battalion, 22nd Infantry Regiment, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, confiscated AK-47 assault rifles from three different locations while conducting a combined clearance operation.
In Jan. 9, operations in Iraq:
- Soldiers from Troop A, 7th Squadron, 10th Cavalry Regiment, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, Multinational Division Baghdad, reported the Sons of Iraq discovered a 122 mm rocket and makeshift rail system. The discovery occurred after members noticed suspicious activity in the Ghartan community. An explosives disposal unit properly disposed of the rocket.
- In the Bayaa community, soldiers from Company A, 1st Battalion, 22nd Infantry Regiment, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, Multinational Division Baghdad, partnered with the 2nd Battalion, 5th Brigade, 2nd National Police Division, discovered an AK-47 assault rifle, an AK-47 magazine and pistols.
- Soldiers from Company D, 1st Battalion, 505th Parachute Infantry Regiment, attached to the 1st Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, Multinational Division Baghdad, partnered with the 1st Battalion, 7th Brigade, 2nd Iraqi National Police Division, discovered a 225-pound bomb near a road in the Karb De Gla community. An explosives ordnance disposal unit destroyed the bomb on site.
- In the Shurta community, soldiers from Company D, 1st Battalion, 22nd Infantry Regiment, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, Multinational Division Baghdad, partnered with the 3rd Battalion, 5th Brigade, 2nd Iraqi National Police Division, discovered a homemade bomb made of plastic explosives. An Iraqi explosives disposal unit properly disposed of the bomb.
(From Multinational Corps Iraq and Multinational Division Baghdad news releases.)
Vice-President Elect Visits U.S., Afghan Leaders in Afghanistan
By Donna Miles
American Forces Press Service
Jan. 10, 2009 - Vice President-Elect Joe Biden arrived in Kabul, Afghanistan today to meet with Afghan and U.S. military leaders there and thank deployed U.S. troops serving there for their service. Biden met with Afghan President Hamid Karzai and Army Gen. David D. McKeirnan, commander of the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force during his visit, ISAF officials reported.
After meeting with McKiernan, Biden stopped to shake hands with U.S. troops stationed at ISAF headquarters and thank them for their service, officials said.
"Thank you, I mean it sincerely," Biden told the troops. "It's a big, big deal what you're doing here. You're making a big sacrifice in a [challenging] environment. Thank you for your service."
Before departing, Biden shook hands one last time with McKiernan, telling him, "I'm looking forward to working with you."
Biden's visit to Afghanistan followed a stop in Islamabad, Pakistan. There, he met briefly with President Asif Ali Zardari and other Pakistani leaders.
Two days earlier, Army Gen. David H. Petraeus, U.S. Central Command commander, said in an address to the U.S. Institute of Peace that peace and stability in Afghanistan are incomplete without improving relations among the country and its neighbors.
The road to success in Afghanistan, Petraeus said, involves commitment and comprehensive coordination from Pakistan, India and possibly Russia and Iran to combat the spread of terror and extremism in central Asia.
"It's not possible to solve the challenges internal to Afghanistan without addressing the challenges, especially in terms of security, with Afghanistan's neighbors," Petraeus said. "A regional approach is required."
American Forces Press Service
Jan. 10, 2009 - Vice President-Elect Joe Biden arrived in Kabul, Afghanistan today to meet with Afghan and U.S. military leaders there and thank deployed U.S. troops serving there for their service. Biden met with Afghan President Hamid Karzai and Army Gen. David D. McKeirnan, commander of the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force during his visit, ISAF officials reported.
After meeting with McKiernan, Biden stopped to shake hands with U.S. troops stationed at ISAF headquarters and thank them for their service, officials said.
"Thank you, I mean it sincerely," Biden told the troops. "It's a big, big deal what you're doing here. You're making a big sacrifice in a [challenging] environment. Thank you for your service."
Before departing, Biden shook hands one last time with McKiernan, telling him, "I'm looking forward to working with you."
Biden's visit to Afghanistan followed a stop in Islamabad, Pakistan. There, he met briefly with President Asif Ali Zardari and other Pakistani leaders.
Two days earlier, Army Gen. David H. Petraeus, U.S. Central Command commander, said in an address to the U.S. Institute of Peace that peace and stability in Afghanistan are incomplete without improving relations among the country and its neighbors.
The road to success in Afghanistan, Petraeus said, involves commitment and comprehensive coordination from Pakistan, India and possibly Russia and Iran to combat the spread of terror and extremism in central Asia.
"It's not possible to solve the challenges internal to Afghanistan without addressing the challenges, especially in terms of security, with Afghanistan's neighbors," Petraeus said. "A regional approach is required."
Saturday, January 10, 2009
Military and Police Books of the Year
Editor's Note: The military book of the year is about a Marine's firefight in the first battle for Falluja.
January 9, 2009, (San Dimas, CA) American Heroes Press, the publishers of www.military-writers.com and www.police-writers.com, announced the results of their annual recognition.
About the Websites
Military-Writers.com is a website that lists servicemembers from all branches of the United States Armed Forces who have authored books. Currently, the site lists nearly 800 servicemembers and their more than 2,400 books. Servicemembers are listed by name, branch, rank and type of book.
Police-Writers.com is a website that lists state and local law enforcement officials who have written books. Currently, the website lists more than 1,000 state or local police officers and their more than 2,200 books. Law enforcement officials are listed by name, department and type of book. Additionally, the website has separate sections which list federal law enforcement officials, international police officers and civilian police personnel.
About the Awards
The Military-Writers.com Book of Year 2009 focuses solely on the written contribution made by the servicemember. It is that book found by the panel of judges to be the most significant literary contribution made by a servicemember in the previous year.
The Police-Writers.com Book of the Year 2009 focuses solely on the written contribution made by the police officer. It is that book found by the panel of judges to be the most significant literary contribution made by a police officer in the previous year.
The Military-Writers.com 2009 Book of the Year
Gunnery Sergeant Nick Popaditch, United States Marine Corps (ret.) was awarded the Military-Writers.com 2009 Book of the Year for his book, Once a Marine.
On April 7, 2004, during the First Battle of Fallujah, Gunnery Sergeant Nick Popaditch “was wounded in action. During a firefight with enemy insurgents, he was struck in the head by an enemy Rocket Propelled Grenade, fired from a rooftop into the commander’s hatch of his tank. He received numerous shrapnel wounds.” His injuries necessitated the removal of his right eye; and, “his remaining eye was legally blind. His right ear and nose sustained significant damage and an implant was placed in his skull.”
In his book, Once a Marine: An Iraq War Tank Commander’s Inspirational Memoir of Combat, Courage, and Recovery, Nick Popaditch describes how at first he “fights to get back to where he was in Iraq - in the cupola of an M1A1 main battle tank, leading Marines in combat at the point of the spear. As the seriousness and permanence of his disabilities become more evident, Nick Popaditch fights to remain in the Corps in any capacity, to help the brothers in arms he so aches to rejoin. Facing the inevitable following a medical retirement, he battles for rightful recognition and compensation for his permanent disabilities. Throughout his harrowing ordeal, Nick Popaditch fights to maintain his honor and loyalty, waging all these battles the same way - the Marine way.”
The Police-Writers.com Book of the Year 2009
Jack R. Lundquist, Jr., Oakland Police Department (ret.) was awarded The Police-Writers.com Book of the Year 2009 for his book BeatCop.
Jack R. Lundquist, Jr. was born and raised in the City of San Pablo, California, a suburb within the San Francisco Bay Area. His desire to be a police officer was formulated early in life. He became a police explorer scout, and later a reserve police officer with the City of San Pablo Police Department. At age twenty-one Jack Lundquist was drafted by the United States Army, and served as a Military Policeman at Fort George G. Meade, Maryland.
Upon being honorably discharged, Jack Lundquist returned to the San Francisco Bay area. After a brief stint as a Reserve Police Officer he was hired by the Oakland Police Department. During his tenure he attended the University of San Francisco, obtaining a Bachelor of Arts Degree. His love for basic patrol work kept him in a marked police car for two separate periods, totaling twelve years. The remainder of the time was spent as criminal investigator, ending with a seven-year period in Vice.
According to the book description, BeatCop is “a book filled with stories from the career of a BeatCop working the perilous streets of a dodgy city. The author is a retired Oakland Police Officer, who patrolled the streets for twelve years. His stories cover the good, the bad, and the oh-shits, as well as the humor experienced by a BeatCop working a large city police department.”
American Heroes Press Contact Information
Lieutenant Raymond E. Foster, LAPD (ret.), MPA
editor@police-writers.com
909.599.7530
January 9, 2009, (San Dimas, CA) American Heroes Press, the publishers of www.military-writers.com and www.police-writers.com, announced the results of their annual recognition.
About the Websites
Military-Writers.com is a website that lists servicemembers from all branches of the United States Armed Forces who have authored books. Currently, the site lists nearly 800 servicemembers and their more than 2,400 books. Servicemembers are listed by name, branch, rank and type of book.
Police-Writers.com is a website that lists state and local law enforcement officials who have written books. Currently, the website lists more than 1,000 state or local police officers and their more than 2,200 books. Law enforcement officials are listed by name, department and type of book. Additionally, the website has separate sections which list federal law enforcement officials, international police officers and civilian police personnel.
About the Awards
The Military-Writers.com Book of Year 2009 focuses solely on the written contribution made by the servicemember. It is that book found by the panel of judges to be the most significant literary contribution made by a servicemember in the previous year.
The Police-Writers.com Book of the Year 2009 focuses solely on the written contribution made by the police officer. It is that book found by the panel of judges to be the most significant literary contribution made by a police officer in the previous year.
The Military-Writers.com 2009 Book of the Year
Gunnery Sergeant Nick Popaditch, United States Marine Corps (ret.) was awarded the Military-Writers.com 2009 Book of the Year for his book, Once a Marine.
On April 7, 2004, during the First Battle of Fallujah, Gunnery Sergeant Nick Popaditch “was wounded in action. During a firefight with enemy insurgents, he was struck in the head by an enemy Rocket Propelled Grenade, fired from a rooftop into the commander’s hatch of his tank. He received numerous shrapnel wounds.” His injuries necessitated the removal of his right eye; and, “his remaining eye was legally blind. His right ear and nose sustained significant damage and an implant was placed in his skull.”
In his book, Once a Marine: An Iraq War Tank Commander’s Inspirational Memoir of Combat, Courage, and Recovery, Nick Popaditch describes how at first he “fights to get back to where he was in Iraq - in the cupola of an M1A1 main battle tank, leading Marines in combat at the point of the spear. As the seriousness and permanence of his disabilities become more evident, Nick Popaditch fights to remain in the Corps in any capacity, to help the brothers in arms he so aches to rejoin. Facing the inevitable following a medical retirement, he battles for rightful recognition and compensation for his permanent disabilities. Throughout his harrowing ordeal, Nick Popaditch fights to maintain his honor and loyalty, waging all these battles the same way - the Marine way.”
The Police-Writers.com Book of the Year 2009
Jack R. Lundquist, Jr., Oakland Police Department (ret.) was awarded The Police-Writers.com Book of the Year 2009 for his book BeatCop.
Jack R. Lundquist, Jr. was born and raised in the City of San Pablo, California, a suburb within the San Francisco Bay Area. His desire to be a police officer was formulated early in life. He became a police explorer scout, and later a reserve police officer with the City of San Pablo Police Department. At age twenty-one Jack Lundquist was drafted by the United States Army, and served as a Military Policeman at Fort George G. Meade, Maryland.
Upon being honorably discharged, Jack Lundquist returned to the San Francisco Bay area. After a brief stint as a Reserve Police Officer he was hired by the Oakland Police Department. During his tenure he attended the University of San Francisco, obtaining a Bachelor of Arts Degree. His love for basic patrol work kept him in a marked police car for two separate periods, totaling twelve years. The remainder of the time was spent as criminal investigator, ending with a seven-year period in Vice.
According to the book description, BeatCop is “a book filled with stories from the career of a BeatCop working the perilous streets of a dodgy city. The author is a retired Oakland Police Officer, who patrolled the streets for twelve years. His stories cover the good, the bad, and the oh-shits, as well as the humor experienced by a BeatCop working a large city police department.”
American Heroes Press Contact Information
Lieutenant Raymond E. Foster, LAPD (ret.), MPA
editor@police-writers.com
909.599.7530
Friday, January 09, 2009
CBR Weapons and WMD Terrorism News- January 9, 2009
New bioterrorism lab to open next month in Lawrenceville [PA]
“Allegheny County's new state-of-the-art laboratory to test for bioterrorism materials like anthrax, plague and botulism, as well as a host of other infectious diseases, could open early next month, Dr. Bruce Dixon said at this week's county Board of Health meeting. Dr. Dixon, executive director of the county Health Department, said the commissioning of the $5.6 million laboratory in Lawrenceville, originally proposed in 2002, is expected to begin at the end of the month. […] Commissioning of the lab entails testing the facility to certify it as part of the federal Laboratory Response Network.” (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette; 09Jan09) http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/09009/940634-53.stm
Nose-spray vaccine against botulism beneficial in first tests
“A preclinical study found a new nasal spray vaccine to provide complete protection against a major botulism toxin, according to a study published today in the nature journal Gene Therapy. […] Botulinum neurotoxins (BoNTs) have been designated Category A bioterrorism agents that pose a high risk to national security because they are deadly, easily prepared and could conceivably be spread by inhalation. Researchers are working to design a botulism vaccine that adds a second layer of immune protection against exposure to BoNTs. […] Standard vaccines, given by injection, prepare only the blood-based immune system to fight a given disease. Secondly, the hope is that a new, well-defined subunit vaccine will enable authorities to provide an effective vaccine without having to mass-produce the actual toxin, the hazardous first step in the manufacture of the current, stockpiled vaccine.” (RedOrbit; 08Jan08; Source: Gene Therapy) http://www.redorbit.com/news/health/1620388/nosespray_vaccine_against_botulism_beneficial_in_first_tests/
The Obamamobile: new presidential limo is unveiled - and it can withstand rocket and chemical attacks
“This is the top-security armoured limousine which has been custom built to be Barack Obama's presidential car.[…] his Secret Service agents have already been familiarising themselves with the machine they call 'The Beast', built by General Motors in Detroit and based on a Cadillac chassis. The company refuses to give precise details of how it will perform its primary purpose - protecting the president. But bulletproof glass and armour plating are standard throughout and the car is hermetically-sealed to withstand chemical weapons.” (Mail on Sunday; 09Jan09; Paul Thompson and Liz Hazelton) http://www.mailonsunday.co.uk/news/worldnews/article-1109082/The-Obamamobile-New-presidential-limo-unveiled--withstand-rocket-chemical-attacks.html
Gay bars: [ricin] threats won't scare patrons
“Owners of gay bars in Seattle say they are taking precautions after receiving letters threatening to poison their patrons. But most told the Seattle Times they do not expect business to suffer. […] ‘Please be prepared to announce the deaths of approximately 55 individuals all of whom were patrons of the following establishments on a Saturday in January,’ [the letter] said. Ricin, a chemical found in castor beans, can be lethal in its pure form if eaten or inhaled. The FBI and Seattle police are investigating the letters.” (United Press International; 08Jan09) http://www.upi.com/Top_News/2009/01/08/Gay_bars_Threats_wont_scare_patrons/UPI-97971231447150/
Obama hears parting advice as power shifts
“As he played host to his successor and three predecessors […], President Bush offered their collective support. […]Vice President Dick Cheney […] urged Mr. Obama not to jettison the policies he and Mr. Bush enacted to fight terrorism. […] And Kenneth Wainstein, the homeland security adviser, […] gave his own summation of the fight against weapons of mass destruction […], outlining all that he said the Bush administration had done to prevent a cataclysmic attack through nuclear, biological or chemical weapons. He urged Mr. Obama’s administration to follow the Bush lead in this area. […] All this advice, public and private, is being well received by Mr. Obama’s advisers, who have uniformly praised the outgoing Bush team for going out of its way to be helpful.” (The New York Times; 09Jan09; Peter Baker) http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/09/us/politics/08web-baker.html
US counterterrorism calendar includes key dates for terrorists
“The US National Counterterrorism Center on Wednesday released its annual calendar, featuring terrorist incidents, bad guys with bounties on their heads, deadly chemical agents and terrorist organizations. […] The technical pages of the online calendar run alphabetically and include sections on anthrax, biological threats, chemical agents, radicalization, Ramadan -- the Muslim holy month of fasting -- sarin and toxic industrial chemicals.The Al-Qaeda terrorist network features prominently in both versions of the calendar, as does its founder Osama bin Laden, who tops a list of wanted terrorists. The calendar can be viewed or downloaded on www.nctc.gov.” (Agence France-Presse; 08Jan09) http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5g0bDvNt_Mv-VbI3c_FrRuh2Bg5Jw
Vets sue over Cold War-era experiments
“Six veterans who say they were exposed to dangerous chemicals, germs and mind-altering drugs during Cold War-era experiments filed a federal lawsuit against the CIA, Department of Defense and other agencies Wednesday. The veterans say they volunteered for military experiments as part of a wide-ranging program started in the 1950s to test nerve agents, biological weapons and mind-control techniques, but were not properly informed of the nature of the experiments. They blame the experiments for poor health and are demanding the government provide their health care.They also want the court to rule that the program was illegal because its administrators failed to get their consent.” (Military.com; 08Jan09;Source: Associated Press)
http://www.military.com/news/article/vets-sue-over-cold-warera-experiments.html?col=1186032310810
Suspicious package left on front steps of Jackson County [FL] courthouse
“Authorities are continuing to investigate the contents of the white powder residue left at the Jackson County Courthouse this morning. They say someone left the suspicious substance along with an American flag and a bible on the front steps. […] Authorities immediately evacuated everyone out of the building and into the streets and then secured the whole area .[…] The bay county haz-mat team arrived around 1:00 and removed the items. Then authorities declared it safe for employees to return to work. Officials say the precautions were inconvenient, but necessary.”(WJHG News; 09Jan09; Vanessa Nguyen) http://www.wjhg.com/home/headlines/37304844.html
White powder puts U.S. embassy in Dominican capital on alert
“United States embassy personnel in the Dominican capital [Santo Domingo] were under alert for one hour yesterday, after a white power was detected in a package deposited in its post office, newspaper El Caribe reports. The dust, sent immediately to Washington for analysis, was detected [during] a routine check of letters and packages in the diplomatic mission’s post office […] United States Embassy press attaché David Searby said there was no evacuation, although the [usual] protocol was applied […].” (Dominican Today; 07Jan09; Source: El Caribe) http://www.dominicantoday.com/dr/local/2009/1/7/30653/White-powder-puts-US-embassy-in-Dominican-capital-on-alert
Anti-Terrorism Council says 12 Philpost [Philippine Postal] employees negative of anthrax on first swabbing
“Twelve Philippine Postal Corporation (Philpost) employees were quarantined and tested negative for anthrax virus, but the Anti-Terrorism Council (ATC) said they would wait for the result of further tests to finally clear them. […] Twelve Philpost employees were quarantined following reports that the United States Embassy in Manila received mail suspected to be laced with the anthrax bacteria.” (Philippine News Agency;
09Jan09)
http://www.pna.gov.ph/index.php?idn=&nid=11&rid=179941
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. http://cns.miis.edu/cbw/index.htm
“Allegheny County's new state-of-the-art laboratory to test for bioterrorism materials like anthrax, plague and botulism, as well as a host of other infectious diseases, could open early next month, Dr. Bruce Dixon said at this week's county Board of Health meeting. Dr. Dixon, executive director of the county Health Department, said the commissioning of the $5.6 million laboratory in Lawrenceville, originally proposed in 2002, is expected to begin at the end of the month. […] Commissioning of the lab entails testing the facility to certify it as part of the federal Laboratory Response Network.” (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette; 09Jan09) http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/09009/940634-53.stm
Nose-spray vaccine against botulism beneficial in first tests
“A preclinical study found a new nasal spray vaccine to provide complete protection against a major botulism toxin, according to a study published today in the nature journal Gene Therapy. […] Botulinum neurotoxins (BoNTs) have been designated Category A bioterrorism agents that pose a high risk to national security because they are deadly, easily prepared and could conceivably be spread by inhalation. Researchers are working to design a botulism vaccine that adds a second layer of immune protection against exposure to BoNTs. […] Standard vaccines, given by injection, prepare only the blood-based immune system to fight a given disease. Secondly, the hope is that a new, well-defined subunit vaccine will enable authorities to provide an effective vaccine without having to mass-produce the actual toxin, the hazardous first step in the manufacture of the current, stockpiled vaccine.” (RedOrbit; 08Jan08; Source: Gene Therapy) http://www.redorbit.com/news/health/1620388/nosespray_vaccine_against_botulism_beneficial_in_first_tests/
The Obamamobile: new presidential limo is unveiled - and it can withstand rocket and chemical attacks
“This is the top-security armoured limousine which has been custom built to be Barack Obama's presidential car.[…] his Secret Service agents have already been familiarising themselves with the machine they call 'The Beast', built by General Motors in Detroit and based on a Cadillac chassis. The company refuses to give precise details of how it will perform its primary purpose - protecting the president. But bulletproof glass and armour plating are standard throughout and the car is hermetically-sealed to withstand chemical weapons.” (Mail on Sunday; 09Jan09; Paul Thompson and Liz Hazelton) http://www.mailonsunday.co.uk/news/worldnews/article-1109082/The-Obamamobile-New-presidential-limo-unveiled--withstand-rocket-chemical-attacks.html
Gay bars: [ricin] threats won't scare patrons
“Owners of gay bars in Seattle say they are taking precautions after receiving letters threatening to poison their patrons. But most told the Seattle Times they do not expect business to suffer. […] ‘Please be prepared to announce the deaths of approximately 55 individuals all of whom were patrons of the following establishments on a Saturday in January,’ [the letter] said. Ricin, a chemical found in castor beans, can be lethal in its pure form if eaten or inhaled. The FBI and Seattle police are investigating the letters.” (United Press International; 08Jan09) http://www.upi.com/Top_News/2009/01/08/Gay_bars_Threats_wont_scare_patrons/UPI-97971231447150/
Obama hears parting advice as power shifts
“As he played host to his successor and three predecessors […], President Bush offered their collective support. […]Vice President Dick Cheney […] urged Mr. Obama not to jettison the policies he and Mr. Bush enacted to fight terrorism. […] And Kenneth Wainstein, the homeland security adviser, […] gave his own summation of the fight against weapons of mass destruction […], outlining all that he said the Bush administration had done to prevent a cataclysmic attack through nuclear, biological or chemical weapons. He urged Mr. Obama’s administration to follow the Bush lead in this area. […] All this advice, public and private, is being well received by Mr. Obama’s advisers, who have uniformly praised the outgoing Bush team for going out of its way to be helpful.” (The New York Times; 09Jan09; Peter Baker) http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/09/us/politics/08web-baker.html
US counterterrorism calendar includes key dates for terrorists
“The US National Counterterrorism Center on Wednesday released its annual calendar, featuring terrorist incidents, bad guys with bounties on their heads, deadly chemical agents and terrorist organizations. […] The technical pages of the online calendar run alphabetically and include sections on anthrax, biological threats, chemical agents, radicalization, Ramadan -- the Muslim holy month of fasting -- sarin and toxic industrial chemicals.The Al-Qaeda terrorist network features prominently in both versions of the calendar, as does its founder Osama bin Laden, who tops a list of wanted terrorists. The calendar can be viewed or downloaded on www.nctc.gov.” (Agence France-Presse; 08Jan09) http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5g0bDvNt_Mv-VbI3c_FrRuh2Bg5Jw
Vets sue over Cold War-era experiments
“Six veterans who say they were exposed to dangerous chemicals, germs and mind-altering drugs during Cold War-era experiments filed a federal lawsuit against the CIA, Department of Defense and other agencies Wednesday. The veterans say they volunteered for military experiments as part of a wide-ranging program started in the 1950s to test nerve agents, biological weapons and mind-control techniques, but were not properly informed of the nature of the experiments. They blame the experiments for poor health and are demanding the government provide their health care.They also want the court to rule that the program was illegal because its administrators failed to get their consent.” (Military.com; 08Jan09;Source: Associated Press)
http://www.military.com/news/article/vets-sue-over-cold-warera-experiments.html?col=1186032310810
Suspicious package left on front steps of Jackson County [FL] courthouse
“Authorities are continuing to investigate the contents of the white powder residue left at the Jackson County Courthouse this morning. They say someone left the suspicious substance along with an American flag and a bible on the front steps. […] Authorities immediately evacuated everyone out of the building and into the streets and then secured the whole area .[…] The bay county haz-mat team arrived around 1:00 and removed the items. Then authorities declared it safe for employees to return to work. Officials say the precautions were inconvenient, but necessary.”(WJHG News; 09Jan09; Vanessa Nguyen) http://www.wjhg.com/home/headlines/37304844.html
White powder puts U.S. embassy in Dominican capital on alert
“United States embassy personnel in the Dominican capital [Santo Domingo] were under alert for one hour yesterday, after a white power was detected in a package deposited in its post office, newspaper El Caribe reports. The dust, sent immediately to Washington for analysis, was detected [during] a routine check of letters and packages in the diplomatic mission’s post office […] United States Embassy press attaché David Searby said there was no evacuation, although the [usual] protocol was applied […].” (Dominican Today; 07Jan09; Source: El Caribe) http://www.dominicantoday.com/dr/local/2009/1/7/30653/White-powder-puts-US-embassy-in-Dominican-capital-on-alert
Anti-Terrorism Council says 12 Philpost [Philippine Postal] employees negative of anthrax on first swabbing
“Twelve Philippine Postal Corporation (Philpost) employees were quarantined and tested negative for anthrax virus, but the Anti-Terrorism Council (ATC) said they would wait for the result of further tests to finally clear them. […] Twelve Philpost employees were quarantined following reports that the United States Embassy in Manila received mail suspected to be laced with the anthrax bacteria.” (Philippine News Agency;
09Jan09)
http://www.pna.gov.ph/index.php?idn=&nid=11&rid=179941
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. http://cns.miis.edu/cbw/index.htm
Petreaus Discusses Way Ahead For Afghanistan
By Army Staff Sgt. Michael J. Carden
American Forces Press Service
Jan. 9, 2009 - Peace and stability in Afghanistan are incomplete without improving relations among the country and its neighbors, the top U.S. military commander in the region said here yesterday. Army Gen. David H. Petraeus, U.S. Central Command commander, told an audience at the Washington Convention Center that the road to success in Afghanistan involves commitment and comprehensive coordination from Pakistan, India and possibly Russia and Iran to combat the spread of terror and extremism in central Asia.
"It's not possible to solve the challenges internal to Afghanistan without addressing the challenges, especially in terms of security, with Afghanistan's neighbors," Petraeus said in an address to the U.S. Institute of Peace. "A regional approach is required."
Petraeus spoke as part of a conference highlighting some of the foreign policy challenges facing President-elect Barack Obama's administration, citing complexities of the war in Afghanistan and his perspective on the way forward to bring peace to the region.
"There has been nothing easy about Afghanistan," he said. "Indeed, nearly every aspect has been hard, and that will continue to be the case in 2009 and the years beyond."
The past seven years in Afghanistan have seen some accomplishments, the general said. Establishing a national government, construction of infrastructure, improving education and growing the Afghan National Army all are notable improvements for a country that has been ruled by warlords and ravaged by conflict for more than 30 years.
The past year saw a downward spiral of security, with the reconstitution of the Taliban and al-Qaida and the emergence of other extremist groups, Petraeus said. Extremist safe havens and lack of security across Afghanistan's border with Pakistan aided in 2008 being the war's deadliest year. More than 150 U.S. troops were killed.
"It is imperative that Afghanistan does not become a sanctuary for transnational, violent extremists," Petraeus said. "It's for that reason that the United States took action in Afghanistan over seven years ago, and that basic objective remains valid today."
The winning strategy in Afghanistan, Petraeus said, will look much different than Iraq but will work under the same basic counterinsurgency principles. While violence in Afghanistan last year reached record highs, December was Iraq's quietest month since the U.S.-led invasion in 2003.
"We and our Afghan and coalition partners have a tough fight in Afghanistan, and the natural tendency will be to look to the ways progress was achieved in Iraq for possible answers," he said. But it's important, he noted, to understand that "Afghanistan is not Iraq."
The principles of counterinsurgency operations, such as the importance of security and serving the population and the necessity of living among the people, remain active in Afghanistan, he said. These principles, nonetheless, have to be adapted to the unique cultural and political geographic and terrain of Afghanistan.
"In this regard, it's important to realize a key point in counterinsurgency operations: that every case is unique and requires a carefully designed approach that is appropriate to the specific situation," he said.
The two wars and countries differ in almost every aspect. Iraq has experience under a strong central government. Afghanistan hasn't in recent years. Afghanistan lacks in natural resources, infrastructure and provisional services, such as electricity, clean drinking water and education, in most areas, he said.
"While Iraq this past year generated nearly $60 billion in money-export revenue alone, Afghanistan's total revenue was well under $1 billion," he said. "In Afghanistan, it is important to remember that we're helping them construct infrastructure, not reconstruct."
Petraeus said the many challenges will require not just a comprehensive commitment, but a dedication that will achieve a community of efforts between Afghan and coalition and regional elements, together with international and nongovernment organizations, he said.
"We have to demonstrate commitment to sustain comprehensive, coordinated approaches and build and execute a regional strategy that includes Pakistan, India, the central Asian states and even the army in Russia along with, someday, perhaps at some point, Iran," the general said.
American Forces Press Service
Jan. 9, 2009 - Peace and stability in Afghanistan are incomplete without improving relations among the country and its neighbors, the top U.S. military commander in the region said here yesterday. Army Gen. David H. Petraeus, U.S. Central Command commander, told an audience at the Washington Convention Center that the road to success in Afghanistan involves commitment and comprehensive coordination from Pakistan, India and possibly Russia and Iran to combat the spread of terror and extremism in central Asia.
"It's not possible to solve the challenges internal to Afghanistan without addressing the challenges, especially in terms of security, with Afghanistan's neighbors," Petraeus said in an address to the U.S. Institute of Peace. "A regional approach is required."
Petraeus spoke as part of a conference highlighting some of the foreign policy challenges facing President-elect Barack Obama's administration, citing complexities of the war in Afghanistan and his perspective on the way forward to bring peace to the region.
"There has been nothing easy about Afghanistan," he said. "Indeed, nearly every aspect has been hard, and that will continue to be the case in 2009 and the years beyond."
The past seven years in Afghanistan have seen some accomplishments, the general said. Establishing a national government, construction of infrastructure, improving education and growing the Afghan National Army all are notable improvements for a country that has been ruled by warlords and ravaged by conflict for more than 30 years.
The past year saw a downward spiral of security, with the reconstitution of the Taliban and al-Qaida and the emergence of other extremist groups, Petraeus said. Extremist safe havens and lack of security across Afghanistan's border with Pakistan aided in 2008 being the war's deadliest year. More than 150 U.S. troops were killed.
"It is imperative that Afghanistan does not become a sanctuary for transnational, violent extremists," Petraeus said. "It's for that reason that the United States took action in Afghanistan over seven years ago, and that basic objective remains valid today."
The winning strategy in Afghanistan, Petraeus said, will look much different than Iraq but will work under the same basic counterinsurgency principles. While violence in Afghanistan last year reached record highs, December was Iraq's quietest month since the U.S.-led invasion in 2003.
"We and our Afghan and coalition partners have a tough fight in Afghanistan, and the natural tendency will be to look to the ways progress was achieved in Iraq for possible answers," he said. But it's important, he noted, to understand that "Afghanistan is not Iraq."
The principles of counterinsurgency operations, such as the importance of security and serving the population and the necessity of living among the people, remain active in Afghanistan, he said. These principles, nonetheless, have to be adapted to the unique cultural and political geographic and terrain of Afghanistan.
"In this regard, it's important to realize a key point in counterinsurgency operations: that every case is unique and requires a carefully designed approach that is appropriate to the specific situation," he said.
The two wars and countries differ in almost every aspect. Iraq has experience under a strong central government. Afghanistan hasn't in recent years. Afghanistan lacks in natural resources, infrastructure and provisional services, such as electricity, clean drinking water and education, in most areas, he said.
"While Iraq this past year generated nearly $60 billion in money-export revenue alone, Afghanistan's total revenue was well under $1 billion," he said. "In Afghanistan, it is important to remember that we're helping them construct infrastructure, not reconstruct."
Petraeus said the many challenges will require not just a comprehensive commitment, but a dedication that will achieve a community of efforts between Afghan and coalition and regional elements, together with international and nongovernment organizations, he said.
"We have to demonstrate commitment to sustain comprehensive, coordinated approaches and build and execute a regional strategy that includes Pakistan, India, the central Asian states and even the army in Russia along with, someday, perhaps at some point, Iran," the general said.
Afghan Media Gain Insight Into Air Force Mission
By Air Force Staff Sgt. Rachel Martinez
Special to American Forces Press Service
Jan. 9, 2009 - Fourteen journalists and cameramen from Afghan news agencies gained a better understanding of the 455th Air Expeditionary Wing's close-air-support mission during an Afghan media day here. The Jan. 5 event, hosted by the 455th Air Expeditionary Wing and Bagram Airfield Media Operations Center, included tours of the F-15E Strike Eagle and the A-10 Thunderbolt II, as well as a briefing from the wing commander, Air Force Brig. Gen. James M. Holmes.
Media days like this one are aimed at building trust among the Afghan population through media coverage of U.S. and coalition missions, officials said.
"The media helps us do our job by keeping us in check and reporting on what we do," Holmes said. "It's important the people of Afghanistan understand how we operate, how we are here to help, and the media plays a key role in accomplishing that."
The conflict in Afghanistan is just as much an information war as it is a kinetic one, Holmes said. Defense Department public affairs officials strive to provide timely and accurate information; however, succeeding at the information war becomes a challenge when competing with an enemy who is not concerned with facts, officials said.
Since insurgents are effective at getting their story out, it's essential for U.S. and coalition forces to engage the media to ensure balanced coverage, officials said.
"To our knowledge, the Afghan media had not been engaged like this before," Army Capt. Jennifer Martin, from the Bagram Airfield Media Operations Center, said. "It's really important we engage the Afghan media because we're in their country. They need to understand what we are doing, how we are doing it, where we are doing it and how it affects them."
An Afghan reporter who participated in the media day said he gained a better understanding of close-air support.
"There are many civilian casualty concerns, but I have learned how the Air Force tries to avoid it and how much they make the aircraft effective in fighting the insurgents," Sharif Khoram, with Agence Free Press News Agency, said. "It was all explained to me."
The media operations center here has hosted multiple Afghan media days in the past year, with plans for future engagements in the months ahead.
"A lot of coverage is slanted in a negative nature against us," Army 1st Lt. Meagan Newsom, of the media operations center, said. "It's not that they are trying to make us look bad, but how can they report fairly on something they don't fully understand?
"We want [the media] to know so they can go out and tell the Afghan people what the Air Force is here to do," Newsom continued. "It's very important to tell the coalition story through the Afghan eyes; they tell it best."
(Air Force Staff Sgt. Rachel Martinez serves in the 455th Air Expeditionary Wing public affairs office.)
Special to American Forces Press Service
Jan. 9, 2009 - Fourteen journalists and cameramen from Afghan news agencies gained a better understanding of the 455th Air Expeditionary Wing's close-air-support mission during an Afghan media day here. The Jan. 5 event, hosted by the 455th Air Expeditionary Wing and Bagram Airfield Media Operations Center, included tours of the F-15E Strike Eagle and the A-10 Thunderbolt II, as well as a briefing from the wing commander, Air Force Brig. Gen. James M. Holmes.
Media days like this one are aimed at building trust among the Afghan population through media coverage of U.S. and coalition missions, officials said.
"The media helps us do our job by keeping us in check and reporting on what we do," Holmes said. "It's important the people of Afghanistan understand how we operate, how we are here to help, and the media plays a key role in accomplishing that."
The conflict in Afghanistan is just as much an information war as it is a kinetic one, Holmes said. Defense Department public affairs officials strive to provide timely and accurate information; however, succeeding at the information war becomes a challenge when competing with an enemy who is not concerned with facts, officials said.
Since insurgents are effective at getting their story out, it's essential for U.S. and coalition forces to engage the media to ensure balanced coverage, officials said.
"To our knowledge, the Afghan media had not been engaged like this before," Army Capt. Jennifer Martin, from the Bagram Airfield Media Operations Center, said. "It's really important we engage the Afghan media because we're in their country. They need to understand what we are doing, how we are doing it, where we are doing it and how it affects them."
An Afghan reporter who participated in the media day said he gained a better understanding of close-air support.
"There are many civilian casualty concerns, but I have learned how the Air Force tries to avoid it and how much they make the aircraft effective in fighting the insurgents," Sharif Khoram, with Agence Free Press News Agency, said. "It was all explained to me."
The media operations center here has hosted multiple Afghan media days in the past year, with plans for future engagements in the months ahead.
"A lot of coverage is slanted in a negative nature against us," Army 1st Lt. Meagan Newsom, of the media operations center, said. "It's not that they are trying to make us look bad, but how can they report fairly on something they don't fully understand?
"We want [the media] to know so they can go out and tell the Afghan people what the Air Force is here to do," Newsom continued. "It's very important to tell the coalition story through the Afghan eyes; they tell it best."
(Air Force Staff Sgt. Rachel Martinez serves in the 455th Air Expeditionary Wing public affairs office.)
Coalition Targets Bomb Networks in Afghanistan
American Forces Press Service
Jan. 9, 2009 - Coalition forces killed 37 armed militants and captured four others in operations targeting bomb networks in Afghanistan's Zabol and Laghman provinces in recent days, military officials reported. Coalition forces killed 32 armed insurgents, including a woman, detained one suspected militant and destroyed a cache of weapons, explosives and roadside-bomb materials during an operation in Laghman province's Alishang district.
After the operation, local Afghan officials met with coalition forces and confirmed that all 32 killed were hostile militants. An Afghan governor approved a radio announcement stating these facts.
"We stand by our initial news release, that 32 insurgents were killed during the operation," Army Col. Jerry O'Hara, a U.S. Forces Afghanistan spokesman, said. "The enemy combatants used girls and older men to shield their advance. It is important to note that acting as sentries and spotters takes away any claims of being a noncombatant. We go through great lengths to avoid civilian casualties and take responsibility when we inadvertently cause injuries or casualties."
An operation yesterday in Zabol province's Jaldak district targeted a Taliban roadside-bomb facilitator. The targeted militant also is believed to be in direct contact with local Taliban commanders, planning bomb attacks along Afghanistan's Highway 1, officials said.
As coalition forces approached, armed militants engaged them with small-arms fire. Because women and children might have been inside the buildings, coalition forces held their fire and called for all occupants to come out peacefully. Nine women and 16 children exited without harm, and they were escorted to a safe location.
Meanwhile, the armed militants remained inside the buildings and continued to engage the force with small-arms fire. With the women and children out of harm's way, the force entered the buildings, killing five armed militants and detaining three suspected militants.
The force found a rocket-propelled grenade hidden in the building and destroyed it to prevent its future use.
(Compiled from U.S. Forces Afghanistan news releases.)
Jan. 9, 2009 - Coalition forces killed 37 armed militants and captured four others in operations targeting bomb networks in Afghanistan's Zabol and Laghman provinces in recent days, military officials reported. Coalition forces killed 32 armed insurgents, including a woman, detained one suspected militant and destroyed a cache of weapons, explosives and roadside-bomb materials during an operation in Laghman province's Alishang district.
After the operation, local Afghan officials met with coalition forces and confirmed that all 32 killed were hostile militants. An Afghan governor approved a radio announcement stating these facts.
"We stand by our initial news release, that 32 insurgents were killed during the operation," Army Col. Jerry O'Hara, a U.S. Forces Afghanistan spokesman, said. "The enemy combatants used girls and older men to shield their advance. It is important to note that acting as sentries and spotters takes away any claims of being a noncombatant. We go through great lengths to avoid civilian casualties and take responsibility when we inadvertently cause injuries or casualties."
An operation yesterday in Zabol province's Jaldak district targeted a Taliban roadside-bomb facilitator. The targeted militant also is believed to be in direct contact with local Taliban commanders, planning bomb attacks along Afghanistan's Highway 1, officials said.
As coalition forces approached, armed militants engaged them with small-arms fire. Because women and children might have been inside the buildings, coalition forces held their fire and called for all occupants to come out peacefully. Nine women and 16 children exited without harm, and they were escorted to a safe location.
Meanwhile, the armed militants remained inside the buildings and continued to engage the force with small-arms fire. With the women and children out of harm's way, the force entered the buildings, killing five armed militants and detaining three suspected militants.
The force found a rocket-propelled grenade hidden in the building and destroyed it to prevent its future use.
(Compiled from U.S. Forces Afghanistan news releases.)
Iraqi, U.S. Forces Seize Weapons Stockpiles
American Forces Press Service
Jan. 9, 2009 - Iraqi and U.S. soldiers, Iraqi police and "Sons of Iraq" civilian security group members seized several weapons caches in Baghdad this week, military officials reported. In operations yesterday:
-- Iraqi and U.S. soldiers, working on a tip, seized four 60 mm rockets and three warheads in Baghdad.
-- U.S. soldiers seized a 107 mm rocket, bomb-making materials and an assortment of small arms near Taji, north of Baghdad.
-- Iraqi security forces working with U.S. soldiers discovered a mortar round and roadside bomb in Baghdad's Rashid district.
-- Police in Baghdad's Risalah community, working with U.S. soldiers, found a 60 mm mortar round while on patrol.
-- On a combined patrol with U.S. soldiers, police found a roadside bomb in Baghdad's Saha neighborhood.
In earlier operations:
-- North of Baghdad on Jan. 7, Iraqi and U.S. soldiers found a cache that contained two 155 mm projectiles, a 107 mm rocket, 17 57 mm rockets, 12 60 mm mortars, two 60 mm mortar tubes, 12 rocket-propelled grenades, 8,000 rounds of small-arms ammunition, 12 blasting caps, a radio and 200 feet of detonation cord.
-- Sons of Iraq members seized 19 57 mm projectiles in Baghdad's Tarmiyah area Jan. 6 and transferred them to local police.
(Compiled from Multinational Corps Iraq news releases.)
Jan. 9, 2009 - Iraqi and U.S. soldiers, Iraqi police and "Sons of Iraq" civilian security group members seized several weapons caches in Baghdad this week, military officials reported. In operations yesterday:
-- Iraqi and U.S. soldiers, working on a tip, seized four 60 mm rockets and three warheads in Baghdad.
-- U.S. soldiers seized a 107 mm rocket, bomb-making materials and an assortment of small arms near Taji, north of Baghdad.
-- Iraqi security forces working with U.S. soldiers discovered a mortar round and roadside bomb in Baghdad's Rashid district.
-- Police in Baghdad's Risalah community, working with U.S. soldiers, found a 60 mm mortar round while on patrol.
-- On a combined patrol with U.S. soldiers, police found a roadside bomb in Baghdad's Saha neighborhood.
In earlier operations:
-- North of Baghdad on Jan. 7, Iraqi and U.S. soldiers found a cache that contained two 155 mm projectiles, a 107 mm rocket, 17 57 mm rockets, 12 60 mm mortars, two 60 mm mortar tubes, 12 rocket-propelled grenades, 8,000 rounds of small-arms ammunition, 12 blasting caps, a radio and 200 feet of detonation cord.
-- Sons of Iraq members seized 19 57 mm projectiles in Baghdad's Tarmiyah area Jan. 6 and transferred them to local police.
(Compiled from Multinational Corps Iraq news releases.)
Coalition Ensures Long-term Employment for 'Sons of Iraq'
By Kristen Noel
Special to American Forces Press Service
Jan. 9, 2009 - The coalition plans to see through the placement of "Sons of Iraq" civilian security group members into permanent jobs as they are transferred under Iraqi government control, Multinational Corps Iraq's chief of reconciliation said yesterday. "We don't intend to transfer [the Sons of Iraq] and abandon them," Army Lt. Col. Jeffrey Kulmayer said in a teleconference with military bloggers. "We intend to transfer them and ensure that they are provided meaningful employment in the future."
The Iraqi government has assumed responsibility for some 94,000 Sons of Iraq volunteers since the coalition began transferring the program by province, Kulmayer said. The transition began in October in Baghdad province, he said, which accounted for more than half of the Sons of Iraq with 51,000 transferred.
Diyala, Wasit, Babil and Qadisiyah provinces were transferred as of Jan. 1, he said, and the remainder of the nine provinces with Sons of Iraq will be transitioned by April.
More than 9,000 Sons of Iraq have been hired for full-time positions in the Iraqi security forces since the program started in 2007, Kulmayer said, and the coalition will follow through with the Iraqi government to ensure these citizens continue to be placed into permanent employment.
"Twenty percent will go into the Iraqi security forces, principally the Iraqi police," he said. "The remainder will be placed into permanent employment according to their skills, or they'll be given job training ... and then employment."
Non-security job placement will be a challenge due to high unemployment, Kulmayer said, however, the coalition will work with Iraqi ministries -- such as the housing and construction ministry and the education ministry -- to create positions.
"A lot of them will go into government work," he said. "So those [opportunities] are being developed, and we're trying to work with the Iraqi government to create them."
In the meantime, Kulmayer explained, they will continue to perform their Sons of Iraq jobs under the oversight and pay of the Iraqi army.
The Sons of Iraq assist coalition and Iraqi security forces by performing critical infrastructure security duties in their communities, such as manning checkpoints, guarding roads, providing intelligence and identifying enemy weapons caches.
"They thicken the battlefield because ... they know their neighborhoods, and they know who's who, and they know where the caches are," Kulmayer said. "By securing the infrastructure and the roads and the key points, they freed up the coalition and Iraqi security forces to go on the offensive after al-Qaida."
Kulmayer attributed the decrease in violence -- "at their lowest levels since 2003" -- in part to the contributions and sacrifices of the Sons of Iraq volunteers. More than 500 Sons of Iraq members were killed and more than 750 were wounded in 2008, he said.
"We really see [ensuring employment] as a commitment on our part to the Sons of Iraq who have helped us here and really, frankly, stood up for their country," he said.
(Kristen Noel works for the New Media branch of the Defense Media Activity.)
Special to American Forces Press Service
Jan. 9, 2009 - The coalition plans to see through the placement of "Sons of Iraq" civilian security group members into permanent jobs as they are transferred under Iraqi government control, Multinational Corps Iraq's chief of reconciliation said yesterday. "We don't intend to transfer [the Sons of Iraq] and abandon them," Army Lt. Col. Jeffrey Kulmayer said in a teleconference with military bloggers. "We intend to transfer them and ensure that they are provided meaningful employment in the future."
The Iraqi government has assumed responsibility for some 94,000 Sons of Iraq volunteers since the coalition began transferring the program by province, Kulmayer said. The transition began in October in Baghdad province, he said, which accounted for more than half of the Sons of Iraq with 51,000 transferred.
Diyala, Wasit, Babil and Qadisiyah provinces were transferred as of Jan. 1, he said, and the remainder of the nine provinces with Sons of Iraq will be transitioned by April.
More than 9,000 Sons of Iraq have been hired for full-time positions in the Iraqi security forces since the program started in 2007, Kulmayer said, and the coalition will follow through with the Iraqi government to ensure these citizens continue to be placed into permanent employment.
"Twenty percent will go into the Iraqi security forces, principally the Iraqi police," he said. "The remainder will be placed into permanent employment according to their skills, or they'll be given job training ... and then employment."
Non-security job placement will be a challenge due to high unemployment, Kulmayer said, however, the coalition will work with Iraqi ministries -- such as the housing and construction ministry and the education ministry -- to create positions.
"A lot of them will go into government work," he said. "So those [opportunities] are being developed, and we're trying to work with the Iraqi government to create them."
In the meantime, Kulmayer explained, they will continue to perform their Sons of Iraq jobs under the oversight and pay of the Iraqi army.
The Sons of Iraq assist coalition and Iraqi security forces by performing critical infrastructure security duties in their communities, such as manning checkpoints, guarding roads, providing intelligence and identifying enemy weapons caches.
"They thicken the battlefield because ... they know their neighborhoods, and they know who's who, and they know where the caches are," Kulmayer said. "By securing the infrastructure and the roads and the key points, they freed up the coalition and Iraqi security forces to go on the offensive after al-Qaida."
Kulmayer attributed the decrease in violence -- "at their lowest levels since 2003" -- in part to the contributions and sacrifices of the Sons of Iraq volunteers. More than 500 Sons of Iraq members were killed and more than 750 were wounded in 2008, he said.
"We really see [ensuring employment] as a commitment on our part to the Sons of Iraq who have helped us here and really, frankly, stood up for their country," he said.
(Kristen Noel works for the New Media branch of the Defense Media Activity.)
Army Speeds Delivery of Force-protection Equipment to Iraq
By Army Staff Sgts. Michel Sauret and Amber Emery
Special to American Forces Press Service
Jan. 9, 2009 - Army officials are creating a new way to field force-protection products, such as mine-resistant, ambush-protected vehicles, to speed their delivery to deployed soldiers in Iraq. As equipment comes available, it's shipped to Iraq immediately and tested to see how it incorporates with the mission, officials said. The "fieldings" are geared only toward mission necessity, with the "bells and whistles" added later, they said. Fielding is the process of identifying a mission requirement and fulfilling it with new or existing technology.
Officials have applied this concept to the MRAP, which is attributed with greatly reducing combat injuries for soldiers on patrol.
"We're getting the fielded pieces out to the soldiers immediately," Army Lt. Col. Steven Brewer, force integration officer for Multinational Division Center, said. "When roadside bomb attacks were on the rise in Iraq, soldiers found themselves in need of vehicles that could resist the threat.
"We are ... going immediately from concept to implementation in less than a year out here, so we are taking a lot of shortcuts and doing a lot of pieces after the fact," Brewer continued. "Then, we just keep improving it and testing it."
Four companies were manufacturing MRAPs simultaneously to meet increased demand, officials said. Six of 12 models passed initial Army testing, with four chosen for development. Since the first four models, experts have instituted three generations of improvements, essentially creating 12 versions of the vehicle. A simulated MRAP roll-over trainer is in development.
"The MRAP fielding will probably go down as the granddaddy of all fieldings," Brewer said. The final MRAP fieldings are being completed this month and consist of protection against explosive projectiles, he said.
A process that can take five years or longer took roughly eight months to reach more than 50 percent of the units in need, officials said.
"We don't have time to wait for that five-year process. We need the stuff while we are still here, so we've come up with this abbreviated process," Brewer said.
A wide variety of new equipment is making its way to units in the field, officials said.
One much-awaited piece of technology is the X-Bot, a self-contained robotic system capable of investigating suspected improvised explosive devices in various locations.
"The X-Bot fits between the seats in a Humvee so if you come across something that looks suspicious, you can throw it out there, and it moves pretty fast -- so it is definitely a good piece of equipment to have," Brewer said.
Other equipment undergoing the fielding process include portable walk-through metal detectors for entry control points; the Boomerang system, which can detect the direction of sniper fire and shoot back; and new types of sensors that can improve finding roadside bombs, officials said.
(Army Staff Sgts. Michel Sauret and Amber Emery write for the Army News Service).
Special to American Forces Press Service
Jan. 9, 2009 - Army officials are creating a new way to field force-protection products, such as mine-resistant, ambush-protected vehicles, to speed their delivery to deployed soldiers in Iraq. As equipment comes available, it's shipped to Iraq immediately and tested to see how it incorporates with the mission, officials said. The "fieldings" are geared only toward mission necessity, with the "bells and whistles" added later, they said. Fielding is the process of identifying a mission requirement and fulfilling it with new or existing technology.
Officials have applied this concept to the MRAP, which is attributed with greatly reducing combat injuries for soldiers on patrol.
"We're getting the fielded pieces out to the soldiers immediately," Army Lt. Col. Steven Brewer, force integration officer for Multinational Division Center, said. "When roadside bomb attacks were on the rise in Iraq, soldiers found themselves in need of vehicles that could resist the threat.
"We are ... going immediately from concept to implementation in less than a year out here, so we are taking a lot of shortcuts and doing a lot of pieces after the fact," Brewer continued. "Then, we just keep improving it and testing it."
Four companies were manufacturing MRAPs simultaneously to meet increased demand, officials said. Six of 12 models passed initial Army testing, with four chosen for development. Since the first four models, experts have instituted three generations of improvements, essentially creating 12 versions of the vehicle. A simulated MRAP roll-over trainer is in development.
"The MRAP fielding will probably go down as the granddaddy of all fieldings," Brewer said. The final MRAP fieldings are being completed this month and consist of protection against explosive projectiles, he said.
A process that can take five years or longer took roughly eight months to reach more than 50 percent of the units in need, officials said.
"We don't have time to wait for that five-year process. We need the stuff while we are still here, so we've come up with this abbreviated process," Brewer said.
A wide variety of new equipment is making its way to units in the field, officials said.
One much-awaited piece of technology is the X-Bot, a self-contained robotic system capable of investigating suspected improvised explosive devices in various locations.
"The X-Bot fits between the seats in a Humvee so if you come across something that looks suspicious, you can throw it out there, and it moves pretty fast -- so it is definitely a good piece of equipment to have," Brewer said.
Other equipment undergoing the fielding process include portable walk-through metal detectors for entry control points; the Boomerang system, which can detect the direction of sniper fire and shoot back; and new types of sensors that can improve finding roadside bombs, officials said.
(Army Staff Sgts. Michel Sauret and Amber Emery write for the Army News Service).
Thursday, January 08, 2009
Iraqi Girls Reclaim Former Attack Site as 'Fort of Science'
By Army Sgt. 1st Class Christina Bhatti
Special to American Forces Press Service
Jan. 8, 2009 - Some 300 girls in blue jumpers and white head scarves stood in formation on the school's courtyard. The chill in the morning air rose in puffs as they chatted, happily anticipating the formal opening of their new school. "Today is a good day," said Saeed Jassim Hameed al-Mashhadani, a tribal sheik in Tarmiyah, Iraq. "This day marks a beginning of education for these girls."
The Huda Girls' School in Tarmiyah, northwest of Baghdad, officially reopened its doors Jan. 5 in a ceremony that featured speeches, poems and songs. The school provides education to about 950 girls who attend classes at various times throughout the day.
Built in 1982, the building first was used as dormitory, but transformed into a school for agriculture in 1995. Since then, it has transformed again into primary and high schools specializing in the sciences.
"This is really something big for the people. This is a fort of science," Muhamad Ibrihim Jassim, administrative supervisor for the Ministry of Education in Tarmiyah, said about the school's reopening. "This is the largest school in the area."
The Ministry of Education had long recognized the school for its excellence. That was until 2003, when it became the scene of violence during major combat operations and slowly ceased to function, said Malcom Phelps, a senior education advisor for the coalition's embedded provincial reconstruction team attached in Multinatioonal Division Baghdad to the 25th Infantry Division's 2nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team.
The school, located near a joint security station, was the launching point of ambushes, homemade-bomb attacks and sniper fire against coalition forces and the then-nascent Iraqi security forces.
After a cautious stability was reached in the area in 2006, soldiers from the 1st Cavalry Division began projects to rebuild the badly war-damaged school.
During the process, a major terror plan was thwarted. Soldiers discovered a command wire leading from the school's outer perimeter to one of the rooms. Inside the room, the troops discovered five artillery shell explosives. The planned insurgent attack also included two large explosive-filled propane tanks buried under the school's floor and numerous projectiles planted under electrical conduits in front of each classroom.
"This was a major setback," said Army 1st Lt. Erik Peterson, a civil-military affairs officer assigned to the 25th Infantry Division's Company A, 1st Battalion, 14th Infantry Regiment. "If they went off, not only would the building have been destroyed, many lives would have been lost."
More damage was caused by removing the explosives, Peterson said. Engineer crews had to pull up the floor and take down walls brick by brick to ensure there was no longer a threat built into the structure.
Eventually, those involved in the plot were captured or killed by U.S. and Iraqi forces.
"Even though this was a setback, we had to try again," Peterson said. "This is the only secondary school in the city. If it wasn't rebuilt, there would be no place for these girls to go to school and get a good education."
About $300,000 of Iraqi and U.S. funds were spent to rebuild and refurbish the school, which contains 18 classrooms, science labs, an administration suite and an auditorium.
Now that the school is open, it faces many of the same issues plaguing the entire education system of Iraq.
"We have so many students," Jassim said, adding that the girls now go to school in shifts to help alleviate the overcrowding. "We need more buildings so we can effectively teach these students."
Peterson said more school projects are in the works, and that he hopes more schools will open soon.
More teachers also are needed, but Jassim said he is confident that problem will be solved in the coming years.
"All of the teachers we currently have graduated from this school," he said. "They belong to this area. Some of these girls will do the same thing, and we will continue to prosper like we did before the fighting."
Jassim said he is sure the area is safe now.
"There is nothing more to be scared of," he said. "These girls can come to school in peace."
Despite the peace and stability in the area, a symbol of violence still looms in the background. Clearly visible from inside the school's compound is the brightly colored dome of the Ghalani Mosque. This mosque is a known safe haven for terror and frequently broadcasts anti-coalition and Iraqi security messages. But Jassim said this will not deter his efforts and those of his teachers to give the students the education they deserve.
"It is our duty to provide the best education possible," he said. "We have been charged with that duty – and we will prevail."
(Army Sgt. 1st Class Christina Bhatti serves in Multinational Division Baghdad with the 25th Infantry Division's 2nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team public affairs office.)
Special to American Forces Press Service
Jan. 8, 2009 - Some 300 girls in blue jumpers and white head scarves stood in formation on the school's courtyard. The chill in the morning air rose in puffs as they chatted, happily anticipating the formal opening of their new school. "Today is a good day," said Saeed Jassim Hameed al-Mashhadani, a tribal sheik in Tarmiyah, Iraq. "This day marks a beginning of education for these girls."
The Huda Girls' School in Tarmiyah, northwest of Baghdad, officially reopened its doors Jan. 5 in a ceremony that featured speeches, poems and songs. The school provides education to about 950 girls who attend classes at various times throughout the day.
Built in 1982, the building first was used as dormitory, but transformed into a school for agriculture in 1995. Since then, it has transformed again into primary and high schools specializing in the sciences.
"This is really something big for the people. This is a fort of science," Muhamad Ibrihim Jassim, administrative supervisor for the Ministry of Education in Tarmiyah, said about the school's reopening. "This is the largest school in the area."
The Ministry of Education had long recognized the school for its excellence. That was until 2003, when it became the scene of violence during major combat operations and slowly ceased to function, said Malcom Phelps, a senior education advisor for the coalition's embedded provincial reconstruction team attached in Multinatioonal Division Baghdad to the 25th Infantry Division's 2nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team.
The school, located near a joint security station, was the launching point of ambushes, homemade-bomb attacks and sniper fire against coalition forces and the then-nascent Iraqi security forces.
After a cautious stability was reached in the area in 2006, soldiers from the 1st Cavalry Division began projects to rebuild the badly war-damaged school.
During the process, a major terror plan was thwarted. Soldiers discovered a command wire leading from the school's outer perimeter to one of the rooms. Inside the room, the troops discovered five artillery shell explosives. The planned insurgent attack also included two large explosive-filled propane tanks buried under the school's floor and numerous projectiles planted under electrical conduits in front of each classroom.
"This was a major setback," said Army 1st Lt. Erik Peterson, a civil-military affairs officer assigned to the 25th Infantry Division's Company A, 1st Battalion, 14th Infantry Regiment. "If they went off, not only would the building have been destroyed, many lives would have been lost."
More damage was caused by removing the explosives, Peterson said. Engineer crews had to pull up the floor and take down walls brick by brick to ensure there was no longer a threat built into the structure.
Eventually, those involved in the plot were captured or killed by U.S. and Iraqi forces.
"Even though this was a setback, we had to try again," Peterson said. "This is the only secondary school in the city. If it wasn't rebuilt, there would be no place for these girls to go to school and get a good education."
About $300,000 of Iraqi and U.S. funds were spent to rebuild and refurbish the school, which contains 18 classrooms, science labs, an administration suite and an auditorium.
Now that the school is open, it faces many of the same issues plaguing the entire education system of Iraq.
"We have so many students," Jassim said, adding that the girls now go to school in shifts to help alleviate the overcrowding. "We need more buildings so we can effectively teach these students."
Peterson said more school projects are in the works, and that he hopes more schools will open soon.
More teachers also are needed, but Jassim said he is confident that problem will be solved in the coming years.
"All of the teachers we currently have graduated from this school," he said. "They belong to this area. Some of these girls will do the same thing, and we will continue to prosper like we did before the fighting."
Jassim said he is sure the area is safe now.
"There is nothing more to be scared of," he said. "These girls can come to school in peace."
Despite the peace and stability in the area, a symbol of violence still looms in the background. Clearly visible from inside the school's compound is the brightly colored dome of the Ghalani Mosque. This mosque is a known safe haven for terror and frequently broadcasts anti-coalition and Iraqi security messages. But Jassim said this will not deter his efforts and those of his teachers to give the students the education they deserve.
"It is our duty to provide the best education possible," he said. "We have been charged with that duty – and we will prevail."
(Army Sgt. 1st Class Christina Bhatti serves in Multinational Division Baghdad with the 25th Infantry Division's 2nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team public affairs office.)
Face of Defense: Soldier Teaches Techniques to Iraqi Farmers
By Army Staff Sgt. Jody Metzger
Special to American Forces Press Service
Jan. 8, 2009 - Iraqi farmers, still struggling from two decades of neglect under the oil-focused regime of Sadaam Hussein, are finding a friend in Army Capt. Suzanne Todd. Todd, of Jacksonville, Fla., is the agriculture and veterinary advisor for the 4th Infantry Division, Multinational Division Baghdad. Her appointment is the latest in coalition efforts to move beyond providing security to Iraq, and rebuild the country and its resources to allow for Iraqi sovereignty, officials said.
Todd, who serves with the 425th Civil Affairs Battalion, is well-suited for the job. She a bachelor's degree in international relations from William and Mary University in Virginia and earned her commission through the ROTC program.
After spending time in the Army Reserve, Todd decided to use the military's financial help and go to veterinarian school. Following graduation from Michigan State University, Todd joined the ranks of the Army as a veterinary officer.
Todd said she could have had a good civilian career, but she always felt the need to be in the Army.
"I have always wanted to be in the military. It's kind of what I always wanted to do when I graduated, but at the time they were downsizing the active duty military, so I joined the reserves," she said.
The influence to join the Army came from Todd's mother and father, who also served in the Army. Though they didn't actively push for their daughter to join, they were very supportive of her decision.
"My mother was an Army nurse and father was in the medical field," she said. "They both had good experiences."
Todd's interests in agriculture and animals and her tenacity to follow her heart have paid off. As an advisor for Multinational Division Baghdad, she said, she now looks at her career field as a way to help educate Iraqi farmers on more advanced techniques.
Army Lt. Col. Arnold Csan, chief of the division's civil affairs planning team, said Todd's efforts have helped to create jobs. "Since she has been here, she has gone out on missions to the vocational college and the vaccine center, both of which serve countrywide," he explained. "Her focus as an agriculture expert for MND-B has been behind the largest employment of young men in Iraq."
Todd has consulted with Iraqi farmers and veterinary hospital clinics and instituted a plan to redevelop the farming infrastructure.
"One of the things they have problems with is the salinity in the soil, because their traditional method of irrigation is flood irrigation," she said. "They open up the flood gates of their irrigation canals, and they flood their fields with water. If there is a high salinity or salt content in the soil, which there is, that ends up in the water."
There is a way to reclaim the land, she explained, but it takes a while to leach that salinity out of the soil. The water comes in the same way, but must be treated before it's on the fields.
Since arriving in Baghdad, Todd has advised and introduced farmers to techniques such as drip-and-spray irrigation, along with pioneering the idea of employing a new variety of high-yield seeds.
Along with her work with the farmers and their irrigation and crop-growing needs, Todd also has done extensive work relating to the farm animals, which are equally important to the welfare and sustenance of the Iraqi people.
"If you consider agriculture, it also goes along with animal agriculture," she said. "The animals that we raise to be our food – that's where veterinarian medicine plays a role. We as veterinarians are concerned not only about the health of livestock we grow for food, but [also] how their health impacts our health. The diseases that the animals get can impact what diseases we get."
(Army Staff Sgt. Jody Metzger serves in the Multinational Division Baghdad public affairs office.)
Special to American Forces Press Service
Jan. 8, 2009 - Iraqi farmers, still struggling from two decades of neglect under the oil-focused regime of Sadaam Hussein, are finding a friend in Army Capt. Suzanne Todd. Todd, of Jacksonville, Fla., is the agriculture and veterinary advisor for the 4th Infantry Division, Multinational Division Baghdad. Her appointment is the latest in coalition efforts to move beyond providing security to Iraq, and rebuild the country and its resources to allow for Iraqi sovereignty, officials said.
Todd, who serves with the 425th Civil Affairs Battalion, is well-suited for the job. She a bachelor's degree in international relations from William and Mary University in Virginia and earned her commission through the ROTC program.
After spending time in the Army Reserve, Todd decided to use the military's financial help and go to veterinarian school. Following graduation from Michigan State University, Todd joined the ranks of the Army as a veterinary officer.
Todd said she could have had a good civilian career, but she always felt the need to be in the Army.
"I have always wanted to be in the military. It's kind of what I always wanted to do when I graduated, but at the time they were downsizing the active duty military, so I joined the reserves," she said.
The influence to join the Army came from Todd's mother and father, who also served in the Army. Though they didn't actively push for their daughter to join, they were very supportive of her decision.
"My mother was an Army nurse and father was in the medical field," she said. "They both had good experiences."
Todd's interests in agriculture and animals and her tenacity to follow her heart have paid off. As an advisor for Multinational Division Baghdad, she said, she now looks at her career field as a way to help educate Iraqi farmers on more advanced techniques.
Army Lt. Col. Arnold Csan, chief of the division's civil affairs planning team, said Todd's efforts have helped to create jobs. "Since she has been here, she has gone out on missions to the vocational college and the vaccine center, both of which serve countrywide," he explained. "Her focus as an agriculture expert for MND-B has been behind the largest employment of young men in Iraq."
Todd has consulted with Iraqi farmers and veterinary hospital clinics and instituted a plan to redevelop the farming infrastructure.
"One of the things they have problems with is the salinity in the soil, because their traditional method of irrigation is flood irrigation," she said. "They open up the flood gates of their irrigation canals, and they flood their fields with water. If there is a high salinity or salt content in the soil, which there is, that ends up in the water."
There is a way to reclaim the land, she explained, but it takes a while to leach that salinity out of the soil. The water comes in the same way, but must be treated before it's on the fields.
Since arriving in Baghdad, Todd has advised and introduced farmers to techniques such as drip-and-spray irrigation, along with pioneering the idea of employing a new variety of high-yield seeds.
Along with her work with the farmers and their irrigation and crop-growing needs, Todd also has done extensive work relating to the farm animals, which are equally important to the welfare and sustenance of the Iraqi people.
"If you consider agriculture, it also goes along with animal agriculture," she said. "The animals that we raise to be our food – that's where veterinarian medicine plays a role. We as veterinarians are concerned not only about the health of livestock we grow for food, but [also] how their health impacts our health. The diseases that the animals get can impact what diseases we get."
(Army Staff Sgt. Jody Metzger serves in the Multinational Division Baghdad public affairs office.)
Forces Target Bomb Networks, Capture Five Militants in Afghanistan
American Forces Press Service
Jan. 8, 2009 - Afghan and coalition forces detained five suspected militants yesterday during operations to disrupt the Haqqani and Taliban terrorist networks in Afghanistan's Khowst and Kandahar provinces, military officials reported. The forces netted four militants, including an alleged Haqqani commander, in Khowst province's Bak district, southeast of here. The commander is suspected of facilitating suicide car bombings against civilians and coalition forces and aiding in the movement of foreign fighters to carry out attacks in the province.
In Zharmi district, west of Kandahar, coalition forces detained a suspected militant while targeting a Taliban sub-commander who reportedly directed and coordinated suicide bomb attacks against Afghan officials and civilians.
(From a U.S. Forces Afghanistan news release.)
Jan. 8, 2009 - Afghan and coalition forces detained five suspected militants yesterday during operations to disrupt the Haqqani and Taliban terrorist networks in Afghanistan's Khowst and Kandahar provinces, military officials reported. The forces netted four militants, including an alleged Haqqani commander, in Khowst province's Bak district, southeast of here. The commander is suspected of facilitating suicide car bombings against civilians and coalition forces and aiding in the movement of foreign fighters to carry out attacks in the province.
In Zharmi district, west of Kandahar, coalition forces detained a suspected militant while targeting a Taliban sub-commander who reportedly directed and coordinated suicide bomb attacks against Afghan officials and civilians.
(From a U.S. Forces Afghanistan news release.)
Forces Thwart Terrorist Attacks in Iraq, Seize Weapons
American Forces Press Service
Jan. 8, 2009 - Iraqi security forces and U.S. soldiers prevented terrorist attacks and seized weapons Jan. 6 in operations in Iraq, military officials reported. Iraqi national police and U.S. soldiers spotted a magnetic "sticky" bomb attached to the undercarriage of a vehicle in the Hadar community of southern Baghdad's Rashid district. The bomb exploded shortly after police evacuated an Iraqi family to a safe distance.
No one was injured in the blast, but the vehicle was destroyed.
A tip from an Iraqi civilian led Iraqi soldiers to a pipe bomb planted inside a house in southern Baghdad's Saydiyah community. The soldiers transported the bomb to their headquarters, where an Iraqi explosives ordnance disposal team disabled the device.
Elsewhere, Iraqi and coalition forces seized a weapons cache Jan. 6 west of Beijat in Diyala province that included 65 rocket-propelled grenade rounds, eight shotgun shells, five packages of explosives, three crush wires with battery packs and an automatic weapon.
(Compiled from Multinational Corps Iraq news releases.)
Jan. 8, 2009 - Iraqi security forces and U.S. soldiers prevented terrorist attacks and seized weapons Jan. 6 in operations in Iraq, military officials reported. Iraqi national police and U.S. soldiers spotted a magnetic "sticky" bomb attached to the undercarriage of a vehicle in the Hadar community of southern Baghdad's Rashid district. The bomb exploded shortly after police evacuated an Iraqi family to a safe distance.
No one was injured in the blast, but the vehicle was destroyed.
A tip from an Iraqi civilian led Iraqi soldiers to a pipe bomb planted inside a house in southern Baghdad's Saydiyah community. The soldiers transported the bomb to their headquarters, where an Iraqi explosives ordnance disposal team disabled the device.
Elsewhere, Iraqi and coalition forces seized a weapons cache Jan. 6 west of Beijat in Diyala province that included 65 rocket-propelled grenade rounds, eight shotgun shells, five packages of explosives, three crush wires with battery packs and an automatic weapon.
(Compiled from Multinational Corps Iraq news releases.)
2009 Opens With New Milestones and More to Come in Iraq, Official Says
By Donna Miles
American Forces Press Service
an. 8, 2009 - Iraq has witnessed "some remarkable milestones" already this month, with more on the horizon, Pentagon Press Secretary Geoff Morrell said today. The new status-of-forces and strategic framework agreements took effect Jan. 1, "marking a new day in our relations with Iraq," he said. In other developments, the United States formally turned control of the International Zone in Baghdad over to Iraqi security forces Jan. 1. Four days later, the United States opened its new embassy in Baghdad, reflecting what Ambassador Ryan C. Crocker called "a new era" for Iraq and the Iraqi-U.S. relationship.
Other milestones will be reached in the months ahead. Historic provincial elections are just four weeks away, and are expected to draw 15 million voters who will vote from a field of 14,000 candidates. Two national elections are scheduled in Iraq later this year.
"So there is ... much to be encouraged by in Iraq thus far this year," Morrell said.
Meanwhile, he noted, security continues to improve in Iraq. Violence in 2008 was down 65 percent from the previous year, and high-profile attacks were down 55 percent.
Security incidents in December numbered fewer than 600. "That is the lowest number since the summer of 2003, just after the invasion," he said.
The U.S. military lost 312 members in Iraq last year, compared to 886 in 2008. "One is too many, but that is a stunning, stunning drop in casualties in Iraq," Morrell said.
Security challenges continue, he conceded, pointing to recent high-profile attacks as examples. "Al-Qaida and some of the [Iranian-backed] special groups remain a threat to peace and stability in that country, and that's why there is still a requirement for U.S. forces on the ground," he said.
Morrell noted other measures of progress. Electricity production, in megawatts, is up 25 percent, with most of Iraq receiving an average of 16 hours of power per day. Oil production is up, too, up to 100 percent in the north, Morrell said.
No decisions have yet been made about additional troop drawdowns in Iraq, he said.
Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates met with Army Gen. Raymond Odierno, commander of Multinational Force Iraq, and Lt. Gen. Lloyd Austin, commander of Multinational Corps Iraq, at Balad Air Base during his visit to Iraq in December.
"They had an excellent discussion about some of the initial planning that General Odierno is considering for drawdowns in this year," Morrell said. "But I don't believe that we have come to any conclusion yet as to how that will take place."
American Forces Press Service
an. 8, 2009 - Iraq has witnessed "some remarkable milestones" already this month, with more on the horizon, Pentagon Press Secretary Geoff Morrell said today. The new status-of-forces and strategic framework agreements took effect Jan. 1, "marking a new day in our relations with Iraq," he said. In other developments, the United States formally turned control of the International Zone in Baghdad over to Iraqi security forces Jan. 1. Four days later, the United States opened its new embassy in Baghdad, reflecting what Ambassador Ryan C. Crocker called "a new era" for Iraq and the Iraqi-U.S. relationship.
Other milestones will be reached in the months ahead. Historic provincial elections are just four weeks away, and are expected to draw 15 million voters who will vote from a field of 14,000 candidates. Two national elections are scheduled in Iraq later this year.
"So there is ... much to be encouraged by in Iraq thus far this year," Morrell said.
Meanwhile, he noted, security continues to improve in Iraq. Violence in 2008 was down 65 percent from the previous year, and high-profile attacks were down 55 percent.
Security incidents in December numbered fewer than 600. "That is the lowest number since the summer of 2003, just after the invasion," he said.
The U.S. military lost 312 members in Iraq last year, compared to 886 in 2008. "One is too many, but that is a stunning, stunning drop in casualties in Iraq," Morrell said.
Security challenges continue, he conceded, pointing to recent high-profile attacks as examples. "Al-Qaida and some of the [Iranian-backed] special groups remain a threat to peace and stability in that country, and that's why there is still a requirement for U.S. forces on the ground," he said.
Morrell noted other measures of progress. Electricity production, in megawatts, is up 25 percent, with most of Iraq receiving an average of 16 hours of power per day. Oil production is up, too, up to 100 percent in the north, Morrell said.
No decisions have yet been made about additional troop drawdowns in Iraq, he said.
Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates met with Army Gen. Raymond Odierno, commander of Multinational Force Iraq, and Lt. Gen. Lloyd Austin, commander of Multinational Corps Iraq, at Balad Air Base during his visit to Iraq in December.
"They had an excellent discussion about some of the initial planning that General Odierno is considering for drawdowns in this year," Morrell said. "But I don't believe that we have come to any conclusion yet as to how that will take place."
Wednesday, January 07, 2009
Unit Learns Skills to Fight Different Enemy
By Fred W. Baker III
American Forces Press Service
Jan. 7, 2009 - Standing before a muddy, mangled mess of concrete, metal and wood, a squad of combat-hardened Marines hastily planned the attack, their target waiting somewhere deep in the debris. Within minutes, the leader barked his orders and the squad struck.
But this was not a fight typical of those the Marines had seen in their multiple tours to Iraq and Afghanistan. Not a single shot was fired. Time was their enemy, and the mission was to save a life, not take one.
The Marines, assigned to the Chemical, Biological Incident Response Force here, approached their final training obstacle in a three-week course required of everyone assigned to the highly specialized unit tasked by the Defense Department with responding to disasters that require federal assistance.
The squad's weapons were replaced with metal pry bars, Kevlar helmets with construction hard-hats, and combat uniforms with coveralls. The mock disaster scenario involved a building collapse, and the teams were looking to find and extract survivors.
Marine Cpl. Jeramia Jones, a two-time Iraq combat veteran, led the squad's efforts.
"It felt like I was squad leader again in the infantry, except without the shooting," he said of the exercise. Jones volunteered for the duty, and for him, the change in mission is eye-opening.
"I've never really got to save lives. It's never been in my job description. Now I get to," he said. "It's kind of neat seeing a different side."
Despite the fact that they no longer kick down doors and give chase to the enemy, the Marines embrace the change in mission and tackle it with equal effort, the unit's top officer said.
"You can give the Marine Corps any kind of mission ... and they're going to put their shoulders to the wheel and give it 110 percent," Marine Col. John M. Pollock, who commands the unit, said. "I don't care if it's clearing ridge tops in Afghanistan or the city of Fallujah, or pulling victims out of a hot zone. It's just kind of the people they are. Regardless of what that challenge is, they are going to give it their best effort."
In the early 1990s, senior military officials began facing the growing threat of terrorists using chemical and biological weapons to attack the United States. In 1995, then-President Bill Clinton signed a directive declaring that the United States would give the highest priority to developing capabilities to manage the consequences of nuclear, biological or chemical materials or weapons used by terrorists.
The commandant of the Marine Corps set in place the guidelines for designing a highly trained and specialized unit designed to respond to such a threat in the event that state and local authorities need Defense Department assistance.
A year later, the CBIRF was born with its primary mission of decontaminating and removing casualties from a disaster site. It first was based at Camp Lejeune, N.C., and later moved to the Naval Support Facility here.
The 2nd Marine Expeditionary Force led the operational efforts of the unit until October 2008 when, in a historic move, the U.S. Northern Command pulled into its ranks nearly 5,000 active-duty forces designated to respond to homeland emergencies.
Now, the CBIRF is associated administratively with the 2nd MEF, but can tap into the extensive medical, aviation, transportation and logistical support of the other units within Northcom's response force.
The unit is designed to help state and local first responders, and would be deployed only when requested by those agencies through the Defense Department, Pollock said.
More than 400 Marines, sailors and civilians are assigned to the unit, with Marines making up its majority. Navy corpsmen provide medical expertise and support, serving side by side with the Marines just as they do in combat.
The unit has specialists in bomb disposal, technical rescue decontamination, chemical identification and detection, medical and casualty extraction. It also has a security force, but Pollock said he would rather use state and local law enforcement for security. The unit does not use weapons in its specialized rescue training.
"Security for our forces operating within the homeland is a law-enforcement issue, and I would much rather leverage local and state law enforcement to provide that security," Pollock said. "It gets in the way of my primary mission, which is to get into a hot zone and to save lives."
Two response forces are at the ready, Pollock said, but the strength of the unit lies in its ability to tailor the force to the mission's needs.
"If it needs to be smaller, we can make it smaller. If it needs to be bigger, we can make it bigger," Pollock said. "We do have a standard construct for a [response force], but that's really just a point of departure as we go into mission analysis and as we task organize and try to 'right-size' that force."
While the unit is a reactive force, it takes on a proactive posture. It regularly pre-positions its assets at national-security-level events. For example, a unit was in place for the Republican National Convention in Minnesota over the summer, Pollock said.
"That's probably the type of operation that we're best postured to execute against," Pollock said. "We are already in the incident area, and we can rapidly respond ... to get to an incident site."
The unit also regularly trains around the country with its state, local and National Guard counterparts. This helps to establish and maintain relationships with the units so that, in the event the CBIRF is requested, it can more quickly move into it support role.
"One of the things that we think is important is to maintain those contacts, maintain those networks with both local first responders and also with our National Guard counterparts," Pollock said. "Because when the balloon goes up, that's not the time to just be learning these guys' names. We really should have already established a relationship before that happens."
The unit annually travels to Canada's Defense Research and Development Center in Alberta for live chemical and biological agent training.
Unit leaders also call on civilian experts to help train the unit.
Experts from the New York City Fire Department travel here to train the unit members on responding to structural collapses, said Patrick Higgins, the lead weapons of mass destruction instructor at the unit. The Los Angeles City Fire Department sends experts from its college of search and rescue to teach specialized rescue efforts.
Higgins is a retired Marine master sergeant and former member of the unit. He has traveled the world as a crash fire rescue specialist and said those serving at the CBIRF are the best in their field.
"The Marines here at CBIRF do their job better than anybody else on the face of the planet," he said.
Higgins credits their success to tenacity, training and youth.
"The Marine Corps is uniquely suited for this mission ... because of Marine tenacity. You give a Marine a challenge, and he's going to get it done no matter what the cost," he said.
The other five civilian instructors also are former unit members. Higgins said they frequently update training to match evolving threats. But don't look for high-technology simulators and a lot of gee-whiz gadgets. The training is short on computers and long on dirt.
"There is zero sanitizing in the training that is out here," Higgins said. "You could look at a computer screen all day long, but until you have to eat the mud and smell the concrete dust, it's a total different environment. We teach the Marines what they're going to be faced with."
This constant training, as in combat, is what keeps the Marines safe during their missions, Pollock said. While there may not be an enemy shooting at the Marines, real dangers lurk in the hazardous conditions of a potentially contaminated disaster site.
"It's an inherently dangerous business," Pollock said. "The dangers and the risks are a little different than being deployed in Iraq or Afghanistan. But any time you are dealing with a contaminated environment ... it's challenging, and the skills required to operate in that environment are extensive and they're perishable, and you constantly have to train to the standards."
American Forces Press Service
Jan. 7, 2009 - Standing before a muddy, mangled mess of concrete, metal and wood, a squad of combat-hardened Marines hastily planned the attack, their target waiting somewhere deep in the debris. Within minutes, the leader barked his orders and the squad struck.
But this was not a fight typical of those the Marines had seen in their multiple tours to Iraq and Afghanistan. Not a single shot was fired. Time was their enemy, and the mission was to save a life, not take one.
The Marines, assigned to the Chemical, Biological Incident Response Force here, approached their final training obstacle in a three-week course required of everyone assigned to the highly specialized unit tasked by the Defense Department with responding to disasters that require federal assistance.
The squad's weapons were replaced with metal pry bars, Kevlar helmets with construction hard-hats, and combat uniforms with coveralls. The mock disaster scenario involved a building collapse, and the teams were looking to find and extract survivors.
Marine Cpl. Jeramia Jones, a two-time Iraq combat veteran, led the squad's efforts.
"It felt like I was squad leader again in the infantry, except without the shooting," he said of the exercise. Jones volunteered for the duty, and for him, the change in mission is eye-opening.
"I've never really got to save lives. It's never been in my job description. Now I get to," he said. "It's kind of neat seeing a different side."
Despite the fact that they no longer kick down doors and give chase to the enemy, the Marines embrace the change in mission and tackle it with equal effort, the unit's top officer said.
"You can give the Marine Corps any kind of mission ... and they're going to put their shoulders to the wheel and give it 110 percent," Marine Col. John M. Pollock, who commands the unit, said. "I don't care if it's clearing ridge tops in Afghanistan or the city of Fallujah, or pulling victims out of a hot zone. It's just kind of the people they are. Regardless of what that challenge is, they are going to give it their best effort."
In the early 1990s, senior military officials began facing the growing threat of terrorists using chemical and biological weapons to attack the United States. In 1995, then-President Bill Clinton signed a directive declaring that the United States would give the highest priority to developing capabilities to manage the consequences of nuclear, biological or chemical materials or weapons used by terrorists.
The commandant of the Marine Corps set in place the guidelines for designing a highly trained and specialized unit designed to respond to such a threat in the event that state and local authorities need Defense Department assistance.
A year later, the CBIRF was born with its primary mission of decontaminating and removing casualties from a disaster site. It first was based at Camp Lejeune, N.C., and later moved to the Naval Support Facility here.
The 2nd Marine Expeditionary Force led the operational efforts of the unit until October 2008 when, in a historic move, the U.S. Northern Command pulled into its ranks nearly 5,000 active-duty forces designated to respond to homeland emergencies.
Now, the CBIRF is associated administratively with the 2nd MEF, but can tap into the extensive medical, aviation, transportation and logistical support of the other units within Northcom's response force.
The unit is designed to help state and local first responders, and would be deployed only when requested by those agencies through the Defense Department, Pollock said.
More than 400 Marines, sailors and civilians are assigned to the unit, with Marines making up its majority. Navy corpsmen provide medical expertise and support, serving side by side with the Marines just as they do in combat.
The unit has specialists in bomb disposal, technical rescue decontamination, chemical identification and detection, medical and casualty extraction. It also has a security force, but Pollock said he would rather use state and local law enforcement for security. The unit does not use weapons in its specialized rescue training.
"Security for our forces operating within the homeland is a law-enforcement issue, and I would much rather leverage local and state law enforcement to provide that security," Pollock said. "It gets in the way of my primary mission, which is to get into a hot zone and to save lives."
Two response forces are at the ready, Pollock said, but the strength of the unit lies in its ability to tailor the force to the mission's needs.
"If it needs to be smaller, we can make it smaller. If it needs to be bigger, we can make it bigger," Pollock said. "We do have a standard construct for a [response force], but that's really just a point of departure as we go into mission analysis and as we task organize and try to 'right-size' that force."
While the unit is a reactive force, it takes on a proactive posture. It regularly pre-positions its assets at national-security-level events. For example, a unit was in place for the Republican National Convention in Minnesota over the summer, Pollock said.
"That's probably the type of operation that we're best postured to execute against," Pollock said. "We are already in the incident area, and we can rapidly respond ... to get to an incident site."
The unit also regularly trains around the country with its state, local and National Guard counterparts. This helps to establish and maintain relationships with the units so that, in the event the CBIRF is requested, it can more quickly move into it support role.
"One of the things that we think is important is to maintain those contacts, maintain those networks with both local first responders and also with our National Guard counterparts," Pollock said. "Because when the balloon goes up, that's not the time to just be learning these guys' names. We really should have already established a relationship before that happens."
The unit annually travels to Canada's Defense Research and Development Center in Alberta for live chemical and biological agent training.
Unit leaders also call on civilian experts to help train the unit.
Experts from the New York City Fire Department travel here to train the unit members on responding to structural collapses, said Patrick Higgins, the lead weapons of mass destruction instructor at the unit. The Los Angeles City Fire Department sends experts from its college of search and rescue to teach specialized rescue efforts.
Higgins is a retired Marine master sergeant and former member of the unit. He has traveled the world as a crash fire rescue specialist and said those serving at the CBIRF are the best in their field.
"The Marines here at CBIRF do their job better than anybody else on the face of the planet," he said.
Higgins credits their success to tenacity, training and youth.
"The Marine Corps is uniquely suited for this mission ... because of Marine tenacity. You give a Marine a challenge, and he's going to get it done no matter what the cost," he said.
The other five civilian instructors also are former unit members. Higgins said they frequently update training to match evolving threats. But don't look for high-technology simulators and a lot of gee-whiz gadgets. The training is short on computers and long on dirt.
"There is zero sanitizing in the training that is out here," Higgins said. "You could look at a computer screen all day long, but until you have to eat the mud and smell the concrete dust, it's a total different environment. We teach the Marines what they're going to be faced with."
This constant training, as in combat, is what keeps the Marines safe during their missions, Pollock said. While there may not be an enemy shooting at the Marines, real dangers lurk in the hazardous conditions of a potentially contaminated disaster site.
"It's an inherently dangerous business," Pollock said. "The dangers and the risks are a little different than being deployed in Iraq or Afghanistan. But any time you are dealing with a contaminated environment ... it's challenging, and the skills required to operate in that environment are extensive and they're perishable, and you constantly have to train to the standards."
CBR Weapons and WMD Terrorism News- January 7, 2009
Terrorists could use 'insect-based' biological weapon
“Terrorists would find it ‘relatively easy’ to launch a devastating attack using swarms of insects to spread a deadly disease, an academic has warned. Jeffrey Lockwood, professor of entomology at Wyoming University and author of Six-legged Soldiers: Using Insects as Weapons of War, said such Rift Valley Fever or other diseases could be transported into a country by a terrorist with a suitcase. He told BBC Radio 4's Today program: ‘I think a small terrorist cell could very easily develop an insect-based weapon.’ He said it would ‘probably be much easier’ than developing a nuclear or chemical weapon […].” (The Telegraph; 05Jan09; Stephen Adams) http://www.telegraph.co.uk/earth/wildlife/4123782/Terrorists-could-use-insect-based-biological-weapon.html
Emergent BioSolutions [MD] ends pursuit of Protein Sciences [CT]
“Emergent BioSolutions Inc., maker of the only anthrax vaccine approved by the Food and Drug Administration, has given up trying to acquire the maker of a flu vaccine candidate. Rockville-based Emergent announced Tuesday that it has ended all activities related to its planned acquisition of Protein Sciences Corp. of Meriden, Conn. In May of last year the two companies agreed to merge, but in July Protein Sciences called the deal off, claiming that Emergent had breached the agreement and launched an effort to disrupt the approval process for Protein Sciences’ flu vaccine candidate, FluBlok.” (Washington Business Journal; 07Jan09; Tucker Echols) http://washington.bizjournals.com/washington/stories/2009/01/05/daily40.html
Israelis deny using phosphorous [in Gaza]
“Israeli military spokesmen deny that their forces have used phosphorus in Gaza, despite photographs and film of munitions showing similar characteristics to the potentially lethal shells. The Israelis have not said what kind of munitions they have been using, other than saying that their use is permitted under international law. Phosphorous shells are not illegal if they are used to create a smokescreen or to illuminate targets, rather than as a weapon against people, military experts and human rights campaigners said yesterday. […] White phosphorus produces layers of thick white smoke when exposed to oxygen, but phosporous from an explosion will cause serious burns that can melt flesh to the bone and kill. Its use as an offensive munition is banned by the chemical weapons convention.” (The Guardian; 06Jan09; Richard Norton-Taylor) http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2009/jan/06/gaza-israel-palestine-munitions
Last VX nerve agent eliminated from Army stockpile
“Headquarters for the Army Chemical Materials Agency here marked the destruction of all VX nerve agent munitions at its destruction sites on Dec. 24. This milestone occurred with the destruction of the last land mine containing VX at the Anniston Chemical Agent Disposal Facility in Anniston, Ala.” (Army News Service; 06Jan09; CMA Public Affairs Office) http://www.army.mil/-news/2009/01/06/15572-last-vx-nerve-agent-eliminated-from-army-stockpile/
U.S. vows 'huge' marine protection [of former chemical weapons stockpile sites]
“The US is to establish what it calls ‘the largest area of protected sea in the world’ around its Pacific islands. Commercial fishing and mining will be banned in the protected zones which include the Marianas Trench, the deepest area of ocean on the planet. The area totals 500,000 sq km (190,000 sq miles) of sea and sea floor. […] The Marianas group includes islands such as Saipan and Tinian which played significant roles in World War II, and Guam which is still a major US base. One of the other places now receiving protection, Johnston Atoll, was formerly used to stockpile chemical weapons.” (BBC News; 06Jan09; Richard Black)
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/7812786.stm
[Bahrain says] 'no' to religious land law [and takes steps to comply with the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons convention]
“[…] Councilors [in Bahrain’s Shura Council] meanwhile agreed in principle to back a government-proposed law on the production, storage and use of chemical weapons and ways of destroying them. Foreign Ministry legal affairs director Yousif Abdulkarim said the law was in line with Bahrain joining the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons. ‘Under the organisation's convention, we are obliged to come up with laws in regard to chemical weapons and this law is the first in a series of laws that we are currently preparing,’ said Mr Abdulkarim.” (Gulf Daily News;06Jan09)
http://www.gulf-daily-news.com/Story.asp?Article=239470&Sn=BNEW&IssueID=31292
A glimmer of hope from the dark world of MI5
“In the first interview granted by a serving head of MI5, Jonathan Evans has an encouraging story to tell. […] [T]here appear to be fewer ‘late stage’ al-Qaeda plots than there were. This does not mean the networks have gone away or that vigilance should not be maintained at the highest level. It does, though, remind us of how successful MI5 has been […]. In the past two years, there have been 86 successful prosecutions, most of British-born Islamists who have sought to carry out the most appalling atrocities with little thought for the consequences or the intended victims. They include plotters who targeted shopping centres and nightclubs, a group that flirted with the idea of making a ‘dirty’ bomb and another cell that planned to kidnap and murder a soldier. In addition, there are myriad plots that have been disrupted.” (The Telegraph; 07Jan09) http://www.telegraph.co.uk/comment/telegraph-view/4143720/A-glimmer-of-hope-from-the-dark-world-of-MI5.html
[AZ governor Janet] Napolitano heads to swift confirmation [as Homeland Security chief] but faces issues
“Arizona Gov. Janet Napolitano, tapped by President-elect Barack Obama to lead the Homeland Security Department, is expected to move quickly and smoothly through the Senate confirmation process beginning next week. But if she’s confirmed, the two-term governor and former federal prosecutor faces politically charged issues, from how to handle controversial raids conducted by the Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency to new intelligence that concludes terrorists probably will acquire weapons of mass destruction.” (Federal Times; 07Jan09; Source: Gannett News Service; John Yaukey) http://www.federaltimes.com/index.php?S=3890280
Highpoint for [al Qaeda] terrorists
“[W]hat event in 2008 might Osama bin Laden choose as the most significant for him and his ambitions? […] The simple answer rests in bin Laden's understanding that ‘MD’ means far more than the last two words in the phrase weapons of mass destruction.
To bin Laden and al Qaeda, the greatest strategic and political leverage now comes from massive disruption that is far more easily achieved than the mass destruction of difficult to get nuclear or biological weapons. And, despite major competition from other big events […], only one in 2008 captured this broader meaning. […] The critical event of 2008 for al Qaeda was the Mumbai terrorist attacks in late November […]. Mass disruption is now the most formidable weapon in the inventories of our principal enemies and particularly for bin Laden and al Qaeda.” (The Washington Times; 07Jan09; Harlan Ullman) http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2009/jan/07/highpoint-for-terrorists/
Letter to OSHA [Occupational Safety and Health Administration] marked 'anthrax' not harmful
“The FBI has determined that a suspicious letter sent to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration building in North Aurora [Chicago, IL] on Monday afternoon contained no harmful chemicals. The envelope was found in the building at about 2 p.m. Police and fire agencies were called, along with the Kane County Bomb Squad, which isolated the envelope. […] According to FBI spokesman Ross Rice, it was addressed to NASA at the OSHA office's address […] and had ‘anthrax’ written on the outside of the envelope. The envelope contained no powders, Rice said. It was not empty, but Ross declined to specify what was in the envelope. No one was injured in the incident and no one required medical attention.” (Suburban Chicago News; 07Jan09; Matt Hanley) http://www.suburbanchicagonews.com/beaconnews/news/1365348,2_1_AU07_ANTHRAX_S1.article
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.
“Terrorists would find it ‘relatively easy’ to launch a devastating attack using swarms of insects to spread a deadly disease, an academic has warned. Jeffrey Lockwood, professor of entomology at Wyoming University and author of Six-legged Soldiers: Using Insects as Weapons of War, said such Rift Valley Fever or other diseases could be transported into a country by a terrorist with a suitcase. He told BBC Radio 4's Today program: ‘I think a small terrorist cell could very easily develop an insect-based weapon.’ He said it would ‘probably be much easier’ than developing a nuclear or chemical weapon […].” (The Telegraph; 05Jan09; Stephen Adams) http://www.telegraph.co.uk/earth/wildlife/4123782/Terrorists-could-use-insect-based-biological-weapon.html
Emergent BioSolutions [MD] ends pursuit of Protein Sciences [CT]
“Emergent BioSolutions Inc., maker of the only anthrax vaccine approved by the Food and Drug Administration, has given up trying to acquire the maker of a flu vaccine candidate. Rockville-based Emergent announced Tuesday that it has ended all activities related to its planned acquisition of Protein Sciences Corp. of Meriden, Conn. In May of last year the two companies agreed to merge, but in July Protein Sciences called the deal off, claiming that Emergent had breached the agreement and launched an effort to disrupt the approval process for Protein Sciences’ flu vaccine candidate, FluBlok.” (Washington Business Journal; 07Jan09; Tucker Echols) http://washington.bizjournals.com/washington/stories/2009/01/05/daily40.html
Israelis deny using phosphorous [in Gaza]
“Israeli military spokesmen deny that their forces have used phosphorus in Gaza, despite photographs and film of munitions showing similar characteristics to the potentially lethal shells. The Israelis have not said what kind of munitions they have been using, other than saying that their use is permitted under international law. Phosphorous shells are not illegal if they are used to create a smokescreen or to illuminate targets, rather than as a weapon against people, military experts and human rights campaigners said yesterday. […] White phosphorus produces layers of thick white smoke when exposed to oxygen, but phosporous from an explosion will cause serious burns that can melt flesh to the bone and kill. Its use as an offensive munition is banned by the chemical weapons convention.” (The Guardian; 06Jan09; Richard Norton-Taylor) http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2009/jan/06/gaza-israel-palestine-munitions
Last VX nerve agent eliminated from Army stockpile
“Headquarters for the Army Chemical Materials Agency here marked the destruction of all VX nerve agent munitions at its destruction sites on Dec. 24. This milestone occurred with the destruction of the last land mine containing VX at the Anniston Chemical Agent Disposal Facility in Anniston, Ala.” (Army News Service; 06Jan09; CMA Public Affairs Office) http://www.army.mil/-news/2009/01/06/15572-last-vx-nerve-agent-eliminated-from-army-stockpile/
U.S. vows 'huge' marine protection [of former chemical weapons stockpile sites]
“The US is to establish what it calls ‘the largest area of protected sea in the world’ around its Pacific islands. Commercial fishing and mining will be banned in the protected zones which include the Marianas Trench, the deepest area of ocean on the planet. The area totals 500,000 sq km (190,000 sq miles) of sea and sea floor. […] The Marianas group includes islands such as Saipan and Tinian which played significant roles in World War II, and Guam which is still a major US base. One of the other places now receiving protection, Johnston Atoll, was formerly used to stockpile chemical weapons.” (BBC News; 06Jan09; Richard Black)
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/7812786.stm
[Bahrain says] 'no' to religious land law [and takes steps to comply with the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons convention]
“[…] Councilors [in Bahrain’s Shura Council] meanwhile agreed in principle to back a government-proposed law on the production, storage and use of chemical weapons and ways of destroying them. Foreign Ministry legal affairs director Yousif Abdulkarim said the law was in line with Bahrain joining the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons. ‘Under the organisation's convention, we are obliged to come up with laws in regard to chemical weapons and this law is the first in a series of laws that we are currently preparing,’ said Mr Abdulkarim.” (Gulf Daily News;06Jan09)
http://www.gulf-daily-news.com/Story.asp?Article=239470&Sn=BNEW&IssueID=31292
A glimmer of hope from the dark world of MI5
“In the first interview granted by a serving head of MI5, Jonathan Evans has an encouraging story to tell. […] [T]here appear to be fewer ‘late stage’ al-Qaeda plots than there were. This does not mean the networks have gone away or that vigilance should not be maintained at the highest level. It does, though, remind us of how successful MI5 has been […]. In the past two years, there have been 86 successful prosecutions, most of British-born Islamists who have sought to carry out the most appalling atrocities with little thought for the consequences or the intended victims. They include plotters who targeted shopping centres and nightclubs, a group that flirted with the idea of making a ‘dirty’ bomb and another cell that planned to kidnap and murder a soldier. In addition, there are myriad plots that have been disrupted.” (The Telegraph; 07Jan09) http://www.telegraph.co.uk/comment/telegraph-view/4143720/A-glimmer-of-hope-from-the-dark-world-of-MI5.html
[AZ governor Janet] Napolitano heads to swift confirmation [as Homeland Security chief] but faces issues
“Arizona Gov. Janet Napolitano, tapped by President-elect Barack Obama to lead the Homeland Security Department, is expected to move quickly and smoothly through the Senate confirmation process beginning next week. But if she’s confirmed, the two-term governor and former federal prosecutor faces politically charged issues, from how to handle controversial raids conducted by the Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency to new intelligence that concludes terrorists probably will acquire weapons of mass destruction.” (Federal Times; 07Jan09; Source: Gannett News Service; John Yaukey) http://www.federaltimes.com/index.php?S=3890280
Highpoint for [al Qaeda] terrorists
“[W]hat event in 2008 might Osama bin Laden choose as the most significant for him and his ambitions? […] The simple answer rests in bin Laden's understanding that ‘MD’ means far more than the last two words in the phrase weapons of mass destruction.
To bin Laden and al Qaeda, the greatest strategic and political leverage now comes from massive disruption that is far more easily achieved than the mass destruction of difficult to get nuclear or biological weapons. And, despite major competition from other big events […], only one in 2008 captured this broader meaning. […] The critical event of 2008 for al Qaeda was the Mumbai terrorist attacks in late November […]. Mass disruption is now the most formidable weapon in the inventories of our principal enemies and particularly for bin Laden and al Qaeda.” (The Washington Times; 07Jan09; Harlan Ullman) http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2009/jan/07/highpoint-for-terrorists/
Letter to OSHA [Occupational Safety and Health Administration] marked 'anthrax' not harmful
“The FBI has determined that a suspicious letter sent to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration building in North Aurora [Chicago, IL] on Monday afternoon contained no harmful chemicals. The envelope was found in the building at about 2 p.m. Police and fire agencies were called, along with the Kane County Bomb Squad, which isolated the envelope. […] According to FBI spokesman Ross Rice, it was addressed to NASA at the OSHA office's address […] and had ‘anthrax’ written on the outside of the envelope. The envelope contained no powders, Rice said. It was not empty, but Ross declined to specify what was in the envelope. No one was injured in the incident and no one required medical attention.” (Suburban Chicago News; 07Jan09; Matt Hanley) http://www.suburbanchicagonews.com/beaconnews/news/1365348,2_1_AU07_ANTHRAX_S1.article
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.
Marine Casualty
The Department of Defense announced today the death of a Marine who was supporting Operation Enduring Freedom.
Lance Cpl. Jessie A. Cassada, 19, of Hendersonville, N.C., died Jan. 6 while supporting combat operations in Helmand province, Afghanistan. He was assigned to 3rd Battalion, 8th Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Division, II Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Lejeune, N.C.
For additional background information on this Marine, news media representatives may contact the 2nd Marine Division public affairs office at(910) 450-6575.
Lance Cpl. Jessie A. Cassada, 19, of Hendersonville, N.C., died Jan. 6 while supporting combat operations in Helmand province, Afghanistan. He was assigned to 3rd Battalion, 8th Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Division, II Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Lejeune, N.C.
For additional background information on this Marine, news media representatives may contact the 2nd Marine Division public affairs office at(910) 450-6575.
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