What is Anthrax?
"Anthrax is one of the oldest recorded diseases, mentioned in the biblical book of Exodus and among classical Greek and Roman authors. Devastating epidemics of the disease were recorded by medieval and modern writers. It has been called wool sorter's disease because is contracted by humans who handle wool and inhale spores from dried feces. […] The American Lung Association notes that most suspicious powders turn out to be something else. […] Another characteristic making anthrax [sic] an effective biological agent is that anthrax spores can be stored for decades without losing their viability." (Highlands Today; 03Apr09; Gary Pinnell) http://www2.highlandstoday.com/content/2009/apr/03/la-what-is-anthrax/
Goldman School portal takes the worry out of 'experiments of [biosecurity] concern' [Berkeley, CA]
"Scientists call them 'experiments of concern' - research projects designed to advance human knowledge or cure disease, but with potentially lethal applications should the results fall into the wrong hands. The burgeoning field of synthetic biology, which aims for nothing less than to chemically engineer new forms of microbial life (or replicate existing ones), poses special risks. […] Now Steve Maurer, director of the Information Technology and Homeland Security Project at the Goldman School of Public Policy, is about to launch an online advice portal he hopes will not only provide some answers, but will also represent a significant step toward mitigating the dangers - whatever they might be - of well-intentioned synthetic-biology research. […] Although the advice won't be binding, Maurer hopes the existence of the portal - along with a new virulent-gene database, VIREP, he and Christopher are working to create - will give the synthetic-biology community a meaningful way to regulate its own behavior." (UC Berkeley News; 02Apr09; Barry Bergman) http://www.berkeley.edu/news/berkeleyan/2009/04/02_concern.shtml
Anthrax lawsuit dismissed: disabled postal worker David Hose filed case in 2004 [MA]
"A $12 million lawsuit against the federal government, filed by a city man who was exposed to anthrax spores, was dismissed Tuesday. In an interview last August, David Hose of Winchester said he was taking nine medications as a result of his exposure to anthrax spores at a Sterling mail-processing facility in October 2001. Hose filed a $12 million lawsuit against the federal government in 2004, alleging negligence on the part of the government in its handling of its anthrax [sic] supply, as well as its failure to adequately protect the State Department mail room workers. That case was dismissed Tuesday. David R. Hose came into contact with an anthrax-laced envelope [sic] in October 2001 while working as a contract supervisor in a State Department mail-processing facility in Sterling [MA]." (Winchester Star; 02Apr09; Monty Tayloe) http://www.winchesterstar.com/showarticle_new.php?sID=6&foldername=20090402&file=Anthrax%20_article.html
Top Canadian prize goes to Stanford scientist Lucy Shapiro for bringing cell biology into three dimensions
"Shapiro's work showed for the first time that bacterial DNA replication occurs in a spatially organized way and that the act of replication and the subsequent segregation of the DNA to opposite ends of the cell dictates the cellular position and time of function of the cell division machine. Members of her lab also proved the existence of master genetic regulators of the bacterial cell cycle. […She is] now a member of the Center for International Security and Cooperation at the Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies at Stanford University. 'It's very important to me that people know what to be afraid of-and what not to be afraid of,' said Shapiro, who believes that increasing levels of both antibiotic resistance and novel infectious agents are likely to be a larger threat than bioterrorism. 'It's not that the threat of bioterrorism doesn't exist. It does,' she said. 'But we are now sitting in the center of a perfect storm with regards to global health and natural outbreaks of infectious disease.'" (Medical News Today; 02Apr09) http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/144643.php
Access to buffer zone key to agricultural recovery - FAO [UN Food and Agriculture Organization]
"Gaza's battered agricultural sector has the capacity to recover but only if there is access to the buffer zone and only if Gaza's commercial crossings are fully opened, according to a recent UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) report on Gaza. […] FAO, UN Development Programme teams and NGOs cannot access the area to conduct post-conflict assessments, or implement relief and development projects. It is unknown how much unexploded ordnance (UXO) remains on farmland. Reports of chemical weapons' residues are being investigated by UN Mine Action teams (who are not permitted to speak to the press)." (Reuters; 02Apr09; Source: Integrated Regional Information Networks) http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/IRIN/176866865f7159d566270410332f71ed.htm
[Deseret Chemical] Depot begins destroying mustard mortars [UT]
"Under supervision of state regulators, workers at Deseret Chemical Depot have begun processing HT mustard agent-filled cartridges, or mortars, as part of ongoing disposal operations. There are two types of mustard agent filled 4.2-inch mortars at Deseret Chemical Depot: HT mustard, which has a lower freezing point and makes up the majority of these munitions and HD, or distilled mustard. All munitions were reconfigured to remove their explosive propellant charges several years ago […] A Deseret Chemical press release said state regulatory authorities are observing the sampling and analysis of the HT mortars prior to disposal to ensure compliance with mercury emission standards. HT mortar destruction is expected to be completed this year." (Deseret News; 02Apr09; Amy Joi O'Donoghue) http://www.deseretnews.com/article/705294665/Depot-begins-destroying-mortars.html
Russian disposal site eliminates lewisite stockpile
"A Russian chemical weapons disposal facility has eliminated the 6.4-metric-ton stockpile of lewisite stored in bulk containers at the Kambarka depot in Udmurtia, ITAR-Tass reported yesterday […] Russia possessed the world's largest stockpile of chemical agents, an arsenal that stood at 40,000 metric tons before disposal operations began. It has pledged to meet the April 2012 Chemical Weapons Convention deadline for full elimination of the arsenal, though some observers doubt whether the nation can achieve that goal (ITAR-Tass, April 1)." (Global Security Newswire; 02Apr09) http://www.globalsecuritynewswire.org/gsn/nw_20090402_4822.php
Team waits for tests on weapons off Pearl Harbor [HI]
"Researchers at the University of Hawaii are analyzing data from the deep ocean floor south of Pearl Harbor that will determine where chemical weapons from World War II were dumped. The UH School of Ocean and Earth Science and Technology headed the mission. Deep-sea submersibles spent 17 days exploring the sea floor 1,500 feet below sea level, 5 miles south of Pearl Harbor. […] 'We sampled 19 different locations, four areas we saw in terms of ordnance, 1,000 or 2,000 things that looked like they were ordnance,' UH researcher Margo Edwards said. […] The assistant Army secretary [Tad Davis] said a preliminary report could be released in about six months." (ABC 4, KITV; 02Apr09) http://www.kitv.com/news/19082089/detail.html
Moroccan party calls for Spanish damages over chemical war in 1920s
"Increasing voices in Morocco want the country to demand damages from Spain for the use of chemical weapons during the 1920-26 Rif war, press reports said Thursday. Colonial powers Spain and France put down a rebellion in the northern mountainous Rif region, which was part of the Spanish protectorate at the time. […] 'It is our right to demand compensation for the victims of the Spanish chemical war,' parliament president Moustapha Mansouri, of the RNI, said. 'We have documents proving the horrors committed in the Rif,' he explained. Mansouri's call for damages was backed by media commentators, who said the government should take up the case, instead of a single party. […] Spanish critics of such demands have pointed out that the Moroccan regime itself used napalm to quash an uprising in the Rif in the 1950s." (Earth Times; 02Apr09) http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/262685,moroccan-party-calls-for-spanish-damages-over-chemical-war-in-1920s.html
Dominican Republic to be 187th nation in chemical weapons treaty
"Dominican Republic would become the 187th member state to join the international treaty banning production, stockpiling or use of chemical weapons, the organization that monitors compliance with the pact announced today. […] The convention will enter into force in the Dominican Republic on April 26. […] It [the OPCW] said eight nations remain outside the treaty -- Angola, the Bahamas, Egypt, Israel, Myanmar, North Korea, Somalia and Syria." (Dominican Today; 01Apr09) http://www.dominicantoday.com/dr/world/2009/4/1/31580/Dominican-Republic-to-be-187th-nation-in-chemical-weapons-treaty
Editorial: 'fresh start' for Russia, U.S.
"President Obama has had his first meeting with [Russian President Dmitry] Medvedev […] The two issued a 1,500-word communique after their meeting Wednesday in London that promised a 'fresh start' and a 'fresh tone' in U.S.-Russian relations. The centerpiece is an agreement to begin fast-track negotiations on a new nuclear arms limitation treaty to further cut the two nations' nuclear arsenals. […] About half of the joint statement dealt with mutual concerns over nuclear proliferation, nuclear terrorism and securing existing stocks of nuclear weapons and materiel. […] Obama and Medvedev did agree that al-Qaeda and other terrorist organizations operating in Afghanistan and Pakistan posed a threat to both nations." (Daily News Tribune; 02Apr09) http://www.dailynewstribune.com/editorials/x148337886/Editorial-Fresh-start-for-Russia-U-S
IAEA to assist KISR [Kuwait Institute for Scientific Research to] set up nuclear progress unit
"A senior Kuwaiti official extolled here Wednesday existing cooperation between the State of Kuwait and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) over Kuwait's nuclear plan and anti-radioactivity efforts. […] Concerning Kuwait's integrated national plan to prevent radioactive risks and perils, he said all Kuwaiti state agencies involved are doing their best to control potential smuggling of radioactive materials with a view to thwarting nuclear terrorism. […] A Kuwaiti delegation will be invited soon to meet IAEA officials on bilateral cooperation in the desert cultivation area, he pointed out." (Arab Times; 01Apr09)
http://www.arabtimesonline.com/kuwaitnews/pagesdetails.asp?nid=30641&ccid=9
Pakistan atom security top-notch despite fears: aide
"Nuclear-armed Pakistan maintains security around atomic sites that is second to none and the world has no cause for concern, a senior Pakistani official said, despite Islamist militancy battering the country. Muhammad Khaliq, project director for Pakistan's Nuclear Security Action Plan, outlined improvements to Pakistani atomic controls to a 90-nation meeting reviewing strategy against possible nuclear terrorism and in remarks to Reuters. […] U.S. commanders involved in fighting resurgent Taliban guerrillas in adjacent Afghanistan and Pakistan's chaotic border areas say Pakistani secret services have ties with groups close to al Qaeda and the Taliban, something Islamabad denies. […] Pakistan's prime minister said last year that its nuclear command and control structure was 'well conceived' and had 'matured,' and its atomic bombs were safe and secure." (Reuters; 02Apr09; Mark Heinrich)
http://www.reuters.com/article/newsMaps/idUSTRE5314UL20090402?pageNumber=2&virtualBrandChannel=0&sp=true
IAEA may need intelligence arm against atom terror [sic]
"The U.N. atomic watchdog [sic] may need to set up its own intelligence unit to combat a growing menace of nuclear terrorism, a former senior CIA official said in an interview Wednesday. 'The good news is that no credible information has surfaced that al Qaeda has obtained weapons-usable nuclear materials. The bad news is that (these) are missing in significant quantities,' said Rolf Mowatt-Larssen. He said the International Atomic Energy Agency, with its expertise probing shadowy nuclear activity in Iran and the A.Q. Khan nuclear smuggling ring, could be well placed to transcend national barriers to intelligence-sharing on atomic threats. […] He said Pakistan, grappling with increasing attacks by Islamist militants that U.S. officials say have links to elements of the Pakistani security services, topped the list of countries regarded as the most likely sources of nuclear materials or know-how getting into the hands of terrorists." (Reuters; 01Apr09; Mark Heinrich)
http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE5305I920090401
Accused Frisco shooter says he [Edward Mike Ji] hunted victims, planned to kill [San Francisco, CA]
"Edward Mike Ji confessed to police that he shot a teen for no reason three years ago during one of his so-called 'hunting trips,' […] He told police that he also thought about killing his parents, poisoning people with homemade ricin and going on a shooting spree at Frisco High School. […] Ji initially was arrested Aug. 1, 2006 and Frisco residents breathed a sigh of relief. But that relief turned to outrage eight months later, when Ji was released to his parents after they posted his $100,000 bail. The community outcry led to Ji being rearrested the next day. He has been in the Collin County Jail since in lieu of $1.7 million bail." (Dallas Morning News; 02Apr09; Wendy Hundley) http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/news/city/collin/frisco/stories/040209dnmetjitrial.3c9b3bc.html
Authorities say white powder has tested negative for anthrax [sic]
"Authorities have determined that the substance found in at least 30 envelopes in Sebring have initially tested negative for anthrax [sic], according to the FBI. This morning's anthrax scare, which started at Florida Hospital Heartland Division when 48 envelopes were found on cars parked there, has spread to a total [of] least 30 locations, according to Highlands County Sheriff Susan Benton. […] Jeff Larnard, a substitute mail carrier, was going about his normal mail delivery procedure on Thursday morning, when he found five or six suspicious envelopes in the Sun 'n Lakes neighborhood. 'They were the size of a thank you note with a smiley face on the back,' Larnard said. […] Krepski said she has observed emergency personnel in hazmat suits walking through the hospital. She said she was told by a nurse that the envelopes contained a note saying 'beware of anthrax.' [sic] Hospital staff, she said, are doing what they can to keep guests as comfortable as possible. The Department of Homeland Security is monitoring the situation, department spokeswoman Amy Kudwa said." (Tampa Tribune; 02Apr09; Laura Nesbitt, Highlands Today & Ray Reyes, Tampa Tribune) http://www2.tbo.com/content/2009/apr/02/hazardous-material-unit-florida-hospital-sebring/
Oregon man [David A. Groves] sentenced to 15 months in fake anthrax [sic] mailings
"An Oregon man who mailed dozens of threatening letters laced with phony anthrax to governmental agencies and businesses across the nation was sentenced this week to 15 months in prison. At the end of the day, government agents found the 'anthrax' [sic] to be fireplace ashes and what appeared to be ground oyster shells. […] [FBI] Agents cracked the case in the spring of 2008 through fingerprint analysis, according to prosecutors in the U.S. Attorney's office in Portland. Later, state and federal crime labs linked their suspect's DNA to more letters. Groves produced evidence at his sentencing on Tuesday to show that he suffered such severe bipolar disorder that he was sometimes struck with occasional psychotic episodes."(Oregonian; 01Apr09; Byran Denson)
http://www.oregonlive.com/news/index.ssf/2009/04/oregon_man_sentenced_to_15_mon.html
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.
Friday, April 03, 2009
Coordinators in Afghanistan Perform 'Ballet in Action,' General Says
By Air Force 1st Lt. Kim Schaerdel
Special to American Forces Press Service
April 3, 2009 - Air combat operations in Afghanistan are "the most precise" ever used, and airmen are doing "an incredible job there," an Air Force general said. "This is the most precise combat operation the world has ever seen," Lt. Gen. Gary L. North, commander of Combined Forces Air Component and 9th Air Force, U.S. Air Forces Central, told online journalists and bloggers during an April 1 "DoD Live" bloggers roundtable.
"[Weapons] are dropped in direct response to intelligence where we have got absolutely positive indications," North said. "Clearly, the enemy forces will shoot and hide and run into a village. They will use noncombatants as human shields, or they will hide among them and continue to fight."
Because the enemy uses these tactics, U.S. forces use full-motion video capability from manned and unmanned aerial systems to track them, he said.
"We track the enemy for days or weeks to ensure that we have got positive [identification], proper legal authorities, proper command authorities to ensure that we can release a weapon to get the desired effects from our ground commanders," North said.
With the announced troop increase and expansion of military and civilians in Afghanistan, Air Force officials have sent additional C-130 Hercules transports and more helicopters, and are prepared to bring in more fighter jets if needed, the general said.
"We will see an increase of our airmen based on the requirements that the increase in ground forces bring in," he said.
North explained how airpower fits into the combined battle against the threats in the region.
"We will see an increase of airmen," North said. "There is construction going on in Afghanistan to meet the bed-down of the ground forces to be able to have expeditionary airfields and facilities for airmen to operate from throughout Afghanistan to maximize our capability for our ground forces."
North said U.S. and coalition forces have been able to translate what was learned in Iraq to the operations in Afghanistan.
"Everybody doing it their own way is not the way it works in warfare, and we've been synchronized in both Iraq and Afghanistan collectively throughout," he said. "We are apportioning and allocating the appropriate amount of overhead capabilities, such as intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance, armed overwatch, the appropriate amount of tankers, air drop, etc., to make sure that we are meeting the desired scheme of maneuver."
Communication between the ground commanders and the Combined Air and Space Operations Center is paramount, the general said.
"It is a ballet in action every day and on our Combined Air and Space Operations Center floor, where we execute the daily air tasking order," he said. "Our airmen ... and coalition partners are doing incredible work every day over the skies of Afghanistan."id.
(Air Force 1st Lt. Kim Schaerdel serves in the Combined Air and Space Operations Center public affairs office.)
Special to American Forces Press Service
April 3, 2009 - Air combat operations in Afghanistan are "the most precise" ever used, and airmen are doing "an incredible job there," an Air Force general said. "This is the most precise combat operation the world has ever seen," Lt. Gen. Gary L. North, commander of Combined Forces Air Component and 9th Air Force, U.S. Air Forces Central, told online journalists and bloggers during an April 1 "DoD Live" bloggers roundtable.
"[Weapons] are dropped in direct response to intelligence where we have got absolutely positive indications," North said. "Clearly, the enemy forces will shoot and hide and run into a village. They will use noncombatants as human shields, or they will hide among them and continue to fight."
Because the enemy uses these tactics, U.S. forces use full-motion video capability from manned and unmanned aerial systems to track them, he said.
"We track the enemy for days or weeks to ensure that we have got positive [identification], proper legal authorities, proper command authorities to ensure that we can release a weapon to get the desired effects from our ground commanders," North said.
With the announced troop increase and expansion of military and civilians in Afghanistan, Air Force officials have sent additional C-130 Hercules transports and more helicopters, and are prepared to bring in more fighter jets if needed, the general said.
"We will see an increase of our airmen based on the requirements that the increase in ground forces bring in," he said.
North explained how airpower fits into the combined battle against the threats in the region.
"We will see an increase of airmen," North said. "There is construction going on in Afghanistan to meet the bed-down of the ground forces to be able to have expeditionary airfields and facilities for airmen to operate from throughout Afghanistan to maximize our capability for our ground forces."
North said U.S. and coalition forces have been able to translate what was learned in Iraq to the operations in Afghanistan.
"Everybody doing it their own way is not the way it works in warfare, and we've been synchronized in both Iraq and Afghanistan collectively throughout," he said. "We are apportioning and allocating the appropriate amount of overhead capabilities, such as intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance, armed overwatch, the appropriate amount of tankers, air drop, etc., to make sure that we are meeting the desired scheme of maneuver."
Communication between the ground commanders and the Combined Air and Space Operations Center is paramount, the general said.
"It is a ballet in action every day and on our Combined Air and Space Operations Center floor, where we execute the daily air tasking order," he said. "Our airmen ... and coalition partners are doing incredible work every day over the skies of Afghanistan."id.
(Air Force 1st Lt. Kim Schaerdel serves in the Combined Air and Space Operations Center public affairs office.)
U.S., Iraqi Troops Join for Census, Aid Distribution in Villages
American Forces Press Service
April 3, 2009 - U.S. and Iraqi soldiers here joined forces recently to conduct a census, distribute humanitarian supplies and build relations in two villages, military officials reported. Before the sun rose March 26, soldiers of 24th Infantry Regiment already were on the move, heading for the villages of Abu Bakr and Abu Awad, northwest of the Diyala provincial capital of Baqouba.
The soldiers, commanded by Army Capt. Matthew D. Mackey, were beginning Operation Legion Pursuit II in partnership with an Iraqi army brigade. The top three tasks of Legion Pursuit II were to project and sustain combined forces in the area, conduct a detailed census of the towns and to provide humanitarian assistance in order to bolster relations with local residents, Mackey said.
"To accomplish the first task is to project [Iraqi] and coalition forces combat power in the sector -- go out there with the people and stay out there for an extended period of time," Mackey said.
To complete the census, coalition and Iraqi forces moved from house to house using satellite images to help them understand the layout of the two villages. Overall, more than 422 buildings between the village of Abu Bakr and Abu Awad -- houses, animal pens and other standing structures -- were searched. The census included 150 families. Along the way, 26 caves were cleared, and four weapons caches were located and destroyed.
"As a squad leader, I would greet the village people, ask them their concerns, comments, if they're getting enough food and where they're getting their water from," Army Staff. Sgt. Ian H. Martinez said. "From there, I would write down their personal information -- who was the head of the household, how many males or females lived there, and how many children were there."
Early in the first day of the operation, the villagers were curious when the soldiers began moving from house to house, but by midday and into the second day, word had passed about the forces' intentions in the area, and the villagers began to open up to them.
"They have seen us patrolling before, but usually we were doing a quick pass," Mackey said. "I saw no hostility. Once they understood why we were there, they were very open and supportive. One woman said she was very happy we were working with the [Iraqi army], and she hoped that someday the IA could be at the level of coalition forces, which I think they are getting there."
After clearing both villages and the deep canyons caused by erosion leading to the river valley, the troops distributed food supplies in the villages.
(From a Multinational Division North news release.)
April 3, 2009 - U.S. and Iraqi soldiers here joined forces recently to conduct a census, distribute humanitarian supplies and build relations in two villages, military officials reported. Before the sun rose March 26, soldiers of 24th Infantry Regiment already were on the move, heading for the villages of Abu Bakr and Abu Awad, northwest of the Diyala provincial capital of Baqouba.
The soldiers, commanded by Army Capt. Matthew D. Mackey, were beginning Operation Legion Pursuit II in partnership with an Iraqi army brigade. The top three tasks of Legion Pursuit II were to project and sustain combined forces in the area, conduct a detailed census of the towns and to provide humanitarian assistance in order to bolster relations with local residents, Mackey said.
"To accomplish the first task is to project [Iraqi] and coalition forces combat power in the sector -- go out there with the people and stay out there for an extended period of time," Mackey said.
To complete the census, coalition and Iraqi forces moved from house to house using satellite images to help them understand the layout of the two villages. Overall, more than 422 buildings between the village of Abu Bakr and Abu Awad -- houses, animal pens and other standing structures -- were searched. The census included 150 families. Along the way, 26 caves were cleared, and four weapons caches were located and destroyed.
"As a squad leader, I would greet the village people, ask them their concerns, comments, if they're getting enough food and where they're getting their water from," Army Staff. Sgt. Ian H. Martinez said. "From there, I would write down their personal information -- who was the head of the household, how many males or females lived there, and how many children were there."
Early in the first day of the operation, the villagers were curious when the soldiers began moving from house to house, but by midday and into the second day, word had passed about the forces' intentions in the area, and the villagers began to open up to them.
"They have seen us patrolling before, but usually we were doing a quick pass," Mackey said. "I saw no hostility. Once they understood why we were there, they were very open and supportive. One woman said she was very happy we were working with the [Iraqi army], and she hoped that someday the IA could be at the level of coalition forces, which I think they are getting there."
After clearing both villages and the deep canyons caused by erosion leading to the river valley, the troops distributed food supplies in the villages.
(From a Multinational Division North news release.)
Gates Touts New Strategy on Afghan Television
By Jim Garamone
American Forces Press Service
April 3, 2009 - The United States does not want to remain in Afghanistan one day longer than it has to, but the mission will take time, Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates said during an interview with Afghan television today. The new strategy in Afghanistan is a result of months of study and consultation with Afghan leaders and other coalition allies, Gates said.
The secretary said the U.S. forces will leave Afghanistan when the country's security forces can handle the challenges on their own. To that end, he said, the new strategy concentrates on providing security and helping the Afghan people expand the army and police.
"Afghans must protect their own security, when all is said and done," the secretary said. "And so we want to help them do that."
The United States will send the soldiers of the 82nd Airborne Division's 4th Brigade Combat Team to Afghanistan to serve as trainers for the Afghan security forces. The troopers will arrive starting in the spring and through the summer.
The new strategy also will channel significant money to development. Gates said a large number of civilian experts in agriculture and veterinarians will help to revive the farm sector. Physicians, nurses and other health professionals will help in the medical field. Lawyers and government administrators will mentor at the district, provincial and national levels. Gates said he hopes this will "show the Afghan people ... that life will improve thanks to these international efforts."
The Afghan people have suffered under the Soviets and the Taliban. "We're there as partners with the Afghan people to help them be able to govern themselves, and without somebody from the outside telling them how to do it," the secretary said.
Trust is key to the process, Gates said, and the Afghan people have to trust the coalition and understand that "we are there to help them, not for purposes of our own other than the same purpose that the Afghan people have, which is for Afghanistan not to be a safe haven for terrorists who kill them and want to kill us."
Gates said some of the agreements the Pakistani government has made with the Taliban in western Pakistan are a concern to the United States. Earlier agreements led to Taliban extremists crossing the border into Afghanistan, he said. "They no longer had to worry about Pakistani troops because of the deals," Gates said.
But leaders are starting to understand the problems the extremists pose. "I think the Pakistani government is coming to understand that what is going on in western Pakistan is as great a danger to the government in Islamabad as it is to Afghanistan," Gates said. "The Pakistani army has been doing a lot of fighting. Thousands of Pakistani soldiers have died in the western part of the country fighting these extremists. And one of our goals in this new strategy is to see how we can improve cooperation between Afghanistan and Pakistan, who have a common interest in getting rid of these extremists."
Gates said Pakistan's interservice intelligence has contacts with extremists groups and that concerns the United States. "The ISI's contacts with some of these extremist groups -- with Gulbuddin Hekmatyar, the Haqqani network, Commander Nazir and others -- are a real concern to us," Gates said. "We have made these concerns known directly to the Pakistanis, and we hope that they will take action to put an end to it."
Gates said the United States and the coalition are concerned about the narcotics trade. Drug traffickers are pumping somewhere between $70 million and $100 million into the Taliban each year, he said. The trade also feeds corruption and undermines the legitimacy of the government.
"For both of those reasons, it's important to go after this," the secretary said.
American Forces Press Service
April 3, 2009 - The United States does not want to remain in Afghanistan one day longer than it has to, but the mission will take time, Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates said during an interview with Afghan television today. The new strategy in Afghanistan is a result of months of study and consultation with Afghan leaders and other coalition allies, Gates said.
The secretary said the U.S. forces will leave Afghanistan when the country's security forces can handle the challenges on their own. To that end, he said, the new strategy concentrates on providing security and helping the Afghan people expand the army and police.
"Afghans must protect their own security, when all is said and done," the secretary said. "And so we want to help them do that."
The United States will send the soldiers of the 82nd Airborne Division's 4th Brigade Combat Team to Afghanistan to serve as trainers for the Afghan security forces. The troopers will arrive starting in the spring and through the summer.
The new strategy also will channel significant money to development. Gates said a large number of civilian experts in agriculture and veterinarians will help to revive the farm sector. Physicians, nurses and other health professionals will help in the medical field. Lawyers and government administrators will mentor at the district, provincial and national levels. Gates said he hopes this will "show the Afghan people ... that life will improve thanks to these international efforts."
The Afghan people have suffered under the Soviets and the Taliban. "We're there as partners with the Afghan people to help them be able to govern themselves, and without somebody from the outside telling them how to do it," the secretary said.
Trust is key to the process, Gates said, and the Afghan people have to trust the coalition and understand that "we are there to help them, not for purposes of our own other than the same purpose that the Afghan people have, which is for Afghanistan not to be a safe haven for terrorists who kill them and want to kill us."
Gates said some of the agreements the Pakistani government has made with the Taliban in western Pakistan are a concern to the United States. Earlier agreements led to Taliban extremists crossing the border into Afghanistan, he said. "They no longer had to worry about Pakistani troops because of the deals," Gates said.
But leaders are starting to understand the problems the extremists pose. "I think the Pakistani government is coming to understand that what is going on in western Pakistan is as great a danger to the government in Islamabad as it is to Afghanistan," Gates said. "The Pakistani army has been doing a lot of fighting. Thousands of Pakistani soldiers have died in the western part of the country fighting these extremists. And one of our goals in this new strategy is to see how we can improve cooperation between Afghanistan and Pakistan, who have a common interest in getting rid of these extremists."
Gates said Pakistan's interservice intelligence has contacts with extremists groups and that concerns the United States. "The ISI's contacts with some of these extremist groups -- with Gulbuddin Hekmatyar, the Haqqani network, Commander Nazir and others -- are a real concern to us," Gates said. "We have made these concerns known directly to the Pakistanis, and we hope that they will take action to put an end to it."
Gates said the United States and the coalition are concerned about the narcotics trade. Drug traffickers are pumping somewhere between $70 million and $100 million into the Taliban each year, he said. The trade also feeds corruption and undermines the legitimacy of the government.
"For both of those reasons, it's important to go after this," the secretary said.
Thursday, April 02, 2009
Wounded Warriors Choose Ability Over Disability
By Donna MilesAmerican Forces Press Service
April 2, 2009 - Marine Lance Cpl. Louis Stamatelos realized he had two choices after waking up two years ago with severe wounds in the intensive care unit at the National Naval Medical Center in Bethesda, Md. Stamatelos admitted he "cracked and snapped" after learning that he had lost half of his right lung and the use of his right hand to a sniper's round in July 2006 during a deployment with the 1st Marine Expeditionary Force.
A strapping 21-year-old who'd been at the top of his game as a competitive four-wheeler, he felt like his world had caved in on him. The adrenaline-charged activities he'd enjoyed seemed forever gone as he wondered if he'd ever be able to do so much as open a soft drink can or a refrigerator door.
That emotional low led to Stamatelos' day of reckoning. "I realized that I could either sit down and feel sorry for myself or make the best of my situation," he said.
Stamatelos, now 23, chose the latter.
"I'm up and kicking," he said, fresh off his snowboard after a run down Snowmass Mountain.
Stamatelos is among more than 400 disabled veterans here participating in the 23rd National Disabled Veterans Winter Sports clinic, more than one-third of them veterans of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, like himself.
As they tackle 16 inches of fresh powder snow that's fallen during the last 48 hours alone, they're proving to themselves and others that disabilities don't have to be game-breakers.
"You have to come to terms with what you've been through, but basically it's your own positive attitude that gets you through," Stamatelos said. "If you want a better future, you have to work for it -- and don't expect anybody to do it for you."
Stamatelos' can-do attitude is ever-present at the winter sports clinic, where veterans of all ages are getting introduced to adaptive Alpine and Nordic skiing, rock climbing, scuba diving, trapshooting, wheelchair fencing, sled hockey, snowmobiling and sled hockey, among other activities.
The six-day program, which wraps up tomorrow, is jointly sponsored by the Department of Veterans Affairs and Disabled American Veterans for veterans with disabilities ranging from spinal cord injuries and orthopedic amputations to visual impairment and neurological conditions.
For many former Walter Reed Army Medical Center patients, the clinic is old-home week, an opportunity to catch up on just how much each continued progressing since leaving the hospital in Washington, D.C.
Among them is Roberto Cruz, an Army specialist wounded when a sniper's bullet went through his arm and hit his spinal cord while he was deployed to Tikrit, Iraq, with the 3rd Infantry Division in August 2005.
"I was paralyzed, and they said I wouldn't walk again," said Cruz, now medically retired. He proved them wrong, and said he takes pleasure in greeting fellow participants at the clinic who he hasn't seen since giving up his wheelchair for good.
"It's really cool to see each other and show each other how well we're doing," he said.
Army Staff Sgt. Ramon Padillamunguia is among three current patients at Walter Reed Army Medical Center attending this year's clinic.
The 173rd Airborne Brigade Combat Team soldier took an enemy rocket-propelled grenade round at Firebase Phoenix near Afghanistan's border with Pakistan in July 2007. The blast severed his left arm just below the left elbow and inflicted a moderate traumatic brain injury.
Six surgeries later, 34-year-old Padillamunguia hopes to be released from Walter Reed soon to possibly return to active duty.
An avid athlete who has run the Army Ten-Miler in Washington, completed the 26.2-mile Bataan Memorial Death March at White Sands, N.M., and actually improved his golf game since being wounded, he sees himself as an example to his fellow wounded warriors at Walter Reed.
The younger troops have the most difficulty coping with their disabilities, Padillamunguia said. "They want to be on top of the world, so the important thing is to keep putting pressure on them to get out there."
"I'm taking lots of pictures and video to take back and show them so I can say, 'I was in your shoes, but look where I am now.'"
Opportunities like those at the winter sports clinic abound for wounded warriors, as long as they're willing to take advantage of them, Padillamunguia said.
"They don't hand everything to you on your lap, but it's all out there," he said. "The key is to take advantage of these opportunities, network, find people who care and stay in touch with them.
"Because even in this economic crisis, people are still helping, still donating," he said. "People want to help the soldiers."
Padillamunguia said it's particularly eye-opening to see older veterans -- some in their 80s -- pushing themselves during the clinic. "It's just spectacular to see that," he said. "It's a real motivator that wows me as I go."
Stamatelos joined Padillamunguia in crediting older veterans he said have made a huge difference in his progress. "These guys have done a lot for me, and helped me open a lot of doors," he said. "They've really taken me under their wing and showed me the way ahead."
Joint Forces Kill 20 Militants, Destroy Bomb Plant in Afghanistan
American Forces Press Service
April 2, 2009 - Afghan soldiers, aided by coalition forces, killed 20 armed insurgents in a firefight in southern Afghanistan today, near where they destroyed a bomb-making facility yesterday, military officials reported. Afghan soldiers, advised by coalition forces, have been on reconnaissance patrols for two days in Helmand province's Kajaki district where insurgents are known to operate.
While conducting a dismounted patrol today, the Afghan-led forces were attacked by dozens of armed militants with small-arms and rocket-propelled grenade fire. The troops returned fire, causing the enemy to withdraw to secondary fighting positions.
The forces positively identified the enemy fighting position as the militants regrouped. Once the forces ensured there were no noncombatants in the area, a precision strike was called, killing 20 militants.
No Afghan, coalition or noncombatant injuries were reported.
"The [Afghan National Army] soldiers and coalition forces work side by side in pursuit of militants who are quickly losing their ability to operate in Helmand province," Army Col. Greg Julian, U.S. Forces Afghanistan spokesman, said.
Afghan and coalition soldiers discovered a bomb-making facility in the area during patrols yesterday. While dismounted to pursue and clear militant fighting positions, the combined units discovered four ready-made explosives and other manufacturing materials.
The Afghan soldiers safely destroyed the facility to prevent future attacks.
(From U.S. Forces Afghanistan news releases.)
April 2, 2009 - Afghan soldiers, aided by coalition forces, killed 20 armed insurgents in a firefight in southern Afghanistan today, near where they destroyed a bomb-making facility yesterday, military officials reported. Afghan soldiers, advised by coalition forces, have been on reconnaissance patrols for two days in Helmand province's Kajaki district where insurgents are known to operate.
While conducting a dismounted patrol today, the Afghan-led forces were attacked by dozens of armed militants with small-arms and rocket-propelled grenade fire. The troops returned fire, causing the enemy to withdraw to secondary fighting positions.
The forces positively identified the enemy fighting position as the militants regrouped. Once the forces ensured there were no noncombatants in the area, a precision strike was called, killing 20 militants.
No Afghan, coalition or noncombatant injuries were reported.
"The [Afghan National Army] soldiers and coalition forces work side by side in pursuit of militants who are quickly losing their ability to operate in Helmand province," Army Col. Greg Julian, U.S. Forces Afghanistan spokesman, said.
Afghan and coalition soldiers discovered a bomb-making facility in the area during patrols yesterday. While dismounted to pursue and clear militant fighting positions, the combined units discovered four ready-made explosives and other manufacturing materials.
The Afghan soldiers safely destroyed the facility to prevent future attacks.
(From U.S. Forces Afghanistan news releases.)
Marine Casualty
The Department of Defense announced today the death of a Marine who was supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom.
Lance Cpl. Nelson M. Lantigua, 20, of Miami, Fla., died March 31 as a result of a non-hostile incident in Anbar province, Iraq. He was assigned to 2nd Battalion, 10 Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Division, II Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Lejeune, N.C.
The incident is currently under investigation.
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. Nelson M. Lantigua, 20, of Miami, Fla., died March 31 as a result of a non-hostile incident in Anbar province, Iraq. He was assigned to 2nd Battalion, 10 Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Division, II Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Lejeune, N.C.
The incident is currently under investigation.
For additional background information on this Marine, news media representatives may contact the 2nd Marine Division public affairs office at (910) 450-6575.
Financial Crisis Puts New Urgency on Security, Chairman Says
By Jim Garamone
American Forces Press Service
April 2, 2009 - The global financial crisis is adding a layer of uncertainty that could exacerbate problems in many parts of the world, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff said on NBC-TV's "Today Show" this morning. "This global financial crisis in the months ahead could have a significant effect on security around the world," Navy Adm. Mike Mullen told host Matt Lauer during the interview. "That creates an additional sense of urgency [for leaders] in resolving that as fast as we can."
The chairman did not speculate as to where problems might crop up. Some obvious groups may take advantage of the added uncertainty of the financial crisis in their areas, but there are other areas in which planners may not have advance warning.
"We're not very good at predicting the future," Mullen acknowledged. "My concern is that as governments struggle to take care of their people, those shortfalls could result in increased pressures on those governments to provide for their people. That could result in increased levels of instability."
Mullen also touched on the importance of civilian experts and the troop-level increase in Afghanistan.
Civilian experts are needed to help put the Afghan governance infrastructure in place and to coach Afghans in the various ministries. Civilian experts also are needed to advise provincial and village councils.
Building government entities, improving agriculture and creating jobs will help improve the long-range outlook for Afghanistan. "That aspect of moving forward is really critical, and we haven't had that to date," Mullen noted.
The increase in U.S. troop levels that President Barack Obama has announced will serve two purposes, the chairman said. The 17,000 additional forces are combat troops and "are really focused on turning the tide with respect to the violence level and providing security for the Afghan people," he said. "Our center of gravity is the Afghan people who we've got to get to a point where they feel secure."
The chairman said 4,000 additional soldiers will train the Afghan security forces, and are the long-term aspect of the new Afghanistan-Pakistan strategy the president announced last week.
"The exit strategy in Afghanistan is to have them provide for their own security -- the police the army -- and those 4,000 troops will be focused on that," Mullen said.
American Forces Press Service
April 2, 2009 - The global financial crisis is adding a layer of uncertainty that could exacerbate problems in many parts of the world, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff said on NBC-TV's "Today Show" this morning. "This global financial crisis in the months ahead could have a significant effect on security around the world," Navy Adm. Mike Mullen told host Matt Lauer during the interview. "That creates an additional sense of urgency [for leaders] in resolving that as fast as we can."
The chairman did not speculate as to where problems might crop up. Some obvious groups may take advantage of the added uncertainty of the financial crisis in their areas, but there are other areas in which planners may not have advance warning.
"We're not very good at predicting the future," Mullen acknowledged. "My concern is that as governments struggle to take care of their people, those shortfalls could result in increased pressures on those governments to provide for their people. That could result in increased levels of instability."
Mullen also touched on the importance of civilian experts and the troop-level increase in Afghanistan.
Civilian experts are needed to help put the Afghan governance infrastructure in place and to coach Afghans in the various ministries. Civilian experts also are needed to advise provincial and village councils.
Building government entities, improving agriculture and creating jobs will help improve the long-range outlook for Afghanistan. "That aspect of moving forward is really critical, and we haven't had that to date," Mullen noted.
The increase in U.S. troop levels that President Barack Obama has announced will serve two purposes, the chairman said. The 17,000 additional forces are combat troops and "are really focused on turning the tide with respect to the violence level and providing security for the Afghan people," he said. "Our center of gravity is the Afghan people who we've got to get to a point where they feel secure."
The chairman said 4,000 additional soldiers will train the Afghan security forces, and are the long-term aspect of the new Afghanistan-Pakistan strategy the president announced last week.
"The exit strategy in Afghanistan is to have them provide for their own security -- the police the army -- and those 4,000 troops will be focused on that," Mullen said.
Soldiers Create Special-tactics Teams in Afghan Military Police
By Army Sgt. Matthew C. MoellerSpecial to American Forces Press Service
April 2, 2009 - Three U.S. military police officers are tasked with mentoring Afghan National Police in an area larger than the state of Delaware -- a situation that calls for some creativity. "We were on a 'soft-knock' [operation] in Nishagam, and we noticed that it might be good to have a specially trained team," Army Sgt. Nathan Byrd, the team's leader, recalled.
The soldiers of the 527th Military Police Company decided to establish the first special weapons and tactics team comprising Afghan police in Regional Command East.
Modeling the program off the Army's own special response teams, of which Byrd was a former member, the three soldiers developed a comprehensive 15-day program on special tactics and training, aimed at turning an ordinary Afghan National Police officer into an expert tactical responder.
After gaining permission to run the program on Forward Operating Base Bostick, in Konar province, the team turned to the ANP station in the nearby town of Nari for their first recruits.
"We basically went to this one police station and said, give us your best, and we'll make them better," Army Spc. W. Eric Mraz, one of the team's members, said.
The ANP selected six officers for the program varying in age from 20 to 35. "Yes" and "thank you" were the only English words the recruits knew.
Moving past language barriers with the help of interpreters and hand gestures, the three MPs soon realized how serious the recruits were about training.
The recruits started every day with physical training so intense it left the instructors tired, Byrd said. After that, they began their lessons for the day, covering everything from escalation of force, room clearing, hostage-rescue procedures and hand-to-hand combat.
"We were hoping to get people who would just retain the knowledge," Mraz said. "And instead, we've gotten a group of men who not only retain the knowledge, but they ask questions, and they build on top of it, and they constantly want to learn more."
During the training, the MPs discovered the men they were instructing shared many of the same qualities as themselves.
"I don't know how these guys were picked," Mraz said. "I know we said we want the best of the best to be in this team, but it's like they picked six guys who had our personalities."
A seven-year veteran of the ANP said through an interpreter that he joined the program to better defend his country by learning antiterrorism techniques. "I like training for myself and for others' defense," he said.
If a success, the three MPs hope their ambitious idea will be implemented in stations across Afghanistan.
"Right now, this is just our trial period, our test baby basically," Mraz said. "Once we have fine-tuned all the training, that's when we hope to propose it to other MPs who are working in other [areas of operation].
The ANP officers have decided to call themselves the Special Tactics Team to differentiate themselves from other SWAT-style teams across the world.
"If I could turn on the TV in 10 years and hear something about the STT in Afghanistan, and know I had a part in that," Mraz said. "Well, that would be pretty cool."
(Army Sgt. Matthew C. Moeller serves with the 5th Mobile Public Affairs Detachment.)
Team Helps Iraq's Interior Ministry Tackle Technological Hurdles
By Navy Lt. Jennifer Cragg
Special to American Forces Press Service
April 2, 2009 - A transition team is helping Iraq's Interior Ministry move toward a secure and democratic state -- one technological hurdle at a time, a senior advisor said. "I have seen a lot of progress in the past 14 months that, from a person looking [in from] the outside may not appreciate as being a significant gain, but the people that are left here in Iraq, they possess the ability to withstand 30 years of the former regime," Army Col. Roy Gray, director for the Finance and Contracting Directorate, Ministry of Interior Transitional Team, told online journalists and bloggers during a "DoDLive" bloggers roundtable March 30.
"And, they have succeeded in keeping themselves alive and keeping their jobs and doing what they need to do to move Iraq forward," he added.
Gray described Multinational Security Transition Command Iraq's efforts to assist the Interior Ministry in developing and maintaining financial systems and processes.
One technological hurdle the command is helping the ministry tackle is moving Iraq away from a cash-accounting system that requires all funding to be completed by the end of the calendar year. "It limits some of the things they can do for long-term projects," Gray noted.
The command also is helping the ministry to modernize its financial system by pointing out ways to update its computer processes.
"They're still about 20 to 25 years behind what we would consider a modern organization," Gray said. "We have introduced them to a lot of computer processes, and in the short time that they have been working with these, they've been trying to sort out what they want to use going forward in the future."
But maintaining and using computer services can be difficult without electricity to operate them. Last year, due to the country's spotty electrical service, blackouts that would last from a few hours to four or five days were common, Gray said.
"Fuel would not be delivered to the backup generators. And, so they have several mainframes, legacy mainframes, that they [would] try to use, and they just could not maintain them with the lack of electricity," Gray said.
As they work to overcome challenges, Gray said transitional team members will continue to focus on modernization efforts, such as transferring Iraq's paper-based system to a centralized data system, which Gray believes could happen in less than two years.
"All their orders have to come written. All [of] the responses are written," Gray said. They still like to see a lot of signatures, a lot of stamps. They're still somewhat reluctant to have authority pushed down to the level it probably should be.
"The leaders that understand where they're going in the future are trying to be dynamic enough and forceful enough to make the system work without having to rely on everything going all the way up the chain of command for approval," he said.
Gray said he believes the Interior Ministry will be the driving force to push Iraq into adopting future technological advancements.
"We look at small steps as being very important. And, [Iraqis] are taking ownership in a lot of areas, and they are not looking at the coalition first for answers anymore. They're looking internally, and now they are being proactive," Gray said.
"The strategic planning that we've put them through ... now [they] start to understand that they have to take responsibility for what the future holds, and they need to plan for it accordingly."
(Navy Lt. Jennifer Cragg serves in the Defense Media Activity's Emerging Media directorate.)
Special to American Forces Press Service
April 2, 2009 - A transition team is helping Iraq's Interior Ministry move toward a secure and democratic state -- one technological hurdle at a time, a senior advisor said. "I have seen a lot of progress in the past 14 months that, from a person looking [in from] the outside may not appreciate as being a significant gain, but the people that are left here in Iraq, they possess the ability to withstand 30 years of the former regime," Army Col. Roy Gray, director for the Finance and Contracting Directorate, Ministry of Interior Transitional Team, told online journalists and bloggers during a "DoDLive" bloggers roundtable March 30.
"And, they have succeeded in keeping themselves alive and keeping their jobs and doing what they need to do to move Iraq forward," he added.
Gray described Multinational Security Transition Command Iraq's efforts to assist the Interior Ministry in developing and maintaining financial systems and processes.
One technological hurdle the command is helping the ministry tackle is moving Iraq away from a cash-accounting system that requires all funding to be completed by the end of the calendar year. "It limits some of the things they can do for long-term projects," Gray noted.
The command also is helping the ministry to modernize its financial system by pointing out ways to update its computer processes.
"They're still about 20 to 25 years behind what we would consider a modern organization," Gray said. "We have introduced them to a lot of computer processes, and in the short time that they have been working with these, they've been trying to sort out what they want to use going forward in the future."
But maintaining and using computer services can be difficult without electricity to operate them. Last year, due to the country's spotty electrical service, blackouts that would last from a few hours to four or five days were common, Gray said.
"Fuel would not be delivered to the backup generators. And, so they have several mainframes, legacy mainframes, that they [would] try to use, and they just could not maintain them with the lack of electricity," Gray said.
As they work to overcome challenges, Gray said transitional team members will continue to focus on modernization efforts, such as transferring Iraq's paper-based system to a centralized data system, which Gray believes could happen in less than two years.
"All their orders have to come written. All [of] the responses are written," Gray said. They still like to see a lot of signatures, a lot of stamps. They're still somewhat reluctant to have authority pushed down to the level it probably should be.
"The leaders that understand where they're going in the future are trying to be dynamic enough and forceful enough to make the system work without having to rely on everything going all the way up the chain of command for approval," he said.
Gray said he believes the Interior Ministry will be the driving force to push Iraq into adopting future technological advancements.
"We look at small steps as being very important. And, [Iraqis] are taking ownership in a lot of areas, and they are not looking at the coalition first for answers anymore. They're looking internally, and now they are being proactive," Gray said.
"The strategic planning that we've put them through ... now [they] start to understand that they have to take responsibility for what the future holds, and they need to plan for it accordingly."
(Navy Lt. Jennifer Cragg serves in the Defense Media Activity's Emerging Media directorate.)
Iraqi Government Assumes Responsibility for All 'Sons of Iraq'
By Adam Weinstein
Special to American Forces Press Service
April 2, 2009 - The "Sons of Iraq" civilian security group marked a major milestone when coalition forces completed the final transfer of the volunteers to Iraqi control. Yesterday, the Iraqi government officially took responsibility for all of the nation's Sons of Iraq when coalition forces passed command of Salahuddin province's roughly 10,000 members to the Iraqi army -- the final group to be transferred. That event will be marked by an official ceremony today.
"Working with the Iraqi government, we are taking a population that was separate, integrating them into the new Iraq, and providing hope through a transition into meaningful employment," Army Col. Jeffrey Kulmayer, chief of reconciliation for Multinational Corps Iraq, said. "With the transfer of [Sons of Iraq] to Iraqi control completed, we are now focusing on the transition of SOI to jobs."
The Sons of Iraq -- credited with helping to reduce violent attacks and terrorist influence across the country -- started in 2006 out of the grassroots movement known as Sahwah, or "The Awakening." Concerned local citizens rallied together in their neighborhoods to counter violent acts by terrorists and insurgents.
In 2007, volunteers partnered with coalition forces to defeat common enemies like al-Qaida in Iraq. Security conditions improved greatly and Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki approved a plan for the national government to take control of the Sons of Iraq, pay them, and transition them into meaningful, long-term jobs.
"Everyone in the government understands the importance of the Sons of Iraq and their sacrifices for the good of the nation," said Zuhair al-Chalibi, a representative of the Iraqi government's Implementation and Follow-Up Committee for National Reconciliation, which oversees the volunteers' transfer and transition to Iraqi control.
The government will continue to support the "vital project and give it the attention it deserves," he said.
Along with the transition, the Iraqi government also was working to resolve a delay-in-pay issue for Sons of Iraq members.
The payment delay resulted from changes to the 2009 budget, which inadvertently left out funding for Sons of Iraq salaries, Kulmayer said.
Once the Council of Ministers realized what had happened, they quickly passed a resolution to delegate the Interior Ministry to pay the salaries from the ministry's budget until a resolution on the required allocation of funds is reached in the Council of Representatives, Iraq's main parliamentary body, Kulmayer explained.
Iraqi army paymasters responsible for disbursing the funds to Sons of Iraq members will be ready to give them out starting today, Kulmayer said.
The payment resolution was a priority for government and coalition authorities who have focused on the Sons of Iraq program as "the leading edge of reconciliation in Iraq," Kulmayer said.
Chalibi said the government is working to prevent future delays in the payment process for the Sons of Iraq. "This has to be successful," he said. "This is a national reconciliation."
On the successful transfer and pay resolution, "These are big wins, and they affirm the government of Iraq's commitment to the Sons of Iraq," Kulmayer said.
(Adam Weinstein serves with the Multinational Corps Iraq public affairs office.)
Special to American Forces Press Service
April 2, 2009 - The "Sons of Iraq" civilian security group marked a major milestone when coalition forces completed the final transfer of the volunteers to Iraqi control. Yesterday, the Iraqi government officially took responsibility for all of the nation's Sons of Iraq when coalition forces passed command of Salahuddin province's roughly 10,000 members to the Iraqi army -- the final group to be transferred. That event will be marked by an official ceremony today.
"Working with the Iraqi government, we are taking a population that was separate, integrating them into the new Iraq, and providing hope through a transition into meaningful employment," Army Col. Jeffrey Kulmayer, chief of reconciliation for Multinational Corps Iraq, said. "With the transfer of [Sons of Iraq] to Iraqi control completed, we are now focusing on the transition of SOI to jobs."
The Sons of Iraq -- credited with helping to reduce violent attacks and terrorist influence across the country -- started in 2006 out of the grassroots movement known as Sahwah, or "The Awakening." Concerned local citizens rallied together in their neighborhoods to counter violent acts by terrorists and insurgents.
In 2007, volunteers partnered with coalition forces to defeat common enemies like al-Qaida in Iraq. Security conditions improved greatly and Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki approved a plan for the national government to take control of the Sons of Iraq, pay them, and transition them into meaningful, long-term jobs.
"Everyone in the government understands the importance of the Sons of Iraq and their sacrifices for the good of the nation," said Zuhair al-Chalibi, a representative of the Iraqi government's Implementation and Follow-Up Committee for National Reconciliation, which oversees the volunteers' transfer and transition to Iraqi control.
The government will continue to support the "vital project and give it the attention it deserves," he said.
Along with the transition, the Iraqi government also was working to resolve a delay-in-pay issue for Sons of Iraq members.
The payment delay resulted from changes to the 2009 budget, which inadvertently left out funding for Sons of Iraq salaries, Kulmayer said.
Once the Council of Ministers realized what had happened, they quickly passed a resolution to delegate the Interior Ministry to pay the salaries from the ministry's budget until a resolution on the required allocation of funds is reached in the Council of Representatives, Iraq's main parliamentary body, Kulmayer explained.
Iraqi army paymasters responsible for disbursing the funds to Sons of Iraq members will be ready to give them out starting today, Kulmayer said.
The payment resolution was a priority for government and coalition authorities who have focused on the Sons of Iraq program as "the leading edge of reconciliation in Iraq," Kulmayer said.
Chalibi said the government is working to prevent future delays in the payment process for the Sons of Iraq. "This has to be successful," he said. "This is a national reconciliation."
On the successful transfer and pay resolution, "These are big wins, and they affirm the government of Iraq's commitment to the Sons of Iraq," Kulmayer said.
(Adam Weinstein serves with the Multinational Corps Iraq public affairs office.)
Military Support Groups Provided Input for Dover Policy Change
By Gerry J. Gilmore
American Forces Press Service
April 2, 2009 - A Pentagon working group solicited and obtained input from several military support organizations for a policy change that, under strictly delineated conditions, allows media filming of dignified transfer operations of fallen servicemembers' remains at Dover Air Force Base, Del., a senior U.S. officer said here yesterday. "There was great appreciation on the parts of the stakeholders that we reached out to them," Air Force Maj. Gen. Michael J. Basla told reporters during a roundtable at the Pentagon.
Basla, the vice director of the Joint Staff's command, control, communications and computer systems directorate, chaired the Pentagon working group that developed recommended guidelines and rules for implementing the new policy, which takes effect April 6.
Dover's Charles C. Carson Center for Mortuary Affairs is the Defense Department's largest joint-service mortuary facility, and the only one in the continental United States. Dover also is the U.S. military's largest air terminal. Media photography or filming of dignified transfers at Dover was prohibited under the previous policy.
Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates announced his intention to change the policy in February. He tasked Navy Adm. Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, to set up the working group.
The working group, Basla said, presented its recommendations to Gates on March 11. On March 25, Gates signed a memorandum outlining procedures for the new policy.
In the memorandum, Gates wrote he'd determined Feb. 27 "that the [Defense Department] policy governing media access to the dignified transfer of fallen servicemembers at Dover Air Force Base would be modified to allow media access, when approved by the immediate families of the individual fallen."
"Our challenge," Basla said, "was to find the right way to implement this policy and preserving, I think, what was the foundation premise ... to take care and preserve the privacy of the family, carry out their wishes, allow media access if they chose to do so, and then in turn, providing some transparency to the public on the dignified transfer process."
The 20-member working group included senior Pentagon representation from the Joint Staff, policy, public affairs, casualty assistance, legal and other areas, Basla said.
The working group reached out to a number of military service-support organizations, Basla said, to include the Gold Star Mothers, Gold Star Wives, the Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors group, veterans groups such as the Veterans of Foreign Wars and the American Legion, the Military Officers Association, and the services' senior enlisted advisors.
"And, of course, a key element of the working group were the folks at Dover themselves; the folks on the ground that are actually executing the mission and the change in policy," Basla said.
Basla said he'd contacted four military support groups himself.
"And, we received the greatest feedback," Basla said, noting the service-support groups were quizzed on their ideas about how to implement the new policy and their thoughts about media coverage of dignified transfer operations.
The support groups expressed concerns whether "the media will decide which of our heroes they will tell the story about, and which they won't," Basla said, or if there would be regular broadcasts listing the arrival of the fallen at Dover.
The support groups were provided follow-up feedback, Basla said. And, he added, they will be provided a copy of the script that notification officers will use when talking to fallen servicemembers' primary next of kin and are discussing the option of having media access to dignified transfer operations.
"Some families want to be private about this; some families want to tell their story," Basla said, noting "it's a relief" for some families to talk about their lost loved ones.
And again, Basla said, some families and military support groups worry the media will decide which of the fallen servicemembers arriving at Dover "are honored, and which are not."
The working group, Basla said, also looked into whether all families, whether they opted for media coverage at Dover or not, could receive Defense Department-provided imagery of their loved one's dignified transfer. However, he said, existing laws would prevent those who opt out of media coverage from securing such government-provided photography against Freedom of Information Act requests.
Basla said it was "a privilege and an honor" to participate in the working group. All the group's members, he added, "took this job extremely seriously."
The working group, Basla added, sought "to provide the nation with a way to continue to honor [and] respect the dignity of these servicemembers and their service for our country and for our freedom."
In his March 25 memorandum, Gates thanked the working group for its efforts and commended its "very thorough review" of the policy.
Decisions regarding media coverage of the dignified transfer process at Dover should "be made by those most directly affected -- on an individual basis -- by the families of the fallen," Gates told reporters during a Feb. 26 Pentagon news conference.
"We ought not to presume to make that decision in their place," Gates added.
American Forces Press Service
April 2, 2009 - A Pentagon working group solicited and obtained input from several military support organizations for a policy change that, under strictly delineated conditions, allows media filming of dignified transfer operations of fallen servicemembers' remains at Dover Air Force Base, Del., a senior U.S. officer said here yesterday. "There was great appreciation on the parts of the stakeholders that we reached out to them," Air Force Maj. Gen. Michael J. Basla told reporters during a roundtable at the Pentagon.
Basla, the vice director of the Joint Staff's command, control, communications and computer systems directorate, chaired the Pentagon working group that developed recommended guidelines and rules for implementing the new policy, which takes effect April 6.
Dover's Charles C. Carson Center for Mortuary Affairs is the Defense Department's largest joint-service mortuary facility, and the only one in the continental United States. Dover also is the U.S. military's largest air terminal. Media photography or filming of dignified transfers at Dover was prohibited under the previous policy.
Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates announced his intention to change the policy in February. He tasked Navy Adm. Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, to set up the working group.
The working group, Basla said, presented its recommendations to Gates on March 11. On March 25, Gates signed a memorandum outlining procedures for the new policy.
In the memorandum, Gates wrote he'd determined Feb. 27 "that the [Defense Department] policy governing media access to the dignified transfer of fallen servicemembers at Dover Air Force Base would be modified to allow media access, when approved by the immediate families of the individual fallen."
"Our challenge," Basla said, "was to find the right way to implement this policy and preserving, I think, what was the foundation premise ... to take care and preserve the privacy of the family, carry out their wishes, allow media access if they chose to do so, and then in turn, providing some transparency to the public on the dignified transfer process."
The 20-member working group included senior Pentagon representation from the Joint Staff, policy, public affairs, casualty assistance, legal and other areas, Basla said.
The working group reached out to a number of military service-support organizations, Basla said, to include the Gold Star Mothers, Gold Star Wives, the Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors group, veterans groups such as the Veterans of Foreign Wars and the American Legion, the Military Officers Association, and the services' senior enlisted advisors.
"And, of course, a key element of the working group were the folks at Dover themselves; the folks on the ground that are actually executing the mission and the change in policy," Basla said.
Basla said he'd contacted four military support groups himself.
"And, we received the greatest feedback," Basla said, noting the service-support groups were quizzed on their ideas about how to implement the new policy and their thoughts about media coverage of dignified transfer operations.
The support groups expressed concerns whether "the media will decide which of our heroes they will tell the story about, and which they won't," Basla said, or if there would be regular broadcasts listing the arrival of the fallen at Dover.
The support groups were provided follow-up feedback, Basla said. And, he added, they will be provided a copy of the script that notification officers will use when talking to fallen servicemembers' primary next of kin and are discussing the option of having media access to dignified transfer operations.
"Some families want to be private about this; some families want to tell their story," Basla said, noting "it's a relief" for some families to talk about their lost loved ones.
And again, Basla said, some families and military support groups worry the media will decide which of the fallen servicemembers arriving at Dover "are honored, and which are not."
The working group, Basla said, also looked into whether all families, whether they opted for media coverage at Dover or not, could receive Defense Department-provided imagery of their loved one's dignified transfer. However, he said, existing laws would prevent those who opt out of media coverage from securing such government-provided photography against Freedom of Information Act requests.
Basla said it was "a privilege and an honor" to participate in the working group. All the group's members, he added, "took this job extremely seriously."
The working group, Basla added, sought "to provide the nation with a way to continue to honor [and] respect the dignity of these servicemembers and their service for our country and for our freedom."
In his March 25 memorandum, Gates thanked the working group for its efforts and commended its "very thorough review" of the policy.
Decisions regarding media coverage of the dignified transfer process at Dover should "be made by those most directly affected -- on an individual basis -- by the families of the fallen," Gates told reporters during a Feb. 26 Pentagon news conference.
"We ought not to presume to make that decision in their place," Gates added.
Program Offers Confidential Counseling for Troops, Families
By Samantha L. Quigley
American Forces Press Service
April 2, 2009 - With the country embroiled in two wars, frequent deployments, and the home-front issues deployments cause, the nation's servicemembers and their families are enduring heightened stress levels. The Military and Family Life Consultant Program, created in 2004 as a pilot program, supplements other existing military support options to help servicemembers and their families deal with what comes with military life during times of war. The program belongs to the Military Community and Family Policy office.
"The big picture of the program is that the ... MFLC Program was developed to provide short-term, nonmedical support to the active and Guard and reserve components and their family members worldwide," said Mike Hoskins, special assistant to the office of the undersecretary of defense for military community and family policy. "What [the counselors] do is they augment existing support assets on the installation."
Several hundred thousand people a year take advantage of MFLC counselors' services, Hoskins said. Part of those numbers come from command-requested, pre- or redeployment briefings. Others use the service because it offers something traditional methods don't. The fact that they sought support from an MFLC counselor doesn't end up in their permanent file.
"People are sometimes worried about information ending up in their service record and then that having an adverse effect on them or their family or their status in the military or on the installation," he said. "With the exception of mandatory federal state and military reporting requirements, it's private and confidential."
The exceptions include knowledge of an intent to hurt oneself or others, domestic violence or child abuse, and drug use, Hoskins added.
The top two areas of concern for those seeking the support of an MFLC counselor are relationship issues with a spouse or children, or deployment-related issues. At this time of year, tax season financial assistance is also a big concern.
"[They address] the day-to-day issues we all deal with," Hoskins said. "The military-specific issues relate to the deployment cycle, whether it's mobilization, deployment, reintegration or frequent moves. It addresses those issues also."
The program's counselors actively working on or near installations hold at least a master's degree or greater in a mental health-related field, including social work, psychology, and marriage and family therapy. They also must be licensed by a state or territory to practice at an independent practitioner level.
Hoskins said he sees the program continuing to grow because the needs are so great right now for this type of support.
"It fills the gap between what isn't able to be served through military treatment facilities or through Tricare or through the normal family center set ups," he said.
As summer approaches, Hoskins is getting ready to temporarily swell the ranks of his counselors in response to requests for support from children's summer camps.
"We provide MFLC support for [National Military Family Association] Purple Camps ... and for Guard and Reserve summer camps," he said. "The opportunity to provide support to kids in a more preventive kind of way is, I think, ideal."
The MFLC Program is part of the larger counseling program to include Military OneSource, which offers counseling face-to-face, by telephone and online. The two programs, MFLC and Military OneSource, are complimentary of one another in that they refer back and forth depending on the needs of the individuals. Services also can be tailored to meet specific needs of each individual, Hoskins said.
Troops or family members can find more information about the program at their local family center.
American Forces Press Service
April 2, 2009 - With the country embroiled in two wars, frequent deployments, and the home-front issues deployments cause, the nation's servicemembers and their families are enduring heightened stress levels. The Military and Family Life Consultant Program, created in 2004 as a pilot program, supplements other existing military support options to help servicemembers and their families deal with what comes with military life during times of war. The program belongs to the Military Community and Family Policy office.
"The big picture of the program is that the ... MFLC Program was developed to provide short-term, nonmedical support to the active and Guard and reserve components and their family members worldwide," said Mike Hoskins, special assistant to the office of the undersecretary of defense for military community and family policy. "What [the counselors] do is they augment existing support assets on the installation."
Several hundred thousand people a year take advantage of MFLC counselors' services, Hoskins said. Part of those numbers come from command-requested, pre- or redeployment briefings. Others use the service because it offers something traditional methods don't. The fact that they sought support from an MFLC counselor doesn't end up in their permanent file.
"People are sometimes worried about information ending up in their service record and then that having an adverse effect on them or their family or their status in the military or on the installation," he said. "With the exception of mandatory federal state and military reporting requirements, it's private and confidential."
The exceptions include knowledge of an intent to hurt oneself or others, domestic violence or child abuse, and drug use, Hoskins added.
The top two areas of concern for those seeking the support of an MFLC counselor are relationship issues with a spouse or children, or deployment-related issues. At this time of year, tax season financial assistance is also a big concern.
"[They address] the day-to-day issues we all deal with," Hoskins said. "The military-specific issues relate to the deployment cycle, whether it's mobilization, deployment, reintegration or frequent moves. It addresses those issues also."
The program's counselors actively working on or near installations hold at least a master's degree or greater in a mental health-related field, including social work, psychology, and marriage and family therapy. They also must be licensed by a state or territory to practice at an independent practitioner level.
Hoskins said he sees the program continuing to grow because the needs are so great right now for this type of support.
"It fills the gap between what isn't able to be served through military treatment facilities or through Tricare or through the normal family center set ups," he said.
As summer approaches, Hoskins is getting ready to temporarily swell the ranks of his counselors in response to requests for support from children's summer camps.
"We provide MFLC support for [National Military Family Association] Purple Camps ... and for Guard and Reserve summer camps," he said. "The opportunity to provide support to kids in a more preventive kind of way is, I think, ideal."
The MFLC Program is part of the larger counseling program to include Military OneSource, which offers counseling face-to-face, by telephone and online. The two programs, MFLC and Military OneSource, are complimentary of one another in that they refer back and forth depending on the needs of the individuals. Services also can be tailored to meet specific needs of each individual, Hoskins said.
Troops or family members can find more information about the program at their local family center.
Wednesday, April 01, 2009
Petraeus Explains Differences in Strategy for Afghanistan, Pakistan
By Jim Garamone
American Forces Press Service
April 1, 2009 - Although the U.S. government recognizes the differences between Afghanistan and Pakistan, it makes sense from a strategy standpoint to consider the two countries as one theater, the commander of U.S. Central Command told the Senate Armed Services Committee today. Army Gen. David H. Petraeus praised the comprehensive strategy during his testimony before the panel.
"Although the additional resources will be applied in different ways on either side of [their mutual border], Afghanistan and Pakistan comprise a single theater that requires comprehensive 'whole-of governments' approaches that are closely coordinated," Petraeus said.
More U.S. forces are deploying to Afghanistan, and the basis of the counterinsurgency plan is to protect the population from al-Qaida and the Taliban, Petraeus said. NATO also is sending in more forces to help with security as elections approach.
"The additional [U.S.] forces will provide an increased capability to secure and serve the people, to pursue the extremists, to support the development of host nation security forces, to reduce the illegal narcotics industry, and to help develop the Afghan capabilities needed to increase the legitimacy of national and local Afghan governance," Petraeus said.
"These forces will also, together with the additional NATO elements committed to the election security force, work with Afghan elements to help secure the national elections in late August and to help ensure that those elections are seen as free, fair and legitimate in the eyes of the Afghan people," he said.
The added troops will increase the footprint of U.S. forces in Afghanistan, and they must behave in such a way as to limit the impact of that footprint, the general said.
"It is vital that they be seen as good guests and partners, not as would-be conquerors or superiors, as formidable warriors who also do all possible to avoid civilian casualties in the course of combat operations," Petraeus said. "As additional elements deploy, it will also be essential that our commanders and elements strive for unity of effort at all levels and integrate our security efforts into the broader plans to promote Afghan political and economic development."
But while more military forces are needed in Afghanistan, Petraeus said, they will not by themselves be sufficient. "It is important that the civilian requirements for Afghanistan and Pakistan be fully met as well," he said.
Petraeus asked the senators to approve funding for the State Department and the Agency for International Development so those agencies can provide the personnel and resources needed in the countries.
Pakistan requires different handling, the general said. People must remember that Pakistan's democratic institutions are fragile, he told the senators, and the country has taken many casualties in its operations against extremists.
Still, he said, al-Qaida and the Taliban have established sanctuaries in the rugged border area that "not only contribute to the deterioration of security in eastern and southern Afghanistan, they also pose an ever more serious threat to Pakistan's very existence."
The extremists have sustained losses, Petraeus noted, and the Pakistani military has stepped up operations against militants in parts of the tribal areas. "However, considerable further work is required," he added. "It is in Pakistan that al-Qaida senior leadership and other transnational extremist elements are located. Thus, operations there are imperative, and we need to provide the support and assistance to the Pakistani military that can enable them to confront the extremists who pose a truly existential threat to their country."
The U.S. military will focus on expanding its partnership with the Pakistani military, and helping it build counterinsurgency capabilities, the general said.
The military also will help to promote closer cooperation along the Afghan-Pakistan border. American servicemembers will train with Afghan and Pakistani soldiers and provide the equipment and intelligence capabilities the two nations need to confront the extremists, Petraeus said.
American Forces Press Service
April 1, 2009 - Although the U.S. government recognizes the differences between Afghanistan and Pakistan, it makes sense from a strategy standpoint to consider the two countries as one theater, the commander of U.S. Central Command told the Senate Armed Services Committee today. Army Gen. David H. Petraeus praised the comprehensive strategy during his testimony before the panel.
"Although the additional resources will be applied in different ways on either side of [their mutual border], Afghanistan and Pakistan comprise a single theater that requires comprehensive 'whole-of governments' approaches that are closely coordinated," Petraeus said.
More U.S. forces are deploying to Afghanistan, and the basis of the counterinsurgency plan is to protect the population from al-Qaida and the Taliban, Petraeus said. NATO also is sending in more forces to help with security as elections approach.
"The additional [U.S.] forces will provide an increased capability to secure and serve the people, to pursue the extremists, to support the development of host nation security forces, to reduce the illegal narcotics industry, and to help develop the Afghan capabilities needed to increase the legitimacy of national and local Afghan governance," Petraeus said.
"These forces will also, together with the additional NATO elements committed to the election security force, work with Afghan elements to help secure the national elections in late August and to help ensure that those elections are seen as free, fair and legitimate in the eyes of the Afghan people," he said.
The added troops will increase the footprint of U.S. forces in Afghanistan, and they must behave in such a way as to limit the impact of that footprint, the general said.
"It is vital that they be seen as good guests and partners, not as would-be conquerors or superiors, as formidable warriors who also do all possible to avoid civilian casualties in the course of combat operations," Petraeus said. "As additional elements deploy, it will also be essential that our commanders and elements strive for unity of effort at all levels and integrate our security efforts into the broader plans to promote Afghan political and economic development."
But while more military forces are needed in Afghanistan, Petraeus said, they will not by themselves be sufficient. "It is important that the civilian requirements for Afghanistan and Pakistan be fully met as well," he said.
Petraeus asked the senators to approve funding for the State Department and the Agency for International Development so those agencies can provide the personnel and resources needed in the countries.
Pakistan requires different handling, the general said. People must remember that Pakistan's democratic institutions are fragile, he told the senators, and the country has taken many casualties in its operations against extremists.
Still, he said, al-Qaida and the Taliban have established sanctuaries in the rugged border area that "not only contribute to the deterioration of security in eastern and southern Afghanistan, they also pose an ever more serious threat to Pakistan's very existence."
The extremists have sustained losses, Petraeus noted, and the Pakistani military has stepped up operations against militants in parts of the tribal areas. "However, considerable further work is required," he added. "It is in Pakistan that al-Qaida senior leadership and other transnational extremist elements are located. Thus, operations there are imperative, and we need to provide the support and assistance to the Pakistani military that can enable them to confront the extremists who pose a truly existential threat to their country."
The U.S. military will focus on expanding its partnership with the Pakistani military, and helping it build counterinsurgency capabilities, the general said.
The military also will help to promote closer cooperation along the Afghan-Pakistan border. American servicemembers will train with Afghan and Pakistani soldiers and provide the equipment and intelligence capabilities the two nations need to confront the extremists, Petraeus said.
Gates Signs Policy Change for Dignified Transfer Operations at Dover
By Gerry J. Gilmore
American Forces Press Service
April 1, 2009 - Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates has approved a policy change that, under strictly delineated conditions, allows media filming of dignified transfer operations of fallen servicemembers' remains at Dover Air Force Base, Del. The new policy is slated to be implemented April 6, Pentagon spokesman Bryan Whitman told reporters today. If immediate family members consent to media coverage, Whitman said, reporters would be provided the basic information on the servicemember and the expected time of arrival of the flight bearing the remains.
"The core of the policy," Whitman said, "is built around the desires of the family members, and it will be the families that decide whether or not media have access to any of these dignified transfers."
Dover's Charles C. Carson Center for Mortuary Affairs is the Defense Department's largest joint-service mortuary facility, and the only one in the continental United States. Dover also is the U.S. military's largest air terminal. Media photography or filming of dignified transfers at Dover was prohibited under the previous policy.
In a March 25 memorandum that outlines procedures for the new policy, Gates wrote he'd determined on Feb. 27 "that the [Defense Department] policy governing media access to the dignified transfer of fallen servicemembers at Dover Air Force Base would be modified to allow media access, when approved by the immediate families of the individual fallen."
Gates announced last month that he would change the policy that had prohibited news organizations from filming dignified transfer operations at Dover.
"We are committed to seeing that America's fallen heroes are received back to their loved ones and their country with the honor, respect and recognition that they and their families have earned," Gates said at a March 18 news conference.
Media with family consent to cover dignified transfer operations at Dover will be required to conduct themselves in a respectful, quiet manner so as not to disturb the solemnity of the occasion, Whitman said. That concern, he added, also requires filming and photography using only ambient light and sound.
"So, if it's 2 o'clock in the morning, you get lighting that is 2 o'clock in the morning-type lighting; if it is raining, it's raining," Whitman said. "We are not changing the dignified transfer process to accommodate media. What we are doing is accommodating the media to cover the existing dignified transfer process."
Media with family approval to cover Dover dignified transfers would be placed in an area behind the families, Whitman said, noting that the families aren't to be filmed or interviewed as they observe transfer operations. Families that agree to be interviewed by media after the transfer operations could do so, Whitman said, but only in a specified area away from the tarmac.
Whitman pointed out that the remains of fallen servicemembers are transported to Dover around the clock in an expeditious manner. When the new policy takes effect, he said, the Dover Air Force Base public affairs office will post to its Web site that a dignified transfer approved for media coverage by the fallen servicemember's family is to take place, along with the time and some other particulars. The media, Whitman continued, also may opt to subscribe to an e-mail notification system that would provide similar information.
The military will take photographs of dignified transfer operations to provide to families that approve media coverage, Whitman said.
Each dignified transfer operation takes about 15 minutes to complete, Whitman explained. Dover public affairs personnel, he said, would assist media to gain access onto the installation, providing briefings, and take them to the flight line.
Gates tasked Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Navy Adm. Mike Mullen to set up a working group to develop recommended guidelines and rules for implementing the new policy. Air Force Maj. Gen. Michael J. Basla chaired the group, which consulted with service-support organizations such as the Gold Star Mothers, Gold Star Wives, veterans groups and senior enlisted advisors.
Family members consulted by the working group seemed split on the issue, Basla recalled in an earlier interview, noting some expressed concern about media coverage of dignified transfer operations at Dover, while others appeared to welcome it.
In his memorandum, Gates thanked the working group for its efforts and commended its "very thorough review" of the policy.
Decisions regarding media coverage of the dignified transfer process at Dover should "be made by those most directly affected -- on an individual basis -- by the families of the fallen," Gates told reporters during a Feb. 26 Pentagon news conference. "We ought not to presume to make that decision in their place."
Per the memorandum, the following actions are to be taken in conjunction with implementation of the new policy:
-- The undersecretary of defense for personnel and readiness and other Pentagon elements will revise defense regulatory documents to reflect the new policy at Dover;
-- Deceased servicemembers' remains will be transferred from the combat theater of operations to the Dover facility as soon as possible;
-- The primary next of kin will make the family's decision regarding media access to dignified transfer operations at Dover;
-- Families of deceased servicemembers will be briefed on the option to allow media coverage of the dignified transfer at the time of notification of the member's death or as soon as possible thereafter;
-- If the primary next of kin permits media access at Dover, reporters will be given the name, rank, military service and hometown of the "believed to be" casualty. A more complete identification of the deceased servicemember, including unit, place, date and circumstances of death, will be released following the confirmation of the casualty's identity at the Dover mortuary, and then only 24 hours after the last of the deceased's next of kin have been notified of the loss; and
-- Primary next of kin and two other family members may travel to Dover at department expense to observe the dignified transfer operation. The services may fund the travel of additional family members on a case-by-case basis.
The secretary's memorandum also directed the development of a long-term plan to obtain the preference of individual servicemembers regarding media access to dignified transfers should they become a casualty while on active duty.
On March 17, Gates made an unannounced evening visit to Dover to observe the dignified transfer operations there. The trip to Dover "was a very moving experience" for Gates, Pentagon Press Secretary Geoff Morrell told reporters the day after the secretary's trip.
American Forces Press Service
April 1, 2009 - Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates has approved a policy change that, under strictly delineated conditions, allows media filming of dignified transfer operations of fallen servicemembers' remains at Dover Air Force Base, Del. The new policy is slated to be implemented April 6, Pentagon spokesman Bryan Whitman told reporters today. If immediate family members consent to media coverage, Whitman said, reporters would be provided the basic information on the servicemember and the expected time of arrival of the flight bearing the remains.
"The core of the policy," Whitman said, "is built around the desires of the family members, and it will be the families that decide whether or not media have access to any of these dignified transfers."
Dover's Charles C. Carson Center for Mortuary Affairs is the Defense Department's largest joint-service mortuary facility, and the only one in the continental United States. Dover also is the U.S. military's largest air terminal. Media photography or filming of dignified transfers at Dover was prohibited under the previous policy.
In a March 25 memorandum that outlines procedures for the new policy, Gates wrote he'd determined on Feb. 27 "that the [Defense Department] policy governing media access to the dignified transfer of fallen servicemembers at Dover Air Force Base would be modified to allow media access, when approved by the immediate families of the individual fallen."
Gates announced last month that he would change the policy that had prohibited news organizations from filming dignified transfer operations at Dover.
"We are committed to seeing that America's fallen heroes are received back to their loved ones and their country with the honor, respect and recognition that they and their families have earned," Gates said at a March 18 news conference.
Media with family consent to cover dignified transfer operations at Dover will be required to conduct themselves in a respectful, quiet manner so as not to disturb the solemnity of the occasion, Whitman said. That concern, he added, also requires filming and photography using only ambient light and sound.
"So, if it's 2 o'clock in the morning, you get lighting that is 2 o'clock in the morning-type lighting; if it is raining, it's raining," Whitman said. "We are not changing the dignified transfer process to accommodate media. What we are doing is accommodating the media to cover the existing dignified transfer process."
Media with family approval to cover Dover dignified transfers would be placed in an area behind the families, Whitman said, noting that the families aren't to be filmed or interviewed as they observe transfer operations. Families that agree to be interviewed by media after the transfer operations could do so, Whitman said, but only in a specified area away from the tarmac.
Whitman pointed out that the remains of fallen servicemembers are transported to Dover around the clock in an expeditious manner. When the new policy takes effect, he said, the Dover Air Force Base public affairs office will post to its Web site that a dignified transfer approved for media coverage by the fallen servicemember's family is to take place, along with the time and some other particulars. The media, Whitman continued, also may opt to subscribe to an e-mail notification system that would provide similar information.
The military will take photographs of dignified transfer operations to provide to families that approve media coverage, Whitman said.
Each dignified transfer operation takes about 15 minutes to complete, Whitman explained. Dover public affairs personnel, he said, would assist media to gain access onto the installation, providing briefings, and take them to the flight line.
Gates tasked Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Navy Adm. Mike Mullen to set up a working group to develop recommended guidelines and rules for implementing the new policy. Air Force Maj. Gen. Michael J. Basla chaired the group, which consulted with service-support organizations such as the Gold Star Mothers, Gold Star Wives, veterans groups and senior enlisted advisors.
Family members consulted by the working group seemed split on the issue, Basla recalled in an earlier interview, noting some expressed concern about media coverage of dignified transfer operations at Dover, while others appeared to welcome it.
In his memorandum, Gates thanked the working group for its efforts and commended its "very thorough review" of the policy.
Decisions regarding media coverage of the dignified transfer process at Dover should "be made by those most directly affected -- on an individual basis -- by the families of the fallen," Gates told reporters during a Feb. 26 Pentagon news conference. "We ought not to presume to make that decision in their place."
Per the memorandum, the following actions are to be taken in conjunction with implementation of the new policy:
-- The undersecretary of defense for personnel and readiness and other Pentagon elements will revise defense regulatory documents to reflect the new policy at Dover;
-- Deceased servicemembers' remains will be transferred from the combat theater of operations to the Dover facility as soon as possible;
-- The primary next of kin will make the family's decision regarding media access to dignified transfer operations at Dover;
-- Families of deceased servicemembers will be briefed on the option to allow media coverage of the dignified transfer at the time of notification of the member's death or as soon as possible thereafter;
-- If the primary next of kin permits media access at Dover, reporters will be given the name, rank, military service and hometown of the "believed to be" casualty. A more complete identification of the deceased servicemember, including unit, place, date and circumstances of death, will be released following the confirmation of the casualty's identity at the Dover mortuary, and then only 24 hours after the last of the deceased's next of kin have been notified of the loss; and
-- Primary next of kin and two other family members may travel to Dover at department expense to observe the dignified transfer operation. The services may fund the travel of additional family members on a case-by-case basis.
The secretary's memorandum also directed the development of a long-term plan to obtain the preference of individual servicemembers regarding media access to dignified transfers should they become a casualty while on active duty.
On March 17, Gates made an unannounced evening visit to Dover to observe the dignified transfer operations there. The trip to Dover "was a very moving experience" for Gates, Pentagon Press Secretary Geoff Morrell told reporters the day after the secretary's trip.
CBR Weapons and WMD Terrorism News- April 1, 2009
[U.S. District] Judge [Paul Friedman] dismisses lawsuit over anthrax [sic] letter
"A federal judge on Tuesday threw out a $12 million lawsuit brought by a former State Department mailroom worker who was hospitalized after handling an anthrax-laced [sic] letter. David Hose was exposed to anthrax [sic] spores in October 2001 while working as a contract supervisor in a State Department mail facility in Sterling, Va., and he spent more than two weeks in intensive care. […] U.S. District Judge Paul Friedman agreed with the government that Hose could not sue because Virginia's Workers' Compensation Act prohibited a lawsuit over his injuries." (Associated Press; 31Mar09; Nedra Pickler)
http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5g5dg87gOqPQ3cDbX-dGbpsDHXBcwD9799S903
Texas spends for bioterrorism center
"Texas will spend $50 million to develop a new center to protect against bioterrorism attacks. […] The facility is 'designed to incorporate any new technology that comes down the pike,' said Brett Giroir, a physician and vice chancellor for research in the A&M system. 'We tried to design it to be very modular' to accommodate multiple technologies that can be implemented simultaneously and in a replaceable manner, from large to small scale, Giroir said." (Government Computer News; 31Mar09; Kathleen Hickey)
http://gcn.com/articles/2009/03/31/texas-bioterrorism-center.aspx
Wis. plan would build labs, support Bradley Center
"Gov. Jim Doyle is proposing a $1.4 billion spending plan for state buildings that includes construction of several new research laboratories and a first-time state subsidy for the Bradley Center. Doyle's plan includes a major expansion at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, new energy and medical research buildings at UW-Madison and a new state public health laboratory in Madison. His plan also would spend $5 million over 10 years on maintenance at the Bradley Center […] Doyle has proposed building a $28.5 million public health and agricultural laboratory to replace outdated facilities in Madison. The lab would study bioterrorism, food-borne disease outbreaks and other safety threats." (Chippewa; 31Mar09; Ryan J. Foley; Source: Associated Press) http://www.chippewa.com/articles/2009/03/31/ap-state-wi/d9797ggg0.txt
Universal Detection Technology to supply anthrax [sic] and ricin detection equipment to Miami-Dade Police Department
"Universal Detection Technology, a developer of early-warning monitoring technologies to protect people from bioterrorism and other infectious health threats, and provider of counter-terrorism consulting and training services, reported today that it is to supply the Miami-Dade Police Department with anthrax [sic] and ricin detection equipment. The Miami-Dade Police Department (MDPD) is the largest police department in the Southeastern United States, with approximately 4,500 employees. The MDPD has a dedicated anti-terror unit with officers specializing in biological and chemical warfare detection methods." (CNNMoney; 31Mar09; Source: Global Newswire)
http://money.cnn.com/news/newsfeeds/articles/globenewswire/162214.htm
One-stop-shop for detecting disease [CO]
"A local biotech company is developing a revolutionary device that has the ability to perform more than 100 tests from a single drop of blood, with quick results. […] Based in Aurora [CO], Beacon Biotechnology is developing the BrightSPOT Reader, a small diagnostic testing device that can provide doctors with more than 100 test results in just 10 minutes. …] A drop of blood, urine or saliva is placed on a tiny chip at the center of the BrightSPOT Reader. The chip contains 112 microscopic sensors which are programmed to detect viruses, bacteria, proteins and amino acids associated with disease. A positive result generates light at that sensor, using bio-luminescent molecules from the deep ocean. […] Beacon is planning specialized readers for respiratory, allergy, and even biological warfare uses among others." (Denver Channel; 31Mar09) http://www.thedenverchannel.com/health/19049604/detail.html
Gen. Weightman retires from Fort Detrick command
"Maj. Gen. George Weightman has retired as commander of Fort Detrick and the Army's biological weapons defense program. Weightman's change-of-command ceremony Tuesday in Frederick marked the end of a military career that included his firing from Walter Reed Army Medical Center amid revelations about shoddy treatment of wounded soldiers. Weightman was named commander of Fort Detrick and the U.S. Army Medical Research and Materiel Command in November 2007." (Baltimore Sun; 31Mar09; Source: Associated Press)
http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/local/bal-general0331,0,1304876.story
Tufts [University] [MA] dedicates regional bio lab
Tufts University's Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine [MA] dedicated its $33.7 million New England Regional Biosafety Laboratory this morning […] Susan Windham-Bannister, the center's president and CEO, said the grant will cover all equipment for the lab's insectary, where live insects will be studied so new ways can be found to prevent and treat diseases that insects spread to humans. The regional labs are the federal government's answer to the 2001 anthrax [sic] scares, which led to the creation of a national biodefense program." (Worcester Business Journal; 31Mar09; Eileen Kennedy) http://www.wbjournal.com/news43104.html
[Blue Grass Army] Depot's weapons disposal plant a work in progress [KY]
"The construction of the chemical weapons disposal plant at the Blue Grass Army Depot has come a long way, but still has a long way to go, according to acting site project manager Ralph Collins. […] 'We're only about 10 or 15 percent finished with construction,' he said. […] The facilities included in the Blue Grass Chemical Agent Destruction Pilot Plant are being constructed to destroy the 500 tons of blister agent in projectiles and nerve agent in projectiles and M55 rockets." (Richmond Register; 26Mar09; Ronica Shannon) http://www.richmondregister.com/archivesearch/local_story_085073253.html
Department of Energy sends $468 million to clean up nuclear waste in Idaho
"Energy Secretary Steven Chu announced Tuesday he was releasing $468 million for cleaning up past nuclear waste at the Idaho National Laboratory. The funding, part of $6 billion in new funding under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, is designed to accelerate environmental cleanup work and create thousands of jobs across 12 states. At the INL, the money will go to demolish old nuclear and radiological facilities. It also will be used to retrieve nuclear waste and accelerate the shipment of it off-site for disposal." (Idaho Statesman; 31Mar09; Rocky Barker) http://www.idahostatesman.com/localnews/story/716163.html
Court rejects NJ nuke plant terrorist concerns
"The Nuclear Regulatory Commission was right in rejecting a challenge to the way it evaluates the dangers of a terrorist attack on a nuclear power plant, according to the 3rd Circuit Court of Appeals in Philadelphia. On Tuesday, the court ruled against the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection and its contention that the NRC should have examined the potential environmental impacts of a hypothetical terrorist attack on the plant during the relicensing process of Oyster Creek nuclear generating station. The New Jersey DEP contended that the NRC should have considered the effects of a terrorist attack during the relicensing review. But the NRC responded that it had already addressed those effects in its generic environmental impact statement related to Oyster Creek."
(Brattleboro Reformer; 01Apr09; Bob Audette)
http://www.reformer.com/ci_12043767
University of Pennsylvania is first civilian site in nation to complete radiological security program
"The University of Pennsylvania has been recognized, along with the City of Philadelphia, for national security leadership. The announcement was made by the National Nuclear Security Administration [NNSA] today during a forum on campus. NNSA honored Penn for completing all of the voluntary radiological security upgrades offered by NNSA's Global Threat Reduction Initiative [GTRI]. Under the GTRI, the NNSA, with its federal partners, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission and the Department of Homeland Security, installs voluntary security upgrades at civilian sites in the United States to reduce the potential for theft or misuse of radiological materials that could be used in a dirty bomb. These voluntary upgrades are in addition to security enhancements required by the NRC and state governments since 2006." (University of Pennsylvania; 27Mar09; Julie McWilliams)
http://www.upenn.edu/pennnews/article.php?id=1590
Text of US-Russia statement on nuclear arms
"Text of a joint statement by Russian President Dmitry Medvedev and U.S. President Barack Obama, as released by the White House on Wednesday: […] We are resolved to work together to strengthen strategic stability, international security, and jointly meet contemporary global challenges, while also addressing disagreements openly and honestly in a spirit of mutual respect and acknowledgment of each others perspective. […] We will deepen cooperation to combat nuclear terrorism. We will seek to further promote the Global Initiative to Combat Nuclear Terrorism, […] We also support international negotiations for a verifiable treaty to end the production of fissile materials for nuclear weapons […] and we seek to continue bilateral collaboration to improve and sustain nuclear security." (Associated Press; 01Apr09)
http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5iVZVQZKurqCWMUl_tMQk8_IatXKAD979LOBG4
Bolingbrook hospital [IL] gets mobile decontamination trailer
"Adventist Bolingbrook Hospital [IL] officials have a new 22-foot-long, $62,000 decontamination trailer they hope they never have to use. Even so, it's a comfort knowing the trailer is parked right outside the hospital's emergency room in case of a biological, chemical or radiological terrorist attack, they said. The hospital already has a decontamination unit in its emergency room, but that allows only one person to be cleaned at a time.
'The mobile unit can decontaminate 120 people in one hour,' said Sue Smith, director of emergency services at the hospital. Hospital officials bought the trailer last month with money from a Department of Homeland Security grant." (Chicago Tribune; 01Apr09; Joseph Ruzich) http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/chi-decon-trailer-sw-zone-01apr01,0,6929801.story
NYPD [New York City Police Department] moves to cloak midtown with camera license plate readers, and radiation and bio scanners
"The NYPD wants to cloak midtown with the same security blanket it rolled out for lower Manhattan: camera license plate readers, and radiation and bio scanners. Those measures covering Manhattan south of Canal St. will slowly be applied to midtown, from 34th to 59th Sts., river to river, Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly told the City Council Public Safety Committee. […] The NYPD is also looking to install permanent license plate scanners at each of the 20 crossings into Manhattan as part of an elaborate new safety scheme. Police also want to install sensors to detect biological and radiological weapons." (Daily News; 01Apr09; Alison Gendar) http://www.nydailynews.com/ny_local/2009/04/01/2009-04-01_nypd_moves_to_cloak_midtown_with_camera_.html
Nation's Laboratory Response Network marks first decade of protecting public health
"The Laboratory Response Network [LRN], the national laboratory system charged with protecting the public in health emergencies, will mark its first decade […] Founded in 1999 by the Association of Public Health Laboratories, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Federal Bureau of Investigation to test for agents of bioterrorism, the Laboratory Response Network has evolved to become the nation's laboratory resource for response to emerging infectious diseases, toxic spills, natural disasters, chemical terrorism and other public health threats." (Fox Business; 31Mar09)
http://www.foxbusiness.com/story/nations-laboratory-response-network-marks-decade-protecting-public-health/
Bill Maher: the God botherer
"An average day in Los Angeles, and Bill Maher is dealing with yet another death threat. A personally addressed hate package, containing sinister powder, potentially anthrax [sic], has been discovered at the Palm Springs auditorium where the 53-year-old comedian, chat show host and scourge of America's Right and Left was to perform his stand-up routine. The venue has, naturally, been shut down […] while the FBI's Joint Terrorism Task Force is investigating. And yet Maher remains surprisingly phlegmatic. 'Americans always panic,' he says with a sigh. '[…] You can't worry about that stuff. I assume there are bigger fish to fry than a comedian.'"
(Times Online; 01Apr09; Kevin Maher)
http://entertainment.timesonline.co.uk/tol/arts_and_entertainment/film/article6010432.ec
SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT: Conference Announcement: Nuclear Energy and Proliferation in the Middle East An international meeting on nuclear energy and proliferation in the Middle East will take place from June 22-24, 2009 in Amman, Jordan. The conference will address issues such as nuclear security and safeguarding, nuclear loss prevention, nuclear terrorism, creating dialogue and establish security confidence building measures, etc. More information is available at www.acsis.org
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.
"A federal judge on Tuesday threw out a $12 million lawsuit brought by a former State Department mailroom worker who was hospitalized after handling an anthrax-laced [sic] letter. David Hose was exposed to anthrax [sic] spores in October 2001 while working as a contract supervisor in a State Department mail facility in Sterling, Va., and he spent more than two weeks in intensive care. […] U.S. District Judge Paul Friedman agreed with the government that Hose could not sue because Virginia's Workers' Compensation Act prohibited a lawsuit over his injuries." (Associated Press; 31Mar09; Nedra Pickler)
http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5g5dg87gOqPQ3cDbX-dGbpsDHXBcwD9799S903
Texas spends for bioterrorism center
"Texas will spend $50 million to develop a new center to protect against bioterrorism attacks. […] The facility is 'designed to incorporate any new technology that comes down the pike,' said Brett Giroir, a physician and vice chancellor for research in the A&M system. 'We tried to design it to be very modular' to accommodate multiple technologies that can be implemented simultaneously and in a replaceable manner, from large to small scale, Giroir said." (Government Computer News; 31Mar09; Kathleen Hickey)
http://gcn.com/articles/2009/03/31/texas-bioterrorism-center.aspx
Wis. plan would build labs, support Bradley Center
"Gov. Jim Doyle is proposing a $1.4 billion spending plan for state buildings that includes construction of several new research laboratories and a first-time state subsidy for the Bradley Center. Doyle's plan includes a major expansion at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, new energy and medical research buildings at UW-Madison and a new state public health laboratory in Madison. His plan also would spend $5 million over 10 years on maintenance at the Bradley Center […] Doyle has proposed building a $28.5 million public health and agricultural laboratory to replace outdated facilities in Madison. The lab would study bioterrorism, food-borne disease outbreaks and other safety threats." (Chippewa; 31Mar09; Ryan J. Foley; Source: Associated Press) http://www.chippewa.com/articles/2009/03/31/ap-state-wi/d9797ggg0.txt
Universal Detection Technology to supply anthrax [sic] and ricin detection equipment to Miami-Dade Police Department
"Universal Detection Technology, a developer of early-warning monitoring technologies to protect people from bioterrorism and other infectious health threats, and provider of counter-terrorism consulting and training services, reported today that it is to supply the Miami-Dade Police Department with anthrax [sic] and ricin detection equipment. The Miami-Dade Police Department (MDPD) is the largest police department in the Southeastern United States, with approximately 4,500 employees. The MDPD has a dedicated anti-terror unit with officers specializing in biological and chemical warfare detection methods." (CNNMoney; 31Mar09; Source: Global Newswire)
http://money.cnn.com/news/newsfeeds/articles/globenewswire/162214.htm
One-stop-shop for detecting disease [CO]
"A local biotech company is developing a revolutionary device that has the ability to perform more than 100 tests from a single drop of blood, with quick results. […] Based in Aurora [CO], Beacon Biotechnology is developing the BrightSPOT Reader, a small diagnostic testing device that can provide doctors with more than 100 test results in just 10 minutes. …] A drop of blood, urine or saliva is placed on a tiny chip at the center of the BrightSPOT Reader. The chip contains 112 microscopic sensors which are programmed to detect viruses, bacteria, proteins and amino acids associated with disease. A positive result generates light at that sensor, using bio-luminescent molecules from the deep ocean. […] Beacon is planning specialized readers for respiratory, allergy, and even biological warfare uses among others." (Denver Channel; 31Mar09) http://www.thedenverchannel.com/health/19049604/detail.html
Gen. Weightman retires from Fort Detrick command
"Maj. Gen. George Weightman has retired as commander of Fort Detrick and the Army's biological weapons defense program. Weightman's change-of-command ceremony Tuesday in Frederick marked the end of a military career that included his firing from Walter Reed Army Medical Center amid revelations about shoddy treatment of wounded soldiers. Weightman was named commander of Fort Detrick and the U.S. Army Medical Research and Materiel Command in November 2007." (Baltimore Sun; 31Mar09; Source: Associated Press)
http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/local/bal-general0331,0,1304876.story
Tufts [University] [MA] dedicates regional bio lab
Tufts University's Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine [MA] dedicated its $33.7 million New England Regional Biosafety Laboratory this morning […] Susan Windham-Bannister, the center's president and CEO, said the grant will cover all equipment for the lab's insectary, where live insects will be studied so new ways can be found to prevent and treat diseases that insects spread to humans. The regional labs are the federal government's answer to the 2001 anthrax [sic] scares, which led to the creation of a national biodefense program." (Worcester Business Journal; 31Mar09; Eileen Kennedy) http://www.wbjournal.com/news43104.html
[Blue Grass Army] Depot's weapons disposal plant a work in progress [KY]
"The construction of the chemical weapons disposal plant at the Blue Grass Army Depot has come a long way, but still has a long way to go, according to acting site project manager Ralph Collins. […] 'We're only about 10 or 15 percent finished with construction,' he said. […] The facilities included in the Blue Grass Chemical Agent Destruction Pilot Plant are being constructed to destroy the 500 tons of blister agent in projectiles and nerve agent in projectiles and M55 rockets." (Richmond Register; 26Mar09; Ronica Shannon) http://www.richmondregister.com/archivesearch/local_story_085073253.html
Department of Energy sends $468 million to clean up nuclear waste in Idaho
"Energy Secretary Steven Chu announced Tuesday he was releasing $468 million for cleaning up past nuclear waste at the Idaho National Laboratory. The funding, part of $6 billion in new funding under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, is designed to accelerate environmental cleanup work and create thousands of jobs across 12 states. At the INL, the money will go to demolish old nuclear and radiological facilities. It also will be used to retrieve nuclear waste and accelerate the shipment of it off-site for disposal." (Idaho Statesman; 31Mar09; Rocky Barker) http://www.idahostatesman.com/localnews/story/716163.html
Court rejects NJ nuke plant terrorist concerns
"The Nuclear Regulatory Commission was right in rejecting a challenge to the way it evaluates the dangers of a terrorist attack on a nuclear power plant, according to the 3rd Circuit Court of Appeals in Philadelphia. On Tuesday, the court ruled against the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection and its contention that the NRC should have examined the potential environmental impacts of a hypothetical terrorist attack on the plant during the relicensing process of Oyster Creek nuclear generating station. The New Jersey DEP contended that the NRC should have considered the effects of a terrorist attack during the relicensing review. But the NRC responded that it had already addressed those effects in its generic environmental impact statement related to Oyster Creek."
(Brattleboro Reformer; 01Apr09; Bob Audette)
http://www.reformer.com/ci_12043767
University of Pennsylvania is first civilian site in nation to complete radiological security program
"The University of Pennsylvania has been recognized, along with the City of Philadelphia, for national security leadership. The announcement was made by the National Nuclear Security Administration [NNSA] today during a forum on campus. NNSA honored Penn for completing all of the voluntary radiological security upgrades offered by NNSA's Global Threat Reduction Initiative [GTRI]. Under the GTRI, the NNSA, with its federal partners, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission and the Department of Homeland Security, installs voluntary security upgrades at civilian sites in the United States to reduce the potential for theft or misuse of radiological materials that could be used in a dirty bomb. These voluntary upgrades are in addition to security enhancements required by the NRC and state governments since 2006." (University of Pennsylvania; 27Mar09; Julie McWilliams)
http://www.upenn.edu/pennnews/article.php?id=1590
Text of US-Russia statement on nuclear arms
"Text of a joint statement by Russian President Dmitry Medvedev and U.S. President Barack Obama, as released by the White House on Wednesday: […] We are resolved to work together to strengthen strategic stability, international security, and jointly meet contemporary global challenges, while also addressing disagreements openly and honestly in a spirit of mutual respect and acknowledgment of each others perspective. […] We will deepen cooperation to combat nuclear terrorism. We will seek to further promote the Global Initiative to Combat Nuclear Terrorism, […] We also support international negotiations for a verifiable treaty to end the production of fissile materials for nuclear weapons […] and we seek to continue bilateral collaboration to improve and sustain nuclear security." (Associated Press; 01Apr09)
http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5iVZVQZKurqCWMUl_tMQk8_IatXKAD979LOBG4
Bolingbrook hospital [IL] gets mobile decontamination trailer
"Adventist Bolingbrook Hospital [IL] officials have a new 22-foot-long, $62,000 decontamination trailer they hope they never have to use. Even so, it's a comfort knowing the trailer is parked right outside the hospital's emergency room in case of a biological, chemical or radiological terrorist attack, they said. The hospital already has a decontamination unit in its emergency room, but that allows only one person to be cleaned at a time.
'The mobile unit can decontaminate 120 people in one hour,' said Sue Smith, director of emergency services at the hospital. Hospital officials bought the trailer last month with money from a Department of Homeland Security grant." (Chicago Tribune; 01Apr09; Joseph Ruzich) http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/chi-decon-trailer-sw-zone-01apr01,0,6929801.story
NYPD [New York City Police Department] moves to cloak midtown with camera license plate readers, and radiation and bio scanners
"The NYPD wants to cloak midtown with the same security blanket it rolled out for lower Manhattan: camera license plate readers, and radiation and bio scanners. Those measures covering Manhattan south of Canal St. will slowly be applied to midtown, from 34th to 59th Sts., river to river, Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly told the City Council Public Safety Committee. […] The NYPD is also looking to install permanent license plate scanners at each of the 20 crossings into Manhattan as part of an elaborate new safety scheme. Police also want to install sensors to detect biological and radiological weapons." (Daily News; 01Apr09; Alison Gendar) http://www.nydailynews.com/ny_local/2009/04/01/2009-04-01_nypd_moves_to_cloak_midtown_with_camera_.html
Nation's Laboratory Response Network marks first decade of protecting public health
"The Laboratory Response Network [LRN], the national laboratory system charged with protecting the public in health emergencies, will mark its first decade […] Founded in 1999 by the Association of Public Health Laboratories, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Federal Bureau of Investigation to test for agents of bioterrorism, the Laboratory Response Network has evolved to become the nation's laboratory resource for response to emerging infectious diseases, toxic spills, natural disasters, chemical terrorism and other public health threats." (Fox Business; 31Mar09)
http://www.foxbusiness.com/story/nations-laboratory-response-network-marks-decade-protecting-public-health/
Bill Maher: the God botherer
"An average day in Los Angeles, and Bill Maher is dealing with yet another death threat. A personally addressed hate package, containing sinister powder, potentially anthrax [sic], has been discovered at the Palm Springs auditorium where the 53-year-old comedian, chat show host and scourge of America's Right and Left was to perform his stand-up routine. The venue has, naturally, been shut down […] while the FBI's Joint Terrorism Task Force is investigating. And yet Maher remains surprisingly phlegmatic. 'Americans always panic,' he says with a sigh. '[…] You can't worry about that stuff. I assume there are bigger fish to fry than a comedian.'"
(Times Online; 01Apr09; Kevin Maher)
http://entertainment.timesonline.co.uk/tol/arts_and_entertainment/film/article6010432.ec
SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT: Conference Announcement: Nuclear Energy and Proliferation in the Middle East An international meeting on nuclear energy and proliferation in the Middle East will take place from June 22-24, 2009 in Amman, Jordan. The conference will address issues such as nuclear security and safeguarding, nuclear loss prevention, nuclear terrorism, creating dialogue and establish security confidence building measures, etc. More information is available at www.acsis.org
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.
Strategy Looks to Defend Homeland, Policy Chief Says
By Jim Garamone
American Forces Press Service
April 1, 2009 - Defending the homeland by defeating al-Qaida is at the heart of the new Afghanistan-Pakistan strategy, the undersecretary of defense for policy told the Senate Armed Services Committee today. Michele Flournoy, one of the architects of the strategy that President Barack Obama announced last week, said defeating the terror group that has launched attacks across the globe must be an international effort.
The effort to garner international support already has started, Flournoy said. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton spoke yesterday to representatives of 80 nations at the International Conference in Support of Afghanistan in the Netherlands, and Obama will seek support at the upcoming NATO summit, she said.
Flournoy assured the Senate panel that the administration will "make sure that our allies are alongside with us, putting on the table what they can provide to make this effort successful. We believe that keeping the American homeland and the American people safe is the bottom line goal of this effort and this is a challenge that we all must meet together."
The United States must eliminate the terrorist safe havens in Afghanistan and Pakistan, Flournoy said, and al-Qaida actively is planning more attacks on the United States and its allies from areas in Pakistan.
"We have learned in the past, at too high a price, the danger of allowing al-Qaida and its extremist supporters to have safe havens and access to resources to plan their attacks," she said. "This is why we have troops in Afghanistan and why we are going to heavily engage and intensify our efforts in Pakistan."
The president's strategy is more comprehensive and uses all the instruments of U.S. national power and those of allies, Flournoy said. "We need to devote the necessary resources to implement it," she added.
Pakistan, she said, must move to dismantle the safe havens on its territory and defeat the terror and insurgent networks within its borders. "[These] are absolutely critical to the security and stability of that nuclear armed state," she told the senators.
The comprehensive plan invests in economic and governing capabilities in both nations, Flournoy explained, and also will stress building a partnership with Pakistan that "will encourage and enable it to shift its focus from conventional war preparations to counterinsurgency and counterterrorism preparations."
Afghanistan is a poor nation, which exacerbates political problems. "These are the root causes of the insurgency that al-Qaida and the Taliban are seeking to exploit," Flournoy said. "Building Afghan capacity to address these causes while simultaneously taking the fight to the enemy are important components of our efforts going forward."
The strategy aims to reverse Taliban gains and protect the population from the group, especially in the southern and eastern Afghanistan, she said. It also fully resources training efforts for the Afghan National Army and the Afghan National Police to shift the lead in the counterinsurgency effort in the country from NATO's International Security Assistance Force to the Afghan security forces.
"Building the [Afghan national security forces] should enable us, over time, to transition from an ISAF-led effort to an Afghan-led counterinsurgency effort," Flournoy said. The president has announced an additional 4,000 U.S. soldiers will deploy to Afghanistan solely for the training mission.
While security is important, civilian agencies must step up their efforts, she said. "We will intensify our civilian assistance and our efforts to better integrate that assistance to promote more effective governance and development," the undersecretary said. "Working with the United Nations and our allies, we will seek to improve coordination and coherence in these efforts in support of Afghan development priorities."
In August, Afghanistan will hold elections, and Flournoy said the coalition will work with the Afghan government to ensure a free, fair and secure election.
Defeating the insurgency also will require breaking the narcotics industry in Afghanistan.
"We will work very hard to build more effective Afghan law enforcement, develop alternative livelihoods to deny the insurgency lucrative sources of funding and reform the agricultural sector on which so much of the Afghan population depends," she said.
Once the coalition regains the initiative in Afghanistan, America will support an Afghan-led reconciliation process designed "to essentially flip the foot-soldiers, to bring low and mid-level leaders to the side of the government," she said. "If this process is successful, the senior leaders, the irreconcilables, should be more easily isolated, and we should be better able to target them."
Money will be needed, Flournoy told the senators. Defense Department officials have not yet finalized their budget request for a fiscal 2009 supplemental funding measure or the fiscal 2010 base budget, she said.
"I can just tell you that we will be coming back to you to ask for your assistance in several areas," she said. These include funding the additional troop deployments, accelerating the growth of the Afghan forces, continuing to support counternarcotics funding, increasing Commander's Emergency Response Program funding for local construction projects and continuing humanitarian assistance support in Afghanistan.
Defense Department officials also plan to talk with the senators about a security development plan and funding for counterinsurgency capabilities for Pakistan, as well as counternarcotics funding, continued coalition support funds and other issues, she said.
American Forces Press Service
April 1, 2009 - Defending the homeland by defeating al-Qaida is at the heart of the new Afghanistan-Pakistan strategy, the undersecretary of defense for policy told the Senate Armed Services Committee today. Michele Flournoy, one of the architects of the strategy that President Barack Obama announced last week, said defeating the terror group that has launched attacks across the globe must be an international effort.
The effort to garner international support already has started, Flournoy said. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton spoke yesterday to representatives of 80 nations at the International Conference in Support of Afghanistan in the Netherlands, and Obama will seek support at the upcoming NATO summit, she said.
Flournoy assured the Senate panel that the administration will "make sure that our allies are alongside with us, putting on the table what they can provide to make this effort successful. We believe that keeping the American homeland and the American people safe is the bottom line goal of this effort and this is a challenge that we all must meet together."
The United States must eliminate the terrorist safe havens in Afghanistan and Pakistan, Flournoy said, and al-Qaida actively is planning more attacks on the United States and its allies from areas in Pakistan.
"We have learned in the past, at too high a price, the danger of allowing al-Qaida and its extremist supporters to have safe havens and access to resources to plan their attacks," she said. "This is why we have troops in Afghanistan and why we are going to heavily engage and intensify our efforts in Pakistan."
The president's strategy is more comprehensive and uses all the instruments of U.S. national power and those of allies, Flournoy said. "We need to devote the necessary resources to implement it," she added.
Pakistan, she said, must move to dismantle the safe havens on its territory and defeat the terror and insurgent networks within its borders. "[These] are absolutely critical to the security and stability of that nuclear armed state," she told the senators.
The comprehensive plan invests in economic and governing capabilities in both nations, Flournoy explained, and also will stress building a partnership with Pakistan that "will encourage and enable it to shift its focus from conventional war preparations to counterinsurgency and counterterrorism preparations."
Afghanistan is a poor nation, which exacerbates political problems. "These are the root causes of the insurgency that al-Qaida and the Taliban are seeking to exploit," Flournoy said. "Building Afghan capacity to address these causes while simultaneously taking the fight to the enemy are important components of our efforts going forward."
The strategy aims to reverse Taliban gains and protect the population from the group, especially in the southern and eastern Afghanistan, she said. It also fully resources training efforts for the Afghan National Army and the Afghan National Police to shift the lead in the counterinsurgency effort in the country from NATO's International Security Assistance Force to the Afghan security forces.
"Building the [Afghan national security forces] should enable us, over time, to transition from an ISAF-led effort to an Afghan-led counterinsurgency effort," Flournoy said. The president has announced an additional 4,000 U.S. soldiers will deploy to Afghanistan solely for the training mission.
While security is important, civilian agencies must step up their efforts, she said. "We will intensify our civilian assistance and our efforts to better integrate that assistance to promote more effective governance and development," the undersecretary said. "Working with the United Nations and our allies, we will seek to improve coordination and coherence in these efforts in support of Afghan development priorities."
In August, Afghanistan will hold elections, and Flournoy said the coalition will work with the Afghan government to ensure a free, fair and secure election.
Defeating the insurgency also will require breaking the narcotics industry in Afghanistan.
"We will work very hard to build more effective Afghan law enforcement, develop alternative livelihoods to deny the insurgency lucrative sources of funding and reform the agricultural sector on which so much of the Afghan population depends," she said.
Once the coalition regains the initiative in Afghanistan, America will support an Afghan-led reconciliation process designed "to essentially flip the foot-soldiers, to bring low and mid-level leaders to the side of the government," she said. "If this process is successful, the senior leaders, the irreconcilables, should be more easily isolated, and we should be better able to target them."
Money will be needed, Flournoy told the senators. Defense Department officials have not yet finalized their budget request for a fiscal 2009 supplemental funding measure or the fiscal 2010 base budget, she said.
"I can just tell you that we will be coming back to you to ask for your assistance in several areas," she said. These include funding the additional troop deployments, accelerating the growth of the Afghan forces, continuing to support counternarcotics funding, increasing Commander's Emergency Response Program funding for local construction projects and continuing humanitarian assistance support in Afghanistan.
Defense Department officials also plan to talk with the senators about a security development plan and funding for counterinsurgency capabilities for Pakistan, as well as counternarcotics funding, continued coalition support funds and other issues, she said.
Basra Offensive Was 'Turning Point' for Iraq, General Says
American Forces Press Service
April 1, 2009 - Last spring's Iraqi-planned and Iraqi-led military campaign that successfully subdued insurgents in and around Iraq's southern city of Basra was a turning point in the conflict, a senior U.S. officer posted in Iraq said today. Then Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki decided in March 2008 to attack insurgents and criminals lodged in Basra, Multinational Corps Iraq "had its first opportunity to gain the initiative in the south," Army Lt. Gen. Lloyd J. Austin III told reporters at a Baghdad news conference.
"We didn't hesitate in partnering with the Iraqi security forces," Austin, commander of Multinational Corps Iraq, recalled. "And while it was an Iraqi-conceived and an Iraqi-planned operation, we took the opportunity to provide our combat enablers through our military transition teams with the Iraqi units."
Maliki ordered the rapid deployment of thousands of Iraqi security forces to Basra to confront illegal militias and criminal elements said to be operating there. The U.S. military provided logistics, air and other support to the Iraqi campaign. After intense combat against the Iraqi forces, most of the insurgents in Basra eventually decided to opt out of further fighting.
Austin cited three reasons why the Basra operation "was a decisive point" for the future of all Iraq:
-- It was the first large-scale deployment of the Iraqi army by order of the prime minister;
-- It was a clear signal to all extremists and criminals, whether Sunni or Shiia, that they don't have a future in Iraq; and
-- The Iraqi government demonstrated that it is a government for all Iraqis.
If the Basra offensive had failed, Austin said, it would have led to a chain of events that "would have unraveled" the hard-fought gains made against insurgents in Iraq. Instead, the Iraqi military victory in Basra "became a real turning point for the country and for the Iraqi security forces," he said.
Today, things are looking up in Basra, Austin said, noting that violence there is at a six-year low. The local economy, he added, is improving, while the nearby port of Umm Qasr is enjoying revived business.
"And this progress is all possible by the defeat of the criminals and extremists that once dominated the south" of Iraq, Austin said.
U.S. forces involved in operations in Iraq's Jazeera Desert, which borders Syria, and in and around the city of Mosul in northern Iraq achieved "some absolutely remarkable impacts" on al-Qaida and other extremist networks, the general said. These actions "resulted in a steep reduction of high-profile attacks against the people of Mosul and in Baghdad," he said, and each foreign fighter removed from the scene likely prevented a terrorist suicide attack.
It was clear in 2008, Austin said, that long-term security in Iraq hinges on the capabilities of the Iraqi security forces. "We also knew that was important for us to further develop our partnership with the Iraqi security forces," he added.
Meanwhile, Iraqi security forces increasingly are taking on more responsibility, Austin said, as U.S. forces in Iraq have been reduced by 25 percent over the past year or so. And despite a smaller U.S. force structure, he added, security in Iraq "has continued to improve."
"And that is because of our strong partnership" with the Iraqi security forces, he said.
The 18th Airborne Corps' headquarters unit from Fort Bragg, N.C., has served as the headquarters for Multinational Corps Iraq for 14 months, Austin said. He and his troops are slated to return to Fort Bragg in a few weeks. The 700-member 18th Airborne Corps contingent will be replaced by the 1st Corps headquarters element based at Fort Lewis, Wash.
April 1, 2009 - Last spring's Iraqi-planned and Iraqi-led military campaign that successfully subdued insurgents in and around Iraq's southern city of Basra was a turning point in the conflict, a senior U.S. officer posted in Iraq said today. Then Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki decided in March 2008 to attack insurgents and criminals lodged in Basra, Multinational Corps Iraq "had its first opportunity to gain the initiative in the south," Army Lt. Gen. Lloyd J. Austin III told reporters at a Baghdad news conference.
"We didn't hesitate in partnering with the Iraqi security forces," Austin, commander of Multinational Corps Iraq, recalled. "And while it was an Iraqi-conceived and an Iraqi-planned operation, we took the opportunity to provide our combat enablers through our military transition teams with the Iraqi units."
Maliki ordered the rapid deployment of thousands of Iraqi security forces to Basra to confront illegal militias and criminal elements said to be operating there. The U.S. military provided logistics, air and other support to the Iraqi campaign. After intense combat against the Iraqi forces, most of the insurgents in Basra eventually decided to opt out of further fighting.
Austin cited three reasons why the Basra operation "was a decisive point" for the future of all Iraq:
-- It was the first large-scale deployment of the Iraqi army by order of the prime minister;
-- It was a clear signal to all extremists and criminals, whether Sunni or Shiia, that they don't have a future in Iraq; and
-- The Iraqi government demonstrated that it is a government for all Iraqis.
If the Basra offensive had failed, Austin said, it would have led to a chain of events that "would have unraveled" the hard-fought gains made against insurgents in Iraq. Instead, the Iraqi military victory in Basra "became a real turning point for the country and for the Iraqi security forces," he said.
Today, things are looking up in Basra, Austin said, noting that violence there is at a six-year low. The local economy, he added, is improving, while the nearby port of Umm Qasr is enjoying revived business.
"And this progress is all possible by the defeat of the criminals and extremists that once dominated the south" of Iraq, Austin said.
U.S. forces involved in operations in Iraq's Jazeera Desert, which borders Syria, and in and around the city of Mosul in northern Iraq achieved "some absolutely remarkable impacts" on al-Qaida and other extremist networks, the general said. These actions "resulted in a steep reduction of high-profile attacks against the people of Mosul and in Baghdad," he said, and each foreign fighter removed from the scene likely prevented a terrorist suicide attack.
It was clear in 2008, Austin said, that long-term security in Iraq hinges on the capabilities of the Iraqi security forces. "We also knew that was important for us to further develop our partnership with the Iraqi security forces," he added.
Meanwhile, Iraqi security forces increasingly are taking on more responsibility, Austin said, as U.S. forces in Iraq have been reduced by 25 percent over the past year or so. And despite a smaller U.S. force structure, he added, security in Iraq "has continued to improve."
"And that is because of our strong partnership" with the Iraqi security forces, he said.
The 18th Airborne Corps' headquarters unit from Fort Bragg, N.C., has served as the headquarters for Multinational Corps Iraq for 14 months, Austin said. He and his troops are slated to return to Fort Bragg in a few weeks. The 700-member 18th Airborne Corps contingent will be replaced by the 1st Corps headquarters element based at Fort Lewis, Wash.
Wrestling Divas Visit Troops in Afghanistan
By Army Spc. Opal HoodSpecial to American Forces Press Service
April 1, 2009 - Troops from different service branches and different countries eagerly got into a line that wrapped around the inside of a tent here March 24 to meet four former World Wrestling Entertainment "divas." For more than two hours, Terry Runnels, Nora "Molly Holly" Greenwald, Christy Hemme and Shelly Martinez signed autographs and posed for photos with servicemembers and civilians at the Morale, Welfare and Recreation gym.
"Events like having the divas here give the troops a break," Air Force Capt. Carey Caudell of Task Force Warrior said. "When you work seven days a week, you need something to take your mind off the day-to-day and just relax."
This was the first trip to visit deployed troops for three of the divas; only Runnels had made a trip to Kuwait to visit troops before. They were invited as part of MWR's effort to keep the morale of deployed troops high.
"The morale of troops is important, because we are away from family and friends," said Army Pvt. Nathan Brown, 101st Airborne Division Special Troops Battalion Headquarters and Headquarters Company. "Things like this helps remind us that we are still supported."
Hemme said she wanted to do the tour because she didn't want the "filtered version of the war" and wanted to see things for herself.
"People back home will never really understand how things are here without actually having ever been here," Martinez agreed.
In addition to Bagram, the divas also visited a couple of forward operating bases, but weather forced cancellation of planned visits to some smaller bases. "It felt as if my heart was ripped out when we realized we were going to miss a few stops," Hemme said.
The women made every moment count by visiting with the troops as often as possible. Aside from meals, sleeping and an hour of shopping, the majority of their time was spent with troops. But even during meals, they were happy to take a break for photos and autographs. Their goal was to show their appreciation to the troops and remind them that people back home support them.
"It makes us happy to see [troops] happy," said Runnels, who added she felt honored and humbled by her experience here.
The divas never said "You're welcome" when troops thanked them for being here, Kevin Dessart, the diva's tour manager, observed. Their response always was "No! Thank you," he said.
From the looks on the troops' faces, the divas succeeded in their mission to boost morale.
"The divas are the best tour we have had so far because of their genuine concern, curiosity and overall love for the troops," Air Force Master Sgt. Mark Gore, an MWR planner, said.
(Army Spc. Opal Hood serves with the 5th Mobile Public Affairs Detachment.)
Face of Defense: Wounded Warrior Finds Miracle on Mountainside
By Donna MilesAmerican Forces Press Service
April 1, 2009 - Army Command Sgt. Maj. Bill Roy stretched his legs out in front of a rolling fire last evening, reflecting on the magnitude of the day. After 36 years in the Army – 17 on active duty and the rest in the Army Reserve -- the crusty Special Forces medic has just about seen it all in Panama, Bosnia, Iraq, Afghanistan and a few places he said he can't talk about.
But yesterday, as a first-timer at the National Disabled Veterans Winter Sports Clinic, Roy experienced something totally out of his realm of experience, a phenomenon that's become known as the "Miracle on the Mountainside."
Roy once was a double-black-diamond skier, undaunted by even the most challenging ski slopes.
That was before a deployment to Afghanistan, where he was theater command sergeant major for the Office of Security Cooperation Afghanistan, which trains Afghan security forces.
Roy was visiting a forward operating base in Jalalabad, eastern Afghanistan, in March 2005 to check on his troops when enemy mortar rounds and rockets from across the Pakistan border came raining on him and his troops. A 122 mm rocket lifted Roy off his feet, throwing him 25 yards away.
Roy knew he was in pain and had mobility problems, but had no idea how badly he'd been wounded. He returned to his headquarters in Kabul the next day and "sucked it up" for the remaining 90 days of his deployment.
It wasn't until he redeployed to his mobilization station at Fort Benning, Ga., that a medical examination revealed just how much damage the blast had inflicted. His diagnosis: "disintegrated" vertebrae that caused "major paralysis," two fractured kneecaps, two torn rotator cuffs, shrapnel in his head, traumatic brain injury and symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder.
"I had some pretty major paralysis in the beginning, and they told me I would never walk again, but I did," Roy said. After 16 surgeries, he now walks with a cane, but his doctors have warned him that a deteriorating back likely will put him back into a wheelchair for good within the next few years. The blast had exacerbated a previous back injury.
Roy still is in the Army, but expects to be medically retired after a medical board reviews his case.
As a third-generation soldier, his prognosis and the near-guarantee that he'll no longer be able to serve in uniform sent him into a downward emotional spiral.
But yesterday, Roy put all that aside, along with his cane, and slipped into an adaptive sit-ski. Flanked by two volunteer ski instructors, he schussed down Snowmass Mountain, leaving a cloud of fresh powder snow in his wake.
"Never in my wildest dreams did I think I would ever do something like that again," Roy said, shaking his head as an ear-to-ear smile stretched across his face.
It was a pivotal moment, he said, part of a discovery process he's experiencing at the winter sports clinic.
"This has been a turnaround for me that has changed my mental attitude for the better," he said. "I'm laughing and having fun -- and believe me, I haven't done that for a very long time."
And while it's helping to change his mental outlook, Roy said, the clinic is giving him a new understanding of what life can hold for him.
"I may be altered, but if I've got the right mental attitude, I don't have to be disabled," he said. "It's all mind over matter. And if you don't mind, it doesn't matter."
Roy praised the winter sports clinic, an annual event jointly sponsored by the Department of Veterans Affairs and Disabled American Veterans. Now in its 23rd year, it uses recreation as a rehabilitative tool for veterans with disabilities ranging from spinal cord injuries and orthopedic amputations to visual impairment and neurological conditions.
As they learn adaptive Alpine and Nordic skiing and get introduced to rock climbing, scuba diving, trapshooting, wheelchair fencing, sled hockey, snowmobiling, and sled hockey during a six-day program, the veterans' eyes get opened to a whole new world of opportunity.
For many participants, like Roy, the experience can be life-changing.
"I'd recommend this clinic to anybody," he said. "This has really rejuvenated my soul."
Two Coalition Divisions in Iraq Combine Into One
American Forces Press ServiceApril 1, 2009 - Multinational Division Center absorbed Multinational Division Southeast into its operating area in a ceremony here yesterday, forming Multinational Division South. Army Maj. Gen. Michael L. Oates, who previously commanded Multinational Division Center, accepted responsibility for the new division from British Maj. Gen. Andy Salmon, who commanded Multinational Division Southeast.
British Maj. Gen. Andy Salmon, Multinational Division Southeast commander, and Army Maj. Gen. Michael Oates, commander of the newly formed Multinational Division South, shake hands during a transfer-of-responsibility ceremony March 31, 2009, in Basra, Iraq. U.S. Army photo by Spc. Darryl L. Montgomery
(Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available.
Oates and Multinational Division South now support Iraqi security forces operations over nine provinces in southern Iraq.
Army Gen. Raymond T. Odierno, commander of Multinational Force Iraq, and Army Lt. Gen. Lloyd J. Austin III, commander of Multinational Corps Iraq, joined Iraqi government officials and Iraqi security forces leaders to witness the transfer.
Austin congratulated the outgoing command for all its accomplishments in Basra.
"We thank you very much for your service to the coalition and the Iraqi people," he said. "You have been an essential part in Basra's hard-won and new-found freedom."
Austin encouraged the newly formed division to continue the high standards set by Multinational Division Southeast.
"[They] have made significant strides in providing security in central and southern Iraq by partnering with the Iraqi security forces over the past year," he said. "Now they will expand their great partnership with the Iraqi security forces throughout the entire south."
Oates expressed his appreciation for United Kingdom contributions here, calling the U.S. and British relationship outstanding.
"It's a bittersweet day for me to have them leave," he said. "I'm enormously proud of them, and I think the people of Great Britain should be very proud of their army."
Multinational Division South's objectives in Basra include helping with economic development and governance, increasing security for the Iraqi people and assisting with training and transitioning of the Iraqi security forces.
After six years of deployment in southeastern Iraq, about 4,000 British troops remain. They are scheduled to redeploy this summer.
(From a Multinational Division South news release.)
Special Ops Commander Supports Strategy's Focus on al-Qaida
By Jim Garamone
American Forces Press Service
April 1, 2009 - The situation in Afghanistan and Pakistan is becoming "increasingly dire," but President Barack Obama's strategy for dealing with the threat in the region is the right one, the commander of U.S. Special Operations Command said here today. Navy Adm. Eric T. Olson testified at a Senate Armed Services Committee hearing on the Afghanistan-Pakistan strategy review. Special Operations Command participated in the strategic review, and the admiral said he is pleased that the strategy "includes a clear focus on al-Qaida as the enemy, and that a whole-of-government approach is directed."
How special operations forces operate will not change much as a result of a revised overall strategy, Olson said.
"Our units have been conducting both counterterrorism and counterinsurgency for several years," he told the Senate panel. "We will continue to provide our broad capabilities to our fullest capacity in order to meet the needs of our elected and appointed civilian leaders and our military operational commanders."
Al-Qaida has suffered losses from operations in the region, but remains a threat, Olson said. "Al-Qaida's surviving leaders have proven adept at hiding, communicating and inspiring," he said. "Operating in and from remote sites in both Afghanistan and Pakistan, al-Qaida remains a draw for local and foreign fighters who subscribe to its extremist ideology and criminality."
The Taliban also are an increasing threat in the region, not only because they shield al-Qaida, but also because they intimidate the local population, the admiral said.
"Operating in the guise of both nationalists and keepers of the faith, but behaving in the manner of street gangs and mafias, they have forced and intimidated a mostly benign populace to bend to their will," he said. "Their methods run the relatively narrow range from malicious to evil."
The campaign in Afghanistan and Pakistan will take time, but it is time well worth taking, Olson said.
"We, as a nation and international community, must be prepared for an extended campaign – a campaign that must go well beyond traditional military activities," he said. "Increasing the presence and capacity of civilian agencies and international organizations, to include sufficient funding and training, is essential to help develop and implement the basic functions of credible government in Afghanistan, and to assist Pakistan's efforts to dismantle safe havens and displace extremists in its border provinces."
Military, law enforcement, border security and intelligence training is also important in Afghanistan and Pakistan, as "it is ultimately they who must succeed in their lands," Olson said.
Special operations forces were the catalyst behind driving the Taliban from power in Afghanistan in 2001, operating alongside members of the Northern Alliance in the months after the 9/11 attacks in the United States. Today, special operations forces missions range from high-tech man-hunting to providing veterinary services for tribal livestock, the admiral said.
"The direct-action missions are urgent and necessary, as they provide the time and space needed for the more indirect counterinsurgency operations to have their decisive effects," he said. "Undertaken in proper balance, these actions address immediate security threats while also engaging the underlying instability in the region."
In Pakistan, U.S. forces work to train the Pakistani military and Frontier Corps in counterinsurgency operations, and are prepared to do more, he said. "While we share much with them, our forces are in turn learning much about our common adversaries and the social complexities of the region," Olson said.
Special operators are going after al-Qaida aggressively in Afghanistan, but the fundamental mission for most special operators is the enduring partnership with Afghan counterparts, the admiral said. U.S. Army Special Forces teams have trained Afghan commandos in the classrooms and on the firing ranges, and then moved with them to their assigned regions across the country.
"Living remotely with them on small camps, continuing the training and mentoring, and integrating with them on day and night combat operations has had great effect," Olson said.
Supporting Afghans' local development and assistance efforts has had perhaps even a more powerful impact, he said. The program has expanded to formally partner U.S. special operations forces with noncommando Afghan battalions. Olson said the program will consume most of the additional special operations forces that will deploy as part of the upcoming 21,000-strong troop increase.
More than 10,000 members of U.S. special operation forces are in the U.S. Central Command area of responsibility, Olson said. "About 2,000 others are in 65 countries on an average day," he added. "Their activities, fully approved and coordinated, cover the broad spectrum of traditional military activities – well beyond the stereotypical one-dimensional gunslinger to encompass the three-dimensional warrior, equally adept at defense, development and diplomacy. Special operations forces bring soft power with a hard edge."
American Forces Press Service
April 1, 2009 - The situation in Afghanistan and Pakistan is becoming "increasingly dire," but President Barack Obama's strategy for dealing with the threat in the region is the right one, the commander of U.S. Special Operations Command said here today. Navy Adm. Eric T. Olson testified at a Senate Armed Services Committee hearing on the Afghanistan-Pakistan strategy review. Special Operations Command participated in the strategic review, and the admiral said he is pleased that the strategy "includes a clear focus on al-Qaida as the enemy, and that a whole-of-government approach is directed."
How special operations forces operate will not change much as a result of a revised overall strategy, Olson said.
"Our units have been conducting both counterterrorism and counterinsurgency for several years," he told the Senate panel. "We will continue to provide our broad capabilities to our fullest capacity in order to meet the needs of our elected and appointed civilian leaders and our military operational commanders."
Al-Qaida has suffered losses from operations in the region, but remains a threat, Olson said. "Al-Qaida's surviving leaders have proven adept at hiding, communicating and inspiring," he said. "Operating in and from remote sites in both Afghanistan and Pakistan, al-Qaida remains a draw for local and foreign fighters who subscribe to its extremist ideology and criminality."
The Taliban also are an increasing threat in the region, not only because they shield al-Qaida, but also because they intimidate the local population, the admiral said.
"Operating in the guise of both nationalists and keepers of the faith, but behaving in the manner of street gangs and mafias, they have forced and intimidated a mostly benign populace to bend to their will," he said. "Their methods run the relatively narrow range from malicious to evil."
The campaign in Afghanistan and Pakistan will take time, but it is time well worth taking, Olson said.
"We, as a nation and international community, must be prepared for an extended campaign – a campaign that must go well beyond traditional military activities," he said. "Increasing the presence and capacity of civilian agencies and international organizations, to include sufficient funding and training, is essential to help develop and implement the basic functions of credible government in Afghanistan, and to assist Pakistan's efforts to dismantle safe havens and displace extremists in its border provinces."
Military, law enforcement, border security and intelligence training is also important in Afghanistan and Pakistan, as "it is ultimately they who must succeed in their lands," Olson said.
Special operations forces were the catalyst behind driving the Taliban from power in Afghanistan in 2001, operating alongside members of the Northern Alliance in the months after the 9/11 attacks in the United States. Today, special operations forces missions range from high-tech man-hunting to providing veterinary services for tribal livestock, the admiral said.
"The direct-action missions are urgent and necessary, as they provide the time and space needed for the more indirect counterinsurgency operations to have their decisive effects," he said. "Undertaken in proper balance, these actions address immediate security threats while also engaging the underlying instability in the region."
In Pakistan, U.S. forces work to train the Pakistani military and Frontier Corps in counterinsurgency operations, and are prepared to do more, he said. "While we share much with them, our forces are in turn learning much about our common adversaries and the social complexities of the region," Olson said.
Special operators are going after al-Qaida aggressively in Afghanistan, but the fundamental mission for most special operators is the enduring partnership with Afghan counterparts, the admiral said. U.S. Army Special Forces teams have trained Afghan commandos in the classrooms and on the firing ranges, and then moved with them to their assigned regions across the country.
"Living remotely with them on small camps, continuing the training and mentoring, and integrating with them on day and night combat operations has had great effect," Olson said.
Supporting Afghans' local development and assistance efforts has had perhaps even a more powerful impact, he said. The program has expanded to formally partner U.S. special operations forces with noncommando Afghan battalions. Olson said the program will consume most of the additional special operations forces that will deploy as part of the upcoming 21,000-strong troop increase.
More than 10,000 members of U.S. special operation forces are in the U.S. Central Command area of responsibility, Olson said. "About 2,000 others are in 65 countries on an average day," he added. "Their activities, fully approved and coordinated, cover the broad spectrum of traditional military activities – well beyond the stereotypical one-dimensional gunslinger to encompass the three-dimensional warrior, equally adept at defense, development and diplomacy. Special operations forces bring soft power with a hard edge."
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