Editor's Note: Much of the discussion will be applicable to the investigation of terrorist incidents.
On December 17, 2009, Conversations with American Heroes at the Watering Hole will feature a discussion with Vernon J. Geberth, NYPD (ret.) on Forensic Science in Homicide Investigations.
Program Date: December 17, 2009
Program Time: 1700 hours, Pacific
Topic: Forensic Science in Homicide Investigations
Listen Live: www.americanheroesradio.com/forensic_science_homicide_investigations.html
About the Guest
Vernon Geberth is a retired lieutenant-commander of the New York Police Department. As the commanding officer of the Bronx Homicide Task Force, his investigators handled more than four hundred murder investigations every year. Vernon Geberth is recipient of over sixty awards for bravery and exceptional work during twenty-three years of service. He has personally investigated, supervised, assessed, researched and consulted on over eight thousand homicides.
Vernon Geberth has master's degrees in both psychology and professional studies, is a graduate of the FBI's National Academy. Over the past twenty-five years, he has taught over 50,000 police officers his comprehensive course in Practical Homicide Investigation.
Geberth’s book, Practical Homicide Investigation has been referred to as the "Bible of Homicide." His subsequent works, “The Practical Homicide Investigation Checklist and Field Guide” and “Sex-Related Homicide and Death Investigation: Practical and Clinical Perspectives,” demonstrate his professional ability and subject matter expert command over homicide investigations. In addition to his own works Geberth has been an editor in over forty other textbooks. He has devoted his life to the study of murder and was the first law enforcement professional to devise standard guidelines and protocols for proficient death inquiries. Currently he is president of P.H.I. Investigative Consultants, Inc., a New York-based corporation that provides state-of-the-art instruction and consultation regarding homicide investigations to police officers.
About the Watering Hole
The Watering Hole is Police slang for a location cops go off-duty to blow off steam and talk about work and life. American Heroes Radio brings you to the watering hole, where it is Sometimes funny; sometimes serious; but, always interesting.
About the Host
Lieutenant Raymond E. Foster was a sworn member of the Los Angeles Police Department for 24 years. He retired in 2003 at the rank of Lieutenant. He holds a bachelor’s from the Union Institute and University in Criminal Justice Management and a Master’s Degree in Public Financial Management from California State University, Fullerton; and, has completed his doctoral course work. Raymond E. Foster has been a part-time lecturer at California State University, Fullerton and Fresno; and is currently a Criminal Justice Department chair, faculty advisor and lecturer with the Union Institute and University. He has experience teaching upper division courses in Law Enforcement, public policy, Public Safety Technology and leadership. Raymond is an experienced author who has published numerous articles in a wide range of venues including magazines such as Government Technology, Mobile Government, Airborne Law Enforcement Magazine, and Police One. He has appeared on the History Channel and radio programs in the United States and Europe as subject matter expert in technological applications in Law Enforcement.
Listen, call, join us at the Watering Hole:
www.americanheroesradio.com/forensic_science_homicide_investigations.html
Program Contact Information
Lieutenant Raymond E. Foster, LAPD (ret.), MPA
editor@police-writers.com
909.599.7530
Monday, December 07, 2009
Soldiers Invest in Iraq's Next Generation
By Army Capt. John LandrySpecial to American Forces Press Service
Dec. 7, 2009 - Educating children might not be the first thing Americans discuss when the subject of Iraq comes up, but for the soldiers of Task Force Pathfinder here, helping the next generation of Iraqis obtain a basic education is a critical part of their mission. For Iraq to be safe and stable when U.S. soldiers depart, it must have the social infrastructure required to sustain the progress made.
Prior to deployment, soldiers train to perform conventional military tasks and deploy with confidence in their abilities. The soldiers of Task Force Pathfinder took their training one step further, adding a range of civil affairs and project-management skills to their pre-deployment preparations, and since arriving in Iraq, they have adapted to a new role.
The soldiers of the 1st Armored Division's 4th Brigade Combat Team now provide military support to civil-capacity operations, combining their movement and security expertise with a broader understanding of economic and social development as part of the Army's first "advise and assist" brigade.
Supporting civil capacity is an important component of the advise-and-assist mission. In southern Iraq, this means working alongside the State Department's provincial reconstruction teams, assisting efforts that range from providing clean drinking water to repairing damaged hospitals.
Among these many efforts, educating the children of Iraq is an important facet.
"We have made great progress in this country," said Army Lt. Col. Michael Eastman, commander of Task Force Pathfinder. "Sustaining those gains beyond an American presence here requires that the next generation of Iraqi leaders have access to a basic education."
More than simply delivering school books and supplies, the soldiers' efforts include improving and expanding the existing infrastructure by renovating damaged buildings, building new schools in remote locations, providing electrical access and equipping them with supplies and furniture.
In Muthanna province alone, the soldiers of "Able" Company, an infantry unit assigned to the task force, provided project oversight and security for the construction of two new, four-room schools, one school renovation and three corresponding electrical extensions. By adding electricity to the schools, the soldiers created a learning environment safe from the elements and capable of bringing increasing exposure to outside information.
Based on this initial success, the assigned Army civil affairs team assumed responsibility for an additional three schools and the corresponding electrical extension projects.
"We see it as an investment in Iraq's next generation and pivotal to long-term, sustained national growth," said Army Capt. Michael Martin, "A" Company, 1st Battalion, 77th Armor Regiment, attached to Task Force Pathfinder.
Army Staff Sgt. Danillo Martinez added that the soldiers' efforts don't just provide "big-picture" benefits. "Positively affecting the life of one child is what makes it all worth it," he said.
(Army Capt. John Landry of the 1st Armored Division's 4th Brigade Combat Team serves with Task Force Pathfinder.)
DOD Announces Afghanistan Force Deployment
The Department of Defense today announced the deployment of approximately 16,000 additional forces to Afghanistan, the initial elements of the 30,000 troops authorized by President Obama on Nov. 30. An infantry battalion task force, with approximately 1,500 Marines, from Camp Lejeune, N.C., will deploy later this month. Regimental Combat Team-2, headquartered at Camp Lejuene, N.C., will deploy approximately 6,200 Marines in early spring 2010. A Marine Expeditionary Force (Forward) headquarters from I Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Pendleton, Calif., will deploy approximately 800 Marines in spring 2010.
A Brigade Combat Team (BCT), with approximately 3,400 soldiers from the 1st Brigade, 10th Mountain Division, Fort Drum, N.Y. will deploy in early spring 2010 to conduct a training mission.
Secretary Gates also approved the deployment of approximately 4,100 support forces, which will deploy at various times into spring 2010.
DoD will continue to announce major unit deployments as they are approved. For additional information on the Marine units, contact Marine Corps Public Affairs at 703-614-4309. For additional information on the Brigade Combat Team, contact Army Public Affairs at 703-614-2487.
A Brigade Combat Team (BCT), with approximately 3,400 soldiers from the 1st Brigade, 10th Mountain Division, Fort Drum, N.Y. will deploy in early spring 2010 to conduct a training mission.
Secretary Gates also approved the deployment of approximately 4,100 support forces, which will deploy at various times into spring 2010.
DoD will continue to announce major unit deployments as they are approved. For additional information on the Marine units, contact Marine Corps Public Affairs at 703-614-4309. For additional information on the Brigade Combat Team, contact Army Public Affairs at 703-614-2487.
Homeland Security Daily Open Source Infrastructure Report for 7 December 2009
Top Stories
According to the Associated Press, a fire in the basement of the DuPont chemical plant in Fort Madison, Iowa caused about $30,000 to $40,000 in damage on December 3. The building was evacuated. (See item 3)
The Associated Press reports that backpacks have been banned and eight students have been suspended from Keyser Primary-Middle School in Mineral County, West Virginia after bomb threats disrupted class four days in a row the week of November 30. Police are also investigating a bomb threat at Keyser High School. (Item 33)
More Information
http://www.dhs.gov/xlibrary/assets/DHS_Daily_Report_2009-12-07.pdf
According to the Associated Press, a fire in the basement of the DuPont chemical plant in Fort Madison, Iowa caused about $30,000 to $40,000 in damage on December 3. The building was evacuated. (See item 3)
The Associated Press reports that backpacks have been banned and eight students have been suspended from Keyser Primary-Middle School in Mineral County, West Virginia after bomb threats disrupted class four days in a row the week of November 30. Police are also investigating a bomb threat at Keyser High School. (Item 33)
More Information
http://www.dhs.gov/xlibrary/assets/DHS_Daily_Report_2009-12-07.pdf
Sunday, December 06, 2009
Iraqis Arrest 6 Terrorism Suspects
American Forces Press Service
Dec. 4, 2009 - Iraqi security forces arrested six terrorism suspects in recent days, military officials reported. In northwestern Baghdad yesterday, Iraqi security forces arrested three people during a combined operation conducted to find and arrest a suspected member of an explosives cell affiliated with the Jaysh al-Mahdi terrorist organization.
Iraqi forces and U.S. advisors searched a home for the alleged explosives cell member, who is believed to be staging attacks against security forces in the region. Based on preliminary questioning and evidence discovered at the scene, they arrested three people suspected of being criminal associates of the targeted cell member, who was not apprehended.
Also yesterday, Iraqi forces arrested two people in Abu Ghraib during a combined operation conducted to find and arrest an alleged al-Qaida in Iraq explosives expert believed to be building vehicle-borne bombs and planning deadly attacks in Baghdad and Anbar province.
Iraqi forces and U.S. advisors searched a home looking for the suspect, and though they did not locate him, they arrested two people suspected of criminal activity based on preliminary questioning and evidence discovered on the premises.
In Baghdad on Dec. 2, Iraqi forces and Multinational Division Baghdad soldiers detained a suspected weapons trafficker. Acting on a warrant issued out of Bayaa, U.S. soldiers and Iraqi police conducted a combined mission and seized various weapons, electronic devices and records.
The suspect is believed to be responsible for selling weapons to various terrorist groups throughout the Baghdad area. Iraqi forces transported him to a nearby headquarters for further questioning.
(Compiled from Multinational Force Iraq and Multinational Corps Iraq news releases.)
Dec. 4, 2009 - Iraqi security forces arrested six terrorism suspects in recent days, military officials reported. In northwestern Baghdad yesterday, Iraqi security forces arrested three people during a combined operation conducted to find and arrest a suspected member of an explosives cell affiliated with the Jaysh al-Mahdi terrorist organization.
Iraqi forces and U.S. advisors searched a home for the alleged explosives cell member, who is believed to be staging attacks against security forces in the region. Based on preliminary questioning and evidence discovered at the scene, they arrested three people suspected of being criminal associates of the targeted cell member, who was not apprehended.
Also yesterday, Iraqi forces arrested two people in Abu Ghraib during a combined operation conducted to find and arrest an alleged al-Qaida in Iraq explosives expert believed to be building vehicle-borne bombs and planning deadly attacks in Baghdad and Anbar province.
Iraqi forces and U.S. advisors searched a home looking for the suspect, and though they did not locate him, they arrested two people suspected of criminal activity based on preliminary questioning and evidence discovered on the premises.
In Baghdad on Dec. 2, Iraqi forces and Multinational Division Baghdad soldiers detained a suspected weapons trafficker. Acting on a warrant issued out of Bayaa, U.S. soldiers and Iraqi police conducted a combined mission and seized various weapons, electronic devices and records.
The suspect is believed to be responsible for selling weapons to various terrorist groups throughout the Baghdad area. Iraqi forces transported him to a nearby headquarters for further questioning.
(Compiled from Multinational Force Iraq and Multinational Corps Iraq news releases.)
Force Detains Militants, Targets Commander
American Forces Press Service
Dec. 4, 2009 - A combined force detained several suspected militants and members of the International Security Assistance Force targeted a Taliban commander in Afghanistan in recent days, military officials reported. An Afghan-international security force detained several suspected militants in Afghanistan's Kandahar province today after searching a compound known to be used by a Taliban operative.
The force searched the compound near the village of Nurayo Kariz, about 10 miles northeast of Kandahar City in Arghandab district, without incident and detained the militants, including the suspect. No shots were fired, and no one was injured.
Meanwhile, international forces targeted a Taliban commander in the Pech district of eastern Afghanistan's Konar province Nov. 26 with a rocket attack, military officials reported.
The man known as Dowron, the Taliban commander of the Pech River Valley, is presumed dead from the attack, officials said.
Dowron was targeted because forces under his command killed and injured many innocent Afghans, as well as Afghan and coalition forces by attacking Afghan polling stations, infrastructure and economic ventures, officials said.
According to reports, Dowron was planning a major offensive on ISAF bases and the Chapa Dara district center in Konar province. The ISAF strike was ordered based on intelligence from multiple sources that Dowron was in a remote area away from major population centers.
The force followed strict guidelines regarding striking enemy targets to ensure minimal civilian casualties, officials said.
The Taliban commander not only was involved in offensives against ISAF forces and bases, propaganda, and coordinated attacks against Afghan forces, but also had ties to multiple al-Qaida members, officials said.
Dowron's tactics included using Afghan civilians as human shields, and he focused his energy on denying Afghans their democratic rights and economic freedom by attacking Afghans during the elections and Afghan businesses.
(From an International Security Assistance Force Joint Command news release and an ISAF news release.)
Dec. 4, 2009 - A combined force detained several suspected militants and members of the International Security Assistance Force targeted a Taliban commander in Afghanistan in recent days, military officials reported. An Afghan-international security force detained several suspected militants in Afghanistan's Kandahar province today after searching a compound known to be used by a Taliban operative.
The force searched the compound near the village of Nurayo Kariz, about 10 miles northeast of Kandahar City in Arghandab district, without incident and detained the militants, including the suspect. No shots were fired, and no one was injured.
Meanwhile, international forces targeted a Taliban commander in the Pech district of eastern Afghanistan's Konar province Nov. 26 with a rocket attack, military officials reported.
The man known as Dowron, the Taliban commander of the Pech River Valley, is presumed dead from the attack, officials said.
Dowron was targeted because forces under his command killed and injured many innocent Afghans, as well as Afghan and coalition forces by attacking Afghan polling stations, infrastructure and economic ventures, officials said.
According to reports, Dowron was planning a major offensive on ISAF bases and the Chapa Dara district center in Konar province. The ISAF strike was ordered based on intelligence from multiple sources that Dowron was in a remote area away from major population centers.
The force followed strict guidelines regarding striking enemy targets to ensure minimal civilian casualties, officials said.
The Taliban commander not only was involved in offensives against ISAF forces and bases, propaganda, and coordinated attacks against Afghan forces, but also had ties to multiple al-Qaida members, officials said.
Dowron's tactics included using Afghan civilians as human shields, and he focused his energy on denying Afghans their democratic rights and economic freedom by attacking Afghans during the elections and Afghan businesses.
(From an International Security Assistance Force Joint Command news release and an ISAF news release.)
Army Casualty
The Department of Defense announced today the death of a soldier who was supporting Operation Enduring Freedom.
Sgt. Kenneth R. Nichols Jr., 28, of Chrisman, Ill., died Dec. 1 in Kunar province, Afghanistan, of wounds suffered when enemy forces attacked his unit using small arms and rocket-propelled grenade fires. He was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 12th Infantry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, Fort Carson, Colo.
For more information media may contact the Fort Carson public affairs office at 719-526-7525; after hours 719-526-5500.
Sgt. Kenneth R. Nichols Jr., 28, of Chrisman, Ill., died Dec. 1 in Kunar province, Afghanistan, of wounds suffered when enemy forces attacked his unit using small arms and rocket-propelled grenade fires. He was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 12th Infantry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, Fort Carson, Colo.
For more information media may contact the Fort Carson public affairs office at 719-526-7525; after hours 719-526-5500.
Pakistani Offensive Pushes Extremists, Petraeus Says
By Gerry J. Gilmore
American Forces Press Service
Dec. 4, 2009 - As the Pakistani military achieves success against extremists operating in Pakistan, the campaign also is aiding anti-insurgent efforts in Afghanistan, the commander of U.S. Central Command said today. In fact, the months-long Pakistani offensive is putting the Taliban, al-Qaida and other extremists in the region "under significant pressure," Army Gen. David H. Petraeus told National Public Radio host Steve Inskeep during a segment of the "Morning Edition" news program.
The Pakistani campaign is assisting U.S. and coalition efforts in Afghanistan, Petraeus said, noting Afghan Taliban leader Mullah Omar "is generally thought to be located most of the time, if not all the time, in Pakistan."
Pakistan's military has been engaged over the past nine months or so in several actions targeting extremist groups in Pakistan that are known to cross the border to create mayhem in Afghanistan, Petraeus said.
The offensive, the general said, indicates that Pakistan's government and citizens now recognize "that the most pressing threat to the very existence of Pakistan as they know it is the extremist syndicate" that operates in the region, which includes Afghan and Pakistani Taliban and other insurgent groups.
Pakistani troops have conducted "quite impressive" operations against insurgents in the Swat Valley area in the northwestern frontier section of the country, Petraeus said.
Pakistani soldiers also have moved against Pakistani Taliban elements based in the country's eastern-south Waziristan region and also are targeting other extremists operating in northern Warizistan, he said.
Pakistan has committed thousands of troops to deal with extremists operating within its borders, Petraeus said, adding "you cannot underestimate" the importance of the steps Pakistan has taken to deal with its internal terrorist threat.
The campaign has come at a cost, he pointed out, noting many Pakistani soldiers and civilians have been killed or injured over the past 9-10 months.
As the anti-insurgent campaigns in Afghanistan and Pakistan continue, Petraeus said, there needs to be very close coordination along the Afghan-Pakistani border.
The general observed that Pakistan's military campaign against extremists "has achieved a good bit" over the past nine months or so.
"But, we have a very long way to go in that regard," he said
American Forces Press Service
Dec. 4, 2009 - As the Pakistani military achieves success against extremists operating in Pakistan, the campaign also is aiding anti-insurgent efforts in Afghanistan, the commander of U.S. Central Command said today. In fact, the months-long Pakistani offensive is putting the Taliban, al-Qaida and other extremists in the region "under significant pressure," Army Gen. David H. Petraeus told National Public Radio host Steve Inskeep during a segment of the "Morning Edition" news program.
The Pakistani campaign is assisting U.S. and coalition efforts in Afghanistan, Petraeus said, noting Afghan Taliban leader Mullah Omar "is generally thought to be located most of the time, if not all the time, in Pakistan."
Pakistan's military has been engaged over the past nine months or so in several actions targeting extremist groups in Pakistan that are known to cross the border to create mayhem in Afghanistan, Petraeus said.
The offensive, the general said, indicates that Pakistan's government and citizens now recognize "that the most pressing threat to the very existence of Pakistan as they know it is the extremist syndicate" that operates in the region, which includes Afghan and Pakistani Taliban and other insurgent groups.
Pakistani troops have conducted "quite impressive" operations against insurgents in the Swat Valley area in the northwestern frontier section of the country, Petraeus said.
Pakistani soldiers also have moved against Pakistani Taliban elements based in the country's eastern-south Waziristan region and also are targeting other extremists operating in northern Warizistan, he said.
Pakistan has committed thousands of troops to deal with extremists operating within its borders, Petraeus said, adding "you cannot underestimate" the importance of the steps Pakistan has taken to deal with its internal terrorist threat.
The campaign has come at a cost, he pointed out, noting many Pakistani soldiers and civilians have been killed or injured over the past 9-10 months.
As the anti-insurgent campaigns in Afghanistan and Pakistan continue, Petraeus said, there needs to be very close coordination along the Afghan-Pakistani border.
The general observed that Pakistan's military campaign against extremists "has achieved a good bit" over the past nine months or so.
"But, we have a very long way to go in that regard," he said
NATO Talks Leave Commander 'Extremely Confident'
By Samantha L. Quigley
American Forces Press Service
Dec. 4, 2009 - Some 43 nations today vowed their support to help win the war in Afghanistan, a move that encouraged NATO's supreme allied commander in Europe. "This conference [with] 43 nations represented, led by Secretary General [Anders Fogh] Rasmussen, was extremely successful," Navy Adm. James G. Stavridis said. "I'm really pleased to have seen the results of that, which were striking."
Reports from NATO headquarters indicate at least 25 nations will send additional troops to Afghanistan. Stavridis, who also serves as the U. S. Commander of European Command, said he is very confident that at least 5,000 new NATO troops will be sent to Afghanistan, with several thousand more to be committed next year.
"This is very much an alliance effort," Stavridis said. "After today's conference with the foreign ministers, I'm extremely confident about where we're headed in Afghanistan."
The talks were held just days after President Barack Obama announced his strategy to win the war in Afghanistan. Part of the strategy revealed Dec. 1 was the authorization of an additional 30,000 U.S. troops.
That would bring the total number of U.S. troops in Afghanistan to 100,000. Most of the additional troops would arrive in country in the first part of 2010, the president said.
Obama said his strategy is aimed at reversing the Taliban's momentum and will increase Afghanistan's security capabilities over the next 18 months. A military counterinsurgency is only part of the strategy, though.
Other pieces include a civilian surge to improve the country, and an effective partnership with Pakistan.
The president got some reassurance today after calling for other nations to pitch in as he announced his strategy.
"Our friends have fought and bled and died alongside us in Afghanistan," he said earlier this week. "Now, we must come together to end this war successfully. For what's at stake is not simply a test of NATO's credibility – what's at stake is the security of our allies, and the common security of the world."
American Forces Press Service
Dec. 4, 2009 - Some 43 nations today vowed their support to help win the war in Afghanistan, a move that encouraged NATO's supreme allied commander in Europe. "This conference [with] 43 nations represented, led by Secretary General [Anders Fogh] Rasmussen, was extremely successful," Navy Adm. James G. Stavridis said. "I'm really pleased to have seen the results of that, which were striking."
Reports from NATO headquarters indicate at least 25 nations will send additional troops to Afghanistan. Stavridis, who also serves as the U. S. Commander of European Command, said he is very confident that at least 5,000 new NATO troops will be sent to Afghanistan, with several thousand more to be committed next year.
"This is very much an alliance effort," Stavridis said. "After today's conference with the foreign ministers, I'm extremely confident about where we're headed in Afghanistan."
The talks were held just days after President Barack Obama announced his strategy to win the war in Afghanistan. Part of the strategy revealed Dec. 1 was the authorization of an additional 30,000 U.S. troops.
That would bring the total number of U.S. troops in Afghanistan to 100,000. Most of the additional troops would arrive in country in the first part of 2010, the president said.
Obama said his strategy is aimed at reversing the Taliban's momentum and will increase Afghanistan's security capabilities over the next 18 months. A military counterinsurgency is only part of the strategy, though.
Other pieces include a civilian surge to improve the country, and an effective partnership with Pakistan.
The president got some reassurance today after calling for other nations to pitch in as he announced his strategy.
"Our friends have fought and bled and died alongside us in Afghanistan," he said earlier this week. "Now, we must come together to end this war successfully. For what's at stake is not simply a test of NATO's credibility – what's at stake is the security of our allies, and the common security of the world."
Marines Start Operation in Helmand Province
American Forces Press Service
Dec. 4, 2009 - More than 1,000 International Security Assistance Force troops are partnering with Afghan forces to begin a large-scale operation in northern Helmand province. About 900 U.S. Marines and sailors and British forces began partnering today with 150 Afghan soldiers and police to start Operation Khareh Cobra, or Cobra's Anger, to clear insurgent forces in the Now Zad valley.
Marines from 3rd Battalion, 4th Marine Regiment, Regimental Combat Team 7 and 3rd Reconnaissance Battalion are partnered with Afghan army and police. The forces began helicopter and ground operations in the Now Zad valley early this morning.
Now Zad was once Helmand's second largest city, but is now empty due to years of fighting. Insurgents have heavily mined the area, and a key purpose of the operation is to provide enough security for the Afghan government and non-governmental organizations to begin clearing the mines and improvised explosive devices in order to enable the eventual repopulation of the city.
A company of Marines is stationed in Now Zad along with 150 Afghan soldiers and police.
(Compiled from a Marine Expeditionary Brigade-Afghanistan news release.)
Dec. 4, 2009 - More than 1,000 International Security Assistance Force troops are partnering with Afghan forces to begin a large-scale operation in northern Helmand province. About 900 U.S. Marines and sailors and British forces began partnering today with 150 Afghan soldiers and police to start Operation Khareh Cobra, or Cobra's Anger, to clear insurgent forces in the Now Zad valley.
Marines from 3rd Battalion, 4th Marine Regiment, Regimental Combat Team 7 and 3rd Reconnaissance Battalion are partnered with Afghan army and police. The forces began helicopter and ground operations in the Now Zad valley early this morning.
Now Zad was once Helmand's second largest city, but is now empty due to years of fighting. Insurgents have heavily mined the area, and a key purpose of the operation is to provide enough security for the Afghan government and non-governmental organizations to begin clearing the mines and improvised explosive devices in order to enable the eventual repopulation of the city.
A company of Marines is stationed in Now Zad along with 150 Afghan soldiers and police.
(Compiled from a Marine Expeditionary Brigade-Afghanistan news release.)
Corps of Engineers Preps for Afghan Surge While Looking Long-Term
By Donna MilesAmerican Forces Press Service
Dec. 4, 2009 - As 30,000 additional troops move into what admittedly will be "pretty austere conditions" in Afghanistan, the Army Corps of Engineers is working in partnership with unit-level engineers and contractors to provide basic creature comforts -- while focusing heavily on longer-term projects considered critical to their ultimate success there.
Army Col. Kevin Wilson, commander of Afghanistan Engineer District – South, told American Forces Press Service he expects as many as two-thirds of the surge troops to move into Regional Commands South and West, his area of responsibility.
Initially, they should expect "some tough conditions," Wilson admitted, bedding down in tent cities both at their arrival point and at the forward operating bases they move out to. "That means it is going to be cold in the winter, and really hot in the summer," he said.
U.S. Forces Afghanistan has geared up the entire engineering community to provide the incoming troops the support facilities they'll require. Troop engineers and the contractor-supported LOGCAP program -- Logistics Civil Augmentation Program—will provide amenities such as dining, laundry and post exchanges.
Meanwhile, the Corps will focus on the "enduring facilities" – larger, permanent projects aimed not just at accommodating the troop buildup, but also at supporting security and economic growth in Afghanistan long after they leave.
These include permanent facilities for the Afghan national security forces. They range from administrative, barracks and training buildings to accommodate 600-man Afghan army battalions, known as Kandaks, to smaller Afghan National Police outposts in some of the country's most remote and inaccessible regions.
Meanwhile, the Corps also is overseeing multiple infrastructure and development projects that promote economic development and stability.
"This really boils down to roads, power and water," Wilson said. Roads will promote commerce within Afghanistan and with its neighbors. Power generation facilities, water and wastewater facilities will improve quality of life, while driving other economic and political efforts.
Wilson said he expects these projects to increase as more U.S. and NATO forces roll into Afghanistan. That's because there's wide recognition that the collective impact of these efforts will be U.S. forces' "ticket home" from Afghanistan.
"The sooner we are able to stand up a functioning [Afghan] army and police force, and the sooner that we are able to get them on the road to economic growth and prosperity, the sooner we get to leave," he said. "We have a piece to play in helping create an Afghanistan that is a stable, moderate Islamic republic, and that is our intent."
But accomplishing engineering success in Afghanistan is no easy task. Wilson pointed to one of the most important infrastructure efforts under way – the Ring Road highway -- as an example of the challenges being faced.
The road, when completed, will connect Afghanistan's major cities and villages, opening more Afghan markets and enabling Afghan manufacturers and entrepreneurs to increase their trade with Uzbekistan, Tajikistan and other neighbors.
But with just 145 miles not yet built, the project is still four to five years from completion, Wilson said. That's because it cuts through some of the most inhospitable terrain imaginable, from both geologic and security standpoints.
And, like every other U.S.-supported infrastructure project under way in Afghanistan not directly related to U.S. troop support, it's being built almost entirely by Afghan workers.
"Could you build the road much quicker? Yes," Wilson said. "But is it better to break it down into segments, and provide the jobs that are needed here and foster that good will? Yes."
As Afghanistan Engineer District – South takes the more deliberate approach to most of its projects, Wilson said it's moving as quickly as possible to accommodate the incoming U.S. forces.
He admitted he felt a bit like "a duck on a pond" earlier this week when President Barack Obama announced the new troop commitment, and a six-month timetable for getting the new forces on the ground.
"Up above, everything is nice and calm," Wilson said, a broad grin projecting through the telephone lines from his headquarters in Kandahar. "But underneath the water, its feet are paddling like crazy."
For the Corps of Engineers, the paddling actually started this spring when Obama announced plans to send an additional 20,000 Marines to southern Afghanistan. Chief of Engineers Lt. Gen. Robert Van Antwerp recognized the "tidal wave of work coming in" as a result, Wilson said, and stood up a second engineering district in Afghanistan to concentrate on operations in the south and west.
Nowhere is the fruit of those efforts more evident than at Kandahar Air Base, which has grown from 9,000 predominantly NATO forces in September 2007 to its current 25,000-troop population. Wilson estimated that it could grow to as much as 35,000 when the additional troops begin arriving, before they fan out to other parts of the region.
When the 20,000 Marines arrived in Afghanistan this past spring and summer, the big push was to "get them out of tents and out of the dirt" and into housing, Wilson said. The Marines also required infrastructure support: electricity, potable water, waste facilities, as well as headquarters buildings, aircraft facilities, ramp space and refueling and cargo sites to support their operations.
Wilson recognizes the challenges in preparing for the next wave of incoming troops. "We understand what has to be done," he said. "It adds a new dimension to what we're already doing here, but we will figure it out."
It's not unfamiliar territory for Wilson, who served with the Army Corps of Engineers in Baghdad in 2003. But even that mission can't hold a candle to the challenges faced in Afghanistan, he said. Iraq had highway networks and a basic infrastructure, albeit crippled at the time. In many cases, Afghanistan lacks both.
If there's one bullet on Wilson's resume that best prepared him for his current challenges, he said, it was his last assignment, with the Alaska Engineering District. There, he worked closely with native tribes in remote villages, just as he's doing now in Afghanistan.
"I probably learned more from working in Alaska that is applicable here than anywhere else," he said. "And it makes me able to ask the questions in advance."
Bright Future on Horizon for Port Umm Qasr
By Army Master Sgt. David Bennett
Special to American Forces Press Service
Dec. 4, 2009 - When the city of Basra was particular unstable between 2006 and 2008, the port of Umm Qasr was left to tread water as a contributor to Iraq's economic development. Now, however, through the collaboration of the Joint Interagency Task Force Iraq and Iraqi partners, the port is positioned to navigate over its next developmental hurdle.
Today, port operations are more secure than they were just two years ago when Shiite extremists controlled much of the area. Quelled by Iraqi forces, the city of Basra is now peaceful. The task force, which includes the departments of Defense and Homeland Security, is charged with aiding in Iraq's reconstruction. Part of that collaboration includes devising a plan to make Umm Qasr more attractive to potential international trade partners.
Steadiness in a city that could be Iraq's primary economic generator is a major priority of Multinational Force Iraq.
U.S. Army Gen. Raymond Odierno, commander of Multinational Force Iraq, arrived Nov. 21 to speak with task force officials about progress at Umm Qasr and its efforts to meet mandates under the International Ship and Port Facility Code – a certification that more countries are obtaining to gain a larger slice of the global maritime marketplace.
A tool of the International Maritime Organization, the code is a comprehensive set of measures to enhance the security of ships and port facilities, developed in the wake of the 9/11 attacks.
In the last few months, ships from such countries as North Korea, Jordan, Panama and Sierra Leone have arrived at Umm Qasr carrying wheat, cars and building materials. Built in 1958, Umm Qasr is designed to handle agricultural and manufactured goods and is Iraq's only deep-water commercial port.
Odierno understands that implementing the certification for Umm Qasr is important to drawing more international trade prospects because the code is becoming the accepted standard in international shipping operations. The challenge is getting Iraqi stakeholders to embrace the concept as well.
"If they become more efficient, they have an incredible opportunity," Odierno said of the port authority and its role in Iraq's economic future.
Maj. Mark Reiswig, a civilian military transportation officer for the 34th Infantry Division, helps address port and security issues for task force's Port Advisory Coordination Element. While Umm Qasr has made strides to bring the port nearer compliance, the bigger test is convincing Iraqi stakeholders that privatizing one of the state's most significant state-owned assets will be key.
"The concept that you can come over as a company and make money is pretty foreign to them," said Reiswig, of Rockville, Md. "Iraq will look like Kuwait and Bahrain, once they start to make [progress]."
The certification process is about eight months from being completed. Because an international port is only as safe as the incoming vessel's last port of call and the cargo's last inspection, it is essential that Iraq ensure measures are sufficient to fend-off threats and protection breaches, said Maitham Najim, Umm Qasr's head of port security.
The task for "gave me a lot of direction, also a check list that helps," Najim said.
The check list is long, but getting shorter.
Task force and port officials are working to improve various port security features, including better ways of controlling port access, screening and inspecting cargo, installing additional security equipment, upgrading customs processes and introducing automation.
Capital for the upgrades is being provided by a $370 million loan from Japan. At the port site, trucks move containers to one yard daily where they are off -loaded and moved to another yard to be used again. Before, containers were stacked in one location and left.
It's getting better as far as efficiency, said U.S. Coast Guard Cmdr. Joseph LoSciuto, PACE officer in charge, but there's room for improvement across the whole port operation.
"Right now, it takes 10 days to process cargo once it comes in," he said. "With the changes we want to implement, we can cut that down to five days."
Under an agreement between the Syrian and Iraqi transport ministries, the first rail trip from the western Syrian seaport of Tartous to Umm Qasr took place earlier this year. According to Reiswig, having a working railway that connects to Basra's port is an integral part of the transportation equation.
Advisors are pursuing a reduction of the number of port employees from 4,800 to 900, Luscioto said. That's because the state-owned port, a major employer, has a long-standing tradition of patronage.
Convincing their Iraqi counterparts that trimming employee rolls is beneficial to the port's overall efficiency will be a difficult, but essential for the port's future.
There are no simple solutions, LoSciuto acknowledged, in convincing some Iraqi officials that the move to privatization is a move toward a stronger future in Iraq.
"This is important, but we can't do it unless they want to do it," Odierno said.
(Master Sgt. David Bennett serves with the 367th Mobile Public Affairs Detachment.)
Special to American Forces Press Service
Dec. 4, 2009 - When the city of Basra was particular unstable between 2006 and 2008, the port of Umm Qasr was left to tread water as a contributor to Iraq's economic development. Now, however, through the collaboration of the Joint Interagency Task Force Iraq and Iraqi partners, the port is positioned to navigate over its next developmental hurdle.
Today, port operations are more secure than they were just two years ago when Shiite extremists controlled much of the area. Quelled by Iraqi forces, the city of Basra is now peaceful. The task force, which includes the departments of Defense and Homeland Security, is charged with aiding in Iraq's reconstruction. Part of that collaboration includes devising a plan to make Umm Qasr more attractive to potential international trade partners.
Steadiness in a city that could be Iraq's primary economic generator is a major priority of Multinational Force Iraq.
U.S. Army Gen. Raymond Odierno, commander of Multinational Force Iraq, arrived Nov. 21 to speak with task force officials about progress at Umm Qasr and its efforts to meet mandates under the International Ship and Port Facility Code – a certification that more countries are obtaining to gain a larger slice of the global maritime marketplace.
A tool of the International Maritime Organization, the code is a comprehensive set of measures to enhance the security of ships and port facilities, developed in the wake of the 9/11 attacks.
In the last few months, ships from such countries as North Korea, Jordan, Panama and Sierra Leone have arrived at Umm Qasr carrying wheat, cars and building materials. Built in 1958, Umm Qasr is designed to handle agricultural and manufactured goods and is Iraq's only deep-water commercial port.
Odierno understands that implementing the certification for Umm Qasr is important to drawing more international trade prospects because the code is becoming the accepted standard in international shipping operations. The challenge is getting Iraqi stakeholders to embrace the concept as well.
"If they become more efficient, they have an incredible opportunity," Odierno said of the port authority and its role in Iraq's economic future.
Maj. Mark Reiswig, a civilian military transportation officer for the 34th Infantry Division, helps address port and security issues for task force's Port Advisory Coordination Element. While Umm Qasr has made strides to bring the port nearer compliance, the bigger test is convincing Iraqi stakeholders that privatizing one of the state's most significant state-owned assets will be key.
"The concept that you can come over as a company and make money is pretty foreign to them," said Reiswig, of Rockville, Md. "Iraq will look like Kuwait and Bahrain, once they start to make [progress]."
The certification process is about eight months from being completed. Because an international port is only as safe as the incoming vessel's last port of call and the cargo's last inspection, it is essential that Iraq ensure measures are sufficient to fend-off threats and protection breaches, said Maitham Najim, Umm Qasr's head of port security.
The task for "gave me a lot of direction, also a check list that helps," Najim said.
The check list is long, but getting shorter.
Task force and port officials are working to improve various port security features, including better ways of controlling port access, screening and inspecting cargo, installing additional security equipment, upgrading customs processes and introducing automation.
Capital for the upgrades is being provided by a $370 million loan from Japan. At the port site, trucks move containers to one yard daily where they are off -loaded and moved to another yard to be used again. Before, containers were stacked in one location and left.
It's getting better as far as efficiency, said U.S. Coast Guard Cmdr. Joseph LoSciuto, PACE officer in charge, but there's room for improvement across the whole port operation.
"Right now, it takes 10 days to process cargo once it comes in," he said. "With the changes we want to implement, we can cut that down to five days."
Under an agreement between the Syrian and Iraqi transport ministries, the first rail trip from the western Syrian seaport of Tartous to Umm Qasr took place earlier this year. According to Reiswig, having a working railway that connects to Basra's port is an integral part of the transportation equation.
Advisors are pursuing a reduction of the number of port employees from 4,800 to 900, Luscioto said. That's because the state-owned port, a major employer, has a long-standing tradition of patronage.
Convincing their Iraqi counterparts that trimming employee rolls is beneficial to the port's overall efficiency will be a difficult, but essential for the port's future.
There are no simple solutions, LoSciuto acknowledged, in convincing some Iraqi officials that the move to privatization is a move toward a stronger future in Iraq.
"This is important, but we can't do it unless they want to do it," Odierno said.
(Master Sgt. David Bennett serves with the 367th Mobile Public Affairs Detachment.)
Fort Hood Unit Deploys to Afghanistan
American Forces Press Service
Dec. 4, 2009 - An Army Reserve unit that had soldiers both killed and wounded during the Nov. 5 shooting here deployed as scheduled to Afghanistan early this morning. Maj. Laura Suttinger, commander of the 467th Medical Detachment, said the unit's soldiers are more dedicated than ever to the mission.
"I think they decided that same day (of the shooting) that they were more dedicated than ever in honor of the soldiers that we lost and have stood firm in that commitment," said unit commander Maj. Laura Suttinger. "They were all very dedicated, caring soldiers, and they will not be forgotten. We're carrying on in their honor."
Three soldiers from the Madison, Wisconsin-based unit were killed during the shooting: Maj. Libardo Caraveo, 52, of Woodbridge, Va., Capt. Russell Seager, 41, of Racine, Wisc., and Sgt. Amy Krueger, 29, of Kiel, Wisc.
Members of the unit will be better able to help soldiers overseas since surviving this tragedy themselves, 1st Sgt. James McLeod, of the unit, said. "Even though we lost our fallen comrades ... 'no one is going to stop us from completing our mission' is really what their goal is."
Dec. 4, 2009 - An Army Reserve unit that had soldiers both killed and wounded during the Nov. 5 shooting here deployed as scheduled to Afghanistan early this morning. Maj. Laura Suttinger, commander of the 467th Medical Detachment, said the unit's soldiers are more dedicated than ever to the mission.
"I think they decided that same day (of the shooting) that they were more dedicated than ever in honor of the soldiers that we lost and have stood firm in that commitment," said unit commander Maj. Laura Suttinger. "They were all very dedicated, caring soldiers, and they will not be forgotten. We're carrying on in their honor."
Three soldiers from the Madison, Wisconsin-based unit were killed during the shooting: Maj. Libardo Caraveo, 52, of Woodbridge, Va., Capt. Russell Seager, 41, of Racine, Wisc., and Sgt. Amy Krueger, 29, of Kiel, Wisc.
Members of the unit will be better able to help soldiers overseas since surviving this tragedy themselves, 1st Sgt. James McLeod, of the unit, said. "Even though we lost our fallen comrades ... 'no one is going to stop us from completing our mission' is really what their goal is."
Transportation Officials Confident in Afghan Deployment
By Jim Garamone
American Forces Press Service
Dec. 4, 2009 - U.S. Transportation Command officials are confident they can accomplish the mission of delivering 30,000 U.S. troops and their equipment to Afghanistan when they are needed. Planners at the command based at Scott Air Force Base, Ill., are working with operations specialists at U.S. Joint Forces Command and U.S. Central Command to fulfill President Barack Obama's decision to deploy the troops to Afghanistan in the first half of 2010. The command already is transporting about 1,000 Marines to the country as part of the mission.
"Both Centcom and U.S. Transportation Command are very well prepared for this surge of forces going in," said Army Brig. Gen. Michael Lally, the command's director of operations and plans. "We've been deploying and redeploying forces into and out of Afghanistan for years. We've been sustaining those forces there. So the processes, procedures and force structures are in place to move additional forces in and also sustain them.
"We feel very comfortable that we have the assets in the air and on the sea to make the move," the general said.
The two commands have been working together closely. Centcom invited Transcom planners in at the beginning of the process to work on the flow and phasing for getting additional forces into Afghanistan, officials said.
Before the movement can really begin, commanders in Afghanistan must say where the troops will be based. "They are working through that right now, making sure as we deploy forces into theater, there are places for those forces to bed down, to make sure they have food, water and so on," Lally said via a telephone interview.
Commanders in Afghanistan need to sequence the forces into theater to achieve their combat goals. "In the coming weeks, we'll figure out how much needs to move in January, February, March to make sure we can meet the objectives of having all these forces in there by the summer," Lally said. "Whether I have 20,000 people there in April and 30,000 there in September, or 26,000 there in April and 30,000 there in July, we don't have that level of detail from the commander, [Army] Gen. [Stanley] McChrystal, on what his requirements are yet."
For units deploying in April, May or June, Transcom has the option of using sealift to get the equipment in. "The units that have to be there in January obviously must fly, and we've already started working that," he said.
Complicating the situation in the Centcom theater is the massive drawdown in Iraq. Roughly 120,000 U.S. servicemembers are in Iraq and by August 2010 there will be about 50,000, with all out by the end of 2011. Also, the Marine regiment going in to Afghanistan now will get equipment both from Iraq and the United States. Other units will be in the same situation as the deployment continues.
Transcom will use all modes of transportation -- military and civilian -- to get troops and their equipment to the theater.
"On passenger movements, 95 percent of the troops that go into Afghanistan go by commercial air," Lally said. For air cargo, commercial shippers carry 45 percent and 55 percent via military planes. About 75 percent of routine sustainment cargo goes in via commercial air and 25 percent via military, he said.
Unit moves change the equation with the majority of equipment flown in via military air. "You expect that because a lot of our equipment is outsized and it doesn't fit very well into a 747," Lally said. "So we use C-17s and C-5s for the military equipment and the palletized cargo fits very well in the holds of our commercial partners."
The commercial partners have "stepped up to the plate" for this movement and for flights into Centcom in general, Transcom officials said. There has been no need to call up the Civil Reserve Air Fleet to handle the flow to the region, and officials do not expect to use this option. "Our commercial partners have been outstanding," an official said.
Also, Centcom officials are working with Joint Forces Command to identify the forces that will deploy. "We're involved with that process, because that will determine when these forces are trained and available for transportation," said Air Force Col. Gregory Schwartz, the Transcom operations planner responsible for Centcom.
The two commands are meeting to figure out "the detailed data on what needs to be moved, who needs to be moved, where it needs be moved from and where in theater it needs to go," Schwartz said.
When Transcom, which is developing the plan to get forces into Afghanistan, moved troops into Iraq, they had the luxury of an intermediate staging base in Kuwait. Troops could marry up with their equipment in Kuwait -- a country with excellent airports and seaports -- and conduct training before moving into Iraq. There is no such intermediate staging base for Afghanistan.
"Our people have to be ready when they arrive in Afghanistan," Lally said. "It is a tight timeline. We move equipment by surface. It arrives in Karachi, Pakistan, we off-load it and truck it up to whatever base, and fly the units in. Every day we have teleconferences to synchronize that the passengers and equipment arrive at the right time. There's a lot more work and coordination involved to make sure this happens correctly."
The command also ships goods via the Northern Distribution Route, which uses Russian and Central Asian railroads to get supplies to Afghanistan. State Department officials are working with the countries along the routes to allow different equipment and supplies. State Department officials also are working with Russia to expand the overflight permissions, Pentagon officials said.
Transcom has a strong track record for support to Centcom. In 2004, the command coordinated the changeover of American troops in Iraq. Three months later, the command transported 250,000 servicemembers, and equipment, into and out of Iraq. It was the largest troop movement in the U.S. military since World War II, command historians said.
But the deployment of 30,000 to Afghanistan will not affect the command's ability worldwide, Lally said. "We may ask for a bit of flexibility from the other combatant commands, but they will receive what they need, when they need it," he said.
American Forces Press Service
Dec. 4, 2009 - U.S. Transportation Command officials are confident they can accomplish the mission of delivering 30,000 U.S. troops and their equipment to Afghanistan when they are needed. Planners at the command based at Scott Air Force Base, Ill., are working with operations specialists at U.S. Joint Forces Command and U.S. Central Command to fulfill President Barack Obama's decision to deploy the troops to Afghanistan in the first half of 2010. The command already is transporting about 1,000 Marines to the country as part of the mission.
"Both Centcom and U.S. Transportation Command are very well prepared for this surge of forces going in," said Army Brig. Gen. Michael Lally, the command's director of operations and plans. "We've been deploying and redeploying forces into and out of Afghanistan for years. We've been sustaining those forces there. So the processes, procedures and force structures are in place to move additional forces in and also sustain them.
"We feel very comfortable that we have the assets in the air and on the sea to make the move," the general said.
The two commands have been working together closely. Centcom invited Transcom planners in at the beginning of the process to work on the flow and phasing for getting additional forces into Afghanistan, officials said.
Before the movement can really begin, commanders in Afghanistan must say where the troops will be based. "They are working through that right now, making sure as we deploy forces into theater, there are places for those forces to bed down, to make sure they have food, water and so on," Lally said via a telephone interview.
Commanders in Afghanistan need to sequence the forces into theater to achieve their combat goals. "In the coming weeks, we'll figure out how much needs to move in January, February, March to make sure we can meet the objectives of having all these forces in there by the summer," Lally said. "Whether I have 20,000 people there in April and 30,000 there in September, or 26,000 there in April and 30,000 there in July, we don't have that level of detail from the commander, [Army] Gen. [Stanley] McChrystal, on what his requirements are yet."
For units deploying in April, May or June, Transcom has the option of using sealift to get the equipment in. "The units that have to be there in January obviously must fly, and we've already started working that," he said.
Complicating the situation in the Centcom theater is the massive drawdown in Iraq. Roughly 120,000 U.S. servicemembers are in Iraq and by August 2010 there will be about 50,000, with all out by the end of 2011. Also, the Marine regiment going in to Afghanistan now will get equipment both from Iraq and the United States. Other units will be in the same situation as the deployment continues.
Transcom will use all modes of transportation -- military and civilian -- to get troops and their equipment to the theater.
"On passenger movements, 95 percent of the troops that go into Afghanistan go by commercial air," Lally said. For air cargo, commercial shippers carry 45 percent and 55 percent via military planes. About 75 percent of routine sustainment cargo goes in via commercial air and 25 percent via military, he said.
Unit moves change the equation with the majority of equipment flown in via military air. "You expect that because a lot of our equipment is outsized and it doesn't fit very well into a 747," Lally said. "So we use C-17s and C-5s for the military equipment and the palletized cargo fits very well in the holds of our commercial partners."
The commercial partners have "stepped up to the plate" for this movement and for flights into Centcom in general, Transcom officials said. There has been no need to call up the Civil Reserve Air Fleet to handle the flow to the region, and officials do not expect to use this option. "Our commercial partners have been outstanding," an official said.
Also, Centcom officials are working with Joint Forces Command to identify the forces that will deploy. "We're involved with that process, because that will determine when these forces are trained and available for transportation," said Air Force Col. Gregory Schwartz, the Transcom operations planner responsible for Centcom.
The two commands are meeting to figure out "the detailed data on what needs to be moved, who needs to be moved, where it needs be moved from and where in theater it needs to go," Schwartz said.
When Transcom, which is developing the plan to get forces into Afghanistan, moved troops into Iraq, they had the luxury of an intermediate staging base in Kuwait. Troops could marry up with their equipment in Kuwait -- a country with excellent airports and seaports -- and conduct training before moving into Iraq. There is no such intermediate staging base for Afghanistan.
"Our people have to be ready when they arrive in Afghanistan," Lally said. "It is a tight timeline. We move equipment by surface. It arrives in Karachi, Pakistan, we off-load it and truck it up to whatever base, and fly the units in. Every day we have teleconferences to synchronize that the passengers and equipment arrive at the right time. There's a lot more work and coordination involved to make sure this happens correctly."
The command also ships goods via the Northern Distribution Route, which uses Russian and Central Asian railroads to get supplies to Afghanistan. State Department officials are working with the countries along the routes to allow different equipment and supplies. State Department officials also are working with Russia to expand the overflight permissions, Pentagon officials said.
Transcom has a strong track record for support to Centcom. In 2004, the command coordinated the changeover of American troops in Iraq. Three months later, the command transported 250,000 servicemembers, and equipment, into and out of Iraq. It was the largest troop movement in the U.S. military since World War II, command historians said.
But the deployment of 30,000 to Afghanistan will not affect the command's ability worldwide, Lally said. "We may ask for a bit of flexibility from the other combatant commands, but they will receive what they need, when they need it," he said.
Gates Outlines Afghanistan Strategy for Lawmakers
American Forces Press Service
Dec. 4, 2009 - Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates appeared yesterday before the House Armed Services and Senate Foreign Relations committees to discuss the president's revised strategy for Afghanistan. On Dec. 2, he appeared before the House Foreign Affairs and Senate Armed Services committees. Gates summed up why the administration is deploying 30,000 additional troops to Afghanistan during yesterday's House Armed Services Committee hearing:
"We cannot defeat al-Qaida and its toxic ideology without improving and stabilizing the security situation in Afghanistan," he said. "The president's decision offers the best possibility to decisively change the momentum in Afghanistan, and fundamentally alter the strategic equation in Pakistan and Central Asia – all necessary to protect the United States, our allies and our vital interests.
"As always, the heaviest burden will fall on the men and women who have volunteered and re-volunteered to serve their country in uniform, and I know they will be uppermost in our minds and prayers as we take on this arduous but vitally necessary mission."
Coverage of the congressional hearings is available on the Defenselink special report on Afghanistan.
Dec. 4, 2009 - Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates appeared yesterday before the House Armed Services and Senate Foreign Relations committees to discuss the president's revised strategy for Afghanistan. On Dec. 2, he appeared before the House Foreign Affairs and Senate Armed Services committees. Gates summed up why the administration is deploying 30,000 additional troops to Afghanistan during yesterday's House Armed Services Committee hearing:
"We cannot defeat al-Qaida and its toxic ideology without improving and stabilizing the security situation in Afghanistan," he said. "The president's decision offers the best possibility to decisively change the momentum in Afghanistan, and fundamentally alter the strategic equation in Pakistan and Central Asia – all necessary to protect the United States, our allies and our vital interests.
"As always, the heaviest burden will fall on the men and women who have volunteered and re-volunteered to serve their country in uniform, and I know they will be uppermost in our minds and prayers as we take on this arduous but vitally necessary mission."
Coverage of the congressional hearings is available on the Defenselink special report on Afghanistan.
Main Afghanistan Threat Remains in South, East, Mullen Says
By Gerry J. Gilmore
American Forces Press Service
Dec. 3, 2009 - Many of the extra 30,000 U.S. forces deployed to Afghanistan in the coming months will confront continued enemy threats in the country's southern and eastern regions, the U.S. military's senior officer told Capitol Hill legislators here today. The principal threat to U.S., coalition and Afghan security forces "will continue to remain in the south and in the east" near the border with Pakistan, Navy Adm. Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, told members of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.
Army Gen. Stanley A. McChrystal, the top U.S. and NATO commander in Afghanistan, will look to NATO forces to handle the bulk of operations in the north and west, Mullen said. McChrystal's main effort is in the south "That really is where he will focus most of his troops, supported by his efforts in the east," he told the senators.
McChrystal will use the 30,000 additional troops to secure key population centers, Mullen said, while taking steps to reduce civilian casualties during anti-insurgent operations and leveraging partnerships with and increasing training of Afghan security forces.
The Afghan military is slated to increase from 134,000 troops in December 2010 to 170,000 by July 2011.
"So, those are fundamental shifts to get at achieving the success that I think is possible with these additional forces," Mullen said.
Meanwhile, the improvised explosive device remains the weapon of choice of insurgent groups in Afghanistan, Mullen said, noting many of the makeshift bombs are fabricated in Afghanistan.
After his testimony before the Senate committee, Mullen appeared before the House Armed Services Committee, where he told legislators that the military would know by July 2011 whether or not the revised Afghanistan strategy was achieving the desired results.
July 2011 is a nonarbitrary date "where we will know, certainly, whether we are succeeding or not in Afghanistan with this strategy," Mullen told House legislators. About 10,000 Marines, the admiral noted, were deployed to Helmand province in southern Afghanistan last July.
After three years, U.S. authorities will "really be able to assess ... how they're doing and where this is going," Mullen said of the Marine contingent in Helmand province.
A major assessment of U.S. operations in Afghanistan will occur about a year from now, Mullen told the House committee, noting that review will look at what happened over the previous 12 months and recommend any changes or adjustments.
Mullen also saluted President Barack Obama's decision to increase U.S. troop strength in Afghanistan from 68,000 to about 100,000 servicemembers. Obama's "decision to commit the forces is one of very, very strong resolve to turn this around," he said.
At the same time, Mullen added, the Afghan government must step up so that its soldiers and police eventually can take the lead for the country's security.
American Forces Press Service
Dec. 3, 2009 - Many of the extra 30,000 U.S. forces deployed to Afghanistan in the coming months will confront continued enemy threats in the country's southern and eastern regions, the U.S. military's senior officer told Capitol Hill legislators here today. The principal threat to U.S., coalition and Afghan security forces "will continue to remain in the south and in the east" near the border with Pakistan, Navy Adm. Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, told members of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.
Army Gen. Stanley A. McChrystal, the top U.S. and NATO commander in Afghanistan, will look to NATO forces to handle the bulk of operations in the north and west, Mullen said. McChrystal's main effort is in the south "That really is where he will focus most of his troops, supported by his efforts in the east," he told the senators.
McChrystal will use the 30,000 additional troops to secure key population centers, Mullen said, while taking steps to reduce civilian casualties during anti-insurgent operations and leveraging partnerships with and increasing training of Afghan security forces.
The Afghan military is slated to increase from 134,000 troops in December 2010 to 170,000 by July 2011.
"So, those are fundamental shifts to get at achieving the success that I think is possible with these additional forces," Mullen said.
Meanwhile, the improvised explosive device remains the weapon of choice of insurgent groups in Afghanistan, Mullen said, noting many of the makeshift bombs are fabricated in Afghanistan.
After his testimony before the Senate committee, Mullen appeared before the House Armed Services Committee, where he told legislators that the military would know by July 2011 whether or not the revised Afghanistan strategy was achieving the desired results.
July 2011 is a nonarbitrary date "where we will know, certainly, whether we are succeeding or not in Afghanistan with this strategy," Mullen told House legislators. About 10,000 Marines, the admiral noted, were deployed to Helmand province in southern Afghanistan last July.
After three years, U.S. authorities will "really be able to assess ... how they're doing and where this is going," Mullen said of the Marine contingent in Helmand province.
A major assessment of U.S. operations in Afghanistan will occur about a year from now, Mullen told the House committee, noting that review will look at what happened over the previous 12 months and recommend any changes or adjustments.
Mullen also saluted President Barack Obama's decision to increase U.S. troop strength in Afghanistan from 68,000 to about 100,000 servicemembers. Obama's "decision to commit the forces is one of very, very strong resolve to turn this around," he said.
At the same time, Mullen added, the Afghan government must step up so that its soldiers and police eventually can take the lead for the country's security.
Chairman Explains Significance of July 2011 Target
By Samantha L. Quigley
American Forces Press Service
Dec. 3, 2009 - July 2011 is not a withdrawal date, but a specific target date for beginning to transition security responsibility to Afghan forces, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff said on several morning talk shows today. "We've been given very clear direction from the president to start the transfer of responsibility for security to the Afghan security force," Navy Adm. Mike Mullen said on "American Morning" on CNN. "July of 2011 is a time where we can start to transition, ... but it's not a hard deadline to leave."
Only time will tell how many Afghan forces will be ready to accept security responsibility, Mullen said. "There's ... a sense of urgency that the Afghan security forces become engaged heavily in training, in taking the lead," he added.
About 60,000 of the 96,000 soldiers in the Afghan National Army are operating in the field in partnership with U.S. military units, Mullen said on CBS' "The Early Show," though not many are yet in the lead in operations. "There are very few," he acknowledged, "but not unlike Iraq, that's the challenge. We've got to work with them."
To help to accomplish this task and bolster other U.S. efforts in Afghanistan, the president has authorized the deployment of an additional 30,000 troops. The vast majority of them will arrive in country by mid-summer, Mullen said. Training Afghan security forces is certainly a top priority, he added, but it's just one piece of the strategy for winning the war in Afghanistan. A government that represents all of its people also is crucial, he noted.
The question asked on NBC's "Today Show" was whether Afghan President Hamid Karzai is capable of reaching out to the different groups in Afghanistan and decentralizing the government.
"I think he knows his people very well," Mullen said. "I think he can reach out ... he's very clearly a critical partner in all this.
"He's appointed some good ministers," he added. "We're anxious to make sure that those appointments – or reappointments – are solid, that he does the same thing with provincial governors, and that, in fact, the governance aspect in Afghanistan is not just centralized in Kabul, but good governance gets generated right down through the local level as well."
In addition, the United States is interested in having members of the Taliban who would prefer to be part of the solution rather than the problem talk with high-level U.S. officials, Mullen said.
"That's very much part of the strategy," he said. "We're hopeful that that would be part of the strategic shift, if you will, embedded in this new strategy."
The reconciliation and reintegration of Taliban would happen only under very specific conditions, the chairman said. They must "actually put down their weapons ... [and] no longer engage in the kind of insurgency that we're seeing regularly," he explained.
American Forces Press Service
Dec. 3, 2009 - July 2011 is not a withdrawal date, but a specific target date for beginning to transition security responsibility to Afghan forces, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff said on several morning talk shows today. "We've been given very clear direction from the president to start the transfer of responsibility for security to the Afghan security force," Navy Adm. Mike Mullen said on "American Morning" on CNN. "July of 2011 is a time where we can start to transition, ... but it's not a hard deadline to leave."
Only time will tell how many Afghan forces will be ready to accept security responsibility, Mullen said. "There's ... a sense of urgency that the Afghan security forces become engaged heavily in training, in taking the lead," he added.
About 60,000 of the 96,000 soldiers in the Afghan National Army are operating in the field in partnership with U.S. military units, Mullen said on CBS' "The Early Show," though not many are yet in the lead in operations. "There are very few," he acknowledged, "but not unlike Iraq, that's the challenge. We've got to work with them."
To help to accomplish this task and bolster other U.S. efforts in Afghanistan, the president has authorized the deployment of an additional 30,000 troops. The vast majority of them will arrive in country by mid-summer, Mullen said. Training Afghan security forces is certainly a top priority, he added, but it's just one piece of the strategy for winning the war in Afghanistan. A government that represents all of its people also is crucial, he noted.
The question asked on NBC's "Today Show" was whether Afghan President Hamid Karzai is capable of reaching out to the different groups in Afghanistan and decentralizing the government.
"I think he knows his people very well," Mullen said. "I think he can reach out ... he's very clearly a critical partner in all this.
"He's appointed some good ministers," he added. "We're anxious to make sure that those appointments – or reappointments – are solid, that he does the same thing with provincial governors, and that, in fact, the governance aspect in Afghanistan is not just centralized in Kabul, but good governance gets generated right down through the local level as well."
In addition, the United States is interested in having members of the Taliban who would prefer to be part of the solution rather than the problem talk with high-level U.S. officials, Mullen said.
"That's very much part of the strategy," he said. "We're hopeful that that would be part of the strategic shift, if you will, embedded in this new strategy."
The reconciliation and reintegration of Taliban would happen only under very specific conditions, the chairman said. They must "actually put down their weapons ... [and] no longer engage in the kind of insurgency that we're seeing regularly," he explained.
Gates Re-emphasizes Need for Afghan, Pakistani Engagement
By Jim Garamone
American Forces Press Service
Dec. 3, 2009 - The United States will not turn its back on Afghanistan and Pakistan as it did when the Soviet occupation of Afghanistan ended in 1989, Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates said here yesterday. "We're not just going to throw these guys into the swimming pool and walk away," Gates told the Senate Armed Services Committee during a hearing on President Barack Obama's new strategy for the region.
On Dec. 24, 1979, the Soviet Union invaded and occupied Afghanistan. The United States protested the invasion. In the years that followed, America supported and armed Afghan and foreign fighters opposed to the Soviets. Pakistan was a key ally in this struggle, allowing the United States to stage the effort out of their country. The strategy paid off, and in 1989, the last Soviet tank left Afghanistan.
Then the United States left. Pakistan still had millions of Afghan refugees on its territory, Afghanistan itself had perhaps millions of dead from the struggle against the Soviets, and Afghan warlords began fighting among themselves – killing more people and devastating more areas in an already prostrate nation.
On top of that was the Pressler Amendment, named for the South Dakota senator who attached it to legislation. It required the president to affirm that Pakistan was not seeking nuclear weapons. By the late 1980s, nations around the world conceded that Pakistan had nuclear weaponry. The Pressler Amendment kicked in and ended U.S. military aid and contacts with Pakistan in 1990.
Rebuilding trust between the United States and Pakistan – both front-line states allied against terrorism – is one leg of Obama's new strategy in the region.
Gates told the Senate panel he recognizes the Pakistani reading of the U.S.-Pakistan alliance.
"With respect to Pakistan: Because of American withdrawal from the region in the early 1990s, followed by a severing of military-to-military relations, many Pakistanis are skeptical that the United States is a reliable, long-term strategic partner," he said. "We must change that perception."
Leaders in Pakistan have been shocked in the last year by the inroads the Taliban have made in Pakistan, and the Pakistani army has launched offensives in the Swat Valley and in South Waziristan.
"One of the significant political developments in Pakistan over the last seven or eight months has been a strong shift in public opinion in support of the actions that the Pakistani army is taking, first in Swat and now in South Waziristan," Gates said in his testimony before the House Foreign Affairs Committee yesterday.
The threat to both Afghanistan and Pakistan is a nexus among al-Qaida, the Pakistani Taliban and the Taliban in Afghanistan. "And they are mutually reinforcing, both in their narrative and in their operations," the secretary said.
Many Pakistanis are Pashtu, which also is the largest ethnic group in Afghanistan. The Pakistani military and intelligence service developed relationships with Afghan extremist groups when those groups were battling the Soviets.
"They have maintained some of those contacts and those relationships, frankly, as a hedge because of their uncertainty whether the United States would be a reliable partner and ally for them going forward and whether we would remain in Afghanistan until we were assured of success in taking care of the extremists," Gates said.
Making progress against al-Qaida and the Taliban in Afghanistan will encourage Pakistani leaders that the United States intends to stand by its allies, Gates said. "As we make progress and as they make progress, their incentive to change this approach, to opt strategically to partner with the United States, becomes significantly more powerful," he said.
National Security Advisor James L. Jones sought to allay fears in the region during an interview on National Public Radio's "Morning Edition" today.
"We will not be leaving or paying less attention to South Asia," Jones said. "We have strategic interests in the welfare of Pakistan and its neighbors. And we have an intention to stay engaged for a long period of time, because of the importance of the region."
Gates emphasized this on Capitol Hill yesterday. "Let me just say ... what is essential for our national security is that we have two long-term partners in Afghanistan and Pakistan," Gates said.
The president, Gates and other leaders have reassured Afghan and Pakistani leaders that Obama's announcement that U.S. troops in Afghanistan will start to come home in July 2011 does not mean America will walk away from the region.
"Quite frankly, I detest the phrase 'exit strategy,'" Gates said during testimony at the Senate. "What we are looking at over time is a transition in our relationship with the Afghans," he said.
The military relationship is prominent now, "as we try to secure the country and put it in a position where they can accept responsibility for their own security and, frankly, to prevent al-Qaida from coming back," the secretary said.
"But over time, as we are successful in that, the civilian component and the development component of our relationship with Afghanistan will become predominant," he continued. "We may have a small, residual military training and equipping role with Afghanistan in the future, but this goes to the point I made in my testimony: We must not repeat the mistake of 1989 and turn our backs on these folks. And when we've got the security situation with them under control, then the civilian and the development part must be the preponderant part of our relationship far into the future.
American Forces Press Service
Dec. 3, 2009 - The United States will not turn its back on Afghanistan and Pakistan as it did when the Soviet occupation of Afghanistan ended in 1989, Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates said here yesterday. "We're not just going to throw these guys into the swimming pool and walk away," Gates told the Senate Armed Services Committee during a hearing on President Barack Obama's new strategy for the region.
On Dec. 24, 1979, the Soviet Union invaded and occupied Afghanistan. The United States protested the invasion. In the years that followed, America supported and armed Afghan and foreign fighters opposed to the Soviets. Pakistan was a key ally in this struggle, allowing the United States to stage the effort out of their country. The strategy paid off, and in 1989, the last Soviet tank left Afghanistan.
Then the United States left. Pakistan still had millions of Afghan refugees on its territory, Afghanistan itself had perhaps millions of dead from the struggle against the Soviets, and Afghan warlords began fighting among themselves – killing more people and devastating more areas in an already prostrate nation.
On top of that was the Pressler Amendment, named for the South Dakota senator who attached it to legislation. It required the president to affirm that Pakistan was not seeking nuclear weapons. By the late 1980s, nations around the world conceded that Pakistan had nuclear weaponry. The Pressler Amendment kicked in and ended U.S. military aid and contacts with Pakistan in 1990.
Rebuilding trust between the United States and Pakistan – both front-line states allied against terrorism – is one leg of Obama's new strategy in the region.
Gates told the Senate panel he recognizes the Pakistani reading of the U.S.-Pakistan alliance.
"With respect to Pakistan: Because of American withdrawal from the region in the early 1990s, followed by a severing of military-to-military relations, many Pakistanis are skeptical that the United States is a reliable, long-term strategic partner," he said. "We must change that perception."
Leaders in Pakistan have been shocked in the last year by the inroads the Taliban have made in Pakistan, and the Pakistani army has launched offensives in the Swat Valley and in South Waziristan.
"One of the significant political developments in Pakistan over the last seven or eight months has been a strong shift in public opinion in support of the actions that the Pakistani army is taking, first in Swat and now in South Waziristan," Gates said in his testimony before the House Foreign Affairs Committee yesterday.
The threat to both Afghanistan and Pakistan is a nexus among al-Qaida, the Pakistani Taliban and the Taliban in Afghanistan. "And they are mutually reinforcing, both in their narrative and in their operations," the secretary said.
Many Pakistanis are Pashtu, which also is the largest ethnic group in Afghanistan. The Pakistani military and intelligence service developed relationships with Afghan extremist groups when those groups were battling the Soviets.
"They have maintained some of those contacts and those relationships, frankly, as a hedge because of their uncertainty whether the United States would be a reliable partner and ally for them going forward and whether we would remain in Afghanistan until we were assured of success in taking care of the extremists," Gates said.
Making progress against al-Qaida and the Taliban in Afghanistan will encourage Pakistani leaders that the United States intends to stand by its allies, Gates said. "As we make progress and as they make progress, their incentive to change this approach, to opt strategically to partner with the United States, becomes significantly more powerful," he said.
National Security Advisor James L. Jones sought to allay fears in the region during an interview on National Public Radio's "Morning Edition" today.
"We will not be leaving or paying less attention to South Asia," Jones said. "We have strategic interests in the welfare of Pakistan and its neighbors. And we have an intention to stay engaged for a long period of time, because of the importance of the region."
Gates emphasized this on Capitol Hill yesterday. "Let me just say ... what is essential for our national security is that we have two long-term partners in Afghanistan and Pakistan," Gates said.
The president, Gates and other leaders have reassured Afghan and Pakistani leaders that Obama's announcement that U.S. troops in Afghanistan will start to come home in July 2011 does not mean America will walk away from the region.
"Quite frankly, I detest the phrase 'exit strategy,'" Gates said during testimony at the Senate. "What we are looking at over time is a transition in our relationship with the Afghans," he said.
The military relationship is prominent now, "as we try to secure the country and put it in a position where they can accept responsibility for their own security and, frankly, to prevent al-Qaida from coming back," the secretary said.
"But over time, as we are successful in that, the civilian component and the development component of our relationship with Afghanistan will become predominant," he continued. "We may have a small, residual military training and equipping role with Afghanistan in the future, but this goes to the point I made in my testimony: We must not repeat the mistake of 1989 and turn our backs on these folks. And when we've got the security situation with them under control, then the civilian and the development part must be the preponderant part of our relationship far into the future.
Readout of Secretary Napolitano's Remarks to the America-Israel Friendship League
December 3, 2009: Department of Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano delivered remarks last night at the America-Israel Friendship League’s “Partners for Democracy Award Dinner” in New York City underscoring the Department’s strong partnerships with Israel and firm commitment to countering terrorism and violent extremism both abroad and within the United States.
In her remarks, Secretary Napolitano discussed the threat posed by home-based terrorism—often in the form of American citizens radicalized abroad or who become adherents to violent, extremist ideologies—as well as global extremism to the security of the American people.
“Home-based terrorism is here. And like violent extremism abroad, it is now part of the threat picture that we must confront,” said Secretary Napolitano.
She detailed the unprecedented coordination that is now taking place between DHS and its federal, state, local and tribal law enforcement partners to combat these threats through information-sharing programs, fusion centers and the Joint Terrorism Task Forces.
Secretary Napolitano also highlighted the Department's ongoing efforts to engage religious, ethnic and cultural groups across the country in an open and constructive dialogue about the importance of protecting civil rights and civil liberties and the role of communities and individuals in identifying suspicious situations—reiterating the shared responsibility of all Americans to report suspicious activities to law enforcement and take basic steps to prepare for emergencies.
In her remarks, Secretary Napolitano discussed the threat posed by home-based terrorism—often in the form of American citizens radicalized abroad or who become adherents to violent, extremist ideologies—as well as global extremism to the security of the American people.
“Home-based terrorism is here. And like violent extremism abroad, it is now part of the threat picture that we must confront,” said Secretary Napolitano.
She detailed the unprecedented coordination that is now taking place between DHS and its federal, state, local and tribal law enforcement partners to combat these threats through information-sharing programs, fusion centers and the Joint Terrorism Task Forces.
Secretary Napolitano also highlighted the Department's ongoing efforts to engage religious, ethnic and cultural groups across the country in an open and constructive dialogue about the importance of protecting civil rights and civil liberties and the role of communities and individuals in identifying suspicious situations—reiterating the shared responsibility of all Americans to report suspicious activities to law enforcement and take basic steps to prepare for emergencies.
CBR Weapons and WMD Terrorism News, December 4, 2009
Guidelines proposed [by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services] for businesses trading in custom-made DNA sequences
"A set of guidelines for how providers of custom-made DNA sequences do business has been proposed by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The proposal is the first comprehensive guidance issued by the government addressing bioterrorism concerns resulting from the rapidly developing synthetic genomics industry. Some security experts believe that a terrorist group or lone terrorist believe that bioweapons could be developed from these materials, which are openly available through the internet. The main recommendation of the guidelines is that synthetic companies should screen both their clients and the DNA sequences that they request. This would allow customers to establish the identity and institutional affiliation of customers. The proposal also calls for companies to look for red flags, including clients who place several orders of the same sequence within a short time frame, who attempt to pay by cash or who request that the product be mislabeled." (Bio Prep Watch; 05Dec09; Tina Redlup)
http://www.bioprepwatch.com/news/211123
U.S. health-threat response to be reviewed
"[...A] top Obama administration official has announced a major review of the government's efforts to develop new protections against pandemics, bioterrorism and other health threats. Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius said Tuesday that she ordered the evaluation in part because the H1N1 vaccine shortage had highlighted the nation's dependence on antiquated technology. 'We'll look for the fastest ways to move to new technologies that will let us quickly produce countermeasures that are more dependable and more robust,' she told the American Medical Association's Third National Congress on Health System Readiness, which is being held in Washington. 'Not just for flu and not just for infectious diseases, but for all the public health threats we face today.' The review will be led by Nicole Lurie, assistant secretary for preparedness and response, and will be complete by early next year, Sebelius said. [...] The nation's ability to respond to such threats depends not only on having enough hospital beds, emergency rooms, doctors, and equipment such as masks and ventilators, but also on state-of-the-art diagnostic tests, medications and vaccines, she said. 'But the countermeasure that saves the day during a quick-hitting public health emergency can often take years to discover, develop, manufacture and distribute,' she said. 'Like a lot of countries, we've often failed to make the kind of long-term investments in countermeasures we need to stay safe.'" (Washington Post; 01Dec09; Rob Stein)
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/12/01/AR2009120101288.html
Anthrax research stopped over euthanasia [Stillwater, OK]
"Oklahoma State University [OSU] administrators stopped a pending program testing anthrax vaccines on baboons because the animals would be euthanized, officials say. The bioterrorism research was to be carried out in a multimillion dollar lab[,] at the university[,] set up specifically for that purpose, the Oklahoman reported Monday. [...] University President Burns Hargis sent an e-mail to veterinary medicine researchers saying he would not allow the National Institutes of Health-funded project, the newspaper said. 'This research was not in the best interest of the university. The testing of lethal pathogens on primates would be a new area for OSU that is controversial and is outside our current research programs' said OSU spokesman Gary Shutt. Veterinarian Michael Davis said using the primates for research is important because they are biologically similar to humans. But after they've been exposed to the anthrax virus [sic] they must be euthanized so as not to infect others." (United Press International 30Nov09)
http://www.upi.com/Science_News/2009/11/30/Anthrax-research-stopped-over-euthanasia/UPI-84841259619266/
Wisconsin counties can enforce quarantine measures
"Wisconsin counties have a little-known policy that allows forced isolation or quarantine of people using armed law enforcement and deputized civilians. This is to help health officials in a worst-case scenario to contain outbreaks. Wisconsin statute requires each county to have isolation and quarantine procedures. The order [...] includes isolating people infected or even suspected of being infected with a contagious disease such as tuberculosis or in a flu pandemic. Douglas County Health Officer Deb Clasen says every county health officer in the state can now order that guards be put on infectious people. She says the policy allows health officials to put law enforcement by the door to help contain and prevent people from exposing others to an illness." (Fox 21 News; 30Nov09; Mike Simonson, Wisconsin Public Radio)
http://www.fox21online.com/news/wisconsin-counties-can-enforce-quarantine-measures
A vaccination against biological[ weapon agent]s
"Air Force Col. Randall J. Larsen [...] executive director of the Commission on the Prevention of Weapons of Mass Destruction Proliferation and Terrorism [...] tells journalists gathered [...] by the Heritage Foundation. 'Smallpox and anthrax are the only biological threats for which we have [Food and Drug Administration]-approved vaccines. We have enough smallpox vaccines [sic] for every American, but not enough anthrax vaccines [sic] even for 10 percent of our population. Once we increase that supply, we can take these two risks off the table.' Voluntarily immunizing Americans against these two diseases would deter terrorists from plotting attacks with them. Even vaccinating some Americans would create herd immunity, whereby those who stay healthy would impede an epidemic's progress. [...] Col. Larsen's commission offered this sobering conclusion in December: 'Unless the world community acts decisively and with great urgency, it is more likely than not that a weapon of mass destruction will be used in a terrorist attack somewhere in the world by the end of 2013.' [...] A biological attack's psychological impact would be incalculable, especially if healthy Americans saw their smallpox-infected neighbors as contagious enemies to be shunned." (Washington Times; 29Nov09; Deroy Murdock)
http://washingtontimes.com/news/2009/nov/29/a-vaccination-against-biologicals/
Major smallpox vaccine order announcement expected
"The biodefense company SIGA Technologies, which engages in the discovery, development and commercialization of products for use in defense against biological warfare agents, is expected to make a major announcement about government orders of its product [smallpox antiviral] soon. [...] The inhaled smallpox virus is considered by the United States government to be the single biggest biological threat to the nation's citizens in the event of a biological attack by terrorists. SIGA applies viral and bacterial genomics as well as sophisticated computational modeling to design and develop novel products with the intention of preventing and treating serious infectious diseases. SIGA places a special emphasis on products for defense against biological warfare." (Bio Prep Watch; 27Nov09; Paul Tinder)
http://www.bioprepwatch.com/news/211099
UAE [United Arab Emirates] officials given bioterrorism training
"The United Arab Emirates is not currently facing a bioterrorism threat but it is not taking any chances. Preparedness, Colonel Ali Salem Al Khayal, head of Interpol Abu Dhabi said, is the key when it comes to making sure that the public is kept safe. The nation could also be affected by attacks on other locations in the world, Al Khayal said while attending an Interpol training session hosted by the UAE Interior ministry. Al Khayal called bioterrorism a serious threat, noting that its potential to affect the public at large makes it a matter of concern for law enforcement worldwide. Nations must continually cooperate with each other to face the constantly changing and emerging challenges presented by bioterrorism, Al Khayal said. Additionally, each nation must ensure that it properly trains its human resources to react to a bio attack and equip its responders properly. To that end, 30 UAE officials from various forces, including the police, rescue and emergency management, health authorities, customs, armed forces and the national emergency and crisis management authority attended the Interior ministry's training session, which was devised by Interpol [...] was delivered by experts from 11 countries. Similar training exercises were held in 2007 in Muscat to provide training in identifying and tackling bioterrorism." (Bio Prep Watch; 30Nov09; Pat Dulnier)
http://www.bioprepwatch.com/news/211109
[Ventura Country Naval] Base to hold public meeting to discuss cleanup of training areas
"[Steve Granade, the installation restoration program manager for Naval Base Ventura County; is] looking for bullets, mustard gas and unexploded bombs left behind. [...] He's looking into eight different sites on the base where old bombs were blown up, training areas where Seabees prepared for chemical warfare and defunct firing ranges. The base is holding a public meeting tonight on a proposal to study the sites for contamination and determine what cleanup is needed. The study is part of a countrywide effort to clean bases where old training programs may have caused contamination. For years, the standard operating procedure for dealing with old training equipment was to either bury it or burn it. [...] At another site, where small vials of diluted mustard gas were blown up as sailors trained for chemical warfare in the 1940s, the earth will be dug up because the detectors found some metal." (Ventura County Star; 02Dec09; Zeke Barlow)
http://www.waterworld.com/index/display/news_display/138471970.html
Russia ahead of chemical weapons deadline
"The Russian Foreign Ministry said Friday the country is ahead of an international deadline to destroy its chemical weapons stockpile. The ministry said in a statement Russia has already destroyed 45 percent of its chemical weapons as called for under the Chemical Weapons Convention, and remains dedicated to destroying its remaining stockpiles by 2012, RIA Novosti reported. 'As of Nov. 26, the Russian Federation has completed the destruction of 17,998.205 (metric) tons, or 45.03 percent, of its chemical weapon stockpiles,' the ministry said." (United Press International; 27Nov09)
http://www.upi.com/Top_News/International/2009/11/27/Russia-ahead-of-chemical-weapons-deadline/UPI-65251259353072/
UK told before Iraq invasion that case was patchy
"On day two of proceedings of an inquiry into the build up to war, a senior civil servant has said that Britain received intelligence stating some Iraqi weapons may not have been assembled, while links to Al-Qaeda were limited. Britain was told just days before invading Iraq that the country's chemical weapons might have been unusable, the inquiry into the Iraq war was told yesterday on day two of proceedings. [...] Foreign Office officials told the inquiry that Saddam Hussein's nuclear programme had, they believed, been dismantled and that they had no evidence of any attempt by Iraq to supply biological weapons to terrorists, as the US was claiming at the time. [...] Witnesses also downplayed Iraq's chances of building a nuclear weapon and addressed a government claim that Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein could launch a strike with weapons of mass destruction (WMDs) in 45 minutes. [Sir William] Ehrmann [U.K. Ambassador to the People's Republic of China] used adjectives including patchy, sporadic and limited to describe a series of intelligence briefings on WMDs between 2000 and 2002. The inquiry has been criticized in some quarters for having the involvement of too many establishment figures." (World News Australia; 26Nov09; Source: AAP)
http://www.sbs.com.au/news/article/1140227/UK
Lockerbie bomber Abdelbaset Ali Mohmed alMegrahi linked to Libya's chemical weapons
"The man convicted of the Lockerbie bombing was implicated in the purchase and development of chemical weapons by Libya, according to documents produced by the American government. The papers also claim that Abdelbaset Ali Mohmed alMegrahi sought to buy 1,000 letter bombs from Greek arms dealers while working as a Libyan intelligence officer. The documents, prepared by the US State Department, raise further questions about the wisdom of the Scottish government in releasing the convicted bomber on compassionate grounds in August. The documents [...] claim that Megrahi's 'deep involvement in Libya's most sensitive, high-priority procurement operations indicates that he enjoyed the fullest confidence of Libya's leadership.' [...] 'Al-Megrahi is also linked to a senior manager of Libya's chemical weapons development programme.' Colonel [Muammar al] Gadaffi, the Libyan leader, was suspected of seeking to stockpile chemical and biological weapons. [...] Megrahi was freed from prison in Greenock on August 20 after Kenny MacAskill, the Scottish justice minister, received advice that he was terminally ill with prostate cancer. Since Megrahi has survived for more than the three months that he was expected to live, some American relatives of the victims of the atrocity are demanding that he be returned." (Sunday Times; 29Nov09; Mark Macaskill)
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/africa/article6936281.ece
List released of munitions found in Spring Valley [District of Columbia]
"At the demand of D.C. Delegate Eleanor Holmes Norton, the Army Corps of Engineers has for the first time given some insight into what they've discovered buried in Spring Valley. Since 1993, they've been digging up World War I era munitions buried after the war. [...] The report says between 1993 and 2001 the Corps of Engineers unearthed at least 865 intact munitions. Of those, at least 80 were listed as chemical in nature. Slated to be destroyed next year are five projectiles containing chemical weapons. Three contain arsine, a colorless, nonirritating toxic gas with a mild garlic odor. Also slated to be destroyed a round containing mustard gas, a blistering agent, and another round containing lewisite also a blistering agent that smells like geraniums. [...] Along with the chemical weapons 86 discarded munitions, some documented as an explosive hazard, are set to be disposed of in 2010." (WJLA Channel 8; 01Dec09)
http://www.news8.net/news/stories/1209/683270.html
Iran urges annihilation of chemical weapons
"The Islamic Republic of Iran on Wednesday reiterated its strong support for global efforts to dismantle chemical weapons throughout the world. 'We support the efforts made by those countries in possession of chemical weapons to observe the deadlines for dismantling their chemical arsenals,' Secretary of Iran's National Committee for the Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC) Dehqani said, addressing the fourteenth meeting of the Conference of Parties to the Chemical Weapons Convention. [...] Dehqani urged also signatories of the Convention to observe the deadline, and warned that the US announcement that it cannot respect the agreed deadline is frightening. [...] 100,000 Iranians are still living with the effects [of chemical weapons used by Iraqi forces during the 1980-1988 war], which include long-term respiratory problems, eye and skin problems as well as immune system disorders, psychological disorders, genetic disorders, and probably cancers." (Fars News Agency; 02Dec09)
http://english.farsnews.com/newstext.php?nn=8809111806
Chemical and biological attacks simulated in Israel
"Under the many potential threats, the Israeli government simulated a chemical warfare drill recently, including mass simulated casualties. Approximately seven million citizens took part in the preparedness drill, taking refuge in shelters. As part of the drill, Haredi Jews played the role of fatalities at a Jerusalem shopping mall while rescue workers equipped with protective suits practiced their chemical weapons attack training. Unconventional methods of attack such as biological and chemical weapons were also simulated by Israeli and U.S. armies last month as part of a joint preparedness drill. A U.S. Army spokesman noted that the training drill was necessary to prepare for any possible attack scenario." (Bio Prep Watch; 25Nov09; Nick Rees)
http://www.bioprepwatch.com/news/211065
Lithuania assumed the chairmanship of the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons
"Lithuania's Permanent Representative to the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) Ambassador Vaidotas Verba assumed the year-long chairmanship of the annual Conference of the States Parties to the Chemical Weapons Convention. [...] The chair of the Conference plays an important political and coordinating role in searching for the solutions on the most important issues that the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons faces, ensures the dialogue between the member states and the Secretariat of the organization, holds formal and informal meetings in order to ensure the development of the political dialogue of States Part[y] and maintains relations with such countries, which are aspiring for the membership in the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons, [such] as Iraq. [...] Lithuania also consistently raises the issue of sea-dumped chemical weapons and consolidates international forces to solve this issue. [...] Lithuania has initiated the international cooperation to prepare and adopt the United Nations resolution on sea-dumped chemical weapons in 2010. The chairmanship of Lithuania started today and will continue until 1 December 2010." (Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Lithuania; 30Nov09)
http://www.urm.lt/index.php?857597351
Chemical Weapons Convention annual meeting under way
"The annual meeting of member nations to the Chemical Weapons Convention began today in The Hague, Netherlands. Delegates are expected to vote on Turkish diplomat Ahmet Uzumcu appointment as the next head of the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons, the verification body for the pact. The 188 OPCW member nations are scheduled to meet through Friday. They are expected to discuss how convention states with chemical weapons are destroying their arsenals and whether they are meeting agreed-upon deadlines for disarmament, ITAR-Tass reported. Meanwhile, Russia stated Friday that it had disposed of 45 percent of its chemical weapons stockpile as part of its obligations under the convention, United Press International reported. 'As of Nov. 26, the Russian Federation has completed the destruction of 17,998.205 (metric) tons or 45.03 percent, of its chemical weapons stockpiles,' the Russian Foreign Ministry said. Russia expects to have destroyed all of its chemical weapons by April 29, 2012, the deadline set by the convention." (Global Security Newswire; 30Nov09)
http://www.globalsecuritynewswire.org/gsn/nw_20091130_6249.php
H.E. Mr Ahmet Uzumcu of Turkey appointed as next Director-General of the OPCW
"The 14th Session of the Conference of the States Parties to the Chemical Weapons Convention today appointed H.E Mr Ahmet Uzumcu of Turkey as the next Director-General of the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW). [...] Ambassador Uzumcu will assume the office on 25 July 2010 with a mandate extending until 2014. [...] Ambassador Uzumcu [...] emphasized the political will, commitment and determination displayed by the States Parties as well as their engagement and active participation in the organisation's work.. He further stated that he was pleased to inherit such a legacy and that he shall do his utmost to maintain the effectiveness of the OPCW and to ensure steady progress in reaching the goals of the Chemical Weapons Convention. [...] Ambassador Uzumcu is a career diplomat with extensive multilateral experience in political-military affairs and in disarmament and proliferation issues." (OPCW; 02Dec09)
http://www.opcw.org/news/news/article/he-mr-ahmet-uezuemcue-of-turkey-appointed-as-next-director-general-of-the-opcw/
Napolitano to reset deadline for foreign cargo scanning
"Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano confirmed Wednesday that her department will not be able to ensure that all maritime cargo entering U.S. ports will be scanned by 2012, and instead will take advantage of a loophole in the law to push the deadline back by at least two years. Democrats put a legal requirement in the first bill they passed after taking control of Congress in 2007 that the Homeland Security Department must ensure that all cargo being shipped from foreign ports to the United States is scanned by nonintrusive inspection equipment by 2012. [...] Napolitano told the Senate Commerce Committee Wednesday that the requirement is not realistic for several reasons, including cost, the lack of adequate technology and the inability to secure agreements with foreign governments. [...] But she added that the government has multiple programs to help secure cargo and prevent a nightmare scenario in which a weapon of mass destruction is smuggled into a U.S. port via a shipping container. 'We should not believe that 100 percent scanning equates to 100 percent security,' she said. The Government Accountability Office issued a report Wednesday concluding that the department does not have a plan to scan all containers abroad. GAO added that the department plans to issue a blanket extension to all foreign ports by July 2012 to be in compliance with the law." (Government Executive; 03Dec09; Chris Strohm)
http://www.govexec.com/dailyfed/1209/120309cdam1.htm
[U.S. Customs and] Border [Protection] deploys 179 radiation monitors at U.S. entry points
"U.S. Customs and Border Protection [CBP] announced yesterday that in fiscal 2009 it fielded 179 radiation detection devices to entry points across the country. That brings the total number of deployed radiation monitors at seaports and land-based entry locations to 1,354. The monitors give inspection agents the ability to check nearly all incoming mail, truck freight, ship cargo and personal vehicles for material that could be used in a nuclear or radiological weapon. The Homeland Security Department agency in the last fiscal year also dealt with 7,408 requests for technical assistance regarding possible WMD materials, according to a CBP press release. 'Many inappropriate radioactive shipments were returned to their country of origin,' the agency said. The agency in June opened the Southwest Regional Science Center in Houston. The laboratory can screen, detect and identify chemical, biological and nuclear materials."
(Global Security Newswire; 25Nov09)
http://www.globalsecuritynewswire.org/gsn/nw_20091125_3773.php
Workers at Indian plant probed on radioactive leak
"Investigators into the leak of a radioactive substance into drinking water at an Indian atomic plant have questioned several employees, officials said on Monday. The government has said the contamination was deliberate. With the help of Indian intelligence, the government-run Nuclear Power Corporation has launched a probe on how tritium seeped into a water cooler, which put 55 workers into medical care for excessive exposure to radiation. The leak may raise security fears over India's nuclear energy program, though both the government and the director of the plant have played down the threat of the leak to the public. 'Investigations are being carried out to find out how it happened and who did it,' a plant official, who did not want to be identified, told Reuters. The plant is in Kaiga on the west coast, 450 km (280 miles) from Bangalore. The contamination was deliberate, several newspapers on Monday quoted the government and the head of India's Atomic Energy Commission as saying. 'On the face of it, the incident appears to be the handiwork of a disgruntled employee,' Science Minister Prithviraj Chavan said, according to the Asian Age. India signed a landmark civilian nuclear deal with the United States in 2008 to help meet the growing energy needs of the world's second most populous nation." (Reuters; 30Nov09)
http://ca.reuters.com/article/topNews/idCATRE5AS09220091130
Security Watch India organizing a conference on effect of terrorism on India's infrastructure and econ[omy, topics include CBRN threats]
"Security Watch India is organizing a conference called The Challenge of Terrorism to India's Infrastructure & Economy, which is slated to take place on Dec 9 and Dec 10 in New Delhi. Security Watch India is committed towards harnessing the most-recent security technologies and the best practices of the world so that India's assets have better security. [...] Some of the prime issues which will be discussed at the conference include best security practices adopted by world for aviation, ports as well as major events, handling CBRN threats, the counter terrorism mechanisms for State Police forces, creation of elite forces, the steps to be adopted for enhancing and integrating the intelligence resources as well as preparing the industry for crisis management and resilience. [...] The conference will also be providing live demonstrations of latest best practices of the world including UAV surveillance, explosive detection equipments as well as latest technologies adopted in personal security, to name a few." (India Server; 25Nov09)
http://www.india-server.com/news/security-watch-india-organizing-a-16760.html
HazMat team simulates biohazard scenario in Mesquite [NV]
"Major David Sellen, the head of the Nevada National Guard's 92nd Civil Support Team [...] and his team of 22 men were in Mesquite on Monday to train in responding to a biohazard. The team is trained to respond to situations involving hazardous materials, including chemical, biological, and radiological materials. Monday's six-hour session revolved around a scenario involving the discovery of a fictitious biohazard lab in an abandoned house near the Oasis Resort. The morning began with the HazMat team arriving in more than a half-dozen unmarked dark blue vehicles, including a high-tech communications truck used to coordinate transmissions between local first responders such as the fire and police department. [...] Sgt. Jordan Clark [...] went step by step through the specific process of decontaminating the technicians as they leave the target area. [...] 'Removing the boots and gloves removes about 90% of the contamination,' Clark explained. While still wearing their HazMat suits, the techs [...] are scanned by a portable ICAM, or Improved Chemical Agent Monitor, as well as a special radiation detector that scans for beta, gamma, and x-ray radiation. [...] The techs are [also] equipped with personal chemical and radiological detection equipment. Lyle explained that the teams are tasked with investigating and gathering samples of whatever biohazard is discovered." (Mesquite Local News; 03Dec09; Morris Workman)
http://www.mesquitelocalnews.com/viewnews.php?newsid=4336&id=2
EDA [European Defense Agency] announces CBR training exercise
"The European Defense Agency announced plans to organize a chemical, biological and radiological explosives ordnance disposal training exercise. The EDA, with the Belgium Engineer Department, released plans to host the CBR Explosives Ordnance Disposal Table Top Exercise that will include training from experts as part of an effort to foster technical capabilities to counter improvised explosive devises, the EDA reported. The evolving threat from an IED with chemical or biological material requires next-generation technologies and armed forces in Europe capable of responding to potential incidents. Officials say the exercise is scheduled from Dec. 6-11 at the Belgium Joint CBRN Center." (United Press International; 30Nov09)
http://www.upi.com/Business_News/Security-Industry/2009/11/30/EDA-announces-CBR-training-exercise/UPI-58931259596594/
Lithuania and the U.S.A. strengthen cooperation regarding non-proliferation of weapons of mass destruction
"On 30 November, Lithuania's Minister of Foreign Affairs Vygaudas Usackas and U.S. Ambassador to Lithuania Anne E. Derse signed a protocol, which strengthens the cooperation between Lithuania and the U.S.A. concerning the prevention of illegal transfer and trafficking in nuclear, biological and chemical weapons and related materials. [...] The Protocol partially amends and extends the term of the Agreement between the governments of Lithuania and the United States of America Concerning Cooperation in the Area of the Prevention of Proliferation of Weapons of Mass Destruction, and the Promotion of Defense and Military Relations. 'The agreement that was signed today will provide firmer ground for the cooperation between our two countries in the fight against terrorism. In this way we contribute to the safety of all Lithuanian citizens and to the security within the region and throughout the world,' Minister V.Usackas said during the signing ceremony." (Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Lithuania; 30Nov09)
http://www.urm.lt/index.php?-1630908024
NNSA [National Nuclear Security Administration] and the border police of Romania cooperate to thwart nuclear smuggling
"The U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) and the Border Police of Romania commissioned mobile radiation detection equipment for use in Romania at a ceremony held in Bucharest. [...] NNSA's Second Line of Defense Program (SLD) is providing the Romanian Border Police with two vans equipped with radiation detection equipment, along with related handheld detection and isotope identification equipment. SLD also provides training on the use of this equipment. The Romanian Border Police will use the equipment at international points of entry as well as at other locations throughout the country. 'In the hands of our well trained and experienced Romanian Border Police partners, this equipment will assist in preventing and deterring the illicit trafficking of nuclear material and proliferation of weapons of mass destruction. We plan to continue our cooperation with the Romanian Border Police to include installation of stationary equipment at key ports of entry,' said Ken Baker, NNSA Principal Assistant Deputy Administrator for Defense Nuclear Nonproliferation." (NNSA; 02Dec09)
http://www.nnsa.energy.gov/news/2733.htm
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"A set of guidelines for how providers of custom-made DNA sequences do business has been proposed by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The proposal is the first comprehensive guidance issued by the government addressing bioterrorism concerns resulting from the rapidly developing synthetic genomics industry. Some security experts believe that a terrorist group or lone terrorist believe that bioweapons could be developed from these materials, which are openly available through the internet. The main recommendation of the guidelines is that synthetic companies should screen both their clients and the DNA sequences that they request. This would allow customers to establish the identity and institutional affiliation of customers. The proposal also calls for companies to look for red flags, including clients who place several orders of the same sequence within a short time frame, who attempt to pay by cash or who request that the product be mislabeled." (Bio Prep Watch; 05Dec09; Tina Redlup)
http://www.bioprepwatch.com/news/211123
U.S. health-threat response to be reviewed
"[...A] top Obama administration official has announced a major review of the government's efforts to develop new protections against pandemics, bioterrorism and other health threats. Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius said Tuesday that she ordered the evaluation in part because the H1N1 vaccine shortage had highlighted the nation's dependence on antiquated technology. 'We'll look for the fastest ways to move to new technologies that will let us quickly produce countermeasures that are more dependable and more robust,' she told the American Medical Association's Third National Congress on Health System Readiness, which is being held in Washington. 'Not just for flu and not just for infectious diseases, but for all the public health threats we face today.' The review will be led by Nicole Lurie, assistant secretary for preparedness and response, and will be complete by early next year, Sebelius said. [...] The nation's ability to respond to such threats depends not only on having enough hospital beds, emergency rooms, doctors, and equipment such as masks and ventilators, but also on state-of-the-art diagnostic tests, medications and vaccines, she said. 'But the countermeasure that saves the day during a quick-hitting public health emergency can often take years to discover, develop, manufacture and distribute,' she said. 'Like a lot of countries, we've often failed to make the kind of long-term investments in countermeasures we need to stay safe.'" (Washington Post; 01Dec09; Rob Stein)
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/12/01/AR2009120101288.html
Anthrax research stopped over euthanasia [Stillwater, OK]
"Oklahoma State University [OSU] administrators stopped a pending program testing anthrax vaccines on baboons because the animals would be euthanized, officials say. The bioterrorism research was to be carried out in a multimillion dollar lab[,] at the university[,] set up specifically for that purpose, the Oklahoman reported Monday. [...] University President Burns Hargis sent an e-mail to veterinary medicine researchers saying he would not allow the National Institutes of Health-funded project, the newspaper said. 'This research was not in the best interest of the university. The testing of lethal pathogens on primates would be a new area for OSU that is controversial and is outside our current research programs' said OSU spokesman Gary Shutt. Veterinarian Michael Davis said using the primates for research is important because they are biologically similar to humans. But after they've been exposed to the anthrax virus [sic] they must be euthanized so as not to infect others." (United Press International 30Nov09)
http://www.upi.com/Science_News/2009/11/30/Anthrax-research-stopped-over-euthanasia/UPI-84841259619266/
Wisconsin counties can enforce quarantine measures
"Wisconsin counties have a little-known policy that allows forced isolation or quarantine of people using armed law enforcement and deputized civilians. This is to help health officials in a worst-case scenario to contain outbreaks. Wisconsin statute requires each county to have isolation and quarantine procedures. The order [...] includes isolating people infected or even suspected of being infected with a contagious disease such as tuberculosis or in a flu pandemic. Douglas County Health Officer Deb Clasen says every county health officer in the state can now order that guards be put on infectious people. She says the policy allows health officials to put law enforcement by the door to help contain and prevent people from exposing others to an illness." (Fox 21 News; 30Nov09; Mike Simonson, Wisconsin Public Radio)
http://www.fox21online.com/news/wisconsin-counties-can-enforce-quarantine-measures
A vaccination against biological[ weapon agent]s
"Air Force Col. Randall J. Larsen [...] executive director of the Commission on the Prevention of Weapons of Mass Destruction Proliferation and Terrorism [...] tells journalists gathered [...] by the Heritage Foundation. 'Smallpox and anthrax are the only biological threats for which we have [Food and Drug Administration]-approved vaccines. We have enough smallpox vaccines [sic] for every American, but not enough anthrax vaccines [sic] even for 10 percent of our population. Once we increase that supply, we can take these two risks off the table.' Voluntarily immunizing Americans against these two diseases would deter terrorists from plotting attacks with them. Even vaccinating some Americans would create herd immunity, whereby those who stay healthy would impede an epidemic's progress. [...] Col. Larsen's commission offered this sobering conclusion in December: 'Unless the world community acts decisively and with great urgency, it is more likely than not that a weapon of mass destruction will be used in a terrorist attack somewhere in the world by the end of 2013.' [...] A biological attack's psychological impact would be incalculable, especially if healthy Americans saw their smallpox-infected neighbors as contagious enemies to be shunned." (Washington Times; 29Nov09; Deroy Murdock)
http://washingtontimes.com/news/2009/nov/29/a-vaccination-against-biologicals/
Major smallpox vaccine order announcement expected
"The biodefense company SIGA Technologies, which engages in the discovery, development and commercialization of products for use in defense against biological warfare agents, is expected to make a major announcement about government orders of its product [smallpox antiviral] soon. [...] The inhaled smallpox virus is considered by the United States government to be the single biggest biological threat to the nation's citizens in the event of a biological attack by terrorists. SIGA applies viral and bacterial genomics as well as sophisticated computational modeling to design and develop novel products with the intention of preventing and treating serious infectious diseases. SIGA places a special emphasis on products for defense against biological warfare." (Bio Prep Watch; 27Nov09; Paul Tinder)
http://www.bioprepwatch.com/news/211099
UAE [United Arab Emirates] officials given bioterrorism training
"The United Arab Emirates is not currently facing a bioterrorism threat but it is not taking any chances. Preparedness, Colonel Ali Salem Al Khayal, head of Interpol Abu Dhabi said, is the key when it comes to making sure that the public is kept safe. The nation could also be affected by attacks on other locations in the world, Al Khayal said while attending an Interpol training session hosted by the UAE Interior ministry. Al Khayal called bioterrorism a serious threat, noting that its potential to affect the public at large makes it a matter of concern for law enforcement worldwide. Nations must continually cooperate with each other to face the constantly changing and emerging challenges presented by bioterrorism, Al Khayal said. Additionally, each nation must ensure that it properly trains its human resources to react to a bio attack and equip its responders properly. To that end, 30 UAE officials from various forces, including the police, rescue and emergency management, health authorities, customs, armed forces and the national emergency and crisis management authority attended the Interior ministry's training session, which was devised by Interpol [...] was delivered by experts from 11 countries. Similar training exercises were held in 2007 in Muscat to provide training in identifying and tackling bioterrorism." (Bio Prep Watch; 30Nov09; Pat Dulnier)
http://www.bioprepwatch.com/news/211109
[Ventura Country Naval] Base to hold public meeting to discuss cleanup of training areas
"[Steve Granade, the installation restoration program manager for Naval Base Ventura County; is] looking for bullets, mustard gas and unexploded bombs left behind. [...] He's looking into eight different sites on the base where old bombs were blown up, training areas where Seabees prepared for chemical warfare and defunct firing ranges. The base is holding a public meeting tonight on a proposal to study the sites for contamination and determine what cleanup is needed. The study is part of a countrywide effort to clean bases where old training programs may have caused contamination. For years, the standard operating procedure for dealing with old training equipment was to either bury it or burn it. [...] At another site, where small vials of diluted mustard gas were blown up as sailors trained for chemical warfare in the 1940s, the earth will be dug up because the detectors found some metal." (Ventura County Star; 02Dec09; Zeke Barlow)
http://www.waterworld.com/index/display/news_display/138471970.html
Russia ahead of chemical weapons deadline
"The Russian Foreign Ministry said Friday the country is ahead of an international deadline to destroy its chemical weapons stockpile. The ministry said in a statement Russia has already destroyed 45 percent of its chemical weapons as called for under the Chemical Weapons Convention, and remains dedicated to destroying its remaining stockpiles by 2012, RIA Novosti reported. 'As of Nov. 26, the Russian Federation has completed the destruction of 17,998.205 (metric) tons, or 45.03 percent, of its chemical weapon stockpiles,' the ministry said." (United Press International; 27Nov09)
http://www.upi.com/Top_News/International/2009/11/27/Russia-ahead-of-chemical-weapons-deadline/UPI-65251259353072/
UK told before Iraq invasion that case was patchy
"On day two of proceedings of an inquiry into the build up to war, a senior civil servant has said that Britain received intelligence stating some Iraqi weapons may not have been assembled, while links to Al-Qaeda were limited. Britain was told just days before invading Iraq that the country's chemical weapons might have been unusable, the inquiry into the Iraq war was told yesterday on day two of proceedings. [...] Foreign Office officials told the inquiry that Saddam Hussein's nuclear programme had, they believed, been dismantled and that they had no evidence of any attempt by Iraq to supply biological weapons to terrorists, as the US was claiming at the time. [...] Witnesses also downplayed Iraq's chances of building a nuclear weapon and addressed a government claim that Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein could launch a strike with weapons of mass destruction (WMDs) in 45 minutes. [Sir William] Ehrmann [U.K. Ambassador to the People's Republic of China] used adjectives including patchy, sporadic and limited to describe a series of intelligence briefings on WMDs between 2000 and 2002. The inquiry has been criticized in some quarters for having the involvement of too many establishment figures." (World News Australia; 26Nov09; Source: AAP)
http://www.sbs.com.au/news/article/1140227/UK
Lockerbie bomber Abdelbaset Ali Mohmed alMegrahi linked to Libya's chemical weapons
"The man convicted of the Lockerbie bombing was implicated in the purchase and development of chemical weapons by Libya, according to documents produced by the American government. The papers also claim that Abdelbaset Ali Mohmed alMegrahi sought to buy 1,000 letter bombs from Greek arms dealers while working as a Libyan intelligence officer. The documents, prepared by the US State Department, raise further questions about the wisdom of the Scottish government in releasing the convicted bomber on compassionate grounds in August. The documents [...] claim that Megrahi's 'deep involvement in Libya's most sensitive, high-priority procurement operations indicates that he enjoyed the fullest confidence of Libya's leadership.' [...] 'Al-Megrahi is also linked to a senior manager of Libya's chemical weapons development programme.' Colonel [Muammar al] Gadaffi, the Libyan leader, was suspected of seeking to stockpile chemical and biological weapons. [...] Megrahi was freed from prison in Greenock on August 20 after Kenny MacAskill, the Scottish justice minister, received advice that he was terminally ill with prostate cancer. Since Megrahi has survived for more than the three months that he was expected to live, some American relatives of the victims of the atrocity are demanding that he be returned." (Sunday Times; 29Nov09; Mark Macaskill)
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/africa/article6936281.ece
List released of munitions found in Spring Valley [District of Columbia]
"At the demand of D.C. Delegate Eleanor Holmes Norton, the Army Corps of Engineers has for the first time given some insight into what they've discovered buried in Spring Valley. Since 1993, they've been digging up World War I era munitions buried after the war. [...] The report says between 1993 and 2001 the Corps of Engineers unearthed at least 865 intact munitions. Of those, at least 80 were listed as chemical in nature. Slated to be destroyed next year are five projectiles containing chemical weapons. Three contain arsine, a colorless, nonirritating toxic gas with a mild garlic odor. Also slated to be destroyed a round containing mustard gas, a blistering agent, and another round containing lewisite also a blistering agent that smells like geraniums. [...] Along with the chemical weapons 86 discarded munitions, some documented as an explosive hazard, are set to be disposed of in 2010." (WJLA Channel 8; 01Dec09)
http://www.news8.net/news/stories/1209/683270.html
Iran urges annihilation of chemical weapons
"The Islamic Republic of Iran on Wednesday reiterated its strong support for global efforts to dismantle chemical weapons throughout the world. 'We support the efforts made by those countries in possession of chemical weapons to observe the deadlines for dismantling their chemical arsenals,' Secretary of Iran's National Committee for the Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC) Dehqani said, addressing the fourteenth meeting of the Conference of Parties to the Chemical Weapons Convention. [...] Dehqani urged also signatories of the Convention to observe the deadline, and warned that the US announcement that it cannot respect the agreed deadline is frightening. [...] 100,000 Iranians are still living with the effects [of chemical weapons used by Iraqi forces during the 1980-1988 war], which include long-term respiratory problems, eye and skin problems as well as immune system disorders, psychological disorders, genetic disorders, and probably cancers." (Fars News Agency; 02Dec09)
http://english.farsnews.com/newstext.php?nn=8809111806
Chemical and biological attacks simulated in Israel
"Under the many potential threats, the Israeli government simulated a chemical warfare drill recently, including mass simulated casualties. Approximately seven million citizens took part in the preparedness drill, taking refuge in shelters. As part of the drill, Haredi Jews played the role of fatalities at a Jerusalem shopping mall while rescue workers equipped with protective suits practiced their chemical weapons attack training. Unconventional methods of attack such as biological and chemical weapons were also simulated by Israeli and U.S. armies last month as part of a joint preparedness drill. A U.S. Army spokesman noted that the training drill was necessary to prepare for any possible attack scenario." (Bio Prep Watch; 25Nov09; Nick Rees)
http://www.bioprepwatch.com/news/211065
Lithuania assumed the chairmanship of the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons
"Lithuania's Permanent Representative to the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) Ambassador Vaidotas Verba assumed the year-long chairmanship of the annual Conference of the States Parties to the Chemical Weapons Convention. [...] The chair of the Conference plays an important political and coordinating role in searching for the solutions on the most important issues that the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons faces, ensures the dialogue between the member states and the Secretariat of the organization, holds formal and informal meetings in order to ensure the development of the political dialogue of States Part[y] and maintains relations with such countries, which are aspiring for the membership in the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons, [such] as Iraq. [...] Lithuania also consistently raises the issue of sea-dumped chemical weapons and consolidates international forces to solve this issue. [...] Lithuania has initiated the international cooperation to prepare and adopt the United Nations resolution on sea-dumped chemical weapons in 2010. The chairmanship of Lithuania started today and will continue until 1 December 2010." (Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Lithuania; 30Nov09)
http://www.urm.lt/index.php?857597351
Chemical Weapons Convention annual meeting under way
"The annual meeting of member nations to the Chemical Weapons Convention began today in The Hague, Netherlands. Delegates are expected to vote on Turkish diplomat Ahmet Uzumcu appointment as the next head of the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons, the verification body for the pact. The 188 OPCW member nations are scheduled to meet through Friday. They are expected to discuss how convention states with chemical weapons are destroying their arsenals and whether they are meeting agreed-upon deadlines for disarmament, ITAR-Tass reported. Meanwhile, Russia stated Friday that it had disposed of 45 percent of its chemical weapons stockpile as part of its obligations under the convention, United Press International reported. 'As of Nov. 26, the Russian Federation has completed the destruction of 17,998.205 (metric) tons or 45.03 percent, of its chemical weapons stockpiles,' the Russian Foreign Ministry said. Russia expects to have destroyed all of its chemical weapons by April 29, 2012, the deadline set by the convention." (Global Security Newswire; 30Nov09)
http://www.globalsecuritynewswire.org/gsn/nw_20091130_6249.php
H.E. Mr Ahmet Uzumcu of Turkey appointed as next Director-General of the OPCW
"The 14th Session of the Conference of the States Parties to the Chemical Weapons Convention today appointed H.E Mr Ahmet Uzumcu of Turkey as the next Director-General of the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW). [...] Ambassador Uzumcu will assume the office on 25 July 2010 with a mandate extending until 2014. [...] Ambassador Uzumcu [...] emphasized the political will, commitment and determination displayed by the States Parties as well as their engagement and active participation in the organisation's work.. He further stated that he was pleased to inherit such a legacy and that he shall do his utmost to maintain the effectiveness of the OPCW and to ensure steady progress in reaching the goals of the Chemical Weapons Convention. [...] Ambassador Uzumcu is a career diplomat with extensive multilateral experience in political-military affairs and in disarmament and proliferation issues." (OPCW; 02Dec09)
http://www.opcw.org/news/news/article/he-mr-ahmet-uezuemcue-of-turkey-appointed-as-next-director-general-of-the-opcw/
Napolitano to reset deadline for foreign cargo scanning
"Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano confirmed Wednesday that her department will not be able to ensure that all maritime cargo entering U.S. ports will be scanned by 2012, and instead will take advantage of a loophole in the law to push the deadline back by at least two years. Democrats put a legal requirement in the first bill they passed after taking control of Congress in 2007 that the Homeland Security Department must ensure that all cargo being shipped from foreign ports to the United States is scanned by nonintrusive inspection equipment by 2012. [...] Napolitano told the Senate Commerce Committee Wednesday that the requirement is not realistic for several reasons, including cost, the lack of adequate technology and the inability to secure agreements with foreign governments. [...] But she added that the government has multiple programs to help secure cargo and prevent a nightmare scenario in which a weapon of mass destruction is smuggled into a U.S. port via a shipping container. 'We should not believe that 100 percent scanning equates to 100 percent security,' she said. The Government Accountability Office issued a report Wednesday concluding that the department does not have a plan to scan all containers abroad. GAO added that the department plans to issue a blanket extension to all foreign ports by July 2012 to be in compliance with the law." (Government Executive; 03Dec09; Chris Strohm)
http://www.govexec.com/dailyfed/1209/120309cdam1.htm
[U.S. Customs and] Border [Protection] deploys 179 radiation monitors at U.S. entry points
"U.S. Customs and Border Protection [CBP] announced yesterday that in fiscal 2009 it fielded 179 radiation detection devices to entry points across the country. That brings the total number of deployed radiation monitors at seaports and land-based entry locations to 1,354. The monitors give inspection agents the ability to check nearly all incoming mail, truck freight, ship cargo and personal vehicles for material that could be used in a nuclear or radiological weapon. The Homeland Security Department agency in the last fiscal year also dealt with 7,408 requests for technical assistance regarding possible WMD materials, according to a CBP press release. 'Many inappropriate radioactive shipments were returned to their country of origin,' the agency said. The agency in June opened the Southwest Regional Science Center in Houston. The laboratory can screen, detect and identify chemical, biological and nuclear materials."
(Global Security Newswire; 25Nov09)
http://www.globalsecuritynewswire.org/gsn/nw_20091125_3773.php
Workers at Indian plant probed on radioactive leak
"Investigators into the leak of a radioactive substance into drinking water at an Indian atomic plant have questioned several employees, officials said on Monday. The government has said the contamination was deliberate. With the help of Indian intelligence, the government-run Nuclear Power Corporation has launched a probe on how tritium seeped into a water cooler, which put 55 workers into medical care for excessive exposure to radiation. The leak may raise security fears over India's nuclear energy program, though both the government and the director of the plant have played down the threat of the leak to the public. 'Investigations are being carried out to find out how it happened and who did it,' a plant official, who did not want to be identified, told Reuters. The plant is in Kaiga on the west coast, 450 km (280 miles) from Bangalore. The contamination was deliberate, several newspapers on Monday quoted the government and the head of India's Atomic Energy Commission as saying. 'On the face of it, the incident appears to be the handiwork of a disgruntled employee,' Science Minister Prithviraj Chavan said, according to the Asian Age. India signed a landmark civilian nuclear deal with the United States in 2008 to help meet the growing energy needs of the world's second most populous nation." (Reuters; 30Nov09)
http://ca.reuters.com/article/topNews/idCATRE5AS09220091130
Security Watch India organizing a conference on effect of terrorism on India's infrastructure and econ[omy, topics include CBRN threats]
"Security Watch India is organizing a conference called The Challenge of Terrorism to India's Infrastructure & Economy, which is slated to take place on Dec 9 and Dec 10 in New Delhi. Security Watch India is committed towards harnessing the most-recent security technologies and the best practices of the world so that India's assets have better security. [...] Some of the prime issues which will be discussed at the conference include best security practices adopted by world for aviation, ports as well as major events, handling CBRN threats, the counter terrorism mechanisms for State Police forces, creation of elite forces, the steps to be adopted for enhancing and integrating the intelligence resources as well as preparing the industry for crisis management and resilience. [...] The conference will also be providing live demonstrations of latest best practices of the world including UAV surveillance, explosive detection equipments as well as latest technologies adopted in personal security, to name a few." (India Server; 25Nov09)
http://www.india-server.com/news/security-watch-india-organizing-a-16760.html
HazMat team simulates biohazard scenario in Mesquite [NV]
"Major David Sellen, the head of the Nevada National Guard's 92nd Civil Support Team [...] and his team of 22 men were in Mesquite on Monday to train in responding to a biohazard. The team is trained to respond to situations involving hazardous materials, including chemical, biological, and radiological materials. Monday's six-hour session revolved around a scenario involving the discovery of a fictitious biohazard lab in an abandoned house near the Oasis Resort. The morning began with the HazMat team arriving in more than a half-dozen unmarked dark blue vehicles, including a high-tech communications truck used to coordinate transmissions between local first responders such as the fire and police department. [...] Sgt. Jordan Clark [...] went step by step through the specific process of decontaminating the technicians as they leave the target area. [...] 'Removing the boots and gloves removes about 90% of the contamination,' Clark explained. While still wearing their HazMat suits, the techs [...] are scanned by a portable ICAM, or Improved Chemical Agent Monitor, as well as a special radiation detector that scans for beta, gamma, and x-ray radiation. [...] The techs are [also] equipped with personal chemical and radiological detection equipment. Lyle explained that the teams are tasked with investigating and gathering samples of whatever biohazard is discovered." (Mesquite Local News; 03Dec09; Morris Workman)
http://www.mesquitelocalnews.com/viewnews.php?newsid=4336&id=2
EDA [European Defense Agency] announces CBR training exercise
"The European Defense Agency announced plans to organize a chemical, biological and radiological explosives ordnance disposal training exercise. The EDA, with the Belgium Engineer Department, released plans to host the CBR Explosives Ordnance Disposal Table Top Exercise that will include training from experts as part of an effort to foster technical capabilities to counter improvised explosive devises, the EDA reported. The evolving threat from an IED with chemical or biological material requires next-generation technologies and armed forces in Europe capable of responding to potential incidents. Officials say the exercise is scheduled from Dec. 6-11 at the Belgium Joint CBRN Center." (United Press International; 30Nov09)
http://www.upi.com/Business_News/Security-Industry/2009/11/30/EDA-announces-CBR-training-exercise/UPI-58931259596594/
Lithuania and the U.S.A. strengthen cooperation regarding non-proliferation of weapons of mass destruction
"On 30 November, Lithuania's Minister of Foreign Affairs Vygaudas Usackas and U.S. Ambassador to Lithuania Anne E. Derse signed a protocol, which strengthens the cooperation between Lithuania and the U.S.A. concerning the prevention of illegal transfer and trafficking in nuclear, biological and chemical weapons and related materials. [...] The Protocol partially amends and extends the term of the Agreement between the governments of Lithuania and the United States of America Concerning Cooperation in the Area of the Prevention of Proliferation of Weapons of Mass Destruction, and the Promotion of Defense and Military Relations. 'The agreement that was signed today will provide firmer ground for the cooperation between our two countries in the fight against terrorism. In this way we contribute to the safety of all Lithuanian citizens and to the security within the region and throughout the world,' Minister V.Usackas said during the signing ceremony." (Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Lithuania; 30Nov09)
http://www.urm.lt/index.php?-1630908024
NNSA [National Nuclear Security Administration] and the border police of Romania cooperate to thwart nuclear smuggling
"The U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) and the Border Police of Romania commissioned mobile radiation detection equipment for use in Romania at a ceremony held in Bucharest. [...] NNSA's Second Line of Defense Program (SLD) is providing the Romanian Border Police with two vans equipped with radiation detection equipment, along with related handheld detection and isotope identification equipment. SLD also provides training on the use of this equipment. The Romanian Border Police will use the equipment at international points of entry as well as at other locations throughout the country. 'In the hands of our well trained and experienced Romanian Border Police partners, this equipment will assist in preventing and deterring the illicit trafficking of nuclear material and proliferation of weapons of mass destruction. We plan to continue our cooperation with the Romanian Border Police to include installation of stationary equipment at key ports of entry,' said Ken Baker, NNSA Principal Assistant Deputy Administrator for Defense Nuclear Nonproliferation." (NNSA; 02Dec09)
http://www.nnsa.energy.gov/news/2733.htm
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Daily Open Source Infrastructure Report
The DHS Daily Open Source Infrastructure Report (Daily Report) is collected each week day as a summary of open-source published information concerning significant critical infrastructure issues. Each Daily Report is divided by the critical infrastructure sectors and key assets defined in the National Infrastructure Protection Plan.
READ THE REPORT
http://www.dhs.gov/xlibrary/assets/DHS_Daily_Report_2009-12-04.pdf
READ THE REPORT
http://www.dhs.gov/xlibrary/assets/DHS_Daily_Report_2009-12-04.pdf
Thursday, December 03, 2009
Logistics Support Gears Up for Afghanistan Surge
By Beth Reece
Special to American Forces Press Service
Dec. 3, 2009 - President Barack Obama's call for another 30,000 troops to deploy to Afghanistan came as no surprise to Defense Logistics Agency planners. One day after the president's announcement, DLA Director Navy Vice Adm. Alan Thompson described how the agency's three strategic focus areas – warfighter support enhancement, stewardship excellence and work force development – will support the troop surge.
Just as DLA supply centers and support teams worked months in advance to pre-position items for nearly 20,000 troops who deployed to southern Afghanistan last summer, logisticians have spent the past several months working with U.S. Central Command and U.S. Forces Afghanistan officials to plan support for even more forces, Thompson said to a standing-room-only crowd at the Defense Logistics 2009 conference here yesterday.
Thompson told the assembled military members and defense contractors that representatives across all of DLA's supply chains have been involved in the planning effort. Defense Supply Center Philadelphia -- which provides food, construction material, medical items, clothing and individual equipment -- has employees on the ground working with local subsistence prime vendors to provide additional fresh fruit and vegetable deliveries.
DSCP employees also are arranging for an increase in production of such items as lumber and housing, which are expected to be some of the most-requested commodities during the initial surge.
At Defense Supply Center Richmond, Va., work is under way to boost support to the fleet of helicopters that has become an important means for getting supplies to troops in Afghanistan, where unimproved roads and steep terrain make it difficult to move equipment.
In land combat support, Defense Supply Center Columbus, Ohio, has partnered with Oshkosh Defense, makers of the new all-terrain version of the mine-resistant, ambush-protected vehicles, or M-ATVs, to provide repair parts for the vehicles, which are being used to protect troops from roadside bombs. Six DSCC employees have deployed to Afghanistan to focus solely on support of conventional MRAPs and the new M-ATVs.
Employees at Defense Distribution Depot Susquehanna, Pa., are assembling new combat lifesaver kits that contain such medical supplies as bandages, scissors, splints and gloves that are used to treat severely wounded soldiers.
A key element of the Afghanistan support strategy, Thompson said, is the development of the Northern Distribution Network. This initiative provides additional routes to move material to troops on the ground through the South Caucasus and Central and South-Asian states.
Thompson met with Army Gen. David H. Petraeus, commander of U.S. Central Command, Nov. 23 to discuss how DLA is supporting the Northern Distribution Network and the general's local security cooperation strategy through local procurement efforts in the region. DLA has been leading this effort for Centcom by bringing together other contracting activities within U.S. Transportation Command, the State Department, the General Services Administration and the Office of the Secretary of Defense.
Thompson also visited DLA employees in southern Afghanistan in November to get a first-hand look at how the agency is supporting warfighters. Though the intent of his visit was to find areas that needed improvement, the admiral said, leaders on the ground had nothing but good things to say about DLA's support.
"Looking across our full line of support, I'm confident that we're on track to supply warfighters with everything they need, whether it's fuel, spare parts for weapons systems or troop-support items," he said.
Thompson also spoke at the conference about recent DLA initiatives to ensure stewardship and integrity in DLA's acquisition process. He told attendees of DLA's need to always be mindful of the role it plays on behalf of American taxpayers.
He finished his keynote speech by speaking about the important part DLA's work force plays in the agency's success and, ultimately, the success of its warfighting customers, and the programs DLA has to ensure that it has the right work force now and in the future.
(Beth Reece works in the Defense Logistics Agency's strategic communications office.)
Special to American Forces Press Service
Dec. 3, 2009 - President Barack Obama's call for another 30,000 troops to deploy to Afghanistan came as no surprise to Defense Logistics Agency planners. One day after the president's announcement, DLA Director Navy Vice Adm. Alan Thompson described how the agency's three strategic focus areas – warfighter support enhancement, stewardship excellence and work force development – will support the troop surge.
Just as DLA supply centers and support teams worked months in advance to pre-position items for nearly 20,000 troops who deployed to southern Afghanistan last summer, logisticians have spent the past several months working with U.S. Central Command and U.S. Forces Afghanistan officials to plan support for even more forces, Thompson said to a standing-room-only crowd at the Defense Logistics 2009 conference here yesterday.
Thompson told the assembled military members and defense contractors that representatives across all of DLA's supply chains have been involved in the planning effort. Defense Supply Center Philadelphia -- which provides food, construction material, medical items, clothing and individual equipment -- has employees on the ground working with local subsistence prime vendors to provide additional fresh fruit and vegetable deliveries.
DSCP employees also are arranging for an increase in production of such items as lumber and housing, which are expected to be some of the most-requested commodities during the initial surge.
At Defense Supply Center Richmond, Va., work is under way to boost support to the fleet of helicopters that has become an important means for getting supplies to troops in Afghanistan, where unimproved roads and steep terrain make it difficult to move equipment.
In land combat support, Defense Supply Center Columbus, Ohio, has partnered with Oshkosh Defense, makers of the new all-terrain version of the mine-resistant, ambush-protected vehicles, or M-ATVs, to provide repair parts for the vehicles, which are being used to protect troops from roadside bombs. Six DSCC employees have deployed to Afghanistan to focus solely on support of conventional MRAPs and the new M-ATVs.
Employees at Defense Distribution Depot Susquehanna, Pa., are assembling new combat lifesaver kits that contain such medical supplies as bandages, scissors, splints and gloves that are used to treat severely wounded soldiers.
A key element of the Afghanistan support strategy, Thompson said, is the development of the Northern Distribution Network. This initiative provides additional routes to move material to troops on the ground through the South Caucasus and Central and South-Asian states.
Thompson met with Army Gen. David H. Petraeus, commander of U.S. Central Command, Nov. 23 to discuss how DLA is supporting the Northern Distribution Network and the general's local security cooperation strategy through local procurement efforts in the region. DLA has been leading this effort for Centcom by bringing together other contracting activities within U.S. Transportation Command, the State Department, the General Services Administration and the Office of the Secretary of Defense.
Thompson also visited DLA employees in southern Afghanistan in November to get a first-hand look at how the agency is supporting warfighters. Though the intent of his visit was to find areas that needed improvement, the admiral said, leaders on the ground had nothing but good things to say about DLA's support.
"Looking across our full line of support, I'm confident that we're on track to supply warfighters with everything they need, whether it's fuel, spare parts for weapons systems or troop-support items," he said.
Thompson also spoke at the conference about recent DLA initiatives to ensure stewardship and integrity in DLA's acquisition process. He told attendees of DLA's need to always be mindful of the role it plays on behalf of American taxpayers.
He finished his keynote speech by speaking about the important part DLA's work force plays in the agency's success and, ultimately, the success of its warfighting customers, and the programs DLA has to ensure that it has the right work force now and in the future.
(Beth Reece works in the Defense Logistics Agency's strategic communications office.)
Forces in Afghanistan Detain Militants
American Forces Press Service
Dec. 3, 2009 - Combined Afghan and international forces detained several suspected militants in operations in Afghanistan over the last two days, military officials reported.
A combined force pursuing a Taliban subcommander searched a compound near the village of Jamad Kheyl in Wardak province's Sayed Abad district after intelligence sources indicated militant activity there and detained several suspected militants.
In Khost province yesterday, a combined force detained a handful of suspected militants while pursuing a Taliban bomb-attack facilitator.
The force searched a compound near the village of Khatekah in the Sabari district after intelligence sources indicated militant activity there and detained the suspected militants, including the bombing facilitator.
No shots were fired and no one was harmed in either operation, officials said.
(From an International Security Assistance Force Joint Command news release.)
Dec. 3, 2009 - Combined Afghan and international forces detained several suspected militants in operations in Afghanistan over the last two days, military officials reported.
A combined force pursuing a Taliban subcommander searched a compound near the village of Jamad Kheyl in Wardak province's Sayed Abad district after intelligence sources indicated militant activity there and detained several suspected militants.
In Khost province yesterday, a combined force detained a handful of suspected militants while pursuing a Taliban bomb-attack facilitator.
The force searched a compound near the village of Khatekah in the Sabari district after intelligence sources indicated militant activity there and detained the suspected militants, including the bombing facilitator.
No shots were fired and no one was harmed in either operation, officials said.
(From an International Security Assistance Force Joint Command news release.)
Air Weapons Team Trains Ground-force Leaders
By Army Spc. Maurice A. GallowaySpecial to American Forces Press Service
Dec. 3, 2009 - The adage "Send in the cavalry" once referred to soldiers on horseback, riding to the aid of embattled comrades. Today, that same call for backup can be made a lot quicker and with much more devastating effect through the Army's joint operations. Twelve soldiers from 1st Battalion, 377th Field Artillery Regiment, and 1st Battalion, 130th Aviation Regiment, Task Force Panther, teamed up to conduct an air-support live-fire exercise at a detonation range near here.
The training provided leaders with the opportunity to gain experience and increase their proficiency in calling for fire during close-combat scenarios.
After days of orchestrating the layout, boundaries and procedures of the exercise, the trainers familiarized the ground soldiers with the different steps involved in the call-for-fire process.
"The hardest part of the training for me was being able to determine the distance of each of our projected targets from such a long distance away," said Army 1st Lt. Mike S. Robinson, an infantry officer with Bravo Company, 177th Armored Cavalry. "You have to take into account that there are two perspectives: what we see from the ground and what the air-support team sees."
From their positions on the ground, soldiers used their choice of techniques taught during the training to direct two AH-64D Apache Longbow helicopters to hostile ground targets and have them deliver an air strike. Some soldiers used the compass method, shooting an azimuth to gain the distance and direction of their target, while others tackled the difficult task of navigating the air strike verbally, without any target marking.
"This event gave our platoon leaders an opportunity to see what the Apache is capable of doing for us if we ever need more firepower," said Army Lt. Col. James W. MacGregor, commander of 1st Battalion, 377th Field Artillery Regiment. "They are routinely coordinating operations with the air weapons team during their patrols, not only as a secondary source of firepower, but also to expand their field of view."
A lot of different factors come in to play when trying to acquire a target, he explained, so communication is important.
"The two teams have to constantly talk," MacGregor said. "The platoon leader has to identify his target and help the pilot see what he is looking at. Both may be looking at the same thing, but from a much different perspective."
When multiple targets are near each other, it makes target identification all the more difficult. One strategy is to have troops on the ground use small-arms fire to mark their target.
"My objective was to identify the target for air support, using the 240 Bravo light machine gun," said Army Pfc. Ian D. Favro, a gunner with 1st Battalion, 377th Field Artillery Regiment. "I basically shot rounds in short, controlled increments just short of their intended target to knock dust into the air so that the [air weapons team] could properly identify their objective and destroy it."
With all of the objectives destroyed and each of the platoon leaders getting the opportunity to become more familiar with calling for fire, the event definitely was a success, MacGregor said.
"This experience offered our platoon leaders a chance to talk to the pilots and gain insight on their perspective from both a fixed- and rotary-wing standpoint," he said.
"All in all, this was a great professional development experience for these young leaders."
(Army Spc. Maurice A. Galloway serves with the 17th Fires Brigade public affairs office.)
Indiana Soldiers Maintain Forward Operating Base
By Army Spc. William E. HenrySpecial to American Forces Press Service
Dec. 3, 2009 - Indiana National Guard soldiers from the 38th Infantry Division's Task Force Cyclone ensure Forward Operating Base Salerno is maintained properly. Located in eastern Afghanistan, Salerno is near the Pakistan border and is home to four different elements of the Indiana National Guard.
The 1-19th Indiana Agribusiness Development Team; B Company, 2nd Battalion, 151st Infantry Regiment; the 177th Finance Company; and the 38th Infantry Division's Task Force Cyclone, who run base operations, reside at Salerno during their deployment. The commander for Salerno base operations, Army Lt. Col. Rodney Babb, said the work his team does surpasses the expectations of all who live on post.
"The performance of Task Force Cyclone servicemembers has been outstanding," said Babb, an Indianapolis resident. "Their effort to go the extra mile surpasses the needs of our tenants and improves the quality-of-life support services."
Army Spcs. David Lillian and Devin Blankenship, both Indianapolis residents, said their work is difficult, but worthwhile, as soldiers coming and going on a day-to-day basis are the ones who benefit the most from their efforts.
"It boosts morale," Lillian said. "[When] you live in a house, you like to have your house clean. This is our house, and we keep it clean."
Blankenship said his rural upbringing contributes to his desire to do his part in keeping the base clean. "I grew up in the country, so I don't like having mess and filth, and I'm sure nobody else does," he said.
Each soldier supervises a crew of 10 to 12 local Afghans who perform a multitude of tasks each working day. Tasks range from filling sandbags and pulling weeds to preparing billeting and building projects.
The specialists both had high praise for the Afghans' work ethic and how they engage in each job.
"They're great. They don't mess around. You show them something, and they do it," Lillian said. "I like these guys. Some of them have been [working on the base] for five years."
On this particular day, the crews were removing weeds and trash from around the base, which are mundane jobs, but crucial for the health of all who live in and around the area.
"The weeds are an issue because of the rodents," Blankenship explained. "We have a lot of mice, rats, lizards and snakes here, especially in the summertime. There are all kinds of different diseases out here. We don't want anything to help feed that."
Blankenship noted Khost province is a high-risk area for malaria. "We don't want standing water and trash to feed the mosquitoes," he said, "and we're trying to come down on the malaria issue."
As a direct result of the work done by the local Afghans, Lillian said, units going out on assignment each day can keep their mind on their operations, rather than worrying about their living conditions.
"They can be focused on the mission and drive on, and when they come back inside from going outside the wire [they] can be like, 'Wow,'" said Lillian. "[It's] something like home, just thousands of miles away."
(Army Spc. William E. Henry of the Indiana National Guard's 38th Infantry Division serves with Task Force Cyclone.)
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