McChord Airmen participate in Mali airlift operations

by Tech. Sgt. Sean Tobin
62nd Airlift Wing Public Affairs

2/7/2013 - JOINT BASE LEWIS-MCCHORD, Wash. -- Since Jan. 21, when the U.S. began operations to support French efforts against extremist forces in Mali, U.S. Air Force C-17 Globemaster III aircraft have flown nearly 60 missions, transporting more than 1,200 tons of cargo and more than 950 passengers into the region.

More than 30 of those missions have been completed by Airmen and aircraft from the 62nd and 446th Airlift Wings here.

"This has truly been a great opportunity to support our allies," said Maj. Joshua Pieper, 62nd Airlift Wing Plans and Programs chief of exercises and evaluations, currently working as the stage manager and chief of stage tactics in Istres, France. "The French Air Force has been extremely flexible and motivated partners in supporting of our C-17 missions."

Pieper, along with other aircrew members, maintainers and support personnel, departed McChord Field within eight hours of being notified. Upon their arrival to Istres, they quickly got to work setting up a base of operations. This required the team to overcome some obstacles first, since Istres is not a typical staging location for McChord aircraft.

"When we first arrived, we had no DSN or network capabilities," he said. "We relied on local cell phones and the French military's equipment to help manage our assets and contact our command and control."

Eventually, members of the 621st Contingency Response Wing from Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, N.J., and Travis AFB, Calif., were able to install equipment which enhanced communications.

Soon after, the team went to work, transporting French soldiers and military equipment from Istres to Bamako, Mali.

"The best part of this mission is being able to take part in something important and being able to say, 'I was there. I helped make that happen,'" said Airman 1st Class Evan Rosenboom, 62nd Operations Support Squadron aviation resource management journeymen.

Since the start of the airlift missions, the U.S. and French teams have worked closely together to prepare and load equipment onto the C-17s.

"It's a good thing for us to work together on things like this, because we want to be an asset to the operation, not a hindrance," said French air force Maj. Eric Chabaud, who is the chief of aircraft services in Istres. "We have a very good relationship with the Americans here right now and we help them any time we can."

Though the team does not know how long they'll be in Istres, they remain ready to do whatever it takes to carry out the mission.

"We will continue to work closely with and support France and other partner nations to resolve the security situation in Mali," said Pieper.

Official Stresses Importance of 2014 Afghan Elections

By Jim Garamone
American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, Feb. 11, 2013 – The Afghan presidential elections now set for April 2014 are looming ever larger as a milestone for measuring progress in the country, NATO officials in Afghanistan said yesterday.

How the Afghan forces protect voting and how the Afghan people accept the results will be key to the long-term success of the country, said a senior International Security Assistance Force official speaking on background.

Things are looking up in Afghanistan, the official said, but there are many hurdles to overcome. Only 22 months remain in the ISAF mandate. By spring, Afghan forces will be leading security operations throughout the country. By the end of 2014, Afghan forces will shoulder the security burden themselves as the NATO mission ends.

The Taliban are also looking forward, the official said. “There will be a ’13 fighting season,” he said. The Taliban will be up against 352,000 members of the Afghan security forces. That force has grown in capability as it has grown in size, the official said.

There will be negotiations and talks between the Taliban and the international community. “From my vantage point I think it’s a delaying tactic,” he said. “They’ve gone through 12 years of war and they are 22 months away from a very small presence.”

He said Afghan Taliban leaders in Quetta, Pakistan, are looking at three key things over the next two years. First, how good are the Afghan security forces? Second, what will be the U.S. and NATO investment in the country after 2015? And the third are the April 5, 2014, elections.

“[The elections] are probably the most critical thing that will happen in the next 22 months,” he said. Afghans will go to the polls to elect a new president and provincial councils. The last election, in 2009, was marred by allegations of vote fraud. It is supremely important that these new elections go well and that Afghans accept the outcome, the official said.

The official spoke about the changes in Afghanistan since the surge of U.S. and NATO forces ended. The surge did what it was supposed to do, he said, buy time for Afghans to field their forces. Now Afghan soldiers and police are in the lead in security through most of the country and have grown in size and capabilities.

This is a long way from January 2009, the official noted, when the entire Afghanistan campaign looked like a failure. “In January 2009, Kandahar was at risk [and] the central Helmand Valley was at risk,” he said. “There were a number of attacks into Kabul.”

Then-ISAF commander Army Gen. Stanley McChrystal’s assessment was that the actual campaign was at risk and asked for additional troops. “Take where we were in 2009 and jump to the end of the surge … in September 2012,” the official said. “As I see the battlespace, I can honestly say that you have a less capable, less popular and less of an existential threat when you look at the insurgency. But you still have a threat.”

And the threat will remain in January 2015, but the Afghans should be able to manage it.

Like Afghanistan itself, statistics that look at violence in the country are complex. “When people look at statistics, they say that you have virtually inconsequential changes from ’11 to ’12,” he said. “If you just look at those numbers without the context there is so much you miss.”

Last year was about holding the gains that the surge made possible, he said. The Afghans moved to the lead as the United States pulled 23,000 personnel out of the country in September 2012.
Afghan forces held the ground and actually expanded their control in the area west of Kandahar and in the Helmand River Valley, the official said.

Another piece of the statistics equation is where the violence was happening. “What we were able to do in 2012 was slowly start separating the insurgency from the major population centers,” he said.

The violence in 2012 happened increasingly in sparsely settled rural areas, the official said, noting that in surveys, Afghans report they feel safer and believe the Taliban is not coming back.

Violence is still a problem and the official said 17 districts out of the 402 in the nation are where 50 percent of the violence occurs. Put another way, 80 percent of the attacks occur where 20 percent of the population live. The worst districts are in northern Helmand.

The Haqqani network specializes in high-profile attacks, the official said. “If there is an attack in Kabul it gets the press ... It gives the impression that Kabul is under siege, which is not the case.”
Afghan forces have responded quickly and professionally to attacks in the capital, another sign of their continued maturation, he said, but high-profile attacks are going to happen, and they are going to get through.

There were 18 high-profile attacks in Kabul in 2011 and nine in 2012. While there were just nine attacks, the official said, there were “hundreds of threats.” And while Afghan capabilities are improving, he added, “even the best goalie in professional soccer is going to get scored on.”

Afghan forces are not going to let the Taliban have the rural areas, the official said. The Afghan Local Police -- now with some 20,000 members -- are becoming a security net for the people. “The ALP becomes a hold force for you,” the official said. “You have police who live and work in the rural areas.”

The official sees three tiers to the threat to Afghanistan. The first tier is tactical -- the 20,000 to 30,000 mostly local insurgents in the country.

The next level is the operational cadre -- the leadership, the shadow government and the Taliban in Pakistan, he said. These men can recruit, train and supply fighters. The leaders in Pakistan are problematic for ISAF, the official said. “We’ve heard that the Pakistanis are changing their strategic calculus, but there is ‘what you say’ and ‘what you do,’” he said. “I’m waiting for the ‘what you do’ to see how that works.”

The third threat is not the insurgency, the official said, but the degree of corruption and criminality that exists within the government.

“If you can get some rule of law and move forward, then you can pull the carpet out from under the insurgency,” he said. Putting in place a legal system and service infrastructure will be a key outgrowth of the April 2014 elections, the official noted.

The world will be watching those elections as well. After 2015, there are 28 NATO nations and eight partner nations that have already said they will invest in Afghanistan. “And all will be watching the elections,” the official said.

Allen 'Very Confident' About Afghanistan’s Future

By Jim Garamone
American Forces Press Service

KABUL, Afghanistan, Feb. 10, 2013 – There are measures of success every day in Afghanistan and the out-going commander of NATO’s International Security Assistance Force is very confident of victory.

Marine Corps Gen. John R. Allen spoke to reporters traveling with Army Gen. Martin E. Dempsey, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, shortly before turning over command to Marine Corps Gen. Joseph F. Dunford Jr. Allen has been nominated to be the next Supreme Allied Commander Europe.

Allen said he is “very confident” that NATO and their Afghan partners are on the right trajectory. “We have seen some really heroic level activities occur here in just the last year,” Allen said. “What happened last summer was unbelievable when you think about it. We shipped home 23,000 troops during the fighting season. We shifted from a main force strategy that relied on U.S. and ISAF combat formations to one where the (Afghan National Security Forces) were in the lead – an ANSF that was still being built while it was expanding its operations in the combat zone.”

At the same time, NATO closed 600 bases in Afghanistan.

Today, another 10,000 U.S. troops have been withdrawn and Afghan forces are almost entirely in the lead for security throughout the country. Afghan government forces have taken ground, they have held ground already taken and they are forcing the Taliban to launch attacks farther and farther away from centers of population, he said.

Commanders have repeatedly stressed that there will not be a victory parade ending hostilities in Afghanistan, rather it remains a counterinsurgency battle and leaders measure progress incrementally. “Every day, there is another lamination of accomplishment,” he said. “There is no decisive battle in the Napoleonic sense, just every day these laminations contributing to the end state.”

The general said he is comfortable the trajectory is moving in the right direction. Allen is however concerned about a lag in efforts by the Afghan government to put structures in place to build on counterinsurgency efforts.

Still, the country has come a long way. Afghanistan has been in serious conflict for 33 years, with much of its infastructure destroyed which will take time and money to rebuild. “The school system was devastated,” Allen said.

The good news is the international community has pledged to help. During NATO meetings in Lisbon and Chicago, NATO and partner nations pledged to stay with Afghanistan through this transition. In Tokyo and Bonn, nations pledged money to help Afghanistan overcome generation of tragedy. Nations understand what one of the world's poorest countries needs and have pledged a “decade of transformation.”

One upcoming benchmark will be the presidential election set for April 2014. The 352,000 members of the Afghan national security force will secure the vote. “The international community is very clear that it will judge the success of what we have done by the transparency and inclusiveness of the Afghan population. We’ve been very clear on this: the international community is in this to a point, but we aren’t in this to a fault,” Allen said.

That contest he says, will be a true test of Afghanistan’s progress. “The rhetoric has to be matched by real and meaningful reform.  Reform that reduces the capacity of the criminal patronage networks to grip and weaken the institutions of the state.” Reforms must also guarantee the rights of minorities and women, Allen said.

Donor nations must have the strategic patience, but there has to be demonstrated performance, he said.

Allen is less concerned about the number of U.S. troops in Afghanistan post-2014 than he is about the capabilities needed in the country.

Combined Force Arrests Explosives Expert in Takhar Province

From an International Security Assistance Force Joint Command News Release

KABUL, Afghanistan, Feb. 8, 2013 – An Afghan and coalition security force arrested an Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan leader during an operation in the Yangi Qal‘ah district of Afghanistan’s Takhar province today, military officials reported.

The arrested insurgent leader was an explosives expert assisting with the planning of an impending high profile attack, officials said. He also coordinated the construction and movement of improvised explosive devices in the province.

During the operation, the security force also detained one suspected insurgent, officials said.

In other Afghanistan operations today:

-- A combined force in Kandahar province’s Panjwai district detained three insurgents while searching for a Taliban leader responsible for organizing IED operations against Afghan and coalition forces.
-- In Logar province’s Baraki Barak district, a combined force detained five insurgents while searching for a Taliban leader who oversees insurgent fighters and attacks Afghan and coalition patrols.

Yesterday in Kunduz province’s Chahar district, a precision strike killed Hamid Gul, a Taliban leader who conducted attacks against Afghan government officials and Afghan and coalition forces. He oversaw 25 insurgent fighters responsible for IED operations in the district.

Afghan Mission Will Determine Troop Numbers, Dempsey Says

By Jim Garamone
American Forces Press Service

RAMSTEIN AIR BASE, Germany, Feb. 9, 2013 – The mission in Afghanistan will determine the number of American troops who will still be deployed there after 2014, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff said here today.

Military leaders are confident that the number will match the mission. “I will not at any point ask 10,000 troops to do 20,000 troops work,” Army Gen. Martin E. Dempsey told reporters.

Dempsey is flying to Afghanistan for the change of command ceremony from Marine Corps Gen. John Allen to Marine Corps Gen. Joseph Dunford.

Dunford will be the last commander in Afghanistan of NATO’s International Security Assistance Force and the last commander of Operation Enduring Freedom when the mission ends in December 2014. He will preside as the Afghan forces take the lead for security and will command as U.S. forces draw down in the country. There are currently 66,000 American service members in Afghanistan.

As Dunford takescommand, he has to keep three things in careful equilibrium, the chairman said. These are keeping the pressure on al-Qaida and other transnational terror groups seeking to operate in Afghanistan, training Afghan security forces, and redeploying U.S. and NATO forces out of the country.

NATO and partner forces – including U.S. service members – will be leaving the country through the end of 2014 in a steady and gradual manner. This spring Afghan forces will be in the lead for security throughout the country. “As that occurs, there will be some force structure changes that grow from that decision,” Dempsey said.

But it is more complicated than simply loading personnel on planes and flying them back to the United States. “There’s never a flip of a switch,” the chairman said.

Not all Afghan forces have the same capability. In some areas kandaks – Afghan battalions – may need help. Elsewhere, kandaks may be trained, but the higher headquarters may need assistance. “You may be training a kandak in one part of the country and brigades and corps in another, just because the developmental model is different,” he said.

The enemy has a say in Afghan plans. The Taliban leader, Mullah Omar, has decreed that he wants the Taliban to make 2013 an intense year, the chairman said. “But here’s what’s different, the situation this summer – the first summer where Afghan security forces are in the lead – that intensity will be directed principally at them,” the chairman said.

The Taliban taking on Afghan forces rather than Western personnel changes the political, internal discourse in Afghanistan. “We’ll have to see how it changes it,” he said.

This shift to Afghan control is already happening. Afghan security forces are in the lead in protecting more than 75 percent of the population. And there are results from that, Dempsey said. “One vignette: Every Sunday, John Allen has a memorial service outside his headquarters to remember the soldiers who were lost in the past week,” the chairman said. “This past Sunday was the first service he held since he was commander where there wasn’t a single ISAF … soldier killed in action. First week in 19 months. However, there were 25 Afghan soldiers killed.”

This summer the Taliban will test the Afghan soldiers and police. U.S. service members will help the Afghan forces in the summer fighting season. They will not only provide their Afghan brethren physical support, but psychological support as well, and this will build the Afghan’s self-esteem. “What really hangs in the balance now is the confidence level of the Afghan security forces and its people,” he said. “We have to continue building their confidence, because they are capable fighters.”

Defense leaders have matched the number of troops to the mission. Dempsey called this a collaborative and thorough effort. “We didn’t start talking numbers until we had a clear understanding of missions,” he said. The missions for the post-2014 period are: some continued counter terror effort against transnational global threats; to train, advise and assist Afghan troops; and to provide support to other U.S. government agencies working in the country.

“Once we settled in on the missions, then we were able to provide options on how to accomplish them,” he said. For example, it requires a different number of personnel to train an Afghan kandak than an Afghan brigade. Figuring out what units need what help “illuminates what the numbers should be,” the chairman said. “So we’re not going from number to mission, we’re going from mission to number.”

Afghanistan’s neighbor Pakistan remains crucial to any solution in the region, and Dempsey said he has “seen a degree of interest and cooperation on the part of our Pakistani military counterparts that is actually quite encouraging,” he said. “They finally believe we are not going to shut out the lights and leave at the end of ’14. They see a viable partnership among them, us and the Afghans.”

Cooperation, which was always good at the tactical level, has climbed a notch to the operational level. It also helps that Pakistani leaders now assess the terrorist threat to the nation closer to the American view.

Dempsey is optimistic that the Bilateral Security Agreement between Afghanistan and the United States will be in place this year. Protections for U.S. troops under the agreement do not seem to be the same showstopper that they were in Iraq, he said.

Reporters asked about the “zero option” for U.S. troops in Afghanistan after 2014. “I have said publically no one has ever mentioned zero to me, and I would never recommend zero,” Dempsey said.

Ultimately political reconciliation between the Taliban and the Afghan government will be what ends the war in Afghanistan. While there are no active negotiations now, the Taliban are talking among themselves about this, the chairman said. “As they talk among themselves, their behavior appears to be migrating toward being a political factor in Afghanistan’s future and less a internal security threat,” he said.

This does not mean peace will suddenly break out in the nation. “There will be irreconcilable parts of the Taliban that are just so ideologically skewed that the idea of any concessions is just anathema to them,” he said. “On the other hand, I think there will be portions that will be willing to be part of the political landscape and not part of the security landscape.”

EOD Airman receives Purple Heart

by Stephen Delgado
Thunderbolt staff writer

2/8/2013 - LUKE AIR FORCE BASE, Ariz. -- For Tech. Sgt. Michael Pasley, 56th Civil Engineer Squadron Explosive Ordnance Disposal team leader, Jan. 31 was a special and memorable day. During a promotion ceremony, he was presented the Purple Heart by Col. Robert Webb, 56th Fighter Wing vice commander, for action in Afghanistan Jan. 16, 2012.

Pasley's Purple Heart was given Nov. 26 under the hand of Lt. Gen. David Goldfein, U. S. Air Forces Central commander.

Pasley was conducting combat operations with the 466th EOD Operating Location - Alpha in Afghanistan.

"My team was called from Forward Operating Base Andar to conduct a post-blast analysis of an Army vehicle that struck an improvised explosive device earlier in the day," he said. "Our EOD team arrived on scene at approximately 2 p.m. and met with the on-scene commander who had established 360 degree security around the damaged vehicle."

As Pasley's team got closer to the blast site, the danger increased radically.

"Our team maneuvered our vehicle closer to the post-blast analysis site following in the tracks of three previous vehicles," he said. "The team traveled approximately 40 meters when our vehicle activated a pressure plate IED, which detonated underneath the driver's side of the vehicle. I was driving the vehicle at the time of the explosion."

Fortunately, Pasley remained conscious for the duration of the incident, but he said he did experience dizziness, headaches and body aches immediately after the explosion.

He recalled that when the team returned to FOB Andar, they were examined by Army medics and were put on a 24-hour mandatory rest, but it became apparent that more medical testing was necessary.

"After the required 24-hour rest, we returned to the medical facility in order to determine our fitness to return to duty," Pasley said. "I displayed effects that were cause for concern and was put on an additional 24-hour rest period. After the second rest period, our team was cleared for full duty and would be redeploying soon. But while at Bagram Air Base for redeployment, due to continuing indications of injuries, our team was encouraged by EOD supervisors to see the medical support staff."

The examination at Bagram showed Pasley's injuries to be more serious than originally thought. He said he was diagnosed and treated by an Army neurologist and an Air Force doctor for a traumatic brain injury, a concussion and was told that a previous disc problem in his lower back had worsened. He was given medication for these conditions.

Pasley said he still suffers from traumatic brain injury symptoms, which include headaches and short-term memory loss. He is also plagued by herniated discs in his lower back.

The Purple Heart is awarded to members of the armed forces who are wounded by an instrument of war in the hands of the enemy or posthumously to the next of kin in the name of those individuals who are killed in action or die of wounds received in action. The original Purple Heart was called the Badge of Military Merit and was established by George Washington in 1782. The Purple Heart is awarded in the name of the president of the United States.

Mental Health Test Delays Cole Bombing Suspect Hearings

By Donna Miles American Forces Press Service FORT MEADE, Md., Feb. 7, 2013 – Pretrial hearings for the suspected USS Cole bomber are on hold until mid-April as doctors assess his mental competency and the military commission determines how that will affect future proceedings. The latest round of hearings for Abd al-Rahim al-Nashiri kicked off Jan. 4 at Naval Station Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, and had been scheduled to conclude today. However, that schedule got derailed after the prosecution requested a mental-health assessment, challenging the defense claim that Nashiri suffers from long-term post-traumatic stress allegedly caused by enhanced interrogation techniques the CIA used on him before he was transferred to Guantanamo Bay. Members of the defense questioned what such an assessment would provide, telling the commission judge, Army Col. James L. Pohl, they lack faith in any medical practitioner the convening authority might appoint to conduct it. Pohl authorized the exam, but granted the defense’s request that Dr. Vincent Iacopino, a member of the Physicians for Human Rights organization with expertise in torture, be called on to provide advice on how to conduct it without “doing harm.” Iacopino testified via teleconference Feb. 5, explaining special requirements for mental health exams on torture victims. He acknowledged that he has neither met nor examined Nashiri. Dr. Sondra Crosby, who reportedly has examined hundreds of torture victims as director of medical care at the Boston Center for Refugee Health and Human Rights, is expected to conduct the exam. Pohl told the court Feb. 4 that he would not take up other legal and administrative issues surrounding the case until after the mental-health assessment is complete. He recessed the court following Iacopino’s testimony, and proceedings are expected to continue in mid-April. Nashiri is the alleged mastermind behind the attack off the Yemeni coast that killed 17 sailors. He is charged with perfidy, murder in violation of the law of war, attempted murder in violation of the law of war, terrorism, conspiracy, intentionally causing serious bodily injury, attacking civilians, attacking civilian objects and hazarding a vessel. The charges arise out of an attempted attack on the USS The Sullivans in January 2000, the actual attack on the USS Cole in October 2000, and an attack on the motor vessel Limburg -- a civilian oil tanker -- in October 2002. Nashiri is a Saudi-born member of al-Qaida. U.S. officials allege he was under the personal supervision of Osama bin Laden, and that bin Laden personally approved the attacks on the U.S. Navy ships.

Panetta: Distance, Time Affected Benghazi Response

By Karen Parrish
American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, Feb. 7, 2013 – Better intelligence and closer interagency cooperation can help to prevent future crises like the Sept. 11, 2012, attack on U.S. diplomatic facilities in Benghazi, Libya, that killed four Americans, Defense Secretary Leon E. Panetta said here today.

Defense Secretary Leon E. Panetta testifies on the Defense Department’s response to the Sept. 11, 2012, attack on U.S. diplomatic facilities in Benghazi, Libya, during a hearing before the Senate Armed Services Committee in Washington, D.C., Feb. 7, 2013. Testimony also included the findings of the department's internal review following the attack. DOD photo by U.S. Navy Petty Officer 1st Class Chad J. McNeeley   (Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available.

Speaking before the Senate Armed Services Committee, Panetta said an exhaustive review of the Benghazi events has established the Defense Department responded appropriately to the attacks.

“This was, pure and simple, a problem of distance and time,” he said.

“The interagency response was timely and appropriate, but there simply was not enough time given the speed of the attacks for armed U.S. military assets to have made a difference,” Panetta told the senators, quoting the Accountability Review Board’s findings.

The secretary and Army Gen. Martin E. Dempsey, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, testified before the committee in what may be Panetta’s last appearance before Congress as defense secretary. Since the attacks, he noted, DOD has fully supported Congressional and State Department efforts to review the actions and decisions surrounding the events in Benghazi.

“The Department of Defense and the rest of the United States government spared no effort to do everything we could to try to save American lives,” said Panetta, noting that two service members were part of the six-man team that evacuated Americans there within 12 hours of the initial attack.

“There will always be a tension between mission effectiveness for personnel -– that ability to get out and do what they’re supposed to do in these countries -- and their physical security,” he noted. “We are committed to steps that avoid a ‘bunker mentality’ and yet still afford greater protection from armed attack.”

Panetta said DOD is taking a three-pronged approach to help prevent future attacks on U.S. diplomats and facilities by strengthening host-nation security capabilities, increasing security measures and enhancing intelligence and military response options.

“We have to be able to better assess and build up the capabilities of host governments to provide security,” he said.

While the military doesn’t have primary responsibility for security at U.S. diplomatic missions, he added, “where permissible and appropriate, and in collaboration with the Secretary of State and the U.S. chief of mission in the affected country, we believe that the Defense Department can assist in their development of host-nation forces using a range of security assistance authorities to train and equip these forces.”

DOD also is supporting the State Department’s efforts to harden facilities and reassess diplomatic security, the secretary said. Teams have evaluated 19 vulnerable diplomatic facilities, including the U.S. Embassy in Libya, he added, and officials are in the process of developing recommendations on potential security increases as required.

Over the next two to three years, he said, the Defense Department will assign nearly 1,000 additional Marines to diplomatic security detachments. There are 152 such detachments in place today, the secretary noted, and 35 more will stand up.

Officials also are focused on enhancing intelligence collection and ensuring that U.S. forces throughout the region are prepared to respond to crises, if necessary, Panetta said. He emphasized that the U.S. military is not a global emergency-response service, and troops need good intelligence information to operate effectively.

“We have forces on alert, and we’re prepared to move, but our ability to identify threats, to adjust posture, to prevent plots and respond to attacks to our personnel at home and overseas depends on actionable intelligence, and it always will,” he said.

Therefore, the secretary said, the Defense Department is working to enhance intelligence collection, improve the responsiveness of contingency assets and adjust the location of reaction forces.

“At the same time, we’re working closely with State to ensure they have our best estimate of response times for each at-risk diplomatic facility, so that they can make the best informed decisions about adjustments to their staff presence in areas of increased security threat,” he added.

Panetta closed his statement with a reminder to the committee that he sees budget uncertainty as the greatest security risk facing the nation.

With a “sequestration” mechanism in budget law set to trigger major across-the-board spending cuts March 1, he noted, DOD could lose about $500 billion in funding over the next decade, on top of the $487 billion spending cutback already planned.

“I know the members of this committee share the deep concerns that I have raised about sequestration, and I urge you to do the responsible thing and avoid weakening our national defense,” he said.

Congress, DOD, the State Department and the intelligence community all have a responsibility for the nation’s security, Panetta noted.

“If we work together, we can keep our Americans safe,” he said.

Combined Force Arrests Taliban Facilitator

From an International Security Assistance Force Joint Command News Release

KABUL, Afghanistan, Feb. 6, 2013 – A combined Afghan and coalition security force arrested a Taliban facilitator in the Panjwai district of Afghanistan’s Kandahar province today, military officials reported.

The detained facilitator is believed to have overseen the management of weapons caches for his network and ensured the facilitation of equipment, vehicles and weapons to insurgent fighters, officials said.

He also is accused of having acquired and transferred large amounts of improvised explosive devices and IED-making materials. The security force also detained two suspected insurgents and seized nearly 700 pounds of illegal narcotics in the operation.

In Kandahar province’s Maiwand district yesterday, a combined force arrested a Taliban leader believed to be responsible for coordinating insurgent operations, including the distribution of weapons and funds to insurgent fighters for attacks against Afghan and coalition forces. The security force also detained another suspected insurgent.

Air Force CRW among first on ground, supporting French operations in Africa

by Capt. Brooke Brzozowske
621st Contingency Response Wing, Public Affairs

2/5/2013 - JOINT BASE MCGUIRE-DIX-LAKEHURST  -- More than a hundred Airmen of the 621st Contingency Response Wing, located at Joint Base McGuire, N.J., and at Travis Air Force Base, Calif., are currently supporting airlift missions transporting French soldiers and military equipment from Istres, France, to Bamako, Mali.

The 621st CRW, often the first on the ground, is designated to extend Air Mobility Command's ability to deploy people and equipment around the globe in a matter of hours. The wing is responsible for the training of contingency response forces and specializes in the rapid opening of airfields in remote locations.

"Our mobility Airmen were 'bags packed' and ready on the flightline within a few short hours of notification from AMC," said Col. Martin Chapin, 621st CRW commander. "We continue to work in conjunction with U.S. Africa Command, U.S. Transportation Command and AMC making sure we quickly provide the right support to our French partners. Our Airmen have directly contributed, aiding with the airlift of military personnel, supplies and equipment to locations designated by the French."

Members of the CRW attribute their recent and successful rapid response to expert logistics support, diligent planning, and their committed joint base partners.

"While we are a mobile capability, we don't have our own aircraft, so we work hand in hand with the 87th Air Base Wing and 305th Air Mobility Wing to facilitate the deployment process," said Capt. Matt Shaw, Chief of the 621st Wing Operations Center. "Everything we do in this wing is logistics heavy. When we were requested to support, our expertly planned response was accomplished in large part because of our fine logistics planners."

The wing also specializes in airfield assessments and aerial transportation, making them invaluable to the operations.

Maj. David Gaulin, a 621st contingency response element commander, was among the first on the ground to assess the airfield and define the requirements needed to operate out of Istres.

"We were able to show up here, set up communications with the [Chain of Command] and provided an initial assessment of what capabilities the French had and what we could bring to the operation within an hour of landing," Gaulin said.

The strategic airlift of supplies and personnel to the region is one of several mission sets the U.S. is supporting. The 621st is also assisting with coordinated airlift for African nations and liaison teams.

"Our aerial porters, transportation experts, civil engineers, and air mobility planners are crucial in accelerating the U.S. Air Force's response," Shaw explained. "It is our people who are out there right now, moving passengers and equipment."

The 621st remains on alert to provide any further requested support, and their Airmen continue to support airlift missions in Europe and Africa.

"I couldn't be more proud of our Airmen," Chapin said. "We've repeatedly asked them to keep their bags packed, ready to go at any time. When we get the call, they answer it without hesitation and are ready to solve problems in complex environments."

Hearing for Accused USS Cole Bomber Continues, Despite Delays

By Donna Miles, American Forces Press Service

FT. MEADE, Md. (NNS) -- Pre-trial hearings for the alleged bomber of the USS Cole opened Feb. 4 at Naval Station Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, and encountered issues from both the prosecution and defense that threatened more delays.

The first of four days of pre-trial hearings in the government's case against Abd al Rahim Hussein Mohammed Abdu al-Nashiri opened with the defense asking for a postponement over concerns that third-party monitoring could spill over to confidential attorney-client communications.

Army Col. James L. Pohl, the commission judge, denied the request by Navy Lt. Cmdr. Stephen Reyes, saying it was based on unsubstantiated suspicion. The judge upheld prosecutor Anthony Mattivi's argument that the defense bears the burden of proving such allegations and said in his ruling that lacking such proof, the trial will go on.

The debate stemmed from an incident last week during pre-trial hearings for five defendants charged with orchestrating the 9/11 terrorist attacks.

During the Jan. 28 hearing, an unnamed "original classification authority" activated a censor button in the courtroom. The button set off a flashing warning light and blocked about two minutes of audio for everyone observing the proceedings via closed-circuit TV, as well as for media, who sit behind soundproof glass in the courtroom.

The incident caught Pohl and others by surprise, and he ruled last week that in the future, only he will have the authority to block audio feeds believed to contain classified information. But Reyes told Pohl Feb. 4 the incident opened a Pandora's Box that needs resolution.

"We can't ignore the man behind the curtain," he said, because it is unclear how pervasive the monitoring is. Reyes said the defense team must assume that if a third-party organization is listening in on courtroom activities, it must also assume that it's eavesdropping on other activities, including privileged discussions between defense lawyers and their client.

"We see a tremendous ethical issue here," Reyes said. Until these questions are answered, he said there is no way to effectively defend Nashiri. Civilian defense counsel Richard Kammen told the judge he would not meet with his client outside the courtroom until this issue is resolved.

To address these concerns, Pohl suggested that all microphones at empty desks within the courtroom, as well as at the defense table, be "ripped out" and that attorneys address the court only from the podium. He did not, however, order the removal.

Army Brig. Gen. Mark Martins, chief prosecutor in the Office of Military Commissions, denied any insinuation that the prosecution is listening in on or has any access to privileged communication between the defense and defendant.

The prosecution "actively avoids the confidential communications between an accused and his counsel," he wrote in a statement released today. "This is part of our professional responsibilities and our oaths to serve justice. No one has ever asserted a substantive or credible allegation that the prosecution listens to such communications."

After Pohl's ruling, Reyes asked for a three-hour delay to consult with other members of the defense team. The judge approved the request but chided Reyes for not being prepared to move forward and said all parties should be prepared to do so in the future, regardless of how he rules on their motions.

But the government's case against Nashiri encountered another potential delay as discussion turned to Nashiri's mental competence. Much of today's hearing delved into whether he should be evaluated before the trial goes forward, and by whom.

The prosecution challenged the defense claim that Nashiri suffers from long-term post-traumatic stress disorder allegedly caused by CIA torture before he was transferred to Guantanamo Bay. Navy Cmdr. Andrea Lockhart asked Pohl to order a mental health board to evaluate Nashiri and determine the validity of this claim. Kammen questioned what such an assessment would provide, telling Pohl he lacks faith in whatever "hacks" the convening authority might appoint to conduct it.

The judge authorized a mental health exam. But before it is conducted, he granted the defense's request that Dr. Vincent Iacopino, a member of the Physicians for Human Rights organization, be called on to provide advice on how to conduct it without "doing harm."

Iacopino is expected to testify within the next day or two. Pohl said he would not take up other legal and administrative issues surrounding the case until after the mental-health assessment is complete.

The prosecution asked the judge today to clarify previous rulings that give Nashiri the right to skip court sessions if he chooses, while also allowing him to change his mind during a day's proceedings and be transported to the hearing.

The defense team also requested that Nashiri not be restrained with belly chains when he is moved within the detention facility. Defense attorneys said the chains could bring up past trauma from the period when Nashiri was allegedly restrained while he was tortured.

Prosecutors raised concern that eliminating current security safeguards could threaten the safety of others, including the guard force.

Nashiri, who appeared in court in a traditional white tunic and wore headphones to follow the translated proceedings, is the alleged mastermind behind the attack off the Yemeni coast that killed 17 sailors. He is charged with perfidy, murder in violation of the law of war, attempted murder in violation of the law of war, terrorism, conspiracy, intentionally causing serious bodily injury, attacking civilians, attacking civilian objects and hazarding a vessel.

The charges arise out of an attempted attack on the USS The Sullivans in January 2000, the actual attack on the USS Cole in October 2000, and an attack on the motor vessel Limburg - a civilian oil tanker - in October 2002.

Nashiri is a Saudi-born member of al-Qaida. U.S. officials allege he was under the personal supervision of Osama bin Laden, and that bin Laden personally approved the attacks on the U.S. Navy ships.

Working to Counter Online Radicalization to Violence in the United States

February 5th, 2013 Posted by Tracy Russo

 

Earlier today, the White House released a policy statement to counter violent extremist use of the Internet to recruit and radicalize to violence in the United States.  The statement from Quintan Wiktorowicz, the White House Senior Director for Community Partnerships, on the National Security Staff originally appeared on the White House Blog and is reposted in full below. 

The American public increasingly relies on the Internet for socializing, business transactions, gathering information, entertainment, and creating and sharing content. The rapid growth of the Internet has brought opportunities but also risks, and the Federal Government is committed to empowering members of the public to protect themselves against the full range of online threats, including online radicalization to violence.

Violent extremist groups ─ like al-Qa’ida and its affiliates and adherents, violent supremacist groups, and violent “sovereign citizens” ─ are leveraging online tools and resources to propagate messages of violence and division. These groups use the Internet to disseminate propaganda, identify and groom potential recruits, and supplement their real-world recruitment efforts.  Some members and supporters of these groups visit mainstream fora to see whether individuals might be recruited or encouraged to commit acts of violence, look for opportunities to draw targets into private exchanges, and exploit popular media like music videos and online video games.  Although the Internet offers countless opportunities for Americans to connect, it has also provided violent extremists with access to new audiences and instruments for radicalization.

As a starting point to prevent online radicalization to violence in the homeland, the Federal Government initially will focus on raising awareness about the threat and providing communities with practical information and tools for staying safe online. In this process, we will work closely with the technology industry to consider policies, technologies, and tools that can help counter violent extremism online. Companies already have developed voluntary measures to promote Internet safety ─ such as fraud warnings, identity protection, and Internet safety tips ─ and we will collaborate with industry to explore how we might counter online violent extremism without interfering with lawful Internet use or the privacy and civil liberties of individual users.

This approach is consistent with Internet safety principles that have helped keep communities safe from a range of online threats, such as cyber bullies, scammers, gangs, and sexual predators. While each of these threats is unique, experience has shown that a well-informed public, armed with tools and resources to stay safe online, is critical to protecting communities. Pursuing such an approach is also consistent with the community-based framework we outlined in Empowering Local Partners to Prevent Violent Extremism in the United States (PDF) and the Strategic Implementation Plan for Empowering Local Partners to Prevent Violent Extremism in the United States (PDF).

A New Interagency Working Group
To more effectively organize our efforts, the Administration is establishing a new Interagency Working Group to Counter Online Radicalization to Violence, chaired by the National Security Staff at the White House and involving specialists in countering violent extremism, Internet safety experts, and civil liberties and privacy practitioners from across the United States Government. This Working Group will be responsible for developing plans to implement an Internet safety approach to address online violent extremism, coordinating the Federal Government’s activities and assessing our progress against these plans, and identifying additional activities to pursue for countering online radicalization to violence.

Raising Awareness through Existing Initiatives
In the coming months, the Working Group will coordinate with Federal departments and agencies to raise awareness and disseminate tools for staying safe from online violent extremism primarily through three means.
First, information about online violent extremism will be incorporated into existing Federal Government Internet safety initiatives.  Internet safety initiatives at the Department of Education, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Federal Trade Commission, the Department of Homeland Security, and other agencies provide platforms that already reach millions of Americans, and relevant departments and agencies will work to add materials related to online radicalization.

The primary government platform for raising awareness about Internet safety is OnGuard Online, managed by the Federal Trade Commission and involving 16 departments and agencies, including the Department of Homeland Security, the Department of Justice, and the Department of Education.  OnGuard Online─ in addition to other Federal Government Internet safety platforms like Stop.Think.Connect and Safe Online Surfing─ will begin including information about online violent extremism.  This information also will be posted on the Countering Violent Extremism homepage on the Department of Homeland Security’s website and updated to reflect new best practices and research.


Second, the Federal Government will work with local organizations throughout the country to disseminate information about the threat.  One reason for the success of Federal Government Internet safety awareness efforts is that they work closely with local organizations — such as school districts, Parent Teacher Associations, local government, and law enforcement — to communicate to communities.  Law enforcement is a particularly important partner in raising awareness about radicalization to violence and is already developing materials with support from the Department of Justice. Law enforcement departments and agencies have established Internet safety programs and relationships with community members and local organizations that can reach multiple audiences with critical information about the threat of online violent extremism and recruitment. Departments and agencies will provide the latest assessments of this threat to our local partners and encourage them to incorporate this information into their programs and initiatives.

Third, departments and agencies will use our preexisting engagement with communities to provide information about Internet safety and details about how violent extremists are using the Internet to target and exploit communities.  U.S. Attorneys throughout the country, who historically have engaged with communities on a range of public safety issues, are coordinating these Federal engagement efforts at the local level, with support from other departments and agencies, such as the Department of Homeland Security, the Department of Health and Human Services, and the Department of Education.  U.S. Attorneys and others involved in community engagement will seek to incorporate information about Internet radicalization to violence into their efforts, as appropriate.  At the same time, the Federal Government will engage with State, local, and tribal government and law enforcement officials to learn from their experiences in addressing online threats, including violent extremism.

Going Forward
As the Federal Government implements this effort in the coming months, we will continue to investigate and prosecute those who use the Internet to recruit others to plan or carry out acts of violence, while ensuring that we also continue to uphold individual privacy and civil liberties.  Preventing online radicalization to violence requires both proactive solutions to reduce the likelihood that violent extremists affect their target audiences as well as ensuring that laws are rigorously enforced.

Afghan, Coalition Troops Arrest Taliban IED Facilitator

Compiled from International Security Assistance Force Joint Command News Releases

WASHINGTON, Feb. 4, 2013 – A combined Afghan and coalition security force arrested a Taliban improvised explosive device facilitator in the Nad-e Ali district of Afghanistan’s Helmand province today, military officials reported.

The facilitator is believed responsible for the procurement, construction and distribution of IEDs and other weapons to Taliban leaders operating in the district. He is alleged to have overseen the acquisition and delivery of heavy weapons to insurgents for attacks against Afghan and coalition forces.

The security force also detained two suspected insurgents and seized firearms in the operation.
In Afghanistan operations yesterday:

-- A combined force in Kandahar province’s Maiwand district arrested a Taliban leader who is believed to have overseen nearly 30 Taliban fighters and is suspected of being responsible for coordinating complex attacks against Afghan and coalition forces.

-- In Baghlan province’s Baghlan-e Jadid district, a combined force detained two insurgents during a search for a senior Taliban leader believed to command 25 Taliban fighters and to oversee IED operations.
In Feb. 1 operations:

-- A combined force in Kunduz province’s Khanabad district arrested a Taliban IED coordinator who is believed to have conducted attacks against Afghan government officials and Afghan and coalition forces. The security force also seized IED-making materials.

-- In Khost province’s Khost district, a combined force arrested a Haqqani network IED expert accused of coordinating the acquisition and transfer of homemade explosives, weapons and IEDs for attacks against Afghan and coalition forces. The security force also detained another suspected insurgent and seized assault rifles in the operation.

Hearing for Accused USS Cole Bomber Continues, Despite Delays

By Donna Miles American Forces Press Service FORT MEADE, Feb. 4, 2013 – Pre-trial hearings for the alleged bomber of the USS Cole opened today at Naval Station Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, and encountered issues from both the prosecution and defense that threatened more delays. The first of four days of pre-trial hearings in the government’s case against Abd al Rahim Hussein Mohammed Abdu al-Nashiri opened with the defense asking for a postponement over concerns that third-party monitoring could spill over to confidential attorney-client communications. Army Col. James L. Pohl, the commission judge, denied the request by Navy Lt Cmdr. Stephen Reyes, saying it was based on unsubstantiated suspicion. The judge upheld prosecutor Anthony Mattivi’s argument that the defense bears the burden of proving such allegations and said in his ruling that lacking such proof, the trial will go on. The debate stemmed from an incident last week during pre-trial hearings for five defendants charged with orchestrating the 9/11 terrorist attacks. During the Jan. 28 hearing, an unnamed “original classification authority” activated a censor button in the courtroom. The button set off a flashing warning light and blocked about two minutes of audio for everyone observing the proceedings via closed-circuit TV, as well as for media, who sit behind soundproof glass in the courtroom. The incident caught Pohl and others by surprise, and he ruled last week that in the future, only he will have the authority to block audio feeds believed to contain classified information. But Reyes told Pohl today the incident opened a Pandora’s Box that needs resolution. “We can’t ignore the man behind the curtain,” he said, because it is unclear how pervasive the monitoring is. Reyes said the defense team must assume that if a third-party organization is listening in on courtroom activities, it must also assume that it’s eavesdropping on other activities, including privileged discussions between defense lawyers and their client. “We see a tremendous ethical issue here,” Reyes said. Until these questions are answered, he said there is no way to effectively defend Nashiri. Civilian defense counsel Richard Kammen told the judge he would not meet with his client outside the courtroom until this issue is resolved. To address these concerns, Pohl suggested that all microphones at empty desks within the courtroom, as well as at the defense table, be “ripped out” and that attorneys address the court only from the podium. He did not, however, order the removal. Army Brig. Gen. Mark Martins, chief prosecutor in the Office of Military Commissions, denied any insinuation that the prosecution is listening in on or has any access to privileged communication between the defense and defendant. The prosecution “actively avoids the confidential communications between an accused and his counsel,” he wrote in a statement released today. “This is part of our professional responsibilities and our oaths to serve justice. No one has ever asserted a substantive or credible allegation that the prosecution listens to such communications.” After Pohl’s ruling, Reyes asked for a three-hour delay to consult with other members of the defense team. The judge approved the request but chided Reyes for not being prepared to move forward and said all parties should be prepared to do so in the future, regardless of how he rules on their motions. But the government’s case against Nashiri encountered another potential delay as discussion turned to Nashiri’s mental competence. Much of today’s hearing delved into whether he should be evaluated before the trial goes forward, and by whom. The prosecution challenged the defense claim that Nashiri suffers from long-term post-traumatic stress disorder allegedly caused by CIA torture before he was transferred to Guantanamo Bay. Navy Cmdr. Andrea Lockhart asked Pohl to order a mental health board to evaluate Nashiri and determine the validity of this claim. Kammen questioned what such an assessment would provide, telling Pohl he lacks faith in whatever “hacks” the convening authority might appoint to conduct it. The judge authorized a mental health exam. But before it is conducted, he granted the defense’s request that Dr. Vincent Iacopino, a member of the Physicians for Human Rights organization, be called on to provide advice on how to conduct it without “doing harm.” Iacopino is expected to testify within the next day or two. Pohl said he would not take up other legal and administrative issues surrounding the case until after the mental-health assessment is complete. The prosecution asked the judge today to clarify previous rulings that give Nashiri the right to skip court sessions if he chooses, while also allowing him to change his mind during a day’s proceedings and be transported to the hearing. The defense team also requested that Nashiri not be restrained with belly chains when he is moved within the detention facility. Defense attorneys said the chains could bring up past trauma from the period when Nashiri was allegedly restrained while he was tortured. Prosecutors raised concern that eliminating current security safeguards could threaten the safety of others, including the guard force. Nashiri, who appeared in court in a traditional white tunic and wore headphones to follow the translated proceedings, is the alleged mastermind behind the attack off the Yemeni coast that killed 17 sailors. He is charged with perfidy, murder in violation of the law of war, attempted murder in violation of the law of war, terrorism, conspiracy, intentionally causing serious bodily injury, attacking civilians, attacking civilian objects and hazarding a vessel. The charges arise out of an attempted attack on the USS The Sullivans in January 2000, the actual attack on the USS Cole in October 2000, and an attack on the motor vessel Limburg -- a civilian oil tanker -- in October 2002. Nashiri is a Saudi-born member of al-Qaida. U.S. officials allege he was under the personal supervision of Osama bin Laden, and that bin Laden personally approved the attacks on the U.S. Navy ships.

Carter, Turkish Defense Leaders to Meet on Security Challenges

By Cheryl Pellerin
American Forces Press Service

ANKARA, Turkey, Feb. 3, 2013 – Deputy Defense Secretary Ashton B. Carter has arrived in the Turkish capital to visit U.S. Embassy officials and staff here on Monday, and afterward to meet with defense leaders on a range of common security challenges.

During his embassy visit, the deputy secretary will offer condolences to the family and coworkers of the guard who was killed and those who were injured Feb. 1 when a single terrorist suicide bomber struck a checkpoint on the perimeter of the embassy, State Department Spokeswoman Victoria Nuland said on Friday.

A statement from the Turkish interior minister said officials here believe the attacker was a member of an outlawed leftist organization and they have begun an investigation.

Carter’s visit here was planned well in advance of the attack, according to James J. Townsend Jr., deputy assistant secretary of defense for European and NATO policy, who is traveling with Carter.
“The only impact that bomb will have is to make us more determined to carry on with this trip,” Townsend added, “and to work with our Turkish colleagues to find out who did this and to bring the perpetrators to justice.”

Later in the day, Carter will meet with Minister of National Defense Ismet Yilmaz and other senior defense officials to help advance mutual defense cooperation, including NATO-led efforts to address the potential missile threat resulting from the conflict in Syria.

Afterward the deputy secretary will visit one of two U.S. Patriot missile batteries sent to Turkey as part of a NATO effort, and will speak with U.S. service members deployed here to operate the systems.

Germany and the Netherlands also sent two Patriot batteries each, and all six will be positioned in populated areas near Turkey’s border with Syria, where internal violence has surged since March 2011 between the government of Bashar al-Assad and those who oppose his regime.

With millions of Syrian refugees and errant shells crossing their border, Townsend said, “the Turks are under a lot of pressure. They’ve come to NATO a couple of times to talk.”

One reason for Carter’s visit, he added, “is to show solidarity with Turkey. We wanted to come talk to the Turks, get their insights on Syria and provide insights from Washington as well.”

Turkey is a NATO member that has a modern air force and a long history of military cooperation with the United States and NATO allies, working closely with the United States on humanitarian issues, chemical and biological weapons issues and missile defense.

On a visit here Dec. 14 to talk with troops at Incirlik Air Base, Defense Secretary Leon E. Panetta announced that he had signed an order to deploy 400 U.S. personnel to Turkey to support the NATO-approved deployment of Patriot missiles.

Incirlik is an installation of U.S. Air Forces in Europe, a major command of the U.S. Air Force and the air component of U.S. European Command, a DOD unified combatant command.

In November, NATO established a new ground forces command called the Allied Land Command in the western Turkish province of Izmir. Its first commander is U.S. Army Lt. Gen. Frederick B. Hodges, who Townsend said is “helping NATO ensure that it’s got the land force capability the alliance needs.”

Carter’s visit to Turkey is part of a six-day trip to Europe and the Middle East that began in Paris. He arrived in Turkey today from the Landstuhl Regional Medical Center, a premier U.S. medical center in Germany for treating wounded American and allied troops.

There, Carter joined Vice President Joe Biden and his wife Dr. Jill Biden in a visit with service members and the talented doctors who care for them.

Tomorrow night, after leaving Turkey, Carter will travel to Amman, Jordan, to meet on Tuesday with U.S. Embassy personnel and government and defense leaders. He’ll also have lunch with troops to thank them for their service to the nation.

DOD Leaders Vow to Deny Terrorists Middle East, Africa Bases

By Amaani Lyle
American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, Feb. 3, 2013 – The need for U.S. vigilance in thwarting terrorism throughout the Middle East and North Africa led the conversation during dual interviews Pentagon senior leaders took part in today.

In television segments that aired today on CNN’s “State of the Union” and NBC’s “Meet the Press,” Defense Secretary Leon E. Panetta and Army Gen. Martin E. Dempsey addressed lessons learned following the Benghazi, Libya, embassy attacks on Sept. 11, 2012, and the embassy attack in Ankara, Turkey, Feb. 1, 2013. They also discussed their continued focus on eradicating al-Qaida in the Islamic Maghreb, or AQIM.

Panetta said that before his retirement, expected later this month, he expects to testify on Capitol Hill about the Benghazi attacks on Sept. 11, 2013. He noted defense officials are working with the State Department to review embassy security around the – “especially around that part of the world.” He added, “We are taking steps.”

But better security is one of three essential considerations in protecting U.S. embassies, he noted. “You still need to build up the host-country capacity,” Panetta said. “[And] you’ve got to harden these embassies as much as possible.”

Panetta and Dempsey described the complexities of orchestrating personnel and aircraft distance, intelligence and other factors to respond to an attack such as Benghazi.

“This is not 911,” Panetta said. “You cannot just simply call and expect within two minutes to have a team in place; that’s the nature of it.”

Dempsey said the nearest armed aircraft were in Djibouti, Africa, at the time of the Benghazi attacks.

“The distance from Djibouti to Benghazi is the difference from Washington, D.C., to Los Angeles,” Dempsey said. “There are some significant physics involved.”

The chairman also maintained that with the alert time and intelligence information available at the time, the U.S. was “appropriately responsive.”

“We’ve learned a lot from the Benghazi incident,” Dempsey said. “We work with the State Department in surveying those parts of the world where there’s a new norm … of instability.”
Dempsey and Panetta agree that many stymied attacks by the U.S. often go virtually unnoticed. Panetta noted the Feb. 1 suicide attack on the U.S. Embassy in Ankara, Turkey, which left the bomber two gatehouse security guards dead, occurred at the perimeter “nowhere close to the embassy.”

“I think that was good security and … [was] an example of good intelligence … [guiding] us so that we could prevent something more serious from happening,” he said.

Both leaders acknowledged that while AQIM remains a menace to Middle Eastern and North African regions, the U.S. will work with partner nations to contain terrorist organizations and prevent their acquiring chemical or other weapons in the region.

“We’re better when we operate with partners,” particularly in the Middle East, Dempsey said. “We’ve got options for any number of military contingencies, and we’re maintaining both a deterrent and preparedness posture.”

Dempsey said current U.S. planing involves working with partners in Turkey, Jordan and Israel, all of whom “share common interests in making sure these spill-over effects don’t affect them.”
Panetta said as al-Qaida affiliate leaders become more brazen in their movements, as recently happened in Mali, he is pleased with the French initiative to push back extremist encroachment and prevent burgeoning safe havens.

The secretary added that the U.S. and its partners have successfully targeted senior al-Qaida leaders in the federally administered tribal areas in Pakistan along the Afghanistan border, as well as in Yemen and Somalia. Planners have long foreseen the eventual need to contain extremists in North Africa has long been foreseen, he added.

“We were always aware that there was AQIM [there],” Panetta said. “Now we’re focused on AQIM as a result … of the French action, but we were also anticipating that we would have to move into North Africa.”

Panetta said he hopes the massive changes happening in the Middle East and North Africa in the wakrt of the “Arab spring” will move toward greater democracy and stability in those regions, but operations against terrorist cells must not ebb.

“Wherever they are, we have to make sure they have no place to hide,” Panetta said. “Bottom line is, al-Qaida is our enemy and we have to make sure we go after them.”

Face of Defense: Dedicated Marine Strives for Perfection

By Marine Corps Cpl. Laura Cardoso
1st Marine Logistics Group

MARINE CORPS BASE CAMP PENDLETON, Calif., Feb. 1, 2013 – In the narrow streets of a small village in eastern Afghanistan in 2009, a patrol comprised of Marines and Afghan National Army soldiers were conversing with locals, when suddenly an insurgent appeared out of a corner and targeted a Marine.

Marine Corps Sgt. Dennis Rollins, 27 from Colorado Springs, Colo., stood out on his first deployment to Iraq in 2006 and has since supported several special operations missions. U.S. Marine Corps photo by Cpl. Laura Cardoso   (Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available.

Time froze for Sgt. Dennis Rollins as the attacker pulled the trigger.

Without hesitation, one of the ANA soldiers jumped in front of him. The bullet missed and no one was injured, but the bonds formed between those Marines and soldiers were solidified from then on.
Rollins, a supervisor here with Wire Platoon, Communications Company, Combat Logistics Regiment 17, 1st Marine Logistics Group, was on his second deployment supporting a special operations mission when this incident occurred.

As an embedded staff advisor, his mission was to train and coexist with a total of 700 ANA soldiers for nearly a year. Rollins and one other Marine trained the men in everything from rifle skills to hand-to-hand combat. They lived in a mud hut nestled in a tiny village and ate, slept, and worked alongside these soldiers, helping to develop them into a functional security force.

This was not the first time Rollins supported a special operations mission, he also served as security detail in the Philippines, where he spent seven months providing security to the ambassador and other high-ranking officials.

He was selected for that mission because of his exemplary actions in Iraq, where he was responsible for providing thousands of personnel with vital communication lines.

“I had little sleep then,” Rollins recalled. “I would work 20-hour days, and when I did have free time I would take [various military-type classes] or [participate in Marine Corps Martial Arts Program] and help others around the base.”

Today, eight years later, the 27-year-old Rollins, from Colorado Springs, Colo., has deployed six times to a combat zone. During these deployments he received more than two-dozen personal awards and decorations, to include the Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medal and Combat Action Ribbon.

What keeps a man so dedicated to the Corps and its values?

“Having an end-state,” Rollins answered. “I did my best to get everyone home. I don’t have a wife or child, but everyone else does. I’d look at their faces and think, ‘I have to get everyone home.’ How can I do that? Strive for excellence and continue forward.”

Rollins just returned from his last deployment in December 2012 and checked into his new unit, CLR-17, where he is already making his mark.

“What sets Sgt. Rollins apart is that his numerous combat deployments have given him excellent leadership traits and a great deal of credibility with the Marines,” said 1st Lt. Alexander Weinstein, a platoon commander with Wire Platoon, CLR-17, Communications Company. “We have no doubt he is a great asset to the platoon and will have a long career in the Marine Corps.”

Out of hundreds of Marines, Rollins was selected to be Sgt. Maj. of the Marine Corps Michael P. Barrett’s roommate during his visit to Camp Pendleton in December 2012.

“I spent several hours with the sergeant major,” Rollins said. “I learned some things [about leadership skills]. He listened to what I had to say and wanted to know how the Marines were doing.”

Rollins said his goal is to become a chief warrant officer and retire in Hawaii. No matter where life takes him, he says he will never lose his Marine mindset.

“You strive for excellence, but every once in a while you see a glimpse of perfection,” he said.