By Claudette Roulo WASHINGTON, Oct. 15, 2014 - While the Syrian border town of Kobani is itself not a strategic location, the number of airstrikes in the area has increased due to the concentration of terrorists there from the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant, the Pentagon press secretary said today. "ISIL has made no secret of the fact that they want that town," he said, "...And so they have continued to flow fighters to Kobani, meaning there are more targets in and around Kobani," Navy Rear Adm. John Kirby told reporters. With much of the civilian population of the Kurdish town having fled, coalition forces have been able to increase the number of airstrikes, he explained. "We believe that the great majority of the population of that town has evacuated and left, and we -- it ranges every day, but it's in the realm of the hundreds or so of people left there," Kirby said. Battle damage assessments indicate that coalition airstrikes have killed several hundred ISIL fighters in and around Kobani, he said. Weather has been a secondary factor contributing to the increased concentration of coalition forces on Syria, the admiral said. "The weather in central Iraq has not been overly conducive to air operations," Kirby said. Rather than waiting out the weather, Army Gen. Lloyd T. Austin, the U.S. Central Command commander, has allocated additional assets to the fight in and around Kobani, the admiral said. "I would also say -- and I think it's important for people to understand -- Kobani could still fall. It could very well still fall," Kirby noted. While the coalition airstrikes have made it more difficult for ISIL to sustain itself and to operate, he said, the situation on the ground remains fluid. "We do know that the Kurdish militias there are fighting hard to keep the town and that we do believe that our airstrikes have helped them in that, that ISIL still threatens Kobani, but that they're holding it," Kirby said. |
Wednesday, October 15, 2014
ISIL Forces Concentrating Around Kobani, Official Says
Kirby: Hagel Concerned About Treatment of Personnel Exposed to Iraqi Chemical Weapons
By Claudette Roulo
DoD News, Defense Media Activity
WASHINGTON, Oct. 15, 2014 - The responsibility for investigating a report that service members received inadequate treatment following exposure to chemical weapons in Iraq will lie with the military services, Pentagon spokesman Navy Rear Adm. John Kirby said today.
"I don't expect that there's going to be ... a Pentagon-level review of these particular cases," the spokesman said. Kirby was responding to questions from reporters about a New York Times article that said 17 American troops were exposed to chemical weapons remnants left over and buried from the Iran-Iraq war, material troops found while on patrol from 2004 to 2011, and that some service personnel were denied proper medical care.
Kirby said Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel has seen the article and that he has concerns about whether the troops, about 20 of whom he says were believed to have been exposed to chemical material, were treated fairly and received proper medical care.
"We take any indication, any indication that a member of the armed services did not get the medical care that they deserve seriously, just like we take any indication that they didn't get any other kinds of support that they deserved seriously," he said.
Hagel has high expectations for all leadership, medical or otherwise, that they will provide troops with the best possible care and support, Kirby noted.
"The secretary's expectation is that service members and their families are going to get the care and support that they need. And if they aren't, he wants to make sure that leadership addresses that," the admiral said.
"... And if errors were made, mistakes were made, [the defense secretary's] expectation is they'll be rectified," he added.
There is no evidence that terrorist forces from the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant have come into possession of any chemical weapons potentially remaining in Iraq, Kirby said.
FOG OF WAR
What Can Other States Learn from Oregon’s Prison System?
America’s “get tough on crime” movement has created the world’s largest prison population, but is it working?
If the measure is recidivism rates, the answer is no. More than half of convicts released from prison are rearrested within a year and more than three-fourths have been arrested again within five years, according to a National Institute of Justice report.
“Tough on crime has been confused with tough on criminals,” says Ralph Spinelli, a 74-year-old Ph.D. student at the Goldman School of Public Policy and criminal justice reform activist. “ ‘Tough on crime’ requires us to develop programs that create jobs for people who are standing on the corner selling dope, robbing, or generally committing crime.”
Spinelli is also an ex-convict who served time in the prison system with the nation’s lowest rate of recidivism -- Oregon, and in a system with one of the highest, California. He details his experiences in a new book, “Prison as Punishment,” (http://www.ralphspinelli.com/).
“The book demonstrates that post-incarceration education is the most comfortable, safest and most productive place [for convicts] to experience the transition from prison to citizen.”
But educational opportunities are just one reason Oregon has a 22.8 percent recidivism rate compared to 43 percent for the nation as a whole and 57.8 percent for California – statistics from a Pew Center on the States study.
Spinelli, who works closely with the Oregon Department of Corrections, highlights other reasons for California’s poor record and Oregon’s comparative success.
• In Oregon, prison is punishment; in California, prison is for punishment.
In Oregon, prisoners lose their freedoms and are subject to the strict rules governing prison life, but that is their punishment. Otherwise, they are treated with the general civility accorded other human beings – they’re not humiliated, abused, and treated as though they’re worthless, Spinelli says.
In California, the opposite is true. Spinelli describes his bus ride to San Quentin in California.
“There was a caged holding cell inside the bus where I sat handcuffed and shackled. There were no other prisoners on the bus, just three cops with 12-gauge shotguns and two correctional officers, including the driver,” he writes. “None of the cops spoke to me. When it came time to get off, I was ordered to exit the bus backwards, still handcuffed and shackled.”
And the ride to Oregon State Penitentiary:
“There were three of us convicts and none of us were handcuffed or shackle, seated in the back of a van. There was just one cop, the driver. He spoke with us, respectfully, without shouting orders. He even asked what our preference in music was, then tuned the radio to a station that played it. He treated us like people.”
• California spends 90 percent of its prison budget on payroll.
In 2012, California spent $11.5 billion on corrections – a sum many observers believe goes to coddled prisoners. Not true, Spinelli says.
“Ninety percent was payroll,” he says. “We’re not coddling the prisoners; we’re coddling the prison guards. In California, entry level pay for a correctional officer is $85,000. With guaranteed benefits, the pay can be as high as $115,000. Academic requirement for this position: GED.”
Oregon corrections officers start at just under $39,000 with the same minimum academic requirement. However, officers have an incentive to earn a bachelor’s degree, which helps qualify them to also work at Oregon’s federal facilities.
“If we require correctional officers to have or be earning some level of advanced education, society would receive a more positive result from the people being released from prison.”
• In Oregon, parole violations do not mean an automatic return to prison.
Max Williams, former director of the Oregon Department of Corrections, instituted a policy that prohibited parole officers from sending ex-convicts back to prison for parole violations. They only returned for new crimes.
“But the parole officers cansend them to county jail for up to 90 days, and anyone will tell you, county jails are a much worse place to do time,” Spinelli says. “Plus, the parole officer has to visit the person in jail every day and work with them to develop a plan for after their release.”
#DOD #CONTRACTS #ARMY #NAVY
Helpful Hands, Inc., San Antonio, Texas, was awarded a $59,526,260 firm-fixed-price contract for housekeeping services for Madigan Army Medical Center (MAMC), Joint Base Lewis-McChord, and the multiple medical treatment facilities within the MAMC health service area, with an estimated completion date of Sept. 30, 2019. One bid was solicited, with one received. Funding and performance location will be determined with each order. Army Medical Command, Fort Sam Houston, Texas, is the contracting activity (W81K04-15-D-0002).
Turner Construction Co., Washington, District of Columbia, was awarded a $23,058,000 firm-fixed-price contract to design and build a computational research facility at the NASA Langley Research Center. Work will be performed in Hampton, Virginia, with an estimated completion date of Oct. 14, 2016. Bids were solicited via the Internet, with 15 received. Fiscal 2014 other procurement funds in the amount of $23,058,000 are being obligated at the time of the award. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Norfolk District, Norfolk, Virginia, is the contracting activity (W91236-15-C-0016).
Mindray DS USA, Inc., Mahwah, New Jersey, has been awarded a maximum $59,334,862 modification (P00101) exercising the fifth option period on a one-year base contract (SPM2D1-09-D-8352), with nine one-year options, for patient monitoring systems, subsystems, accessories, consumables and training. This is a fixed-price with economic-price-adjustment contract. Location of performance is New Jersey, with an Oct. 18, 2015, performance completion date. Using military services are Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps, and federal civilian agencies. Type of appropriation is fiscal 2015 defense working capital funds. The contracting activity is the Defense Logistics Agency Troop Support, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
Reinhart Foodservice, LLC, Valdosta, Georgia, has been awarded a maximum $7,684,500 fixed-price with economic-price-adjustment contract for prime vendor food and beverage support. This contract was a sole-source acquisition. This is a two-month bridge contract, with no option periods. Location of performance is Georgia, with a Dec. 13, 2014, performance completion date. Using military service is Navy. Type of appropriation is fiscal 2015 defense working capital funds. The contracting activity is the Defense Logistics Agency Troop Support, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (SPE300-15-D-3101).
ManTech Systems Engineering Corp., Fairfax, Virginia, is being awarded a $12,113,575 modification to a previously awarded cost-plus-fixed-fee, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract (N00421-11-D-0027) to exercise an option for engineering, and technical support for reliability, maintainability, testability, quality assurance and diagnostic and system safety analysis. These services are to be performed during the design, development, production and in-service life cycles of all naval aircraft platforms and their systems. Work will be performed in Patuxent River, Maryland (85 percent); China Lake, California (5 percent); Lakehurst, New Jersey (5 percent); and West Palm Beach, Florida (5 percent), and is expected to be completed in December 2015. No funds are being obligated at time of award; funds will be obligated on individual delivery orders as they are issued. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Naval Air Systems Command, Patuxent River, Maryland, is the contracting activity
Menlo Worldwide Government Services, LLC, San Francisco, California, has been awarded a maximum $8,331,393 modification (06) exercising a six-month option period on task order (0007) of a seven-year contract (HTC711-07-D-0032) for the Defense Transportation Coordination Initiative for freight transportation arrangement services. This is an indefinite- delivery, requirements contract. Location of performance is throughout the continental United States. This modification increases the total value of the contract from $1,832,314,311 to $1,840,645,704. Fiscal 2015 defense working capital funds in the amount of $4,794,671 will be obligated at time of award, with the remainder obligated incrementally upon receipt. The U.S. Transportation Command Directorate of Acquisition, Scott Air Force Base, Illinois, is the contracting activity.
Face of Defense: Amputee Airman Returns to Duty
By Air Force Staff Sgt. Erica Picariello
42nd Air Base Wing
MAXWELL AIR FORCE BASE, Ala., Sept. 18, 2014 - His sons say he has a robot leg. The doctors and nurses call it a prosthetic. But to Air Force Staff Sgt. Rey Edenfield, it's what has allowed him to overcome the odds and continue doing what he loves.
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The air traffic controller decided earlier that morning to spend his day relaxing outside while slow-cooking dinner for his wife and two elementary school-aged boys at their off-base home. But he underestimated how much charcoal he'd need to finish cooking the meat the way he preferred.
"I ran out of charcoal," Edenfield said. "I needed that and a couple of things. I live about a half a mile from [the store], so I hopped on my motorcycle and went to get the things that I needed."
The crisp fall air and blue skies made for a suitable day for Edenfield's ride to the store. He was wearing his motorcycle helmet.
"There was a truck turning into the neighborhood," Edenfield said. "I looked behind him and didn't see any traffic. I started creeping out of my neighborhood, and as soon as I got into the center lane, I realized a car was kind of catty-corner to that truck. I had just gotten into that center lane enough to where that left bumper clipped me and smashed my left foot into my motorcycle."
The impact shot him into the air and sent his bike skidding on its side across the pavement.
"I sat straight up, took my helmet off and threw it out of anger," he recalled. "I went to get up and looked down and realized that something was wrong."
The impact severed the heel from his foot.
A lot of adrenaline
"There was a lot of adrenaline, and in that moment I was more worried about my Air Force career because I take pride in what I do," Edenfield said. "Realizing that [my career] could possibly come to an end was really getting to me in that moment. After seeing my foot, I was freaking out. ... It was between 'My career is over' and 'They're going to cut my leg off.' I didn't want to accept any of that."
At the hospital, the doctor quelled any fear that his career as an air traffic controller was in jeopardy by suggesting surgery that would involve inserting a few pins and a few months of follow-up visits.
"The doctors and nurses at a local hospital said it looked OK and they'd be able to put it back together," Edenfield said. "They said it was just a fracture. My Achilles tendon was fully intact, and they said everything was good. It was just the force that split my heel. They did the surgery that night, and three days later they sent me home to heal."
Something wasn't quite right
It wasn't more than a week later that Edenfield noticed something wasn't quite right with his heel.
"After the first few days, I had a small black spot on the back of my heel that was about the size of a nickel," he said. "The doctor told me that spot was dead because it wasn't getting proper blood flow and circulation to my foot. He said he'd keep an eye on it, re-casted my leg and sent me home. This went on for a couple of weeks; it felt like a lot longer than that. On one of my last visits to him, I went there and my foot was almost completely black. It was dead."
Doctors referred Edenfield to a specialist in Birmingham, Alabama, who scheduled a skin graft to replace the dead skin on his foot. Edenfield went into the hospital in late November for the surgery.
When the doctor came in while he was in the pre-operation area, Edenfield said, he asked him if he had any questions or concerns. "I just want to wake up and still have a leg," was his reply.
Edenfield did wake up with his leg, and the same dead foot. The surgery never happened, and he had a decision to make.
"Once they removed all the dead skin and tissue from my foot, it was down to the bone," Edenfield said. "From what [the surgeon] said, the heel padding is so dense that it's hard to replicate it. So, at this point the only other option was to do a muscle transplant.
"Similar to a skin graft," he continued, "they were going to take muscle from somewhere else in my body and cover up my heel, and then put skin over that. I told the doctors, 'Whatever my best chances of staying in the military is what I want to do.' They brought an active-duty Air Force surgeon into the hospital to consult with me. After a small discussion with him, and prayer and discussions with my family, we decided that amputation would be the best option."
A family decision
Joining the military was a family decision, so the decision to amputate would have to be a family decision, too, Edenfield said.
"We asked our sons what they would prefer," he said. "We told them that they could either have daddy able to play baseball with them, still be physically active in their church and run around the yard with a metal leg, or they could have a less mobile daddy with his leg real still. They chose the 'robot leg' and mobile daddy."
Edenfield's leg was amputated six inches below the knee Nov. 25.He received his prosthetic Feb. 10, and he walked unassisted three days later.
"I had a slight limp, but I didn't need a cane," he said. "I had a lot of pain after that -- not normal pain, unbearable pain. I found a local prosthetic leg company that was able to adjust my prosthetic leg, and I walked out of that clinic unassisted."
Though learning to walk again had to be done of his own strength and will, Edenfield said he doesn't believe he would have had the mental fortitude to recover so fast if not for his wife, Amy.
"My wife helped me so much; she was by my side through the entire process," he said. "She's helped out in so many ways, and basically, for the first four months, she was a single mom -- what she's done before, with me deploying and [serving on] remote tours. She's prepared."
A positive effect
This process has had a positive effect on the family, Amy said.
"He has inspired us in countless ways," she explained. "He seemingly has a 'right' to mope and have people feel sorry for him. According to 'normal' people, he has the right to be waited on and have waivers, etc. [But] his mindset is, 'Now I'm going to show them that I don't need those things. ... I can be just as normal if not better than normal, even with one-quarter less leg.'
"It's crazy inspiring for the kids and me," she continued. "Why would we complain about being 'Too tired to exercise' or 'Too tired to play outside' or things like that? The man lost almost half of a leg, and he doesn't aim to just get by. He aims for the best. I strive to have the same motivation."
Edenfield said his resolve to do more with less isn't just a personal goal -- he has something to prove.
"I work harder now more than I ever did before, because I don't want to use my accident as an excuse for subpar work ethic or fitness standards," Edenfield said. "I want to prove to myself and to everyone else that I am still capable of doing everything I did before with an equal or better outcome. I feel that my accident has had a positive impact on my entire life, including my dedication to the Air Force, my family and my faith."
On Aug. 29, Edenfield was notified that he was cleared to stay on active duty.
"I love what I do for the United States Air Force and what I get to do for it every day," he said. "I'm overjoyed and humbled to have this opportunity to continue to serve my country in this capacity."
Chuck Hagel Addresses #AUSA
Gordon, thank you very much. And I want to thank you also for your continued contributions to the security of this country, to our country, and for your continued distinguished leadership of this important organization. And to all the members of AUSA, thank you for what you continue to do to support our men and women and support our national security enterprise.
Your strong leadership, Gordon, over many, many years, has been valued by my predecessors. That wise counsel and leadership has been valued by me, not only in this job but as a United States Senator, and I appreciate that personally. So thank you.
I also want to this afternoon recognize this year's AUSA medal and award recipients. You all know that you represent the finest group of people that we build and produce in the United States of America. You all exemplify the values and principles of the exceptional individuals whose names these awards and medals are given: people like my late friend John Dixon, whose award this year is being given to retired Lieutenant General David Melcher. This award is being given to General Melcher for his continued contributions to national defense from the industrial community. And to you, General Melcher, congratulations, Mrs. Melcher, nice to see you.
Every day, I have the privilege of working alongside some of the finest soldiers in the United States Army, some of the soldiers that every day protect our country, some of the finest soldiers our Army has ever produced from Staff Sergeant April Jones, who works in my front office, to the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Marty Dempsey. And in particular, I want to thank Marty Dempsey. I greatly admire and value his wise counsel, his leadership, our partnership. I consider General Dempsey a partner in this effort, and I consider him a friend.
I want to also acknowledge and thank the Secretary of the Army, John McHugh, and General Odierno, Chief of Staff of the United States Army. I recognize these two men and thank them for their not only their leadership, but their friendship and their counsel and their directness and honesty as we evaluate the reality of our times, our threats, our challenges, and how do we build a United States Army that's prepared for the future. Well, thank you.
I also want to recognize another soldier I have appreciated working with: my Senior Military Assistant, who many of you know, Lieutenant General Abe Abrams. Abe is a real soldier, as you all know, but he's also not only a warrior, but a thinker. And I couldn't do the job that I do without Abe and without his assistance.
The United States Army helped define me. And I've always been very proud of my service as a soldier. It allowed me to witness courage and nobility that I would never have had the opportunity to see if I had not been a soldier in the United States Army. It affected me, and I know it helped me, and maybe even made me a better person. I know my brother Tom, who served with me in Vietnam, feels the same about his service in the United States Army.
So, I deeply appreciate, General Sullivan, the privilege to address not only the strongest advocates for America's Army, but also our 1 million-plus Active-Duty, Guard, and Reserve soldiers. To understand the place of honor they hold across our military, one need only look to the words of Navy SEAL and recently retired Admiral Bill McRaven, who earlier this year said, "There is no more noble calling in the world than to be a soldier in the United States Army."
Together, we are at a time of great transition for the Army, and the nation it serves. In December, as we responsibly end our combat role in Afghanistan and transition to a train-advise-and-assist mission, the Afghan National Security Forces will be fully responsible for their country's security an accomplishment made possible by the tremendous sacrifices of American troops, our ISAF partners, and the Afghan people.
As the Army emerges from over 13 years of large-scale combat operations the longest in its history it faces new challenges. The world is becoming more volatile, less predictable, and in many ways, more threatening... at the same time, our defense budgets are declining.
The theme that you've chosen for this year "Trusted Professionals: Today and Tomorrow" is well-suited to describe the kind of soldiers America will need as we navigate this period of change and uncertainty.
Before I address where the Army is and where it's going, we should remind ourselves and the American people of where the Army is coming from.
Over the past 13 years, more than 1 million soldiers deployed to the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. One out of six of these soldiers was deployed to both countries. More than half a million soldiers 30 percent of them Guardsmen and Reservists endured multiple deployments... and as ground forces, they shouldered a very heavy burden. They fought in the mud, in the sand, in the streets doing most of the fighting and dying, and adapting under fire to a kind of conflict far different from what the Army trained and prepared for during and after the Cold War. Seventy percent of U.S. personnel wounded in action over the last 13 years were from the U.S. Army, and countless soldiers have come home with visible and invisible wounds of war. Our enduring obligation to take care of them, and their families, is a sacred responsibility that we must always uphold.
Through the crucible of combat and a grinding counterinsurgency campaign, the American soldier fought on, and as a result, today's Army is as battle-tested as it's ever has been. Of all the soldiers who served in Iraq since 2003, nearly half are still on active-duty or in the Guard and Reserves. Of those who served in Afghanistan, almost two-thirds are still in the Army.
The strength, the resilience, and dedication of these soldiers are what the Army is about, what make the Army a foundation of America's national security and our military's global presence and engagement. And the Army's contributions to our security are as critical today as ever.
We see it in West Africa, where soldiers from Fort Campbell and Fort Bragg will soon deploy as a key part of America's contribution to the global effort to stop the spread of Ebola before it becomes an even more of a grave threat.
We see it in Poland and the Baltics, where soldiers from Fort Hood's First Cavalry Division are reinforcing and reassuring our NATO allies in the face of Russian aggression.
We see it in Iraq, where soldiers from the Big Red One, 1st Infantry Division, are deploying to train, advise, and assist Kurdish and Iraqi forces in the fight against ISIL.
And we'll soon see it in Saudi Arabia, where soldiers will help train and equip members of the moderate Syrian opposition.
The President has been very clear that he will not commit our Armed Forces to fighting another ground war in Iraq, or become involved in a war in Syria. This is not because we think that wars cannot be waged without committing troops to combat. Our strategy in Iraq and Syria does require forces on the ground, but they must be local forces. And we will help them; we will support them; we will train them. This is not only the best way to degrade and ultimately defeat terrorists, but it is the only sustainable path to defeating terrorism and extremism. This is a critical point that Chairman Dempsey and the chiefs of defense from 21 other nations discussed yesterday at Andrews Air Force Base, at an important conference that helped reinforce our coalition against ISIL.
In the near term, the Army is unlikely to repeat another Iraq- or Afghanistan-type campaign that is, regime change and occupation followed by nation-building under fire. However, this does not mean that demand for the Army is diminishing, or that the Army's place in our national security strategy is eroding. It is not.
While there are no longer 150,000 soldiers in ground wars in Iraq and Afghanistan as there were five years ago, there are still almost as many soldiers either deployed or forward-stationed in nearly 150 locations around the world. That includes some 80,000 soldiers in the Pacific Command area of responsibility, more than any other, with nearly 20,000 soldiers in South Korea standing ready to "fight tonight." There are also 40,000 soldiers under Central Command; 28,000 soldiers in Europe; and thousands more in both Africa and South America, some of whom I visited in Colombia last week.
Demands on the Army will only grow more diverse and complicated going forward. Threats from terrorists and insurgents will remain with us for a long time. But we also must deal with a revisionist Russia with its modern and capable army on NATO's doorstep. And as disruptive technologies and destructive weapons proliferate in the hands of state and non-state actors, the specter of so-called "hybrid warfare" looms large where our adversaries marry the tactics of insurgents with the tools of advanced armed forces and their sophisticated technologies.
The Army will remain essential to helping deter and confront every national security threat facing our country. There will always be a need for a modern, ready, well-equipped, well-trained standing army.
But maintaining a ready and capable Army as we come out of 13 years of continuous large-scale combat will not be easy. For the Army to fulfill its role as a guarantor of our national security, our soldiers must continue to be exceptionally well-led, well-trained and well-equipped. That's especially true because the global security environment is more unpredictable than ever, with crises erupting at any time... crises that require America to lead the world in response.
We must not forget the lessons of history. We've seen how quickly a battle-hardened Army can wither into a force that is ill-equipped and ill-prepared to carry out its mission. And we've seen the consequences.
In July, 1950, five years after America's military victory in World War II, the soldiers of Task Force Smith were sent into the first battle of the Korean War, with orders to halt the North Korean advance. They were under-trained, under-equipped, outnumbered, and unprepared... and within hours of engaging the enemy, Task Force Smith was routed, ultimately suffering a casualty rate of nearly 30 percent. Soldiers paid for poor training, poor equipment, and poor leadership with their lives.
We've also seen how past drawdowns sought to protect the training and equipment that is the essence of military readiness. Under General Sullivan, the Army Chief of Staff of the early 1990s, after Desert Storm and the end of the Cold War, the Army made the difficult but necessary decision to reduce the size of the force in order to safeguard readiness, with 'No More Task Force Smiths' as its mantra. As General Sullivan said at the time, quote, "The reason we cut ... divisions was to keep what we retained trained and ready."
Today, 'No More Task Force Smiths' must once again be our motto. We need to maintain an exceptionally ready Army.
But because of the steep, deep and abrupt defense budget cuts sequestration has imposed on us, last year the Army had to cancel so many critical training rotations that we had only two active-duty brigade combat teams who were fully ready and available to execute a major combat operation.
Thanks to the budget compromise that the President and Congress reached last December, and the Army's relentless focus on training, Army readiness has improved [from] where it was a year ago, with 12 out of 37 brigade combat teams that are trained to the highest levels of readiness. While this is a direct result of the Army's ability to adapt to unreasonable budget constraints, it falls short of what I believe is sufficient to defend our nation and our allies with minimum risk.
We must continue to put readiness first in the current budget environment which is why we have modestly reduced the size of the Army and protected training and maintenance in our budget. Trading readiness for capacity is the path to a hollow force.
Our soldiers deserve better than that. They deserve a stable and predictable budget that gives them and their families the training and support they need. But despite temporary relief, sequestration remains the law of the land. If Congress does not act, it will return in 2016 stunting and reversing the Army's readiness just as we've have begun to recover, and requiring even more dramatic reductions in force structure.
The military as a whole will face a similar readiness crisis if Congress does not accept the program cuts and compensation reforms we have proposed in our budgets. Across DoD, we could face a $70 billion gap in our budget over the next five years if Congress prevents us from moving forward with these changes, and we would have little choice but to make up the differences through cuts to readiness.
DoD's leaders understand there will be less resources available. But the Army and our military needs Congress to be a partner in responsible, long-term planning and budgeting. And we will continue to urge Congress to put an end to sequestration an irresponsible deferral of responsibility.
I greatly appreciate General Sullivan's and AUSA's support for ending sequestration, and also for your support on many of our hard but necessary trade-offs made to protect readiness in DoD's budget proposal. We must all continue to press Congress to join us in making these tough decisions because our challenges will become far more difficult and far more dangerous the longer we defer the tough choices.
Army leadership has expressed their concerns about this cloud of uncertainty. I've been very clear Chairman Dempsey has been very clear we've been clear with the Congress, with our troops, with their families, and with the American people that I share a number of these concerns of the Army's leadership.
But as we work through our current budget challenges, the Army must still face the new reality of shrinking resources, sustained demands, and a more competitive and unpredictable strategic environment... an environment that our current defense strategy remains capable of addressing.
The Army and our entire military will need to continue thinking critically about its future role in missions to ensure that it is not only ready, but relevant, for both the short and the long-term missions. It will need to continue to learn, adapt, evolve, and innovate. Readiness demands agility.
I want to commend Secretary McHugh and General Odierno for taking the critical first steps in this direction, setting the course for the Army's "Force 2025 and Beyond" [strategy] and shaping the new Army Operating Concept unveiled over the past week here at AUSA.
I will continue to work closely with both of them, and all of our Army leaders, to build an Army the nation needs, the Army the nation deserves, and the Army that our troops need for their future. To succeed, I believe the Army must renew its commitment to readiness across three critical resources its people, its capabilities, and its partnerships.
First, the Army must keep a laser focus on the readiness of its most precious resource: its people. Because soldiers, to quote General Creighton Abrams, "are not in the Army. They are the Army." Our soldiers need to be well-trained at all levels from the individual to the brigade and they must be prepared to face challenges from across the spectrum of conflict. The continuities of warfare remind us that even as we prepare against high-end threat, like cyber and precision missiles, the human dimension of war is inescapable. So we cannot forget what we've learned about counterterrorism, counterinsurgency, and building partner capacity. We must retain those skills. At the same time, our soldiers must also be ready for full-spectrum operations. That takes time. It takes resources.
To be ready for the range of challenges we'll, most likely face in the future, soldiers need to experience nonlinear, full-spectrum training that mimics today's complex operational environments. This kind of 'decisive action' training is best conducted at the Army's Combat Training Centers the Joint Readiness Training Center at Fort Polk, Louisiana, and the National Training Center at Fort Irwin, California, which I will visit next mouth. At these brigade-level training centers, soldiers are immersed in realistic threat scenarios where they face a dynamic mix of guerrilla, terrorist, criminal, and near-peer conventional opposing forces.
In addition to preparing soldiers for full-spectrum operations, decisive-action training helps develop the kind of agile, adaptive, and innovative leaders that the Army needs to be ready for future threats. Many Army leaders already recognize that in a volatile world with a wide range of missions, we can no longer get by with training soldiers what to think. We must train them how to think, so they thrive in conditions of uncertainty and chaos, and are unpredictable to our adversaries. Going forward, whether we can keep our soldiers ready in the future will depend on Congress's partnership in providing the resources to fund the training our soldiers need.
Second, the Army must be ready with the right capabilities, both today and in the future ensuring the equipment our soldiers currently have is well-maintained and that we continue to innovate going forward.
More than any other service, the Army is well suited to this task. Because the Army knows its key weapons platforms for everything still comes down to the soldier, it also knows that a capability is about more than just new technology or equipment with less money, it's also about how we creatively use our technology and equipment to achieve our objectives.
The Army has begun adapting capabilities to be ready for the most likely missions of the future ensuring that prepositioned equipment stocks can support a wider range of operations, and even flying Apache helicopters off Navy ships to gauge how Army aviation could contribute to littoral surface warfare. The Army is also combining manned and unmanned capabilities enabling combat helicopter pilots to monitor feeds and operate weapons from linked aerial drones, and testing driverless resupply convoys that can free up manpower for more important tasks.
To stay ready for future challenges, the Army must keep innovating for the long term. With our ongoing rebalance to the Asia-Pacific, the Army could broaden its role by leveraging its current suite of long-range precision-guided missiles, rockets, artillery, and air defense systems. These capabilities would provide multiple benefits... such as hardening the defenses of U.S. installations; enabling greater mobility of Navy Aegis destroyers and other joint force assets; and helping ensure the free flow of commerce. This concept is worthy of consideration going forward. Such a mission is not as foreign to the Army as it might seem. After the War of 1812, the Army was tasked with America's coastal defense for more than 100 years.
Finally, one thing we've learned over the past 13 years is that the Army is effective at more than combined arms maneuver and wide-area security. It's also exceptionally effective in training and exercising with friends and allies, helping them grow stronger while improving interoperability for the future.
Building partner capacity is one of the Army's most valuable capabilities, which is why the Army must continue taking steps to expand and diversify its partnerships while ensuring that this critical mission continues to be embraced throughout the Army's institutions.
Though we must also be clear-eyed about our missions. Building partner capacity cannot happen in a vacuum. As we've seen in Iraq this year, political context is critical, as is ethos, esprit de corps and, especially, leadership.
Today, the Army is better positioned to work with partners because of its regionally aligned forces. Nearly every unit from division headquarters to theater enablers to combat brigades is now aligned with a geographic region, which makes it easier for the Army to provide tailored, responsive forces to engage with our allies and our partners. And because soldiers receive specialized cultural, regional, and language training before deploying, they can better understand local underlying social, political, economic, historical factors that all are involved in security ultimately making them more effective in accomplishing the mission.
Shaping the security environment has now become a core competency for the Army so rather than return to garrison, our soldiers must remain prepared to engage around the world. Those stationed here at home must be trained and ready to respond to a full range of contingencies... whether a mission includes building partner capacity, reassuring and reinforcing allies, or providing humanitarian assistance and disaster relief.
Across all these efforts people, capabilities and partnerships keeping the Army ready for today's and tomorrow's challenges will not be easy. The future security environment remains uncertain, and trying to predict it will continue to be as challenging as ever.
Six months [before] Austrian Archduke Franz Ferdinand was assassinated in Sarajevo, President Woodrow Wilson spoke to Congress, and he predicted "a growing cordiality ... among ... nations, foreshadowing an age of settled peace and goodwill.
He spoke those words 101 years ago. We all know that history proved the president wrong. The so-called "War to End All Wars" was anything but a war to end all wars.
A century later, we cannot know for sure what conflicts, challenges, or threats the next 100 years may bring, or the next 10 years may bring. We cannot say for certain whether history will be repeated or made anew. But we must prepare our institutions for the unexpected and the uncertain. That is the greatest responsibility of leadership.
We know there are risks. We know we will make mistakes. But the American people depend upon an Army to be prepared. They trust that Army to be prepared. They expect and know the Army will be prepared.
And I know everyone here knows, those who represent today's Army in this room know that we will not fail them.
Gordon Sullivan, to you and AUSA and everyone in this room, thank you for your support of this country and your continued leadership, and allowing me an opportunity to give you some of my thoughts and to recognize you for what you do.
Thank you.
NASA Soil Moisture Mapper Arrives at Launch Site
A NASA spacecraft designed to track Earth's water in one of its most important, but least recognized forms -- soil moisture -- now is at Vandenberg Air Force Base, California, to begin final preparations for launch in January.
SMAP will provide the most accurate, highest-resolution global measurements of soil moisture ever obtained from space and will detect whether the ground is frozen or thawed. The data will be used to enhance scientists' understanding of the processes that link Earth's water, energy and carbon cycles.
Soil moisture is critical for plant growth and supplies aquifers, which are underground water supplies contained in layers of rock, sand or dirt. Through evaporation, water in the soil cools the land surface and lower atmosphere while seeding the upper atmosphere with moisture that forms clouds and rain. High-resolution global maps of soil moisture produced from SMAP will allow scientists to understand how regional water availability is changing and inform water resource management decisions.
“Water is vital for all life on Earth, and the water present in soil is a small but critically important part of Earth’s water cycle," said Kent Kellogg, SMAP project manager at JPL. “The delivery of NASA’s SMAP spacecraft to Vandenberg Air Force Base marks a final step to bring these unique and valuable measurements to the global science community.”
SMAP data also will aid in predictions of plant growth and agricultural productivity, improve weather and climate forecasts, and enhance our ability to predict the extent and severity of droughts and where floods may occur. SMAP's freeze/thaw data will also be used to detect changes in the length of the growing season, which is an indicator of how much carbon plants take up from the atmosphere each year.
Among the users of SMAP data will be hydrologists, weather forecasters, climate scientists, and agricultural and water resource managers. Additional users include fire hazard and flood disaster managers, disease control and prevention managers, emergency planners and policy makers.
To make its high-resolution, high-accuracy measurements, SMAP will combine data from two microwave instruments -- a synthetic aperture radar and a radiometer -- in a way that uses the best features of each. The instruments can peer through clouds and moderate vegetation cover day and night to measure water in the top 2 inches (5 centimeters) of the soil.
SMAP will fly in a 426-mile (685-kilometer) altitude, near-polar, sun-synchronous orbit that crosses the equator near 6 a.m. and 6 p.m. local time. SMAP is designed to operate for at least three years, producing a global map of soil moisture every two to three days.
SMAP is managed for NASA's Science Mission Directorate in Washington by JPL with participation by NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Maryland. JPL is responsible for project management, system engineering, instrument management, the radar instrument, mission operations and the ground data system. Goddard is responsible for the radiometer instrument. Both centers collaborate on the science data processing and delivery of science data products to the Alaska Satellite Facility and the National Snow and Ice Data Center for public distribution and archiving. NASA's Launch Services Program at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida is responsible for launch management. JPL is managed for NASA by the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena.
MARINE BURNOUT
AFTER BURN
PATROL SECURITY
ROPE SUSPENSION
Eco-Warrior Leads Assault On Climate Change
Ask David Nahai about the state of affairs in America and he thunders back, “Congress needs to get its act together.” He is referring to the gridlock that paralyzes our political system and he is referring to the uncertainty of Congress ignoring important issues that need solutions now. David Nahai is the foremost authority on the two problems that are facing humanity and he hails from Century City. Where humanity will get energy and water are daunting challenges that face us for our future. David is optimistic that solutions are available but we need to make many changes in how we live. “There is a tremendous interplay between water and energy, 20% of California’s energy is spent to pump water from one place to another.” Clearly the cheapest and cleanest energy unit comes from the energy unit that isn’t used. Changing how we get our water could provide us with significant savings on the energy frontier. David is an expert in the field of water and energy and he talks fluidly about both sides of the equation – production and consumption. Clearly he knows how to preserve every drop of our precious resources… but he also has a vision for how humanity will conquer the daunting challenges that face us.
He encourages small businesses and individuals to make changes now that are voluntary warning that down the road those changes may become obligatory. David proudly wears the monikers of environmentalist and entrepreneur. He tells everyone that going green is a double entendre – meaning that you reduce humanity’s carbon footprint while at the same time making money. The green rush in California is fueling our economy. The green rush is our future.
He speaks candidly about DWP’s challenges that lay ahead. Coal will soon be eliminated as an energy source and DWP is working hard to transition to cleaner sources of energy. David refers to the DWP website for a wealth of information about rebates and incentives for going green. This information is a great resource to make more money or to shave the costs of any household or business. He is quick to point out the green initiatives at Watt Plaza where he offices. Watt has been one of the early adopters of green technology to conserve water, recycle, and reduce their carbon footprint.
With Los Angeles being the tipping point of the world on the green frontier, we in Century City might just be the tipping point of the tipping point. David is available as a lawyer and consultant. He speaks regularly at green conferences worldwide. For more information about David go to
www.davidnahai.com
Biography
H. David Nahai has an extensive record of success in both the private and public sectors, as a lawyer, CEO, government official, environmentalist, business owner and community leader.
Nahai is a partner in the law firm of Lewis, Brisbois, Bisgaard & Smith and is a co-chair of the Firm’s national energy, environmental, water, and real estate practice. Nahai is also the President of David Nahai Consulting Services, LLC and is Senior Advisor to the Clinton Climate Initiative.
David Nahai Consulting Services advises and assists public and private entities involved in the environmental sector, with particular emphasis on renewable energy, energy efficiency, water conservation and wastewater treatment and recycling projects.
The Clinton Climate Initiative is a division of the Clinton Foundation. The mission of the Clinton Climate Initiative is to bring about the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions on a global scale through specific project partnerships with governments around the world.
Until October, 2009, Nahai served as the Chief Executive Officer and General Manager of the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power (LADWP), the largest municipal utility in the United States. In this capacity, Nahai oversaw more than 9,000 employees and an annual budget of more than $4.5 billion. Nahai resigned as CEO in October, 2009, but served as consultant to LADWP until December 2009.
Nahai was nominated as LADWP’s CEO by Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa and confirmed by the City Council in 2007. He served for two years on the LADWP Board of Commissioners prior to becoming CEO. He was appointed to the Board in 2005 and became Board President in 2006.
Nahai led an overall transformation of the LADWP that included the unprecedented expansion of the utility’s renewable energy portfolio; the origination and execution of the City’s groundbreaking Water Supply Plan; the attainment of historic reductions in water consumption in the City; the realization of record breaking energy efficiency levels; and the launch and implementation of water and power infrastructure improvement programs. Under his leadership, the LADWP increased its renewable energy portfolio from 3 percent in 2005 to around 15 percent by the end of 2009, and achieved the completion of Pine Tree, the nation’s largest municipally owned wind farm, and the Lower Owens River Project, viewed as the most extensive river restoration program in the United States. Additionally, Nahai oversaw the creation of the Los Angeles Solar Plan, the most ambitious solar program of any municipal utility in the U.S. Under Nahai’s leadership, LADWP garnered numerous environmental awards, including the 2008 Climate Change Leadership Award from Green California and the 2009 Los Angeles Heritage Award from Project Restore.
In addition to his expertise in the energy field, Nahai is widely recognized as a leading expert on water issues. He served for over 10 years on California’s Regional Water Quality Control Board, which safeguards the quality of surface, ground, and coastal waters in Los Angeles and Ventura counties, an area with over 11 million residents.
At the Water Quality Board, Nahai served under three different Governors. He was first appointed by Governor Pete Wilson, and re-appointed by both Governor Gray Davis and Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger. Nahai was elected to an unprecedented four terms as Chairman of the Board in 1999, 2000, 2001 and 2006.
Nahai is credited with reinvigorating the effectiveness of the Water Board and spearheading some of its most aggressive programs, especially in the area of coastal protection. During Nahai’s tenure, the Board was awarded the Environmental Leadership Award by Keep California Beautiful, in appreciation of the Board’s pioneering work in the area of urban run-off pollution. The Water Board’s prestigious annual awards have been named the “H. David Nahai Water Quality Awards” in recognition of his service. He resigned from the Board in 2007, upon accepting the CEO position at LADWP.
Nahai began his career in the private sector as an attorney three decades ago, working at some of the United States’ largest and most respected law firms. He started at Loeb & Loeb and was a partner at Memel, Jacobs, Pierno, Gersh & Ellsworth, at Finley, Kumble et al and at Stroock & Stroock & Lavan. In 1992, Nahai formed Nahai Law Corporation, specializing in real estate, corporate, environmental and commercial law. He divested his interest in the firm in 2007.
As a transactional real estate and environmental lawyer for 30 years, Nahai has represented clients and performed transactions at the highest levels, working on complex matters and supervising teams of attorneys. Nahai is an AV rated lawyer.
Nahai has been the recipient of numerous awards and commendations. In 2003, he received the Environmental Champion Award from the Los Angeles League of Conservation Voters. In 2008, he was honored as an environmental leader by Heal the Bay. He has been twice honored for community leadership.
Nahai sits on the Boards of the California League of Conservation Voters and Heal the Bay, and has served on the Boards of numerous charities, including the Jewish Federation of Los Angeles, the Iranian American Jewish Federation, and the Jewish Community Foundation.
Nahai holds graduate and post-graduate degrees in law from the London School of Economics and the University of California at Berkeley, and was a Visiting Scholar at Berkeley.
Nahai is a frequent speaker and radio and television guest regarding environmental, climate change, water, and energy issues.
MEASURE UP
AMERICAN CEMETERY
BEST WARRIOR
23,000 soldiers were killed, wounded or missing after twelve...
23,000 soldiers were killed, wounded or missing after twelve hours of savage combat on September 17, 1862. The Battle of Antietam ended the Confederate Army of Northern Virginia’s first invasion into the North and led to Abraham Lincoln’s issuance of the preliminary Emancipation Proclamation
HEART TO HEART
