General Electric - Aviation, Cincinnati, Ohio, has been awarded an estimated maximum $329,135,767 firm-fixed-price, requirements type contract for performance-based holistic support of Air Force engine repair and overhaul, including worldwide customers. This contract was a sole-source acquisition. This is a five-year base contract, with one three-year option period. Location of performance is Ohio, with a May 31, 2020, performance completion date. Using military services are Navy, Air Force, and foreign militaries. Type of appropriation is fiscal 2015 defense working capital funds. The contracting activity is the Defense Logistics Agency Aviation, Richmond, Virginia (SPE4AX-15-D-9409).
Rolls-Royce Corp., Indianapolis, Indiana, is being awarded a $287,028,006 firm-fixed-price contract for Mission CareTM maintenance services in support of the V-22 AE1107C engines. The services to be provided include: an engine hourly charge based on hours flown; program management, integrated logistics support, support equipment requirements data, supportability analysis data and updates; configuration management tracking; formal training; supply management and contract/business administration; and site support, including informal technical training, maintenance technical advice, engineering support, and engine repair. Work will be performed in Oakland, California (80 percent), and Indianapolis, Indiana (20 percent), and is expected to be completed in February 2017. Fiscal 2014 aircraft procurement (Air Force); 2015 aircraft procurement (Navy); fiscal 2015 research, development, test and evaluation (Navy); and fiscal 2015 operations and maintenance (SOCOM, Navy and Air Force) funds in the amount of $37,781,288 will be obligated on this award, $36,902,575 of which will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract combines purchases for the U.S. Navy ($18,306,827; 48 percent); the U.S. Air Force ($15,699,125; 43 percent); and the U.S. Special Operations Command ($3,478,336; 9 percent). This contract was not competitively awarded per FAR 6.302-1. The Naval Air Systems Command, Patuxent River, Maryland, is the contracting activity (N00019-15-C-0016).
Lockheed Martin Corp., Mission Systems and Training, Manassas, Virginia, is being awarded a $127,749,917 modification to exercise options under a previously awarded contract (N00024-11-C-6294) for fiscal 2015 acoustic rapid commercial-off-the-shelf (COTS) insertion (A-RCI) system engineering and technical support. The contract provides funding for the development and production of the A-RCI and common acoustics processing for Technology Insertion 12 (TI12) through Technology Insertion 14 (TI14) for the U.S. submarine fleet and for foreign military sales. A-RCI is a sonar system that integrates and improves towed array, hull array, sphere array, and other ship sensor processing, through rapid insertion of COTS-based hardware and software. Work will be performed in Manassas, Virginia (95 percent), and Syracuse, New York (5 percent), and is expected to be completed by December 2015. Fiscal 2015 research, development, test and evaluation, and fiscal 2011, 2012 and 2013 shipbuilding and conversion (Navy) contract funds, in the amount of $14,646,476 will be obligated at time of award and will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Naval Sea Systems Command, Washington, Washington, District of Columbia, is the contracting activity.
The Boeing Co., St. Louis, Missouri, is being awarded a $27,231,225 indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity, cost-plus-fixed-fee contract for engineering and logistics services, studies and analyses of the airframe and associated subsystems in support of the AV-8B Harrier for the U.S. Marine Corps, and the governments of Spain and Italy under the Foreign Military Sales program. Work will be performed in Cherry Point, North Carolina (50 percent); St. Louis, Missouri (40 percent); Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (5 percent);and the United Kingdom (5 percent), and is expected to be completed in November 2016. No funds are being obligated at time of award; funds will be obligated on individual delivery orders as they are issued. This contract was not competitively procured pursuant to FAR 6.302-1. The Naval Air Systems Command, Patuxent River, Maryland, is the contracting activity (N00019-15-D-1000).
U.S. Information Technologies Corp., Chantilly, Virginia, is being awarded a $13,335,296 modification under a previously awarded indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract (N00033-11-D-6505) with firm-fixed-price, firm-fixed-price level-of-effort task orders for Oracle Software support services in support of Military Sealift Command's Command, Control, Communications and Computer Systems directorate. Work will be performed in Washington, District of Columbia, and is expected to be completed by December 2015. No funds will be obligated at the time of award. Fiscal 2015 working capital funds in the amount of $13,335,296 will be obligated on individual task orders as they are issued and funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The U.S. Navy's Military Sealift Command, Washington, District of Columbia, is the contracting activity (N00033-11-D-6505).
Electric Boat Corp., Groton, Connecticut, is being awarded a $12,382,993 modification to a previously awarded contract (N00024-09-C-2104) to exercise an option for continued procurement and manufacturing of onboard repair parts. The contractor will be manufacturing and procuring OBRP to be loaded onto Virginia Class boats upon delivery. Work will be performed in Groton, Connecticut (100 percent), and is expected to be completed by February 2018. Fiscal 2015 shipbuilding and conversion (Navy) funding in the amount of $5,900,000 will be obligated at the time of award. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. Supervisor of Shipbuilding Conversion and Repair, Groton, Connecticut, is the contracting activity.
Electric Boat Corp., Groton, Connecticut, is being awarded a $12,128,328 modification to a previously awarded contract (N00024-09-C-2104) to exercise an option for continued procurement and manufacturing of onboard repair parts. The contractor will be manufacturing and procuring OBRP to be loaded onto Virginia Class boats upon delivery. Work will be performed in Groton, Connecticut, and is expected to be completed by August 2017. Fiscal 2015 shipbuilding and conversion (Navy) funding in the amount of $12,128,328 will be obligated at the time of award. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. Supervisor of Shipbuilding Conversion and Repair, Groton, Connecticut, is the contracting activity.
Kratos Technology & Training Solutions, San Diego, California, is being awarded a one-year $8,234,572 modification to a previously awarded indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity, cost-plus-fixed-fee contract for command, control, communications, computers and intelligence (C4I) support in the areas of test and evaluation, engineering, independent verification and validation engineering, software quality assurance, configuration management, and web site maintenance. This is one of nine contracts awarded; each awardee will have the opportunity to compete for task orders during the ordering period. This contract includes one remaining one-year option which, if exercised, would bring the cumulative value of this contract to an estimated $31,587,410. Work will be performed in San Diego, California, and is expected to be completed by Nov. 29, 2015. No funds will be obligated at the time of award. Funding will be obligated via task orders as they are issued. The types of funding to be obligated include: operations and maintenance; research, development, test and evaluation (Navy and Department of Defense-wide); and working capital funds (Department of Defense). This contract was competitively procured via Request for Proposal N66001-11-R-0054 published on the Federal Business Opportunities website, and the SPAWAR e-Commerce Central website; nine proposals were received and nine were selected. The Space and Naval Warfare Systems Center Pacific, San Diego, California, is the contracting activity (N66001-12-D-0074).
Assured Space Access Technologies, Inc., Gilbert, Arizona, is being awarded a one-year $7,982,314 modification to a previously awarded indefinite-delivery, indefinite-quantity, cost-plus-fixed-fee contract for command, control, communications, computers and intelligence (C4I) support in the areas of test and evaluation, engineering, independent verification and validation engineering, software quality assurance, configuration management, and web site maintenance. This is one of nine contracts awarded; each awardee will have the opportunity to compete for task orders during the ordering period. This contract includes one remaining one-year option which, if exercised, would bring the cumulative value of this contract to an estimated $30,734,793. Work will be performed in San Diego, California, and is expected to be completed by Nov. 29, 2015. No funds will be obligated at the time of award. Funding will be obligated via task orders as they are issued. The types of funding to be obligated include: operations and maintenance; research, development, test and evaluation (Navy and Department of Defense-wide); and working capital funds (Department of Defense). This contract was competitively procured via Request for Proposal N66001-11-R-0054 published on the Federal Business Opportunities website, and the SPAWAR e-Commerce Central website; nine proposals were received and nine were selected. The Space and Naval Warfare Systems Center Pacific, San Diego, California, is the contracting activity (N66001-12-D-0067).
General Dynamics Information Technology, Fairfax, Virginia, is being awarded a one-year $7,452,144 modification to a previously awarded indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity, cost-plus-fixed-fee contract for command, control, communications, computers and intelligence (C4I) support in the areas of test and evaluation, engineering, independent verification and validation engineering, software quality assurance, configuration management, and web site maintenance. This is one of nine contracts awarded; each awardee will have the opportunity to compete for task orders during the ordering period. This contract includes one remaining one-year option which, if exercised, would bring the cumulative value of this contract to an estimated $28,699,839. Work will be performed in San Diego, California, and is expected to be completed by Nov. 29, 2015. No funds will be obligated at the time of award. Funding will be obligated via task orders as they are issued. The types of funding to be obligated include: operations and maintenance; research, development, test and evaluation (Navy and Department of Defense-wide); and working capital funds (Department of Defense). This contract was competitively procured via Request for Proposal N66001-11-R-0054 published on the Federal Business Opportunities website, and the SPAWAR e-Commerce Central website; nine proposals were received and nine were selected. The Space and Naval Warfare Systems Center Pacific, San Diego, California, is the contracting activity (N66001-12-D-0069).
Computer Science Corp., San Diego, California, is being awarded a one-year $7,196,594 modification to a previously awarded indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity, cost-plus-fixed-fee contract for command, control, communications, computers and intelligence (C4I) support in the areas of test and evaluation, engineering, independent verification and validation engineering, software quality assurance, configuration management, and web site maintenance. This is one of nine contracts awarded; each awardee will have the opportunity to compete for task orders during the ordering period. This contract includes one remaining one-year option which, if exercised, would bring the cumulative value of this contract to an estimated $27,638,529. Work will be performed in San Diego, California, and is expected to be completed by Nov. 29, 2015. No funds will be obligated at the time of award. Funding will be obligated via task orders as they are issued. The types of funding to be obligated include: operations and maintenance; research, development, test and evaluation (Navy and Department of Defense-wide); and working capital funds (Department of Defense). This contract was competitively procured via Request for Proposal N66001-11-R-0054 published on the Federal Business Opportunities website, and the SPAWAR e-Commerce Central website; nine proposals were received and nine were selected. The Space and Naval Warfare Systems Center Pacific, San Diego, California, is the contracting activity (N66001-12-D-0068).
Serco, Inc., Reston, Virginia, is being awarded a one-year $7,150,272 modification to a previously awarded indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity, cost-plus-fixed-fee contract for command, control, communications, computers and intelligence (C4I) support in the areas of test and evaluation, engineering, independent verification and validation engineering, software quality assurance, configuration management, and web site maintenance. This is one of nine contracts awarded; each awardee will have the opportunity to compete for task orders during the ordering period. This contract includes one remaining one-year option which, if exercised, would bring the cumulative value of this contract to an estimated $27,568,655. Work will be performed in San Diego, California, and is expected to be completed by Nov. 29, 2015. No funds will be obligated at the time of award. Funding will be obligated via task orders as they are issued. The types of funding to be obligated include: operations and maintenance; research, development, test and evaluation (Navy and Department of Defense-wide); and working capital funds (Department of Defense). This contract was competitively procured via Request for Proposal N66001-11-R-0054 published on the Federal Business Opportunities website, and the SPAWAR e-Commerce Central website; nine proposals were received and nine were selected. The Space and Naval Warfare Systems Center Pacific, San Diego, California, is the contracting activity (N66001-12-D-0072).
Coastal Enterprises of Jacksonville, Inc.,* Jacksonville, North Carolina, is being awarded a $7,028,608 modification under a previously awarded firm-fixed-price, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract (N40085-13-D-5232) to exercise option one for custodial services at Camp Lejeune. The work to be performed provides for various custodial services including, but not limited to, emptying trash cans, sweeping, dusting, mopping, cleaning toilets for the naval hospital, medical clinics, dental clinics, pediatric clinics and wounded warrior barracks. The total contract amount after exercise of this option will be $13,333,668. Work will be performed in Jacksonville, North Carolina, and is expected to be completed by September 2015. Fiscal 2015 operations and maintenance (Defense Health Program, Navy) contract funds in the amount of $6,828,115 are being obligated on this award and will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Naval Facilities Engineering Command Mid-Atlantic, Norfolk, Virginia, is the contracting activity.
Lockheed Martin Corp., Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Co., Fort Worth, Texas, is being awarded a $7,011,951 modification to a previously awarded cost-plus-incentive-fee contract (N00019-12-C-0004) to exercise an option for interim contractor support for the F-35 Lightning II Program Low-Rate Initial Production Lot VII air systems. Work will be performed at Marine Corps Air Station Beaufort, South Carolina (55 percent), and Marine Corps Air Station Yuma, Arizona (45 percent), and is expected to be completed in November 2015. Fiscal 2015 aircraft procurement (Navy and Marine Corps) funds in the amount of $7,011,951 are being obligated at time of award, none of which will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Naval Air Systems Command, Patuxent River, Maryland, is the contracting activity.
Stanley Associates, Inc., Fairfax, Virginia, is being awarded a one-year $6,913,851 modification to a previously awarded indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity, cost-plus-fixed-fee contract for command, control, communications, computers and intelligence (C4I) support in the areas of test and evaluation, engineering, independent verification and validation engineering, software quality assurance, configuration management, and web site maintenance. This is one of nine contracts awarded; each awardee will have the opportunity to compete for task orders during the ordering period. This contract includes one remaining one-year option which, if exercised, would bring the cumulative value of this contract to an estimated $26,664,806. Work will be performed in San Diego, California, and is expected to be completed by Nov. 29, 2015. No funds will be obligated at the time of award. Funding will be obligated via task orders. The types of funding to be obligated include: operations and maintenance; research, development, test and evaluation (Navy and Department of Defense-wide); and working capital funds (Department of Defense). This contract was competitively procured via Request for Proposal N66001-11-R-0054 published on the Federal Business Opportunities website, and the SPAWAR e-Commerce Central website. Nine proposals were received and nine were selected. The Space and Naval Warfare Systems Center Pacific, San Diego, California, is the contracting activity (N66001-12-D-0073).
ARMY
FLIR Systems, Inc., Wilsonville, Oregon, was awarded a $46,330,731firm-fixed-price, multi-year contract for original equipment manufacturer non-warranty repair and refurbishment of Star SAFIRE III, Star SAFIRE HD, Ranger III, and RECON III sensors, and integrated logistics support oversight. Funding and work location will be determined with each work order, with an estimated completion date of Nov. 25, 2018. Work was solicited via the Internet, with one offer received. Army Space and Missile Command, Huntsville, Alabama, is the contracting activity (W9113M-15-D-0001).
Great Lakes Dredge & Dock Co, LLC, Oak Brook, Illinois, was awarded a $35,142,230 firm-fixed-price contract, with options, for beachfill and completion of the initial construction from Brigantine Inlet to Great Egg Harbor Inlet, at Absecon Island, Atlantic County, New Jersey. Work will be performed in Margate, New Jersey, with an estimated completion date of Aug, 1, 2016. Bids were solicited via the Internet, with two received. Fiscal 2014 operations and maintenance (Army) funds in the amount of $35,142,230 are being obligated at the time of the award. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Philadelphia District, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, is the contracting activity (W912BU-15-C-0006).
The Mason & Hanger Group, Inc., Lexington, Kentucky (W912DY-15-D-0013); HNTB Corp., Kansas City, Missouri (W912DY-15-D-0014); and Polyengineering, Inc.,* Dothan, Alabama (W912DY-15-D-0015), will share in a $35,000,000 firm-fixed-price contract, with options, for architect/engineer design services to support the range training and land program, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers' Engineering and Support Center, Huntsville, Alabama. Funding and work location will be determined with each order, with an estimated completion date of Nov. 18, 2019. Bids were solicited via the Internet, with 10 bids received. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Engineer Support Center, Huntsville, Alabama, is the contracting activity.
Northrop Grumman, Huntsville, Alabama, was awarded a $10,500,000 modification (P00114) to cost-plus-incentive-fee contract W31P4Q-08-C-0418 for continued service and support to the integrated air and missile defense battle command system. Fiscal 2015 research, development, test and evaluation funds in the amount of $ 10,500,000 were obligated at the time of the award. The cumulative total of the contract, with this modification, will be $1,266,314,640. Estimated completion date isSept. 30, 2016. Work will be performed Huntsville, Alabama. Army Contracting Command, Redstone Arsenal (Missile), Redstone Arsenal, Alabama, is the contracting activity.
The Boeing Co., doing business as Boeing Defense, Space and Security, St. Louis, Missouri, has been awarded a not-to-exceed firm-fixed-price $82,591,000 modification (02) to delivery order 0001 on previously awarded contract FA8213-15-D-0002 for Joint Direct Attack Munition tail kits. Modification is to purchase 3000 JDAM tail kits that have the ultra-tightly coupled capability for the Israeli Air Force. Work will be performed at St. Louis, Missouri, and is expected to be completed byNov. 30, 2016. This contract is 100-percent foreign military sales. Air Force Life Cycle Management Center, Hill Air Force Base, Utah, is the contracting activity.
Chromalloy Component Services Inc., San Antonio, Texas, has been awarded a $29,145,000 firm-fixed-price, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract for remanufacture of F108 low pressure turbine assembly module 13/15. Contractor will remanufacture the F108 LPTAM 13/15 in support of the KC-135 aircraft. Work will be performed at San Antonio, Texas, and is expected to be completed by Nov. 23, 2015. This award is the result of a competitive acquisition, with two offers received. No funds are being obligated at the time of award. Air Force Sustainment Center/PZAAB, Tinker Air Force Base, Oklahoma, is the contracting activity (FA8122-15-D-0001).
Raytheon Technical Services Co., Sterling, Virginia, has been awarded a $15,214,843 modification (P00037) to exercise an option on previously awarded contract FA7022-11-C-0010 for radar operations and maintenance services. Contractor will ensure the availability of the Cobra Dane's radar facility to collect 100 percent of the tasked data that passes through its field of view. The necessary support shall be provided 24-hours-a-day, 365-days-a-year. Work will be performed at Eareckson Air Station, Alaska, and is expected to be completed by Dec. 31, 2015. No funds are being obligated at the time of award. Subsequent modifications will be accomplished to add funding. The 21st Contracting Squadron, Peterson Air Force Base, Colorado, is the contracting activity (FA7022-11-C-0010).
The Boeing Company, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, has been awarded a $25,573,769 modification (P00034) to exercise an option on previously awarded contract FA8106-06-D-0001 for product service integrator for the E-4B platform. Contractor will exercise option year 10 of the contract for the E-4B platform consisting of sustainment, programmed depot maintenance, modification and related support for the period of Dec. 1 through May 31, 2015, with an option six from June 1 through Nov. 30, 2015. Work will be performed at Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, and is expected to be completed by Nov. 30, 2015. This award is the result of a sole-source acquisition. Fiscal 2015 operations and maintenance funds in the amount of $25,573,769 are being obligated at the time of award. Air Force Life Cycle Management Center, Tinker Air Force Base, Oklahoma, is the contracting activity (FA8106-06-D-0001).
*Small business
Assistant Press Secretary Carl Woog provided the following readout: Secretary Hagel hosted New Zealand Minister of Defense Gerry Brownlee this afternoon at the Pentagon. During their meeting, Secretary Hagel praised the growth of the bilateral defense relationship and expressed appreciation for New Zealand's support for the counter-Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) coalition. They also talked extensively about the security situation in Afghanistan and the Resolute Support mission set to begin after the first of the year. The two secretaries reaffirmed their commitment to peace and stability in the Asia-Pacific and their nations continued partnership in the region. |
If you’ve ever been told that you cannot do something, but you refuse to give up on your dream, you have something in common with Chalky White.
After repeatedly failing to achieve full ski instructor certification in the United Kingdom, then being repeatedly denied entry into another certification program, White eventually accomplished his goal of being a world-class ski instructor. He’s been inspiring confidence in skiers of all levels for more than three decades.
“Adversity is simply the flipside of success; I was told that I had the ‘wrong body shape’ for skiing and I experienced three consecutive failures at achieving the full British certification,” says Chalky, who flew across the world to New Zealand for training and certification there. Denied entry, his tenacity finally convinced the coach to take him on.
“The negativity I’d experienced in following my dreams only served to increase my determination. Also, I believe the difficulty I had helped me be far more empathetic as an instructor.”
Chalky is the author of Amazon’s bestselling “The 7 Secrets of Skiing.” The enormous response to the how-to book enabled him to craft a new program for business professionals and celebrities, called Ski the World with Chalky White, (www.the7secretsofskiing.com).
He discusses lessons in skiing, both for the slopes and in life.
• Keep in mind the “calculated risk factor.” Of course, giving your all can be scary, because no matter how much you invest in time, effort and money, there’s no guarantee it will work. And, even for experienced skiers, standing at the top of a big, steep hill with the intention of throwing your body down it – albeit with the intention of control – can be nerve-racking.
“That’s where preparation and systematic training comes in,” Chalky says. “You’re not simply hurling yourself down the mountain; you’re taking a calculated risk, estimating that your training and ability to stay calm and focused will serve your purpose. The same goes with any risk you take in life.”
• Always show up first. Whether you’re the most gifted person in your field of passion or, like Chalky, you have the “wrong body shape,” be so enthusiastic about learning and working, you’re always the first one on the slope. Never take your talent or your experience for granted. The always-show-up-first mentality keeps you humble, hungry and sharp.
“I was extremely fortunate to have a ski instructor trainer in Peter Curtis; after I’d finally achieved my dream of becoming a fully certified instructor, he said to me, ‘Congratulations, now go and learn to ski,’ ” Chalky says. “Initially taken aback at such a key juncture in my life and career, the simple command set me on the path that I still follow today. With each ski season, I try eking out that little bit of improvement that helps both me and my clients.”
• Skiing is balancing on a moving platform. Simply put, skiing is balance. An efficiently poised skier who has found his or her balance can ski harder, better and longer through difficult twists and turns. That’s true for skiing and an excellent metaphor for attacking the slalom of life.
“The right balance of physical and mental preparation and determination can take you pretty much anywhere you want to go,” he says.
• Never take “no” for an answer; be willing to alter your plan to achieve your goal. In order to fund his attempt to make his living as a fully certified instructor, Chalky needed money. At age 26, he left his position as a British policeman and took a job that no one wanted as an encyclopedia salesman in Germany.
“Nearly every step along the way, I wanted to quit -- from the tedious job selection process to knocking on my first German door on a cold, wet evening to continuing the position month after month,” he says. “But I did it, and I did it well, which taught me the rewards of persevering through the tough stuff. I didn’t say ‘no,’ and I’ve since lived the life I’ve wanted. Sometimes, in order to fulfill a dream, one must do things that are not part of the original plan.”
About Chalky White
For many years, Chalky White has been a professional ski instructor who is highly regarded for being able to help develop balance and confidence in beginners and new insights for intermediate and advanced skiers. Through his business, Seven Secrets International Ski Services LLC, he has taught students in the Alps, New Zealand and the Rocky Mountains in Colorado, where he remains a longtime member of the esteemed Vail and Beaver Creek Ski School. Since 2011, his book, “The 7 Secrets of Skiing,” (www.the7secretsofskiing.com), has been at or near the No.1 for ski books on Amazon. White is a sought-after inspirational/motivational speaker on his specialty subject and his keynote, “The Calculated Risk Factor – What a wonderful World - If you Don’t Quit!”
The Army National Guard, Army Reserve, and Navy Reserve announced a decrease in activated National Guard members and reservists this week, while the Marine Corps Reserve, Air National Guard, Air Force Reserve, and Coast Guard Reserve announced an increase of activated National Guard members and reservists. The net collective result is a decrease of 98 activated National Guard members and reservists in comparison to last week.
At any given time, services may activate some units and individuals while deactivating others, making it possible for these figures to either increase or decrease. The total number currently on active duty from the Army National Guard and Army Reserve is 18,782; Navy Reserve, 3,031; Marine Corps Reserve, 977; Air National Guard and Air Force Reserve, 3,098; and the Coast Guard Reserve, 300. This brings the total National Guard and reserve personnel who have been activated to 30,050, including both units and individual augmentees.
A cumulative roster of all National Guard and reserve personnel who are currently activated may be found online at:http://www.defense.gov/pubs/Mobilization-Weekly-Report-141125.pdf.
By Claudette Roulo
DoD News, Defense Media Activity
WASHINGTON, Nov. 25, 2014 - Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel is focused on the defense mission as the search for his successor begins, Pentagon Press Secretary Navy Rear Adm. John Kirby said today.
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"The secretary is going to stay at the job and stay at work and continue to do the things that he has been doing the last two years," Kirby told reporters during a news briefing.
In Hagel's time at the department he's launched more than a dozen reforms, the admiral said, noting that many of those reforms have been implemented and some -- including a military justice system review and efforts to reduce military sexual assaults -- are still being worked through.
"He's very much focused on implementing the recommendations and changes that he has accepted from the reforms that we put in place ... [and] also working with the groups that he has working on other reform initiatives he has out there," Kirby said.
The defense secretary will continue to emphasize the three priorities he outlined in a speech in Chicago in May: people, capabilities and partnerships, the press secretary said.
"It's very much for him about, you know, continuing to keep -- to keep his foot on the pedal and moving forward," he said.
Of particular importance is continuing to develop the U.S. relationship with Asian-Pacific nations, Kirby said. Hagel was forced to postpone a planned trip to the region due to scheduling conflicts. But, the press secretary said, the department and Hagel are committed to the rebalance.
"The secretary has made six trips to the region since he's been secretary ... He has been very, very much a point man on the Asia-Pacific rebalance, securing important agreements with many countries over there for increased U.S. rotational presence," the admiral said.
By Air Force Tech. Sgt. Jake Richmond
DoD News, Defense Media Activity
WASHINGTON, Nov. 24, 2014 - The Defense Innovation Initiative will help to develop more innovative leaders and identify new operational concepts, but sequestration is still "a problem we need to address as a nation," Deputy Defense Secretary Bob Work said yesterday.
Work discussed the new initiative on Gannett's "DefenseNews With Vago Muradian" program.
Echoing Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel's announcement last week, Work compared elements of the innovation initiative with the department's first two "offset" strategies, which began in the 1970s.
"The United States has never, since the end of World War II, tried to match our potential adversaries tank for tank, airplane for airplane, person for person, missile for missile," Work said. "We have always sought an offset."
Sequestration Limits DoD's Freedom of Action
Generally, that strategy has been based around people, technology, and then-new operational concepts, Work said.
"Regardless of the budget would be, we would want to do this," he added. "But under sequestration, our freedom of action is really going to be limited."
The threat of sequestration, with its nearly $1 trillion in potential spending cuts, was a central topic in Work's interview with Muradian.
"The president's been very clear," Work said. "The national security of the United States is not well served by sequestration. We just have to keep pointing out that if you want a budget-driven strategy, go to sequestration. If you want us to have a strategy that's good for the nation, then go more with the president's budget."
In the memorandum that established the initiative, Hagel noted that "downward fiscal pressure will constrain the way we have traditionally addressed threats." That pressure will demand a more innovative and agile defense enterprise, the memo said.
Most Important Aspect is People
Work noted that the initiative has five key aspects, but emphasized that the initiative isn't all about technology. "The first and most important thing is about our people," he said.
Work discussed the other elements of the departmentwide effort, including the reinvigoration of wargaming, the creation of a long-range research and development program and an increased focus on making DoD business practices more innovative. "If you have more budget top room, you can make more bets and see which one plays out," he said. "At sequestration, you just simply can't."
The deputy secretary made it clear that a budget-driven strategy is not ideal, but he said it's what will happen if sequestration continues. Unless Congress acts to change the law, sequestration spending cuts resume in fiscal year 2015, which begins Oct. 1.
The innovation initiative is timely, despite budget uncertainty, Work said. He referenced the example of the department's second offset strategy, which remained in place through several presidential administrations and provided an operational advantage for four decades.
"What we can do in the next two years [of this administration] is kind of set the course," Work said. "Once you get the strategy right, they generally go across administrations and over time."
In 1987, Major Kelly transferred to the Basic School, Quantico, VA, serving first as the head of the Offensive Tactics Section, Tactics Group, and later assuming the duties of the Director of the Infantry Officer Course. After three years of instructing young officers, he attended the Marine Corps Command and Staff College, and the School for Advanced Warfare, both located at Quantico. Completing duty under instruction and selected for Lieutenant Colonel, he was assigned as Commanding Officer, 1st Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion, 1st Marine Division, Camp Pendleton, CA. Holding this command position for two years, Lieutenant Colonel Kelly returned to the East Coast in 1994, to attend the National War College inWashington, DC. He graduated in 1995, and was selected to serve as the Commandant's Liaison Officer to the U.S. House of Representatives, Capitol Hill, where he was promoted to the rank of Colonel.
In 1999, Colonel Kelly transferred to joint duty and served as the Special Assistant to the Supreme Allied Commander, Europe, in Mons, Belgium. He returned to the United States in 2001, and was assigned to a third tour of duty at Camp Lejeune, now as the Assistant Chief of Staff G-3 with the 2nd Marine Division. In 2002, selected to the rank of Brigadier General, Colonel Kelly again served with the 1st Marine Division, this time as the Assistant Division Commander. Much of Brigadier General Kelly's two-year assignment was spent deployed in Iraq. He then returned to Headquarters Marine Corps as the Legislative Assistant to the Commandant from 2004 to 2007. Promoted to major general, he returned to Camp Pendleton as the Commanding General, I Marine Expeditionary Force (Forward). The command deployed to Iraq in early 2008 for a year-long mission, replacing II Marine Expeditionary Force (Forward) as Multinational Force-West in Al Anbar and western Ninewa provinces. LtGen Kelly commanded Marine Forces Reserve and Marine Forces North from October 2009 to March 2011. General Kelly comes to United States Southern Command from his previous position as the Senior Military Assistant to the Secretary of Defense from March 2011 to October 2012.
By Michael Wimbish
U.S. Southern Command
MIAMI, Nov. 24, 2014 - The commander of U.S. Southern Command visited Belize, Guatemala and Honduras last week to reaffirm the U.S. military's commitment to helping Central American nations combat transnational criminal organizations.
At each stop in Belize, Guatemala and Honduras, Marine Corps Gen. John F. Kelly held high-level meetings with top leaders and security officials to review their security situations, address current collaborative efforts to counter transnational criminal organizations and discuss future U.S. military support to bolster security capabilities.
The governments of Belize, Guatemala and Honduras have committed to taking on transnational crime syndicates and disrupting illicit networks that move drugs, weapons, money and people through the region and into the United States. Southcom officials said the nations are critical allies in the international fight against transnational organized crime, which threatens regional and U.S. security.
Illicit Trafficking Destabilizes Central America
The destabilizing effects of transnational criminal organizations' illicit trafficking activities have produced security challenges in Central America, officials said. The organized crime groups use their immense resources and power to intimidate communities and corrupt local governments to enable the flow of their lucrative illicit networks, they explained.
U.S. military support falls under the U.S. government's comprehensive assistance to the region known as the Central American Regional Security Initiative. The support includes training and assistance to improve maritime, aerial and land security efforts, information sharing, and the provision of equipment and technology.
The United States also provides operational and detection and monitoring support in the form of Operation Martillo, a joint U.S., European, and Western Hemisphere partner-nation effort to disrupt transnational criminal activity in the coastal waters of Central America.
The U.S. military also works with other nations, most notably Colombia, which has vast experience in successfully combating narcoterrorists and reinstituting governance and the rule of law.
As Southcom's commander, Kelly oversees all U.S. military operations and engagements in Central and South America and the Caribbean.
Visit to Belize
During his Nov. 18 visit to Belize, Kelly met with Brig. Gen. David N. Jones, commander of the Belize Defense Force, and Rear Adm. John A. Borland, commander of the nation's coast guard, and discussed security challenges and future U.S. engagement. Kelly also met with U.S. Ambassador Carlos R. Moreno.
Current Southcom engagements with Belize focus on improving its capabilities to counter transnational organized crime, participating in joint and multinational training exercises, and increasing capacity to conduct humanitarian and disaster relief missions. Kelly most recently visited Belize in September 2013.
Visit to Guatemala
Kelly arrived in Guatemala Nov. 19 and met with Defense Minister Maj. Gen. Manuel Augusto Lopez Ambrocio and Chief of Defense Carlos Eduardo Estrada Perez. The general also met with U.S. Ambassador Todd D. Robinson. Discussions focused on continued support and training for Guatemala's interagency task force, human rights efforts and future U.S. military engagement activities.
Recent focus areas for Southcom's engagement with Guatemala include joint operations and planning, maritime security, information sharing, human rights, communications, logistics and peacekeeping. Kelly previously visited Guatemala in July.
Visit to Honduras
Honduras was Kelly's last stop in Central America. He met with Honduran President Juan Orlando Hernandez, Chief of Defense Maj. Gen. Fredy Diaz, and U.S. Ambassador James Nealon. The leaders discussed continued U.S. support to Honduran counterdrug efforts, long-term security assistance and human rights issues.
Ongoing U.S. military support to Honduras includes logistical support to Honduran counter trafficking operations, information sharing, training and multinational exercises and increasing capacity to conduct humanitarian and disaster relief missions.
This was Kelly's third visit to Honduras in 2014. He previously visited Honduras in February and June. The Honduran president also visited Southcom headquarters in August.
New research suggests that online dating is succeeding at making better relationships – but how much better is it really?
The research, published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences from a survey of 20,000 people who took the plunge between 2005 and 2012, found an increase in marital satisfaction from online dating, but only by a slim margin.
“Such a small gain in satisfaction signals only one possible conclusion: We will continue to experience a very high long-term divorce rate until there is asignificant improvement in martial happiness”, says Troy Pummill, an entrepreneur from Silicon Valley whose courtship with his wife, Judy Day, led the couple to create a different kind of dating and relationship site,www.MagicalMatches.com.
“Online dating has potential to be the greatest leap forward in finding love, ever. But, until online dating goes beyond mere introductions to suggest a new approach to dating and relationships, people will continue to treat online dating like a virtual bar, which is a road that inevitably leads to the same failed relationships of the past. It’s not working. It’s time for a radical departure.”
To that end, the couple has co-authored “The Mirror Effect: More Than Soul Mates (6 Steps to Finding Your Magical Match Using Online Dating)” which provides a distinctly different approach of dating and relationships.
“The ‘mirror effect’ is a phenomenon that reveals a profound, immediate connection that occurs between two people who are highly alike,” says Day. “It happens when you find a person whose heart and soul is just like yours – you think and feel the same, value the same things, enjoy the same things. That connection can lead to deep love, a lasting romance.”
How do you find lasting, deep love online? Pummill and Day offer these tips:
• Your profile can be your most powerful tool – if you use it correctly. Don’t waste time listing superficial, external attributes that have nothing to do with who you are inside. Not only will it look just like a million other profiles, it won’t help your “mirror” find you. A profile should reflect who you are inside, the essential qualities that shape your soul, heart and mind. Instead of “I like movies, traveling and jigsaw puzzles,” write about your dreams, aspirations, passions and feelings regarding your perspectives on love and life and how you view the world. These qualities present a clear picture of your core elements – and anyone with the same qualities will recognize a match.
• If your relationship is work, it’s the wrong relationship. This is Mirror Law No.1. Traditionally, we’re taught that relationships take work, and lots of it. With a perfect mirror, however, there’s no friction and no compromise. Having a happy, fulfilling relationship is effortless. You will likely meet people who are nearly mirror matches, but hold out for the perfect magical match. Life is short and time is precious; be willing to let the near misses go.
• Commit to your search; make it a mission. As with anything you wish in life, in order to succeed, you must wholeheartedly commit to the process: Use a profile that mirrors your heart, soul and mind; date only those who see themselves in your profile; quickly let go of the near misses; don’t settle for less than absolutely amazing. You will find that when you demand the best, eventually, you get it.
About Troy Pummill and Judy Day
Troy Pummill is an inventor, consultant and entrepreneur with 25 years experience in Silicon Valley, where he worked with start-up network equipment manufacturers specializing in network protocols. After a 20-year marriage, Pummill discovered the “mirror effect” during his pursuit of true love, leading him and Judy Day, his wife, to createMagicalMatches.com(www.MagicalMatches.com) and co-author “The Mirror Effect: More Than Soul Mates (6 Steps to Finding Your Magical Match Using Online Dating).” Day is a CEO, patent holder and entrepreneur. She ran a high-altitude hospital at the base of Mount Everest while working as an intensive care unit registered nurse. She never considered marriage until encountering the “mirror effect.”
From a U.S. Central Command News Release
TAMPA, Fla., Nov. 24, 2014 - U.S. and partner-nation military forces have continued to attack Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant terrorists in Syria and Iraq over the last three days, U.S. Central Command officials reported today.
Airstrikes in Syria
Fighter and bomber aircraft have conducted nine airstrikes in Syria since Nov. 21, officials said:
-- Seven airstrikes near Kobani destroyed three ISIL fighting positions and two ISIL staging areas, damaged another ISIL staging area and suppressed four ISIL fighting positions.
-- Near Raqqah, two airstrikes struck an ISIL headquarters building.
Airstrikes in Iraq
In Iraq, fighter, attack, bomber and remotely-piloted aircraft have conducted 15 airstrikes since Nov. 21, officials said:
-- Five airstrikes near Mosul destroyed an ISIL checkpoint, three ISIL Humvees, a large ISIL unit, two tactical ISIL units and a heavy weapon.
-- Near Asad, two airstrikes destroyed a mortar position, an ISIL artillery piece, an ISIL vehicle and a tactical ISIL unit and damaged an ISIL-occupied building and an ISIL vehicle.
-- Near Baghdad, two airstrikes destroyed an ISIL-occupied building, three ISIL vehicles, an ISIL Humvee and two tactical ISIL units, one of which was emplacing roadside bombs.
-- Near Ramadi, two airstrikes destroyed two ISIL vehicles.
-- Near Tal Afar, two airstrikes suppressed a mortar position.
-- An airstrike struck an ISIL obstruction near Fallujah Dam.
-- Near Hit, an airstrike destroyed an ISIL vehicle.
All aircraft returned to base safely, Centcom officials said, noting that airstrike assessments are based on initial reports.
The strikes were conducted as part of Operation Inherent Resolve, the operation to eliminate the terrorist group ISIL and the threat they pose to Iraq, the region and the wider international community.
The destruction of ISIL targets in Syria and Iraq further limits the terrorist group's ability to project power and conduct operations, Centcom officials said.
Coalition nations conducting airstrikes in Iraq include the United States, Australia, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, France, Netherlands and the United Kingdom. Coalition nations conducting airstrikes in Syria include the United States, Bahrain, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates.
By Cheryl Pellerin
DoD News, Defense Media Activity
WASHINGTON, Nov. 24, 2014 - In a contribution to the Defense Department's fight against West Africa's deadly Ebola virus disease outbreak, the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency has launched its first public website of unclassified geospatial intelligence data.
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NGA's mission in support of national security is to visually depict and assess situations on the ground using satellite imagery and other geographically referenced information.
The public website, covering the West African countries affected by the Ebola outbreak, is a new venture for the necessarily secretive intelligence organization. Still, NGA has for years provided geographical intelligence to first responders during most major natural disasters.
"My group regularly supports humanitarian assistance and disaster relief efforts, as well as special security events that are driven by the FBI," Timothy J. Peplaw, director of the NGA Readiness, Response and Recovery Office, told DoD News during a recent interview.
Supporting the Disaster Supporters
"NGA is not necessarily in the business of providing unclassified data," he added, "but my customer set is very open, so my group is the one exception where we have to provide unclassified data and products to people who support these disasters."
The office always works through a lead federal agency, Peplaw explained.
During wildfires, earthquakes or hurricanes, that agency is FEMA, the Federal Emergency Management Agency. For the Ebola support, Peplaw's office works through the State Department. For special security events such as the presidential address or the Super Bowl, it's the FBI or the Office of the Director of National Intelligence.
"My group has in the past supported these events through unclassified means," he said, "but it's usually not through the World Wide Web and unclassified. It's usually through things like data encryption or special access with a need to know."
Unclassified NGA Ebola Website
For the Ebola Support website, there is no NGA control, Peplaw said, because his office wants its data and products to be available to a variety of users, especially nongovernmental organizations, or NGOs, who need help in their work in West Africa -- organizations such as Doctors Without Borders and the United Nations' World Food Program.
But the general public can use it, nongovernmental organizations can use it, and even foreign countries can use it, he said, adding that some recent website statistics indicated that people from 77 foreign countries had accessed the site.
"We have a partnership with the State Department through the World Wide Human Geography Data Working Group, formed in 2011 to focus on the need for human geography global foundation data as a basis better understanding cultures, activities and attitudes , Peplaw said. "Through that partnership, we have access to a wide variety of unclassified publicly available data. So NGA pulls that data together and offers it up as a service."
Readiness, Response and Recovery
The Readiness, Response and Recovery Office provides data and products and makes them available as a service using an online common operating environment called ArcGIS from a California-based company called Esri. Products include map atlases that Peplaw describes as maps and commercial imagery rolled into one.
The service part, Peplaw added, includes atlas maps that have different kinds of layers of data that users can turn on and turn off, based on their needs.
"Let's say that I'm an NGO working with people who are out at the Ebola treatment units, and we're trying to figure out how to get a patient from a local hospital to one of these units," he said. The NGO might want to see transportation data, medical facilities, Ebola treatment units and other data layers related to transporting that patient from a hospital to an Ebola treatment unit, he explained.
Other Practical Uses of Geospatial Data
Another practical use of the website might be to determine helicopter landing zones, Peplaw said.
"Let's say that we have to transport a critical patient via helicopter to an Ebola treatment unit," he said. "I can go in as a user and turn on and off these different layers, so for a helicopter landing zone I'd be interested in terrain [and] in critical infrastructure so I can see if there are power lines in the area, and I can see if there are roads to get to that helicopter landing zone."
Latest and Greatest Data
The other service aspect of the website is that it's live, Peplaw said. "That means that as we, NGA, get different layers of data or updates to that data, we update it in real time," he explained. "Whenever [users] access it, that's the latest and greatest data that's out there."
NGA has an analyst in Monrovia deployed with the 101st Airborne Division to support the Army, but the analyst also is helping the Liberian government update the country's essential maps through its Institute of Statistics and Geoinformation Services. Other countries in the region, Peplaw said, will be able to benefit from the public data available on the NGA Ebola Support site.
The widespread nature of the Ebola outbreak has been a technical and workforce challenge for the NGA office, he added.
"Usually when we support these kinds of things, it's in a very concentrated area, and this is spread throughout several countries in western Africa. The challenge is to provide geospatial intelligence support over a huge swath of land," Peplaw said.
NGA, WWW and the Future
The NGA office's foray onto the World Wide Web will take the agency in new directions in several ways moving forward.
"I think it means we spread ourselves globally," Peplaw said. "Our expertise is really in natural disasters and special security events, but now all of a sudden we're involved in a health issue, so I think [the direction] is only limited by the imagination.
"We can do so much with our data," he continued, "and pushing [it] out there as a service I think really gets it into a different domain. ... It's hard to say really where this is going to go in another five years, but it certainly isn't going away."
The Department of Defense announced today the transfer of Muhammed Murdi Issa Al-Zahrani from the detention facility at Guantanamo Bay to the Government of Saudi Arabia.
On Oct. 3, a Periodic Review Board consisting of representatives from the Departments of Defense, Homeland Security, Justice, and State; the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and the Office of the Director of National Intelligence determined continued law of war detention of Al-Zahrani does not remain necessary to protect against a continuing significant threat to the security of the United States. As a result of that review, which examined a number of factors, including security issues, Al-Zahrani was recommended for transfer by consensus of the six departments and agencies comprising the Periodic Review Board.
"In the past two weeks, the Department of Defense has transferred seven detainees. These transfers include both the first Yemenis since 2010 and two transfers involving detainees made eligible by the Periodic Review Board process. A total of 13 detainees have been transferred this year. This strikes a responsible balance and reflects the careful deliberation the Secretary of Defense brings to the transfer process, and follows a rigorous process in the interagency to review several items including security review prior to any transfer," said Mr. Paul Lewis, Special Envoy for Guantanamo Detention Closure
In accordance with statutory requirements, the secretary of defense informed Congress of the United States' intent to transfer this individual and of his determination that this transfer meets the statutory standard.
The Periodic Review Board process was established by the president's March 7, 2011 Executive Order (EO) 13567.
The United States is grateful to the Government of Saudi Arabia for its willingness to support ongoing U.S. efforts to close the Guantanamo Bay detention facility. The United States coordinated with the Government of Saudi Arabia to ensure this transfer took place consistent with appropriate security and humane treatment measures.
Today, 142 detainees remain at Guantanamo Bay.
This is the second mid-level flare from the same active region, labeled AR 12205, which rotated over the left limb of the sun on Nov. 3. The image was captured by NASA’s Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO) in extreme ultraviolet light that was colorized in red and gold.
Solar flares are powerful bursts of radiation. Harmful radiation from a flare cannot pass through Earth’s atmosphere to physically affect humans on the ground, however – when intense enough – they can disturb the atmosphere in the layer where GPS and communications signals travel.
This flare is classified as an M7.9-class flare. M-class flares are a tenth the size of the most intense flares, the X-class flares. The number provides more information about its strength. An M2 is twice as intense as an M1, an M3 is three times as intense, etc.
