DOD CONTRACTS

 

ARMY

 

Sikorsky Aircraft Corp., Stratford, Connecticut, was awarded a $316,176,135 modification (P00030) to firm-fixed-price contract W58RGZ-10-D-0001 for continued support of technical, engineering and logistical services and supplies, and component and airframe parts, for the overhaul, repair and recapitalization of the H-60 weapons system. Fiscal 2015 other procurement funds in the amount of $105,994,755 were obligated at the time of the award. The cumulative total of the contract, with this modification, is $538,250,392. Estimated completion date isNov. 30, 2017. Work will be performed at Corpus Christi Army Depot, Texas. Army Contracting Command, Redstone Arsenal (Aviation), Redstone Arsenal, Alabama, is the contracting activity.
 

TRAX International, LLC, White Sands Missile Range, New Mexico, was awarded a $99,846,413 modification (P00185) to cost-plus-award-fee contract W9124Q-07-C-0504 for mission support services to support the testing mission. Fiscal 2015 research, development, test and evaluation funds in the amount of $3,000,000 were obligated at the time of the award. Estimated completion date is Nov. 11, 2016. Work will be performed at White Sands Missile Range, New Mexico. Army Contracting Command, White Sands Missile Range, White Sands Missile Range, New Mexico, is the contracting activity.
 

Raytheon Co., Tucson, Arizona, was awarded a $15,050,856 modification (P00062) to firm-fixed-price contract W15QKN-08-C-0530 to acquire 213 projectiles under option five Excalibur 155mm increment 1b production option and 24 containers for the U.S. Army. Fiscal 2015 other procurement funds in the amount of $15,050,856 were obligated at the time of the award. The cumulative total of the contract, if all options are exercised, will be $738,000,000. Estimated completion date isApril 29, 2016. Work will be performed at various locations throughout the United States, including Arizona, California, Iowa, Ohio, Missouri and Massachusetts, as well as overseas in Sweden and the United Kingdom. Army Contracting Command, Picatinny Arsenal, Picatinny Arsenal, New Jersey, is the contracting activity.
 

Northrop Grumman, Herndon, Virginia, was awarded a $12,473,373 modification (P00057) to cost-plus-incentive-fee contract W31P4Q-12-C-0029. This sole-source, six-month extension is to provide continued support and bridging efforts while processing required approvals for the next larger follow-on ongoing contingency operations contract. Fiscal 2015 operations and maintenance (Army) funds in the amount of $12,473,373 were obligated at the time of the award. Estimated completion date is May 20, 2015. Work will be performed in Huntsville, Alabama (72 percent), and Afghanistan (28 percent). Army Contracting Command, Redstone Arsenal (Missile), Redstone Arsenal, Alabama, is the contracting activity.
 

CORRECTION: The contract announced yesterday to Great Lakes Dredge & Dock Co, LLC was not awarded.
 

DEFENSE LOGISTICS AGENCY

Sysco Hampton Roads, Suffolk, Virginia, has been awarded an estimated maximum $238,000,000 fixed-price with economic-price-adjustment, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract for prime vendor full-line food service distribution. This contract was a competitive acquisition, and three offers were received. This is a 22-month base contract with one one-year option and one two-year option periods. Location of performance is Virginia, with a Nov. 24, 2016, performance completion date. Using military services are Navy and Air Force. 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-3119).
 

CPI Aero,* Edgewood, New York, has been awarded an estimated maximum $56,000,000 firm-fixed-price, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract for maintenance, repair, and overhaul of aircraft wings. This contract was a competitive acquisition, and three offers were received. This is a five-year base contract with one three-year option period. Location of performance is New York, with a November 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-9405).
 

Sterlingwear of Boston, Inc.,** East Boston, Massachusetts, has been awarded a maximum $6,835,520 firm-fixed-price contract for Afghanistan uniformed police field jackets. This contract was a competitive acquisition, and three offers were received. This is a one-year base contract with four one-year option periods. Location of performance is Massachusetts, with a Nov. 24, 2015, performance completion date. Using services are Afghanistan National Police. Type of appropriation is fiscal 2015 defense working capital funds and foreign military sales. The contracting activity is the Defense Logistics Agency Troop Support, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (SPE1C1-15-D-1008).
 

NAVY

 

United Technologies Corp., Pratt & Whitney Military Engines, East Hartford, Connecticut, is being awarded a $105,492,976 cost-plus-incentive-fee modification to the previously awarded fixed-price-incentive-firm target contract N00019-13-C-0016. This modification exercises an option for sustainment efforts and operations and maintenance services in support of Low Rate Initial Production Lot VIII F135 propulsion systems, including hardware and training course materials and equipment. Work will be performed in Hartford, Connecticut (55 percent); Edwards Air Force Base, California (12 percent); Oklahoma City, Oklahoma (7 percent); Palmdale, California (5 percent); and various locations throughout the continental United States (21 percent); work is expected to be completed in December 2015. Fiscal 2015 aircraft procurement (Navy, Marine Corps and Air Force) and international partner funds in the amount of $101,786,708 will be obligated at time of award, none of which will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract combines purchase for the U.S. Marine Corps ($51,776,302; 49 percent); the U.S. Air Force ($35,093,376; 33 percent); the U.S. Navy ($10,542,815; 10 percent); and the international partners ($8,080,483; 8 percent). The Naval Air Systems Command, Patuxent River, Maryland, is the contracting activity.

Kings Bay Support Services, LLC, Baton Rouge, Louisiana, is being awarded a $40,054,815 modification under a previously awarded firm-fixed-price, indefinite-delivery indefinite-quantity contract (N69450-11-D-7578) to exercise option three for base operations support services at Naval Submarine Base Kings Bay. The work to be performed provides for base operations support services including public safety, harbor security, security operations, supply, personnel support, facilities support, facility management/facility investment, other (swimming pools), pavement clearance, utilities, chiller, electrical, wastewater, steam, water, telecommunications, compressed air, base support vehicles and equipment, environmental, and vertical transportation equipment. The total contract amount after exercise of this option will be $147,634,837. Work will be performed in Kings Bay, Georgia (99 percent), and Shellman Bluff, Georgia (1 percent), and work is expected to be completed November 2015. Fiscal 2015 operations and maintenance (Navy); fiscal 2015 Navy working capital funds; fiscal 2015 defense health program funds; and fiscal 2015 family housing operation and maintenance (Navy) contract funds in the amount of $766,012, are being obligated on this award and will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Naval Facilities Engineering Command, Southeast, Jacksonville, Florida, is the contracting activity.
 

Lockheed Martin Space Systems Co., Sunnyvale, California, was awarded a $35,884,476 cost-plus-fixed-fee contract to provide engineering efforts in support of the following: integrating the Trident II missile and reentry strategic weapon system subsystems into the common missile compartment for the Ohio replacement and United Kingdom successor programs; gas dynamic testing and high fidelity aft end fabrication for nozzle shield retention testing; program management of an integrated test facility that will be compatible with existing and new submarine fleets; and manufacture, test and delivery of missile service units. This contract contains two option years, which, if exercised, will bring the contract value to a maximum $99,238,025. Work will be performed in Cape Canaveral, Florida (39.86 percent); Sunnyvale, California (35.09 percent); Rialto, California (13.82 percent); Magna, Utah (4.05 percent); Cincinnati, Ohio (2.82 percent); Merritt Island, Florida (1.84 percent); and locations having less than one percent (2.52 percent). Work is expected to be completed Dec. 31, 2017. If options are exercised, work will continue through Sept. 30, 2020. Fiscal 2014 weapons procurement (Navy) funds in the amount of $35,884,476 are being obligated at the time of award. No contract funds will expire at the end of the fiscal year. This contract was a sole-source acquisition in accordance with 10 U.S.C. 2304(c)(1). The Navy's Strategic Systems Programs, Washington, District of Columbia, is the contracting activity (N00030-15-C-0005). (Awarded Nov. 24, 2014)
 

Booz Allen Hamilton, McLean, Virginia (N65236-15-D-4800); CENTRA Technology, Inc., Burlington, Massachusetts (N65236-15-D-4801); ManTech SRS Technologies, Inc., Arlington, Virginia (N65236-15-D-4802); and Schafer Corp., Chelmsford, Massachusetts (N65236-15-D-4803), are each being awarded an indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity, cost-plus-fixed-fee, with provisions for firm-fixed-price task orders, performance based contract. The contracts are for technical, programmatic, financial, and administrative support services for existing and future Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency Tactical Technology Office programs. The cumulative, estimated value (ceiling) of the base year is $32,315,000. The contracts include options which, if exercised, would bring the cumulative value (ceiling) of these contracts to an estimated $96,945,000. Work will be performed in Arlington, Virginia, and is expected to be completed by November 2015. If all options are exercised, work could continue until November 2017. Research, development, test and evaluation funds in the amount of $25,000 will be obligated at the time of award as the minimum guarantee and will be split among the four awardees. These funds will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract action establishes a potential ceiling value, in which funds are obligated on individual task orders. The multiple award contracts were competitively procured by full and open competition via the SPAWAR e-Commerce Central website and the Federal Business Opportunities website, with four offers received. Space and Naval Warfare Systems Center Atlantic, Charleston, South Carolina, is the contracting activity.
 

Orion Construction Corp.*, Vista, California, is being awarded $20,747,000 for firm-fixed-price task order 0012 under a previously awarded multiple award construction contract (N62473-10-D-5419) for design and construction of the reclaimed water conveyance at Marine Corps Base, Camp Pendleton. The work to be performed provides for new higher capacity reclaimed water systems to support military quality of life services and to reduce dependency on potable water throughout Marine Corps Base, Camp Pendleton. The North Area Recycled Water Distribution system provides a recycled water distribution system and pumping stations from the Northern Regional Tertiary Treatment Plant to various facilities and selected irrigation sites. The project also provides a reservoir and truck fill stations in the 52 Area; irrigations systems will be provided as required. The South Area Recycled Water Distribution system provides a recycled water system including reservoirs, a pump station, injection wells at Ysidora Flats and a pipeline to the Red Beach injection well field. The injection well fields will act as a saltwater barrier to improve the aquifer. Work will be performed in Oceanside, California, and is expected to be completed by November 2016. Fiscal 2012 military construction (Navy) contract funds in the amount of $20,747,000 are obligated on this award and will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. Four proposals were received for this task order. The Naval Facilities Engineering Command, Southwest, San Diego, California, is the contracting activity.
 

Northrop Grumman Technical Services, Herndon, Virginia, is being awarded a $10,394,167 modification to a previously awarded cost-plus-fixed-fee contract (N00421-14-C-0009) to exercise an option for maintenance services for E-2C and C-2 aircraft in support of the VX-20 squadron. Work will be performed in Patuxent River, Maryland (95 percent), and St. Augustine, Florida (5 percent), and is expected to be completed in December 2015. Fiscal 2015 working capital funds (Navy) in the amount of $8,350,000 are being obligated at time of award, none of which will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division, Patuxent River, Maryland, is the contracting activity.
 

Drew Marine USA, Inc., Whippany, New Jersey, is being awarded a $9,553,883 modification under a previously awarded indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract, with firm-fixed-price delivery orders (N00033-12-D-8000), to exercise a one-year option for the worldwide supply, delivery, and services for shipboard chemical treatment; foam testing, supply and disposal; industrial gases; and refrigerants for all U.S. naval ships of the Military Sealift Command (MSC) and any other vessel specifically identified bythe command. Work will be performed worldwide and work on this option is expected to be completed November 2015. Working capital contract funds in the amount of $9,553,883 are being obligated at the time of award, and funds will 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.

CORRECTION: Contract awarded Nov. 3, 2014, to DRS Power & Contract Technologies, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, for $17,924,189 (N4523A-15-D-0001) should have read that the contract was an indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract, not a modification to a previously awarded indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract.
 

AIR FORCE

 

Georgia Tech Applied Research Corp., Atlanta, Georgia, has been awarded a $44,500,000 cost- plus-fixed-fee, indefinite-delivery/ indefinite-quantity contract for research and development of the Electronic Warfare/Sensor Technology, Modeling, Simulation and Analysis Research (EWTA) program. Contractor will conduct collaborative research with the objective to increase Air Force capabilities to conduct countermeasures and information warfare against current, evolving, and new threats. The EWTA exploits technologies that can provide solutions to warfighter electronic warfare/sensor deficiencies. It also performs experiments and demonstrations to develop, evolve, evaluate, verify, and validate EW/sensor technologies and concepts. The EWTA continues a unified program of research, concept development, analyses, and experimentation to determine and validate the mission effectiveness of EW/sensor technologies and their overall systems. Work will be performed at Atlanta, Georgia, and Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio, and is expected to be completed by Nov. 25, 2021. This award is the result of a sole-source acquisition. No funds are being obligated at the time of award. Air Force Research Laboratory, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio, is the contracting activity (FA8650-15-D-1715).
 

Lockheed Martin Missiles and Fire Control, Orlando, Florida, has been awarded a $22,014,427 firm-fixed-price contract. Contractor will provide Romanian Air Force and the Royal Thai Air Force with digital data recorders, spares, depot lay in, ground handling equipment, digital cartridge interface units, bench stock, pylons, hand tools, portable maintenance aid, roll break release box, software development and integration support, contractor logistics support and sustainment services. In addition, the Romanian Air Force is to be provided a compact multi-band data link. Work will be performed at Orlando, Florida, and is expected to be completed by Feb. 29, 2016. This contract involves foreign military sales. This award is the result of a sole-source acquisition. Air Force Life Cycle Management Center, Robins Air Force Base, Georgia, is the contracting activity (FA8540-15-C-0002).
 

Big-D Construction Corp., Salt Lake City, Utah, has been awarded a $17,148,379 firm-fixed-price contract for F-22 paint booths. Contractor will provide three new paint booth inserts to be designed, built, and installed in existing aircraft docks. Modifications to existing buildings 674 and 680 will be required for new paint booth inserts, and associated equipment and facilities. Additionally, contractor will convert existing paint booth boilers to direct fire furnaces. Work will be performed at Hill Air Force Base, Utah, and is expected to be completed by Sept. 30, 2016. This award is the result of a competitive acquisition with one offer received. Fiscal 2014 aircraft procurement funds in the amount of $17,148,379 are being obligated at the time of award. Air Force Systems Command, Hill Air Force Base, Utah, is the contracting activity (FA8224-15-C-0001).
 

Boeing Co., Defense, Space and Security Division, Kent, Washington, has been awarded a $12,255,878 cost-plus-fixed-fee for Airborne Warning and Control System (AWACS) modernization program planning/risk reduction effort. Contractor will upgrade five E-707 aircraft and associated ground support systems. Contract also includes studies and analysis of mission computing (Block 40/45), next generation interrogator friend or foe, mission communications and navigation, and ground systems. Work will be performed at Kent, Washington, and is expected to be completed by Nov. 30, 2016. This contract is 100 percent foreign military sales. This award is the result of a sole-source acquisition. Air Force Life Cycle Management Center, Hanscom Air Force Base, Massachusetts, is the contracting activity (F19628-01-D-0016).
 

DEFENSE ADVANCED RESEARCH PROJECTS AGENCY

 

The Microelectronics Advanced Research Corporation (MARCO), Durham, North Carolina, has been awarded a $15,549,979 modification (P00008) to other transaction agreement HR0011-13-3-0002, exercising the second option for year three of the Focus Center Research Program (FCRP) - Semiconductor Technology Advanced Research Network (STARnet). The goal of this program is to create/continue a nationwide network of multi-university research centers that will keep the U.S. Department of Defense and U.S. semiconductor and defense systems firms at the forefront of the global microelectronics revolution. These centers will focus on discovering solutions to the intractable problems that are forecast to lie in the future of integrated circuit progress and to lay the foundations for microsystems innovations. The FCRP - STARnet University Focus Centers operating are: Center for Spintronic Material, Interfaces and Novel Architectures (C-SPIN) University of Minnesota; Function Accelerated nanoMaterial Engineering (FAME) University of California, Los Angeles; Center for Low Energy Systems Technology (LEAST) University of Notre Dame; Center for Future Architectures Research (C-FAR) University of Michigan; Systems On Nanoscale Information fabriCs (SONIC) Center University of Illinois; and TerraSwarm Research Center (TSRC) University of California, Berkeley. The expected completion date is Jan. 22, 2016. Fiscal 2015 research, development, test and evaluation funds in the amount of $3,862,494 are being obligated at time of award. The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, Arlington, Virginia, is the contracting activity.
 

JOINT IMPROVISED EXPLOSIVE DEVICE DEFEAT ORGANIZATION

 

UDPATE: The contract awarded July 30, 2014 to CACI-Athena, Inc has an
updated obligation amount of $4,000,000.

*Small business
** Service-disabled veteran-owned small business

Department of Defense Press Briefing by Admiral Kirby in the Pentagon Briefing Room

REAR ADM. JOHN KIRBY: Good morning, everybody. No statement again today.

Bob?

Q: (off mic) -- since Secretary Hagel submitted his resignation. It's been characterized as a forced resignation or a firing, and I wonder whether you would say whether that's an accurate characterization of what happened.

ADM. KIRBY: This was a mutual decision arrived at between the president and the secretary of defense after a series of discussions that they had about the next two years. And, that's -- and that is exactly what happened, that's exactly how it -- how it transpired.

(CROSSTALK)

ADM. KIRBY: It would be inaccurate to characterize this as anything other than that, quite frankly.

Joe?

Q: Admiral Kirby, to follow up on Bob's question, can we expect with Secretary Hagel's resignation that the U.S. strategy in Iraq and Syria, mainly against ISIL, will be changing with the new secretary of defense?

ADM. KIRBY: Would it be accurate to say that, to --

Q: I'm asking you if, do we expect -- if you are -- if you are expecting, with Hagel's resignation, if we are heading to a new strategy against ISIL?

ADM. KIRBY: So, first, there's no connection between the secretary's resignation announced yesterday and the strategy that we're pursuing against ISIL on Iraq and Syria, no connection whatsoever.

And so, I wouldn't draw from one any kind of conclusions or changes to the other. The strategy, as the secretary has said, as Chairman Dempsey has said, as I have said, against ISIL is working. It's making -- we're making progress. Iraqi security forces on the ground are pushing out, out beyond Baghdad, into Anbar. Peshmerga continue to gain ground in the north.

It's not over, it's not going to be easy. Nobody is saying that. But our support from the air and now our support to them in an advise-and-assist capacity and soon a training capacity will continue. So I see no major muscle movements or changes to that.

Q: (off mic) -- on Afghanistan, could you confirm if the Pentagon is reviewing the size of U.S. forces after 2014 for the remaining two years, 2015-2016, over 9,800?

ADM. KIRBY: We're still having discussions with our NATO partners about the Resolute Support mission and the resources that are going to be required to execute that.

As you know, it's not all an American posture. The 9,800 is the number that the president has authorized for the American presence in Resolute Support, but that still means there's a couple of thousand or so that need to be provided by coalition partners. We're still in discussions with them about that.

As you know, the bilateral security agreement didn't get signed until fairly late, so that has set back some of
those discussions. Those discussions are ongoing.

But, there's -- there's -- as we stand here today, there is no change to the 9,800 force level.

Q: Admiral, the secretary said yesterday he's going to stay at his job here until his successor is confirmed by the Senate. There's no way to know how long it's going to take, but, by all appearances, the new Republican-controlled Senate is going to make life very difficult for whoever that person is, so it could be a couple of months, let's say.

What are the secretary's priorities to get accomplished in that time, given that he may still be around here into the new year, maybe even for a couple more months?

ADM. KIRBY: 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. So I think it would be -- first of all, I want to set aside any, you know, expectations that he's somehow going to come up with a new set of priorities here in whatever time he has left in the job.

His priorities remain, and he outlined this in a speech in Chicago in May, people, capabilities and partnerships. And everything he does kind of lines up under those three major priorities.

He's launched more than a dozen reforms. Some of them now we've reported out to you. Some still have to work their way through.

So he's very much focused on implementing the recommendations and changes that he has accepted from the reforms that we put in place -- Navy Yard shooting, nuclear enterprise review, medical health system review. So he's very much focused on implementation of those.

Also, working with the groups that he has working on other reform initiatives he has out there. A military justice system review that he's got ongoing, the medals and awards review that he has going on right now. And, of course, the continued weekly focus by the secretary on sexual assault.

So it's very much for him about, you know, continuing to keep -- to keep his foot on the pedal and moving forward.

Q: Here in town, since his resignation yesterday, it's been very poisonous. There's been a lot of negative comments about him from administration officials, always unnamed, in news stories, for the past 24 hours.

Does that environment make it difficult for him to stay in the job for the next couple months and be effective with the president, with Congress in Washington, given that there's clearly bad blood between the White House and him or the White House and this building?

ADM. KIRBY: First of all, let me challenge the implication in the question that there's clearly bad blood between the building and the -- and the White House or between Secretary Hagel and the -- and the team.

As I said yesterday, and I'll continue to say, I mean, he considers himself a very strong partner inside the national security team. That will continue.

And his focus is not on the atmospherics and on the sniping by some anonymous officials in these various news accounts. His focus is on the men and women who wear the uniform and their families and on this very critical time period that we find ourselves in.

Let's remember as we head into Thanksgiving and into December, that we've got a mission that's ending in Afghanistan and one -- a new one that's starting up in that country in 2015. We've got a very serious fight against ISIL in Iraq and in Syria. We've got huge budget uncertainty that we're facing. And one of the things that he'll be working on over the holiday break, is work that F.Y. '16, fiscal year '16 budget submission. There's a lot of work to do.

When he left the White House yesterday, he came back to the Pentagon and immediately had a meeting with the senior leaders of this building, the service secretaries and the service chiefs as well as senior staff on his -- on his staff.

And his -- he had two things to say. It was a very short meeting. One, he thanked them for their support for the last almost two years in office and for the -- for the support he knew that he was gonna be able to continue to gather from them going forward.

But, number two, it's time to get -- you know, I got to keep working, you know. And he did it. He had a counterpart meeting with the minister of defense from New Zealand yesterday afternoon. And he's got a full calendar today. For him, it's back to business as usual, and that's where his head is.

Justin?

Q: Can we just go back to why he left? You said it was a mutually agreed-upon decision.

ADM. KIRBY: That's right.

Q: What did they mutually agree was the reason that he had to go?

ADM. KIRBY: I think it was -- this was the -- this was born out of a series of discussions that he and the president had. And I'm not gonna detail all the specifics of those discussions. First of all, I wasn't party to them.

I've talked about -- I've talked about this, Justin. There was a -- there was an understanding between the two of them that he had -- that the secretary had accomplished a lot in his less than two years in office. In fact, he had accomplished many of the things that he had set out to accomplish and to work on while he was secretary. It doesn't mean there still isn't work to do. As I answered to Phil, there is still more work to do.

But it was a general understanding between the two of them that now was about the right time for new leadership at the Pentagon to implement and to carry to conclusion some of those changes and to -- and to lead the Pentagon in the last two years of the Obama administration.

Q: (off mic) -- completely reject these ideas that have been floating around, a couple of them detailed in the New York Times, that he upset the White House over Guantanamo policy and Syria policy, specifically pulling back from plans to repatriate four Afghans who had been approved for transfer, and that he wrote that memo to Rice saying the Syria policy was at risk of unraveling.

Q: You reject that those -- those serious policy issues had anything to do with his dismissal?

ADM. KIRBY: There were -- policy disagreements or debates and discussions were not driving factors in the decision that the secretary made to submit his resignation.

It is not only not uncommon, but it's -- it's healthy for -- inside any large organization for there to be very candid and frank discussions and sometimes even disagreements over -- over the directions certain policies or programs take. That's what you expect. That's what you want.

And -- and the president said it himself yesterday in the White House when he talked about the very candid and frank and forthright advice and counsel that he has received from Secretary Hagel and how much he appreciates that. And that's his job, is to give his opinion.

But it is not the giving of that opinion that has led in any way to his decision to submit his resignation.

Q: Just one final quick one. Can you confirm that he actually stopped the transfer of four Afghans?

ADM. KIRBY: I'm not going to talk about specific policy decisions like that, Justin.

What I -- what I will say just on the issue of detainee transfers, one, he fully supports the closing of the Guantanamo detention facility and therefore, the transfer of the detainees in that facility, fully supports the president's policy that the Guantanamo detention facility should close and that those detainees should be transferred out of there.

He has also said himself that he takes his responsibility very seriously with respecting with effecting those detainee transfers and making sure that the assurances we get from third-party countries are adequate to our own national security. He takes that very seriously, and there's not a single transfer that he signs off that he doesn't do so in a very sober fashion.

Q: Admiral, on Afghanistan for a minute, six months ago when the president laid out the 9,800 plan, he said that the two missions were advise and assist the Afghans and -- and target the remnants of Al Qaida. But I understand now, the White House has authorized commanders to target the Taliban in certain situations.

Can you offer a little clarity on -- on what the authorizations for the commanders will be, regarding targeting the Taliban as opposed to Al Qaida?

And is it -- is it fair to describe this as something of -- of an incremental expansion of -- of next year's mission?

ADM. KIRBY: We -- there's been no decision to expand in Afghanistan the authorities that our troops have, commander has, to -- to defend those troops or to continue to prosecute and go after terrorist targets. There's been expansion of those authorities or the -- or the policies that govern those authorities.

And going into 2015, we've always said there's going to be two missions for our troops going forward. One is to support -- resolute support, as you pointed out, which is the train, advise and assist mission, the NATO mission in Afghanistan, and the other is, of course, to continue to conduct counterterrorism operations in Afghanistan and those will continue.

Valid terrorist targets will continue to be prosecuted and our troops will continue to have the right and the ability to defend themselves when needed.

Q: Can you just offer -- what is a valid territory? That's not just Al Qaida, the remnants of Al Qaida. Included in -- in those valid terrorist targets will be the Taliban --

ADM. KIRBY: Will be -- will be -- will be members of Al Qaida or Al Qaida-affiliated networks and other terrorist groups who continue to pose a threat to the national security of the United States and to the lives of our troops.

And while we won't target Taliban for the -- for the sake -- just merely for the sake of the fact that they're Taliban and quote unquote, "belligerents," should members of the Taliban decide to threaten American troops or specifically target and threaten our Afghan partners in a tactical situation, we're going to reserve the right to take action as needed.

Yeah, John?

Q: Just a quick follow-up.

I mean, isn't it -- obviously, the Taliban are going to continue to fight the ANSF after the end of this year, so is it fair to say that you guys will probably, on a pretty regular basis, be going after Taliban targets?

ADM. KIRBY: No, I don't think that's fair to say at all, John. I think I've characterized pretty clearly and succinctly under what circumstances members of the Taliban might, you know -- we -- we might be targeting.

Barb?

Q: What's the secretary's relationship with Susan Rice?

ADM. KIRBY: The secretary has a close professional relationship with -- with Susan Rice, the national security advisor, as you would think he would as secretary of defense.

They meet and discuss -- they meet more than once a week -- I know that -- and, of course, in -- in other large setting meetings more than two or three times a week.

Q: Does she micromanage the -- what he -- him or the department?

ADM. KIRBY: (off mic) -- this whole debate about micromanagement.

This is a huge institution, the Defense Department, 3 million people globally deployed all around the world and here in the United States. It's an immense response ability for any leader, and Secretary Hagel has managed that responsibility very ably.

There's not an issue of micromanagement from any other place outside the building, you know. It's not about micromanaging.

There is -- there is, as there should be when you're talking about the kind of complex operations we're conducting -- just look at the questions we've gotten here, you know, today on how -- on how difficult some of these problems are, that there would be a very deep and continued discussions in the interagency, not just between the Pentagon and the White House but between the Pentagon and State Department, the Department of Homeland Security, FBI. You would expect that there is going to be large interagency and very complex discussions about this.

Q: What I still don't understand -- I understand everything you said about things change, making a change over the next two years because the agenda and the issues have changed since he first came into office.

What I don't understand is why does that mean he had to go? Why didn't he -- why did Secretary Hagel not believe he could stay and do the job and adapt to those changes?

Why -- why couldn't he fight for his job to stay? Why doesn't he want to stay?

ADM. KIRBY: This -- this was a product of a discussion -- several discussions he had with the president. The secretary and the president both agreed that two years was about the right time for him, this is the appropriate time to step down, that he had accomplished a lot in those two years.

And I would remind you that he still has -- he's still the secretary of defense, he has put into place many, many reforms that will strengthen the institution going forward and has made quite a bit of progress in defense diplomacy and that this was the appropriate time.

It's not uncommon for -- at least under this commander-in-chief, for defense secretaries to -- to stay about two years in length.

Q: I -- I guess I would press the question one more time, if possible. Why did Secretary Hagel not, himself, want to stay on the job?

ADM. KIRBY: It's not that he didn't want to stay on the job, and it's not that the secretary doesn't believe he isn't, you know -- that he's not capable of -- of -- of still contributing or serving for the next two years.

He -- he said it very well yesterday, that he considers it the greatest privilege of his life to -- to have the job that he has right now and to serve the men and women of this department.

It's that they both decided that he had accomplished a lot, he had done what he had set out to do in this job and that now, with two years left to go, it was an appropriate time for new leadership.

Q: Thank you, sir. Two questions.

One, as Secretary Hagel's legacy is concerned relations between military-to-military relations between India and the U.S. and South Asia, where do -- where he left those relations since he visited India but Indian defense minister never made it during his time here?

ADM. KIRBY: Is the question that -- are we concerned about the relationship between our two militaries even -- because the Indian minister of defense didn't come?

No. I mean, we've said this -- we've talked about this before --

Q: (off mic) India's defense minister could not make it, because of the changes and all the new government in India.

But he visited India. But where do we leave this legacy -- where he left the legacy between the two countries' relations?

ADM. KIRBY: I think the secretary -- whenever he ends up leaving the Defense Department, will leave believing that -- that he helped strengthen the relationship between the United States and India from a military perspective, and one of the things he's very proud of is launching this defense trade and technology initiative that Mr. Kendall is heading up.

That's a new initiative. It's another reform he's put into place in the acquisition world that he's very proud of, and it promises to even deepen the military-to-military relationship and cooperation that we enjoy with India.

Q: And the second, if I may.

As far as a report by the CFR, Council on Foreign Relations, that Pakistan will be making more than 200 nuclear bombs in the next six years. Is this a concern because reports said that those bombs not may be, but will be in the hands of terrorists in a sense.

Things are changing in the region in Afghanistan and all that. Are you concerned it's building concern about these reports?

ADM. KIRBY: I haven't seen that report, but we've long said that we believe Pakistan is more than capable of securing their stockpiles.

Q: Thank you Admiral Kirby.

So, you began by saying that the strategy toward Islamic State and Iraq and Syria is working. But at the same time, several officials here have also said that the memo that Secretary Hagel wrote to Susan Rice is basically challenging their assumption that this strategy is working.

So, which is true? Is the strategy working, and or is Secretary Hagel's memo to Susan Rice saying that the strategy is not working?

ADM. KIRBY: I'm not going to make it a practice of talking about internal communications the secretary has with the National Security Council or the national security team. So, that's point number one.

Point number two is regardless of what those communications say, whatever the content may be, the secretary has been clear with you himself that he believes this is the right policy that we're pursuing against ISIL in both Iraq and Syria, and that we are executing the right strategy. He has also said that strategy just by its own definition has to be constantly reviewed and evaluated, and we're doing that. We've been doing that since day one.

We're constantly looking at, you know, are you doing it the right way? Do you have the right resources to get it done? Do you need to change in any way, shape, or form to improve your effectiveness against an enemy like ISIL? And that will continue regardless.

But the -- all this anonymous sniping about a memo doesn't change the fact that the secretary fully supports the policy that the commander in chief has put in place about going after ISIL. The international effort to do so, it's not just about the United States and the strategy that we're executing.

Q: On his way out, would it be accurate to say that if in fact the characterization of this memo is accurate, that he is questioning, even though he supports the existing strategy, but he is questioning if that strategy is in fact the right strategy going forward?

ADM. KIRBY: I'll go back to what I said before. The secretary is not questioning the effectiveness or the validity of the strategy that we're pursuing against ISIL.

He said that in testimony. He said it in front of you guys. He believes that this is the right strategy.

Q: So what's the best way to characterize, just to -- not to belabor the point, but just to understand what he may have wanted to communicate in that memo to Advisor Rice or --

ADM. KIRBY: Without talking about individual topics and or hypothetical methods of communication, the secretary of defense's job -- part of his job, anyway, is to give advice and counsel. To poke and to prod and to ask questions and to contribute to an interagency discussion, and sometimes an interagency debate, about the national security of the United States. That's his job.

And you heard it yourself yesterday from President Obama, that that's exactly what Secretary Hagel did.

Yeah?

Q: I was hoping you could speak to the justification that was sent to Congress on the weapons for the Iraqi forces and the tribal forces in Iraq. It lays out $1.6 billion for a variety of weapons. Most of those weapons are American made. How will those -- will those things be competed as Contracts? Are these add-ons to existing contracts? How does that mechanism work? And is there any concern with Secretary Hagel leaving that that funding is in any way jeopardized as it gets through Congress?

ADM. KIRBY: Well, we certainly hope that there's no impact on Congress's willingness and ability to approve that request.

I don't think I have a good answer for you today on the specific mechanisms. So, you're going to have to let me get back to you on that. But it remains a fact that we have a very robust foreign military sales program with Iraq, and that we have stepped up the delivery of certain arms and ammunition to the Iraqi government as recently as this month.

Hundreds more hellfire missiles were delivered to help them deal with the threat of ISIL, and I would expect that that kind of material support will continue. But you're going to have to let me get back to you on the mechanisms, if that's okay.

John, I already got you. Jamie?

Q: You mentioned that among Secretary Hagel's initiatives was the -- was dealing with the problem of sexual harassment, sexual assault in the military. And I apologize because I'm not up to speed on all of these things, but am I right in thinking that there's a -- there's a report or a deadline coming up soon that he's expecting some? And could you just bring up to date of where that stands?

ADM. KIRBY: Yeah, we owe the president a report on the status of our -- of our programs and initiatives that are trying to eliminate sexual assault, sexual harassment in the ranks.

That report is being finalized. And we do anticipate delivering it on time to the president, to the White House, early in the month of December, so early next month. But I'm not at liberty right now to talk about it in any more detail.

Q: (off mic) -- assume it's going to -- it's going to have some specific recommendations for --

(CROSSTALK)

ADM. KIRBY: Well, again, I don't want to get ahead of the report that hasn't been submitted. That wouldn't be fair for me to do that from the podium.

But it's a -- it's a very fulsome, comprehensive look at how we're -- how we're doing against this problem in the Pentagon and the problems, challenges we're facing, things we need to do better. But I wouldn't go into more detail than that right now.

Carla?

(CROSSTALK)

ADM. KIRBY: I'll get back to you, Jon.

Q: Is there a sense of frustration in the Pentagon having to go through new defense secretaries every couple of years? And how is that affecting the communications bridge with the White House?

ADM. KIRBY: No, there's no issue with that.

One of the things you get really good at in the -- in the military is change. I mean, it's leadership changes in the military on a very frequent basis, sometimes more frequent than my spouse would appreciate. It's just part of -- it's part of just being in this culture.

So, no, there's no angst in that regard.

And what was the second question?

Q: How is this going to affect the communications bridge with the White House?

ADM. KIRBY: Oh, there'll be no -- there'll be no affect on that.

Again, I think I've said it before, the communications with the White House and the other agencies in the federal government with the Pentagon are very close, very constant, as you would imagine they would be today with all the threats we're facing. And I think we can easily predict that that will continue no matter who is heading the department.

Yeah, Jon?

Q: Admiral Kirby, I just wanted to get some clarification on the rules of engagement. Obviously, U.S. troops always have the right to defend themselves. But if Afghan forces come under attack from the Taliban, do U.S. ground forces have the authority to go to their aid? Or are you talking about close air support?

ADM. KIRBY: I think we understand that, moving forward, under the need to conduct counterterrorism operations, that there may be some enabling functions that we will have to continue to provide or to support and bolster for Afghan national security forces.

I wouldn't want to get too specific right now about all those enabling functions and what they would look like. But, clearly, we know there's probably going to be some need for some enabling support going forward.

Bob?

Q: Would that -- that action that the president has signed in, will that result in any change in composition of U.S. forces in Afghanistan in January onwards?

(CROSSTALK)

ADM. KIRBY: Well, first of all -- first of all, I'm not aware of anything new the president signed. As I said, this is not -- this is -- there's no new decision here, that we'll continue to prosecute terrorism targets in Afghanistan, as we said we would, and we'll continue to support Afghan national security forces, as we said we would.

But, what we won't do, is, just by virtue of them being a belligerent, won't continue to go after Taliban targets. But if they pose a threat directly to our troops or to the Afghan security forces, certainly they become fair game at that point.

Q: You know, there are high-value targets sitting somewhere inside Afghanistan? You will certainly go and target them, right?

ADM. KIRBY: We will continue to go after terrorists who threaten the national security of the United States and our Afghan allies.

Q: (off mic) -- troops in Afghanistan after 2014, will the change --

ADM. KIRBY: Well, we've been -- we've been very clear about what that's gonna look like. As I said, I think the very first question, it's a 9,800 troop level, beginning at the end of this month, beginning of January.

Now, as I also said, since the bilateral security agreement got signed fairly late in the process, our coalition partners and allies continue to examine their resourcing, and so there may need to be some flexibility there with respect to what they're able to provide. But nothing's changed as we speak today about the 9,800 number.

And inside that number, will be a component dedicated to the counterterrorism missions. I don't have an exact figure on that, and I don't anticipate any major structural changes with respect to that.

Q: What's the percentage of that? How many -- how much percentage --

(CROSSTALK)

ADM. KIRBY: I don't know. You'd have to -- you'd have to talk to General Campbell and his staff. I don't have the breakdown for you on that. And I don't know that it's all that relevant to begin with.

Courtney?

Sorry.

Q: Did you have a follow on that?

Q: No.

Q: The 1,500 troops that are supposed to be going into Iraq, first off, have any of them started moving or has anyone even gotten orders yet?

And then, can you also just clear up where this stands with congressional funding, whether -- what will start before Congress actually funds?

ADM. KIRBY: Sure. That's a great question.

I don't know about orders, Courtney, so let me get back to you on that. But I can tell you that none of the 1,500 additional have arrived in Iraq.

That said, and we talked about this earlier, General Austin, as the -- as the regional commander, has the ability and the responsibility, quite frankly, to move forces he has in-theater around if he needs to. And he has decided to do that in a very small way. Right now, the number is still about 50 that he has moved into Anbar province to begin the expeditionary advise-and-assist mission that we talked about. No formal training has begun as a result of the training, the building partner capacity mission, no training has begun yet in that respect.

So he has -- and with respect to the training, and quite frankly, the advise-and-assist mission, he has the authorities, the limited authorities, to begin that now. And that's what he's done by moving some 50 troops into Anbar.

But we will need the authorities and the funding that go with the Iraqi train-and-assist fund that we -- that we asked for. We still need Congress to pass that. We still need that funding to execute it in a more fulsome way, in the way it was designed to be executed with these 1,500 extra troops.

But, can we start doing some of it with troops that he has in theater? Yes. And he's begun doing that, but, again, in a very limited way, because we don't have the funding to support it in a more fulsome capacity.

Q: (off mic) -- you don't even expect that stateside troops who would be going over there will have orders until after Congress --

(CROSSTALK)

ADM. KIRBY: Well, again, this is where the funding and the authorization that comes with that funding is so important, because of the numbers, the sheer numbers we're talking about -- 1,500 is a big number, and it's gonna require funding and lift to get them over there. And so, we still need the support for Congress to begin this Iraqi training mission in the -- in the way it was intended through the request to Congress.

But, as I said, that doesn't mean that he can't get a jumpstart with troops he has in the theater, and he's starting to do that in a small way. I mean, he doesn't have that many resources to pull from, as it is.

Does that answer your question?

Bob?

Q: There was a Yemeni army raid on an Al Qaida camp today that rescued a number of people, that was reported to have been supported in some way by the U.S. military. I wonder whether you can say that, whether it was or not, and whether any Americans were among those who were freed?

ADM. KIRBY: All I -- all I'm gonna to be able to say today, Bob, is, as you know, we support the Yemeni government in their efforts as they tackle terrorism inside their borders and continue -- and as they provide security -- and we provide security assistance to various units.

So, beyond that, I would refer to the Yemeni government for any -- for any comment.

Q: (off mic) -- if there was any American role in the operation?

ADM. KIRBY: I would just tell you we continue to support Yemeni counterterrorism efforts and refer you to them to talk to any operations.

In the back there?

Q: I wanted to ask about a follow-up on something that was -- Josh Earnest mentioned at the White House yesterday.

He said that for the next secretary, the priority or rather the issue of dealing with ISIL has risen to be a top priority, and that's certainly something a new secretary would be focused on.

Considering that, and, for example, Secretary Hagel's trip to Southeast Asia being postponed, why wouldn't allies in that region, and others, for that matter, why shouldn't they come to the conclusion that the Asia-Pacific rebalance is no longer a top priority of the department?

ADM. KIRBY: Because it's not. The secretary has made six trips to the region since he's been secretary. And the fact that he postponed the trip to Vietnam was really more about scheduling and issues that he wanted to be able to deal with here at home and nothing about his commitment to that part of the world.

He held the first ASEAN defense ministers meeting ever in the United States. Again, he's made six trips. 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. And he's pledged and will continue to work on making sure that the latest capabilities the we have, P-8, the LCS, the Joint Strike Fighter, all as they come off the line are going to be flowing into the Asia-Pacific.

So our partners and our allies, five of seven of our treaty alliances are in the Pacific. Our partners and our allies, I think, if you ask them, they'll tell you they're very confident how much the United States is committed to this rebalance and specifically, the United States military and Secretary Hagel.

So, the trip being postponed was nothing more than a scheduling drill. And the secretary very much would like to get that trip back on the schedule and go to Vietnam.

I'll take one more. David?

Q: John, General Breedlove is going to Ukraine. Has there been any change in the U.S. policy on providing only nonlethal?

ADM. KIRBY: Well, the question presupposes that there's an official sort of line being drawn at -- at nonlethal, David. We are -- nothing has changed about the -- the nonlethal assistance that we continue to flow to Ukrainian armed forces and security forces.

We continue to evaluate all Ukrainian requests for military aid and assistance, but right now, the focus remains on nonlethal.

Q: No decision has been made to provide lethal?

ADM. KIRBY: We continue to focus on nonlethal assistance to Ukraine.

Q: One more time. No decision has been made on providing lethal assistance?

ADM. KIRBY: We continue to be focused on nonlethal assistance to Ukraine.

All right. Thanks, everybody.

FLY OFF

11/25/2014 05:42 PM CST

An F/A-18E Super Hornet launches from the flight deck of the aircraft carrier USS George Washington during the Carrier Air Wing 5 fly off in the Pacific Ocean, Nov. 21, 2014.

Lake Clark National Park and Preserve in Alaska teems with...

Lake Clark National Park and Preserve in Alaska teems with wildlife — from bears and moose to sea lions and whales. While on a boat ride on Crescent Lake, Rob Daugherty captured this stunning image of a coastal brown bear that had just finished eating salmon. “It was an epic moment to photograph him as he licked his fishy, post-meal chops,” says Rob.

Photo courtesy of Rob Daugherty.

International Space Station’s 3-D Printer

The International Space Station’s 3-D printer has manufactured the first 3-D printed object in space, paving the way to future long-term space expeditions. The object, a printhead faceplate, is engraved with names of the organizations that collaborated on this space station technology demonstration: NASA and Made In Space, Inc., the space manufacturing company that worked with NASA to design, build and test the 3-D printer. This image of the printer, with the Microgravity Science Glovebox Engineering Unit in the background, was taken in April 2014 during flight certification and acceptance testing at NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama, prior to its launch to the station aboard a SpaceX commercial resupply mission. The first objects built in space will be returned to Earth in 2015 for detailed analysis and comparison to the identical ground control samples made on the flight printer prior to launch. The goal of this analysis is to verify that the 3-D printing process works the same in microgravity as it does on Earth. The printer works by extruding heated plastic, which then builds layer upon layer to create three-dimensional objects. Testing this on the station is the first step toward creating a working "machine shop" in space. This capability may decrease cost and risk on the station, which will be critical when space explorers venture far from Earth and will create an on-demand supply chain for needed tools and parts. Long-term missions would benefit greatly from onboard manufacturing capabilities. Data and experience gathered in this demonstration will improve future 3-D manufacturing technology and equipment for the space program, allowing a greater degree of autonomy and flexibility for astronauts. Image Credit: NASA/Emmett Given

 

Face of Defense: Native American Vets Celebrate Heritage

By Shannon Collins 
DoD News, Defense Media Activity

SOUTH GATE, Calif., Nov. 26, 2014 - As the smell of white sage wafted through the air and the sun slowly climbed the sky, the spiritual adviser blessed the circle and the drummers took their place at the two-day Native American Veterans Association's Annual Veteran's Appreciation and Heritage Day Pow-wow here.

Paul Duronslet, United States Navy World War II veteran, and a Cherokee tribesman from Los Angeles, participates in the gourd dancing festivities at the Native American Veterans Association's Annual Veterans Appreciation and Heritage Day Pow-wow in South Gate, Calif., Nov. 8, 2014. More than 4,000 people represented their tribes and their respective military service branches with inter-tribal music, dancing, arts and crafts and storytelling during the two-day event, held Nov. 8-9. DoD photo by Marvin Lynchard  (Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available.

The local community enjoyed fried bread, arts and crafts, face painting, intertribal dancing, and Native American music during the Nov. 8-9 event. Attendees also viewed an Indian village with an authentic Arapaho teepee. The pow-wow also gave Native American veterans and their family members a chance to honor their heritage and meet with veteran service representatives.

Beth Henderson, who works for NAVA, attends the annual pow-wow to honor her two uncles who served in World War II and her mother who served during the Korean conflict. She is a member of the Wabanki-Micmac tribe. She encourages veterans to utilize veteran organizations like the Vet Center, or to reach out to their fellow veterans or neighbors for help.

"This event is important because veterans need to be recognized and shown appreciation," she said. "They also need to know the benefits they can get out there, where they can go, what they can do to get help, or to get through whatever it is they're going through at the time."

Pow-wows Provide Sense of Self-identity

World War II Navy veteran Paul Duronslet, from the Cherokee tribe, has attended the NAVA Pow-wow since it began 13 years ago. When he was growing up in Los Angeles in the 1920s, he said, people were prejudiced against Native Americans. He said his father raised him under the assumption that he was French and later confessed to him that he was Cherokee.

"Nobody wanted to be Indian when I was a kid," he said. "When I was older, I ran into a man who asked me what type of Indian I was. I told him I was French. He said, 'No, you're not. I lived in Oklahoma with Indians. I know an Indian when I see one.' When I went home, my dad was in a good mood, so I asked him, and he admitted I was Indian."

Duronslet said the annual pow-wows provide him with a sense of self-identity that was previously missing.

"I'm whole now; I have a background now," he said. "I go to these pow-wows and reservations and see things that are going on today that's no different than way back in the 16th and 17th centuries. It's hard to believe."

Tony LittleHawk, an Army Vietnam veteran and a member of the Cherokee tribe, said he didn't run across many fellow Native Americans during his time in the military.

"We were very few [Native Americans in the military], even in basic, there was only one other Native beside myself," LittleHawk said with a chuckle. "We became friends right away. There were very few Natives in medical school and jump school but what was funny is when I was in Vietnam, I ran into my next-door neighbor, who was Sioux. I used to go out with his sister. We ran into each other when I was out on patrol, and we ended up in a foxhole together in Vietnam."

Thanks for Vietnam Veterans' Service

The highlight for many of the veterans at the pow-wow was the Veteran's Roll Call. The Vietnam veterans said they'd received no accolades when they had returned from war. During the roll call, each service member announced name, service branch and his or her respective war or conflict. Non-Native Americans entered the circle as well, along with family members who spoke on behalf of their veterans.

"It doesn't matter how long it takes. We want to make sure every veteran, Native or not, is heard, and we want to make sure that they are personally welcomed back home or given the respect and told, 'Thank you for your service to our country' and 'Thank you for serving,'" said Army Vietnam veteran and Tigua tribe member Ted Tenorio, the president of the National American Veterans Association.

Angelina Alvarez, from the Pascua tribe, drove from Tucson, Arizona, with her 2-year-old son Pedro to honor her father, a Navy Vietnam veteran who was on SEAL Team 2. He had earned a Navy Cross, Silver Star, Bronze Star and three Purple Hearts. He passed away in 2009.

"It's very humbling and touching to be here, but we dance for my dad," Alvarez said, choking back emotion. "It's all for my dad and it's all for the veterans. It's very important for us. Our family is very military. It's in honor of them."

For Greg Simon, an Army veteran from the Osage and Cherokee tribe, the Veteran's Roll Call is a chance for finally getting the recognition he missed when he came home from Vietnam.

"I remember getting spit at when I came home -- this is why I had anger. You're a warrior, and that's the highest honor you can have as a Native American but it was frustrating when I came home," Simon said. He was adopted by the Blood Reserve, Blackfoot, and was the head man dancer during the Pow-wow. He said an Arapaho elder and medicine man brought him back to his culture and helped him heal. Then he started coming to the pow-wows.

"These pow-wows are extremely therapeutic," Simon said. "Just being in the circle and being recognized in a positive way, that's all there is. To a veteran, just to be acknowledged, what else is there? That's all you want. I don't need any more. I don't need gifts. I don't need anything else."

Sharing Stories

"I like hearing everybody's stories," said Crow tribe member Linda Old Horn-Purdy, a retired navy chief petty officer and Operation Enduring Freedom veteran. She grew up on the Crow Agency Reservation in Montana.

"It makes me appreciate that somebody has something where we couldn't," Old Horn-Purdy said. "They have some experience that we don't have. Sometimes finding out what they've been through makes you appreciate what we have, even our arms, our legs, our health or our mind. We have a lot to be thankful for."

Air Force Vietnam veteran, retired Army veteran, and Muskogee tribe member William Givens, NAVA's founder and CEO, agreed that other veteran's stories were compelling.

"I act like a macho man, and nothing makes me cry but when they tell their stories, sometimes, I tell you, I get a lump in my throat," he said.

"I read about some veterans who save other's lives, and it brings tears to my eyes," Givens said.

Warrior Culture

The veterans said Native American heritage is a way of life for them.

"We teach our kids to grow up to be warriors," said Apache tribe member Antonio Quezada, a Marine Corps Vietnam-era veteran. "We don't write stories but we have storytellers. I'm one of them, and I pass that on to my nephew's nephews." Quezada has family members who've served in the Marines, Army or Air Force.

Native American veterans' heritage is "something we've always had," Simon said. "It's so important to us; it gives us balance in life. It is something we need. We're living in two worlds. This is our world, this is where we started. To be able to come back to it and feel good about it is the most important thing, and to be able to get out there and dance with the other veterans and shake hands and just tell each other welcome home -- that's something we never got."

Military Service Part of Native American Heritage

The veterans also said serving in the military is part of their heritage.

"Indians have defended America since the beginning, and it's in our blood," Old Horn-Purdy said.

"Their ancestors were warriors in the past, and they wanted to keep the tradition going," Givens said. "You will find more Native people in the service from a minority of origin than any other minority."

"If you go to any Native American home on the reservation, you would see on top of their TVs or on top of their mantels, photos of their grandfather all the way to their grandchildren and nephews who are in the military, because they're following a tradition," Tenorio said.

As November draws to a close on National Native American Heritage Month, Old Horn-Purdy encourages people to attend any of the pow-wows held in their communities or to read up on Native American heritage.

"It's good for people to learn and see what we're about," she said

Airstrikes Target ISIL in Syria, Iraq

From a U.S. Central Command News Release

TAMPA, Fla., Nov. 26, 2014 - U.S. military forces continued to attack Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant terrorists in Syria yesterday and today using bomber and fighter aircraft to conduct 10 airstrikes, U.S. Central Command officials reported.

Separately, U.S. and partner nation military forces conducted seven airstrikes in Iraq yesterday and today using attack, fighter and remotely-piloted aircraft against ISIL terrorists, officials said.

Airstrikes in Syria

In Syria, 10 airstrikes near Kobani struck an ISIL fighting position, a large ISIL unit, two tactical ISIL units, and destroyed four ISIL staging areas and six ISIL fighting positions.

Airstrikes in Iraq

In Iraq, two airstrikes near Mosul destroyed an ISIL bulldozer, two ISIL vehicles, three ISIL-occupied buildings and an ISIL fighting position, and also struck a large ISIL unit. Near Kirkuk, two airstrikes destroyed an ISIL tank, an ISIL Humvee and another ISIL vehicle, and also struck two ISIL units. North of Sinjar, an airstrike destroyed an ISIL Humvee and an ISIL vehicle. Northwest of Ramadi, an airstrike damaged an ISIL checkpoint.

And, west of Bayji, an airstrike destroyed one ISIL vehicle and damaged another.

All aircraft returned to base safely. 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.

Coalition nations conducting airstrikes in Iraq include the U.S., Australia, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, France, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom. Coalition nations conducting airstrikes in Syria include the U.S., Bahrain, Jordan, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.

MESSENGER LINE

11/26/2014 03:04 PM CST

U.S. Navy Seaman Auche Robertchalmers pulls the messenger line free of the span wire during a replenishment on the guided-missile destroyer USS Cole in the Mediterranean Sea, Nov. 23, 2014. The destroyer is conducting naval operations in the U.S. 6th Fleet area of responsibility to support U.S. national security interests in Europe.

TEAM WORK

11/26/2014 03:17 PM CST

U.S. Marines load bags of concrete onto an MV-22B Osprey to help local and international health organizations build Ebola treatment units to support Operation United Assistance in Monrovia, Liberia, Nov. 21, 2014. The Marines and sailors are assigned to Special Purpose Marine Air-Ground Task Force for Crisis Response, Africa.

TURKEY TEAM

11/26/2014 03:45 PM CST

Soldiers prepare turkeys for a Thanksgiving Day meal in the dining facility on Eglin Air Force Base, Fla., Nov. 23, 2014.