President Signs National Defense Authorization Act

DoD News, Defense Media Activity

WASHINGTON, Dec. 19, 2014 - President Barack Obama today signed the annual legislation that keeps the Defense Department running.

The "Carl Levin and Howard P. 'Buck' McKeon National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2015," Obama said in a written statement, "will provide vital benefits for military personnel and their families, as well as critical contingency authorities needed to counter the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant and to respond to emerging needs in the face of evolving terrorist threats and emergent crises worldwide."

The full text of the White House statement follows:

 

Today I have signed into law H.R. 3979, the "Carl Levin and Howard P. 'Buck' McKeon National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2015." I have signed this annual defense authorization legislation because it will provide vital benefits for military personnel and their families, as well as critical contingency authorities needed to counter the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant and to respond to emerging needs in the face of evolving terrorist threats and emergent crises worldwide.

 

Earlier this month, the Department of Defense transferred the last remaining third-country nationals held in U.S. custody in Afghanistan, ending U.S. detention operations in Afghanistan. Yet halfway around the world, the detention facility at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, remains open for the 13th consecutive year, costing the American people hundreds of millions of dollars each year and undermining America's standing in the world. As I have said many times, the continued operation of this detention facility weakens our national security by draining resources, damaging our relationships with key allies and partners, and emboldening violent extremists. Closing the detention facility is a national imperative.

 

I have repeatedly called upon the Congress to work with my Administration to close the detention facility at Guantanamo once and for all. Individuals from across the political spectrum have recognized that the facility should be closed. But instead of removing unwarranted and burdensome restrictions that curtail the executive branch's options for managing the detainee population, this bill continues them. Section 1032 renews the bar against using appropriated funds to construct or modify any facility in the United States, its territories, or possessions to house any Guantanamo detainee in the custody or under the control of the Department of Defense unless authorized by the Congress. Section 1033 likewise renews the bar against using appropriated funds to transfer Guantanamo detainees into the United States for any purpose. The Consolidated and Further Continuing Appropriations Act, 2015, contains similar provisions as well as those relating to existing restrictions on the transfer of detainees abroad. I have consistently opposed these restrictions and will continue to work with the Congress to remove them. More than 80 percent of detainees at one time held at the detention facility have now been transferred. The executive branch must have the flexibility, with regard to those detainees who remain, to determine when and where to prosecute them, based on the facts and circumstances of each case and our national security interests, and when and where to transfer them consistent with our national security and our humane treatment policy. Under certain circumstances, the provisions concerning detainee transfers in both bills would violate constitutional separation of powers principles. In the event that the restrictions on the transfer of detainees operate in a manner that violates constitutional separation of powers principles, my Administration will implement them in a manner that avoids the constitutional conflict.

Department of Defense Press Briefing by Rear Adm. Kirby in the Pentagon Briefing Room

[*] KIRBY: Good afternoon, everybody.

Just a short announcement at the top, and then we'll...we'll get right to it. I do want to announce that this week, Secretary Hagel authorized up to 1,300 more U.S. troops to deploy to Iraq. Approximately 1,000 of them will be soldiers from the Third Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division based at Fort Bragg, North Carolina. TheyIt will begin to deploy to Iraq in late January, and their mission will be to train, advise and assist Iraqi security forces. This deployment is part of the additional, 1,500 troops that the president authorized in November.

And with that, I'll take questions.

John?

QUESTION: You said that the secretary authorized up to 1,300, but there are only 1,000 coming from the 82nd Airborne. Do you know where those other 300 soldiers are coming from?

KIRBY: The other 300 are -- are deploying in various capacities from multiple services, largely enabler capabilities -- counterintelligence, logistics, signal -- a signal companiescompany. So it's -- it's multi-service -- Army, Air Force, Marine Corps, and in smaller numbers, but in specific enabler capacities.

And we've talked about this before, John, that, you know, quite a good chunk of the troops that will be included in this 1,500 would be devoted to those enabling capabilities. I don't have the single -- I don't have every unit. We can get that for you if you want that. I mean, the -- the sourcing solutions have been arrived at. I just don't have each one because they're -- they're small, little, small groups, and I just don't have that level of detail today.

Jen?

QUESTION: Admiral Kirby, has the secretary received the Bowe Bergdahl recommendations from the Army? Are those recommendations complete? Is the report complete? Are you going to release it before Christmas?

KIRBY: The secretary has not been briefed on the results of the Bergdahl investigation. I suspect he will be, perhaps as early as this afternoon. So I know that the work is done, but I would refer you to Army to speak to any -- anything. And just so -- just to be clear, I won't be reading out the briefing that he gets. This is an Army investigation and we're going to, you know, obviously, refer people to the Army to speak to it. But he will be briefed.

QUESTION: Who will ultimately decide Bergdahl's fate?

KIRBY: Who will ultimately decide Bergdahl's fate?

QUESTION: There are recommendations. But who is the final -- who makes the final decision? Will it go all the way up to the president?

KIRBY: Well, without getting ahead of any findings and conclusions or any processes usedissues,. tThe question -- if I could just challenge the premise. The premise of the question is that there is -- that there is some overt decision that needs to be made. I don't know that for a fact. But let's just assume that there is, it would be done by Army leadership. And I couldn't begin to tell you at what level that would be or, you know, a certain name of an individual who might be. But that's -- that's -- it's an Army organizational issue to deal with.

QUESTION: Is anybody in the Pentagon going to make any portion of these findings public today?

KIRBY: No.

QUESTION: So we can't -- we won't expect -- you don't expect that we'll hear anything about this report until next year, and the recommendations, like why -- in other words, why would the secretary be briefed on it today, and then it would be held?

Because there are reports that this is scheduled to come out before the break.

KIRBY: Again, Justin, I can't get ahead or I can't get ahead of a process that doesn't belong to OSD. The secretary is getting briefed because that's the appropriate thing for the Army to do. But it's for the Army to decide what the next steps are. And, again, I just can't get ahead of that.

So, let me just put that aside, OK?

But it is a fact, and you've seen this before, separate and distinct from any discussion about Sergeant Bergdahl, you've seen this before, it is a fact that sometimes investigations are used in follow- on judicial processes, and therefore are not released until those judicial processes are complete.

So I can't speak to the timing of any release of the report and the investigation. But I can tell you that we won't -- that we, as the department, and certainly I think comfortable in speaking for the Army in this regard, that they're not going to go any faster than -- than they need to go in terms of process.

So, you're not gonna see it today. I would point -- I can tell you that for a fact. I'd point you to the Army for any discussion about what the plans are going forward.

QUESTION: But, just to be clear, Secretary Hagel will accept the findings of the Army, or he has the ability to overrule what the Army recommendations...

KIRBY: No, no, no. He's going to simply be briefed this afternoon. He will be briefed on the findings of the investigation. It's an informational brief to the secretary.

This is an Army investigation and completed by the Army, staffed by the Army.

QUESTION: And the secretary has no input in the investigation? KIRBY: If you mean he -- if he will change it in some regard or modify it, I don't expect so.

QUESTION: Well...

(CROSSTALK)

QUESTION: ... does he have the authority to do that?

KIRBY: No. This is an Army investigation.

QUESTION: Why would you say "I don't expect so"?

KIRBY: OK, no.

QUESTION: You can't say he has no authority -- he has no authority...

KIRBY: Jim, let me -- I'll be very clear. He is getting briefed on the findings of the investigation. He's not -- there's no expectation that there's going to be -- that he'll have any input or change to any of the recommendations. But, my goodness, he hasn't even gotten it yet, and you're asking me what, if anything, he's gonna change about it.

(CROSSTALK)

KIRBY: This is an Army...

QUESTION: ... the UCMJ, if he has any...

(CROSSTALK)

QUESTION: ... if he tries to change it?

KIRBY: I am not a military lawyer. He's getting briefed on the investigation. He will -- and the findings of it.

QUESTION: Right.

KIRBY: It is an Army investigation, and it is Army's decision to determine what, if anything, they will do as a result of the investigation and the findings.

The secretary is being briefed on it.

QUESTION: Well, you're almost leaving an implication here that he does have some authority or might even do a little arm twisting with the Army. Doesn't UCMJ cut him out of that process?

KIRBY: The secretary is not going to do any arm twisting for the Army, and I don't know what the findings are. He hasn't been briefed on them yet. So, I can't characterize what his reaction would be to the findings.

But there's no role for him in the process to modify the investigation.

QUESTION: Well, the question is, if it can't -- if it is not subject to change, why are they holding it? Why don't they just release it?

KIRBY: I've answered the question. I've answered the question.

QUESTION: But we don't get it. I mean, the secretary gets to see it. The question is, why doesn't everybody else get to see it. We've been waiting for a while now, it's been done...

(CROSSTALK)

KIRBY: I suspect that at the appropriate time, the Army will make the investigation public, at the appropriate time.

That time is not going to be today.

Louie? (ph)?

QUESTION: OK, Wwhy, exactly, is the defense secretary seeing this? Did he ask for the briefing, if he's not in the chain, if it's just an Army process, why...

(CROSSTALK)

KIRBY: The secretary of the Army offered him a chance to look at it, and he accepted the offer. And he is looking forward to taking a look at the findings.

QUESTION: And what would be the next step for the Army now that it's come to its conclusions? What would be the next step within the Army process?

KIRBY: Well, you'd have to talk to the Army about that, Louie. I don't know. This is not -- this is an Army investigation, and for them to speak to process, I won't get ahead of that.

QUESTION: Would you expect the secretary then in turn to brief the White House?

KIRBY: No.

Joe (ph)?

QUESTION: Admiral Kirby, yesterday, General Terry talked about a bridging strategy with 5,000 Sunni tribesmen in Iraq. Could you give us more clarification on that? Who's doing the training? Who's taking the initiative? Who are those tribes?

KIRBY: I'm pretty sure General Terry covered this yesterday, Joe (ph), and so let me just go back and remind you where we are in the process. Because it matters.

The train, advise, and assist mission is -- is designed around getting 12 Iraqi brigades through this training, nine Iraqi security force, three from the Peshmerga. And we are in the process now of preparing the sites for that training and the trainers, which I've just announced are on their way, will be by there by the end of the month -- end of January. The focus initially will be on those 12 brigades, not on Sunni tribesmen.

I have also said, and we will continue to say, that as part of this plan, eventually, there could be training given to Sunni tribesmen. We're not at that stage right now. And whatever -- whatever training of those tribesmen would occur would be done through, by, and with Iraqi security force trainers. Does that make sense? The -- this is something that -- that we've talked to them about, and they very much need to own. It doesn't mean we wouldn't help in some way, but we're simply not at that stage right now.

The focus is, A, getting the trainers over there, getting the sites completed and ready to receive trainees, and then begin focusing on those 12 brigades.

John (ph) -- I already got you, John (ph). Maggie (ph)?

QUESTION: I have two questions. This week the president pardoned Private David Mannixng, who was convicted of conspiring to steal military property. I'm wondering if it's common for a president to pardon someone who's received a sentencing motion (ph) following a court martial proceeding? And was the Pentagon given a heads up on this?

KIRBY: I don't know the answer to either of your questions. You're gonna have to let -- I won't speak to the president's decision- making process in this regard.

The second question about precedent, we can look and see and try to get you an answer to that. I just -- I just...

QUESTION: OK...

KIRBY: ... can't help you with that.

QUESTION: OK, second one, the reports that Boko Haram militants have kidnapped about 170 women and children in Nigeria, you guys sent a couple of drones and 80 personnel out there when there's a kidnapping in April. And I'm wondering are you planning on stepping that up, additional drones, additional personnel, or no?

KIRBY: We've seen the reports about these additional kidnappings. We don't have any operational reporting to confirm it. Boko Haram remains a threat to the people of hat region in Nigeria, and we have continued to partner and offer assistance to the Nigerian government with their counter-terrorism efforts. I don't have anything to announce today in terms of specific assets or resources.

QUESTION: Thank youHey, general admiral, a question about North Korea. There's many reports out there about the speculation of them being behind cyber attacks here in the United States. I was just curious from a military perspective what the U.S. military understanding is of North Korea's cyber capabilities? And are they a cyber threat from a military perspective?

KIRBY: Well, without speaking to anything specific with regard to Sony Pictures, as you know, we take cyber threats very, very seriously. Cyber threats come from any number of state and non-state actors. I won't get into, you know, a laundry list here today, but this is something the secretary takes very seriously. It's why he has devoted so much of his energy to the cyber domain. And, I mean, it's something we're constantly mindful of. But I -- I don't -- you know, it's also -- it's also a domain where, you know, you have to be very circumspect about the degree to which -- the specificity to which you talk about both the threats, challenges, and of course whatever responses are available to you.

But -- but more broadly speaking, the Defense Department is certainly, on a routine basis, again, separate and distinct from the Sony Pictures issue, we are on a routine basis part and parcel of the interagency, broad U.S. government approach to threats in the cyber domain.

QUESTION: Can I follow up on that?

Has the U.S. Cyber Command been tasked at all with assisting the FBI or any part of the government in its investigation into the Sony hack?

KIRBY: This is an FBI investigation. I'm not aware of any particular assistance rendered by DOD. That said, we have been part of the interagency discussions about -- about this incident.

Jen?

QUESTION: Just a follow-on to North Korea. The FBI is blaming North Korea for the attack, and says it has evidence. At what point is it an act of war? And at what point does U.S. Cyber Command react?

KIRBY: First of all, I know of no official determination about the -- that's been made about the source of the attacks on Sony Pictures. So, I'm not in a position to speculate one way or the other. It's an ongoing investigation and I wouldn't get ahead of the FBI on that. As I said, we're part of the interagency discussion about the incident and about options that may be available.

I'm also, you know, not -- not able to lay out in any specificity for you what would be or wouldn't be an act of war in the cyber domain. We take -- it's not like there's a demarcation line that exists in some sort of fixed space on what is or isn't. The cyber domain remains challenging -- remains very fluid. Part of the reason why it's such a challenging domain for us is because there aren't internationally accepted norms and protocols. And that's something that, you know, we here in the Defense Department have been certainly arguing for.

Yeah, Richard?

QUESTION: Admiral, have Bergdahl and his lawyer been informed of General Dahl's report?

KIRBY: I'd refer you to the Army. I don't know. You have to talk to the Army.

QUESTION: And who, if it's not the secretary, who will ultimately sign off on this report? Will it be General Odierno?

KIRBY: I don't know. I'd refer you to the Army. Again, this is an Army investigation and they -- they really are better prepared to speak to process.

Yeah?

QUESTION: (inaudible) Congress has authorized the sale of four Navy ships to Taiwan, and the president signed it. So I wonder if you know what type of ships they're going to be, and what's the Pentagon's comments on this with regards to the military-to-military relations with the PLA?

KIRBY: I don't have any specifics on this -- on this transfer. As you know, this is not an atypical type of -- of a transfer with Taiwan. Separate and distinct from that, nothing has changed about the fact that we very much want to continue to pursue a constructive, productive relationship, military to military between us and the PLA.

And there have been, you know, positive signs just this last year. You know, the PLA navy participating in the Rim of the Pacific exercise, and we're going to continue to look for those opportunities. I think you saw Admiral Harris, the incoming Pacific Command commander, talk publicly about that just this week, that there are opportunities. There's no need for us to look at the military relationship with China as adversarial in any regard. So we're gonna continue to work on that.

QUESTION: (inaudible) there's a precedent in the past for selling Taiwan vessels, excess vessels, as opposed to newly built ships.

Can you explain a little bit if these -- if they would be from excess to inventory vessels, whatever we sell the Taiwanese?

KIRBY: I just don't have that detail today, Tony.

QUESTION: Is that something you can...

(CROSSTALK)

KIRBY: We can try to look it up. I just -- I don't have it -- don't have it available to me. Sorry.

Yeah, John (ph)?

QUESTION: Going back to Iraq, can you say specifically where these troops from the 82nd are going? Are they going to all four of those training sites? Will they be up and running by then? Or are they going to Anbar or Baghdad or?

KIRBY: I don't -- I would refer you to General Terry for specifics about where he's gonna put troops. I don't know that a decision's -- decisions have been made specifically with where they're gonna go.

As you know, there's four sites. We're not talking publicly about the locations right now, as force protection measures are still being applied to those sites. I suspect that General Terry will allocate them to those sites the way he sees fit. But I don't know -- I don't know what the -- what decisions he's made yet, if any, about where they're gonna go.

QUESTION: But they are going to the four sites, you just don't...

(CROSSTALK)

KIRBY: Yeah, they're going -- they're specifically going to be a part of this train, advise and assist mission, so you can expect that they'll be going to some of those or maybe all of them. I just don't know how he's gonna apportion them.

Yes, ma'am?

QUESTION: Thanks, Admiral. In Iraq, there's been some reports saying, out of Iraq saying that they're desperate for more air power support, that they would like more.

Can you give us what your assessment is of that? I know that there's been some more intense strikes recently.

And, also, can you give us an update on the training that's going on in Arizona, when do you think the Iraqi Air Force will be able to...

KIRBY: I don't have an update on their training. I know it's ongoing.

On the air strikes, yes, I think there has been an expressed interest by the government of Iraq for, you know, more activity from the air, more air strikes. And what I can tell you is that we are conducting air strikes at an appropriate pace and with an appropriate sense of precision and urgency to meet the threats inside Iraq, both the threats posed by ISIL, where they are and what they're doing, and our ability to support Iraqi security forces and Kurdish forces on the ground.

So, yes, you've seen a big spike here this week, but that was to help prepare the peshmerga for the operations that they conducted around Mount Sinjar, which, while they're still ongoing, have proven to be promising, so far.

So, there was a spike. Again, but that's in keeping with exactly the way we're approaching the business of air strikes here. It's two- fold. It's to go after them where we know we can and we should, but also to support Iraqi security forces on the ground.

So, you're gonna see -- you're gonna see the numbers fluctuate every single day. And that's what -- that's the measure that we're using to determine how many are done, where, and with what frequency.

Does that make sense?

QUESTION: Yes. And, then just on...

(CROSSTALK)

KIRBY: So, it is -- I just want to -- it's not just a matter of more or less, it's got to be appropriate to the threat and to the operations on the ground.

QUESTION: And then, just on the Iraqi efforts, what is the level of confidence? Are the Iraqis participating in some of these strikes? Do you anticipate that they'll be participating more soon?

I mean, how can they inspire confidence in the Iraqis that are looking for more help, I guess?

KIRBY: They, they -- the Iraqis have a limited air strike capability right now, we know that. They have in recent weeks conducted a few, sporadic kinetic air strikes of their own, but it's, it's -- they have a limited capability.

And the other thing I'd -- and that's a capability that we're trying to help them develop and improve, no question about that.

The other thing that's important to note here is that it's not just about the United States' aircraft. There are coalition partners that every day -- and you've see the pressure, Lisa (ph), press release, that are participating in these strikes, too. So it's not just us doing this for them. There are plenty of other nations that are contributing. But everybody wants to see the Iraqi government, the Iraqi military improve their own capabilities to do this eventually.

Yeah, Jen (ph)?

QUESTION: On Cuba, can you rule out that a -- the normalization of relations will -- would entail the return of Guantanamo Bay to Cuba?

KIRBY: I'm not prepared to rule anything in or out at this point, Jen (ph). We're at the very beginning of this process of more normal relations with Cuba. I suspect that, just like every other agency in the government, there will be a Defense Department aspect to this and a Defense relationship at some point, at some level. We're just not -- it's way too soon to make any determinations about what that would look like or what -- or what the impact would be with respect to the base there, not just the detention facility, but the base there.

Now, that said, nothing has changed about our support as an institution for the policy of closing the detention facility there. And that process will continue. Transfers will continue. But as for the base itself, which you know has been there since the Spanish- American War, I think, it's just too soon to tell what -- what
implications this would be for there.

QUESTION: (inaudible) part of the negotiations for...

KIRBY: I wasn't -- I don't have any direct knowledge of the discussions with the Cuban government. So I couldn't say one way or the other. But I -- but I'm comfortable telling you that it's just way too soon in the process for any decisions or for any specific initiatives to be discussed today.

QUESTION: And a clarification on the 1,000 82nd Airborne forces going to Iraq, is their advise, assist role going to remain at the headquarters level and not at the tactical level?

KIRBY: It -- it's going -- the -- their -- their advise and assist mission is going to be exactly the same as it is in terms of the level of command as it is right now at the brigadier brigade or division level, at a higher headquarters level.

What makes this different is simply the geography. Because we're now -- you're gonna have advising teams out in the Anbar areas and north of Baghdad, and areas -- geographic areas where they haven't been before. But they're still gonna be on a base and advising and assisting at the same higher headquarters level that the 12 teams that are already there are doing. No change to that at all.

QUESTION: So it's not at the troop level, the Iraqi troop level?

KIRBY: If you mean are they going to be going out in partnership accompanying small units of troops, no. They won't be. Nothing has changed.

(CROSSTALK)

QUESTION: ... at the base level, are they gonna be training Iraqi troops and...

KIRBY: Well, there's two...

(CROSSTALK)

KIRBY: There's two -- two -- there's two missions to this. There's the advise and assist, and then there's the building partner capacity, which is Pentagon speak for training. So the -- those troops that are going to be advisers will be advising at the same level, right, at the division of Brivava will (ph)and brigade level higher headquarters level. That's advising. That's giving advice and counsel.

There are a great number of these troops that are gonna be involved in hands-on training of these Iraqi brigades. And so, they will be -- they will be involved with troop interaction, if you will, of Iraqi security force personnel, once those Iraqi brigades have been identified and have begun doing -- to do the training.

So there's two components here. There will be some troop-on- troop contact in a training environment on those facilities, but not out in the field. Does that answer your question?

QUESTION: It does. And it leads you to believe, then, that those Iraqi forces are not capable or equipped to conduct combat operations at this point. Maybe...

KIRBY: No.

(CROSSTALK)

QUESTION: ... if these forces (ph) have to go back in and teach them -- what? -- basic training?

KIRBY: We -- we train our own troops all the time. I mean, our own troops go through various levels of training not just at the beginning of their enlistments or beginning of their tours, but all throughout. We constantly, I mean, it's one of the things that the U.S. military really does well is train and develop and improve the capabilities of our own troops.

And so this doesn't -- this doesn't mean that they're incapable. Some units, and we've talked about this, Jim, some units are -- right now, Iraqi units are more competent and capable than others. The Iraqi government will choose those brigades that they want to focus on for this first implementation of the training program. And I suspect that -- that the trainers working with them will find that they are at varying degrees of competence in various skills.

But training is something you never -- you never stop doing and you never stop trying to improve. And it doesn't -- the fact that somebody's going through additional training doesn't mean that they're not competent or capable. It's just something we do. We have to do just to stay ready.

Yeah?

QUESTION: I have a personnel question and an ISR question.

Ashton Carter had back surgery, I guess, this week. We wish him well. But is there any potential that his recovery time might delay his nomination hearing into February? Do you have a sense of that one way or the other?

KIRBY: I am -- I am not able to speak to Dr. Carter's health situation. It would be inappropriate for me to do that. I can tell you the secretary wishes him well on his recovery, as well we all do. But I have nothing -- I have no information and wouldn't speak to his recovery timeframe and what that might look like.
QUESTION: And I have an ISR question that every child in the United States is interested in. Is the Pentagon at all concerned that NORAD's Santa radar may be in danger of being cyber-attacked or hacked? And are you taking any I.A. (ph) measures to prevent that?

(LAUGHTER)

KIRBY: Our Santa radar? I didn't know we had one of those.

Well, it's funny you should ask, Tony, because I did get an update this morning from NORAD. So, just bear with me, and I'll -- and I'll -- this is coming right from NORAD.

And they've broken this down for me, helpfully, in their various domains.

So, in the cyber domain, they tell me that their anti-Grinch firewall is up and monitoring for threats, and they are confident that the AGFW, anti-Grinch firewall, can defeat any malicious attacks.

In the land domain, they tell me they verified load-bearing capacity for all rooftops that the reindeer will land on. In the maritime domain, they say that Aegis radars are calibrated to track Santa and ships are standing by to conduct any lost gift rescue operations, if necessary.

So in case he drops anything off his sleigh, they can go -- we've got destroyers out there will pick them up.

QUESTION: And those are the missile-defense capable cruisers you've spent so much money?

KIRBY: That gets into a level of classification I'm not really prepared to go into (inaudible).

(LAUGHTER)

I don't think that would be helpful.

QUESTION: Why did you withhold that information from Jim Gregory's (ph) daughter when she was here?

KIRBY: Well, I didn't have it at the time.

QUESTION: Oh.

KIRBY: It's not really about withholding. I know we like to hold on to secrets here, but.

QUESTION: Will Santa be on time?

KIRBY: Every indication we have is that he will be. I have no indication otherwise, let me put it that way.

In the missile domain, they tell me their radars can detect any and all objects traveling through North American airspace and its approaches. In the space domain, our infrared detecting satellites are calibrated to see Rudolph's nose.

QUESTION: So SBIRS will be...

KIRBY: It's right here.

(CROSSTALK)

QUESTION: ... satellite program (inaudible)?

KIRBY: Again, you're asking me for a level of details that I'm really not able to get into. This is classified.

And then, in the air domain, they report that Canadian NORAD Region and Continental NORAD Region are ready to escort Santa when he enters U.S. and Canadian airspace. Through our coordination with the FAA and NAV-CANADA, we can confirm that North American airspace is safe for sleigh travel.

So there you go.

QUESTION: Have F-22s been delegated to a patrol mission?

KIRBY: Well, come on, now, you know we don't talk about the specifics of force protection measures. We just don't. But I can tell you, it sounds to me like they are very ready for Santa.

QUESTION: They'll name a Rudolph reindeer after you.

KIRBY: That would be very nice. I'd like that.

Anything else? That might be a good way to end it.

Listen, it's the last press briefing for the year. I wish all of you, and Secretary Hagel wishes all of you, a happy holiday season and we'll see you on the backside.

Thanks very much.

Statement by Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel on the 2015 National Defense Authorization Act

I want to thank members of Congress -- and particularly the chairmen of the Senate and House Armed Services Committees, Carl Levin and Buck McKeon -- for their bipartisan work to pass the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for the 53rd consecutive year. The fiscal year 2015 NDAA extends critical pay and benefits for our troops; strengthens our efforts to eliminate sexual assault in the military; and authorizes critical funding for operations to reinforce our NATO allies and European partners in the face of Russia's aggression, and to fight the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) in the Middle East -- including the training and equipping of moderate Syrian opposition forces to combat ISIL on the ground.

However, I remain concerned that Congress continues to prevent the Defense Department from pursuing many cost-savings measures that are essential to fielding a ready and capable force to meet today's challenges and prepare for tomorrow's threats. We also need more predictable budgets. Sequestration remains the law of the land, and if Congress allows sequestration to return in 2016, it will damage our military's readiness and threaten our ability to execute our nation's defense strategy.


The longer we defer tough choices, the more difficult they will become down the road. Congress must partner with DoD leaders in the new year to provide our military with the budget flexibility and predictability it needs, and the resources that our men and women in uniform deserve.
 

Hagel Welcomes Defense Authorization Act, Calls for 'More Predictable Budgets'

DoD News, Defense Media Activity

WASHINGTON, Dec. 19, 2014 - Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel welcomed the fiscal year 2015 National Defense Authorization Act in a statement issued today, but he called on Congress to work with the department on several fronts.

"I remain concerned that Congress continues to prevent the Defense Department from pursuing many cost-savings measures that are essential to fielding a ready and capable force to meet today's challenges and prepare for tomorrow's threats," Hagel said.

The secretary noted that sequestration remains law. The budget mechanism that enacts across-the-board government spending cuts threatens the defense budget as well. Hagel warned that "if Congress allows sequestration to return in 2016, it will damage our military's readiness and threaten our ability to execute our nation's defense strategy."

The full text of the secretary's statement follows:

I want to thank members of Congress -- and particularly the chairmen of the Senate and House Armed Services committees, Carl Levin and Buck McKeon -- for their bipartisan work to pass the National Defense Authorization Act for the 53rd consecutive year. The fiscal year 2015 NDAA extends critical pay and benefits for our troops; strengthens our efforts to eliminate sexual assault in the military; and authorizes critical funding for operations to reinforce our NATO allies and European partners in the face of Russia's aggression, and to fight the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant in the Middle East -- including the training and equipping of moderate Syrian opposition forces to combat ISIL on the ground. However, I remain concerned that Congress continues to prevent the Defense Department from pursuing many cost-savings measures that are essential to fielding a ready and capable force to meet today's challenges and prepare for tomorrow's threats. We also need more predictable budgets. Sequestration remains the law of the land, and if Congress allows sequestration to return in 2016, it will damage our military's readiness and threaten our ability to execute our nation's defense strategy.

The longer we defer tough choices, the more difficult they will become down the road. Congress must partner with DoD leaders in the new year to provide our military with the budget flexibility and predictability it needs, and the resources that our men and women in uniform deserve.

Hagel Authorizes Up to 1,300 Additional Troops to Deploy to Iraq

By Air Force Tech. Sgt. Jake Richmond
DoD News, Defense Media Activity

WASHINGTON, Dec. 19, 2014 - Up to 1,300 more U.S. troops, including approximately 1,000 soldiers from the Army's 82nd Airborne Division, will begin to deploy to Iraq in late January, Pentagon Press Secretary Navy Rear Adm. John Kirby said today.

"Their mission will be to train, advise and assist Iraqi security forces," Kirby told reporters at a Pentagon briefing. "This deployment is part of the additional 1,500 troops that the president authorized in November."

The roughly 300 troops who are deploying in the same timeframe as the 82nd Airborne group will be from multiple services, the admiral said. Their contributions will be in "largely enabler capabilities," Kirby added.

Changes in Location, Not Mission

"What makes this [deployment] different is simply the geography," Kirby explained. The advising teams will operate in the Anbar area and north of Baghdad, he said.

Kirby added, "But they're still going to be on a base and advising and assisting at the same higher headquarters level, [like] the 12 teams that are already there are doing."

While the American troops will be interacting directly with Iraqi troops, the admiral emphasized that those interactions will be occurring in a training environment and not out in the field.

The overall mission is still designed around training 12 Iraqi brigades, including nine from the Iraqi security force and three from the Peshmerga, Kirby said.

Role of Airstrikes

While the training mission is ongoing, the U.S. military continues to conduct airstrikes at an appropriate pace and with an appropriate sense of precision and urgency, Kirby said.

"It's twofold," he said. "It's to go after them where we know we can and we should, but also to support Iraqi security forces on the ground."

Kirby mentioned a "big spike" in airstrikes against the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant over the last week.

"That was to help prepare the Peshmerga for the operations that they conducted around Mount Sinjar, which, while they're still ongoing, have proven to be promising, so far," he said.

"It's not just a matter of more or less," the admiral added. "It's got to be appropriate to the threat and to the operations on the ground."

Yosemite Snow

A dusting of snow turnsYosemite National Park in California into a winter wonderland. Ed Cooper captured this winter view of the southwest face of El Capitan — the largest monolith of granite in the world. Rising more than 3,000 feet above Yosemite Valley’s floor, El Capitan is a favorite for experienced rock climbers. 

Photo courtesy of Ed Cooper.

Tunisia’s Elections: Old Wounds, New Fears

Tunisia’s presidential election highlights the multiple divides that trouble the country and region. Unless the winner governs as a truly national leader, representing all Tunisians and not just his base, current tensions could escalate into violence.

The International Crisis Group’s latest briefing, Tunisia’s Elections: Old Wounds, New Fears, analyses the deep anxieties of the country’s political forces and charts a path toward a national compromise. As the region is increasingly polarised, the stakes of the Tunisian presidential election, scheduled for21 December, are high. Incumbent President Moncef Marzouki, of the Congress for the Republic party, and his opponent Beji Caid Essebsi, a former prime minister and founder of the Nida Tounes party, regard their confrontation as an extension of the regional clash between revolutionary forces (often including Islamists) and counter-revolutionary forces (including elements of the regimes that were shaken or overthrown in 2011). But the chasm between the two camps runs deeper, dividing social classes, pitting established elites from Tunis and the east coast against emerging elites from the south and hinterland, and reviving political conflicts dating to the early independence era.

The briefing’s major findings and recommendations are:

• Tunisia’s tenuous stability rests largely on the hesitation born of reciprocal fears. One camp dreads the possibility of a return to dictatorship and the harsh repression of Islamist and other oppositional forces; the other warns of growing chaos, accusing the transitional authorities of weak governance. These concerns are amplified by the region’s volatility, from the authoritarian drift and crackdown on the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt and chaos in Libya, to bloody conflict and the rise of the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria. Given Tunisia’s peaceful evolution thus far, no one wishes to countenance a descent into similar violence and uncertainty.


• Whoever wins the presidential election will have to work alongside the new government and parliament to calm both camps’ anxieties, address their legitimate grievances and heal the country’s divisions. As a prelude to a political accord, the defeated candidate should write an open letter expressing his fears (and those of the electorate) to the winner, who should respond publicly.


• The new president should use his constitutional prerogatives to protect freedoms and advance the transitional-justice process. He should also promote cooperation between the main parties, Nida Tounes and the Islamist An-Nahda, even if a coalition of the two is not possible.


• Together with the new government and parliament, the president should prioritise addressing domestic inequalities and implement a plan for political decentralisation and non-discrimination, as well as explore ways to stimulate economic growth in neglected regions.


• A commitment to address these issues by governing institutions and the political class could take the form of a charter of political accountability that would lay out principles and priorities for inclusive politics.

“The presidential election has revealed fault lines in Tunisian society that political elites believed they had erased with their spirit of compromise”, says Michaël Béchir Ayari, Senior Tunisia Analyst. “But the reciprocal fears that maintained the fragile stability for much of 2014 mask the absence of a real consensus and reconciliation, not only between the main political camps, but also between the country’s diverse regions and social classes”.

“Experience of the Arab spring in other countries has shown how revolutions can fail, drift into violence, or become victims of their own success”, says Issandr El Amrani, North Africa Project Director. “For its important experiment to succeed, Tunisia would have to find a middle road between revolution and counter-revolution”.

SpaceX Completes First Milestone

SpaceX Completes First Milestone for Commercial Crew Transportation System

Commercial Crew Transportation. The Mission is in Sight.

Image Credit: 

NASA

NASA has approved the completion of SpaceX’s first milestone in the company’s path toward launching crews to the International Space Station (ISS) from U.S. soil under a Commercial Crew Transportation Capability (CCtCap) contract with the agency.

During the Certification Baseline Review, SpaceX described its current design baseline including how the company plans to manufacture its Crew Dragon spacecraft and Falcon 9 v.1.1 rocket, then launch, fly, land and recover the crew. The company also outlined how it will achieve NASA certification of its system to enable transport of crews to and from the space station.

“This milestone sets the pace for the rigorous work ahead as SpaceX meets the certification requirements outlined in our contract,” said Kathy Lueders, manager of NASA’s Commercial Crew Program. “It is very exciting to see SpaceX's proposed path to certification, including a flight test phase and completion of the system development.”

On Sept. 16, the agency unveiled its selection of SpaceX and Boeing to transport U.S. crews to and from the space station using their Crew Dragon and CST-100 spacecraft, respectively. These contracts will end the nation’s sole reliance on Russia and allow the station’s current crew of six to increase, enabling more research aboard the unique microgravity laboratory.

Under the CCtCap contracts, the companies will complete NASA certification of their human space transportation systems, including a crewed flight test with at least one NASA astronaut aboard, to verify the fully integrated rocket and spacecraft system can launch from the United States, maneuver in orbit, and dock to the space station, and validate its systems perform as expected.

Throughout the next few years, SpaceX will test its systems, materials and concept of operations to the limits to prove they are safe to transport astronauts to the station. Once certified, the Crew Dragon spacecraft and Falcon 9 v1.1 rocket will be processed and integrated inside a new hangar before being rolled out for launch. This will all take place at the historic Launch Complex 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

The Crew Dragon is expected to be able to dock to the station for up to 210 days and serve as a 24-hour safe haven during an emergency in space.

“SpaceX designed the Dragon spacecraft with the ultimate goal of transporting people to space,” said Gwynne Shotwell, SpaceX President and Chief Operating Officer.  “Successful completion of the Certification Baseline Review represents a critical step in that effort—we applaud our team’s hard work to date and look forward to helping NASA return the transport of U.S. astronauts to American soil.”

By expanding the station crew size and enabling private companies to handle launches to low-Earth orbit -- a region NASA has been visiting since 1962 -- the nation's space agency can focus on getting the most research and experience out of America's investment in ISS. NASA also can expand its focus to develop the Space Launch System and Orion capsule for missions in the proving ground of deep space beyond the moon to advance the skills and techniques that will enable humans to explore Mars.

83RD ANNUAL HOLLYWOOD CHRISTMAS PARADE AIRING TONIGHT ON HALLMARK MOVIES

83RD ANNUAL HOLLYWOOD CHRISTMAS PARADE AIRING TONIGHT ON HALLMARK MOVIES AND MYSTERIES AT 5PM EST

PARADE TO ADDITIONALLY AIR ON OVER 350 STATIONS NATIONWIDE THROUGHOUT THE HOLIDAY

FEATURING PERFORMANCES BY STEVIE WONDER, RICHIE SAMBORA, DAUGHTRY, LEANN RIMES, DRAKE BELL AND MORE

WHAT: Tune in to the 83^rd Annual Hollywood Christmas Parade, the largest Christmas celebration in America, presented and produced by Associated Television International, hosted by Erik Estrada, Laura McKenzie, Dean Cain and Montel Williams.

WHEN/WHERE: TONIGHT, December 19^th on the Hallmark Movie Channel at 5 PM EST/ 4 PM CT

To check your local listings, please click here

WHO: Watch legendary performances by Stevie Wonder, Dave Koz and the LA Gospel Choir, Richie, Sambora, Human Nature, Ace Young and Diana DiGarmo, Daughtry, Drake Bell, McClain, LeAnn Rimes, Player, and Makayla Colonello.

Catch additional talent along the parade route including: ABC’s Black-ish stars Yara Shahidi, Marcus Scribner, Miles Brown and Marsai Martin,  Sugar Ray’s Mark McGrath, Oscar De La Hoya, Kool and the Gang, George Thorogood, Erika Christensen, Nigel Lythgoe, So You Think You Can Dance Season 4 winner Joshua Allen, Neal McDonough, The Young and the Restless’ Tristan Rogers and Kate Linder, The Bold and the Beautiful’s Rena Sofer and Sean Kanan, Nancy Cartwright, Mark Steines, Cristina Ferrare, cast members from Days of Our Lives, cast members from General Hospital, Cristela’s Cristela Alonzo, Maria Canals-Barrera, Terri Hoyos, Aubrey O’Day, Girl Meets World’s Peyton Meyer, Corey Fogelmanis, Rowan Blanchard, Sabrina Carpenter, August Maturo, Goldbergs’ Hayle Orrantia, Troy Gentile, Kirby Buckets’ Mekai Curtis, Jacob Bertrand, Cade Sutton, Tiffany Espensen, Olivia Stuck, Liv & Maddie’s Benjamin King, Kali Rocha, Tenzing Norgay Trainor, Joey Bragg, Dove Cameron, Mighty Med’s Paris Berlec, Augie Isaac, Sons of Anarchy’s Tommy Flanagan, KOST 103.5’s Mark Wallengren, The Haunted Hathaway’s Breanna Yde, Benjamin "Lil P-Nut" Flores Jr., Curtis Harris, The Thundermans’ Jack Griffo, Kira Kosarin, Addison Riecke, Diego Velazquez, Audrey Whitby, the cast of Myrtle Manor, Major Crimes’ G.W. Bailey, Tony Denison, Sunshine Kids Aiden Smith, Alyssa Gomez, Radio Disney’s Brooke Taylor, Mayor Eric Garcetti, Congressman Adam Schiff, Councilmember Mitch O’Farrell, City Controller Ron Galperin, Councilmember Tom Labonge,  Santa, Snoopy, Charlie Brown and more!

About The Hollywood Christmas Parade:

A true Hollywood tradition for over 80 years, the parade attracts over 1 million in attendance each year with larger than life inflatable character balloons and celebrity filled cars making the much heralded trek down the over 3 mile parade route. The show will also be broadcast throughout the month of December on more than 350 stations including KTLA in Los Angeles on December 19^th at 8:00 p.m.  The parade will also air to over 1 million American servicemen and women worldwide on Armed Forces Network. @HlywdChristmas

#HollywoodChristmasParade​

Eastern Ukraine: A Dangerous Winter

Winter in Ukraine is injecting further uncertainty into an already volatile conflict. After well over 5,000 deaths and eight months of war, eastern Ukraine – particularly the separatist-held parts of Donetsk and Luhansk – now runs the risk of a humanitarian crisis. All parties involved in the conflict should refrain from offensive operations, concentrating instead on helping the population survive the winter, and laying the groundwork for a political settlement.

With the onset of the cold, many people living in the east will find themselves without access to food, heating or medication. The separatists will be unable to do much to help, having created little in the way of a functioning government and having few competent administrators. In its latest report,Eastern Ukraine: A Dangerous Winter, the International Crisis Group examines the thinking and capacity of the separatist leadership and their relationship with Moscow, and proposes short-term recommendations to stabilise the security situation and build confidence on all sides.

The report’s major findings and recommendations are:

• The EU, U.S. and all others involved in the peace process should call on the separatists, the Ukrainian and Russian governments to foreswear any offensive military actions over the winter. All actors involved should move urgently to demilitarise the conflict by substantially increasing monitors on the ground, both to separate the forces and closely observe the Ukrainian-Russian border. They should also urge separatist and Ukrainian leaders back to the negotiating table.


• On its part, Russia should spell out the exact nature of its political relationship with the separatist areas of the east, in particularly clarifying what it has long hinted at – that it has no plans to recognise their independence. Moscow should propose negotiations with Kyiv to resupply Crimea by land during the winter if needed and offer wholehearted support for a significant increase in the number of monitors on the ground in south east Ukraine.


• Ukraine should facilitate the delivery of emergency humanitarian assistance, if needed, to the separatist-held areas, and consult with the international community on ways to lessen the impact for non-combatants in Donetsk and Luhansk of presidential decree 875/2014, which declares illegal any bodies established by the separatists on the basis of their 2 November elections.

“Both Kyiv and the separatists are under pressure from their war lobbies, and the near-term risk of further hostilities is high’s mandate”, says Isabelle Arradon, Deputy Chief Policy Officer and Director of Research. “The separatists’ improvised and rudimentary administrative structures are totally unequipped to handle any major humanitarian crisis should one happen”.

“There is an urgent need to halt the conflict, separate the troops, deploy substantially larger numbers of international monitors across the warzone and the Russian-Ukrainian border, as well as take immediate steps to assist civilians on both sides”, says Paul Quinn Judge, Europe and Central Asia Program Director. “The winter should be used to achieve the first steps toward a political settlement”.

THE HUNGER GAMES’ KATNISS EVERDEEN ARRIVES AT MADAME TUSSAUDS HOLLYWOOD

Thursday December 18, 2014-Madame Tussauds Hollywood today revealed its newest figure, Katniss Everdeen, protagonist of the worldwide phenomenon The Hunger Games franchise, in its own immersive backdrop.

  

Following the release of The Hunger Games: Mockingjay - Part 1, Madame Tussauds has also launched wax likenesses of Katniss, portrayed by Academy Award® winner Jennifer Lawrence, at its New York and London attractions.

Hollywood’s figure portrays Katniss’ in her hunting outfit, which she wears in the second installment of the franchise, The Hunger Games: Catching Fire. Teamed with her iconic brown leather hunting jacket, are dark charcoal trousers, knee-length tie-up leather brown boots, plus brown leather quiver (arrow bag) and trademark bow. Her hair is also styled in her iconic braid.

“We are extremely excited to have worked with Lionsgate to launch a Katniss wax figure following The Hunger Games: Mockingjay - Part 1,” commented Colin Thomas, General Manager for Madame Tussauds Hollywood. Thomas continued, “The figure is in its own film-specific backdrop, allowing our guests to get up close to Katniss and the beloved story of The Hunger Games, which we know they’ll love.”

Paula Kupfer, SVP Worldwide Promotions and Consumer Products from Lionsgate, added, “We are delighted to have worked with Madame Tussauds Hollywood, New York and London on these immersive fan experiences.”

The Hollywood figure is featured in the Action Heroes area of the attraction.

About Madame Tussauds HollywoodFamed Madame Tussauds Hollywood is Los Angeles' premiere Hollywood destination offering guests the world's only opportunity to interact with incredibly lifelike iconic figures from the celebrity worlds of film, TV, music, sports and politics. Only at Madame Tussauds can guests "grab hold" of their favorite stars and enjoy countless interactive experiences. Lifelike figures of Marilyn Monroe, Audrey Hepburn, Humphrey Bogart, Lady Gaga, Selena Gomez, Johnny Depp and Will Smith are among the more than 100 featured figures.

This year, Madame Tussauds Hollywood launched 12 new figures in 12 months; a first for the attraction.

For more information, visit the website atwww.madametussauds.com/Hollywood/ and on Twitter at @TussaudsLA

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Jewish World Watch Statement Following the Passing of Rabbi Harold Schulweis

(Los Angeles) – Janice Kamenir-Reznik, co-founder and President of Jewish World Watch (JWW), released this statement following the death of JWW co-founder Rabbi Harold Schulweis early this morning:

“With a painfully heavy heart, I informed our community today that Rabbi Harold M. Schulweis – the co-founder of Jewish World Watch – passed away early this morning. Rabbi Schulweis was a cherished public intellectual, inspiring spiritual leader, and extraordinarily righteous man. He believed deeply that a spark of the Divine resides within each of us – and that our life's purpose is to be in touch with that spark and let it shine brightly.

Rabbi Schulweis' passing during Hanukah symbolizes to me the great brightness of the light that he brought to the world. He taught us that our most profound obligation as human beings is never to be silent in the face of evil, and always to strive to act in godly ways. It was his vision that drove us to found Jewish World Watch ten years ago.

His legacy will endure through our work at Jewish World Watch. We will honor Rabbi Schulweis' life and memory by redoubling our fight against genocide and mass atrocities, because to do so is an act of humanity. This drive to promote humanity in all corners of our planet was a defining characteristic of his life and will surely define his legacy.”

About Jewish World Watch (JWW): JWW is a leading organization in the fight against genocide and mass atrocities, representing 375,000 people across the United States. Since its founding in 2004, JWW has grown from a collection of Southern California synagogues into a national coalition that includes schools, churches, individuals, communities and partner organizations that share a vision of a world without genocide. Now in its 10th anniversary year, the organization has raised millions of dollars to improve the lives of survivors of genocide and mass atrocities in Congo and Sudan, and educate communities across America to advocate for political change.