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AMBUSH FROM TALIBAN - combat footage! Afghanistan : Point Man Steers Team From Danger By Army Sgt. 1st Class Mark Burrell KUNAR PROVINCE, Afghanistan, March 30, 2011 – "I can say that I've led this platoon into more ambushes than any other point man here on this deployment," Army Sgt. Nathaniel S. Gray said with a toothy grin and a slow, southern accent. "I was point man for the first six, seven months here," he continued. "I walked us into a lot. I can smell it, but I don't know where it's at. I know it's going to happen. Every time we were walking, I was looking for my next covered and concealed position. You know, I'd look at this rock, then that rock. ‘Oh, there's another rock, that's where I'm going.’ I just never knew when it was going to happen." Gray, assigned to the 101st Airborne Division’s Company B, 1st Battalion, 327th Infantry Regiment, Task Force No Slack, now is a squad leader and has an uncanny knack for getting himself and his team out of tight spots. Even before joining the Army, Gray found ways out of potentially hairy situations. He grew up in Tupelo, Miss., a town about the same size as Asadabad, the capital of Afghanistan’s Kunar province, where he now patrols. As a teenager, he watched war movies and idolized the men in those action roles who wore Screaming Eagle patches on their shoulders. "If you see TV or movies, who wouldn't choose the 101st?" Gray said. "If you see 'Hamburger Hill,' with those dudes charging up the side of a mountain, who wouldn't want to do that?" After returning from his first combat tour in Iraq, he quickly joined the 101st Airborne Division and deployed again to Iraq with the division’s 3rd Brigade Combat Team for 15 months. Now, 10 months into a yearlong deployment to Afghanistan with the 1st Brigade Combat Team, Gray stares out of his makeshift fighting position into the Shigal Valley. "You see something?" another soldier asked. "Ah, it's just dead trees." "Make sure you know where it's coming from before you shoot, know what I mean?" Gray said to the soldier. "I expect a rocket-propelled grenade to come from that ridgeline over there." It was quiet for a few minutes as the soldiers scanned the ridges with their weapons. Then Gray said, "Actually, it's my sons' birthdays today." "Last time I was home, one of them was walking around the gas station we were at singing the Pledge of Allegiance," Gray said. "I thought that was pretty cool." Gray said his sons are one of the main reasons he has stayed in the Army. He is able to care for them, he added, but they also look up to and admire him for being a soldier. "They want camouflage stuff -- you know, they're 5," he said with a smile. "They want the GI Joe backpack, and I think that's pretty cool." Then he explained the difference between being a squad leader and a father. "Over here, a squad leader is more difficult than taking care of kids," Gray explained. "Here, you have to check to make sure their magazines are full, their [combat optics] are tied down -- you have to check everything. Small things have bigger consequences over here." Since joining the Army, Gray said, he has learned it's the little things that count. "The Army changed my life a lot," he said. "It kind of distilled something in me. I started doing the right thing. I respect myself more, and I respect others more." After dodging as many more ambushes as he can in his three years left in the military, Gray said, he plans on going to college and walking into one more ambush: being swarmed by children. "I want to be a kindergarten teacher," he said. The fighting position on the mountain was quiet for a moment, and then erupted with muffled laughter from his troops. "Everybody laughs, but that's what I want to do," Gray said. "I love kids." A few days later, back home in Mississippi, Jacob and Joseph got a phone call. Their dad was on the line, far away from them, but reassuring them that he found a safe route off the mountain. Gray has a certain knack for that. Technology Extends Stratcom’s Priorities By Cheryl Pellerin WASHINGTON, March 30, 2011 – U.S. Strategic Command’s priority is to deter nuclear attack on the United States and its allies, but broader responsibilities in the 21st century include cybersecurity and missile defense, the organization’s top officer said here yesterday. Air Force Gen. C. Robert Kehler testified before the Senate Armed Services Committee for the first time since he assumed command of Stratcom in January. “Of the threats we face, weapons of mass destruction clearly represent the greatest threat to the American people, particularly when they are pursued or possessed by violent extremists or state proliferators,” Kehler said. While nuclear deterrence is Stratcom’s No. 1 priority, the general added, the command also has broader responsibilities in the 21st century, such as supporting U.S. Africa Command, he said. “We provided B-2s early in [Operation Odyssey Dawn] for Africom's use,” Kehler said. “We are also taking steps … to make sure they have the space capabilities they need, to make sure the networks there are operational and have sufficient capacity and are secured.” Stratcom also has long-term engagement in other regions of the world in support of other combatant commanders, the general added. Such activities, he said, “are primarily synchronizing -- synchronizing planning and capabilities for things like missile defense; intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance; electronic warfare; and combating weapons of mass destruction.” Another priority is to improve capabilities and operating concepts in the civil and national security areas of space and cyberspace, he added. “Space is increasingly contested, congested and competitive,” Kehler said, “and its importance to the United States goes far beyond national security.” Essential objectives include ensuring uninterrupted access to space and space-based capabilities, improving awareness of objects and activities in space, and enhancing the protection and resilience of critical systems, the general said. Achieving those objectives, he said, demands continued investments to improve space situational awareness and to sustain critical space capabilities while pursuing increased opportunities with allies and commercial partners. Stratcom and its subunified command U.S. Cyber Command, he said, “are working hard to improve our organizations and relationships, enhance our network situational awareness and protection, increase our technical capacity, and develop the human capital we need as we look to the future.” Cyber threats include a range of sources, he said, from nuisance hackers and cybercrime to denial of services and potentially destructive activities. “Our greatest challenge in cyberspace is to improve our ability to operate and defend the DOD network at network speed,” Kehler said, “and to make sure our critical activities can continue, even in the face of adversary attempts to deny or disrupt them.” In every one of those cases as the roles of government, Defense Department and industry are defined, the top issue is “making sure we've put in place the right relationships, the right roles and responsibilities and in some cases making sure we have the right authorities in place so that we can act at what our cyber experts would call network speed, which is a very tough challenge for us,” Kehler said. The memorandum of agreement on cyberspace signed in October between the Defense and Homeland Security departments, the general added, is “a very, very good start.” The next steps include improving situational cyber awareness among the combatant commands and into the public domain, he added. Stratcom also must recruit and retain the best cyber experts and resolve the question of authorities, Kehler said, “so we have properly sorted out this balance between our constitutional protections and our need to act on behalf of the nation, with the appropriate civil authorities in the lead.” Kehler said the services are helping to bolster cyber recruitment, and he noted that at least one service has put cyber awareness training into place from basic training on up. “Almost like every Marine is a rifleman [and] every sailor is a firefighter, every service member, certainly every airman, … is going to be a cyber defender,” he said. Another front for Stratcom, Kehler said, is the phased, adaptive approach for missile defense in Europe. Missile defense for the United States has been based on two major objectives, he said. “Objective No. 1 has been to make sure that our homeland is protected against a limited ballistic-missile attack from North Korea and to extend that if events warrant and Iran develops similar capacity,” he said. The second objective that has emerged, Kehler said, has been to ensure Stratcom is responding to rapidly growing regional threats. The phased, adaptive approach is intended to put resources into the combatant command theaters to bolster the defenses of U.S. troops and allies in such a way that is adaptable to the threat, he said. “I support that,” he added. “I think that's the right way to go forward.” New Navy Stealth UAV B-2 Stealth Bomber B-2 stealth bomber dumps the payload on target MAGSAYSAY DRIVE OLONGAPO CITY MARCH 5 , 2010 at 10:30 AM Afghanistan Behind Enemy Lines Boeing B-52 Stratofortress - Death from above B-52 BOMB RUN interviews with medal of honor recipients Mullen Welcomes Medal of Honor Heroes to Pentagon By Lisa Daniel WASHINGTON, March 25, 2011 – Navy Adm. Mike Mullen joined service leaders today in honoring those he called America’s “bravest of the brave” in a Pentagon ceremony marking the 150th anniversary of the Medal of Honor, the nation’s highest military award. Thirty of the 85 living recipients of the Medal of Honor, along with their families, joined the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and senior service leaders in the Pentagon’s Hall of Heroes, where their names are engraved on wall hangings among the 3,454 recipients. Today’s military leaders thanked the veterans for their service -- most rendered decades ago -- while an Army band played military marches, “America the Beautiful” and other patriotic songs before the ceremony. “For those of us who serve, and have had the opportunity to meet many of you, we marvel at your service, marvel at your dedication, and marvel at your caring,” said Mullen, who stood nearby U.S. and service-branch flags and oversized replicas of the Navy, Army and Air Force versions of the medal. The Medal of Honor recipients serve as mentors to the nation’s service members and are a bridge between the military and civilian communities, Mullen said. “Your help in connecting us to the American people is a very important endeavor,” he said. Mullen called the characteristics that embody the medal recipients –- honor, sacrifice, and service –- “iconic and quintessentially American.” President Abraham Lincoln sought and received an act of Congress to create the Medal of Honor during the Civil War, Mullen said, noting the medal came from “one of the darkest chapters in American history, and from the man credited with saving” the United States. The medal is “bestowed on the bravest of the brave for the most selfless and noble acts ever witnessed on the battlefield,” Mullen said. It is the most democratic of awards, he added, having no regard for rank, race or class of recipients. More than half of its recipients did not survive the battle for which it was earned, he said. “These heroes –- and I do not use that word lightly -– have demonstrated how just one American can not only make a difference, but can often make history,” Mullen said. “We give thanks that here, today, we live in a country where brave young Americans are still willing to give their all in defense of our nation,” the chairman said. He noted that the 10 years that today’s military has been at war is the longest period of war in American history. Leo K. Thorsness, a retired Air Force colonel and president of the Congressional Medal of Honor Society received the coveted medal for his actions in Vietnam. The 85 living recipients of the medal range in age from 26 to 90, he said, and they have the “common thread of passionate love of country.” “We wear this for those who can’t,” Thorsness said, referring to the medals hanging by a light blue sash around the necks of the recipients. “Many more are deserving and didn’t receive it, either because they slipped through the cracks or there were no eyewitnesses” to their valor, he said. Today’s ceremony marked a personal anniversary for one medal recipient. March 31 will mark 40 years since Brian M. Thacker of Wheaton, Md., was pinned down on a mountain ridge in Vietnam’s Kontum province, where he made a strategic decision to try to fend off his North Vietnamese attackers alone rather than risk the lives of all the men in his unit. Thacker was a 25-year-old Army first lieutenant who had extended his time in college ROTC in the hopes of avoiding the draft, he recalled today. But while fulfilling his military commitment in September 1970, he was sent to Vietnam, where “from the American point of view, we were turning the war over” to the South Vietnamese. On March 31, 1971, Thacker was the team leader of an artillery battery on a mountaintop observation fire base collocated with South Vietnamese units when they were overrun by a much larger contingent of North Vietnamese soldiers. The enemy used rockets, grenades, flamethrowers and automatic weapons, while Thacker’s group had just one machine gun. Three of his five men were killed in the first 15 minutes. Thacker said he had known for some time he didn’t want to make a career of the military, but that did not hold him back in service or combat. “If I got any criticism, it was that I couldn’t be reined in,” he said. It was with that focus and determination that Thacker encouraged his troops through hours of close combat while he directed airstrikes from an exposed position. By late afternoon, Thacker determined his unit would have to withdraw. He stayed behind -- alone, and with only an M-16 rifle -- to direct airstrikes on his own position to suppress the enemy while his unit climbed the steep terrain to a level where helicopters could reach them. Wounded and unable to catch up to his men, Thacker made his way down the mountain and hid in thick vegetation, eluding the enemy for eight days until he was rescued. Even after 40 years, Thacker said, he still thinks daily about the men who served with him –- and died –- on that mountaintop. “I get to wake up to a new sunrise every day because of their sacrifices,” he said. US military relief efforts continue in Japan U.S. Forces Continue to Aid Earthquake, Tsunami Victims By Jim Garamone WASHINGTON, March 25, 2011 – American service members in Japan continue to help the Japanese people recover from the catastrophic March 11 earthquake and tsunami. At the same time, many family members have taken advantage of the voluntary authorized departure process. Japanese authorities say that more than 10,000 people are known dead from the twin disasters and another 17,000 are still missing. More than 250,000 are living in evacuation shelters. The nuclear emergency at the Dai-Ichi power plant continues, and Japanese authorities today asked those living between 20 and 30 kilometers from the plant –- about 12 to 20 miles -- to move. American service members based in Japan were among the first international personnel to provide aid. As of March 24, U.S. service members have delivered 1,707,815 gallons of water, 172 tons of food, 10 tons of medical supplies and 34 tons of other relief supplies. DOD personnel are working with Japanese emergency responders to search for bodies, clear airports and roads and deliver humanitarian supplies. American helicopters have hop-scotched the area delivering supplies, transporting survivors or bringing in personnel. Sixteen U.S. ships, including the aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan, are deployed in support of operations. Marines from the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit and 3rd Marine Expeditionary Force are involved with the relief effort. Airmen from Misawa, and Kadena air bases also are involved at many levels. A total of 4,744 U.S. family members have returned to the United States via the voluntary authorized departure program. About 8,000 American family members are still in Japan awaiting departure. Service members and their families have had concerns about possible contamination of food and water in Japan, and U.S. Forces Japan has enhanced the measures the command takes to ensure the safety of food and water supplies. The food and water on U.S. military installations are safe and in accordance with U.S. Food and Drug Administration standards, according to a release on the command’s website. The command will continue to test water supplies and will increase the number of tests as an added precaution, the release added. “The safety and security of our service members and their families are our top priority,” the release said. “We take extreme care to ensure our personnel are protected and will continue to monitor the situation.” B-52 Tail-gunner Recalls MiG Downing
By Air Force Staff Sgt. Don Branum U.S. AIR FORCE ACADEMY, Colo., Dec. 27, 2010 – If the landmarks here could speak, the B-52 Stratofortress bomber sitting near the academy’s north gate would have quite a Vietnam War story to tell. The B-52 Stratofortress bomber known as "Diamond Lil" sits near the north entrance of the U.S. Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs, Colo., Dec. 23, 2010. Diamond Lil's tail gunner, Air Force Airman 1st Class Albert Moore, shot down a North Vietnamese MiG fighter aircraft Dec. 24, 1972. Diamond Lil came to the academy after it was decommissioned in 1983. U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Don Branum The crew of the “Diamond Lil,” a B-52D, tail number 55-083, took off from Utapao Royal Thai Naval Airfield on Christmas Eve in 1972. The crew’s mission was to bomb the North Vietnamese railroad yards at Thai Nguyen as part of Operation Linebacker II, which took place Dec. 18 to 29, 1972. However, the Diamond Lil's crew faced enemy air power. A North Vietnamese MiG-21 raced to intercept the B-52. The bomber’s tail gunner, Airman 1st Class Albert Moore, noticed the MiG's approach. "I observed a target in my radar scope 8:30 o'clock, low at eight miles," Moore wrote six days later in his statement of claim for enemy aircraft destroyed. "I immediately notified the crew, and the ‘bogie’ started closing rapidly. It stabilized at 4,000 yards, 6:30 o'clock. I called the pilot for evasive action and the [electronic warfare officer] for chaff and flares. "When the target got to 2,000 yards, I notified the crew that I was firing. I fired at the bandit until it ballooned to three times in intensity then suddenly disappeared from my radar scope at approximately 1,200 yards, 6:30 low. I expended 800 rounds in three bursts." Another gunner aboard the B-52, Tech. Sgt. Clarence Chute, verified Moore’s kill in his report. "I went visual and saw the ‘bandit’ on fire and falling away," Chute wrote. "Several pieces of the aircraft exploded, and the fireball disappeared in the under-cast at my 6:30 position." Moore's kill is one of only two confirmed kills by a B-52D in the Vietnam War and the last confirmed kill by a tail gunner in wartime using machine guns. Following the MiG kill, Moore wrote, "On the way home I wasn't sure whether I should be happy or sad. You know, there was a guy in that MiG. I'm sure he would have wanted to fly home too. But it was a case of him or my crew. I'm glad it turned out the way it did. Yes, I'd go again. Do I want another MiG? No, but given the same set of circumstances, yes, I'd go for another one." Moore died in 2009 at age 55. Linebacker II brought the North Vietnamese government back to the negotiating table after earlier talks had broken down. A month after the campaign, North Vietnam and the United States signed a ceasefire agreement. Diamond Lil continued serving long after the end of the Vietnam War. In all, the aircraft flew more than 15,000 hours and more than 200 combat missions between its commissioning in 1957 and its decommissioning in 1983. It came to the Air Force academy shortly after it was decommissioned. Government Publishes Veterans Homelessness Report From HUD and VA News Releases WASHINGTON, Feb. 10, 2011 – The Housing and Urban Development and Veterans Affairs departments today published what officials say is the most authoritative analysis yet of the extent and nature of homelessness among military veterans. According to HUD and VA’s assessment, nearly 76,000 veterans were homeless on a given night in 2009, while roughly 136,000 veterans spent at least one night in a shelter during that year. The assessment, part of President Barack Obama’s plan to prevent and end homelessness in America, is based on an annual report HUD provides to Congress and explores in greater depth the demographics of veterans who are homeless, how veterans compare to others who are homeless, and how veterans access and use the nation’s homeless response system. “This report offers a much clearer picture about what it means to be a veteran living on our streets or in our shelters,” HUD Secretary Shaun Donovan said. “Understanding the nature and scope of veteran homelessness is critical to meeting President Obama’s goal of ending veterans’ homelessness within five years.” “With our federal, state and community partners working together, more veterans are moving into safe housing,” Secretary of Veterans Affairs Eric K. Shinseki said. “But we’re not done yet. “Providing assistance in mental health, substance abuse treatment, education and employment goes hand-in-hand with preventive steps and permanent supportive housing,” Shinseki continued. “We continue to work towards our goal of finding every veteran safe housing and access to needed services.” Obama announced in June the nation’s first comprehensive strategy to prevent and end homelessness, including a focus on homeless veterans. The report, Opening Doors: Federal Strategic Plan to Prevent and End Homelessness, puts the country on a path to end veterans’ and chronic homelessness by 2015; and to ending homelessness among children and families by 2020. Key findings of the report include: -- More than 3,000 cities and counties reported 75,609 homeless veterans on a single night in January of 2009; 57 percent were staying in an emergency shelter or transitional housing program while the remaining 43 percent were unsheltered. Veterans represent about 12 percent of all homeless people counted nationwide during the 2009 assessment; -- During a 12-month period in 2009, about 136,000 veterans -- or about 1 in every 168 veterans -- spent at least one night in an emergency shelter or transitional housing program. The vast majority of sheltered homeless veterans -- 96 percent -- experienced homelessness alone. Four percent of homeless veterans were found to be part of a family. Sheltered homeless veterans are most often single white men between the ages of 31 and 50 and living with a disability; -- Veterans are 50 percent more likely to become homeless compared to all Americans and the risk is even greater among veterans living in poverty and poor minority veterans. HUD and VA examined the likelihood of becoming homeless among American veterans with particular demographic characteristics and found that during 2009, twice as many poor Hispanic veterans used a shelter compared with poor non-Hispanic veterans. African American veterans in poverty had similar rates of homelessness; -- Most veterans who used emergency shelter stayed for only brief periods. One-third stayed in a shelter for less than a week; 61 percent used a shelter for less than a month; and 84 percent stayed for less than three months. The report also concluded that veterans remained in shelters longer than did non-veterans; -- Nearly half of homeless veterans were in California, Texas, New York and Florida while only 28 percent of all veterans were located in those states; -- Sheltered homeless veterans are far more likely to be alone rather than be part of a family household; 96 percent of veterans are individuals compared to 66 percent in the overall homeless population. HUD and VA are working to administer a joint program targeting homeless veterans. Through the HUD-Veterans Affairs Supportive Housing Program, HUD provides rental assistance for homeless veterans while VA offers case management and clinical services. HUD last month awarded $1.4 billion to keep nearly 7,000 local homeless assistance programs operating. The Department also allocated $1.5 billion through its new Homeless Prevention and Rapid Re-housing Program. Made possible through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, HPRP is intended to prevent persons from falling into homelessness or to rapidly re-house them if they do. To date, more than 750,000 people, including more than 15,000 veterans, have been assisted through HPRP. Website Links Unemployed Vets, Spouses to Jobs By Terri Moon Cronk WASHINGTON, Feb. 9, 2011 – Unemployed veterans, wounded warriors, reserve-component service members and their spouses searching for jobs can find one-stop shopping at a Web portal designed just for them. Operated by the Army Reserve, the military-friendly Employee Partnership of the Armed Forces at http:www.EmployerPartnership.org lends assistance not only to those looking for a job, but also to public and private employers who are ready to hire former service members and help to support the troops, said Maj. Gen. Keith L. Thurgood, deputy chief of the Army Reserve. “It’s all about connecting supply and demand,” Thurgood said. “That’s the crux of the program,” Thurgood said. “It’s a mutually beneficial program where the employer gets someone who’s drug-free, understands collaboration, [and] can think strategically and act at a tactical level to get the job done.” Navy Adm. Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, is a longtime advocate of hiring veterans. “Veterans bring a maturity. They bring leadership. They bring a life experience,” he said last year. “They bring a dedication they may not have had when they were 17, 18 or 19 years old, when they were coming out of high school or in the first couple years of college.” Thurgood said the portal, launched on Veterans Day, still is in its infancy, but already has 7,500 registered users. “We’ve got over 1,300 [employers with job openings], including 95 Fortune 500 companies,” he said. While many job websites exist on the Internet, Thurgood said, veterans should know EmployerPartnership.org offers a personal touch, such as a resume-building feature that translates military language into civilian terms. Deciphering “military speak” is a common concern for human resources people in the corporate world, the general added. “We take [a military specialty] and translate it into something an HR professional can understand,” he said. “That’s a very important piece of what we do.” And it’s not just about the military, Thurgood said. “It’s about a national program we need to put in place to share this great resource that we call people, because if you look at the unemployment rate, and the demographic of 18-to-24-year-olds, and then break that down into veterans, it’s higher than the national average.” And sometimes, he added, the rate of unemployment among veterans is twice of the rate among civilians. “We have ability to reach out to you personally to help you get your resume right, help you through the interview process, and make the right connections with employers,” the general said. “The personal touch is something we provide that nobody else does.” The portal also has advice for veterans who want to start a business, Thurgood noted, offering training that explains how to become a smarter business person and entrepreneur. “It’s free, it’s easy, and it’s a great way for us to connect the great skill sets that we bring to corporate America,” he said. “In my opinion, our great military does two things well: it delivers results and grows leaders. That’s exactly what America needs.” http://www.employerpartnership.org/ President's Day Sale: 15% off $50, 20% off $75, or 25% off $100 with code: PRESIDENT DOD Must Train for ‘Degraded’ Environments, Official Says By Jim Garamone WASHINGTON, Feb. 9, 2011 – The military needs to do a better job of training to conduct operations in less-than-perfect conditions, the chairman of the Defense Science Board said here today. Paul G. Kaminski told the Defense Writers Group that given the cyber and space threat environment that exists today and likely will grow in the future, commanders must be ready for these types of operations. Kaminiski spoke in advance of the Science Board’s summer study that will be released shortly. The chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff agrees. In the National Military Strategy released yesterday, Navy Adm. Mike Mullen wrote, “Our ability to operate effectively in space and cyberspace, in particular, is increasingly essential to defeating aggression. The United States faces persistent, widespread and growing threats from state and nonstate actors in space and cyberspace.” The chairman said the U.S. military, “must grow capabilities that enable operations when a common domain is unusable or inaccessible.” Building workarounds, isolating or cauterizing a cyber attack are things that commanders should learn in an exercise, not on the battlefield, Kaminski said. “We think we are falling way short in what we need to be doing to look at degraded operations,” he said. Degraded operations are caused by unanticipated changes in the environment and unanticipated changes in how systems perform. They affect a number of Defense Department capabilities, including command, control and communications systems and “all of the netcentric activities that we are dependent upon that certainly going to be attacks in active cyber ways,” the former defense undersecretary said. Degraded operations also will affect U.S. dependence on both orbital and airborne intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance assets, Kaminski added. An enemy could attempt to degrade the environment and attack the U.S. military’s reliance on electronic navigation and the American dependence on electronic warfare in general, he explained, and this could reach to trying to disrupt supplies through the U.S. critical logistics infrastructure. The Defense Science Board looked at what the department is doing to prepare for degraded operations at four levels: the strategic level, the operational level, the tactical level and the individual level. “We find differences in the services at the individual level,” Kaminski said. “The Marines still turn off GPS systems and use a map and compass to find their way by dead reckoning. Special operators also do some good training.” But the farther up the chain, “the worse it gets as far as training that we do,” he added. When the Air Force first put electronic warfare into its Red Flag combat training exercises, Kaminski said, “they decided not to do it again, because it ruined the whole exercise.” One way to conduct degraded-environment exercises, Kaminski said, is to introduce the environment and grade people on how they react. Another is to keep pushing the envelope until the system breaks. A combination of the two scenarios is necessary, he told the defense writers. “You need to conduct the break-the-system exercises and put it into the training where we grade people,” he said. “This is not a high-cost thing to do. It is a high-opportunity cost, because to do this right, you need to have senior leaders in place to participate so it does place demands on people’s schedules. But this needs to be addressed.” Socom Commander Outlines People, Mission, Equipment By Karen Parrish WASHINGTON, Feb. 9, 2011 – U.S. Special Operations Command has filled its barracks and motor pools over recent years to meet this decade’s demands for its forces, the command’s top officer said yesterday. Speaking at the National Defense Industrial Association’s 22nd Annual Special Operations and Low-intensity Conflict Symposium, Navy Adm. Eric T. Olson, Socom commander, offered what he called a snapshot view of current special operations missions, people and equipment. “We are 85 percent, approximately, deployed into the Central Command area of operation. It’s been that way now for about seven years,” he said. “We are struggling mightily to meet the increase in demand from the other geographic combatant commanders of the world, spreading the other 15 percent of our deployed force across [their areas].” Most significant current threats are “emanating from or being cultivated” in the Central Command area, Olson said. In terms of people, Socom has swelled its ranks significantly in the last few years, he said, noting current strength across the “many tribes” of the community is about 60,000. “I would say roughly about a third of those are the operators, if you will, of the special operations community,” he said. The operators have volunteered, been selected for, and gone through “some sort of an advanced training” –- such as the Army Special Forces Qualification Course or the Navy Basic Underwater Demolition SEAL training –- that earns them a special operations identifier, Olson said. Those operators include air crews, aviators and ground and maritime forces, he said. “About two-thirds of the force, then, cycles through the special operations community for a tour or two or three, over the course of their career,” Olson said. The overall special operations force is about half Army, followed in decreasing percentages by the Air Force, Navy and Marine Corps, the admiral said. The special operations community was established in 1987, and became fully joint when U.S. Marine Corps Forces Special Operations Command stood up five years ago this week, Olson told the group. “They are performing magnificently,” he said. “Most of our deployed Marine special operators are now in western Afghanistan, where they are now on their second consecutive O-5 level special operations task force deployment,” he said. Socom is now made up of about 80 percent active-duty troops, an increase from four years ago when active-duty troops made up two-thirds to three-quarters of the command, he said. Special operators are carefully selected and highly trained, the admiral said, but it’s their weapons, vehicles and other equipment that enable them to fight, survive and achieve mission success. Socom has seen a “significant couple of years” in equipment gains, Olson noted, citing the MC-130 Whiskey Dragon Spear aircraft as a notable example. Although it has a gun, he said, the MC-130 isn’t a gunship. “It is an airborne precision-fire platform … [with] a robust sensor,” Olson said. “Unlike the AC-130 gunships that many of you are familiar with, the MC-130 Whiskey can fly in the daytime … at standoff distance. So this has been enormously valuable for the force.” The MC-130 project progressed from imagination to flight in less than 90 days, and it deployed in 18 months, the admiral added. Socom developed the MC-130 under its own authorities, Olson said. “We formed a joint acquisition task force … [and] grabbed control of this project,” he added. The MC-130 first deployed to Iraq and now is in Afghanistan, the admiral said. Other equipment advances fielded or in development include “high beam,” an airborne-mounted, overt laser that illuminates a spot on the ground, Olson said, noting that operational commanders are “finding more and more uses for an illuminated spot on the ground.” The technology can prevent inadvertent attacks on friendly forces, and it can illuminate targets, inducing a “powerful psychological effect,” he explained. Socom has increased its aircraft inventory with single- and twin-engine turboprop planes able to move small amounts of people and cargo in remote locations with rudimentary landing areas, Olson said. The command also has acquired more helicopters, incorporating a company of Black Hawks and planning for a company of Chinooks, he added. The command’s intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance capabilities using manned and unmanned aircraft also are more robust now, Olson said, proving to be enormously important on the battlefield. “In the areas of mission, people and stuff, there’s been a significant expansion, particularly over the last couple of years,” he said. “We’ve called it, frankly, inside Special Operations Command, the third stage of ‘Ready, fire, aim.’” He explained that early in post-9/11 military operations, the emphasis was on rapid action. “There was an awful lot of firing that occurred quickly. … We made rapid decisions to provide rapid capability,” he said. “Now over the last couple, three years, we’ve been able to adjust fire to make sure that we are really delivering the right things to the right people.”
riff master-pro
Military Must Plan for Future Transition By Karen Parrish WASHINGTON, Feb. 9, 2011 – Special operations forces today are the best America has ever had, and are a good example of the military’s need to plan now for continued success in the future, the nation’s highest-ranking officer said yesterday. Navy Adm. Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, spoke during the awards banquet of the National Defense Industrial Association’s 22nd Annual Special Operations and Low-intensity Conflict Symposium. Mullen said he has learned “an incredible amount” about service and sacrifice from the special operations community, noting that special operations forces have been decisive in the nation’s wars since 2001. As someone who serves alongside those forces, Mullen said, “I would want to just say thanks: thanks to you who serve, thanks to you who did, thanks to you who still support the community.” Those who serve now in special operations are “the best we’ve ever had,” the chairman continued, “And we need the best we’ve ever had.” Special operations forces typically are the first ones in, and will be the last to come out when U.S. forces leave Iraq, Mullen said. And the work special operations forces have done in Iraq, he added, has helped to pave the way ahead in Afghanistan. “We are heavy into Afghanistan,” Mullen said, “and we need everything we learned in Iraq to do what we’re doing in Afghanistan.” Afghanistan demands great effort across the full spectrum of special operations missions, Mullen said: capturing and killing enemy fighters, conducting civil affairs missions and engaging with local populations, and training indigenous forces. Looking ahead, Mullen said, the question becomes one of endurance. “We’re in our tenth year,” he noted. “How long can we do it? Somehow we’ve got to figure out how to create a little more balance as we look to the future.” Budget pressure also is increasing, the chairman said, and no one is immune to that pressure. “Every dollar counts and we have to figure out how to spend our money wisely,” he said. “At some point in time -– and I certainly don’t speak to the wars that we’re in, because we can’t back off there -– but at some point in time, we have to ask ourselves, ‘What are we going to stop doing?’” The health of the force and economic reality will require the military to eventually scale back, the admiral said. The military’s challenge in dealing with decreased funding, he added, will be to approach available resources with a team mentality. “We’ve got to go through it together,” Mullen said. “And we’ve got to come through actually a stronger force, ready to continue to meet the challenges that are out there.” Navy Adm. Eric T. Olson, commander of U.S. Special Operations Command, has spoken of the nation’s special operations forces “fraying around the edges” as a result of ever-increasing demand for their contribution to the war effort over the past decade, Mullen said, and that’s something the Defense Department has to take into account. “We are built to run through walls, or as we say in the Navy, bulkheads,” he said. “We are not built to stop, ever. We are built to succeed in these missions, which we must continue to do.” But leaders have to decide how to prioritize and balance missions to sustain the force for the long run, the chairman added. Special operations forces typically tell him their families are “doing well,” even after nine or 10 deployments, Mullen said, noting that he often gets the same answer from their spouses. But his wife, Deborah, hears a different reality from the spouses, he said. “They’re pushed,” he said. “I don’t care if it’s down in Tampa, or at [Fort] Bragg, or out in San Diego, that’s the reality of where we are.” Mullen said he doesn’t underestimate the challenges ahead, either in the fight or at home. “We can’t wish them away, because they’re not going to go away,” he said. “They’re only going to grow in time.” The chairman said the approach taken by Special Operations Care Coalition, which tracks, supports, and advocates for special operations forces’ wounded, ill, and injured service members and their families, must expand across the entire military. The Care Coalition is the gold standard for the wounded, their families, and the families of the fallen, he said. “But I would extend that to the community writ large,” the admiral said. “We need to make sure we have reached wide and deep to the community -- one, to be able to finish what we’ve started, and two, to be ready for the future.” Mullen said over the next four or five years, special operations forces and the military in general will have to answer questions about how to come out of the fight and wind down, but still keep the best noncommissioned officers and officers in the force to be ready for the future. “It’s not that far off, and that’s not something that we should deal with in terms of a crisis,” he said. “We ought to recognize that’s out there –- and [ask ourselves], ‘How are we going [to] transition?’” NATO Nations to boost cyber defence cooperation February 9, 2011 (MMD Newswire) -- In line with Secretary General Rasmussens's call for smart, modern defence, senior representatives from NATO Nations met on 7 February at the NATO Consultation, Command and Control Agency (NC3A) to discuss boosting multinational cooperation in the area of cyber defence. The aim of the session was to chart multinational projects that would allow NATO member states to further enhance their cyber defence capabilities in a collaborative, cost-effective manner by establishing joint projects. Areas discussed included improved information-sharing on rapidly emerging threats, new technologies and capabilities; and joint acquisition of Computer Incident Response capabilities and cyber defence common operational picture systems. The workshop was held as a follow-up to the Lisbon Summit decisions and the high-level cyber defence meeting held at NATO Headquarters on 25 January. It was opened by Ambassador Gabor Iklody, NATO Assistant Secretary General for Emerging Security Challenges. "Derived from the Lisbon Critical Capabilities Commitment and the NATO New Strategic Concept, the new NATO Cyber Defence Policy and Action Plan in June will address the two major questions: what do we want to defend and how do we want to do it?," said Ambassador Iklody, "This workshop greatly contributed to answering the 'how?' by addressing the vital need for optimization of information sharing, collaboration and interoperability." "NC3A has been involved in cyber defence projects since their inception in NATO. By facilitating the establishment of multinational projects in cyber defence, Nations will be able to leverage the expertise gained through our work on NATO common funded activities," said Georges D'Hollander, NC3A General Manager. Cost-effective development of national capabilities The workshop was attended by over 60 participants, including high-ranking representatives from 21 Nations, NATO's Transformation Command, as well as cyber defence experts from NATO HQ, the NATO Computer Incident Response Capability Technical Centre, NC3A and the Cooperative Cyber Defence Centre of Excellence in Tallinn, Estonia The NC3A is responsible for the improvement and acquisition of NATO's cyber defence capabilities. The Alliances is currently significantly upgrading its cyber defences, with the enhanced capabilities due to be up and running in 2012 Odierno Details Joint Forces Command Disestablishment Plans By Cheryl Pellerin WASHINGTON, Feb. 9, 2011 – The commander of U.S. Joint Forces Command today outlined some of the changes that will take place over the next several months as he oversees the disestablishment of the southern Virginia-based organization responsible for the military’s joint training, doctrine and operations. Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates announced in August that he would recommend the command be eliminated and its essential functions assigned to other organizations, and President Barack Obama approved the command’s disestablishment Jan. 6. Army Gen. Raymond T. Odierno spoke with reporters at the Joint Warfighting Center in Suffolk, Va., and shared his vision for the reorganization. “What I hope to see is that we’re able to do our job better to support combatant commands in the services as they request help,” he said, “whether it’s conducting training exercises around the world or developing new doctrines for Afghanistan or ballistic missile defense or other areas.” Gates signed a memorandum this morning providing guidance and direction to execute the disestablishment, Odierno said. “The changes are significant,” he added. “We will retain the most critical functions and expertise for the joint warfighter in an organization flattened for agility and efficiency. But I do want to stress that this will be a different organization.” In the months ahead, streamlined relevant joint functions will be transferred to “appropriate Defense Department entities, mostly the Joint Staff,” Odierno said. “We’ll ensure that we sustain the momentum and gains in jointness while maintaining critical interaction with NATO, specifically Allied Command Transformation, and other multinational partners.” Allied Command Transformation, based in Norfolk, Va., is a NATO military command that provides the conceptual framework for conducting combined joint operations. Odierno said he’s required over the next 30 days to publish a detailed implementation plan and submit it to Gates. “During this time,” the general said, “I will continue to refine the details of this plan, and will continue to refine it as we begin execution of the plan.” A two-star general officer will lead the new organization from Norfolk-Suffolk as deputy director for operational plans and joint force development on the Joint Staff. Joint Forces Command will be disestablished as a four-star combatant command by the end of August, and all personnel moves will be complete by March 2012. “Today we have 33 liaison officers as part of Joint Forces Command,” Odierno said. “They will remain connected to the Joint Warfighting Center. We have requests for 17 other nations to join us here, and that will continue to be programmed.” The general said the command’s outlying centers and agencies will be realigned and reduced for efficiency and assigned to other combatant commands. No physical moves are projected with the transfers. These include the Joint Warfare Analysis Center in Dahlgren, Va.; the Personnel Recovery Agency in Fort Belvoir, Va.; the Joint Communications and Support Element at MacDill Air Force Base in Tampa, Fla.; and the NATO School in Germany. Joint Forces Command service components include Fleet Forces Command, Air Combat Command, Marine Forces Command and Army Forces Command, Odierno said, and each will revert to their respective service’s control Aug. 1. The reorganized command will retain 51 percent of its Virginia work force, which will be reduced from about 4,700 people to 2,425. In the Norfolk-Suffolk area, the work force will drop to 1,900 from 3,800 people, and from 21 buildings to four. “[Joint Forces Command] is one of the small pieces of a larger DOD efficiency effort,” Odierno said. “That piece, though, is important, and it’s personal to everyone here. I will place the highest priority on the execution and disestablishment and taking care of all our employees.” Odierno said he and his staff understand the impact the command’s disestablishment will have on its workers. “We are engaged with the Office of the Secretary of Defense Personnel and Readiness, the Navy Personnel Office’s human resource offices, and the entire Virginia delegation, both local and national, as well as the governor’s office,” he said, “to make sure our work force receives the best professional career advice and placement assistance available.” The bulk of the reductions will affect contractors, he said, but some military and government civilian reductions also will take place. “I absolutely agree with what we’re trying to do here,” Odierno added, “but the proof will be in our execution to make sure that we get this new organization right.” military manuals on disk Anarchy... Chaos... Lawlessness... Armageddon... Terrorism... War... Famine... Natural disaster... 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From U.S. Fleet Forces Command Public Affairs NORFOLK (NNS) -- Adm. John C. Harvey Jr., Commander, United States Fleet Forces Command (USFFC), has permanently relieved Capt. Owen Honors of his duties as commanding officer of USS Enterprise (CVN 65) for demonstrating poor judgment while serving as executive officer of that ship. "The responsibility of the commanding officer for his or her command is absolute. While Capt. Honors' performance as commanding officer of USS Enterprise has been without incident, his profound lack of good judgment and professionalism while previously serving as executive officer on Enterprise calls into question his character and completely undermines his credibility to continue to serve effectively in command," said Harvey. "The foundation of our success in the Navy lies in our ability to gain and hold the trust of our Sailors, "It is fact that as naval officers we are held to a higher standard. Those in command must exemplify the Navy's core values of honor, courage and commitment, which we expect our Sailors to follow. Our leaders must be above reproach and our Sailors deserve nothing less," said Harvey. Capt. Dee Mewbourne will be permanently assigned as the commanding officer of Enterprise. Mewbourne most recently commanded USS Dwight D. Eisenhower (CVN 69) and while in command he completed two successful combat deployments supporting Operation Enduring Freedom. Mewbourne is currently serving as the chief of staff for Navy Cyber Forces and will assume command of Enterprise this afternoon. "We will support and work with Capt. Mewbourne and the crew of Enterprise to keep them forward focused on their upcoming combat deployment. This is a difficult situation but the men and women of Enterprise are outstanding Sailors who have completed a very challenging and comprehensive predeployment work-up period in a thoroughly professional manner. They are well-trained, and I have full confidence in their readiness to execute all missions during their deployment," said Harvey. The relief of Honors occurs as the investigation continues into the inappropriate videos that Honors Navy Capt. catches heat for gay slurs
Mullen On Wikileaks Afghanistan Strategy Nuclear arms in Iran
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November 29, 2010 (MMD Newswire) -- Was a US-North Korean War Predicted? Historian finds correlations between century-old prophecies and modern politicians, social and economic turmoil "The young black man put against his soul by fame for partially destroying the reds", was a 450 y.o. prophecy printed in 1560 in London. Could this prophecy refer to Obama beating the communist North Korea?
Was the election of Barack Obama to the office of President of the United States foreseen in prophecies written hundreds of years ago? Are the economic recessions and environmental catastrophes of our times pre-ordained in documents from the past? This historian thinks the answer to these questions is yes. Historian Fabio R. de Araujohas been researching prophecies since 1990. This multi-lingual scholar has researched documents in English, German, French, Italian, Spanish, Portuguese, and Latin, many of them found in libraries in different countries, most of them in Europe. Author of Prophezeiungen uber das Ende der Welt, published in Germany, his new book published in the United States, 2012: The Year of the Changes, is a well written and thoroughly documented look into the prophecies, both authentic and fabricated, that appear to be striking chords of truth with current events, world leaders and the nature of the trends and turmoil we see around us.Although the title may seem to suggest, the 2012 in question is connected to the 2012 elections in the US and in Russia. According to Historian Araujo there are more predictions associated with Barack Obama and Vladimir Putin that any other political leader in our history. Their rise to power makes them the two most predicted leaders in the history of our planet. For hundreds of years, prophecies from different countries about a future leader who will come and save (or, in other cases, destroy) the world have been part of the culture of a few peoples, in Europe, in the Middle East and in the Eastern world.. Araujo compares and contrasts the prophecies he identified against the facts as we know them today. An authentic Italian prophecy, for example, made in the 1950s, predicts an economic crisis and a depression much like what happened in the 1930s comparing Obama to Roosevelt. This appears to have happened since both were called socialists. Another authentic prophecy about Obama is about a Brazilian writer, named Monteiro Lobato, well-known in Brazil today, wrote a book in 1926 called The Black President, subtitled The American Roman in 2228, which he unsuccessfully tried to publish in the US but published in Brazil. It's about a future election in the US in which a character named Jane looks into a machine we could translate as "futuroscope" where she can see the future. Jane saw a black man as US President in a distant year composed with 2s and an 8, when medicine would be highly advanced, able to create doubles of human beings as clones; and people would have their hair straightened.. According to the book, a black man would be running for election against a white woman and a white man. The final winner is the "Black President." At that time, the US population would be 314 million people and the white people about 200 million, numbers very close to today. His book looks at many more prophecies and analyzes current events and personalities to see whether there is any reasonable correlations that can be made. 2012: The Year of the Changes. List $14.95 About The Author Fabio R. de Araujo is a Brazilian historian, who has researched prophecies in Europe and in the Americas for about 20 years. He is author of Selected Prophecies and Prophets (2007) as well as other books and articles on the subject of prophecies published in Europe and the Americas.He had also published: Mother Shipton: Secrets, Lies and Prophecies , Nostradamus: History And Prophecies and Prophezeiungen über das Ende der Welt, which reached the 1stposition in Germany in Amazon.de in books among about prophecies.
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WORLD wars started in 1914. Continued in 1939. Then suddenly in 1945, the weaponry changed from relative to absolute. Nuclear! WOW! Ka-BOOM! There goes the (world) neighborhood! Einstein himself said, "Everything has changed except our way of thinking." He added, "If we don't eliminate war, war will eliminate us." That gun was and is pointing at humanity…..and AT YOU! So don't you think YOU SHOULD HAVE THE CHOICE BETWEEN WAR AND :
Alyssa Milano: I'm not going to lie - this North and South Korea craziness scares me. Veterans’ Reflections: Maintaining the Military Ethos By Ian Graham WASHINGTON, Nov. 19, 2010 – When Robert Mowl graduated from high school in 1965, he knew he was going to join the Army. But the Cincinnati resident may not have known the Army would become his career and home for the next 21 years. Robert Mowl prepares to feed soldiers during his Army service in Vietnam in the late 1960s. Courtesy photo “It was the best thing that ever happened to me, except for getting married to my wife,” he said. “I’ve been all over the world. If I had to do it over again, I’d spend another 20 years in the Army. That was my home.” Mowl retired from the Army as a sergeant first class on June 1, 1986. In April 1966, Mowl shipped off to Vietnam for the first time. He spent 13 months there as a wireman in an artillery battery, waiting for news from home. Mail call was the most- tense and important part of the day when it came to soldiers’ morale, he recalled. “If I didn’t get a letter I was down, but the next day I would get two or three letters and it would pick me back up again,” Mowl said. “The mail meant a lot to the guys out there.” He learned to recognize the sound of a mail helicopter, he added, knowing that mail from home was potentially on its way to him. After serving two years of stateside duty, Mowl was called back to Vietnam, this time as a cook in an artillery battery in the 1st Cavalry Division. From August 1969 to August 1970, he made sure the troops in his field unit received two hot meals daily. He learned to cook with whatever supplies he could get, in any conditions. If a mess tent was set up, he said, it would be shot at by North Vietnamese soldiers. “Whatever came out on that Chinook when we got to a landing zone, we cooked up for them,” Mowl said. “If we got 100 pounds of ground beef, they got a lot of chili mac, but we got them hot meals no matter what.” The unit moved often, he said, and got hit a few times by fire from ground troops. Easter morning of 1970 stands out to Mowl. That day, he said, North Vietnamese troops overran his unit, destroying three artillery guns and killing 13 artillerymen. Mowl caught a piece of shrapnel in his leg during the fight. He was able to pull it out, and for that he counts himself incredibly lucky. “I didn’t want a Purple Heart, because I figured there were guys that deserved it more than me, but they made me take it,” he said. “I’ve got it. I don’t display it too often, but I’m proud of it. I’d do it all over again.” Mowl said he’s proud to have served as long as he did –- his service took him across the United States, to Korea and to Germany after the war in Vietnam ended. But his companions in combat never left him, he said. “We came to Vietnam as strangers, we left Vietnam as brothers,” he said. “I made a lot of friends over there. The friendships made a lot of difference over there.” Mowl said that if servicemembers today can keep the military ethos when they leave the service, they’ll have no problem working in the civilian world. The things people learn in uniform are irreplaceable, he explained, and employers generally recognize the value of having a former soldier around. “Use your skills when you get on the outside,” he said. “Remember the discipline. A lot of things are going on. If you keep that discipline in you when you’re on the outside, you’ll be a better man.” Those who haven’t served, he added, should keep in mind the sacrifices people are making daily, fighting in places most will never know to protect things that are taken for granted. “Support your troops. Support all military,” Mowl said. “If it wasn’t for them, you wouldn’t be here. It’s the same as the World War II vets –- if it weren’t for them, we’d be speaking German now.” (“Veterans’ Reflections” is a collection of stories of men and women who served their country in World War II, the Korean War, the Vietnam War, operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm, and the present-day conflicts. They will be posted throughout November in honor of Veterans Day.) USS Enterprise Turns 49 Years Old Thanksgiving Day
By Mass Communication Specialist Seaman Jared M. King NORFOLK, Va. (NNS) -- USS Enterprise (CVN 65) is scheduled to celebrate its 49th birthday in its homeport of Norfolk, Va. Nov. 25. Big E's 49th birthday will take place as the crew celebrates Thanksgiving. Enterprise is the world's first nuclear-powered aircraft carrier, and with the exception of USS Constitution, is the oldest commissioned warship in the Navy. CVN-65 is the eighth U.S. ship bearing the name Enterprise and was commissioned Nov. 25, 1961. During the commissioning, then Secretary of the Navy John B. Connally Jr. called the ship a worthy successor to the seventh Enterprise (CV 6), which was the most decorated ship in World War II. In his remarks, Connally said Enterprise will reign for a long, long time as "queen of the seas." Former Aviation Boatswain's Mate Airman Jack Kepics was there that historic day and remembers it vividly. "There was a chilly breeze that blew through the hangar bay as about 3,000 of us stood in ranks shivering in our dress blues," said Kepics. "Despite the dreary weather, the atmosphere was very festive, and a sense of pride beamed from every Sailor and officer as we stood and listened to the commissioning speeches." "Big E", as the crew affectionately named her, is the largest aircraft carrier to ever be built. One of a kind, Enterprise stretches 1,123 feet and weighs 73,858 tons. Enterprise is the only ship to ever house eight nuclear reactors. "This is significant because we are still operating as efficiently as we did 49 years ago," said USS Enterprise Command Master Chief (AW/SW) Keith Oxley. "Roughly 250,000 Sailors have served aboard Enterprise in her 49-year tenure, and we are carrying on that legacy." The ship's first mission was to track and measure the flight of Mercury 'Friendship 7'. Big E's efforts culminated May 5, 1962 when Cmdr. Alan B. Shepard, Jr., became the first American to break the barrier of the Earth's atmosphere and ascend 116.5 miles in the Mercury capsule. Big E has played a role in almost every major conflict since her commissioning. From the Cuban Missile Crisis, through multiple tours off Yankee Station in the Vietnam conflict, cold war tensions, and culminating with it's rapid response on 9/11, Enterprise has been there to answer the nation's call time and again. "I've been in the Navy for 25 years, and I cannot recall a ship that has been as active for this period of time," said Oxley. "I came to Enterprise for the sole reason of helping this fine ship to the very end of its life and also to be part of its history and heritage." Throughout Enterprise's naval career, it has earned many accolades and distinguished itself honorably time and time again. Enterprise has played a vital role in establishing sea power for the U.S. in the past and, with its upcoming deployment, will continue to do so into the future. This sentiment reaffirms the tradition and level of excellence that Enterprise Sailors have shown throughout the vessel's history. The legend will continue to grow as it looks forward to its 50th birthday next year. Enterprise Carrier Strike Group consists of Enterprise, the guided-missile cruiser USS Leyte Gulf (CG 55), the guided-missile destroyers USS Bulkeley (DDG 84), USS Barry (DDG 52) and USS Mason (DDG 87), USNS Arctic (T-AOE 8), Carrier Air Wing 1 and Destroyer Squadron 2. Gates Endorses Disaster Relief Proposal at Conference By John D. Banusiewicz SANTA CRUZ, Bolivia, Nov. 22, 2010 – A proposal that would improve international cooperation among Western Hemisphere nations in disaster relief efforts received a strong endorsement from Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates here today. In remarks during a plenary session of the Conference of the Defense Ministers of the Americas, Gates said the proposal resulted from extensive consultation and deliberation, including September workshops in Washington, D.C., and Lima, Peru. Lessons learned from relief operations in the wake of January’s earthquake in Haiti informed the discussions, he added. “Those sessions included detailed input from many of our countries aimed at debriefing the key elements needed to improve cooperation on disaster relief,” Gates told his Western Hemisphere colleagues. “Those discussions were aided by honest assessments of what worked and what didn’t in Haiti.” The proposal calls for: -- Standardizing a system for military collaboration during disaster relief operations through a Military Assistance Collaboration Cell; --Adopting a common platform for information sharing; and -- Establishing working groups to develop the framework for military support for civilian-led disaster relief operations. “I wholeheartedly endorse this proposal,” Gates said, “and believe it is a promising blueprint for other cooperative efforts to further our mutual interests in concrete and beneficial ways. I also believe the proposal’s working groups might provide a measure of continuity by facilitating collaboration in between our biennial ministerial gatherings. “Most importantly,” he continued, “this initiative will go far to help mitigate the human suffering that results from these tragedies.” Veterans’ Reflections: Experiencing ‘Full Metal Jacket’ By Ian Graham WASHINGTON, Nov. 22, 2010 – Like a lot of his fellow servicemembers in the 1960s, Arlen Bliefernicht didn’t choose to join the Army. The DeForest, Wis., resident didn’t know what to expect when he finished basic training and shipped to Vietnam with the 4th Infantry Division. “For the first six months I was in Vietnam, it was like a Boy Scout outing,” he said. “It was very casual, and we didn’t see a lot of action. But we didn’t see what was coming.” The last six months of his tour, following the Tet offensive in January 1968, were less casual, to say the least. “It wasn’t nonstop action, but there was a lot of it,” he said. “Up to that point, we suffered very few casualties, but after Tet it was a rollercoaster.” At one point, Bliefernicht’s unit ran into a scene straight out of the movie “Full Metal Jacket.” In Kantum City, the troops got caught up in the “fog of war,” attacking hills where the North Vietnamese army had bunkered, not knowing for sure if the attacks were coming on a small scale or were part of a larger offensive. It was there that they had their first soldier killed in action. After taking one hill, Bliefernicht said, he realized how much trouble his unit was about to encounter. “One time we were on this hill, we could actually see the North Vietnamese coming up the valley toward us,” he said. “We called in, … ‘Where’s the air strikes? The gunships? The artillery?’ They were out.” The troops had to hold their positions until the supply chain could catch up to what they needed to fight back. “That was a very shaky feeling, that all of a sudden we were so low on ammunition,” Bliefernicht said. But it was the battle of Chu Moor, near the Cambodian border, that really “chewed up” his battalion, Bliefernicht said. The entire battalion and a few other companies were involved, he said, and though it isn’t known as well historically, the troops who were in Vietnam that year remember it vividly, perhaps more so than the Tet attacks. It was there, Bliefernicht said, that he was wounded for the first time. He got shot, but the injury was relatively small, he said, and he was back on his feet and in the field within a few weeks. “I got a couple of Purple Hearts and a Combat Infantry Badge,” he said. “But the biggest medal I earned was getting out alive, and I don’t have any disabling injuries from that.” Bliefernicht said he visits the Vietnam Veterans Memorial here regularly to pay respects to the soldiers who weren’t as lucky as he was. It’s hard on him, he acknowledged, but he said he has learned to cope in a way similar to visiting deceased friends or family members at a cemetery. “The Battle of Chu Moor is big in [the memorial’s] section 53-E,” he said. “There are a few names that jump out who are special to me. It’s an emotional impact every time I see it, but I’ve learned to deal with it.” Bliefernicht said he learned a lot coming back from the war and seeing the negative reaction people had toward Vietnam veterans, and that he thinks the American people have learned from that mistake. He had only a few brief instances of people harassing him, he recalled, largely because he avoided places or events that would invite harassment. He’s glad he hasn’t seen that kind of reaction en masse toward veterans of Iraq or Afghanistan, he added. “We’re backing you,” he said. “I know the ‘Nam vets are going to get out there and make sure you don’t get any receptions like we got when we came back. While you’re over there, keep your head down and stay lucky.” He said the best way people can support veterans is to listen to them, and steer them to proper help for PTSD or other emotional issues that can arise after experiencing combat. “The biggest thing, especially with returning veterans, is to have some understanding of the emotional and mental problems they’re going through, and the multiple tours,” Bliefernicht said. “So have some understanding; we didn’t get that understanding when we came back. They went through some very traumatic experiences –- anybody who goes through war does.” (“Veterans’ Reflections” is a collection of stories of men and women who served their country in World War II, the Korean War, the Vietnam War, operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm, and the present-day conflicts. They will be posted throughout November in honor of Veterans Day.) "Five Sullivan Brothers - They Did Their Part"
The five Sullivan brothers (Albert, Francis, George, Joseph, and Madison) served together as shipmates aboard the cruiser USS Juneau after requesting special permission from the Secretary of the Navy. The Juneau was sunk on November 13, 1942, off the island of Guadalcanal by Japanese submarine I-26. Of the crew of over 600 sailors, only 11 survived. Even after hearing rumors of the death of her five sons, Mrs. Sullivan continued to support the war effort as evidenced by a letter she wrote to the Bureau of Naval Personnel. Franklin D. Roosevelt sent a personal letter to Mrs. Sullivan expressing his and the nation's sorrow. For wartime America, the Sullivan brothers became the ultimate symbol of heroic sacrifice. Veterans’ Reflections: ‘Do Your Duty and Be Proud’
By Ian Graham WASHINGTON, Nov. 13, 2010 – Michael Tripp is a certified public accountant in East Providence, R.I. He’s also one of the most famous faces from the Vietnam War. From April 1965 to March 1969, Tripp served in the Marine Corps. On March 14, 1967, his helicopter was shot down during a medical evacuation mission with Marine Medium Helicopter Squadron 363, and he ended up spending three days with Delta Company of the 1st Battalion, 9th Marine Division. Tripp and the other Marines found refuge in the wreckage of a church. “While we were in the church, the UPI photographer Frank Johnston took a shot of me sitting on the altar, with the statue of Christ behind me,” Tripp said. “It became reasonably famous; it was in papers all over the place.” The picture went out over the United Press International wire with a simple caption: "An exhausted Marine finds refuge inside a church in An Hoa during a heavy North Vietnamese mortar attack." It became one of the iconic images of the war. “People would ask what we were doing in the church, and we’d always say ‘I was praying; what did you think I was doing?’” Tripp said. After the photograph appeared in newspapers, magazines and books, including J. Robert Moskin’s “The U.S. Marine Corps Story,” a problem arose: a man named Rob Sutter in Atlanta was convinced the Marine in Johnston’s photo was his brother, Richard, who died at Khe Sanh later in 1967. It wasn’t until a reporter from the Washington Post dug into the story in 1998 and profiled Sutter that the discrepancy was brought to light. After a three-part special report came out in the Post, Tripp’s photo was circulated again and ended up on a promotional spot for a show on The Learning Channel. “I called up The Learning Channel. … The woman said, ‘Are you the man who thinks he’s the Marine in the photograph?’” Tripp said. “So I said, ‘No, I am the man in the photograph.’” After some digging through Navy records, Tripp was able to prove his identity; but that left him with the task of talking to Sutter, who believed he had found a memorial to his lost brother. Tripp said it was a hard visit, but the point wasn’t to take credit or diminish anyone’s memory. He said the photograph is representative of the Marine Corps in Vietnam, not of Tripp in Vietnam. “It wasn’t me, it wasn’t anyone else; it was all of us,” he said. Tripp found his way to the Marine Corps as an act of defiance. He was being pressured to go to college on a wrestling scholarship, he said, but he said he decided he was done being told what to do. Ironically, he went into the service. “I was trying to find myself,” he said. Tripp said he had a deferred enlistment, giving him a 30-day period between signing up and shipping out. In that time, he saw a special report Life magazine had done on helicopter pilots. He immediately went to the recruiter and told him he wanted to be a helicopter pilot, even if it meant a longer enlistment. The Marine Corps is the best fraternity in the world, Tripp said, and servicemembers today shouldn’t take the camaraderie of service for granted. He expressed the hope that servicemembers deployed today will come home from the war zone so they can continue to enjoy the freedoms they’ve fought for and continue to enjoy the friendships they’ve developed in the service. “Do your duty, be proud, and keep your head down,” he said. “When you get hit in the butt it heals. When you get hit in the head, it doesn’t.” (“Veterans’ Reflections” is a collection of stories of men and women who served their country in World War II, the Korean War, the Vietnam War, operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm, and the present-day conflicts. They will be posted throughout November in honor of Veterans Day.) veteran's Reflections: Marine Shares Story of 'Iconic Image of Vietnam' Coast Guard rescue mission Navy Rescues Carnival Cruise Ship Splendor Solar Power Saves Money, Bolsters Security in Guam By Catherine Cruz Norton, Naval Facilities Engineering Command Marianas Public Affairs APRA HARBOR, Guam (NNS) -- Naval Facilities Engineering Command (NAVFAC) Marianas culminated National Energy Awareness Month with a ribbon cutting ceremony Oct. 29 that marked the completion of a $5 million solar photovoltaic project on Naval Base Guam. The solar photovoltaic (PV) system provides a clean source of renewable energy by drawing heat from the sun and converting it to electricity. Speaking to a crowd of military leaders and industry partners at the ceremony, Naval Base Guam Commanding Officer Richard Wood emphasized the value of renewable energy. "The power from this field will be fed directly into the base's main power lines, reducing the Navy's reliance on electricity produced by burning oil," Wood said. "This project, along with other energy conservation projects throughout the base, will allow us to do more with less for years to come." The PV system will produce sufficient solar power to energize approximately 54 homes on base, according to Kevin Evans, NAVFAC Marianas and Joint Region Marianas energy manager. "It has been designed to generate 250 kilowatts (kW) of power," he said. Wood said this solar array will provide approximately 411,000 kilowatt hours of clean renewable electricity to Naval Base Guam each year. "This is a savings of $106,050 from our electricity bill each year," he said. The solar PV array represents the third energy conservation component in a three-part program that makes up the base's $34.1 million Energy Savings Performance Contract (ESPC) awarded to Johnson Controls in April 2009. The other two components are the installation of an energy management system in 42 buildings, with a central control room to monitor and control energy consumption within each building; and installation of energy efficient lighting throughout the base. Already 50 buildings and half the base's sidewalk lights have been retrofitted to brighter, more efficient light fixtures. Altogether, the ESPC is expected to deliver an annual reduction in electrical energy consumption by 6,353 megawatt hours (MWh) and save the base $1.7 million annually in energy costs. "The Navy on Guam continues to make significant investments to reduce our dependence on fossil fuels and increase our use of clean energy," said NAVFAC Marianas Commanding Officer Capt. Peter Lynch. "The project that we are celebrating today is a fine example of this; it is an enormous investment in time and resources, and it demonstrates an excellent partnership with industry and technology to do our part towards the overall Department of Navy goal." Lynch described a variety of other renewable energy technologies being pursued by the Navy including wind turbines, geoexchange, geothermal, building integrated photovoltaic systems and additional systems to maximize solar energy. "We are committed to doing our part here on Guam to strengthen national security and create a sustainable future for the island," he said. It's a significant effort when parlayed with the Secretary of the Navy's global challenge to reduce energy consumption and install renewable energy sources for the sake of national security. SECNAV established five ambitious energy goals that will move the Navy and Marine Corps away from a reliance on petroleum, and will dramatically increase the use of alternative energy. Included among the goals is that by 2020, the Department of the Navy will produce at least 50% of its shore-based energy requirements from alternative sources. "Meeting these objectives will be challenging," Lynch said. "But I am confident that we are up to this challenge. It begins with commitment and innovation; it requires that each and every one of us take a vested interest both at work and at home to turn these goals into reality." SEALs Bike America Cross-Country Trip Reaches Atlantic Coast PORT ORANGE, Fla. (NNS) -- The SEALs Bike America team arrived in Port Orange, Fla., Nov. 4, catching their first sight of the Atlantic Ocean on the second-to-last stop of a six-week bicycle ride spanning the width of the continental United States. The ride is an effort to raise money for the Naval Special Warfare (NSW) Foundation (NSWF). Beginning the ride in late September 2010, the SEALs Bike America team, a five-man group comprised of former and retired Navy SEAL team members, is now less than 150 miles from their final destination of Ft. Pierce, Fla., the home of the National Navy Underwater Demolition Team (UDT)-SEAL Museum and the site of the 35th annual National Navy UDT-SEAL Museum muster. The SEALs Bike America team has three individuals, including professional cyclist Marty Jemison, travelling with them across the United States. Michael Badger, Vietnam-era former SEAL and SEALs Bike America team ride organizer, said seeing the Atlantic Ocean after initiating what would prove to be a grueling challenge almost two months earlier, provided a brief respite for the riders, each of whom went for a swim at a Port Orange beach before resuming their ride. "As the SEALs Bike America organizer and rider, today was the best day of the trip," said Badger. "After almost six weeks of 90-mile days we reached Flagler Beach. It was a great morale booster for all the guys to see the ocean for the first time since leaving Coronado [in California] on Sept. 26." SEALs Bike America team members, still clad in the distinctive team jerseys and riding shorts, dove into the nearly 70-degree water to celebrate reaching the Atlantic coast. "We're nearing the end of this ride, this effort," said Ron Watford, SEALs Bike America team member. "But we're still looking to raise money for the NSWF. All the money we can raise through donations is going toward the NSWF, and any amount of money people can donate will undoubtedly be appreciated by members of the Naval Special Warfare community." Watford, who medically retired from the Navy after suffering a career-ending injury during Basic Underwater Demolition School (BUDS), the initial three-month course required of all potential U.S. Navy SEALs, said he is participating in SEALs Bike America to show his appreciation for what he says is a good cause. "I never had the chance to become a SEAL," said Watford. "I went through BUDS but was ultimately not able to finish. Riding in this gives me the opportunity to show my appreciation for what the guys, the support element, the families of Navy Special Warfare do on a daily basis. I would ride it all over again to know these Navy SEALs will be taken care of and their family members cared for in the event something happens." A recognized Combined Federal Campaign (CFC) charity (#11454), NSWF is an organization dedicated to providing educational and motivational support and promoting health and welfare programs for the NSW community, as well as preserving the tradition, history and heritage of one of the Navy's most elite fighting forces. NSWF, founded a decade ago as a non-profit organization, also provides tragedy assistance for families in the event a member of the NSW community is wounded or killed in combat or training. The foundation's administrative and fund-raising costs have averaged 5.5 percent, well below the national average. "All members of the NSW community are asked to go above and beyond the call of duty," Badger said. "The Foundation [NSWF] is in place to take care of these brave men and women and their families. What they do – and what all men and women who raise their hand in oath to the country do – every day commands the respect of us all, and if participating in this ride lets even one of these service members know they are appreciated and will be cared for, then I know I've accomplished something." SEALs Bike America participants are riding approximately eight to 10 hours daily during the 42-day event. The riders spend nights in campgrounds and stop only occasionally during the ride. Individuals interested in learning more about the NSWF or donating to the non-profit organization can visit the organization's website at www.nswfoundation.org. U.S. federal employees can also make a contribution to the NSWF through an area CFC donation. SEALs are the U.S. Navy's principal special operations force and are a part of the Naval Special Warfare Command. United States Navy UDT personnel are the precursors of SEALs, established during World War II with a primary function of reconnoitering and destroying enemy defensive obstacles on beaches where U.S. and Allied forces were preparing to make amphibious landings. Lincoln Strike Group Conducts Anti-Submarine Warfare Exercise
By Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Alan Gragg, Abraham Lincoln Carrier Strike Group Public Affairs USS CAPE ST. GEORGE, At Sea (NNS) -- Surface and air units assigned to the Abraham Lincoln Carrier Strike Group honed their anti-submarine warfare Guided-missile cruiser USS Cape St. George (CG The U.S. Navy MK 39 EMATT is a low-cost, open ocean ASW training target that is deployable from the air via parachute or launched off the deck of ASW ships at the start of training. For this exercise, the device was dropped from one of HSM 77's helicopters. After dropping the EMATT, the helicopters prowled over the water, deployed sonobuoys into the water to track the target while sending data and maintaining communication with both USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN 72) and Cape St. George. "We the primary airborne ASW asset attached to the strike group, so if there's a submarine threat out there we'll find it," said Lt. Cmdr. Aric Edmondson, one of HSM 77's pilots who flew the training mission. "The idea is to build team proficiency like we did today." Carrier strike group ASW exercises are designed to promote stability and security throughout the region in support of freedom of navigation and safe global trade. Cape St. George and HSM 77 are part of the Abraham Lincoln Carrier Strike Group, which is deployed to the U.S. 5th Fleet Area of Responsibility, conducting maritime security operations and theater security cooperation efforts in the region. Secretary of State Visits Service Members on Guam By Joint Region Marianas Public Affairs Yigo, GUAM (NNS) -- More than 1,000 Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen and Marines attended a speech given by Secretary of State of the United States Hillary Rodham Clinton at Andersen Air Force Base Oct. 29. Clinton visited the base as part of her trip to the Asia-Pacific Region. She began her speech by thanking local military leaders along with the governor of Guam and other officials. She reaffirmed Guam's importance to the nation, and her gratitude to the service members for their dedication and sacrifice. "This (Asia-Pacific) region is the center of much change, and many challenges of the 21st Century," Clinton said. "We are engaging even more actively in the region with our allies, our partners, with emerging powers, and with institutions that are being built in order to keep peace and advance prosperity and stability." The secretary added that service members continuously prove themselves indispensable. She highlighted the importance of the role our troops stationed in Guam have in our Asia/Pacific strategy. "As we step up our engagements, we will depend more than ever on each of you. The men and women of our armed forces are one of the most important assets we have for engaging the world," she said. "Your mission is evolving for the 21st Century and no one understands this better than you. You are called on to perform a wide variety of services, in a wide variety of places. For instance, earlier this year, Sailors from Guam were part of a five-month humanitarian deployment of the USNS Mercy, delivering medical and dental care to Vietnam, Cambodia, Indonesia, Timor-Leste, Papua New Guinea and Palau. And after the devastating earthquake in Haiti last January, the Global Hawk unmanned aerial vehicle, like the one now based here, was used to survey the damage and identify safe landing places for aircraft carrying relief supplies." Clinton stated that more and more, service members are also called on to cooperate with forces from other countries. She recognized these efforts that strengthen our joint security and show our allies that we remain deeply committed to them. "I know that today, the Explosive Ordnance Disposal Mobile Unit 5 is hosting members of the South Korean military for joint training on identifying and eliminating Improvised Explosive Devices. This is the kind of collaboration that saves lives and leaves both countries better off," she said. Brig. Gen. John Doucette, 36th Wing commander was appreciative of the positive message Clinton relayed. "I would like to thank Secretary Clinton for taking time out of her schedule to address the service members here," said Doucette. "It is through the efforts of all the service members that our Nations mission is accomplished. The visit has served as a reminder of what we are fighting for: the safety of not only those we love, but the country we took an oath to protect." At the conclusion of the event, Clinton came off the stage and entered the crowd to take photos and shake hands with service members in attendance. More shots fired at United States Marine Corps facility Get Ready - Veteran's day celebration November 11, 2010 Job help for veterans wikileaks endangers U.S. troops for more military stories go to George H.W. Bush Strike Group Sinks Ex-USNS Saturn
By Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Sandi Grimnes, USS George H.W. Bush (CVN 77) Public Affairs USS GEORGE H.W. BUSH, At Sea (NNS) -- Sea and air assets assigned to the George H.W. Bush (CVN 77) Carrier Strike Group (CSG) successfully sunk the former U.S. Navy re-supply ship USNS Saturn (T-AFS 100) in a sinking exercise (SINKEX) in the Atlantic Ocean, Oct. 27. Ships from Destroyer Squadron 22 and aircraft from Carrier Air Wing (CVW) 8, along with Patrol Squadron (VP) 10 and VP 45, participated in the real-world tactical training exercise with surface-to-surface, air-to-surface and surface-to-air live fire, said Commander, Destroyer Squadron 22 Capt. Jeffrey Wolstenholme, who was responsible for the coordination, planning and execution of the two-day SINKEX. The guided-missile destroyer USS Mitscher (DDG 57) and the guided-missile cruisers USS Philippine Sea (CG 58) and USS Gettysburg (CG 64) launched missiles, 5-inch guns, Close-In Weapons System (CIWS) and 25-mm and .50-cal weapons. In addition, aircraft and helicopters from CVW 8 launched from Bush and employed bombs and air-to-surface missiles during the exercise. The sinking exercise focused on integrated strike group operations, command and control procedures, pre-planned responses to maritime threats and surface action group operations. As the strike group prepares for a combat deployment in spring 2011, the sinking exercise provided a unique opportunity to practice combat scenarios, to include tactics and procedures. The exercise was planned to scale up the attacks during the course of the two days, Wolstenholme said. The first day's attacks were aimed at Saturn's superstructure to prevent hull integrity breaches. The attacks designed to sink the ship occurred on the second day. Every watertight door and hatch was closed on Saturn to ensure the maximum watertight integrity of the ship, so it would stay afloat until the final event where it was sunk with 5-inch rounds, said Wolstenholme. Using a decommissioned ship as a training platform allows the U.S. Navy to improve the warfighting skills of those who currently serve. Real world training, such as this sinking exercise, enhances force readiness in a way that is unmatched by any simulated scenario. This exercise demonstrated the strike group's ability to plan and execute warfare competencies such as maritime security, sea control, power projection and deterrence, said Capt. Patrick R. Cleary, commander, CVW 8. "Everyone in the strike group is very excited to have the opportunity to conduct this exercise because it is rare to be involved in this," Wolstenholme said. "You have an actual life-size ship out there that you can attack with aircraft coming in, ships driving in close proximity and ships launching missiles from long-range getting targeting information from aircraft. It's really hard to replicate this without a hull to shoot at." Saturn was prepared for the exercise in accordance with all U.S. Environmental Protection Agency requirements, Wolstenholme said. All the fuel oil tanks and piping were cleaned and flushed of petroleum products, and all readily detachable material capable of creating debris or contributing to chemical pollution was removed from the ship. "We are very sensitive to the environment," Wolstenholme said. "We take great strides to ensure that we are monitoring the environment. We have dropped sonobuoys around the hull to listen for any marine mammals that may be vocalizing and we are surveying the area for marine mammals, sea turtles and concentrations of jelly fish by flying aircraft over the hull and surrounding area. "Until we have that absolute verification, we do not give permission to launch any weapons," said Wolstenholme. "We have to have that assurance that we will not be putting marine mammals and sea turtles in danger before we begin firing at the former USNS Saturn." The Navy has put a moratorium on the sinking exercise after 2010 to conduct a comprehensive review of the requirements, costs, benefits and environmental impacts of the current process, said Wolstenholme. Even with the moratorium, the Navy will continue to get the training it needs, just not in the totality that it gets in the sinking exercise. Saturn was transferred from the British Fleet Auxiliary to Military Sealift Command Dec. 13, 1983. Saturn was in service for more than 25 years and was deactivated April 6, 2009. Towing and salvage specialists at Inactive Ship Maintenance Facility in Philadelphia verified that the 523-foot ship was seaworthy before it was towed about 250 miles off the coast of North Carolina. Naval Science and Technology Conference to Highlight Solutions to Warfighter Challenges ARLINGTON, Va. (NNS) -- The 2010 Naval Science and Technology (S&T) Partnership Conference will be held Nov. 8-10 at the Hyatt Regency in Crystal City, Va. The three-day event, hosted by the Office of Naval Research, will feature a lineup of senior military leaders who will explore a wide range of cutting-edge solutions from autonomous systems to countering improvised explosive devices "Delivering technology solutions that address the complex challenges facing our Sailors and Marines requires consistent cooperation and the exchange of ideas," said Chief of Naval Research Rear Adm. Nevin Carr. "This conference is about collaboration and partnerships that can lead to solid returns for those on the frontlines." In addition to Carr, featured speakers include Under Secretary of the Navy Robert Work; Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Gary Roughead; and Lt. Gen. George Flynn, USMC, director, Marine Corps Combat Development Command. Other focus areas at the conference include: Doing Business with ONR; Directed Energy; Warfighter Performance; Information Dominance; Expeditionary and Irregular Warfare; Power and Energy; Fighting at Hypervelocity and Light Speed; and Science, Technology, Engineering and Math. To learn more about the Naval Science and Technology Partnership Conference, visit: www.onr.navy.mil/conference/science_technology_partnership_2010. The Office of Naval Research provides the science and technology necessary to maintain the Navy and Marine Corps' technological advantage. Through its affiliates, ONR is a leader in science and technology with engagement in 50 states, 70 countries, 1,035 institutions of higher learning and 914 industry partners. ONR employs approximately 1,400 people, comprising uniformed, civilian and contract personnel, with additional employees at the Naval Research Laboratory in Washington, D.C. Amphibious Force Commander Dedicates Building at Cambodian High School SIHANOUKVILLE, Cambodia (NNS) -- Commander, Amphibious Force Seventh Fleet, kicked off a dedication ceremony Oct. 26th for a new building constructed by Naval Mobile Construction Battalion Eleven (NMCB 11) at Hun Sen High School as part of Cooperation Afloat Readiness and Training (CARAT) Cambodia 2010. Rear Adm. Richard Landolt, commander, Amphibious Force Seventh Fleet, said there is no greater investment a country can make than in education. "Investments in education are investments in our futures. I am proud to have our Navy and our 'Seabees' investing in improving this school's facilities," said Landolt, who also took part in a community service project at Goducate Children's Home by teaching local children a cheer from his alma matter. CARAT Cambodia is the last CARAT exercise of 2010, and includes a series of underway events, maritime security operations, community service projects and engineering and medical civic action projects. The U.S. 7th Fleet band will also perform at several events throughout the six-day exercise. Cambodia became the seventh Southeast Asian country to join CARAT, and the first new country to join the exercise series since it started in 1994. Other participants include Brunei, Bangladesh, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand and the Philippines. Indonesia participates in the series, though calls the exercise "Naval Engagement Activity." US troops in Africa FBI investigating shooting at Pentagon and other military bases Airmen Missing in Action from WWII Identified The Department of Defense POW/Missing Personnel Office (DPMO) announced today that the remains of two U.S. servicemen, missing in action from World War II, have been identified and are being returned to their families for burial with full military honors. Army Air Forces Staff Sgts. Claude A. Ray, 24, Coffeyville, Kan., and Claude G. Tyler, 24, Landover, Md., will both be buried today -- Ray in Fallbrook, Calif., and Tyler in Arlington National Cemetery. These two airmen, along with 10 other crew members, were ordered to carry out a reconnaissance mission in their B-24D Liberator, taking off from an airfield near Port Moresby, New Guinea, on Oct. 27, 1943. Allied plans were being formulated to mount an attack on the Japanese redoubt at Rabaul, New Britain. American strategists considered it critical to take Rabaul in order to support the eventual invasion of the Philippines. The crew’s assigned area of reconnaissance was the nearby shipping lanes in the Bismarck Sea. But during their mission, they were radioed to land at a friendly air strip nearby due to poor weather conditions. The last radio transmission from the crew did not indicate their location, and searchers that day and the following weeks were unable to locate the aircraft in spite of multiple searches over land and sea areas. Following World War II, the Army Graves Registration Service conducted investigations and searches for 43 missing airmen, including Ray and Tyler, in the area but concluded in June 1949 that they were unrecoverable. In August 2003 a team from the Joint POW/MIA Accounting Command (JPAC) received information on a crash site from a citizen in Papua New Guinea while they were investigating another case. He also turned over an identification card from one of the crew members and reported that there were possible human remains at the site of the crash. Twice in 2004 other JPAC teams attempted to visit the site but were unable to do so due to poor weather and hazardous conditions at the helicopter landing site. Another team was able to successfully excavate the site from January to March 2007 where they found several identification tags from the B-24D crew as well as human remains. Among other forensic identification tools and circumstantial evidence, scientists from JPAC and the Armed Forces DNA Identification Laboratory used mitochondrial DNA -- which matched that of relatives of Ray and Tyler -- in the identification of their remains Of the 16 million Americans who served in World War II, more than 400,000 died. At the end of the war, the U.S. government was unable to recover and identify approximately 79,000 Americans. Today, more than 74,000 are unaccounted-for from the conflict. Partnered Forces Kill Insurgents in Afghanistan WASHINGTON, Oct. 27, 2010 – A partnered Afghan and coalition security force targeting the head of a Taliban district commission in Afghanistan’s Baghlan province killed multiple insurgents during an intelligence-driven overnight operation, military officials reported. The targeted man regularly meets with Taliban leadership in the area to plan upcoming attacks against Afghan and coalition forces, officials said. As the assault force approached a compound in Baghlan’s Dahanah-ye Ghori district, insurgents fired from multiple directions. The security force returned fire from the ground and air, killing several insurgents. The security force then cleared and secured the targeted compound before questioning residents and detaining a suspected insurgent for further questioning. Continuous enemy contact prevented the security force from conducting a full assessment after the operation, officials said. In other news from Afghanistan: -- An Afghan and coalition security force yesterday captured a Haqqani terrorist network facilitator responsible for moving supplies and bomb-making materials into Kabul province for distribution to foreign fighters and several Haqqani-affiliated networks in Khost province. Based on intelligence reports, the security force targeted a compound in the Shamul district to search for the facilitator and detained him, along with several of his associates. -- In an overnight intelligence-driven operation in Zabul province’s Shah Joy district, a partnered force detained two suspected insurgents while pursuing a Taliban facilitator who builds, plants and detonates roadside bombs in Zabul province’s Qalat district. -- International Security Assistance Force officials confirmed the Oct. 25 capture in Kandahar province of a Taliban leader known to build suicide-bomber vests. Intelligence reports led a security force to a compound in the province’s Kandahar district, where they detained the wanted man and an associate. -- ISAF officials confirmed the death of Faruk, a Taliban leader Afghan and coalition forces had attempted to detain during an Oct. 24 operation to interdict narcotic smuggling in Helmand province’s Reg-e Khan Neshin district. Faruk was responsible for planning and executing numerous attacks against Afghan and ISAF forces, officials said. His proximity to Pakistan and ties to Taliban leaders there enabled him to move weapons and explosives into the area from Pakistan using narcotics as payment, they added. Multiple intelligence sources and tips from local residents led a combined force to a narcotics infiltration route where Faruk was known to operate. The partnered force spotted two armed insurgents on a motorcycle and tried to detain them, but they ditched their motorcycle and fled into dense undergrowth. The security force searched the area and killed an armed insurgent who fired on them. More than 60 pounds of chemicals used to process opium were found on the motorcycle. -- An Afghan and coalition patrol discovered more than a half ton of homemade explosives in the Zharay district of Kandahar province yesterday. The patrol found 11 roadside bombs, each containing more than 100 pounds of explosives, which an explosive ordnance disposal team destroyed. enemy positions destroyed flood and damage from 15W Super Typhoon Juan (MEGI) in the Philippines don't ask don't tell Afghanistan briefing Navy Honors Killed, Injured in USS Cole Attack
By Donna Miles WASHINGTON, Oct. 12, 2010 – Navy officials, current and former crew members and families of the fallen gathered today at Norfolk Naval Station, Va., to remember the 17 sailors killed and 39 others wounded in the al-Qaida attack on the USS Cole 10 years ago today. Suicide bombers launched the surprise Oct. 12, 2000, attack on the Arleigh Burke-class, Aegis-equipped guided missile destroyer as it was anchored in Aden, Yemen, for a routine refueling stop. The attackers detonated an explosive-laden boat against the ship’s port side, tearing a 40-by-40-foot hole in the hull and sending seawater gushing into the engineering compartment. The attack was the deadliest assault against a U.S. naval vessel since the Iraqis attacked the USS Stark on May 17, 1987. Retired Navy Cmdr. Kirk Lippold, the Cole’s commander during the attack, recalled the impact of the blast. “There was a thunderous explosion. You could feel all 505 feet and 8,400 tons of guided missile destroyer violently thrust up and to the right,” Lippold said during a recent radio interview. “Lights went out, and within a matter of seconds, I knew we’d been attacked.” During today’s ceremonies, Navy Adm. J.C. Harvey Jr., commander of USS Fleet Command, saluted the Cole crewmembers’ quick response and valor as they fought to keep the ship afloat and tended to the wounded while defending against a feared follow-on attack. Harvey said the attack underscores the importance of always being trained and prepared, and he praised the sense of vigilance that has been passed down to subsequent USS Cole crews. After 14 months of upgrades and repairs following the attack, the USS Cole made an overseas deployment in November 2003. The ship later deployed to the Middle East in June 2006. The USS Cole, which recently returned to its Norfolk homeport after a deployment that took it through the Gulf of Aden, shows no visible evidence of the deadly attack that occurred a decade ago. But below its decks are regular reminders, including a blackened U.S. flag that survived the attack and 17 gold stars that line the ship’s “Hall of Heroes” passageway. As a ship’s bells rang 17 times during today’s ceremonies, the names of the fallen 17 sailors were read aloud: * Petty Officer 2nd Class Kenneth Eugene Clodfelter, 21, a hull maintenance technician from Mechanicsville, Va.; * Chief Petty Officer Richard Costelow, 35, an electronics technician from Morrisville, Pa.; *Seaman Lakeina Monique Francis, 19, a mess management specialist from Woodleaf, N.C.; * Seaman Timothy Lee Gauna, 21, an information systems technician from Rice, Texas; * Seaman Cherone Louis Gunn, 22, a signalman from Rex, Ga.; * Seaman James Rodrick McDaniels, 19, of Norfolk, Va.; * Petty Officer 2nd Class Marc Ian Nieto, 24, an engineman from Fond du Lac, Wis.; * Petty Officer 2nd Class Ronald Scott Owens, 24, an electronics warfare technician from Vero Beach, Fla.; * Seaman Lakiba Nicole Palmer, 22, of San Diego, Calif.; * Seaman Joshua Langdon Parlett, 19, an engine room fireman from Churchville, Md.; * Seaman Patrick Howard Roy, 19, a fireman from Cornwall on Hudson, N.Y.; * Petty Officer 1st Class Kevin Shawn Rux, 30, an electronic warfare technician from Portland, N.D.; * Petty Officer 3rd Class Ronchester Manangan Santiago, 22, a mess management specialist from Kingsville, Texas.; * Petty Officer 2nd Class Timothy Lamont Saunders, 32, an operations specialist from Ringgold, Va.; * Seaman Gary Graham Swenchonis Jr., 26, a fireman from Rockport, Texas; * Ensign Andrew Triplett, 31, of Macon, Miss.; and * Seaman Craig Bryan Wibberley, 19, of Williamsport, Md.
Military shootings continue, this time at a Coast Guard facility USS Oklahoma veterans remember World War II Colt Ford showcases Chicken and Biscuits Terrorist Omar Khadr Sentenced IKE CELEBRATES 33 YEARS
By Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Ridge Leoni USS Dwight D. Eisenhower (CVN 69) Public Affairs PORTSMOUTH, Va. (NNS) -- Sailors onboard USS Dwight D. Eisenhower (CVN 69) (IKE) celebrated the 33rd anniversary of IKE's commissioning while kicking off the Planned Incremental Availability (PIA), Oct. 18. IKE, the second Nimitz-class aircraft carrier, is currently docked at the Norfolk Naval Shipyard (NNSY) for scheduled maintenance and modernization. IKE's Commanding Officer, Capt. Marcus Hitchcock, shared the history of IKE's official start in the United Stated Navy while addressing the crew and NNSY workers in the ship's hangar bay. "Today we are celebrating IKE's commissioning which happened on this day in 1977," said Hitchcock. "IKE was commissioned on Pier 12 at Norfolk Naval Station, by the Honorable Harold Brown, then Secretary of Defense, and Mamie Eisenhower, the ship's sponsor and wife of President Eisenhower was in attendance." While celebrating the anniversary of IKE's commissioning, Hitchcock and the crew took the opportunity to celebrate the beginning of PIA. "I know we are going to do the best we can during this project," said Hitchcock. "Our shared values during PIA are teamwork, energy, dedication, respect and most importantly integrity; this is how we will get through this project smoothly and on time." Chrystal Brady, NNSY's Project Superintendent for IKE's PIA, also spoke of the significance of the team concept during the availability. "We have all pulled together very well so far in the set up of PIA," said Brady. "This will be the largest PIA ever done in a six-month availability and calls for teamwork and diligence to make the due date in April." On July 28 of this year, IKE returned home to Norfolk Naval Station wrapping up the second of two nearly back-to-back deployments within a seventeen-month period. Hitchcock stated that IKE has earned this overhaul period. Navy Helps Los Angeles Children Embrace Science By Mass Communications Specialist 1st Class Elizabeth Thompson, Office of Naval Research Public Affairs LOS ANGELES (NNS) -- Approximately 600 children and parents participated in a science education and discovery center opening in Los Angeles Oct. 16. The center, operated by an organization called Iridescent, received a $2.3 million multi-year grant from the Office of Naval Research (ONR) to help cultivate and build Science Technology Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) skills and capabilities among the underrepresented population for inclusion in technological advancements for the future Navy and Marine Corps. "Our partners, such as ONR, have allowed Iridescent to scale up to meet the needs of a greater number of students and families who can benefit from engaging science content and interaction with such powerful community mentors," said Tara Chklovski, Iridescent Founder and chief executive officer. The Navy and ONR's involvement is part of a Department of Defense-wide campaign to develop a diverse, world-class STEM talent pool of engineers and scientists that will benefit the Navy and Marine Corps and ultimately, the nation. "The Navy gets involved in these types of events because it gives us the chance to engage the community," said Lt. Cmdr. Sam Delgado, Navy community outreach officer for the Navy Diversity Directorate. "We [the Navy] have to prepare our own talent through broad base community involvement and educational organizations that make science interesting to our youth." The Navy's involvement made a positive impression on children and parents that attended the opening according to Ana Cotom, the mother of a child enrolled at the new center. "When we hear about the Navy, we think the experts, and having them support is a wonderful foundation that it gets my daughter more motivated to learn," said Cotom. The opening also involved an education fair with various local and national engineering companies coming out to lead children in different hands-on science exercises. Over a dozen volunteers from Space & Naval Warfare Systems Command (SPAWAR), National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), Aerovironment, Inc., Ocean's Institute and ONR joined Iridescent instructors to support the event. "We are noticing that a lot of engineers are getting out of school and want to build things but they have never used a drill press, they have never used a saw," said Deborah Sigel, an engineer with NASA who volunteered to lead children in different exercises with hand tools. "So we are out here to make sure that children regardless of gender and who their parents are and where they live, that they can come out and learn how tools work," said Sigel. Children were able to operate miniature submersibles and learn about avionics, wind tunnels, sound waves, lasers, and sea creatures; how everyday electronics work among other science related activities. In less than five years, Iridescent has trained more than 300 engineers to reach out to almost 4,800 children and parents in Los Angeles, Oakland, Calif. and New York City through various school programs and sponsored events. U.S. Nuclear Bomb Test - Grable Typical U.S. fission weapon with roughly the same yield as the weapon that destroyed Hiroshima. (Grable, 15KT, 1953) Signing of the Nuclear Test Ban Treaty, 10/07/1963
On August 5, 1963, the Limited Test Ban Treaty was signed by the United States, Great Britain, and the Soviet Union. After Senate approval, it was signed by President Kennedy on October 7, 1963. The treaty went into effect on October 11, 1963, and banned nuclear weapons testing in the atmosphere, in outer space, and under water. from Webmaster B. javamanmonk: On October 7, 2010, we celebrated the nuclear test ban treaty signed by Pres. Kennedy in 1963. But, only a few months earlier, the world stood on the brink of global thermal nuclear warfare, between the United States of America and the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR). The Soviet Union (USSR), had been secretly, shipping arms and troops into Cuba. Sunday, October 14 1962, Major Richard Heyser completes a U-2 photo reconnaissance flight over Cuba and photographs a Soviet nuclear missile site under construction at San Cristobal, 100 miles west of Havana. The story has only begun... see exciting coverage and video: Government Files Emergency Appeal on ‘Don’t Ask’ Injunction By Lisa Daniel WASHINGTON, Oct. 20, 2010 – The Justice Department on Wednesday, filed an emergency appeal on behalf of the Defense Department to halt a federal judge’s injunction against the so-called “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” law. The emergency motion filed in the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals asks the court to stop, or “stay,” immediately U.S. District Judge Virginia Phillips’ Oct. 12 indefinite injunction against the law that bans gays and lesbians from serving openly in the military. The injunction, which took effect immediately upon Phillips’ ruling, precludes congressional action on the law and “risks causing significant immediate harm to the military and its efforts to be prepared to implement an orderly repeal of the statute,” the motion says. The motion notes that President Barack Obama, Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates, and Navy Adm. Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, support repeal of the law. However, it needs more deliberation, planning, and training, they say. Gates set up a working group earlier this year chaired by Gen. Carter F. Ham, commander of U.S. Army Europe, and DOD General Counsel Jeh C. Johnson to determine what changes the department would need to make if the law is repealed. The review panel is to report its findings Dec. 1. Defense Department officials issued a statement today that says the department “will continue to obey the law, and we will abide by the terms of the court's injunction unless and until the injunction is stayed or vacated.” Phillips yesterday denied the request for a stay of the injunction, writing that the government’s concern for the disruption caused by invalidating the law is superseded by her ruling that the law is unconstitutional. Phillips’ ruling also says the injunction would not impede the department’s goals of amending policies and regulations and developing education and training programs. more on DADT Army Announces Changes at Arlington National Cemetery American Forces Press Service WASHINGTON, Oct. 20, 2010 – The Army and the Veterans Affairs Department have entered into a formal agreement that will allow Arlington National Cemetery employees to enroll in VA’s National Cemetery Administration Training Center, Army Secretary John M. McHugh announced yesterday. VA has operated the center since 2004, providing training and professional development to employees who manage and operate national cemeteries. The top two officials in charge of Arlington National Cemetery were relieved of their duties and disciplined earlier this year after an Army investigation found the cemetery’s management to be dysfunctional. An Army inspector general report identified 76 separate deficiencies, including poor record keeping that allowed occupied gravesites to be improperly marked or often not marked at all. “While Arlington National Cemetery’s unique military mission sets us apart from other national cemeteries, we are committed to learning from and partnering with experts in cemetery administration to improve overall operations,” McHugh said in announcing the training agreement. “With 131 cemeteries nationwide, VA has tremendous experience in day-to-day cemetery operations, and we believe this unique professional development opportunity will help our employees develop the skills needed to better meet their mission.” The VA training center emphasizes technical, supervisory and leadership training for employees ranging from supervisors and equipment operators to groundskeepers and cemetery representatives, officials said. The center also offers training to state veteran cemetery employees to assist them in meeting national shrine standards at their local facilities. “Both VA and the Army share an obligation to honor all who have served and sacrificed for their country,” Veterans Affairs Secretary Eric K. Shinseki said. “VA will continue to assist the Army and provide access to our expertise in cemetery operations and systems.” McHugh also announced that Patrick Hallinan, the former director of field programs for VA’s National Cemetery Administration Training Center, has been selected as Arlington National Cemetery’s superintendent. Hallinan was named acting superintendent June 10, and was named permanently to the position Oct. 10. “Pat Hallinan’s unique experience in national cemetery management, combined with his proven leadership and ability, made him the only choice possible for this important job,” McHugh said. “I have every confidence in Pat and Executive Director Kathryn Condon to strengthen management and oversight, and restore America’s confidence in the operation of this most hallowed ground.” SHARED EXPERIENCE
U.S. Dept. of Defense - U.S. and Philippine Marines enter a CH-53E Sea Stallion at the end of a bilateral beach landing in San Miguel, Republic of the Philippines, Oct. 10, 2010. The Marines are assigned to the Animal Company, Battalion Landing Team 1st Battalion, 7th Marine Regiment, 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit, which conducted a bilateral mechanized amphibious landing with the Philippine Marine Corps, allowing both Marine forces to gain shared experiences. USS Holland
In 1875 Irish American John P. Holland sent the U.S. Navy this design for an experimental 15 1/2-foot long torpedo boat. Designed to operate underwater, the submarine required 1/10 horse power and could be managed by one man. Although this design was rejected, Holland continued to improve his invention and on October 12, 1900, the U.S. Navy commissioned the first true submarine, the 64-foot USS Holland. USS Makin Island Participates in San Francisco Fleet Week
SAN FRANCISCO (NNS) -- U.S. Navy ship USS Makin Island (LHD 8), with 11th Marine Expeditionary Unit embarked, arrived in San Francisco Oct. 6 to participated in San Francisco Fleet Week Oct. 7-12. MAKIN ISLAND MARCHERS
U.S. Dept. of Defense - U.S. Navy sailors assigned to amphibious assault ship USS Makin Island march in the Columbus Day parade during San Francisco Fleet Week, Oct. 10, 2010. Fleet week highlights the history of the maritime services in San Francisco. Military meetings in Seoul South Korea Korean Exercises Ho Down At Uncle Ho's
VIETNAM'S DEFENSE MINISTER
U.S. Dept. of Defense - U.S. Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates, left, talks with Vietnam's Defense Minister Phung Quang Thanh at the Presidential Palace during the first "plus" defense ministers meeting of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations in Hanoi, Vietnam, Oct. 12, 2010 Gates Spotlights Maritime Security in Hanoi Forum By John D. Banusiewicz HANOI, Vietnam, Oct. 12, 2010 – Disagreements over territorial claims and the appropriate use of the maritime domain pose a challenge to stability and prosperity in Southeast Asia, Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates told a group of regional defense ministers meeting here today. Gates is one of eight defense leaders from nonmember nations invited to participate in the first “plus” defense ministers meeting of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations. The 10-member association includes Vietnam, Thailand, Singapore, the Philippines, Myanmar, Malaysia, Laos, Indonesia, Cambodia and Brunei. In his remarks at the conference, Gates urged a peaceful resolution of territorial disputes that have beset the region, most notably in the South China Sea. “The United States does not take sides on competing territorial claims, such as those in the South China Sea,” Gates said. “Competing claims should be settled peacefully, without force or coercion, through collaborative diplomatic processes, and in keeping with customary international law.” The secretary applauded initial steps by nations with competing claims in the South China Sea to discuss development of a full and binding code of conduct on the matter, and he said the United States stands ready to help in facilitating such initiatives. “We have a national interest in freedom of navigation, in unimpeded economic development and commerce, and in respect for international law,” he said. “We also believe that customary international law, as reflected in the [United Nations] Convention on the Law of the Sea, provides clear guidance on the appropriate use of the maritime domain, and rights of access to it. By adhering to this guidance, we can ensure that all share equal and open access to international waterways.” Gates noted that the United States always has exercised its rights and supported the rights of others to transit through and operate in international waters. “This will not change,” he said, “nor will our commitment to engage in exercises and activities together with our allies and partners.” Those activities, Gates said, are a routine and critical component of demonstrating the U.S. commitment to maintain peace and stability and promote freedom of navigation in the region. “They are also essential to building habits of strong security cooperation,” he said, “which is necessary as we move forward to address common security challenges together.” HANOI CHAT
U.S. Dept. of Defense - U.S. Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates, left, chats with Australian Defense Minister Stephen Smith during the first "plus" defense ministers meeting of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations in Hanoi, Vietnam, Oct. 12, 2010. Hanoi Vietnam FRONT STEPS
DEFENSE MINISTERS
U.S. Dept. of Defense - From left to right: Russia's Deputy Defense Minister and Chief of Staff General Nikolai Makarov, Singapore's Defense Minister Teo Chee Hean, Thailand's Defense Minister Prawit Wongsuwan, U.S. Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates and Surin Pitsuwan, secretary general of the Southeast Asian Nations Defense Ministers, pose for a photo at the association's first "plus" meeting in Hanoi, Vietnam, Oct. 12, 2010 from Webmaster B. javamanmonk: Com'on everybody sing "Cum Bi Ya Cum Bi Ya" a little guitar music please maestro, sing along now! "Cum Bi Ya Cum Bi Ya" JOINT DECLARATION
U.S. Dept. of Defense - U.S. Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates signs a joint declaration during a ceremony and press conference at the first "plus" defense ministers meeting of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations in Hanoi, Vietnam, Oct. 12, 2010. PRESIDENTIAL PALACE
U.S. Dept. of Defense - U.S. Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates, third from left back, and other defense ministers meet with Vietnam president Nguyen Minh Triet at the Presidential Palace during the first "plus" defense ministers meeting of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations in Hanoi, Vietnam, Oct. 12, 2010 Gates Emphasizes Value of Expanded Regional Dialogue By John D. Banusiewicz HANOI, Vietnam, Oct. 12, 2010 – Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates today praised the Association of Southeast Asian Nations for inviting eight defense ministers from outside its 10-nation membership to join their ASEAN counterparts here to discuss regional security issues together for the first time. In his remarks at the conference, Gates thanked the organization for providing a “broader Asian forum to allow regional defense officials to discuss issues of common interest.” “As I have said before, the United States is a Pacific nation and a resident power in Asia,” he said. “We have been for many years and will continue to be in the future. Because both our history and our future are intertwined with yours, we believe it is essential to be able to work on common security challenges together.” The secretary noted that nations in the region have made considerable progress in overcoming past animosities and establishing new partnerships, and he urged his counterparts to work toward taking those relationships a step further. “What is now essential is that these bilateral relationships be supplemented by strong multilateral institutions,” he said. “These institutions enable us to build regular habits of cooperation to address shared interests, while allowing for candid discussions about those areas where we may disagree.” Regular dialogue and cooperation among nations are the building blocks for the trust and confidence necessary for enhancing security, Gates said. “To do so, we must establish both shared ‘rules of the road’ and pursue greater transparency – meaning that as we improve our military capabilities, we must discuss these developments together,” he added. “This provides assurance that our capabilities are not directed against others in the region and that they will be used for common ends.” The first step, Gates said, is reaffirming commitment to four principles: -- Free and open commerce; -- A just international order that emphasizes the rights and responsibilities of nations and fidelity to the rule of law; -- Open access by all to the global commons of sea, air, space and cyberspace; -- The principle of resolving conflict without using force. “Agreement on these fundamental principles is important now more than ever,” Gates said. “Asia faces a wide and growing range of challenges in the 21st century.” Among those challenges, the secretary said, are extremist violence, climate change and pandemic disease, competition over scarce resources, unsolved border disputes, the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction and their means of delivery, and continuing provocations by North Korea. The cooperation of all nations present at today’s forum is essential to these issues being addressed successfully, he added. ASEAN member nations are Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam. In addition to Gates, defense ministers from Australia, China, India, Japan, South Korea, New Zealand and Russia are here for the meeting. Vietnamese Defense Minister Lt. Gen. Phung Quang Thanh invited Gates to the ASEAN meeting in June while both were attending the annual “Shangri-La Dialogue” regional security conference in Singapore. Yesterday, Gates told reporters who traveled here with him that he saw the value of the forum immediately. “I was the first of the eight [nonmember] ministers to accept coming to this meeting,” he said. “I said yes as soon as General Thanh asked me.” The secretary said all of the nations represented at the meeting have common concerns and common interests, and the forum provides them with an opportunity to discuss how to pull together to meet the challenges they face. Specials From get ready for winter driving
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Change your tires with the seasons with a Preferred Winter Tire & Wheel Package from Tire Rack. Tire Rack's Recommended Installers are your installation solution. You can drop-ship to their location, too! Napalm Bombing Run In Vietnam The smell of victory! Former Vietnam POW Speaks at Submarine Base Kings Bay KINGS BAY, Ga. (NNS) -- CAPT Leo Hyatt, USN (Ret.), held as a Vietnam prisoner of war (POW) for more than five and a half years, was the keynote speaker at the Naval Submarine Base Kings Bay POW/MIA commemoration, held Sep. 20 at the Subase Chapel. On Aug. 13, 1967, during a high-speed photo reconnaissance operation over a railroad bridge just south of the China border, then Lt.Cmdr. Hyatt and his radar/navigation officer, Wayne Goodermote, were shot down by a barrage of fire from 37mm anti-aircraft guns. At the time, Hyatt was attached to Reconnaissance Attack Squadron 12, homeported at Naval Air Station Sanford in central Florida, flying RA-5C Vigilante missions over North Vietnam off the aircraft carrier USS Constellation (CV 64). "I wasn't supposed to get shot down because I was good," said Hyatt. He had already piloted 33 high-speed reconnaissance missions, but he told his audience that he believed, given the nature of the mission he was about to fly, that he probably wouldn't make it back to the aircraft carrier. Hyatt suffered a dislocated and broken shoulder during the ejection from his aircraft at nearly 850 mph, and was shot while trying to evade capture on the ground. His injuries were never treated by the North Vietnamese. Within a couple of days of his capture, he was taken to the Hoa Lo Prison (commonly known as the "Hanoi Hilton"), where he was tortured. "You were tied up," said Hyatt. "Your arms were lashed behind your back. The ropes come across your elbows. Your feet are shackled to a bar, and you are literally turned into a suitcase. It hurts. You can't breathe. This went on for about three days – day and night." After one particularly brutal session, he tricked his captors into believing that he was telling them future targets. "If they took anti-aircraft guns to all the places I told them, they burned up one heck of a load of fuel. I didn't know any targets." When he was finally thrown back into a cell, he was in very bad shape medically. He credits his first cellmate, Air Force Capt. Ed Atterberry, with saving his life. "He cleaned me up and gave me water to drink," said Hyatt. "I put him in for the Air Force Cross, but he never got it. He made an unsuccessful escape attempt a couple of years later, and they killed him." Hyatt was released with the third load of POWs on St. Patrick's Day (March 13) 1973. He had been held as a POW for 2,040 days. After months of medical treatment he continued his career going on to command several Navy units. He retired in 1985 after 28 years of active duty. Shortly after his release Hyatt said, "The 67 months of captivity will never be redeemable for me. However, it was a small price to pay to help guarantee the freedom of millions of people in South Vietnam and the rest of Southeast Asia." "While I was in captivity, I was surrounded by men who displayed such fantastic fortitude, honor and devotion to country that it was impossible to be otherwise. God bless them, our country and those Americans who believe in America and do not spend their every breath criticizing her and trying to tear her apart." Other notable Navy POWs held at the Hanoi Hilton with Hyatt included Rear Adm. Jeremiah Denton (held 2,766 days); Vice Adm. James Stockdale (held 2,713 days); Capt. Jerry Coffee (held 2,566 days); and Capt. John McCain (held 1966 days). Cdr. Everett Alvarez was the first American sent to the prison, and he was held captive for 3,113 days (more than eight and a half years). We Love Hanoi
USS Turner Joy Museum Hosts Naturalization Ceremony for Sailors
Ace Vital, a native of Pampanga, Philippines, was among the service members naturalized at naval ceremony. By Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class (AW) Maebel Y. Tinoko, Navy Public Affairs Support Element West, Det. Northwest BREMERTON, Wash. (NNS) -- Sailors from five countries took the Oath of Allegiance on board the USS Turner Joy Ship Museum, Oct. 6, officially becoming American citizens during a naturalization ceremony. Capt. Robert F. Johnson, commanding officer, Naval Legal Service Office Northwest, was the keynote speaker for the ceremony and applauded the service members on their achievement. "This is a day filled with pride, and I offer you my congratulations and best wishes," said Johnson. "This ceremony is not only a milestone for these Sailors, this occasion provides us with a moment of reflection. All of us should think about the meaning of citizenship." "We should all think of honor, courage and commitment and what these men and women have gone through to become American citizens," said Johnson. "In many ways Sailors reflect the face of America with their diverse backgrounds. Each of them contributes their own unique gifts and talent that makes this nation the greatest in the world." Friends and family watched proudly as 10 members of the Navy became U.S. citizens and received their certificates.
Engineman Firemen Aaron Ace Vital, a native of Pampanga, Philippines, was among the service members naturalized. "This is a great feeling, and my family is so proud of me," said Vital, a USS Ingraham (FFG 61) Sailor. "The Navy has given me a better life, and I feel like I am part of the U.S. now. This day is fulfilling, and I can provide a better life and future for my own family." "The first thing I did when I got my green card is join the Navy and it feels really good to be part of this country," said Engineman 3rd Class (SW) Jonathan Long, USS Ingraham (FFG 61) Sailor from New Brunswick, Canada. "I've been looking forward to this day. The Navy has given me the opportunity to travel and it's been a great experience." New Chain Gun Installation Aboard USS Ingraham
By Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Kat Corona, USS Abraham Lincoln Public Affairs EVERETT, Wash. (NNS) -- USS Ingraham (FFG 61), of Destroyer Squadron 9 welcomed a new addition in July with the installation of the MK38 MOD II 25mm chain gun. Ingraham is the first frigate in the fleet to receive the new system, but it has been utilized on other classes of Navy ships. The new system, which was updated from the legacy MK38 MOD I 25mm, is completely automated and does not need to be fired manually like the old system. By taking legacy equipment still in the fleet and updating it to meet the ever-growing threats at sea, the Navy can perform duties more efficiently and effectively. It uses a state-of-the-art electro-optical sight, a camera that can be used independently of the gun. It enables the operators to see tracks morethan 10,000 yards and uses a laser range-finder to measure the distance to a target, explained Ingraham's Electronics Material Officer and Assistant Combat Systems Officer Ensign Brandon Gilstrap, of Jacksonville, Ark. The gun's mount is controlled in Ingraham's Combat Information Center (CIC) by the Remote Operator Console (ROC). The gunner sits at the ROC and tracks incoming vessels using the video from the mount. "The system is able to auto-track the oncoming vessel until the tactical action officer gives the gunner orders on the deployment of warning shots or direct fire," said Gilstrap. This system enables Ingraham to defend the ship more effectively even with reduced manpower. "It is an honor for Ingraham to be chosen as the test platform for the FFG class," said Gilstrap. "Our reputation for being 'the last and finest' has helped iron out the bugs for future FFG installations." Mk 38 Mod 2 above: this weapon system is similar to one installed aboard USS Ingraham 20mm Phalanx CIWS, Navy Weapons 4,000 + rounds a minuite. 20mm Phalanx CIWS PAC Fire Aboard USS Kitty Hawk Mini-Gun Firing Mini-Gun VS. Weather Balloon an Iowa Class Battleship fires its 16 inch guns USS Wisconsin firing its 16 inch guns.
Landing on an Aircraft Carrier In this clip, an F-14 Tomcat lands on an aircraft carrier. Triple Tomcat Launch This is the final fly-off event of the tomcat. USS Theodore Roosevelt has just completed a successful cruise in the gulf and is offloading its airwing prior to its return home. This is also the last deployment with F-14s. This video is the beginning of a launch event, showing the ability of the Nimitz-class carrier to launch 3 planes simotaneously. F-14 Landing on aircraft carrier from Webmaster B. javamanmonk: I can still remember my first landing on the deck of a carrier. You stop verrrrrrrrrrrry quickly! I can almost excuse the obscenity, used by the civilians in the previous clip. The people using the "F" word were civilians getting a ride in the back seat. Sailors are known for bad language, but not in this case. These film clips give a fair idea of what it is like to see the actual site. Nothing in the world is as good as experiencing it first hand.
military news archive Forces Capture Taliban Kidnapping Suspect Bahrain Helicopter Det Provides Critical Support for Pakistan Relief Navy SEAL Remembered at Hometown Memorial in Missouri. "New Dawn" Arriving in Iraqi Waterways military-news-archive-10-12-2010
Legislation Extends Special Stop-Loss Pay Deadline VA Extends Coverage for Gulf War Veterans Taliban Fighters Seek Reintegration, Officers Say Air Force Races Ahead as Scientific Field Levels Out Lisbon Summit Will Chart NATO’s 21st Century Course Army Reserve Postures for ‘Uncertain’ Future Navy Releases Record of Decision for Guam/Commonwealth of Northern Mariana Islands Relocation NAVFAC Pacific Awards Contract for Naval Hospital in Guam military-news-archived-10-5-2010
Forces Protect Afghans During Elections Attacks Down, Voting Up in Afghan Elections military-news-archive-9-27-2010
Afghan, Coalition Forces Kill 23 in Helmand Engagements Lewis and Clark Keeps Pakistan Flood Response on Track Obama Gives Reminder of U.S. Mission in Afghanistan Obama to Award Medal of Honor to Afghan War Vet Air Strike Kills Operative Planning Pre-election Attacks military-news-9-21-2010-archive
WEAPON PRACTICE NIGHT FIRE KANDAHAR AIRFIELD Gates Sees ‘Positive Direction’ in Afghanistan TASK FORCE TEAM Mullen Gets Afghanistan Updates in Kabul Coalition, Afghan Forces Rescue Prisoners military-news-archive-9-10-2010
Plan, Prepare - The Recipe for Hurricane Season Survival Gates: War in Iraq Over, U.S. Transitioning to Iraqi Forces Afghan, Coalition Troops Kill, Capture Hundreds of Insurgents Odierno Earns Praise for Getting Results in Iraq military-news-9-3-2010-archive
Social Media Shapes Markets, the Military and Life Officials Confirm Capture of Insurgent Leader Gates: Iraq Has Chance Now, Thanks to U.S. Servicemembers Gates: Commanders Have Resources to Win in Afghanistan Biden Visits Iraq to Mark Operation New Dawn Mullen Meets With Eucom, Africom Leaders
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