News of the Force | Evening Edition | Tuesday, March 13, 2012

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  Evening Edition | Tuesday, March 13, 2012

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Tomorrow in the DOD

    

    Here's what's happening tomorrow at the Department of Defense:

    Secretary of Defense Leon E. Panetta is traveling. Deputy Secretary of Defense Ashton B. Carter has no public or media events on his schedule.

    The Acting Undersecretary of Defense (Personnel and Readiness), Jo Ann Rooney; Undersecretary of Defense (Comptroller)/Chief Financial Officer, Robert F. Hale; the Acting Assistant Secretary of Defense (Reserve Affairs), David L. McGinnis; and the Assistant Secretary of Defense (Health Affairs) and director of the TRICARE Management Activity, Jonathan Woodson, will testify at a hearing of the Senate Armed Services Committee's Sub-committee on Personnel, on the fiscal 2013 budget request, at 2 p.m., EDT, in Room SR-232A, Russell Senate Office Bldg., Washington, D.C.

    And Secretary of the Air Force Michael B. Donley and the Chief of Staff of the Air Force, Gen. Norton A. Schwartz, will testify at a hearing of the Senate Appropriations Committee, Subcommittee on Defense, on the fiscal 2013 budget request, at 10:30 a.m., EDT, in Room 192, Dirksen Senate Office Bldg., Washington, D.C.

 

U.S. officials reportedly debating accelerating U.S. pull-out from Afghanistan

    

    Meanwhile, Taliban fighters have attacked an Afghan government delegation visiting the site of the weekend killings. But in the wake of the killings of 16 Afghan civilians by a U.S. soldier, President Obama says it's important for the U.S. to leave that nation in a "responsible way."

 

U.S. Senate rejects pay freeze extension for federal workers

    

    The U.S. Senate has voted down a measure that would have extended the federal pay freeze to help fund a sweeping piece of transportation legislation, including approval of the Keystone XL pipeline. The amendment to the Senate’s Surface Transportation Bill failed 41-57, as the Senate voted on many amendments to the $109 billion federal transportation legislation.

 

U.S. Army casualty

    

    Staff Sgt. Jesse J. Grindey, 30, of Hazel Green, Wis., died on March 12 in Kandahar Province, Afghanistan. He was assigned to the 287th Military Police Company, 97th Military Police Battalion, 89th Military Police Brigade, Fort Riley, Kansas.

 

Southern Command targets transnational organized crime

By Jim Garamone, American Forces Press Service

    

    The U.S. Southern Command is focused on stopping transnational organized crime and building partners' capabilities, Air Force Gen. Douglas Fraser said in Washington, D.C., today. Speaking before the Senate Armed Services Committee, the Southern Command commander detailed the challenges facing Southcom, which has responsibility for U.S. military relationships in Central and South America and the Caribbean.

    Working with other U.S. federal agencies, the command has focused on a concern that permeates the region: transnational organized crime, which the general said "is seriously impacting citizen safety in Central America, especially Guatemala, El Salvador and Honduras." Transnational crime rings "threaten to overwhelm law enforcement capacities, and in an effort to reduce violence and halt the spread of these criminal groups, these countries have deployed their militaries in support of law enforcement organizations," he said.

    Disrupting these narco-syndicates is part of the overall strategy in the region, Fraser said. In the past year, the command developed and implemented Operation Martillo, a plan to disrupt illicit maritime traffic in the departure zones of South America and the arrival zones in Central America, the general said.

    Southern Command personnel have helped train partner nations' military members to support local police, and provides "network analysis of transnational criminal organizations and their operations," Fraser said. The command works in the Caribbean under the Caribbean Basin Security Initiative, which is developing the regional maritime interdiction plan to enhance the capabilities of Caribbean partners, Fraser said. "In South America, we will sustain our support to Colombia and to Peru as they fight narco-terrorist groups in these countries," he said.

    The command is working to build enduring international and interagency partnerships by promoting cooperation and information-sharing, Fraser said. Personnel also are working through traditional military channels to strengthen disaster relief capabilities," he said. "We remain ready to respond should our assistance be requested," he said.

    The command has been busy. In 2011, it conducted hundreds of training and educational events, 12 major multinational exercises with partner nations in the hemisphere and 56 medical readiness training exercises in 13 countries. "This sustained engagement is yielding important benefits," Fraser said. "Last year, for the first time, Colombia assumed the land component commander role during Panamax, our annual multinational exercise focused on supporting the defense of the Panama Canal." This year, Brazil will command the maritime component of the exercise, he said.

    Threats are not limited to the homegrown varieties. Iran is very engaged in Latin America, the general said. "They have doubled their number of embassies in the last seven years," he said. "They now have 11 embassies. They have 40 cultural centers in 17 different countries throughout the region." Southern Command officials see the Iranian activity as trying to build cultural awareness and awareness for Iran to circumvent international sanctions against Iran. "They are seeing an opportunity with some of the anti-U.S.-focused countries within the region as a method on being able to do that," he said. The concern lies with Iran's connections with the Hizbollah and Hamas terrorist groups, both of which have organizations in Latin America, Fraser said. "Those organizations are primarily focused on financial support to organizations back in the Middle East, but they are involved in illicit activity," he said. "So that is the connection that we continue to look for as we watch into the future, that connection between the illicit activity and the potential pathway into the United States," he added.

 

But, who's is tipping off Guzman

    

    Again and again, the U.S. provides intelligence, but the world's top drug lord escapes capture. Read the full story: Who's Tipping Off Drug Lord El Chapo Guzman? - ABC News .

 

Preparing for a disaster

    

    More than five dozen specialists with the Medical Reserve Corps (MRC) came together Saturday in Omaha, Neb., to train in the event of a metro-wide disaster.

    Using stuffed animals as props at the Bellevue Fire Training Center, volunteers checked for vital signs and blood pressure statistics as if the animals represented real people injured in a catastrophe. "The exercise is called triage," said volunteer Mary Honaker. "You're going to go out and you're going to evaluate what kind of injuries they have." After the volunteers worked together to figure out who needed immediate attention, a colored tag was placed on each stuffed animal indicating best and worst condition. Each precious second they spent was deemed crucial because you never know when a real-life situation might happen.

    "You don't want to treat this as a game because it's really not," said volunteer Jeff Peters.

    "The medical community as it exists can not handle a large catastrophe," added coordinator Tom McMahon. "They need extra helpers." It's the kind of extra help that just might mean the difference between life and death.

    The Medical Reserve Corps was first organized in the aftermath of 9/11. In the ten years since it began, there are now more than 200,000 MRC volunteers nationwide.

 

Cheney cancels trip to Canada over security fears

    

    Former U.S. Vice President Dick Cheney's last trip to the Great White North sparked major demonstrations.

 

DOD Senior Executive Service announcement

    

    Norton C. Joerg has been appointed to the Senior Executive Service as director, periodic review secretariat, Office of the Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense (Rule of Law and Detainee Policy), Office of the Undersecretary of Defense (Policy), Arlington, Va. Joerg previously served as director for forensic services, PricewaterhouseCoopers, Arlington, Va.

 

Delta Airlines passenger jet rolls off runway in Atlanta

    

    A Boeing 737 sustained significant damage when its braking system failed during an engine test. There were no passengers aboard at the time.

 

Obama administration wants more secrecy

    In the middle of Sunshine Week, a period dedicated to government openness, the Obama administration is urging Congress to change the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) to keep secret new categories of information that it says have been put a risk by a Supreme Court ruling.

 

Sentence struck down in millennium bombing plot

    A terrorist who plotted to blow up Los Angeles International Airport on the eve of the millennium, now half-way through his 22-year sentence, will have to serve longer after an appeals court ruled yesterday that the original punishment did not fit a crime that a judge said could have rivaled Sept. 11.

 

Stocks rally strongly with Nasdaq above 3,000
    Stocks climbed to new heights in part on rosy retail sales data today, pushing the broad market to levels last seen in June 2008, and the Nasdaq composite index past the 3,000 milestone for the first time since 2000.

 

U.S. Navy Flag Officer announcements

    

    Rear Adm. (lower half) Richard D. Berkey has been nominated for appointment to the rank of rear admiral. Berkey is currently serving as deputy chief of staff for fleet maintenance, U.S. Pacific Fleet, Pearl Harbor, Hawaii.

    Rear Adm. (lower half) Richard P. Breckenridge has been nominated for appointment to the rank of rear admiral. Breckenridge is currently serving as commander, Submarine Group 2, Groton, Conn.

    Rear Adm. (lower half) Walter E. Carter, Jr., has been nominated for appointment to the rank of rear admiral. Carter is currently serving as commander, Carrier Strike Group 12, Norfolk, Va.

    Rear Adm. (lower half) Craig S. Faller has been nominated for appointment to the rank of rear admiral. Faller is currently serving as commander, Carrier Strike Group 3, Bremerton, Wash.

    Rear Admiral (lower half) James G. Foggo III, has been nominated for appointment to the rank of rear admiral. Foggo is currently serving as deputy commander, U.S. 6th fleet/director of operations, Intelligence (N3), U.S. Naval Forces Europe-Africa/commander, Submarine Group 8 and Commander, Submarines, Allied Naval Forces South, Naples, Italy.

    Rear Adm. (lower half) Peter A. Gumataotao has been nominated for appointment to the rank of rear admiral. Gumataotao is currently serving as commander, Carrier Strike Group 11, Everett, Wash.

    Rear Adm. (lower half) John R. Haley has been nominated for appointment to the rank of rear admiral. Haley is currently serving as commander, Task Force Seven Zero/Commander, Carrier Strike Group 5, Yokosuka, Japan.

    Rear Adm. (lower half) Patrick J. Lorge has been nominated for appointment to the rank of rear admiral. Lorge is currently serving as commandant, Naval District Washington, Washington, D.C.

    Rear Adm. (lower half) Michael C. Manazir has been nominated for appointment to the rank of rear admiral. Manazir is currently serving as commander, Carrier Strike Group 8, Norfolk, Va.

    Rear Adm. (lower half) Samuel Perez, Jr., has been nominated for appointment to the rank of rear admiral. Perez is currently serving as special assistant, Deputy Chief of Naval Operations for integration of capabilities and resources, N8, OPNAV, Washington, D.C.

    Rear Adm. (lower half) Joseph W. Rixey has been nominated for appointment to the rank of rear admiral. Rixey is currently serving as director, Navy International Programs Office, Office of the Secretary of the Navy, Washington, D.C.

    Rear Adm. (lower half) Kevin D. Scott has been nominated for appointment to the rank of rear admiral. Scott is currently serving as deputy commander, Naval Forces, U.S. Central Command, Manama, Bahrain.

    Rear Adm. (lower half) James J. Shannon has been nominated for appointment to the rank of rear admiral. Shannon is currently serving as commander, Naval Surface Warfare Center/deputy commander for surface warfare, SEA-21, Naval Sea Systems Command, Washington, D.C.

    Rear Adm. (lower half) Thomas K. Shannon has been nominated for appointment to the rank of rear admiral. Shannon is currently serving as commander, Carrier Strike Group 1, San Diego, Calif.

    Rear Adm. (lower half) Herman A. Shelanski has been nominated for appointment to the rank of rear admiral. Shelanski is currently serving as commander, Carrier Strike Group 10, Norfolk, Va.

    Rear Adm. (lower half) Elizabeth L. Train has been nominated for appointment to the rank of rear admiral. Train is currently serving as director for Intelligence, J2, the Joint Staff, Washington, D.C.

    And Rear Adm. (lower half) Jonathan W. White has been nominated for appointment to the rank of rear admiral. White is currently serving as commander, Naval Meteorology and Oceanography Command, Stennis Space Center, Miss.

 

Panetta visits Kyrgyzstan defense officials

By Karen Parrish, American Forces Press Service

    

    Secretary of Defense Leon E. Panetta met in Bishkek today with Kyrgyzstan's defense leaders as part of a Central Asia tour to meet with government officials and service members.

    Panetta thanked Minister of Defense Taalaybek Omuraliev and Secretary of Defense Council Busurmankul Tabaldiev for Kyrgyzstan's contribution to regional stability through its hosting of the Transit Center at Manas International Airport. U.S. troops traveling into and out of Afghanistan pass through the transit center, which last year included about 580,000 such passengers, defense officials said.

    Panetta also affirmed his commitment to stand by the current transit center agreement through its expiration in July 2014, according to staff members traveling with the secretary. The United States pays $60 million annually to the Kyrgyz government for use of the center.

    The transit center is vital to International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) efforts to disrupt and dismantle al-Qaida and to prevent Afghanistan from serving as a safe-haven for extremist groups, officials said.

    Panetta emphasized during meetings here, they said, that the center serves only one purpose: to support Coalition efforts in Afghanistan.

    The leaders also discussed the significant bilateral achievements of the 20 years of diplomatic relations between the United States and Kyrgyzstan, staff members said. A senior defense official, speaking on background, said the Kyrgyz minister and secretary indicated they are open to discussing options for future cooperation on a range of issues, including the Transit Center at Manas.

 

Georgia teenager completes first solo glider flight with the CAP

    

    Civil Air Patrol (CAP) Cadet Hank Dee, 16, flew his first solo glider flight in February. The Georgia teenager completed the 15-minute flight at the LaGrange Calloway Airport. Dee, a high-school junior, plans to study for a career in military aviation.

 

Commanding officer of PCU San Diego relieved
    

    Commander, Expeditionary Strike Group 3, has relieved the commanding officer of Pre-Commissioning Unit San Diego (LPD 22), while allegations of personal misconduct are investigated.

    Cmdr. Jon Haydel has been reassigned to Commander, Naval Surface Force, U.S. Pacific Fleet headquarters. Cmdr. Kevin Myers, currently assigned to CNSP and the previous commanding officer of USS Green Bay (LPD 20), will temporarily take command as the ship sails from the shipyard in Pascagoula, Miss., to her homeport in San Diego, Calif. No impact to the ship's arrival in San Diego is expected.

 

The Civil Air Patrol theft complaint

    

    Since Sunday night, at least nine members of the Civil Air Patrol (CAP) have called News of the Force about the presentation by Len Blascovich, the CAP's national historian, gave at the recent CAP National Board meeting in Virginia.

    Some were present for that presentation, but we do not have to rely on their reports. The CAP has posted the Power Points and the videos on their web site at this link: http://www.capmembers.com/media/cms/12_Historians_Report_2012_3BCF8FEB503BC.pdf .

    Some, were confused. They are aware there is - or was - an IG complaint concerning members who have been misappropriating historical CAP artifacts for their own personal collections or selling them for personal profit. NOTF reported this some months ago. They wanted to know if the fact that Blascovich was talking about that complaint and its issues meant that the investigation has been completed and decisions made. We don't know and we haven't heard anything to that effect.

    If that complaint is still in the works, then we don't know how Len Blascovich gets away with making a presentation at the National Board meeting, except that's it's more CAP "smoke and mirrors." If Len knows about the complaint, which he clearly does, and it hasn't been decided, then we think he was probably required to sign a non-disclosure agreement (which the CAP is famous for requiring in an effort to keep a lid on almost anything) and he may be in violation of that. NOTF has had some calls from people who were angry because they thought they were still held to such agreements. If those are complainants, the rules require that they be notified of any outcomes. That suggests there hasn't been a decision.

    We're pretty sure that if the CAP side of all this unilaterally breaches that agreement, then the agreement is null and void and everyone else is free talk publicly.

    Blascovich threw up several slides of items in a storage facility near Baltimore, Md. Bill Schell, the former national curator of the CAP, died in March 2009, leaving a houseful of CAP artifacts he was inventorying. They had to be removed so Schell's children could rent or sell the house. They were put in storage in the Baltimore facility, which, houses the Schell collection - and only the Schell collection. It would be entirely possible to have a a copy of Schell's inventory, to check items against these artifacts, and declare, as Blascovich did (see the video) that "nothing is stolen and nothing is lost."

    But that would have nothing to do with the theft complaint. The theft complaint - or complaints - have grown and it has beencharged that certain people who are involved in the CAP's history outreach were taking items into their "personal collections," creating no paperwork trails, and appropriating the items without registering them on any inventory. We are aware of two specific items that were at issue: one was a uniform that belonged to the late Winship Nunnally, a founding father of the CAP and the first CAP Georgia Wing commander. The person charged with this stated it was in his "private collection" and in "personal storage." The other is a footlocker that was donated by the family of John Curry, the first national commander of the CAP. Blascovich makes no assertions and provides no proof these are in the collection, and he doesn't even mention them.

    One caller who is concerned about how that inventory was taken has some reason for concern. Some of the people charged with taking that inventory are people who were also charged in the theft complaint. or with participating in a cover up or, at the very least, they are buddies.

    If there hasn't been a decision on the theft complaint, this could get interesting. If there has been no decision, then how is it that Blascovich -instead of the national commander - is announcing this decision? We've been told this is supposed to be Gen. Carr's decision. If any of the charged are found guilty, then that also disproves Blascovich's assertion that nothing was stolen and noting was missing (that's in the video - some-where after minute #14).

    Where is Gen. Carr, anyway? No one seems to hear anything from him. Has anyone checked to see if he has been taken up by aliens in an episode of The X Files? No, says CAP Board of Governors Chair Brig. Gen. Rich Anderson. "Gen. Carr is not a 'flashy' as some of our previous national commanders," the general told us. "He just goes about doing the CAP's business quietly."

    Still, there's a lot that's just weird about this presentation. Blascovich says that the people in the history program haven't been able to fund-raise because of this IG complaint. Then, what if the complaint isn't complete yet, and the charged are found guilty?

    The Civil Air Patrol is a private, congressionally-chartered corporation that acts as an Auxiliary of the U.S. Air Force when requested by the Secretary of the Air Force. Headquartered at Maxwell AFB, Ala., its Web site is at www.gocivilairpatrol.com .

 

Peace Corps, PEPFAR and Global Health Service Corps team up

    

    The Peace Corps, PEPFAR and the Global Health Service Corps announced today a public-private partnership program to place U.S. health workers overseas to help address medical professional shortages.

 

Rabbi ministers across Afghanistan

By Sgt. Christine Samples, USA, International Security Assistance Force

U.S. Army Chaplain (Lt. Col.) Avi Weiss wears a prayer shawl during Shabbat, a service held at the beginning of Sabbath, in the chapel on Camp Leatherneck, Afghanistan, Feb. 24. (U.S. Army photo by Sgt. Christine Samples)

    There are just not enough rabbis to go around. That's why the only U.S. military rabbi currently serving in Afghanistan travels regularly from his base at Kandahar Airfield to other military camps and uses the Internet to reach his congregation. It's not a conventional role for a rabbi, but it helps him reach more people.

    U.S. Army Chaplain (Lt. Col.) Avi Weiss, a father of three and grandfather of 11, from Chicago, recently made his first visit to Camp Leatherneck since his December arrival in theater. He looks younger than his 61 years and has a friendly, approachable manner. His attire consists of the Army uniform and a black yarmulke that miraculously stays on his shaved head with the help of some bobby pins. His eyes rest on each person individually when he's talking in a group, like an unspoken invitation for each one's thoughts. Anyone who wants to jump in the conversation, however, needs to act quickly. Keeping up with Weiss' train of thought isn't easy. He jumps from one topic to another and back again. It's a habit that his wife, Elcya, often teases him about. Fortunately, Weiss stays on topic during services.

    Before Shabbat, the Friday evening service observing the Sabbath, Weiss sat on a bench in Camp Leatherneck's simple, wooden chapel to talk about his ministry. "Attempting to keep traditional Jewish laws is difficult in this environment," said Weiss, explaining the shortage of rabbis in the military. "It's a credit to the military that it does a lot to help someone practice their faith, but it's still not necessarily the choice environment for someone who wants to live a certain way."

    It may not be a choice environment for some, but the military managed to attract Weiss in 1974 and keep him for 37 years as an active duty and reserve chaplain. He says he joined the Army just for the job, but stayed for the unique opportunity to minister. "I really enjoy the military," Weiss said. "I don't want to be a synagogue rabbi. I enjoy jumping out of airplanes with the 82nd Airborne Division. I really enjoy being in Afghanistan. You can touch people's lives in ways you can't possibly do in other places."

    Weiss joked that because people can't go downtown on Friday nights, they're more open to attending services, which makes his job easier. Although people can't hang out downtown, Weiss still has his work cut out for him. Schedules here make it difficult for some to attend services. Five came to Shabbat, but Weiss said he concentrates on individuals, not numbers.

    The Jewish population in the military falls well below one percent, according to Defense Department statistics, but Weiss believes the actual numbers are higher and some just need to know they're not alone. "I try to encourage individuals to think about being more involved in their faith," he said. "I'm not really involved with the Afghanistan war or the issues. I'm more concerned with the individuals here. I can make a little bit of difference in someone's life - even one person."

    Because he can't be everywhere, Weiss stays connected with the community through the Internet. He uses e-mail to answer questions and give advice to lay leaders who perform services when no rabbi is available. He also started an online newsletter, Kol Torah, with the help of his wife in Heidelberg, Germany. The newsletter keeps the community here informed of events and educates them on Jewish culture.

    So while there may not be enough rabbis to go around, Jewish service members aren't left on their own. Weiss makes sure they get as much support as possible.

    Related site: NATO International Security Assistance Force .

 

 

                            

 

 

 

 

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