RECENT PHOTOS FROM THE U.S. MARINE CORPS

FROM: U.S. MARINE CORPS
Coalition Forces Conduct Presence Patrol in Farah Province
A coalition force member talks to a villager during a presence patrol in Afghanistan's Farah province, Dec. 16, 2012. U.S. Marine Corps photo by Sgt. Pete Thibodeau.


　

A coalition force member speaks with a villager during a presence patrol in Afghanistan's Farah province, Dec. 16, 2012. U.S. Marine Corps photo by Sgt. Pete Thibodeau.

A small Afghan boy salutes coalition force members during a presence patrol in Afghanistan's Farah province, Dec. 16, 2012. U.S. Marine Corps photo by Sgt. Pete Thibodeau.

 

RECENT U.S. NAVY PHOTOS

 

FROM: U.S. NAVY
121220-D-UJ980-325 BEAUFORT, S.C. (Dec. 20, 2012) Sailors assigned to Naval Hospital Beaufort wrap presents for local military and civilian children in need. The presents were donated from members of the community due to the efforts of Hospital Corpsman 1st Class Donna Patrick, who for the past four years has volunteered to ensure local children have a happy holiday season. (U.S. Navy photo by Regena Kowitz/Released)

121220-N-AF077-084 NORFOLK (Dec. 20, 2012) The guided-missile destroyer USS Porter (DDG 78) is moored at Naval Station Norfolk during the station's 16th Annual Operation Decorama competition. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Sean Hurt/Released)
 

U.S. CONDEMNS LATEST ATTACKS BY SYRIA AGAINST CIVILIANS IN TOWN OF HELFEYA

Map:  Syria.  Credit:  CIA World Factbook.

FROM: U.S. DEPARTMENT OF STATE
Syrian Regime Attacks Against Civilians
Press Statement
Patrick Ventrell
Acting Deputy Spokesperson, Office of the Spokesperson
Washington, DC
December 24, 2012

The United States condemns in the strongest terms the latest vicious attacks by the Syrian regime against civilians, most notably the attack on people waiting to buy bread at a bakery in the town of Helfeya. Brutal attacks such as these show that this regime has no future in Syria. Those that commit atrocities will be held accountable. The United States calls on all parties that continue to assist the regime in executing its war against the Syrian people to end their support.

The visit of Joint Special Representative Brahimi to Damascus and his work offers an opportunity to move a political transition forward and the United States continues to support his efforts. We urge the regime to capitalize on the Joint Special Representative's efforts in order to transition to a new government and end the brutal repression of the Syrian people.

RECENT U.S. NAVY PHOTOS

FROM: U.S. NAVY

The 1,000-ton deckhouse of the future destroyer USS Zumwalt (DDG 1000) is craned toward the deck of the ship to be integrated with the ship's hull at General Dynamics Bath Iron Works. The ship launch and christening are planned in 2013. U.S. Navy photo (Released) 121214-N-ZZ999-201

The Los Angeles-class attack submarine USS San Francisco (SSN 711) departs San Diego for a scheduled six-month deployment to the western Pacific region. U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Anthony Walker (Released) 121218-N-QC706-003

 

YES, VIRGINIA THERE IS A SANTA CLAUS



Credit:  Wikimedia Commons.

FROM: U.S. LIBRARY OF CONGRESS

Yes, Virginia, There is a Santa Claus
December 24, 2012 by Erin Allen
I remember the moment I found out that jolly old St. Nick was more an idea than a physical person shimmying down a chimney to deposit presents underneath the tree. First clue, we didn’t have a fireplace.

I can’t remember exactly how old I was, probably elementary school age. The night before Christmas I could never fall asleep, which is probably the way of most kids. I remember hearing noises coming from the far side of the house and the screen door off the carport slamming from time to time. As I inched closer to the bedroom door to investigate the ruckus, I remember hearing my dad ask my mom – not quietly enough apparently – where she wanted him to put the presents.

The thing is, I can’t remember being too terribly upset. Christmas was, and still is, wonderful at my house. It’s a time of happiness, silliness, love and giving.

I think Santa still lives on in us, regardless of whether you actually believe – he appeals to the hope and imagination of young and old alike.

Perhaps this editorial for the Sept. 21, 1897, issue of the New York Sun says it best.

Eight-year-old Virginia O’Hanlon wrote a letter to the editor of The New York Sun, and the quick response was printed as an unsigned editorial. The work of veteran newsman Francis P. Church has since become history’s most reprinted newspaper editorial, appearing in part or whole in dozens of languages in books, movies and other editorials, and on posters and stamps.
"Yes Virginia, there is a Santa Claus. He exists as certainly as love and generosity and devotion exist, and you know that they abound and give to your life its highest beauty and joy. Alas! How dreary would the world be if there were no Santa Claus. …. There would be no childlike faith then, no poetry, no romance to make tolerable this existence.
"Nobody sees Santa Claus, but that is no sign that there is no Santa Claus. The most real things in the world are those that neither children nor men see. … Nobody can conceive or imagine all the wonders there are unseen and unseeable in the world.
"A thousand years from now, Virginia, nay 10 times 10,000 years from now, he will continue to make glad the heart of childhood."
Happy holidays to you and yours!

COURT ACTS TO CURB POTENTIAL SALMONELLA INFECTIONS CAUSED BY PEANUT BUTTER PRODUCTS

FROM: U.S. DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE

Friday, December 21, 2012
District Court Enters Permanent Injunction Against New Mexico-Based Producer of Peanut Butter Products and Company’s President and Chief Executive Officer

WASHINGTON - U.S. District Court Judge William P. Johnson entered a consent decree of permanent injunction against Sunland Inc., a Portales, N.M.-based producer of peanut butter, and Jimmie D. Shearer, president and chief executive officer of Sunland, the Justice Department announced today. The department, at the request of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), asked the court to enter the consent decree.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has reported that since September 2012 at least 35 people from 19 states have been infected with a strain of Salmonella Bredeney. Eight of these individuals were hospitalized as a result of their infection. Peanut butter manufactured by Sunland was identified by FDA and the CDC as a likely source of this outbreak.

As set forth in the complaint filed by the United States on December 20, FDA conducted an inspection of defendants’ facility from Sept. 9 to Oct. 16, 2012. According to the complaint, FDA analyses of samples collected during the 2012 inspection confirmed that certain of Sunland’s nut products were contaminated with Salmonella Bredeney and established the widespread presence of Salmonella Bredeney in Sunland’s facility. Salmonella Bredeney is a pathogenic organism that has a reasonable probability of causing serious adverse health consequences or death to humans.

FDA suspended the registration of Sunland’s food facility on Nov. 26, 2012. As the FDA’s suspension letter explained, the FDA’s analysis found that the Salmonella Bredeney detected at Sunland was indistinguishable from the Salmonella Bredeney identified in the multistate outbreak and the FDA’s investigation uncovered a number of practices that likely result in cross-contamination between raw peanuts and peanuts that had been roasted or brined. Specifically, packaging equipment was not effectively cleaned to prevent contamination; collapsible mesh totes used to store and transport nuts were not cleaned and sanitized between uses; employees came into contact with ready to package, roasted, in-shell peanuts with their bare hands; and processing equipment had unused connections that could facilitate the growth of pathogenic bacteria by allowing food material and water to accumulate.

The FDA concluded that unless and until Sunland implemented a number of corrective actions, and FDA evaluated the completed corrective actions to assure their adequacy, food manufactured and held by Sunland would continue to pose a reasonable probability of causing serious adverse health consequences or death to humans or animals.

Shortly after the suspension of Sunland’s registration, the United States filed suit to permanently enjoin Sunland and Shearer from delivering adulterated foods into interstate commerce. The consent decree entered resolves that suit by requiring Sunland to take a wide range of actions to correct its violations and ensure that they do not happen again. Among other actions, Sunland must develop and implement sanitation control programs; provide FDA the opportunity to inspect the facilities to assure Sunland’s compliance with the consent decree, the Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act, and applicable regulations; and receive written authorization from FDA to resume operations. Sunland must also implement testing, monitoring and remediation protocols.

"This consent decree prohibits Sunland from selling processed foods to consumers until it fully complies with the law," said Stuart F. Delery, Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General for the Justice Department’s Civil Division. "As this case demonstrates, the Department of Justice and FDA will work together to protect the health and safety of Americans by making sure that those who produce and sell the food we eat follow the law."

Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Delery thanked the FDA for referring this matter to the Department of Justice. Roger Gural, Trial Attorney at the Consumer Protection Branch of the Justice Department, in conjunction with Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael Hoses in the District of New Mexico, and Scott Kaplan and Jillian Wein Riley, Counsel at FDA’s Office of the Chief Counsel, brought this case on behalf of the United States.

THE RIGHT STUFF: FROM HEROS TO JOB CREATORS

FROM:  U.S. DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS

Heroes on the Homefront: New Report Highlights Veterans as Job Creatorsby Marie Johns
 
I’m excited to announce the release of a report by the Interagency Task Force on Veterans Small Business Development called "Heroes on the Homefront: Supporting Veteran Success as Small Business Owners." This is the second report of its kind where task force members from seven agencies have come together to collaborate on small business issues that are unique to Veteran business owners.

The U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) believes that two of America’s greatest assets are the service of our returning veterans and the economic dynamism of our small businesses. It is no secret that entrepreneurs and small businesses are the engines of American innovation and economic prosperity. For example, our nation’s 28 million small firms employ 60 million Americans, or half of the private sector workforce, and they are responsible for creating 2 out of 3 net new private sector jobs across the country. And, these numbers are even better when looking at Veteran Owned Small Businesses:
U.S. military veterans own 2.4 million businesses, or nearly 1 in 10 of all businesses nationwide. 8.3 percent of veteran business owners have service-connected disabilities.
Veteran-owned businesses generate $1.2 trillion in receipts and employ nearly 5.8 million people.
In the private sector workforce, veterans are at least 45 percent more likely than those with no active-duty military experience to be self-employed.
The focus of this year’s report, the Task Force’s second, is to provide updates on the 18 recommendations that were made in last year’s report. The recommendations are organized around three priority areas for engaging the Federal government: (1) Increase Opportunities for Growth; (2) Improve and Expand Counseling and Training Services; and (3) Reduce Barriers to Growth and Improve Coordination and Efficiencies.

We are pleased to report great progress has been made since the Task Force’s initial review. In FY 2012, the Task Force, along with the interagency Veterans Employment Initiative, developed and piloted a re-designed military transition program, entitled Transition GPS, that includes an entrepreneurship training program called "Operation Boots to Business: from Service to Startup." This program is expected to be rolled out nationally in the coming year. The Task Force has also worked to streamline programs and cut paperwork for veteran small businesses through support for initiatives such as BusinessUSA and QuickApp for surety bonds and it has continued the efforts begun last year to make the process of winning Federal government contracts simpler and easier for service-disabled veterans and veteran-owned small business.

We know that our nation’s veterans helped reshape the American economy following World War II. They helped to build one of the longest periods of economic growth in our country’s history. And we know they can do it again if they are simply given the right tools and the right opportunities.

That’s why the SBA and the entire Obama Administration is committed to ensuring that these amazing men and women have the access and opportunity they need to fully realize their potential as entrepreneurs and small business owners.

These men have women have served our country so well. And as they begin this next chapter in their lives, we are prepared to be with them every step of the way.

Marie Johns is Deputy Administrator of the U.S. Small Business Administration. She is responsible for management and oversight of the agency, and leads the agency’s efforts to reach underserved communities.

First Lady Michelle Obama Reads 'The Night Before Christmas' with Kermit the Frog | The White House

First Lady Michelle Obama Reads 'The Night Before Christmas' with Kermit the Frog | The White House

U.S. JOINT ENABLING CAPABILITIES COMMAND

Army Spc. Sonya Johnson, center, sets up a Hawkeye III to provide communications during Operation Tomodachi at Yokota Air Base, Japan, March 22, 2011. U.S. Air Force photo by Osakabe Yasuo

FROM: U.S. DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE
 
Joint Enablers Bring Expertise to Contingency Responses
By Donna Miles
American Forces Press Service
WASHINGTON, Dec. 21, 2012 - Despite words like "cuts," "streamlining" and "drawdown" sprinkling nearly every reference to the Defense Department, the commander of Joint Enabling Capabilities Command sees no downturn in the appetite for the specialized skills and experience his people provide.

That's because the new defense strategy and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Martin E. Dempsey's Capstone Concept for Joint Operations both recognize that contingency operations are likely to become more -- not less -- frequent in the decade ahead, Navy Rear Adm. Scott A. Stearney explained.

Whether for combat operations or a response to a humanitarian disaster, U.S. military forces will be called on to provide support, Stearney said. And wherever they operate, it will almost assuredly be as a joint force that deploys with little advance notice and hits the ground running.

That means they'll need a command-and-control structure able to spring into action with them at full throttle.

That's the calling card for Joint Enabling Capabilities Command, the Defense Department's 9-1-1 force for joint force headquarters operations, Stearney said.

The JECC is the department's "A team" for the capabilities needed to quickly stand up and operate a Joint Task Force, with experts in operations, plans, knowledge management, intelligence, logistics, communications and public affairs.

They deploy anywhere in the world within just a few days' notice, organized in teams tailored to the specific combatant commander's mission to augment assets already on the ground.

"The service forces always have the bulk of the response. They have the bulk of the headquarters staff and the largest number of people," Stearney said. "So when we find out what the requirement is, we send just what is needed. We send very high-performing, small, mission-tailored teams that are very experienced" in joint task force headquarters operations.

"They bring those joint skill sets that are required to make those task forces truly joint," Stearney said.

The JECC and its three support elements -- joint planning, joint communications and joint public affairs -- have supported every major military operation since 9/11. That has ranged from contingency missions in Iraq and Afghanistan to humanitarian assistance and disaster relief missions in Pakistan, Haiti and Japan.

Over the past year, the JECC deployed teams to support training for the next U.S. and NATO rotation to Afghanistan and during U.S. European Command's annual Unified Endeavor exercise with Israel. Most recently, 22 JECC members deployed to New Jersey and New York to provide communications and public affairs support for U.S. Northern Command's Hurricane Sandy response.

"We provide the rapid joint task force enabling capabilities for the Department of Defense as a 9-1-1 force that provides these skill sets to any type of JTF that would stand up as a result of any type of emerging crisis," Stearney said. "It doesn't matter if it's Pacific Command or Central Command or Southern Command or another command. We support them all."

To keep their skills sharp and ensure they're familiar faces on the scene when they deploy to a crisis or contingency, the JECC members work closely with every geographic combatant command. JECC teams deploy to every major "Tier 1" annual training event in support of the Joint Staff and combatant commands. They serve as observer-controllers, sharing expertise, and sometimes, as participants.

"By exercising broadly across the multiple geographic theaters, we are creating these very live networks with the people who we support," Stearney said. "We are staying plugged in to the different scenarios across the spectrum of military operations, and by doing that, we are staying current."

This broad, military-wide exposure, he said, gives JECC members a perspective that their peers at the COCOM level who don't regularly conduct joint task force operations might not see. They're able to identify mistakes and share best practices, both with the specific command, but also will the Joint Staff to enhance joint task force operations military-wide.

Regardless of the nature of location of a contingency, Stearney said successful JTF headquarters operations boil down to a core truism. "Command and control is command and control," he said. "Although the scenario may change a bit, it is all a matter of how rapidly that commander can take charge of the situation by going through the stages of the joint operational planning process, how they do joint public affairs and how they do the joint work that we specialize in."

DOD identified the need for this capability in 2000, and war-gamed the concept of a deployable JTF headquarters during the Millennium Challenge 2002 exercise.

Based on that experience, every geographic command except Central Command stood up its own standing joint task force headquarters. The since-dissolved Joint Forces Command's standing JTF headquarters focused at the time on operations within Centcom and augmented the other units, as required.

The JECC stood up as a separate command in 2008, and it assumed the missions of the COCOM-level standing joint task force headquarters when former Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates eliminated the COCOM-level headquarters in 2010 as part of his department-wide efficiency review.

In another organizational change, the JECC was moved under the umbrella of U.S. Transportation Command when Joint Forces Command was dissolved in 2011.

Air Force Gen. William F. Fraser III, the Transcom commander, has become a big fan of the JECC, recognizing its contributions to Transcom's global deployment and distribution enterprise. Citing myriad JECC missions during congressional testimony earlier this year, Fraser called the joint enablers a key element in the United States' ability to project national power and influence anywhere, at any time.

"Though the missions were of varying size, scope and complexity, in each instance, the JECC provided immediate, short-duration support to increase the effectiveness of joint command and control at the operational level," he said.

Looking ahead to the future, Stearney recognizes that the JECC, like every other DOD entity, will face tight fiscal scrutiny. "But as most of the services are drawing down and making plans to potentially reduce different types of accounts, I think I am in a growth business," he said, recognizing the importance placed on command and control and the high demand for joint enabling capabilities.

That's because Dempsey's vision, outlined in the Capstone Concept for Joint Operations, "is clearly that the future of warfare is rapidly forming, agile, joint globally integrated operations," Stearney said. "There will be more conflicts as opposed to fewer conflicts. And each will require some type of command and control structure."

Despite downsizing pressure across the military, Stearney said it's important not to undo progress made over the past 11 years that will ensure the success of the U.S. military and its joint forces for the next decade.

"I think one of the lessons we have learned over the last 11 years at war has been that we are really, really good when we are in joint coalition command and control centers," he said. "We are able to share information, to use information and really develop the value of information, ideas, words and networks as the weapons systems of the future.

"And that is what makes Joint Enabling Capabilities Command such a valuable asset," he added. "They have immediate credibility when they reach their destination after any kind of crisis event. They get the job done and then they redeploy, without a lot of fanfare."

U.S.-GEORGIA STRATEGIC PARTNERSHIP

FROM: U.S. DEPARTMENT OF STATE

Meeting of the U.S.-Georgia Strategic Partnership Commission's Economic and People-to-People Working Groups

Media Note

Office of the Spokesperson
Washington, DC
December 17, 2012

The U.S. Department of State will hold meetings of the U.S.-Georgia Strategic Partnership Commission working groups for Economic, Energy, and Trade on December 17 and People-to-People Cultural Exchanges on December 18.

The Economic, Energy, and Trade Working Group will be led by the Bureau of Economic and Business Affairs (EB) Acting Deputy Assistant Secretary Robert Manogue and U.S. Department of Commerce Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary John Andersen. The Georgian co-chairs will be Davit Zalkaliani, First Deputy Minister, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and Irakli Matkava, Deputy Minister, Ministry of Economic and Sustainable Development. The Working Group will discuss cooperation in bilateral trade and investment, agriculture, intellectual property rights, energy security and supply diversification, infrastructure development, and regional economic integration.

Bureau of European and Eurasian Affairs Deputy Assistant Secretary Bay Fang and USAID Deputy Assistant Administrator for Europe and Eurasia Jonathan Hale will co-chair the People-to-People Working Group, joined by the Georgian First Deputy Minister for Foreign Affairs Davit Zalkaliani and First Deputy State Minister Ketevan Tsikhelashvili. Discussions will focus on promoting greater cooperation in the areas of educational and cultural exchanges, English language education, public health research collaboration, and cooperation on consular issues.

The U.S.-Georgia Charter on Strategic Partnership was signed by U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and Minister of Foreign Affairs of Georgia Grigol Vashadze in Washington, DC, on January 9, 2009. The first meeting of the Strategic Partnership Commission, held in Washington, DC, on June 22, 2009, launched four bilateral working groups on priority areas identified in the Charter: democracy; defense and security; economic, trade, and energy issues; and people-to-people and cultural exchanges. Senior-level American and Georgian policy-makers have led subsequent meetings of each of these working groups to review commitments, update activities, and establish future objectives. These two working groups last met on June 5, 2012 at the Plenary Session of the Strategic Partnership Commission chaired by Secretary Clinton.

U.S.-URUGUAY RELATIONS

FROM U.S. DEPARTMENT OF STARE

The United States established diplomatic relations with Uruguay in 1867, which became an independent state following the 1828 dissolution of its federation with Argentina. The relationship between the United States and Uruguay is strong. The two countries share important values, including a commitment to democracy, rule of law, sound economic policies, strong labor rights, environmental protection, investment in people, the desire to see the peaceful resolution of disputes between nations, and a commitment to the multilateral system.

Uruguay is a constructive partner that plays an important role in promoting regional stability and democracy. The country often serves as a consensus builder and mediator in international contexts. It is a partner in conflict resolution, contributing to peacekeeping missions worldwide. Uruguay has been one of the top troop and police contributors per capita to United Nations (UN) peacekeeping overall. The United States values Uruguay's contributions to improving security in Haiti as well as in other difficult locations throughout the world.

U.S. Assistance to Uruguay

U.S. assistance to Uruguay encourages constructive Uruguayan engagement in international affairs and improves Uruguay’s ability to combat terrorism and international crime. U.S. assistance strengthens and maintains the Uruguayan military's peacekeeping and disaster response capabilities. U.S. assistance also promotes increased cooperation in law enforcement and in the fight against terrorism and illegal trafficking of persons, materials, and drugs.

 
Bilateral Economic Relations
The U.S.-Uruguay Joint Commission on Trade and Investment has focused on six areas: customs issues, intellectual property protection, investment, labor, environment, and trade in goods. The two countries have signed an Open Skies Agreement, a bilateral investment treaty, a trade and investment framework agreement, a science and technology agreement, and a memorandum of understanding on renewable energy and energy efficiency.

U.S. exports to Uruguay include machinery, perfumes/cosmetics, toys and sports equipment, oil, and agricultural products. U.S. imports from Uruguay include beef, prepared meat, dairy, eggs, honey, and hides and skins. About 100 U.S.-owned companies operate in Uruguay, and many more market U.S. goods and services.

Uruguay's Membership in International Organizations

Uruguay and the United States belong to a number of the same international organizations, including the United Nations, Organization of American States, International Monetary Fund, World Bank, and World Trade Organization.

　








　

ANSWERS ON $1 BILLION EXPEDITIONAR COMBAT SUPPORT SYSTEM

FROM: SENATOR CARL LEVIN'S WEBSITE

Senators Levin and McCain Seek Answers on $1 Billion Expeditionary Combat Support System

Wednesday, December 5, 2012

Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senators Carl Levin (D-MI), Chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, and John McCain (R-AZ), Ranking Member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, today sent the following letter asking Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta for answers regarding the Air Force’s recent decision to terminate its Expeditionary Combat Support System, for which taxpayers have spent more than $1 billion but apparently failed to produce any significant military capability.

As Senators Levin and McCain write in their letter to Secretary Panetta: "From what we know to date, this case appears to be one of the most egregious examples of mismanagement in recent memory. We believe that the public and the taxpayers deserve a clear explanation of how the Air Force came to spend more than $1 billion without receiving any significant military capability, who will be held accountable, and what steps the Department is taking to ensure that this will not happen again."

December 5, 2012

The Honorable Leon Panetta
Secretary of Defense
1100 Defense Pentagon
Washington, DC 20301-1100

Dear Secretary Panetta:

Just a few days ago, we learned that the Air Force has lost confidence in Expeditionary Combat Support System (ECSS) and has canceled the program. After spending more than a billion dollars, the Air Force determined that the ECSS program has not yielded any significant military capability and would cost at least another billion dollars to complete. In fact, the Air Force informs us that it has received usable hardware and software with a value of less than $150 million from the program. From what we know to date, this case appears to be one of the most egregious examples of mismanagement in recent memory.

We believe that the public and the taxpayers deserve a clear explanation of how the Air Force came to spend more than a billion dollars without receiving any significant military capability, who will be held accountable, and what steps the Department is taking to ensure that this will not happen again.

Accordingly, we ask that you provide us with answers to the following questions:
What has the Air Force gained from the $1 billion it has spent on this program and what capabilities, if any, will be salvaged from the program?
What were the root causes of the failure of the ECSS program and why did it take so long for senior management to recognize these problems and cancel the program?
Why were previous efforts to restructure the ECSS program ineffective, and why did it take so long for senior management to recognize that they had been ineffective?
What changes will the Department make in the way that it manages its procurement of its other enterprise resource planning (ERP) programs to avoid similar problems in the future? In particular, what steps will the Department take to ensure: (1) appropriate software selection; (2) adequate government ERP program management skills; (3) consistency in ERP acquisition processes; and (4) an infrastructure able to support ERP performance needs?
What role did ineffective business process re-engineering (BPR) have in the problems the Air Force experienced with ECSS and how is this issue being addressed for future ERP programs?
What steps will the Department take to ensure that the prime contractor’s failure to perform as required is appropriately considered as past performance in connection with future DOD contract award decisions?
What steps has the Department taken to review its other ERP programs in light of this experience and to ensure that they are not suffering from problems similar to those experienced by ECSS?
What options is the Air Force looking at to replace ECSS and how much are these options likely to cost? When will a comprehensive plan be in place?
In the absence of ECSS, how does the Air Force intend to meet the original objectives of ECSS and meet the 2014 and 2017 audit-readiness deadlines?
If the Air Force is planning to rely on legacy systems as part of its mitigation approach, what steps is the Department taking to identify and assess these legacy systems to determine what modifications (including manual workarounds) will need to be implemented and when will the Department have a timeline in place for implementing these corrective actions?
Thank you for your attention to this important matter.

Sincerely,

Carl Levin
Chairman

John McCain
Ranking Member

VIEW ON "RIGHT TO WORK" FROM A LIBERTARIAN LEADER'S PERSEPECTIVE

FROM: CONGRESSMAN RON PAUL'S WEBSITE

Right to Work is Part of Economic Liberty
Many observers were surprised when Michigan, historically a stronghold of union power, became the nation’s 24th "Right to Work" state. The backlash from November’s unsuccessful attempt to pass a referendum forbidding the state from adopting a right to work law was a major factor in Michigan’s rejection of compulsory unionism. The need for drastic action to improve Michigan’s economy, which is suffering from years of big government policies, also influenced many Michigan legislators to support right to work.

Let us be clear: right to work laws simply prohibit coercion. They prevent states from forcing employers to operate as closed union shops, and thus they prevent unions from forcing individuals to join. In many cases right to work laws are the only remedy to federal laws which empower union bosses to impose union dues as a condition of employment.

Right to work laws do not prevent unions from bargaining collectively with employers, and they do not prevent individuals from forming or joining unions if they believe it will benefit them. Despite all the hype, right to work laws merely enforce the fundamental right to control one’s own labor.

States with right to work laws enjoy greater economic growth and a higher standard of living than states without such laws. According to the National Institute for Labor Relations Research, from 2001-2011 employment in right to work states grew by 2.4%, while employment in union states fell by 3.4%! During the same period wages rose by 12.5% in right to work states, while rising by a mere 3.1% in union states. Clearly, "Right to Work" is good for business and labor.

Workers are best served when union leaders have to earn their membership and dues by demonstrating the benefits they provide. Instead, unions use government influence and political patronage. The result is bad laws that force workers to subsidize unions and well-paid union bosses.

Of course government should not regulate internal union affairs, or interfere in labor disputes for the benefit of employers. Government should never forbid private-sector workers from striking. Employees should be free to join unions or not, and employers should be able to bargain with unions or not. Labor, like all goods and services, is best allocated by market forces rather than the heavy, restrictive hand of government. Voluntarism works.

Federal laws forcing employees to pay union dues as a condition of getting or keeping a job are blatantly unconstitutional. Furthermore, Congress does not have the moral authority to grant a private third party the right to interfere in private employment arrangements. No wonder polls report that 80 percent of the American people believe compulsory union laws need to be changed.

Unions’ dirty little secret is that real wages cannot rise unless productivity rises. American workers cannot improve their standard of living simply by bullying employers with union tactics. Instead, employers, employees, and unions must recognize that only market mechanisms can signal employment needs and wage levels in any industry. Profits or losses from capital investment are not illusions that can be overcome by laws or regulations; they are real-world signals that directly affect wages and employment opportunities. Union advocates can choose to ignore reality, but they cannot overcome the basic laws of economics.

As always, the principle of liberty will provide the most prosperous society possible. Right to work laws are a positive step toward economic liberty

TIGER 2.0: THE BATTLEFIELD GARBAGE-TO-ENERGY MACHINE

TGER 2.0 is a deployable machine tactically designed to convert military field waste into immediate usable energy for forward operating bases. It could also prove beneficial in commercial areas such as oil and mining operations, camp sites, hospitals, mess halls and post-natural disaster events like Hurricane Katrina or Superstorm Sandy

FROM: U.S. DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE 'ARMED WITH SCIENCE'

by jtozer
Army Scientists Improve Garbage-to-energy Prototype

The year was 2008 and the on-going war in Iraq was a dangerous landscape for soldiers on the ground. Especially for convoys traveling to and from base camps.

Roadside bombs and enemy ambushes were frequent occurrences for U.S. Armed Forces transporting fuel, a risk that may be reduced if camps are equipped with a Tactical Garbage to Energy Refinery prototype.

"If you’re a forward-operating base, you don’t want a local contractor coming in to haul your garbage out because you don’t know if they’re good guys or bad guys," said Dr. James Valdes, a senior technologist at the U.S. Army Edgewood Chemical Biological Center. "You also don’t want to be hauling fuel in because those convoys are targets and risk the lives of soldiers and contractors."

For 90 days, Camp Victory in Baghdad was home to the first two TGER prototypes, a deployable machine tactically designed to convert military field waste into immediate usable energy for forward operating bases.

The biorefinery system is a trailer-mounted hybrid technology that can support a 550-person unit that generates about 2,500 pounds of trash per day, and converts roughly a ton of that garbage–paper, plastic, packaging and food waste—into electricity via a standard 60-kilowatt diesel generator.

"We picked a forward operating base in Iraq because we wanted to really stress the system. All other energy systems had been tested in laboratories or under ideal conditions and temperature climates. What we really wanted to do was stress it with heat, sand and real world trash in a low infrastructure environment," Valdes said.
"You know that old Chinese saying, ‘Be careful what you wish for, you might get it’? Well, we got it," We learned an awful lot over there about what works, what doesn’t work and what’ll break."
As ECBC project director for TGER, Valdes is responsible for leading a team that has successfully implemented the necessary re-engineering of the new prototype, TGER 2.0. Among them is an automated interface that uses a touch-screen panel, which makes it easier for workers to input information and monitor every part of the machine, from oxygen levels in the gasifier-to-ethanol production and power output.

What used to take three technicians to operate the machine now takes two people: one person to feed the garbage and another person to monitor the progress. But Valdes hopes that as the prototypes advance, TGER could eventually be used by one technician or soldier.

One of ECBC’s most valuable lessons learned while the TGER was deployed in Iraq was the realization that the downdraft gasifier had a tendency to get clogged if there was too much plastic in the fuel pellets. Additionally, a large percentage of the synthetic gas was inert and could not be used as viable fuel. To fix the problem, Valdes’ team developed a horizontal gasifier with an auger device that rotates the trash, eliminating the mechanical step of pelletizing the trash.

The TGER 2.0 prototype also enables steam to be injected into the gasifier, which allows a larger conversion of output gas to become energetic. According to Valdes, the old system produced 155 BTUs (British Thermal Unit)/cubic foot of gas, whereas the new TGER 2.0 prototype produces 550, more than tripling the amount of usable energy.
Also, TGER 2.0 is environmentally friendly with its zero-carbon footprint.
"We think of garbage in terms of volume, not weight. There are things that take up a lot of space in landfills but they don’t weigh much, like Styrofoam. TGER reduces the volume of waste in 30 to one ratio. If you start off with 30 cubic yards of trash, you end up with one cubic yard of ash, and that ash has been tested by the Environmental Protection Agency. They call it a benign soil additive. You could actually throw it on your roses," Valdes said.

The advanced prototype was shipped back to the manufacturer for modifications after undergoing a final field trial on Sept. 20 here, where the green technology was tested to see how long it could run at the highest levels of garbage input before breaking down.

Within two hours of powering on, TGER 2.0 can make synthetic gas that enables a generator to be run on about ¾ power.

Within 12 hours, alcohol is produced and blended with the synthetic gas to run on full power at a steady state if the machine is continually fed.

One of the innovations Valdes said he would like to capitalize on is recapturing the excess heat that the machine produces with a heat exchanger that can apply the energy to field sanitation and heating water. The new TGER prototype could also be transitioned into the commercial sector, Valdes said.

"Longer term, we will be talking to project managers about transitioning it but we’ll also be talking to some companies that do things like support oil and gas operations in places such as Mongolia and parts of the world that are difficult to have camps in," Valdes said.

Oil and mining operations, camp sites, hospitals, mess halls and even post-natural disaster events like Hurricane Katrina are just a few of the places the green technology could prove beneficial.

ECBC and contracting firm SAIC recently entered into a cooperative research and development agreement–an agreement between a government agency and a private company–to speed the commercialization of the technology.

"It’s really geared for where there’s a concentration of people and there’s a need to get rid of garbage and make energy. If an oil exploration company is out in Mongolia, they’ve got a lot of people there. Those camps can be as big as 10,000 people," he said.

"TGER is geared toward a smaller base camp but industrial operations start off small and build up. They still have to get rid of garbage and they have to somehow get energy in. So what they’re looking for is ways to get rid of the trash and generate power. If you think about it, there are far more commercial opportunities for TGER than there are Army applications."

ECBC and defense contractor SAIC are also working with the TGER Technologies, Inc., Defense Life Sciences LLC and Purdue University.

By Ms. Kristen Dalton (RDECOM)

RECENT U.S. NAVY PHOTOS

FROM: U.S. NAVY

121219-N-TB177-875 NORFOLK (Dec. 19, 2012) The aircraft carrier USS Dwight D. Eisenhower (CVN 69), right, returns to Naval Station Norfolk after a six-month deployment to the U.S. 5th and 6th Fleet areas of responsibility in support of Operation Enduring Freedom, maritime security operations and theater security cooperation efforts. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Kevin J. Steinberg/Released)

121219-N-RI884-004 PEARL HARBOR (Dec 19, 2012) The guided-missile destroyer USS Michael Murphy (DDG 112) is moored at its homeport at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam. The new destroyer is named in honor of Lt. (SEAL) Michael P. Murphy, who was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor for his actions in combat as leader of a four-man reconnaissance team in Afghanistan. Murphy was the first Medal of Honorrecipient for actions in Afghanistan, and the first member of the U.S. Navy to receive the award since the Vietnam War. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Daniel Barker/Released)

White House Time-Lapse: The 2012 Gingerbread Dough White House | The White House

White House Time-Lapse: The 2012 Gingerbread Dough White House | The White House

THE DAY AFTER AND THE MYAN PREDICTION OF THE END OF THE WORLD

 

NASA is so sure the world won't come to an end on Dec. 21, 2012, that they already released a video for the day after. More questions about December 21, 2012?

U.S. ATTORNERY GENERAL'S REMARK'S AT PAN AM FLIGHT 103 MEMORIAL SERVICE

FROM: U.S. DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE

Attorney General Eric Holder Speaks at the Annual Pan Am Flight 103 Memorial Service

Washington, D.C. ~ Friday, December 21, 2012

Good afternoon. It is an honor to take part, once again, in this important annual ceremony. And it’s a privilege to join with so many friends and colleagues – including FBI Director Mueller, Deputy National Security Advisor McDonough, and Assistant Attorney General of the National Security Division Monaco – as we pay tribute to the 270 innocent people who were taken from us, 24 years ago today, by a senseless act of terrorism in the skies above Lockerbie, Scotland.

I’d like to thank the Families of the Victims of Pan Am Flight 103 for bringing us together this afternoon. For nearly two and a half decades, your remarkable strength – and the spirit of unity that, year after year, calls you back to this hallowed place – has been a source of inspiration for us all. The example of resilience you’ve provided – and the unyielding resolve you’ve shown – have fueled our efforts to achieve justice for the victims of this unspeakable tragedy. And your work continues to ensure that none of us will ever forget the passengers, crew members, and bystanders on the ground whose lives were stolen – or shattered – on the 21st of December 1988.

Although no speech or ceremony can erase the pain that you’ve carried with you since that terrible night – by gathering to exchange stories, to share memories, and to lift up the legacies of those we’ve come to remember – I am confident that this community can continue to heal, to grow, and to move into a brighter future. And I pledge that our nation and its allies will continue to seek justice.

From Lockerbie to lower Manhattan – at home and around the world – at every level of today’s Justice Department, my colleagues and I are committed to standing with victims of terrorism and their families, wherever they are found. We’re determined to move aggressively to prevent and combat terrorism in all its forms – and to hold accountable those who threaten innocent civilians and seek to undermine our way of life. Above all, we’re dedicated to upholding the highest ideals of our justice system – while using every appropriate tool and resource to protect the American people.

Particularly in recent years – thanks to many of the leaders gathered here today – I’m proud that we have made significant, and in many cases historic, progress in taking these efforts to a new level. I’m encouraged by all that we’ve done – alongside allies from around the world –in order to identify and disrupt potentially deadly terrorist plots. But I also recognize – as you do – that this work is never complete.

That’s why, as we come together this afternoon – to honor and extend the legacies of those no longer with us – we must also recommit ourselves to the urgent task of preventing more of our citizens from being victimized. We must never hesitate in our aggressive pursuit of those who carry out such despicable and cowardly acts. We must never falter in our determination to eradicate the threats our people face. And – in this case and all others – we must never tire, never waver, and never rest – until justice has been done.

May God continue to bless our efforts. May God bless the families and friends gathered here today. And may God bless the United States of America. Thank you.

RECENT U.S. NAVY PHOTOS

FROM: U.S. NAVY

The aircraft carriers USS Dwight D. Eisenhower (CVN 69), USS George H.W. Bush (CVN 77), USS Enterprise (CVN 65), USS Harry S. Truman (CVN 75), and USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN 72) are in port at Naval Station Norfolk, Va., the world's largest naval station. U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Ernest R. Scott (Released) 121220-N-ZN152-189

121221-N-AO362-301 BUSAN, Republic of Korea (Dec. 21, 2012) Los Angeles-class fast-attack submarine USS La Jolla (SSN 701) arrives in Busan for a scheduled port visit. La Jolla, homeported in Pearl Harbor, is on a deployment to the western Pacific. (U.S. Navy photo by Lt. Jared Apollo Burgamy/Released)

U.S. DOL AWARDS $5 MILLION TO REDUCE CHILD DOMESTIC WORK IN INDONESIA

 

The Sea Temple of Pura Luhur at Uluwatu in south Bali dates back to the 11th century.

FROM: U.S. DEPARTMENT OF LABOR

US Department of Labor awards $5 million to reduce child domestic work and promote decent work for domestic workers in Indonesia

WASHINGTON — The U.S. Department of Labor's Bureau of International Labor Affairs awarded a $5 million cooperative agreement to the International Labor Organization for a project to support efforts to reduce child domestic work by building the capacity of domestic worker organizations and promoting decent work for domestic workers in four provinces of Indonesia.

Under the agreement, the International Labor Organization's International Program on the Elimination of Child Labor will partner with the National Network for Domestic Workers Advocacy in Indonesia, the Network of Indonesian Child Labor NGOs, and the Action Committee for Protection of Domestic Workers and Migrant Workers. The project will draw on the proven strengths of different organizations, associations, agencies and government institutions at the local, national and international levels.

The organizations will focus on: expanding legal protection to child and adult domestic workers; broadening the outreach and responsiveness of domestic worker organizations at the national and regional levels to combat the problem of child domestic work and improve decent work of domestic workers through targeted capacity building; promoting in-country and regional knowledge sharing; raising awareness using non-traditional media and innovative partnerships; and analyzing and documenting project outcomes.

Since 1995, the Labor Department has funded 260 projects implemented by more than 65 organizations in 91 countries, which have resulted in the rescue of approximately 1.5 million children from exploitative child labor. ILAB currently oversees more than $210 million of active programming to combat exploitative child labor.

NASA VIDEO ON FUTURE OF SPACE TRAVEL

FROM: NASA

NASA Now Minute: The Future of Space Travel
NASA astronaut Greg Johnson joins NASA Now to discuss the future of space exploration and the logical progression of sending humans to Mars. He talks about sending astronauts back to the moon and the possibility of building a lunar habitat to understand more about working and living in space. NASA Now Minutes are excerpts from a weekly current events program available for classroom use at the NASA Explorer Schools Virtual Campus located at:
› http://explorerschools.nasa.gov.

THE REMOTELY-CONTROLLED MINE-CLEARING VEHICLE



Soldiers from First Army Division West’s 5th Armored Brigade "Task Force Rampant," and the 321st Engineer Company (Route Clearance), from Conroe, Texas, receive instruction on the M160 MV4 remotely-controlled mine clearance vehicle, at McGregor Range, N.M. The M160 MV4 is currently used in Afghanistan by route clearance units

FROM: U.S. DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE 'ARMED WITH SCIENCE'
 
by jtozer
Soldiers Train With Remote-controlled Mine-clearing System

Tripping improvised explosive devices and unexploded ordnance in a controlled way to avoid soldier injury has become an automated process now for soldiers here and at Fort Bliss, Texas.

Soldiers are now training on the M160 MV4 DOK-ING, a remote-controlled, tracked mine clearance system to trip hidden improvised explosive devices, or IEDs, unexploded ordnance, known as UXOs, and anti-personnel mines.

By sending the system out to look for explosive dangers, soldiers can clear a route without putting themselves in danger.
"Never send a man to do a machine’s job," said Mark Decker, a technician trainer and instructor with the Robotics Systems Joint Project Office.
The M160 MV4 is the first of its kind here and is the latest addition to the Mobilization Training Center, the route clearance training program at Fort Bliss.

Several soldiers from First Army Division West’s 5th Armored Brigade’s "Task Force Rampant," recently trained on the vehicle, along with joint warfighters who are training with Rampant in preparation for deployment to Afghanistan.

The M160 MV4 is currently used in Afghanistan by route clearance units.

"Having this equipment available to train our reserve-component forces during their premobilization training will allow these units to arrive in their forward-deployed theaters with a unique and critical skill set," said Lt. Col. Aaron Dorf, Task Force Rampant commander.

Fielding of the M160 MV4 has been a priority of Task Force Rampant for some time now, said Task Force Rampant Command Sgt. Maj. Leonard Meeks.
"We are constantly striving to acquire combat systems that emulate what these joint warfighters will encounter downrange," Meeks said. "The more training we can provide to them in this environment the better. It’s our job to prepare them for success, and having the right tools of the trade is key for this mission."
The M160 MV4 employs a rotating shaft with chains attached to disturb the surface of the ground in an attempt to detonate or unearth deadly mines and unexploded ordnance. The flailing action is designed to establish a safe path of travel for dismounted troops in the area.

During the first day of the two-day training event, soldiers received familiarization of the system’s internal and external components, and training on the fuel system. This was followed by instruction on preventive maintenance checks and services and the proper methods to inspect the track area, engine compartment and its attachments.

"PMCS training and testing of the equipment is as important as operating it," said Master Sgt. Warner Stadler, the Task Force Rampant senior mechanic. "Without formal training on the care of equipment, it is very likely the equipment will not be available and ready when required."

Following PMCS, the soldiers were taught to program the system and operate it using basic driving techniques. As part of the basic driving training, soldiers were required to maneuver the system in forward and reverse, as well as negotiate left and right turns in a controlled environment.

Once proficient at maneuver, the soldiers were taught methods for employing the robot to reducing obstacles. The flailing block of instruction was conducted on a 3,100-meter test lane that was used to simulate entering an unclear area.

The key to effective flailing was the ability to employ the M160 MV4 using a variable tool speed, the correct downward pressure and gear. Prior to entering the unclear area, soldiers must perform a soil test to check the effectiveness of the settings, and then adjust as necessary.

"The M160 is definitely an asset to any deploying unit," said Staff Sgt. Daniel Denny, after two days of flailing. "I’m excited to be able to provide future training to engineer soldiers."

A practical exercise allowed soldiers to get a better feel for the machine and its combat role. Each soldier took turns holding the remote control to maneuver the M160 MV4 along the training lane.
"The remote-control-operated vehicle is actually fun to drive and maneuver, said Staff Sgt. Chamberlain Wolfe. "However, its mission is very serious and critical to our safe maneuver in what at times is a dangerous region."

By Capt. Jose A. Lopez, 5th Armored Brigade, First Army Division West

FOOD ALERGIES AGREEMENT SIGNED BETWEEN U.S. JUSTICE AND LESLEY UNIVERSITY

FROM:  U.S. DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE
Thursday, December 20, 2012

Justice Department and Lesley University Sign Agreement to Ensure Meal Plan Is Inclusive of Students with Celiac Disease and Food Allergies

The Justice Department today announced an agreement with Lesley University in Cambridge, Mass., to ensure that students with celiac disease and other food allergies can fully and equally enjoy the university’s meal plan and food services in compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).

Food allergies may constitute a disability under the ADA. Individuals with food allergies may have an autoimmune response to certain foods, the symptoms of which may include difficulty swallowing and breathing, asthma and anaphylaxis. For example, celiac disease, which is triggered by consumption of the protein gluten (found in foods such as wheat, barley and rye), can cause permanent damage to the surface of the small intestines and an inability to absorb certain nutrients, leading to vitamin deficiencies that deny vital nourishment to the brain, nervous system, bones, liver and other organs. Celiac disease affects about 1 in 133 Americans.

"By implementing this agreement, Lesley University will ensure students with celiac disease and other food allergies can obtain safe and nutritional food options," said Thomas E. Perez, Assistant Attorney General for the Civil Rights Division. "The agreement ensures that Lesley’s meal program is attentive to the schedules and demands of college students with food allergies, an issue colleges and universities across the country need to consider."

Under the settlement, Lesley University agrees to amend its policies and practices to:

· Continually provide ready-made hot and cold gluten- and allergen-free food options in its dining hall food lines;

· Develop individualized meal plans for students with food allergies, and allow those students to pre-order allergen free meals, that can be made available at the university’s dining halls in Cambridge and Boston;

· Provide a dedicated space in its main dining hall to store and prepare gluten-free and allergen-free foods and to avoid cross-contamination;

· Enable students to request food made without allergens, and ensure that a supply of allergen-free food is available;

· Work to retain vendors that accept students’ prepaid meal cards that offer food without allergens;

· Display notices concerning food allergies and identify foods containing specific allergens;

· Train food service and University staff about food allergy related issues;

· Pay $50,000 in compensatory damages to previously identified students who have celiac disease or other food allergies.

The settlement agreement was reached under the ADA, which prohibits discrimination against individuals with disabilities by public accommodations, including colleges and universities, in their full and equal enjoyment of goods, services, and facilities.

HELPING CONGOLESE ARMY HELPS U.S SECURITY

Democratic Republic Of The Congo. Credit:  CIA World Factbook

FROM: U.S. DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE

Official: DOD Aid to Congolese Army Bolsters U.S. Security
By Cheryl Pellerin
American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, Dec. 19, 2012 – The Defense Department plays a critical role in building security capacity in the central African Democratic Republic of the Congo, officials from the departments of Defense and State told the House Armed Services Committee today.

Aiding the armies of DRC and nearby nations such as Uganda can help to disrupt growing links between instability in central Africa and the global terrorist threat, the officials said, and push back against nonstate actors and regimes, such as those in Syria, Iran and North Korea, that directly threaten the United States and its allies.

Derek Chollet, assistant secretary of defense for international security affairs, and Johnnie Carson, assistant secretary of state for the Bureau of African Affairs, testified before the full committee.

"The U.S. has many competing security priorities in Africa, from Somalia to Sudan to Libya to Nigeria to Mali," Chollet said.

"But the DRC also remains important because of the potential opportunity lasting stability would bring and because of the imperative to prevent mass atrocities, which is a priority for this administration," he added.

The DRC’s army, and the state military organization responsible for defending the nation, is called the Armed Forces of the Democratic Republic of Congo. Its acronym, FARDC, stands for the French version of the name -- Forces Armées de la République Démocratique du Congo.

"The security and humanitarian situation in the DRC is the most volatile and violent in Africa today," Carson said. "An estimated 5 million people have lost their lives since 1998, and millions more have been uprooted and displaced."

A key threat facing Congolese civilians, particularly in the eastern DRC, is an array of violent armed groups, most notoriously including the March 23 Movement, called M23, the Lord’s Resistance Army, and the remnants of genocidal militias that now call themselves the Democratic Liberation Forces of Rwanda, or FDLR, the assistant secretary noted.

Another danger to civilians is an undisciplined state security force, Chollet said, "particularly when the forces are not well supported, have absorbed armed groups without vetting them for human rights abuses, operate under a separate chain of command or have not been trained in their legal obligations."

This confluence of security concerns, he added, "is prompting the Defense Department to closely follow security developments of DRC in the Great Lakes region and is actively involved along with our State Department colleagues to address them."

Chollet said the unfolding crisis highlights the Congolese government’s failure to provide effective security, governance and services in the eastern provinces.

"It also highlights continued political and economic tensions between the DRC and its eastern neighbors, especially Rwanda," the assistant secretary said.

Outside support, particularly from Rwanda, has helped to make the M23 a significant threat that seriously challenges efforts to stabilize eastern DRC and protect civilians, Chollet said. President Barack Obama told Rwandan President Paul Kagame in a telephone call yesterday that "any support to M23 is inconsistent with Rwanda’s desire for stability and peace," he added.

The Rwandan military is a capable partner in peacekeeping operations outside the immediate region, but their support for M23 prompted the Obama administration to suspend Rwanda’s foreign military financing, Chollet told the panel.

"As the situation in eastern Congo develops," he said, "we will continue to monitor reports of external support closely and respond appropriately, including by reviewing our assistance."

Inside the DRC, the United States is prioritizing private-sector reform.

"This means working with our partners and the DRC to develop a comprehensive approach that addresses all three elements of [the] security sector -- the Congolese defense forces, military justice and the police," the assistant secretary said.

"We must work to develop more professional forces that respect human rights and protect both DRC’s territorial integrity and population," he added.

DOD has provided training to the Congolese military, including a light-infantry battalion in 2010, incorporating sexual and gender-based violence protection and human rights training into every aspect of the effort, Chollet said.

"In addition to ongoing training on human rights and law, Defense Department engagements with the FARDC have included logistics, exercise participation, basic military intelligence training, military medicine, humanitarian assistance and humanitarian mine action," the assistant secretary said.

Moving forward, he added, DOD stands ready to work with its State colleagues to determine the best way ahead and support security-sector reform, including by providing more infantry training for the FARDC.

The scale of the need is significant, Chollet said.

"Today we have trained one battalion of 500 soldiers [out of] a military that numbers approximately 150,000. Other European and African partners have also provided training but the FARDC’s absorptive capacity for assistance is limited," he said.

"The Congolese defense ministry has been slow to respond to our requests [to provide] appropriate personnel for training and information needed for congressionally mandated human rights vetting. The lack of English-language capacity further inhibits training opportunities," Chollet added.

While the DRC works to develop its own security capabilities, the United Nations Peacekeeping Operation, called MONUSCO, is essential for providing security for the DRC civilian population.

"MONUSCO has a challenging mandate in a very fluid security climate. We are reviewing options for improving MONUSCO’s ability to meet the civilian protection requirements in the DRC," Chollet said.

"To help MONUSCO," he added, "DOD has seconded three U.S. military officers who are hoping to support operational efforts in ensuring an efficient flow of information between MONUSCO headquarters and field components."

Despite many challenges, the assistant secretary said, DOD has "an enduring interest in helping develop a more capable Congolese military, and this fits within [Defense] Secretary [Leon E.] Panetta’s broader policy emphasis on building partner capacity."

FACT SHEET: U.S. NUCLEAR WEAPON COMPUTER SIMULATIONS

FROM: U.S. STATE DEPARTMENT

U.S. Nuclear Weapon Computer Simulations
Fact Sheet
Bureau of Arms Control, Verification and Compliance
December 20, 2012

Key Point: Advances in simulation and computing capabilities, aided by investments in the science-based Stockpile Stewardship Program (SSP), provide confidence in the ability to model and evaluate the performance and safety of nuclear weapons without nuclear explosive testing.

Since the end of U.S. nuclear explosive testing in 1992, investments in science-based Stockpile Stewardship have led to dramatic improvements in simulation capabilities. Computers have become at least a hundred-thousand times more powerful, and modern integrated design codes now more realistically capture the behavior of real nuclear devices. As of December 2012, the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) has the world’s fastest supercomputer used for nuclear weapons simulations and modeling. The supercomputer, named Sequoia, is also the second fastest supercomputer in the world overall. As a result of these advancements, our modern, integrated nuclear weapon design codes have reduced a number of adjustment parameters, which previously required a nuclear explosive test to be calibrated. Weapons designers can now conduct hundreds of calculations to determine where the results are most sensitive to model uncertainties or fundamental data. This is a critical element to inform expert judgment and guide SSP experiments.

Today, weapons designers benefit from better simulation tools and computers capable of running highly detailed calculations. Successes to date indicate that a cadre of world-class scientists and engineers can employ physics-based simulations, modern experiments, validations against collections of re-analyzed data from previous underground nuclear explosive tests, and peer reviews to support stockpile decisions well into the future without the need to return to nuclear explosive testing. These computer simulation advances provide the United States with the ability to monitor and maintain the nuclear weapons stockpile without nuclear explosive testing.