DEFENSE SECRETARY HAGEL THANKS TROOPS IN BAGHDAD

FROM:  U.S. DEFENSE DEPARTMENT 

Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel addresses service members during a visit to Baghdad, Dec. 9, 2014. DoD photo by Air Force Master Sgt. Adrian Cadiz.  

In Iraq, Hagel Praises Troops’ Commitment, Service, Sacrifice
By Air Force Tech. Sgt. Jake Richmond
DoD News, Defense Media Activity

WASHINGTON, Dec. 10, 2014 – Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel thanked service members in Baghdad yesterday and told them they are “doing something very, very special that very few people in life ever can do.”

Hagel said the world is going through an incredible time of redefinition, but that the one constant that always determines outcomes of everything is service, sacrifice, leadership and commitment.

“Your commitment and your service and your sacrifice to what you believe is something that should be recognized [and] acknowledged,” he said.

Being separated from family is another part of the sacrifice made by service members, Hagel said, which is especially difficult during the holidays. He asked the troops to thank their family members on his behalf.
‘Defined by the End Game’

The secretary told the troops in attendance –- who included Americans and Australians -- that he knows they believe they’re just doing their jobs. But he reminded them that their service will make a “such a difference” in the future.
“I think when you look out over the long sweep of history -– and certainly we’ve had an interesting last 13 years in the world -- it’s always determined by not just the day-to-day developments or battles, but it’s always determined by the will and commitment of the people,” the secretary said. “And we, being the United States and our coalition partners, including Australia, are countries that have played important roles in history to help other countries and help other people.”
Hagel said such efforts are “always defined by the end game,” which he described as the determination of whether a country can be free to defend itself, support itself, and provide its people peace, prosperity and opportunity. However, the inclusiveness of an Iraqi government that its people can join and trust is essential, Hagel said.

“It is their country,” Hagel said. “They have to lead. They are the ones that are going to have to be responsible for end results. We can help, we can train, we can assist, we can advise, and we’re doing that.”

DEFENSE SECRETARY HAGEL'S MEDIA AVAILABILITY AT FORT IRWIN, CA

FROM:  U.S. DEFENSE DEPARTMENT 
Media Availability with Secretary Hagel Conducted at Fort Irwin, California
Presenter: Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel
November 16, 2014

REAR ADMIRAL JOHN KIRBY: Okay, folks, I'm Admiral John Kirby, the Pentagon press secretary.

The secretary is going to come on up here. He's got no opening statements. This obviously will be on the record. Only going to be able to take a few questions.
Bob, we're going to start with you, and then I'll call on a couple of -- some of the local reporters here as well.

And then I think -- where's John?

John, you had one, too.

Okay, is everybody ready?

Mr. Secretary?

SECRETARY OF DEFENSE CHUCK HAGEL: General Abrams is in the tank there. I hope that we're not in the way.

(UNKNOWN): He couldn't help himself.

SEC. HAGEL: He couldn't help himself. I'm not sure we shouldn't be off to the side, but he is a general.

So yes. All right, Bob?

Q: Mr. Secretary a question for you about the (inaudible) strategy that (inaudible) today. You said it's working and you said it's (inaudible). (inaudible) it could be accelerated (inaudible). General Dempsey had talked this weekend about (inaudible).

SEC. HAGEL: Yes, we -- at the recommendation of General Austin, have agreed with General Austin's recommendations to take some of the special operations forces that he has in Iraq and give them some early missions working with the Iraqi security forces in Anbar province just to kind of continue to mission accelerate the mission of preparing for training and equipping, and the things that we need to do to start setting that up.

Because it is a process, it has to be done right; we've got to get the right trainers in there, coalition partners. So yes, we are doing what we can with the resources we have to give some acceleration to that.

Q: Has this just begun in the last couple of days or a week?

SEC. HAGEL: Last couple of days that he has moved some of this advisers into Anbar province to work with the Iraqi security forces.

Q: (off mic) You talked a little bit about (inaudible). You know that (inaudible) on the (inaudible). (inaudible). Can you talk a little bit about how the environment here is critical to the U.S. military?

SEC. HAGEL: Well, this is really a critically important base for our training. Yes, partly because of the environment that it represents, and it does give our trainers a very realistic geography to work with, and we've invested a lot of effort here and resources, and it has really been a very smart investment, because it's paid off in the training and the capabilities that our men and women get through this training here. So it's a unique location. It's an important location.
Q: (off mic)

SEC. HAGEL: Well, first, I think everybody knew from the beginning, because this is a rotational overall mission, that we would be requiring National Guard assistance and participation. So I went ahead and authorized the beginning of that last week. Nothing is moving; it takes time to -- but you've got to notify our Guardsmen and their families and their employers.

But anticipating any further call-ups, not in our planned -- at this point.

Q: (off mic)

SEC. HAGEL: Well, it depends on how successful we all are in stopping the spread of Ebola. Working, as you know, with the USAID and CDC and the Liberian government, we're hopeful that it won't be a long mission at all.
But we're uncertain until we know that we have been able to stop it. There are positive signs, but we're planning for a six-month mission, but we'll see. It just depends on how successful we all are in stopping the spread of Ebola.

REAR ADM. KIRBY: We've got one more question.

Sir, we'll go to you.

Q: You mentioned in budget constraints that there were facilities that (inaudible). Are any of those in California? And if so, (inaudible)?

SEC. HAGEL: (Laughter.) I'm not going to get into which ones.
Q: (off mic)

SEC. HAGEL: We have a pretty clear inventory of where we have excess capacity. We've shared at least our thinking, some of our thinking, with the Congress on this, but that's the whole point behind a BRAC, a base closing commission that allows an independent look at what facilities are still being used, which facilities are important to the future of our country, our security, and which are not.

And it was setup, you'll recall, many years ago, to give not only an honest assessment of that, but also take it out of politics.

And so, what we're asking for, again, is for the Congress to authorize another base relocation closing commission to go in and take a hard look, an insightful, honest look, and evaluate where that excess capacity is. And I would hope the Congress will allow us to do that, and I would hope that they would support another round of BRAC.

REAR ADM. KIRBY: Thanks, everybody. Appreciate it.

SEC. HAGEL: Thank you.

PRESIDENT OBAMA, SECRETARY HAGEL OFFER ASSISTANCE TO CANADA

FROM:  U.S. DEFENSE DEPARTMENT 

Right:  Lisa Monaco, assistant to the president for homeland security and counterterrorism, updates President Barack Obama in the Oval Office on the shooting in Canada prior to his phone call with Prime Minister Stephen Harper, Oct. 22, 2014. White House Photo by Pete Souza.  


Obama, Hagel Offer Canada Assistance after Attacks
By Cheryl Pellerin
DoD News, Defense Media Activity

WASHINGTON, Oct. 23, 2014 – President Barack Obama and Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel have offered condolences, assistance and continuing close partnership to Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper, the people of Canada and the family and friends of two soldiers killed in attacks there this week.

In remarks yesterday, Harper praised Warrant Officer Patrice Vincent, who was killed in a hit-and-run attack “by an ISIL-inspired terrorist,” and Cpl. Nathan Cirillo of the Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders, who was “murdered in cold blood” as he provided a ceremonial Honor Guard at Canada’s National War Memorial.

Both assailants were killed.

Yesterday, Obama and Hagel both made statements about the attacks.
“I had a chance to talk with Prime Minister Harper this afternoon,” Obama said during a White House press conference on the U.S. response to the West Africa Ebola crisis. “Obviously, the situation there is tragic … and I expressed on behalf of the American people our condolences to the family and to the Canadian people as a whole.”

Statement by Chuck Hagel

In his statement, Hagel said he joined all the men and women of the U.S. Department of Defense in offering his deepest condolences to the family and friends of the soldiers killed in this week's appalling attacks on members of the Canadian Armed Forces.

“The United States strongly condemns today's shootings in Ottawa,” the secretary added, “as well as the hit-and-run attack in Quebec earlier this week. The United States has no closer friend and ally than Canada, and the United States military has no closer partner than the Canadian Armed Forces.”

Hagel said the Defense Department, “including through the North American Aerospace Defense Command, will continue to monitor the situation closely and stands ready to assist our Canadian allies in the aftermath of these tragic events.”
The North American Aerospace Defense Command, based in Colorado and also known as NORAD, is a combined organization of the United States and Canada that provides aerospace warning, air sovereignty and defense for Northern America.

Vigilance is essential

From the Oval Office, Obama said the attacks emphasize the degree to which nations must remain vigilant when it comes to dealing with acts of senseless violence or terrorism.

“I pledged, as always, to make sure that our national security teams are coordinating very closely, given not only that Canada is one of our closest allies in the world but they’re our neighbors and our friends,” Obama said.

When it comes to dealing with terrorist activity, the president added, Canada and the United States have to be entirely in sync.

Obama said he’s traveled to the Canadian Parliament in Ottawa and recalled how warmly he was received; adding that during his call with Harper, the prime minister appreciated expressions of concern by the American people.

The attacks in Canada will have to be factored into ongoing efforts in the United States to counter terrorist attacks in this country, the president said.

“Every single day we have a whole lot of really smart, really dedicated, really hardworking people … who are monitoring risks and making sure that we’re doing everything we need to do to protect the American people,” he said. “And they don’t get a lot of fanfare; they don’t get a lot of attention.”

Many possible threats are foiled or disrupted that don’t always get reported on, the president said.

“The work of our military, our intelligence teams, the Central Intelligence Agency, the intelligence community more broadly, our local law enforcement and state law enforcement officials who coordinate closely with us,” Obama said, “we owe them all a great deal of thanks.”

SECRETARY HAGEL ADDRESSES CLIMATE CHANGE AT CONFERENCE OF DEFENSE MINISTERS OF THE AMERICAS MEETING

FROM:  U.S. DEFENSE DEPARTMENT 

U.S. Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel attends the 11th Conference of the Defense Ministers of the Americas in Arequipa, Peru, Oct. 12, 2014. 

DoD photo. 

Hagel to Address ‘Threat Multiplier’ of Climate Change

By John D. Banusiewicz

DoD News, Defense Media Activity

WASHINGTON, Oct. 13, 2014 – Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel will outline the effects of climate change on the world’s security environment and will unveil the Defense Department’s plan to meet that challenge in a speech this afternoon at the Conference of Defense Ministers of the Americas in Arequipa, Peru.
In a statement, Hagel noted that thinking ahead and planning for a wide range of contingencies is the Defense Department’s responsibility in providing security for the nation, and that climate change is a trend that will affect national security.
“Rising global temperatures, changing precipitation patterns, climbing sea levels and more extreme weather events will intensify the challenges of global instability, hunger, poverty, and conflict,” he said. “They will likely lead to food and water shortages, pandemic disease, disputes over refugees and resources, and destruction by natural disasters in regions across the globe.”
Potential to exacerbate many challenges

The U.S. defense strategy refers to climate change as a “threat multiplier,” the secretary said, because it has the potential to exacerbate many challenges, including infectious disease and terrorism. “We are already beginning to see some of these impacts,” he added.

A changing climate will have real impacts on the military and the way it executes its missions, Hagel said, noting that the military could be called upon more often to support civil authorities and to provide humanitarian assistance and disaster relief in the face of more frequent and more intense natural disasters.
“Our coastal installations are vulnerable to rising sea levels and increased flooding, while droughts, wildfires and more extreme temperatures could threaten many of our training activities,” he said. “Our supply chains could be impacted, and we will need to ensure our critical equipment works under more extreme weather conditions.”

Weather always has affected military operations, and as the climate changes, the way the military executes operations may be altered or constrained, the secretary said.

Uncertainty is no excuse for delaying action

“While scientists are converging toward consensus on future climate projections, uncertainty remains. But this cannot be an excuse for delaying action,” Hagel said. “Every day, our military deals with global uncertainty. Our planners know that, as military strategist Carl von Clausewitz wrote, ‘all action must, to a certain extent, be planned in a mere twilight.’”

It is in this context, he said, that he is releasing DoD’s Climate Change Adaptation Roadmap today.

“Climate change is a long-term trend, but with wise planning and risk mitigation now, we can reduce adverse impacts downrange,” the secretary said. “Our first step in planning for these challenges is to identify the effects of climate change on the department with tangible and specific metrics, using the best available science.”

A baseline survey to assess the vulnerability of the military’s more than 7,000 bases, installations and other facilities is nearly complete, Hagel said. “In places like the Hampton Roads region in Virginia, which houses the largest concentration of U.S military sites in the world, we see recurrent flooding today, and we are beginning work to address a projected sea-level rise of 1.5 feet over the next 20 to 50 years,” he added.

Integrating climate change considerations to manage risks
Drawing on these assessments, officials are integrating climate change considerations into plans, operations and training across the Defense Department to enable managing associated risks, Hagel said.

“We are considering the impacts of climate change in our war games and defense planning scenarios, and are working with our combatant commands to address impacts in their areas of responsibility,” he said. “At home, we are studying the implications of increased demand for our National Guard in the aftermath of extreme weather events. We are also assessing impacts on our global operations -- for instance, how climate change may factor into our rebalance to the Asia-Pacific.”

Last year, Hagel noted, he released the Defense Department’s Arctic Strategy, which addresses the potential security implications of increased human activity in the Arctic, a consequence of rapidly melting sea ice.
Collaborating with relevant partners

“We are also collaborating with relevant partners on climate change challenges,” he added. “Domestically, this means working across our federal and local agencies and institutions to develop a comprehensive, whole-of-government approach to a challenge that reaches across traditional portfolios and jurisdictions. Within the U.S. government, DoD stands ready to support other agencies that will take the lead in preparing for these challenges, such as the State Department, U.S. Agency for International Development and the Federal Emergency Management Agency.”

The United States also must work with other nations to share tools for assessing and managing climate change impacts and to help build their capacity to respond, Hagel said.

“Climate change is a global problem. Its impacts do not respect national borders. No nation can deal with it alone,” he added. “Today I am meeting in Peru with Western Hemisphere defense ministers to discuss how we can work together to build joint capabilities to deal with these emerging threats.

“Politics or ideology must not get in the way of sound planning,” he continued. “Our armed forces must prepare for a future with a wide spectrum of possible threats, weighing risks and probabilities to ensure that we will continue to keep our country secure. By taking a proactive, flexible approach to assessment, analysis and adaptation, the Defense Department will keep pace with a changing climate, minimize its impacts on our missions, and continue to protect our national security.”

HAGEL MEETS WITH WESTERN DEFENSE LEADERS

FROM:  THE DEFENSE DEPARTMENT

Right:  Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel hosts a news conference following a tour of the Compania de Jesus Church in Arequipa, Peru, during the Conference of the Defense Ministers of the Americas, Oct. 13, 2014. DoD photo by Air Force Master Sgt. Adrian Cadiz.

Hagel Meets with Western Hemisphere Defense Ministers in Peru
By Claudette Roulo
DoD News, Defense Media Activity

WASHINGTON, Oct. 14, 2014 – The Conference of the Defense Ministers of the Americas, which began yesterday in Arequipa, Peru, provides a forum for the defense ministers from 34 nations to discuss their common interests.

Yesterday’s plenary session was particularly significant, Hagel told reporters, as it was an opportunity “to hear from ministers on different points of view regarding different challenges and opportunities in a more formal setting.”

Following the full session, the defense secretary held bilateral discussions with some of his counterparts, where they “were able to talk more specifically about some of the challenges that we face bilaterally, as well as multilaterally,” he said.
The Conference of Defense Ministers of the Americas was created in 1995 to increase defense and security cooperation across the Western Hemisphere. The meeting serves as a venue for discussions on confidence- and security-building measures, peace support operations, civil-military relations and emerging threats such as transnational organized crime and terrorism, according to the conference’s website.

“The importance of the Western Hemisphere to the world as represented by so many different cultures and ideas and values is important to recognize at a time when the world is undergoing an extensive challenge to its present world order,” the defense secretary said.

All countries and all people deserve support in their efforts to guarantee human rights and dignity -- whether they struggle for themselves or for others -- Hagel said. “At the same time we also are mindful of some of the manmade and natural disasters and threats that face our world today,” he added.

SECRETARY HAGEL DISCUSSES PARTNERSHIP WITH CHILEAN LEADERS

FROM:  U.S. DEFENSE DEPARTMENT 

Hagel, Chilean Leaders Discuss Deepening Partnership

By John D. Banusiewicz

DoD News, Defense Media Activity

WASHINGTON, Oct. 12, 2014 – Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel met with government leaders in the Chilean capital of Santiago yesterday to discuss deepening the U.S. military partnership with Chile.

Hagel -- who arrived in Chile from Colombia – is on a six-day, three-nation trip to South America that will include participating in the Conference of the Defense Ministers of the Americas, which begins tomorrow in Arequipa, Peru.
In Santiago, the secretary met with President Michelle Bachelet, Foreign Minister Heraldo Munoz and Defense Minister Jorge Burgos. At news conference with Burgos after the meeting, Hagel noted he had met with his Chilean counterpart in Washington earlier this year.

“That was an important time for me,” he added, “because it gave me an opportunity to get a good sense and assessment of where Chile was on many issues -- where we could further deepen our partnership, our relationship, as we face many of the same challenges that the world faces.”

As a U.S. senator, Hagel said, he supported and voted for the U.S.-Chile free trade agreement, which marks its 10th anniversary this year. “I recall, vividly, some of the debates during the Senate Foreign Relations Committee [hearings] on the issue,” he said. “It was the right thing to do for Chile and the United States, and I think the results have been very clear on that point.”
Intensifying cooperation to address big issues

His meeting with the Chilean leaders touched on a wide scope of issues, the secretary said. “We started with a particular focus on how we can intensify our defense cooperation to address these big issues,” he added. “The world is not getting any less complicated. The world is interconnected in ways that we've never seen before. That presents tremendous opportunities and advantages for strong relationships and partnerships, and good governance and law and order. But it also presents new challenges as well.”

During his meeting with the Chilean leaders, Hagel said, he noted that as Chile develops its global relationships – particularly, its partnerships in in the Asia-Pacific region – the respect it enjoys as a security exporter and for its capacity and techniques will continue to be important in helping to build defense capacities for other nations.

“As we partner together with other nations, … they will need more capacity to deal these threats, so [Chile’s] role in that has been particularly important, will continue, and we appreciate it,” he said.

As a member of the United Nations Security Council, Chile has played an important role in helping to unify the international community against the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant terrorists in Iraq and Syria, the secretary said, and he expressed appreciation for Chile's leadership in that effort.
Chile also is supporting the global response to the Ebola outbreak in West Africa, he noted. “Through trilateral programs such as the Global Peace Operations initiative,” he added, “we will continue to partner with Chile and Central American nations to deepen our security cooperation.”

He and Burgos also discussed Chile's peacekeeping leadership in Haiti, Cyprus, the Middle East and South Asia, Hagel said, adding that these efforts show that Chile's interests extend far beyond the Americas.

Shared interest in Asia-Pacific peace and prosperity

As Pacific nations with large and growing economies and economic interests in Asia, the secretary said, both Chile and the United States have a shared interest in the continued peace and prosperity and stability of the Asia-Pacific region.
“This year, Chile's navy helped lead a major part of the Rim of the Pacific exercise -- it's the world’s largest maritime exercise,” he said. “This was a first for any South American nation. And as the minister and I discussed, Chile could also share some of its other model defense capabilities to help promote stability further in Asia-Pacific.”

But even as the United States and Chile expand their cooperation in other regions, both nations remain committed to continued cooperation within their own hemisphere, “because transnational security challenges -- from climate change to ungoverned spaces, as well as effective responses to natural disasters -- requires the collaboration of all nations of the Americas,” Hagel said.
Enduring value of dialogue

“In this context,” he added, “the minister and I discussed the enduring value of the Conference of Defense Ministers of the Americas … and the importance of those conferences and the importance of the dialogue -- the exchange of ideas and thinking.”

The secretary emphasized the continuing U.S. support for Chile's leadership among conference nations in areas such as search and rescue cooperation, noting that Chile’s expertise in that area has become a model for other countries to follow.

“We share the views that all nations of this hemisphere must approach our common security challenges in a spirit of partnership,” Hagel said. “As President Obama said here in Santiago a few years ago, ‘In the Americas today, there are no senior partners and there are no junior partners. There are only equal partners.’

“That is the spirit of the U.S.-Chilean partnership,” Hagel continued, “and I look forward to working with Minister Burgos as we continue to strengthen that partnership between our militaries, between our economies, between our governments and between our people.”

SECRETARY HAGEL TALKS TO TURKISH DEFENSE MINISTER ABOUT ISIL THREAT

FROM:  U.S. DEFENSE DEPARTMENT 

Hagel Discusses ISIL Threat With Turkish Defense Minister

DoD News, Defense Media Activity

WASHINGTON, Oct. 12, 2014 – Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel spoke today with Turkish Defense Minister Ismet Yilmaz in a phone call that focused on the regional threat posed by the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant and the security situation in both Iraq and Syria, Pentagon Press Secretary Navy Rear Adm. John Kirby said.

“Secretary Hagel thanked Minister Yilmaz for Turkey's willingness to contribute to coalition efforts, to include hosting and conducting training for Syrian opposition members,” Kirby said in a statement summarizing the call. “He noted Turkey's expertise in this area and the responsible manner in which Turkey is handling the other challenges this struggle has placed upon the country, in terms of refugees and border security.”

Joint Central Command-European Command training team

The secretary also expressed his gratitude for Turkey's willingness to host a joint U.S. Central Command-European Command planning team next week, Kirby added, as the U.S. military works closely with Turkey to further develop a training regimen.

“Both leaders stressed the need to continue taking a comprehensive, strategic approach to the threat posed by ISIL and other extremist groups,” the admiral said. “Both men also agreed that the Assad regime has, through its own brutality, fostered the current crisis and has long ago surrendered any legitimacy to govern in Syria.”

Hagel and Yilmaz agreed to continue close, sustained consultations, Kirby said.

DARPRA DEMONSTRATES FIVE NEW TECHNOLOGIES UNDER DEVELOPMENT

FROM:  U.S. DEFENSE DEPARTMENT

DARPA Officials Show Hagel Technologies Under Development

American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, April 23, 2014 – Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency program personnel demonstrated five technologies under development to Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel in the secretary's conference room yesterday.
DARPA Director Arati Prabhakar provided the secretary with a demonstration of the agency's latest prosthetics technology.

The wounded warrior demonstrating the device was Fred Downs Jr., an old friend of Hagel's who lost an arm in a landmine explosion while fighting in Vietnam. Hagel hugged him and shook his mechanical hand, with Downs joking, "I don't want to hurt you."

"He and I worked together many years ago," said Hagel, who earned two Purple Hearts during his service as an enlisted soldier in Vietnam. "How you doing, Fred? How's your family?"

Downs demonstrated how he controls movements of the arm, which appeared to be partly covered in translucent white plastic, with two accelerometers strapped to his feet. Through a combination of foot movements, he's able to control the elbow, wrist and fingers in a variety of movements, including the “thumbs-up” sign he gave Hagel.

It took only a few hours to learn to control the arm, Downs said.
"It's the first time in 45 years, since Vietnam, I'm able to use my left hand, which was a very emotional time," he said.

Dr. Justin Sanchez, a medical doctor and program manager at DARPA who works with prosthetics and brain-related technology, told Hagel that DARPA's arm is designed to mimic the shape, size and weight of a human arm. It's modular too, so it can replace a lost hand, lower arm or a complete arm.
Hagel said such technology would have a major impact on the lives of injured troops.

"This is transformational," he said. "We've never seen anything like this before."
Next, Sanchez showed Hagel a video of a patient whose brain had been implanted with a sensor at the University of Pittsburgh, allowing her to control an arm with her thoughts.

Matt Johannes, an engineer from the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, showed Hagel a shiny black hand and arm that responds to brain impulses. The next step is to put sensors in the fingers that can send sensations back to the brain.

"If you don't have line of sight on something you're trying to grab onto, you can use that sensory information to assist with that task," Johannes said.
The tactile feedback system should be operational within a few months, he said.
"People said it would be 50 years before we saw this technology in humans," Sanchez said. "We did it in a few years."

Next, officials gave Hagel an overview of the DARPA Robotic Challenge, a competition to develop a robot for rescue and disaster response that was inspired by the March 2011 Fukushima nuclear incident in Japan.

Virginia Tech University's entrant in the contest, the hulking 6-foot-2-inch Atlas robot developed by Boston Dynamics, stood in the background as Hagel was shown a video of robots walking over uneven ground and carrying things.

Brad Tousley, head of DARPA's Tactical Technology Office, explained to Hagel that Hollywood creates unrealistic expectations of robotic capability. In fact, he said, building human-like robots capable of autonomously doing things such as climbing ladders, opening doors and carrying things requires major feats of engineering and computer science.

Journalists were escorted out before the remaining three technologies could be demonstrated because of classified concerns. A defense official speaking on background told reporters that Hagel was brought up to date on the progress of three other DARPA programs:

-- Plan X, a foundational cyberwarfare program to develop platforms for the Defense Department to plan for, conduct and assess cyberwarfare in a manner similar to kinetic warfare;

-- Persistent close air support, a system to, among other things, link up joint tactical air controllers with close air support aircraft using commercially available tablets; and

-- A long-range anti-ship missile, planned to reduce dependence on intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance platforms, network links and GPS navigation in electronic warfare environments. Autonomous guidance algorithms should allow the LRASM to use less-precise target cueing data to pinpoint specific targets in the contested domain, the official said. The program also focuses on innovative terminal survivability approaches and precision lethality in the face of advanced countermeasures.

(From a pool report.)

DEFENSE SECRETARY HAGEL, FRENCH DEFENSE MINISTER LE DRIAN HOLD NEWS CONFERENCE

FROM:  U.S. DEFENSE DEPARTMENT

U.S. Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel and French Defense Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian conduct a news conference at the Pentagon, Oct. 2, 2014. Both leaders discussed the international effort underway to defeat ISIL. DoD photo by Glenn Fawcett

Hagel Praises Historic Bonds, Current Coalition Ties With France

By Amaani Lyle

DoD News, Defense Media Activity

WASHINGTON, Oct. 2, 2014 – Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel welcomed French Minister of Defense Jean-Yves Le Drian to the Pentagon to reaffirm their mutual resolve to address a spectrum of issues, from terrorism to infectious disease control, the two leaders said in a joint news conference today.

The secretary lauded Le Drian for France’s leading role in the international coalition to degrade and destroy the terrorist group Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant, noting that France was the first nation to join the United States in conducting airstrikes against the terrorist network. The coalition has since grown to include 40 nations.

The fight against ISIL

“American and French forces will continue to work side by side to support Iraqi forces on the ground as French aircraft patrol the skies over Iraq and provide valuable intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance on ISIL targets,” Hagel said.

These efforts, he added, enable Iraqi and Kurdish security forces to take the offensive against ISIL.

The two leaders also discussed ways to continue building and strengthening the coalition and supporting the new government of Iraq.

“The United States and France recognize the grave threat that ISIL poses to our shared regional interests and our citizens,” Hagel said.

He recounted the recent murder of a French hostage in Algeria, an incident he described as a “stark reminder of the deadly threats ISIL presents” to France and its allies.

Challenges in Africa

During their meeting today, the secretaries also focused on security challenges in North and West Africa, two regions Hagel said now face surges of violent extremism, instability and deadly infectious disease.

“France’s leadership in confronting extremist threats in the Sahel is particularly important as the United States continues to provide support to French operations in Mali, including airlift, refueling and intelligence cooperation,” he said.

Hagel also noted that the two nations will continue to coordinate efforts across the region in response to the Ebola crisis.

NATO a cornerstone of security

The defense secretary said that in discussions at the NATO summit in Wales last month, the two nations agreed on the importance of reinforcing NATO partnerships in Eastern Europe and strengthening the readiness and capabilities of the NATO alliance.

“A strong and united NATO will be critically important to assuring a Europe whole, free and at peace,” Hagel said. “That goal remains a cornerstone of America’s approach to global and transatlantic security.”

DOD VIDEO: HAGEL THANKS CREWS FOR ACTIONS OVER IRAQ

ASIA-PACIFIC REBALANCE CONTINUES

FROM:  U.S. DEFENSE DEPARTMENT 

Asia-Pacific Rebalance Remains Central to Strategy, Spokesman Says

By Claudette Roulo

DoD News, Defense Media Activity

WASHINGTON, Aug. 14, 2014 – Despite recent events in the Middle East, Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel and the Defense Department remain dedicated to the U.S. rebalance to the Asia-Pacific region, Pentagon Press Secretary Navy Rear Adm. John Kirby told reporters today.

“Given the fact that there's a lot going on in the world, that we're still making these visits and still having these discussions, speaks volumes about how important we believe the Asia-Pacific theater is,” he said at a Pentagon news conference.
With more than 350,000 American troops based in the Pacific -- including the majority of Navy assets -- and with five of the seven U.S. treaty alliances there, DoD is very committed to the region, Kirby said.

“It doesn't mean that we take our eye off the ball of the rest of the world,” he said. “We know we have security commitments around the world in the Middle East, in Africa [and] in Europe, and we continue to work mightily on those commitments. And there's been no slackening in that regard.”

But, Kirby noted, if sequestration remains the law of the land, “it's going to be harder and harder for us to meet those commitments.” Unless Congress acts to change the law, sequestration spending cuts will return in fiscal year 2016.
“The defense strategy that we put forward, which allows us to conduct this rebalance and still focus on those parts of the world, will be put in jeopardy” under sequestration, Kirby said.

Hagel returned yesterday from a trip that included a stop in India, where he met with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj to discuss the importance of continuing robust defense cooperation.
“It was a very successful visit. … There are opportunities here for co-development and co-production that we hope will come to fruition here in the future, particularly with the Javelin anti-tank missile, shows great promise,” Kirby said. “But we were warmly received by Indian officials, came away from it feeling very, very positive. In fact, the secretary was talking about that this morning to the staff about the trip and feeling very, very encouraged by it.”
The department is looking forward to continuing to develop the defense relationship with India’s new government, he said.

“We had a great set of discussions. We believe the relationship is on a good, strong path forward, and that's the secretary's focus -- it’s on the future,” he added.

SECRETARY HAGEL, GERMAN'S MINISTER OF DEFENSE LEYEN DISCUSS MUTUAL INTEREST

FROM:  U.S. DEFENSE DEPARTMENT  

Right:  Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel hosts an honor cordon to welcome Germany's Minister of Defense Ursula von der Leyen to the Pentagon, June 19, 2014. The two leaders met to discuss matters of mutual national interest. DOD Photo by Glenn Fawcett.  

Hagel, German Defense Minister Discuss NATO, Iraq

By Cheryl Pellerin

American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, June 19, 2014 – Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel and German Defense Minister Ursula von der Leyen met this morning at the Pentagon, reaffirming the two nations’ strong friendship and alliance, Pentagon Press Secretary Navy Rear Adm. John Kirby said in a statement.

The leaders discussed security challenges, ranging from post-2014 commitments in Afghanistan to recent developments in Iraq, Syria and Ukraine, Kirby said.
"Secretary Hagel and Minister von der Leyen discussed both nations' efforts to reinforce NATO and to reassure our NATO allies since Russia's aggressive actions in Ukraine,” he said, adding that such reassurance includes ongoing air, land and sea measures by the U.S. military and other NATO members.
The measures include President Barack Obama's June 3 announcement of the European Reassurance Initiative of up to $1 billion to fund increased rotational presence and exercises across Europe, and Germany's contributions, which in September will include support to NATO's Baltic air policing mission, Kirby said.

Hagel also thanked von der Leyen for Germany's contributions and sacrifices in Afghanistan.

“Germany has been the third largest contributor of troops and the leader of Regional Command North,” the press secretary said. “We welcome Germany's willingness to continue leading Regional Command North as part of NATO's post-2014 Resolute Support mission.”

Hagel and von der Leyen also discussed the upcoming NATO Summit, to be held Sept. 4-5 in Wales.

Kirby said the United States and Germany count on each other to be credible, capable partners as leaders in the transatlantic alliance and the global community.
“As the crises in Iraq, Syria and Ukraine remind us,” he added, “our leadership roles require investment in ready, modern, agile militaries.”

He added, “Both leaders recognized the importance of investing in capabilities that will strengthen our collective security.”

Both also agreed that, as the NATO Summit approaches, they must renew their commitments to transatlantic security, Kirby said.

After their meeting, Hagel left the Pentagon for the White House where the president met with members of his national security team in the Situation Room ahead of Obama’s statement on the U.S. response to violence in Iraq.
Von der Leyen, who Hagel invited to Washington in February during the Munich Security Conference, held a press conference on the steps of the Pentagon’s River entrance.

The German defense minister characterized her conversation with Hagel as “trustful and constructive,” and on the crisis in Iraq she said, “For the long term we need a sustainable solution for the whole region. That is, we have to integrate the diplomatic and political solution from neighboring countries of the whole region.”

AIRCRAFT CARRIER ORDERED TO PERSIAN GULF TO PROVIDE PRESIDENT OBAMA OPTIONS

FROM:  U.S. DEFENSE DEPARTMENT 

Hagel Orders Carrier USS George H.W. Bush Into Persian Gulf

American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, June 14, 2014 – Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel has ordered the aircraft carrier USS George H.W. Bush to move today from the North Arabian Sea into the Arabian Gulf, Pentagon Press Secretary Navy Rear Adm. John Kirby said.
In a statement, Kirby said the order will provide President Barack Obama additional flexibility should military options be required to protect American lives, citizens and interests in Iraq.

The Bush will be accompanied by the guided-missile cruiser USS Philippine Sea and the guided-missile destroyer USS Truxtun. The ships are expected to complete their transit into the Gulf later this evening, Kirby said.

The USS George H.W. Bush left its home port of Norfolk, Virginia, in February and is operating in the Middle East region as part of an ongoing rotation of forward-deployed forces to support maritime security operations, he added.
“American naval presence in the Arabian Gulf continues to support our longstanding commitments to the security and stability of the region,” Kirby said.

DOD COUNSEL SAYS SGT. BERGDAHL PRISONER SWAP PART OF LONG TRADITION DURING WARTIME

FROM:  U.S. DEFENSE DEPARTMENT 

Right:  Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel and Defense Department General Counsel Stephen W. Preston during testimony June 11, 2014, at a House Armed Services Committee hearing on the transfer of five detainees from the military prison at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. DOD photo by Marine Corps Sgt. Aaron Hostutler.  

Prisoner Swap Part of Long Tradition, DOD Counsel Says
By Claudette Roulo

American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, June 11, 2014 – The exchange that led to the return of Army Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl is part of a tradition of prisoner exchanges between opposing forces during wartime, Defense Department General Counsel Stephen W. Preston told members of Congress today.

During a hearing called by the House Armed Services Committee to discuss the prisoner swap, Preston explained that it wasn’t necessary to classify detainees as prisoners of war to make them eligible for such an exchange.

“What we had here were detained combatants held by opposing forces in the same armed conflict,” he said.

“Now, it is true that the Taliban is not the conventional nation state that has been party to conventional armed conflict in the past,” Preston said. “But it's not the character of the holding party, it's the character of the detainee that inspires and motivates our commitment to the recovery of service members held abroad.”
The exchange doesn’t set a precedent, he added, because a long tradition of prisoner swaps already existed at the time of the exchange.

A potential exchange of the five Taliban detainees for Bergdahl’s release was first discussed with Taliban representatives in late 2011, and Congress was briefed on the dialogue in November of that year, Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel told the committee members.

After sporadic discussions between the United States and Taliban representatives broke down in March 2012, the government of Qatar offered in September 2013 to act as an intermediary, he said.

“But there was never a point in time where, either directly or through the Qataris, we were negotiating with Haqqani,” Preston said. “There were no demands made or concessions made by or to the Haqqanis as far as I'm aware of, period.”
Hagel told Congress that a proof-of-life video was received in January that showed Bergdahl’s physical and emotional health to have deteriorated considerably in comparison to earlier videos. Bergdahl’s condition in the video intensified the discussions with Qatar about security assurances if Taliban prisoners were to be placed in their custody, the defense secretary noted.
As discussions with the Qataris wrapped up -- but before any agreement was signed, Preston said -- the department sought authoritative guidance from the Justice Department on the legal and constitutional issues around the requirements for Congressional notification.

Section 1035 of the 2014 National Defense Authorization Act required that several congressional committees be notified at least 30 days before any transfer of prisoners from Guantanamo Bay. However, the section does not provide for time-sensitive negotiations, the general counsel said.

With only a small window of opportunity to rescue Bergdahl, and with negotiations in an extraordinarily fragile state, “the administration determined that it was necessary to forego the full 30-day formal notice to the eight committees,” Preston said.

The concern was that delaying the transfer for 30 days to notify Congress “would scuttle the deal and could possibly further endanger … Bergdahl,” he said.
Less than 96 hours passed between the signing of the agreement on May 27 and the actual prisoner exchange on May 31, Preston noted.

The president has a constitutional duty to protect American citizens, the general counsel said, and when this duty conflicts with a statute, the statute must yield, “either as a matter of interpretation or through the application of separation-of-powers principles.”

Preston said in response to questioning that it is not true that the government will be obligated to release Guantanamo detainees who were captured in Afghanistan when the combat mission there ends this year. Both the Authorization for the Use of Military Force Against Terrorists and international laws governing armed conflict provide the government with the authority to hold these detainees until the cessation of hostilities with the Taliban and al-Qaida, he said.

“There will come a point in time where the armed conflicts we're engaged in with the Taliban and al-Qaida and their associates come to an end, and at that point, the law of war rationale for continuing to hold these unprivileged belligerents would end -- unless there were some other basis for continuing to hold them, such as prosecution,” Preston said.

DEFENSE SECRETARY DEFENDS BERGDAHL RECOVERY BEFORE HOUSE ARMED SERVICES COMMITTEE

FROM:  U.S. DEFENSE DEPARTMENT 

Hagel: Bergdahl Recovery Consistent With U.S. Laws, Values

By Jim Garamone

American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, June 11, 2014 – The recovery of Army Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl from the Taliban was fully consistent with U.S. law, U.S. interests and the U.S. military’s core values, Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel told the House Armed Services Committee today.

The secretary assured the committee that he would not sign off on any decision that wasn’t in the best interests of the United States.

“The prisoner exchange was done legally, with substantial mitigation of risk and in the national interest of our country,” Hagel said.

Since his disappearance in 2009, Bergdahl was officially listed as missing-captured. “No charges were ever brought against him, and there are no charges pending now,” Hagel said, noting that all aspects of government worked to recover the sergeant.

“We never stopped trying to get him back, as the Congress knows, because he is a soldier in the United States Army,” the secretary said.

Any questions about the sergeant’s capture are separate from these facts, Hagel said, “because we do whatever it takes to recover any U.S. service member held in captivity. This pledge is woven into the fabric of our nation and its military.”
In 2011, the Obama administration conducted talks with the Taliban on a detainee exchange involving the five Taliban detainees who ultimately were transferred after the release of Bergdahl. Congress knew of these talks and knew the Taliban broke off these discussions in March 2012, the secretary said. “We have not had direct talks with the Taliban since this time,” he added.

In September 2013, the Qatari government offered to serve as an intermediary with the Taliban, Hagel said, and the United States requested a proof-of-life video of the sergeant.

“In January, we received that video, and it was disturbing,” the secretary said. “It showed a deterioration in his physical appearance and mental state compared to previous videos. The intelligence community carefully analyzed it and concluded that Sergeant Bergdahl’s health was poor, and possibly declining.”

Acting on the exchange therefore became more urgent, he said.

On May 12, the United States and Qatar signed a memorandum of understanding detailing the specific security measures that would be undertaken and enforced by Qatar if any Taliban detainees were transferred to their custody, Hagel told the House panel. These include risk mitigation measures and Qatar’s commitments to travel restrictions, monitoring, information sharing, limitations on activities and more, he said.

Soon after the memo was signed, the secretary continued, Qatari intermediaries said that time was not an ally. “This indicated that the risks to Sergeant Bergdahl’s safety were growing,” Hagel said. “We moved forward with indirect negotiations on how to carry out the exchange of five detainees, and agreed to the mechanics of the exchange on the morning of May 27, following three days of intensive talks.”
Also on May 27, President Barack Obama received a personal commitment from Qatari Amir Tamim bin Hamid al Thani to uphold and enforce the security arrangements. The final decision was made to move forward with the exchange, Hagel said. With recovery imminent, U.S. officials were concerned that any delay, or any leaks, could derail the deal and further endanger Bergdahl, he told the panel.

“We were told by the Qataris that a leak would end the negotiations for Bergdahl’s release,” Hagel said. “We also knew that he would be extremely vulnerable during any movement, and our military personnel conducting the handoff would be exposed to a possible ambush or other deadly scenarios in very dangerous territory. And we had been given no information on where the handoff would occur.”

This was why the military moved “quickly, efficiently, and quietly,” Hagel said. “We believed this exchange was our last, best opportunity to free him.”
After the exchange was set in motion, Hagel said, only 96 hours passed before Bergdahl was in American hands. Uncertainty ruled, he acknowledged.
“We did not know the general area of the handoff until 24 hours before,” Hagel said. “We did not know the precise location until one hour before. And we did not know until the moment Sergeant Bergdahl was handed over safely to U.S. special operations forces that the Taliban would hold up their end of the deal. So it wasn’t until we recovered Bergdahl on May 31 that we moved ahead with the transfer of the five Guantanamo detainees.”

Hagel called Obama’s decision to move forward with the transfer of these detainees a tough call. “But I support it and stand by it,” he added.
The five Afghan Taliban members exchanged for Bergdahl are enemy belligerents and were held in the facility at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. “They have not been implicated in any attacks against the United States, and we had no basis to prosecute them in a federal court or military commission,” Hagel said. “It was appropriate to consider them for an exchange. And if any of these detainees ever try to rejoin the fight, they would be doing so at their own peril.

“The secretary of state, the attorney general, the secretary of homeland security, the director of national intelligence, and the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff all supported this transfer,” the secretary continued. “There was complete unanimity on this decision. The president and I would not have moved forward unless we had complete confidence that we were acting lawfully, in the national interest, and in the best traditions of our military.”

Specifically, the process complied with the National Defense Authorization Act of 2014 by determining that the risk the detainees posed to the United States, American citizens and U.S. interests was substantially mitigated and that the transfer was in the national security interests of the United States, Hagel said, and the recovery fulfilled the U.S. commitment to recover all military personnel held captive.

“We followed the precedent of past wartime prisoner exchanges, a practice in our country that dates back to the Revolutionary War and has occurred in most wars America has fought,” Hagel said.

Bergdahl was not a hostage, but a detained combatant being held by an enemy force, he noted. That being the case, it “was fully consistent with our long-standing policy not to offer concessions to hostage takers,” the secretary said. “The Taliban is our enemy, and we are engaged in an armed conflict with them.”
The effort was consistent with previous congressional briefings, “reflecting our intent to conduct a transfer of this nature with these particular five individuals,” Hagel said.

The administration was supposed to provide 30 days advance notice to Congress before transferring any individuals held at Guantanamo, but Hagel said the circumstances required quick action.

“Under these exceptional circumstances -- a fleeting opportunity to protect the life of an American service member held captive and in danger -- the national security team and the president agreed that we needed to act swiftly,” he said. “In consultation with the Department of Justice, the administration concluded that the transfer of the five could lawfully proceed.”

DOD SAYS DEFENSE SECRETARY'S ASIA CONFERENCE "STRENGTHEN MILITARY-TO-MILITARY RELATIONSHIPS"

FROM:  U.S. DEFENSE DEPARTMENT 

Hagel: Meetings in Singapore Will Build on Relationships

By John D. Banusiewicz

American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, May 30, 2014 – At an annual Asia security conference in Singapore that he helped to create while he was a U.S. senator, Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel will lay out challenges the participating nations face and will meet with many fellow defense leaders to strengthen their military-to-military relationships with the United States.

Speaking with reporters traveling with him to the Shangri-La Dialogue, Hagel noted that this is his fifth trip to the Asia-Pacific region since he took office in February 2013, and that President Barack Obama and Secretary of State John F. Kerry have visited the region in recent months.

“So we continue to build on the relationships that are part of showing our commitment, and the visits are part of showing our commitment to this Asia-Pacific rebalance,” he said.

Hagel said that in a speech at the conference, he will talk about some specific challenges, Thailand being one, as well as the China-U.S. relationship and tensions in the South and East China seas.

“I will address in my remarks these challenges, he added, “as well as continuing to focus on the building of these mutual defense capability relationships as we deepen and strengthen our partners' capabilities in this area.”

During the conference, the secretary said, he will have one-on-one meetings with his counterparts from 10 nations, as well as two trilateral meetings. One trilateral meeting, with Japan and South Korea, will be particularly important, he added.
“I am looking forward to each of these bilaterals, because in the bilateral meetings, you can go deeper and wider into the specifics of the differences,” Hagel said. “And I'm looking forward to the meeting I will have with my Chinese counterpart.” When he visited Beijing in April, Hagel said he addressed the specifics of the differences that the United States and China have. “And the only way to deal with those differences is to be direct and upfront,” he added.
Two weeks ago, the secretary noted in emphasizing the ongoing U.S. military relationship with China, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Army Gen. Martin E. Dempsey -- who also is in Singapore to attend the Shangri-La Dialogue -- hosted the senior Chinese military leader at the Pentagon.

“It's clearly in both China and the U.S. interest to continue to build that relationship,” Hagel said, “if for no other reason than assure both sides as best we can and the nations of Asia-Pacific that we have some sense of each other's intentions, we have some ability to communicate when tensions rise, we have mechanisms [and] bridges to deal with those before they get beyond our ability to deal with them.

So we'll continue to focus on that,” he continued. “But also, when we talk about Asia-Pacific and what the Shangri-La Dialogue is all about, this is an area of the world that is growing; it's prospering. It's an area that's presenting more and more opportunities for more and more people, but also more and more challenges.”
Among those challenges, the secretary said, is the critical importance of open, free sea lanes and airways for commerce.

“The nations of this region, Asia-Pacific, rely on those freedoms -- individual rights. So, we'll talk about that,” he said. “We'll talk about tensions and what's going on in some specific terms. But at the same time, we still have to develop relationships of cooperation, and we do have areas that we cooperate, as well as directly confronting not just areas of competition, but where we think China is overplaying its hand and is presenting new challenges and new tensions to this area.”

U.S. WILL KEEP ALMOST 10,000 TROOPS IN AFGHANISTAN IN 2015

FROM:  U.S. DEFENSE DEPARTMENT 

Obama: U.S. to Keep Nearly 10,000 Troops in Afghanistan in 2015

By Nick Simeone

American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, May 27, 2014 – President Barack Obama today announced the United States plans to keep nearly 10,000 American troops in Afghanistan next year -- a level largely in line with what U.S. commanders had requested -- and that nearly all U.S. forces will leave the country by the end of 2016, bringing to an end a U.S. military mission that began in response to the 9/11 terrorist attacks.
“The bottom line is it’s time to turn the page on more than a decade in which so much of our foreign policy was focused on the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq,” Obama said in a televised address from the White House Rose Garden.
In laying out his military plan for Afghanistan once the U.S.-led NATO mission there ends in December, Obama said keeping 9,800 American troops in the country to train Afghan forces and to support counterterrorism operations will be contingent upon Afghanistan’s next president signing a bilateral security agreement with the United States, something outgoing Afghan President Hamid Karzai has refused to do.

“The two final Afghan candidates in the runoff election for president have each indicated they would sign this agreement promptly after taking office, so I’m hopeful we can get this done,” Obama said, emphasizing the growing and increasing competence of the Afghan security forces as well as the success of April’s first round of presidential elections -- despite threats by the Taliban to disrupt them -- as key to the timing of today’s announcement.

“This transition has allowed us to steadily draw down our own forces from a peak of 100,000 U.S. troops to roughly 32,000 today,” the president said. “Together with our allies and the Afghan government, we have agreed this is the year we will conclude our combat mission in Afghanistan.”

Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel said he strongly supports Obama’s decision. In a statement issued after the president spoke, Hagel said the proposed U.S. troop presence “will help us sustain the significant progress we have made in training and equipping the Afghan national security forces.”

As the nation brings an end to its longest war, “all Americans are grateful for the sacrifice and service of the men and women who deployed there over the past 13 years,” the secretary said.

For months, U.S. officials have been deliberating over post-2014 U.S. troop levels and had even raised the prospect of a complete pullout of all U.S. forces if the Afghan government refused to sign the bilateral security agreement, a move that would have triggered an end to billions of dollars in foreign aid, upon which the government in Kabul relies heavily.

The post-2014 U.S. troop levels would be in addition to contributions from NATO countries, and a senior administration official said discussion about NATO commitments will continue during an alliance defense ministers conference in Brussels next week. But in his address today, Obama made clear that beginning next year, Afghanistan’s security will be fully in the hands of Afghans while U.S. troop levels in the country will continue to be reduced, with those remaining consolidated at Kabul and at Bagram Airfield.

“We have to recognize Afghanistan will not be a perfect place, and it is not America’s responsibility to make it one,” he said. “The future of Afghanistan must be decided by Afghans.”

By the end of 2016, Obama said, the U.S. military presence in the country will be pared back even further, to a level required to maintain security at the U.S. embassy, along with a security assistance component, similar to current U.S. force levels in Iraq.

Obama’s announcement about the way forward in Afghanistan comes two days after he made a brief, unannounced visit to U.S. commanders and troops in the country but did not meet with Karzai, whose relations with the United States have grown increasingly tense. White House officials told reporters the trip was meant to be a visit with troops. Obama and Karzai did speak by phone.

And today’s address comes a day before Obama is set to deliver the commencement speech at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, N.Y., during which he will outline his foreign policy and national security agenda for the remainder of his second term, including redirecting some of the resources saved by ending the war to “respond more nimbly to the changing threat of terrorism while addressing a broader set of priorities.”

“I’m confident that if we carry out this approach, we can not only responsibly end our war in Afghanistan and achieve the objectives that took us to war in the first place, we’ll also be able to begin a new chapter in the story of American leadership around the world,” he said.

DEFENSE SECRETARY HAGEL MEETS WITH ISRAELI DEFENSE MINISTER YAALON IN TEL AVIV, ISRAEL

FROM:  U.S. DEFENSE DEPARTMENT 

U.S. Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel, left center, meets with Israeli Defense Minister Moshe Yaalon, right center, in Tel Aviv, Israel, May 15, 2014. Hagel met with the defense leader to discuss issues of mutual importance before he visited American and Israeli troops in the area. DOD photo by Erin A. Kirk-Cuomo  
Hagel Meets With Israel’s Minister of Defense
By Claudette Roulo

American Forces Press Service

TEL AVIV, Israel, May 15, 2014 – Israel has had no closer ally or better friend than the United States, Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel said today after meeting with Israeli Defense Minister Moshe Yaalon at the Israeli defense ministry here.
Since taking office, Hagel has met with Yaalon six times

“Our defense relationship is as strong as it’s ever been,” the defense secretary said.

The two defense leaders discussed the ongoing P5+1 negotiations in Vienna over Iran’s nuclear weapons program and President Barack Obama’s commitment to ensuring that Iran does not acquire a nuclear weapon.

“We also discussed America’s unwavering pledge to preserve Israel’s qualitative military edge, including the provision of some of America’s most advanced capabilities,” Hagel said.

The defense secretary said he also spoke with Ya’alon about the need for continuing negotiations with Palestine and reaching a viable two-state solution.
“The frequent meetings that minister Yaalon and I have had, and the visit by President Obama’s national security advisor last week, speak clearly to the strength of our nations’ friendship,” Hagel said. “They speak clearly to the strength of America’s commitment to defend Israel.”

But, the defense secretary said, nothing speaks more clearly of America’s commitment than the concrete support it provides to Israel and its defense.
“That includes $3.1 billion per year in foreign military financing,” Hagel said. That’s more than the U.S. provided this year to any other nation, he noted, and more than the U.S. has provided to any other nation in American history.
“Our support also includes unparalleled military cooperation,” the defense secretary said, noting as an example the joint U.S.-Israel missile defense exercise Juniper Cobra, which starts later this month.

The five-day exercise involves more than 4,000 American and Israeli troops, with more than 700 American soldiers, sailors and airmen deploying to Israel. The exercise provides training in ballistic missile defense and humanitarian response. Two U.S. Navy Aegis-class ships will also participate while off the coast of Israel, the defense secretary noted.

Israel’s entire rocket and ballistic missile defense architecture is employed during Juniper Cobra, Hagel said, including Iron Dome, Arrow and David’s Sling. All three are platforms that the U.S. is “proud to have helped Israel finance and develop,” he added.

“This will be our European Command’s largest exercise this year, and it will be the seventh in the Juniper Cobra series, which began in 2001,” the defense secretary said.

Two months ago, the U.S. reached a milestone co-production agreement with Israel, raising its investment in the Iron Dome program to a total of nearly $900 million, he said. This will support additional batteries and interceptors.
Following Hagel’s meeting with Ya’alon, the two defense leaders traveled to Hatzor Air Base, about 30 miles south of Tel Aviv. There, they again stressed the strength of the bilateral relationship while speaking to U.S. and Israeli troops preparing for the start of Juniper Cobra.

Military-to-military cooperation between the two nations is stronger than ever, Hagel said, adding that he and Ya’alon are dedicated to ensuring the relationship grows even stronger.

“Israel’s security is -- and always will be -- non-negotiable,” the defense secretary said.

DEFENSE SECRETARY HAGEL PROMOTES EXPANDED COOPERATION WITH GULF STATES

FROM:  U.S. DEFENSE DEPARTMENT 

Hagel Urges Expanded Cooperation in Gulf Region

By Claudette Roulo

American Forces Press Service

JEDDAH, Saudi Arabia, May 14, 2014 – The importance of expanded cooperation in the Gulf region was the theme of Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel’s remarks here today at the Gulf Cooperation Council defense ministerial conference.

Defense ministers from all six member nations -- Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates -- joined Hagel at the meeting, which was hosted by Saudi Arabia.

Noting that this is his third trip to the Gulf in a little over a year, Hagel said the visits all have been aimed at encouraging greater collaboration in the region.
“I hope [this meeting] becomes an annual security consultation, and the backbone for renewed cooperation among all the nations of the GCC,” he said. And despite setbacks and challenges, he added, the Gulf Cooperation Council has fostered a common identity and common interests in the region.

“And it has helped protect your common security,” Hagel noted.

The United States is determined to support the Gulf countries as they continue to develop their roles on the world stage, the defense secretary said.

“This has been demonstrated by the United States Central Command’s continued forward military presence, which includes 35,000 personnel; our Navy’s 5th Fleet; our most advanced fighter aircraft; our most sophisticated intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance assets; and a wide array of missile defense capabilities,” he said. “It has also been demonstrated by recent defense sales agreements, including some of the largest in American history.”

But bilateral ties with the United States and American military presence are not enough to guarantee regional security, the defense secretary told the council’s defense leaders. “As I said at the Manama Dialogue last December, America’s engagement with Gulf nations is intended to and facilitate, not replace, stronger multilateral ties within the GCC.”

The most pressing security challenges threaten the whole region and demand a collective response, the defense secretary said. By strengthening the GCC, he added, the member nations will ensure their collective defense is more than the sum of its parts.

“You will strengthen your ability to prevent and deter aggression,” the defense secretary told the ministers. “You will strengthen, not weaken, each of your nations’ sovereignty. And you will expand your common interests –- not just in defense, but in a more stable and prosperous future.”
This approach is also how the region must address threats posed by Iran, he said.
Today also marks the start of discussions in Vienna between Iran and P5-plus-1 member nations regarding Iran’s nuclear program, Hagel noted. “We got to Vienna thanks to our collective efforts to isolate Iran diplomatically and economically, and to deter it militarily,” the defense secretary said.

As negotiations in Vienna progress, he said, two things should be clear.

“First, these negotiations will under no circumstances trade away regional security for concessions on Iran’s nuclear program,” Hagel said. U.S. commitment to Gulf security and stability is unwavering, he added.

“Second, while our strong preference is for a diplomatic solution, the United States will remain postured and prepared to ensure that Iran does not acquire a nuclear weapon -- and that Iran abides by the terms of any potential agreement,” the defense secretary said.

“No one nation can address these threats alone,” Hagel said. “Our efforts must be coordinated and complementary.”

Hagel made proposals today in several areas, each focused on this coordinated approach -- including integrated missile defense, maritime security and cybersecurity:

-- He proposed designating the Gulf Coordination Council’s Air and Air Defense Chiefs Conference as the GCC’s primary military forum for regional air and missile defense policy.

-- He called on the GCC to assume and maintain command of the Combined Maritime Force’s Gulf operations, Combined Task Force 152, and to commit to a regular heads-of-navy conference.

-- He proposed the establishment of a U.S.-GCC cyber defense cooperation initiative to jump-start collaboration.

-- He suggested that the GCC develop a Foreign Military Sales case, which could “advance regional defense priorities by accelerating the GCC’s progress toward greater interoperability and more sophisticated multinational force development.”
In addition, proposals to expand joint exercises and activities were part of a discussion led by Army Gen. Lloyd J. Austin III, commander of U.S. Central Command.

“At the conclusion of our dialogue,” Hagel said, “we should publicly declare our shared resolve, our shared goals, and our shared vision for stronger U.S.-GCC multilateral defense coordination. We must demonstrate our unity at a critical time. And we must send a message of strength to adversaries.”

DEFENSE SECRETARY HAGEL SAYS U.S. IS DOMINANT FORCE IN THE WORLD

FROM:  U.S. DEFENSE DEPARTMENT 
Hagel: The United States Remains an Unrivaled Power
By Terri Moon Cronk
American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, May 11, 2014 – While some around the world believe the United States is a weakening superpower, Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel today defended America as the world’s dominant force.

“I have seen some of [that perception], yes,” Hagel said, during an interview on the ABC program “This Week with George Stephanopoulos”. “But we are still the dominant power. No one’s in our universe, whether you apply a metric or measurement of an economic power or military power.”

But that doesn’t mean the United States can solve every problem alone, he said.
“No nation can do that. I do think there’s a sense out there by some that somehow America has powers eroding, or we’re not going to use our power, or we’re too timid about our power. I think we have been wise on how we use our power.”
“I don’t think you can run foreign policy or lead a nation and be president of the United States based on what other people think of you,” he added.

Hagel was asked about several issues in the news, including the kidnapping of more than 200 schoolgirls by the Boko Haram terrorist group in Nigeria, the situation in Ukraine and problems at the Veterans Affairs Department, in addition to cyber security threats, and questions regarding transgender people serving in the military.

The United States has sent a team of experts from the FBI, the intelligence community and the military to Nigeria to help authorities in the West African nation find the girls, kidnapped in the remote northeast last month.
“It’s a vast country, so this is not going to be an easy task, but we’re going to bear every asset we could possibly use to help the Nigerian government.” However, he said the United States has no plans to put American troops on the ground.
On the crisis in Ukraine, Hagel said even though Russian President Vladimir Putin said last week that Moscow was withdrawing tens of thousands of its troops from along the border with Ukraine, Russian forces appear to be still there.
“Russia continues to isolate itself for a short-term gain,” he said. “The Russians may feel they’re somehow winning, but the world is not just about short term,” Hagel noted.

Regarding the growing threat of cyber attacks, Hagel said the United States is paying full attention to cyber security threats, but added it’s difficult to be confident.

“You can’t be,” he said. “The fact is, [cyber security issues] are as dangerous a threat as the world is dealing with, especially the United States. It’s quiet, it’s insidious, it’s deadly.”

Hagel was also asked whether department policy regarding transgender individuals serving in the military should be revisited now that gays and lesbians are allowed to serve openly.  He called the issue complicated because of its medical component.

“These issues require medical attention. In austere locations where we put our men and women in many cases [those military posts] don’t always offer that kind of opportunity,” he explained.

“I do think it should continually be reviewed … because the bottom line [is] every qualified American who wants to serve our country should have an opportunity, if they fit the qualifications and can do it. This is an area we’ve not defined enough,” Hagel said.

Hagel also said he continues to support Department of Veterans Affairs Secretary Eric K. Shinseki amid reports that some veterans have died because they were unable to receive timely medical care through the VA system.

“There’s no one who understands accountability more than [retired Army] Gen. Shinseki,” Hagel said. “I do support [him], but there’s no margin here.”
The Defense secretary said if these reports prove accurate, “Accountability is going to have to be upheld, because we can never let this kind of outrage, if all of this is true, stand in this country.”

But the situation didn’t start with Shinseki’s term at VA, Hagel emphasized. “This is something that should have been looked at years and years ago. Yes, we missed it.”