DOD'S 2013 REPORT ON SUICIDE

FROM:  U.S. DEFENSE DEPARTMENT 
Release No: NR-018-15
January 16, 2015
DoD Releases 2013 Annual Report on Suicide

Today, the Department of Defense (DoD) released its 2013 calendar year Suicide Event Report (DoDSER), which details the number of suicide attempts and deaths for U.S. service members.

The DoDSER also includes detailed assessments of demographic information, behavioral health history, and deployment history for each suicide event. This comprehensive information informs DoD senior leaders as they make policy decisions to improve suicide prevention efforts.

In calendar year 2013, active component suicide totals and rates declined over 2012, while reserve components had a slight increase. There were 229 deaths by suicide among active component service members and 220 deaths by suicide among selected reserve component service members (87in the reserve and 133 in the National Guard).

The suicide rate per 100,000 in 2013 was 18.7 for active component service members, 23.4 for reserve component and 28.9 for National Guard.
“One suicide among our ranks is too many,” said Jackie Garrick, director of the Defense Suicide Prevention Office. “Suicide is complex, and the better we understand these events in our community, the better we will be able to assist service members in crisis. We consider any measure that saves a life as one worth taking. ”

The department is actively engaged in suicide prevention efforts. Each of the services conducts suicide prevention awareness training for service members and families, and DoD has expanded access to mental health care by increasing the number of providers, embedding them at the unit level and training community clinicians in military cultural competence. Directors of Psychological Health are available for the National Guard.

DOD VIDEO: FIGHTING WILDFIRES

GSA, DOD REPORT ON ACQUISITION AND CYBERSECURITY ALIGNMENT

FROM:  GENERAL SERVICES ADMINISTRATION 
GSA and DoD Announce Acquisition Cybersecurity and Resilience Recommendations

Washington, DC --- The U.S. General Services Administration (GSA) Administrator Dan Tangherlini, and the Secretary of Defense, Chuck Hagel, today announced six planned reforms to improve the cybersecurity and resilience of the Federal Acquisition System.

The jointly issued Department of Defense (DoD) and GSA report,  Improving Cybersecurity and Resilience through Acquisition, was submitted to the President in accordance with Section 8(e) of Executive Order (EO) 13636.

Recommended Reforms

The report provides a path forward to aligning Federal cybersecurity risk management and acquisition processes.  It provides strategic recommendations for addressing relevant issues, suggests how challenges might be resolved, and identifies important considerations for the implementation of the recommendations.
The six recommended reforms are the following:

Institute baseline cybersecurity requirements as a condition of contract award for appropriate acquisitions
Include cybersecurity in acquisition trainings
Develop common cybersecurity definitions for federal acquisitions
Institute a federal acquisition cyber risk management strategy
Include a requirement to purchase from original equipment manufacturers, their authorized resellers, or other trusted sources
Increase government accountability for cyber risk management
The report is one component of the government-wide implementation of EO 13636 and Presidential Policy Directive (PPD) 21, and was prepared by a working group comprised of subject matter experts selected from across the Federal government.

The working group benefitted from a high level of engagement from public and private sector stakeholders, and the report provides realistic recommendations that will improve the cybersecurity and resilience of the nation when implemented.

DoD and GSA are committed to implementing the recommendations through integration with the numerous ongoing related activities like supply chain threat assessments and anti-counterfeiting.

The agencies will use a structured approach, with continued dedication to stakeholder engagement, and develop a repeatable process to address cyber risks in the development, acquisition, sustainment, and disposal lifecycles for all Federal procurements.  The implementation will also harmonize the recommendations with existing risk management processes under Federal Information Security Management Act and OMB guidance.


GSA Administrator Dan Tangherlini weighs in:
“The ultimate goal of the recommendations is to strengthen the federal government’s cybersecurity by improving management of the people, processes, and technology affected by the Federal Acquisition System. GSA and the Department of Defense will use continue to engage stakeholders to develop a repeatable process to address cyber risks in the development, acquisition, sustainment, and disposal lifecycles for all Federal procurements.”

A request for public comment on the draft implementation plan will be published in the Federal Register next month.

SECRETARY OF DEFENSE HAGEL FINISHES VISITS WITH TROOPS, NATIONS

FROM:  U.S. DEFENSE DEPARTMENT 
Hagel Concludes Six-day Troop, Partner Nation Visits
By Karen Parrish
American Forces Press Service

DOHA, Qatar, Dec. 10, 2013 – Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel wrapped up a dual-purpose six-day trip to the Middle East and Southwest Asia here today.
As the secretary told troops at his last stop here, “The first priority and the real reason I was out here and spent time was to thank our troops, thank our men and women who do so much for all of us.”

Hagel also spent time engaging with allies and partners to assure them of the United States’ commitment to the region. He delivered a speech on the U.S. regional force posture in Manama, Bahrain. Hagel also spent two days in Afghanistan talking with Afghan military leaders and U.S. troops and ground commanders. And, he attended high-level meetings in Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and here.

The secretary’s day in Qatar started at a palace and concluded at a semi-secret military facility. In the interim, Hagel and Qatari Defense Minister Maj. Gen. Hamad bin Ali Al Attiyah formally renewed the U.S.-Qatar Defense Cooperation Agreement. The agreement governs training, exercises and other cooperative interactions between U.S. and Qatari forces.

“This agreement promotes cooperation and is a testament to the longstanding security partnership enjoyed by the United States and Qatar,” Assistant Pentagon Press Secretary Carl Woog said in a written statement.

Woog added that the accord “underscores the close partnership between the United States and its [Gulf Cooperation Council] partners, which Secretary Hagel highlighted in his remarks at the Manama Dialogue this past weekend.”
The secretary’s first stop today was the Sea Palace, where he met with Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad, Qatar’s emir. He then moved on to the signing ceremony at Qatar’s government headquarters, and then paid a visit to U.S. and coalition forces at the Combined Air and Space Operations Center, located at Al Udeid Airbase, a Qatari base that hosts the U.S. command-and-control facility.

Addressing service members there -- his fourth troop talk this week -- Hagel thanked them and their families, offering his and President Barack Obama’s best wishes for the holiday season.

“I know occasionally you’re stuck in remote places and you wonder if anybody even knows where you are or who you are or what you’re doing,” the secretary said. “Let me assure you, we do.”

The center where they work coordinates military air operations in the U.S. Central Command area of responsibility by integrating nearly 30 nations’ capabilities into a complete, real-time overview of mission execution. Hagel told troops that multinational approach is “where the world’s going.”

A senior defense official traveling with the secretary told reporters on background that the center might be unique in the degree of talent it brings together.
“[There’s] probably no other facility where you can go and see so many partners operating together at once,” the official said. “So that’s a story that is important, to reassure our allies and our partners.”

The official added that the center, which military leaders have in the past been reluctant to publicize because of regional sensitivities, makes it “visible to the world that we’re working together on common defense.”

Hagel told the airmen, sailors, soldiers and Marines at Al Udeid that the experience and training Gulf nation representatives receive there, along with integrated allied participation from the United Kingdom and Canada, furthers U.S. aims to build partner capacity.

“Our partners are going to be as important, and probably more so, than they’ve ever been, for our own national security [and] for their national security,” the secretary said, emphasizing a message he has delivered throughout his time in office.

“The more we can understand each other [and] work with each other, the better the world is going to be,” Hagel told the troops. “I’m particularly impressed with that part of what you’re doing here.”

The secretary began his trip telling delegates to the Manama Dialogue in Bahrain that the United States will maintain its troop posture in the region and that it seeks to strengthen coalitions there. He repeated that message today.
“We’re not going to get disconnected from our allies in this region,” he told reporters traveling with him before boarding the plane for Washington. “Our common interests are very clear here.”

DOD ARTICLE ON RESPONSE TO CLIMATE CHANGE

Right:  Flooded areas of Boulder County, Colo. are seen from a U.S. Army UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter Sept. 18, 2013. U.S. Army National Guard photo by Staff Sgt. Jecca Geffre.
  
FROM:  U.S. DEFENSE DEPARTMENT 
DOD Wraps Climate Change Response into Master Plans
By Cheryl Pellerin
American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, Nov. 26, 2013 – The effects of climate change are already evident at Defense Department installations in the United States and overseas, and DOD expects climate change to challenge its ability to fulfill its mission in the future, according to the first DOD Climate Change Adaptation Roadmap.
John Conger, the acting deputy undersecretary of defense for installations and environment told American Forces Press Service the roadmap was completed in 2012 and published early this year.

The document “had us do a variety of things,” Conger said. “But the piece that I think is the crux of the report is, rather than creating a stovepipe within the DOD organizational structure to deal with climate change, [the document says] we are going to integrate climate change considerations into the normal processes, the day-to-day jobs of everybody.”

Such language is going to be integrated into various guidance documents, he added, “and we’ve already started doing that.”

The department’s action is part of a federal government effort to address the global challenge. In June, President Barack Obama launched a Climate Action Plan to cut carbon pollution, prepare communities for climate change impacts and lead similar international efforts.

Across the United States, local communities and cities are updating building codes, adjusting the way they manage natural resources, investing in more resilient infrastructure and planning for rapid recovery from damage that could occur due to climate change.

And on Nov. 1, the president issued an executive order on climate preparedness directing federal agencies to modernize programs to support climate-resilient investments, manage lands and waters for climate change preparedness and resilience, and plan for climate-change-related risk, among other things.
The order also forms an interagency council on climate preparedness and resilience, chaired by the White House and composed of more than 25 agencies, including the Defense Department.

The foundation for DOD’s strategic policy on climate change began with the defense secretary’s publication in 2010 of the Quadrennial Defense Review. The QDR, produced every four years, translates the National Defense Strategy into policies and initiatives.

In 2010, the QDR for the first time linked climate change and national security. It said climate change may affect DOD by shaping the department’s operating environments, roles and missions, have significant geopolitical impacts worldwide, and accelerate instability or conflict.

The QDR said DOD also would have to adjust to climate change impacts on its facilities, infrastructure, training and testing activities and military capabilities.
As the acting deputy undersecretary of defense for installations and environment, Conger also is the department’s senior climate official, and his first job is to manage the installations and environment portfolio.

“That includes over 500 bases and 300,000 buildings and 2.2 billion square feet of space,” he said. “The infrastructure has a plant replacement value on the order of $850 billion. There’s a lot of stuff out there that is all going to be impacted by changes in the climate.”

Conger said the department has to plan for the contingencies that climate change poses just as it would plan for any other contingency, driven by any other force in the world.

“As I look at managing the infrastructure, I have to think about risk as well in that context,” he said. “What is climate change likely to do? What are the major changes that will occur that will affect that $850 billion real property portfolio?”
The obvious threats are things like a rise in sea-levels, storm surges and storm intensity, but there’s also drought and thawing permafrost that affects bases in Alaska, the deputy undersecretary added.

“Similarly, on our installations we have over 400 endangered species,” he said. “We manage those species through documents called integrated natural resources management plans and we manage [them] not through some degree of altruism … but the fact is that if we don’t manage those species effectively and they do appear more threatened, then other regulatory agencies will put limits on what we can do on our property and that will impact training.”

Conger added, “We said, ‘Take climate into account. Make sure you have planned for this. Make sure you have thought about it and addressed it in your [installation management] plans.’”

“These are all, in my mind, sensible, reasonable steps that don’t cost very much money today and just require a little bit of forethought in order to reduce our exposure to risk tomorrow.”

The president’s June Climate Action Plan categorized recommendations for action in terms of mitigating or eliminating emissions that cause climate change, adapting to climate change, and working internationally on climate change, Conger said.
DOD has been looking at mitigation, or the energy problem, for a long time, the deputy undersecretary added.

Energy and climate are tied together, Conger said, because energy and emissions are tied together.

“We are working very hard and diligently to reduce our energy usage, to reduce our energy intensity and to increase the use of renewable energy, which doesn’t have emissions,” he said. “And we have done each of these things not because it is good for the climate or because it reduces emissions but because they provide mission and monetary benefits.”

Conger says the department’s $4 billion annual utility bill drives the search for energy-efficiency, renewable-energy development projects and more. All have benefits from a mission perspective first, he said, and also turn out to be good for the environment.

FTC TESTIFIES BEFORE U.S. SENATE COMMITTEE REGARDING FRAUD AFFECTING MILITARY COMMUNITY

FROM:  FEDERAL TRADE COMMISSION 

FTC Testifies Before Congress on Fraud Affecting Military Community
The Federal Trade Commission testified before a U.S. Senate Committee regarding the agency’s law enforcement and educational efforts to combat deceptive and unfair practices that impact servicemembers and their families.

Testifying before the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, Charles Harwood, Deputy Director of the Bureau of Consumer Protection, said that although all consumers are potential targets for fraudsters, certain scams are more likely to affect the military community. The testimony describes the work the Commission has done to identify illegal conduct that impacts servicemembers and to stop it – including through a recent case against one of the nation’s largest refinancers of home loans for allegedly making misleading claims targeted at current and former servicemembers.

The testimony also highlights Military Sentinel, part of the FTC’s Consumer Sentinel Network that the Commission uses to collect complaints from consumers and other federal agencies and organizations. In 2012, the FTC received 42,200 fraud complaints from the military community. The top complaint categories were debt collection, imposter scams, fraud involving prize offers, sweepstakes or gifts, unlawful banking or lending practices, and scams that offer mortgage foreclosure relief or debt management services. Notably, these complaint categories overlap with some of the FTC’s highest consumer protection priorities – particularly its aggressive recent work to stop frauds related to consumer financial products and services.

The Commission is working with the DoD, VA, Departments of Education and Justice, and the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau to collect feedback from the military community regarding education institutions that may not have lived up to the promises they made to their students. The agency also is coordinating with the Defense Department on possible amendments to DoD’s military lending rule.

In addition to its law enforcement efforts and coordinating with its partners on policy initiatives, the FTC uses a variety of resources to educate military families about their rights when dealing with certain consumer protection issues. Some of the FTC’s military specific resources include information on limiting the harm from identity theft, placing an active duty alert on a credit report, and understanding military protections with respect to payday loans.

Most recently, the FTC published Eight Questions to Ask When Choosing a College After Military Service. Last year, the agency launched its first Military Consumer Protection Day, an annual partnership campaign and new website to inform the military community and veterans about a variety of consumer issues from dealing with debt to avoiding fraud.

The Commission vote approving the testimony was 4-0.

The Federal Trade Commission works for consumers to prevent fraudulent, deceptive, and unfair business practices and to provide information to help spot, stop, and avoid them.

U.S. DEFENSE DEPARTMENT CONTRACTS FOR NOVEMBER 20, 2013

FROM:  U.S. DEFENSE DEPARTMENT 

NAVY

Pacific Architects and Engineers Applied Technologies, Fort Worth, Texas, is being awarded a $44,577,164 indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract for the development, testing, and installation of the SureTrak Surveillance System for the U.S. Navy, U.S. Air Force, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, and governments in Africa under the foreign military sales program.  The SureTrak System is a state-of-the-art, fully integrated, multi-sensor, data acquisition and display system used for airspace surveillance, waterway clearance, shoreline surveillance, and environmental monitoring functions.  Work will be performed at the Naval Air Warfare Center (NAWC) Aircraft Division, Patuxent River, Md. (10 percent); NASA Wallops Test Facility, Wallops, Va. (4 percent); Vandenberg Air Force Base, Lompoc, Calif. (2 percent); Patrick Air Force Base, Fla. (2 percent); NAWC Weapons Division, Pt. Mugu, Calif. (1 percent); Naval Surface Warfare Center, Dahlgren, Va. (1 percent); and at various locations outside the United States (80 percent), and is expected to be completed in November 2017.  No funds will be obligated at time of award; funds will be obligated on individual orders as they are issued.  This contract was not competitively procured pursuant to 10 U.S.C. 2304(c)(1).  The Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division, Patuxent River, Md., is the contracting activity (N00421-14-D-0001).

The Boeing Co., Seattle, Wash., is being awarded a $26,879,866 modification to a previously awarded fixed-price-incentive-firm contract (N00019-12-C-0112) to exercise an option for the diminishing manufacturing sources re-design in support of the U.S. Navy P-8A Full Rate Production Lot I aircraft.  Work will be performed in Seattle, Wash., and is expected to be completed in April 2017.  Fiscal 2014 aircraft procurement, Navy contract funds in the amount of $26,879,866 are being obligated on this award, none of which will expire at the end of the current fiscal year.  The Naval Air Systems Command, Patuxent River, Md. is the contracting activity.

Vigor Marine LLC, Portland, Ore., is being awarded a $12,954,046 firm-fixed-price contract for a 120-calendar day post shakedown availability, regular overhaul and dry-docking availability of missile range instrumentation ship the USNS Howard O. Lorenzen (T-AGM 25).  Work will include fuel oil fill; transfer and overflow systems modifications; main diesel engine fuel oil service piping modifications; relocation of AC seawater pumps; docking and undocking; and underwater hull cleaning and painting.  Lorenzen’s primary mission is to monitor missile launches and collect data.  The contract includes options which, if exercised, would bring the cumulative value of this contract to $15,214,713.  Work will be performed in Portland, Ore., and is expected to be completed by April 2014.  Working capital contract funds in the amount of $12,954,046 are obligated for fiscal 2014 and will expire at the end of the current fiscal year.  This contract was competitively procured with proposals solicited via the Military Sealift Command procurement page and the Federal Business Opportunities website, with two offers received.  The U.S. Navy’s Military Sealift Command, Washington, D.C., is the contracting activity (N32205-14-C-2001).

Glidepath Technologies*, Harrisburg, Pa., is being awarded a $12,205,945 firm-fixed-price indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract for the procurement of up to 40 each AN/SPN-41B Azimuth and elevation radomes for the U.S. Navy.  The radomes provide protection for the AN/SPN-41B transmitting set from environmental conditions existing on U.S. Navy aircraft carrier and amphibious assault class ships.  Work will be performed in Harrisburg, Pa., and is expected to be completed in November 2018.  Fiscal 2012 shipbuilding and conversion, Navy contract funds in the amount of $310,806 are being obligated on this award, none of which will expire at the end of the current year.  This contract was competitively procured as a full and open competition via an electronic request for proposals, with one offer received.  The Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division, Lakehurst, N.J., is the contracting activity (N68335-14-D-0010).

General Dynamics National Steel and Shipbuilding Co., San Diego, Calif., is being awarded a $12,144,761 modification to previously awarded contract (N00024-12-C-2400) to exercise the option for the fitting-out availability of the USS Somerset (LPD 25).  Specific efforts include engineering, planning, management, labor and material in support of the fitting-out availability.  Work will be performed in San Diego, Calif., and is expected to be completed by December 2014.  Fiscal 2014 shipbuilding and conversion, Navy; fiscal 2014 operations and maintenance, Navy; and fiscal 2013 other procurement, Navy funding in the amount of $730,431 will be obligated at time of award.  Contract funds in the amount of $215,383 will expire at the end of the current fiscal year.  This contract was competitively procured with four proposals received.  The Naval Sea Systems Command, Washington, D.C., is the contracting activity.

The Boeing Co., Defense and Space Group, Seattle Wash., is being awarded at $10,119,307 firm-fixed-price requirements contract to repair 559 items required to support the P8 aircraft.  Work will be performed in Dallas, Texas, and is expected to be completed by Sept. 30, 2015.  No funds will be obligated at the time of award.  Fiscal 2014 aircraft procurement funds will be used on task orders as they are issued.  No funds will expire at the end of the current fiscal year.  This sole source contract was not competitively procured in accordance with FAR 6.302-1.  NAVSUP Weapon Systems Support, Philadelphia, Pa., is the contracting activity (N00383-14-D-006F).

General Dynamics Electric Boat Corp., Groton, Conn., is being awarded an $8,766,998 cost-plus-fixed-fee modification to the previously awarded contract (N00024-13-C-4311) to provide a Nuclear Regional Maintenance Department in support of operational nuclear submarines at the Naval Submarine Support Facility, Naval Submarine Base, New London, Conn.  Electric Boat will continue to provide staff and operate a Nuclear Regional Maintenance Department at the Naval Submarine Base, in support of returning mission ready submarines to the fleet.  The contract will also require project management, technical analysis, engineering and planning, training, inspection and nuclear services to accomplish intermediate-level nuclear submarine maintenance, modernization, and repairs in support of operational nuclear submarines, including maintaining and modernizing government-owned facilities and equipment and providing off-hull support of submarine maintenance.  This contract includes options which, if exercised, would bring the cumulative value of this contract to $163,999,997.  Work will be performed in New London, Conn., and is expected to be completed by March 2014.  Fiscal 2014 operations and maintenance, Navy contract funds in the amount of $8,766,998 will be obligated at time of award and will expire at the end of the current fiscal year.  This contract was not competitively procured in accordance with 10 U.S.C. 2304(c)(1) - only one responsible source and no other supplies or services will satisfy agency requirements.  The Naval Sea Systems Command, Washington, D.C., is the contracting activity.

General Dynamics Electric Boat Corp., Groton, Conn., is being awarded an $8,000,000 cost-plus-fixed-fee modification to previously awarded contract (N00024-13-C-4308) to exercise options to provide non-nuclear submarine repair work on Groton based submarines under the New England Maintenance Manpower Initiative (NEMMI).  Under the terms of the contract, Electric Boat will provide NEMMI tasks in support of non-nuclear maintenance, modernization and repair of operational nuclear powered submarines, floating dry docks, support and service craft and plant equipment assigned to the Naval Submarine Support Facility, New London, Conn.  Work will be performed in New London, Conn., and is expected to be completed by December 2014.  Fiscal 2014 operations and maintenance, Navy contract funds in the amount of $8,000,000 will be obligated at time of award and will expire at the end of the current fiscal year.  The Naval Sea Systems Command, Washington, D.C., is the contracting activity.

Exelis Inc., Fort Wayne, Ind., is being awarded a $7,028,919 indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract for the procurement of up to 62 radar signal simulators in support of the MH-60R and S70-B aircraft for the U.S Navy (33), the Government of Australia (27), and the Government of Brazil (2) under the foreign military sales program.  Work will be performed in Fort Wayne, Ind., and is expected to be completed in November 2017.  FMS funds in the amount of $1,093,932 are being obligated on this award, none of which will expire at the end of the current fiscal year.  This contract was not competitively procured pursuant to the FAR 6.302-1.  The Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division, Lakehurst, N.J., is the contracting activity (N68335-14-D-0005).

ARMY

Carothers Construction, Inc., Oxford, Miss., was awarded a $24,622,000 firm-fixed-price contract with options, case contract line item numbers (CLINs) 0001-0003 and optional CLINs 0004-0007, 0009-0010 for the construction of a replacement general purpose warehouse at New Cumberland, Pa.  Construction includes a permanent, non-combustible, general-purpose warehouse with concrete floors and 20 foot clear stacking height.  Estimated completion date is July 18, 2015.  Fiscal 2014 military construction funds in the amount of 24,622,000 were obligated.  Bids were solicited via the Internet with nine received.  Army Corps of Engineers, Baltimore, Md. is the contracting agency (W912DR-14-C-0005).

POND – FSB (joint venture), Norcross, Ga., was awarded a $13,000,000 firm-fixed-price, indefinite-delivery contract for architect, engineer services to support the Air Force KC-46A aircraft beddown within the continental United States.  Estimated completion date is Nov. 19, 2018.  Bids were solicited via the Internet with fifty-seven received. Funding and location will be determined with each order.  Army Corps of Engineers, Mobile, Ala., is the contracting agency (W91278-14-D-0001).

DEFENSE LOGISTICS AGENCY

Sterling Foods, LLC, San Antonio, Texas, has been awarded a maximum $32,785,593 modification (P00006) exercising the second one-year option period on a one-year base contract (SPM3S1-12-D-Z100) with four one-year option periods for bakery components used in the meal-ready-to-eat program.  This is a firm-fixed-price contract.  Location of performance is Texas with a Dec. 31, 2014 performance completion date.  Using military services are Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps, and federal civilian agencies.  Type of appropriation is fiscal year 2014 through fiscal year 2015 defense working capital funds.  The contracting activity is the Defense Logistics Agency Troop Support, Philadelphia, Pa. (Awarded Nov. 17)

Coast Citrus Distributors,* San Diego, Calif., has been awarded a maximum $15,000,000 fixed-price with economic-price-adjustment, indefinite-quantity contract for fresh fruit and vegetable support.  This contract is a competitive acquisition, and two offers were received.  Location of performance is California with a May 19, 2015 performance completion date.  This contract is an 18-month base period with two 18-month option-year periods.  Using military services are Army, Navy, Air Force and Marine Corps.  Type of appropriation is fiscal 2014 through fiscal 2015 defense working capital funds.  The contracting activity is the Defense Logistics Agency Troop Support, Philadelphia, Pa., (SPE300-14-D-P230).

American Innotek Inc.*, Escondido, Calif., has been awarded a maximum $12,000,000 fixed-price with economic-price-adjustment contract for disposable solid waste relief bags.  This contract is a sole-source acquisition.  Location of performance is California with a Nov. 20, 2015 performance completion date.  This contract is a two-year base period with three one-year option periods.  Using military services are Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps, and federal civilian agencies.  Type of appropriation is fiscal 2013 through fiscal 2015 defense working capital funds.  The contracting activity is the Defense Logistics Agency Troop Support, Philadelphia, Pa., (SPE8ES-14-D-0002).

Excel Garment Manufacturing LTD.**, El Paso, Texas, has been awarded a maximum $7,125,286 firm-fixed-price contract for men’s and women’s rip-stop airmen battle uniform coats and trousers, maternity coats, and slacks.  This contract is a competitive acquisition, and five offers were received. Location of performance is Texas with a Nov. 19, 2014, performance completion date.  This contract is a one-year base period with four one-year option periods. Using military service is Air Force.  Type of appropriation is fiscal 2014 through fiscal 2015 defense working capital funds.  The contracting activity is the Defense Logistics Agency Troop Support, Philadelphia, Pa., (SPM1C1-14-D-1054).

WASHINGTON HEADQUARTERS SERVICES

Muscogee Nation Business Enterprise, Okmuglee, Okla., is being awarded an $8,218,006 firm-fixed-price contract for life support services to the Department of Defense Task Force for Business and Stability Operations.  These services will provide basic necessities, complex security, and personnel security details for safe travel in the immediate region around the Western Area of Responsibility in Afghanistan.  Work will be performed primarily in Herat, Afghanistan.  This contract was awarded as a sole-source acquisition.  The estimated completion date is July 31, 2014.  Washington Headquarters Services, Washington, D.C., is the contracting activity (HQ0034-13-C-0101).

*Small Business

**Small Business in HUBZone

SECRETARY OF DEFENSE HAGEL SAYS EFFECTS OF SHUTDOWN CONTINUE

FROM:  U.S. DEFENSE DEPARTMENT 
Shutdown Over, But Effects on DOD Continue, Hagel Says
By Jim Garamone
American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, Oct. 17, 2013 - The government shutdown is over, but it will take a while for the effects to fade, Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel said here today.
At the shutdown's height, more than 400,000 Defense Department civilian employees were furloughed because of the lapse of appropriations for the new fiscal year, which began Oct. 1. The Pay Our Military Act allowed the department to bring most back to work Oct. 7. The rest -- about 5,000 -- came back to work today.
"While all of us across the department welcome the fact that the shutdown is now behind us, I know that its impact will continue to be felt by all of our people," Hagel said at a Pentagon news conference. "All of them, in different ways, had their lives affected and disrupted during this period of tremendous uncertainty."

All DOD leaders will work to repair the damage from the shutdown, the secretary vowed.

"I want all of our civilian personnel to know that the work they do is critically important to this department and this country," Hagel said. "It matters to this department, and it matters for the country. The military simply cannot succeed without our civilian employees, and the president and I appreciate their professionalism and their patience throughout this very trying period."

While the department must refocus on critical work, Hagel noted, Congress did not remove the shadow of uncertainty cast over DOD.

"DOD is now operating on a short-term continuing resolution, which limits our ability to start new programs, and the damaging cuts of sequestration remain the law of the land," the secretary said.

The continuing resolution passed last night gives Congress the chance to craft a balanced long-term spending bill, Hagel said.

"If this fiscal uncertainty continues, it will have an impact on our economy, our national security, and America's standing in the world," he added. "If the sequester level continues, there will also be consequences." The cuts could be devastating to training and to maintaining and equipping the force, he said.

"DOD has a responsibility to give America's elected leaders and the American people a clear-eyed assessment of what our military can and cannot do after years of sequester-level cuts," Hagel said. "In the months ahead, we will continue to provide our best and most honest assessment as Congress works to establish the nation's long-term spending priorities."

The secretary said he is concerned about civilian morale.

"I don't think anyone questions that the uncertainty that shutting down the government and closing down people's jobs has brought a great amount of not only disruption to our government, to our country, but to their lives, to the civilian personnel whose lives have been disrupted by this particular shutdown," he said.

Combined with no authorization, no appropriation, continuing sequestration and the uncertainty of planning, this creates a perfect stew for bad morale, Hagel said.

"People have to have some confidence that they have a job that they can rely on," he explained. "I know there are no guarantees in life, but we can't continue to do this to our people -- having them live under this cloud of uncertainty."

If this continues, he added, DOD will not be able to recruit good people.

The government shutdown and the nation's debt limit problem are making American allies nervous as well, the secretary said.

"Our allies are asking questions: Can we rely on our partnership with America? Will America fulfill its commitments and its promises?" he said. "These are huge issues for all of us, and they do impact our national security and our relationships and our standing in the world."

FISHER HOUSE TO AID IN PAYING DEATH BENEFITS FOR TROOPS

FROM:  U.S. DEFENSE DEPARTMENT 
Fisher House Steps Forward to Aid DOD in Paying Death Benefits
By Jim Garamone
American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, Oct. 9, 2013 - The Fisher House Foundation has stepped in to aid the Defense Department so families of fallen service members can receive the full set of benefits they have been promised, Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel said here today.

The Fisher House Foundation and DOD entered an agreement that includes the $100,000 death gratuity payment.

"I am offended, outraged, and embarrassed that the government shutdown had prevented the Department of Defense from fulfilling this most sacred responsibility in a timely manner," Hagel said in a written statement.

In the weeks before the shutdown, defense officials had warned Congress that the ability to pay death benefits to grieving families would run out when the appropriations lapsed.

"The Department of Defense informed Congress that the department would be legally unable to pay death benefits were there to be a lapse in DOD appropriations," White House press secretary Jay Carney said during his daily briefing today.

The issue was not explicitly addressed as part of the Pay Our Military Act. "The president was very disturbed to learn of this problem, and he directed the Department of Defense to work with the Office of Management and Budget and his lawyers to develop a possible solution and he expects this ... to be fixed today," Carney said.

Since the shutdown began Oct. 1, DOD budget officials looked at options to continue these benefits, Hagel said. "Even under the Pay Our Military Act, we found that we lacked the necessary authority to make payments to the families directly," the secretary said.

The Fisher House Foundation offered to make payments to these families from its own funds, and OMB officials determined DOD can enter into a contract with the Fisher House Foundation to provide these benefits.

"The Fisher House Foundation will provide the families of the fallen with the benefits they so richly deserve," Hagel said. "After the shutdown ends, DOD will reimburse the Fisher House for the costs it has incurred."

The Fisher House Foundation is best known for the houses built on the grounds of major military and VA medical centers nationwide and in Europe. Families of wounded or hospitalized service members stay at the houses as their loved ones undergo hospitalization for a combat injury, illness or disease.

A total of 26 service members have died since Oct. 1, including five killed in combat in Afghanistan. The $100,000 death gratuity comes from appropriated funds, and DOD could not obligate funds once the fiscal year 2013 appropriation ran out. The department also cannot pay the benefit that provides 12 months of basic allowance for housing, as that money also comes via appropriated funds.

"The department has no higher priority than taking care of our service members and their families," Hagel said. "Congress has responsibilities as well, and it has abdicated them.

"Along with the rest of the department's leaders," he continued, "I will continue to work every day to address the very real impact that the government shutdown is having on our people, and I once again call on Congress to fulfill its basic responsibilities and restore funding for the federal government."

SECRETARY OF DEFENSE AGEL MAKES REMARKS ON ROK-US ALLIANCE 60TH ANNIVERSARY

FROM:  U.S. DEFENSE DEPARTMENT 
ROK-US Alliance 60th Anniversary Dinner
As Delivered by Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel, Seoul, South Korea, Monday, September 30, 2013

Good evening.  President Park, Minister Kim, General Paik, distinguished guests:  I am honored to be here in the Republic of Korea for this historic celebration.  I bring greetings, Madam President, from President Obama and the gratitude of the American people for your steadfast friendship.

This has been a year devoted to renewing our alliance of shared values and common purpose.  In May, I had the privilege of welcoming President Park on her first visit to the United States.  And in July, I was honored to join President Obama in hosting General Paik and many others at the Korean War Veterans Memorial in Washington, where we commemorated the 60th anniversary of the Korean War Armistice.

Tomorrow we will celebrate the 60th Anniversary, the hwan gap, of the signing of our Mutual Defense Treaty.  It is also Armed Forces Day, as Minister Kim noted, the day that South Korean forces punched back through the 38th parallel during the Korean War.

It is appropriate that these celebrations fall on the same day.  The unwavering alliance between the United States and the Republic of Korea has endured because it was forged through a history of shared sacrifice.

Those ties are embodied by General Paik Sun-Yup, in whose name we are presenting an award tonight, as well as its recipient, the late General Walton Walker, who led the defense of the Pusan Perimeter...Both generals were strong, decisive leaders during the war, and their courage has inspired and shaped our alliance.

In fact, General Paik was one of the first people to talk to President Eisenhower about the idea of a mutual defense treaty between our two nations – a treaty that became a linchpin of stability and prosperity throughout the region.

And that first word – mutual – is what makes it all work.  It's what's so important.

For sixty years, U.S. and South Korean forces have stood together against aggression on 'freedom's frontier.'  Earlier today, as Minister Kim noted, he and I visited with some of our troops stationed near the DMZ.  It was a chilling reminder of the threat North Korea poses not only to this country, but to the region, and to the United States homeland as well.  Yet we remain vigilant against any threat from the North.  The Second Infantry Division is proud, ready, and prepared to 'fight tonight' if it has to.

But our celebration tonight is about more than what we have accomplished here on this peninsula – including this country's transformation into an economic and military power.  We are also celebrating the reality that our alliance has grown into a global partnership that transcends national borders and regional boundaries.

When the United States Senate was debating whether to ratify our Mutual Defense Treaty with the Republic of Korea, the Senate Majority Leader, William Knowland, said he had "no doubt that if this nation ever became involved in a war anywhere in the world ... the Republic of Korea would be there."

In hindsight, these words could not have been more prescient.

In every major military engagement the United States has undertaken since then, we have lived by the motto "we go together."

We have gone together in Vietnam, where I served alongside South Korean soldiers.  They were some of the toughest, bravest fighting men I have ever encountered.  And they were some of the most dependable.

We have gone together in the Persian Gulf, where you deployed troops for medical and transportation support during Operation Desert Storm.

We have gone together in Somalia, in Lebanon, and Haiti, where South Korean troops helped with important humanitarian and peacekeeping missions.

We have gone together in Iraq, where you deployed thousands of combat medics and engineers to help with reconstruction and humanitarian aid.

And we have gone together in Afghanistan, where you have sent not only troops, doctors, and engineers, but also a full [Provincial] Reconstruction Team.  As we bring that mission to a responsible end next year, the U.S. military is proud to have served with our Korean allies once again.

For sixty years, the words katchi kapshida – we go together – have defined this alliance. But the threats in this increasingly complex and dangerous world demand that we continue to go together.  And we will.

Even though our alliance has never been stronger than it is today, that does not mean we cannot grow and mature.  While the root of our alliance will always be the defense of territory, building on that foundation will let us go together into the future as active strategic partners – both here on the Korean Peninsula, and around the world.  As two prosperous nations, and highly capable militaries, there is much we can do to contribute to the security of this region, and the world, if we continue to go together.

I am told that the hwan gap is not only a celebration of longevity, but also a reaffirmation of hope for an even longer, more secure, and more prosperous life.  Tonight and tomorrow, as we celebrate this special milestone, let us also rededicate our commitment to building a long, secure, and prosperous future together.

This alliance has changed a great deal over the past 60 years, and it will continue to change in the future.  But there should be no doubt – no doubt – that it will always change for the better.

The United States and the Republic of Korea have stood together in the past, we stand together today, and we will stand together in the future.

Thank you.

CENTRAL COMMAND COMMANDER GEN. AUSTIN SAYS DRAWDOWN IN AFGHANISTAN IS "HERCULEAN..."

FROM:  U.S. DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE 
Afghanistan Drawdown Proceeds on Schedule, Austin Reports
By Donna Miles
American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, Sept. 30, 2013 - Calling the drawdown in Afghanistan a "herculean undertaking," the U.S. Central Command commander overseeing it said he's applying some of the lessons he learned in Iraq, but that he recognizes there's no cookie-cutter formula that applies completely to the distinctly different operations.
Army Gen. Lloyd J. Austin III served as commander of U.S. forces in Iraq when Operation New Dawn concluded in December 2011. Former Defense Secretary Leon E. Panetta praised him during a closing ceremony in Baghdad for his leadership in carrying out "one of the most complex logistical undertakings in U.S. military history."
"Your effort to make this day a reality is nothing short of miraculous," Panetta told him.

Two years later, Austin is in the midst of an even more daunting challenge in Afghanistan, as he oversees the drawdown of the largest coalition campaign in modern history.

"The biggest challenge is simply coordinating the many different activities involved in the transition," he told American Forces Press Service via an email interview. It is a herculean undertaking, he added, and it must be properly synchronized to achieve the stated objectives by the Dec. 31, 2014, deadline.

Complicating the process, Austin said, is the fact that the security environment remains volatile.

"We must keep in mind that we are conducting this transition while facing a determined and formidable enemy," he said. "And, the enemy undoubtedly has a vote in determining the course of events going forward."

As they work to meet President Barack Obama's directive to reduce the force to 34,000 by February and to complete the drawdown by the end of 2014, Austin said, he and his staff are drawing on the experience they gained in Iraq.

"Transitioning from a theater of war represents a complex undertaking that, unfortunately, does not have a 'one size fits all' solution," he said.

"However, there are a number of lessons learned from our experiences in Iraq that are being applied in Afghanistan," he said. "We were successful in conducting the transition from Iraq, and we are now doing a good job of applying the knowledge and experience gained there toward efforts in Afghanistan."

Particularly valuable, he said, are insights into best practices in logistics to ways to more seamlessly transfer responsibilities across the interagency community and to the host nation.

"The process of moving a mountain of equipment and tens of thousands of people out of that country, gradually reducing our physical footprint and transferring responsibilities to our Afghan and U.S. State Department partners is a carefully orchestrated effort," Austin said.

In many ways, Austin called the challenge of transitioning from Afghanistan "even more difficult than Iraq."

"The major difference between the two countries can be summed up in two words: geography and infrastructure," he said. "In Iraq, we were fortunate to have access to a single ground route to the port city of Kuwait, which was a relatively short distance from Iraq."

Not so in land-locked Afghanistan. The transition there requires equipment to be moved over several ground routes that are considerably longer and in some cases, less developed than in Iraq, he noted.

"The terrain in Afghanistan is also much harsher and more difficult to negotiate," he said, noting that some of the ground routes traverse multiple nations, requiring highly detailed coordination.

"While we are doing well in our efforts to move equipment out of the country using various ground and air assets, the magnitude of the task at hand will continue to present a challenge and require significant resources in order to meet the desired timeframe for completion," Austin said.

Austin visited Afghanistan personally to assess progress, and said he's pleased with what he found.

Marine Corps Gen. Joseph F. Dunford Jr., commander of the International Security Assistance Force, and his team "are among the best we have ever had there, and they are doing a truly phenomenal job," Austin reported.

COMMUNITY IT ENTERPRISE MILESTONE TO IMPROVE INFORMATION SHARING

FROM:  U.S. DEFENSE DEPARTMENT 
Intel Officials Announce Community IT Enterprise Milestone
By Cheryl Pellerin
American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, Sept. 11, 2013 - Eighteen months after the director of national intelligence announced plans for a new information technology environment that would vastly improve information sharing across the intelligence community, a milestone has set the community on the path to its IT future.

James R. Clapper was talking about the future at that 2011 U.S. Geospatial Intelligence Foundation symposium in Texas, Al Tarasiuk told reporters during a recent briefing, and the Intelligence Community Information Technology Enterprise, or IC ITE -- which nearly everyone at the office of the director of national intelligence pronounces "i cite" -- was part of the discussion.

Tarasiuk, intelligence community chief information officer and assistant director of national intelligence, said that at the time, consolidating IT across the community was driven by budget considerations. But today, he added, it's more than an efficiency play on IT.

"We laid out the vision for IC ITE very much focused on improving intelligence integration across the community," the CIO said. "Basically, the vision statement says [it] enables intelligence integration, information sharing and safeguarding, as well as driving to a more efficient IT model for the community."

Translating those factors into goals produces effectiveness, security and efficiency, Tarasiuk added.

"In the past, these were mutually exclusive, but ... we believe that cloud technologies, the price points that we can obtain today [and] some of the developments that we have invested in ... will allow us to ... address all three at the same time," he said.

Around Aug. 16, Tarasiuk said, the ODNI declared a milestone they call the initial baseline for IC ITE. The first step in deploying IC ITE across the intel community began with giving a few thousand users at the Defense Intelligence Agency and the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency a common software desktop.

"We are moving toward a single desktop for the community," Tarasiuk said, "so instead of every agency building their own software desktop, which they do today, we will build one for use by all. They will have common collaboration services, and people will be able to use common email and those kinds of things."

The desktop is being produced by NGA and DIA as partners, he said, part of a new business model for ODNI called a service-provider-based business architecture.

As part of the new IC ITE architecture, Tarasiuk explained, the big five agencies -- NGA, DIA, Central Intelligence Agency, National Security Agency and National Reconnaissance Office -- alone or as partners, "become the providers of certain ... services that we designated as part of this overall architecture."

The CIO said the IC ITE work leverages investments made by the agencies and much of the work already accomplished by the four combat-support agencies -- NSA, DIA, NGA and NRO.

"They were heading toward consolidation of various pieces of IT infrastructure already prior to us starting down the path of IC ITE," he said, so they had done legwork on a common desktop and had begun planning on network consolidation.

The CIA and NSA are partners on another part of the IC ITE, the IC cloud, which Tarasiuk says consists of the lower layers of IT -- bare-metal hosting, analytics as part of that hosting, and virtual and storage capabilities.

"The IC cloud is not something that's going to be out on the Internet," he said. "It's privately hosted inside the intelligence community according to our security standards and under our security watch."

Tarasiuk said the cloud capabilities are available to the initial DIA and NGA desktop users, but also to legacy users.

"Everyone in the community, everyone who's connected up to the TS/SCI networks within agencies across the community, can access the capabilities on IC ITE right now," he said.

Another service that came online in August, provided and managed by NSA, is an applications mall for the intelligence community, the CIO said.

"The idea here is to begin to rationalize the number of applications across the community that might be redundant or that may be needed," he said, adding that the initial architecture for the mall will be based on a customizable open-source Web application called the Ozone Widget Framework.

The NRO will provide the IC ITE network requirements and engineering service, Tarasiuk said.

"They're not going to provision networks," he added, "but they're going to look at how we connect both our local area networks and our wide area networks and try to find a more efficient model, one that actually improves our effectiveness as well."

In the coming year, Tarasiuk said, the CIO's office will work to ensure the resilience of the first several thousand uses of the common desktops and other infrastructure services "to make sure that we can move more production capabilities into it."

"Then," he added, "we will scale beyond what we have right now -- scale the number of desktops, scale the amount of data that's in the cloud."

New services also will be brought in, he said, including security monitoring, and a central service will be established to monitor end-to-end security of IC ITE.

"The beauty of what we're doing is enforcing an IC standard for all data objects that go in the cloud," Tarasiuk added. "Today, agencies comply with security standards, but they implement them in different ways. This is where we believe we can improve information sharing over time."

Based on the way data was originally implemented, an analyst in one agency may not be able to access certain data sets from another agency, the CIO explained. "What we're trying to do from an infrastructure perspective is remove roadblocks that prevent that kind of sharing," he said. "That's the big benefit of moving the data. It's not all going to be in one place, but from a virtual perspective it will be interconnected to the same standards and formats so the automated engines can determine whether a user can see the data or not."

Tarasiuk also stays in touch with the Defense Department's CIO, Theresa M. Takai, who for the defense secretary, the nation's warfighters and many others ensures the delivery of such IT-based capabilities through the Joint Information Environment to support the range of DOD missions.

The need for more effectiveness, security and efficiency isn't unique to the intelligence community, and DOD is transitioning in a first-phase implementation of the JIE -- a single, secure, reliable and agile command, control, communications, and computing enterprise information environment -- that spans fiscal years 2013 and 2014.

Tarasiuk says the relationship between IC ITE and JIE is still being defined in terms of what services the enterprises can leverage from each other.

"Teri Takai and I are pretty close partners in trying to ensure three important elements that are critical to the IC and the DOD communities -- interoperability of standards and identities, and then the cross-domain capabilities," he said.

"We chair joint committees," he added, "and we have people working on committees to ensure that we can move information back and forth and we can understand who's seeing information, so that's enabled."

The CIO said the piece that's still being defined is where services can be leveraged.

For instance, he said, "we don't plan on a wide scale to produce a secret domain infrastructure. We are very much focused on TS/SCI domain only, and that's where our ... priority is.

DOD has substantial capabilities already in that space, Tarasiuk added, and the ODNI CIO is exploring that and the unclassified level as potential places to leverage services.

"That's what we're currently working on," he said, "trying to figure out where we can point requirements to JIE or JIE point requirements to us when it comes to the TS/SCI space."

THE RESPONDERS ON THE CRISIS LINE

FROM:  U.S. DEFENSE DEPARTMENT
Responder Demystifies Calling Military Crisis Line for Help
By Terri Moon Cronk
American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, Sept. 9, 2013 - When someone is in crisis and feeling despondent, reaching out for help is a stronger step to take than doing nothing, which can lead to a worsening state, a Military Crisis Line responder told American Forces Press Service today.

Tricia Lucchesi of Canandaigua, N.Y., said she encourages service members, families, veterans and friends to feel comfortable calling the crisis line.

She said people contact the crisis line to discuss a variety of issues, from feeling suicidal, depressed or anxious to feeling pressure from finances or relationships, among a wealth of other concerns.

"I want to encourage people to reach out, day or night, any day of the year," Lucchesi said. "Our veterans and service members that do the best are the ones who make those calls."

To reach skilled responders who are knowledgeable of military culture, dial 1-800-273-8255 and press No. 1. The crisis line also is available by cell-phone text by dialing 838255, or through online chat at http://www.veteranscrisisline.net/ActiveDuty.aspx.

Lucchesi said callers can expect a live person and not an electronic menu to answer their calls.

People can call the crisis line to speak with trained professionals about their problem safely, anonymously and confidentially, "which is really important," Lucchesi said.

"We stay on the phone for as long as it takes," she added. "We'll do whatever we need to do to get that person the help that he needs," she added.

Callers receive a follow-up call from a suicide prevention coordinator the next day, or another professional who's linked into the crisis line team. A "compassionate callback," follows about 10 days afterward, Lucchesi said, to make sure the callers connected with the services they needed, and so responders can make sure callers are feeling better.

While some service members hesitate to seek help because they fear it will have a negative impact their military career, Lucchesi advises them to make the call to the crisis line before matters worsen.

"Military people do worry about [career impact], but if they're getting to the point where they're so much in crisis, they need to call us," she said. "It becomes imperative for us to get them help, [and] if they don't call, their military career could be at risk."

The Military Crisis Line, also known as the Veterans Crisis Line at the same phone and text numbers, is a joint effort between the Defense and Veterans Affairs departments. It provides worldwide services for active duty troops, veterans, family members and concerned friends of those in crisis, Lucchesi said.

"Suicide has become such a prominent issue, the [departments] are working closely together to create a system to assist our members without them having to worry about their careers or confidentiality," she said.

As the nation observes Suicide Prevention and Awareness Month, Lucchesi said, she wants people to know they will find a welcoming environment of helpful responders who will stay on the phone with a caller until a "safety plan" is in place. A safety plan varies by individual, she explained, but can typically involve callers committing to seeking suggested help and various resources, and taking other actions such as securing weapons and pills that could be used to take one's life.

"Just agreeing with somebody that they can do that, and knowing they're going to get some help takes away some of the hopeless feelings they have," she said. "Isolation is an issue for many of our veterans, service members and their families. We're here 24/7, and we never want anyone to feel alone. They don't have to sit in emotional turmoil all by themselves."

Responders don't want veterans or military personnel to become suicidal, Lucchesi said. "We much prefer that they call us when they're in crisis so we can point them to services. We don't want to risk losing any of them," she added. "Any person who calls the crisis line has the choice about how much information they want to share".

The only time an anonymous call could require more identifying information is when the need for help delves further, but only when the caller gives permission to link to such resources, Lucchesi noted.

DOD leadership has for several years worked to remove the perceived stigma attached to seeking mental health help. Lucchesi said she hopes a reduced stigma is why the crisis line has produced an increase in calls, chats and texts. Yet, there are other reasons why contacting the crisis line has increased, she said.

"People who have used the line learned we're not just going to send rescue out to them. They can call here for all kinds of reasons, and if they can [set up a] safety plan, they don't have to worry about a policeman or emergency services showing up at their door," Lucchesi said.

"We're very aware that [such actions] can cause a financial burden, increase stigma, and be a problem for some people," she added, but noted that it crisis line responders are concerned someone is about to take his or her life, emergency services might be necessary.

Lucchesi emphasized the importance of contacting the crisis line – by calling, texting or chatting, whichever is more comfortable for a person in crisis.

"Someone could call here totally hopeless and have no reason at all to live," she said. "And if we're doing our job well, by the time that call ends, they're feeling differently."

DOD SAYS CHANGES IN AFGHANISTAN HELP AFGHAN GOVERNMENT

FROM:  U.S. DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE 
Societal, Security Changes Give Afghan Government Momentum
By Jim Garamone
American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, Sept. 4, 2013 - Societal and security changes in Afghanistan have shifted momentum in the country increasingly in the government's favor, the commander of the International Security Assistance Force Joint Command and U.S. Army's 3rd Corps said Wednesday

Army Lt. Gen. Mark A. Milley spoke to Pentagon reporters via satellite from his headquarters in the Afghan capital of Kabul.

The changes in Afghanistan have been stunning, he said. Milley, who first served in Afghanistan in 2001, said the country had no hope at that time. "If you flash forward to today, you've got a significantly ... much more positive situation on your hands," he said.

From the security standpoint, the general said, the progress has been incredible, as Afghanistan now has more than 350,000 trained and ready security personnel. These forces, "are out there fighting the fight and carrying the load every single day," he said.

"They are capable at the tactical level, every day, day in and day out, and they're proving it over and over and over again in this summer's fighting season – the first summer that they've really and legitimately been in the lead," he added.

The bottom line is the Afghan police and army has been effective in combating insurgents throughout the country, Milley said.

A few reverses took place along the way, the general said, but they were small and short-lived. Afghan security personnel are in the lead throughout the country, Milley told reporters, and are effectively protecting the vast majority of the population.

Afghan forces are planning, coordinating, synchronizing and then executing combat operations every day, Milley said. Afghans lead about 1,000 patrols a day, and just this week led 35 named operations at kandak – battalion – level or above.

U.S., NATO and partner forces do provide support – advisors, close air support, medical evacuation and logistics, Milley said.

The enemy is quantitatively and qualitatively different from the enemy he has seen in previous tours, the general said. "They go by the same names -- Haqqani, Taliban, etc. -- but their capabilities are different," he added.

Enemy tactics are aimed at Afghan forces this fighting season, he said. The enemy relies on roadside bombs, suicide bombings, intimidation and some small-arms attacks. "What they can't do is they can't build," Milley said. "They can't provide an alternative form of governance. They don't have a political agenda that's acceptable to the vast majority of the people of Afghanistan."

That, he said, is because of the societal changes that have occurred in Afghanistan since 2001.

One societal change is communications. Under the Taliban, communications were squashed, and Afghanistan had no free or independent outlets. "Today, there is a press corps here," the general said. "There are 75 TV stations. There are 175 or 180 radio stations throughout this country."

In addition to these sources, Milley said, progress is evident in the explosion of high-speed technologies and what that means to the Afghan people. Millions of Afghans have access to cellphones, high-speed Internet, text messaging and the like, said he noted. "That communication explosion in Afghanistan, in a country of 30 million, is making a difference day in and day out," he added.

Roads are a lifeline in Afghanistan, and more than 24,000 kilometers of road have been built in the nation since 2001. Air transport also has grown, with 52 international airlines now flying in to Kabul, Milley said.

This infrastructure growth is fueled – in part – by a hothouse growth in education, the general told reporters. About 10 million Afghans are enrolled in schools. The literacy rate rose from less than 10 percent in 2001 to more than 28 percent today.

This is not good if you are a member of the Taliban and affiliated groups, Milley said.

"In this country, with this explosion of information, time is on the side of the government of Afghanistan [and] the people that are supporting a progressive Afghanistan, and not on the side of the Taliban," he said.

Almost 70 percent of Afghanistan's population is under 25 years of age, Milley noted, adding that those young people soon will come into positions of significant influence and power. "And I think the days of the Taliban are going to be behind them when that educated group of young people that are in existence today -- that are learning the sciences, the math, and all the social sciences, etc. -- assume positions of responsibility."

Milley said he is optimistic about the future in Afghanistan as long as Afghan forces continue their job of providing security. "If they continue to do that next year and the year after and so on, then I think things will turn out OK in Afghanistan," he said.

AGENCIES COMMIT TO HELP VETERANS TRANSITION TO CIVILIAN LIFE

FROM:  U.S. DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE 
Agencies Commit to Transition Assistance Program
American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, Aug. 30, 2013 - The Departments of Defense, Veterans Affairs, Labor, Education, the Office of Personnel Management and the Small Business Administration codified their continued commitment to help transitioning service members be "career ready" for civilian life by signing a statement of intent on Aug. 15.

"This [statement of intent] puts our shared commitment to our service members in black and white," said Dr. Susan Kelly, principal director of DOD's Transition to Veterans Program office.

Each of the military services was represented during the formal signing of the statement of intent, said Francine Blackmon, deputy assistant secretary of the Air Force for force management integration.

The services have aggressively implemented the various components of the redesigned Transition Assistance Program, Blackmon said.

Working elbow-to-elbow with the various partnering agencies, the services are ensuring service members are provided all the necessary tools to make a successful transition to civilian life, she said.

"The [statement of intent] strengthens our resolve for a concerted interagency effort working toward this common goal," Blackmon added.

More than 250,000 service members separate from active duty each year, and they face numerous challenges as they transition to civilian life. The statement of intent is a milestone for the interagency effort to redesign the 1990s-era transition assistance program model and help service members meet those challenges. The signing shows that the redesigned TAP is not a short-term effort but a set of greatly improved transition services that the partners will sustain for the long-term.

"Even in this time of budget constraints, each of the interagency partners and the services will sustain the effort to implement the redesign of transition assistance," Kelly said. This includes staff at installations to provide face-to-face information and new skills, as well as a virtual curriculum to build the same career readiness skills for service members and reservists in isolated and geographically separated locations, she added.

The statement of intent also establishes the objectives for the new governance structure and the foundation of the new TAP Executive Council, comprised of DOD, VA and DOL co-chairs, as well as senior executives from SBA, OPM, ED and the military services. The new TAP Executive Council will steer the collaboration and partnership efforts through 2016 and implement and modify the redesigned program as needed to meet changing needs of transitioning service members through the years.

Over the last eighteen months, the DOD and VA have led the efforts of the Veterans Employment Initiative Task Force interagency partners and the White House Economic and Domestic Policy Council staffs in redesigning the Desert Storm-era Transition Assistance Program to better prepare service members for these challenges as they leave the military and become veterans.

The redesigned TAP provides training that will build skills to enable transitioning service members to meet career readiness standards established by DOD. The training, known as Transition GPS (goals, plans, success), is comprised of interlinked curriculum, services, and processes conducted by numerous partners -- DOD, the military services, VA, DOL, SBA, and OPM.

Interagency partner Department of Education and the National Guard Bureau continue to serve in valued consultative and advisory roles.

Advancing their work together, the agencies will cultivate an interagency partnership that builds upon mutual respect, cooperation and shared goals to successfully transition career ready service members to the civilian sector.

50TH ANNIVERSARY COMMEMORATION OF THE VIETNAM WAR

FROM:  U.S. DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE 
Army Launches 50th Anniversary Commemoration of Vietnam War
By J.D. Leipold
Army News Service

WASHINGTON, Aug. 30, 2013 - The afternoon in the Pentagon auditorium on Aug. 28 was a time for reflection on a war that spanned 10 years and cost the country the lives of more than 58,000 young men and women. It was also an occasion to honor and thank nine Vietnam War veterans who'd served a total of 14 tours in-country and 225 years in uniform.
Kicking off the Pentagon's first event commemorating the 50th anniversary of the conflict, Army Lt. Gen. Raymond V. Mason, deputy chief of staff for logistics, opened the ceremony recalling personal memories as well as his broader experiences as a young American citizen.
"I was a young Army brat and it was difficult for me to watch my dad come back after his third tour in Vietnam and not get treated appropriately, at least in my mind," Mason said. "I was just a pretty young guy at that time, but I could feel that it wasn't right. It struck me, and I knew if I ever had the opportunity to make that right I would do the best I could.

"Today, we are recognizing nine of our patriots and their families who stood up to the test of their generation and their decade," he continued. "I think it's well overdue. Nothing is more important than pausing and reflecting on the sacrifices of what these great men and women did and those who gave their last full measure."

On March 8, 1965, America's ground war in Vietnam began when 3,500 Marines were deployed with the American public's support. By Christmas, nearly 200,000 soldiers, Marines, airmen and sailors were in the country. At war's end on April 30, 1975, nearly 3 million Americans had been on the ground, in the air and on rivers of Vietnam. More than 58,000 Americans lost their lives.

While the official 50th anniversary of the Vietnam War will be in 2015, the president and Congress requested the secretary of Defense to begin planning the Vietnam War commemoration in 2007.

The goal is to get more than 10,000 corporations, civic groups as well as government and community organizations to join as partners and help sponsor hometown events to honor Vietnam veterans, their families and those who were prisoners of war and missing in action.

To date, 4,921 commemorative partners have signed on, including Army logistics, or G-4, which became the first.

Following Mason's remarks, Army Vice Chief of Staff Gen. John F. Campbell thanked him and his team for leading the way to celebrate the contributions of Vietnam veterans.

The son of an Air Force senior master sergeant, Campbell told of his years growing up on military bases around the world before attending West Point, and then recalled his first interaction with Vietnam veterans while a lieutenant in Germany.

"Both the battalion commanders were Vietnam veterans ... all the platoon sergeants, all the first sergeants, all the company commanders were Vietnam veterans," Campbell said. The vets, he said, instilled in him their hard-fought lessons-learned from Vietnam and wanted to make sure the young lieutenants and soldiers wouldn't make the same mistakes they had.

Retired Army Lt. Gen. Claude "Mick" Kicklighter serves as director of the U.S. Vietnam War Commemoration. During the Pentagon event he previewed the timeline of plans for honoring Vietnam veterans across the country over the next few years.

"Veterans of Valor," a 30-minute documentary with the nine honorees recalling humorous and somber anecdotes of their war experiences and interspersed with still photographs of themselves in Vietnam was also premiered.

MULTI-INSTITUTIONAL CONSORTIA ESTABLISHED TO RESEARCH PTSD AND TBI

FROM:  U.S. DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE 

DoD, VA Establish Two Multi-Institutional Consortia to Research PTSD and TBI

           In response to President Obama's Executive Order, the Departments of Defense (DoD) and Veterans Affairs (VA) highlighted today the establishment of two joint research consortia, at a combined investment of $107 million to research the diagnosis and treatment of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI) over a five-year period.

           "VA is proud to join with its partners in the federal government and the academic community to support the President's vision and invest in research that could lead to innovative, new treatments for TBI and PTSD," said Secretary of Veterans Affairs Eric K. Shinseki. "We must do all we can to deliver the high-quality care our Service members and Veterans have earned and deserve."

           The Consortium to Alleviate PTSD (CAP), a collaborative effort between the University of Texas Health Science Center – San Antonio, San Antonio Military Medical Center, and the Boston VA Medical Center will attempt to develop the most effective diagnostic, prognostic, novel treatment, and rehabilitative strategies to treat acute PTSD and prevent chronic PTSD.

           The Chronic Effects of Neurotrauma Consortium (CENC), a collaborative effort between Virginia Commonwealth University, the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, and the Richmond VA Medical Center will examine the factors which influence the chronic effects of mTBI and common comorbidities in order to improve diagnostic and treatment options.  A key point will be to further the understanding of the relationship between mTBI and neurodegenerative disease.

           Since Sep. 11, 2001, more than 2.5 million American service members have been deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan. Military service exposes service members to a variety of stressors, including risk to life, exposure to death, injury, sustained threat of injury, and the day-to-day family stress inherent in all phases of the military life cycle.

           To improve prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of mental health conditions, the President released an Executive Order directing the Federal agencies to develop a coordinated National Research Action Plan. The Department of Defense (DoD), Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), and the Department of Education (ED) came forward with a wide-reaching plan to improve scientific understanding, effective treatment,  and reduce occurrences of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI), co-occurring conditions, and suicide.

PRESS BRIEFING ON THE 1230 REPORT ON PROGRESS IN AFGHANISTAN

FROM:  U.S. DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE 
Presenter: Acting Assistant Secretary of Defense for Asia Pacific Security Affairs Dr. Peter Lavoy and Deputy to the Special Representative to Afghanistan and Pakistan Jarrett Blanc

July 30, 2013

Department of Defense Press Briefing on the July 2013 Section 1230 Report, "Progress Toward Security and Stability in Afghanistan" in the Pentagon Briefing Room

            ACTING ASSISTANT SECRETARY OF DEFENSE PETER LAVOY:  It's a pleasure to be here.  It's a pleasure to talk about this report that is coming out today.  And it's a pleasure to be here joined by my colleague, the deputy SRAP [Special Representative for Afghanistan and Pakistan], Jarrett Blanc from State Department.  The State Department's input to the 1230 report is very important, it's very critical, and they're a good partner on this effort, as well as on everything else.

            Let me make a few introductory remarks and then get into questions that you might have about the report or about issues that have occurred subsequently in Afghanistan.

            Going back, you'll recall that we undertook military operations in Afghanistan because the country was the base for terrorists who attacked the United States on 9/11.  Let's not forget that.  That's why we went there.  And we've made tremendous progress.

            And you know personally that we don't feel under the same kind of threat today in the United States and elsewhere in the world, many parts of the world, than we did over a decade ago.  And it's because of the sacrifices we've made in and around Afghanistan to diminish that terrorist threat and the hard work of American men and women, our coalition partners, and Afghans and others in the region.

            The progress we've made in Afghanistan really would have been practically unimaginable five years ago.  In fact, I came to Washington about five years ago, and I couldn't imagine that we'd be in the situation we are today.  And it really is a situation -- I think we're very near to achieving the objectives we set out at that time before.

            Back then, five years ago, in 2008, it was questionable whether the government would survive.  Elections were coming up in a year, in 2009.  Would these elections occur?  Would they be peaceful?  Would you have a new representative government coming in?  We're asking similar questions today about elections that will be occurring next year.

            The ISAF surge over the past three years has put the Afghan government firmly in control of all of Afghanistan's major cities and provincial capitals and has driven the insurgency into the countryside.  That wasn't the situation five years ago.  So this document is a six-month snapshot, if you will, from October 2012 to March 2013 and documents the progress and, frankly, the challenges that we experience in that time period, but, again, I wanted to put that in brief historical perspective.

            The tasks that we have today is to consolidate the gains that we've made, to support the ANSF, to pressure the remnants of Al Qaida, and to create sustainable security and stability, so that Afghanistan is never again used as a platform for international terrorists.

            I'd like to highlight three themes that emerged from this report.  First, the conflict in Afghanistan had shifted -- shifted during this time period, again, October '12 through March 2013, into a fundamentally new phase.  It's a phase marked by the United States and its ISAF partners moving into a support role, moving away from the leading combat instrument in the country, changing our mission from counterinsurgency to one of supporting the Afghan army and the Afghan police from a train, advise and assist role.  That's a fundamental shift.

            And what we've seen since the cutoff of information in March 2013 is this year's fighting season in Afghanistan, the first fighting season where the ANSF were fully out in the lead throughout their country, providing security for Afghans.  And they've done a good job.

            And I'm happy to talk about the situation after the cutoff of information in this report if you'd like to get into that, too.  But what you know now is that ISAF hardly conducts any combat missions anymore.  Their operational role is primarily focused on that train, advise and assist, although we do remain -- we do continue to do some counterterrorism operations and force protection operations ourselves.

            The second major trend or theme that emerged in this time period was the incredible improvement of the ANSF itself, the growth of professionalism and patriotism and a very capable Army and police force.  These are developments that, again, were hard to imagine.  People questioned whether they were achievable goals, and we set about developing these goals back in 2009.  But I think that the evidence that we've identified -- and, again, what we've seen to date -- has proven that the ANSF, which basically went through a phase of growing, getting to an end strength of close to the authorized level of 352,000 forces combined army and police, now focusing on quality, demonstrating combat proficiency, and doing the other things that modern militaries do, that we're seeing them do this, but, again, in a way where they are proud of their work, the country is proud of their capability and their performance, they are increasingly patriotic, they're not animated by local ethnic or tribal allegiances, but really by a sense of the whole of Afghanistan.  And they've -- the army, I think, has emerged into the strongest institution in the entire country.

            The third trend is a -- really, the operational reflection of that second point, is that as they've gone out and taken on the lead for security in the country, they've performed very, very well.  They've been tested.  The Taliban have targeted the ANSF.  The Taliban have tried to identify weaknesses of the ANSF.  They've tried to intimidate the ANSF.  They target, they overrun checkpoints, but -- and the vast majority of the cases, the army or the police get back to those checkpoints, retake the territory lost, and hold those positions.

            Now, they've suffered a lot of casualties.  Today, the ANSF probably suffers more than 30 to 1 ISAF casualties.  So that's a significant change in that ratio of casualties over the last couple of years, as they've moved into the lead of security.  Despite that, they are doing a very good job there.  They're a very resilient force, and they're out there really providing the security of the population.

            I'd like to identify three challenges that we see going forward and really focus on three key strategic questions and then turn it over to you for questions that you might have to Jarrett and myself.  I think -- and the questions that really focus on this year, 2013, next year, 2014, and then, finally, 2015.

            I think the biggest question this year -- and I think we already have the answer to this -- can the Afghan security forces actually provide for the security of their population?  Here we have an unqualified yes.  It's an affirmative answer.  They are securing the cities and the villages in the country.

            Now, to be honest, they have lost some territory in the rural areas, where they have limited reach, and the Taliban have retaken some areas, northern Helmand, in particular, but generally in the areas of priority, in the populated areas, they've really done a very, very good job.  So that's the answer yes to that question.

            The second issue in 2014 -- obviously, the key strategic event next year will be the presidential elections in April 2014.  So the question for the Afghan security forces, will they be able to secure that election?  And I think right now, it's a little early to tell, but my sense is that the answer will, indeed, be yes again.

            Right now, the level of preparations for securing that election, not to mention the other issues that Jarrett can talk about in terms of electoral preparations, were farther ahead of where we this time before the 2009 elections.

            The other issue is that the ANSF is really taking on this mission as a matter of pride and priority to secure these elections.  And you have -- a final factor is you have -- I think in April 2014, you'll have about 425,000 security forces in country, the vast majority of them being ANSF, a small minority being ISAF, compared to about 250,000 that were in Afghanistan that were tasked with securing the 2009 elections.  So you have a strength now to do this, as well as a focus and a level of preparation that you didn't have before.  So going forward, I think -- I'd like to say that I think that strategic issue, the answer is likely to be yes.

            And then the final issue -- and it's really one for that transition period of 2014 to 2015 -- is whether we can succeed in transitioning to a much smaller Western or coalition presence, U.S. presence and transition over to ANSF to really take on the sovereign responsibility for the country.  And, again, it's early to see.  I think there are a number of challenges.  There are a number of risks to that.  And those are ones that we're -- we're definitely focused on here in the department and elsewhere in the U.S. government.

            So with that as a general orientation, I open it up to questions for us.

            COLONEL STEVE WARREN:  We'll start off with Bob Burns from Associated Press.

            Q:  Hello, thanks for doing this.  Particularly thanks for doing it on the record.  It's a good change from...

            ACTING ASST. SEC. LAVOY:  Don't make me regret it, Bob. (Laughter.)

            Q:  On your point you made earlier about the improved or greater national allegiance of the ANSF, there's a section in the report that describes cease-fire deals that are being done on -- in some local areas between Afghan units and insurgent groups and other kinds of accommodations being made with the Taliban.  You described -- the report describes this as a developing issue that requires monitoring.  On the one hand, it says it's not a major problem, but it can have negative effects.  It seems a bit of a wishy-washy approach to explaining what's going on there.  Could you elaborate a bit more on -- is this a new development?  And since March when this report cuts off, has it been happening more often, less often?

            ACTING ASST. SEC. LAVOY:  I think it's not at all a new -- a new element.  I mean, going back into Afghan history, there have always been, you know, vigorous fighting, then followed by peace arrangements, cease-fires, and then new -- hopefully new political understandings.

            Even with ISAF forces, I think it's been actually more problematic at times, where we found out subsequently that some unit has cut some -- made some arrangement with local -- the local population, possibly including the Taliban.  That's been problematic.  We don't see that occurring as much today.

            Look, the -- the Afghans are providing security for their own population.  They need to get along with that population.  They need to have an understanding with the population.  They're not a foreign force.  They're not a force liberating that population.  They're protecting the population.  So there needs to be understandings.

            I think generally this is desirable.  It depends on the specifics -- and I can't really get into those specifics now of particular cases, but I think on the whole, as we said in this, maybe it sounds wishy-washy, but as we said, it does deserve, you know, close attention, generally can be positive.  If deals are cut for the wrong reasons, that could be negative.  

            And ultimately, stability and peace will be achieved in Afghanistan by these deals being cut, either from the center or, you know, in regions.  So I don't really see this as a particularly problematic trend.  And, frankly, it is a traditionally Afghanistan trend.

            Q:  Is it gaining momentum in more recent months?

            ACTING ASST. SEC. LAVOY:  Yeah, I really can't tell you.  I haven't -- I don't have the evidence of that.  I mean, it's something that we're looking at and -- you know, the next time we're together, I'd be happy to follow up with you about that.

            COL. WARREN:  So we'll go to Tony next.

            Q:  A question on page two.  You had this interesting sentence that beyond December '14, ANSF will still require substantial training, advising and assistance, including financial support to address ongoing shortcomings.  It's never addressed again in the full report.  What's the implication there for U.S. forces to -- the size of U.S. forces or the need for U.S. forces post-2014?  As you know, there's been some debate about a zero option.  This sort of knocks that -- knocks the legs out of that option, it seems, but I wanted to get your view.

            ACTING ASST. SEC. LAVOY:  Okay, well, thanks for that question.  Let me explain the information in there in that sentence and put it in perspective.  As I mentioned very briefly, we've seen a really rapid, remarkable development of the Afghan national security forces.  Initially, the focus was just simply trying to recruit and field a force of people with adequate literacy and training to do the job.  We succeeded in that phase.  Then the focus was improving the quality and the combat performance effectiveness of that force, and that's being proven this year.

            The phase that we're really focused on now is the sustainability of the force.  Will that force -- will there be some institutions, whether at the core level or the ministerial level, that makes sure that people get their paychecks, that -- you always the soldiers to get their paychecks on time -- to make sure that they're fed, to make sure that fuel contracts are developed.  These are the kind of functional skills and capabilities that Afghans are still developing today.          

            And we envision that it will take a period of time before they can adequately fully have sovereign ownership of all those skill sets, including well beyond the 2014 date.  That's why, as we've looked at a number of options that we've prepared in this building, in concert with our interagency partners for interagency consideration, these have taken into account the train, advise and assist functions, in addition to our own U.S. counterterrorism mission set going forward.  But these would focus less on combat proficiency and really focus more on these functional skill developments at the -- at the core and then ministerial level.  We envision that will take a period of time.

            So you also asked about the zero option.  In one of these cases have we developed an option that is zero.  Now, if we don't get the permission of the Afghan government in the form of a bilateral security agreement, then we're not going to be able to continue this job of working with ANSF.  And so then you end up with zero.

            Q:  Just -- to follow up, though, this does portend the use -- U.S. troops in some form, some form or number, staying beyond 2014 to help with these sometimes mundane, but vital functions?

            ACTING ASST. SEC. LAVOY:  That's correct.  And that is our intention.

            Q:  Thank you.

            COL. WARREN:  We'll go to Phil, and then in the back.

            Q:  Just a quick follow-up, before that, you said whether -- assessing whether the gains that have been made are sustainable, it doesn't just depend on whether there is a force, but it depends on the size or the structure of that force.  Can you explain a bit about how the size and the structure, particularly the structure of that force, matters when assessing whether the gains of the war can be (OFF-MIC)

            ACTING ASST. SEC. LAVOY:  Yeah.  Now, when you say that force, you're referring to ISAF or U.S. forces?

            Q:  (OFF-MIC)

            ACTING ASST. SEC. LAVOY:  Yeah, it will matter.  But we're also looking at a moving target.  The ANSF -- we're seeing for the first time their performance on the battlefield as the lead combat instrument, security instrument in the country.  So our calculations on what will be required beyond 2014 will probably vary after the end of this fighting season than they -- compared to when we first thought about this issue a year ago or even before.  So we're anticipating -- making anticipations on the requirements, on the needs of the Afghan national security forces, and these have changed over time, because you've been looking at a moving target.  We have much more fidelity today than we had over a year ago, let's say.

            As you know, the president has not made a decision on what that force will be.  And the president's wanted to look -- wants to look at a number of factors that will take place this year currently and possibly going into the future and see how -- and particularly the key factor is the performance of the Afghan national security forces.  So taking into account all of these factors, there will be a decision on what forces appropriate to the tasks at hand.

            Q:  Thank you, sir.  Thank you.  Raghubir Goyal from India Globe and Asia Today.  My question is that things are not going very well in the region, especially in Afghanistan, according to Afghan people, because they have been suffering for the last 30-plus years civil wars, Taliban wars, Al Qaida wars, and so on.  My question is that Afghanistan will be going elections next year, so will be India, or in India could be earlier, and also Pakistan -- now they had just elections and new prime minister.

            My question is that, can you have stability and peace like they had in the '70s and a fruitful country of Afghanistan without the cooperation of Pakistan?  Because the Taliban is still in Pakistan.  Now they are fighting in Syria and other countries.  What that's saying is -- and they are waiting when the U.S. and NATO forces leave Afghanistan and they will focus their fighting in Afghanistan, because what they're saying is they have not learned anything but to kill people and fight.

            My question is here, what role do you think Pakistan will play and what role India will play in the region, sir?

            ACTING ASST. SEC. LAVOY:  I think both Pakistan and India will play and ought to play very important, significant roles going forward in Afghanistan.  Those countries and other immediate and nearby neighbors of Afghanistan are affected by the security conditions in Afghanistan.  Borders, as you know, are very porous in this part of the world.  They're affected by it, and they in turn affect security and political developments inside Afghanistan.

            This is a very interdependent region, if you will, from that point of view.  And what you have today is a growing sense, as you indicated, of insecurity throughout the region, in central Asia, even north of there, Russia and other places in China, but most acutely in Pakistan and India.

            There's a fear in India that there will be what is called as a surplus terrorism.  After there is some stability in Afghanistan, where will these terrorists go?  Will they target India?

            They have the exact same fears in Pakistan.  Pakistan is now facing a very vibrant insurgency in its country.  They're about 150,000 Pakistani military in western Pakistan fighting this insurgency.  They're concerned that if there is further instability in Afghanistan, this could heighten the insurgency, be motivational or provide some safe haven for insurgents to come over into Pakistan.

            So everyone in the region has these concerns.  And I think -- and this is really something where my diplomatic colleagues are taking the lead -- is to try to harmonize the policies of each of the countries in the region to try to achieve a common end purpose, a common situation of peace and stability in Afghanistan and, more broadly, throughout the region.  And there are challenges, but generally I think it's going well.

            Q:  Just a quick follow, sir, quickly, recently there have been very high-level visits to India (inaudible) Secretary Hagel recently and then Secretary Kerry and now recently Vice President Biden.  And they were all talking about the security and U.S.-India relations, military-to-military, and so forth, and also, of course, Afghanistan.  What do you think now there is a firing going on, on the India-Pakistan border, heavy fighting in the region of Kashmir?  What do you think will escalate?  Or what U.S. -- been talking to India when they were visiting or they're -- are they talking about these problems on the border?

            ACTING ASST. SEC. LAVOY:  Well, it's really for the countries in the region to manage their own relationships.  These are the countries that are most directly affected.  And the situation -- we view the situation in Kashmir as a bilateral situation for India and Pakistan to sort out.

            And regrettably, there has been violence in -- along the line of control in Kashmir for many years, for many decades now, and that's very, very regrettable.  But, again, we believe -- you mentioned earlier that, with the election of President Nawaz Sharif, there have been overtures made by the Pakistanis to the Indians and vice versa to try to normalize the situation economically and reach some kind of political understanding.  And I know we in the U.S. government fully support those efforts.

            COL. WARREN:  Blue tie, state your name and organization?

            Q:  Dion Nissenbaum with the Wall Street Journal.  One of the weakest links in the effort has been corruption, as you know.  And the report goes into a fair amount of detail about corruption at the regional level by a corrupt network running out of Kabul International Airport.  I imagine Shafafiyat and those efforts are winding down, how concerned are you that as the ISAF efforts winds up, that corruption could overwhelm the efforts to reform the ANSF?  And are you seeing it increase as ISAF winds up its efforts?

            ACTING ASST. SEC. LAVOY:  Corruption is a critical concern.  It has been -- it remains one.  And it probably will be a concern going forward.  There is some -- I'm not trying to justify it, but there historically has been level of influence-peddling, what we would call corruption, in this country.  There are certain socially accepted standards that differ, obviously, from our standards.

            But then there's clearly abusive corruption, very corrosive, toxic corruption that's taking place.  And it is a priority.  What's very heartening to us is that this is a priority for the Afghan ministerial leadership that we deal with.  Secretary Hagel's counterparts are the minister of defense and the minister of interior.  And in their conversations and other DOD officials with these individuals, they've identified anti-corruption as a priority for them.

            They've changed out leaders.  B.K. Mohammadi, the minister of defense, has made a really deliberate effort after he took over to change out leaders, to improve not only performance and the quality of forces under new leadership, but to root out corruption, which does have many negative consequences, if you allow it to fester.

            COL. WARREN:  Let's go to Thom Shanker, and then we'll finish with Gordon Lubold.

            Q:  (OFF-MIC) on March 31st, which is the fighting season hadn't really gotten underway.  All of us in this room understand the tyranny of deadlines, don't get me wrong.  But if your deadline were today, are there any trends, especially among the security forces, that you would capture in this report in light of the current fighting season?

            ACTING ASST. SEC. LAVOY:  Yeah, I'd say -- I'd probably point to three trends, and I did allude to them.  Number one, the security forces are out there doing the security job.  This was kind of a question mark before this fighting season, because this is the first fighting season where the Afghan -- where the Afghan army and the police were actually in the lead.  And they've acquitted themselves very, very well.  As I mentioned, they've taken a lot of casualties.  They've been tested by the insurgents, but they've done a good job standing up to those threats.  So that's number one.

            Number two -- and this is a challenge they're working through -- when they were partnered with American forces, they -- and ISAF forces -- they were partnered with the best military forces in the world.  They were partnered with -- with units that had the best enabling support, whether it's mobility getting into a place, whether it's intelligence that gives you time-sensitive targeting on the threats, whether it's situational awareness, whether you know that there are other threats that could be emerging.  And then after an engagement, how to get out of their mobility, to get out of there and medevac, getting people -- giving them that golden hour to get treatment.  They're used to the state-of-the-art health care.

            As we've pulled back and now Afghans are taking over not only lead for combat, they are now in the lead for getting their people around the country.  They're in the lead for identifying -- you know, using their intelligence, analyzing their -- infusing and analyzing their intelligence, identifying targets, conducting the operations, designing the operations, and getting their people out of there.

            So this has been a bit of an adjustment.  I think generally it's been positive, but it's an adjustment away from U.S.-ISAF state-of-the-art standards in all these to something that's different in other cases.  In many cases, they're finding local solutions that work just as well for their needs.  They're finding local hospitals that they can take wounded soldiers to.

            The third trend is also a bit of a challenge, but it's an anticipated and, frankly, a desirable challenge to have.  It's the trend of the Afghans developing those functional capacities to provide for the logistical support of their troops, to provide for the human capital management, for managing the contracts and finances and budgeting and so forth.  This is -- these are good problems to have.

            Before, as I mentioned, we were concerned about fielding the force.  Then we were concerned about the operational capacity and wherewithal of the force.  Now we're concerned about these functional enabling attributes.  This is a good problem.  Again, as I said, our theme was we can really imagine having these challenges now.  We thought we'd still be mired in some of those other challenges.

            So going forward, I think the questions are, can the Afghan forces be able to sustain themselves at standards and with the kind of capacities that they can keep without being dependent on us?

            COL. WARREN:  So, last question from Gordon at Foreign Policy.

            Q:  Back to the 2014 question, the commitment of troops after 2014, as you know, there's a frustration that the administration hasn't articulated any number.  And the zero option and all that aside, I'm curious -- you know, there's frustration from the Hill, from allies, from inside this building, why can't the administration say, "Here's our range," barring anything coming up, as you mentioned?  Is there a point of diminishing returns in terms of holding out on this number and not just throwing it out there and saying, "This is what we're probably going to do at this point"?  And also, are you confident that April will -- the elections will happen in April?

            ACTING ASST. SEC. LAVOY:  Well, it's hard to be confident about events that will happen months into the future.  And I would just like to take your last question, make a point, and fully agree with the significance of that election.  As you look forward, the -- another strategic risk, this -- this gentleman mentioned the neighborhood.  I think that is a strategic risk.  If the neighbors can't get along, that could undermine the security gains in Afghanistan.

            The other strategic risk, if the political transition does not occur effectively, you could have a fragmentation of elite consensus in the country, political consensus, that could have reverberations in the military forces.  It is a multi-ethnic, multi-tribal military force.  And so to some extent, like military forces in every country in the world, the cohesion of the force is largely dependent on the political cohesion of the society.  And the election could open up schisms that would be problematic, if the -- if the political transition doesn't take place well.

            So now only do -- are we very hopeful that the election will take place and doing everything we can, particularly Jarrett and my colleagues over at State Department, who have the lead in the U.S. government for supporting the Afghans in that, to support them in this election, but it does have a very strong impact on the security forces.

            And then you asked the other question on our presence in -- decision-making about our presence to Afghanistan post-2014.  It's a critical issue.  It's something that, you know, we get asked about by countries, leaders of countries all around the world.  The U.S. does have a position of leadership.  It's had a position of leadership in Afghanistan.  It does today.  And it's likely to have that position of leadership in the future.

            We want to make sure that the decisions that -- that are reached are sound and based on full information in a very dynamic environment and something that, you know, Americans can know are the right decisions to provide for that continuing security in the region so that our interests are protected, so that the terrorist threat to the United States, which has diminished significantly in the last decade, will continue to diminish and will not reoccur in the future.

            COL. WARREN:  Thank you guys very much.