PHILIPPINE TYPHOON RELIEF

U.S. and Philippine service members load food packs destined for disaster-impacted areas in the southern Philippines, Dec. 9, 2012. Courtesy photo by U.S. Embassy Manila

Marines Aid Philippine Typhoon Relief Efforts

By Marine Corps 1st Lt. Jean Scott-Dodd
III Marine Expeditionary Force
MANILA, Philippines, Dec. 13, 2012 - Personnel and aircraft with III Marine Expeditionary Force are providing humanitarian assistance and disaster relief support at the request of the Philippine government in the wake of Typhoon Pablo which struck Dec. 4.

Marines with 3rd Marine Expeditionary Brigade, who were in Manila conducting planning for future bilateral training exercises with the Armed Forces of the Philippines, stood up the III MEF forward command element Dec. 8 to support Philippine relief efforts.

"The III MEF forward command element has established the bilateral coordination center, which is providing command and control for U.S. Marine relief efforts and coordinating requests for support with the government and Armed Forces of the Philippines, U.S. Embassy and Office of U.S. Foreign Disaster Assistance, part of the U.S. Agency for International Development," said Marine Corps Col. Mark J. Menotti, the officer in charge of the III MEF FCE.

"We have personnel with the Armed Forces of the Philippines, Pacific Air Forces, OFDA, Joint-U.S. Military Assistance Group-Philippines and Joint Special Operations Task Force-Philippines in the bilateral coordination center in order to prioritize and synchronize humanitarian assistance and relief efforts, which ultimately makes that coordination more efficient," Menotti added.

Two KC-130J Hercules aircraft with Marine Aerial Refueler Transport Squadron 152 arrived in Manila from Marine Corps Air Station Futenma, Japan, Dec. 8 to transport relief supplies to affected areas, according to Marine Corps Lt. Col. Jason W. Julian, the commanding officer of VMGR-152, part of Marine Aircraft Group 36, 1st Marine Aircraft Wing, III MEF.

"As of Dec. 12, VMGR-152 has flown a total of 11 flights and transported approximately 330,000 lbs. of relief supplies, including 14,500 family ration packs, 500 relief aid boxes and 40 generators," Julian said. "We also transported four water purification specialists and three personnel from USAID and the Philippine Department of Social Welfare and Development were transported to Davao. It's critical we work with everyone involved in the relief efforts to expediently get these supplies to those affected by the typhoon and in need."

The squadron also has transported 49,000 pounds of rice, 147 bundles of mosquito nets, one water purification unit, approximately 29,000 pounds of blankets, 833 sleeping mats and a United Nation's World Food Program relief module and three of their tents.

Marines transported relief supplies from Villamor Air Base located in Manila to Davao International Airport in Mindanao, the region most affected by the typhoon. From Davao, the supplies were principally distributed by government and nongovernmental organizations to displaced families affected by the typhoon as directed by the Philippine government..

"We're seeing a collective response from the international community to support the Philippines," Menotti said. "We are happy to help our close allies, standing shoulder-to-shoulder in order to provide necessary aid. The U.S. government -- including U.S. Marine forces -- is providing robust logistical and aviation support to quickly deliver life-saving supplies in support of humanitarian assistance and disaster relief efforts."

The U.S. military has partnered and trained with the Armed Forces of the Philippines for many years in humanitarian assistance and disaster relief operations, Menotti said.

"We frequently prepare for situations like this with our Philippine allies, so we are ready to work together to support the Philippine government and its citizens during this difficult time," he said. "Our goal is to help our ally recover from this natural disaster in whatever way we can."

OPENING OF THE ARTIC SEA TO SEA-FARING TRAFFIC

Bright white ice reflects sunlight from the Earth’s surface. In contrast, open water is very dark, and absorbs sunlight. As sea ice melts more water is exposed, which tends to increase warming. Photograph courtesy NOAA Photo Library

FROM:  U.S. DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE

by jtozer
Melting Artic Ice Will Present New Challenges
With ice melting in the Arctic Ocean, which is bordered by countries including Canada, Russia and the United States, more sea-faring traffic will appear there and more nations with economic interest in the region will arrive to exploit the resources there, said a panel of security experts during a forum.

"[Our] area of responsibility is evolving and changing," said Maj. Gen. Francis G. Mahon, J5, U.S. Northern Command. "The Arctic is receding … the northern coast is about to become a real coast; maybe not today, maybe not this year, but in a short time. We need to start thinking about that."

Mahon was featured during a panel discussion regarding North American security, during the 2012 Association of the United States Army Annual Meeting and Exposition in Washington, D.C.
Mahon said development in the Arctic "is going to happen."
Shell Oil, for instance, has been there conducting test drilling operations, and Conoco, he said, will be there next summer.

Increased economic interest in the region, which is bordered by Alaska, means more security concerns, potential conflict over rights to resources there, such as fishing and mineral rights, and more opportunity for the kinds of disasters that the United States might be called on to assist with.

John Stanton, director, Joint Operations Directorate, Customs and Border Protection, also sat on the panel. He said that the northern ice cap has been receding more on the Russian side than on the Canadian side.

Increased opportunity in the Arctic will mean "different sovereign nations’ territorial water come into play," Stanton said. Right now, concern in the area is largely limited to nations that have coastlines on the Arctic, and that includes the eight countries that make up the Arctic Council: Canada, Denmark/Greenland/Faroe Islands, Finland, Iceland, Norway, Russia, Sweden and the United States.

But more nations will eventually show interest, Mahon said.

"There are many, many others who have economic interests who would like to harvest the goods and sell them on the economic market," Mahon said.

Mahon said, as an example, that for Chinese exports to Europe, it is 40 percent shorter to move goods through the Bering Strait than to move those goods through Panama or around the southern tip of South America.

"From an economic standpoint, you know that will be exploited as quickly as possible," Mahon said. "Ultimately, we will be operating up there more."

SOUTHERN BORDER

Illicit movement of goods between Mexico and the United States involves more than just drugs coming north from Central America, said Stanton. Illicit traffic across the 1,900-mile border goes both ways, and includes not just drugs, but money, human trafficking and weapons.

In the 1990s, Stanton said, a lot of that illicit activity came through California. Now, he said, much of that has shifted eastward to Arizona.

Maj. Gen. Davis S. Baldwin, the adjacent general for the state of California, said drug problems persist in California, however, as a result of transnational criminal organizations operating in the state.

"Our problem set really goes throughout the northern part of the state, where TCOs are operating quite actively in our forest and public lands by growing marijuana," he said. "The threat there can many times be greater than what we see on the border. When we deploy Soldiers and Airmen down on the border, we generally arm them with side arms. When we send them up into the forest, in the northern part of California, they take long rifles and carbines — because the threat is that great."

Baldwin said that smugglers, while now crossing the border less into California, are trying new tactics to get into the state.
"We’re seeing now smugglers are turning to sea routes of entry and the littorals, and we’ve had to shift our efforts to more coast-watching," he said. "[It's] an agile threat."
Transnational criminal organizations, he said, are going out to sea and coming to shore "much farther north," and that threat requires work with local and federal agencies, along with a requirement to increase aerial surveillance. Included in that, he said, are the California Air National Guard C-130J aircraft and the rescue-equipped MC-130. Army and Air National Guard unmanned aerial systems are also helping, he said, by keeping "an unblinking eye over the coast to start picking up these boats."

Baldwin also said the California National Guard is developing expanded capabilities to include development of a program with the U.S. Navy Special Operations Command, called the Global Information Network Architecture — which is a database of target sets, such as TCOs, that is presented as "a 3D picture in time and space," and which allows them to do predictive analysis.

With the GINA, he said, it is possible to see, for instance, who a TCO has been communicating with and how, "on both sides of the border — and it can enable law enforcement on both sides of the border to use that information to start taking out these very complex criminal networks and organizations."

While relations with Canadian law enforcement have always been good, relations with Mexican law enforcement is getting better.

Mahon said that military-to-military relations with Mexico have "taken off." That includes combined exercises between the two nations as well as subject-matter expert and senior-leader exchanges.

"Professional exchanges … have soared," Mahon said. "It’s a good dialogue and a good exchange, it is truly professional, they are giving as much as we are giving."

Stanton said that tactical exchanges with the Mexicans at border crossings are also "quite mature."

Right now, Stanton said, that relationship includes a protocol to pass first responders back and forth in the event of disaster. Were there to be a disaster in San Diego, for instance, Mexican firefighters could come across to provide assistance.

By C. Todd Lopez

GETTING THE BEST RATES FROM SHIPPERS

FROM:  U.S. DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSEMilitary vehicles at Fort Hood, Texas are loaded onto DODX and commercial flat cars for transport to locations within the United States. DOD photo
Branch Helps DOD Shippers Get Best Rates
By Mitch Chandran
Military Surface Deployment and Distribution Command

SCOTT AIR FORCE BASE, Ill., Sept. 7, 2012 - Military Surface Deployment and Distribution Command's special requirements branch here is a one-stop shop for finding the right rate and transportation mode for Defense Department shippers who need to move specialized and large volume cargo domestically.

The branch -- part of the command's strategic business directorate -- can help DOD shippers with special shipping requirements to find cost-efficient transportation solutions.

It specializes in arranging transportation for oversized, overweight and volume cargo movements.

Dora Elias and her team of 11 transportation experts partner with commercial truck, rail, barge and pipeline carriers daily on behalf of shippers to secure special rates for agencies such as Defense Contract Management Agency, Tank-automotive and Armaments Command and Defense Logistics Agency, as well as the Federal Emergency Management Agency and the White House Communications Agency, among others.

"As an example," Elias said, "Defense Contract Management Agency would come to us with a volume move of a few dozen mine-resistant, ambush-protected vehicles. We, in turn, have the avenues and would find the best domestic rates to accommodate their move, which in the long run helps them save money."

Richard Cody, the branch's lead traffic management specialist, said the process for shippers is simple. "A shipper calls us and gives us their requirements – delivery date, weight, dimensions, volume, etc.," he explained. "We'll draw up the request letters and send them to various carriers, detailing a shipper's requirements, to obtain their rates. Once we get responses back, we'll offer our recommendations back to the shippers and go from there."

Elias said the branch is exploring more commercial rail options to offer shippers.

"So far, within the last five months, our branch has helped DOD shippers save $4.6 million by using rail for a majority of domestic movements," she said. "We deal with a lot of the volume move requests, and across the board savings really add up quick. If more organizations come to us for help with their transportation needs, I'm confident we would realize even more cost-savings."

The branch also can help local transportation offices to help themselves in meeting customer requirements, Elias said, and is challenging some industry partners to set more competitive rates.

Though commercial freight cars are always an option to consider in moving cargo, branch officials said, the industry does have weight and size limitations. When DOD shipping requirements exceed commercial freight car limits, they added, Military Surface Deployment and Distribution Command has an in-house solution.

The command's Defense Freight Railway Interchange Fleet comprises of more than 2,000 DODX-marked flat and special purpose railcars of varying length and weight capacities to accommodate most cargo the department needs to move. The fleet is made up of chemical tank, refrigerated and box cars, along with heavy duty flat cars boasting a weight capacity of up to 300 tons.

"Owning this rail fleet provides DOD with immediate accessibility for moving volume and overweight cargo," said George Gounley, chief of the command's rail fleet management branch.

In July, the special requirements branch was involved in arranging transportation for a large volume of oversized cargo: Bradley fighting vehicles and M1 Abrams tanks, shipped from Fort Hood, Texas, to multiple locations around the country.

For this mission, the command used both commercial and DODX rail cars to move all the vehicles. Renee Roper, transportation assistant for the Fort Hood transportation office, worked through the special requirements branch to arrange this movement.

"It makes more sense any time we can get two huge vehicles onto one railcar versus one vehicle per truck," Roper said. "Arranging the transportation for all these vehicles is very easy for us. We simply fill out the paperwork with the details, send it to SDDC, then they pretty much arrange the rest and make it work. It's really painless for us."

The streamlined shipper's request process, she added, allows her to devote more time to other aspects of her job.

"As long as we can find out our shipper's requirements a little in advance, then we can start scheduling transportation to meet their needs," Elias said. "Also, we can set up long-term options and provide consistent rates to our customers."

DRIVE FOR SCHOOL SUPPLIES LED BY SOLDIER

FROM: U.S. DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE
Army Sgt. Johnny Merical puts together a display of donated school supplies at Mae Stevens Elementary School in Copperas Cove, Texas, Aug. 22, 2012. U.S. Army photo by Sgt. Richard Wrigley
Face of Defense: Soldier Leads Drive for School Supplies

By Army Sgt. Richard Wrigley
1st Cavalry Brigade, 1st Cavalry Division

FORT HOOD, Texas, Aug. 29, 2012 - A 1st Cavalry Division soldier here headed a fundraiser to provide school supplies for the Mae Stevens Elementary school in Copperas Cove, Texas.

"It's about giving back to a community that has given so much to you," said Army Sgt. Johnny Merical, a CH-47 Chinook helicopter repairer for Company B, 615th Aviation Support Battalion, 1st Air Cavalry Brigade.

After more than a month of collecting donations, and with help from other soldiers in his platoon, Merical bought school supplies and presented them to the school Aug. 22.

Merical and his fellow soldiers set up a display of the new school supplies in the school's gymnasium, and members of the community -- along with children, parents and faculty members -- came by to hear him explain why he led the drive.

"I've been here almost six years, and have lived here the whole time," he said. "I'm leaving now, but the community has supported me whenever I needed it, and the school district really looked out for my family when they allowed my children to stay in Mae Stevens, even though the rezoning could have forced them to go to a different school."

While this is the biggest volunteer effort Merical has undertaken, he is no stranger to volunteer work, said Army Capt. Nicholaus Cortez, a platoon leader in Company B, 615th ASB.

"He's done a lot of volunteering for the unit and the surrounding community," Cortez said. "When I think of Sergeant Merical, I think of selfless service."

The captain added that Merical's professionalism and work ethic are unparalleled at his level in the platoon.

The school's students and their families were in dire need of the supplies, Merical said. Joe Burns, the superintendent for the Copperas Cove Independent School District, agreed.

"About 63 percent of this campus' student population consists of kids who receive free or reduced lunches," he explained. "This means that a lot of the families that have kids who attend here simply don't have the resources to provide [the children] with all the things they need for school. This donation Sergeant Merical put together ... will go a long, long way to meeting the needs of those families."

Another school district official talked about how donations will benefit the students as they begin this school year.

"Many of these students are used to getting hand-me-down materials," said Rick Kirkpatrick, the deputy superintendent. "Just imagine how happy these students will be to have a brand-new notebook or binder this year."

Merical said he hopes that his and his fellow soldiers' efforts to help will have a lasting impact.

"My family and I are about to leave, but the good that this has done for the community will last much longer than that," he said.

DEPUTY DEFENSE SECRETARY CARTER ON F-35 FIGNTER PROGRAM

Photo:  U.S. Deputy Defense Secretary Ashton B. Carter
FROM: AMERICAN FORCES PRESS SERVICES

Carter Addresses Joint Strike Fighter ProgramBy Karen Parrish
TOKYO, July 21, 2012 - Many countries that are partnering with the United States in the F-35 joint strike fighter program will have a role to play in the aircraft's assembly, but the U.S. government will not decide which country does what, Deputy Defense Secretary Ashton B. Carter said here today.

During a press conference with Japanese media representatives, Carter explained that the supersonic stealth fighter's prime contractor, Lockheed Martin Corp., will decide where the fighter's various manufacturing processes will be located, based on two factors: the partner nation's desire to participate in the aircraft's production, and economic efficiency.

Carter arrived in Japan on the first international stop of an Asia-Pacific tour that has already taken him to Hawaii and Guam, and will continue to Thailand, India and South Korea. He discussed the F-35 program while responding to a reporter's question on whether Japan will be the site of the aircraft's final assembly and check out.

Lockheed Martin officials have explained that process, known in the industry as FACO (Final Assembly and Checkout), which involves putting together the four major structural components of the airplane, installing the engines and electronics systems, and coding and test-flying the aircraft.

"The F-35 program is obviously very important to us," Carter said. "It's the linchpin of tactical aircraft inventories for the United States for decades to come, so we're completely committed to it."

The deputy secretary noted that in his previous position as the department's undersecretary for acquisition, technology and logistics, managing the JSF program was one his central responsibilities.

"I wouldn't have told you this three years ago, but I can tell you now: I think it's getting on the path to finishing its development [and] ramping up to full-rate production," Carter said.

Nations currently partnering with the United States on the aircraft's development include the United Kingdom, Italy, the Netherlands, Turkey, Canada, Denmark, Norway and Australia.

Many of those partners will participate in building the airplane, Carter noted.

"We can't all do everything; we can't all build all parts of the JSF," he said. "Otherwise, that will be economically inefficient, and we'll be wasting our taxpayers' money, and that's not fair."

What makes sense, the deputy secretary said, is for each country involved in producing the fighter to make some of the parts for all of the other partner nations.

"So it's a very complicated matter of apportioning, in an economically efficient way, all of these technical tasks," Carter said. "And that's what Lockheed Martin ... does in discussions with all the partners."

Defense Department leaders care about the outcome of manufacturing decisions "because we want an affordable airplane, as does the Japanese government," he said.

Carter added, "I'm sure that that will be done in a way that is satisfactory to Japan, just like it has to be satisfactory to the United States, has to be satisfactory to Turkey, to the U.K. ... That's the way international programs work today."

ISAF NEWS FROM AFGHANISTAN JULY 10, 2012

Photo:  Security Forces On Watch In Afghanistan.  From:  U.S. Air Force. 
FROM:  AMERICAN FORCES PRESS SERVICE
Combined Force Kills Several Insurgents
Compiled from International Security Assistance Force Joint Command News Releases
WASHINGTON, July 10, 2012 - An Afghan and coalition security force killed several insurgents during a search for the leader of a Taliban attack cell in the Chimtal district of Afghanistan's Balkh province today, military officials reported.

During the operation, a group of insurgents attacked the combined force, officials said. The force returned fire, killing all of the attackers. As the force continued its mission, another armed individual approached and threatened the force, officials said. The armed insurgent was killed by the security force.
Officials said the operation also resulted in the detention of a suspected insurgent and the seizure of multiple weapons.

In operations yesterday:
-- A combined force in the Imam Sahib district of Kunduz province detained a Taliban military chief who specialized in planning and carrying out improvised explosive device and suicide attacks.
-- A coalition airstrike killed an insurgent in Ghazni province's Muqer district.
-- A combined force found and cleared an IED in Ghazni's Giro district.
-- Combined forces killed three insurgents in a firefight, killed four other insurgents during an airstrike, and detained a suspect during separate operations in Ghazni's Ab Band district.
-- A combined force detained an insurgent in Ghazni's Waghaz district.
-- A combined force found and cleared an IED in Ghazni's Qarah Bagh district.
-- In the Barak district of Logar province, a combined force found and cleared two IEDs.
-- A combined force found and cleared an IED in Nangarhar province's Pachir Wa Agam district.
-- In Nangarhar's Nazyan district, a combined force found and cleared an IED.
-- A combined force detained an insurgent in Wardak province's Sayyidabad district.
In a July 7 operation, a combined force detained two Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan leaders and two other suspects in the Kunduz district of Kunduz province. The detained IMU leaders were directly involved in the construction of IEDs and their use in insurgent attacks. Both leaders are associated with senior IMU leadership and participated in high-profile suicide attack planning, including a failed attack in January, officials said.

PRESIDENT OBAMA SAYS FIREFIGHTING AIRMEN ARE HEROS

FROM:  AMERICAN FORCES PRESS SERVICE
Obama Calls Firefighting Airmen Heroes
American Forces Press Service
WASHINGTON, July 2, 2012 - President Barack Obama released a statement today calling the airmen battling wildfires in the Rocky Mountain region "heroes who deserve the appreciation of a grateful nation."

The statement comes following a crash yesterday of a North Carolina Air National Guard C-130 as its crew was battling a wildfire in South Dakota.
Here is the president's statement:

Yesterday, a military C-130 from the North Carolina Air National Guard crashed while supporting firefighting efforts in South Dakota. The full details are still under investigation, but the crew of this flight – along with their families and loved ones – are in our thoughts and prayers.

The men and women battling these terrible fires across the West put their lives on the line every day for their fellow Americans. The airmen who attack these fires from above repeatedly confront dangerous conditions in an effort to give firefighters on the ground a chance to contain these wildfires – to save homes, businesses, schools, and entire communities. They are heroes who deserve the appreciation of a grateful nation.
I know Americans across the country share my concern for the well-being of the surviving members of the crew and my deep condolences to the families of those who lost their lives. And I know that Americans join me in expressing my deepest gratitude for the selfless determination they and thousands of men and women involved in this fight in states across the country demonstrate every day.