DEFENSE SECRETARY HAGEL OBSERVES DEVELOPING TECH DEMONSTRATION

Right:  Arati Prabhakar, director of the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, briefs Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel on the Atlas robot and other robotics at the Pentagon, April 22, 2014. The program showcased DARPA technologies and how they contribute to U.S. national security. DOD photo by Marine Corps Sgt. Aaron Hostutler.  

FROM:  U.S. DEFENSE DEPARTMENT 
DARPA Officials Show Hagel Technologies Under Development
American Forces Press Service

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

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

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

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

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

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

Hagel said such technology would have a major impact on the lives of injured troops.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

(From a pool report.)

DOD WILL CERTIFY TO CONGRESS, EGYPT IS MEETING OBLIGATIONS UNDER '79 EGYPT-ISRAEL PEACE TREATY

FROM:  U.S. DEFENSE DEPARTMENT 
Hagel Notifies Egypt of Upcoming U.S. Certification
American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, April 23, 2014 – Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel informed his Egyptian counterpart yesterday that Secretary of State John F. Kerry soon will certify to Congress that Egypt is sustaining the strategic relationship with the United States and is meeting its obligations under the 1979 Egypt-Israel Peace Treaty.

In a statement summarizing Hagel’S phone call to Egyptian Defense Minister Col. Gen. Sedki Sobhy, Pentagon Press Secretary Navy Rear Adm. John Kirby said these certifications are required to obligate fiscal year 2014 funds for assistance to the Egyptian government.

“Secretary Hagel told General Sobhy that we are not yet able to certify that Egypt is taking steps to support a democratic transition,” Kirby said, “and he urged the Egyptian government to demonstrate progress on a more inclusive transition that respects the human rights and fundamental freedoms of all Egyptians.”
Hagel also informed Sobhy of President Barack Obama's decision to deliver 10 Apache helicopters in support of Egypt’s counterterrorism operations in the Sinai, Kirby said.

“The secretary noted that we believe these new helicopters will help the Egyptian government counter extremists who threaten U.S., Egyptian, and Israeli security,” he added. “This is one element of the president’s broader efforts to work with partners across the region to build their capacity to counter terrorist threats, and is in the United States’ national security interest.”

DEFENSE SECRETARY HAGEL SIGNS JOINT VISION STATEMENT WITH MONGOLIAN DEFENSE MINISTER BAT-ERDENE

FROM:  U.S. DEFENSE DEPARTMENT 

Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel and Mongolia Minister of Defense Dashdemberel Bat-Erdene sign a joint vision statement at the Ministry of Defense in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, April 10, 2014. DOD Photo by Erin A. Kirk-Cuomo.

Hagel, Mongolian Defense Minister Agree to Deepen Ties

By Cheryl Pellerin
American Forces Press Service

ULAANBAATAR, Mongolia, April 11, 2014 – Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel and Defense Minister Dashdemberel Bat-Erdene signed a joint vision statement here yesterday designed to deepen a decade-long defense relationship built on shared interests and forged in combat as troops of both nations fought together in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Mongolia was the final stop of a 10-day Asia-Pacific trip -- Hagel’s fourth in less than 12 months -- that began in Hawaii with a meeting of defense ministers of the 10 member states of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, or ASEAN, and continued in Japan, China and Mongolia.

When Hagel arrived at Ulaanbaatar’s Chinggis Khaan International Airport, among the U.S. Embassy and Mongolian Ministry of Defense officials there to greet him was a woman dressed in a traditional Mongolian garment -- one similar to Mongolian bridal designs used as the basis for costumes worn by Queen Padme Amidala in “Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace,” according to embassy officials.

On the ground, Hagel was presented with traditional welcoming gifts: a blue silk scarf and a silver bowl containing a Mongolian dairy product called aaruul, a dried fermented milk curd.

At the Ministry of Defense, Hagel was greeted by Bat-Erdene and reviewed the colorfully uniformed Mongolian Armed Forces Honor Guard before the two leaders sat down for a meeting and later signed the Joint Vision Statement for the U.S.-Mongolia Security Relationship.

The statement, Hagel said, “expresses our shared desire to continue deepening that defense relationship.”

At a joint press conference after the meeting, Hagel characterized Mongolia, which adopted democracy in 1990, as “a valued partner of the United States” and “a growing state in regional and global security.”

During the meeting with Bat-Erdene, Hagel told the press, “I commended the minister for significant contributions the Mongolian Armed Forces have made to security around the world through participation in many activities. These include United Nations Peacekeeping Operations and fighting alongside the United States in Afghan and Iraq.”

Over the past decade the two militaries have benefited from working together and learning from each other, the secretary added.

According to a U.S. official, the Defense Department provides about $1 million annually in International Military Education and Training, or IMET, funding for MAF troops. IMET graduates have led all 10 rotations to Iraq and Afghanistan.
Foreign Military Financing funds have been used to equip the Mongolian peacekeeping brigade with vehicles, communications equipment and personal equipment. That funding is about $2 million annually, the official said.
At the press conference Hagel said, “As Mongolia invests in defense modernization, the United States will continue to work with our Mongolian partners to include joint training and exercises. This would include increasing opportunities for Mongolia to observe and participate in multilateral exercises.”
The secretary said the defense leaders had also discussed opportunities for the forces to work even more closely together.

A current exercise in which the United States and Mongolia participate is Khaan Quest, one of the world’s largest training exercises focused on peacekeeping operations. A joint venture, Hagel said, is the Five Hills Training Center near Ulaanbaatar, established in 1983. The joint-training military site gives units large areas for field training and exercises and classroom settings for strategic planning lessons.

“We’ll continue to do more together regarding humanitarian assistance and disaster relief, the secretary said, “and more joint training exercises that we discussed.”

Hagel added, “We in the United States believe that military-to-military cooperation between Mongolia and the United States is very solid, it is very strong, and we look forward to continuing to deepen and strengthen our military cooperation and relationship.”

A strong U.S.-Mongolia defense relationship is important to America’s rebalance to the Asia-Pacific region, the secretary noted, adding that he’s made that point during his current visit to the region and in discussions with Minister Bat-Erdene.
“I did share with the minister some of my reflections on this 10-day trip. I briefed him on all the stops I’ve made,” Hagel said. “I told him about the candid exchanges I’ve had at every stop, including my most recent stop in China, and I specifically mentioned the conversations I had in China regarding the regional security issue and China’s and America’s shared interest in putting our military-to-military relationship on stronger footing, which we think is good for the Asia-Pacific region.”

Hagel said he’d met with 13 Asia-Pacific defense ministers on the trip “and for all those discussions in this 10-day trip it’s clear to me that to preserve the region’s growth and dynamism and opportunities depends on 14 strong security relationships throughout the region, increasing cooperation in areas of common interest, and resolving disputes peacefully.”

Many challenges face all nations in the region today, he added, but also many opportunities.
“We must continue to work together to seize these opportunities as we all build a better future for all of our people,” the secretary said.

After the press conference, Hagel met with 26 Mongolian soldiers who have deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan and for peacekeeping missions in Africa, including Sierra Leone, South Sudan and Chad. The secretary thanked them for their service and sacrifices.

Mongolia has about 350 troops in Afghanistan today and they are on their 10th rotation conducting security operations. They also had 10 rotations of troops in Iraq, a defense official said.

Hagel’s final stop in Ulaanbaatar was the Government House where he met with Mongolian President Tsakhia Elbegdorj.

Hagel’s visit was the first time in 10 years Mongolia’s defense minister and president have met with a U.S. defense secretary, a senior defense official said, and the visit was critical to Mongolia's "Third Neighbor Policy" of outreach to governments beyond China and Russia.

But before Hagel left to meet with the president he received one more traditional gift from the minister of defense -- a 9.5-year old Mongolian horse, small but sturdy with a reddish coat, led by a handler to the area where the secretary was visiting MAF troops.

Hagel beamed and announced that he was naming the horse Shamrock.
“The reason I’m naming him Shamrock,” Hagel told the smiling crowd, “is that shamrock was the mascot of a place I graduated from, St. Bonaventure School in Columbus, Neb.”

Before he left for his meeting with the president, Hagel admired the horse, thanked the minister, and posed with the horse, throwing his arm across Shamrock’s withers as he was told that he would receive letters about Shamrock’s activities and well-being since the secretary was unable to take the horse to the United States.

Later, in the military aircraft on the way home, the secretary showed the reporters traveling with him a large framed photograph of Hagel and Shamrock standing cozily together, Shamrock wearing a hackamore of leather and polished stones and metal tied with a blue silk scarf.

The secretary said he would send the framed photograph to St. Bonaventure for the school’s permanent collection of graduate memorabilia.

SECRETARY HAGEL SPEAKS WITH UKRANIAN DEFENSE MINISTER KOVAL

FROM:  U.S. DEFENSE DEPARTMENT 
Secretary Speaks With Acting Ukrainian Defense Minister
American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, April 10, 2014 – En route home from his Asia-Pacific trip, Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel placed an in-flight call to Ukraine's Acting Minister of Defense Mykhaylo Koval, Assistant Press Secretary Carl Woog said in a statement issued today.

Woog’s statement reads as follows:
Secretary Hagel spoke by phone with Ukraine's Acting Minister of Defense Mykhaylo Koval on his return flight to Washington from Beijing. It was their first conversation since the minister took office last month.

Secretary Hagel commended Minister Koval for his leadership of the Armed Forces during this critical time for Ukraine and thanked him for hosting recent bilateral defense consultations in Kyiv. They discussed the situation in Crimea, as well as Russia's military activities along Ukraine's borders and attempts to destabilize communities in Eastern Ukraine.

Secretary Hagel told Minister Koval that the United States will continue to stand with Ukraine. They both pledged to remain in close contact going forward.

U.S. DEFENSE SECRETARY HAGEL SPEAKS AT PEOPLES' LIBERATION ARMY NATIONAL DEFENSE UNIVERSITY

Above:  Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel speaks to military members at the Chinese National Defense University in Beijing, April 8, 2014. DOD Photo by Erin A. Kirk-Cuomo 

FROM: U.S. DEFENSE DEPARTMENT 
Hagel Addresses China’s Future Defense Leaders
By Cheryl Pellerin
American Forces Press Service

BEIJING, April 8, 2014 – Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel took the stage here today, addressing military officers and students who crowded into the auditorium at the Peoples’ Liberation Army National Defense University to hear him describe China’s status as a major power and its obligation to address security challenges for the good of the region.

Hagel thanked President Xi Jinping, Central Military Commission Vice Chairman Gen. Fan Changlong, his friend State Councilor Yang Jiechi, and his host Gen. Chang Wanquan for their gracious hospitality during his visit.

“We have had wide-ranging and constructive discussions that reflect our growing cooperation,” Hagel said.

During a meeting today with Fan, Pentagon Press Secretary Navy Rear Adm. John Kirby said, Hagel expressed his appreciation for the chance to build toward a new model of military-to-military relations.

The leaders shared a frank exchange of views about issues important to the United States, China and the Asia-Pacific region. They discussed regional security, including the East China and South China seas, where Hagel reaffirmed the United States' longstanding policies and commitments, and encouraged all parties to resolve differences peacefully, through diplomacy and in keeping with international law, Kirby said.

Hagel also discussed with Fan the growing threat posed by North Korean nuclear and missile developments, and urged China's continued cooperation with the international community to achieve a complete, verifiable, irreversible denuclearization on the Korean Peninsula.

“Today,” Hagel said, “China’s status as a major power is already solidified, built on its growing economic ties across the globe and particularly across the Asia-Pacific region.”

Last year, he added, the trade in goods and services between the United States and China exceeded half a trillion dollars. Trade between Association of Southeast Asian Nations members and China exceeded $400 billion last year, and a third of the world’s trade passes through the South China Sea.

China’s growth, coupled with the dynamism of the Asia-Pacific and America’s increasing engagement in the region, offers a historic and strategic opportunity for all nations, the secretary added.

“As our economic interdependence grows, we have an opportunity to expand the prosperity this region has enjoyed for decades,” Hagel explained. “To preserve the stable regional security environment that has enabled this historic economic expansion, the United States and China have a responsibility to address new and enduring regional security challenges alongside other partners.”

The region faces North Korea’s continued dangerous provocations, its nuclear program and missile tests, Hagel said, along with ongoing land and maritime disputes, threats arising from climate change, natural disasters and pandemic disease, proliferation of dangerous weapons, and the growing threat of disruption in space and cyberspace.

The Asia-Pacific region is the most militarized in the world, and any one of these challenges could lead to conflict, the secretary added.

“As the PLA modernizes its capabilities and expands its presence in Asia and beyond,” he said, “American and Chinese forces will be drawn into proximity, increasing the risk of an incident, accident or miscalculation. But this reality also presents new opportunities for cooperation.”

All people in the region want a future of peace and stability, Hagel added, and the costs of conflict will rise as economic interdependence grows.

“The high cost of conflict will not make peace and stability inevitable,” the secretary added, “so we must work together and in partnership with all the nations of the region, and develop and build on what President Xi and President Obama have called a new model of relations.”

The model seeks to seize opportunities for cooperation between the United States and China and enhance peace and security throughout the region, he added.
“It seeks to manage competition but avoid the traps of rivalry,” Hagel said. “And good China-U.S. relations will not come at the expense of our relations with others in the region or elsewhere.”

Realizing this vision will require commitment, effort and some new thinking for the United States and China across all dimensions of the relationship, but especially between the militaries, he added.

“Developing a new model of military-to-military relations will require a shared understanding of the regional security order we seek and the responsibilities we have to uphold it,” Hagel said. “It will require bold leadership that seeks to deepen practical cooperation in areas of shared interest, while constructively managing differences through open dialogue and candor.”

In the Asia-Pacific region and worldwide, Hagel said, the United States believes in maintaining a stable, rules-based order built on:

-- Free and open access to sea lanes, air space and cyberspace;

-- Liberal trade and economic policies that foster widely shared prosperity for all people;

-- Halting the proliferation of dangerous and destabilizing weapons of mass destruction;

-- Deterring aggression; and

-- Clear, predictable, consistent and peaceful methods of resolving disputes consistent with international law.

For its part, the secretary said, the United States has helped to provide access to global markets, technology and capital, underwritten the free flow of energy and natural resources through open seas, and maintained alliances that have helped keep the peace.

“We haven’t done it alone; we’ve done it with partners,” he said. “America’s rebalancing to the Asia-Pacific is about ensuring that America’s presence and engagement, including our relationship with China, keeps pace with the Asia-Pacific’s rapidly evolving economic, diplomatic and security environment.”
All nations have a responsibility to pursue common interests with their neighbors and settle disputes peacefully in accordance with international law and recognized norms, the secretary added.

“But as a nation’s power and prosperity grows, so does its responsibilities,” Hagel said. “And whether the 21st century is one marked by progress, security and prosperity will depend greatly on how China and other leading Asia-Pacific powers meet their responsibilities to uphold a rules-based order.”
Disputes in the South China and East China seas must be resolved through international norms and laws, he said.

“The United States has been clear about the East and South China Sea disputes,” Hagel said. “We do not take a position on sovereignty claims but we expect these disputes to be managed and resolved peacefully and diplomatically, and oppose the use of force or coercion. And our commitment to allies in the region is unwavering.”

The secretary said he believes the new model of military-to-military relations should proceed on three tracks: First, maintaining sustained and substantive dialogue; second, forging concrete, practical cooperation where the two countries’ interests converge; and third, working to manage competition and differences through openness and communication.

The foundation for military-to-military cooperation between the United States and China must be a sustained and substantive dialogue, Hagel said. The engine for this dialogue has been high-level exchanges, he added, and it must continue and increase. This, in particular, has been an area of notable progress, he said.
“Bilateral exchanges and visits are planned, and earlier today General Chang and I agreed on two important new mechanisms,” Hagel said. We will establish a high-level Asia-Pacific security dialogue, and we will create an army-to-army dialogue. These will deepen substantive military discussions and institutional understanding.”

Already, he said, the two nations have identified nontraditional security missions as areas of clear mutual interest, including counter-piracy, humanitarian assistance and disaster relief, military medicine, and maritime safety.

Hagel said one example of practical cooperation in areas where the United States and China can do more is the annual disaster management exchange held between militaries, and with representatives of the Federal Emergency Management Agency. Last November’s exchange, held in Hawaii, included the first exercise involving PLA troops on U.S. soil.

The United States has taken significant steps to be more open with China about its capabilities, intentions and disagreements, the secretary said. “And we will continue to welcome initiatives by China to do the same, particularly as China undertakes significant military modernization efforts,” he added.

Hagel said he and others are asking China to work more closely with the United States and regional partners on another shared challenge where there is a disagreement: responding to the dangerous destabilizing behavior of North Korea.
The North Korean regime’s nuclear program and its recent missile launches in violation of U.N. Security Council resolutions pose a continued and stark challenge and threat to the U.S. homeland, Hagel said. America will continue to respond to North Korea’s actions by reinforcing its allies and increasing deterrence, he added, including through his announcement this week that the United States will deploy two additional ballistic missile defense ships to Japan.
This builds on other steps to bolster regional missile defense, the secretary said, including building a second radar site in Japan and expanding ground-based interceptors in Alaska.

DEFENSE SECRETARY HAGEL STRESSES U.S.-CHINA MILITARY-TO-MILITARY RELATIONS

Right:  Defense Secretary Hagel with Chinese Defense Minister Gen. Chang Wanquan in Beijing, April 8, 2014. DOD photo by Erin A. Kirk-Cuomo  

FROM:  U.S. DEFENSE DEPARTMENT 
Hagel, China’s Defense Minister Build Military Relations Model
By Cheryl Pellerin
American Forces Press Service

BEIJING, April 8, 2014 – At the invitation of Chinese Defense Minister Gen. Chang Wanquan, Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel visited the Chinese Defense Ministry’s headquarters here today.

Hagel met with Chang and then a larger group of defense officials before he and Chang revealed during a news conference a new model for U.S.-China military-to-military relations.

The secretary’s visit to Beijing comes in the middle of a 10-day trip to the Asia-Pacific region, during which he visited Japan and will travel to Mongolia later this week. The trip began in Hawaii with the first meeting for defense ministers of the 10 member countries of the Association for Southeast Asian Nations to be held in the United States.

“One focus of our discussion today was how we develop a new model of military-to-military relations,” Hagel said about his meeting with Chang. “We’ve just finished a very good meeting,” the secretary added, “during which I restated that the United States is committed to continuing to build a constructive and productive relationship with China.”

Hagel explained that the United States believes its approach should be to build a sustained and substantive dialogue, deepen practical cooperation in areas of common interest, and manage competition and differences through openness and communication.

In each area, he added, there is much work to do, but the nations are making strong progress.

“As General Chang announced, we agreed today on several new ways to improve our military-to-military relationship,” Hagel said. First, the U.S. and Chinese defense agencies will establish an army-to-army dialogue as an institutionalized mechanism within the framework of the U.S.-China military-to-military relationship.

Second, the secretary added, “we agreed to participate in a joint military-medical cooperative activity. This will build on experiences gained at the 2014 Rim of the Pacific exercise, a U.S.-hosted multilateral naval exercise that China will participate in for the first time this summer.”

Third, Hagel said, the defense agencies will establish an Asia-Pacific security dialogue between the assistant secretary of defense for Asia-Pacific security affairs and the director of the Chinese Defense Ministry’s foreign affairs office to exchange views on a range of security issues.

“This dialogue will build on the discussions Gen. Chong and I had today on regional security issues,” the secretary said, “including North Korea and the growing threat posed by its nuclear and missile programs.”

Hagel added that continued instability in Northeast Asia is not in China’s interest, and that the United States is deeply concerned about the threat North Korea poses to U.S. treaty allies and, increasingly, to the homeland.

“The United States and China have a shared interest in achieving a verifiable denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula,” he said.

Hagel and Chang also discussed tensions in the East and South China seas.
“I underscored that all parties should refrain from provocative actions and the use of intimidation, coercion or aggression to advance their claims,” the secretary said. “Such disputes must be resolved peacefully and in accordance with international law.”

Hagel noted that yesterday he toured China’s aircraft carrier, met personnel aboard the ship and had an opportunity to listen. He will later speak to officers at the National Defense University and is looking forward to visiting with noncommissioned officers, whom he characterized as the backbone of all militaries.

“Exchanges like this at every level of command are critical for building mutual understanding and also respect, Hagel said. “Our vision is a future where our militaries can work closely together on a range of challenges, such as humanitarian assistance and disaster relief missions.”

To reach this objective, the secretary said, “we must be candid about issues we disagree about, [but also continue] to deepen our cooperation in areas where we do agree. We have many common interests, and we agree on many things.”
Regarding cybersecurity, Hagel emphasized the need for the United States and China to be more open about each other’s capabilities and intentions in this critically important domain.

“Greater openness about cyber reduces the risk that misunderstanding and misperception could lead to miscalculation,” he said. “More transparency will strengthen China-U.S. relations.”

The U.S.-China relationship is important for stability and security in the Asia-Pacific, and for achieving prosperity for both nations in the 21st century, the secretary added.

“As President [Barack] Obama has said,” Hagel noted, “the United States welcomes the rise of a stable, peaceful and prosperous China.”

IN OP-ED DEFENSE SECRETARY HAGEL DISCUSSES ASIA-PACIFIC-REBALANCE AND PARTNERSHIPS

FROM:  U.S. DEFENSE DEPARTMENT
Hagel Describes Role of Partnerships in Asia-Pacific Rebalance
American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, April 2, 2014 – In a world where security challenges do not adhere to political boundaries and economies are linked as never before, no nation can go it alone and hope to prosper, Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel wrote in an op-ed article published yesterday on the Defense One website.
“Achieving sustained security and prosperity in the 21st century requires nations to work together and to meet common challenges with uncommon unity and purpose,” Hagel added.

The secretary noted that the response of more than 25 nations to the disappearance of Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 shows how that kind of unity is increasingly visible in the Asia-Pacific, which he called one of the most critical regions for global security and the global economy. And Typhoon Haiyan in the Philippines led to a massive international relief and recovery effort last fall and produced Japan’s largest overseas military deployment in the post-war period, Hagel wrote.
“In both cases, nations in the region were able to set aside rivalries and differences and instead work together,” the secretary wrote. “At the same time, both cases underscore the reality that nations must engage in more practical security cooperation ahead of time in order to work together more effectively when challenges arise.”

Deepening cooperation does not materialize on its own, Hagel wrote, but requires deliberate and sustained efforts such as those of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, or ASEAN, to continue building a stronger regional security architecture that can address shared challenges.

These efforts have the full support of the United States and will be highlighted this week in Hawaii, at the first U.S.-hosted gathering of U.S. and ASEAN defense ministers, Hagel wrote. By hosting this meeting at the start of his fourth visit to the Asia-Pacific region -- which will include stops in Japan, China and Mongolia -- it serves to underscore the growing role ASEAN members are playing in promoting regional stability and enhanced security cooperation, he added.

The United States also has a key role to play in this endeavor, the secretary wrote.
“As a leading economic and military power in the Pacific -- one with no disputed territorial claims or ambitions in the region -- the United States is uniquely positioned to continue to help Asian nations build a vibrant regional security architecture,” he explained. “My upcoming trip emphasizes three ways in which the Department of Defense will contribute to this effort.”

First, the U.S. military will increase its role in cooperative security efforts and exercises as it continues to shift forces and operational focus to the Asia-Pacific region, Hagel wrote.

“It has been more than five years since President Barack Obama came to office determined to lead America’s rebalance toward the Asia-Pacific, and it remains front and center in our national security strategy,” he added. “The rebalance has helped to strengthen our alliances and partnerships in Asia and led to increased engagement, exercises and training on a bilateral and multilateral basis.”
The deployment of advanced military capabilities to the region has also proven indispensable, Hagel wrote, noting that the U.S. contributions to the search for Flight 370 included the world’s most advanced maritime patrol aircraft -- the P-8A Poseidon -- which was recently deployed to Japan.

Second, the U.S. military will continue to build new types of partnerships that tackle nontraditional security challenges more effectively, the secretary wrote. “The military presence we maintain in the Pacific -- including approximately 330,000 personnel, 180 ships, 2,000 aircraft, the 3rd Marine Expeditionary Force and five Army brigades -- provides unparalleled capabilities,” he wrote. “But the kind of nontraditional security challenges that pose a growing threat to stability in the region, such as climate change, natural disasters and pandemic disease, cannot be resolved through military efforts alone.”

Those changes require strong partnerships across military and civilian agencies and with the private-sector and nongovernmental organizations, he added, noting that Rajiv Shah, administrator of the U.S. Agency for International Development, is leading a session during the conference in Hawaii.

Even as the United States looks for new ways to tackle shared challenges, Hagel wrote, the U.S. military will defend its allies and consistently champion the international laws and norms that have provided the basis for regional security and prosperity for generations.

“Over the course of 10 days, I will meet with 13 defense ministers whose nations represent more than 30 percent of the global economy,” Hagel wrote. “They recognize that there can be no economic growth without stability and prosperity for their people. Continuing the positive trends in the region will depend on upholding the principles of free and open commerce, the rule of law, open access to sea lanes, air, space, and cyberspace, and resolving conflicts and disputes peacefully.

“As we have recently seen in Ukraine, threats to these principles are threats to peace and security in the 21st century,” he continued. “That’s why all nations must commit to resolving disputes peacefully, without coercion and in accordance with international law.”

For more than 60 years, Hagel wrote, the Asia-Pacific region has enjoyed relative peace and stability and become an engine for global progress and prosperity.
“The beneficiaries of this progress have been the people of the region, and that includes the American people,” he added. “The region has benefited from American leadership, and it will continue to do so. But sustaining this progress is not the work of any single nation -- it is a shared responsibility. And the more nations that embrace this responsibility and spirit of cooperation, the more confident we can be that Asia in the 21st century will be defined by security and prosperity for all its people.”

DEFENSE SECRETARY HAGEL HAS DISCUSSION OVER IRAN WITH ISRAELI DEFENSE MINISTER YAALON

FROM: U.S. DEFENSE DEPARTMENT 
Secretary Discusses Iran With Israeli Defense Minister
American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, March 20, 2014 – During a phone conversation with Israeli Defense Minister Moshe Yaalon yesterday, Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel expressed his deep concern about Yaalon’s reported comments on U.S. policy towards Iran and reiterated the U.S. commitment to preventing Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon, Pentagon Press Secretary Navy Rear Adm. John Kirby said in a Defense Department news release.

News reports say Yaalon had recently criticized the U.S. policy towards preventing Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon.

During his conversation with Hagel, Yaalon clarified his remarks by underscoring his commitment to the strength of the U.S.-Israel relationship, Kirby said in the release.

Kirby added that Yaalon also provided Hagel with an update on Israel's security situation, and yesterday's Israeli operation against Syrian military and security targets on the Syrian side of the Golan Heights launched in retaliation for a March 18 bomb attack in the Golan Heights near the Syrian border that left four Israeli soldiers injured.

Hagel expressed his sympathy for the wounded Israeli forces and their families, Kirby said in the release, as well as his concern for the ongoing situation in Syria.
“The secretary and minister pledged to continue working closely with one another on the range of security issues facing the United States and Israel,” Kirby added.

SECRETARY OF DEFENSE HAGEL DISCUSSES NAVY YARD SHOOTING

Right:  Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel delivers remarks as Navy Secretary Ray Mabus looks on during a briefing at the Pentagon, March 18, 2014. Hagel and Mabus addressed plans to implement security changes following the Sept. 16, 2013, shooting rampage at the Washington Navy Yard that left 12 employees dead and several others wounded. DOD photo by Erin A. Kirk-Cuomo  
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FROM:  U.S. DEFENSE DEPARTMENT 
Hagel Details New Security Actions After Navy Yard Shooting
By Cheryl Pellerin
American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, March 18, 2014 – Six months after a disturbed federal contractor shot 12 fellow workers to death at the Washington Navy Yard, Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel today detailed steps the Defense Department is taking based on reviews of security standards in place at the time.

Hagel joined Navy Secretary Ray Mabus at a Pentagon news conference to discuss actions recommended by DOD reviews, including an internal review led by Undersecretary of Defense for Intelligence Michael Vickers and an external review led by former Assistant Secretary of Defense Paul Stockton and retired Navy Adm. Eric Olson, and Navy reviews of its security standards.

“The reviews identified troubling gaps in DOD’s ability to detect, prevent and respond to instances where someone working for us -– a government employee, a member of our military or a contractor –- decides to inflict harm on this institution and its people,” Hagel said.

To close these gaps, he added, DOD will take four actions recommended by the reviewers:

-- DOD will implement a continuous evaluation program of personnel with access to DOD facilities or classified information, including DOD contractors and military and civilian personnel. “While individuals with security clearances undergo periodic reinvestigations,” the secretary said, “I am directing the department to establish automated reviews of cleared personnel that will continuously pull information from law enforcement and other relevant databases.” Hagel said this will help trigger an alert if derogatory information such as an arrest becomes available for someone holding a security clearance.
-- DOD will establish an Insider Threat Management and Analysis Center that quickly analyzes the results of the automated record checks, helps connect the dots, and determines whether follow-up action is needed. The center also will advise and support Department of Defense components to ensure appropriate action is taken on each case, Hagel noted.

-- DOD will centralize authority and accountability for physical and personal security under a single staff assistant located in the Office of the Undersecretary of Defense for Intelligence. Today, the secretary said, these responsibilities are fractured among multiple DOD components. “This action will identify one person within DOD who is responsible for leading efforts to counter insider threats,” he said.

-- DOD will accelerate development of the Defense Manpower Data Center’s Identity Management Enterprise Services Architecture, called IMESA, allowing DOD security officers to share access control information and continuously vet individuals against U.S. government databases.

Along with these actions, Hagel said, the department will review how best to move forward on three more recommendations made by the Independent Review Panel:

-- Consider reducing the number of personnel holding Secret security clearances by at least 10 percent, a recommendation in line with October 2013 guidance from the director of national intelligence.

-- Consider reducing DOD’s reliance on background investigations conducted by the Office of Personnel Management and analyze the cost, efficiency and effectiveness of returning the clearance review process to DOD.

-- Consider developing more effective ways to screen recruits, further destigmatize treatment and ensure the quality of mental health care within DOD.
Hagel said he has directed Vickers to develop an implementation plan based on the recommendations and report back on progress in June.

“Everything the Department of Defense is doing [supports] the broader, governmentwide review of the oversight of security and suitability standards of federal employees and contractors,” Hagel said. “That review was approved by President [Barack] Obama earlier this month.”

That review was led by the Office of Management and Budget and the National Security Council in coordination with the Office of the Director of National Intelligence and the Office of Personnel Management, he added.

“I think we all understand that open and free societies are always vulnerable, but together we’re going to do everything possible to provide our people as safe and secure a workplace as possible,” the secretary said, adding, “Our thoughts and our prayers go out to the victims and their families of that terrible day. We will continue to do everything we can to prevent such a tragedy from happening again. We owe them nothing less.”

Mabus said it is with the memory of the three women and nine men who lost their lives at the Washington Navy Yard that the Navy releases the results of its investigation into the shooting.

“In all this, our first concern has been for those lost and those wounded and their families,” the Navy secretary said. “Over the past few days, Navy liaisons who have been with the families all along reached out individually to provide them with this information.”

The Navy already has improved physical security and force protection based on rapid reviews and assessments of bases and policies after the attack, Navy units have completed self-assessments to ensure their own compliance, and departmental leadership has engaged with commanding officers worldwide to stress their role in protecting civilian and military personnel, he said.

“Where we identified issues with the security clearance processes that involve changes to broader governmental policy, we forwarded those recommendations through DOD to the appropriate agency and department,” Mabus said.

The Navy has worked closely with the reviews set up in DOD and with the broader governmentwide review, he added, “and we will implement as quickly as possible the recommendations laid out by Secretary Hagel, including the continuous evaluation program for security clearances.”

Mabus thanked Hagel for his unwavering support for the Navy and the entire Navy family and for ensuring that DOD's internal and external reviews built on the Navy’s efforts.

The Navy secretary appointed Adm. John M. Richardson, director of the Naval Nuclear Propulsion Program, to conduct an official investigation in accordance with the Judge Advocate General Manual, called the JAGMAN report, into the circumstances surrounding the Navy Yard shooting.

Mabus said he has accepted the probe’s 11 major findings and 14 recommendations, and they are in the process of being implemented.

“I also directed that additional actions be taken to strengthen the Department of the Navy’s contractor requirements and to provide greater oversight on how a sailor or Marine’s performance is evaluated and reported,” Mabus said, and he thanked Richardson and his staff for their work.

Looking back to the Sept. 16, 2013, incident, the Navy secretary also thanked the first responders, the Navy and federal law enforcement agencies and agents, the Navy Yard employees and their families, as well as the local community and supporters across the nation.

“As Secretary Hagel said, we cannot completely eliminate the threat, but we can and will guard against these kinds of events by addressing these findings, even if doing so would not have prevented this attack, because it may prevent a future one,” Mabus said.

“That is one objective of these reviews and investigations,” he added. “A parallel and equally powerful reason is to provide answers to our Navy family. It is for them that we conducted a clear-eyed and thorough look at how their loved ones, colleagues [and] friends came to face such terrible danger that day. It is for them that, going forward, we will do everything within our power to safeguard their security.”

U.S.-ISRAEL DISCUSS SEIZED IRANIAN SHIPMENT OF WEAPONS TO TERRORIST IN GAZA

FROM:  U.S. DEFENSE DEPARTMENT 
Hagel, Israeli Defense Minister Discuss Red Sea Operation
American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, Mar. 7, 2014 – Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel spoke with Israeli Defense Minister Moshe "Boogie" Yaalon yesterday afternoon and received a briefing on Israel's interdiction operation in the Red Sea that seized a suspected Iranian shipment of advanced weapons bound for terrorist organizations operating in Gaza.

In a statement summarizing the phone call, Pentagon Press Secretary Navy Rear Adm. John Kirby said the secretary congratulated Yaalon on the operation’s success and reiterated the U.S. commitment to holding Iran accountable for its destabilizing activities in the region, “even as we continue efforts to resolve our concerns over Iran's nuclear program through diplomacy.”

“Secretary Hagel made clear that illicit actions by Iran are unacceptable to the international community and in gross violation of Iran's U.N. Security Council obligations,” the press secretary added.

The Defense Department and the Israeli Defense Ministry have been in consistent touch on Israel's interdiction operation, Kirby said, coordinating extensively through military and intelligence channels.

“The secretary and the minister pledged to continue this close consultation as Israel completes its final inspection of the vessel,” he said, “and reaffirmed the strength of the U.S.-Israel defense relationship.”

DEFENSE SECRETARY, CHAIRMAN JOINT CHIEFS TESTIFY ON BUDGET BEFORE SENATE ARMED SERVICES COMMITTEE

FROM:  DEFENSE DEPARTMENT 
Hagel: Severe Budget Cuts Will Compromise National Security
By Cheryl Pellerin
American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, Mar. 5, 2014 – Congressional failure to fund the Defense Department above levels required by sequestration in fiscal years 2015, 2016 and beyond will compromise national security, Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel said here today.

The secretary testified with Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Army Gen. Martin E. Dempsey this morning before the Senate Armed Services Committee on the president’s fiscal year 2015 budget request.

The abrupt and severe budget cuts known as sequestration would result in “a military that could not fulfill its defense strategy, putting at risk America’s traditional role as guarantor of global security and, ultimately, our own security,” Hagel told the panel.

The president’s defense budget is responsible, balanced and realistic, he said, supporting the U.S. defense strategy, defending the nation and keeping Defense Department’s compensation and training commitments to its people.

“These commitments will be seriously jeopardized by a return to sequestration-level spending,” the secretary said. “That is not the military the president and I want for America’s future. I don’t think that’s the military this committee wants for America’s future, but it’s the path we’re on.”

Hagel called the defense budget far more than a set of numbers or a list of decisions.

“It is a statement of values and priorities,” the secretary said. “It is a budget grounded in reality … that prepares the U.S. military to defend our national security in a world that is becoming less predictable, more volatile and, in some ways, more threatening to our country and our interests.”

The department’s fiscal 2015 base budget request is about $496 billion and includes an extra $26 billion, a proposal called the president’s Opportunity Growth and Security Initiative that DOD would use next year to improve readiness and modernization.

“That $26 billion represents an effort that would help dig us back out of the hole that we have been in for the last two years on readiness, and particularly focused on modernization,” Hagel said.

And the president’s five-year plan offers what the secretary called a realistic alternative to sequestration, projecting $115 billion more than the current law allows.

DOD requires the added funding to implement its updated defense strategy as outlined in the 2014 Quadrennial Defense Review, a study by the department undertaken every four years that analyzes strategic objectives and potential military threats.

“The strategic priorities articulated in the QDR represent America’s highest security interests -- defending the homeland, building security globally, deterring aggression and being ready and capable to win decisively against the adversary,” Hagel said.

In December, the Bipartisan Budget Act passed by Congress gave the department temporary relief from sequestration and a year of budget certainty, Hagel said, but it still imposes more than $75 billion in cuts over the next two years. Unless Congress changes the law, sequestration will cut another $50 billion from the budget beginning in fiscal 2016.

“Even though we are requesting spending levels above sequestration, we have maintained flexibility in our budget to respond immediately to the lower topline should sequestration be reimposed,” the secretary said, noting that this was done by reprogramming some of the sequestration-level force-structure reductions that take longer to plan and implement, such as the decommissioning of the aircraft carrier USS George Washington.

Hagel also issued formal guidance to the service leadership that these reductions will not be made if Congress indicates it will make future appropriations at topline levels in the five-year plan.

Addressing for the panel critical issues in the budget request, Hagel said that to meet national security needs under a constrained budget the department focused on the balance among readiness, capability and capacity.

“After more than a decade of large stability operations, we traded some capacity to protect the readiness and modernization capabilities as we shift the focus on future requirements. These are shaped by enduring and emerging threats. We have to be able to defeat terrorist threats and deter adversaries with increasingly modern weapons and technological capabilities,” he said.

“We must also assure that America’s economic interests are protected through open sea lanes, freedom of the skies and space, and deal with one of the most urgent and real threats facing all nations – cyberattacks,” the secretary added. “That’s why we protected funding for cyber and special operations forces.”
For the active-duty Army, the department proposed drawing down to 440,000 or 450,000 soldiers, less than 10 percent below its size before the attacks of 9/11. And the department will continue investing in high-end ground capabilities to keep its soldiers the most advanced on earth, Hagel said.

Army National Guard and Army Reserve units will draw down by 5 percent, and the Army’s helicopter force structure will be reduced by 8 percent. The active Army’s helicopter fleet will be cut by 25 percent while keeping the aircraft modernized as the fleet moves from seven models to four.

The decisions, including the department’s recommendation to trade out Apaches in the Army National Guard for Black Hawks were driven by strategic evaluations, Hagel added.

The Navy will take 11 ships out of its operational inventory, and these will be modernized and returned to service with greater capability and longer lifespans, he said.

The Marine Corps will continue its planned drawdown to 182,000, but will devote 900 more Marines to increased embassy security. Hagel said the Marine Corps will remain ready and postured for crisis response as it moves back to its expeditionary, amphibious roots.

The Air Force will retire the A-10, replacing it with more modern sophisticated multi-mission aircraft such as the joint strike fighter, he said.
On compensation reform, Hagel said, under a restricted budget the department needs modest adjustments to the growth in pay and benefits, and the savings will be reinvested in training and equipping the troops. There are no proposals to change military retirement in this budget, he added.

The department will continue to recommend pay increases, the secretary said, but they won’t be as substantial as in past years. The Defense Department will continue subsidizing off-base housing costs, he added, but at 95 percent rather than 100 percent, and the decrease will be phased in over the next several years.
The department will not close commissaries, Hagel said, but it recommends gradually phasing out some subsidies for domestic commissaries that are not in remote locations. And the department recommends simplifying and modernizing its three TRICARE health care plan systems. It will do this by merging them into one system, with modest increases in copays and deductibles that encourage using the most affordable means of care.

“Active duty personnel will still receive health care that is entirely free,” the secretary said. “This will be more effective and more efficient and will let us focus more on quality. Overall, everyone’s benefits will remain substantial, affordable and generous, as they should be.”

The fiscal 2015 proposed defense budget will allow the military to meet America’s future challenges and threats, he said, and it matches resources to strategy.

“As we end our second war of the last decade, our longest ever, this budget adapts and adjusts to new strategic realities and fiscal constraints while preparing for the future,” Hagel told the panel.

“This is not a business-as usual-presentation,” he added. “It is a budget that begins to make the hard choices that will have to be made. The longer we defer these difficult decisions, the more risk we will have down the road, and the next DOD leaders and Congress will have to face more complicated and difficult choices.”

SECRETARY HAGEL MEETS WITH DEFENSE MINISTERS FROM SPAIN, ITALY AND DENMARK

Right:  Italian Defense Minister Roberta Pinotti on the sidelines of meetings for NATO defense ministers in Brussels, Feb. 26, 2014. DOD photo by Glenn Fawcett.

FROM:  DEFENSE DEPARTMENT 
Hagel Meets With Defense Ministers of Spain, Italy, Denmark
By Cheryl Pellerin
American Forces Press Service

BRUSSELS, Feb. 27, 2014 – Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel met here yesterday with defense ministers from Spain, Italy and Denmark on the sidelines of the two-day NATO defense ministers conference, Pentagon Press Secretary Navy Rear Adm. John Kirby said.

Today, on the final day of the meeting, the ministers will discuss defense capacity building, cyber defense and maritime security, along with NATO’s Connected Forces Initiative, which involves improving operational collaboration with other military forces, according to NATO spokeswoman Oana Lungescu.
Also today, the defense ministers will meet with International Security Assistance Force contributing partners and Afghanistan’s defense minister, Bismillah Khan Mohammadi, she said.

During Hagel’s meeting with Spanish Defense Minister Dr. Pedro Morenes, they discussed the strength of the U.S.-Spain military relationship and opportunities to broaden the relationship bilaterally and through the NATO alliance, Kirby said.
The defense secretary thanked Morenes for Spain's hosting of U.S. ballistic missile defense-capable ships at Rota and for support Spain has provided for U.S. Marines at Moron.

Hagel also expressed appreciation for Spain's ongoing commitment to the ISAF mission in Afghanistan.

Both leaders talked about security challenges in Africa, pledged to continue the dialogue and expressed interest in improving bilateral training opportunities, especially in the maritime environment, the Pentagon spokesman said.
In the secretary’s meeting with Italian Defense Minister Roberta Pinotti, the defense leaders discussed a range of mutual security issues, including political unrest in Ukraine and ongoing operations in Afghanistan, Kirby said.

Hagel thanked Pinotti for her leadership and Italy’s strong contributions to the NATO alliance, including the ISAF mission. He also pledged to continue to seek ways to deepen the bilateral relationship with Italy.

During his meeting with Danish Defense Minister Nicolai Wammen, Hagel thanked the minister for his leadership and for helping the United States and Denmark maintain a close military-to-military relationship. The secretary expressed gratitude for Denmark's leadership and capabilities in the future transfer of chemical materials out of Syria, Kirby said. The two leaders discussed the importance of the Arctic and promised to continue consulting as both nations explore ways to deal with the challenges of climate change in that region, he added.

Hagel and Wammen also discussed regional challenges in the Asia-Pacific region, political unrest in Ukraine, and the NATO ISAF mission in Afghanistan, the Pentagon spokesman said.

SECRETARY HAGEL MAKES REMARKS ON NATO, ISAF, UKRAINE

FROM:   U.S. DEFENSE DEPARTMENT 
Hagel Highlights NATO Capabilities, ISAF, Ukraine
By Cheryl Pellerin
American Forces Press Service

BRUSSELS, Feb. 27, 2014 – Over two days of meetings here, discussions among NATO defense ministers focused on future alliance capabilities, the International Security Assistance Force in Afghanistan and NATO’s defense relationship with Ukraine, Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel said in his closing remarks here today.
Defense ministers from 18 of NATO’s 24 member nations, Ukraine’s Acting Defense Minister Oleksandr Oliynyk, NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen and his deputy, and member-nation permanent representatives participated.

Hagel reassured allies of the continued U.S. commitment to NATO and to its global responsibilities, and he told the ministers that President Barack Obama’s fiscal year 2015 budget request, which he will present to Congress next week, “preserves and protects key capabilities such as missile defense and other capabilities that we discussed today in our sessions. These capabilities underpin our commitment to European security.”

The U.S. defense strategy demands even closer partnership with European allies, he added.

“As allied nations confront fiscal pressure on both sides of the Atlantic, and as NATO transitions out of its combat mission in Afghanistan, many of us plan to field smaller military forces in the years ahead,” the secretary said, adding that with savings the U.S. military achieves through a smaller force, he intends to buy readiness, capability and combat power.

“We expect NATO allies to do the same,” Hagel said.
This is a time to set priorities, make difficult choices and reinvest in key capabilities all nations will need for the future, he said, including those that have been neglected over the past decade of war.

Ahead of September’s NATO summit in Wales, Rasmussen will focus on improving NATO’s military capabilities as a down payment on meeting shortfalls, the secretary added.

“As an alliance, we must invest in global reach, technological superiority and leading-edge capabilities like cyber and special operations,” Hagel said, adding that together NATO member countries must spend money on defense more strategically and effectively.

On Afghanistan, Hagel said, the conference offered a chance to take stock of accomplishments over 13 years.

NATO’s main objective in Afghanistan was to enable the Afghan authorities to provide effective security across the country and ensure that the country can never again be a safe haven for terrorists. Progress there can be measured by the growing confidence of Afghans in their national institutions and the Afghan national security forces’ leading role in securing the country, the secretary said.
“As we look beyond the end of our combat mission this year, I told ISAF ministers that the United States continues to support planning for a noncombat, NATO-led mission that would train, advise and assist Afghan forces after 2014,” he said.
“But the longer we go without a bilateral security agreement and a NATO status of forces agreement,” he added, “the more challenging it will be for the United States and other ISAF nations to support, plan and execute this post-2014 mission.”
Earlier this week, President Obama directed the U.S. military to begin contingency planning for Afghanistan that takes into account the lack of a signed agreement, Hagel said.

“We will ensure that adequate plans are in place to accomplish an orderly withdrawal by the end of the year should the United States [decide not] to keep troops in Afghanistan after 2014,” he said.

“Today in our ISAF session,” the secretary added, “we agreed that the alliance should also begin planning for various contingencies in Afghanistan while still supporting continued planning for the Resolute Support mission” that is expected to start Jan. 1.
Hagel commended Air Force Gen. Philip M. Breedlove and Marine Corps Gen. Joseph F. Dunford Jr. for their critically important leadership of the ISAF campaign, he said, particularly Dunford’s consistent, wise and steady leadership. Dunford is the ISAF commander in Afghanistan, and Breedlove commands U.S. European Command and NATO’s Supreme Allied Command Europe.

Today’s final session was the NATO-Ukraine Commission, the secretary said, adding that he was pleased to welcome that nation’s participation in the ministerial conference, given the rapidly evolving political situation in Ukraine.
“Today I affirmed America’s strong support for Ukraine’s territorial integrity and sovereignty, and NATO defense ministers made the same declaration in a joint statement,” Hagel said.

The ministers expect other nations to respect Ukraine’s sovereignty and avoid provocative actions, he added.

“That’s why I’m closely watching Russia’s military exercises along the Ukrainian border, which they announced yesterday,” Hagel said. “I expect Russia to be transparent about these activities, and I urge them not to take any steps that could be misinterpreted, or lead to miscalculation during a … time with great tension.”
The secretary said it’s important for all nations with an interest in a peaceful future for Ukraine to work together transparently to support a Ukrainian government that fulfills the aspirations of its people.

“Our session today also focused on Ukraine’s opportunities for defense reform and our ongoing military-to-military cooperation –- including Ukraine’s participation in NATO operations. And we welcomed the Ukrainian armed forces’ responsible decision to exercise restraint amidst the nation’s political turmoil,” Hagel said.
From Kandahar to Kiev, he added, 20 years ago no one could have foreseen how NATO contributes today to global security. With the United States’ strong support, Hagel said, NATO must continue to be a force for peace, prosperity and freedom in Europe and around the world.

“That is our responsibility in the 21st century,” the secretary said.

DEFENSE SECRETARY HAGEL CONCERNED ABOUT ETHICAL LAPSES

FROM:  DEFENSE DEPARTMENT 
Press Secretary: Ethical Lapses Have Hagel’s Full Attention
By Jim Garamone
American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, Feb. 5, 2014 – Cheating on proficiency tests at an Air Force missile base and at the Navy’s nuclear propulsion school have Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel concerned that systemic issues may be threatening the health of the force and they have his full attention, Pentagon Press Secretary Rear Adm. John Kirby said today.

"He is concerned about the health of the force and the health of the strong culture of accountability and responsibility that Americans have come to expect from their military," Kirby told Pentagon reporters.

Surveys have shown that the military is among the most respected professions in the United States, and these ethical lapses work against that perception. In his weekly meeting with the service secretaries and service chiefs, the secretary told them that ethical behavior will be on the agenda for these meetings from now on, Kirby said. The secretary believes military and Defense Department leaders must take a step back and put renewed emphasis on developing moral character and courage in the force, he added.

Hagel gave the service leaders those marching orders just days after Air Force Secretary Deborah Lee James reported systemic problems with ICBM launch officers, Kirby said, but before the Navy reported instances of cheating on tests at the Navy Nuclear Propulsion School in Charleston, S.C.

Senior defense leaders have begun work on a plan to fix any systemic issues, the press secretary said. A group co-chaired by officials from the Joint Staff and the Office of the Undersecretary of Defense for Policy is set to deliver a report to Hagel within 60 days. "He has made it clear he would certainly welcome the work sooner than that," Kirby said.

In addition, Hagel has asked retired Air Force Gen. Larry Welch and retired Navy Adm. John Harvey to lead an independent review of the military’s nuclear enterprise. "They will offer their views on the quality and effectiveness of the action plan, and they will also provide their insights and recommendations on addressing any systemic personnel problems," the admiral said.

Hagel is concerned about what he doesn't know about the problem, Kirby added.
“What worries the secretary,[is] that maybe he doesn't have the full grasp of the depth of the issue. And he wants to better understand it and to the degree that there are systemic issues, he wants to attack them."

Kirby gave reporters a shorthand definition for what moral courage and moral character mean in the military. "That's doing the right thing when nobody is looking," he said. "That's treating people the right way even when they can't do anything for you. It's about the basic ideas of strapping on this uniform every day. And it's what, frankly, keeps a lot of us in."

CAPE RAY LEAVES FOR SYRIAN CHEMICAL WEAPONS MISSION

FROM:  DEFENSE DEPARTMENT 

With Encouragement From Hagel, Cape Ray Leaves for Syria Mission
American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, Jan. 28, 2014 – The container ship M/V Cape Ray and its crew deployed from Portsmouth, Va., yesterday with a message of encouragement from Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel.

M/V Cape Ray is the Defense Department’s primary contribution toward international efforts to eliminate Syria's chemical weapons material program, Pentagon officials said in a statement announcing the deployment.
“As you all know, your task will not be easy,” Hagel said in a message to the Cape Ray crew. “Your days will be long and rigorous. But your hard work, preparation and dedication will make the difference.

“You are ready,” the secretary continued. “We all have complete confidence in each of you. You represent the best of our nation, not only because of your expertise and commitment, but because of your willingness to serve when called upon. For that, we will always be grateful. We are also grateful to your families for the love and support they have given you. On behalf of our country and the American people, I wish you much success. Take care of yourselves. God bless you all.”

Hundreds of government and contract personnel have worked over the last several months to prepare the vessel to neutralize Syrian chemical materials and precursors using hydrolysis technology.

“The United States remains committed to ensuring its neutralization of Syria's chemical materials prioritizes the safety of people, protects the environment, follows verification procedures of the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons, and with applicable standards,” officials said in the announcement. “All waste from the hydrolysis process on M/V Cape Ray will be safely and properly disposed of at commercial facilities to be determined by the OPCW. No hydrolysis byproducts will be released into the sea or air. M/V Cape Ray will comply with all applicable international laws, regulations and treaties.”
The Assad regime in Syria is responsible for transporting the chemical materials safely to facilitate their removal for destruction, officials said.

“The international community is poised to meet the milestones set forth by the OPCW, including the June 30 target date for the total destruction of Syria's chemical weapons materials, officials added. “The United States joins the OPCW and the United Nations in calling on the Assad regime to intensify its efforts to ensure its international obligations and commitment are met so these materials may be removed from Syria as quickly and safely as possible,” the statement concluded.

HAGEL LAUDS OUTREACH TO SUNNI TRIBAL LEADERS BY IRAQI GOVERNMENT

FROM:  DEFENSE DEPARTMENT 
Hagel Lauds Efforts Urging Iraqis to Evict Terrorists

American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, Jan. 21, 2014 – Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel today lauded the Iraqi government’s continued outreach to local Sunni tribal leaders and officials to evict terrorist fighters from Fallujah and other parts of western Iraq, Pentagon Press Secretary Navy Rear Adm. John Kirby said.

Hagel delivered the praise during a Pentagon meeting with Osama al-Nujaifi, speaker of Iraq’s Council of Representatives, Kirby said.

In a statement summarizing the meeting, the press secretary said Hagel provided an update on U.S. efforts to accelerate delivery of critical defense equipment to resupply the Iraqi security forces conducting missions in Anbar province. “The secretary also underscored the importance of proceeding with federal Iraqi elections as scheduled, and encouraged the government of Iraq's efforts to implement local and national political initiatives,” he added.

Hagel concluded the meeting by reaffirming the steadfastness of the U.S-Iraq bilateral relationship and the U.S. commitment to helping the Iraqi government ensure the safety and security of all Iraqi people, Kirby said.

DEFENSE SECRETARY HAGEL SUPPORTS OBAMA'S NSA SPEECH

FROM:  DEFENSE DEPARTMENT 
Statement by Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel on President Obama's Speech Friday, January 17, 2014

I fully support the reforms to signals intelligence programs that President Obama outlined today - not only as Secretary of Defense, but as former co-chair of the President's Intelligence Advisory Board and a former member of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence.  These programs must always balance the need to defend our national security with the responsibility to preserve America's individual liberties, and the President's decisions and recommendations will do that.  They will help restore the confidence of the American people and our allies and partners.  They will preserve important capabilities that keep us safe.  And they will help the men and women of America's military continue to accomplish their missions all over the world.

DEFENSE SECRETARY HAGEL, ITALY'S DEFENSE MINSTER DISCUSS ISSUES

Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel escorts Italian Defense Minister Mario Mauro through an honor cordon at the Pentagon, Jan. 13, 2014. Hagel and Mauro met to discuss global security and cooperative efforts such as the joint strike fighter program. DOD photo by Erin A. Kirk-Cuomo 

FROM:  DEFENSE DEPARTMENT 
Hagel Discusses Variety of Issues With Italy’s Defense Minister
American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, Jan. 14, 2014 – Afghanistan, Syria, Mediterranean security and cooperative efforts such as the joint strike fighter program highlighted a meeting at the Pentagon yesterday between Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel and Italian Defense Minister of Defense Mario Mauro, Pentagon Press Secretary Navy Rear Adm. John Kirby said.
n a statement summarizing the meeting, Kirby noted that Italy is a key NATO ally and an important leader in addressing global challenges in Afghanistan, Lebanon, the Balkans and North Africa.
"Secretary Hagel praised Italy's contributions to capacity building in emerging democracies in the Middle East and North Africa,” the admiral said. Italy recently began providing security training to Libyan general purpose forces, and will help to stabilize Afghanistan as a framework nation in Afghanistan's western region after the current NATO mission concludes at the end of the year, he added.
Hagel also lauded Italy's role in the international community's mission to eliminate Syria's chemical weapons stockpile, Kirby said. Italy has offered to provide a port to transfer the materials from Danish and Norwegian vessels to the Cape Ray, a U.S. ship that has been specially configured to neutralize the chemical weapons materials at sea.
"Secretary Hagel is thankful for the hospitality Italy provides to the approximately 33,000 U.S. service members, civilians and families who live and work there,” the press secretary said, and looks forward to seeing Mauro in September at NATO’s summit in Wales.

SECRETARY OF DEFENSE HAGEL VISITS NEW MEXICO NUCLEAR FACILITIES

FROM:  DEFENSE DEPARTMENT 
Hagel Visits Troops, Defense Nuclear Facilities in New Mexico
By Cheryl Pellerin
American Forces Press Service


ALBUQUERQUE, N.M., Jan. 9, 2014 – Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel said he was impressed with what he saw here yesterday at an Air Force base on the northern edge of the Chihuahuan Desert, where two facilities represent a large and historic part of the nation’s nuclear weapons expertise.

The secretary spent the morning in San Antonio, visiting troops, wounded warriors and their families, and hospital workers and staff at Brooke Army Medical Center and its Center for the Intrepid. He then traveled here for briefings at Kirtland Air Force Base and the Air Force Materiel Command's Nuclear Weapons Center, whose responsibilities include nuclear system programs acquisition, modernization and sustainment for the Defense and Energy departments.
Also on the nearly 52,000-acre base is the main facility of Sandia National Laboratories, where scientists and engineers develop, engineer and test non-nuclear components of nuclear weapons. An initial version of the lab was established in 1945 in the early days of the Manhattan Project, a research and development program that produced the first atomic bombs during World War II.
During his visit to Sandia and Kirtland, Hagel met with experts and discussed microsystems and engineering science applications, proliferation assessment, the advanced hypersonic weapon concept, and other topics.

Afterward, while briefing reporters who are traveling with him, Hagel said he wanted especially to visit Sandia “because modernization, research and development, [and] that technical edge that we have been able to maintain, is critically important … in the world we’re in today.”

Technology in particular, he added, has increasingly driven complications, combustibility and new dimensions in the global environment.

At the lab, he said, “I was impressed not only with the technical capability but with the people.”

Because of the critical skills required in any institution, but particularly in the area of nuclear weapons, nuclear modernization and research and development, Hagel said, the United States must continue to be able to recruit and keep cutting-edge minds worldwide on its team.

The secretary said he also was impressed with the people he met at Sandia and Kirtland, including “what they’re doing, how they’re doing it, and the commitment they have made to this country and [its] future.” They understand the privilege of helping to make a better world, he added.

Today, Hagel will travel to Cheyenne, Wyo., to visit the Missile Alert Facility and Launch Control Center, where he will receive briefings and have lunch with missile combat crewmembers and security forces.

Afterward, Hagel will move to F.E. Warren Air Force Base, where the 90th Missile Wing, activated in 1963, operates 150 Minuteman III intercontinental ballistic missiles. At the base, he will hold a troop event for up to 200 service members.

“I think it’s very important that all of us who have some responsibility for the national security of this country pay attention to every aspect of that responsibility,” Hagel said, “and certainly the nuclear component of our defense capabilities -- the deterrence capabilities that nuclear gives us.”
The secretary said he firmly believes that nuclear deterrence probably is the reason there has been no World War III. “We've had wars, but not on the scale of what we saw in the first half of the 20th century,” he said.

Hagel said another reason he visited Sandia and Kirtland yesterday and will travel to Cheyenne today “is that the American people have to be assured of the safety, security and reliability of the nuclear component of our national security.”
In a fact sheet released a year ago, the State Department said the U.S. government is committed to modernizing the nuclear weapons infrastructure to support a safe, secure and effective nuclear weapons stockpile in the absence of nuclear explosive testing. In accordance with the Nuclear Posture Review, the State Department fact sheet said, the National Nuclear Security Administration identified a path forward.

The modernization focuses on recapitalizing and refurbishing existing infrastructure for plutonium, uranium, tritium, high-explosive production, non-nuclear component production, high-fidelity testing and waste disposition. It also will preserve and enhance essential science and technology tools for assessing and certifying weapons without nuclear explosive testing.

“These investments in science, technology, engineering, manufacturing and information technology infrastructure will sustain the capabilities that underpin the stockpile and other national security missions,” the document said.
During his visit here, Hagel acknowledged the high cost of modernizing the U.S. nuclear weapons infrastructure, but noted the importance of nuclear weapons continuing to stay secure and safe. In a December report, the Congressional Budget Office estimated that between 2014 and 2023, the costs of the administration’s plans for nuclear forces will total $355 billion.

“This country has always been willing to make that investment,” Hagel said, “and I think we will continue to make it.”

The secretary said he believes Congress will be a strong partner in this effort. “I’m often asked many questions by members of Congress of both parties and both houses about nuclear modernization and about our investment and our commitment, so I look forward to that continued conversation,” he said. “We’ll get into the specifics of that when I present our [defense] budget, probably within the next two months.”

SECRETARY HAGEL HOSTS MEETING WITH KOREAN FOREIGN MINISTER BYUNG-SE

FROM:  DEFENSE DEPARTMENT 
Hagel Hosts South Korean Foreign Minister for Pentagon Meeting
American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, Jan. 7, 2014 – In a meeting with South Korea’s top diplomat at the Pentagon yesterday, Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel reaffirmed what Pentagon Press Secretary Navy Rear Adm. John Kirby called “the crucial role of the U.S.-South Korean alliance, which serves as a linchpin for peace and stability in the Asia-Pacific region.”

In a statement summarizing Hagel’s meeting with Foreign Minister Yun Byung-se, Kirby said Hagel and Yun reaffirmed that both sides must continue to make progress to develop and acquire critical military capabilities necessary to maintain and strengthen the combined U.S.-South Korean defense posture.
“The two discussed the importance of maintaining a robust combined defense of the Korean Peninsula as a strong deterrent against provocations from North Korea,” he added. Hagel emphasized the importance of the U.S.-South Korean alliance and confirmed the solid U.S. commitment to the defense of the South Korea, Kirby said.

Today, Defense Department officials announced the rotational deployment of the 1st Cavalry Division’s 1st Battalion, 12th Cavalry Regiment, from Fort Hood, Texas, to Camps Hovey and Stanley in South Korea.

This combined arms battalion, with about 800 soldiers and its own wheeled and tracked vehicles, will deploy Feb. 1 to conduct operations in support of U.S. Forces Korea and the U.S. 8th Army, officials said. “This action supports the United States' defense commitment to the Republic of Korea as specified by the mutual defense treaty and presidential agreements,” they added in a statement announcing the deployment.

The battalion will provide a trained and combat-ready force that will deploy with its equipment to South Korea, and the equipment will remain there for use by follow-on rotations, they added. The soldiers will return to Fort Hood upon completion of their nine-month rotation.