DEFENSE SECRETARY CARTER TESTIFIES ON PRESIDENT'S PROPOSED AUTHORIZATION TU USE FORCE AGAINST ISIL

Above:  DOD video 
FROM:  U.S. DEFENSE DEPARTMENT

Carter: Proposed Authorization Gives Flexibility to Fight ISIL
By Cheryl Pellerin
DoD News, Defense Media Activity

WASHINGTON, March 11, 2015 – President Barack Obama’s proposed authorization to use military force against the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant is flexible enough to allow for the full range of military scenarios, Defense Secretary Ash Carter told a Senate panel this morning.
Carter testified before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee alongside Secretary of State John F. Kerry and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Army Gen. Martin E. Dempsey.

In reviewing the president’s proposed AUMF as secretary of defense, Carter said he asked himself two questions.

“First, does it provide the necessary authority and flexibility to wage our campaign, allowing for a full range of likely military scenarios?” Carter said.
Sending a Message

Second, he added, “will it send a message to the people I’m responsible for -- our brave men and women in uniform and civilian personnel who will wage this campaign -- that the country is behind them?”

Carter said he believes the AUMF accomplishes both, and urged Congress to pass the proposal.

Left:  Defense Secretary Ash Carter testified before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee today alongside Secretary of State John Kerry and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Army Gen. Martin E. Dempsey. The topic was President Barack Obama’s proposed authorization for the use of military force. DoD file photo by Glenn Fawcett.


The proposed AUMF takes into account the reality that ISIL as an organization is likely to evolve strategically, he said, morphing, rebranding and associating with other terrorist groups as it continues to threaten the United States and its allies.

The AUMF wisely does not include geographical restrictions, Carter said, “because ISIL already shows signs of metastasizing outside of Syria and Iraq.”
Military Flexibility

The proposed AUMF provides flexibility in military means to prevail against ISIL, with one exception, the secretary added.

“The proposed AUMF does not authorize long-term, large-scale offensive ground combat operations like those we conducted in Iraq and Afghanistan, because our strategy does not call for them,” he added. “Instead, local forces must provide the enduring presence needed for an enduring victory against ISIL.”

The proposed AUMF expires in three years, although no one knows if the campaign will be completed over that time, the secretary said, adding that he understands the reason for the proposed sunset provision.

“It derives from the important principle stemming from the Constitution that makes the grave matter of enacting an authorization for the use of military force a shared responsibility of the president and Congress,” Carter said.
A Chance to Assess Progress

The president’s proposed authorization gives the American people a chance to assess progress in three years’ time, he added, and gives the next president and the next Congress a chance, if they choose, to reauthorize the AUMF.

Carter said another key consideration for approving the AUMF is that it sends the right signals, most importantly to the troops, and also to partner nations.
“It will signal to our coalition partners and to our adversary that the United States government has come together to address a serious challenge,” he said.

Carter again urged Congress to pass the president’s AUMF because, he said, “it provides the necessary authority and flexibility to wage our current campaign. And because it will demonstrate to our men and women in uniform –- some of whom are in harm’s way right now –- that all of us stand unflinchingly behind them.”

DOD OFFICIALS EXPLAIN TO CONGRESS THE EFFECTS OF SANCTIONS ON RUSSIA

FROM:  U.S. DEFENSE DEPARTMENT
Sanctions Having a Mixed Effect on Russia, Officials Say
By Nick Simeone
DoD News, Defense Media Activity

WASHINGTON, Feb. 25, 2015 – U.S. and European sanctions imposed on Russia for its support of Ukrainian separatists and the annexation of Crimea are having a significant impact on Russia’s economy but have not curtailed Moscow’s continued intervention in the region, two senior Defense Department officials told Congress today.

“We are hearing, for example, more dissatisfaction of the oligarchs, who to date have been very supportive of [Russian President Vladimir] Putin,” Christine E. Wormuth, undersecretary of defense for policy, told the House Armed Services Committee during a hearing on security threats to Europe that focused largely on Russia’s threat to Ukraine and Eastern Europe.

Regarding the sanctions, the Russian oligarchs “are concerned about the impact it is having on their businesses, on their own financial holdings, but it has not changed so far what Russia has been doing on the ground, and that is the great concern,” Wormuth said during her testimony.

She added, “That is where there is the need again to look at the overall package of cost-imposing strategies toward Russia and also support to Ukraine to see if we can change the calculus.”

Assistance for Ukraine

In addition to ongoing military exercises and a stepped-up NATO presence in Eastern Europe, the Obama administration has committed $118 million in nonlethal aid and training to the Ukrainian government in Kiev and a similar amount for fiscal year 2015.

Ukraine’s government, which has lost control of significant portions of the eastern part of the country to Russian-backed rebels since fighting began a year ago, has asked allies -- including the United States -- for lethal aid.
“There is various discussion of providing defensive lethal assistance in an effort to again raise costs on Russia, not from the perspective at all of being able to fundamentally alter the military balance … but to try to give Ukraine more ability to defend itself against the separatist aggression,” Wormuth said in answer to legislators’ questions. In fact, Wormuth and Air Force Gen. Philip M. Breedlove, Supreme Allied Commander Europe and commander of U.S. European Command, both told lawmakers they did not know how Putin would respond if the West began supplying lethal aid to the government in Kiev. However, “what we’re doing now is not changing the results on the ground,” Breedlove said.

More Economic Pressure

Wormuth said pressure should continue on all fronts and that stepped-up economic and financial isolation of Russia could prove more effective than providing lethal aid to the Ukrainian government, a move that she said could lead Russia to “double down” on its support for Ukrainian separatists and thereby escalate the conflict.

Ultimately, Breedlove said, he does not think the Ukrainian military is capable of stopping further Russian advances and that the best resolution to the year-old conflict remains a diplomatic one. Even so, neither he nor Wormuth expressed confidence that a cease-fire agreement reached earlier this month in Belarus -- the second such agreement in five months -- would hold.

“Mr. Putin has not accomplished his objectives yet in Ukraine, so next is probably more action,” Breedlove said. He suggested Moscow knows what lines are not worth crossing, testifying that while “pressure is being brought [by Russia] on nations to keep them from leaning West,” Breedlove felt the Russian president is well aware of NATO’s obligation to come to the defense of any member threatened with attack.

“I do believe that Mr. Putin understands Article 5, but I do not believe that that would preclude Mr. Putin from taking some actions in reaching out to the disparate Russian-speaking populations that are in some [of] our easternmost nations in NATO,” Breedlove said, referring primarily to the Baltic states of Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia.

Turning to another security concern, both defense officials described instability in the Middle East, in particular the control that the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant has over territory just to the south of Europe.

“The flow of returning foreign terrorist fighters to Europe and the United States in both the near- and mid-term poses a significant risk, including to our forward-based forces in Europe,” Breedlove said, and “is likely to grow more complex for the next decade or longer.”

PRESIDENT'S LETTER REGARDING IMPOSING ADDITIONAL SANCTIONS ON NORTH KOREAN ENTITIES, INDIVIDUALS

FROM:  THE WHITE HOUSE 
January 02, 2015
Letter -- Imposing Additional Sanctions with Respect to North Korea
Dear Mr. Speaker: (Dear Mr. President:)

Pursuant to the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (50 U.S.C. 1701 et seq.) (IEEPA), I hereby report that I have issued an Executive Order (the "order") with respect to North Korea that expands the national emergency declared in Executive Order 13466 of June 26, 2008, expanded in scope in Executive Order 13551 of August 30, 2010, and relied upon for additional steps in Executive Order 13570 of April 18, 2011. The order takes additional steps to address North Korea's continued actions that threaten the United States and others.

In 2008, upon terminating the exercise of certain authorities under the Trading With the Enemy Act (TWEA) with respect to North Korea, the President issued Executive Order 13466 and declared a national emergency pursuant to IEEPA to deal with the unusual and extraordinary threat to the national security and foreign policy of the United States posed by the existence and risk of the proliferation of weapons-usable fissile material on the Korean Peninsula. Executive Order 13466 continued certain restrictions on North Korea and North Korean nationals that had been in place under TWEA.

In 2010, I issued Executive Order 13551. In that order, I determined that the Government of North Korea's continued provocative actions destabilized the Korean peninsula and imperiled U.S. Armed Forces, allies, and trading partners in the region and warranted the imposition of additional sanctions, and I expanded the national emergency declared in Executive Order 13466. In Executive Order 13551, I ordered blocked the property and interests in property of three North Korean entities and one individual listed in the Annex to that order and provided criteria under which the Secretary of the Treasury, in consultation with the Secretary of State, may designate additional persons whose property and interests in property shall be blocked.

In 2011, I issued Executive Order 13570 to further address the national emergency with respect to North Korea and to strengthen the implementation of United Nations Security Council Resolutions 1718 and 1874. That Executive Order prohibited the direct or indirect importation of goods, services, and technology from North Korea.

I have now determined that that the provocative, destabilizing, and repressive actions and policies of the Government of North Korea, including its destructive, coercive cyber-related actions during November and December 2014, actions in violation of United Nations Security Council Resolutions 1718, 1874, 2087, and 2094, and commission of serious human rights abuses, constitute a continuing threat to the national security, foreign policy, and economy of the United States.

The order is not targeted at the people of North Korea, but rather is aimed at the Government of North Korea and its activities that threaten the United States and others. The order leaves in place all existing sanctions imposed under Executive Orders 13466, 13551, and 13570. It provides criteria for blocking the property and interests in property of any person determined by the Secretary of the Treasury, in consultation with the Secretary of State:

to be an agency, instrumentality, or controlled entity of the Government of North Korea or the Workers' Party of Korea;

to be an official of the Government of North Korea;

to be an official of the Workers' Party of Korea;

to have materially assisted, sponsored, or provided financial, material, or technological support for, or goods or services to or in support of, the Government of North Korea or any person whose property and interests in property are blocked pursuant to the order; or to be owned or controlled by, or to have acted or purported to act for or on behalf of, directly or indirectly, the Government of North Korea or any person whose property and interests in property are blocked pursuant to the order.

In addition, the order suspends entry into the United States of any alien determined to meet one or more of the above criteria.

I have delegated to the Secretary of the Treasury the authority, in consultation with the Secretary of State, to take such actions, including the promulgation of rules and regulations, and to employ all powers granted to the President by IEEPA, as may be necessary to carry out the purposes of the order. All executive agencies are directed to take all appropriate measures within their authority to carry out the provisions of the order.

I am enclosing a copy of the Executive Order I have issued.

Sincerely,

BARACK OBAMA

PRESIDENT OBAMA'S REQUEST FOR MONEY TO DEAL WITH CENTRAL AMERICA MIGRATION CRISIS

FROM:  THE WHITE HOUSE 

Letter from the President -- Regarding Emergency Supplemental Appropriations Request to Address the Increase in Child and Adult Migration from Central America in the Rio Grande Valley Areas of the Southwest Border; and Wildfire Suppression

Dear Mr. Speaker:

On June 30, I provided an update on my Administration's efforts in addressing the urgent humanitarian situation on both sides of the Southwest border with an aggressive, unified, and coordinated Federal response.  Today, I ask the Congress to consider the enclosed emergency supplemental appropriations request for Fiscal Year (FY) 2014 that includes $3.7 billion to comprehensively address this urgent humanitarian situation.

This funding would support a sustained border security surge through enhanced domestic enforcement, including air surveillance; expenses related to the repatriation and reintegration of migrants; associated transportation costs; additional immigration judge teams, immigration prosecutors, and immigration litigation attorneys to ensure cases are processed fairly and as quickly as possible; funding to address the root causes of migration; public diplomacy and international information programs; the operational costs of responding to the significant rise in apprehensions of unaccompanied children and adults traveling with children; and expenses associated with the appropriate care for those apprehended, consistent with Federal law, and the necessary medical response.

I am also requesting $615 million for emergency wildfire suppression activities for FY 2014, and a new discretionary cap adjustment for wildfire suppression operations starting in FY 2015.  This funding would provide for the necessary expenses for wildfire suppression and rehabilitation activities this fiscal year so we can fight fires without having to resort to damaging transfers from our wildfire treatment and protection activities.  Too often in recent years, this cycle of transfers has undermined our efforts to prepare for and reduce the severity of wildfires, which is both fiscally imprudent and self-defeating.

My request includes language to support a discretionary cap adjustment to allow the Federal Government to respond to severe, complex, and threatening fires or a severe fire season in the same way as we fund other natural disasters such as hurricanes or earthquakes.  This approach would provide funding certainty in future years for firefighting costs, free up resources to invest in areas that will promote long-term forest health and reduce fire risk, and maintain fiscal responsibility by addressing wildfire disaster needs through agreed-upon funding mechanisms.    

My Administration requests that the funding described above be designated as emergency requirements pursuant to section 251(b)(2)(A) of the Balanced Budget and Emergency Deficit Control Act of 1985, as amended, (BBEDCA).  In addition, my Administration requests that a new cap adjustment for wildfire suppression operations be added to section 251(b)(2) of BBEDCA.

I urge the Congress to act expeditiously in considering this important request, the details of which are set forth in the enclosed letter from the Acting Director of the Office of Management and Budget.

Finally, separate from this request, my Administration will continue to work with the Congress -- following up on my letter to congressional leadership on June 30, 2014 -- to ensure that we have the legal authorities to maximize the impact of our efforts, including providing the Secretary of Homeland Security additional authority to exercise discretion in processing the return and removal of unaccompanied minor children from non-contiguous countries like Guatemala, Honduras, and El Salvador, and increasing penalties for those who smuggle vulnerable migrants, like children.

Sincerely,

 BARACK OBAMA

PRESIDNET OBAMA'S LETTER TO CONGRESS REGARDING HUMANITARIAN SITUATION IN RIO GRANDE VALLEY

FROM:  THE WHITE HOUSE 

June 30, 2014

Letter from the President -- Efforts to Address the Humanitarian Situation in the Rio Grande Valley Areas of Our Nation’s Southwest Border

Dear Mr. Speaker:    (Senator Reid:)  (Senator McConnell:)   
(Representative Pelosi:)
 
I am writing to update you on my Administration's efforts to address the urgent humanitarian situation in the Río Grande Valley areas of our Nation's Southwest border, and to request that the Congress support the new tools and resources we need to implement a unified, comprehensive Federal Government response.
 
While overall apprehensions across our entire border have only slightly increased during this time period and remain at near historic lows, we have seen a significant rise in apprehensions and processing of children and individuals from Central America who are crossing into the United States in the Río Grande Valley areas of the Southwest border.  The individuals who embark upon this perilous journey are subject to violent crime, abuse, and extortion as they rely on dangerous human smuggling networks to transport them through Central America and Mexico.
 
My Administration continues to address this urgent humanitarian situation with an aggressive, unified, and coordinated Federal response on both sides of the border.  Earlier this month, I directed the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and the Federal Emergency Management Agency to coordinate this Government-wide response.  This includes fulfilling our legal and moral obligation to make sure we appropriately care for unaccompanied children who are apprehended, while taking aggressive steps to surge resources to our Southwest border to deter both adults and children from this dangerous journey, increase capacity for enforcement and removal proceedings, and quickly return unlawful migrants to their home countries. 
 
Specifically, the Department of Justice (DOJ) and DHS are deploying additional enforcement resources -- including immigration judges, Immigration and Customs Enforcement  attorneys, and asylum officers -- to focus on individuals and adults traveling with children from Central America and entering without authorization across the Southwest border.  Part of this surge will include detention of adults traveling with children, as well as expanded use of the Alternatives to Detention program, to avoid a more significant humanitarian situation.  The DHS is working to secure additional space that satisfies applicable legal and humanitarian standards for detention of adults with children.  This surge of resources will mean that cases are processed fairly and as quickly as possible, ensuring the protection of asylum seekers and refugees while enabling the prompt removal of individuals who do not qualify for asylum or other forms of relief from removal.  Finally, to attack the criminal organizations and smuggling rings that are exploiting these individuals, we are surging law enforcement task forces in cooperation with our international partners, with a focus on stepped-up interdiction and prosecution.
 
To address the root causes of migration and stem the flow of adults and unaccompanied children into the United States, we are also working closely with our Mexican and Central American partners.  Two weeks ago, at my direction, the Vice President convened leaders from El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras, as well as Mexico, to discuss our shared responsibility for promoting security, and agree on concrete ways that we can work together to stem the flow of migrants taking the dangerous trip to the United States.  These countries committed to working together and with the United States to address the immediate humanitarian crisis as well as the long-term challenges.  On Tuesday, Secretary Kerry will meet with the leaders of El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras to follow up on the items agreed to in the Vice President's trip, and next week, Secretary Johnson will travel to Guatemala.  I also spoke with Mexican President Enrique Peña Nieto about our shared responsibility to promote security in both our countries and the region.  As part of this effort, the United States committed foreign assistance resources to improve capacity of these countries to receive and reintegrate returned individuals and address the underlying security and economic issues that cause migration.  This funding will enable El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras to improve their existing repatriation processes and increase the capacity of these governments and nongovernmental organizations to provide expanded services to returned migrants.  Additional resources will support community policing and law enforcement efforts to combat gang violence and strengthen citizen security in some of the most violent communities in these countries.
 
Finally, we are working with our Central American partners, nongovernmental organizations, and other influential voices to send a clear message to potential migrants so that they understand the significant dangers of this journey and what they will experience in the United States.  These public information campaigns make clear that recently arriving individuals and children will be placed into removal proceedings, and are not eligible for the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals process and earned citizenship provisions that are part of comprehensive immigration reform currently under consideration in the Congress.  The Vice President made this clear in his public and private events on June 20, I addressed this last week in an interview, and we will continue to use multiple channels to counteract the misinformation that is being spread by smugglers.
 
While we are working across all of these channels, to execute a fully effective Government-wide strategy as the influx of migrants continues, we are eager to work with the Congress to ensure that we have the legal authorities to maximize the impact of our efforts.  Initially, we believe this may include: 
 
• providing the DHS Secretary additional authority to exercise discretion in processing the return and removal of unaccompanied minor children from non-contiguous countries like Guatemala, Honduras, and El Salvador; and
 
• increasing penalties for those who smuggle vulnerable migrants, like children.
 
In addition, we will request congressional action on emergency supplemental appropriations legislation to support:
 
• an aggressive deterrence strategy focused on the removal and repatriation of recent border crossers;
 
• a sustained border security surge through enhanced domestic enforcement, including interdiction and prosecution of criminal networks; 
 
• a significant increase in immigration judges, reassigning them to adjudicate cases of recent border crossers, and establishing corresponding facilities to expedite the processing of cases involving those who crossed the border in recent weeks;
 
• a stepped up effort to work with our Central American partners to repatriate and reintegrate migrants returned to their countries, address the root causes of migration, and communicate the realities of these dangerous journeys; and 
 
• the resources necessary to appropriately detain, process, and care for children and adults.
 
My Administration will be submitting a formal detailed request when the Congress returns from recess, and I look forward to working with you to address this urgent situation as expeditiously as possible.

Sincerely,

BARACK OBAMA

WHITE HOUSE FACT SHEET ON BEING PERMITTING TO HELP BUILD INFRASTRUCTURE

FROM:  THE WHITE HOUSE 

FACT SHEET – Building a 21st Century Infrastructure: Modernizing Infrastructure Permitting

Building a 21^st century infrastructure is a critical component of President Obama’s effort to accelerate economic growth, expand opportunity, and improve the competitiveness of the American economy. 

With the Highway Trust Fund projected to run out of money before this fall, President Obama has laid out his vision for a long-term infrastructure bill that would provide certainty for our state and local partners, support millions of jobs, and position our economy for lasting growth. The President is calling on Congress to pass a robust multi-year transportation bill before funding runs out and puts hundreds of thousands of jobs at risk.

The President has also been clear that he is committed to making 2014 a year of action and that while he wants to work with Congress wherever they are willing, he will not hesitate to use his power as President to act on his own to promote American economic growth and opportunity.

That is why, as part of its commitment to ensuring America has a first-class transportation infrastructure, the Administration is taking action to modernize the federal infrastructure permitting process, cutting through red tape and getting more timely decisions, while protecting our communities and the environment.  For projects that are approved, this means states, local and tribal governments, and private developers will be able to start construction sooner, create jobs earlier, and fix our nation’s infrastructure faster. 

Over the past 3 years, federal agencies have worked to expedite the review and permitting of over 50 major infrastructure projects, including bridges, transit, railways, waterways, roads, and renewable energy projects, and over 30 of those projects have completed the permitting process.  For example, federal agencies completed the permitting and review for the Tappan Zee Bridge in 1.5 years for a process that normally takes 3-5 years. 

Today, the Administration is releasing a comprehensive plan to accelerate and expand permitting reform government-wide.  The Administration’s plan adopts the best practices learned from the initial focus projects and calls on federal agencies to apply those practices going forward.  By turning best practice into common practice, we can improve the efficiency and effectiveness of the federal permitting and review of all major infrastructure projects.  These reforms include:   

• Improving Interagency Coordination to Increase Decision Making Speed.  Major infrastructure projects often require multiple permits and reviews from federal agencies and bureaus responsible for ensuring projects are built safely.  To improve interagency coordination, the Administration will institutionalize best practices, including:
  • Requiring early coordination with the identification of a lead agency for each project.
  • Requiring a single coordinated project plan across all federal agencies.
  • Strengthening dispute resolution mechanisms to quickly resolve conflicts and make sure that interagency disputes do not hold back valid projects or quick decision making.
• Synchronizing Reviews.  Federal agencies will also be moving from separate, consecutive reviews to synchronized, simultaneous reviews.  For example, the U.S. Coast Guard, the Army Corps of Engineers, and the Department of Transportation have launched a new partnership to synchronize their reviews for transportation projects.  By developing one environmental analysis that satisfies all three agencies, project timelines can be significantly reduced. 
• Driving Accountability and Transparency through the Online Permitting Dashboard.  The Administration’s Federal Infrastructure Projects Permitting Dashboard supports coordination and synchronization of projects among federal agencies, and can also help create a more predictable process for project applicants.  The Administration is expanding the Dashboard to include additional projects, as well as new capabilities to track project schedules and metrics, increasing overall accountability and transparency.  As a first step, today we are adding 11 more Dashboard projects.  Each project will have a lead agency, a coordinated project plan across all federal agencies, and public tracking of progress to ensure milestones are met.  The Administration’s goal is for all major infrastructure projects to be included on the Dashboard to institutionalize and broaden the reach of this tool.
• Launching an Interagency Permitting Center to Institutionalize Reform.  The Administration is standing up an interagency infrastructure permitting improvement center dedicated to implementing these reforms across agencies, as well as looking for new ways to modernize infrastructure permitting and reviews.  The President’s 2015 Budget includes funding for the center and the expansion of the Permitting Dashboard.

This effort to modernize infrastructure permitting is part of the Administration’s broader commitment to increase investment in U.S. infrastructure, as well as the President’s Management Agenda, which is dedicated to driving efficiency within government, spurring economic growth, and unlocking the full potential of the federal workforce. The Administration has also recently released the GROW AMERICA Act, a four-year, $302 billion transportation plan to modernize our nation’s roads, bridges, and public transportation, spur economic growth, and allow states and localities to make sound multi-year investments.  The GROW AMERICA Act includes reforms to further accelerate the approval and delivery of projects.  Together these efforts will help create the transportation infrastructure we need for the 21^stcentury.

Background:

Modernizing Infrastructure Permitting

As major infrastructure projects are proposed, federal, state, local, and tribal entities work to consider and minimize potential impacts on safety and security, and environmental and community resources such as air, water, land, and historical and cultural resources.  For the majority of projects, these environmental review and permitting requirements are accomplished effectively and efficiently. However, for particularly large and complex infrastructure projects, multiple permits and approvals can lead inefficiencies and delay.

To begin addressing this challenge, the President issued a Presidential Memorandum on August 31, 2011 and an Executive Order on March 22, 2012 to add more transparency, accountability, and certainty into the permitting and review processes for major infrastructure projects.  Since then, federal agencies have worked to expedite the review and permitting of over 50 major projects, including bridges, transit, railways, waterways, roads, and renewable energy projects; over 30 of those projects have now completed the permitting process.  Progress on these projects is tracked publically through the Administration's online Federal Infrastructure Projects Permitting Dashboard.

Building off this work on specific projects, agencies have identified a set of best practices for efficient review and permitting, ranging from expanding information technology (IT) tools to synchronizing reviews for improving collaboration.  On May 17, 2013, the President issued aPresidential Memorandum charging an interagency Steering Committee with developing a plan to put these best practices to work in a systematic and permanent way across the government.  The Steering Committee is comprised of 12 agencies including the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation (ACHP), Department of Agriculture (USDA), Department of the Army (USACE), Department of Commerce represented by National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Department of Defense (DOD), Department of Energy (DOE), Department of Homeland Security represented by the U.S Coast Guard (Coast Guard), Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), Department of the Interior (DOI), Department of Transportation (DOT), Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the Morris K. Udall and Stewart L. Udall Foundation (Udall) as well as the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) and Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ).    

An Implementation Plan to Guide Further Reforms

Today, the Administration’s Steering Committee on permitting issued an Implementation Plan, which identifies four over-arching strategies, 15 specific reforms, and nearly 100 near-term and long-term milestones to institutionalize and drive these reforms across Federal agencies.  The full plan will be available HERE following the President’s remarks.

The strategies are:

• Strategy 1: Institutionalize Interagency Coordination and Transparency by formalizing interagency coordination, including: early identification of a lead agency; synchronizing separate federal review and permitting processes and decisions; standardizing the use of the Permitting Dashboard; and identifying best practices for early engagement with state, local, and tribal governments.
  Implementation of key reforms is underway.  For example, for the proposed Great Northern Transmission Line (GNTL), the Department of Energy initiated monthly meetings with other Federal agencies, Minnesota Power, and non-federal agencies to ensure early coordination, and Minnesota Power has held several public meetings.  Through these early coordination meetings, the company was able to narrow down potential corridors to two routes in their application which address agency concerns and will facilitate a more efficient review process.  Similarly, the Lynwood Link Extension project north of Seattle, WA and Federal Way Extension Light Rail Transit in South King County, WA have been working closely with state, local, and tribal governments and all involved federal agencies on the projects’ permitting and reviews to identify issues early in the process and avoid unnecessary delay.  These three projects, as well as eight others, were added to thePermitting Dashboard today.
• Strategy 2:  Improve Project Planning, Siting, and Application Quality by developing tools to assist project applicants in planning for a major infrastructure project and support effective and timely decision-making by agency staff once the federal process begins.  For example, agencies are expanding access to data and map-based IT tools so that applicants have information about potential sensitive areas, such as the location of an endangered species- in advance of selecting a site.
• Strategy 3: Improve Permitting Reviews and Mitigation by supporting agency staff in effectively implementing existing regulations, policies, and guidance, as well as identifying barriers. This strategy also includes policies to facilitate advance planning for the mitigation of project impacts and landscape- or watershed-level approaches to mitigation, where appropriate, as well as changes to cost-recovery authority for specific agencies as proposed in the President’s FY 2015 Budget. 
  For example, a number of agencies have recently expanded their use of programmatic environmental analyses, improving efficiency by leveraging a single analysis for multiple projects, and improving environmental outcomes by making it possible to plan for nearby projects with a better understanding of how they fit within a single landscape. For example, in 2012, the Department of the Interior released a Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement to provide a single blueprint for utility-scale solar energy permitting in six states.  Additionally, on April 10, 2014, the Secretary of the Interior issued a Department-wide landscape-scale mitigation strategy to encourage infrastructure development while protecting natural and cultural resources.  As part of the strategy, Interior will work closely with states, tribes, other federal agencies, and other stakeholders to identify regional conservation priorities that can benefit from coordinated landscape-scale mitigation.
• Strategy 4: Drive Continued Improvement by establishing a team dedicated to implementation of the reforms across agencies, further analyzing agency processes, identifying additional reforms, and developing reliable metrics to track timeframes and outcomes for communities and the environment.
  To support these efforts, the President’s FY 2015 Budget includes funding to establish an Interagency Infrastructure Permitting Improvement Center (IIPIC) to be housed at the Department of Transportation.  The IIPIC will report to the interagency Steering Committee chaired by OMB in coordination with CEQ to ensure a government-wide perspective.  The Budget also includes funds to expand the Permitting Dashboard to track schedules for more major infrastructure projects, improving transparency and accountability.
  Additionally, the Administration established a Cross-Agency Priority (CAP) Goal on infrastructure permitting to drive progress, ensure transparency, and promote interagency coordination.  As a CAP Goal, this effort will receive regular, senior-level reviews, and progress will be tracked publicly on Performance.gov.

Building on Past Success:  Examples of Expedited Projects

The Implementation Plan builds on lessons learned from projects that the Administration has successfully expedited in recent years, at the President’s direction.  Some examples include: 

Replacement of the Tappan Zee Bridge will improve mobility, reduce congestion, and make travel safer on one of the east coast’s busiest routes.  This critical Hudson River crossing north of New York City carries approximately 138,000 vehicles per day between Westchester and Rockland counties, approximately 20 miles north of New York City.  The current bridge is nearly 60 years old and traffic volumes on the bridge have increased by about 30 percent since 1990.  Using the process established under the Presidential Memorandum in 2011, federal agencies completed the permitting and review in 1.5 years for a process that might otherwise take 3-5 years.  A number of key strategies contributed to agencies successfully working together to cut up to three years off the project.  These strategies included:  development of a coordinated timeline; use of concurrent, rather than sequential review – with a particular focus on increased coordination between the U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT), the U.S. Coast Guard (USCG), and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE); identification of aggressive targets; and increased transparency and accountability.

Other examples of infrastructure project permitting reviews that that have been accelerated under this initiative include:

The Greater Cleveland Regional Transit Authority's Little Italy – University Circle Rapid Stationproject involves the relocation of an existing station at E 120th Street and construction of a new rail transit station along with the rehabilitation of two transit track bridges at Mayfield Road. The project will integrate the station with the dense, high employment areas of Little Italy neighborhood and University Hospitals. The project replaces an obsolete station with a new, energy efficient building, while focusing on reusing existing community resources. The Department of Transportation worked closely with the Greater Cleveland Transit Authority to develop a streamlined and focused environmental assessment in line with the Council on Environmental Quality's guidance.

The Kennebec Bridge Replacement project replaces an 80 year-old moveable bridge at the end of its service life connecting Richmond and Dresden in Maine.  The new bridge will eliminate the need for a movable span, and will provide reliable access and regional mobility for both highway and marine traffic.  Through early and frequent collaboration, open dialogue to quickly resolve disputes, and negotiating and maintaining a project schedule across all Federal agencies involved, the agencies cut up to a year off the anticipated timeline for the permitting and review of the bridge.

Additional examples of projects can be found on the Administration's Permitting Dashboard.

Investing in a 21^st Century Transportation Infrastructure

Transportation is a critical engine of the nation’s economy.  Investments in the national transportation network over the country’s history, and especially the last half-century, have been instrumental in developing the world’s largest economy and most mobile society.  The President proposes increasing infrastructure investment in order to create jobs, grow our economy, attract private investment, facilitate American exports, reduce commute times and increase access to jobs, make our roads and bridges safer, cut red tape, and increase the return on investment of transportation infrastructure for American taxpayers.  Just weeks ago, the Administration submitted to Congress the GROW AMERICA Act, a four-year proposal designed to achieve those objectives.  

GROW AMERICA ACT – Before this fall, the Highway Trust Fund – which funds a significant portion of the construction and repair of our surface transportation system – will be insolvent and just a few weeks later the authorities that establish our surface transportation programs will expire.  Without action, many states and communities may be forced to slow or stop work on critical transportation projects that our nation depends upon to move people, energy, and freight every day, putting jobs at risk and slowing investment in our future.  The Generating Renewal, Opportunity, and Work with Accelerated Mobility, Efficiency, and Rebuilding of Infrastructure and Communities throughout America Act, or GROW AMERICA Act, is a $302 billion, four year transportation reauthorization proposal that provides increased and stable funding for our nation’s highways, bridges, transit, and rail systems. The Administration’s proposal is funded by supplementing current revenues with $150 billion in one-time transition revenue from pro-growth business tax reform.  This will prevent Trust Fund insolvency for four years and increase investments to meet the transportation priorities and economic needs of communities across the country.  The proposal also includes a series of legislative proposals to improve project delivery and the federal permitting and regulatory review process

Building on Past Accomplishments – The President’s proposal builds on a series of major accomplishments in infrastructure over the past five years. Since the President took office, American workers have improved over 350,000 miles of U.S. roads and repaired or replaced over 20,000 bridges. The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act was the most significant transportation public works program since the New Deal, providing $48 billion to more than 15,000 projects across the country. Earlier this year, the President announced $600 million in competitive TIGER grants to fund innovative transportation projects around the country.  Notably, the President’s FY 2015 Budget proposes a new America Fast Forward (AFF) bonds program that would build upon and expand a successful program created in the Recovery Act to attract private capital for infrastructure investments.

Leveraging Private Sector Investment – In addition to the need for smart public investment in our shared transportation system, the Administration is committed to leveraging private sector investment to further expand infrastructure investment.  The GROW AMERICA Act proposes a range of measures to attract more investment in infrastructure, including expanding financing options under the TIFIA Program, which leverages federal dollars by facilitating private participation in transportation projects and encouraging innovative mechanisms that help advance projects more quickly.  As part of the FY 2015 Budget, the Administration has also proposed a National Infrastructure Bank, as well as changes to tax rules to encourage greater private investment. 

PRESIDENT OBAMA'S LETTER TO CONGRESS ON CONTINUATION OF NATIONAL EMERGENCY WITH RESPECT TO YEMEN

FROM:  THE WHITE HOUSE 

Letter to the Congress -- Continuation of the National Emergency with Respect to Yemen

TEXT OF A LETTER FROM THE PRESIDENT

TO THE SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

AND THE PRESIDENT OF THE SENATE

May 12, 2014

Dear Mr. Speaker: (Mr. President:)

Section 202(d) of the National Emergencies Act (50 U.S.C. 1622(d)) provides for the automatic termination of a national emergency unless, within 90 days prior to the anniversary date of its declaration, the President publishes in the Federal Register and transmits to the Congress a notice stating that the emergency is to continue in effect beyond the anniversary date. In accordance with this provision, I have sent to the Federal Register for publication the enclosed notice stating that the national emergency declared in Executive Order 13611 of May 16, 2012, with respect to Yemen is to continue in effect beyond May 16, 2014.

The actions and policies of certain members of the Government of Yemen and others continue to threaten Yemen's peace, security, and stability, including by obstructing the implementation of the agreement of November 23, 2011, between the Government of Yemen and those in opposition to it, which provided for a peaceful transition of power that meets the legitimate demands and aspirations of the Yemeni people for change, and by obstructing the political process in Yemen. For this reason, I have determined that it is necessary to continue the national emergency declared in Executive Order 13611 with respect to Yemen.

Sincerely,

BARACK OBAMA

GSA ADMINISTRATOR'S STATEMENT ON IT REFORM

FROM:  GENERAL SERVICES ADMINISTRATION 

Federal IT Reform Hearing

STATEMENT OF THE HONORABLE DANIEL M. TANGHERLINI

ADMINISTRATOR FOR GENERAL SERVICES ADMINISTRATION

BEFORE THE COMMITTEE ON APPROPRIATIONS SUBCOMMITTEE ON FINANCIAL SERVICES AND GENERAL GOVERNMENT

UNITED STATES SENATE

 May 7, 2014

Good afternoon Chairman Udall, Ranking Member Johanns, and Members of the Committee.  My name is Dan Tangherlini, and I am the Administrator of the U.S. General Services Administration (GSA).

The challenges of technology procurement and delivery facing the government have been a focus for better management and oversight throughout this Administration.  They present an opportunity to deliver better outcomes for the American people in a more efficient manner.  Given the U.S. General Services Administration’s mission to deliver the best value in real estate, acquisition, and technology services to the government and the American people, we believe we are uniquely positioned to help make a difference in these efforts. Through better management of our own IT investments, as well as offerings GSA provides government-wide, GSA can support the Administration’s efforts to better manage IT and help to continue improving some of these longstanding challenges.

GSA Information Technology –

Empowering the Chief Information Officer (CIO)

Since my arrival at GSA, we have been focused on consolidating and streamlining major functions within the agency to eliminate redundancy, improve oversight, and increase accountability.  Consistent with the Administration’s push to strengthen CIO authorities, GSA brought together all IT functions, budgets, and authorities from across the agency under an accountable, empowered GSA CIO, in line with the best practices followed by most modern organizations today.  GSA has moved from 17 different regional and bureau CIOs to one enterprise CIO office.  To improve management and accountability, GSA established the Investment Review Board co-chaired by the GSA CIO and Chief Financial Officer (CFO) with oversight and authority over all GSA IT spending. Prior to this consolidation, GSA’s business lines and often the regions had separate IT systems and budgets, providing limited visibility and oversight into proposed investments and creating significant redundancy and inefficiency.

Enterprise Planning

GSA now has one enterprise-wide process for making IT investments, which ensures that investments are geared toward the highest priorities in support of the agency’s strategic goals.  We are now able to more comprehensively look at the portion of spending that is focused on operating and maintaining existing systems.  We have set internal goals to reduce ongoing operating costs to allow the organization to make better long-term investments using our enterprise-wide, data driven zero-based IT budgeting process.

Zero-based IT budgeting (ZBB)

GSA is beginning to leverage an internal ZBB process to develop the IT budget. ZBB is a budgeting method that requires justification for all expenses in each new fiscal period. This method will ensure budgeting processes align to the organization’s strategy by tying budget line items to specific strategic goals and initiatives.  For instance, GSA used to maintain multiple systems to track engagements with partner Federal agencies.  Through these changes, GSA’s major business lines will share these tools, facilitating a two-fold win. From an IT perspective, we eliminated the cost of maintaining redundant systems, resulting in lower operations and maintenance costs.  From the mission execution side, we improved engagement with partner Federal agencies by putting a more complete picture of who we work with in the hands of our staff.

Enhanced Use of Cloud Computing and Consolidation of Data Centers

Consolidation also provides an opportunity to adopt the best forward-leaning practices not just in where and what IT investments are made, but also how we support these investments.  In recognition of the need to modernize not just applications but how we support IT, and consistent with broader Federal efforts, GSA instituted a "cloud first" policy that prompts all application development initiatives to look first to the GSA cloud platforms available as technology solutions before evaluating legacy platforms with higher operational costs. In doing this, GSA has saved money not only in the areas of reduced infrastructure costs, but also through the reuse of previously developed functionality.  This initiative in part has also allowed us to consolidate 1,700 legacy applications into fewer than 100 cloud-based applications between 2011 and 2013.  GSA’s use of cloud services has saved $15 million dollars[1] over the past five years.  GSA has also been aggressive in shutting down unneeded data centers as part of the Federal Data Center Consolidation Initiative.  In Fiscal Year 2013, GSA shut down 37 data centers, meeting our goal, and we intend to shut down an additional 24 this fiscal year.

Agile Development

The focus of our transition has not been limited to what we build, but also how we build. GSA IT has moved away from the world of waterfall application development methodologies that have historically led to higher costs and poor product quality, to an agile methodology which allows us to work better, faster, and leaner than we ever have before. Our move to an agile development shop has resulted in a significant increase in our ability to rapidly deploy and scale.   As a result, beginning in 2013, GSA’s development cycle time has been reduced to six to eight weeks from eight to twelve months.

These IT reform initiatives have resulted in more efficient allocation of IT resources.  In FY 2013, GSA spent $698 million in IT spending.  In FY 2015, GSA requested $572 million, a reduction of nearly 18 percent.  We have cut 45 Full Time Equivalent positions in the IT area and identified several duplicative systems in the regions and between various offices that are now being consolidated.  In addition, GSA’s strategic hiring plan is focused on obtaining IT skills through government hires to allow us to decrease the reliance on contractors in some areas.

Consolidated IT governance helps GSA realize a high-performing IT environment as effectively and efficiently as possible. Enterprise IT governance will ensure GSA is investing in the right initiatives at the right time, allow greater oversight of key IT investments, and promote interoperability and transparency through the GSA enterprise.  It also allows a level of transparency and accountability that will lead to continuous ongoing improvement.

IT Acquisition Solutions –

In addition to our efforts to better manage internal GSA IT investments and policies, we also offer acquisition solutions to agencies that deliver savings and enable them to focus more on core mission activities.

GSA aggregates and leverages the Federal government’s buying power to obtain a wide range of information technology and telecommunications products and services in support of agency missions across government through contract vehicles like Schedule 70 and Networx.  Schedule 70 is an indefinite delivery/indefinite quantity (IDIQ) multiple award schedule that provides direct access to products, services, and solutions from more than 5,000 certified industry partners.  Networx provides cost-effective solutions for partner agencies’ communications infrastructure and service needs.  Through better pricing of these and other similar acquisitions, GSA helped agencies save more than $1 billion in Fiscal Year 2013, and will help them save an additional $1 billion in Fiscal Year 2014 on these acquisitions.[2]

Additionally, GSA is currently developing the Prices Paid Portal.  This proof of concept tool is intended to provide greater visibility into the prices paid by government agencies for commonly purchased goods and services.  Currently, the system is being populated with initial data on simple commodities such as office supplies, with data on more complex items to follow.  Allowing the federal acquisition community to see and analyze the cost of these good and services is intended to drive better pricing for all future federal procurements. Our hope is to replicate our purchasing experience as individuals where comparative market pricing information is widely available, such as many e-commerce, travel and secondary market portals.

Innovative Technologies and Digital Services –

GSA also looks for opportunities to help agencies adopt new technologies and take advantage of digital services that improve mission delivery, and enhance their interactions with the public.  For example, the Federal Risk and Authorization Management Program (FedRAMP) is a government-wide program that accelerates adoption of cloud computing across government by providing a standardized approach to security assessment, authorization, and continuous monitoring for cloud products and services.  This mandatory approach, which uses a “do once, use many times” framework, is saving cost, time, and staff required to conduct redundant agency security assessments.

GSA helps to ensure that we have tools that allow the Government to access the ingenuity of the American people to help solve Government’s challenges.  GSA manages Challenge.gov, an award-winning platform to promote and conduct challenge and prize competitions government-wide.  Challenge.gov seeks to involve more Americans in the work of government.    Eighty contests were hosted in FY 2013, covering a wide range of technical and creative challenges.  For instance, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) hosted a robocall challenge, which asked innovators to create solutions to block illegal robocalls on landline or mobile phones.  The FTC received nearly 800 entries and selected two winners in a tie for the best overall solution.  One winning solution, Nomorobo, went to market on September 30, 2013, and has blocked nearly 1.3 million calls for consumers.

GSA also is leading efforts to open government data to entrepreneurs and other innovators to fuel development of products and services that drive economic growth.  GSA operates Data.gov, the flagship open government portal, which enables easy access to and use of more than 90,000 data collections from over 180 government agencies.  By facilitating information transparency and access, GSA allows anyone, whether an individual or a business, to take public information and apply it in new and useful ways. A snapshot of the power of open data can be seen on Data.gov/Impact, which provides a list of companies leveraging open government data to power the economy.

GSA is also committed to helping agencies through smarter delivery of IT projects.  In collaboration with White House Office of Science and Technology Policy, GSA manages the Presidential Innovation Fellows (PIF) program.  The PIF program recruits and sources some of our nation’s brightest individuals to specific agencies and challenges them to implement solutions that save money and make the Federal government work better for the American people.  The program is set up to deliver results in months, not years, and has already demonstrated its value through solutions like USAID’s Better than Cash and VA’s Blue Button.

Building on this approach, and in coordination with the Digital Service at OMB, GSA recently announced the creation of 18F— a digital delivery team within GSA that aims to make the government’s digital and web services simple, effective, and easier to use for the American people.  By using lessons from our Nation’s top technology startups, these public service innovators are looking to provide support for our federal partners in delivering better digital services at reduced time and cost. 18F is structured to develop in an agile manner, building prototypes rapidly and putting them in the hands of users for feedback; measure success not in terms of completion of a system, but through customer use; build core capacity so that the government can build and deliver technology solutions; and scale what works iteratively.

18F is already engaged in various initiatives to improve services GSA provides to our constituents. As an example, the 18F team helped develop a new, innovative tool called FBOpen (fbopen.gsa.gov) that allows small and innovative businesses to quickly access federal contracting and grant opportunities by using simple search queries. This open source search tool makes it easier for small businesses and less traditional federal contractors to better find and bid on government opportunities, while increasing competition and delivering a simpler way to find all of the opportunities the federal government makes available.  By pairing innovative technologists with agency procurement experts and reaching out to small businesses to understand their needs, GSA was able to successfully test [and deploy] a viable product in less than six months.   FBOpen is just one example of how use of smarter IT practices can shorten the time to value, whether work is performed by federal employees, contractors, or both.

Conclusion –

GSA’s internal IT reforms, acquisition solutions, and digital services are in keeping with our mission to deliver the best value in information technology solutions to government and the American people.  GSA still has a lot of work ahead of us, and I appreciate the Committee’s support of our reform efforts.

I appreciate the opportunity to appear before you today and I am happy to answer any questions you have.  Thank you.


[1] Savings resulting from use of cloud services, such as Salesforce Platform as a Service, and E-mail as a Service.
[2] Compared to commercial pricing for comparable services and terms and conditions

PRESIDENT OBAMA'S LETTER REGARDING WAR POWERS RESOLUTION

FROM:  THE WHITE HOUSE 

Letter from the President -- -- IDLs -- War Powers Resolution

Dear Mr. Speaker: (Dear Mr. President:)

As I initially reported on October 14, 2011, and most recently reported on December 13, 2013, the United States is pursuing a comprehensive strategy to help the governments and people of central Africa in their efforts to stop the atrocities committed by the Lord's Resistance Army. In furtherance of that strategy, U.S. military personnel with appropriate combat equipment have deployed to Uganda, South Sudan, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and the Central African Republic to support regional forces from the African Union's Regional Task Force that are working to apprehend or remove Lord's Resistance Army leader Joseph Kony and other senior leaders from the battlefield and to protect local populations.

Regional forces have consistently identified air mobility support with increased range and speed as one of the most-needed capabilities to pursue the remaining Lord's Resistance Army leaders across a wide swath of one of the world's poorest, least governed, and most remote regions. To enhance U.S. support to these regional forces, U.S. aircraft, aircrews, and support personnel deployed to central Africa on March 23 and 24, 2014. The approximately 150 additional personnel will principally operate and maintain U.S. aircraft to provide air mobility support to foreign partner forces.

The total number of U.S. military personnel deployed to the central Africa region for this mission is now approximately 280. The aircraft and personnel providing the enhanced air mobility support will deploy to the Lord's Resistance Army-affected areas of central Africa episodically, as they are available, consistent with other Department of Defense requirements.

During these deployments, the number of U.S. Armed Forces deployed to the central Africa region will fluctuate, and may increase to as many as approximately 300.

As I previously reported, U.S. forces will not themselves engage Lord's Resistance Army forces unless necessary in self-defense.

This deployment is in furtherance of the national security and foreign policy interests of the United States, including the policy expressed in the Lord's Resistance Army Disarmament and

Northern Uganda Recovery Act of 2009, Public Law 111-172, enacted May 24, 2010. I have approved this deployment pursuant to my constitutional authority to conduct U.S. foreign relations and as Commander in Chief and Chief Executive.

I am making this supplemental report as part of my efforts to keep the Congress fully informed, consistent with the War Powers Resolution (Public Law 93-148). I appreciate the support of the Congress in this matter. A classified annex to this report provides additional detail.

Sincerely,

BARACK OBAMA

CONGRESSMAN CAMP COMMENTS ON BUDGET VOTE

FROM:  CONGRESSMAN DAVE CAMP, CHAIRMAN OF HOUSE WAYS AND MEANS COMMITTEE 

On December 12, the House of Representatives passed, with a bipartisan vote, H.J.Res. 59, the two-year budget compromise negotiated by House Budget Chairman Paul Ryan (R-WI) and Senate Budget Chairwoman Patty Murray (D-WA).  H.J.Res.59 reduces the deficit by approximately $23 billion without raising taxes.    

Following the vote Camp said, “Today, I joined in a bipartisan vote for a two year budget that reduces the deficit and includes reductions in mandatory spending without raising taxes.  This will give Congress the opportunity to work on serious solutions, like tax reform, to strengthen the economy so job creators can grow, hire and increase wages and address our long-term debt crisis.”

PRESIDENT OBAMA'S MESSAGE TO CONGRESS REGARDING WAR POWERS RESOLUTION

FROM:  THE WHITE HOUSE 
December 13, 2013
Message to the Congress -- Report Consistent with War Powers Resolution
Dear Mr. Speaker: (Dear Mr. President:)

I am providing this supplemental consolidated report, prepared by my Administration and consistent with the War Powers Resolution (Public Law 93-148), as part of my efforts to keep the Congress informed about deployments of U.S. Armed Forces equipped for combat.

MILITARY OPERATIONS IN SUPPORT OF U.S. COUNTERTERRORISM OBJECTIVES

In furtherance of U.S. counterterrorism efforts, the United States continues to work with partners around the globe, with a particular focus on the U.S. Central Command's and U.S. Africa Command's areas of responsibility. In this context, the United States has deployed U.S. combat-equipped forces to enhance the counterterrorism capabilities and support the counterterrorism operations of our friends and allies, including special operations and other forces for sensitive operations in various locations around the world. Specific information about counterterrorism deployments to select countries is provided below, and a classified annex to this report provides further information.

Military Operations Against al-Qa'ida, the Taliban, and Associated Forces and in Support of Related U.S. Counterterrorism Objectives

Since October 7, 2001, the United States has conducted combat operations in Afghanistan against al-Qa'ida, the Taliban, and associated forces. In support of these and other overseas operations, the United States has deployed combat-equipped forces to a number of locations in the U.S. Central, Pacific, European, Southern, and Africa Command areas of operation. Such operations and deployments have been reported previously, consistent with Public Law 107-40 and the War Powers Resolution, and operations and deployments remain ongoing. These operations, which the United States has carried out with the assistance of numerous international partners, have been successful in seriously degrading al-Qa'ida's capabilities and brought an end to the Taliban's leadership of Afghanistan.

The United States is committed to thwarting the efforts of al-Qa'ida, the Taliban, and associated forces to carry out future acts of international terrorism, and we have continued to work with our counterterrorism partners to disrupt and degrade the capabilities of al-Qa'ida, the Taliban, and associated forces. As necessary, in response to this terrorist threat, I will direct additional measures to protect U.S. citizens and interests. It is not possible to know at this time the precise scope or the duration of the deployments of U.S. Armed Forces necessary to counter this terrorist threat to the United States.

Afghanistan. United States Armed Forces continue to pursue and engage remaining al-Qa'ida and Taliban fighters in Afghanistan while transitioning to an Afghan security lead. There are approximately 55,000 U.S. forces in Afghanistan, and the United States Armed Forces are on track to meet the Afghanistan Force Management Level of 34,000 by February 12, 2014.

The United Nations (U.N.) Security Council most recently extended its authorization of the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) in Afghanistan until December 31, 2014, in U.N. Security Council Resolution 2120 (October 10, 2013). The mission of ISAF, under North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) command and in partnership with the Government of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, is to reduce the capability and will of the insurgency, support the growth in capacity and capability of the Afghan National Security Forces (ANSF), and facilitate improvements in governance and socio-economic development in order to provide a secure environment for sustainable stability that is observable to the population. Forty-eight nations, including the United States and all 28 NATO members, contribute forces to ISAF. For the last few years, the ISAF campaign has focused on preparing the ANSF for full security transition in 2014.

In June 2013, at the "Milestone 2013" ceremony, the ANSF assumed the lead for security nationwide. ISAF is now in support of the ANSF. The only unilateral operations that ISAF conducts are in support of its own security, sustainment, and redeployment. In the coming months, ISAF will focus on developing the sustainability of the ANSF and assisting the ANSF as the Afghan government plans for the elections in 2014. The security transition process -- as agreed to at the 2010 NATO Summit in Lisbon and reaffirmed at the 2012 NATO Summit in Chicago -- remains on track and the ANSF are expected to assume full responsibility for security across the whole of Afghanistan by the end of 2014.

As I noted in my report of June 14, 2013, on March 25, 2013, the United States signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the Afghan government under which the United States transferred all Afghan nationals detained by U.S. forces in Afghanistan to the custody and control of the Afghan government. Pursuant to the MOU, any new Afghan detainees are to be transferred to Afghan custody and control within 96 hours after capture. United States forces in Afghanistan continue to detain approximately 53 third-country nationals under the 2001 Authorization for the Use of Military Force (Public Law 107-40), as informed by the law of war.

Libya. In Libya, on October 5, 2013, U.S. Armed Forces captured longtime al-Qa'ida member Abu Anas al Libi.

Somalia. In Somalia, the U.S. military has worked to counter the terrorist threat posed by al-Qa'ida and associated elements of al-Shabaab. On the night of October 4, 2013, U.S. Armed Forces conducted a raid in Somalia to capture a member of al-Qa'ida who is also a top commander in the terrorist group al-Shabaab. The operation did not result in the capture of the targeted individual.

Yemen. The U.S. military has also been working closely with the Yemeni government to dismantle operationally and ultimately eliminate the terrorist threat posed by al-Qa'ida in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP), the most active and dangerous affiliate of al-Qa'ida today. Our joint efforts have resulted in direct action against a limited number of AQAP operatives and senior leaders in that country who posed a terrorist threat to the United States and our interests.

Cuba. Combat-equipped forces, deployed since January 2002 to the Naval Base, Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, continue to conduct humane and secure detention operations for the approximately 162 detainees at Guantanamo Bay under the authority provided by the 2001 Authorization for the Use of Military Force (Public Law 107-40), as informed by the law of war.

Military Operations in Niger in Support of U.S. Counterterrorism Objectives

As indicated in my report of June 14, 2013, U.S. military personnel in Niger continue to provide support for intelligence collection and to facilitate intelligence sharing with French forces conducting operations in Mali and with other partners in the region. The total number of U.S. military personnel deployed to Niger is approximately 200.

MILITARY OPERATIONS IN CENTRAL AFRICA

In October and November 2011, U.S. military personnel with appropriate combat equipment deployed to Uganda to serve as advisors to regional forces of the African Union Regional Task Force (AU-RTF) that are working to apprehend or remove Joseph Kony and other senior Lord's Resistance Army (LRA) leaders from the battlefield, and to protect local populations. The number of U.S. military personnel deployed to the central Africa region, including advisors deployed for this mission and personnel providing logistical and support functions to this and other missions, is approximately 120.

United States forces are working with select partner nation forces of the AU-RTF to enhance cooperation, information-sharing and synchronization, operational planning, and overall effectiveness. Elements of these U.S. forces have deployed to forward locations in the LRA-affected areas, including the Republic of South Sudan, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and the Central African Republic in order to enhance regional efforts against the LRA. These forces, however, will not engage LRA forces except in self-defense. It is in the U.S. national security interest to help our regional partners in Africa to develop their capability to address threats to regional peace and security, including the threat posed by the LRA. The United States is pursuing a comprehensive strategy to help the governments and people of this region in their efforts to end the threat posed by the LRA and to address the impact of the LRA's atrocities.

MARITIME INTERCEPTION OPERATIONS

As noted in previous reports, the United States remains prepared to conduct maritime interception operations on the high seas in the areas of responsibility of each of the geographic combatant commands. These maritime operations are aimed at stopping the movement, arming, and financing of certain international terrorist groups, and also include operations aimed at stopping proliferation by sea of weapons of mass destruction and related materials.

MILITARY OPERATIONS IN EGYPT

Approximately 715 military personnel are assigned to the U.S. contingent of the Multinational Force and Observers, which have been present in Egypt since 1981.

MILITARY OPERATIONS IN JORDAN

As detailed in my report of June 21, 2013, at the request of the Government of Jordan, a combat-equipped detachment of approximately 700 U.S. personnel remain in Jordan following participation in a training exercise that ended on June 20, 2013. The detachment includes Patriot missile systems, fighter aircraft, and related support, command, control, and communications personnel and systems. These forces joined U.S. forces already in Jordan for a total of approximately 1,500 U.S. military personnel. These forces will remain in Jordan, in full coordination with the Government of Jordan, until the security situation becomes such that they are no longer needed.

U.S./NATO OPERATIONS IN KOSOVO

The U.N. Security Council authorized Member States to establish a NATO-led Kosovo Force (KFOR) in Resolution 1244 on June 10, 1999. The original mission of KFOR was to monitor, verify, and, when necessary, enforce compliance with the Military Technical Agreement between NATO and the then-Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (now Serbia), while maintaining a safe and secure environment. Today, KFOR deters renewed hostilities in cooperation with local authorities, bilateral partners, and international institutions. The principal military tasks of KFOR forces are to help maintain a safe and secure environment and to ensure freedom of movement throughout Kosovo.

Currently, 23 NATO Allies contribute to KFOR. Eight non-NATO countries also participate. The U.S. contribution to KFOR is approximately 670 U.S. military personnel out of the total strength of approximately 4,900 personnel.

REGIONAL SECURITY OPERATIONS

As stated in my report of June 14, 2013, U.S. Armed Forces remain in Libya and Yemen to support the security of U.S. personnel. These forces will remain deployed, in full coordination with the respective host governments, until the security situation no longer requires them.

Additional information about regional security operations is provided in the classified annex.

I have directed the participation of U.S. Armed Forces in all of these operations pursuant to my constitutional and statutory authority as Commander in Chief (including the authority to carry out Public Law 107-40 and other statutes) and as Chief Executive, as well as my constitutional and statutory authority to conduct the foreign relations of the United States. Officials of my Administration and I communicate regularly with the leadership and other Members of Congress with regard to these deployments, and we will continue to do so.

Sincerely,

BARACK OBAMA

SECRETARY OF DEFENSE HAGEL'S STATEMENT ON BUDGET AGREEMENT

FROM:  U.S. DEFENSE DEPARTMENT 
Statement by Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel on Budget Agreement

Last night, I spoke with House Budget Committee Chairman Paul Ryan and Senate Budget Committee Chairman Patty Murray to thank them for their work to achieve a bipartisan budget agreement. The deal they reached reduces the impact of sequestration cuts and provides the Department of Defense with greater budget certainty, which is important for us to be able to plan effectively. While this agreement doesn't solve every budget problem facing DoD, it will help address our military readiness challenge by restoring funding for training and procurement - especially in fiscal year 2014.

The Department of Defense has been warning about the impact of sequestration's steep, deep, and abrupt cuts for months, and I'm pleased that Congress has been willing to work in a bipartisan manner to limit its worst impacts. I urge Congress to promptly act on a balanced agreement.

Tough decisions will still be necessary going forward in order to achieve the right balance in military capacity, capabilities, and readiness. The Department of Defense will need more flexibility, and we will continue to look to Congress as a vital partner in our efforts to realign priorities and address needed reforms in areas like military compensation in order to maximize our military's fighting strength.

U.S. SECRETARY OF DEFENSE PANNETTA NOTIFIES CONGRESS OF CIVILIAN FURLOUGHS

FROM: U.S. DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE
Panetta Notifies Congress DOD Preparing for Furloughs
By Jim Garamone
American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, Feb. 20, 2013 - Defense Secretary Leon E. Panetta has notified Congress that the Defense Department is prepared to implement furloughs for civilian personnel in response to the threat of sequestration.

In a memo to all employees, Panetta vowed to continue working with Congress to avoid sequestration, which would add $470 billion to the $487 billion in defense spending cuts the department already is making over the next 10 years. If Congress cannot agree on an alternative deficit reduction plan, the cuts go into effect March 1.

Panetta and every other defense leader have called the cuts dangerous. They would come on top of cuts imposed by operating under a continuing resolution. For fiscal year 2013, the effect will be further magnified, because the cuts must be done in the final six months of the fiscal year, which ends Sept. 30.

"In the event of sequestration, we will do everything we can to be able to continue to perform our core mission of providing for the security of the United States," Panetta wrote in the memo, "but there is no mistaking that the rigid nature of the cuts forced upon this department, and their scale, will result in a serious erosion of readiness across the force."

Panetta and DOD leaders long have expressed deep concern about the direct impact sequestration will have on military personnel, civilian employees and families. Flexibility in sequestration is limited, the secretary said in his memo, noting that while military personnel are exempt from direct impact, services on bases will deteriorate, and families may feel the pinch in other ways.

Civilian employees will be furloughed if sequestration is triggered. Deputy Defense Secretary Ashton B. Carter said last week that civilian employees could lose 20 percent of their normal income through September.

"I can assure you that, if we have to implement furloughs, all affected employees will be provided at least 30 days' notice prior to executing a furlough, and your benefits will be protected to the maximum extent possible," Panetta wrote.

DOD will work to ensure furloughs are executed in a consistent and appropriate manner, the secretary said, and Pentagon officials also will continue work with employee unions.

"Our most important asset at the department is our world-class personnel," Panetta wrote. "You are fighting every day to keep our country strong and secure, and rest assured that the leaders of this department will continue to fight with you and for you."