SECRETARY OF DEFENSE HAGEL'S REMARKS ON USS STETHEM

FROM:  U.S. DEFENSE DEPARTMENT
Presenter: Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel; Press Secretary George Little October 04, 2013
Remarks on USS Stethem

SECRETARY CHUCK HAGEL: Ladies and gentlemen, good morning. I am very proud of what you're doing. The president of the United States is proud of what you're doing. America is proud of what you're doing.

 I'm here in Japan for a couple of days, came over from South Korea before that, talked to troops, meetings. I think we've made some progress with our bilateral partners and friends to strengthen the alliance between the Japanese and the Americans, as well as the Republic of South Korea and the United States.

 The trilateral relationship of our three countries is particularly important. You play a big role in that. The 50,000 men and women who represent U.S. Forces Japan are really the anchor and the cornerstone of America's presence in the Asia Pacific. And we, again, appreciate your service and your sacrifices, and particularly your families'. And I want you to greet your families for me, tell your families that we appreciate what they're doing.

 These are challenging times. You all understand that better than almost anyone. You are right out here where it matters most. And you are doing work where there is little margin for error. It is critically important, as we build relationships and alliances and we defend our interests, as well as the interests of our allies. These are defining times.

These are times you will look back on as you complete your service to our country and have not only the sense of pride and purpose that you accomplished something pretty special, but you helped shape history, and that's what you're doing out here. You really are shaping history. You're not just observing history, but you are participating in history.

I know you're from all over. I've seen your backgrounds. You represent the best America has. And I know occasionally you wonder if anybody's paying attention. We are paying attention. And, again, I came out here specifically to say hello to you and to thank you for everything you're doing.

I've got some time for questions, advice, whatever you want to talk about. I'd be glad to spend some time with you on it. I always value what our troops think, what our people believe. What are we doing right? What are we doing wrong? I know as you look on Washington these days, it appears that we are having some difficulty governing ourselves. But that is part of the business of democracy.

You know that the president is totally committed to you. As you know, he signed a bill into law that exempts our military from the shutdown. That means, as you all know, our country wants you to stay on the job, needs you to stay on the job, and you're going to be paid for it. I know that's not an insignificant factor in your lives, but you were specifically cut out of the shutdown process by the Congress, and the president signed that bill into law.

So we'll get through this in Washington. Yes, it's difficult. It's messy. And you all are aware of that. But our country is too good, too strong. Our people are too good and too strong. We'll get through it, and we'll be better for it.

All right. What do you want to talk about? Anything.

I am well aware, by the way, of the history of this ship, who it was named after and why. I recall that -- that time in 1985, and I know your every proud to have Stethem's name on this ship and your part of it. And I know you recognize that every time there's a change of command, and it's a tremendous tradition to have Robert Stethem's brother come out here and be part of that change of command ceremony.

And I'm proud that we would recognize such a great American hero as Robert Stethem this way, in naming an important ship that is at the forefront of protecting America's interest and our allies' interest. Anything that you want to talk about. Yes?

Q: Mr. Secretary, the government shutdown, what's the effect on the DOD schools?

SECRETARY HAGEL: The question is DOD schools, how are they affected by the government shutdown? And we're exempting all of the -- the vital components of supporting our military. That's part of the exceptions. I have asked our lawyers and our comptroller to examine what additional civilians we could bring back. We had -- we were forced by law to furlough many, many of our civilian workers. But we're trying to find a solid legal interpretation here in the law that can bring back more people in support of our military.

The fact is, all our civilians who work for the Department of Defense support our military. There's no job in our Department of Defense that doesn't support the military. So I think theoretically -- I'm not a lawyer, but I do have some appreciation for common sense, and common sense tells you that if you're working for the Department of Defense, you're supporting the defense and the security of America, and you're supporting those who are on the front lines, those in uniform, like you, who do this nation's business. So we're going to take care of all the components of DOD that support you and your families.

Q: Good morning, Mr. Secretary --

SECRETARY HAGEL: I'm sorry. Yeah, I'll come back to you here. We'll get -- go ahead.

Q: (off mic)

SECRETARY HAGEL: That's a good question. The question was, what is the role of the United States in the next three years? Well, the president has been very clear on this point, that starting with the rebalance to the Asia Pacific, does not mean that we're retreating from any other part of the world. We're not.

We have responsibilities in the Middle East. We have friends. We have allies in the Middle East, as we do all over the world, and we will continue with our allies to play a role in the Middle East.

I think what happened at the United Nations last week was very positive, was very encouraging, to get the United Nations to act on the chemical weapons issue in Syria. We were able to bring the Security Council together on this. We are in the forefront of dealing with that. DOD is part of that.

I think, on the Iranian piece of this, there was very positive developments last week. A long way to go. Actions must match words. We're very clear-eyed and realistic about all of it. We have the greatest, strongest military in the world. We're the strongest nation in the world, our economy, our military, every component of who we are. That's how you assure your freedom and your security.

But at the same time, Secretary Kerry and I addressed this issue yesterday. Democracies engage. Engagement is a sign of strength. And we'll see where it goes. But I think we all agree that if we can resolve differences and problems peacefully, versus going to war, I think you're the first to agree that's probably a better option, because you've got to fight the wars.

So there will be a role for the United States in the Middle East. And as said, we're not retreating from any part of the world. Alliances become more and more critical, maybe more critical than they have ever been. It is building capacities for our allies, helping our allies. It's what we're doing here in the Middle East, part of what you're doing -- I mean, here in the Asia Pacific. It's what we're doing in the Middle East, is as you -- as you build alliances, strengthen those alliances, you strengthen their capabilities and capacities to defend themselves.

And that's much of what we're doing here, certainly in the Asia Pacific, as well as the Middle East and around the world.

GEORGE LITTLE: We're going to get one more.

SECRETARY HAGEL: Okay, one more. We had somebody in the front row here, yes.

Q: (off mic) with the government shutdown, will there be any effect on Seventh Fleet operations?

SECRETARY HAGEL: With the government shutdown, will there be any effect on Seventh Fleet operations? No.

Okay. (Laughter.) How's that? My team like it when I give one-answer -- one-word answers. How's that? I get myself in less trouble. (Laughter.)

Thank you all very much. Much success to you. We're very, very proud of you. Take care of yourselves. Thank you.

PANETTA SAYS CHINA RELATIONSHIP IMPORTANT FOR PEACE

Map:  China.  Credit:  CIA World Factbook.

FROM: U.S. DEFENSE DEPARTMENT
China Important to Pacific Peace, Panetta Tells Students
By Karen Parrish
American Forces Press Service
WASHINGTON, Feb. 6, 2013 – The United States seeks to establish a strategic dialogue with China as well as a common approach to challenges, Defense Secretary Leon E. Panetta told a Georgetown University audience here today.

Following a speech on leadership and government this morning, the secretary took audience questions. One international student from Japan asked the secretary to comment on "the islands dispute between China and Japan."

Panetta noted in his response that he had visited both Japanese and Chinese leaders in recent months and had discussed the issue with both sides. Each country claims rights to a group of islands east of China and south of Japan.

The secretary said repeatedly throughout his September, 2012, trip, touching down in both nations, that the United States does not take sides in territorial disputes, but urges peaceful resolution of any such issues.

The danger in territorial clashes between nations, Panetta explained today at Georgetown, is that an unmeasured act could create an even greater crisis.

"Part of our reason to rebalance to the Pacific is because we think that in many ways … our future economic security, our trade relationships, our security relationships are going to be critical in that part of the world," he said.

Panetta said maintaining and improving those relationships, both with allies like Japan and South Korea and with "rising powers" such as China, is central to U.S. strategy.

"We've got a set of common challenges here," the secretary told his audience. "One is our ability to respond to disasters in that part of the world."

Another challenge is the threat of missile proliferation, particularly in North Korea, he added.

Panetta’s message to Chinese leaders during his visit, he noted, was, "It is in your interest to work with other countries to resolve these issues. Because if your interest is in a Pacific region that can be peaceful and that can prosper in the future, you have to be part of that."

Pacific stability requires that China not threaten other countries, the secretary said.

"It cannot be a China that threatens … to go after their territories and create territorial disputes," he said. "They have to be part of a family of nations in that region, working together in order to ensure peace and prosperity."

The secretary said recently appointed Chinese leaders he met on his trip "recognize the importance of trying to develop that kind of communication."

Panetta said he urged Chinese leaders to discuss cyber and missile defense issues with their U.S. counterparts.

"And they indicated that they were willing to engage in those kinds of strategic talks," the secretary said.

Panetta said it’s important that China recognizes "that the United States, Japan, Korea and other countries in that part of the world are going to do everything we have to do to promote security and prosperity, and that they should be a part of that, not against it."

U.S. ADMIRAL STAVRIDIS SPEAKS OF A CAPABILITY GAP

FROM: U.S. DEFENSE DEPARTMENT,
Stavridis Presses to Close Language, Cultural Skills Gap
By Donna Miles
American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, Feb. 5, 2013 – Despite "the widest imaginable set of skills" among the Defense Department’s 3.2 million military and civilian members, the Defense Department has an "obvious capability gap" in its lack of foreign language skills that affect its global missions, the supreme allied commander for Europe and commander of U.S. European Command lamented in his command blog.

Navy Adm. James G. Stavridis quoted Charlemagne, who observed that "to know another language is to have a second soul."

"In this rapidly globalizing 21st century world, that simple statement summarizes the gift of regional expertise, cultural understanding and the ability to communicate directly in the language of an ally, partner or colleague," Stavridis wrote. Yet, he noted, fewer than 10 percent of DOD members speak a second language.

That leaves a gap that goes beyond mere linguists, he said.

"In order to operate in a world that relies more and more on coalition action to succeed," the admiral said, "we must develop the attendant skills of regional expertise and cultural understanding."

Yet, Stavridis said, he has seen "a mixed bag" of forces arriving at their combatant command assignments: some highly skilled in language, culture and history of their region, some with just a "dusting" of exposure, and others totally inexperienced.

"We can do better," he said. "I've learned that the shipmates who truly have the language, culture, and regional skills are often ‘silver bullets’ that can transform a difficult challenge into a success."

Stavridis said he regularly sees the fruits of these abilities as he oversees NATO’s global operations.

It’s evident in Afghanistan, where 50 troop-contributing nations are operating in a nation with complex language, culture and historical challenges as they conduct supporting the "largest single security mission in the world today," he noted. But it’s equally important elsewhere in the world where nations with diverse histories, traditions and beliefs come together to support common missions, he said, noting peacekeeping in Kosovo and counterpiracy off the Horn of Africa as examples.

"As opposed to many of our European partners, who effortlessly speak four or five languages and have a deep knowledge of each other's background and culture, we in the U.S. are failing to fully train and prepare for this kind of international work," Stavridis said. "This is an area in which we have much work to do."

As a linguist himself, Stavridis said, these skills have paid off during his seven years as a combatant commander at U.S. Southern Command and Eucom. He learned French as a child living in Europe, and uses that ability in his NATO role. He studied Spanish to the point that he could use it to conduct meetings, improving his ability to work with his Latin-American counterparts. Reading Russian literature and history and learning the culture improved his ability to work with his Russian colleagues, he noted.

So to promote language and cultural skills more widely across the Defense Department, he offered three recommendations:

-- Strengthen language programs, while considering mandatory second-language skills at least among officers, and more incentives and training militarywide;

-- Boost the foreign affairs officer field by providing better promotion opportunities, recruiting top-quality candidates into the field and ensuring continued growth through appropriate grade education; and

-- Build on the "Afghan-Pakistan Hands" model to establish similar programs in other parts of the world, including the Asia-Pacific, Latin America and Caribbean, Africa and other regions.

"These individuals would be the equivalent of ‘special forces’ in the world of global engagement, with truly deep, repetitive tours in the region, utter fluency in the language and graduate-level knowledge of history, literature, geography, economics and the like," Stavridis wrote.

"All of this requires investment -- not huge amounts, but smart money spent on smart programs," Stavridis recognized. But more importantly, he said, it requires "a belief that part of providing security in this turbulent 21st century will mean we must ‘know the world’ so much better than we do today."

U.S. WARNS NORTH KOREA ABOUT FURTHER NUCLEAR AND MISSILE TESTING

FROM: U.S. DEFENSE DEPARTMENT
North Korean Nuke and Missile Tests Undermine Stability
American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, Feb. 1, 2013 - North Korea's nuclear weapons and ballistic missile programs constitute a serious threat to international peace and security and undermine the peace and stability of the Korean Peninsula as well as the Northeast Asia region, officials from the United States, Japan and South Korea said in a joint statement.

The Defense Department issued that statement following the annual Defense Trilateral Talks, held in Tokyo Jan. 30-31.

The discussions covered a wide range of issues, including humanitarian assistance and disaster relief, non-proliferation, the regional security situation and North Korea, according to the release.

The joint statement said if North Korea carries out any further provocations, including a nuclear test, it will bear responsibility for the consequences for disregarding the overwhelming views of the international community.

The United States, South Korea, and Japan will closely coordinate to deter a potential North Korean nuclear test and to respond to ballistic missile threats, according to the release. In this process, the release said, the three countries will closely cooperate with the international community, including China and Russia.

The DTTs are a regular cooperative dialogue between the United States, Japan and South Korea and have been held annually since 2008.

SOUTHCOM SENDS MEDICATIONS TO BRAZIL NIGHTCLUB FIRE VICTIMS

FROM: U.S. DEFENSE DEPARTMENT
Southcom Speeds Medications to Brazil for Nightclub Victims
American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, Feb. 2, 2013 - Medication to treat victims suffering from the tragic Jan. 27 nightclub fire in Santa Maria, Brazil, funded by and transported through coordination by U.S. Southern Command, are scheduled to arrive in Brasilia today, Southcom officials reported.

Southcom partnered with the U.S. Embassy in Brasilia, the Brazilian Ministry of Health, American Airlines, Miami Dade Aviation and the Transportation Security Administration to secure the rapid transport of the medication, officials said.

The Brazilian Ministry of Health submitted a request to the U.S. Embassy in Brasilia for 140 doses of the drug Cyanokit to treat victims exposed to cyanide poison when the fire ignited acoustic foam insulation inside the club, they said.

Southcom, in turn, worked with the Defense Logistics Agency to secure the medication under an existing contract with Meridian Medical Technologies. The command used funds from its humanitarian assistance program to pay for the drugs, valued at more than $97,000, officials said.

Southcom also coordinated transport of the medication from St. Louis to Brazil via Miami by working closely with Miami Dade Aviation, TSA and American Airlines. The drugs are scheduled to arrive today aboard an American Airlines flight. In Brasilia, they will be turned over to local health ministry officials to immediately distribute to health care facilities treating victims exposed to the poison, officials said.

The command is one of six geographically focused, unified commands within the Defense Department. It is responsible for U.S. military operations in the Caribbean, Central America and South America.

SECRETARY OF DEFENSE NOMINEE HAGEL SAYS ACCOUNTABILITY IMPORTANT

FROM: U.S. DEFENSE DEPARTMENT
Hagel: Accountability Key Factor to Defense Management
By Jim Garamone
American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, Feb. 1, 2013 - Accountability is at the heart of managing the Defense Department, former Nebraska Sen. Chuck Hagel told the Senate Armed Services Committee yesterday.

Hagel, President Barack Obama's choice to succeed retiring Defense Secretary Leon E. Panetta, provided eight hours of testimony to the Senate panel.

Senators asked Hagel how he will manage the largest institution in the United States.

Hagel said you don't really manage the department, you lead it.

"It's not about me. The secretary of defense, he leads, he advises the president, but it's really about the people who have the accountability and the responsibility to manage every aspect of our defense apparatus," Hagel said.

The department has roughly 50 presidential appointees, so that leaves most of the day-to-day management to officers and senior civilians, and those officials must be accountable, he said.

"We're all accountable, and the emphasis on accountability I don't think could ever be overstated," Hagel said.

It is important to give managers the resources they need and the flexibility to make the best use of them, he said.

"You give them direction and expectations ... but not to the point where you don't want their input and their ability to be flexible with their management," Hagel said. "I think that's the ... key to anything, but surely it is the key to something as large as the Department of Defense."

Hagel said he has a lot of learning to do if he is confirmed as the next defense secretary.

"I will be the leader. I'll be responsible. I'll be accountable," he said. "But I've got to rely on the right teams, the right people, bring those people together."

AN ARMY MEDIC'S ROLE IN AFGHANISTAN

Navy Petty Officer Jay Thrailkill serves as a pair of extra eyes in a convoy in Kandahar City, Afghanistan, Jan. 18, 2013. He is the senior enlisted medic for the provincial reconstruction team in Afghanistan's Kandahar province. U.S. Army photo by Staff Sgt. Jeff Neff

FROM:  U.S. DEFENSE DEPARTMENT
Face of Defense: Navy Corpsman Supports Joint Team
By Army Sgt. Jeff Neff
Provincial Reconstruction Team Kandahar

KANDAHAR, Afghanistan, Jan. 23, 2013 - During normal combat patrol missions, an Army medic accompanies an Army unit. But the provincial reconstruction team for Afghanistan's Kandahar province is not a normal unit.

Composed of soldiers, sailors and civilians from the State and Agriculture departments, the U.S. Agency for International Development and other entities, the team is a joint organization.

When Afghans in Kandahar see the team, it is likely that Navy corpsman Chief Petty Officer Jay Thrailkill is nearby.

"Corpsmen are like jumper cables," Thrailkill said. "We aren't needed until the battery goes, but no matter what, we're always ready."

A prior X-ray technician, Thrailkill is the provincial reconstruction team's senior enlisted corpsman and has completed more than half of all mounted combat missions since October. He must be familiar with Army infantry tactics and procedures to be effective.

"Chief makes my job easier by going above and beyond what is expected of him," said Navy Lt. j.g. Jessica Friddle, the team's senior medical officer. "His background in preventive medicine helps to ensure that the safety of our unit is always a priority."

Friddle, a native of Virginia Beach, Va., teaches combat lifesaver refresher classes to ensure that members are fully prepared if medical personnel are not immediately available in an emergency.

The team's Army medic, Spc. Jerome Jaquis, is serving as a member of the team's security force and covers the missions that Thrailkill isn't on. And with most of the team certified in combat lifesaving, ample assistance is available if it's needed.

Thrailkill said his best times in Afghanistan are when he is out on mission.

"My primary role is to be ready," he said. "Most of my work is done from the vehicle, unless the mission requires that we have a long walk."

Various duties keep Thrailkill busy as he medically prepares the vehicles for anything that could go wrong. He checks his equipment before each mission, and inventories each week.

This is not the first time Thrailkill has worked in the interservice realm, with seven deployments under his belt. He has served in Japan, Kuwait and Williamsburg, Va., as well as on the USS Kittyhawk, USS Kearsarge and USS Theodore Roosevelt. His service brings more than 22 years of medical experience working in the joint environment to the Kandahar team.

When he's not out on missions, Thrailkill volunteers at the post exchange. He also is completing the few remaining courses for his bachelor's degree in health care management.

BAN ON WOMEN IN COMBAT TO BE LIFTED

FROM: U.S. DEFENSE DEPARTMENT
Official: Pentagon to Lift Rule Excluding Women From Combat
American Forces Press Service


WASHINGTON, Jan. 23, 2013 - Defense Secretary Leon E. Panetta and Army Gen. Martin E. Dempsey, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, are expected to announce the lifting of the direct combat exclusion rule for women in the military, a senior defense official said today.

The policy change will begin a process in which the services will develop plans to implement the decision, which was made by Panetta upon the recommendation of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, the official said.

The official provided no further details and did not indicate when the announcement might take place.

U.S. SECRETARY OF DEFENSE PANETTA WARNS TERRORISTS

U.S. Defense Secretary Leon E. Panetta speaks at King's College in London, Jan. 18, 2013. Panetta is on a six-day trip to Europe to visit with foreign counterparts and troops. DOD photo by Erin A. Kirk-Cuomo

FROM:  U.S. DEFENSE DEPARTMENT
Panetta: Terrorists 'Will Have No Place to Hide'
By Karen Parrish
American Forces Press Service
LONDON, Jan. 18, 2013 - U.S. and allied officials are working "around the clock" to resolve the hostage situation in Algeria, Defense Secretary Leon E. Panetta said here today.

Earlier this week, Panetta confirmed that Americans are among those taken hostage in eastern Algeria Jan. 16 when terrorists attacked and occupied a natural gas plant. During a speech at King's College today, the secretary departed from his prepared remarks to comment on the situation.

"I just received a briefing from my staff, and we are continuing to work very closely with the British government and with other nations ... to assess precisely what is happening on the ground," he said. "Even as we continue to try and gather better information about what has happened, let me make a few points."

First, Panetta said, "Regardless of the motivation of the hostage-takers, there is no justification -- NO justification -- for the kidnapping and murder of innocent people ... going about their daily lives."

Second, he said, "We are working around the clock to ensure the safe return of our citizens, and we will continue to be in close consultation with the Algerian government."

Third, he continued, "Terrorists should be on notice that they will find no sanctuary, no refuge -- not in Algeria, not in North Africa, not anywhere. Those who would wantonly attack our country and our people will have no place to hide."

Shortly after his speech, the secretary attended an unscheduled meeting with British Prime Minister David Cameron. As the two entered the meeting, Cameron was heard to say, "Let's start with Algeria."

Senior defense officials traveling with Panetta said the Algeria and Mali discussion took up approximately half of the meeting. It focused on policy rather than tactics, officials said. The two leaders had an in-depth discussion of the unfolding situation in Algeria, exchanged assessments and compared notes..

Cameron and Panetta also discussed budget issues, Syria, Iran, the bilateral relationship between the two countries and how they can work with other countries to address counterterrorism, officials said.

Panetta is in London on the final leg of a weeklong European tour which he has said is likely his last international trip as defense secretary before he retires. The secretary's previous stops on this trip included Lisbon, Portugal, Madrid and Rome.

PRESIDENT OBAMA SAYS WE ARE NEAR MISSION OBJECTIVE

FROM: U.S. DEFENSE DEPARTMENT

Obama: Mission Objective in Afghanistan 'Within Reach'
By Terri Moon Cronk
American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, Jan. 12, 2013 - The mission objective to prevent al-Qaida from using Afghanistan to launch attacks against the United States is within reach, President Barack Obama said in his weekly address to the nation today.

"This week, I welcomed [Afghanistan] President Hamid Karzai to the White House to discuss the way ahead in Afghanistan," Obama said in his address. "And today, I want to update you on how we will end this war, bring our troops home, and continue the work of rebuilding America."

The president thanked U.S. service members, noting the United States has "dealt devastating blows" to al-Qaida and ejected the Taliban from their strongholds in the past four years.

Obama said the 33,000 additional forces he ordered to Afghanistan served with honor, completed their mission, and returned home last fall as promised.

"This week, [President Karzai and I] agreed that this spring, Afghan forces will take the lead for security across the entire country and our troops will shift to a support role," Obama said. "In the coming months, I'll announce the next phase of our drawdown. By the end of next year, America's war in Afghanistan will be over."

Obama gave credit for the progress made in Afghanistan to the "heroic sacrifices of our troops and diplomats, alongside forces from many other nations."

More than a half-million Americans -- military and civilian -- have served in Afghanistan, the president said, noting thousands of have been wounded and more than 2,000 have given their lives.

And, the drawdown in Afghanistan remains a challenge, he said.

"This remains a very difficult mission," Obama said. "The work ahead will not be easy. Our forces are still in harm's way. But make no mistake -- our path is clear, and we are moving forward."

Now, the United States must "care for our troops and veterans who fought in our name," the president said.

U.S. DEFENSE SECRETARY PANETTA HOSTS NOREGIAN MINISTER OF DEFENSE COUNTERPART ANNE-GRETE STROM-ERICHSEN

Secretary of Defense Leon E. Panetta hosts an honor cordon welcoming Norwegian Minister of Defense Anne-Grete Strom-Erichsen to the Pentagon, Dec. 17, 2012. DOD photo by U.S. Navy Petty Officer 1st Class Chad J. McNeeley

FROM: U.S. DEFENSE DEPARTMENT

Panetta Thanks Norwegian Minister for Support in Afghanistan
American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, Dec. 18, 2012 - In a meeting with his Norwegian counterpart yesterday, Defense Secretary Leon E. Panetta thanked Norway for its support in Afghanistan and its "steadfast commitment" to the NATO alliance, Pentagon Press Secretary George Little said.

During his meeting with Norwegian Defense Minister Anne-Grete Strom-Erichsen, the secretary underscored the importance of Norway's involvement in alliance operations and praised Norway for expediting its acquisition of the F-35 joint strike fighter, Little said.

"The secretary highlighted the importance of defense spending and developing future alliance interoperability through the NATO Response Force," the press secretary said. "Having both recently returned from visiting Turkey, the leaders discussed the upcoming NATO deployment of Patriot batteries and strong support for our ally," he added. "They also discussed the strategic importance of access to the Arctic."

U.S. AND CANADA EXPAND ARTIC COOPERATION

U.S. Army Gen. Charles Jacoby Jr., left, at table, commander of NORAD and U.S. Northern Command, and Canadian Army Lt. Gen. Stuart Beare, Canadian Joint Operations Command commander, sign the Tri-Command Framework for Arctic Cooperation and the Tri-Command Training and Exercise Statement of Intent during the 230th meeting of the Canada-U.S. Permanent Joint Board on Defense at the U.S. Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs, Colo., Dec. 11, 2012. Photo by Doug Sanderson

FROM: U.S. DEFENSE DEPARTMENT

U.S., Canada Expand Arctic Cooperation, Military Training
By Donna Miles
American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, Dec. 11, 2012 - The United States and Canada entered into two new agreements today that expanded their security relationship by promoting closer cooperation in peacefully opening the Arctic and in expanding their bilateral military training and exercise program.

Army Gen. Charles Jacoby Jr., commander of North American Aerospace Defense Command and U.S. Northern Command, joined Canadian Army Lt. Gen. Stuart Beare, commander of Canadian Joint Operations Command, in signing the Tri-Command Framework for Arctic Cooperation during a meeting of the Permanent Joint Board of Defense at the U.S. Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs, Colo.

The agreement emphasizes that the Arctic is not a region of conflict, but rather a place where nations can work together peacefully and the U.S. and Canadian militaries will support other departments and agencies in response to regional threats and hazards when requested and directed, officials said.

The goal is to promote enhanced military cooperation in the Arctic, particularly in support of safety, security and defense operations.

During today's session, the participants agreed to collaborate more closely in a host of areas, including training, capabilities, research and development, science and technology, domain awareness, communications and operations, all to promote a safe and secure Arctic region, Royal Canadian Air Force Brig. Gen. A.D. "Al" Meinzinger, deputy director of NORAD's and Northcom's strategy, policy and plans directorate, told American Forces Press Service.

DOD's unified defense plan, which President Barack Obama signed in April 2011, designated Northcom as the department's advocate for Arctic capabilities.

The designation recognizes that the opening of the polar icecap -- and the increased presence of human activity -- has important strategic implications, Meinzinger said. "With an opening Arctic, we see more vessel traffic, and obviously see a greater need for a deeper understanding of the domain there," he said.

"We have common interests," he said. "The eight [Arctic] nations understand that this is a fragile environment, and we have a mutual interest in ensuring the Arctic opens in a peaceful manner and that conflict is not on anybody's priority list."

Another agreement signed today expands cooperation in the training and exercise realm and recognizes the shared security interests and budget constraints facing both militaries, Royal Canadian Navy Cmdr. Darren Rich, Canadian Joint Operations Command's representative to NORAD and Northcom, told American Forces Press Service.

The Tri Command Training and Exercise Statement is aimed at enhancing joint and combined readiness in support of safety, security and defense missions between the Canadian and U.S. militaries.

As examples, Rich noted the Vigilant Shield and Determined Dragon exercises, which bring the three commands together to exercise their ability to protect the U.S. and Canadian homelands and support civil authorities in the event of a natural or manmade disaster.

The new agreement will formalize these exchanges and encourage more cross-border training in ways that strengthen both countries' defense plans, he said.

"We hope to work through this in an exercise format to find out where the seams and capabilities are," Rich said. "What we all expect are better planned processes that help us define training objectives far enough in advance to develop the scenarios to test the training objectives. Then, through the [after action review] process, we can see if we met the objectives, where the gaps are, what worked well and what we need to fix."

The signing "further codifies the bilateral relationship" and helps the two countries' militaries work together more closely and leverage their resources, Rich said. "It postures us so we can both work together for the safety, security and defense of both our nations' populations," he said.

This week's meeting is the 230th for the Permanent Joint Board of Defense, which stood up after President Franklin Roosevelt and Canadian Prime Minister Mackenzie King solidified the two countries' military-to-military relationship with the signing of the Ogdensburg Agreement in August 1940. The board is the highest-level bilateral defense and security forum between the United States and Canada. Its collaboration ultimately led to the establishment of what is now the bi-national North American Aerospace Defense Command in 1958.

"This is a wonderful forum where Canadians and Americans discuss issues of common necessity," Meinzinger said. "We use this venue to put in motion action plans and to work together to address the challenges of the day."

This week's Permanent Joint Board of Defense forum follows the signing of a new Combined Defense Plan between the two countries last January.

During the session in Ottawa, Jacoby joined Canadian Army Lt. Gen. Walter Semianiw, commander of the former Canada Command that became part of Canadian Joint Operations Command in October, and established a planning framework to enhance defense cooperation in the event the U.S. or Canadian governments need each other's assistance, such as during a natural disaster or attack.

Jacoby and Semianiw also renewed for the next two years the Civil Assistance Plan that allows the military from one nation to support the armed forces of the other during a civil emergency. That agreement, in effect since 2008, recognizes the role of each nation's lead federal agency for emergency preparedness, but facilitates military support of civil authorities once government authorities have agreed on an appropriate response, officials said. In the United States, the Department of Homeland Security would be the lead agency. In Canada, it would be Public Safety Canada.

A third document, the Information Sharing Memorandum of Understanding, was signed last January, and updated existing arrangements to promote information-sharing among the three organizations, officials said.

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE PREPARES FOR SEQUESTRATION

Credit:  U.S. Navy.

FROM: U.S. AIR FORCE

DOD prepares for potential sequestration
by Senior Master Sgt. David Byron
Air Force Public Affairs Agency

12/10/2012 - WASHINGTON (AFNS) -- The Office of Management and Budget has instructed the Department of Defense to pursue internal planning to meet required budget cuts if sequestration goes into effect Jan. 3.

"We are at the very start of this process," said Dr. George Little, acting assistant secretary of defense for public affairs, during a Pentagon press availability here, Dec. 5. "We don't have all the details firmed up. Naturally, we hope very much that sequestration will be avoided and we don't enter that phase."

Sequestration is a mechanism enacted by Congress that will initiate severe across-the-government budget cuts if Congress and the president are unable to pass a budget that meets the requirements of the Budget Control Act of 2011.

For the DOD, sequestration would cut the defense budget by $500 billion over the next 10 years. These cuts would be in addition to the nearly $500 billion in cuts, during the same time frame, already directed by the 2011 BCA.

DOD officials have already been considering possible effects of sequestration, including communicating impacts to the DOD work force.

"Our focus has been on examining the potential impacts of sequestration," Little said. "We know what the potential impacts might be, and that helps us create a baseline for what we need to plan against."

He explained that although the core of the effort this month is planning against the possible cuts, officials still hold hope that Congress and the administration can come to a resolution avoiding sequestration.

If the cuts do go into effect Jan. 3, Little said the DOD should still have the first couple of months in 2013 to determine the best way to handle the effects.

"Not every consequence of sequestration would occur on Jan. 3," he said. "People will still come to work, we think, at this stage. This will be a phased-in approach to dealing with sequestration, if it were to take place."

Whatever the effect, he said DOD officials are committed to communicating the issues to the internal DOD community as soon as they are clear.

"We have a lot of internal constituencies to reach out to -- service members, their families and the civilian employees of the Department of Defense -- and we're talking active, Guard and Reserve," said Little. "Three million people work inside this department. One out of 100 Americans work for the secretary of defense. That is a big number and it's a big communication challenge should sequestration take effect."

Little said he has stood up a communication task force to take part in the planning process.

"We expect, through our planning efforts, to identify not just numbers, but also how we communicate it to our three million-person workforce, and prepare them for what may come down the pike," he said. "We're going to try to do what we can, as quickly as possible, to define precisely who we need to talk to and when."

U.S.-IRAQ DEFENSE COOPERATION MEMO OF UNDERSTANDING SIGNED

U.S. Army soldiers from Charlie Company, 67th Signal Battalion stationed at Fort Gordon, Ga., board a C-17 Globemaster III aircraft at Sather Air Base in Iraq on July 10, 2010. The aircraft is from the 817th Expeditionary Airlift Squadron out of Incirlik Air Base, Turkey, and deployed from Charleston Air Force Base, S.C. Charlie Company is redeploying to their home unit as part of the drawdown to 50,000 troops in Iraq by August 31, 2010. DoD photo by Senior Airman Perry Aston, U.S. Air Force. (Released)
　

FROM: U.S. DEFENSE DEPARTMENT, U.S.-IRAQ RELATIONS,

U.S., Iraq Sign Defense Cooperation Memo of Understanding

By Jim Garamone
American Forces Press Service
WASHINGTON, Dec. 6, 2012 - American and Iraqi officials signed a memorandum of understanding today in Baghdad that will make it easier for the two countries to work together.

The memo was one result of the Defense and Security Joint Coordination Committee that met yesterday and today in the Iraqi capital.

Undersecretary of Defense for Policy James N. Miller, acting Iraqi Defense Minister Saadoun al-Dlimi and acting Undersecretary of State for International Security Rose Gottemoeller participated in the meeting.

The committee discussed efforts to strengthen security cooperation between the two nations, officials said. This includes enhancing Iraq's security capabilities and modernizing Iraqi forces. Officials looked at the U.S. foreign military sales program. Iraq is buying F-16 Fighting Falcon aircraft and M-1 Abrams tanks from the United States, among other programs. These procurements include spare parts, training, maintenance help and other considerations.

The officials also discussed regional issues and the ongoing conflict in neighboring Syria, defense officials said.

The memorandum of understanding -- signed by Defense Secretary Leon E. Panetta and Dlimi -- covers the range of U.S.-Iraqi defense cooperation and covers the next five years. This includes high-level military-to-military visits, professional military education cooperation, counterterrorism cooperation and the development of defense intelligence capabilities.

The two nations committed to joint exercises including exchanges of information dealing with humanitarian and peacekeeping operations, officials said.

 

SECRETARY OF DEFENSE PANETTA'S REMARKS AT THE ASEAN MEETING

U.S. Defense Secretary Leon E. Panetta, center, tours Angkor Wat with U.S. Ambassador to Cambodia William E. Todd, right, and David L. Carden, left, U.S. Ambassador to the U.S. Mission to the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, in Siem Reap, Cambodia, Nov. 16, 2012. Angkor Wat is the largest Hindu temple complex in the world. DOD photo by Erin A. Kirk-Cuomo

FROM: U.S. DEFENSE DEPARTMENT

Presenter: Secretary of Defense Leon E. Panetta November 16, 2012
Remarks by Secretary Panetta at ASEAN Meeting, Siem Reap, Cambodia


SECRETARY OF DEFENSE LEON E. PANETTA: Well, good afternoon to everyone.

It has been a real pleasure for me to have the opportunity to be here in Cambodia for my first visit as secretary of defense.

I want to thank the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, ASEAN. We had the opportunity to sit down together at lunch, and then in a more formal session, to exchange our views.

And I want to express in particular my thanks to Cambodia's minister of national defense, who has been such a gracious host.

This is my final stop on my trip to Southeast Asia. This trip has taken me to Australia, and then to Thailand, and now to Cambodia. And the message that I have conveyed on this visit, and my other visits, is that the United States's rebalance to the Asia-Pacific region is real, it is sustainable, and it will be ongoing for a long period of time into the future.

The United States military has been working with friends and partners and allies in the Asia-Pacific region for over 70 years. Americans have fought and died in this region, and our goal has always been to try to promote peace and prosperity throughout this region. And we have tried to foster conditions that would lead to economic growth, more effective governance, and an effort to help lift millions from property and create a better future for generations to come.

And we are deepening our military engagement with our allies and partners in this region, in order to ensure that we are able to promote security and prosperity for many years to come.

But our increased military engagement in the region is but one part of the effort by the United States to rebalance. This effort includes not just military, but diplomatic, economic and cultural engagement across the region. And I know that President Obama looks forward to discussing each of these elements of our rebalance when he arrives here for the East Asia Summit later this week.

Today, we reaffirm the importance of ASEAN unity for building regional stability, and also the United States's support for ASEAN-led defense cooperation in a number of critical areas to the region, including humanitarian assistance, disaster relief, maritime security, nonproliferation and counterterrorism.

I also want to underscore, and I stressed this in meetings that I participated in, the support of the United States for the protection of human rights, of civilian oversight of the military, of respect for the rule of law, and for the right of full and fair participation in the political process here in Cambodia and throughout Southeast Asia.

And as I said last year in Indonesia, and I stress again, we are committed to further strengthening the U.S.-ASEAN relationship. And as a reflection of that commitment, the United States will increase the size and number of exercises that we participate in in the Pacific with our Southeast Asia partners. And we are devoting new funding to this goal.

In addition, we're pleased to see progress toward action-oriented cooperation in the ASEAN Defense Ministers Meeting-Plus. And the United States looks forward to participating in three ADMM-Plus exercises in 2013, including a humanitarian and disaster relief exercise that will be hosted by Brunei, a counterterrorism exercise that we are cosponsoring with Indonesia, and a maritime security exercise co-chaired by Malaysia and Australia.

I expressed to my counterparts that I am impressed by the continuing development of ASEAN-led efforts to enhance security. As I stated at the last meeting, we in the Pacific are part of one family of nations, and we may not agree on all issues, but we are committed to work together to ensure the security of that family.

Let me conclude by saying that this is in many ways a new era in the U.S. relationship in this region. It is based on the principles of the rule of law. It is based on our presence to try to help develop the capabilities of nations. It is based on partnership. And it is based on the common goal of advancing peace and prosperity and opportunity for all people in all nations in the Asia-Pacific region.

Thank you.

U.S. DEFENSE DEPARTMENT AND BETTER BUYING STRATEGY

Deputy Defense Secretary Ashton B. Carter offers opening remarks as he introduces Frank Kendall, undersecretary of defense for acquisition, technology and logistics, to brief Pentagon reporters about the Defense Department's "Better Buying Power 2.0" initiative, Nov. 13, 2012. DOD photo by Glenn Fawcett

FROM: U.S. DEFENSE DEPARTMENT,
Defense Officials Preview 'Better Buying Power 2.0'

By Karen Parrish
American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, Nov. 13, 2012 - Deputy Defense Secretary Ashton B. Carter today unveiled a proposed new phase of the Defense Department's "Better Buying Power" initiative that since 2010 has shaped the department's acquisition arm to "do more without more."

Carter told reporters during a Pentagon briefing that when he, as undersecretary for acquisition, technology and logistics, and then-Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates announced the first round of "efficiencies" aimed at trimming defense spending, Gates "foresaw, correctly, that the days of ever-increasing defense budgets were coming to an end."

Better Buying Power, introduced in September 2010, was the acquisition contribution to the efficiencies initiative, Carter said.

"It was directed at the $400 billion that the department spends annually on goods and services, ... to get more capability for the warfighter and more value for the taxpayer by obtaining greater efficiency and productivity in defense spending what economists call 'productivity growth,'" he explained.

Now, after planning for a $487 billion decrease in spending over the next decade, the department will incorporate some lessons its members have learned since 2010 when it rolls out the final version of Better Buying Power 2.0 early in 2013, Carter said.

The deputy secretary said hundreds of examples exist of Defense Department acquisition executives putting the Better Buying Power principles into practice. "Each of these examples shows what we can achieve if we rededicate ourselves to acquisition best practices," he added.

Carter then handed the briefing off to Frank Kendall, undersecretary of defense for acquisition, technology and logistics. Kendall noted the department's proposed plan for the updated initiative will be open for review and comment for two months before a final version takes effect.

Kendall described the seven broad focus areas for the new defense buying initiative:

-- Achieve affordable programs;

-- Control costs throughout the product life cycle;

-- Offer incentives for productivity and innovation in industry and government;

-- Eliminate unproductive processes and bureaucracy;

-- Promote effective competition;

-- Improve tradecraft in acquisition of services; and

-- Improve the professionalism of the total acquisition workforce.

Kendall noted the new version includes some 36 initiatives grouped under those seven headings. In some cases, he said, they replace the original 23 initiatives in five focus areas.

"It turns out that defense acquisition is a pretty complicated subject," he noted. "And there aren't easy, simple solutions that are going to ... reform acquisition and make everything ... better overnight with one or two policy changes."

Lack of productivity -- both in government's bureaucratic processes and in industry "cycle time" – is one complicated area the acquisition chief said he thinks a lot about, and which carries over from the original 2010 initiative. Cycle time, he said, translates into "how long it takes us to get products to the field" – and he added that he's "very unhappy" with the answer.

"It's taking much too long, as far as I'm concerned," Kendall said. "And I have several efforts under way to try to understand what the root cause of that is." Delays can occur at many stages, he noted -- in setting and changing requirements, in testing, and even in production.

"Is industry not as agile as it once was? There are a number of possible causes there, and it's probably some combination of them all, together. ... But I would definitely like to reduce cycle times," he said.

The new effort brings new approaches, but the same aim, to defense acquisition as 2010's Better Buying Power initiative, Kendall said: to give troops fighting the nation's wars the best equipment, and to get good value for every taxpayer dollar.

Kendall said he sees results from the two-year-old effort, but he echoed defense leaders' statements for months past when he warned that such progress, and any plans to achieve deliberate cost savings, will wither if the Budget Control Act's sequester mechanism takes effect in January.

Sequestration would trigger an additional $500 billion in across-the-board defense spending cuts over the next decade if Congress fails to agree on an alternative.

"It's a horrible way to take money out [of the defense budget]," he said. "It really flies in the face of everything we're trying to accomplish here."

PANETTA PLACES MILITARY LEADERSHIP CULTURE ON REVIEW

FROM: U.S. DEFENSE DEPARTMENT
Panetta Directs Review of Officers' Culture of Stewardship
By Cheryl Pellerin
American Forces Press Service

BANGKOK, Nov. 15, 2012 - Defense Secretary Leon E. Panetta has ordered a review to determine how the armed forces can better foster a culture of stewardship among senior military officers, Pentagon Press Secretary George Little said here today.

Panetta directed Army Gen. Martin E. Dempsey, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, to work with other members of the Joint Chiefs on the review, Little said, adding that initial findings are due to the secretary within the next few weeks.

Little said this is an ongoing process, the timing of which -- amid recent reports and investigations of potentially improper behavior by several general officers -- is coincidental. The review, he said, "was going to happen anyway." Input to the secretary will form the basis of a report to President Barack Obama on the department's progress in this area by Dec. 1.

The process, Little noted, is intended to reinforce and strengthen the standards that keep the military well led and disciplined.

"The secretary believes that the vast majority of our senior military officers exemplify the strength of character and the highest ethical standards the American people expect of those whose job it is to provide for the security of our nation," Little said.

"They represent not only the best of the American military but the American people," he added. "The majority of these officers lead by example, which is one of the reasons the United States military stands without peer."

Over the past several months, the press secretary said, Panetta has spoken with the service secretaries, service chiefs and combatant commanders about instances when senior officers have not lived up to the standards expected of them.

"This has been an ongoing discussion," Little said, "reflecting shared concerns."

The secretary is traveling this week in the Asia-Pacific region, visiting defense officials in Australia, Thailand and Cambodia.

　

KEY SPACE SYSTEMS WILL BE LOCATED IN AUSTRALIA

U.S. Defense Secretary Leon E. Panetta, left, and U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton talk with Australian Defense Minister Stephen Smith, second from left, and Australian Foreign Affairs Minister Bob Carr at Kings Park in Perth, Australia, Nov. 14, 2012. DOD photo by Erin A. Kirk-Cuomo

FROM: U.S. DEFENSE DEPARTMENT
U.S. to Locate Key Space Systems in Australia

By Cheryl Pellerin
American Forces Press Service
PERTH, Australia, Nov. 14, 2012 - Defense Secretary Leon E. Panetta and Australian Defense Minister Stephen Smith have agreed to place two key space systems in Australia.

One system, an Air Force C-band space-surveillance radar, will move from Antigua in the West Indies to Western Australia in 2014. It will track space assets and debris, increase the security of space-based systems and increase coverage of space objects in the Southern Hemisphere.

The other system is an advanced U.S. space surveillance telescope designed and built by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency. In Australia, the system will help to leverage space surveillance capabilities for both nations, officials said.

The United States and Australia also are discussing establishing a combined communications gateway in Western Australia. The system would give operators in both nations access to wideband global satellite communications satellites.

"All of that represents a major leap forward in bilateral space cooperation and an important new frontier in the United States' rebalance to the Asia-Pacific region," Panetta said during a news conference after a series of meetings here today during the 2012 Australia-United States Ministerial Consultations.

The C-Band mechanical tracking ground-based radar is useful in space surveillance and can identify space objects in low Earth orbit. It can accurately track up to 200 objects a day and can help to identify satellites, their orbits and potential anomalies, according to a fact sheet about the system.

When the radar is relocated to Australia, it will be the first low-Earth-orbit space surveillance network sensor in the Southern Hemisphere. The new location will give needed southern and eastern hemispheric coverage that will lead to better positional accuracies and predictions, the fact sheet states.

The system will provide a critical dedicated sensor for the U.S. Space Surveillance Network, the main system that the United States and its partners rely on to detect, track and identify objects in space.

C-band radar also can help in tracking high-interest space launches from Asia.

A senior U.S. defense official said the United States will get the system up and running once it is in Australia, then will train Australians to operate the system.

Relocating and getting the system running will cost about $30 million, and after that will cost $8 million to $10 million a year to operate.

The second system, the DARPA space surveillance optical telescope, will offer an order-of-magnitude improvement over ground-based electro-optical deep space surveillance, or GEODSS, telescopes in search rate and the ability to detect and track satellites, officials said.

Existing telescopes can't provide a full picture of objects such as microsatellites and space debris. The SST gives a wider field of view and can better detect and track small objects at deep-space altitudes -- about 22,000 miles above Earth's surface -- associated with geosynchronous orbits.

A geosynchronous orbit is an orbit around Earth that's about 23 hours, 56 minutes and 4 seconds around, matching the planet's rotation period. For an observer on the ground, an object in geosynchronous orbit returns daily to the same position in the sky.

The SST telescope achieved first light in February 2011 and then went through an extensive checkout period and fine-alignment phase that readied the system for a demonstration beginning in October 2011. The DARPA test and evaluation period was completed in August.

The telescope is now based in New Mexico, but moving it to Australia will allow it to cover a more densely populated region of the geostationary satellite belt, according to a fact sheet.

SCIENCE AND THE QUEST FOR THE MILITARY SUPER ENGINE

Two international contractors inspect a sample of JP8 at the Truck Fill Stand near Camp Arifjan, Kuwait in 2010. Fuel trucks had been daily distributing millions of gallons of fuel to warfighters in the Central Command area of operations. (Photo by Army Sgt. David Reardon, 1st Sustainment Brigade Public Affairs)

FROM: U.S. DEFENSE DEPARTMENT
Written on November 7, 2012 at 7:33 am by jtozer
ARL Working Toward Super Engine Developemnt
Studies are underway at the U.S. Army Research Laboratory (ARL) to create a ‘super engine’ that could allow military ground vehicles, stationary power generators, and small unmanned air vehicles, for example, to operate with the same kind of fuel.

In the late 1980s, the Department of Defense (DoD) issued its "Single Fuel Forward" policy calling for use of the kerosene-based JP-8 fuel to reduce the significant logistic burden associated with managing and transporting multiple fuels on the battlefield.

But using a single fuel exposes a host of incompatibility issues, namely in lubrication, large variation in Cetane numbers which measure the time period between the start of fuel injection and the start of engine ignition or combustion, and the fact that none of the engines that use JP-8 are designed – including their fuel systems – and calibrated for JP-8, said Dr. Chol-Bum "Mike" Kweon, acting team lead of the Engines Team of ARL’s Vehicle Technology Directorate at Aberdeen Proving Ground (APG), Md.

He said this design gap is namely due to the fact that not enough information exists in industry and government on the specific combustion characteristics associated with JP-8′s use in intermittent combustion engines.

"Usually large companies are not willing to develop engines specific for JP-8 because it requires significant effort and funding while the market for the military is relatively small and unstable. Therefore, relatively small companies have been developing JP-8-fueled engines for Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV), while diesel engines are used for ground vehicle engines. Small companies do not have the capability to perform basic fundamental research," Kweon explained

ARL research is bridging that knowledge gap, which could eventually lead to the creation of an engine that operates optimally with JP-8.

"Fuel spray liquid penetration, quenching, vaporization, and mixing characteristics must be precisely understood to properly design combustion chambers and fuel injection systems because a fundamental understanding of fuel spray and combustion is essential in optimizing combustion processes of JP-8-fueled engines to improve fuel efficiency, engine performance and reliability," Kweon said.

ARL’s Combustion Research Laboratory is a state-of-the-art, high-temperature and high-pressure combustion chamber that opened this summer for fuel spray and combustion research, critical areas of interest Defense-wide to facilitate the basic research and development work necessary for the successful development of JP-8-fueled combustion systems.

ARL is currently collaborating with Army Materiel Systems Analysis Activity to assess a fuel injector that is used in a Caterpillar C7 engine, used in Strykers. Results will define how fuel properties affect the performance of the fuel injection systems that are currently used in ground vehicle engines.

Unique laboratory, unmatched in industry
ARL’s vehicle technology research dates back to the early 1980s in gas turbine engines, but when this research area relocated to APG in 2011 from NASA Glenn in Cleveland, Ohio, due to Base Realignment and Closure Activity, ARL broadened its vehicle technology focus to include internal combustion engines. This laboratory is accomplished with the ARL infrastructure fund that was awarded at the end of 2010.

The only combustion lab space of its kind in DoD, the Combustion Research Laboratory will also be used to facilitate the development of heavy fuel injection systems that will ultimately lead to the development of high-efficient UAV engines.

"Currently, there is no ‘robust’ heavy fuel injection system for UAV engines," said Kweon, who received Master of Science and doctorate degrees from the University of Wisconsin-Madison (UW-Madison), which has a big engine research program in its Engine Research Center. He conducted research on diesel engines, various fuels (diesel, alternative diesel fuels, diesel fuels mixed with gasoline streams, alcohols, etc.), combustion, emissions, specification of diesel particulate matters, optical diagnostics, etc., as degree requirements.

ARL’s combustion laboratory contains a high-temperature – up to 1,000 Kelvin (K) – and high-pressure – up to 150 bar -combustion chamber that can simulate real engine operating conditions except for fluid motion. This type of combustion chamber allows the investigation and study of uninterrupted spray and combustion processes.

"Currently, this is the only laboratory within DoD that has this capability," Kweon emphasized.

General Motors, in Warren, Mich., has the first generation of this chamber that has a 100 bar at 1,000 K – and Caterpillar, in Peoria, Ill., has its second generation, which offers 150 bar at 1,000 K.

ARL has a third generation chamber.

The ARL facility also has air and onsite nitrogen supply systems in which we can control oxygen concentration from 0 (almost pure nitrogen) to 21% (pure air) in the gas mixing system. Through the high-pressure compressor, air, nitrogen, or a mixture of air and nitrogen can be supplied to the combustion chamber at pressures over 300 bar(g) to study spray only, spray and combustion, or to simulate exhaust gas recirculation (EGR) that is common in current engines.

"However, we use only 150 bar(g) in the combustion chamber because this represents most of turbocharged internal combustion engine operating conditions. Sandia National Laboratories, NM and Michigan Technological University have a different type of combustion chamber (i.e., constant volume chamber) that has similar capabilities to the one at ARL in terms of temperature and pressure".

"The main difference is that the one at ARL is a flow-through type combustion chamber that controls chamber pressure, temperature, and flowrate (very slow compared to fuel injection velocity) at set points in the test section, while the constant volume chamber has varying chamber temperature and pressure as it uses premixed combustion gases. And the injection frequency is much higher for a flow-through chamber than the constant volume chamber. Therefore, we can perform multiple injections per cycle and perform testing much faster in the flow-through chamber than in the constant volume chamber," said Kweon, who was formerly employed at General Motors R&D in Warren, Mich., and at GM Powertrain in Pontiac, Mich., where he conducted research in cylinder pressure-based control.

For that research, Kweon and several former colleagues developed more than 21 intellectual properties. Currently, he has 30 intellectual properties that include 19 patents, seven patent applications, three patents pending, and one tool method invention.

The new laboratory will also be used to assess the performance of heavy fuel injection systems for various fuels such as JP-8, diesel, bio, and synthetic fuels; investigate the impact of various fuel properties on spray and combustion processes, ultimately on engine performance and efficiency; assess the impact of the aging of fuel injection systems on the engine performance and fuel efficiency, especially for ground vehicle engines and assess JP-8 surrogate fuels that are being formulated under the various DoD programs.

"This laboratory has a unique capability to assess the various JP-8 surrogate fuels and to compare the results with the combustion mechanisms developed by various universities and government laboratories," said Kweon.

"This will help the scientists and researchers to develop a universal JP-8 combustion mechanism. This laboratory will be used to generate spray and combustion database that will be needed for the development and validation of computation fluid dynamics (CFD) models for engine spray and combustion processes to support the development of advanced concepts and practical designs. These CFD models will be used to optimize internal combustion engines for both UAS and ground vehicles in terms of injector parameters and combustion chamber designs. These research efforts will enable UAS engines to efficiently run on heavy fuels such as JP-8."

"The combustion research laboratory was commissioned this year and is up and running. I am confident that this laboratory will be a critical asset to the Army and DoD to support the development and/or advancement of various ground and UAV engines," Kweon said.

U.S. SECRETARY OF DEFENSE'S TRIP TO ASIA-PACIFIC

FROM: U.S. DEFENSE DEPARTMENT
Panetta's Asia-Pacific Trip Seeks to Broaden Rebalance
By Cheryl Pellerin
American Forces Press Service
HONOLULU, Nov. 12, 2012 - Defense Secretary Leon E. Panetta has begun a weeklong visit to three nations in the Asia-Pacific region, his fourth official trip to area that is the focus of a rebalance of time, attention and resources for the Defense Department.

The trip includes visits to Australia, Thailand and Cambodia, but for the secretary it began here yesterday on Veterans Day at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific, also called the Punchbowl.

The cemetery rises above Honolulu on land that 75,000 years ago was a crater formed when hot lava gushed through cracks in ancient coral reefs.

Today it is the final resting place of soldiers, sailors, airmen and Marines from the Boxer Rebellion, the Korean War, World War II and Vietnam, as well as two astronauts and World War II correspondent Ernie Pyle, a Navy Reserve seaman third class killed by a Japanese sniper near Okinawa in 1945.

At the cemetery, veterans and their families formed a long line, waiting to shake hands and chat with the secretary of defense. Panetta laid a wreath at a monument, and then greeted the veterans and members of the color guard one by one and took a photograph with the crew of cemetery caretakers, all of them veterans.

When Panetta leaves Honolulu today, he will head to Perth, Australia, to attend the annual bilateral consultations between Australia and the United States.

There, he will join with Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton, Army Gen. Martin E. Dempsey, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and Navy Adm. Samuel J. Locklear III, commander of U.S. Pacific Command, in meetings with Prime Minister Julia Gillard and sessions of the conference.

Panetta also will meet with Defense Minister Stephen Smith and Western Australia Premier Colin Barnett.

During this first official trip to Australia, Panetta will express to the Australians his gratitude for their contribution to U.S. and coalition efforts in Afghanistan, officials said.

Earlier yesterday, aboard a military aircraft en route to Hawaii, a senior defense official told reporters traveling with the secretary that the United States "very much appreciates the Australians' commitment to Afghanistan, ... and we look forward to bringing that spirit of cooperation and interoperability to the Pacific as well in a greater capacity."

A key accomplishment this year for the U.S.-Australia partnership has been the start of Marine Corps and Air Force rotational deployments to northern Australia, the official said.

At the ministerial consultations, he said, "I think our primary objective is to make more progress on the Marine Corps and Air Force [deployments]."

Senior-level meetings will help to "move the ball forward and deepen the implementation," he added, "so we're going to try to keep this on track, as well as broaden our cooperation with the Australians."

Later this week in Bangkok, Panetta will meet with his Thai counterpart, Defense Minister Sukampol Suwannathat, and Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra.

This is the first visit of a secretary of defense to Thailand since 2008, the senior defense official said. "We enjoy great operational cooperation and access with the Thais, [and] we're trying to do is bring back this important strategic piece of the defense relationship," the official added. "That's our primary objective in Thailand."

After his meetings in Thailand, the secretary will travel to Siem Reap, Cambodia, where he will meet with Cambodian Defense Minister Gen. Tea Banh and with defense ministers from member countries of ASEAN, the Association for Southeast Asian Defense.

"It's a change to talk about how we would like to work with these countries on key nontraditional security threats, such as humanitarian assistance, disaster response, nonproliferation, counterpiracy and others, ... and how we can cooperatively tackle some of these transnational threats," the defense official said.

Panetta also could discuss regional cooperation, ASEAN unity, his recent trips to China and India, and U.S. fiscal pressures on the Defense Department, the official added.

The U.S. rebalance toward the Asia-Pacific region is building on relationships that have been going on for decades, the official said. "We've been in the Asia-Pacific for 60 or 70 years, and we have worked with friends, partners and allies to promote and maintain a system that has brought economic prosperity, security and in parts democracy to this region," he added.

The United States is inextricably tied to the region, he said, "and the whole point of the rebalance is to keep doing what we have been doing."

The rebalance is part of a process, the official noted. "We are playing the long game here," he said. "This is something that's going to take years to do, but it doesn't take away from the fact that ... we're off to a fast start.

"The resources are moving," he added, "the engagement of senior-level officials is there, and the bureaucratic weight and the time, attention and resources of the United States government are moving toward the Pacific theater."