U.S. MILITARY AND CYBER THREATS

Graphic Credit:  U.S. Air Force.

FROM:  U.S. DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE
Military Works to Counter Cyber Threats
By Jim Garamone
American Forces Press Service
WASHINGTON, Feb. 19, 2013 - The United States military is working diligently to beef up cyber defenses against all threats, Pentagon Press Secretary George Little said here today.

In a meeting with Pentagon reporters, Little said the United States believes in an all-of-government approach to cybersecurity, which includes diplomatic, economic and military measures.

The U.S. government "will continue to draw upon the capabilities of all our agencies and departments to strengthen our cyber defenses," he added.

Recent attention has focused on China since a private firm accused a Chinese army unit in Shanghai of launching cyberattacks against U.S. firms. Little declined to comment on the allegation, saying the Pentagon does not comment on intelligence matters. But he noted that Defense Secretary Leon E. Panetta raised concerns about cyber issues during his visit to the nation last year.

"We have repeatedly raised our concerns at the highest levels about cyber theft with Chinese officials, including the military, and we will continue to do so," Little said.

The United States is a target of cyberattacks from around the world, the press secretary noted.

"I'm not commenting on any particular state actor," he said. "We see cyber threats emanate from a number of places. We have discussed the cyber threat with many countries around the world."

The U.S. publication "Chinese Military Power" said the U.S. government "appeared to be the target of intrusions, some of which appear to have originated within the People's Republic of China. These intrusions were focused on exfiltrating information."

NEWS FROM AFGHANISTAN FOR FEBRUARY 19, 2013

U.S. Army Capt. Andrew Jenkins uses the optic lens on his weapon to scan the valley below for signs of insurgents while on a security patrol in Khowst province, Afghanistan, Jan. 31. 2013. Jenkins is the commander of the 101st Airborne Division’s Troop B, 1st Squadron, 33rd Cavalry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team. U.S. Army photo by Staff Sgt. Zach Holden

FROM: U.S. DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE
Precision Strike Kills Insurgents in Kunar Province

Compiled from International Security Assistance Force Joint Command News Releases

WASHINGTON, Feb. 19, 2013 - A precision strike in the Ghaziabad district of Afghanistan's Kunar province yesterday killed two insurgents, military officials reported.

Afghan and coalition forces saw the two men engaging in insurgent activity and called in the strike, officials said.

In other Afghanistan operations yesterday:

-- A combined Afghan and coalition security force in Kandahar province's Panjwai district arrested a Taliban leader who was believed to be responsible for coordinating improvised explosive device operations against local police. He also was responsible for IED attacks against Afghan and coalition forces and Afghan civilians.

-- In Kandahar province's Arghistan district, a combined force arrested a Taliban leader who allegedly is responsible for an IED attack network in the province's Spin Boldak, Arghistan and Maruf districts. He also is believed to have distributed ammunition and heavy weapons to insurgents.

-- Also in Kandahar's Arghistan district, a combined force detained three insurgents during a search for a Taliban leader believed to be responsible for acquiring and distributing weapons and conducting attacks against Afghan and coalition forces.

-- A combined force ordered a precision strike that killed an insurgent in Ghazni province's Andar district.

-- A combined force in Kunduz province's Aliabad district arrested six insurgents associated with a Taliban IED expert who allegedly oversees attacks on Afghan and coalition forces.

-- In Paktia province's Gardez district, a combined force arrested a Haqqani network facilitator who allegedly has been involved with vehicle-borne IED attacks in Khost and Paktia provinces. He also is accused of conducting the movement of insurgent fighters between Gardez and Jalalabad districts for attacks against Afghan and coalition forces. The security force also detained two suspected insurgents and seized a rifle and ammunition.

-- A combined force in Nangarhar province's Khugyani district arrested a Taliban leader who allegedly provided operational guidance to other local Taliban leaders and oversaw 10 insurgents who used heavy weapons and explosives to attack Afghan and coalition forces. The security force also detained another suspect and seized ammunition.

-- In Logar province's Charkh district, a combined force arrested two insurgents while searching for a senior Taliban leader suspected of directing attacks against Afghan and coalition forces and supplying weapons and IEDs to insurgents. The security force also seized a rifle and ammunition as a result.

In Feb. 17 operations:

-- A combined force killed senior Taliban leader Khan Mohammad and another insurgent after seeing them engaged in insurgent activity in Helmand province's Musa Qalah district. Khan Mohammad, also known as Shams, coordinated direct attacks against Afghan and coalition forces and participated in Taliban kidnapping operations. He facilitated the supply of weapons to insurgents.

-- In Baghlan province's Baghlan-e Jadid district, a combined force arrested a Taliban leader who allegedly oversaw the gathering and coordinating of munitions, fighters and logistics for higher-level Taliban leaders. He is suspected of facilitating the movement of fighters and heavy weapons for a planned attack against Afghan and coalition forces. The security force also detained two other suspected insurgents.

-- A combined force in Helmand province's Nad-e Ali district detained four insurgents while searching for a Taliban leader suspected of overseeing insurgents responsible for attacks against Afghan and coalition forces.

-- In Logar province's Charkh district, a combined force killed two insurgents during a search for a Taliban leader believed to transport weapons and explosives and oversee IED operations in the district. The security force also seized assault rifles with ammunition and several grenades in the operation.

-- A combined force in Nangarhar province's Sherzad district killed an insurgent during a search for a Taliban leader who oversees 20 insurgents responsible for attacks against Afghan and collation forces. The security force also seized assault rifles with associated gear and several grenades in the operation.

-- In Kandahar province's Panjwai district, a combined force killed a Taliban leader who coordinated and executed attacks against Afghan local police checkpoints and personnel. He was a weapons expert, and recently involved in taking three local police officers hostage, officials said.

-- A combined force in Helmand province's Nad-e Ali district arrested a Taliban leader believed to oversee insurgents responsible for attacks against Afghan and coalition forces. He oversaw procurement and delivery of weapons and IEDs to insurgents and is suspected of personally executing high-profile IED attacks, officials said. The security force also detained three other suspected insurgents.

In Feb. 16 operations:

-- A combined force in Khost province's Khost district arrested a high-profile attack facilitator believed to be associated with both Taliban and Haqqani insurgent networks. He is accused of assisting in the transfer and delivery of heavy weapons, equipment and ammunition and of coordinating a vehicle-borne IED attack targeting Afghan and coalition forces. The security force also detained two other suspected insurgents and seized firearms and ammunition.

-- In Logar province's Pul-e Alam district, a combined force arrested a Haqqani network facilitator believed to be responsible for planning and preparing attacks targeting Afghan and coalition forces and facilitating the acquisition of IEDs and other weapons. He also allegedly produced and transported homemade explosives and executed IED attacks. The security force also detained two other suspected insurgents.

SCENERIO: COMPUTER CRASH AT NORTHCOM

Assured access to secure networks is vital to the homeland defense mission of U.S. Northern Command and North American Aerospace Defense Command, and to Northcom's key role in providing military support to civil authorities as requested. Here, Army Master Sgt. Dale Lee and James Skidmore from U.S. Army North, Northcom's Army component, rely on networks at Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, N.J., to plan military support to Hurricane Irene relief efforts, Aug. 27, 2011. U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Samuel Goodman

FROM: U.S. DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE, NORTHCOM, MILITARY COMPUTER CRASH

Secure Network Access Vital to Northcom's Mission
By Donna Miles
American Forces Press Service

PETERSON AIR FORCE BASE, Colo., Feb. 13, 2013 - Who doesn't hate when their computer crashes, gets infected with a virus or, worst of all, flashes them the dreaded "blue screen of death"?

Navy Rear Adm. Thomas "Hank" Bond Jr. worries about that problem more than most. That's because, as director of command-and-control systems at U.S. Northern Command and North American Aerospace Defense Command, he's responsible for the networks vital to the dual commands' homeland defense mission.

Operating in a "no-fail" environment where a mistake can cost American lives, Bond and his staff in the commands' "J-6" directorate run the architectures and networks that deliver critical sensor data -- some that would need to be acted on immediately to prevent an attack on the United States.

"We provide the connective tissue across the command to get the job done," Bond told American Forces Press Service at the Northcom/NORAD headquarters here.

Information is critical across the organization, he said, but particularly at the NORAD and Northcom Current Operations Center that maintains an around-the-clock watch, seven days a week, 365 days a year. "That data needs to get to people who can make decisions about it," and ultimately to Army Gen. Charles H. Jacoby Jr., the NORAD and Northcom commander, who would make the call for action, Bond explained.

"This is a mission that requires that you be able to talk, to get the message out and to assign the forces to do what you need them to do," he said. "You can't say 'I'm sorry' because you are rebooting the system."

To ensure that never happens, Bond and his team are exploring more efficient and whenever possible, less costly ways to assure secure network access across the commands.

Rather than coming up with expensive new "gee-whiz" technologies, they are tapping some of the best concepts emerging in the commercial marketplace. "We're looking for new and better solutions that are also lower cost, still providing all the services, but still reliable and redundant," Bond said. "That is our big trend."

For example, the team is exploring better ways to present data to decision-makers. One idea is to make the two-dimensional display screens that dominate the command center 3-D to better reflect the real world. Another is to identify improved ways to portray activities in the air, space, land, maritime and cyber domains to help operators "connect the dots" and develop better situational awareness.

"It all boils down to that age-old problem of knowing what is going on in your operating area and knowing what is going on in the enemy's operating area and being able to use that to your advantage," Bond said. Information technology alone can't deliver that, he said, but it can go a long way in empowering well-trained operators with finely tuned processes.

"We are thinking about how to visualize data differently, and present it in a way that can be more useful for our commander and for the operators to understand," Bond said. "I want to be able to provide them the framework that might save them 30 seconds thinking about one particular part of the problem, which will give them more time to think about that harder thing over there."

In another major, but less apparent effort, the J-6 directorate is studying ways to take advantage of Internet protocol. Migrating to "everything over IP," a popular trend in the commercial world, would enable the commands to share and store a full range of data over one infrastructure in lieu of myriad independent systems, Bond explained.

It would eliminate the cost of running multiple services, he said. But by eliminating redundancy, it also creates some inherent risk.

"That's something we can't accept with our no-fail communications missions," Bond said. "So we continue to watch this, to see if there is a way to embrace it in our effort to identify new solutions."

One solution already in the works involves improvements to the NORAD Enterprise Network used to share secret-level information between the United States and Canada. The network runs parallel to the U.S. Secure Internet Protocol Router Network, or SIPRNET, and its Canadian equivalent.

Particularly during tough budget times, maintaining these separate networks is simply too costly, Bond said. "So we are looking for a new way to employ an old system, and working through all the policy issues to figure out how we can more economically operate with our partners north of the border in a way that can be sustained into the future," he said.

Looking to the future, Bond said, he expects increasing challenge in protecting against cyber attacks that threaten the command's networks and, by extension, its ability to accomplish its mission.

Toward that end, his directorate is involved heavily in the new NORAD/Northcom Joint Cyber Center that stood up in May. Operating under the command's operations directorates, the new center has a threefold mission: extend situational awareness across the cyber domain; improve defense of the commands' networks; and stay postured to provide cyber consequence response and recovery support to civil authorities, when requested.

As the Joint Cyber Center matures and begins to form a network with other combatant commands' JCCs, Bond said he sees tremendous potential in the power of information technology in promoting situational awareness across the board.

"It is coming," he said. "We are growing in our ability to do this."

CYBERSECURITY AND U.S. CYBER COMMAND

CYBER COMMANDER GEN. ALEXANDER

FROM: U.S. DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE
Cybercom Commander Calls Cybersecurity Order First Step
By Army Sgt. 1st Class Tyrone C. Marshall Jr.
American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, Feb. 13, 2013 - The cybersecurity policy President Barack Obama announced during his annual State of the Union address is a step toward protecting the nation's critical infrastructure, the commander of U.S. Cyber Command said here today.

Army Gen. Keith B. Alexander, also director of the National Security Agency, joined senior U.S. officials from the White House and the Commerce and Homeland Security departments to discuss strengthening the cybersecurity of the country's critical infrastructure.

"We need a way of sharing information between government and industry -- both for information sharing and hardening our networks," he said. "I think what we're doing in the executive order tackles, perhaps, the most difficult issue facing our country: How do we harden these networks when, across all of industry and government, those networks are in various states of array? We've got to have a way of reaching out with industry and with government to solve that kind of problem."

The general said the new cybersecurity policy is important to strengthening the country's defenses against cyberattacks. "The systems and assets that our nation depends on for our economy, for our government, even for our national defense, are overwhelmingly owned and operated by industry," he explained. "We have pushed hard for information sharing."

Private-sector companies have the information they need to defend their own networks in a timely manner, he said. "However, information sharing alone will not solve this problem," he added. "Our infrastructure is fragile." The executive order Obama signed to put the new cybersecurity policy into effect sets up a process for government and industry to start to address the problem, the general said.

But although the president's new executive order helps to bring about some solutions, Alexander said, it isn't comprehensive.

"This executive order is only a down payment on what we need to address the threat," he said. "This executive order can only move us so far, and it's not a substitute for legislation. We need legislation, and we need it quickly, to defend our nation. Agreeing on the right legislation actions for much-needed cybersecurity standards is challenging."

The executive order is a step forward, though, because it creates a voluntary process for industry and government to establish that framework, Alexander said.

"In particular, with so much of the critical infrastructure owned and operated by the private sector, the government is often unaware of the malicious activity targeting our critical infrastructure," he said. "These blind spots prevent us from being positioned to help the critical infrastructure defend itself, and it prevents us from knowing when we need to defend the nation."

The general noted government can share threat information with the private sector under this executive order and existing laws, but a "real-time" defensive posture for the military's critical networks will require legislation removing barriers to private-to-public sharing of attacks and intrusions into private-sector networks.

"Legislation is also necessary to create incentives for better voluntary cooperation in cyber standards, developments and implementation," he said, "and to update and modernize government authorities to address these new cyber threats."

Alexander warned that potential cyber threats to the United States are very real, pointing to recent examples.

"You only have to look at the distributed denial-of-service attacks that we've seen on Wall Street, the destructive attacks we've seen against Saudi Aramco and RasGas, to see what's coming at our nation," Alexander said. Now is the time for action, he said, and the new executive order takes a step in implementing that action.

In his role as director of the NSA, Alexander said, he is fully committed to the development of the cybersecurity framework.


"We do play a vital role in all of this, and in protecting DOD networks and supporting our combatant commands and defending the nation from cyber-attacks," he said. "But we can't do it all. No one agency here can do it all. It takes a team in the government."

And the government cannot do it by itself, either, he added. "We have to have government and industry working together as a team," he said.

GOTTENMOELLER'S REMARKS ON NUCLEAR NON-PROLIFERATION TREATY

Secretary Rose Gottenmoeller.  Credit:  U.S. State Department

FROM: U.S. DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE
Forging Ahead: Challenges and Opportunities for the NPT
Remarks
Rose Gottemoeller
Acting Under Secretary for Arms Control and International Security
Institute for National Security Studies (INSS)
Washington, DC
February 12, 2013
As Delivered

Thank you, Yaiv, and thank you to General (Ret.) Yadlin and all the staff at INSS for hosting me. It is an honor to be here. As you all know, John Kerry was sworn in as the new U.S. Secretary of State just about a week and a half ago. He begins his tenure at State fully seized of the challenges that we face around the globe, including the future of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT). Under the direction of our new Secretary, the Department of State will continue its efforts to support this vital regime. The title for this conference is apt. We are at a crossroads, but not a dead-end. Over the course of the last 40 years, the NPT has taken some hits, not least this highly provocative act announced by North Korea today. But it is precisely because of those hits that we have acquired the experience needed to deal more effectively with the challenge of nuclear proliferation.

In order to look to the future, it is important to remember the past. It was just over 50 years ago that tension brought on by the Cuban Missile Crisis threatened to turn the Cold War hot. The world watched in fear for those 13 days in October 1962 when Soviet missile placements in Cuba very nearly became the spark that would start a fire we could not possibly control.

As the United States and the Soviet Union teetered on the edge of nuclear war, leaders in Washington and Moscow sought a diplomatic solution. One of the challenges confronting both sides was making sure that their perceptions, objectives, and proposals were getting across to each other clearly. This was not an easy thing to do without email, dedicated phone lines or fifty years of cooperation across many different issues.

Resolute and sober in their determination, leaders in Washington and Moscow stepped back from the brink of a nuclear conflict, using every avenue available to settle the crisis peacefully. After those frightening 13 days, both sides learned ways to reduce the tension in our relationship.

A New Beginning

To say that things have changed dramatically since October 1962 is an understatement. The Cuban Missile Crisis was a turning point. The United States and the Soviet Union came to the edge of the abyss and then started to back away from it. In the months following the crisis, a "Hotline" between the Kremlin and the White House was established, allowing for direct, immediate communications between our leaders.

In the summer of 1963, in a Commencement Address at American University, President John F. Kennedy laid out a bold vision on how we could turn away from what had seemed like an inevitable march towards nuclear catastrophe.

"Peace need not be impracticable," he said, "and war need not be inevitable. By defining our goal more clearly, by making it seem more manageable and less remote, we can help all peoples to see it, to draw hope from it, and to move irresistibly toward it."

I like that concept. Defining goals does make things more manageable. Working step by step, we can slowly fix seemingly intractable, unsolvable problems.

In that particular speech, one of the defined goals was to achieve a ban on nuclear testing. While it was not comprehensive, the Limited Test Ban Treaty went into force just four months later. It outlawed nuclear explosive tests on land, in the sea, in the atmosphere and in space. This was a tremendous step in the right direction and one that helped create political conditions to conclude the NPT, an even more ambitious treaty, several years later.

The Path Before Us

The grand bargain of the NPT, where nuclear weapon states pursue disarmament, non-nuclear weapon states abstain from the pursuit of nuclear weapons and all countries are able to access the benefits of peaceful nuclear energy, sets an enduring standard that is as relevant today as it was at the Treaty’s inception. For over forty years, the regime has bent, frayed and broken in places, but it has never collapsed. It has slowed the tide of proliferation; it has facilitated cooperation among its States Parties; and it has institutionalized the norms of nonproliferation and disarmament.

Despite our past successes, there are very pressing challenges all around us and on the horizon. Most critically, we have grave concerns about the actions of a few countries. North Korea, Iran and Syria violated their NPT obligations, and have failed to take the steps necessary to rectify these violations. The United States is gravely concerned about all of these programs, as I am sure is the case for everyone in this room. These transgressions threaten international security and undermine confidence in the nonproliferation regime. These cases also stand directly in the way of our shared disarmament goals.

Addressing these compliance challenges is essential to preserving the integrity of the nonproliferation regime and we have taken important steps in the past several years to do so. The IAEA found Syria in noncompliance with its safeguards obligations for attempting to build a covert nuclear reactor, and we are continuing to build on the stringent sanctions the UN Security Council adopted against Iran in 2010. That, combined with actions taken before 2010, represent clear reinforcement of the importance of full compliance. NPT Parties must be willing to keep the pressure on countries that violate their obligations. As President Obama has said many times, the international community must stand up to States that violate their nonproliferation obligations. NPT rules must be binding and there must be consequences for those who break them.

There is a continued push for universal adherence to the IAEA safeguards agreements and Additional Protocols. As we have learned from past and present safeguards violations from countries such as Iran and Syria, the Additional Protocol must be the standard for verification of the NPT. Since 2010, 18 states have brought Additional Protocols into force, bringing the total to 119. Another 20 have signed the Protocol but not yet completed the ratification process. That is excellent progress, but we must continue to press for more.

The United States will also work with all Parties to discourage states from abusing the NPT’s withdrawal provision, a priority we share with many of our international partners.

Building on our pledge to reduce the role of nuclear weapons in our defense strategy, we are also making progress on nuclear-weapon-free zones (NWFZ). The nuclear-weapon states, also known as the P5, and ASEAN have agreed on a revised Protocol to the Southeast Asia NWFZ (SEANWFZ) Treaty that resolved outstanding differences. We hope that the Protocol signing can take place soon.

For its part, this Administration sent the protocols to the African and South Pacific NWFZs to the U.S. Senate for its advice and consent. The United States also remains committed to consulting with the Central Asia NWFZ (CANWFZ) parties to reach an agreement that would allow us – along with the rest of the P5 – to sign the protocol to that treaty.

A longer term goal is achievement of a Middle East zone free of all weapons of mass destruction. The United States supports this goal and stands ready to help facilitate discussions among states in the region at the proposed Helsinki conference. But we do so recognizing that the mandate for a zone can only come from within the region; it cannot be imposed from outside or without the consent of all concerned states. We regret the Helsinki conference could not be convened last year, but remain committed to working with our partners to create conditions for a successful event.

An immediate concern is securing vulnerable nuclear materials in order to keep them out of hands of terrorists. Under President Obama’s direction, we have held two Nuclear Security Summits, with a third to take place in The Hague next year. In anticipation of the Hague Summit, we will continue to build on pledges that are resulting in more material secured, removed and eliminated. These are real and durable achievements that help protect nations against the threat of nuclear terrorism. We will continue to use the Summits to strengthen the global architecture – the treaties, institutions, norms and rules – that governs nuclear security, and to promote the concept of "assurance;" that is, states execute their sovereign security responsibilities in ways that assure neighbors, allies and rivals that they are doing so effectively. Israel and others here are valued partners in the Summit process, and we look forward to continued cooperation to promote these shared goals.

Regarding the disarmament agenda, there have been successes on both the bilateral and multilateral fronts. The United States is committed to a step-by-step process to reduce the overall numbers of nuclear weapons. The two year anniversary of the New START Treaty’s entry into force has just passed. As many of you know, I was the lead New START negotiator for the United States and it is very satisfying to see how pragmatic, business-like and positive the implementation has been. We are now exploring the possibilities of what a future agreement with Russia would look like – one with reductions in all categories of nuclear weapons – strategic, non-strategic, deployed and non-deployed.

Beyond bilateral treaties, ratification and entry into force of the Comprehensive Nuclear Test-Ban Treaty (CTBT) remains a top priority for the United States.

As we move forward with our ratification process, we encourage all other nations to do the same. We also remain committed to launch negotiations on a Fissile Material Cutoff Treaty. It is unfortunate that, to date, the Geneva Conference on Disarmament has been blocked in its efforts to move this agreement forward.

We are also engaging with other P5 states on disarmament-related matters. Following the first meeting in London in 2009, P5 conferences were held in Paris in 2011 and Washington in 2012. At those high-level meetings, we started discussions on key nuclear weapons related issues, including confidence-building, transparency, and verification experiences. Russia announced recently that it will host the next P5 conference in April, just before the second NPT PrepCom.

While some are quick to dismiss the utility of meetings and conferences, they would be forgetting their history. As the United States and Russia approach the lowest levels of deployed nuclear warheads since the 1950’s – and that will happen when the New START Treaty is fully implemented in 2018 – it is important to remember that their success was born out of direct communication. Communication builds trust. Trust paves the way for cooperation. This is the type of process we are cultivating in the P5 setting.

We also support new frameworks for civil nuclear cooperation that reduce the spread of dangerous technologies. Establishment of an IAEA fuel bank represents an important step forward, as it can help assure the reliability of nuclear fuel supply and avoid the unnecessary investment in indigenous enrichment.

Forging Ahead

Having just run through the challenges and opportunities, the road ahead can seem daunting. Some states continue to forsake their freely taken and legally binding obligations. Proliferation is aided by the speed and anonymity provided by the information age. Conflicts around the globe make cooperation difficult or dangerous. Even in the face of these challenges, it is incumbent upon us to find ways to strengthen nonproliferation norms, bolster compliance and quickly adapt to ever-changing circumstances and security needs.

There are some new tools that could aid us in our travels. The United States is and has always been committed to innovation, and the arms control and nonproliferation arenas are no exception. To respond to the challenges we face, we are thinking about creative ways to use technologies – including open source technologies – to tackle long-standing verification and monitoring problems. We hope that other states will join us in this endeavor.

All of what I have discussed will require hard work. However, we are at a crossroads, not a cliff. We are fully able to choose the path that leads us to a safer, more secure world. We have with us the lessons of the Cold War and the knowledge that even in our darkest hours, we found a way forward. In his speech at American University 50 years ago, President Kennedy left the students with a final thought:

"Confident and unafraid, we labor on--not toward a strategy of annihilation but toward a strategy of peace."


We have come a long way since then, but we have a long way to go. We just have to keep moving forward step by step, confident and unafraid.

Thank you and I look forward to your questions.

DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE CONNECTIONS

FROM: U.S. DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE

DISA Highlights Increase in Use of Collaboration Tool
By Amaani Lyle
American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, Feb. 12, 2013 - Use of a Web-based application designed to offer an information exchange environment for Defense Department users has grown markedly as defense spending cuts loom, Defense Information Systems Agency officials said.

Since 2007, Defense Connect Online has been the "go-to" mechanism among several new enterprises within DOD's networks that entrust remote services with a user's data and software through cloud computing.

Defense Connect Online is the designated enterprise tool allowing DOD partners to collaborate on either classified or unclassified networks, said Alfred Rivera, DISA's director of enterprise services.

"It's been the department's way of providing collaborative solutions ... for online meetings, document sharing, white-boarding and voice-over-internet-protocol (VOIP) capabilities, to include chat," Rivera said.

John Hale, DISA's chief of enterprise applications, said DCO is the Web-based solution fielded within DOD's private cloud so information can be exchanged among mission partners. "It really has been a facilitator of collaboration, ... including the ability to chat live with each other while you're doing it," he said. DCO users should note common access card requirements, with the option for non-CAC holder guest participation, Hale said.

As DOD faces an austere budget climate, DISA officials said, DCO and similar enterprise ventures have shown growth by virtue of cost savings. "We're starting to see a large increase in the use of Defense Connect Online, and in the last 60 to 90 days, there's been unprecedented growth," Hale said.

DISA officials continue to address technology solutions to meet increasing customer demands, Hale said, adding that programmers took necessary steps to ensure data security both at rest and at use within the system.

"The solution was built ... with security in mind, [and] that's one reason it leverages our current DOD private cloud as its native platform, ... because a certain amount of security comes with that environment," Hale said. "As [information technology] increases in complexity and users demand more and more instant capabilities, security is ... at the forefront of everything we do to ensure our nation's defense information is kept safe."

A maximum capacity of 2,000 users in 2007 has since increased to 4,000 concurrent users, Hale noted, but recent demands have accelerated capacity expansion.

"Under normal circumstances, that would be a good model; however, DCO capacity requirements have significantly increased by 33 percent during the last 60 to 90 days," he said.
To address the increased demand, DISA officials expedited a previously planned expansion project, and will double current capacity within the week.

"We will make several system upgrades within six to eight weeks which will allow us to add additional capacity beyond 8,000 in a streamlined fashion, as dictated by mission partner usage," Hale said.

Rivera said Defense Connect Online was DISA's first large endeavor as part of the agency's emergence into enterprise services. Another is enterprise email service. The Army was the first adopter of DOD Enterprise Email (DEE), said Alan Lewis, DISA's program executive officer for enterprise services.

"We currently have over 800,000 users on that system and are growing rapidly," Lewis said. "In the next two months, we'll have 1.5 million users on that system." Users include members of the Army, the Joint Staff and various combatant commands, among other military agencies, Lewis added.

DISA is the main service provider of high-end applications to DOD, its senior leaders said.

"What you're seeing is large growth across the board in terms of the service offerings from DISA to the entire department," Lewis said, noting plans to integrate mobile capabilities into all platforms.

Rivera said collaboration with the Army to determine whether or not the ventures were fiscally sound were worthwhile. "The results indicated that the Army would save around $74 million annually when moving to DEE versus them doing it themselves," Rivera said.

With an expected 1.4 million Army users taking advantage of DEE, other enterprise services such as the DOD Enterprise Portal Service and DCO consolidate common usage applications into large-scale platforms to bring cost savings to taxpayers, Hale said.

"Every organization is trying to save as much as possible to meet their mission needs," Hale said. "By offsetting the cost for these common services that everybody expects [and] using enterprise services, it allows organizations to focus their dollars back into their mission."

Rivera expressed confidence that Defense Connect Online and similar enterprises will weather the fiscal storm.

"It is one of those efficiency applications that the department can recognize as we look at ... strong budget cuts going on," he said. "This is one of our key enterprise applications that will continue to be a critical element as we move forward in this budget-constrained environment."

Rivera said he expects mission partners to use the enterprise not only for meetings, but also for operational discussions, distance learning and other capabilities.

AIR FORCE SPLITS MISSILE-SPACE OFFICER DEVELOPMENT

Minuteman III Missile Launch.  Credit:  U.S. Air Force

FROM: U.S. DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE
AF splits space, missile career field for officers

2/15/2013 - WASHINGTON (AFNS) -- The Air Force has split the space and missile career field in an effort to ensure more focused development for officers performing these critical missions in increasingly complex operational environments, Air Force officials announced today.

Under the old construct, more than 50 percent of space-coded company grade officers' development time was spent as a missileer, said Col. Joseph Prue, career field manager for space operations officers.

"Space and Missile Operations have become more and more technical in application and execution--each in their own unique ways," said Prue. "This split will enable each career field to continue cultivating technical expertise via separate, yet equally important, avenues in order to be more effective and efficient in meeting current and future AF needs."

This change will allow the Air Force to further strengthen the nuclear enterprise, said Col. Zannis Pappas, the new career field manager for "Nuclear and Missile Operations," or AFSC 13N.

"Over the past four years, we have created distinct training and development tracks for our space and missile officers to further ensure that our Airmen are prepared for the unique challenges of these missions," said Pappas. "The transformation of the career field will allow for deliberate development of specialized skills, technical depth, and experience to prepare for emerging challenges."

The change affects approximately 3,100 officers coded as either "Space Operations" or "Nuclear Missile Operations" within the former 13S career field. Those officers previously coded as "Space Operations" will remain in the 13S career field and those officers previously coded as "Nuclear Missile Operations" will have their AFSCs changed to 13N.

All new Air Force officer accessions headed for careers in the former "Space and Missile Operations" AFSC will be classified as either a "Space Operations" (AFSC 13S) officer or "Nuclear and Missile Operations" (AFSC 13N) officer.

Affected officers should contact their career field managers for more information about how the change will affect them, said Prue.

"The transformation of the career field will give space and missile officers opportunities to develop the depth and breadth they need for command, as well as the opportunity for career-long development in specific mission areas," said Prue.

U.S. MILITARY RECRUITMENT CONTINUES STRONG

Photo Credit:  U.S. Navy.

FROM: U.S. DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE
Recruiting Continues Robust Through December

American Forces Press Service
WASHINGTON, Feb. 15, 2013 - All four active services met or exceeded their target recruiting numbers for the first three months of fiscal 2013, Pentagon officials reported today.

Here are the specific numbers by service so far for the fiscal year, which began Oct. 1:

-- Army: 12,396 accessions, 101 percent of its goal of 12,250;

-- Navy: 7,782 accessions, 100 percent of its goal of 7,782;

-- Marine Corps: 6,073 accessions, 100 percent of its goal of 6,058; and

-- Air Force: 6,516 accessions, 100 percent of its goal of 6,516.

The Army, Air Force, and Marine Corps exhibited strong retention numbers for the third month of fiscal 2013, officials said. While the Navy exhibited strong retention numbers in the mid-career and career categories, the Navy's achievement of 86 percent in the initial category is a result of the transition from a downsizing to a stabilizing posture.

Meanwhile, five of the six reserve components met or exceeded their fiscal 2013 recruiting goals for the first three months of the fiscal year. The Army Reserve finished December 572 short of its goal. Here are the numbers:

-- Army National Guard: 12,412 accessions, 103 percent of its goal of 12,015;

-- Army Reserve: 6,450 accessions, 92 percent of its goal of 7,022;

-- Navy Reserve: 1,281 accessions, 100 percent of its goal of 1,281;

-- Marine Corps Reserve: 2,359 accessions, 109 percent of its goal of 2,163;

-- Air National Guard: 2,170 accessions, 100 percent of its goal of 2,170; and

-- Air Force Reserve: 1,872 accessions, 100 percent of its goal of 1,872.

All reserve components have met their fiscal-year-to-date attrition goals. Officials said that although they expect this trend will continue, attrition numbers for December are not yet available.

CONGRESSIONAL TESTIMONY ON EMERGING POWERS

Map:  China.  Credit:  U.S. State Department.

FROM: U.S. DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE
Scholar: Trends, Emerging Powers Bear Watching
By Amaani Lyle
American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, Feb. 13, 2013 - The nation must sustain awareness of technological and geopolitical trends in allies and emerging powers, a National Defense University senior research fellow told a House subcommittee today.

In a hearing of the House Armed Services Committee's subcommittee on intelligence, emerging threats and capabilities, Frank Hoffman stressed the urgency of staying prepared for an ever-broadening array of actors and challenges, rather than a singular one.

"We have to be ready for a broad spectrum of conflicts that range from purely irregular and terrorists at one end to perhaps rising powers with conventional capability to the other," he said.

Hoffman also contested what he called a new "peace theory" circulating throughout Washington in which prominent journals and think tanks have opined that war as most know it has all but disappeared. "There's a pernicious concept ... that the tides of war are receding and that the United States can retrench without risks," he said.

Hoffman acknowledged U.S. successes and the nation's lack of competition from a major power since 1991, but warned against discounting patterns across centuries.

"Great progress has been made in the last decade, but the notion [that] a dramatic change in human nature [can] outweigh 2,000 years of recorded history is tenuous, at best," Hoffman said.
The stability and leadership the U.S. provides the world, a consensus on a Western model based upon rule of law, and global partnerships cause positive assessments in reviewing the last 10 years, he explained.

"We've had extensive peacekeeping support from the international community, to include the [United Nations]," he said. "There's a growth and continued contribution from the conflict-resolution community."

But a number of concerns should give people pause, Hoffman maintained. He described a perceived decline in U.S. capabilities or interest in sustaining its position in the world as emerging powers rise. "History suggests some caution when new, emerging, non-status-quo powers arise," he said.

He also warned of "peace support fatigue" in the international community. "We're going to see a ... lack of domestic support from many allies and other agencies that have been very useful ... in keeping instability down," Hoffman said.

Proxy wars, Hoffman said, also can be catalytic, producing a major war out of what was intended to be a smaller conflict.
He cited resource contention over energy, food, water and rare materials as a "tinderbox for conflicts."

"I see actions in the South China Sea ... and [China's] efforts to secure energy resources and raw assets as something to be taken seriously," he said.

Dwindling incomes and pensions that younger and older demographics will suffer can spur dissent in regions throughout Africa, Asia, the Middle East and southern Europe, Hoffman noted, adding that higher unemployment and subsequent dissent could become the "new normal" in affected nations.

"That will produce more disillusionment and more angry people than ... we've seen in the past, [and] will lead to political instability," he said.

Perhaps one of the more visible and imminent dangers is the divided religions and religious extremism, or "sacred rage," in Islam, which Hoffman said could spur the emergence of other forms of government. "We're creating a lot of fertile ground for al-Qaida and its affiliated movements to take root in some places," he said, "and we're not going to be happy with the results."

Still, the defense scholar noted, the subcommittee's charge is at the cusp of what is emerging in the national security arena and what could generate the greatest risks to the nation's prosperity and security in the next decade.

"Plato had it right: 'Only the dead have seen the end of war,'" Hoffman said. "We may not face another bloody century like the last, ... but the world remains a very dangerous place."

9-11 MASTERMIND SUSPECT CASE CONTINUES

World Trade Center After Attack.  Credit:  U.S. Navy

FROM: U.S. DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE
Justice Rolls Slowly in Alleged 9/11 Suspects' Case
By Donna Miles
American Forces Press Service

FORT MEADE, Md., Feb. 15, 2013 - The latest round of pre-trial hearings for the alleged 9/11 mastermind and four accomplices wrapped up yesterday at Naval Station Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, much as it started: with hours of wrangling over legal and privacy issues and continued protests by the defense team that the system is rigged.

Army Col. James Pohl, the commission judge, concluded four days of pre-trial hearings in the case against Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, and accomplices Walid Muhammad Salih Mubarak Bin Attash, Ramzi Binalshibh, Ali Abdul Aziz Ali, and Mustafa Ahmed Adam al Hawsawi.

All five defendants were captured in Pakistan in 2002 and 2003 and have been confined at Guantanamo Bay since 2006.

They were charged during their arraignment in May 2012 with terrorism, conspiracy, attacking civilians, attacking civilian objects, intentionally causing serious bodily injury, murder in violation of the law of war, destruction of property in violation of the law of war, hijacking or hazarding a vessel or aircraft. The prosecution has since requested that the conspiracy charge be dropped.

Among the most significant developments during this week's proceedings was the revelation that microphones as well as cameras have been hidden in several locations around the detention facility -- including inside what looked like smoke detectors in rooms where defense attorneys meet with their clients.

Detention officials told the court these measures were taken for security reasons only, and prosecutors insisted that they have never eavesdropped on privileged conversations between the defendants and their counsel. The defense, however, called the mere presence of the microphones an ethics violation that undermines their ability to provide a valid defense.

Pohl ordered that the microphones be removed from rooms where the attorneys meet with clients, and agreed to a defense request that they be held so they can be inspected later, if the defense wishes to.

Defense attorneys also charged that the defendants' property, including confidential mail from their lawyers, had been seized from their cells this week while they appeared in court. Bin Attash, who was among those who reported missing items, stood up and began to address the judge about the matter. Pohl threatened to have him removed from the courtroom if he did not sit down, but assured him he would have an opportunity to speak later, under oath.

Navy Lt. Cdr. George Masucco, the detention facility's assistant staff judge advocate, told the court that the guards seized what they believed to be contraband materials during routine safety inspections earlier this week. Among the suspect material was a photo of the Grand Mosque in Mecca, Saudi Arabia, a metal pen, toilet paper that had English writing on it and mail that had not been properly marked to indicate it had been reviewed for content.

Masucco confirmed during cross examination that some of the challenged materials, including the photo, did, in fact, have the proper markings. However, he noted that some of those stamps didn't conform to established detention center requirements, such as the reviewer's initials.

Defense Attorney Cheryl Bormann argued that repeated inspections of the same materials by guards who rotate through assignments at Guantanamo Bay amounts to harassment. This led to a long discussion about the difference between an inspection and a search, and who needs to be present when one is conducted.

Army Brig. Gen. Mark Martins, chief prosecutor for the Office of Military Commissions, told the judge the camp commander would conduct an investigation to determine facts regarding the latest seizures. That information will be reported to the court within seven days, he said.

In addition, Pohl gave the defense a week to come up with recommended language about inspection protocols, and said the prosecution will get a week to comment on it. Based on that input, the judge said he will make a ruling to clear up future confusion.

In another matter, Navy Cmdr. Walter Ruiz, one of the defense attorneys, told the judge he had not received the support he needed within the timeframe he needed it, including security clearances for the translator he had requested.

Retired Navy Adm. Bruce MacDonald, the convening authority for the commissions, disputed Ruiz' claim, telling the court during testimony delivered via teleconference that he had complied with the defense's requests. MacDonald said he will step down from his three-year appointment when it expires March 21, before the next series of pre-trial hearings, scheduled for April.

All five defendants appeared in the courtroom yesterday. Mohammed, with a bright red beard, wore a traditional white turban and, in a concession the court granted at an earlier pre-trial hearing, a camouflage vest.

FORMER SECRETARY OF STATE CLINTON HONORED AT PENTAGON

FROM: U.S. DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE

Panetta, Dempsey Honor Clinton for Leadership
By Jim Garamone
American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, Feb. 14, 2013 - Each generation of Americans must earn the responsibility to lead, former Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton said at the Pentagon today as Defense Secretary Leon E. Panetta and Army Gen. Martin E. Dempsey, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, presented her with awards and thanked her for her efforts to work with the military to extend America's leadership.

The threats Americans face require military power, but they also require diplomatic efforts and economic levers, Panetta said. Working together, he added, extends American power and influence.

Clinton joked that in the past, there was no love lost between the State and Defense departments. She praised former Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates and former Joint Chiefs Chairman Navy Adm. Mike Mullen with reaching out to the diplomats in Foggy Bottom and stressing to Congress the need for fully funding the State Department.

Clinton took office in January 2009, and her time at State was tumultuous. During her term, she worked to reach out to new governments in wake of the Arab Spring. She helped to put together the coalition that toppled Libyan dictator Moammar Gadhafi, and she helped to build support for sanctions against Iran, Dempsey said.

Those in uniform very much appreciate this last, the chairman said, "so that we can avoid the use of force, although remaining ready to do so, if necessary."

The chairman said Clinton recognized the limits of military action, and that the United States needs both hard power and soft power. "You've harnessed innovative ways to accomplish engagement, including social media and global town halls, all the while remembering that it's the investment of your personal time that builds relationships," Dempsey said.

Panetta remarked that he has worked closely with Clinton for 20 years. "Because of her leadership, our nation's diplomats and our development experts are working toward a common mission with the men and women of the Department of Defense, and I'm confident that our successes will sustain the bonds that we have built between the Department of Defense and the State Department," he said.

DOD and State Department personnel serve side by side from Afghanistan to North Africa, from the Middle East to Asia Pacific, and are making "great personal sacrifices in order to prevent conflict, to advance the cause of peace and security, and to help achieve the American dream of giving our children a better life," Panetta said.

The U.S. national security apparatus must keep innovating and integrating, Clinton said. "We have to remain committed to upholding America's global leadership and our core values of freedom and opportunity," she said.

The United States is the indispensable nation, the former secretary said, and there is no real precedent in history for the role America plays or the responsibility shouldered. "But I often remind myself that our global leadership is not our birthright," she added. "It has to be earned by each successive generation, staying true to our values and living up to the best traditions of our nation. Secretaries and presidents come and go, but this responsibility remains constant. It truly must be our North Star."

Clinton told the junior officers and civilians in the audience that the country looks to them to carry the mission of American leadership forward.

"So thank you for this tremendous honor that has been bestowed on me by the chairman, and also the honor by the secretary," she said. "I thank you all for your service. ... Let's wish our country godspeed. And please extend to all with whom you serve my deepest gratitude, not as a retired public official, but as an American citizen."

OUTGOING DEFENSE SECRETARY PANETTA LAUDS MILITARY MEMBERS, BLASTS CONGRESS FOR "MEANNESS"

Defense Secretary Leon E. Panetta testifies on the Defense Department’s response to the attack on U.S. facilities in Benghazi, Libya, during a hearing before the Senate Armed Services Committee in Washington, D.C., Feb. 7, 2013. DOD photo by U.S. Navy Petty Officer 1st Class Chad J. McNeeley

FROM: U.S. DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE
Strong Defense Rests on Strong Congress, Panetta Says
By Karen Parrish
American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, Feb. 13, 2013 - The current lack of effective partnership in government is his biggest disappointment as he leaves Washington after 50 years of public service, Defense Secretary Leon E. Panetta said today.

Panetta told Pentagon reporters during what he called his final news conference here that his Defense Department team has achieved remarkable things.

"First and foremost, we've kept the country safe," he said. "Secondly, we have ... [dedicated] ourselves to bringing two wars to a conclusion, the war in Iraq and now we're well on the way to bringing the war in Afghanistan, hopefully, to a conclusion, as well."

Military members serving under him have weakened terrorism and strengthened cooperation with their counterparts in intelligence, he added. And together, he said, military and civilian defense leaders crafted and put in place a defense strategy that "really makes good sense for this country, in terms of the force we need for the 21st century."

The secretary added that as the son of Italian immigrants, he's also proud to have led the effort to "expand opportunities for everyone to serve in the military." Panetta's acts as secretary included expanding the number of jobs for servicewomen, and increasing the rights of same-sex couples with military members.

"And I'm proud of the care that we continue to provide for our wounded warriors and for their families," he said. "They are truly deserving of whatever we can provide because of the sacrifices they've made."

The secretary said he has put a lot of burdens on the military in working through tough decisions.

"And, you know, they always responded. They responded ... [with] dedication to country and dedication to the military. We've been able to do some historic things as a result of that," he said.

In turning to what threatens those achievements, Panetta expressed some frustration.

"I'm sorry about this, but I've got to say it," he said. "All of the work that we do here to try to make this country strong and develop a strong defense" depends on a strong partnership with Congress, the secretary said.

"What should be and what our forefathers, I think, envisioned as a strong bond between an administration, an executive branch, and a legislative branch ... is not as strong as it should be," he said. "Oftentimes, I feel like I don't have a full partnership with my former colleagues on the Hill in trying to do what's right for this country."

When he served in the House as a representative from California, Panetta said, there was a customary form of speech between members who disagreed: "With the greatest respect, I disagree with my friend."

What makes Congress work is that it's a place to fully debate political and ideological differences, he said.

"That's the whole purpose of our forefathers fashioning that legislative branch, to debate fully those differences," the secretary added. "But there are also some lines that are there that make that process work."

Without mutual respect and courtesy among those seeking to resolve differences, those lines break down, Panetta said.

"Everybody's got legitimate points, but there's a way to express it in a way that complements our democracy, doesn't demean our democracy," he said. "And I think, you know, what you see on display is too much meanness."

Panetta said he has spoken to leaders around the world during his extensive travels as secretary. Leaders everywhere, he said, see the United States as a nation with strong values and a strong military.

"I think what they worry about is what I worry about, which is whether or not ... we can govern and whether or not we can face the tough decisions that have to be made," he said.

Panetta noted he repeatedly has said the biggest threat to U.S. national security "is that budget uncertainty and that inability to govern and find solutions."

As a step toward better government and a better world perception of the nation, he said, "somehow the members both in the House and Senate side have to get back to a point where they really do respect the institution that they're a part of."

PRESIDENT OBAMA SAYS 34,000 TROOPS TO BE CUT FROM AFGHANISTAN

FROM: U.S. DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE
Obama Announces 34,000 Cut to U.S. Force in Afghanistan
By Karen Parrish
American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, Feb. 12, 2013 - U.S. troops in Afghanistan will decrease by 34,000 over the coming year, President Barack Obama announced tonight in his annual State of the Union address.

"After a decade of grinding war, our brave men and women in uniform are coming home," he said early in his remarks to a joint session of Congress. Later in the speech, the commander in chief outlined his plan for troops in Afghanistan, now numbering about 66,000.

"Already, we have brought home 33,000 of our brave servicemen and women," he said. "This spring, our forces will move into a support role, while Afghan security forces take the lead. Tonight, I can announce that over the next year, another 34,000 American troops will come home from Afghanistan. This drawdown will continue. And by the end of next year, our war in Afghanistan will be over."

The president credited "the troops and civilians who sacrifice every day to protect us. Because of them, we can say with confidence that America will complete its mission in Afghanistan, and achieve our objective of defeating the core of al-Qaida."

America's commitment to a unified and sovereign Afghanistan will endure beyond 2014, Obama said, but the nature of that commitment will change.

"We're negotiating an agreement with the Afghan government that focuses on two missions: training and equipping Afghan forces so that the country does not again slip into chaos, and counter-terrorism efforts that allow us to pursue the remnants of al Qaeda and their affiliates," he noted.

Defense Secretary Leon E. Panetta, in a statement, said he welcomes the commander in chief's announcement. The figure was based, he said, on Marine Corps Gen. John Allen's strategic recommendation of a phased approach to decreasing the force, now numbering about 62,000.

Allen turned over command of NATO's International Security Assistance Force and U.S. forces in Afghanistan to Marine Corps Gen. Joseph F. Dunford Jr. during a Feb. 10 ceremony in Kabul, Afghanistan.

The secretary said in his statement that in consultations with the president and his national security team, "I strongly supported General Allen's recommendation and I believe the president's decision puts us on the right path to succeed in Afghanistan."

Panetta said he is confident Dunford will have the combat power he needs to protect coalition forces, continue building up Afghan forces, and "achieve the goal of this campaign to deny al Qaeda a safe haven to attack our homeland."

Panetta noted the United States, NATO and the Afghan government agreed in Lisbon in 2010, and affirmed in Chicago in 2012, that Afghanistan will assume full responsibility for its security by the end of 2014.

"We are on track for that goal," he said, "and we will maintain a long-term commitment to Afghanistan including through the continued training and equipping of Afghan forces and counter-terrorism operations against al Qaeda and their affiliates."

The American people should never forget 9/11 is the reason their men and women are fighting in Afghanistan, Panetta said.

"After more than a decade of great sacrifice and hard-fought progress, we are now on a path to an Afghanistan that cannot be used as a launching pad for attacks against our nation," the secretary said.

"Our troops on the ground will continue to be in a tough fight, and they will continue to face real challenges, but our fundamental goal is now within sight," he concluded. "Thanks to their continued dedication and sacrifice, I believe we will prevail."

BALLISTIC MISSILE DEFENSE SYSTEM HAS A POSITIVE TEST

FROM: U.S. DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE,
Aegis Missile Defense System Intercepts Target in Test
American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, Feb. 13, 2013 - The Missile Defense Agency and sailors aboard the USS Lake Erie conducted a successful flight test of the Aegis Ballistic Missile Defense system today, resulting in the intercept of a medium-range ballistic missile target over the Pacific Ocean by a Standard Missile-3 Block IA guided missile.

At 4:10 a.m. EST, a unitary medium-range ballistic missile target was launched from the Pacific Missile Range Facility in Kauai, Hawaii. The target flew northwest toward a broad area of the Pacific Ocean.

The in-orbit Space Tracking and Surveillance System-Demonstrators, or STSS-D, detected and tracked the target, and forwarded track data to the USS Lake Erie. The ship, equipped with the second-generation Aegis Ballistic Missile Defense weapon system, used "Launch on Remote" doctrine to engage the target.

The ship developed a fire control solution from the STSS-D track and launched the SM-3 Block IA guided missile about five minutes after target launch. The SM-3 maneuvered to a point in space and released its kinetic warhead. The warhead acquired the target re-entry vehicle, diverted into its path, and, using only the force of a direct impact, engaged and destroyed the target.

Initial indications are that all components performed as designed, officials said. Program officials will assess and evaluate system performance based upon telemetry and other data obtained during the test, they added.

Today's event, designated Flight Test Standard Missile-20, or FTM-20, was a demonstration of the ability of space-based assets to provide mid-course fire control quality data to an Aegis Ballistic Missile Defense ship, extending the battle space, providing the ability for longer-range intercepts and defense of larger areas, officials said.

FTM-20 is the 24th successful intercept in 30 flight test attempts for the Aegis BMD program since flight testing began in 2002. Across all Ballistic Missile Defense System programs, this is the 58th successful hit-to-kill intercept in 73 flight tests since 2001.

Aegis Ballistic Missile Defense is the sea-based component of the Missile Defense Agency's Ballistic Missile Defense System. The Aegis BMD engagement capability defeats short- to intermediate-range, unitary and separating, midcourse-phase ballistic missile threats with the SM-3, as well as short-range ballistic missiles in the terminal phase with the SM-2 Block IV missile.

The MDA and the Navy cooperatively manage the Aegis BMD program.

NEWS FROM AFGHANISTAN FOR FEBRUARY 13, 2013

Partoling Afghanistan.  Credit:  U.S. Army.

FROM: U.S. DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE
Combined Force Kills Taliban Leader in Nangarhar Province
From an International Security Assistance Force Joint Command News Release

KABUL, Afghanistan, Feb. 13, 2013 - A combined Afghan and coalition force killed a Taliban leader in the Khugyani district of Afghanistan's Nangarhar province today, military officials reported.

Mojib, also known as Mansoor, conducted direct-fire attacks against Afghan government officials and Afghan and coalition forces. He was directly associated with Taliban senior leadership operating in Khugyani district and procured rocket-propelled grenades to be used in an attack on a coalition aircraft, officials said.

The security force seized assault rifles with associated gear as well as several grenades and a pistol in the operation.

Also today, a combined force in Khost province's Terayzai district arrested a Haqqani network leader who is accused of conducting attacks and kidnappings.

The security force also detained two suspected insurgents and seized grenades, an assault rifle with associated ammunition, an Afghan army uniform and two Afghan army identification cards in the operation.

In Afghanistan operations yesterday:

-- Afghan and coalition forces called in a precision airstrike in Helmand province's Nad-e Ali district that killed a Taliban leader responsible for attacks against Afghan and coalition forces. He also helped insurgents obtain heavy weapons. A post-strike assessment determined no civilians were harmed and no property was damaged in the operation.

-- A combined force called in a precision strike that killed two insurgents in Kunar province's Ghaziabad district. A post-operation assessment determined no civilians were harmed and no civilian property was damaged in the operation.

-- In Kandahar province's Maiwand district, a combined force arrested a Taliban facilitator believed responsible for coordinating and conducting insurgent operations.

GENERAL ODIERNO TELLS SENATE COMMITTEE THAT SEQUESTRATION WOULD HARM MILITARY READINESS

FROM: U.S. DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE
Odierno: Sequestration Would Impact Army Readiness
By Cody Starken
Army News Service

WASHINGTON, Feb. 12, 2013 - Furloughs, budget cuts and curtailment of training would significantly impact Army readiness if the billions of dollars in spending cuts triggered by sequestration are allowed to take place March 1, Chief of Staff of the Army Gen. Ray Odierno told lawmakers Tuesday.

Odierno, along with other senior defense and military leaders testified on the impact of sequestration before the Senate Armed Services Committee. "The fiscal outlook that the Army faces in fiscal year 13 is dire, and to my knowledge, unprecedented," Odierno said.

Since 2008, the total Army budget will have been reduced by 37 percent. If sequestration is enacted, it will be greater than 45 percent. This reduces the ability to reset the force, and delays modernization programs the Army currently funds, he said.

"We simply cannot take the readiness of our force for granted. If we do not have the resources to train and equip the force, our soldiers, our young men and women, are the ones who will pay the price, potentially with their lives," Odierno said.

The Army will also have constraints on military training and readiness, Odierno said. Even though current military personnel are spared, civilian employees will be affected through layoffs and furloughs. An Army-wide hiring freeze is already in effect, and about 3,100 temporary and term employees have been terminated.

Sequestration will mean curtailing training of 80 percent of ground forces, affecting basic war-fighting skills. It could also introduce a critical shortfall in areas such as aviation, intelligence and engineering, Odierno said.

Local business will be affected as well. "In the Army, we are going to have to reduce purchase orders from 3,000 small companies," said Odierno. "From an Army perspective, it will hit the small companies" an impact that he predicted would be devastating.

Gen. Frank Grass, chief of the Army National Guard told lawmakers "In the area of personnel: a government, civilian, and military-technician hiring freeze compounded by a 22-day furlough will limit our ability to train and maintain our National Guard forces."

Those testifying Tuesday urged lawmakers to prevent sequestration from occurring.

"I know what it takes to prepare this nation's sons and daughters for war. I know what it takes to grow leaders in our Army. I know what is required to send Soldiers into combat, and I've seen the consequences when they are sent unprepared," said Odierno.

VIETNAM: 40 YEARS SINCE THE HOMECOMING

FROM: U.S. DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE
Operation Homecoming for Vietnam POWs Marks 40 Years
By Donna Miles
American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, Feb. 12, 2013 - Forty years ago today, a C-141A Starlifter transport jet with a distinctive red cross on its tail lifted off from Hanoi, North Vietnam, and the first flight of 40 U.S. prisoners of war began their journey home through Operation Homecoming.

By the day's end, three C-141A aircraft would lift off from Hanoi, as well as a C-9A aircraft from Saigon, South Vietnam. In a steady flow of flights through late March 1973 under terms set through the Paris Peace Accords, 591 POWs returned to American soil.

Americans were spellbound as they watched news clips of the POWs being carried in stretchers or walking tentatively toward U.S. officers at the awaiting aircraft for the first flight from Hanoi's Gia Lam Airport.

The POWs ranged from privates first class to colonels, all wearing new gray uniforms issued by the North Vietnamese just before their release.

Air Force Tech. Sgt. James R. Cook, who suffered severe wounds when he bailed out of his stricken aircraft over North Vietnam in December 1972, saluted the U.S. colors from his stretcher as he was carried aboard the aircraft. Also on the first flight was Navy Cmdr. Everett Alvarez Jr., the first American pilot to be shot down in North Vietnam and, by the war's end, the longest-held POW there. He spent eight-and-a-half years in captivity.

Celebration broke out aboard the first aircraft -- nicknamed the "Hanoi Taxi" -- as it lifted skyward and the POWs experienced their first taste of freedom.

Historian Andrew H. Lipps captured the magnitude of the moment in his account, "Operation Homecoming: The Return of American POWs from Vietnam."

"Imagine you're imprisoned in a cage; imagine the cage surrounded by the smell of feces; imagine the rotted food you eat is so infested with insects that to eat only a few is a blessing; imagine knowing your life could be taken by one of your captors on a whim at any moment; imagine you are subjected to mental and physical torture designed to break not bones but instead spirit on a daily basis. That was being a prisoner of North Vietnam," Lipps wrote.

"Then imagine one day, after seemingly endless disappointment, you are given a change of clothes and lined up to watch an American plane land to return you home. That was Operation Homecoming."

Aeromedical teams assigned to each aircraft tended to the former POWs during the two-and-a-half hour flight to Clark Air Base in the Philippines, the first stop on their trip home. Meanwhile, many of the POWs joked and smoked American cigarettes as they caught up on all they'd missed while in captivity: fashion trends and the women's liberation movement, among them.

"Everything seemed like heaven," recalled Air Force Capt. Larry Chesley, who, after being shot down over North Vietnam, spent seven years in the notorious "Hanoi Hilton" and other POW prisons. "When the doors of that C-141 closed, there were tears in the eyes of every man aboard," he said.

Air Force Maj. Gen. Ed Mechenbier, the last Vietnam POW to serve in the Air Force, recalled the emotion of his own journey out of North Vietnam on Feb. 18, 1973. "When we got airborne and the frailty of being a POW turned into the reality of freedom, we yelled, cried and cheered," he said.

The POWs arrived to a hero's welcome at Clark Air Base, where Navy Adm. Noel Gayler, commander of U.S. Forces Pacific, led their greeting party. Joining him were Air Force Lt. Gen. William G. Moore Jr., who commanded 13th Air Force and the homecoming operation at Clark, and Roger Shields, deputy assistant secretary of defense for POW/MIA affairs.

Speaking to the crowd that lined the tarmac to welcome the aircraft, returning POW Navy Capt. Jeremiah Denton -- who would go on to earn the rank of rear admiral and later was elected to the U.S. Senate, representing Alabama -- elicited cheers as he thanked all who had worked for their release and proclaimed, "God bless America."

Air Force Lt. Col. Carlyle "Smitty" Harris, who spent almost eight years as a POW after being shot down over North Vietnam, joined the many other POWs who echoed that sentiment. "My only message is, 'God bless America,'" he said, dismissing assertions in the media that the POWs had been directed to say it.

"With six, seven or eight years to think about the really important things in life, a belief in God and country was strengthened in every POW with whom I had contact," he said. "Firsthand exposure to a system which made a mockery of religion and where men are unable to know truth made us all appreciate some of the most basic values in 'God bless America.'"

Air Force Col. Robinson Risner, the senior Air Force officer at the infamous "Hanoi Hilton" honored today by a statue in his likeness at the U.S. Air Force Academy, choked back emotion as he arrived on the second C-141 flight from Hanoi.

"Thank you all for bringing us home to freedom again," he told the crowd.

After receiving medical exams and feasting on steak, ice cream and other American food, the former POWs received new uniforms for their follow-on flights home. Their aircraft made stops in Hawaii and California. The first group of 20 former POWs arrived at Travis Air Force Base, Calif., on Feb. 14, 1973.

News clips of the arrival reveal the deep emotion of the freed POWs as they arrived on the U.S. mainland. Navy Capt. James Stockdale, who went on to become a vice admiral and vice presidential candidate, was the first man to limp off the aircraft.

Stockdale paused to thank his countrymen for the loyalty they had showed him and his fellow POWs. "The men who follow me down that ramp know what loyalty means because they have been living with loyalty, living on loyalty, the past several years -- loyalty to each other, loyalty to the military, loyalty to our commander-in-chief," he said.

Of the 591 POWs liberated during Operation Homecoming, 325 served in the Air Force, 138 in the Navy; 77 in the Army and 26 in the Marine Corps. Twenty-five of the POWs were civilian employees of U.S. government agencies.

In addition, 69 POWs the Viet Cong had held in South Vietnam left aboard flights from Loc Ninh. Nine other POWs were released from Laos, and three from China.

Forty years after their release, two of the former POWs serve in Congress: Sen. John McCain of Arizona and Rep. Sam Johnson of Texas.

A dinner and ceremony being planned for late May at the Richard Nixon Presidential Library in California will honor the POWs, recreating the dinner the president hosted for them at the White House in 1973.

ANTARTICA: OPERATION DEEP FREEZE

Military Sealift Command-chartered container ship MV Ocean Giant, prepares to leave Port Hueneme, Calif., with nearly 7 million pounds of supplies, vehicles and electronic equipment and parts, Jan. 17, 2013. The ship is slated to begin offloading at McMurdo Station, Antarctica, as part of Operation Deep Freeze's support to the National Science Foundation. U.S. Navy photo

FROM: U.S. DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE
Supply Ships Arrive in Antarctica for Operation Deep Freeze
By Donna Miles
American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, Feb. 8, 2013 - A hulking Military Sealift Command-chartered tanker ship is expected to begin offloading millions of gallons of fuel in Antarctica today as part of the Defense Department's Operation Deep Freeze mission, which supplies the National Science Foundation at one of the world's most remote scientific outposts.

MT Maersk Peary, which left Europe in December, is scheduled to begin discharging more than 6 million gallons of diesel and jet fuel and gasoline at McMurdo Station, Sarah Burford, a Military Sealift Command spokeswoman, told American Forces Press Service.

A container ship that left California in January, MV Ocean Giant, then will deliver nearly 7 million pounds of frozen and dry food, building supplies, vehicles, electronic equipment and parts, and other supplies. Sailors from Navy Cargo Handling Battalion 1 are preparing to work around the clock for eight days to offload the supplies at a 500-foot-long ice pier that juts into the Antarctic Ocean, Burford said.

The deliveries represent 100 percent of the fuel and about 80 percent of the supplies the researchers and support personnel in Antarctica will need to survive and work over the course of a year, she said.

Air Mobility Command augments this support, airlifting passengers, perishable goods and time-sensitive materials in and out of Antarctica, and between sites within the continent, explained Air Force Col. Howard McArthur, U.S. Transportation Command's West Division operations chief.

For this year's Operation Deep Freeze mission, C-17 Globemaster III and ski-equipped LC-130 Hercules aircraft began air support missions in the fall.

The air and surface deliveries, conducted by Transcom in support of U.S. Pacific Command, are part of a historic Defense Department mission in one of the world's coldest, windiest, highest and most inhospitable environments.

Operation Deep Freeze has been supporting the National Science Foundation, which manages the U.S. Antarctic Program, for almost 60 years. It's an extension of a mission the Navy started almost 200 years ago. In 1839, Navy Capt. Charles Wilkes led the first U.S. naval expedition into Antarctic waters. Navy Adm. Richard E. Byrd followed in his footsteps, establishing naval outposts on the Antarctic coast in 1929, and later that year, he made the first flight over the South Pole.

In 1946, Byrd organized the Navy's Operation Highjump, which included more than 4,000 people and numerous ships and other craft operating in the Ross Sea.

In 1955, the Navy conducted the first Operation Deep Freeze.

Today, Joint Task Force Support Forces Antarctica, led by Pacific Air Forces at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Hawaii, brings together active, reserve and National Guard assets from the Air Force, Navy, Army and Coast Guard, as well as Defense Department civilians. This year's task force includes C-17 support from Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Wash.; LC-130 support from the New York Air National Guard; sealift support from the Coast Guard and Military Sealift Command; engineering and aviation services from Navy Space and Naval Warfare Systems Command and cargo handling from the Navy.

Together, this team provides the aircraft, shops and logistical expertise needed to support research in what may well be the most isolated and challenging part of the globe, officials said. They coordinate strategic intertheater airlift, tactical deep field support, aeromedical evacuation support, search and rescue response, sealift, seaport access, bulk fuel supply, port cargo handling and transportation requirements.

Last year alone, they delivered more than 3,250 passengers, 10,000 short tons of cargo and 5 million gallons of fuel in support of the National Science Foundation, Transcom officials reported.

Although the mission takes place during the Antarctic summer, harsh and unpredictable weather has always been a challenge, McArthur said. Ships typically must arrive between January and March, and require an icebreaker to cut a channel through a thick ice shelf for them to reach McMurdo Station.

Surprisingly, bitter cold isn't always the biggest operational hurdle.

"During the past couple of years, the warmer temperatures have actually been more of a challenge than the cooler temperatures," McArthur said. It made the ice pier too unstable to support dry cargo operations last year, requiring soldiers from the 331st Transportation Company to build a floating dock. This year, volcanic dirt that blew onto the ice runway during a December storm absorbed solar energy, causing extensive snow melt, McArthur said.

"But they are working around that and providing the support that is needed," he said, calling it an example of Transcom's commitment to deliver for its customers -- in this case, interagency partners at the National Science Foundation.

"Whether it is in the Antarctic or some other location in the world, we stand ready to provide flexible support ... and ensure that the mission is executed," he said.

Demanding, unpredictable conditions require planning and teamwork, said Tom Broad, the team lead for Military Sealift Command Pacific's sealift pre-positioning and special missions.

"We can't always know what will happen," Broad said. "Because of this, we really have to function as a team, not just within the Navy, but with all the other organizations who participate in this mission, to ensure that we get the critical cargo onto the ice, and on time, to support the people who live and work there."

That's what makes Operation Deep Freeze so important to the U.S. Antarctic Program, said Army Capt. Sylvester Moore, commander of Military Sealift Command Pacific.

"Without this resupply mission, all operations in Antarctica would end, and the scientific community would lose the opportunity to conduct research and study not only the continent of Antarctica, but its impact on our global climate," he said.

(Sarah Burford of Military Sealift Command contributed to this article.)