WEST WING WEEK: 10/10/14

WHITE HOUSE FACT SHEET ON U.S. RESPONSE TO EBOLA IN WEST AFRICA

FROM:  THE WHITE HOUSE 

FACT SHEET: U.S. Response to the Ebola Epidemic in West Africa

As the President has stated, the Ebola epidemic in West Africa and the humanitarian crisis there is a top national security priority for the United States.  In order to contain and combat it, we are partnering with the United Nations and other international partners to help the Governments of Guinea, Liberia, Sierra Leone, Nigeria, and Senegal respond just as we fortify our defenses at home. Every outbreak of Ebola over the past 40 years has been contained, and we are confident that this one can—and will be—as well.

Our strategy is predicated on four key goals:

Controlling the epidemic at its source in West Africa;
Mitigating second-order impacts, including blunting the economic, social, and political tolls in the region;
Engaging and coordinating with a broader global audience; and,
Fortifying global health security infrastructure in the region and beyond.
The United States has applied a whole-of-government response to the epidemic, which we launched shortly after the first cases were reported in March. As part of this, we have dedicated additional resources across the federal government to address the crisis, committing more than $175 million to date. We continue to work with Congress to provide additional resources through appropriations and reprogramming efforts in order to be responsive to evolving resource needs on the ground.  Just as the outbreak has worsened, our response will be commensurate with the challenge.

New Resources to Confront a Growing Challenge

The United States will leverage the unique capabilities of the U.S. military and broader uniformed services to help bring the epidemic under control. These efforts will entail command and control, logistics expertise, training, and engineering support.

U.S. Africa Command will set up a Joint Force Command headquartered in Monrovia, Liberia, to provide regional command and control support to U.S. military activities and facilitate coordination with U.S. government and international relief efforts. A general from U.S. Army Africa, the Army component of U.S. Africa Command, will lead this effort, which will involve an estimated 3,000 U.S. forces.


 U.S. Africa Command will establish a regional intermediate staging base (ISB) to facilitate and expedite the transportation of equipment, supplies and personnel. Of the U.S. forces taking part in this response, many will be stationed at the ISB.


Command engineers will build additional Ebola Treatment Units in affected areas, and the U.S. Government will help recruit and organize medical personnel to staff them.


Additionally, the Command will establish a site to train up to 500 health care providers per week, enabling healthcare workers to safely provide direct medical care to patients.


The United States Public Health Service Commissioned Corps is preparing to deploy 65 Commissioned Corps officers to Liberia to manage and staff a previously announced Department of Defense (DoD) hospital to care for healthcare workers who become ill. The deployment roster will consist of administrators, clinicians, and support staff.


Simple and scalable strategies that complement the use of Ebola Treatment Units are urgently required to disrupt the disease’s transmission. A community- and home-based strategy that supports household and communities is a critical step to moving forward:

USAID is supporting a Community Care Campaign, which will provide communities and households with protection kits, appropriate information and training on how to protect themselves and their loved ones. In partnership with the United Nations Children Fund, the Paul Allen Family Foundation, and other key partners, we will immediately target the 400,000 most vulnerable households in Liberia. The package will subsequently be scaled to cover the country and the broader region.


As part of this effort, this week, USAID will airlift 50,000 home health care kits from Denmark to Liberia to be hand-delivered to distant communities by trained youth volunteers.


A Complement to Efforts To-Date

Applying this whole-of-government approach, we have been engaged on this outbreak since March when the first cases were reported in West Africa. We currently have in the affected countries more than 100 specialists from multiple U.S. departments and agencies, including the Departments of State and Health and Human Services (HHS), the CDC, the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), and DoD. We also are working intensively on this effort with the United Nations, including the World Health Organization, the governments of the affected countries, and other partners, including the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Norway, the Africa Union, and European Union.

To date we have spent more than $100 million to address this challenge, including the purchase of personal protective equipment, mobile labs, logistics and relief commodities, and support for community health workers. USAID also has announced plans to make available up to $75 million in additional funding to increase the number of Ebola treatment units, provide more personal protective equipment, airlift additional medical and emergency supplies, and support other Ebola response activities in collaboration with the UN, including the World Health Organization, and international partners.


CDC has provided on the ground expertise in the largest international response in its history. More than 100 CDC personnel are on the ground in West Africa, and hundreds of personnel at their Emergency Operations Center in Atlanta have provided around the clock logistics, staffing, communication, analytics, management, and other support functions. The Administration has asked Congress for an additional $30 million to send additional response workers from the CDC as well as lab supplies and equipment.


In August, USAID deployed a Disaster Assistance Response Team (DART) to West Africa to coordinate and prioritize the U.S. government’s response to the outbreak. The DART assesses and identifies priority needs and coordinates key areas of the response, such as planning, operations, and logistics. The 28-member DART team is comprised of staff from USAID, CDC, DoD, and the U.S. Forest Service. The DART will be airlifting 130,000 sets of personal protective equipment to ensure that health care workers have the resources needed to safely do their jobs. The DART is also in the process of procuring generators that will provide electricity to Ebola treatment units and other response facilities.


The National Institutes of Health (NIH) is developing an investigational Ebola vaccine, including recently starting phase 1 clinical trials, as well as supporting efforts to develop additional Ebola antivirals and therapeutics candidates. The Administration has asked Congress for an additional $58 million to support the development and manufacturing of Ebola therapeutic and vaccine candidates through Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority.


In addition to the measures announced today, DoD plans to send a field-deployable hospital to Liberia and has provided more than 10,000 Ebola test kits to the Liberian Institute of Biological Research and to Sierra Leone's Kenema Government Hospital. DoD also has provided personal protective equipment and training to local medical professionals in affected regions.


DoD also has requested to reprogram $500 million in Fiscal Year 2014 Overseas Contingency Operations funds for humanitarian assistance, a portion of which will be used to fulfill requirements identified by CDC, USAID, the Joint Staff, and U.S. Africa Command to provide military air transportation of DoD and non-DoD personnel and supplies; medical treatment facilities (e.g. isolation units), personnel protective equipment, and medical supplies; logistics and engineering support, and; subject matter experts in support of sanitation and mortuary affairs.


DoD’s Cooperative Threat Reduction program is redirecting $25 million to provide personal protective equipment and laboratory reagents, support for technical advisors, and other requests as validated by the DART. DoD has also requested to reprogram an additional $60 million to enable the CTR program to address urgent biosafety, biosecurity, and biosurveillance needs in the three countries most affected by the Ebola outbreak, as well as bolster the capabilities of neighboring countries and other partners in Africa.


Last month, USAID airlifted more than 16 tons of medical supplies and emergency equipment to Liberia, including: 10,000 sets of personal protective equipment, two water treatment units and two portable water tanks capable of storing 10,000 liters each, and 100 rolls of plastic sheeting which can be used in the construction of Ebola treatment units. Additionally, in late August the DART airlifted 5,000 body bags to step up support for the safe removal and transport of the bodies of Ebola victims and 500 infrared thermometers to bolster Ebola screening efforts. These supplies will be distributed and used by the WHO and Liberian Ministry of Health and Social Welfare.


USAID and the State Department are providing up to $10 million to support the deployment of an African Union mission sending more than 100 health care workers to the region. The State Department also has encouraged other governments to increase assistance; coordinate delivery of critical resources, including personnel, equipment, and medical supplies; and encourage airlines operating in the region to maintain or reinstate service while ensuring appropriate precautions.


Additionally, the State Department has supported public education efforts in Liberia, Sierra Leone, and Guinea regarding prevention and treatment of the disease.  The effort has included radio and television messages in local languages, the production of nearly 100 billboards and thousands of posters, program support to local non-governmental organizations and a special song commissioned by a popular local musician.


Earlier this month, President Obama released a message to the people of West Africa to reinforce the facts and dispel myths surrounding Ebola. The video was transcribed into French, Portuguese, and other local languages and was distributed to television and radio stations across the region. Tens of thousands of West Africans viewed or listened to the message.
Screening Efforts Overseas

In addition to our efforts to help the affected West African countries bring this outbreak under control, we have taken steps to fortify against the introduction of Ebola cases into the United States. It is important to note that Ebola is not highly contagious like the flu; to the contrary, the virus is spread through direct contact with the blood or body fluids of a symptomatic individual.

CDC is working closely with Customs and Border Protection and other partners at ports of entry—primarily international airports—to use routine processes to identify travelers who show signs of infectious disease. In response to the outbreak, these processes have been enhanced through guidance and training. If a sick traveler is identified during or after a flight, the traveler will be immediately isolated, and CDC will conduct an investigation of exposed travelers and work with the airline, federal partners, and state and local health departments to notify them and take any necessary public health action.


CDC is assisting with exit screening and communication efforts in West Africa to prevent sick travelers from boarding planes. It also has issued interim guidance about Ebola virus infection for airline flight crews, cleaning personnel, and cargo personnel.


CDC also has issued advice for colleges, universities, and students about study abroad, foreign exchange, and other education-related travel, as well as advice for students who have recently traveled from a country in which an Ebola outbreak is occurring. Similarly, CDC has developed recommendations for humanitarian aid workers traveling to Guinea, Liberia, Nigeria, and Sierra Leone during the Ebola outbreaks in these countries. The recommendations include steps to take before departure, during travel, and upon return to the United States.
Preparedness at Home

Despite the tragic epidemic in West Africa, U.S. health professionals agree it is highly unlikely that we would experience an Ebola outbreak here in the United States, given our robust health care infrastructure and rapid response capabilities. Nevertheless, we have taken extra measures to prevent the unintentional importation of cases into the United States, and if a patient does make it here, our national health system has the capacity and expertise to quickly detect and contain this disease.

CDC has worked to enhance surveillance and laboratory testing capacity in states to detect cases and improve case finding. CDC is developing guidance and tools for health departments to conduct public health investigations and improve health communication and continues to update recommendations for healthcare infection control and other measures to prevent the disease from spreading. Similarly, HHS’ Office of the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response and CDC are providing guidance documents to hospitals and other health care partners to support preparedness for a possible Ebola case.


CDC also has prepared U.S. healthcare facilities and emergency medical service systems to safely manage a patient with suspected Ebola virus disease. CDC communicates with healthcare workers on an ongoing basis through the Health Alert Network, the Clinician Outreach and Communication Activity, and a variety of other existing tools and mechanisms.  CDC developed Interim Guidance for Monitoring and Movement of Persons with Ebola Virus Disease Exposure to provide public health authorities and other partners with a framework for evaluating people’s level of exposure to Ebola and initiating appropriate public health actions on the basis of exposure level and clinical assessment.


The Food and Drug Administration is monitoring for fraudulent products and false product claims related to the Ebola virus and is prepared to take enforcement actions, as warranted, to protect the public health.
Securing the Future

The Ebola epidemic reminds us that our global efforts to build the capacity to prevent, detect, and rapidly respond to infectious disease threats like Ebola have never been more vital.  In February, we came together with nations around the world to launch the Global Health Security Agenda (GHSA) as a five year effort to accelerate action.

CDC is contributing to the GHSA by partnering with nations around the world to help them establish measurable global health security capacity. This includes core CDC partnership programs like the Global Disease Detection Centers and Field Epidemiology Training Program, which enable the laboratory systems, disease surveillance workforce, emergency operations center capacity, and biosafety and biosecurity best practices required to counter Ebola and other biological threats.


Over the next five years the United States has committed to working with at least 30 partner countries to invest in model systems to advance the Global Health Security agenda. CDC and DoD will work with other U.S. agencies and partner countries to establish emergency operations centers, build information systems, and strengthen laboratory security to mitigate biological threats and build partner capacity.  

DEFENSE SECRETARY HAGEL SAYS U.S. IS DOMINANT FORCE IN THE WORLD

FROM:  U.S. DEFENSE DEPARTMENT 
Hagel: The United States Remains an Unrivaled Power
By Terri Moon Cronk
American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, May 11, 2014 – While some around the world believe the United States is a weakening superpower, Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel today defended America as the world’s dominant force.

“I have seen some of [that perception], yes,” Hagel said, during an interview on the ABC program “This Week with George Stephanopoulos”. “But we are still the dominant power. No one’s in our universe, whether you apply a metric or measurement of an economic power or military power.”

But that doesn’t mean the United States can solve every problem alone, he said.
“No nation can do that. I do think there’s a sense out there by some that somehow America has powers eroding, or we’re not going to use our power, or we’re too timid about our power. I think we have been wise on how we use our power.”
“I don’t think you can run foreign policy or lead a nation and be president of the United States based on what other people think of you,” he added.

Hagel was asked about several issues in the news, including the kidnapping of more than 200 schoolgirls by the Boko Haram terrorist group in Nigeria, the situation in Ukraine and problems at the Veterans Affairs Department, in addition to cyber security threats, and questions regarding transgender people serving in the military.

The United States has sent a team of experts from the FBI, the intelligence community and the military to Nigeria to help authorities in the West African nation find the girls, kidnapped in the remote northeast last month.
“It’s a vast country, so this is not going to be an easy task, but we’re going to bear every asset we could possibly use to help the Nigerian government.” However, he said the United States has no plans to put American troops on the ground.
On the crisis in Ukraine, Hagel said even though Russian President Vladimir Putin said last week that Moscow was withdrawing tens of thousands of its troops from along the border with Ukraine, Russian forces appear to be still there.
“Russia continues to isolate itself for a short-term gain,” he said. “The Russians may feel they’re somehow winning, but the world is not just about short term,” Hagel noted.

Regarding the growing threat of cyber attacks, Hagel said the United States is paying full attention to cyber security threats, but added it’s difficult to be confident.

“You can’t be,” he said. “The fact is, [cyber security issues] are as dangerous a threat as the world is dealing with, especially the United States. It’s quiet, it’s insidious, it’s deadly.”

Hagel was also asked whether department policy regarding transgender individuals serving in the military should be revisited now that gays and lesbians are allowed to serve openly.  He called the issue complicated because of its medical component.

“These issues require medical attention. In austere locations where we put our men and women in many cases [those military posts] don’t always offer that kind of opportunity,” he explained.

“I do think it should continually be reviewed … because the bottom line [is] every qualified American who wants to serve our country should have an opportunity, if they fit the qualifications and can do it. This is an area we’ve not defined enough,” Hagel said.

Hagel also said he continues to support Department of Veterans Affairs Secretary Eric K. Shinseki amid reports that some veterans have died because they were unable to receive timely medical care through the VA system.

“There’s no one who understands accountability more than [retired Army] Gen. Shinseki,” Hagel said. “I do support [him], but there’s no margin here.”
The Defense secretary said if these reports prove accurate, “Accountability is going to have to be upheld, because we can never let this kind of outrage, if all of this is true, stand in this country.”

But the situation didn’t start with Shinseki’s term at VA, Hagel emphasized. “This is something that should have been looked at years and years ago. Yes, we missed it.”

U.S. AND VIETNAMESE COOPERATE TO RESTORE CLINIC

FROM:  U.S. AIR FORCE
An Airman (right) participates in Pacific Angel-Vietnam in Nghe An Province, Vietnam, while restoring the Xuan Lam Medical Clinic alongside, Vietnam People's Armed Forces members June 10, 2012. Officially in its fifth year, PACANGEL is a joint and combined humanitarian assistance mission led by 13th Air Force. (U.S. Air Force photo/Senior Airman Lauren Main)  






U.S., Vietnamese militaries collaborate on clinic restoration
by Senior Airman Lauren Main
Pacific Angel - Vietnam 12 Public Affairs

6/18/2012 - NGHE AN PROVINCE, VIETNAM (AFNS) -- Airmen and Soldiers from around the Pacific have worked to restore the Xuan Lam Medical Clinic in Nghe An Province, Vietnam, since the start of Operation Pacific Angel 12 here beginning June 10.

The restoration is one part of PACANGEL-Vietnam 12, an eight-day engagement designed to strengthen partnerships between Pacific host nation countries and the U.S.

Since the beginning of the project, U.S. engineers have been working tirelessly alongside members of the Vietnamese military and local contractors. Also, residents of the district contribute by lending a helping-hand.

Despite the sweltering heat and humidity, the team kept pace.

"We're on schedule, but there's a lot of finishing touches to be made," said Master Sgt. Brad Robison, a PACANGEL-Vietnam 12 engineering planner assigned to the 647th Civil Engineering Squadron at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Hawaii. "We want to make sure we leave them (residents of Nam Dam district) with the best possible end result."

To date, the team installed a new roof, laid tile for all five examining rooms and completed a portion of the exterior cosmetic painting. Now, the team is working on leveling the grounds of the clinic to create a slope that slants away from the facility to ensure rainwater and waste runs away from the structure.

Despite the staunch deadlines and heat, the team spent the afternoon working side-by-side with the Vietnamese military, contractors and local residents to lay the concrete in front of the clinic.

"It's a community effort," said Robison. "It's not just Vietnamese military and contractors (we're) supporting, it's the people that are going to use this clinic. It's really cool; you can see (the community) takes pride in the effort, and they're glad to help."

Officially in its fifth year, Pacific Angel is a joint humanitarian assistance engagement led by the 13th Air Force. The engagement supports U.S. Pacific Command's capacity-building efforts by partnering with other governments, non-governmental agencies and militaries in the Asia-Pacific region to provide medical, dental, optometry and engineering assistance to their citizens.

Previous PACANGEL engagements were conducted in Quang Tri Province, Vietnam, in September 2009 and Can Tho, Vietnam, in May 2010.

FAMILIES OF SERVICE MEMBERS CONCERNED ABOUT CHANGE IN RETIREMENT BENEFITS

Photo:  U.S. AIR FORCE
Cadet Staff Sgt. Moranda Hern, Air Force Academy sophomore, speaks as Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff U.S. Army Gen. Martin E. Dempsey; Jill Biden, the vice-president’s wife; First Lady Michelle Obama; and Tom Brokaw, television journalist, listen at the first anniversary of Joining Forces ceremony on the south lawn of the White House April 11, 2012. Hern was one of the 20 finalists in the Joining Forces Community Challenge that recognized citizens, communities and organizations for their efforts in supporting military families. . Hern started the Sisterhood of the Traveling BDUs organization that aims to help daughters ages 13-18 of military members connect and build relationships. The challenge was part of the Joining Forces program, pioneered by First Lady Michelle Obama and Jill Biden, which is a national initiative that mobilizes all sectors of society to support military members and their families. (Air Force photo by Tech. Sgt. Jess D. Harvey) 

FROM:  AMERICAN FORCES PRESS SERVICE
Families list retirement, pay  as top issues 
by Lisa Daniel
5/10/2012 - WASHINGTON (AFPS) -- Military families regard the possible change of military retirement benefits as their top concern, according to the results of a major survey released today.

The 2012 Military Family Lifestyle Survey also shows that pay and benefits, the impact of deployments on children, operational tempo, spouse employment and education and combat stress and brain injuries are most on the minds of military family members.

Blue Star Families, a nonprofit military family support organization, released the findings of its third annual survey before a Capitol Hill audience of Congress members, military family members and support organizations, and media.

"That data in this survey is the story of our lives," said Kathy Roth-Douquet, the chief executive officer of Blue Star Families. The survey, she said, is conducted by professional researchers who also are military family members.

More than 4,000 family members responded to the survey, representing each of the services -- active, National Guard and reserve, and Coast Guard -- and all areas of the country. Nearly half of the survey respondents have a service member in the senior enlisted ranks, and 64 percent of respondents are between the ages of 25 and 44.

Among the findings:

-- Thirty-one percent of respondents listed possible changes to retirement benefits as their biggest concern, followed by 20 percent who cited pay and benefits as their top concern;

-- Veterans said their biggest concerns related to separating from the military were employment opportunities, followed by access to health care;

-- Seven percent of respondents listed operational tempo as their top concern, and support for staying in the military dropped from 52 percent for families who were separated 13 to 24 months, to 15 percent for those who spent more than 37 months apart;

-- Sixty percent of spouse respondents are not currently employed, and of those, 53 percent wanted to be; 57 percent said being a military spouse has a negative impact on their ability to work; 27 percent had problems getting professional licenses to transfer to different states;

-- Six percent of respondents listed post-traumatic stress, combat stress and traumatic brain injuries as their top issue; 26 percent said their service member had signs of post-traumatic stress and 3 percent said they had a diagnosis.

Robert L. Gordon III, deputy assistant secretary of defense for military community and family policy, said the department and the nation are challenged by economic problems today, but that both must take care of military families.

Things changed after the Vietnam War, Gordon said.

"We got out of Vietnam and into the all-volunteer force," he said. "Because of that, our force became a married force."

Also, Gordon said, the military now is structured so that "the entire military goes to war." Indeed, the survey found that National Guard and Reserve members have spent as much time away from home in the past decade as active duty members.

"We're challenged today, and I would say we are up to that challenge," Gordon said. "We have a supportive Congress and a supportive administration, where the first lady and Dr. [Jill] Biden are out pitching for the military" through their "Joining Forces" campaign.

"That's why this survey is so important," he said. "We need to know how these families feel. We have to have a better integration of [combat veterans] when they come home -- and they are coming home."

Other findings of the survey show:

-- Ninety-two percent of respondents said they could help their children make positive school decisions during a spouse's deployment, but 64 percent said deployment hampered their children's abilities to participate in extracurricular activities;

-- Ten percent of family members responded that they had considered suicide, compared to 9 percent for service members.

-- Fifty-seven percent said prevention should be aimed at training frontline supervisors and commanders;

-- Eighty-one percent volunteered in the past year;

-- Eighty-nine percent are registered to vote;

-- Eighty-two percent believe the all-volunteer force works well;

-- Seventy percent were satisfied with the military lifestyle, and 60 percent would recommend the military for young people; and

-- Seventy-two percent said changing the law to allow gays to serve openly has had no impact on their service members' ability to serve.

THE LEGOBOT COMPETITION

FROM:  ARMED WITH SCIENCE DEFENSE DEPARTMENT
Naval Research Laboratory oceanographer Dr. Clark Rowley (back right) coaches the Boyet Junior High School's FIRST LEGO League team. (Photo credit: U.S. Naval Research Laboratory/Clark Rowley)

LEGObot Competition
Naval Research Laboratoryoceanographer Clark Rowley recently spent 80 hours over 10 weeks playing with LEGO blocks, teaching junior high students how to build robots.
Rowley has been coaching the Boyet Junior High School’s FIRST Lego League (FLL) team since 2009. FLL is a robotics-focused, extra-curricular program for middle school students. During the 10-week season, junior high teams build LEGO-based robots and develop research projects for a chance to compete in the FLL regional competitions.

“It’s fun to watch the kids go from just a box of LEGO parts and create a really capable robot with some very clever engineering,” Rowley said. “The kids do the research. They build the robots. They do the work. That is the heart of FIRST LEGO League.”

With the help of teachers and an assistant coach, Rowley prepared the 10 students for the 2011 FIRST LEGO League Louisiana Regional Competition in December.

Food contamination was the theme for this year’s competition, so Rowley’s team found an article about a rodent infestation in a Peruvian school cafeteria. The students conducted research and spoke with experts on rats, rat control, and autonomous robots, and proposed a system of communicating robots to perform rodent control in food storage warehouses.

As part of the project, they demonstrated a system of two LEGO robots communicating over Bluetooth.

Rowley and his team’s hard work and dedication paid off again at this year’s competition. Boyet won a Core Award for Mechanical Design and placed second out of 57 teams in the Robot Performance division.