Thursday, May 9, 2013
ARMY STAFF SGT. WISHES TO BE A DOCTOR
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| Army Staff Sgt. Megan Appleby, left, draws blood from a soldier during Warrior Exercise at Fort McCoy, Wis., May 4, 2013. The 4215th U.S. Army Hospital, based out of Richmond, Va., is providing medical support for the exercise. U.S. Army photo by Sgt. Tanya Van Buskirk |
FROM: U.S. DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE
Face of Defense: Soldier Aspires to Medical Degree
By Army Sgt. Tanya Van Buskirk
78th Training Division
FORT MCCOY, Wis., May 6, 2013 - Taking care of the force is something Army Staff Sgt. Megan Appleby feels is her lifelong calling.
The 30-year-old Army veteran of 11 years, who has served both on active duty and in the Army Reserve as a laboratory technician, aspires to be an obstetric gynecologist.
A Lisbon, Iowa, native, Appleby is assigned to the 4215th U.S. Army Hospital command based in Richmond, Va. She said her passion for helping people started when she was very young.
"When I was little, the doctor that delivered my sisters and me was actually our doctor until we were 18 years old," she explained. "Having that doctor who knew you from inside your mom's stomach, and [having] that connection, is really amazing."
Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Wash., was Appleby's first duty station from 2002 to 2006, and where she earned a bachelor's degree in microbiology. In mid-2006, she transferred to the Army Reserve and began attending battle assemblies with the 7229th Medical Support Unit. She then transferred to her current unit.
Appleby was deployed to Kuwait in 2003. Being in an environment where there is a feeling of constant danger was scary, she said, but knowing she was surrounded by medical experts allowed her to focus on her job of caring for patients arriving for lifesaving care. That, she added, is the driving force behind her pursuit of a medical career in the military.
Appleby is taking her medical school entrance exam and applying to the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences to continue her service and military career. The program is a 14-year commitment, she said: four years of classroom studies, three years of residency and seven years of service and commissioning as a captain.
"I look forward to the challenge," she added, "because I enjoy both medicine and serving my country."
EPA SAYS 26 MILLION AMERICANS LIVE WITH ASTHMA
FROM: U.S. ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY
Nearly 26 Million Americans Continue to Live with Asthma, EPA says
SC, IN, TX programs honored as national models for asthma care
WASHINGTON – Throughout May, as part of Asthma Awareness Month, EPA is encouraging Americans to take simple steps to prevent asthma attacks while also honoring three leading asthma management programs for their efforts to improve the lives of people with asthma in underserved communities.
The economic costs of asthma amounts to more than $56 billion per year from direct medical costs and indirect costs, such as missed school and work days. During President Obama’s administration, EPA has made significant progress in improving air quality. In 2012, EPA strengthened the national standard for fine particle pollution, often called soot, which has been linked to a wide range of serious health effects including aggravated asthma. In 2011, former EPA Administrator Lisa P. Jackson signed the Mercury and Air Toxics Standards (MATS), which will help avoid 130,000 cases of aggravated asthma by 2016.
"Today one out of every 12 people suffers from asthma – and the numbers are increasing year after year," said EPA Acting Administrator Bob Perciasepe. "With President Obama’s support, EPA has taken commonsense steps towards cleaner air, which translates to fewer asthma attacks and instances of other respiratory diseases. As we mark Asthma Awareness Month, we call on all Americans to learn more about the easy ways they can avoid asthma triggers and prevent future attacks from happening to them or their loved ones."
Asthma is a national epidemic, affecting nearly 26 million people, including seven million children and disproportionally affecting low income and minority communities. The EPA is conducting a coordinated approach to promoting scientific understanding of environmental asthma triggers and ways to manage asthma through research, education and community-focused outreach.
Serving as a national model for asthma care, the following programs are leading the way in addressing asthma disparities and are the winners of the 2013 National Environmental Leadership Award in Asthma Management:
Greenville Health System (Greenville, S.C.): A multidisciplinary, multilingual, family-centered program that is able to, with partner collaboration, provide medical care, case management, school/daycare visits, and environmental control home visits for over 4,000 children and adolescents with asthma, especially those who have limited access to health care.
Parkview Health (Fort Wayne, Ind.): The program addresses the growing incidence of asthma-related illnesses in the communities they serve. Support services, resources and age-appropriate educational information on asthma are provided. Those that are a part of the Emergency Department Asthma Call Back Program, including a high number of low-income individuals, are provided home visits to assess and minimize environmental asthma triggers.
North East Independent School District (San Antonio, Texas): The urban, diversified school district’s Asthma Awareness Education Program targets the more than 8,000 students with asthma and provides direct case management strategies including counseling with families, home visits, coordination with asthma specialists, and asthma education.
State and local asthma programs across the country can take action throughout the month of May by holding community-based events to increase awareness of asthma triggers and the successful strategies for managing exposure to triggers.
American's who suffer from asthma can learn to control their symptoms and still maintain active lifestyles with these three simple steps:
1. Identify asthma triggers and avoid them. Air pollution, dust mites, secondhand smoke, mold, pests, pet dander can trigger asthma attacks. Identify and avoid personal asthma triggers – different people are affected differently. Work with your doctor to identify and avoid your triggers.
2. Create an asthma action plan. An asthma action plan will enable you to monitor your asthma on a daily basis and communicate important information about your personal asthma triggers and asthma control strategies. Ask your doctor to assist you in creating an asthma action plan.
3. Pay attention to air quality. Exposure to ozone and particle pollution can cause asthma attacks. When air quality is low, people with asthma may want to stay indoors, use air conditioning instead of open windows, and avoid outdoor activity. Check local air quality conditions and download an Air Quality Index app for smart phones.
Nearly 26 Million Americans Continue to Live with Asthma, EPA says
SC, IN, TX programs honored as national models for asthma care
WASHINGTON – Throughout May, as part of Asthma Awareness Month, EPA is encouraging Americans to take simple steps to prevent asthma attacks while also honoring three leading asthma management programs for their efforts to improve the lives of people with asthma in underserved communities.
The economic costs of asthma amounts to more than $56 billion per year from direct medical costs and indirect costs, such as missed school and work days. During President Obama’s administration, EPA has made significant progress in improving air quality. In 2012, EPA strengthened the national standard for fine particle pollution, often called soot, which has been linked to a wide range of serious health effects including aggravated asthma. In 2011, former EPA Administrator Lisa P. Jackson signed the Mercury and Air Toxics Standards (MATS), which will help avoid 130,000 cases of aggravated asthma by 2016.
"Today one out of every 12 people suffers from asthma – and the numbers are increasing year after year," said EPA Acting Administrator Bob Perciasepe. "With President Obama’s support, EPA has taken commonsense steps towards cleaner air, which translates to fewer asthma attacks and instances of other respiratory diseases. As we mark Asthma Awareness Month, we call on all Americans to learn more about the easy ways they can avoid asthma triggers and prevent future attacks from happening to them or their loved ones."
Asthma is a national epidemic, affecting nearly 26 million people, including seven million children and disproportionally affecting low income and minority communities. The EPA is conducting a coordinated approach to promoting scientific understanding of environmental asthma triggers and ways to manage asthma through research, education and community-focused outreach.
Serving as a national model for asthma care, the following programs are leading the way in addressing asthma disparities and are the winners of the 2013 National Environmental Leadership Award in Asthma Management:
Greenville Health System (Greenville, S.C.): A multidisciplinary, multilingual, family-centered program that is able to, with partner collaboration, provide medical care, case management, school/daycare visits, and environmental control home visits for over 4,000 children and adolescents with asthma, especially those who have limited access to health care.
Parkview Health (Fort Wayne, Ind.): The program addresses the growing incidence of asthma-related illnesses in the communities they serve. Support services, resources and age-appropriate educational information on asthma are provided. Those that are a part of the Emergency Department Asthma Call Back Program, including a high number of low-income individuals, are provided home visits to assess and minimize environmental asthma triggers.
North East Independent School District (San Antonio, Texas): The urban, diversified school district’s Asthma Awareness Education Program targets the more than 8,000 students with asthma and provides direct case management strategies including counseling with families, home visits, coordination with asthma specialists, and asthma education.
State and local asthma programs across the country can take action throughout the month of May by holding community-based events to increase awareness of asthma triggers and the successful strategies for managing exposure to triggers.
American's who suffer from asthma can learn to control their symptoms and still maintain active lifestyles with these three simple steps:
1. Identify asthma triggers and avoid them. Air pollution, dust mites, secondhand smoke, mold, pests, pet dander can trigger asthma attacks. Identify and avoid personal asthma triggers – different people are affected differently. Work with your doctor to identify and avoid your triggers.
2. Create an asthma action plan. An asthma action plan will enable you to monitor your asthma on a daily basis and communicate important information about your personal asthma triggers and asthma control strategies. Ask your doctor to assist you in creating an asthma action plan.
3. Pay attention to air quality. Exposure to ozone and particle pollution can cause asthma attacks. When air quality is low, people with asthma may want to stay indoors, use air conditioning instead of open windows, and avoid outdoor activity. Check local air quality conditions and download an Air Quality Index app for smart phones.
NAVY "MERLINS" AND "BLACKJACKS" RESPOND TO VENTURA COUNTY WILDFIRES
FROM: U.S. NAVY
130503-N-VN372-451 NAVAL BASE VENTURA COUNTY POINT MUGU, Calif. (May 3, 2013) Three flight crews from the San Diego-based "Merlins" of Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron (HSC) 3 and the "Blackjacks" of HSC 21 provide firefighting support in response to wildfires at Naval Base Ventura County (NBVC) Point Mugu. The team dropped roughly 20,000 gallons of water using 360-gallon capacity precision helicopter firefighting Bambi buckets to help save vital areas of NBVC including portions of base housing. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Chris Fahey/Released)
In response to a wildfire on Naval Base Ventura County, three helicopters from Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron (HSC) 3 and HSC 21, from San Diego, are providing firefighting support. Naval Base Ventura County has evacuated some residents due to smoke concerns as a fast-growing wildfire along the Pacific Coast Highway northwest of Los Angeles has forced residents to leave the area. U.S. Navy photo (Released) 130503-N-ZZ999-006
ISAF NEWS FROM AFGHANISTAN FOR MAY 8, 2013
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| U.S. Marines stand guard at a mortar range near Camp Shorabak in Afghanistan's Helmand province, May 4, 2013, while instructors with the Regional Corps Battle School train Afghan soldiers to improve proficiency with the 60mm mortar system. The Marines are assigned to 2nd Battalion, 8th Marine Regiment, Regimental Combat Team 7. U.S. Marine Corps photo by Staff Sgt. Ezekiel R. Kitandwe. |
FROM: U.S. DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE
Combined Force Arrests Taliban Leader in Kandahar Province
From an International Security Assistance Force Joint Command News Releasek
KABUL, Afghanistan, May 8, 2013 - An Afghan and coalition security force arrested a Taliban leader and three other insurgents during an operation in the Panjwa'i district of Afghanistan's Kandahar province today, military officials reported.
The arrested insurgent leader has coordinated and carried out attacks against tribal elders in the region, as well as against Afghan and coalition forces.
In other Afghanistan operations today:
-- A combined force arrested a Taliban leader in the Marjeh district of Helmand province. The leader planned, directed and took part in attacks against Afghan and coalition forces. He also procures and distributes weapons to insurgent cells in the local area and advises senior insurgent leaders on long-term strategic goals. The security force also seized one AK-47 rifle, three magazines and 250 rounds of ammunition.
-- A combined force arrested three insurgents during a search for a high-ranking Haqqani leader in Paktika province's Ziruk district. The sought-after Haqqani leader directs attacks against Afghan and coalition forces and has led attacks on government facilities throughout Afghanistan, including in Khost and Kabul provinces. The security force also seized ammunition during the operation.
In Afghanistan operations yesterday, Provincial Response Company Logar, enabled by coalition forces, detained four insurgents and discovered a cache of weapons and explosives-making materials while conducting a cordon-and-search operation in Logar province's Pul-e district. The cache, which was destroyed on location, included 15 Chinese 107 mm rockets, one 82 mm recoilless rifle round and two 50-kilogram [110-pound] bags of fertilizer.
Wednesday, May 8, 2013
PRESIDENT OBAMA LOOKS TO A SYRIA AFTER ASSAD
FROM: U.S. DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSEObama Says U.S. Working Toward Post-Assad Syria
By Karen Parrish
American Forces Press Service
WASHINGTON, May 7, 2013 - President Barack Obama said today the United States has both a moral obligation and a national security interest in "ending the slaughter in Syria," but cannot act or build consensus based on perceptions.
During a joint White House press conference with South Korean President Park Geun-hye, Obama said the two leaders discussed Syria "where both our nations are working to strengthen the opposition and plan for a Syria without Bashar Assad."
The United States also is obliged to ensure that a post-Assad Syria is stable, with a government that represents all its people and doesn't create chaos for its neighbors, he added.
"That's why for the last two years we have been active in trying to ensure that Bashar Assad exits the stage and that we can begin a political transition process," Obama said. "That's the reason why we have invested so much in humanitarian aid. That's the reason why we are so invested in helping the opposition, why we've mobilized the international community, to isolate Syria. That's why we are now providing non-lethal assistance to the opposition. And that's why we're going to continue to do the work that we need to do."
Assessing costs and benefits of action in Syria shows "there'd be severe costs in doing nothing," Obama said.
"That's why we're not doing nothing," he added. "That's why we are actively invested in the process."
U.S. leaders are working "to hasten the day when we can see a better situation in Syria," he said. "We've been doing that all along and we'll continue to do that.
While many people would understandably prefer an easy answer to the dilemma Syria poses, Obama said, "That's not the situation there."
He added his job as president and commander in chief is to measure "our very real and legitimate humanitarian and national security interests in Syria" against "my bottom line, which is what's in the best interests of America's security."
His decisions can't be based on hope, Obama said, but "on hard-headed analysis in terms of what will actually make us safer and stabilize the region."
The president acknowledged there is evidence of the use of sarin gas, a nerve agent, inside Syria, but added he can't organize international coalitions around perceived information.
"We want to make sure that we have the best analysis possible," he said. "We want to make sure that we are acting deliberately."
ARMY CHIEF OF STAFF DISCUSSES READINESS AND SECURITY ISSUES
FROM: U.S DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE
Odierno: Readiness Issues Pose Risk to U.S. Security
By Jim Garamone
American Forces Press Service
WASHINGTON, May 7, 2013 - A smaller Army still needs to be ready, and sequester issues on top of previous budget cuts are impacting readiness accounts, Army Chief of Staff Gen. Ray T. Odierno said here today.
The general told reporters at the Defense Writers Group that the Army "has to be ready to do many missions, at many speeds, in many different environments."
The Army is scheduled to cut a total of 80,000 soldiers from its ranks, he said, and this smaller force still needs to be ready.
"We have to be able to build [-up] quicker, in scalable packages, for unknown contingencies," Odierno said.
Readiness problems are growing, he said, with fiscal year 2013 shortfalls causing problems in the Army.
"We were short funding Afghanistan, and we had sequester on top of that," the general said.
This left the Army with a $13 billion shortfall, and that affects readiness, he said. Through the rest of fiscal 2013, about 80 percent of the Army will train at very low levels at home stations -- squad or platoon levels.
"We've cancelled six National Training Center rotations for the rest of the year, we've reduced flying hours, we've had to degrade services at installations -- right now, we're going to furlough civilians for 14 days," Odierno said. "That's how we're going to pay the bills in [fiscal year] '13."
This means the Army will begin fiscal 2014 in a readiness hole, the general said.
Without a solution, "I see us having a three- or four-year issue with readiness," he said. "Our ability to respond will be degraded and I worry about the unknown contingency."
The Army, he said, will continue to train forces for known contingencies like Afghanistan.
"But for unknown contingencies our risk goes way up," Odierno said. "The environment we are going to have to operate in will be a mix of high-end, combined-arms maneuvers, but also some aspect of counterinsurgency and some aspect of stability operations."
The general said Army units also must be ready to counter asymmetric operations.
"We have to be able to operate in a very complicated environment," he said.
And, the Army needs to train to provide the combined arms capability that is the Army's specialty in the joint force, Odierno said.
Army officials also are concerned that the readiness shortfall could translate into retention problems in the future, he said.
"We are not seeing any degradation in retention or in our ability to recruit," the general said. "Last year, for the first time, not everybody who wanted to was able to reenlist. Our attrition rates are at historic lows."
Yet, Odierno said, the retention environment can change quickly.
Readiness plays a part in this also, he said. "If we don't have the money to train and do what we need to do, it will have an impact [on retention]," he said.
Odierno entered the Army in 1976, when the three-year-old all-volunteer military was going through some teething pains.
"I came into a hollow Army. I don't want to leave a hollow Army," he said. "When I first came in we had significant discipline problems. We didn't have the money to train, we didn't sustain standards [and] we were recovering from the Vietnam War.
"What I worry about is if we continue to have these budget issues, we're heading down the same road," he added.
Odierno said he was fortunate as a young officer to "grow up" with leaders doing everything they could to correct the situation.
This is serious business with real consequences, he said. "I have to make sure that we can meet the needs of this country and when they need them, they are ready," Odierno said. "When the Army gets involved and when you are not ready, the cost is lives."
Odierno pointed to the casualty lists from the 1st Cavalry Division and Task Force Smith in the early days of the Korean War as examples of the cost of not being militarily prepared.
"We can't do that again," he said. "It would not be acceptable to the American people. They spend a lot of money on defense. They expect us to be ready and they expect us to respond when needed."
Odierno: Readiness Issues Pose Risk to U.S. Security
By Jim Garamone
American Forces Press Service
WASHINGTON, May 7, 2013 - A smaller Army still needs to be ready, and sequester issues on top of previous budget cuts are impacting readiness accounts, Army Chief of Staff Gen. Ray T. Odierno said here today.
The general told reporters at the Defense Writers Group that the Army "has to be ready to do many missions, at many speeds, in many different environments."
The Army is scheduled to cut a total of 80,000 soldiers from its ranks, he said, and this smaller force still needs to be ready.
"We have to be able to build [-up] quicker, in scalable packages, for unknown contingencies," Odierno said.
Readiness problems are growing, he said, with fiscal year 2013 shortfalls causing problems in the Army.
"We were short funding Afghanistan, and we had sequester on top of that," the general said.
This left the Army with a $13 billion shortfall, and that affects readiness, he said. Through the rest of fiscal 2013, about 80 percent of the Army will train at very low levels at home stations -- squad or platoon levels.
"We've cancelled six National Training Center rotations for the rest of the year, we've reduced flying hours, we've had to degrade services at installations -- right now, we're going to furlough civilians for 14 days," Odierno said. "That's how we're going to pay the bills in [fiscal year] '13."
This means the Army will begin fiscal 2014 in a readiness hole, the general said.
Without a solution, "I see us having a three- or four-year issue with readiness," he said. "Our ability to respond will be degraded and I worry about the unknown contingency."
The Army, he said, will continue to train forces for known contingencies like Afghanistan.
"But for unknown contingencies our risk goes way up," Odierno said. "The environment we are going to have to operate in will be a mix of high-end, combined-arms maneuvers, but also some aspect of counterinsurgency and some aspect of stability operations."
The general said Army units also must be ready to counter asymmetric operations.
"We have to be able to operate in a very complicated environment," he said.
And, the Army needs to train to provide the combined arms capability that is the Army's specialty in the joint force, Odierno said.
Army officials also are concerned that the readiness shortfall could translate into retention problems in the future, he said.
"We are not seeing any degradation in retention or in our ability to recruit," the general said. "Last year, for the first time, not everybody who wanted to was able to reenlist. Our attrition rates are at historic lows."
Yet, Odierno said, the retention environment can change quickly.
Readiness plays a part in this also, he said. "If we don't have the money to train and do what we need to do, it will have an impact [on retention]," he said.
Odierno entered the Army in 1976, when the three-year-old all-volunteer military was going through some teething pains.
"I came into a hollow Army. I don't want to leave a hollow Army," he said. "When I first came in we had significant discipline problems. We didn't have the money to train, we didn't sustain standards [and] we were recovering from the Vietnam War.
"What I worry about is if we continue to have these budget issues, we're heading down the same road," he added.
Odierno said he was fortunate as a young officer to "grow up" with leaders doing everything they could to correct the situation.
This is serious business with real consequences, he said. "I have to make sure that we can meet the needs of this country and when they need them, they are ready," Odierno said. "When the Army gets involved and when you are not ready, the cost is lives."
Odierno pointed to the casualty lists from the 1st Cavalry Division and Task Force Smith in the early days of the Korean War as examples of the cost of not being militarily prepared.
"We can't do that again," he said. "It would not be acceptable to the American people. They spend a lot of money on defense. They expect us to be ready and they expect us to respond when needed."
SEC CHARGES HARRISBURG, PA WITH SECURITIES FRAUD
FROM: U.S. SECRUITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington, D.C., May 6, 2013 — The Securities and Exchange Commission today charged the City of Harrisburg, Pa., with securities fraud for its misleading public statements when its financial condition was deteriorating and financial information available to municipal bond investors was either incomplete or outdated
An SEC investigation found that the misleading statements were made in the city’s budget report, annual and mid-year financial statements, and a State of the City address. This marks the first time that the SEC has charged a municipality for misleading statements made outside of its securities disclosure documents. Harrisburg has agreed to settle the charges.
The SEC found that Harrisburg failed to comply with requirements to provide certain ongoing financial information and audited financial statements for the benefit of investors holding hundreds of millions of dollars in bonds issued or guaranteed by the city. As a result of Harrisburg’s non-compliance from 2009 to 2011, investors had to seek out Harrisburg’s other public statements in order to obtain current information about the city’s finances. However, very little information about the city’s fiscal situation was publicly available elsewhere. Information that was accessible on the city’s website such as its 2009 budget, 2009 State of the City address, and 2009 mid-year fiscal report either misstated or failed to disclose critical information about Harrisburg’s financial condition and credit ratings.
The SEC separately issued a report today addressing the disclosure obligations of public officials and their potential liability under the federal securities laws for public statements made in the secondary market for municipal securities.
"In an information vacuum caused by Harrisburg’s failure to provide accurate information about its deteriorating financial condition, municipal investors had to rely on other public statements misrepresenting city finances," said George S. Canellos, Co-Director of the SEC’s Division of Enforcement. "Statements that are reasonably expected to reach the securities markets, even if not prepared for that purpose, cannot be materially misleading."
Elaine C. Greenberg, Chief of the SEC’s Enforcement Division’s Municipal Securities and Public Pensions Unit, said, "A municipal issuer’s obligation to provide accurate and timely material information to investors is an ongoing one. Because of Harrisburg’s misrepresentations, secondary market investors made trading decisions based on inaccurate and stale information."
According to the SEC’s order instituting settled administrative proceedings, Harrisburg is a near-bankrupt city under state receivership largely due to approximately $260 million in debt the city had guaranteed for upgrades and repairs to a municipal resource recovery facility owned by The Harrisburg Authority. As of March 15, 2013, Harrisburg has missed approximately $13.9 million in general obligation debt service payments.
According to the SEC’s order, Harrisburg had not submitted annual financial information or audited financial statements since submitting its 2007 Comprehensive Annual Financial Report (CAFR) to a Nationally Recognized Municipal Securities Information Repository (NRMSIR) in January 2009. Beginning in July 2009, Harrisburg was obligated to submit financial information and notices such as principal and interest payment delinquencies and changes in bond ratings to a central repository known as the Electronic Municipal Market Access (EMMA) system maintained by the Municipal Securities Rulemaking Board (MSRB). Harrisburg did not submit its 2008 CAFR to EMMA, instead erroneously submitting it to a former NRMSIR on March 2, 2010. Harrisburg did not submit its 2009 CAFR to EMMA until Aug. 6, 2012, and did not submit its 2010 CAFR to EMMA until Dec. 20, 2012. The city did not submit material event notices about its failure to submit annual financial information or its credit rating downgrades until March 29, 2011, after the SEC had commenced its investigation.
Therefore, the SEC’s order finds that at a time of increased interest in the Harrisburg’s financial health due to the deteriorating financial condition of The Harrisburg Authority, the city created a risk that investors could purchase or sell securities in the secondary market on the basis of incomplete and outdated information. For current information, investors had to review other public statements from the city about its fiscal situation. For example, Harrisburg’s 2009 budget and its accompanying transmittal letter were accessible on Harrisburg’s website. By the time the 2009 budget was passed, Harrisburg was aware of the Authority’s projected budget deficits and that Dauphin County was challenging a rate increase. As a result, the Authority was unlikely to have sufficient revenues to pay its 2009 debt service obligations. However, Harrisburg’s 2009 budget as adopted did not include funds for debt guarantee payments. The 2009 budget also misstated Harrisburg’s credit as being rated "Aaa" by Moody’s when in fact Moody’s had downgraded Harrisburg’s general obligation credit rating to Baa1 by December 2008.
According to the SEC’s order, another public statement available to investors on the city’s website was the annual State of the City address delivered on April 9, 2009. The address only discussed the municipal resource recovery facility as a situation that was an "additional challenge" and an "issue that can be resolved." The address was misleading because it failed to mention that by this time, Harrisburg had already made $1.8 million in guarantee payments on the resource recovery facility bond debt. It also omitted the total amount of the debt that the city would likely have to repay from its general fund. By this time, Harrisburg knew that the Authority had failed to secure the requested rate increase, making it likely that Harrisburg would have to repay $260 million of the debt as guarantor.
According to the SEC’s order, Harrisburg’s 2009 mid-year fiscal report available on its website was designed to provide a snapshot of budget-to-actual figures at the middle of the year. However, the report did not reference any of the guarantee payments the city had made on the municipal resource recovery facility debt, which at this mid-year point totaled $2.3 million (7 percent of its general fund expenditures).
The SEC’s order requires Harrisburg to cease and desist from committing or causing violations of Section 10(b) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 and Rule 10b-5. The city neither admits nor denies the findings in the order. In the settlement, the SEC considered Harrisburg’s cooperation in the investigation and the various remedial measures implemented by the city to prevent further securities laws violations.
The SEC’s investigation was conducted by members of the Enforcement Division’s Municipal Securities and Public Pensions Unit including Senior Enforcement Counsel Yolanda Gonzalez and Assistant Director Ivonia K. Slade with assistance from Municipal Securities Specialist Jonathan D. Wilcox. The investigation was supervised by Unit Chief Elaine C. Greenberg and Deputy Chief Mark R. Zehner.
Washington, D.C., May 6, 2013 — The Securities and Exchange Commission today charged the City of Harrisburg, Pa., with securities fraud for its misleading public statements when its financial condition was deteriorating and financial information available to municipal bond investors was either incomplete or outdated
An SEC investigation found that the misleading statements were made in the city’s budget report, annual and mid-year financial statements, and a State of the City address. This marks the first time that the SEC has charged a municipality for misleading statements made outside of its securities disclosure documents. Harrisburg has agreed to settle the charges.
The SEC found that Harrisburg failed to comply with requirements to provide certain ongoing financial information and audited financial statements for the benefit of investors holding hundreds of millions of dollars in bonds issued or guaranteed by the city. As a result of Harrisburg’s non-compliance from 2009 to 2011, investors had to seek out Harrisburg’s other public statements in order to obtain current information about the city’s finances. However, very little information about the city’s fiscal situation was publicly available elsewhere. Information that was accessible on the city’s website such as its 2009 budget, 2009 State of the City address, and 2009 mid-year fiscal report either misstated or failed to disclose critical information about Harrisburg’s financial condition and credit ratings.
The SEC separately issued a report today addressing the disclosure obligations of public officials and their potential liability under the federal securities laws for public statements made in the secondary market for municipal securities.
"In an information vacuum caused by Harrisburg’s failure to provide accurate information about its deteriorating financial condition, municipal investors had to rely on other public statements misrepresenting city finances," said George S. Canellos, Co-Director of the SEC’s Division of Enforcement. "Statements that are reasonably expected to reach the securities markets, even if not prepared for that purpose, cannot be materially misleading."
Elaine C. Greenberg, Chief of the SEC’s Enforcement Division’s Municipal Securities and Public Pensions Unit, said, "A municipal issuer’s obligation to provide accurate and timely material information to investors is an ongoing one. Because of Harrisburg’s misrepresentations, secondary market investors made trading decisions based on inaccurate and stale information."
According to the SEC’s order instituting settled administrative proceedings, Harrisburg is a near-bankrupt city under state receivership largely due to approximately $260 million in debt the city had guaranteed for upgrades and repairs to a municipal resource recovery facility owned by The Harrisburg Authority. As of March 15, 2013, Harrisburg has missed approximately $13.9 million in general obligation debt service payments.
According to the SEC’s order, Harrisburg had not submitted annual financial information or audited financial statements since submitting its 2007 Comprehensive Annual Financial Report (CAFR) to a Nationally Recognized Municipal Securities Information Repository (NRMSIR) in January 2009. Beginning in July 2009, Harrisburg was obligated to submit financial information and notices such as principal and interest payment delinquencies and changes in bond ratings to a central repository known as the Electronic Municipal Market Access (EMMA) system maintained by the Municipal Securities Rulemaking Board (MSRB). Harrisburg did not submit its 2008 CAFR to EMMA, instead erroneously submitting it to a former NRMSIR on March 2, 2010. Harrisburg did not submit its 2009 CAFR to EMMA until Aug. 6, 2012, and did not submit its 2010 CAFR to EMMA until Dec. 20, 2012. The city did not submit material event notices about its failure to submit annual financial information or its credit rating downgrades until March 29, 2011, after the SEC had commenced its investigation.
Therefore, the SEC’s order finds that at a time of increased interest in the Harrisburg’s financial health due to the deteriorating financial condition of The Harrisburg Authority, the city created a risk that investors could purchase or sell securities in the secondary market on the basis of incomplete and outdated information. For current information, investors had to review other public statements from the city about its fiscal situation. For example, Harrisburg’s 2009 budget and its accompanying transmittal letter were accessible on Harrisburg’s website. By the time the 2009 budget was passed, Harrisburg was aware of the Authority’s projected budget deficits and that Dauphin County was challenging a rate increase. As a result, the Authority was unlikely to have sufficient revenues to pay its 2009 debt service obligations. However, Harrisburg’s 2009 budget as adopted did not include funds for debt guarantee payments. The 2009 budget also misstated Harrisburg’s credit as being rated "Aaa" by Moody’s when in fact Moody’s had downgraded Harrisburg’s general obligation credit rating to Baa1 by December 2008.
According to the SEC’s order, another public statement available to investors on the city’s website was the annual State of the City address delivered on April 9, 2009. The address only discussed the municipal resource recovery facility as a situation that was an "additional challenge" and an "issue that can be resolved." The address was misleading because it failed to mention that by this time, Harrisburg had already made $1.8 million in guarantee payments on the resource recovery facility bond debt. It also omitted the total amount of the debt that the city would likely have to repay from its general fund. By this time, Harrisburg knew that the Authority had failed to secure the requested rate increase, making it likely that Harrisburg would have to repay $260 million of the debt as guarantor.
According to the SEC’s order, Harrisburg’s 2009 mid-year fiscal report available on its website was designed to provide a snapshot of budget-to-actual figures at the middle of the year. However, the report did not reference any of the guarantee payments the city had made on the municipal resource recovery facility debt, which at this mid-year point totaled $2.3 million (7 percent of its general fund expenditures).
The SEC’s order requires Harrisburg to cease and desist from committing or causing violations of Section 10(b) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 and Rule 10b-5. The city neither admits nor denies the findings in the order. In the settlement, the SEC considered Harrisburg’s cooperation in the investigation and the various remedial measures implemented by the city to prevent further securities laws violations.
The SEC’s investigation was conducted by members of the Enforcement Division’s Municipal Securities and Public Pensions Unit including Senior Enforcement Counsel Yolanda Gonzalez and Assistant Director Ivonia K. Slade with assistance from Municipal Securities Specialist Jonathan D. Wilcox. The investigation was supervised by Unit Chief Elaine C. Greenberg and Deputy Chief Mark R. Zehner.
U.S.-REPUBLIC OF KOREA RELEASE JOINT STATEMENT ON GLOBAL CLIMATE CHANGE
FROM: U.S. DEPARTMENT OF STATE
Joint Statement on Addressing Global Climate Change
Media Note
Office of the Spokesperson
Washington, DC
May 7, 2013
The text of the following statement was released by the Governments of the United States of America and the Republic of Korea on the occasion of the visit by ROK President Park Geun-hye to the United States:
The Republic of Korea and the United States share the view that anthropogenic climate change represents a threat to the security and sustainable development of all nations. As two of the world’s major economies, and as members of the G20, the Major Economies Forum (MEF) on Energy and Climate, and the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), the Republic of Korea and the United States, by virtue of their national circumstances and capabilities, are each in a position to carry out significant and concrete action to reduce the threat of climate change and its impacts.
Both the Republic of Korea and the United States are also making significant efforts towards implementing their 2020 mitigation pledges under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). The United States will continue to strengthen measures to reduce its emissions through a wide range of actions in key sectors of the economy. The Republic of Korea is developing and implementing a set of mitigation and adaptation policies aimed at achieving a low carbon economy. Such actions will contribute not only to addressing the challenge of climate change, but also to building a more creative economy that generates new jobs and future growth engines. Through its successful bid to host the Green Climate Fund (GCF), the Republic of Korea has demonstrated its ambition in assuming a leadership role in addressing climate change, including providing support for and contributing to the GCF. Both the Republic of Korea and the United States will make efforts for the early and successful operationalization of the GCF.
Cooperative efforts between the Republic of Korea and the United States demonstrate our shared commitment to advancing climate action in the multilateral context. Both countries will continue to pursue a post-2020 agreement that is flexible and applicable to all Parties in the context of the UNFCCC, with substantive contributions from Parties consistent with national circumstances and capabilities. We will also work together in the context of the International Maritime Organization, while respecting each other’s position, to further enhance energy efficiency and therefore reduce greenhouse gas emissions from international shipping. We highlight the importance of the MEF and Clean Energy Ministerial as complementary venues for dialogue as well as platforms for exploring joint efforts to take concrete actions in major sectors of our economies, with the goal of bending down the global emissions curve. In addition, we emphasize the importance of taking action to advance near-term climate change agenda, including through the Climate and Clean Air Coalition (CCAC) to Reduce Short-Lived Climate Pollutants to support the achievement of the ultimate goal of the UNFCCC. A bilateral dialogue between both countries will be held regularly to exchange views on the climate change negotiations.
The Republic of Korea and the United States are engaged in a wide range of bilateral activities on climate change, particularly in the context of the recently approved 2013-2015 Work Program of the U.S.-Korea Environmental Cooperation Agreement. Under this agreement, we will intensify cooperation in a number of areas, including clean energy research and development, research on climate modeling, workshops on climate risk assessment and adaptation planning, and joint work on the development and adoption of smart grids and energy efficiency technologies that will produce new jobs and markets in this evolving sector.
The governments of the Republic of Korea and the United States will continue to treat climate change as an issue of high priority in the bilateral relationship as we work towards an ambitious and coordinated global response to this serious challenge.
Joint Statement on Addressing Global Climate Change
Media Note
Office of the Spokesperson
Washington, DC
May 7, 2013
The text of the following statement was released by the Governments of the United States of America and the Republic of Korea on the occasion of the visit by ROK President Park Geun-hye to the United States:
The Republic of Korea and the United States share the view that anthropogenic climate change represents a threat to the security and sustainable development of all nations. As two of the world’s major economies, and as members of the G20, the Major Economies Forum (MEF) on Energy and Climate, and the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), the Republic of Korea and the United States, by virtue of their national circumstances and capabilities, are each in a position to carry out significant and concrete action to reduce the threat of climate change and its impacts.
Both the Republic of Korea and the United States are also making significant efforts towards implementing their 2020 mitigation pledges under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). The United States will continue to strengthen measures to reduce its emissions through a wide range of actions in key sectors of the economy. The Republic of Korea is developing and implementing a set of mitigation and adaptation policies aimed at achieving a low carbon economy. Such actions will contribute not only to addressing the challenge of climate change, but also to building a more creative economy that generates new jobs and future growth engines. Through its successful bid to host the Green Climate Fund (GCF), the Republic of Korea has demonstrated its ambition in assuming a leadership role in addressing climate change, including providing support for and contributing to the GCF. Both the Republic of Korea and the United States will make efforts for the early and successful operationalization of the GCF.
Cooperative efforts between the Republic of Korea and the United States demonstrate our shared commitment to advancing climate action in the multilateral context. Both countries will continue to pursue a post-2020 agreement that is flexible and applicable to all Parties in the context of the UNFCCC, with substantive contributions from Parties consistent with national circumstances and capabilities. We will also work together in the context of the International Maritime Organization, while respecting each other’s position, to further enhance energy efficiency and therefore reduce greenhouse gas emissions from international shipping. We highlight the importance of the MEF and Clean Energy Ministerial as complementary venues for dialogue as well as platforms for exploring joint efforts to take concrete actions in major sectors of our economies, with the goal of bending down the global emissions curve. In addition, we emphasize the importance of taking action to advance near-term climate change agenda, including through the Climate and Clean Air Coalition (CCAC) to Reduce Short-Lived Climate Pollutants to support the achievement of the ultimate goal of the UNFCCC. A bilateral dialogue between both countries will be held regularly to exchange views on the climate change negotiations.
The Republic of Korea and the United States are engaged in a wide range of bilateral activities on climate change, particularly in the context of the recently approved 2013-2015 Work Program of the U.S.-Korea Environmental Cooperation Agreement. Under this agreement, we will intensify cooperation in a number of areas, including clean energy research and development, research on climate modeling, workshops on climate risk assessment and adaptation planning, and joint work on the development and adoption of smart grids and energy efficiency technologies that will produce new jobs and markets in this evolving sector.
The governments of the Republic of Korea and the United States will continue to treat climate change as an issue of high priority in the bilateral relationship as we work towards an ambitious and coordinated global response to this serious challenge.
NAVY'S FIRST MANNED AND UNMANNED AIRCRAFT SQUADRON
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| Official U.S. Navy file photo |
Magicians Reborn as Navy's First Squadron to Operate Manned and Unmanned Aircraft
CORONADO, Calif. -- (NNS) -- Helicopter Maritime Strike Squadron (HSM) 35 became the first composite expeditionary helicopter squadron to include both the world's most technologically advanced helicopter; the MH-60R Seahawk and the MQ-8B Fire Scout Vertical Take-off and Landing Tactical Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (VTUAV); during an establishment ceremony today on Naval Air Station North Island.
As the Navy's first operational squadron with both manned and unmanned aircraft, HSM- 35 heralds a new era for Naval Aviation. The squadron, designated the "Magicians," adopted the call sign of Helicopter Anti-Submarine Squadron Light 35, which was decommissioned on NAS North Island in 1992, after 19 years of service.
"The reestablishment of this squadron is exceptional as it points toward the future for our Naval Aviation forces," said Commander, Naval Air Forces, Vice Adm. David H. Buss. "The actions today represent a clear line dividing what Naval Aviation once was and what it will be."
As the next generation submarine hunter and anti-surface warfare helicopter, the MH-60R is the cornerstone of the Navy's Helicopter Concept of Operations. The Fire Scout (VTUAV) system provides unique situation awareness and precision target support for the Navy, said Buss.
Both new aircraft will embark with the Navy's new high speed, agile, shallow-draft Littoral Combat Ship (LCS), which was also recently introduced to the fleet.
The establishment ceremony included the reading of orders by the squadron's first commanding officer, Cmdr. Christopher S. Hewlett, a Los Angeles native.
More than 100 Sailors stood in formation as their unit became an official part of the Navy's Pacific Fleet Air Forces.
"Today we give birth to our new squadron while celebrating the legacy of our past," said Hewlett. "We honor all the former Magicians of HSL-35, and will continue in the same spirit of war-fighting excellence to provide extraordinary support to the fleet."
Sixty former HSL-35 members were in attendance, including one commanding officer, retired Capt. George Powell and an original Magicians' pilot, retired Capt. Rob Moore. Both shared their enthusiasm about the rebirth of their old squadron.
"I think the reestablishment is awesome, because almost every single unit I was a part of during my time in the Navy has been decommissioned," said Powell. "But now this squadron is coming back, and I think it's really neat."
The Magicians' first mission, beginning this summer, will be to undergo training and develop guidelines for what will be the Navy's standards of operation for the expeditionary Fire Scout. According to Buss, the procedures set by the Magicians will chart the course for Naval Aviation's operating future.
ISAF NEWS FROM AFGHANISTAN
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| U.S. Marine Corps Sgt. Maj. Bryan B. Battaglia, right, senior enlisted advisor to the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, discusses operations with the 4th Brigade, 1st Cavalry Division key leaders during a briefing on Forward Operating Base Gamberi, Laghman province, Afghanistan, May 4, 2013. Battaglia is visiting troops in Afghanistan and meeting with key leaders to gain insight on current and future operations. U.S. Army photo by Sgt. Kent Redmond |
FROM: U.S. DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE
Combined Force Arrests Taliban Leader in Helmand Province
From an International Security Assistance Force Joint Command News Release
KABUL, Afghanistan, May 7, 2013 - An Afghan and coalition security force arrested a Taliban leader and three other insurgents during an operation in the Lashkar Gah district of Afghanistan's Helmand province today, military officials reported.
The arrested leader oversees a group of insurgent fighters responsible for attacks against Afghan and coalition forces. He also regularly provides operational updates to senior Taliban leadership and distributes weapons to other insurgent cells in the local area.
Also today, combined forces confirmed the death of Khialuddin, an insurgent leader with ties to the Taliban and the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan, during a May 5 operation in the Baghlan-e Jadid district of Baghlan province. Khialuddin -- also known as Shahbudin or Karwan -- directed improvised explosive device operations targeting senior government officials and Afghan and coalition forces throughout Baghlan province. He also worked with Taliban senior leaders to disseminate information to low-level insurgent fighters and facilitated money and weapons to insurgent groups.
In Afghanistan operations yesterday:
-- A combined force killed one insurgent during a search for a Taliban leader in the Shirin Tagab district of Faryab province. The sought-after insurgent leader leads a cell of 15 insurgents responsible for attacks on Afghan and coalition forces. He also arranges the purchase of weapons for Taliban operations and coordinates training for new insurgents. He and his fighters are also responsible for multiple IED attacks in the area.
-- Afghan National Army Special Forces and Afghan National Police, enabled by coalition forces, detained an IED-maker and discovered a weapons cache in Katu village in the Shinkai district of Zabul province. The cache contained three tactical vests, two rifles, IED-making materials and an unknown quantity of ammonium nitrate.
-- A combined force wounded one insurgent during a search for a Haqqani leader in the Musa Khel district of Khost province. The sought-after insurgent leader is responsible for weapons facilitation and also plans attacks against Afghan and coalition forces. He also has coordinated the movement of IEDs, mortar rounds and other weapons throughout the Musa Khel district.
-- An Afghan police member apprehended a suicide bomber after an attempted attack on another police member in his home in the Sar Howzah district of Paktika province. Reportedly, the suspect entered the home, attempted to shoot the occupants with an AK-47 rifle that misfired, and then attempted to detonate his suicide vest.
In May 5 operations:
-- A combined force seized a large quantity of narcotics at a vehicle search checkpoint in the western Dashte area of Helmand province. The combined force discovered 450 kilograms of wet opium and 6 kilograms of pure heroin with an estimated street value of $200,000. The security force also seized some small-arms weapons. All of the narcotics were destroyed.
-- Provincial Response Company Wardak, enabled by coalition forces, seized a cache containing 1,200 pounds of homemade explosives in the Nerkh district of Wardak province.
DOD REPORTS ON CHINA'S MILITARY MODERNIZATION
FROM: U.S. DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE
DOD Report on China Details Military Modernization
By Karen Parrish
American Forces Press Service
WASHINGTON, May 6, 2013 - A Defense Department report released today describes China's military modernization and the Chinese army's interaction with other forces, including those of the United States, a senior Pentagon official said today.
The annual report -- titled "2013 Military and Security Developments Involving the People's Republic of China" -- went to Congress today and covers China's security and military strategies; developments in China's military doctrine, force structure and advanced technologies; the security situation in the Taiwan strait; U.S.–China military-to-military contacts and the U.S. strategy for such engagement; and the nature of China's cyber activities directed against the Defense Department.
David F. Helvey, deputy assistant secretary of defense for East Asia, briefed Pentagon reporters on the report. He noted that the report, which DOD coordinates with other agencies, "reflects broadly the views held across the United States government." The report is factual and not speculative, he noted.
Helvey said the trends in this year's report show the rising power increasing its rapid military modernization program. "We see a good deal of continuity in terms of the modernization priorities," Helvey noted, despite the 2012 and 2013 turnover to new leadership, which happens roughly every decade in China.
The report notes China launched its first aircraft carrier in 2012 and is sustaining investments in advanced short- and medium-range conventional ballistic missiles, land-attack and anti-ship cruise missiles, counter-space weapons and military cyberspace systems.
Helvey noted these technologies all bolster China's anti-access and area-denial capabilities.
"The issue here is not one particular weapons system," he said. "It's the integration and overlapping nature of these weapons systems into a regime that can potentially impede or restrict free military operations in the Western Pacific. So that's something that we monitor and are concerned about."
Helvey said the report provides a lot of information, but also raises some questions. "What concerns me is the extent to which China's military modernization occurs in the absence of the kind of openness and transparency that others are certainly asking of China," he added.
That lack of transparency, he noted, has effects on the security calculations of others in the region. "And so it's that uncertainty, I think, that's of greater concern," he said.
Helvey added the report noted China has "increased assertiveness with respect to its maritime territorial claims" over the past year. China disputes sovereignty with Japan over islands in the East China Sea, and has other territorial disputes with regional neighbors in the South China Sea.
"With respect to these claims, we encourage all parties to the different disputes or interactions to address their issues peacefully, through diplomatic channels in a manner consistent with international law," he said.
Helvey noted China's relations with Taiwan have been consistent. "Over the past year, cross-strait relations have improved," he said. "However, China's military buildup shows no signs of slowing."
China also is building its space and cyberspace capabilities, Helvey said. He noted that in 2012, China conducted 18 space launches and expanded its space-based intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance, navigation, meteorological and communication satellite constellations.
"At the same time, China continues to invest in a multidimensional program to deny others access to and use of space," Helvey said.
Addressing China's cyber capabilities, Helvey said the Chinese army continues to develop doctrine, training and exercises that emphasize information technology and operations.
"In addition, in 2012, numerous computer systems around the world, including those owned by the United States government, continued to be targeted for intrusions, some of which appear to be attributable directly to [Chinese] government and military organizations," he added.
Helvey noted a positive trend in U.S.-China engagements over the year, including several senior-leader visits culminating in then-Defense Secretary Leon E. Panetta's visit to Beijing in September.
The two sides also explored practical areas of cooperation, he said, including the first counterpiracy exercise conducted in September by Chinese and U.S. forces, followed by the U.S. invitation to China to participate in the Rim of the Pacific exercise in 2014.
"We'll continue to use military engagement with China as one of several means to expand areas where we can cooperate, discuss, frankly, our differences, and demonstrate the United States' commitment to the security of the Asia-Pacific region," Helvey said.
DOD Report on China Details Military Modernization
By Karen Parrish
American Forces Press Service
WASHINGTON, May 6, 2013 - A Defense Department report released today describes China's military modernization and the Chinese army's interaction with other forces, including those of the United States, a senior Pentagon official said today.
The annual report -- titled "2013 Military and Security Developments Involving the People's Republic of China" -- went to Congress today and covers China's security and military strategies; developments in China's military doctrine, force structure and advanced technologies; the security situation in the Taiwan strait; U.S.–China military-to-military contacts and the U.S. strategy for such engagement; and the nature of China's cyber activities directed against the Defense Department.
David F. Helvey, deputy assistant secretary of defense for East Asia, briefed Pentagon reporters on the report. He noted that the report, which DOD coordinates with other agencies, "reflects broadly the views held across the United States government." The report is factual and not speculative, he noted.
Helvey said the trends in this year's report show the rising power increasing its rapid military modernization program. "We see a good deal of continuity in terms of the modernization priorities," Helvey noted, despite the 2012 and 2013 turnover to new leadership, which happens roughly every decade in China.
The report notes China launched its first aircraft carrier in 2012 and is sustaining investments in advanced short- and medium-range conventional ballistic missiles, land-attack and anti-ship cruise missiles, counter-space weapons and military cyberspace systems.
Helvey noted these technologies all bolster China's anti-access and area-denial capabilities.
"The issue here is not one particular weapons system," he said. "It's the integration and overlapping nature of these weapons systems into a regime that can potentially impede or restrict free military operations in the Western Pacific. So that's something that we monitor and are concerned about."
Helvey said the report provides a lot of information, but also raises some questions. "What concerns me is the extent to which China's military modernization occurs in the absence of the kind of openness and transparency that others are certainly asking of China," he added.
That lack of transparency, he noted, has effects on the security calculations of others in the region. "And so it's that uncertainty, I think, that's of greater concern," he said.
Helvey added the report noted China has "increased assertiveness with respect to its maritime territorial claims" over the past year. China disputes sovereignty with Japan over islands in the East China Sea, and has other territorial disputes with regional neighbors in the South China Sea.
"With respect to these claims, we encourage all parties to the different disputes or interactions to address their issues peacefully, through diplomatic channels in a manner consistent with international law," he said.
Helvey noted China's relations with Taiwan have been consistent. "Over the past year, cross-strait relations have improved," he said. "However, China's military buildup shows no signs of slowing."
China also is building its space and cyberspace capabilities, Helvey said. He noted that in 2012, China conducted 18 space launches and expanded its space-based intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance, navigation, meteorological and communication satellite constellations.
"At the same time, China continues to invest in a multidimensional program to deny others access to and use of space," Helvey said.
Addressing China's cyber capabilities, Helvey said the Chinese army continues to develop doctrine, training and exercises that emphasize information technology and operations.
"In addition, in 2012, numerous computer systems around the world, including those owned by the United States government, continued to be targeted for intrusions, some of which appear to be attributable directly to [Chinese] government and military organizations," he added.
Helvey noted a positive trend in U.S.-China engagements over the year, including several senior-leader visits culminating in then-Defense Secretary Leon E. Panetta's visit to Beijing in September.
The two sides also explored practical areas of cooperation, he said, including the first counterpiracy exercise conducted in September by Chinese and U.S. forces, followed by the U.S. invitation to China to participate in the Rim of the Pacific exercise in 2014.
"We'll continue to use military engagement with China as one of several means to expand areas where we can cooperate, discuss, frankly, our differences, and demonstrate the United States' commitment to the security of the Asia-Pacific region," Helvey said.
LITTLE BITTY PRETTY MOON
FROM: NASA
Beautiful Plumage
Like a proud peacock displaying its tail, Enceladus shows off its beautiful plume to the Cassini spacecraft's cameras.
Enceladus (313 miles, or 504 kilometers across) is seen here illuminated by light reflected off Saturn.
This view looks toward the Saturn-facing side of Enceladus. North on Enceladus is up and rotated 45 degrees to the right. The image was taken in visible light with the Cassini spacecraft narrow-angle camera on Jan. 18, 2013.
The view was acquired at a distance of approximately 483,000 miles (777,000 kilometers) from Enceladus and at a Sun-Enceladus-spacecraft, or phase, angle of 173 degrees. Image scale is 3 miles (5 kilometers) per pixel.
The Cassini-Huygens mission is a cooperative project of NASA, the European Space Agency and the Italian Space Agency. The Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, manages the mission for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington, D.C. The Cassini orbiter and its two onboard cameras were designed, developed and assembled at JPL. The imaging operations center is based at the Space Science Institute in Boulder, Colo. Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/Space Science Institute
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