FROM: U.S. DEFENSE DEPARTMENT
IG Finds Pharmacy Home Delivery Cost-Efficient, Safe
From a TRICARE Management Activity News Release
FALLS CHURCH, Va., Sept. 16, 2013 - Following an almost year-long study of the TRICARE Pharmacy Home Delivery program requested by members of Congress, the Defense Department inspector general's office has determined it is a cost-efficient way for beneficiaries to get their prescription medications, TRICARE Management Activity officials reported.
The inspector general's study found that the Home Delivery mail-order program saved the government 16.7 percent -- nearly $67 million -- in the third quarter of fiscal year 2012, officials said.
The audit compared what the government spent on prescription drugs through Home Delivery and what the cost would have been at retail pharmacies. Additionally, the TRICARE pharmacy contractor, Express Scripts, reported to the inspector general that Home Delivery offers a 99.99 percent prescription fill accuracy rate, high beneficiary satisfaction and improved patient outcomes.
"Although not surprised, we are certainly pleased at the results of the report," said Navy Rear Adm. Thomas J. McGinnis, chief of TRICARE pharmaceutical operations. "Home Delivery saves beneficiaries and the Department of Defense millions of dollars every year, and gives beneficiaries a safe and secure way to receive their prescription medications."
In June 2013, the 1.64 million prescriptions filled through Home Delivery represented a 17 percent increase in volume compared to the previous year, while retail prescription volume fell 10 percent, officials said.
When TRICARE beneficiaries use the Home Delivery pharmacy to fill maintenance medication prescriptions, they receive a 90-day supply through the mail and have no copayment for generic formulary medications and a $13 copay for brand-name formulary medications. At retail network pharmacies, beneficiaries pay $5 for a 30-day supply of generic formulary medications and $17 for brand name formulary medications.
TRICARE beneficiaries can sign up for Home Delivery online, by mail or by phone.
Friday, September 20, 2013
DOD REPORTS AFGHAN AIR FORCE DOING WELL
FROM: U.S. DEFENSE DEPARTMENT
Afghan Air Force Flourishing, ISAF Official Says
By Karen Parrish
American Forces Press Service
NATIONAL HARBOR, Md., Sept. 19, 2013 - The mission: build an independent, self-sustaining air force from the inside out, from the ground up. The commander leading that effort calls it the most complex undertaking NATO and the U.S. Air Force have ever tackled.
Air Force Brig. Gen. John Michel leads NATO Air Training Command Afghanistan, the organization charged with training the Afghan air force. He is here this week attending an Air Force conference, and spoke to American Forces Press Service about the Afghan air capability that he maintains no longer is fledgling, but rather is flourishing.
Not only are Afghan pilots now carrying out combat, resupply and medevac missions, he said, the humanitarian capability they bring to their government is helping to legitimize their nation. In a country largely inaccessible by road, the general noted, air reach equals government reach. And Afghan aviation dates to 1919, he said.
"It's a source of national pride," Michel said. About a month ago, he said, the Afghan air force was called to respond to a flood that had left citizens stranded, "and they saved over 300 men, women and children."
The force is critical to the Afghan army as well, he said. Close air support, evacuating the wounded, and in many cases, even basic resupply are only possible in Afghanistan with aircraft, Michel noted.
The Afghan air force, he said, "is really the foundational element for legitimacy locally, nationally and internationally." For example, he said, the core of trained air traffic controllers that will grow up around the air force and ultimately transfer to the civilian world will form part of the infrastructure backbone Afghanistan will need to attract long-term foreign investment.
The air training command's staff includes some 600 people from 14 coalition nations. They work with their Afghan counterparts on Afghan bases at six locations within the country, training and advising every member of the Afghan air force, from the highest-level leaders down to the newest junior recruits.
Michel pointed out the timeline that makes 2014 the handoff year for combat operations doesn't apply to his command. The Afghan air force is on a separate timeline from the army and police forces, and is not set for full operational autonomy until 2017, he said. The NATO air training command is set to grow during that time to 1,114 military and defense contractors, plus 530 base support personnel.
Meanwhile, coalition aircrews fly alongside their Afghan counterparts during training missions, combat missions, and joint missions conducting resupply, infiltration, exfiltration, passenger movements and casualty evacuation for the Afghan army. Coalition advisors also train in all the support roles including maintenance, logistics, finance and communications. About 200 Afghan students are now in various phases of the pilot training pipeline, Michel said.
The Afghan air force is divided into three wings, located respectively in Kabul, Kandahar and Shindand, in western Afghanistan's Herat province. The command center is in Kabul, and the Shindand Air Base is the main training area. The Afghan force currently has a fleet of 92 fixed-wing and rotary aircraft, with 12 more Mi-17 transport helicopters being delivered starting this month. Ultimately, the force's fleet will include 58 Mi-17s, six Mi-35 attack helicopters, 20 C-208 turboprop airliners, four C-130 transport aircraft and 20 A-29 light attack aircraft.
Michel noted the Soviet influence in Afghanistan dating to the 1920s but dominant from the 1950s to the 1990s extended to the air force, which followed the Soviet model of essentially a client force trained to fly but reliant on its patrons for equipment, maintenance, support and administration.
Command and control will be the essence of the "small, but mighty" air capability Afghanistan plans to grow to a force of 8,000, Michel said. "That was not present in the dependency model," he added. And while the model encouraged brilliant flying, it omitted "disciplined execution," the general said, "which is what makes [the U.S.] Air Force the best in the history of mankind."
Disciplined execution includes doctrine and an emphasis on safety, Michel said, which his command is training or developing in the growing Afghan force, along with English, military science and a host of other subjects and resources.
"Among those 8,000 people, there are seven specific capabilities and 60 [military occupational specialties]," he noted. The mission set for the Afghan air force rests on core capabilities of air movement, aerial fires, aerial reconnaissance, force protection, sustainment and intelligence, Michel said. That integration of capabilities is crucial to the self-sustaining force that Afghanistan needs, he said.
"The maintainer number that we're going to is sub-1,400," he said. "And then we'll have some number less than that for pilots." The A-29 "Super Takano" program aims at 30 pilots for 20 aircraft, he said, but those 30 will over time "grow out of the cockpit."
"We're growing a profession," he said. Establishing a military education network that will produce professional officers and noncommissioned officers -- Michel called the NCO corps "the secret sauce" of the U.S. military -- recruiting and marketing are all part of the mission, he said.
"Is it hard?" the general said of his mission. "Let's see; we're building it from the inside out, the ground up. The more capability we start to garner, the more they want to employ. The more they employ, the less we can train. ... And, as of a week from today, we're adding the first two of four C-130s."
As capabilities grow, so do costs and complications, Michel acknowledged. The Afghan government may choose to adjust its timeline for some capabilities as its contributors' budgets tighten, he said, and his command is prepared with a range of options to scale capability to cost as needed.
"I have 39 months from today to finish this mission," he said. "We're not building capabilities they don't need to have."
Afghan Air Force Flourishing, ISAF Official Says
By Karen Parrish
American Forces Press Service
NATIONAL HARBOR, Md., Sept. 19, 2013 - The mission: build an independent, self-sustaining air force from the inside out, from the ground up. The commander leading that effort calls it the most complex undertaking NATO and the U.S. Air Force have ever tackled.
Air Force Brig. Gen. John Michel leads NATO Air Training Command Afghanistan, the organization charged with training the Afghan air force. He is here this week attending an Air Force conference, and spoke to American Forces Press Service about the Afghan air capability that he maintains no longer is fledgling, but rather is flourishing.
Not only are Afghan pilots now carrying out combat, resupply and medevac missions, he said, the humanitarian capability they bring to their government is helping to legitimize their nation. In a country largely inaccessible by road, the general noted, air reach equals government reach. And Afghan aviation dates to 1919, he said.
"It's a source of national pride," Michel said. About a month ago, he said, the Afghan air force was called to respond to a flood that had left citizens stranded, "and they saved over 300 men, women and children."
The force is critical to the Afghan army as well, he said. Close air support, evacuating the wounded, and in many cases, even basic resupply are only possible in Afghanistan with aircraft, Michel noted.
The Afghan air force, he said, "is really the foundational element for legitimacy locally, nationally and internationally." For example, he said, the core of trained air traffic controllers that will grow up around the air force and ultimately transfer to the civilian world will form part of the infrastructure backbone Afghanistan will need to attract long-term foreign investment.
The air training command's staff includes some 600 people from 14 coalition nations. They work with their Afghan counterparts on Afghan bases at six locations within the country, training and advising every member of the Afghan air force, from the highest-level leaders down to the newest junior recruits.
Michel pointed out the timeline that makes 2014 the handoff year for combat operations doesn't apply to his command. The Afghan air force is on a separate timeline from the army and police forces, and is not set for full operational autonomy until 2017, he said. The NATO air training command is set to grow during that time to 1,114 military and defense contractors, plus 530 base support personnel.
Meanwhile, coalition aircrews fly alongside their Afghan counterparts during training missions, combat missions, and joint missions conducting resupply, infiltration, exfiltration, passenger movements and casualty evacuation for the Afghan army. Coalition advisors also train in all the support roles including maintenance, logistics, finance and communications. About 200 Afghan students are now in various phases of the pilot training pipeline, Michel said.
The Afghan air force is divided into three wings, located respectively in Kabul, Kandahar and Shindand, in western Afghanistan's Herat province. The command center is in Kabul, and the Shindand Air Base is the main training area. The Afghan force currently has a fleet of 92 fixed-wing and rotary aircraft, with 12 more Mi-17 transport helicopters being delivered starting this month. Ultimately, the force's fleet will include 58 Mi-17s, six Mi-35 attack helicopters, 20 C-208 turboprop airliners, four C-130 transport aircraft and 20 A-29 light attack aircraft.
Michel noted the Soviet influence in Afghanistan dating to the 1920s but dominant from the 1950s to the 1990s extended to the air force, which followed the Soviet model of essentially a client force trained to fly but reliant on its patrons for equipment, maintenance, support and administration.
Command and control will be the essence of the "small, but mighty" air capability Afghanistan plans to grow to a force of 8,000, Michel said. "That was not present in the dependency model," he added. And while the model encouraged brilliant flying, it omitted "disciplined execution," the general said, "which is what makes [the U.S.] Air Force the best in the history of mankind."
Disciplined execution includes doctrine and an emphasis on safety, Michel said, which his command is training or developing in the growing Afghan force, along with English, military science and a host of other subjects and resources.
"Among those 8,000 people, there are seven specific capabilities and 60 [military occupational specialties]," he noted. The mission set for the Afghan air force rests on core capabilities of air movement, aerial fires, aerial reconnaissance, force protection, sustainment and intelligence, Michel said. That integration of capabilities is crucial to the self-sustaining force that Afghanistan needs, he said.
"The maintainer number that we're going to is sub-1,400," he said. "And then we'll have some number less than that for pilots." The A-29 "Super Takano" program aims at 30 pilots for 20 aircraft, he said, but those 30 will over time "grow out of the cockpit."
"We're growing a profession," he said. Establishing a military education network that will produce professional officers and noncommissioned officers -- Michel called the NCO corps "the secret sauce" of the U.S. military -- recruiting and marketing are all part of the mission, he said.
"Is it hard?" the general said of his mission. "Let's see; we're building it from the inside out, the ground up. The more capability we start to garner, the more they want to employ. The more they employ, the less we can train. ... And, as of a week from today, we're adding the first two of four C-130s."
As capabilities grow, so do costs and complications, Michel acknowledged. The Afghan government may choose to adjust its timeline for some capabilities as its contributors' budgets tighten, he said, and his command is prepared with a range of options to scale capability to cost as needed.
"I have 39 months from today to finish this mission," he said. "We're not building capabilities they don't need to have."
JP MORGAN TO PAY $200 MILLION PENALTY TO SETTLE SEC CHARGES
FROM: US. SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
The Securities and Exchange Commission today charged JPMorgan Chase & Co. with misstating financial results and lacking effective internal controls to detect and prevent its traders from fraudulently overvaluing investments to conceal hundreds of millions of dollars in trading losses.
The SEC previously charged two former JPMorgan traders with committing fraud to hide the massive losses in one of the trading portfolios in the firm’s chief investment office (CIO). The SEC’s subsequent action against JPMorgan faults its internal controls for failing to ensure that the traders were properly valuing the portfolio, and its senior management for failing to inform the firm’s audit committee about the severe breakdowns in CIO’s internal controls.
JPMorgan has agreed to settle the SEC’s charges by paying a $200 million penalty, admitting the facts underlying the SEC’s charges, and publicly acknowledging that it violated the federal securities laws.
“JPMorgan failed to keep watch over its traders as they overvalued a very complex portfolio to hide massive losses,” said George S. Canellos, Co-Director of the SEC’s Division of Enforcement. “While grappling with how to fix its internal control breakdowns, JPMorgan’s senior management broke a cardinal rule of corporate governance and deprived its board of critical information it needed to fully assess the company’s problems and determine whether accurate and reliable information was being disclosed to investors and regulators.”
As part of a coordinated global settlement, three other agencies also announced settlements with JPMorgan today: the U.K. Financial Conduct Authority, the Federal Reserve, and the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency. JPMorgan will pay a total of approximately $920 million in penalties in these actions by the SEC and the other agencies.
According to the SEC’s order instituting a settled administrative proceeding against JPMorgan, the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 established important requirements for public companies and their management regarding corporate governance and disclosure. Public companies such as JPMorgan are required to create and maintain internal controls that provide investors with reasonable assurances that their financial statements are reliable, and ensure that senior management shares important information with key internal decision makers such as the board of directors. JPMorgan failed to adhere to these requirements, and consequently misstated its financial results in public filings for the first quarter of 2012.
According to the SEC’s order, in late April 2012 after the portfolio began to significantly decline in value, JPMorgan commissioned several internal reviews to assess, among other matters, the effectiveness of the CIO’s internal controls. From these reviews, senior management learned that the valuation control group within the CIO – whose function was to detect and prevent trader mismarking – was woefully ineffective and insufficiently independent from the traders it was supposed to police. As JPMorgan senior management learned additional troubling facts about the state of affairs in the CIO, they failed to timely escalate and share that information with the firm’s audit committee.
Among the facts that JPMorgan has admitted in settling the SEC’s enforcement action:
The trading losses occurred against a backdrop of woefully deficient accounting controls in the CIO, including spreadsheet miscalculations that caused large valuation errors and the use of subjective valuation techniques that made it easier for the traders to mismark the CIO portfolio.
JPMorgan senior management personally rewrote the CIO’s valuation control policies before the firm filed with the SEC its first quarter report for 2012 in order to address the many deficiencies in existing policies.
By late April 2012, JPMorgan senior management knew that the firm’s Investment Banking unit used far more conservative prices when valuing the same kind of derivatives held in the CIO portfolio, and that applying the Investment Bank valuations would have led to approximately $750 million in additional losses for the CIO in the first quarter of 2012.
External counterparties who traded with CIO had valued certain positions in the CIO book at $500 million less than the CIO traders did, precipitating large collateral calls against JPMorgan.
As a result of the findings of certain internal reviews of the CIO, some executives expressed reservations about signing sub-certifications supporting the CEO and CFO certifications required under the Sarbanes-Oxley Act.
Senior management failed to adequately update the audit committee on these and other important facts concerning the CIO before the firm filed its first quarter report for 2012.
Deprived of access to these facts, the audit committee was hindered in its ability to discharge its obligations to oversee management on behalf of shareholders and to ensure the accuracy of the firm’s financial statements.
The SEC’s order requires JPMorgan to cease and desist from causing any violations and any future violations of Sections 13(a), 13(b)(2)(A), and 13(b)(2)(B) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 and Rules 13a-11, 13a-13, and 13a-15. The order also requires JPMorgan to pay a $200 million penalty that may be distributed to harmed investors in a Fair Fund distribution.
The SEC’s investigation, which is continuing, has been conducted by Michael Osnato, Steven Rawlings, Peter Altenbach, Joshua Brodsky, Joseph Boryshansky, Daniel Michael, Kapil Agrawal, Eli Bass, Sharon Bryant, Daniel Nigro, and Christopher Mele. The SEC appreciates the coordination of the U.K. Financial Conduct Authority, Federal Reserve, and Office of the Comptroller of the Currency as well as the assistance of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York, Federal Bureau of Investigation, Commodity Futures Trading Commission, and Public Company Accounting Oversight Board.
The Securities and Exchange Commission today charged JPMorgan Chase & Co. with misstating financial results and lacking effective internal controls to detect and prevent its traders from fraudulently overvaluing investments to conceal hundreds of millions of dollars in trading losses.
The SEC previously charged two former JPMorgan traders with committing fraud to hide the massive losses in one of the trading portfolios in the firm’s chief investment office (CIO). The SEC’s subsequent action against JPMorgan faults its internal controls for failing to ensure that the traders were properly valuing the portfolio, and its senior management for failing to inform the firm’s audit committee about the severe breakdowns in CIO’s internal controls.
JPMorgan has agreed to settle the SEC’s charges by paying a $200 million penalty, admitting the facts underlying the SEC’s charges, and publicly acknowledging that it violated the federal securities laws.
“JPMorgan failed to keep watch over its traders as they overvalued a very complex portfolio to hide massive losses,” said George S. Canellos, Co-Director of the SEC’s Division of Enforcement. “While grappling with how to fix its internal control breakdowns, JPMorgan’s senior management broke a cardinal rule of corporate governance and deprived its board of critical information it needed to fully assess the company’s problems and determine whether accurate and reliable information was being disclosed to investors and regulators.”
As part of a coordinated global settlement, three other agencies also announced settlements with JPMorgan today: the U.K. Financial Conduct Authority, the Federal Reserve, and the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency. JPMorgan will pay a total of approximately $920 million in penalties in these actions by the SEC and the other agencies.
According to the SEC’s order instituting a settled administrative proceeding against JPMorgan, the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 established important requirements for public companies and their management regarding corporate governance and disclosure. Public companies such as JPMorgan are required to create and maintain internal controls that provide investors with reasonable assurances that their financial statements are reliable, and ensure that senior management shares important information with key internal decision makers such as the board of directors. JPMorgan failed to adhere to these requirements, and consequently misstated its financial results in public filings for the first quarter of 2012.
According to the SEC’s order, in late April 2012 after the portfolio began to significantly decline in value, JPMorgan commissioned several internal reviews to assess, among other matters, the effectiveness of the CIO’s internal controls. From these reviews, senior management learned that the valuation control group within the CIO – whose function was to detect and prevent trader mismarking – was woefully ineffective and insufficiently independent from the traders it was supposed to police. As JPMorgan senior management learned additional troubling facts about the state of affairs in the CIO, they failed to timely escalate and share that information with the firm’s audit committee.
Among the facts that JPMorgan has admitted in settling the SEC’s enforcement action:
The trading losses occurred against a backdrop of woefully deficient accounting controls in the CIO, including spreadsheet miscalculations that caused large valuation errors and the use of subjective valuation techniques that made it easier for the traders to mismark the CIO portfolio.
JPMorgan senior management personally rewrote the CIO’s valuation control policies before the firm filed with the SEC its first quarter report for 2012 in order to address the many deficiencies in existing policies.
By late April 2012, JPMorgan senior management knew that the firm’s Investment Banking unit used far more conservative prices when valuing the same kind of derivatives held in the CIO portfolio, and that applying the Investment Bank valuations would have led to approximately $750 million in additional losses for the CIO in the first quarter of 2012.
External counterparties who traded with CIO had valued certain positions in the CIO book at $500 million less than the CIO traders did, precipitating large collateral calls against JPMorgan.
As a result of the findings of certain internal reviews of the CIO, some executives expressed reservations about signing sub-certifications supporting the CEO and CFO certifications required under the Sarbanes-Oxley Act.
Senior management failed to adequately update the audit committee on these and other important facts concerning the CIO before the firm filed its first quarter report for 2012.
Deprived of access to these facts, the audit committee was hindered in its ability to discharge its obligations to oversee management on behalf of shareholders and to ensure the accuracy of the firm’s financial statements.
The SEC’s order requires JPMorgan to cease and desist from causing any violations and any future violations of Sections 13(a), 13(b)(2)(A), and 13(b)(2)(B) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 and Rules 13a-11, 13a-13, and 13a-15. The order also requires JPMorgan to pay a $200 million penalty that may be distributed to harmed investors in a Fair Fund distribution.
The SEC’s investigation, which is continuing, has been conducted by Michael Osnato, Steven Rawlings, Peter Altenbach, Joshua Brodsky, Joseph Boryshansky, Daniel Michael, Kapil Agrawal, Eli Bass, Sharon Bryant, Daniel Nigro, and Christopher Mele. The SEC appreciates the coordination of the U.K. Financial Conduct Authority, Federal Reserve, and Office of the Comptroller of the Currency as well as the assistance of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York, Federal Bureau of Investigation, Commodity Futures Trading Commission, and Public Company Accounting Oversight Board.
DOD READINESS AND WORKFORCE DIVERSITY
FROM: U.S. DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE
Official: DOD Readiness Depends on Workforce Diversity
By Terri Moon Cronk
American Forces Press Service
WASHINGTON, Sept. 16, 2013 - The Defense Department's commitment to equity and inclusion is rooted in the belief that diversity is a readiness imperative that gives a strategic advantage, a senior DOD official said recently during the 10th annual National Latina Style symposium.
Nearing the eve of National Hispanic Heritage Month, observed from Sept. 15 to Oct. 15, Army Lt. Gen. Michael S. Linnington, military deputy to the undersecretary of defense for personnel and readiness, addressed a largely Latina audience of about 300 people at the symposium and a DOD Distinguished Military Service Awards luncheon.
"Your military remains the most effective fighting force on the globe," Linnington said. "We recognize that diversity goes well beyond race and gender and we rely on the diverse backgrounds, perspectives, and expertise of our people to successfully respond to the many complex challenges of the 21st century national security landscape."
The Defense Department appreciates that its total force stems from a rich tapestry of America, the general said. "And we believe our all-volunteer force is better when it reflects the nation it serves," he added.
Linnington said diversity progress continues, and women and minorities in the military make "tremendous contributions" in roles critical to national defense.
"But actions speak louder than words," he said, citing DOD's January rescinding of the policy that excluded women from serving in direct combat roles.
"This is a huge step for our armed forces," the general said. "Today, nearly 200,000 women serve ... and make up nearly 15 percent of the force. Under the new policy, DOD will ensure the mission is met with the best qualified and most capable people, regardless of gender."
For Latinas and other women in uniform, the opening of combat roles to women is a chance to continue meeting and exceeding new challenges and paving the way for future leadership success, Linnington said.
"Our military workforce has grown to about 35 percent minorities and 15 percent women, with minorities comprising about 29 percent of our civilian workforce and women over a third of our civilians," he said. The number of Latina officers has more than doubled in the last decade, he noted, with more than 2,000 serving across the armed forces.
Yet, while DOD celebrates its progress and the great strides it's made, work remains to be done, Linnington said, stressing the need to increase diversity in DOD's civilian positions and in senior leadership.
"For this and other efforts, we look toward partner organizations, like Latina Style, to work with us to continue progress and improvement," he said of increasing minority representation in the civilian workforce.
An important factor that affects advancement and retention of top talent is mentorship, Linnington said.
"When groups of diverse talent gather together, we learn a great deal from one another and build relationships that carry us into the future," the general explained. "We must continue to look toward the future. Let's take a moment to ask ourselves, 'Where do we go from here?' In the audience today are key influencers from our society. ... Each of you is a mentor, and I call on you to help increase awareness of what DOD has to offer by sharing with young people the value of public service, ... either in the military ranks or as civil servants."
The Defense Department gives people the opportunities to develop leadership skills that cannot be found anywhere else and offers a full range of choices and opportunities for Latinas to fulfill great potential, Linnington added.
"Every individual here is in a unique position to help us address many of our challenges and ... help us build a more diverse and inclusive total force ... that not only possesses the diverse backgrounds and experiences to conquer global challenges, but also reflect the changing face of our nation," he said.
This month provides an excellent opportunity for DOD and other organizations to take time to recognize the immeasurable contributions made by the nation's Hispanic-Americans and reflect on diversity and inclusiveness, Linnington noted.
"We are not going to solve our challenges overnight, but together, we can continue our progress," he said.
Official: DOD Readiness Depends on Workforce Diversity
By Terri Moon Cronk
American Forces Press Service
WASHINGTON, Sept. 16, 2013 - The Defense Department's commitment to equity and inclusion is rooted in the belief that diversity is a readiness imperative that gives a strategic advantage, a senior DOD official said recently during the 10th annual National Latina Style symposium.
Nearing the eve of National Hispanic Heritage Month, observed from Sept. 15 to Oct. 15, Army Lt. Gen. Michael S. Linnington, military deputy to the undersecretary of defense for personnel and readiness, addressed a largely Latina audience of about 300 people at the symposium and a DOD Distinguished Military Service Awards luncheon.
"Your military remains the most effective fighting force on the globe," Linnington said. "We recognize that diversity goes well beyond race and gender and we rely on the diverse backgrounds, perspectives, and expertise of our people to successfully respond to the many complex challenges of the 21st century national security landscape."
The Defense Department appreciates that its total force stems from a rich tapestry of America, the general said. "And we believe our all-volunteer force is better when it reflects the nation it serves," he added.
Linnington said diversity progress continues, and women and minorities in the military make "tremendous contributions" in roles critical to national defense.
"But actions speak louder than words," he said, citing DOD's January rescinding of the policy that excluded women from serving in direct combat roles.
"This is a huge step for our armed forces," the general said. "Today, nearly 200,000 women serve ... and make up nearly 15 percent of the force. Under the new policy, DOD will ensure the mission is met with the best qualified and most capable people, regardless of gender."
For Latinas and other women in uniform, the opening of combat roles to women is a chance to continue meeting and exceeding new challenges and paving the way for future leadership success, Linnington said.
"Our military workforce has grown to about 35 percent minorities and 15 percent women, with minorities comprising about 29 percent of our civilian workforce and women over a third of our civilians," he said. The number of Latina officers has more than doubled in the last decade, he noted, with more than 2,000 serving across the armed forces.
Yet, while DOD celebrates its progress and the great strides it's made, work remains to be done, Linnington said, stressing the need to increase diversity in DOD's civilian positions and in senior leadership.
"For this and other efforts, we look toward partner organizations, like Latina Style, to work with us to continue progress and improvement," he said of increasing minority representation in the civilian workforce.
An important factor that affects advancement and retention of top talent is mentorship, Linnington said.
"When groups of diverse talent gather together, we learn a great deal from one another and build relationships that carry us into the future," the general explained. "We must continue to look toward the future. Let's take a moment to ask ourselves, 'Where do we go from here?' In the audience today are key influencers from our society. ... Each of you is a mentor, and I call on you to help increase awareness of what DOD has to offer by sharing with young people the value of public service, ... either in the military ranks or as civil servants."
The Defense Department gives people the opportunities to develop leadership skills that cannot be found anywhere else and offers a full range of choices and opportunities for Latinas to fulfill great potential, Linnington added.
"Every individual here is in a unique position to help us address many of our challenges and ... help us build a more diverse and inclusive total force ... that not only possesses the diverse backgrounds and experiences to conquer global challenges, but also reflect the changing face of our nation," he said.
This month provides an excellent opportunity for DOD and other organizations to take time to recognize the immeasurable contributions made by the nation's Hispanic-Americans and reflect on diversity and inclusiveness, Linnington noted.
"We are not going to solve our challenges overnight, but together, we can continue our progress," he said.
SECRETARY OF STATE KERRY'S REMARKS ON SYRIA
FROM: U.S. STATE DEPARTMENT
Remarks to the Press on Syria
Remarks
John Kerry
Secretary of State
Press Briefing Room
Washington, DC
September 19, 2013
SECRETARY KERRY: Good afternoon, everybody.
QUESTION: Good afternoon.
SECRETARY KERRY: Sorry to keep you waiting. We ran over with our friends from China.
QUESTION: (Off-mike.)
SECRETARY KERRY: Beg your pardon?
QUESTION: Was lunch good?
SECRETARY KERRY: Lunch was good. Thank you, Matt.
As you all know, before I became Secretary, I spent 28 years in the United States Senate and I witnessed some great debates and some of the best senators there produced some of the best debates that I’ve seen – sometimes. And some of the senators, I learned, liked to debate about just about anything. As my pal John McCain was fond of saying, a fight not joined is a fight not enjoyed. But it was also in the Senate where I personally heard former Ambassador of the United Nations-turned-Senator from New York Daniel Patrick Moynihan end more than a few debates with his own bottom-line reminder: “You are entitled to your own opinion, but you are not entitled to your own facts.” And those words are really worth using and focusing on as we head into next week’s General Assembly meeting in New York of the United Nations.
We really don’t have time today to pretend that anyone can have their own set of facts approaching the issue of chemical weapons in Syria. This fight about Syria’s chemical weapons is not a game. It’s real. It’s important. It’s important to the lives of people in Syria, it’s important to the region, it’s important to the world that this be enforced – this agreement that we came out of Geneva with. And for many weeks, we heard from Russia and from others, “Wait for the UN report. Those are the outside experts.” That’s a quote. “That is the independent gold standard.” That’s a quote.
Well, despite the efforts of some to suggest otherwise, thanks to this week’s long-awaited UN report, the facts in Syria only grew clearer and the case only grew more compelling. The findings in the Sellstrom report were as categorical as they were convincing. Every single data point – the types of munitions and launchers that were used, their origins, their trajectory, their markings, and the confirmation of sarin – every single bit of it confirms what we already knew and what we told America and the world. It confirms what we have brought to the attention of our Congress, the American people, and the rest of the world. The UN report confirms unequivocally that chemical weapons, including the nerve agent sarin, were used in Syria. And despite the regime’s best efforts to shell the area and destroy the evidence, the UN interviewed more than 50 survivors – patients, victims, health workers, first responders. They documented munitions and subcomponents. They assessed symptoms of survivors, analyzed hair, urine, blood samples. And they analyzed 30 soil and environmental samples.
And what did they learn? They returned with several crucial details that confirmed that the Assad regime is guilty of carrying out that attack, even though that was not the mandate of the UN report. But anybody who reads the facts and puts the dots together, which is easy to do – and they made it easy to do – understands what those facts mean.
We, the United States, have associated one of the munitions identified in the UN report, the 122-millimeter improvised rocket, with previous Assad regime attacks. There’s no indication – none – that the opposition is in possession or has launched a CW variant of these rockets such as the kind that was used in the 21st of August attack.
Equally significant, the environmental, chemical, and medical samples that the UN investigators collected provide clear and compelling evidence that the surface-to-surface rockets used in this attack contained the nerve agent sarin. We know the Assad regime possesses sarin and there’s not a shred of evidence, however, that the opposition does.
And rocket components identified in the ground photos taken at the alleged chemical weapons impact location areas are associated with the unique type of rocket launcher that we know the Assad regime has. We have observed these exact type of rocket launchers at the Assad regime facilities in Damascus and in the area around the 21st of August.
So there you have it. Sarin was used. Sarin killed. The world can decide whether it was used by the regime, which has used chemical weapons before, the regime which had the rockets and the weapons, or whether the opposition secretly went unnoticed into territory they don’t control to fire rockets they don’t have containing sarin that they don’t possess to kill their own people. And then without even being noticed, they just disassembled it all and packed up and got out of the center of Damascus, controlled by Assad.
Please. This isn’t complicated. When we said we know what is true, we meant it. And now, before I head to New York for the UN General Assembly, we have a definitive UN report strengthening the case and solidifying our resolve. Now the test comes. The Security Council must be prepared to act next week. It is vital for the international community to stand up and speak out in the strongest possible terms about the importance of enforceable action to rid the world of Syria’s chemical weapons.
So I would say to the community of nations: Time is short. Let’s not spend time debating what we already know. Instead, we have to recognize that the world is watching to see whether we can avert military action and achieve, through peaceful means, even more than what those military strikes promised. The complete removal of Syria’s chemical weapons is possible here, through peaceful means. And that will be determined by the resolve of the United Nations to follow through on the agreement that Russia and the United States reached in Geneva, an agreement that clearly said this must be enforceable, it must be done as soon as possible, it must be real.
We need everyone’s help in order to see that the Security Council lives up to its founding values and passes a binding resolution that codifies the strongest possible mechanism to achieve the goal and to achieve it rapidly. We need to make the Geneva agreement meaningful and to make it meaningful in order to eliminate Syria’s CW program and to do it with transparency and with the accountability, the full accountability that is demanded here. It is important that we accomplish the goal in New York and accomplish it as rapidly as possible.
Thank you all.
QUESTION: Could you --
QUESTION: Secretary, on a related subject --
SECRETARY KERRY: If you have any questions – Marie’s going to answer some questions.
QUESTION: On a related subject, can we just ask you whether you think the President might meet with President Rouhani to test the seriousness of what Iran has said?
SECRETARY KERRY: I think the White House needs to speak to that at the appropriate time.
QUESTION: Is it a positive sign, coming from Rouhani in these – in this interview?
SECRETARY KERRY: I think Rouhani’s comments have been very positive, but everything needs to be put to the test and we’ll see where we go. And at the right moment, I think the White House and the State Department will make clear where we’re heading.
Remarks to the Press on Syria
Remarks
John Kerry
Secretary of State
Press Briefing Room
Washington, DC
September 19, 2013
SECRETARY KERRY: Good afternoon, everybody.
QUESTION: Good afternoon.
SECRETARY KERRY: Sorry to keep you waiting. We ran over with our friends from China.
QUESTION: (Off-mike.)
SECRETARY KERRY: Beg your pardon?
QUESTION: Was lunch good?
SECRETARY KERRY: Lunch was good. Thank you, Matt.
As you all know, before I became Secretary, I spent 28 years in the United States Senate and I witnessed some great debates and some of the best senators there produced some of the best debates that I’ve seen – sometimes. And some of the senators, I learned, liked to debate about just about anything. As my pal John McCain was fond of saying, a fight not joined is a fight not enjoyed. But it was also in the Senate where I personally heard former Ambassador of the United Nations-turned-Senator from New York Daniel Patrick Moynihan end more than a few debates with his own bottom-line reminder: “You are entitled to your own opinion, but you are not entitled to your own facts.” And those words are really worth using and focusing on as we head into next week’s General Assembly meeting in New York of the United Nations.
We really don’t have time today to pretend that anyone can have their own set of facts approaching the issue of chemical weapons in Syria. This fight about Syria’s chemical weapons is not a game. It’s real. It’s important. It’s important to the lives of people in Syria, it’s important to the region, it’s important to the world that this be enforced – this agreement that we came out of Geneva with. And for many weeks, we heard from Russia and from others, “Wait for the UN report. Those are the outside experts.” That’s a quote. “That is the independent gold standard.” That’s a quote.
Well, despite the efforts of some to suggest otherwise, thanks to this week’s long-awaited UN report, the facts in Syria only grew clearer and the case only grew more compelling. The findings in the Sellstrom report were as categorical as they were convincing. Every single data point – the types of munitions and launchers that were used, their origins, their trajectory, their markings, and the confirmation of sarin – every single bit of it confirms what we already knew and what we told America and the world. It confirms what we have brought to the attention of our Congress, the American people, and the rest of the world. The UN report confirms unequivocally that chemical weapons, including the nerve agent sarin, were used in Syria. And despite the regime’s best efforts to shell the area and destroy the evidence, the UN interviewed more than 50 survivors – patients, victims, health workers, first responders. They documented munitions and subcomponents. They assessed symptoms of survivors, analyzed hair, urine, blood samples. And they analyzed 30 soil and environmental samples.
And what did they learn? They returned with several crucial details that confirmed that the Assad regime is guilty of carrying out that attack, even though that was not the mandate of the UN report. But anybody who reads the facts and puts the dots together, which is easy to do – and they made it easy to do – understands what those facts mean.
We, the United States, have associated one of the munitions identified in the UN report, the 122-millimeter improvised rocket, with previous Assad regime attacks. There’s no indication – none – that the opposition is in possession or has launched a CW variant of these rockets such as the kind that was used in the 21st of August attack.
Equally significant, the environmental, chemical, and medical samples that the UN investigators collected provide clear and compelling evidence that the surface-to-surface rockets used in this attack contained the nerve agent sarin. We know the Assad regime possesses sarin and there’s not a shred of evidence, however, that the opposition does.
And rocket components identified in the ground photos taken at the alleged chemical weapons impact location areas are associated with the unique type of rocket launcher that we know the Assad regime has. We have observed these exact type of rocket launchers at the Assad regime facilities in Damascus and in the area around the 21st of August.
So there you have it. Sarin was used. Sarin killed. The world can decide whether it was used by the regime, which has used chemical weapons before, the regime which had the rockets and the weapons, or whether the opposition secretly went unnoticed into territory they don’t control to fire rockets they don’t have containing sarin that they don’t possess to kill their own people. And then without even being noticed, they just disassembled it all and packed up and got out of the center of Damascus, controlled by Assad.
Please. This isn’t complicated. When we said we know what is true, we meant it. And now, before I head to New York for the UN General Assembly, we have a definitive UN report strengthening the case and solidifying our resolve. Now the test comes. The Security Council must be prepared to act next week. It is vital for the international community to stand up and speak out in the strongest possible terms about the importance of enforceable action to rid the world of Syria’s chemical weapons.
So I would say to the community of nations: Time is short. Let’s not spend time debating what we already know. Instead, we have to recognize that the world is watching to see whether we can avert military action and achieve, through peaceful means, even more than what those military strikes promised. The complete removal of Syria’s chemical weapons is possible here, through peaceful means. And that will be determined by the resolve of the United Nations to follow through on the agreement that Russia and the United States reached in Geneva, an agreement that clearly said this must be enforceable, it must be done as soon as possible, it must be real.
We need everyone’s help in order to see that the Security Council lives up to its founding values and passes a binding resolution that codifies the strongest possible mechanism to achieve the goal and to achieve it rapidly. We need to make the Geneva agreement meaningful and to make it meaningful in order to eliminate Syria’s CW program and to do it with transparency and with the accountability, the full accountability that is demanded here. It is important that we accomplish the goal in New York and accomplish it as rapidly as possible.
Thank you all.
QUESTION: Could you --
QUESTION: Secretary, on a related subject --
SECRETARY KERRY: If you have any questions – Marie’s going to answer some questions.
QUESTION: On a related subject, can we just ask you whether you think the President might meet with President Rouhani to test the seriousness of what Iran has said?
SECRETARY KERRY: I think the White House needs to speak to that at the appropriate time.
QUESTION: Is it a positive sign, coming from Rouhani in these – in this interview?
SECRETARY KERRY: I think Rouhani’s comments have been very positive, but everything needs to be put to the test and we’ll see where we go. And at the right moment, I think the White House and the State Department will make clear where we’re heading.
HOX GENES AND OUR FUTURE
FROM: NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION
Understanding how our genes help us develop
Hox genes are the master regulators of embryonic development for all animals, including humans, flies and worms. They decide what body parts go where. Not surprisingly, if something goes wrong with these genes, the results can be disastrous.
In Drosophila, the fruit fly, a Hox mutation can produce profound changes--an extra pair of wings, for example, or a set of legs, instead of antennae, growing from the fly's head.
"The job of the Hox genes is to tell cells early on in embryonic development what to become--whether to make an eye, an antenna or wings," says Robert Drewell, associate professor of biology at Harvey Mudd College in Claremont, Calif. "Just a single mutation in the Hox gene can produce these dramatic anomalies."
Humans have Hox genes too. For this reason, Drewell is trying to understand the molecular function of Hox genes in the fruit fly, including what happens when they work properly and what happens when they don't, in order to learn more about their behavior in humans.
Genetically, humans and fruit flies are very much alike; in fact, many known human disease genes have a recognizable match in the genetic code of the fruit fly. Thus, the information researchers gain from studying flies could provide insights into certain birth defects, such as extra ribs and extra digits, and potentially serious diseases.
"We have exactly the same genes, and use them in exactly the same way," he says. "By understanding them in Drosophila, we can understand them in humans."
Drewell is conducting his research under a National Science Foundation Faculty Early Career Development (CAREER) award, which he received in 2009. The award supports junior faculty who exemplify the role of teacher-scholars through outstanding research, excellent education and the integration of education, and research within the context of the mission of their organization. He is receiving about $600,000 over five years.
Hox genes have been entirely conserved throughout animal evolution, meaning "since around 530 million years ago, when many complex animal life forms appeared, they had Hox genes," Drewell says.
Fruit flies are model organisms for studying genetics since they have a short lifespan--several generations can be studied in a matter of weeks--and are small and easy to grow. More importantly, they can provide a wealth of information for computational analysis because scientists have deciphered their entire genetic blueprint.
"We live in this post-genomic era, so we can do comparisons across species to look at exactly how the regulatory regions at Hox genes are changing over time," Drewell says.
Drewell's lab uses several different approaches, applying biology, genetics and computational methods to learn more about the behavior of Hox genes.
"We make what are called 'reporter' genes," he says. "We construct these artificial genes in the lab, then reintroduce them back into Drosophila. This allows us to measure what is happening to those genes. The genes we are putting in are combinations of fragments from Hox genes--different DNA regions--and we are testing if these different regions are responsible for regulating when and where the Hox gene is turned on and off."
Through their experiments, "We can look at what genes are turned on and off, and can detect exactly which DNA elements regulate the process, and how they regulate it."
Because the fruit fly's genome is available, "we are able to do comparisons across species to look at exactly how these regulatory regions are changing over time," using computational biology methods, he says. Moreover, "through that process, we can essentially start to get a handle on the role that Hox genes play in controlling cell identify in the developing embryo. We can do this in all animals, including humans."
The educational component of his CAREER grant has allowed Drewell to incorporate new elements to the curriculum, including mathematical and computational approaches, and provides undergraduate students the opportunity to conduct research that typically would not be available to them.
"Harvey Mudd doesn't have a graduate program, so all the research, essentially, is done by undergraduates," Drewell says. "They get an opportunity to do something they might not otherwise get to do. Each student is fully encouraged to take ownership of his or her own project. In this way, this often exposes them to a research field for the very first time and establishes a great foundation for their future endeavors in research."
-- Marlene Cimons, National Science Foundation
Understanding how our genes help us develop
Hox genes are the master regulators of embryonic development for all animals, including humans, flies and worms. They decide what body parts go where. Not surprisingly, if something goes wrong with these genes, the results can be disastrous.
In Drosophila, the fruit fly, a Hox mutation can produce profound changes--an extra pair of wings, for example, or a set of legs, instead of antennae, growing from the fly's head.
"The job of the Hox genes is to tell cells early on in embryonic development what to become--whether to make an eye, an antenna or wings," says Robert Drewell, associate professor of biology at Harvey Mudd College in Claremont, Calif. "Just a single mutation in the Hox gene can produce these dramatic anomalies."
Humans have Hox genes too. For this reason, Drewell is trying to understand the molecular function of Hox genes in the fruit fly, including what happens when they work properly and what happens when they don't, in order to learn more about their behavior in humans.
Genetically, humans and fruit flies are very much alike; in fact, many known human disease genes have a recognizable match in the genetic code of the fruit fly. Thus, the information researchers gain from studying flies could provide insights into certain birth defects, such as extra ribs and extra digits, and potentially serious diseases.
"We have exactly the same genes, and use them in exactly the same way," he says. "By understanding them in Drosophila, we can understand them in humans."
Drewell is conducting his research under a National Science Foundation Faculty Early Career Development (CAREER) award, which he received in 2009. The award supports junior faculty who exemplify the role of teacher-scholars through outstanding research, excellent education and the integration of education, and research within the context of the mission of their organization. He is receiving about $600,000 over five years.
Hox genes have been entirely conserved throughout animal evolution, meaning "since around 530 million years ago, when many complex animal life forms appeared, they had Hox genes," Drewell says.
Fruit flies are model organisms for studying genetics since they have a short lifespan--several generations can be studied in a matter of weeks--and are small and easy to grow. More importantly, they can provide a wealth of information for computational analysis because scientists have deciphered their entire genetic blueprint.
"We live in this post-genomic era, so we can do comparisons across species to look at exactly how the regulatory regions at Hox genes are changing over time," Drewell says.
Drewell's lab uses several different approaches, applying biology, genetics and computational methods to learn more about the behavior of Hox genes.
"We make what are called 'reporter' genes," he says. "We construct these artificial genes in the lab, then reintroduce them back into Drosophila. This allows us to measure what is happening to those genes. The genes we are putting in are combinations of fragments from Hox genes--different DNA regions--and we are testing if these different regions are responsible for regulating when and where the Hox gene is turned on and off."
Through their experiments, "We can look at what genes are turned on and off, and can detect exactly which DNA elements regulate the process, and how they regulate it."
Because the fruit fly's genome is available, "we are able to do comparisons across species to look at exactly how these regulatory regions are changing over time," using computational biology methods, he says. Moreover, "through that process, we can essentially start to get a handle on the role that Hox genes play in controlling cell identify in the developing embryo. We can do this in all animals, including humans."
The educational component of his CAREER grant has allowed Drewell to incorporate new elements to the curriculum, including mathematical and computational approaches, and provides undergraduate students the opportunity to conduct research that typically would not be available to them.
"Harvey Mudd doesn't have a graduate program, so all the research, essentially, is done by undergraduates," Drewell says. "They get an opportunity to do something they might not otherwise get to do. Each student is fully encouraged to take ownership of his or her own project. In this way, this often exposes them to a research field for the very first time and establishes a great foundation for their future endeavors in research."
-- Marlene Cimons, National Science Foundation
Thursday, September 19, 2013
REMARKS BY SECRETARY KERRY AND CHINESE FOREIGN MINISTER WANG YI BEFORE MEETING
FROM: U.S. STATE DEPARTMENT
Remarks With Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi Before Their Meeting
Remarks
John Kerry
Secretary of State
Benjamin Franklin Room
Washington, DC
September 19, 2013
SECRETARY KERRY: Good morning, everybody, thank you very much for joining us. And it’s my great privilege to welcome His Excellency, the Foreign Minister of China Wang Yi.
He was here 15 years ago as a visiting scholar at Georgetown, and I know that he remembers well this kind of weather, this kind of a beautiful day along the Potomac. And we’re very happy to have him back in Washington.
I met with Foreign Minister Wang in April in Beijing where he gave us a very generous and warm welcome, and we had excellent conversation, and then in Brunei this summer. And I’m very pleased that he has taken the time to strengthen our relationship by visiting here ahead of our very busy week in New York.
As President Obama has frequently stated, the United States welcomes the continued peaceful rise of China, and we have a vested interest in China’s growing prosperity and partnership, not only in the Asia-Pacific region, but also around the world.
President Obama has also made what I believe is a strategic and appropriate commitment to rebalance our interests and our investments in Asia. A stronger partnership with China is very much a part of that effort. The United States is a Pacific nation, and we take our Pacific partnerships very seriously, and we will continue to build our enduring presence in that area, working with our partners to promote peace and prosperity.
China and the United States have also agreed to a new model of relations, and that was worked on and announced at the Sunnylands summit with our presidents. It is based on practical cooperation and constructive management of differences. We recognized the need to avoid falling into a trap of seeing one another as strategic rivals, and that recognition is now driving our partnership on issues from climate change to wildlife trafficking to military consultations and the promotion of balanced growth around the world.
Importantly, part of our new relationship is a commitment to engage in frank discussions on sensitive issues, particularly where we disagree, where misunderstanding could lead to a miscalculation.
We plan to discuss Syria today, and while we appreciate China’s support for a political solution, the only solution we believe is ultimately available and possible, we do have differences between our nations and have disagreed sharply over how the international community should respond to the Syrian regime’s use of chemical weapons. With negotiations ongoing at the Security Council, we look forward to China playing a positive, constructive, important role.
We will also engage in very important conversation about North Korea today. China plays a very special role in addressing the North Korean nuclear challenge and in achieving our shared goal: the peaceful denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula.
China and the United States also have a shared interest in preventing Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons, and our close cooperation will be critical to that effort, and the Foreign Minister and I will discuss this further today.
From our dialogue on intellectual property to maritime security and human rights, we are committed to working through difficult issues, and, as you can tell, we have a very big agenda. And it’s through the process of working through these difficulties that we can actually forge a stronger friendship, a stronger partnership, and a stronger future for both of our nations.
So, Foreign Minister Wang, thank you again for your visit. I welcome you here. I hope you feel at home during your time in Washington. It’s good to see you again.
FOREIGN MINISTER WANG: (Via interpreter) Secretary Kerry has on several occasions asked me to visit the United States, and I’m very happy that finally I have come to visit this country.
This year is an important year for China-U.S. relationship to build on past achievements and make new progress. Since the change of government in both countries, China-U.S. relationship has had a smooth transition, got off to a good start, and now enjoys strong momentum. President Xi Jinping and President Barack Obama met successfully twice in less than three months. They reached important agreement on our two countries working together to build a new model of major country relationship, charting the future course for China-U.S. ties.
I have come to the United States to work with the U.S. side to push forward the building of this new model of major country relationship between our two countries with concrete actions and enrich its (inaudible) with our specific cooperation. I look forward to having in-depth and candid discussion with Secretary Kerry on all these issues of mutual interest, to which that Mr. Secretary just referred. And the Chinese side is ready to work with the United States to make good preparations for our upcoming high-level engagement, and for pushing forward our mutually beneficial cooperation. At the same time, we are also ready to have in-depth communication with the United States with an open mind on those issues, including Syria, issues on the Korean Peninsula, climate change, and cyber security. We also want to discuss with the United States the relevant issues in the Asia-Pacific region, to work with the U.S. side for sound interaction in the Asia-Pacific between our two countries.
I have come to the United States to implement the agreement reached between our top leaders to strengthen the mutually beneficial cooperation between our two countries and to enhance the China-U.S. friendship. We look forward to working with the United States to ensure that we will be able to translate the defining feature of this new model of major country relationship, namely non-conflict and confrontation, mutual respect, and win-win cooperation into all aspects of China-U.S. relationship to bring benefits to our both countries and beyond. And it is my belief that there is tremendous potential for us working together to further expand and deepen our cooperation.
Just now, Secretary Kerry referred to the two important issues of Syria and the DPRK. Let me make a few brief comments here.
On Syria, China welcomes the framework agreement reached not long ago by the United States and Russia. We believe that there needs to be early agreement on the decision to be taken by the OPCW, and at the same time, the Security Council of the United Nations also needs to recognize and support this decision. Ultimately, the issue of Syria needs to be resolved through political means. The Chinese side will continue to play its positive and constructive role in that direction.
Addressing issues on the Korean Peninsula have been an important area for China-U.S. cooperation. Today marks the 8th anniversary of the issuance of September 19th
Joint Statement of the Six-Party Talks. I believe it is an important time for the Six Parties to review the past, summarize the good experience, and open up brighter prospects for the future. To achieve the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula and maintain peace and stability in Northeast Asia serves the common interests of China and the United States. I look forward to having a deep discussion with Secretary on how we can work together to re-launch the Six-Party Talks and effectively push forward the denuclearization process. And I am confident that we will be able to reach new, important agreement.
Well, today is also the Chinese traditional festival, a mid-Autumn day for family reunion. And the moon tonight will be the fullest in this whole year, which augurs well, I suppose, for a brighter future. And let me use this opportunity to convey the festive greetings to all of you and through all of you to the American people. Thank you.
(In English) Thank you.
SECRETARY KERRY: (In Chinese.)
FOREIGN MINISTER WANG: (In Chinese.)
SECRETARY KERRY: Thank you very, very much.
Remarks With Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi Before Their Meeting
Remarks
John Kerry
Secretary of State
Benjamin Franklin Room
Washington, DC
September 19, 2013
SECRETARY KERRY: Good morning, everybody, thank you very much for joining us. And it’s my great privilege to welcome His Excellency, the Foreign Minister of China Wang Yi.
He was here 15 years ago as a visiting scholar at Georgetown, and I know that he remembers well this kind of weather, this kind of a beautiful day along the Potomac. And we’re very happy to have him back in Washington.
I met with Foreign Minister Wang in April in Beijing where he gave us a very generous and warm welcome, and we had excellent conversation, and then in Brunei this summer. And I’m very pleased that he has taken the time to strengthen our relationship by visiting here ahead of our very busy week in New York.
As President Obama has frequently stated, the United States welcomes the continued peaceful rise of China, and we have a vested interest in China’s growing prosperity and partnership, not only in the Asia-Pacific region, but also around the world.
President Obama has also made what I believe is a strategic and appropriate commitment to rebalance our interests and our investments in Asia. A stronger partnership with China is very much a part of that effort. The United States is a Pacific nation, and we take our Pacific partnerships very seriously, and we will continue to build our enduring presence in that area, working with our partners to promote peace and prosperity.
China and the United States have also agreed to a new model of relations, and that was worked on and announced at the Sunnylands summit with our presidents. It is based on practical cooperation and constructive management of differences. We recognized the need to avoid falling into a trap of seeing one another as strategic rivals, and that recognition is now driving our partnership on issues from climate change to wildlife trafficking to military consultations and the promotion of balanced growth around the world.
Importantly, part of our new relationship is a commitment to engage in frank discussions on sensitive issues, particularly where we disagree, where misunderstanding could lead to a miscalculation.
We plan to discuss Syria today, and while we appreciate China’s support for a political solution, the only solution we believe is ultimately available and possible, we do have differences between our nations and have disagreed sharply over how the international community should respond to the Syrian regime’s use of chemical weapons. With negotiations ongoing at the Security Council, we look forward to China playing a positive, constructive, important role.
We will also engage in very important conversation about North Korea today. China plays a very special role in addressing the North Korean nuclear challenge and in achieving our shared goal: the peaceful denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula.
China and the United States also have a shared interest in preventing Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons, and our close cooperation will be critical to that effort, and the Foreign Minister and I will discuss this further today.
From our dialogue on intellectual property to maritime security and human rights, we are committed to working through difficult issues, and, as you can tell, we have a very big agenda. And it’s through the process of working through these difficulties that we can actually forge a stronger friendship, a stronger partnership, and a stronger future for both of our nations.
So, Foreign Minister Wang, thank you again for your visit. I welcome you here. I hope you feel at home during your time in Washington. It’s good to see you again.
FOREIGN MINISTER WANG: (Via interpreter) Secretary Kerry has on several occasions asked me to visit the United States, and I’m very happy that finally I have come to visit this country.
This year is an important year for China-U.S. relationship to build on past achievements and make new progress. Since the change of government in both countries, China-U.S. relationship has had a smooth transition, got off to a good start, and now enjoys strong momentum. President Xi Jinping and President Barack Obama met successfully twice in less than three months. They reached important agreement on our two countries working together to build a new model of major country relationship, charting the future course for China-U.S. ties.
I have come to the United States to work with the U.S. side to push forward the building of this new model of major country relationship between our two countries with concrete actions and enrich its (inaudible) with our specific cooperation. I look forward to having in-depth and candid discussion with Secretary Kerry on all these issues of mutual interest, to which that Mr. Secretary just referred. And the Chinese side is ready to work with the United States to make good preparations for our upcoming high-level engagement, and for pushing forward our mutually beneficial cooperation. At the same time, we are also ready to have in-depth communication with the United States with an open mind on those issues, including Syria, issues on the Korean Peninsula, climate change, and cyber security. We also want to discuss with the United States the relevant issues in the Asia-Pacific region, to work with the U.S. side for sound interaction in the Asia-Pacific between our two countries.
I have come to the United States to implement the agreement reached between our top leaders to strengthen the mutually beneficial cooperation between our two countries and to enhance the China-U.S. friendship. We look forward to working with the United States to ensure that we will be able to translate the defining feature of this new model of major country relationship, namely non-conflict and confrontation, mutual respect, and win-win cooperation into all aspects of China-U.S. relationship to bring benefits to our both countries and beyond. And it is my belief that there is tremendous potential for us working together to further expand and deepen our cooperation.
Just now, Secretary Kerry referred to the two important issues of Syria and the DPRK. Let me make a few brief comments here.
On Syria, China welcomes the framework agreement reached not long ago by the United States and Russia. We believe that there needs to be early agreement on the decision to be taken by the OPCW, and at the same time, the Security Council of the United Nations also needs to recognize and support this decision. Ultimately, the issue of Syria needs to be resolved through political means. The Chinese side will continue to play its positive and constructive role in that direction.
Addressing issues on the Korean Peninsula have been an important area for China-U.S. cooperation. Today marks the 8th anniversary of the issuance of September 19th
Joint Statement of the Six-Party Talks. I believe it is an important time for the Six Parties to review the past, summarize the good experience, and open up brighter prospects for the future. To achieve the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula and maintain peace and stability in Northeast Asia serves the common interests of China and the United States. I look forward to having a deep discussion with Secretary on how we can work together to re-launch the Six-Party Talks and effectively push forward the denuclearization process. And I am confident that we will be able to reach new, important agreement.
Well, today is also the Chinese traditional festival, a mid-Autumn day for family reunion. And the moon tonight will be the fullest in this whole year, which augurs well, I suppose, for a brighter future. And let me use this opportunity to convey the festive greetings to all of you and through all of you to the American people. Thank you.
(In English) Thank you.
SECRETARY KERRY: (In Chinese.)
FOREIGN MINISTER WANG: (In Chinese.)
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HHS SITES SURVEY, YOUNG CHILDREN DRINKING SUGARY DRINKS MAY HAVE FUTURE WEIGHT PROBLEMS
FROM: U.S. DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES
Little kids and sweet drinks
From the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, I’m Nicholas Garlow with HHS HealthBeat.
Starting off as a little kid with lots of sweet drinks may lead to weight problems later. At the University of Virginia, Mark DeBoer saw evidence in national survey data on 9,600 children who were followed at ages 9 months, and 2, 4 and 5 years.
“Children who consumed sugary drinks regularly were more likely to be overweight and obese at age 5.”
DeBoer says weight went up over time with the amount of sugar, and was quite noticeable at 4 and 5.
DeBoer recommends kids get water and milk, but not sugar-sweetened drinks. He also notes that keeping kids active helps to control weight.
The study in the journal Pediatrics was supported by the National Institutes of Health.
Learn more at healthfinder.gov.
HHS HealthBeat is a production of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. I’m Nicholas Garlow.
Little kids and sweet drinks
From the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, I’m Nicholas Garlow with HHS HealthBeat.
Starting off as a little kid with lots of sweet drinks may lead to weight problems later. At the University of Virginia, Mark DeBoer saw evidence in national survey data on 9,600 children who were followed at ages 9 months, and 2, 4 and 5 years.
“Children who consumed sugary drinks regularly were more likely to be overweight and obese at age 5.”
DeBoer says weight went up over time with the amount of sugar, and was quite noticeable at 4 and 5.
DeBoer recommends kids get water and milk, but not sugar-sweetened drinks. He also notes that keeping kids active helps to control weight.
The study in the journal Pediatrics was supported by the National Institutes of Health.
Learn more at healthfinder.gov.
HHS HealthBeat is a production of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. I’m Nicholas Garlow.
VA ISSUES STATEMENT ON HEALTH CARE TREATMENT OF AARON ALEXIS
FROM: U.S. DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS
Statement from the Department of Veterans Affairs On Aaron Alexis
September 18, 2013
WASHINGTON -- The Department of Veterans Affairs issued the following statement:
Health care treatment
Aaron Alexis received treatment on August 23, 2013, when he visited the emergency room at the VA Medical Center in Providence, R.I., complaining of insomnia. After a medical examination, he was given a small amount of medication to help him sleep and was instructed to follow up with a primary care provider.
On August 28, he went to the emergency room at the VA Medical Center in Washington, D.C., to request a medication refill and attributed his insomnia to his work schedule. He was given a small refill and was instructed to follow up with a primary care provider. On both occasions, Mr. Alexis was alert and oriented, and was asked by VA doctors if he was struggling with anxiety or depression, or had thoughts about harming himself or others, all of which he denied.
Alexis enrolled in VA health care in February 2011. According to VA records, he never sought an appointment from a mental health specialist, and had previously either canceled or failed to show up for primary care appointments and claims evaluations examinations he had scheduled at VA medical centers.
Benefits
Alexis filed a disability compensation claim with the VA and was granted a 20 percent disability rating by VA for orthopedic issues on December 12, 2011, which was increased to 30 percent on December 19, 2012, when he was awarded an additional 10 percent for tinnitus. Alexis received benefits in the amount of $395 monthly. The 30 percent was retroactive to his separation from service.
Statement from the Department of Veterans Affairs On Aaron Alexis
September 18, 2013
WASHINGTON -- The Department of Veterans Affairs issued the following statement:
Health care treatment
Aaron Alexis received treatment on August 23, 2013, when he visited the emergency room at the VA Medical Center in Providence, R.I., complaining of insomnia. After a medical examination, he was given a small amount of medication to help him sleep and was instructed to follow up with a primary care provider.
On August 28, he went to the emergency room at the VA Medical Center in Washington, D.C., to request a medication refill and attributed his insomnia to his work schedule. He was given a small refill and was instructed to follow up with a primary care provider. On both occasions, Mr. Alexis was alert and oriented, and was asked by VA doctors if he was struggling with anxiety or depression, or had thoughts about harming himself or others, all of which he denied.
Alexis enrolled in VA health care in February 2011. According to VA records, he never sought an appointment from a mental health specialist, and had previously either canceled or failed to show up for primary care appointments and claims evaluations examinations he had scheduled at VA medical centers.
Benefits
Alexis filed a disability compensation claim with the VA and was granted a 20 percent disability rating by VA for orthopedic issues on December 12, 2011, which was increased to 30 percent on December 19, 2012, when he was awarded an additional 10 percent for tinnitus. Alexis received benefits in the amount of $395 monthly. The 30 percent was retroactive to his separation from service.
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