DOCTOR AND HOME HEALTH AGENCY OWNER PLEAD GUILTY FOR ROLES IN $13.8 MILLION FRAUD

FROM:  U.S. DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE
Tuesday, May 8, 2012
Doctor and Home Health Agency Owner Plead Guilty in Connection with Detroit Fraud Scheme
WASHINGTON – Detroit-area residents Zahir Yousafzai and Dr. Dwight Smith pleaded guilty yesterday for their roles in a $13.8 million home health care fraud and money laundering scheme, announced the Department of Justice, the FBI and the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).
Yousafzai, 42, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Gerald E. Rosen of the Eastern District of Michigan to one count of conspiracy to commit health care fraud and one count of money laundering.  Smith, 59, pleaded guilty before Judge Rosen to one count of conspiracy to commit health care fraud.

According to information contained in plea documents, in 2009, Yousafzai and his co-conspirators acquired beneficial ownership and control over two home health companies, First Care Home Health Care LLC and Moonlite Home Care Inc.  Yousafzai also assisted in the operation of two home health care companies owned by co-conspirators, Physicians Choice Home Health Care LLC and Quantum Home Care Inc.  Yousafzai admitted that these home health agencies billed Medicare for home health visits that never occurred.  Between July 2008 and September 2011, Yousafzai and his co-conspirators submitted or caused the submission of approximately $13.8 million in fraudulent home health claims to the Medicare program by the four home health agencies.  Medicare paid more than $4 million to First Care and Moonlite, the companies that Yousafzai beneficially owned in whole or in part.

Yousafzai admitted to paying and directing the payment of various medical professionals, including doctors, nurses, physical therapists and physical therapy assistants, to create fictitious patient files to document purported home health services that were never provided.  Yousafzai, a physical therapy assistant, also signed fictitious patient files in which physical therapy services were documented, but never actually provided.

Yousafzai also admitted that he paid and directed the payment of kickbacks to recruiters who obtained beneficiaries’ information and used the information to submit claims for home health services that were never provided.  The beneficiaries sometimes pre-signed forms and visit sheets that were later falsified to indicate that they received home health services that were never provided.  Other times, the beneficiaries’ signatures were forged on forms and visit sheets.

Additionally, Yousafzai admitted that he incorporated a shell company known as A-1 Nursing and Rehab Inc. for the purpose of laundering the proceeds of health care fraud, which were obtained through the submission of false and fraudulent claims to Medicare.
According to plea documents, beginning in or around September 2009, Smith began referring Medicare beneficiaries for home health care services to Physicians Choice Home Health Care LLC and Quantum Home Care Inc.  During that time, Smith owned and controlled Supreme Medical Associates PLLC, a Michigan corporation doing business in Detroit under the assumed name of Smith Medical Center.  In May 2010, Smith incorporated Phoenix Visiting Physicians PLLC.

Smith Medical Center and Phoenix employed individuals who claimed to be doctors, but, in fact, were not licensed in the state of Michigan to perform any medical services.  The unlicensed doctors met with and purported to examine Medicare beneficiaries for home health care services.  Smith did not meet or examine these beneficiaries and they were not homebound.  Many of the beneficiaries were paid to pre-sign patient visit forms and did not receive home health services from Physicians Choice, First Care and Quantum.  From in or around September 2009 through in or around September 2011, Medicare paid approximately $6.5 million for fraudulent home health care claims submitted by Physicians Choice, First Care and Quantum based on Smith’s referrals.

The guilty pleas were announced by Assistant Attorney General Lanny A. Breuer of the Criminal Division; U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Michigan Barbara L. McQuade; Special Agent in Charge Andrew G. Arena of the FBI’s Detroit Field Office; and Special Agent in Charge Lamont Pugh III of the HHS Office of Inspector General’s (OIG) Chicago Regional Office.

This case was prosecuted by Trial Attorney Catherine K. Dick of the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section.  It was investigated by the FBI and HHS-OIG, and was brought as part of the Medicare Fraud Strike Force, supervised by the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Michigan.

Since their inception in March 2007, Medicare Fraud Strike Force operations in nine locations have charged more than 1,300 defendants who collectively have falsely billed the Medicare program for more than $4 billion.  In addition, the HHS Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, working in conjunction with the HHS-OIG, are taking steps to increase accountability and decrease the presence of fraudulent providers.

RIM OF THE PACIFIC EXERCISE BEGINS JUNE 29, 2012

FROM:  U.S. NAVY
 EVERETT, Wash. (March 9, 2012) The Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Nimitz (CVN 68) arrives at its new homeport at Naval Station Everett after the completion of a docked planned incremental availability maintenance period at Bremerton, Wash. Nimitz is replacing USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN 72), which had been homeported at Naval Station Everett since January 1997. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Joan E. Jennings/Released) 

RIMPAC to begin June 29
By Commander, U.S. Third Fleet Public Affairs
SAN DIEGO (NNS) -- Twenty-two nations, 42 ships, six submarines, more than 200 aircraft and 25,000 personnel will participate in the biennial Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC) exercise scheduled June 29 to Aug. 3, in and around the Hawaiian Islands.

The world's largest international maritime exercise, RIMPAC provides a unique training opportunity that helps participants foster and sustain the cooperative relationships that are critical to ensuring the safety of sea lanes and security on the world's oceans. RIMPAC 2012 is the 23rd exercise in the series that began in 1971.

Hosted by U.S. Pacific Fleet, and led by Vice Adm. Gerald Beaman, commander of the U.S. Third Fleet (C3F), RIMPAC 2012 marks the first time non-U.S. officers will command components of the combined task force during the exercise. Commodore Stuart Mayer of the Royal Australian Navy will command the Maritime Component and Brig. Gen. Michael Hood of the Royal Canadian Air Force will command the Air Component. Other key leaders of the multinational force include Royal Canadian Navy Rear Adm. Ron Lloyd, deputy commander of the Combined Task Force (CTF), and Japan Maritime Self Defense Force Rear Adm. Fumiyuki Kitagawa, vice commander of the CTF.

The theme of RIMPAC 2012 is "Capable, Adaptive, Partners." The participating nations and forces will exercise a wide range of capabilities and demonstrate the inherent flexibility of maritime forces. These capabilities range from disaster relief and maritime security operations to sea control and complex warfighting. The relevant, realistic training syllabus includes amphibious operations; gunnery, missile, anti-submarine and air defense exercises as well as counter-piracy, mine clearance operations, explosive ordnance disposal and diving and salvage operations.

RIMPAC 2012 will feature the first demonstration of a U.S. Navy "Great Green Fleet," during which U.S. surface combatants and carrier-based aircraft will test, evaluate and demonstrate the cross-platform utility and functionality of biofuels. This demonstration will also incorporate prototype energy efficiency initiatives such as solid state lighting, on-line gas turbine waterwash and energy management tools.

This year's exercise includes units or personnel from Australia, Canada, Chile, Colombia, France, India, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Peru, the Republic of Korea, the Republic of the Philippines, Russia, Singapore, Thailand, Tonga, the United Kingdom and the United States.

Details of RIMPAC activities and imagery are available at http://www.cpf.navy.mil/rimpac. Media interested in covering the exercise should contact the C3F Public Affairs Officer at (619) 767-4382. Contact information for the RIMPAC Combined Information Bureau will be made available prior to the beginning of the exercise.

PRINCE HARRY CALLS FOR UNITED SUPPORT FOR WOUNDED WARRIORS

Racers jockey for position at the first turn in the men's bicycle 30K event during the 2012 Warrior Games in Colorado Springs, Colo., May 1, 2012. U.S. Army photo by Sgt. 1st Class Raymond Piper  


FROM:  AMERICAN FORCES PRESS SERVICE

Prince Harry Calls for Unity in Supporting Wounded Warriors
By Donna Miles
WASHINGTON, May 8, 2012 - Great Britain's Prince Henry of Wales, commonly known as Prince Harry, urged the U.S. and British publics last night to unify in supporting wounded warriors and families of the fallen, particularly as the drawdown of military operations in Afghanistan takes the media spotlight off their continuing needs.

Prince Harry accepted the Atlantic Council's Distinguished Humanitarian Leadership Award for charitable work he and his brother, Prince William, Duke of Cambridge, conduct for wounded British service members and veterans. He also urged closer cooperation between the United States and the United Kingdom in providing their countries' veterans and families long-term support.

"So many lives have been lost and so many changed forever by the wounds that they have suffered," the prince told a black-tie gathering of almost 900 former and current administration officials, members of Congress, ambassadors and business leaders at last night's annual awards dinner.

"They have paid a terrible price to keep us safe and free," he continued. "The very least we owe them is to make sure that they and their brave families have everything they need through the darkest days – and in time, regain the hope and confidence to flourish again."

Prince Harry acknowledged that difficult times endure long after the battlefield. "For these selfless people, it is after the guns have fallen silent, the din of battle quietened, that the real fight begins – a fight that may last for the rest of their lives," he said. "We must be there for our servicemen and –women and their families, standing shoulder to shoulder with them always."

It's a fight he said will continue long after coalition forces withdraw from Afghanistan and with them, media coverage. "They will no longer be at the forefront of our minds," he acknowledged. "But the injuries left from a 7.62 bullet, an [improvised explosive device], watching a fellow comrade injured or killed – these are experiences that remain with you for life, both physically and mentally."

He called on the United States and Great Britain to remain united, as they have throughout operations in Afghanistan, in supporting their needs.

"British and American forces train together, fight together and tragically, some are wounded and some die together," "It makes perfect sense to me, therefore, that we should, whenever possible and appropriate, work together by pooling our expertise and experience to heal and support the wounded veterans of both our nations – truly, brothers- and sisters-in-arms."

A British army captain who served in Afghanistan, Prince Harry called it "truly humbling and a little bit terrifying" to be introduced at last night's dinner by former Secretary of State and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, retired Army Gen. Colin Powell.
Powell joked about the paparazzi and fans who gathered around the hotel that hosted last night's dinner to catch a glimpse of British royalty, and the unprecedented number of young, single women in attendance.

Turning serious, he recognized Prince Harry for forfeiting a far easier life to dedicate himself to serving others, including his military service as an Apache helicopter pilot.
Harry accepted the Atlantic Council's prestigious Distinguished Humanitarian Leadership Award on behalf of his brother, William, and the Foundation they both run for wounded warriors, veterans and military families and "all those on both sides of the Atlantic who work so tirelessly to support our wounded veterans."

"We have tried to do what we can to ensure that servicemen and –women and their families leave the military with purpose, with hope and with confidence," he told the gathering. "Whether in their working environments or in the wider community, these fine people – examples to us all – have an invaluable contribution to make."

It is especially for them that Harry said he accepted last night's honors. "This is their award," he said.

Harry visited wounded British and U.S. service members who participated in this year's Warrior Games competition  earlier yesterday at the British embassy. The Warrior Games, which wrapped up May 5 in Colorado Springs, Colo., included 200 wounded service members and veterans.

The prince recognized the extraordinary achievements other wounded warriors have made and  noted that last year he struggled to keep up with four British soldiers who, despite being gravely wounded in Afghanistan, became the fastest team to trek the North Pole that season.

Another team of wounded troops are returning from Mount Everest where dangerous conditions created by unseasonably warm weather deterred their attempt to reach the summit. "The mere fact that they are up there on that fearsome peak, I find totally amazing," he said.

"These people – ours and yours – are extraordinary," he concluded.

NASA'S SPITZER FINDS ALIEN "SUPER EARTH"

FROM:  NASA
News Releases
May 8, 2012 RELEASE : 12-138  NASA's Spitzer Sees the Light of Alien "Super Earth"  WASHINGTON -- NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope has detected light emanating from a "super-Earth" planet beyond our solar system for the first time. While the planet is not habitable, the detection is a historic step toward the eventual search for signs of life on other planets.

"Spitzer has amazed us yet again," said Bill Danchi, Spitzer program scientist at NASA Headquarters in Washington. "The spacecraft is pioneering the study of atmospheres of distant planets and paving the way for NASA's upcoming James Webb Space Telescope to apply a similar technique on potentially habitable planets."

The planet, called 55 Cancri e, falls into a class of planets termed super Earths, which are more massive than our home world but lighter than giant planets like Neptune. Fifty-five Cancri e is about twice as big and eight times as massive as Earth. The planet orbits a bright star, called 55 Cancri, in a mere 18 hours.

Previously, Spitzer and other telescopes were able to study the planet by analyzing how the light from 55 Cancri changed as the planet passed in front of the star. In the new study, Spitzer measured how much infrared light comes from the planet itself. The results reveal the planet is likely dark and its sun-facing side is more than 2,000 Kelvin (3,140 degrees Fahrenheit), hot enough to melt metal.

The new information is consistent with a prior theory that 55 Cancri e is a water world: a rocky core surrounded by a layer of water in a "supercritical" state where it is both liquid and gas, and topped by a blanket of steam.

"It could be very similar to Neptune, if you pulled Neptune in toward our sun and watched its atmosphere boil away," said Michaël Gillon of Université de Liège in Belgium, principal investigator of the research, which appears in the Astrophysical Journal. The lead author is Brice-Olivier Demory of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Cambridge.

The 55 Cancri system is relatively close to Earth at 41 light-years away. It has five planets, with 55 Cancri e being the closest to the star and tidally locked, so one side always faces the star. Spitzer discovered the sun-facing side is extremely hot, indicating the planet probably does not have a substantial atmosphere to carry the sun's heat to the unlit side.

NASA's James Webb Space Telescope, scheduled to launch in 2018, likely will be able to learn even more about the planet's composition. The telescope might be able to use a similar infrared method as Spitzer to search other potentially habitable planets for signs of molecules possibly related to life.

"When we conceived of Spitzer more than 40 years ago, exoplanets hadn't even been discovered," said Michael Werner, Spitzer project scientist at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) in Pasadena, Calif. "Because Spitzer was built very well, it's been able to adapt to this new field and make historic advances such as this."

In 2005, Spitzer became the first telescope to detect light from a planet beyond our solar system. To the surprise of many, the observatory saw the infrared light of a "hot Jupiter," a gaseous planet much larger than the solid 55 Cancri e. Since then, other telescopes, including NASA's Hubble and Kepler space telescopes, have performed similar feats with gas giants using the same method.

In this method, a telescope gazes at a star as a planet circles behind it. When the planet disappears from view, the light from the star system dips ever so slightly, but enough that astronomers can determine how much light came from the planet itself. This information reveals the temperature of a planet, and, in some cases, its atmospheric components. Most other current planet-hunting methods obtain indirect measurements of a planet by observing its effects on the star.

During Spitzer's ongoing extended mission, steps were taken to enhance its unique ability to see exoplanets, including 55 Cancri e. Those steps, which included changing the cycling of a heater and using an instrument in a new way, led to improvements in how precisely the tele

JPL manages the Spitzer Space Telescope mission for NASA's Science Mission Directorate in Washington. Science operations are conducted at the Spitzer Science Center at the California Institute of Technology (Caltech) in Pasadena. Data are archived at the Infrared Science Archive housed at the Infrared Processing and Analysis Center at Caltech. Caltech manages JPL for NASA

EX-IM BANK APPROVES NEARLY $3 BILLION IN EXPORT FINANCING FOR U.S. GOODS AND SERVICES TO AUSTRALIA PACIFIC LNG PROJECT

FROM:  EXPORT-IMPORT BANK
WASHINGTON, D.C.: The Export-Import Bank of the United States (Ex-Im Bank) has authorized a $2.95 billion direct loan to support U.S. exports to the Australia Pacific liquefied natural gas (LNG) project. The transaction is Ex-Im’s second-largest single-project financing in history and is also the Bank’s first LNG project in Australia.

The project on Curtis Island in south-central Queensland will produce natural gas from coal-seam wells and will have total capacity of nine million metric tons per year. China Petroleum and Chemical Corp. (Sinopec) and Kansai Electric Power Co. Inc. of Japan will purchase most of the LNG produced. China Ex-Im Bank and commercial lenders are also providing debt financing for the project.

Ex-Im’s financing is expected to support an estimated 11,000 American jobs. Principal U.S. exporters are ConocoPhillips Co. and Bechtel International, both of Houston, Texas. Additional exporters and suppliers include numerous small businesses in Texas, Colorado, Nevada, California, Oregon and Oklahoma.

“Our authorization paves the way for U.S. companies to export equipment and services to this major LNG project and, in so doing, to maintain thousands of American jobs across the country,” said Ex-Im Bank Chairman and President Fred P. Hochberg. “This financing also demonstrates how the United States and China can work together for our mutual benefit to foster trade and develop critically needed energy resources.”

The transaction, approved by Ex-Im’s board of directors on May 3, was announced following Chairman Hochberg’s trip to China, where he participated in the fourth round of the Strategic and Economic Development Dialogue (S&ED) with Treasury Secretary Timothy F. Geithner and other officials. The S&ED was held in Beijing on May 3-4.

Bechtel official Jay C. Farrar, who manages the company’s office in Washington, D.C., cited the importance of Ex-Im’s financing for U.S. exporters to large international projects. “Since 1992, Ex-Im Bank has been instrumental in the successful awarding and completion of projects involving Bechtel that have supported thousands of jobs for highly skilled employees at our company. The Bank’s financing also has helped to maintain thousands of additional jobs related to the supply chain for these projects,” Farrar said. Bechtel Corp. is an international engineering, construction and project management company.

The Australia Pacific LNG project will involve development of coal-seam natural-gas fields, two gas transmission lines to a collection hub, a natural gas liquefaction plant and an adjacent marine shipping export terminal on Curtis Island near the city of Gladstone.

U.S. EUROPEAN COMMAND WORKS WITH OTHER AGENCIES TO STOP ILLICIT GOODS

FROM:  AMERICAN FORCES PRESS SERVICE

A counterpiracy vessel protection detachment from the Maltese armed forces demonstrates aerial boarding procedures during the Eurasia Partnership Capstone 2011 exercise, Dec. 5, 2011. Some 100 representatives from Azerbijan, Bulgaria, Georgia, Greece, Malta, Romania, Ukraine and the United States focused on strengthening maritime relationships among Eurasian nations to counter trafficking, piracy and other threats. U.S. Navy photo by Petty Officer 3rd Class Caitlin Conroy  

New Task Force Supports Countertrafficking in Europe
By Donna Miles
American Forces Press Service
STUTTGART, Germany, May 8, 2012 - A new task force at U.S. European Command is helping other U.S. government agencies and their international counterparts confront trafficking in illicit goods and services that officials call a major national security threat to the United States.


Eucom stood up the Joint Interagency Counter Trafficking Center here in September to focus on trafficking in drugs, weapons, humans and other illicit commodities, as well as their financing, Army Brig. Gen. Mark Scraba, the center's director, told American Forces Press Service.


Its role is to marshal military resources to support a whole-of-government approach to a skyrocketing problem that extends far beyond European borders.
"Europe has become the illicit trafficking intersection of the world," Scraba said, a transit zone for illicit shipments originating not only in Europe, but also in the Middle East, Asia, and increasingly, South and Central America.


Scraba noted a variety of factors: Europe's central location, a lucrative cocaine market that pays four to five times the U.S. street value, and increasing challenges traffickers face getting drugs across the southern U.S. border.


"So there is an incredible incentive for drug organizations to expand and open up new franchises in Europe," Scraba said.


Compounding the challenge, he explained, is the fact that traffickers who once operated independently have aligned their efforts. They see the value of working together as they use the same organized networks to traffic their materials.


The result, Scraba said, is far more sophisticated criminal networks able to operate across national borders. Among the greatest concerns, he said, has been the convergence of drug and terror networks.


All of this contributes to corruption of legitimate governments as well as global financial and trade networks, Navy Adm. James G. Stavridis, the Eucom commander, said during an interview with the Pentagon Channel and American Forces Press Service. "It undermines fragile democracies. It has a real human cost."


Scraba described the step-by-step process that occurs. "Trafficking feeds corruption. And if you have corruption, that leads to instability within the governing process of a country," he said. "If you then have instability and corruption in the day-to-day governing of a country, then that spreads to regional instability. And regional instability ... has the second- and third-order effects of impacting multiple regions, requiring a response by the international community."


Particularly troubling, Stavridis recently told Congress, is the trafficking networks' links to terrorism and insurgencies and their ability to undermine stability, security and sovereignty. The same networks that move narcotics, weapons and people also transport terrorist operatives, he said, and this trafficking, regardless of the commodity, bankrolls organized crime, terrorists and insurgents.


For example, drug trafficking through Europe has had a significant impact on security in Afghanistan. The Taliban made more than $150 million in 2009 alone through the sale of opium, the United Nations Office of Drugs and Crime estimated in its 2011 World Drug Report. That same year, the U.N. estimated that 75 to 80 metric tons of Afghan heroin reached Central and Western Europe, and another 90 metric tons transited through Central Asia to Russia.


Concerned about this growing threat, Stavridis took the lessons of U.S. Southern Command's Joint Interagency Task Force South in Florida that he previously commanded to create Eucom's smaller-scale operation from existing resources.
With fewer than 40 staff members, including representatives of the FBI, Drug Enforcement Agency and other U.S. government agencies focused on trafficking, it serves as a "fusion organization" matrixed to other Defense Department and U.S. government agencies. This, Scraba said, leverages military capabilities to help them operate more effectively.


"We are the cog in the wheel" that reaches out to and helps connect the other spokes, he said. That runs from providing translators to monitor known trafficking networks and technology to help federal law enforcement officials to more efficiently inspect shipping containers to teaching police dogs to sniff out drugs or explosives.


Eucom shares intelligence and lessons the military has learned supporting U.S. interagency partners' counternarcotics efforts in the United States, Scraba said. The command recently ran a conference for 14 partner nations, providing law enforcement communications training and sharing lessons learned in running an operations center.
"This gets at the center of gravity for why we exist: to support our U.S. agency efforts," Scraba said.


"The bottom line," he explained, "is that trafficking is a network of networks. And in order for us – the United States and international community – to have the best chance of disrupting and dismantling illicit trafficking, we, too, have to be a network of networks.
"That is the U.S. military, supporting the U.S. interagency and then collaborating with international organizations that share the same concern and have the same objectives with regards of disrupting and dismantling illicit trafficking," he added.


Just eight months after it stood up, the new Eucom task force is getting a warm reception from interagency and international partners alike, who recognize the contribution it can make to their countertrafficking efforts.


All recognize the extent of the problem, Scraba said, and the need to work together to confront it.


"There is no question that it is a problem, and there is no question that this is a team sport and that it requires the international community working together to combat this," he said.
That's essential to disrupting trafficking and making Europe inhospitable to traffickers, he said. Americans should care that it succeeds, he added, because it's a matter of "invest now, save later."


"It is clear and documented that trafficking distorts economies. It erodes sovereignties. It corrupts democracies. It accelerates extremism. It weakens allies and feeds terrorism," he said.


"All that adds up to a threat to the U.S. homeland," he continued. "And that, from a national security perspective, is the 'So what?' as far as why trafficking is such a significant issue here in Europe."

NAVAL AIR STATION IN JACKSONVILLE COMPLETES SOLAR PROJECT

FROM:  U.S. AIR FORCE
NAS Jax Completes Rooftop Solar Power Generating System
By Clark Pierce, Editor, Jax Air News, Naval Air Station Jacksonville
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (NNS) -- Engineers and technicians gathered at Naval Air Station Jacksonville's Hangar 1122, May 1, to celebrate completion of the station's largest rooftop solar power generating system.

Helicopter Anti-Submarine Squadron (Light) (HSL) 42, Executive Officer Cmdr. Derek Fleck, whose squadron is a tenant of the hangar, cut the ribbon at the ground-level DC inverter array.

"This system will contribute about 25 percent of the hangar's annual electricity consumption," said Lt. j.g. Luis Velazquez, construction manager of the Naval Facilities Engineering Command (NAVFAC) Southeast solar project. "A total of 2,534 solar photovoltaic (PV) panels are installed on the roof of Hangar 1122 located near the St. Johns River seawall."

The $5.7 million project was funded by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) of 2009 and was completed ahead of schedule.

Fleck said he was honored to cut the ribbon for the project. "Our hangar's solar roof epitomizes the alternative energy commitment of SECNAV (Secretary of the Navy) Ray Mabus and CNO (Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Jonathan) Greenert - who are determined to change the way our Navy produces and procures energy."

William Allen is the field engineering manager for Atlantic Contingency Constructors of Norfolk, the contractor for the project.

"The PV panels convert sunlight into direct current (DC) voltage that is fed into combiner boxes from which electric cables run to the ground-level inverters. The inverters turn the DC into alternating current (AC), which then flows into the hangar's mechanical room where it's distributed through the base power grid," explained Allen.

"There are meters in the mechanical room that monitor how the inverters are performing. Hangar 1122 is also on the base central monitoring system in order to determine exactly how much power is being generated."

Velazquez concluded, "This project contributes to achieving the Secretary of the Navy Ray Mabus' energy goal of increasing alternative energy afloat and ashore - and by 2020 - producing at least 50 percent of shore-based energy requirements from alternative sources."

The hangar is home to three MH-60R Seahawk helicopter squadrons (Helicopter Maritime Strike Squadron (HSM) 70 "Spartans," HSM-74 "Swamp Fox," and HSL-42 "Proud Warriors") and the rooftop PV construction activity did not impact their operational readiness.

PRACTICE LOADING PATIENT ONTO BLACKHAWK HELICOPTER

FROM:  U.S. AIR FORCE
Tactical Air Control Party members from the 2nd and 4th Air Support Operations Squadron practice loading a patient onto a UH-60 Blackhawk during training on contingency aeromedical evacuation procedures, Grafenwoehr Army Airfield, Germany, April 7, 2010.The 2nd ASOS kicked off a 45 day pre-Afghanistan training plan, sharpening critical combat skills in preparation for upcoming Operation Enduring Freedom deployments. (U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Tony R. Ritter)

SEC. OF DEFENSE PANNETA WARNS AMERICA TO REMAIN VIGILANT REGARDING TERRORIST ATTACKS

FROM:  AMERICAN FORCES PRESS SERVICE
Panetta: U.S. Must Stay Vigilant Against Terrorist Attacks
By Cheryl Pellerin
American Forces Press Service
WASHINGTON, May 8, 2012 - A recent attempt by Yemeni-based terrorists to plant an explosive device on an airliner bound for the United States shows the nation needs to remain vigilant against new acts of terrorism, Defense Secretary Leon E. Panetta said.

In a plot whose details may never be fully known, U.S. and Yemeni operatives last month disrupted the plans of a bomber affiliated with al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula, or AQAP, to detonate a plastic explosive device aboard a commercial aircraft.

"What this incident makes clear is that this country has to continue to remain vigilant against those who would seek to attack this country," Panetta said during a news conference yesterday. "And we will do everything necessary to keep America safe."

On Air Force One today, White House spokesman Jay Carney said President Barack Obama, who was briefed on the operation in early April, is pleased with the success of intelligence and counterterrorism officials in foiling the attempt by al-Qaida to use the explosive device.

"It is indicative of the kind of work that our intelligence and counterterrorism services are performing regularly to counter the threat posed by al-Qaida in general, and AQAP in particular," Carney said. "At no time were Americans in danger as a result of this."
During an interview this morning on NBC's "Today," John Brennan, chief White House counterterrorism advisor, said international cooperation was key to the operation's success.

"It took very close cooperation with our international partners," Brennan said. "This is something that we have really emphasized over the past many years -- working very closely with our Yemeni partners -- because al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula poses a serious threat to us."

Having the intelligence and being able to take action before any IEDs can reach an airplane or an airport, he added, is instrumental in disrupting such attacks.

According to news reports, the IED was plastic, similar to the one Nigerian Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab tried to use on Christmas Day 2009 on Northwest Airlines flight 253, en route from Amsterdam to Detroit. AQAP claimed credit for that attempted attack.

"AQAP's bomb maker, Ibrahim al-Asiri, has demonstrated real proficiency as far as concealment methods as well as the materials that are used in these IEDs," Brennan said.
The FBI is examining the IED to see what kind of modifications or refinements may have been made, he added.

The United States also adapts its countermeasures, Brennan said.
"Whatever we learn from this IED, we're going to ensure that it's going to be incorporated into the measures that we take at airports, as well as any other avenues of approach that the would-be terrorists would take," the president's counterterrorism advisor said.
Brennan said no one has to worry about the IED or the would-be bomber.
"This is still in a sensitive stage," he added. "We're working very closely with those partners. We want to protect sources and methods, as well as operational equities. But neither the device nor the would-be bomber poses a threat."

Now, Brennan added, "we're taking additional measures in the event that there are other efforts out there on the part of al-Qaida to try to evade security."

In New Delhi, today, on the last segment of her trip to Asia, Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton said the thwarted terrorist attack is on the minds of U.S. and Indian officials.

Both governments "know the tragedies and losses that come with terrorism on our soil," she told reporters.

"We have increased our cooperation between India and the United States," she added, and we're going to continue to do everything we can not only to prevent terrorists from carrying out their evil acts of violence, but also to try to convince people not to be recruited into terrorism, which is very much of a dead end, literally and figuratively, when it comes to pursuing any kind of political or ideological aims."
The plot itself indicates that the terrorists will keep trying, she said.

"They keep trying to devise more and more perverse and terrible ways to kill innocent people," the secretary of state added. "And it's a reminder as to why we have to remain vigilant at home and abroad in protecting our nation and in protecting friendly nations and peoples like India and others."

Die Raumstation ISS und ihr Nutzen für den Menschen - Special -

Die Raumstation ISS und ihr Nutzen für den Menschen - Special -

Get Your Family Moving During National Physical Fitness and Sports Month

Get Your Family Moving During National Physical Fitness and Sports Month

HOLLYWOOD MOVIE PRODUCER CHARGED WITH INSIDER TRADING

FROM:  SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
May 8, 2012
The Securities and Exchange Commission today charged a Hollywood movie producer along with his brother, cousin, and three others in his circle of friends and business partners with insider trading in the stock of a company for which he served on the board of directors.

The SEC alleges that Mohammed Mark Amin, prior to a company board meeting, learned confidential information about expanding business opportunities for DuPont Fabros Technology Inc., which develops and manages highly-specialized and secure facilities that maintain large computer servers for technology companies through long-term leases with them. The SEC alleges that Amin tipped his brother Robert Reza Amin, cousin Michael Mahmood Amin, and long-time friend and business manager Sam Saeed Pirnazar with nonpublic details about three new leases that DuPont Fabros was negotiating and three loans it was obtaining to develop new facilities.  The SEC also alleges that the three illegally traded on the basis of that inside information.  Reza Amin went on to tip his friends and business associates Mary Coley and Ali Tashakori, who also illegally traded.  Together they made more than $618,000 in insider trading profits when DuPont Fabros stock rose 36 percent after the company issued an earnings release highlighting the development of these new facilities.
Mark Amin and the five others agreed to settle the SEC’s charges by collectively paying nearly $2 million.

According to the SEC’s complaint filed in U.S. District Court for the Central District of California, Mark Amin is a motion picture executive with his own production company.  He lives in Los Angeles and is credited as the producer or executive producer for more than 75 Hollywood movies including Frida,Eve’s Bayou, and four movies in the Leprechaun series.  In 2007, Amin began serving on the board of directors at DuPont Fabros, a real estate investment trust (REIT) whose common stock is listed on the New York Stock Exchange.  DuPont Fabros develops and operates wholesale data centers that maintain computer servers for such companies as Microsoft, Facebook, and Google. Amin resigned from the board in February 2011.

The SEC alleges that Mark Amin first learned nonpublic information about new leases and loans pending for DuPont Fabros during a board meeting in December 2008, and he further discussed their status in a phone conversation with the company’s CEO on Jan. 7, 2009.  According to the SEC’s complaint, that same day, Mark Amin tipped his cousin Michael Amin of Los Angeles and his friend and business manager Pirnazar of Manhattan Beach, Calif.  The SEC alleges that in fact, Mark Amin initially asked Michael to lend him money and discussed Michael’s purchasing DuPont Fabros stock for both of them in Michael’s name.

On February 4, Mark Amin received materials for a special board meeting to approve the three new loans.  The SEC alleges that the next morning, he tipped this inside information to his brother Reza Amin of Los Angeles, who began buying DuPont Fabros stock just 17 minutes after receiving the tip.  The board approved the three new loans later that day.
According to the SEC’s complaint, Reza Amin tipped Coley, a British citizen who lives in Los Angeles with whom he has a daughter.  They are also business partners in a small chain of video stores.  On February 6, he brought Coley into the local E*Trade branch office where he maintained a brokerage account so she could open a new brokerage account to purchase DuPont Fabros shares.  The SEC alleges that Reza Amin also tipped his friend Tashakori, who lives in Rolling Hills, Calif. and as a self-employed licensed general contractor was engaged in various construction projects for both Mark and Reza Amin.  The SEC also alleges that Tashakori purchased DuPont Fabros stock based on Reza Amin’s tip.

According to the SEC’s complaint, DuPont Fabros issued its 2008 earnings release after the market closed on February 11, 2009, and highlighted that it had obtained the three new loans and entered into the three new leases.  The SEC alleges that from January 8 to February 10, Michael Amin had purchased 145,000 DuPont Fabros shares that yielded him $318,646 in insider trading profits when the stock price soared upon news of the earnings release.  The SEC also alleges that Pirnazar purchased 10,500 shares and made $19,915 in illicit profits.  From February 5 to February 11, Reza Amin purchased 214,600 DuPont Fabros shares for an eventual illegal profit of $241,767.  Coley purchased 20,050 shares and realized insider trading profits of $23,690.  Tashakori purchased 15,000 shares and profited $14,479.

The SEC’s complaint charges the Amins, Pirnazar, Coley, and Tashakori with violating Section 10(b) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, and Rule 10b-5(a) and (c) thereunder.  They have agreed to collectively pay disgorgement of $618,497, prejudgment interest of $78,000, and penalties totaling $1,236,994.  They also have agreed to the entry of a final judgment permanently enjoining them from violating Section 10(b) of the Exchange Act and Rule 10b-5.  Mark Amin has additionally agreed to a bar from serving as an officer or director of a public company for 10 years.  The settlement is subject to court approval.

The SEC’s investigation was conducted by Los Angeles Regional Office enforcement attorney John Britt.  The SEC thanks the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) for its assistance in this matter.

DEFENSE BRIEFING ON CHINA'S MINISTER OF NATIONAL DEFENSE VISIT

FROM:  U.S. DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE
Presenter: Senior Defense Official May 07, 2012
Background Briefing on the Visit of China's Minister of National Defense from the Pentagon
             STAFF:  Good afternoon, everybody.  I know we're just a couple minutes late, so I won't delay with this.
            We have with us today (briefer name and title deleted).  (Briefer schedule deleted.)  I've asked him today to provide a little bit of perspective on today's visit from the Chinese minister of defense.   And he will be, for reporting purposes, a senior defense official.
            Just a couple of housekeeping notes:  We got about 30 minutes.  So again, I'd ask you to please limit your follow-up questions so that everybody can get a chance.  Please identify yourself and who you're with before you ask the question.  I'll call on you.  And I think that's it.  I thought I had -- (off-mic exchange) -- oh, yeah, thanks.  Yeah, this is -- (chuckles) -- the most important thing.  These discussions -- embargoed until 1500, till the arrival of the -- of General Liang.  So 1500 embargo is when it's lifted.
            We good?  Yeah?  OK, sir.
            SENIOR DEFENSE OFFICIAL:  Actually, one initial point of clarification before we begin.  My title is actually (briefer title deleted).  (Laughter, cross talk).
            STAFF:  But since you're only going to be referred to as a senior defense official, it doesn't matter.
            (Cross talk.)
            SR. DEFENSE OFFICIAL:  Right.
            STAFF:  I mean, it matters, but not -- (inaudible).  (Laughter.)  No offense -- (inaudible).
            Q:  Yeah, it's just like this building to grab more territory.  (Laughter.)
            STAFF:  OK, sir.  I'm going to give it over to you for a few minutes if you'd like to take that up.
            SR. DEFENSE OFFICIAL:  Thank you very much.  And thank you all for being here.  As indicated, I'm going to be talking today about the visit of China's minister of defense, General Liang Guanglie, who's visiting the United States as a guest of Secretary Panetta.
            This is the first visit by a Chinese minister of defense to the United States in nine years.  Secretary Panetta looks forward to receiving General Liang this afternoon, where he'll have an extended meeting with him, as well as hosting him for dinner this evening.
            This visit is occurring at an important time for our two militaries as we're seeking to expand cooperation, improve mutual understanding, build greater mutual trust and reduce our differences.
            We seek to develop a military-to-military relationship that's healthy, stable, reliable and continuous.  And senior levels -- senior-level visits such as the one we're having today as well as upcoming visits to both countries as part of our mutually agreed-to military-to-military exchange program are important parts of achieving the vision that our two presidents have of building a positive, cooperative and comprehensive U.S.-China relationship.
            We're working to expand areas of cooperation such as humanitarian assistance and disaster relief and counterpiracy, really looking to find ways where we can expand those areas where our interests converge and build our ability to work together to deliver international public goods.
            At the same time, we do continue to discuss differences that we might have, questions that we have about each other's defense modernization programs, areas like space and cyber, nuclear and missile defense.  These are all important issues to talk about in the military-to-military relationship.  They're critical because they can help to reduce the chances for miscalculation or misperceptions.
            As part of General Liang's visit, he'll be going to a number of U.S. defense installations, which is customary for secretary of defense-hosted counterpart visits.  The visits were chosen to highlight areas of existing or potential cooperation, such as a visit yesterday to the San Diego Naval Base, where the delegation discussed counterpiracy operations with the commander of a U.S. naval ship that recently returned from the Gulf of Aden.
            In addition, the sites were selected to highlight the contributions of the United States military to global peace and stability and to demonstrate what the United States means when we discuss transparency.  And I can talk a little bit later about some of the additional places that the general will be visiting on this trip.
            Again, this is a very important visit.  It's the highest level military-to-military exchange that we've had to date this year, and I look forward to taking any questions that you have.
            STAFF:  Just one minor clarification, I think that the San Diego was Saturday, isn't that right?
            SR. DEFENSE OFFICIAL:  Saturday --
            STAFF:  I think you said yesterday.
            SR. DEFENSE OFFICIAL:  Yeah.
            STAFF:  It was actually on Saturday.
            SR. DEFENSE OFFICIAL:  So, OK, yep, on Saturday.
            Q:  So you're even -- corrected each other once?
            STAFF:  That's right.  We are even now.
            (Inaudible.)
            Q:  No.
            STAFF:  Go ahead.
            Q:  Hi, is this more symbolic since -- well, (briefer's colleague name deleted), before he stepped down, he said, the only time he went to China was for the S&ED (Strategic and Economic Dialogue) at the invitation of Secretary Clinton.  And he said that there was no other level contacts other than the high-level strategic talks.  So I don't know whether you can explore on that?  And also, when can we get a China military power report out this year?
            SR. DEFENSE OFFICIAL:  Well, I would -- first, I would say that this -- the visit that the secretary's having with General Liang is important and that there will be -- it is part of a substantive set of exchanges where we're trying to maintain --
(inaudible)--
            STAFF:  -- South Carolina?
            SR. DEFENSE OFFICIAL:  Right -- (laughter) -- where -- this visit is part of -- is part of our military-to-military exchange program where we cover a whole range of very substantive topics.  Obviously there's an important symbolic aspect to the visit itself.  But make no mistake:  When we have these types of discussions, when we have these dialogues, we're talking about, you know, critical issues in our relationship, where we can -- where we can cooperate, but also to be able to talk about questions or to be able to manage any differences that we might have.  This is -- this is, you know, the very essence of what we're trying to achieve with our military-to-military relationship.
            Q:  Would the South China Sea and Taiwan be -- come up?
            SR. DEFENSE OFFICIAL:  Well, the meeting actually hasn't happened yet.  So I think I'd probably defer to the outbrief of that meeting.  But these are all important issues, and these are issues that routinely come up in these types of exchanges.
            STAFF:  Again, please identify yourself -- (inaudible).
            Thom.
            Q:  Thom Shanker with the Times.  I'll ask my question and the follow-up together, at the same time.  Are there going to be deliverables expected out of the meeting today?  A small question.
            And the bigger one:  This building and the government's made a big deal about the pivot to Asia.  The Chinese view that as hostile and containment.  How do you answer that criticism?
            SR. DEFENSE OFFICIAL:  I'll answer the first question.  There's no specific deliverable that we have set up for this -- for this visit.  While there's no specific deliverable, I think the -- there are outcomes that will come out of it, and that's maintaining a sustained senior-level dialogue between our two militaries, maintaining open channels of communication, which is an important part of what we're trying to do with the military-to-military relationship.  It offers opportunities to build mutual understanding, improve and build towards greater mutual trust.  So that in and of itself, I think, is an important product and outcome of this meeting.
            I mean, in terms of the rebalance towards Asia, I mean, this is something that we've talked about with our -- with our Chinese counterparts in the past.  And what we've tried to do is use the opportunity -- every opportunity that we have to engage the PLA [People's Liberation Army], to be able to, you know, help them to improve the understanding of what we're doing -- what we're doing in Asia, not only from a defense perspective but across the U.S. government.
And I think the very fact that we're having the talks are intended to assuage concerns by being very open and transparent about what we're doing in the region.
            STAFF:  Yeah, Bob?
            Q:  Bob Burns of AP.  Do you expect Secretary Panetta to raise in any way the question of China eventually joining into international nuclear arms reduction talks at some point?  And also, is the secretary planning to go to -- has that been worked out for the secretary to go to Beijing?
            SR. DEFENSE OFFICIAL:  The secretary very much looks forward to visiting Beijing.  We're still working details with our -- with our Chinese counterparts on when that could happen.  And I'd prefer not to speculate on the specific things that might come up in the meeting today on nuclear.
            Q:  I thought we were here to hear about what the U.S. side was planning to raise or not raise or what to expect from the meeting.
            SR. DEFENSE OFFICIAL:  Well, they're going to talk about a whole -- a whole range of issues, but talking specifically the issue of entering into arms control, I don't believe that's on the agenda for today.
            STAFF:  John.
            Q:  (Inaudible)  Have any Chinese officials raised concerns or had any discussions with your side about the administration's agreement to accept Senator Cornyn's request to look into further arms sales to Taiwan?
            SR. DEFENSE OFFICIAL:  Taiwan is something that -- I mean, Taiwan arms sales is a topic that frequently comes up in our exchanges with the Chinese.  And our position on that has been very clear.  Our policy is guided by the three joint U.S.-China communiques and the Taiwan Relations Act, and under the Taiwan Relations Act, we'll make available to Taiwan defense articles and services that are necessary to enable Taiwan to maintain a sufficient self-defense; and that the Senator Cornyn letter -- or, actually, it was a letter from the White House to Senator Cornyn, is fully consistent with that policy.
            Q:  But have Chinese officials specifically addressed that issue of talks yet?
            SR. DEFENSE OFFICIAL:  Not that I'm aware of.
            STAFF:  Julian.
            Q:  Julian Barnes, Wall Street Journal.  Does the Chen asylum case and events surrounding that -- do you anticipate that -- what effect will that have on these talks?  Obviously, it was not anticipated when this visit was planned.  Is it going to be discussed?  Do you plan to discuss it openly?  Would -- is it straining the talks in any way that you see, or is this a normal -- that's settled, doesn't matter?
            SR. DEFENSE OFFICIAL:  I'd have to refer you to the State Department on --
            Q:  No, but the effect on your talks, not their talks?
            SR. DEFENSE OFFICIAL:  We're not planning on raising it.
            Q:  Gopal Ratnam with Bloomberg News.  Of the January 2012 defense strategy, one of the key elements of that was the Anti-Access/Area Denial by some of the adversaries.  And the last time Secretary of Defense Gates was in Beijing, China did a test flight of a J-20, the stealth aircraft program.  And also, there've been -- reported that they're developing this anti-ship missile.  To what extent are some of those military capabilities a concern to the United States, and are they likely to come up in this meeting?
            SR. DEFENSE OFFICIAL:  Well, I -- you know, part of -- one of the real values that we get out of these exchanges is we have the opportunity to, you know, improve greater understanding in terms of what China's military modernization program is.  I don't know if specific weapon systems or capabilities will come up, but certainly we have some questions about the direction that China's military is taking.  And that's a pretty standard part of -- part of our dialogue is to help to get greater openness and a better understanding of where they're going with their military modernization.
            Q:  William Wan -- from the Washington Post.  I was wondering, can you talk about the trajectory of the communication, where you hope it ends up?  You know, there that was that period of radio silence between the military, and it seems like you're building towards something.  What would the end goal be?  Would it be, like, annual kind of bilateral talks?  Or what's -- like, where is it headed?
            SR. DEFENSE OFFICIAL:  Well, I -- yeah, I think -- I don't know if there is necessarily an end goal in sight.  I mean, it's -- and I appreciate the question.  I mean, what we're trying to do is build a military-to-military relationship that is -- that is healthy, stable, reliable and continuous.  And so that means that we're trying to establish a foundation for the military-to-military relationship that is solid enough and strong enough to be able to weather the types of turbulence and friction that's natural and a relationship that's as broad, diverse and complex as the relationship that we have with China.
            Yeah, as you know, in the past there have been ups and downs in the military-to-military relationship.  And we're looking to break the on-again-off-again cycle of our military-to-military exchanges and institutionalize some of these types of interactions.
            You know, we're looking, obviously, to be able to maintain senior-level communication so that if there are questions that we have or that China has about something that we're doing, that we have the ability to have open communication between both sides to help to address any misperceptions that may occur in the relationship.  So I think maintaining that type of healthy, stable, reliable and continuous dialogue is our objective.
            Q:  Were you going to detail some of the different stops?  You had mentioned the -- (inaudible).
            SR. DEFENSE OFFICIAL:  Yes.  In addition to the San Diego Naval Base, which is on Saturday, he's meeting at the Pentagon today, this afternoon.  After he leaves Washington, D.C., he's scheduled to travel to USSOUTHCOM to meet with General Fraser.
            Then he's going to be traveling to -- on Wednesday, traveling to Camp Lejeune in North Carolina for some meetings and interactions with II MEF, or the 2nd Marine Expeditionary Force.  He'll also travel to Fort Benning, Georgia.
            And then on Thursday he will visit Seymour Johnson Air Force Base, and he will also visit West Point, the U.S. Military Academy at West Point on Thursday as well, and then he departs -- departs the country on Thursday.
            Q:  And are there goals toward -- you talked about San Diego has a specific goal -- just highlighting other -- just like a top three or any kind of --
            SR. DEFENSE OFFICIAL:  Like, for example, the meeting with SOUTHCOM is going to be an opportunity to highlight opportunities for practical cooperation in things like humanitarian assistance and disaster relief and expand the conversations that we have with the PLA on nontraditional security cooperation efforts, such as counternarcotics, which is something that is an important part of USSOUTHCOM's mission area.
            The visit to the 2nd Marine Expeditionary Force will be an opportunity to meet and interact with some of the senior noncommissioned officers that are part of our Marine Corps.  And one of the main objectives there is to provide an opportunity to meet and interact with some of those -- you know, our NCOs in the Marine Corps.
            The visit to Fort Benning, Georgia, is to be able to observe some very basic level training, and it demonstrates openness and transparency on the U.S. side.
            The Seymour Johnson Air Force Base -- again, he'll have an opportunity to view some flight training activities with F-15E aircraft.  And again, this just demonstrates the openness and transparency from the U.S. military.
            The visit to West Point is fully consistent with our efforts to enhance military academic and professional military education exchanges between our two sides.  And West Point is just a fantastic institution for that.
            Q:  Is he going to speak there, by any chance?
            SR. DEFENSE OFFICIAL:  I don't believe he's scheduled to speak at West Point.
            STAFF:  No, there's no speaking -- (inaudible).
            SR. DEFENSE OFFICIAL:  Yeah.  He is ongoing to have lunch with cadets, though, in the mess hall.
            STAFF:  Ma'am, you've had your hand up there.  You're --
            Q:  Thank you.  Wei Jing from the Global Times of China.   Two questions.  What is the Pentagon's position on the Filipinos' claims or dispute on the Chinese island of Scarborough Island, the Huangyan Island?  And secondly, can -- are you confident that the Pentagon can maintain a good relationship -- military relationship with the Filipino military at the same time with the Chinese military?
            SR. DEFENSE OFFICIAL:  In terms of your first question, you know, our policy on that has been -- has been very clear.  We -- the United States has a national interest in freedom of navigation, in the maintenance of peace and stability, respect for international law, and unimpeded lawful commerce everywhere in the world, including in the South China Sea.
            We don't take a position on competing territorial claims over land features in the South China Sea, and we support a collaborative diplomatic process by all claimants to resolve their disputes without coercion.  That position has been -- has been consistent, and that hasn't -- that hasn't changed.
            And I also -- to address your second question, I don't see any challenge or conflict in maintaining good and positive relations with our Philippine treaty allies and the PRC.
            STAFF:  Just to remind, we had a very productive two-plus-two meeting last week with the -- with the foreign minister and the defense minister from the Philippines.
 Chris.
            Q:  Does the secretary plan to bring up or gauge the current state of China's relationship with North Korea, in terms of does the secretary expect to come away with a better understanding of exactly how much influence China currently has in North Korea?
            SR. DEFENSE OFFICIAL:  Certainly that's going to be an important -- and important topic.  And I think that, you know, one of the aspects of this -- of this visit will be a discussion of regional security issues.  And so I'm sure North Korea will come up in that context.
            The specific nature of that -- of that conversation -- I mean, I think that, you know, we'll highlight our concerns over North Korean behavior, in particular the recent missile launch, and encourage China, as we do other countries, to encourage North Korea to adhere to its international obligations.
            STAFF:  Chris.
            Q:  Two ideas that have been mentioned before -- establishing a defense hotline to Beijing and possibly doing a -- like, an INCSEA [Incidents at Sea] agreement with China.  Either of those still on the table?
            SR. DEFENSE OFFICIAL:  Well, actually, we do have a defense telephone link, which is a defense hotline.  And that's been in place since, I think, 2007.  And so that's already -- that's already been in place.
            Q:  But the issue is whether they pick up the phone when it rings, right?  (Inaudible) -- have, that's been -- I mean, you reference yourself improving communications between senior leaders.
            SR. DEFENSE OFFICIAL:  Well, we have used the defense telephone link a number of times.  And when we've -- when we've called, they've -- they have answered it.  So I mean, that defense telephone link is in place.
            Q:  Right.
            SR. DEFENSE OFFICIAL:  But I mean, quite frankly, it's always going to be an open question given any -- on any given issue whether or not they'll answer the phone.  To date, though, they have answered it.
            Q:  And on the --
            SR. DEFENSE OFFICIAL:  On the -- on the INCSEA, right now what we have is an agreement that was signed in 1998, it's called the U.S.-China Military Maritime Consultative Agreement.  And that agreement is focused on improving our capabilities to work together to focus on operational and tactical safety in the -- in the maritime domain and the airspace above it.  At this time, I think the MMCA agreement, Military Maritime Consultative Agreement, provides for the same types of things that the INCSEA agreement provided for in the Cold War with -- between the United States and the Soviet Union.  And that's the agreement that we have.
            Q:  There was no plenary meeting on that last year, right?  No main meeting?
            SR. DEFENSE OFFICIAL:  We did have a meeting last year on it.  I think it was a -- it was a working group.  And we're looking to schedule a plenary meeting this year, probably sometime this summer.
            STAFF:  Lalit.
            Q:  Lalit Jha from Press Trust of India.  How do you balance your -- (inaudible) -- relationship with India and China in Asian context?  And could Afghanistan be coming up in the talks here, the drawdown of troops or the security position in Afghanistan?
            SR. DEFENSE OFFICIAL:  Well, I'm pretty sure in the context of a discussion of regional security issues, the question of Afghanistan will come up.
            And in terms of our -- in terms of our relationship with China and India, I mean, same with the earlier question about the Philippines -- we can and do maintain positive relations with India and China at the same time.  We're working to build a strategic partnership with India, as we talk about in the Defense Strategic Guidance, and that is in no way in conflict with the type of military-to-military relationship that we're seeking to develop with China or the -- or, you know, the larger cooperative partnership that we're seeking to develop with China based on mutual respect and mutual benefit.  There's no conflict there.  We can pursue both.
            Q:  Rob Gentry with TV Asahi.  I wanted to follow on one of the points you mentioned about the meeting in Camp Lejeune will involve senior NCOs.  Who are they meeting with?  And in the past, there's been an emphasis from your side on trying to develop some sort of program of midlevel to junior-level officer exchanges.  Is that a topic you're going to bring up again and are you expecting any progress on that?
            SR. DEFENSE OFFICIAL:  I don't have specific details on who specifically they're going to meet outside of noncommissioned officers from the 2nd Marine Expeditionary Force at Camp Lejeune.
            Q:  But -- (inaudible) -- the Chinese side.
            (Cross talk.)
            SR. DEFENSE OFFICIAL:  (Inaudible) -- what he's saying?
            Q:  Yeah.
            SR. DEFENSE OFFICIAL:  Well, I mean, the Chinese -- the Chinese -- the Chinese delegation has got a good number of folks from across the different services on China.
            Just to give you a list of some of the -- some of the top individuals that are part of this group:  General Liang Guanglie, who, as you know, is the minister of defense; General Zhang Youxia, who is the commander of the Shenyang Military Region, is part of this delegation; Vice Admiral Su Shiliang, he's the deputy commander of the PLA Navy; Lieutenant General Yang Guohai, he's the chief of staff of the PLA Air Force; Major General Gao Jin, he's the chief of staff of the PLA 2nd Artillery Corps.
            So again, we have, you know, senior officers from all the different services in China are part of this delegation.  And it totals 24 different people, so it's a pretty good-size -- pretty good-size group.
            Q:  Are there going to be any Chinese NCOs?
            SR. DEFENSE OFFICIAL:  There are no Chinese NCOs on this delegation.  And -- yeah, there are no Chinese NCOs on this delegation.
            And then as part of your second question on the midgrade and junior-officer exchange program, we have had a number of rounds of that exchange in the past, and we obviously would be looking to continue that in the future, but we don't have the next iteration of that midgrade and junior-officer exchange planned right now.
            STAFF:  We'll get you a list of the delegation, if that's what you guys are asking for.
            Yeah, Luis.
            Q:  Way in the back here.  Luis Martinez with ABC.  Did they have a wish list of facilities that they intended to visit and that you may have decided not to let them go to?  I only bring it up because I think in the past, American secretaries have visited the 2nd Artillery Corps and I think you've said that that was something that you desired to visit and that they relented.  What did they want to see here that you may not have wanted them to see?
            SR. DEFENSE OFFICIAL:  Well, I guess the only thing I could say is the Chinese have expressed satisfaction with the itinerary that we developed in concert with them.
            So I mean, it's something that we've worked out with them over the course of the past several weeks.  So there's some things that they wanted, some things that they are in there.  Other things that they wanted may not have been available at the time.  But we worked very hard to put together a program that would meet both of our objectives, the Chinese objectives and U.S. objectives.  And the Chinese have expressed satisfaction with all the arrangements that we've made.
            Q:  And what were some of the ones that they wanted?
            SR. DEFENSE OFFICIAL:  I don't have the specific details on the ones that they wanted.  I know that they do want and they are -- they're very pleased with the ones that they've got.
            STAFF:  Lita.
            Q:  On -- you mentioned cybersecurity.  Can you give us just a little better idea of what type -- the tenor of the discussion about cybersecurity?  I mean, obviously, the U.S. intelligence community has come out fairly strongly about China cyberattacks, particularly data exfiltration.  Is that going to be part of the conversation, or is it more along the lines of international cooperation on cybersecurity issues?
            SR. DEFENSE OFFICIAL:  Well, I mean, I think the -- you know, I mean, cyber issues is an important area for dialogue and discussion with the Chinese government and the Chinese military in particular.  I mean, we obviously have some concerns about some behavior, cyber behavior that appears to originate in China.  This is something that we've talked about in the past.  We've mentioned it in our annual report to Congress on military and security developments involving the People's Republic of China.  I mean, there's -- I guess there's two aspects to that.  And you know, one is the question of norms, and another is the question of intrusions.  And you know, these are all important issues that we need to be able to talk about with the Chinese.
            Q:  But will they come up?  Will these four come up?  Will they come up?
            SR. DEFENSE OFFICIAL:  I think, yeah, cyber as a general topic will likely come up, yeah.
            STAFF:  Again, so we started late, so we're going to go just a couple more minutes.  (Inaudible.)
            Q:  Jim Miklaszewski, NBC.  What specific questions does the U.S. have about China's military modernization?  And what sort of answers have you received in the past when you ask about that?
            SR. DEFENSE OFFICIAL:  Well, I think, you know, we would like to have a better understanding of the purposes, you know, objectives and desired end states of China's military modernization.  We'd like to be able to understand a little bit more about why the Chinese are investing in this very robust and rapid military modernization program, given the security environment that we see in the Asia-Pacific today, which is a region that's at peace.  And so we'd like to understand what is motivating China to invest so much of their resources at such a rapid pace.
            We have had some success in getting greater openness from the Chinese in years past.  The Chinese now routinely publish defense white papers every other year, and that provides greater insights on what they're doing with their military and where they'd like to take the military in the future.
            They've done things like establish a Ministry of National Defense press office and information office to better provide -- make more information available about the military.  But we think that there's a lot more that can be said by the Chinese about the direction that its military is taking.
            STAFF:  OK.  This is going to be the last question.
            Q:  Thank you.
            STAFF:  (Inaudible.)
            Q:  (Inaudible) -- with -- (inaudible).  As you know -- (inaudible) -- North Korea has -- (inaudible) -- underground nuclear test.  (Inaudible) Secretary Panetta raised this issue at this time?
            SR. DEFENSE OFFICIAL:  We continue to have significant concern about peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula and -- particularly as North Korea continues to engage in provocative actions that risk instability in Northeast Asia.  I had mentioned earlier North Korea's failed missile launch.  That's one example of provocative behavior, and we're watching very carefully for the potential for additional provocation from North Korea.  And as I had mentioned before, I mean, this is -- this is a topic that will likely come up with the secretary, in particular given China's long-standing relationship with North Korea and its status as a country that has perhaps the greatest influence over North Korea.
            STAFF:  OK, guys, thanks.  I appreciate it.
            Just a little housekeeping -- (inaudible).  I forgot to mention that we do now have the press briefing scheduled at 1630 here in the -- (inaudible) -- finally worked out all the kinks.  So 1630 on camera with both Secretary Panetta and the minister.

USS ENTERPRISE ASSIGNED TO OPERATION ENDURING FREEDOM

FROM:  U.S. NAVY
ARABIAN GULF (April 18, 2012) The aircraft carrier USS Enterprise (CVN 65) and the Military Sealift Command fast combat support ship USNS Supply (T-AOE 6) conduct a replenishment at sea. Enterprise is deployed to the U.S. 5th Fleet area of responsibility conducting maritime security operations, theater security cooperation efforts and support missions as part of Operation Enduring Freedom. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Nick C. Scott/Released)

Enterprise, CVW-1 Support Operation Enduring Freedom
By Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Steve Smith, Enterprise Carrier Strike Group Public Affairs
USS ENTERPRISE, At Sea (NNS) -- Aircraft carrier USS Enterprise (CVN 65) and Carrier Air Wing (CVW) 1 began flying combat missions in support of Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF), May 1.

Through these missions, the Navy and Marine Corps squadrons aboard Enterprise are providing direct support to coalition forces on the ground in Afghanistan.

The missions include close-air support, electronic warfare, reconnaissance, and airborne command and control.

In Afghanistan, these missions degrade terrorist activities, diminish Taliban influence and improve security, which leads to stability and economic prosperity.

CVW-1 spent months preparing for these missions, and is ready to join coalition forces in the region.

Enterprise joins the USS Abraham Lincoln Carrier Strike Group in the region. Thus far, Abraham Lincoln has flown more than 1,400 sorties, totaling more than 8,700 flight hours in support of coalition efforts in Afghanistan, according to the Lincoln's Public Affairs Office.

Over the course of May 1, their first day supporting OEF, CVW-1 aircraft flew 29 sorties.

According to Capt. Jeffrey Trent, commander, CVW-1, the number of sorties flown on the first day will be the standard throughout much of the time CVW-1 is supporting OEF.

"That will be a very standard number," said Trent. "This is a marathon. We're going to be here for a number of months, and we're in it for the long haul, and getting jets on and off the deck is no easy task."

Accomplishing this task falls on the shoulders of the Sailors and Marines working aboard Enterprise every day.

"It's not just the airplanes flying. It's the Sailors and Marines working on the flight deck; it's the men and women working in the engineering plant, and those working everywhere in between, that support this mission," said Trent.

Enterprise should fly approximately 170 OEF sorties per week.

Commander U.S. 5th Fleet reported U.S. Navy aircraft have averaged about 5,000 close-air support missions per year in support of OEF, since 2009. As they did in 2011, Enterprise and CVW-1 will directly contribute to that total in 2012. During last year's deployment to the U.S. 5th Fleet area of responsibility, Enterprise and CVW-1 supported OEF with a total of 1,450 combat sorties.

"During this deployment we get to capitalize on all the experience gained last year," said Trent. "However, training is happening every flight and every event improves overall readiness."

Enterprise and CVW-1 will not be the only Navy assets supporting operations in Afghanistan during the carrier's final deployment. Sailors serve throughout all 34 Afghan provinces and in the six Navy-led Provincial Reconstruction Teams (PRTs), promoting governance, enhancing security and aiding in reconstruction efforts.

CVW-1 is comprised of the "Red Rippers" of Strike Fighter Squadron (VFA) 11, the "Checkmates" of VFA 211, the "Knighthawks" of VFA 136, the "Thunderbolts" of Marine Attack Fighter Squadron (VMFA) 251, the "Rooks" of Electronic Attack Squadron (VAQ) 137, the "Screwtops" of Carrier Airborne Early Warning Squadron (VAW) 123, and the "Dragonslayers" of Helicopter Anti-submarine Squadron (HS) 11.

Enterprise is deployed on its 22nd and final deployment to the U.S. 5th Fleet area of responsibility, conducting maritime security operation efforts and support missions for Operation Enduring Freedom.

MONTANA PARALEGAL AND FATHER CHARGED IN INSIDER TRADING SCHEME

FROM:  U.S. SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
SEC Charges Montana-Based Paralegal and Her Father in Insider Trading Scheme
Washington, D.C., May 7, 2012 — The Securities and Exchange Commission today charged a former paralegal at a Kalispell, Mont.-based semiconductor company and her father with insider trading on confidential information about the 2009 acquisition of the company.

The SEC alleges that Angela Milliard wired money to her boyfriend’s brokerage account so she could illegally trade on nonpublic details she learned while working as a legal assistant on Semitool Inc.’s then-secret deal with a Silicon Valley company. She also tipped her father Kenneth Milliard with the confidential information. He then traded on the nonpublic information and tipped his sons, who also made trades. The morning the acquisition was announced, the Milliards sold their shares for illicit profits of more than $67,000.

Angela and Kenneth Milliard have agreed to settle the SEC’s charges by paying more than $175,000.  “Angela Milliard exploited her access to confidential merger and acquisition information to illicitly enrich herself and her family,” said Marc Fagel, Director of the SEC’s San Francisco Regional Office. “As a member of a legal department entrusted with sensitive deal documents, she had a duty to safeguard that information, not trade on it.”

According to the SEC’s complaint filed in federal court in Montana, Angela Milliard first gained access to confidential deal information in October 2009, when she learned that Semitool and the acquiring company – Applied Materials Inc. – had entered into advanced merger negotiations. After learning that the tender offer was to happen in mid-November at a nearly 30 percent premium over Semitool’s then-trading price, she wired money to her boyfriend’s brokerage account and used it to surreptitiously buy shares of Semitool.
The SEC alleges that Angela Milliard tipped her father, who also purchased Semitool shares and encouraged his sons to do the same, which they did. They reaped their illegal insider trading profits following the public announcement of the merger on Nov. 17, 2009.

The Milliards settled the SEC’s charges without admitting or denying the allegations. Angela Milliard agreed to pay full disgorgement of her trading profits totaling $20,355 plus prejudgment interest of $1,614.60 and a penalty of $54,022.11. Kenneth Milliard agreed to pay full disgorgement of his and his sons’ trading profits totaling $47,805 plus prejudgment interest of $3,765.19 and a penalty of $47,805.11.
The SEC’s investigation was conducted by Jennifer J. Lee and Jina L. Choi of the San Francisco Regional Office.

POLARIS WARRIOR COMPETITION

FROM:  U.S. AIR FORCE SPECIAL OPERATIONS COMMAND
A CV-22 Osprey with the 20th Special Operations Wing at Cannon Air Force Base, N.M., descends on the Air Force Academy Cadet Area during the Academy's Polaris Warrior event April 28, 2012. Polaris Warrior combined several military training challenges designed to reinforce skills that cadets may need in the field. (U.S. Air Force photo/Raymond McCoy) 
AFSOC headlines 1st USAFA Polaris Warrior 
by Don Branum
Air Force Academy Public Affairs

5/7/2012 - U.S. AIR FORCE ACADEMY, Colo. -- Almost a year of cadet training in military field skills culminated Saturday in what Commandant of Cadets Brig. Gen. Rich Clark called a "boom event."

The Polaris Warrior competition featured 10 events themed around skills cadets may need in deployed environments after they graduate.

"It's a chance for cadets to really show what they've learned, to have their skills tested and to compete, squadron against squadron, in all the skill areas they've been training in," Clark said.

Cadet Squadron 39 took top honors in the competition, which included self-aid and buddy care, mobile operations in urban terrain, combat arms and land navigation. CS 40 and CS 33 took second and third place, respectively.

Two teams each from the commandant's staff, the Dean of Faculty mission element and the 10th Air Base Wing also competed in the Battlefield Airman portion of the event.

Polaris Warrior started with Clark's stated desire to institute more military-style training during the academic year, culminating in a large-scale event, said Maj. John Schroeder, deputy chief of the Cadet Wing Training Division here.

"We tried to build an academic-year plan accordingly," Schroeder said. "We had to make course corrections along the way because this was our first year trying to plan such a large-scale event."

The overall training plan came together in spring of 2011, Schroeder said. Planning for Saturday's challenge began in December. Cadet 1st Class Michael Oakley of Cadet Squadron 30 and Cadet 2nd Class Tyler Stearns of CS 36 became involved a month later as the event's cadet in charge and cadet NCO in charge, respectively.

"We had to make sure every squadron was prepared," said Stearns, a native of Anchorage, Alaska. "We had to make sure they knew what Polaris Warrior was, that they knew about the final event, and most importantly, that they knew how to prepare for the final event."

Six of the events were compulsory. Another four, including a physical training challenge and a "sprint" from the Cadet Area to Falcon Stadium and back, were optional, Stearns said. After each event, squadron cadets in charge called in scores, which Oakley and Stearns tabulated with Schroeder's help.

Polaris Warrior allowed juniors to ease into leadership roles, which they will do to a larger degree as seniors during summer and 2013 academic year, Oakley said.

"Putting second-class cadets in charge is key for preparing them for next year. It gave them the opportunity for trial and error on a smaller scale before they really take charge of their squadrons," he added.

More than 50 Airmen with the 20th Special Operations Squadron at Cannon Air Force Base, N.M., also supported the event, along with six aircraft, including two CV-22 Ospreys and an MC-130 Combat Talon, said Lt. Col. Tony Valerio, the Cadet Wing Training Division director and a 1992 Academy graduate.

"We got remarkable support from Air Force Special Operations Command," Valerio said.

Airmen with the 20th SOS interacted directly with cadets, including a gathering at Arnold Hall the evening of April 25 as well as attendance alongside cadets in classes and at the April 27 noon meal formation. The interaction worked well, said Maj. David Penuela, the squadron's assistant director of operations.

"Integration into the actual Polaris Warrior training events also proved to be a great recruitment tool" for special operations career fields, Penuela said. Cadets' enthusiasm also motivated the AFSOC Airmen who took part.

Valerio said he would like to refine the process of preparing for Polaris Warrior in future years but added that he was "extremely proud of the blood, sweat and tears" that Schroeder and the two cadets invested in coordinating and pulling off the inaugural Polaris Warrior.

"I couldn't be more proud of the job they did and the efforts they put out there," he said.

LABOR DEPARTMENT AWARDS OVER $65 MILLION TO FUND RE-EMPLOYMENT ELIGIBILITY ASSESSMENTS

FROM:  U.S. LABOR DEPARTMENT
US Labor Department awards nearly $65.5 million to fund re-employment, eligibility assessments for Unemployment Insurance in 40 states, Puerto Rico and DC
Increased funding to help speed job seekers’ return to work while maintaining integrity of UI system
WASHINGTON — The U.S. Department of Labor today awarded nearly $65.5 million in grants to 40 states, Puerto Rico and the District of Columbia to implement and/or continue re-employment and eligibility assessments for Unemployment Insurance beneficiaries.

"Today's grant announcement will allow states to provide personalized assessments for recipients of Unemployment Insurance to help them get back on their feet faster," said Labor Secretary Hilda L. Solis.

The funds will be used to conduct in-person assessments in One-Stop Career Centers. The assessments include the development of a re-employment plan for claimants, the provision of labor market information that is appropriate to the claimants' locations and employment prospects, a complete review of claimants' eligibility for Unemployment Insurance benefits, and a referral to re-employment services and/or training provided by the One-Stop Career Centers separate that is from the UI program.

This is the eighth year that the Labor Department has awarded grants through its Re-employment and Eligibility Assessment initiative. Recent evaluations of REA programs have shown that REAs reduce the number of weeks UI benefits are claimed by expediting the re-employment of the UI claimants. This evidence justifies expanding the use of REAs as provided for in the federal Emergency Unemployment Compensation program, which is authorized by the Middle Class Tax Relief and Job Creation Act of 2012.
"These grants allow us to bring UI beneficiaries into the One-Stop Career Center where they are introduced to all of the re-employment services that are available. REA participants get the best available help needed to find good jobs," said Jane Oates, assistant secretary of labor for employment and training.

Two new states, Pennsylvania and Wyoming, are receiving grants to implement REA programs, while 38 states plus Puerto Rico and the District of Columbia are being awarded additional funds to continue their programs. Montana did not request a new grant this year but will continue to operate its program using funds from a prior year.
Information about the positive impact and effectiveness of REAs can be found in a report by Impaq International LLC athttp://s.dol.gov/RK. Read more about REAs in a Labor Department blog post at http://s.dol.gov/RL.

MQ-9 REAPER GATHERS INTELLIGENCE AND MAKES PRECISION STRIKES

CANNON AIR FORCE BASE, N.M. -- An MQ-9 Reaper sits ready to be remotely piloted for missions such as intelligence gathering and precision strike.  The MQ-9's capabilities make it uniquely qualified to conduct irregular warfare operations in support of Combatant Commander objectives.