TWO FORMER AIRMEN HAVE BEEN INDUCTED INTO ASTRONAUT HALL OF FAME

FROM:  U.S. AIR FORCE
Space shuttle astronauts Franklin Chang Díaz, retired Gen. Kevin Chillton and retired Col.Charlie Precourt celebrate their induction into the Astronaut Hall of Fame at the Kennedy Space Center, Fla., May 5, 2012. More than 30 Hall of Fame astronauts and hundreds of guests gathered to witness the annual induction ceremony. Chilton is a 1976 graduate of the Air Force Academy. His wife, Brig. Gen. Cathy Chilton, is the mobilization assistant to the Academy superintendent. (NASA photo) 

Two former Airmen inducted into Astronaut Hall of Fame
5/22/2012 - FORT GEORGE G. MEADE, Md. (AFNS) -- Two retired Airmen were recently inducted into the NASA's Astronaut Hall of Fame during a ceremony May 5 at the Kennedy Space Center, Fla.

Retired Gen. Kevin Chilton and retired Col. Charles Precourt, along with Franklin Chang Diaz, were the 11th group of astronauts inducted, which brings the total number of astronauts in the hall of fame to 81.

"This is a tremendous honor," Precourt said. "It's obviously very humbling and I'm just really thrilled to be here today.

Precourt graduated from undergraduate pilot training at Reese Air Force Base, Texas, in 1978. Initially he flew as an instructor pilot in the T-37 Tweet, and later as a maintenance test pilot in the T-37 and T-38 Talon. In 1985, he attended the United States Air Force Test Pilot School at Edwards AFB, Calif. Upon graduation, Precourt was assigned as a test pilot at Edwards AFB, where he flew the F-15E Strike Eagle, F-4 Phantom, A-7 Corsair II, and A-37 Dragonfly until 1989, when he began studies at the United States Naval War College in Newport, R.I. Upon graduation from the War College, Precourt joined the astronaut program.

Precourt served in the space program for 15 years and was a mission specialist on Space Transportation System-55, pilot on STS-71, and commander on STS-84 and STS-91. During those missions he logged a total of 932 hours in space. During the STS-91 mission, which was the ninth and final Shuttle-Mir docking mission, the crew also conducted the Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer experiment, which involved first of its kind research of antimatter in space. He retired from the Air Force on March 31, 2000.

"It's incredibly humbling and unexpected," Chilton said. "I kind of had a sense that I didn't belong on the same list as these great folks. As I grew up, they were the ones I looked up to. They were my heroes. I kind of felt out of place, but at the same time incredibly grateful."

Chilton is the former commander of U.S. Strategic Command and a 1976 graduate of the Air Force Academy. He piloted the Space Shuttle Endeavour on its maiden voyage during the STS-49 mission, his first as an astronaut. Highlights of that mission included NASA's first three-person extravehicular activity during an operation to capture and repair a non-functional Intelsat VI satellite. He also piloted the 11-day STS-59 mission aboard Endeavour, which used radar imaging to map parts of the U.S., Europe and Asia for climate research.

The day before the ceremony, the astronauts and their families toured the space center, where Chilton and his wife, Brig. Gen. Cathy Chilton, the Air Force Academy's mobilization assistant, had the opportunity to sit in the cockpit of the Endeavour.

"It was really special being in (the Endeavour) with my wife because she had never been in there before," Chilton said. "She and all the other spouses are the real heroes of the program. They stand three miles away on top of a building at some ungodly hour of the morning with their babies in their arms watching their husband or wife sit on top of four million pounds of high explosives and blast off the planet. They're the really brave ones."

Chilton's career is different than many Airmen turned astronauts because after his career at NASA ended, he came back to the active duty Air Force in 1998.

"I don't think you could have laid it out on a piece of paper beforehand," he said. "To come back to the Air Force ... was something I always wanted to do but didn't think I could because the system wasn't set up to accommodate that, but it miraculously all changed at the right time."

His first duty upon returning to the Air Force was Air Force Space Command's deputy director of operations at Peterson Air Force Base, Colo. It culminated as the commander of U.S. Strategic Command at Offutt AFB, Neb.

"I couldn't have asked for better commands when I came back, and they were all exciting and each one just added on top of the next," Chilton said.  

Chilton was a rated pilot with more than 5,000 flying hours in several airframes, including the F-4 Phantom, F-15 Eagle, B-52 Stratofortress and U-2 Dragon Lady. He retired Feb. 1, 2011.

(Information compiled from NASA and Air Force releases and staff reports.)

REAR ADM. MARK A. HANDLEY VISITS NAVAL MOBILE CONSTRUCTION BATTALION 11

FROM:  U.S. NAVY
20515-N-UH337-059 FARAH PROVINCE, Afghanistan (May 15, 2012) Rear Adm. Mark A. Handley, Commander of 1st Naval Construction Division (NCD) and his staff disembark a V-22 Osprey in the Bakwa District of Farah Province, Afghanistan, during a visit to Naval Mobile Construction Battalion (NMCB) 11. With Handley are Capt. Kathryn A. Donovan, commodore of the 22nd Naval Construction Regiment (NCR); Cmdr. Lore Aguayo, commander of NMCB-11; 1st NCD Command Master Chief John F. Mulholland; 22nd NCR Command Master Chief Mark E. Kraninger; and NMCB-11 Command Master Chief Christopher Levesque. NMCB-11 is deployed to Afghanistan to conduct general, mobility, survivability engineering operations, defensive operations, Afghan National Army partnering and detachement of units in combined and joint operations area-Afghanistan in order to enable the neutralization of the insurgency and support improved governance and stability operations. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class  Jonathan Carmichael/Released) 

SEAGRASSES AS A SUPER CARBON WAREHOUSE

Photo:  Seagrass.  Credit:  Wikimedia.
FROM:  NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION
May 21, 2012
Seagrasses are a vital part of the solution to climate change and, per unit area, seagrass meadows can store up to twice as much carbon as the world's temperate and tropical forests.

So report researchers publishing a paper this week in the journal Nature Geoscience.
The paper, "Seagrass Ecosystems as a Globally Significant Carbon Stock," is the first global analysis of carbon stored in seagrasses.

The results demonstrate that coastal seagrass beds store up to 83,000 metric tons of carbon per square kilometer, mostly in the soils beneath them.

As a comparison, a typical terrestrial forest stores about 30,000 metric tons per square kilometer, most of which is in the form of wood.

The research also estimates that, although seagrass meadows occupy less than 0.2 percent of the world's oceans, they are responsible for more than 10 percent of all carbon buried annually in the sea.

"Seagrasses only take up a small percentage of global coastal area, but this assessment shows that they're a dynamic ecosystem for carbon transformation," said James Fourqurean, the lead author of the paper and a scientist at Florida International University and the National Science Foundation's (NSF) Florida Coastal Everglades Long-Term Ecological Research (LTER) site.

The Florida Coastal Everglades LTER site is one of 26 such NSF LTER sites around the world in ecosystems from forests to tundra, coral reefs to barrier islands.
"Seagrasses have the unique ability to continue to store carbon in their roots and soil in coastal seas," said Fourqurean. "We found places where seagrass beds have been storing carbon for thousands of years."

The research was led by Fourqurean in partnership with scientists at the Spanish High Council for Scientific Investigation, the Oceans Institute at the University of Western Australia, Bangor University in the United Kingdom, the University of Southern Denmark, the Hellenic Center for Marine Research in Greece, Aarhus University in Denmark and the University of Virginia.

Seagrass meadows, the researchers found, store ninety percent of their carbon in the soil--and continue to build on it for centuries.

In the Mediterranean, the geographic region with the greatest concentration of carbon found in the study, seagrass meadows store carbon in deposits many meters deep.
Seagrasses are among the world's most threatened ecosystems. Some 29 percent of all historic seagrass meadows have been destroyed, mainly due to dredging and degradation of water quality. At least 1.5 percent of Earth's seagrass meadows are lost every year.

The study estimates that emissions from destruction of seagrass meadows can potentially emit up to 25 percent as much carbon as those from terrestrial deforestation.

"One remarkable thing about seagrass meadows is that, if restored, they can effectively and rapidly sequester carbon and reestablish lost carbon sinks," said paper co-author Karen McGlathery, a scientist at the University of Virginia and NSF's Virginia Coast Reserve LTER site.

The Virginia Coast Reserve and Florida Coastal Everglades LTER sites are known for their extensive seagrass beds.

Seagrasses have long been recognized for their many ecosystem benefits: they filter sediment from the oceans; protect coastlines against floods and storms; and serve as habitats for fish and other marine life.

The new results, say the scientists, emphasize that conserving and restoring seagrass meadows may reduce greenhouse gas emissions and increase carbon stores--while delivering important "ecosystem services" to coastal communities.

The research is part of the Blue Carbon Initiative, a collaborative effort of Conservation International, the International Union for Conservation of Nature, and the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission of UNESCO.

USS MISSISSIPPI SUBMARINE VISITS MISSISSIPPI

FROM:  U.S. NAVY
Official U.S. Navy Photo
COMSUBGRU 2 Visits Mississippi, Praises State for Support of Submarine and Crew
y Lt. Cmdr. Jennifer Cragg, Commander, Submarine Group 2 Public Affairs
PASCAGOULA, Miss. (NNS) -- Commander, Submarine Group 2 visited the Mississippi Gulf Coast May 16-18 in preparation of the commissioning of Pre-Commissioning Unit (PCU) Mississippi (SSN 782), the ninth Virginia-class submarine.

The future USS Mississippi will be commissioned in Pascagoula on June 2.

"This is going to be an incredible moment for the history of the state," said Rear Adm. Rick Breckenridge, who met with host-city officials, PCU Mississippi Commissioning Committee members and submarine veterans during his visit to the Magnolia State.

While meeting with submarine veterans from the United States Submarine Veterans Inc. (USSVI) Base, in Biloxi, Breckenridge thanked them for their contributions and support.

"The spirit and pride that you all have for the future USS Mississippi is eye-watering," said Breckenridge. "The hospitality, support and the response from the citizens of Mississippi for their ship has been phenomenal."

Breckenridge added that their namesake state will play a pivotal role in the history of the boat and forge a strong bond that will endure during its lifespan of 33 years.

"When the ship is brought to life and the crew is called to man their ship, that is when USS Mississippi will become part of the U.S. Navy," said Breckenridge, who added that the future USS Mississippi will be the fifth ship to bear the name of its namesake state.

Herbert Edmonds attended a submarine veterans meeting with the admiral and he praised the technological advancements of the Virginia-class program.

"The ship is all computerized, completely different from what I served aboard, but I'm so looking forward to see it," said Edmonds.

Edmonds is one of 50 members of the USSVI Tullibee Base of Mississippi, which was charted on Aug. 25, 2001. The oldest member of the USSVI Tullibee Base, retired Lt. Cmdr. Richard Halloran, 91, served 29 years in the Navy and volunteered for submarine service, ultimately serving aboard six submarines while on active duty.

Virginia-class submarines are built under a unique teaming arrangement between General Dynamics Electric Boat and Huntington Ingalls Industries - Newport News. Construction on the submarine began in February 2007 and will be commissioned June 2, 2012.

Once commissioned, Mississippi, like all Virginia-class submarines is designed to dominate both the littorals and deep oceans. It will serve as a valuable asset in supporting the core capabilities of the Maritime Strategy: sea control, power projection, forward presence, maritime security and deterrence.

NEW LAW ALLOWS RESERVES TO RESPOND TO HOMELAND DISASTERS

Photo Credit:  FEMA
FROM:  AMERICAN FORCES PRESS SERVICE
New Law Authorizes Reservists to Respond to Homeland Disasters
By Donna Miles
WASHINGTON, May 15, 2012 - New authority in this year's Defense Department authorization act allows the Army, Navy, Air Force and Marine Corps reserves to be called to duty in response to natural disasters or emergencies in the homeland, and also to be mobilized for extended periods to support theater security missions around the world.

Except for a crisis involving a weapon of mass destruction, the reserves historically have been prohibited from providing a homeland disaster response, Army Lt. Gen. Jack C. Stultz, the Army Reserve chief, told reporters yesterday.

That job was reserved for the National Guard, which state governors could call up as needed to support civil authorities. If additional forces were required – as when Hurricane Katrina devastated the Gulf Coast in 2005 – active-duty service members became the federal default force.

That's long been a frustration to Stultz, who saw no sense in bypassing local reserve members simply because they operate under federal "Title 10" authority and not state "Title 32" authority.

"In a lot of cases, there were reserve-component soldiers, sailors, airmen and Marines who were close at hand with the capabilities needed, but didn't have the authority to act," he said. "Finally, we got the law changed. This new legislation says that now we can use Title 10 reserves."

For these forces to be used, the law specifies that the president must declare an emergency or disaster and a state governor must request the assistance.

Stultz clarified what hasn't changed under the law. Civil authorities will remain the first responders. And when they need military support, National Guard forces will be the first to step in when called by their state governor. "We are not trying to change any of that," the general said.

But now, when a situation also demands a federal response, reserve forces can step in to assist for up to 120 days.

Army Gen. Charles H. Jacoby Jr., commander of U.S. Northern Command, and his staff are evaluating their federal response plan to take advantage of these new capabilities, Stultz said.

Meanwhile, Stultz participated in a recent U.S. Army North exercise that helped to test the concept. The scenario involved two hurricanes hitting the United States almost simultaneously, requiring a federal response.

The exercise helped participants work through the procedures that would be involved in calling Title 10 forces to duty, Stultz explained. "How does the governor and the adjutant general within a state go through the process of asking for federal help?" he said. "How do Army North and Northcom identify what capabilities are close by that they can use? How do we go through alerting these forces to go down and help this natural disaster? And as always, who cuts the order to put them on duty, and who provides the funding?"
Stultz said he's gratified by almost universal support for the new legislative authority.
"Everybody is on board, from the governors to the adjutants general to Army North to Northcom saying this is going to be a good thing," he said. "We just have to make sure we have the procedures and processes worked out."
And now, before the authority is actually needed, is the time to get that resolved, he said. "Let's not wait until a hurricane hits to say, 'How do we do it?' he said.

Another change in the 2012 authorization act allows Title 10 reservists to be called to duty to support unnamed overseas contingencies. The reserves, and particularly the Army Reserve, have a long history of deploying members for medical, engineering and other missions to support theater engagement and security cooperation efforts.

Typically, they did so as their annual training, which generally limits their engagements to 21 to 29 days, Stultz said. That could be particularly limiting when the missions are in far-flung parts of the world, he said, sometimes reducing time on the ground to as little as 14 days before the reservist had to pack up and return home.
"With this new authority, now we can send them down for much longer periods of time," Stultz said.

As operations wind down in Afghanistan, Stultz said, he hopes reservists will be more available to support combatant commanders' theater engagement campaigns. Based on the Army force generation model, that means Army Reservists will be ready to deploy one out of every five years. He said the pool of ready reservists could conduct extended theater-support missions.

A hospital unit, for example, could potentially spend three months rather than three weeks supporting a medical mission in Central or South America, Africa or Asia. And at the end of that three-month period, another reserve unit could rotate in to replace them.
This additional capability, Stultz said, would give combatant commanders far more assets to support their engagement strategies across their areas of responsibility, even at a time of dwindling resources.

"It is not going to happen overnight," he conceded. "But over time, as we are sending an engineer unit to do a project in the Philippines, [we] have to sit with the Pacific Command and U.S. Army Pacific and say, 'Next year, instead of 29 days, let's do 60 or 90.'"

SEC CHARGES MAN IN REAL ESTATE INVESTMENT SCAM

Photo:  Apartment Building.  Credit:  Wikimedia.  
FROM:  U.S. SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
May 22, 2012
On May 17, 2012, the Securities and Exchange Commission charged a New Jersey man with operating a Ponzi-like scheme involving a series of investment vehicles formed for the purported purpose of purchasing and managing rental apartment buildings in New Jersey and Pennsylvania.

The SEC alleges that David M. Connolly induced investors to buy shares in real estate investment vehicles he created through his firm Connolly Properties Inc. He promised investors monthly dividends based on cash-flow profits from rental income at the apartment buildings as well as the growth of their principal from the appreciation of the property. However, the real estate investments did not produce the projected dividends, and Connolly instead made Ponzi-like dividend payments to earlier investors using money from new investors. Connolly, who lives in Watchung, N.J., also siphoned off at least $2 million in investor funds for his personal use.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of New Jersey, which conducted a parallel investigation of the matter, announced that Connolly was indicted on one count of securities fraud among other criminal charges.

According to the SEC’s complaint filed in the United States District Court for the District of New Jersey, none of Connolly’s securities offerings in the investment vehicles were registered with the SEC as required under the federal securities laws. He began offering the investments in 1996 and ultimately raised in excess of $50 million from more than 200 investors in more than 25 investment vehicles. However, beginning in at least 2006, Connolly misrepresented to investors that their funds would be used exclusively for the property related to the particular vehicle in which they invested. Connolly instead commingled the funds in bank accounts that he alone controlled and used for a variety of purposes that weren’t disclosed to investors, including $2 million in payments he made to himself that vastly exceeded any dividends to which he would be entitled through his ownership stake. Between 2007 and 2010, Connolly also wrote checks to “cash” in excess of $2.5 million. Even after Connolly stopped making dividend payments to investors in April 2009, he still continued to pay himself dividends as well as a $250,000 “salary” out of investor funds.

The SEC alleges that Connolly lacked sufficient revenues from rental income at the apartment buildings, so he continued to raise millions of dollars for new investment vehicles. He used the funds to pay purported monthly cash-flow dividends in excess of 10 percent to investors in older investment vehicles. Connolly refinanced properties and improperly used the cash proceeds to continue the scheme, which ultimately collapsed in 2009 when new investor funds dried up and rental income was insufficient to support payments on the mortgages. The properties owned by the investment vehicles were forced into foreclosure, wiping out the equity of the investors.

The SEC’s complaint charges Connolly with violating Sections 5(a), 5(c) and 17(a) of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 10(b) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 and Rule 10b-5 thereunder. The SEC’s complaint seeks permanent injunctive relief, disgorgement of ill-gotten gains with prejudgment interest, and civil monetary penalties.
The SEC thanks the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of New Jersey, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and the Internal Revenue Service for their assistance in this matter.

TWO FLORIDA RESIDENTS CHARGED BY SEC IN ALLEGED MASSIVE PROMISSORY NOTE PONZI SCHEME

Photo:   American Alligator.  Credit:  U.S. Fish And Wildlife Service
FROM:  SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington, D.C., May 22, 2012 — The Securities and Exchange Commission today charged two individuals who provided the biggest influx of investor funds into one of the largest-ever Ponzi schemes in South Florida.

The SEC alleges that George Levin and Frank Preve, who live in the Fort Lauderdale area, raised more than $157 million from 173 investors in less than two years by issuing promissory notes from Levin's company and interests in a private investment fund they operated. They used investor funds to purchase discounted legal settlements from former Florida attorney Scott Rothstein through his prominent law firm Rothstein Rosenfeldt and Adler PA. However, the settlements Rothstein sold were not real and the supposed plaintiffs and defendants did not exist. Rothstein simply used the funds in classic Ponzi scheme fashion to make payments due other investors and support his lavish lifestyle. Rothstein's Ponzi scheme collapsed in October 2009, and he is currently serving a 50-year prison sentence.

The SEC alleges that Levin and Preve misrepresented to investors that they had procedural safeguards in place to protect investor money when in fact they often purchased settlements without first seeing any legal documents or doing anything to verify that the settlement proceeds were actually in Rothstein's bank accounts. Moreover, as the Ponzi scheme was collapsing and Rothstein stopped making payments on prior investments, Levin and Preve sought new investor money while falsely touting the continued success of their investment strategy. With their fate tied to Rothstein, Levin and Preve's settlement purchasing business collapsed along with the Ponzi scheme.

"Levin and Preve fueled Rothstein's Ponzi scheme with the false sense of security they gave investors," said Eric I. Bustillo, Director of the SEC's Miami Regional Office. "They promised to safeguard investors' assets, but gave Rothstein money with nothing to show for it."

According to the SEC's complaint filed in federal court in Miami, Levin and Preve began raising money to purchase Rothstein settlements in 2007 by offering investors short-term promissory notes issued by Levin's company - Banyon 1030-32 LLC. In 2009, seeking additional funds from investors, they formed a private investment fund called Banyon Income Fund LP that invested exclusively in Rothstein's settlements. Banyon 1030-32 served as the general partner of the fund, and its profit was generated from the amount by which the settlement discounts obtained from Rothstein exceeded the rate of return promised to investors.

The SEC alleges that the offering materials for the promissory notes and the private fund contained material misrepresentations and omissions. They misrepresented to investors that prior to any settlement purchase, Banyon 1030-32 would obtain certain documentation about the settlements to ensure the safety of the investments. Levin and Preve, however, knew or were reckless in not knowing that Banyon 1030-32 often purchased settlements from Rothstein without obtaining any documentation whatsoever.

Furthermore, the SEC alleges that Banyon Income Fund's private placement memorandum misrepresented that the fund would be a continuation of a successful business strategy pursued by Banyon 1030-32 during the prior two-and-a-half years. Levin and Preve failed to disclose that by the time the Banyon Income Fund offering began in May 2009, Rothstein had already ceased making payments on a majority of the prior settlements Levin and his entities had purchased. They also failed to inform investors that Levin's ability to recover his prior investments from Rothstein was contingent on his ability to raise at least $100 million of additional funding to purchase more settlements from Rothstein.

The SEC's complaint seeks disgorgement of ill gotten gains, financial penalties, and permanent injunctive relief against Levin and Preve to enjoin them from future violations of the federal securities laws.

The SEC's investigation, which is continuing, has been conducted by senior counsels D. Corey Lawson and Steven J. Meiner and staff accountant Tonya T. Tullis under the supervision of Assistant Regional Director Chad Alan Earnst. Senior trial counsels James M. Carlson and C. Ian Anderson are leading the litigation.

The SEC acknowledges the assistance of the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of Florida, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and the Internal Revenue Service.

NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ISSUES STATEMENT ON EARTHQUAKE IN HAWAII AND TSUNAMI RISK

FROM:  NATIONAL WEATHER SERCIICE
SUNAMI SEISMIC INFORMATION STATEMENT NUMBER   2
NWS PACIFIC TSUNAMI WARNING CENTER EWA BEACH HI
410 AM HST WED MAY 23 2012

TO - CIVIL DEFENSE IN THE STATE OF HAWAII


SUBJECT - CORRECTION--LOCAL TSUNAMI INFORMATION STATEMENT

THIS STATEMENT IS FOR INFORMATION ONLY. NO ACTION REQUIRED.

AN EARTHQUAKE HAS OCCURRED WITH THESE PRELIMINARY PARAMETERS

   ORIGIN TIME - 0344 AM HST 23 MAY 2012
   COORDINATES - 19.0 NORTH  157.0 WEST
   LOCATION    - IN THE DEEP OCEAN OFF THE KONA COAST OF BIG ISLAND
   MAGNITUDE   - 3.8

EVALUATION

 NO TSUNAMI IS EXPECTED. REPEAT. NO TSUNAMI IS EXPECTED.
 HOWEVER...SOME AREAS MAY HAVE EXPERIENCED SHAKING.

THIS WILL BE THE ONLY STATEMENT ISSUED FOR THIS EVENT UNLESS
ADDITIONAL DATA ARE RECEIVED.

ATTORNEY GENERAL HOLDER SPEAKS AT NATIONAL SECOND CHANCE ACT CONFERENCE

Photo Credit:  Wikimedia
FROM:  U.S. DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE
Attorney General Eric Holder Speaks at the National Second Chance Act Conference Washington, D.C. ~ Tuesday, May 22, 2012
Thank you, Mary Lou, for your kind words, for your outstanding leadership of the Office of Justice Programs, and for your commitment to building a stronger, smarter, and more effective criminal justice system.   It is a privilege to join with you – and with Director O’Donnell, Director Thompson, and Congressman Davis – in opening this conference and kicking off what I know will be a series of thoughtful, productive discussions.

Let me also thank our conference organizers – especially the Council of State Governments Justice Center – for bringing together so many distinguished leaders, advocates, allies, and experts.   Whether you’re a parole officer or a treatment provider – whether you conduct research or develop job placements – you know that prisoner reentry is one of the most complex criminal-justice issues of the 21st century.   And I’m grateful to each of you for the sacrifices you’ve made to participate this week – and for all that you do, each day, to promote community safety and community healing.   All across the country, your work is changing lives.  It is strengthening families.   And it is helping to ensure that people who want to improve our society, as well as their own circumstances, have the chance – and the support they need – to grow, to learn, and to contribute.

This week, we have a unique, and critically important, opportunity to take this work to the next level – and to identify and advance some of the nation’s most effective public safety and prisoner reentry strategies.   As Chair of the Federal Interagency Reentry Council, I share your commitment to making the progress that we need – and that the American people deserve.   I am dedicated to building on the momentum that many of you have helped to create, and that the Council is driving forward.   And I recognize that these efforts, quite simply, could not be more urgent.

Today, more than 2 million people across the country – and more than 1 in 100 American adults – currently are behind bars.  At some point, 95 percent of these prisoners will be released.   Each year, approximately 700,000 people transition out of state and federal prisons, and millions more cycle through local jails.

Once those who commit crimes pay their societal debt, we expect that they will reenter our communities, ready to assume a productive role; that they will remain crime-free and sober; that they will get jobs.   But, as many of you have seen firsthand, these expectations are not always met – and, for a variety of reasons, reentry is not always an easy path.

For example, while we know that stable employment is one of the keys to successful reintegration, it also poses one of the greatest challenges.   Many employers are not eager to hire formerly incarcerated people, and – in today’s economic climate – these individuals often find themselves at the back of the line.   A recent report by the Pew Charitable Trusts found that past incarceration reduced subsequent wages by more than 10 percent, cut annual employment by more than 2 months, and reduced yearly earnings by 40 percent.   If having a job is central to successful reentry, then it is no wonder that two-thirds of all released prisoners will be re-arrested within three years.

But those who commit crimes aren’t the only ones who suffer.   In this country, 1 in 28 children has a parent behind bars.   Studies show that these kids often struggle with anxiety, depression, learning problems, and aggression – undermining their own chances to succeed.   In many cases, maintaining family relationships during incarceration can improve the lives of these children and reduce recidivism rates later on.

There’s a theme here: maintaining family connections and developing job skills during incarceration can improve public safety, reduce recidivism, and have lasting positive effects.  And as many of you have pointed out – to leaders across and beyond government – it is time we started to think about reentry in this context.   And it is critical that we turn to sound science and evidence-supported strategies to guide our work.

That’s what this week’s conference is all about.   And that’s why – for today’s Department of Justice – our commitment to being smart, as well as tough, on crime extends to our reentry efforts.   This is reflected in our work – with state, local, tribal, and international partners – to develop comprehensive, evidence-based strategies tailored to meet specific community needs.  It’s also evident in our budget allocations and investments.

I’m proud to report that, last year, through the Department’s Office of Justice Programs, we awarded more than $80 million under the banner of the Second Chance Act to support more than 120 government agencies and nonprofit organizations.   Today, these grants are helping to support a wide range of reentry activities – including employment assistance, substance abuse treatment, housing, family programming, mentoring, and other services – that can help reduce recidivism.   And I believe it’s worth noting that each of the grantees represented here today was selected from among more than 1,000 applications – a level of interest that, even a decade ago, would have been unthinkable.

In recent years, we’ve seen a nationwide transformation in attitudes toward reentry – and a sharp increase in the number of programs focused on prisoner reintegration.   Today, in every corner of our country, coalitions of government organizations and community groups are working together to improve reentry outcomes.   Our correctional systems now consider reentry planning to be a part of their core functions.   And agencies that tackle housing, health, labor, and other issues have begun to see effective reentry as part of their larger mission.

This evolution mirrors a fundamental shift in our criminal justice and our social services systems.   To put it simply, reentry has moved from the margins to the mainstream. And many of you have been a part of this progress.   Yet, despite all we’ve learned, despite the many lessons we’ve successfully applied – and despite the encouraging fact that our most recent studies show increases in parole success rates, and the first reduction in incarceration rates in nearly four decades – we have more to do, and further to go.

Today, I want to assure each of you that – for me, for President Obama, for leaders across the administration, and for my colleagues at every level of the Justice Department – effective reentry is, and will remain, a top priority.

I also want you to know that the Department is determined to build on the record of achievement that we’ve established in recent years – not only through unprecedented levels of grant funding, but also through the landmark initiatives that have been mentioned this morning.  From establishing the Federal Interagency Reentry Council – and fostering renewed engagement with strong allies across the federal government – to reinforcing our partnerships with the American Bar Association, extending our outreach to state Attorneys General offices nationwide, sharing best practices on Crimesolutions.gov, and – this week – launching the “What Works in Reentry Clearinghouse,” we are taking on the issue like never before.   And we’re seeing positive, promising results.

For example, in the state of Ohio, legislators, judges, prosecutors, and criminal justice professionals have come together – crossing city, county, and even party lines – to complete a thorough evaluation of laws and policies that impact collateral consequences of a felony conviction.   Last spring, I asked the attorney general of each state to undertake a similar review, and to determine whether certain statutes that impose collateral consequences without increasing public safety should be eliminated.   Already, Ohio state officials are developing a strong set of recommendations that will serve as a model to other states as they begin their reviews.

As some of you know, the Department also has called upon all relevant federal agencies to conduct a similar analysis of current regulations to identify any unintended consequences.  Several agencies already have begun identifying statutes that may have overly broad implications – and are considering ways to make improvements.   Within the Justice Department, we have evaluated more than 200 of our own regulations. And we have identified a number of rules that could be narrowed in scope without negatively impacting public safety.   At this point, we’re considering how to move forward either by revising current regulations or by issuing appropriate guidance.

Other markers of progress include the Justice Reinvestment initiative – a data-driven policy and legislative planning process – which is helping to focus and advance efforts aimed at reducing correctional costs and reinvesting resources in high-stakes communities.   I want to commend the Council of State Governments and the Bureau of Justice Assistance – along with other key partners – for their leadership in advancing this important effort.   As part of this initiative, states like Oklahoma and Hawaii are implementing new policies so that services and sanctions work in unison – and to ensure that high-quality community supervisors and programs are available.

Such efforts are resulting in significant taxpayer savings and public safety improvements nationwide.   And states like Vermont – which, after reinvesting $6 million to advance its reentry goals, reduced its three-year recidivism rate by 4 percent and, over the last two years, saw a 5 percent decrease in violent crime – are providing models for other states to learn from and replicate.

We can all be encouraged by these – and many other – achievements; and, above all, by the evidence that meaningful, measurable progress is possible.   We should not, and we must not, settle for anything less.

Of course, I can’t pretend that meeting our shared goals and responsibilities – or changing entrenched criminal justice policies, especially in the wake of an economic recession – is easy work.   But, by joining together, I am certain that we can realize our common vision of safe, thriving communities.

By your presence here today, you are signaling your commitment to this work.   I am grateful to each of you.   And I will be counting on you all.

On behalf of my colleagues – across the Justice Department and the Administration – I look forward to strengthening our partnerships and ensuring that all of our fellow citizens have the chance to improve their lives, to strengthen our society, and to help build the future we all seek.

Thank you.

SECRETARY OF DEFENSE PANETTA BELIEVES DOVER SUPERVISOR WHISTLE-BLOWER RETALIATION PUNISHMENT APPROPRIATE

FROM:  AMERICAN FORCES PRESS SERVICE
Panetta Believes Dover Punishment Appropriate
By Jim Garamone
American Forces Press Service
WASHINGTON, May 22, 2012 - Defense Secretary Leon E. Panetta believes the punishment of supervisors accused of retaliating against whistleblowers at the Port Mortuary at Dover Air Force Base was appropriate, Pentagon Press Secretary George Little said today.

Whistleblowers at the military mortuary in Delaware, which handles the remains of American service members who are killed or die overseas, pointed to problems at the facility in how some remains were disposed. The whistleblowers said that management at the mortuary retaliated against them.

The independent Office of Special Counsel investigated the allegations and found that supervisors did retaliate. The investigators found that Air Force Col. Robert Edmondson, Trevor Dean, and Quinton Keel engaged in reprisals. Air Force leaders reviewed the findings, conducted supplemental investigations and disciplined the men.
The Air Force offered Edmondson non-judicial punishment under Article 15 of the Uniform Code of Military Justice, and he accepted. After a hearing and appeal, the final punishment was a reprimand and forfeiture of $7,000.
Dean received a 20-day suspension without pay.

Keel resigned from his position before action could be initiated. Still, the service issued him a letter of censure after his resignation. Air Force Secretary Michael B. Donley reviewed the final disciplinary actions and considers them appropriate, Air Force officials said.

"The issues at Dover Port Mortuary are issues that the secretary of defense, indeed, the entire department -- we never want to see them happen again," Little told reporters during a news conference. "Our fallen heroes deserve the highest honor and respect. And we are committed to taking steps to ensure that lapses do not occur in the future."
The Office of Special Counsel commended the Air Force for rendering its decisions on disciplinary actions, Little said, and he pointed to the "very thorough and extensive process to review not just the lapses at Dover, but also the disciplinary actions that were levied. And the secretary is satisfied with that process."

Panetta was briefed on the whole process, and "he has faith in the process that the Air Force undertook, absolutely," Little said.

The punishment for the three supervisors for retaliation is in addition to other penalties imposed for gross mismanagement. Edmondson received a letter of reprimand and was denied further command opportunity. Keel received an involuntary downgrade to a nonsupervisory position outside the mortuary. Dean voluntarily took a downgrade to a nonsupervisory position within organization, but outside the Port Mortuary.
"Looking forward, Air Force leadership is reviewing instructional materials used to train supervisors and employees to ensure military members and civilian employees alike understand the rights of all employees to express important concerns in the workplace," said an Air Force spokesman. "We are committed to a workplace climate that makes individuals feel confident that they can raise any concerns they may have, that those concerns will be taken seriously, and that those raising the concerns will be treated with respect and appreciation."
Defense officials stressed that the whistleblowers performed an important service to the Air Force and the nation.

"These individuals continue in their positions at AFMAO; the Air Force has taken appropriate actions, including correcting their records to eliminate any negative information that resulted from any prohibited personnel practices committed," the Air Force spokesman said.

THE USS CARL VINSON COMPLETES DEPLOYMENT TO THE 5TH AND 7TH FLEET OPERATIONAL AREAS

 FROM:  U.S. NAVY
Tiger cruise participants watch as a formation of aircraft assigned to Carrier Air Wing (CVW) 17 flies over the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Carl Vinson (CVN 70) during an air power demonstration. Carl Vinson and CVW-17 are underway on a tiger cruise after completing a deployment to the U.S. 5th and 7th Fleet areas of operations. U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class James R. Evans (Released) 120519-N-DR144-627




FROM:  U.S. NAVY
Tiger cruise participants commemorate their voyage with a spell-out on the flight deck of the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Carl Vinson (CVN 70). Carl Vinson and Carrier Air Wing (CVW) 17 recently completed a deployment to the U.S. 5th and 7th Fleet areas of operations. U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class James R. Evans (Released) 120518-N-DR144-741

FACT SHEET ON U.S. ASSISTANCE TO YEMEN

Photo:  Yemen Presidential Palace.  Credit:  Wikimedia.
FROM:  U.S. STATE DEPARTMENT
U.S. Government Assistance to Yemen
Fact Sheet Office of the Spokesperson Washington, DC
May 22, 2012
Three months ago, the Yemeni people inspired the world by bringing unprecedented political change to their country. Yemen’s transition represents an important step forward, but more work lies ahead. Together with the Friends of Yemen, the United States continues to stand by the Yemeni people as they take steps to realize a more secure, prosperous, and democratic future.

At the Friends of Yemen meeting on May 23, the international community will discuss how to help the Yemeni Government rebuild its institutions following a year of unrest, and encourage the Yemeni Government to engage in a serious and inclusive dialogue with all relevant parties to chart the way forward. At the same time, it is important to note that the government will not be able to tackle the dire humanitarian and economic crises by itself, especially in the short term.

Overcoming Yemen’s challenges requires a comprehensive strategy that emphasizes governance and economic development as much as security issues. The United States’ approach to Yemen is therefore multifaceted and balanced. As the transition progresses, we will continue to meet the needs of the Yemeni people by delivering humanitarian aid and economic assistance, supporting political and governance reform, and providing security assistance to combat the common threat of violent extremism. The United States provided Yemen with $145 million in assistance for Fiscal Year (FY) 2011 and plans to provide at least $147 million in FY 2012. Additional funds may become available in FY 2012 for Yemen, as needs arise.

Civilian Assistance
The United States is committed to directing a significant portion of our assistance directly to the Yemeni people. U.S. civilian assistance to Yemen includes humanitarian aid as well as development and transition support. The United States provided $115 million in civilian assistance to Yemen in FY 2011 and plans to provide at least $111 million in FY 2012.
Humanitarian Assistance

The humanitarian situation in Yemen is one of the worst in the world. Recent United Nations studies have found that nearly half of the Yemeni population is food insecure, and nearly one million children under the age of five are suffering from acute malnutrition. Meanwhile, conflicts continue to displace citizens and hamper the relief efforts of the UN and humanitarian organizations.

The United States is the largest provider of humanitarian assistance in Yemen, and our aid aims to address the emergency and food needs of the most vulnerable populations. The United States provided $62 million in humanitarian assistance to Yemen in FY 2011 and is providing $73 million in FY 2012.
U.S. humanitarian partners provide protection, water and sanitation, emergency food, health services, and educational programs to help vulnerable populations.

U.S. funding for humanitarian assistance includes support for over 550,000 internally displaced persons, over 215,000 refugees and 140,000 migrants from the Horn of Africa, conflict victims, and other vulnerable populations. We are also working to build the response capacity for the Yemeni government and local organizations.

Development and Transition Assistance
The United States is dedicated to supporting the Yemeni people as they transition to a democracy worthy of their struggle. As part of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC)-brokered transition agreement signed by Yemeni parties on November 23, 2011, the Yemeni government has committed to convene an inclusive National Dialogue conference, reform the constitution and electoral system, reorganize the military, and hold democratic elections within two years.

The United States is working to support Yemen’s significant transition and development needs. We are focused on improving service delivery (health, education, and water) for vulnerable segments of the population; enhancing economic livelihood and growth opportunities; supporting representative government and participatory transitional processes; and providing Yemeni youth with meaningful civic, social, and economic opportunities. The United States provided $52 million in development and transition assistance to Yemen in FY 2011 and plans to provide at least $38 million in FY 2012.

U.S. support seeks to expand political participation in Yemen, including to women and youth, and to encourage more transparent processes for developing policy. We are leveraging technical assistance to help the Government of Yemen meet transition benchmarks, including reforming the electoral system.

The United States supports improvements in livelihoods and economic opportunity. We are contributing to the creation of jobs and building the capacity of local communities through infrastructure rehabilitation, value chain development, and micro-finance and small enterprise support.

We are also improving Yemen’s staggering health gaps by renovating health clinics, providing basic medical equipment to health facilities, training midwives and doctors in maternal and child health, and supporting community health education.

Military and Security Assistance
The aspirations of the Yemeni people and the urgent humanitarian challenges cannot be fully addressed until the security situation improves. U.S. security assistance to Yemen is aimed at restoring stability and security to Yemen while building the capacity of the Yemeni government to combat the common threat of Al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP). The United States provided $30 million in military and security assistance to Yemen in FY 2011 and plans to provide at least $36 million in FY 2012.
Based on conditions in Yemen, we are gradually resuming suspended military assistance to components of the Yemeni military that are combating AQAP. The resumption of assistance to Yemeni forces includes equipment and limited training.

In accordance with the transition agreement, Yemen must restructure its armed forces under civilian control, and with a unified and professional leadership structure that serves the Yemeni people’s national interests. The United States is committed to support the Yemeni military as it undertakes this task.

We are also examining options to provide training and assistance to Yemeni law enforcement and security forces to strengthen the rule of law and to empower the criminal justice system.

As we have done in the past, we will continue to monitor carefully all U.S. assistance to ensure it serves its intended purpose and to guard against human rights abuses.

RUSSIA INVITED TO JOIN NUCLEAR ENERGY AGENCY

Photo:  Hope Creek Nuclear Plant.   Credit:  Wikimedia.
FROM:  U.S. STATE DEPARTMENT
United States Welcomes Invitation for Russia to Join the Nuclear Energy Agency
Media Note Office of the Spokesperson Washington, DC
May 23, 2012
Today, Russia was invited to join the Nuclear Energy Agency (NEA) at a ceremony hosted by its parent body, the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) in Paris. Russia requested membership in the NEA, which is a leading intergovernmental authority for fostering nuclear safety and nuclear energy collaboration. The United States fully supports Russian membership, and looks forward to working with Russia in this area for the mutual benefit of all members. With its accession, Russia will bring its experience and focus on diverse nuclear energy technologies and approaches to the NEA.

The ceremony marking the invitation to Russia comes amidst the OECD’s yearly meeting of ministers and other high ranking officials from around the world. Ambassador Karen Kornbluh, U.S. Permanent Representative to the OECD, and Under Secretary of State for Economic Growth, Energy, and the Environment Robert Hormats attended the ceremony on behalf of the United States. Russia is currently in the process of accession to the OECD.

The 30-member NEA is a specialized agency within the OECD. The NEA assists its member countries in maintaining and further developing the scientific, technological and legal bases required for a safe, environmentally friendly and economical use of nuclear energy for peaceful purposes. It provides authoritative assessments and works to forge common understandings on key issues as input to government decisions on nuclear energy policy and to broader OECD policy analyses in areas such as energy and sustainable development.

THE CONSTELLATION CYGNUS

Best known as a swan winging its way across the night, the constellation Cygnus is easily seen in the northern hemisphere's summertime sky. This new view of the Cygnus-X star-forming region by the Herschel Telescope highlights chaotic networks of dust and gas that point to sites of massive star formation. This image combines far-infrared data acquired at 70 micron (corresponding to the blue channel); 160 micron (corresponding to the green channel); and 250 micron (corresponding to the red channel). The observations were made on May 24, 2010, and Dec. 18, 2010. Herschel is a European Space Agency cornerstone mission, with science instruments provided by consortia of European institutes and with important participation by NASA. Image Credit: ESA/PACS/SPIRE/Martin Hennemann & Frederique Motte, Laboratoire AIM Paris-Saclay, CEA/Irfu -- CNRS/INSU -- Univ. Paris Diderot, France 

MILITARY SPACE MISSION

FROM:  U.S. DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE ARMED WITH SCIENCE
Solar - B Spacecraft goes into orbit to begin looking at the sun. It is specifically looking at solar magnetic fields and the origins of the solar wind. (Photo concept from NASA) 
Written on MAY 17, 2012 AT 7:30 AM by JTOZER
The Military Mission In Space
The Air Force is constantly monitoring the skies, but that isn’t limited to our atmosphere.  Keeping our military satellites up and running is tantamount to mission success, and working to improve that equipment and technology is a part of the ever-growing advancement of our military mission in space.

The Space Control Center inCheyenne Mountain Air Station (NORAD) is the terminus for the SSN’s abundant and steady flow of information. The SCC houses large, powerful computers to process SSN information and accomplish the space surveillance and space control missions.

The NAVSPACECOM provides the site and personnel for the Alternate SCC (ASCC). The ASCC would take over all operations in the event the SCC could not function. This capability is exercised frequently.

The Orbital Space Debris
STRATCOM tracks over 20,000 man-made space objects, baseball-size and larger, orbiting Earth. The space objects consist of active/inactive satellites, spent rocket bodies, or fragmentation. About seven percent are operational satellites, 15 percent are rocket bodies, and about 78 percent are fragmentation and inactive satellites.
Most debris (about 84 percent) is out approximately 800 kilometers – roughly twice the normal altitude of the space shuttle which orbits at about 300 kilometers.
Only a small amount of debris exists where the shuttle orbits.
The likelihood of a significant collision between a piece of debris (10 centimeters or larger) and the shuttle is extremely remote. The statistical estimate is one chance in 10,000 years, in the worst case. The probability is higher for objects smaller-than-baseball size which currently cannot be tracked with available sensors.

Although 8,000 space objects seems like a large number, in the 800 kilometer band there are normally only three or four items in an area roughly equivalent to the airspace over the continental U.S. up to an altitude of 30,000 feet. Therefore, the likelihood of collision between objects is very small.

Through STRATCOM, the command tracks and catalogs all space objects orbiting Earth which are 10 centimeters or larger. During shuttle missions, the center computes possible close approaches of other orbiting objects with the shuttle’s flight path. NASA is also advised of space objects which come within a safety box that measures 10 by 10 by 50 kilometers of the orbiter.

The Future of Space Observation
The shuttles might be collecting dust in museums these days, but the need to advance our satellite and observation technology is a crucial part of the military mission in space.  Different things affect different parts of our planet, our satellites, and even our technology.  Continuing the advancement of understanding and prevention of solar weather could make a big difference.

U.S. AIR FORCE LASER JDAMS

FROM:  U.S. AIR FORCE
Weapons load crew Airmen prepare six GBU-54 laser Joint Direct Attack Munitions for loading onto three B-1 Lancer on May 12, 2012, during a Combat Hammer exercise at Ellsworth Air Force Base, S.D. The goal of the exercise was to evaluate the effectiveness, maintainability, suitability and accuracy of precision-guided munitions and other advanced air-to-ground weapons. The Airmen are assigned to the 28th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron at Ellsworth AFB. (U.S. Air Force photo/Airman 1st Class Zachary Hada)






B-1 aircrews make history by employing laser JDAMS
by Airman 1st Class Hrair H. Palyan
28th Bomb Wing Public Affairs

5/16/2012 - ELLSWORTH AIR FORCE BASE, S.D. (AFNS) -- B-1 Lancer aircrews from here employed laser Joint Direct Attack Munitions against moving targets during a weapon system evaluation program exercise May 14 through 16.

Aircrews from the 37th Bomb Squadron and 34th BS employed six GBU-54 laser JDAMs against targets on the Utah Test and Training Range near Hill Air Force Base, Utah, as part of the Air Force's air to ground WSEP, known as Combat Hammer.

"Combat Hammer provided us with the unique opportunity to employ weapons in real-world scenarios and evaluate the weapon and aircraft-to-weapon interface in great detail due to the telemetry kits on the weapons," said Lt. Col. Stuart Newberry, the 37th BS commander. "This data, when coupled with scenarios usually unavailable to us except in combat scenarios, provides us with an opportunity to validate and refine our tactics, techniques and procedures ... as well as adjust training plans and combat standards."

The goal of the exercise was to evaluate the effectiveness, maintainability, suitability and accuracy of precision guided munitions and other advanced air to ground weapons. The entire process of weapons handling was evaluated from start to finish during Combat Hammer.

Maj. Michael Ballard, the lead bomber evaluator for Combat Hammer, said this time around, WSEP focused on the cradle-to-grave evaluation for the LJDAM.

The LJDAM is a 500-pound, dual-mode guided weapon. It's equipped with a laser seeker, which aids in its ability to demonstrate outstanding accuracy and can be employed to engage both stationary and moving targets on the ground.

"We didn't do anything different because of WSEP - our main focus is always on safe and reliable loading first time, every time," said Master Sgt. Joshua Klotz, the 28th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron NCO in charge of loading. "We qualify monthly on all B-1 bomber assigned munitions and are required to complete proficiency loading every month."

Leadership was mindful in the selection process of aircrews for Combat Hammer, ensuring that Airmen who had less experience would be teamed up with seasoned aviators.

"We try to provide a mix of experience during Combat Hammer sorties," Newberry said. "All crewmembers were fully qualified, but it's important to allow younger aviators -- those without a lot of experience -- the opportunity to build confidence in their skills and weapon system while they are supervised by more experienced aircrew."

Newberry noted that aircrews have been limited in training opportunities with the LJDAM unless they are participating in a Combat Hammer scenario.

"It was gratifying to be part of the first operational release," said Capt. Charles Armstrong, a 37th BS B-1 weapon systems operator and a mission leader for Combat Hammer. "We're learning a lot from these missions, and it's vital to uncover the peculiarities of this weapon now in a training environment so we can employ it with no issues in combat."

Since LJDAMs had never been employed by an operational B-1 squadron before, Ellsworth AFB was the first to be evaluated on tactics and procedures while employing LJDAMs.

Newberry added that the Combat Hammer team continuously looks for different scenarios that could occur during combat situations, including GPS jamming, slowing down or speeding up moving targets, and then attempts to replicate them during sorties.

"Evaluators will be able to retrieve data from the telemetry kits on the weapons and build a picture of how the weapon was or was not affected in various scenarios," Newberry said. "That data is invaluable in refining and adjusting our training plans."

Ellsworth AFB is home to two of the nation's three B-1 combat squadrons and carries the lion's share of the deployment taskings involving the B-1. Since 2007, Ellsworth AFB B-1s have deployed 12 of every 18 months in support of missions in the U.S. Central Command area of responsibility. Additionally, aircrews from here conduct missions to rapidly deliver massive quantities of precision and non-precision weapons against adversaries.

Armstrong said that adding LJDAMs to the B-1's already diverse arsenal will only increase the already remarkable mission effectiveness rate Ellsworth AFB has had in current operations around the globe.

OFFICIAL TESTIFIES ON INTERNATIONAL NARCOTICS CONTROL

Photo:  Poppy Flower.  Credit:  Wikimedia.
FROM:  U.S. STATE DEPARTMENT
Testimony William R. Brownfield
Assistant Secretary, Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs Statement before the Senate Caucus on International Narcotics Control
Washington, DC
May 16, 2012
As prepared
Chairman Feinstein, Co-Chairman Grassley, and Members of the Caucus, thank you for the opportunity to address the growing presence of narcotics and narcotics-related criminal networks in West Africa, which is a significant emerging threat to regional and global security interests.

Transnational organized crime, including drug trafficking, is a major threat to security and governance throughout West Africa. Traffickers are moving drugs, people, small arms, oil, cigarettes, counterfeit medicine, and toxic waste through the region, generating large profits for transnational criminal networks. The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) has estimated that, together, these illicit activities generate approximately $3.34 billion a year. Cocaine trafficking is one of the most lucrative of these illicit activities. In fact, the U.S. government and the UNODC have estimated that about 13 percent of the global cocaine flow moves through West Africa.

Drug trafficking in West Africa directly harms Americans. We have invested greatly in attacking the South American drug cartels that move cocaine to our streets. Because of our successes impeding the flow of cocaine north, and growing demand for cocaine in Europe, these cartels have found new ways to stay in business. Although most of the cocaine moving through West Africa goes to Europe, the proceeds from cocaine trafficked through West Africa flow back to organizations that move cocaine to America, reinforcing their financial strength and their motivation to continue exploiting emerging routes for drug sales. We are also starting to see drug trafficking in the West African region expand from cocaine to include heroin, which does come to American streets. In July 2011, for example, U.S. federal agents took down an international heroin trafficking ring that moved heroin from Ghana to Dulles International Airport.

As you’ve rightly identified, another reason drug trafficking in West Africa deserves particular attention today is because of its destabilizing impact across the region. Competition between government factions for control of drug trafficking profits has greatly increased instability in the region. The potential for drugs to contribute to destabilization in the region is clearly seen, for example, in the case of Guinea-Bissau, where most of the country’s leadership has been implicated in drug trafficking. This example serves as a dire warning of the destabilizing effects of drug trafficking. Recognizing this link, when West African Heads of State laid out the region’s response to the April 12th coup in Guinea-Bissau at an April 26th Extraordinary Summit of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), they specifically highlighted the need for expedited action to address drug trafficking.

Drug trafficking not only destabilizes our African partners but undercuts our U.S. policy priorities in West Africa, including security, democracy, and good governance. The proceeds of drug trafficking are fueling a dramatic increase in narco-corruption, including in the form of contributions to election campaigns in West Africa. Criminal networks are co-opting government officials and security forces – the very actors responsible for fighting crime. They seriously compromise the effectiveness of anticorruption and institution-building efforts as they permeate political and state administration institutions and build corrupt networks with state officials to facilitate or reduce the risks and costs of their operations.

Drug trafficking through West Africa is a problem for Americans and for our foreign policy. But addressing drug trafficking through the region is also an important opportunity. By developing relationships with our West African partners, we have been able to force significant traffickers, who had previously eluded arrest, to face justice. For example, in July 2010, a Federal Court in Manhattan sentenced Jesus Eduardo Valencia-Arbelaez to over 17 years for his role leading a sophisticated international cocaine trafficking organization. His organization was based in Colombia and Venezuela but operated in Europe, West Africa, and the United States. Valencia-Arbelaez’s arrest was possible only through the close cooperation of law enforcement officials in the United States, Romania, and Liberia. As we combine building working relationships and building the capacity of our West African partners, the opportunities to combat drug trafficking and other transnational threats cooperatively will increase exponentially.

Developing a U.S. Government Response
In May 2011, I led a delegation of senior U.S. officials, including Assistant Attorney General Breuer and DEA Administrator Leonhart, to Ghana and Liberia, to begin formulating a strategic approach to undermine transnational criminal networks in West Africa and to reduce their ability to operate illicit criminal enterprises. Through consultations with partners in the region, our U.S. government team developed a plan called the West Africa Cooperative Security Initiative or W-A-C-S-I.

WACSI is built from the ground up – around five objectives designed to respond to the underlying factors that allow transnational crime to flourish in West Africa. INL led a U.S. interagency effort, consisting of experts from the Office of National Drug Control Policy, the Department of Defense (U.S. Africa Command and the Office of the Secretary of Defense), Department of Homeland Security (United States Coast Guard, Customs and Border Protection and Immigration and Customs Enforcement), Department of Justice (Criminal Division, Drug Enforcement Administration, Federal Bureau of Investigation), and U.S. Agency for International Development to analyze the challenges in the region and develop a strategy to guide the U.S. government’s response. Drawing on lessons learned from the law enforcement, development, and military perspectives, as well as the conditions on the ground unique to West Africa, WACSI offers the first comprehensive U.S. government approach to drug trafficking in West Africa.

WACSI’s Guiding Principles
1. Drug traffickers have established relationships with senior government officials in many West African countries. In too many cases, traffickers in West Africa have been able to buy high-level protection for their illicit activities. WACSI’s first objective, building accountable institutions, will address corruption within the justice and security sectors, high-level corruption of government elites, and the culture of impunity. The U.S. will work to address this at two levels: First, through technical assistance, integrity controls within criminal justice institutions can be established and strengthened so the very organizations meant to fight crime are not so vulnerable to becoming agents of crime; and second, through collaborative efforts to bring corrupt officials to justice. We will work with both government and civil society actors to strengthen the will and capacity to pursue impartial, apolitical investigations and prosecutions of significant corruption.

2. Absent common legal frameworks regarding narcotics and narcotics-related crimes, rule of law is nearly impossible to introduce across national borders. ECOWAS has called for the harmonization of its Member States’ drug laws. WACSI will establish legal frameworks, tackling the need for the development of comprehensive laws that combat transnational crime, particularly drug trafficking in each program country.

3. Credible governments must be able to extend the rule of law, secure communities, and enforce common and transparent laws for all citizens. West Africa is a diverse region. WACSI will strengthen the capacity of host governments for security operations and will empower our partners to execute lawful operations. In some countries, such as Ghana and Nigeria, U.S. assistance will focus on building capacity to detect, disrupt, and dismantle drug trafficking networks. In other cases, especially in post-conflict countries like Liberia and Sierra Leone, the next step is enhancing basic law enforcement.

4. Achieving peace and security requires justice systems, not simply the administration of justice. Arresting drug traffickers and their government facilitators will not cure the problem, particularly if there is not a transparent system of justice in place to incarcerate or rehabilitate offenders. WACSI will reinforce justice operations to ensure that suspects are arrested based on transparent charges, prosecuted, convicted, and incarcerated or rehabilitated fairly and according to the law. While it is far easier to build a legal case against a low-level drug courier, successfully prosecuting mid- and senior members of drug trafficking networks requires sophisticated legal skills, which U.S. assistance will work to develop.

5. Drugs and drug-related crime may flourish in ungoverned areas, where the government’s presence is weak or corrupt, but it is also the case that socio-economic factors are largely responsible for facilitating crime. WACSI programs will engage African citizens and private enterprises to address the underlying socio-economic factors that facilitate crime and work to undermine them. Helping the region prevent and contain domestic drug use is important to our West African partners and will be part of this approach.

WACSI in Action
WACSI today is in its infancy, but our framework and engagement has already demonstrated an impact. For example, in Ghana, we have provided intensive training and support to a DEA Sensitive Investigative United (SIU) composed of a select group of vetted Ghanaian law enforcement officials. As a result of assistance through WACSI and the in-country engagement of the DEA, these Ghanaian officials have already deployed new skills to conduct sophisticated criminal investigations, leading to multiple arrests, including government officials and international traffickers. Four of these suspects were expelled into U.S. custody and the leader of the Ghana based organization was sentenced to fourteen years in prison. To support the comprehensive approach called for by WACSI, INL has also worked with the Department of Justice to deploy an Assistant U.S. Attorney to Ghana to strengthen Ghana’s capacity to successfully prosecute drug traffickers.

The goal of WACSI and of all our assistance is ultimately to help our partners develop their own capacity to fight crime and administer justice. We often impart training, mentoring, and technical assistance to further that goal. We also recognize, however, that capacity is not developed overnight. Training and partnerships take time to develop. We also recognize that WACSI’s goals must be measured in the context of local environments. Where we can build basic law enforcement and judicial capacity into something more advanced, we will. Where our partners’ capacity is more basic, our initial support can take other forms as well. One such example is in Sierra Leone, where the Anti-Corruption Commission of Sierra Leone, the Departments of State and Justice, the Government of Brazil, and INTERPOL developed a West Africa Anti-Corruption Workshop in December 2011. The workshop brought together forty law enforcement officials from Benin, Burkina Faso, Ghana, Niger, Sierra Leone, Senegal, and Togo to examine techniques for investigating and prosecuting public corruption. The Government of Sierra Leone has since requested U.S. assistance investigating a case involving senior officials who are suspected of soliciting bribes in exchange for permission to conduct illegal logging operations.

Starting this summer, an experienced U.S. prosecutor will serve as a legal advisor in Sierra Leone to follow-up on the aforementioned training program and assist Sierra Leone in its efforts to more effectively combat public corruption, including by supporting anti-corruption investigations and prosecutions. Whether the illicit activity is illegal logging or drug trafficking, the impunity that allows for such corruption must be checked.
In addition to building the capacity of individual states, addressing drug trafficking, a trans-national issue, requires transnational cooperation. In May 2011, the State Department, together with the European Union (EU), hosted the Trans-Atlantic Symposium on Dismantling Transnational Illicit Networks (TAS). The TAS brought together over 300 senior law enforcement and justice sector officials from 65 countries, including representation from 11 West African nations as well as from ECOWAS. TAS charted ways to cooperate and coordinate our activities against trans-Atlantic crime flows, including narcotics trafficking. Following the Symposium, INL and the EU agreed that we would work jointly in a number of key areas in order to build the law enforcement and judicial capacity of West African states to disrupt and dismantle the illicit transnational networks that are attacking them. We are moving forward with a number of targeted, high impact initiatives.

WACSI will continue to focus on these cooperative partnerships and use them to expand effective programming. One of the most important of these partnerships is that between the international community and ECOWAS. There is broad consensus among those most active in West Africa, including Brazil, Colombia, the European Union, France, Italy, Mexico, Portugal, Spain, the United Kingdom, and the United States, that ECOWAS plays a vital role in providing the regional answers needed. In 2008, ECOWAS developed the continent’s leading regional action plan on drug trafficking and organized crime. I believe that ECOWAS’s continued leadership is necessary for implementation and will continue to work with our European partners on how best to support that goal.
* * *
Chairman Feinstein and Co-Chairman Grassley, the nature of transnational crime in West Africa and the unique circumstances in the region have prompted us to create a new, holistic approach in WACSI. The needs in West Africa are overwhelming and our government’s efforts must be well focused and coordinated. We face a difficult task ahead of us, and we recognize the need to partner with all players involved to fight this growing danger. The key to combating drug trafficking and other transnational crime is to undermine the factors that permit it – namely the weak rule of law and entrenched corruption – and the socio-economic factors that continue to drive it. Through WACSI, the entirety of the U.S. government has come together to focus our efforts and expertise on these very issues.

Thank you for this opportunity today. I welcome your questions.

SECRETARY OF DEFENSE PANETTA POSITIVE TALK ON SUPPLY LINES FROM PAKISTAN TO AFGHANISTAN

Photo Credit:  U. S. Air Force
FROM:  AMERICAN FORCES PRESS SERVICE
Panetta: U.S., Pakistan Progressing in Supply-line Talks
By Cheryl Pellerin
NORTH CHICAGO, Ill., May 21, 2012 - The United States continues to negotiate with Pakistan toward a resolution that will lead to the reopening of transport routes that have been closed since November to supplies bound for troops in Afghanistan, Defense Secretary Leon E. Panetta said here today.

During a news conference at the James A. Lovell Federal Health Care Center, Panetta said it was a positive sign that Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari attended the NATO summit that ended today.

"We still have a way to go, but I think the good news is that we are negotiating and that we are making some progress," Panetta said.

"It is extremely important that ultimately we're able to open up those lines of communication and transport so that we can expedite the assistance that needs to go to our men and women in uniform who are fighting the battle," the secretary added.

The countries' precarious affiliation ruptured Nov. 26 when a cross-border attack by NATO forces at a border coordination center in Afghanistan's Kunar province killed 24 Pakistani soldiers. Pakistan also has protested suspected U.S. drone strikes.

At this stage, Panetta said, "I guess I would say that I feel a lot more positive about the effort to try to see if we can find a resolution to that challenge."

Another continuing challenge associated with Pakistan and Afghanistan involves the Taliban.

"I think we understand that the biggest challenge is a Taliban that is resilient, that is going to continue to fight even though they've been weakened -- and I think the levels of violence are down -- and that they're going to continue to conduct attacks," the secretary said.

Coalition troops and Afghan national security forces will have to confront that enemy, he said, adding that he has every confidence that the Afghan army can respond effectively and be part of that effort.

"We are still dealing with a resilient enemy that in many ways still has a safe haven in Pakistan," Panetta said. "And that, I think, represents the greatest threat that we're facing."

U.S.MILITARY ROTATIONAL DEPLOYMENTS INCREASES ASIA-PACIFIC PRESENCE

Photo Credit:  U.S. Navy
FROM:  AMERICAN FORCES PRESS SERVICE 
Rotational Deployments to Boost U.S. Asia-Pacific Presence
By Donna Miles
WASHINGTON, May 21, 2012 - Welcoming new Marine rotational deployments in Australia and Navy rotations planned for Singapore, the top U.S. Pacific Command officer said he'll seek similar arrangements, possibly to include the Army, that expand U.S. presence in the region without the need for more permanently based forces.

Navy Adm. Samuel J. Locklear Jr. noted the arrival of about 200 U.S. Marines in Darwin, Australia, last month for the first six-month rotations serving alongside the Australian Defense Force.

"It's only a small group thus far, but over the next several years, we would like to grow that to about 2,500," he said during an interview here with American Forces Press Service.
Based at Australia's Robertson Barracks outside Darwin, the Marines are bolstering U.S. theater engagement in the Asia-Pacific region -- a major goal in the new defense strategic guidance -- without the need for new infrastructure or permanent U.S. bases, Locklear noted. The Marines provide "an increase in your ability to be forward, which provides a tremendous ability to work with our partners and build those relationships," he said.

Meanwhile, the Navy's new littoral combat ship, USS Freedom, is scheduled for its first 10-month rotational deployment to Singapore beginning next spring. If Singapore agrees, Locklear said, he ultimately would like to expand the arrangement to include additional littoral ships.

All, he said, will be positioned alongside a strong, reliable partner near the strategic Straits of Malacca that links the Indian and Pacific oceans. "It will give us a unique, credible combat credibility for our maritime security, particularly in one of the largest choke points in the world," he said.

Locklear said he'd like to build on these models as he implements the new strategic guidance that emphasizes the importance of Asia and the Pacific. Already, the Army has approached him with an interest in rotating units into Asia and the Pacific as operations wind down in Afghanistan. That makes sense, he added, noting that five of the world's largest armies are in the region.

"Our ability to operate effectively, cross-Army to cross-Army, has not been good in the last decade or so, because most Army assets were tied up in the Middle East," he said. "So we are really going to pursue some good opportunities in that regard."

Rotational forces provide "an uptick in presence" that he said complements that provided by the 330,000 service members permanently based within the U.S. Pacific Command area of responsibility.

"What they provide is an ability to work with our allies and to leverage the capabilities of the allies across all aspects of peace to conflict," the admiral said. Meanwhile, he added, the additional presence rotational forces provide creates regional footholds that could pay off if the United States had to flow more forces to protect U.S. or allies interests there.

That presence, and the experience base it helps to build, would be particularly valuable in a disaster requiring humanitarian assistance, such as the earthquake and tsunami in Japan, or any other crisis, he said.

"It gives training to the forces that rotate in and out," he explained, so they are familiar with the region and the regional militaries if they need to work together. He cited last year's Operation Tomodachi in Japan as an example. "So there is a lot of value to it," he said.

While anticipating no change in the number of permanently assigned U.S. troops in the region, Locklear said, he expects to see a "reshaped military" that's able to deploy more throughout the region, particularly to allies and partner countries. He noted the realignment of base infrastructure under way or planned in Japan, Guam and South Korea. The United States and Japan agreed last month on a plan to relocate about 9,000 U.S. Marines from Okinawa. About 5,000 will move to Guam, with the rest to transfer elsewhere in the region.

In addition, almost all of the 28,500 U.S. service members in Korea will have completed the move south of South Korea's capital of Seoul, most of them to Camp Humphreys, in the coming years. All but a tiny residual force will leave U.S. Army Garrison Yongsan, current home to U.S. Forces Korea and Combined Forces Korea in the heart of Seoul, and the 2nd Infantry Division and its supporting elements will relocate from Camp Casey and its tiny satellite bases north of the capital.

"We are working hard, between the U.S. government and our allies, to ensure that we do the right things now to ensure the success of both moves," Locklear said. Meanwhile, the Japanese government has the lead in setting a timeline for the movement of Marine Corps Air Station Futenma to a more remote area of Okinawa.

As this reshaping takes place, Locklear said, members of Pacom should "expect to stay busy" and continuing doing the "great work they are doing today."
"They need to stay focused on the job at hand," he said, and be ready to carry out whatever mission is asked of them.

"When required, they have to be able to produce what is necessary -- either build relationships, provide better security, and to deter and dissuade [aggression]," he said. "And if deterrence fails, they have to be able to fight and win. And that is what we get paid to do."