PENTAGON OFFICIAL EXPRESSES CONCERN OVER POWER TRANSITION IN EGYPT

Map Credit:  U.S. State Department
FROM:  AMERICAN FORCES PRESS SERVICE
Officials Express Concern Over Egyptian Transition
By Army Sgt. 1st Class Tyrone C. Marshall Jr.
WASHINGTON, June 18, 2012 - Millions of Egyptian people voted to elect a new president democratically, but the Egyptian military's last-minute amendments to the country's constitution concern the Defense Department, Pentagon Press Secretary George Little said here today.

"We support the Egyptian people and their expectation that the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces will transfer full power to a democratically elected civilian government, as the SCAF previously announced," Little said in a statement released to reporters."We have, and will continue, to urge the SCAF to relinquish power to civilian-elected authorities and to respect the universal rights of the Egyptian people and the rule of law," he added.

Little said the Defense Department is "deeply concerned" about the new amendments to Egypt's constitutional declaration and the timing of the announcement as polls closed for the presidential election.

"We believe Egypt's transition must continue and that Egypt is made stronger and more stable by a successful transition to democracy," he said. "Egypt has an enduring role as a security partner and leader in promoting regional stability, and we look forward to working with the new government on a host of issues."

Meeting today with reporters along with Pentagon spokesman Navy Capt. John Kirby, the press secretary said Defense Department officials remain in close contact with the Egyptian military on the matter, noting that Defense Secretary Leon E. Panetta spoke June 15 with Field Marshal Mohamed Hussein Tantawi, leader of Egypt's ruling council. "We plan to continue to maintain those close contacts and cooperation with the SCAF," Little said. "That being said, we need to see where things go."

Little said the U.S. and Egypt have maintained a very strong military-to-military relationship for many years.

"We want that to continue, ... [and] we're going to monitor events closely," he said. "It's very important to the entire U.S. government, and the U.S. military, that the SCAF take steps to promote a peaceful transition to democracy and a government in Egypt that is responsive to the Egyptian people."

Little said the United States has been clear about its position on Egypt's transition to a democratically elected government and that he believes the SCAF is fully aware of these concerns.

"We believe they've taken those concerns onboard, and there's time for all of this to be sorted out ... in the right way," he said.

Kirby said the Defense Department has enjoyed a strong military-to-military relationship and cooperation with the Egyptian military for more than three decades and still believes in maintaining that connection.

"Speaking from a purely military perspective, that relationship continues," he said. "It's been important."

Kirby said that while Egypt has been going through "a year of momentous change" that has altered the two nations' exercise regimen, the core of the relationship still remains.

"We've expressed our concerns about some of these recent decisions," Kirby said. "Our hope, and our expectation, is that they will facilitate a smooth, democratic transition in accordance with the constitution of their country. It's now up to the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces to do the things that the Egyptian people expect it to do," he added.

ESTONIAN PRIME MINISTER MEETS WITH MICHIGAN AIR NATIONAL GUARD

Estonian Prime Minister Andrus Ansip shakes hands with Airmen from the Michigan Air National Guard at Amari Air Base, Estonia, June 15, 2012. The Airmen were at Amari for Saber Strike 2012, a multi-national exercise based in Estonia and Latvia. Lt. Col. William Henderson is behind the prime minister. (Air National Guard photo by Tech. Sgt. Dan Heaton)

Estonian Prime Minister Andrus Ansip is briefed on the capabilities of a U.S. Air Force KC-135 Stratotanker by Lt. Col. Paul Beck, a pilot with the 171st Air Refueling Squadron. The aircraft was in Estonia for Saber Strike 2012, a multi-national exercise based in Estonia and Latvia. (Air National Guard photo by Tech. Sgt. Dan Heaton)

U.S. STATE DEPARTMENT CALLS FOR PEACEFUL, HUMANE CLOSURE OF CAMP ASHRAF IN IRAQ

Photo:  Justice and Humanity.  Credit:  Wikimedia. 
FROM:  U.S. DEPARTMENT OF STATE
Concern about Camp Ashraf
Press Statement Victoria Nuland
Department Spokesperson, Office of the Spokesperson Washington, DC
June 18, 2012
The United States remains concerned about the situation at Camp Ashraf and urges the residents of Camp Ashraf to resume full cooperation immediately with the Iraqi Government and United Nations Assistance Mission for Iraq (UNAMI). The United States also urges the Iraqi Government to intensify its efforts to fulfill its commitments to provide for the safety, security, and humanitarian treatment of the residents.

With almost 2,000 former Camp Ashraf residents now relocated to Camp Hurriya, the peaceful closure of Camp Ashraf is achievable, but requires continued patience and practical engagement to be realized. Constructive offers must be met with a constructive spirit, and not with refusals or preconditions to engage in dialogue. Recent publicly-declared conditions for cooperation, including calls for the Department to inspect Camp Ashraf as a precondition for further relocations to Camp Hurriya, are an unnecessary distraction.

The United States has made clear that cooperation in the closure of Camp Ashraf, the Mujahedin-e Khalq’s (MEK's) main paramilitary base, is a key factor in determining whether the organization remains invested in its violent past or is committed to leaving that past behind. We fully support the path laid out by the United Nations for the peaceful closure of Camp Ashraf along with sustainable solutions for its former residents. The Camp residents and their leadership - both in Iraq and in Paris - should recognize this path as a safe and humane resolution to this situation. Only a peaceful implementation of the Iraqi government’s decision to close the Camp is acceptable, and the Iraqi government bears the responsibility for the security and humane treatment of the individuals at Camp Ashraf.

PRE-COLOMBIAN HUMANS AND THEIR EFFECTS UPON THE AMAZON BASIN

Photo:  Blue Parrot.  Credit:  Wikipedia.
FROM:  NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION
Scientists Reconstruct Pre-Columbian Human Effects on the Amazon Basin
June 14, 2012
Small, shifting human populations existed in the Amazon before the arrival of Europeans, with little long-term effect on the forest.

That's the result of research led by Crystal McMichael and Mark Bush of the Florida Institute of Technology (FIT). The finding overturns the idea the Amazon was a cultural parkland in pre-Columbian times with large human populations that transformed vast tracts of the landscape.

The Amazon Basin is one of the highest biodiversity areas on Earth. Understanding how it was modified by humans in the past is important for conservation and for understanding the ecological processes in tropical rainforests.

McMichael, Bush and a team of researchers looked at how widespread human effects were in Amazonia before Europeans arrived. They published their results in this week's issue of the journal Science.

"The findings have major implications for how we understand the effect of the land-use change now occurring in Amazonia," said Alan Tessier, program director in the National Science Foundation's Division of Environmental Biology, which funded the research.
"Making the assumption that this system is resilient to deforestation, it turns out, isn't a position supported by historical evidence," Tessier said.

If the pre-Columbian Amazon was a highly altered landscape, then most of the Amazon's current biodiversity could have come from human effects.

The team retrieved 247 soil cores from 55 locations throughout the central and western Amazon, sampling sites that were likely disturbed by humans, such as river banks and other areas known from archaeological evidence to have been occupied by people.
They used markers in the cores to track the histories of fire, vegetation and human alterations of the soil.

The scientists conclude that people lived in small groups, with larger populations in the eastern Amazon--and most people lived near rivers.

They did not live in large settlements throughout the basin as was previously thought. Even sites of supposedly large settlements did not show evidence of high population densities and large-scale agriculture.

All the signs point to smaller, mobile populations before Europeans arrived. These small populations did not alter the forests substantially.

"The amazing biodiversity of the Amazon is not a by-product of past human disturbance," said McMichael. "We can't assume that these forests will be resilient to disturbance, because most of them have, at most, been lightly disturbed in the past.

"There is no parallel in western Amazonia for the scale of modern disturbance that accompanies industrial agriculture, road construction and the synergies of those disturbances with climate change."

Other co-authors of the paper are D.R. Piperno of the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History; M.R. Silman of Wake Forest University; A.R. Zimmerman of the University of Florida; M.F. Raczka of FIT; and L.C. Lobato of the Federal University of Rondônia in Brazil.
-NSF-

AFGHANISTAN: INTERNATIONAL SECURITY ASSISTANCE FORCE PRESS RELEASE JUNE 18, 2012

Map Credit:  U.S. State Department

FROM:  AMERICAN FORCES PRESS SERVICE 

Combined Force Detains Taliban Leader in Helmand

From an International Security Assistance Force Joint Command News Release
KABUL, Afghanistan, June 18, 2012 - An Afghan and coalition security force in the Nad-e Ali district of Afghanistan's Helmand province detained one of the senior Taliban leaders for the Spin Boldak district of Kandahar province yesterday, military officials reported.


The leader controlled several insurgent cells throughout southern Afghanistan and coordinated the construction and use of homemade explosives and bombs for attacks against coalition and Afghan forces.
The combined force also detained another suspected insurgent.


Also yesterday, an Afghan and coalition security force detained several suspected insurgents and seized assault rifles and bomb components during an operation to detain a Taliban leader in Kandahar's Panjwai district. The leader is responsible for multiple attacks against coalition forces in the region, and supplies insurgents with weapons, explosives and ammunition.
In June 16 operations:


-- A combined security force detained several suspected insurgents while searching for a Taliban leader in Ghazni province's Ghazni district who was directly involved in multiple attacks against coalition and Afghan forces in the region.


-- In the Jani Khel district of Paktia province, a combined force detained several suspected insurgents and seized ammunition and assault rifles while searching for a Haqqani network leader responsible for supplying, coordinating and directing attacks against Afghan and coalition troops throughout the Jani Khel and Tsamkani districts.

THE U.S.-INDIA STRATEGIC DIALOGUE

Photo Credit:  U.S. Library of Congress and Wikimedia.
FROM:  U.S. STATE DEPARTMENT
Readout of the U.S.-India Strategic Dialogue
Remarks Robert O. Blake, Jr.
Assistant Secretary, Bureau of South and Central Asian AffairsWashington Foreign Press Center
Washington, DC
June 14, 2012
ASSISTANT SECRETARY BLAKE: Well, thank you very much. I appreciate the introduction and thank you all for coming. It’s nice to see a lot of old friends in the crowd today. I’ll provide a readout, not just of the Strategic Dialogue, but really the whole week because we’ve had a great many different dialogues over the course of the last five days. So let me just briefly summarize some of those.

One was the Science and Technology Joint Commission meeting that was chaired by the President’s Science Advisor, John Holdren, as well as India’s Science and Technology Minister Deshmukh. Second was, of course, the Higher Education Dialogue chaired by Secretary Clinton and Minister of Human Resources Development Kapil Sibal. The third were regional consultations that were held earlier today between Foreign Secretary Mathai and Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs Wendy Sherman, and then also our Global Issues Forum that is probably still going on between, again, Foreign Secretary Mathai and Under Secretary Otero.

And then last but not least was, of course, the Strategic Dialogue itself. You all heard Secretary Clinton and External Affairs Minister Krishna describe the progress that we are making. Secretary Clinton remarked that the strategic fundamentals of our relationship are pushing our two countries into ever closer strategic convergence, and she highlighted progress in five separate areas. Since we’re celebrating Global Economic Statecraft Day today, let me start with the economic piece of it.

The Secretary remarked that bilateral trade between our two countries is up 40 percent since we began our Strategic Dialogue three years ago, and it is on track to exceed what we hope will be a hundred billion dollars this year. In addition, we want to advance our negotiations on the Bilateral Investment Treaty, and of course, we want to continue to do everything we can to reduce barriers to trade and investment in both directions.
The Secretary welcomed the Memorandum of Understanding that was signed between Westinghouse and India’s Nuclear Power Corporation, committing both sides to work towards early works agreements on things like preliminary licensing and site development that will be needed to begin construction work in Gujarat. She also noted that General Electric is also making progress in its talks with NPCIL. The Westinghouse MOU marks a very significant step towards the fulfillment of our landmark civil-nuclear cooperation agreement. The Secretary finally described in this area how we have mobilized more than $1 billion in clean energy finance for projects of various kinds. You’ve all heard me describe in the past how OPIC and Ex-Im and others have extremely large programs in India as a result.

The second major area of cooperation and progress was in the area of science and technology. The Secretary described how our joint commission is working to improve our linkages in sciences, engineering, and data-sharing. And she also welcomed the agreement concluded earlier this week to share the U.S.-India Open Government Platform software that is promoting transparency and accountability, and we’re very pleased to welcome a third-country partner, our first third-country partner, which will be Rwanda, and we hope to, of course, welcome many, many more.

The third area of cooperation was in the area of education and people-to-people ties. And again, the Secretary welcomed the progress that both sides have been making in the Higher Education Dialogue to increase educational exchanges and strengthen ties between our universities with a particular focus on community colleges.

Fourth, on security and defense cooperation, Secretary Clinton highlighted progress in the fight against violent extremism, our growing security cooperation both on the military exercise front but also on our bilateral trade, defense trade, which now exceeds $8 billion.
And finally, in our cooperation in South and East Asia, the United States welcomed India’s contribution towards building a stable, secure, and prosperous Afghanistan, including its more than $2 billion in assistance that it is providing. The Secretary thanked the Indians for hosting on June 28th a very important investment conference that will take place in Delhi to galvanize more international private sector investment for Afghanistan to look ahead to the transition there. She announced our intention to have a U.S.-India-Afghanistan trilateral dialogue. And the U.S. welcomes India’s support for our participation as a dialogue partner in the Indian Ocean Rim Association for Regional Cooperation.

We have a lot more information on all of the things that we have talked about and negotiated. You will have all seen the very lengthy joint statement that we put out. And then I also just wanted to call your attention to four different fact sheets that we put out in the areas of energy and climate change, public health and research, science and technology, and security and regional cooperation. So you’ll find a wealth of really terrific information in all of those as well.

So with that, I’d be happy to take some of your questions, including those from our friends in New York who I understand are joining us as well.

MODERATOR: All right. As we move to the question-and-answer session, please wait for the microphone, identify yourself by name and media organization, and we’ll start over here on the right, please.

QUESTION: Thank you. Chidu Rajghatta, the Times of India. Ambassador, about the trilateral on Afghanistan involving Afghanistan, U.S., and India, how do you expect to get around Pakistan? And at any point, was a quadrilateral considered? And why not a quadrilateral?

ASSISTANT SECRETARY BLAKE: Well, I think first of all, we want to start with a trilateral. First off, we start with a bilateral, and so of course we have very good bilateral dialogues with – well, each of us with Afghanistan. We’ve each signed strategic partnership agreements. So there’s a great deal to talk about with respect to Afghanistan. This is certainly not in any way seen as directed against Pakistan. On the contrary, it’s to talk about the situation inside Afghanistan, but also how we continue to support Afghanistan and the very important three transitions that are going to be taking place – not only the security transition, but the political transition, because Afghanistan will be holding very important elections in 2014, and then the equally important economic transition that you’ve heard me talk about a great deal.

So we haven’t really yet talked about the details of this since we’ve just agreed on this trilateral consultation, but we’ll be doing so in the days and weeks ahead.

MODERATOR: All right. Sir, we have a question from New York, so we’ll go ahead and turn the audio over to them. New York, go ahead.

QUESTION: Yes, good afternoon, Assistant Secretary. Thank you first for giving the opportunity to ask a question. And basically, as it has become the threat for not only Bangladesh, also for the regional peace and security, is there any formula for a permanent – I mean, to – for the permanent solution of the Rohingya issues in Myanmar and in Bangladesh borders?

ASSISTANT SECRETARY BLAKE: Is there any permanent formula? Is that what you said?

QUESTION: Yes. I mean any formulas to solve this problem permanently.

ASSISTANT SECRETARY BLAKE: Well, I think we’re focused right now particularly on the Rohingya situation as it affects Burma. As you know, there’s been a lot of ethnic fighting between – inside Burma, and several have sought refuge in Bangladesh. And we have urged our friends in Bangladesh to provide humanitarian access and to honor their international obligations to do so. And we hope they will because, again, I think many of these are fleeing potential violence, many need medical assistance, and many others will need access to shelter and food and water. So Bangladesh has a long history of accommodating the Rohingyas, and we hope that they will continue to do so.

MODERATOR: We have a question here in the front.

QUESTION: Seema Sirohi, Firstpost.com and Gateway House.
Mr. Ambassador, I was wondering if this agreement signed between Westinghouse and NBCIL, does it mean that your issues with the nuclear liability law are resolved? Is there – has that been taken care of? And the other question is --

ASSISTANT SECRETARY BLAKE: Sorry, let me answer that question first, Seema.
QUESTION: Okay.

ASSISTANT SECRETARY BLAKE: No, it doesn’t mean that the issues with respect to liability law are resolved. But I think both of our countries wanted to show that we still share a strong interest in seeing these commercial contracts come to fruition. We do have, still, some concerns about the liability law. But the signing of this MOU and the future conclusion of early works agreements will provide very concrete evidence of our intention to move forward, and particularly from our perspective, the interests of our companies in continuing to work with NPCIL to develop the very promising opportunities in this – what will be a $40 billion sector.
QUESTION: I have another question.

ASSISTANT SECRETARY BLAKE: Please.

QUESTION: On India’s desire to negotiate a totalization agreement with the United States, the minister said that you don’t even want to talk about it. So what’s going on? Why doesn’t the U.S. want to talk about it and be fair on this issue?

ASSISTANT SECRETARY BLAKE: Well, this is a legal question for us as well. There’s a great imbalance in our systems right now, and so there are legal restrictions on what kind of agreements we can enter into with partner countries. But certainly, we have a dialogue with this and we understand the importance of this issue to our Indian friends.
MODERATOR: We’ll take our next question in the back on the left, please.

QUESTION: Aziz Haniffa with India Abroad and Rediff.com. Piggybacking on Chidu’s question on Afghanistan, sometimes you come to regret what you wish for. Earlier, there was a perception by – in India that India was being kept out of the whole process because of pressure from Pakistan, et cetera. Now you guys seem to be going overboard in terms of trilateral commissions and everything else.

Is India going to be left with the baby in the bathwater in terms of responsibilities – because the Taliban is still a major force there – in terms of security also?

ASSISTANT SECRETARY BLAKE: Well, I think, first of all, Aziz, I would take issue with the premise of your question, which is we have not always welcomed the important role that India has played in Afghanistan. I don’t think you’ll ever – if you go back years and years, you’ll not hear criticism from me or any other spokesman talking about India’s role in Afghanistan. And we continue to welcome that across a broad range of what your country is doing, not only in terms of the assistance program that I talked about, the investments that are taking place in things like that Hajigak iron ore facility and deposit, but then also the very important support that India is providing in terms of private sector investment and, more broadly, the whole concept of regional integration. So we very much welcome India’s strong support for Afghanistan in all of these areas, and as Secretary Panetta said during his trip, we also welcome India doing more in terms of training, particularly the ANSF and police training back to Indian facilities in India itself.

As we look ahead to the transition, we are very focused on showing to Afghanistan that there will be strong international community support for all of these transitions that I just mentioned. So you’ve heard me and many, many other people talk about what we are calling the transition dividend, but also the “transformation decade,” as we say, of the next decade, 2014 to 2024, where we hope very much that the international community will continue to be very engaged not just in helping to support the ANSF, but also to provide the economic assistance that Afghanistan will need to develop. And so I think this upcoming conference that’s going to take place in Tokyo on July 8th will be a very important milestone in, again, looking forward to the economic piece of what I just talked about.

QUESTION: But a quick follow-up --

ASSISTANT SECRETARY BLAKE: So we’re certainly not leaving India to – in Afghanistan. We’re all going to be working very closely to help support Afghanistan.

QUESTION: But as a quick follow-up, is there going to be a security dimension too at this conference? Because the Taliban is still a major force. There has no – been no vanquishing of them, you know?
ASSISTANT SECRETARY BLAKE: Right.

QUESTION: And of course, elements of Haqqani and others have been responsible for attacks on the Indian Embassy in Kabul, et cetera.

ASSISTANT SECRETARY BLAKE: Well, there’s not a direct security focus. It’s obviously – there’s an economic focus. But the more success we have in developing private sector investment to developing private sector jobs and sustainable jobs for Afghans, of course, that will help to undermine the appeal of the Taliban. So in that sense, there is a security aspect to it.

MODERATOR: We’ll take another question here on the right.

QUESTION: Thank you. This is Lalit Jha from Press Trust of India. Welcome here to the Foreign Press Center.

ASSISTANT SECRETARY BLAKE: Only one question, Lalit. (Laughter.)

QUESTION: This is the fun part. (Laughter.)

QUESTION: Let’s begin with the follow-ups. The two follow-ups I have – (laughter) – on Afghanistan, at what level do you think this dialogue is going to be? And have you spoken to Pakistan or informed Pakistan that this is what you’re going to do, the trilateral consultations between India, Afghanistan, and the U.S.?

ASSISTANT SECRETARY BLAKE: Sorry, let me answer that because I won’t remember them. (Laughter.)
We haven’t yet. As I say, we’re just beginning to think about this and talk to both India and Afghanistan about how we’re going to structure this dialogue. So we haven’t made a decision yet about things like the level. But yes, we did have some contacts with the Government of Pakistan.

QUESTION: On Rohingya, Bangladesh, you know as a poor country it doesn’t have much resources. Is the U.S. willing to help or provide some kind of financial assistance to Bangladesh to take care of the refugees that are coming across the border from Burma?

ASSISTANT SECRETARY BLAKE: Certainly. And normally, the way this works, Lalit, is that UNHCR, the UN High Commission for Refugees, has – is supporting assistance efforts there. They have their own camps, but also they work with NGOs. So we typically respond to an appeal from the UNHCR. So if the UNHCR determines that it needs more resources to help Bangladesh to accommodate these refugees, then I’m sure that we will be more than happy to accommodate that request, because the United States, as you know, is always one of the most generous and early supporters of these kinds of appeals.

So again, Bangladesh will not be facing this problem alone. We understand that these kind of things impose a burden on countries and a cost on countries, so again, we hope very much that they will open their borders and allow people in and that UNHCR and others will be permitted to work very closely with the Bangladeshi authorities to accommodate those new refugees.

QUESTION: And my question: Was China factor discussed during the Strategic Dialogue? Because in the last couple of years, I have seen all the joint statements, but U.S.-China Dialogue didn’t mention to South Asia. And India-U.S. Dialogue, there is some mention to China. In this joint – 14-page joint statement, there’s no reference to China at all. Even the briefing, there has been no reference to China. So was this discussed or have you kept out of it?

ASSISTANT SECRETARY BLAKE: Well, China was discussed. I don’t want to say China was a focus. I mean, we were much more focused on things like Afghanistan and so forth. But as you’ve heard me say before, both India and the United States want a good, strong engagement with China, and we don’t see our strategic partnership as coming in any way at the expense of China. And so, again, I think it was more in that context. And we will continue to look for opportunities to engage bilaterally with China, but also, as you know, we have offered a trilateral dialogue with China as well that we hope that they will agree to.

MODERATOR: All right. We have a few questions on the left. We’ll start in the back.

QUESTION: Thank you. Kitty Wang (ph) with NTD TV. Regarding deepening the defense cooperation with India, did you heard any concern from the Indian part in the dialogue such as increased U.S. military presence there or deployment there?
And also, could you talk a more about your cooperation with India on the cyber security aspect?

ASSISTANT SECRETARY BLAKE: We didn’t hear any complaints, if that’s what you’re asking about, any kind of military presence. Whenever we have a military presence, it’s only at the invitation of the Government of India. And for – typically for our bilateral exercises – as you know, we have the largest program that India has with any country of bilateral military exercises. We certainly welcome those opportunities.

So we talked a little bit about that, but we also talked about how we both want to continue to try to work to expand our defense trade, particularly to take it into new areas like co-production and co-development.

MODERATOR: All right. We’ll take another –

ASSISTANT SECRETARY BLAKE: Sorry. You have one more question? Go ahead.

QUESTION: Yeah. Regarding the cyber security, how will you defend --

ASSISTANT SECRETARY BLAKE: Oh, yes. I mean, we had a good discussion on cyber security. To be honest, I don’t want to get too much into the details of what we talked about for understandable reasons, but, again, I think we see this as a very important new area of cooperation, not just because of our very large IT sectors that each of us have and the growing cooperation in that area in terms of the service industry, but also in terms of the threats that each of us face as well. And so we – again, we have common interest in sharing best practices and again, addressing those. But again, for obvious reasons, we don’t want to go too much into the details of that.

MODERATOR: All right. We’ll stay here on the left.

QUESTION: Thank you. Raghubir Goyal, India Globe and Asia Today. Mr. Secretary, two questions: One, is how much Pakistan was discussed, because Minister spoke about this yesterday at the media conference with the Indian media? He was not very happy the response he got from the U.S. as far as – many terrorists are wanted by India from Pakistan who were involved in Mumbai attacks, and also he spoke about Headley, among others. So response is not very good from Pakistan, and Pakistan is still helping those, Haqqani Network and all that are against India.

And second, my question will be: As far as U.S.-India Business Council and –
ASSISTANT SECRETARY BLAKE: Sorry. Let me answer the first one – question. Well, I didn’t see the Minister’s comments, but let me just say that we had a good conversation. We obviously share India’s concerns about some of the threats that are emanating from Pakistan, from groups like Lashkar-e Tayyiba. And we’re working very hard to – both to encourage Pakistan to take action against those, but also to prevent those kinds of attacks from occurring through our intelligence and other kinds of cooperation.

With respect to your question about David Headley and things like that, that’s really the province of the Department of Justice, and so I’d refer you to them. But as a whole, I would just tell you that there’s been very good information exchange between our two countries on – with respect to Mr. Headley and others. And we are very firmly committed to continuing that information exchange and certainly to sharing any kind of threat information the instant that we get it, because that is – that, of course, is extremely important to the security of India, but also to – an important part of our counterterrorism cooperation.

QUESTION: And second question will be on economy and trade. Since two countries, India and U.S., are the world’s largest and richest democracy, both are moving towards (inaudible) trade, economic, and other issues. But visa is a major issue among those U.S.-India Business Council and 500 Fortune companies doing business or who wants to do business in India and also vice versa, companies from India. One, are you moving forward as far as free trade agreement with India, just like you have with South Korea and other countries? Because since when you are saying that India is the most moving forward partnership now in the future? And finally visa, how far these companies they are seeking and asking more visas and but you are cutting visas rather than giving them more visas to do business in India – to do business in the U.S. Thank you, sir.

ASSISTANT SECRETARY BLAKE: Okay. There are a lot of different questions in that question. So let me try to unpack those a little a bit. (Laughter.) First of all, with respect to visas, you’re – I think you’re referring primarily to H1-B visas and, as you well know, India now receives 65 percent of the worldwide total of H1-B visas. So I think that’s a pretty commendable number and percentage and in terms of the L-1 visas – the so-called intra-company transfer visas – India receives 37 percent of those -- again, 37 of the worldwide total. Congress is the one that determines the caps for H1-B visas, not the United States Government. So – and that cap has remained fairly steady for quite a long time now.

So, again, I think we’re doing everything we can within our own, within the law to give Indian companies fair access to the H1-B system, and I think that they have shown themselves more than capable of taking advantage of all the opportunities, and we continue to welcome those kinds of workers. And the real quibble, if I might say, has been more on the L-1 – the intra-company transferees where the number of – the rate of rejections has gone up slightly. And we have a refusal rate that’s gone up a little bit because we’ve seen a higher level of unqualified applicants and in some cases some fraud. So naturally, we want to make sure that everybody that comes in is a qualified applicant and is coming for the purposes that are stated in the visa application.

So we’re looking at why that refusal rate seems to have gone up a little bit more but – in response to the concerns that have been raised. But again, I’m a strong supporter of all of our consular officers and think they do a superb job.

MODERATOR: All right. I think --

QUESTION: (Inaudible.)

ASSISTANT SECRETARY BLAKE: Oh sorry, FTA. I told you, you can’t ask me more than question at once, I can’t remember.
We’re not currently now working on a Free Trade Agreement with India. As I said earlier, our efforts are focused first on trying to conclude a Bilateral Investment Treaty. We have had a model Bilateral Investment Treaty approved earlier this year, so that then gave us the opportunity to again re-launch negotiations on the bit with India, and we’ve had some good early rounds of discussions and, again, we hope to advance those as rapidly as possible.

MODERATOR: Sir, I know your time is running short. Do we have time for one more question?

ASSISTANT SECRETARY BLAKE: Sure, sure – or a couple more.

QUESTION: I just wanted to come back to the $1 billion question and the visas.

ASSISTANT SECRETARY BLAKE: Sure.

QUESTION: What is the legal justification you mentioned for extracting a billion dollars annually from people who are ostensibly guest workers in terms of social security payments? And what is the moral justification for not returning the money? You say that there is an ongoing dialogue, but the minister actually distinctly said that the U.S. refuses to even talk about this. And this is $1 billion annually from a country that’s not very --

ASSISTANT SECRETARY BLAKE: Well, again, I don’t want to make it sound like we are discriminating against Indians. I mean, these are taxes that are taken out of every single worker in the United States, and that’s – when you come to the United States, that’s one of the things that you agree to do, is that --
QUESTION: (Inaudible.)

ASSISTANT SECRETARY BLAKE: Well, any worker. That’s just part of our system to make sure that taxes and social security and other – are automatically deducted from your paycheck. And so I don’t want to – your question implies that we’re somehow discriminating against Indians. Everybody is subject is to this --

QUESTION: Because – there are totalization agreements with countries like Belgium where the money’s returned. So why not with India?

ASSISTANT SECRETARY BLAKE: Right. But that’s – see, again, there’s an imbalance in our system between – in between what -- your system is configured completely differently from our own. If you want, I could have a chat with you offline, because it’s – it gets into very technical, complicated details. But essentially, for the moment, we’re not in a position to be able to enter into a totalization agreement with India, and we’ve explained the reasons why we can’t do that. But we understand very well their concerns.

MODERATOR: So maybe one final question.

QUESTION: I have two questions. On the sidelines of the SCO meeting, the Chinese vice premier apparently pulled aside Minister Krishna and whispered in his ear that the "real relationship," quote/unquote, is between China and India. And this was with an eye to sort of criticizing the growing U.S.-India relationship. So I was wondering if you’d like to comment on that.

ASSISTANT SECRETARY BLAKE: I don’t have anything to say beyond what I’ve already said on that. So what else?

QUESTION: Okay. The second question is on Iran oil sanctions.

ASSISTANT SECRETARY BLAKE: Sure.

QUESTION: Are we done with this, or is this going to be a recurring demand that we – India keep cutting oil imports, because this is causing unnecessary friction?

ASSISTANT SECRETARY BLAKE: No, no. We’re certainly not done. And again, this is something that we’re asking of all of our partners around the world. This is not something that’s focused on India. But the current exceptions that have been granted apply for a period of 180 days – so for a period of six months.

So we’re asking all of our friends and all countries around the world to continue to reduce their imports of oil from Iran and to discontinue transactions with the Central Bank of Iran and that there needs to be continued progress on that. So we hope we’ll see that. And again, I think that as many others have said, these sanctions have had a real impact, and they’ve helped to bring Iran to the negotiating table. And so – and have again helped to dramatically reduce Iranian oil exports from I think a high of 2.5 million barrels to down to a range of 1.2 to 1.8 million barrels a day. So that’s quite significant and it’s, again, it’s just important to keep the pressure on Iran so that they will come and negotiate with in good faith with the P-5+1 and with – and to continue, again, to work very closely with the IAEA and allow the IAEA access to all relevant facilities inside Iran.

MODERATOR: Sir, thank you very much for coming to the Foreign Press Center. This event is now concluded. Thank you all for coming.

ASSISTANT SECRETARY BLAKE: Thank you all. It was great to see you all. Thanks a lot.

U.S.-LITHUANIA RELATIONS

Map Credit:  U.S. Department of State
FROM:  U.S. DEPARTMENT OF STATE
U.S. Relations With Lithuania
Bureau of European and Eurasian Affairs
Fact Sheet
June 6, 2012
U.S.-LITHUANIA RELATIONS
The U.S. and Lithuania share a history as valued allies and strong partners. The United States established diplomatic relations with Lithuania in 1922, following its declaration of independence during World War I. Lithuania was annexed by the Soviet Union in 1940 during World War II. In 1990, Lithuania proclaimed its renewed independence, and international recognition followed. The United States had never recognized the forcible incorporation of Lithuania into the Soviet Union, and it views the present Government of Lithuania as the legal continuation of the interwar republic.

Since Lithuania regained its independence, the United States has worked closely with the country to help it rebuild its democratic institutions and a market economy. The U.S. welcomed Lithuania's accession to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) and the European Union (EU) in 2004. As a NATO ally and EU member, Lithuania has become a strong, effective partner committed to democratic principles and values. The country is a strong supporter of U.S. objectives in the area of democracy promotion and has helped the people of other young European nations develop and strengthen civil institutions.

U.S. Assistance to Lithuania
The United States provides no significant foreign assistance to Lithuania.

Bilateral Economic Relations
Lithuania is a relatively small but potentially attractive market for U.S. goods and services. Steps undertaken during the country's accession to the EU and NATO helped improve its legal, tax, and customs systems, which aided economic and commercial sector development. The United States and Lithuania have signed an agreement on bilateral trade and intellectual property protection and a bilateral investment treaty. Lithuania participates in the visa waiver program, which allows nationals of participating countries to travel to the United States for certain business or tourism purposes for stays of 90 days or less without obtaining a visa.

Lithuania's Membership in International Organizations
Lithuania’s foreign policy is largely informed by what it perceives as an expansionist Russia. Lithuania and the United States belong to a number of the same international organizations, including the United Nations, North Atlantic Treaty Organization, Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, International Monetary Fund, World Bank, and World Trade Organization.

A VOYAGER TO INTERSTELLAR SPACE

Image credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech  

FROM:  NASA

Data from NASA's Voyager 1 spacecraft indicate that the venerable deep-space explorer has encountered a region in space where the intensity of charged particles from beyond our solar system has markedly increased. Voyager scientists looking at this rapid rise draw closer to an inevitable but historic conclusion – that humanity's first emissary to interstellar space is on the edge of our solar system.

"The laws of physics say that someday Voyager will become the first human-made object to enter interstellar space, but we still do not know exactly when that someday will be," said Ed Stone, Voyager project scientist at the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. "The latest data indicate that we are clearly in a new region where things are changing more quickly. It is very exciting. We are approaching the solar system's frontier."

The data making the 16-hour-38 minute, 11.1-billion-mile (17.8-billion-kilometer), journey from Voyager 1 to antennas of NASA's Deep Space Network on Earth detail the number of charged particles measured by the two High Energy telescopes aboard the 34-year-old spacecraft. These energetic particles were generated when stars in our cosmic neighborhood went supernova.

"From January 2009 to January 2012, there had been a gradual increase of about 25 percent in the amount of galactic cosmic rays Voyager was encountering," said Stone. "More recently, we have seen very rapid escalation in that part of the energy spectrum. Beginning on May 7, the cosmic ray hits have increased five percent in a week and nine percent in a month."

This marked increase is one of a triad of data sets which need to make significant swings of the needle to indicate a new era in space exploration. The second important measure from the spacecraft's two telescopes is the intensity of energetic particles generated inside the heliosphere, the bubble of charged particles the sun blows around itself. While there has been a slow decline in the measurements of these energetic particles, they have not dropped off precipitously, which could be expected when Voyager breaks through the solar boundary.

The final data set that Voyager scientists believe will reveal a major change is the measurement in the direction of the magnetic field lines surrounding the spacecraft. While Voyager is still within the heliosphere, these field lines run east-west. When it passes into interstellar space, the team expects Voyager will find that the magnetic field lines orient in a more north-south direction. Such analysis will take weeks, and the Voyager team is currently crunching the numbers of its latest data set.

"When the Voyagers launched in 1977, the space age was all of 20 years old," said Stone. "Many of us on the team dreamed of reaching interstellar space, but we really had no way of knowing how long a journey it would be -- or if these two vehicles that we invested so much time and energy in would operate long enough to reach it.”

Launched in 1977, Voyager 1 and 2 are in good health. Voyager 2 is more than 9.1 billion miles (14.7 billion kilometers) away from the sun. Both are operating as part of the Voyager Interstellar Mission, an extended mission to explore the solar system outside the neighborhood of the outer planets and beyond. NASA's Voyagers are the two most distant active representatives of humanity and its desire to explore.

The Voyager spacecraft were built by NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, Calif., which continues to operate both. JPL is a division of the California Institute of Technology. The Voyager missions are a part of the NASA Heliophysics System Observatory, sponsored by the Heliophysics Division of the Science Mission Directorate in Washington.

. 

HISTORIAN ON CONFEDERATE CIVIL WAR GENERAL STONEWALL JACKSON

Picture:  Stonewall Jackson  From:  Wikimedia.

FROM:  AMERICAN FORCES PRESS SERVICE

Historian Describes 'Stonewall' Jackson's Rise to Prominence

By John Valceanu

WASHINGTON, June 17, 2012 - A hundred and fifty years after Confederate Army Maj. Gen. Thomas J. "Stonewall" Jackson's Valley Campaign, a renowned Civil War historian spoke about it at the Pentagon, describing how a great success can boost a military leader's reputation to the point that it has a major impact on his future operations.

Robert K. Krick delivered a presentation June 15, titled "Stonewall Jackson's Rise to Prominence and the Shenandoah Valley Campaign," as part of a speaker series sponsored by the Historical Office within the Office of the Secretary of Defense. Krick spent four decades as a National Park Service historian and retired as the chief historian at the Fredericksburg and Spotsylvania National Military Park in Virginia. He is the author of 20 books and more than 200 articles on the American Civil War.

During the Valley Campaign, which lasted from late March until early June 1862, Jackson used speed and bold tactics that enabled him to successfully engage much more numerous Union forces and prevent them from reinforcing an offensive against the Confederate capital of Richmond, Va. Jackson drove his 17,000 men to march 646 miles in 48 days in Virginia's Shenandoah Valley, defeating Union Armies totaling more than 52,000 men in several battles.

The general's success in the Valley Campaign created an "unbelievable metamorphosis" in his public image, according to Krick. Though Jackson had earned his nickname of "Stonewall" for standing firm at the First Battle of Bull Run on July 21, 1861, Krick said that before the Valley Campaign he was known primarily for being "odd" and "eccentric." In fact, some of his subordinates held him in such low esteem in early 1862 that they jointly wrote a letter complaining about him to the secretary of war and the president himself.

At the beginning of the Valley Campaign, Jackson's soldiers were "decidedly uncertain" about his abilities, and some were actually scornful of him, Krick said. The historian described the general as a dour man who held a "generally stern worldview." He was partly deaf, very secretive and had almost no sense of humor. Before the war, he had been a relative failure as a professor of natural philosophy and instructor of artillery at the Virginia Military Institute. Students complained about him, asked for his removal and called him "Tom Fool."

Everything changed for Jackson in that spring of 1862. "By the time the Valley campaign was over, everyone recognized Jackson's genius," Krick said.

Jackson's success in the campaign was sorely needed good news for the Confederacy, Krick said, and it made the general one of the most famous and adored southern military leaders. His new status as a genius boosted the morale of southern troops, who thought he could help lead them to victory, and it demoralized Union forces, who had come to believe he was such a formidable opponent that it would be very difficult to defeat him. This attitude very likely helped Jackson in subsequent military engagements, according to the historian.

"People succeed far more often when they think they will succeed," Krick said. "And they fail far more often when they think they will fail."

The historian noted that Jackson was an old-fashioned, devotedly religious man. He believed in predestination and thought he was "God's instrument on earth" during the conflict. Even when failed terribly during the Seven Days Battles around Richmond from June 25 to July 1 1862, the general's faith in himself did not waver, and neither did Confederate soldiers' faith in his abilities as a commander.

"Jackson's greatest talent on the battlefield was that he had his jaw clenched more tightly than anyone else on either side," Krick said. "He stuck to it."

In an interview with the American Force Press Service conducted after the presentation, Krick reinforced the notion of Jackson's determination as his biggest asset.

"When things got chaotic and foggy and messy, he was more determined than anyone," Krick said. "That really was his number one characteristic."

Krick noted during the interview that Jackson is among the dozen or so most famous American military commanders of all time, despite lacking "that unbelievable capacity to determine what the enemy might to do and make the perfect counterpoint" that Frederick the Great and many other great commanders seemed to have.

"Jackson had very few resources in the valley. All he had was a small army and a lot of determination and will power, and he built that into something more than it was, which then gave him the opportunity on broader fields to do the same thing again," Krick said. "I imagine that's a universal ... human equation. Since the first people started slinging javelins at one another, determination and dedication have been an important feature."

During the interview, Krick said that those qualities would also serve today's battlefield commanders.

"It's hard to imagine there will ever be a human period of stress, turmoil and danger in which iron will, determination, dedication and willingness to stick to it do not succeed in some degree and then persuade the people who have to help you that you can succeed further," he said.

Jackson achieved the rank of lieutenant general in the Confederate Army. He died on May 10, 1863, eight days after being mistakenly shot by Confederate troops during the Battle of Chancellorsville.

TWO MEMBERS OF U.S. ARMY PLEAD GUILTY TO BRIBERY CHARGES RELATED TO FUEL THEFT IN AFGHANISTAN

FROM:  U.S. DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE
Thursday, June 14, 2012
Two Members of the U.S. Army Plead Guilty to Bribery Charges Related to Fuel Theft in Afghanistan

WASHINGTON – Two members of the U.S. Army have each pleaded guilty to a bribery charge for their roles in a scheme to steal jet fuel at Forward Operating Base (FOB) Fenty near Jalalabad, Afghanistan, Assistant Attorney General Lanny A. Breuer of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division announced today.

Sergeant Regionald Dixon, 30, pleaded guilty yesterday in the District of Hawaii to one count of bribery and Specialist Larry Emmons, 25, pleaded guilty to one count of bribery on June 8, 2012.  Dixon and Emmons, both of Schofield Barracks, Hawaii, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Leslie Kobayashi.

According to court documents, on or about Jan. 1, 2012, Dixon and another co-conspirator sergeant in the U.S. Army, agreed to participate in a scheme to steal JP8 jet fuel from FOB Fenty.  Specialist Emmons joined the scheme when he returned to FOB Fenty from midtour leave on or about Jan. 22, 2012.

According to court documents, Dixon, Emmons and others surreptitiously filled 3,000-gallon trucks with JP8 jet fuel.  The trucks were owned by an Afghan military trucking contractor and were termed “jingle trucks” for their bright adornments.  When filling the jingle trucks, the defendants and their co-conspirators took steps to conceal their activities, including filling the trucks in clandestine locations and at times of day least likely to arouse suspicion.

Court documents state that Emmons or a co-conspirator created fraudulent transportation movement requests (TMR), military documents that officially authorize the movement of fuel from FOB Fenty to another location, usually another military base in that geographic area.  Emmons and his co-conspirator gave the fraudulent TMRs to the drivers of the jingle trucks, who presented the fraudulent TMRs at the secure departure checkpoint at FOB Fenty to justify their departure with a truckload of JP8 jet fuel.

In return for their official acts in facilitating the theft of fuel from FOB Fenty, Dixon, Emmons and a co-conspirator were paid $6,000 per 3,000-gallon truckload of JP8 jet fuel.
As part of their plea agreements, Dixon and Emmons agreed to forfeit various amounts of cash seized from them or their residences or voluntarily surrendered to federal agents.
At sentencing, scheduled for Oct. 4, 2012, Dixon and Emmons each face up to 15 years in prison.

These cases are being prosecuted by Trial Attorney Mark W. Pletcher of the Fraud Section in the Justice Department’s Criminal Division.  The cases were investigated by the Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction; the Department of the Army, Criminal Investigations Division; the Defense Criminal Investigative Service; the FBI; and the Department of the Air Force, Office of Special Investigations.  Valuable assistance was also provided by the Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs.

U.S. RELATIONS WITH MOZAMBIQUE

Mozambique Map  From U. S. State Department Website.
FROM:  U.S. STATE DEPARTMENT
U.S. Relations With Mozambique
Bureau of African Affairs
Fact Sheet
June 13, 2012
U.S.-MOZAMBIQUE RELATIONS
Mozambique's independence from Portugal in 1975 was followed by years of civil conflict that ended in 1992. U.S. aid to Mozambique in the post-conflict period supported the peace and reconciliation process. The country has had one ruling political party since 1975. The United States and Mozambique share a commitment to economic development, improved living standards, and good governance for all Mozambicans.

U.S. Assistance to Mozambique
At the end of the civil war in 1992, Mozambique ranked among the least developed countries in the world and despite a strong macroeconomic performance, continues to be so today. The United States is the largest bilateral donor to the country and plays a leading role in donor efforts to assist Mozambique. The United States seeks to strengthen democracy and inclusive governance in Mozambique as well as a continued economic growth that expands opportunity for those most at risk. Poverty reduction and job creation remain high priorities, as do improved healthcare, education, and food security. Our role as the country’s largest bilateral donor continues, with such significant U.S. foreign assistance programs as the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief, the Millennium Challenge Corporation, the Feed the Future Initiative, and the President’s Malaria Initiative.

Bilateral Economic Relations
Bilateral trade between the United States and Mozambique rose 68% in 2011 reaching over $US 487 million according to the Office of the United States Trade Representative. A substantial amount of foreign direct investment from Mozambique comes from the United States. The two principal U.S. investors in Mozambique are Anadarko Petroleum and Mozambique Leaf Tobacco Limitada, although interest by other U.S companies is on the rise. A Bilateral Investment Treaty (BIT) between the two nations came into effect in March, 2005. The U.S. and Mozambique signed a Trade and Investment Framework Agreement (TIFA) in 2005, and the TIFA Council held its first meeting in October, 2006, with the most recent session in January 2012.

Mozambique's Membership in International Organizations
The twin pillars of Mozambique's foreign policy are maintenance of good relations with its neighbors and maintenance and expansion of ties to development partners. Mozambique and the United States belong to a number of the same international organizations, including the United Nations, International Monetary Fund, World Bank, and World Trade Organization.

U.S. RELATIONS WITH MONACO

Map Credit:  U.S. State Department.
FROM:  U.S. STATE DEPARTMENT
U.S. Relations With Monaco
BUREAU OF EUROPEAN AND EURASIAN AFFAIRS
Fact Sheet
June 5, 2012

U.S.-MONACO RELATIONS
The United States and Monaco enjoy excellent relations, which both countries seek to maintain and strengthen. Monaco is the second-smallest independent state in the world and is linked closely to France through several treaties and agreements. For more than 150 years, Monaco and the United States have worked together as partners and friends. The two share a strong commitment to international cooperation in addressing some of the world's greatest challenges and opportunities, seeking to promote greater freedom, transparency, and human rights.

The U.S. Ambassador to France is also accredited to Monaco. The U.S. Consul General in Marseille is accredited to Monaco and handles most diplomatic and working-level contacts with Monaco.

U.S. Assistance to Monaco
The United States provides no foreign assistance to Monaco.

Bilateral Economic Relations
The United States and Monaco have a modest amount of bilateral trade in goods. Monaco has full customs integration with France, which collects and rebates Monegasque trade duties. It also participates in the European Union market system through its customs union with France. Monaco has signed a tax information exchange agreement with the United States.

Monaco's Membership in International Organizations
Monaco and the United States belong to a number of the same international organizations, including the United Nations and Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe. Monaco also is an observer to the Organization of American States.

Bilateral Representation
The U.S. Ambassador to Monaco is Charles H. Rivkin, resident in France; other principal embassy officials are listed in the Department's Key Officers List. Day-to-day relations are handled by the Consul General in Marseille.

ESA Portal - Switzerland - Français - Le secteur spatial européen et les futurs lanceurs vus par la jeune génération

ESA Portal - Switzerland - Français - Le secteur spatial européen et les futurs lanceurs vus par la jeune génération

ESA Portal - Czech Republic - Družice a pirátství na širém moři

ESA Portal - Czech Republic - Družice a pirátství na širém moři

AIR FORCE VEHICLE COMES IN FOR LANDNG

FROM:  AIR FORCE SPACE COMMAND
The Air Force's unmanned, reusable space plane landed in the early morning of June 16 at Vandenberg Air Force Base, Calif., a successful conclusion to a record-setting test-flight mission that began March 5 from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Fla. (U.S. Air Force file photo) 

Air Force space vehicle comes in for a landing
by Tech. Sgt. Julie Weckerlein
Air Force Public Affairs Agency

6/18/2012 - WASHNGTON (AFNS) -- The Air Force's unmanned, reusable space plane landed in the early morning of June 16 at Vandenberg Air Force Base, Calif., a successful conclusion to a record-setting test-flight mission that began March 5, 2011, from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Fla.

The X-37B Orbital Test Vehicle, one of two such vehicles, spent 469 days in orbit to conduct on-orbit experiments, primarily checkout of the vehicle itself.

"The vehicle was designed for a mission duration of about 270 days," said Lt. Col. Tom McIntyre, the X-37B program manager. "We knew from post-flight assessments from the first mission that OTV-1 could have stayed in orbit longer. So one of the goals of this mission was to see how much farther we could push the on-orbit duration."

Managed by the Air Force Rapid Capabilities Office, the X-37B program performs risk reduction, experimentation, and concept of operations development for reusable space vehicle technologies. The X-37B mission is the longest space mission only after the NASA Discovery shuttle program.

The 11,000-pound state-of-the-art vehicle, which is about a fourth the size of the shuttle, allows space technology experts to continue sending up experiments, with results returning safely to Earth for study.

"With the retirement of the space shuttle fleet, the X-37B OTV program brings a singular capability to space technology development," McIntyre said. "The return capability allows the Air Force to test new technologies without the same risk commitment faced by other programs"

The vehicle was initially a NASA initiative, but was transferred to the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency in 2004. When it first launched in 2006, it was lauded for its cutting-edge technologies, such as the auto de-orbit capability, thermal protection tiles, and high-temperature components and seals.

"The X-37B's advanced thermal protection and solar power systems, and environmental modeling and range safety technologies are just some of the technologies being tested," said McIntyre. "Each mission helps us continue to advance the state-of-the-art in these areas."

EPA ISSUES TIPS FOR STAYING COOL THIS SUMMER

FROM:  U.S. ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY
EPA's Fifteen Hot Tips for a Cool Summer
Save money, water, energy while protecting health and encouraging environmental learning
WASHINGTON - The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) released today a list of 15 tips for the summer season, which kicks off June 20th. Whether relaxing at home or off exploring the great outdoors there are many ways people can save money, cut energy costs and continue to protect the health of their families while still enjoying the summer.

Tips for a safe and enjoyable summer:
1. Energy Star savings for your home: The average home spends almost 20 percent of its utility bill on cooling. These cooling bills can be lowered by simply changing out incandescent light bulbs with EPA's Energy Star qualified lighting, which use less energy and produce approximately 75 percent less heat. Raising your thermostat by only two degrees and using your ceiling fan can lower cooling costs by up to 14 percent too. http://www.energystar.gov/index.cfm?c=products.es_at_home

2. Increase your gas mileage: Obey the speed limit; go easy on the breaks and avoid hard accelerations; reduce your time idling; and unload unnecessary items in your trunk to reduce weight. If you're not using your removable roof rack take it off to improve your fuel economy. http://www.fueleconomy.gov

3. Prevent skin cancer and be SunWise: Skin cancer is the most common form of cancer in the U.S. and is the most common cancer among 20 to 30-year-olds. Remember to practice safe sun habits. http://www.epa.gov/sunwise/actionsteps.html

4. Heading to the beach? Check the water: Americans take almost two billion trips to the beach every year. Beaches are a place to play, watch wildlife, fish, and swim. Learn more on how to plan a safe trip to the beach and check out state specific beach advisory and closing notifications. http://water.epa.gov/type/oceb/beaches/whereyoulive_state.cfm

5. Take EPA's apps with you on your smartphone: The AirNow app gives location-specific current air quality information to use to protect your health when planning daily activities and the Ultraviolet (UV) Index app provides daily and hourly forecast of the UV radiation levels from the sun so you can better prevent overexposure to the sun.http://m.epa.gov/apps/index.html

6. Enjoy the outdoors and capture the State of the Environment: Almost 40 years ago, EPA's Documerica project captured thousands of images across the nation as EPA’s work was just beginning. Now it’s your chance to mark the progress and submit environmental photos to EPA's State of the Environment photo project. http://blog.epa.gov/epplocations/about/

7. Protect yourself with insect repellents: Mosquitoes and ticks can carry diseases but you can protect yourself by choosing the right repellent and using it correctly. Read the product label before using; apply just enough to cover exposed skin and clothing; and look for the protection time that meets your needs. Children can use the same repellents as adults unless there is a restriction on the label. http://epa.gov/pesticides/insect/safe.htm

8. Water wisely: A large percentage of water we use at home is used outdoors. As much as 30 percent of that outdoor water use can be wasted due to evaporation by watering in the middle of the day. Water in the morning when winds are calm and temperatures are cool. Look for the new WaterSense labeled weather-based irrigation controller that uses local weather data to determine whether your sprinkler system should turn on. http://www.epa.gov/watersense

9. Clean greener: If you're going to wash the car, deck, boat, or RV– be sure to look for the Design for the Environment (DfE) label to quickly identify and choose cleaning products that are safer for families and also help protect the environment. Look for the DfE label on grill cleaners as well. http://www.epa.gov/dfe

10. Improve your indoor air: About 90 percent of people's time is spent indoors. While inside this summer, make sure to free your house of mold, test your home for radon, check your carbon monoxide detector and ask those who smoke to go outdoors. http://www.epa.gov/iaq

11. Check into an Energy Star hotel: On average, America’s 47,000 hotels spend more than $2,000 per available room each year on energy. Look for an Energy Star certified hotel--they perform in the top 25 percent of hotels nationwide, use an average of 35 percent less energy and emit an average of 35 percent less greenhouse gas emissions than peers.http://www.energystar.gov/buildinglist

12. Waste less and remember to recycle: Each year, Americans generate millions of tons of waste in homes and communities but it's easy to reduce, reuse, and recycle. Recycled items such as glass can be used in roadway asphalt (glassphalt) and recovered plastic can be used in carpeting and park benches. Learn what you can do to waste less.http://www.epa.gov/waste/wycd/summer.htm

13. Season firewood: Summer is a great time to season firewood in preparation for fall and winter. Remember to split firewood to the proper size for your wood stove or fireplace, but no larger than 6 inches in diameter; stack firewood to allow air to circulate around it; cover the top of the stack to protect it from the rain; and store your firewood for at least 6 months before using it. http://www.epa.gov/burnwise

14. Looking for a summer project and tired of the heat? Try composting: Composting can be a fun and educational summer project that saves landfill space, helps feed the soil and prevents methane, a potent greenhouse gas.http://www.epa.gov/waste/conserve/rrr/composting/basic.htm

15. Let summer inspire you and submit Six Words for the Planet: Keep the creativity flowing beyond the school year and into the summer by submitting a meaningful story or idea in just six words.

MT. SAINT HELENS AND TOPOGRAPHIC CHANGES

Photo: Mt. St. Helens.  Image credit: NASA/JPL/NGA 
FROM:  NASA
Mount Saint Helens
Mount Saint Helens exemplifies how Earth's topographic form can change greatly even within our lifetimes. The mountain is one of several prominent volcanoes of the Cascade Range that stretches from British Columbia, Canada, southward through Washington, Oregon and into northern California. Mount Adams (left background) and Mount Hood (right background) are also seen in this view, which was created entirely from elevation data produced by the Shuttle Radar Topography Mission.

Prior to 1980, Mount Saint Helens had a shape roughly similar to other Cascade peaks, a tall, bold, irregular conic form that rose to 9,677 feet (2,950 meters). However, the explosive eruption of May 18, 1980, caused the upper 1,300 feet (400 meters) of the mountain to collapse, slide and spread northward, covering much of the adjacent terrain (lower left), leaving a crater atop the greatly shortened mountain. Subsequent eruptions built a volcanic dome within the crater, and the high rainfall of this area lead to substantial erosion of the poorly consolidated landslide material.

Eruptions at Mount Saint Helens subsided in 1986, but renewed volcanic activity here and at other Cascade volcanoes is inevitable. Predicting such eruptions still presents challenges, but migration of magma within these volcanoes often produces distinctive seismic activity and minor but measurable topographic changes that can give warning of a potential eruption.

CHECK CASHIERS AND BUSINESSES CHARGED WITH ANTI-MONEY-LAUNDERING VIOLATIONS TOTALING OVER $50 MILLION

FROM:  U.S. DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE
Thursday, June 14, 2012
Check Cashers in Brooklyn, Philadelphia and Los Angeles Charged for Alleged Violations of Anti-Money Laundering Laws

WASHINGTON – Seven individuals and four check cashing businesses were charged today in the Eastern District of New York and the Central District of California for their alleged roles in separate schemes to violate the Bank Secrecy Act (BSA).  The defendants allegedly failed to follow reporting and anti-money laundering requirements for transactions totaling more than $50 million.

The enforcement actions were announced today by Assistant Attorney General Lanny A. Breuer of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division; U.S. Attorney Loretta E. Lynch of the Eastern District of New York; U.S. Attorney André Birotte of the Central District of California; U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Director John Morton; FBI Assistant Directors in Charge Janice K. Fedarcyk and Steven Martinez; Richard Weber, Chief of the Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI); Daniel R. Levinson, Inspector General of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS); and Benjamin M. Lawsky, Superintendent of the New York State Department of Financial Services.

Four indictments filed under seal on June 12, 2012, and unsealed today, charge the defendants with failure to file currency transaction reports (CTRs) or falsely filing CTRs, as well as failure to have an effective anti-money laundering program, all violations under the BSA.

Two of the indictments, charging three individuals and two check cashing businesses, were returned in Los Angeles and two indictments, charging four individuals and two check cashing businesses were returned in Brooklyn, N.Y.  All seven individual defendants were arrested or surrendered to authorities today.

The BSA is a set of laws and regulations enacted by Congress to address an increase in criminal money laundering through financial institutions, which includes check cashing businesses.  Check cashers enable people to cash checks without having to go to a bank or maintain a bank account.  A check casher will typically charge a fee for this service.

Under the BSA, financial institutions, including check cashers, are required to file a CTR with the Department of Treasury for any transaction involving more than $10,000 in currency.  As part of the CTR, the check casher is required to verify and accurately record the name and address of the individual who conducted the currency transaction, the individual on whose behalf the transaction was conducted, as well as the amount and date of the transaction.  CTRs are important law enforcement tools for uncovering criminal activity.

The BSA also requires financial institutions, including check cashing businesses, to maintain an effective anti-money laundering (AML) program.  The purpose of an AML program is to effectively detect and prevent attempts to facilitate money laundering.  Check-cashing businesses are therefore required to have written policies and procedures regarding CTR filings, records maintenance and responses to law enforcement.
According to the indictments, despite these regulations, check-cashing businesses are a common venue for individuals who want to anonymously cash large numbers of checks to facilitate fraud and money laundering schemes.  According to the indictments, the use of check cashers to launder money is particularly prevalent in the area of health care fraud, where fraudulent health care businesses commonly convert the proceeds of their fraud into cash by presenting checks to check cashers who they know will not ask for proof of the payee’s identity and will either not file CTRs or file false CTRs.

“Today’s indictments put unscrupulous check cashers on notice that we are scrutinizing their conduct,” said Assistant Attorney General Breuer.  “They may think that they are flying under the radar, but they are not.  These defendants are charged with filing false currency transaction reports, or not filing them at all, and other serious violations of the Bank Secrecy Act.  We will not tolerate check cashing businesses evading anti-money laundering laws.”

“These indictments send a clear message that we will not tolerate the willful failure of check-cashing businesses to take all steps under the law to prevent their businesses from being used to launder the proceeds of crime,” said U.S. Attorney Lynch.  “We are pleased to be working closely with the Asset Forfeiture and Money Laundering Section of the Department of Justice and our federal law enforcement partners in the investigation and prosecution of these important cases.”

“The Bank Secrecy Act provides law enforcement with a powerful tool to detect and prevent crime by requiring financial institutions to document and submit reports on certain currency transactions,” said U.S. Attorney Birotte.  “Those who seek to evade the restrictions of the Bank Secrecy Act – both individuals and financial institutions – will be aggressively pursued by the Department of Justice and its partners in federal, state and local law enforcement.”

According to a superseding indictment filed in the Eastern District of New York, Belair Payroll Services, a check cashing store in Flushing, N.Y.; its owner, Craig Panzera; and two other individuals, Lasha Goletiani and Zhan Petrosyants, are charged for their alleged roles in a scheme to violate the BSA.  Specifically, Goletiani and Petrosyants allegedly caused Belair to file false CTRs and Panzera allegedly caused Belair to fail to have an effective AML program.  In addition, Panzera has been charged with conspiring to commit tax violations with respect to the fees Belair received in connection with the scheme.
As part of the scheme, which lasted from June 2009 through June 2011, Goletiani, 32, and Petrosyants, 30, presented to Belair’s manager and other employees, checks to be cashed at Belair.  The checks were written on accounts of shell corporations that appeared to be health care related, but in fact, the corporations did no legitimate business.  The shell corporations and their corresponding bank accounts on which the checks were written, were established in the names of foreign nationals, many of whom were no longer in the United States.

The indictment alleges that employees at Belair accepted these checks and provided cash in excess of $10,000 to Goletiani or Petrosyants.  Panzera, 46, and others at Belair never obtained any identification documents or information from Goletiani or Petrosyants.  Belair allegedly filed CTRs that falsely stated the checks were cashed by the foreign nationals who set up the shell corporations, and in certain CTRs, Belair allegedly failed to indicate the full amount of cash provided to Goletiani or Petrosyants.  Goletiani and Petrosyants cashed more than $19 million through Belair during the course of the scheme.  The indictment unsealed today supersedes an indictment returned against Goletiani in July 2011, for conspiring to cause Belair to file false CTRs.  Approximately $3.2 million has been seized from Belair’s bank accounts in connection with this conduct.

A second indictment filed in the Eastern District of New York charges Bargain Island, a check cashing business in Philadelphia, and its owner and operator, George Gonchar, 51, with failure to file CTRs and failure to have an effective AML program.  According to the indictment, from October 2009 through October 2010, individuals acting as check couriers brought multiple checks from Brooklyn made payable to various medical services companies, to Bargain Island and presented them to Gonchar for cashing.  On almost all occasions, the checks exceeded, in the aggregate, $10,000.  As alleged in the indictment, Gonchar knew that the check couriers presenting the checks to Bargain Island had no connection to the checks other than acting as couriers.  Despite this knowledge, Gonchar falsely indicated in CTR filings that the checks were cashed on behalf of the couriers themselves or for companies associated with the couriers.  Bargain Island cashed more than $5.8 million in checks from couriers in this manner.

A third indictment filed in the Central District of California charges G&A Check Cashing, a check cashing business in Los Angeles; its general manager, Karen Gasparian, 31; and an employee and designated compliance officer, Humberto Sanchez, 53, with BSA violations.  The indictment alleges that two separate cooperating witnesses presented bundles of checks totaling more than $10,000 to Gasparian and Sanchez at G&A.  The checks were written on accounts for businesses that purported to be health care businesses.  G&A deposited the checks into its operating accounts over a period of several days, and then provided cash, in excess of $10,000 to the cooperating witnesses.  Neither Gasparian nor Sanchez filed CTRs on these transactions even though they were well aware of the requirement to do so.  More than $100,000 in checks were cashed in this manner over the course of 10 transactions, yet no CTRs were ever filed.  This practice extended beyond the cooperating witnesses.  From 2006 through 2012, G&A conducted approximately 800 transactions that were each in excess of $10,000 and paid out more than $20 million in cash on those transactions without ever filing a CTR.

A fourth indictment filed in the Central District of California charges AAA Cash Advance, a check cashing business in Los Angeles, and its manager, Diana Brigitt, 35, with violations of the BSA.  From August 2010 through February 2012, Brigitt, on behalf of AAA, allegedly repeatedly cashed bundles of checks totaling more than $10,000 without filing any CTRs.  The checks were presented by a cooperating witness and were written on accounts that appeared to be for health care businesses.  More than $100,000 in checks were cashed in this manner over eight transactions, yet no CTRs were ever filed.  From January 2008 through February 2012, AAA’s banks reported that AAA had withdrawn approximately $5 million in cash, yet during this same time period, AAA filed only seven CTRs on transactions greater than $10,000.

“This complex financial investigation, conducted by Homeland Security Investigation’s (HSI) El Dorado Task Force and our law enforcement partners, is indicative of the lengths that criminal enterprises go in an effort to conceal their illicit conduct,” said ICE Director John Morton.  “These individuals permitted the cashing of over $19 million in checks with a blatant disregard for the legal safeguards intended to prevent criminals access to our financial system. HSI is determined to expose these vulnerabilities and to shutdown money laundering operations that threaten our nation’s security.”

“Money laundering is at the foundation of so many criminal schemes, which is why the FBI and our partners place a high priority on policing it,” said FBI Assistant Director Fedarcyk.  “By cracking down on money laundering, we put teeth in the truism that crime doesn’t pay.”

“The charges exemplify the increasingly complex schemes devised to evade anti-money laundering laws,” said FBI Assistant Director Martinez.  “The FBI and our trusted partners are resolute in our commitment to match and counter those efforts with the resources and long-term focus necessary to decipher these schemes that cost taxpayers hundreds of millions annually in the Los Angeles area.”

“From coast to coast the IRS will take every step necessary to ferret out those who attempt to avoid their reporting obligations under the law,” Chief Weber of IRS-CI.  “This joint effort continues to demonstrate our efforts to ensure that the financial services industry will not be used for personal financial gain and will be operated in a fair and honest manner to promote the public interest.”

“Anti-money laundering laws are an important tool in the fight against health care fraud, as check cashers are often used to convert ill-gotten Medicare proceeds,” said Inspector General Levinson.

“These vital investigations show the need for constant vigilance against dirty check cashers,” said Superintendent Lawsky.  “We will use all our enforcement tools to stamp out the use of check cashers to facilitate crime such as health care fraud.  We will continue to work with all our law enforcement partners on these important investigations.”

The cases announced today are being prosecuted by Money Laundering and Bank Integrity Unit Trial Attorneys Matthew Haslinger, Matthew Klecka and Claiborne Porter and Forfeiture Unit Trial Attorney Jeanette Gunderson from the Asset Forfeiture and Money Laundering Section of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division and Assistant U.S. Attorney Charles Kleinberg of the Eastern District of New York and Assistant U.S. Attorney David Kirman of the Central District of California.  The department acknowledges the invaluable assistance of the Department of Treasury’s Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN).

The Money Laundering and Bank Integrity Unit investigates and prosecutes complex, multi-district and international criminal cases involving financial institutions and individuals who violate the money laundering statutes, the Bank Secrecy Act and other related statutes.  The unit’s prosecutions generally focus on three types of violators: financial institutions, including their officers, managers and employees, whose actions threaten the integrity of the individual institution or the wider financial system; professional money launderers and gatekeepers who provide their services to serious criminal organizations; and individuals and entities engaged in using the latest and most sophisticated money laundering techniques and tools.

The cases are being investigated by agents from the ICE-HSI, FBI, IRS-CI, HHS-OIG and the New York State Department of Financial Services.

An indictment is merely a charge and defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty.