U.S. SECRETARY OF DEFENSE PANETTA'S REMARKS AT COOPERATIVE THREAT REDUCTION SYMPOSIUM

FROM: U.S. DELPARTMENT OF DEFENSE
20TH Anniversary Cooperative Threat Reduction Symposium
As Delivered by Secretary of Defense Leon E. Panetta, Washington, D.C., Monday, December 03, 2012

Thank you. Good afternoon. Senators Nunn and Lugar, distinguished guests, ambassadors and officials from the partner countries, thank you all for being here today.

I am honored to be able to participate in this important symposium marking the 20th anniversary of the Cooperative Threat Reduction program.

Let me thank National Defense University, and Major General Gregg Martin and Dr. John Reichart for their great work in organizing today's conference.

It's been a day to reflect on the successes that have been achieved in nonproliferation over the past two decades through the CTR program.

It's a particular honor to be able to be in the company of Senator Sam Nunn and Senator Richard Lugar, whose leadership made this program possible.

We can say that the course of history changed for the better because these two men helped the nation confront the threat of nuclear proliferation at the end of the Cold War. The world would have been, without question, a far more dangerous and threatening place were it not for these two patriots.

Earlier this afternoon, I was honored to be able to present Senator Nunn and Senator Lugar with the Distinguished Public Service Award, the Department of Defense's highest civilian honor. Sam and Dick, and you have made the world safer and more secure, and you have the profound gratitude of this nation and the global community.

I also want to recognize and thank my Deputy, Ash Carter, who played a critical role in thinking up and working with these two senators on their legislation, also established the Department's CTR program in the early 1990s as an Assistant Secretary of Defense, and continues that effort now in the Pentagon.

Indeed, today, it's also important that we use this opportunity to generate new thinking and new ideas for how best to carry this vital vision into the future.

It's important to have this discussion now because the CTR program is at a critical inflection point. It's evolved from a focus on nuclear infrastructure in the former Soviet Union to encompass a broader range of counter-WMD efforts across Asia, Africa, and the Middle East.

And despite the successes achieved in the Former Soviet Union, this program remains as critical as ever, and maintains the strong support of the Department of Defense's leadership.

It also has the strong support of our special guest today, who I am honored to serve in his cabinet and am honored to introduce.

President Obama has been a leader in reducing the threat of weapons of mass destruction since he joined the United States Senate and partnered closely with Dick Lugar. As President, he set a visionary agenda to achieve a world without nuclear weapons and has taken practical steps to move the world in that direction. In doing so, he has helped renew America's global leadership and he has helped advance the cause of peace and security in the 21st century. Ladies and Gentlemen, I am honored to introduce our Commander-in-Chief, President Barack Obama.

SEC CHARGES ACCOUNTING FIRMS WITH FAILURE TO PRODUCE AUDIT WORK PAPERS

FROM: U.S. SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C., Dec. 3, 2012 — The Securities and Exchange Commission today began administrative proceedings against the China affiliates of each of the Big Four accounting firms and another large U.S. accounting firm for refusing to produce audit work papers and other documents related to China-based companies under investigation by the SEC for potential accounting fraud against U.S. investors.

The SEC charged the following firms with violating the Securities Exchange Act and the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, which requires foreign public accounting firms to provide the SEC upon request with audit work papers involving any company trading on U.S. markets:
BDO China Dahua Co. Ltd
Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu Certified Public Accountants Ltd
Ernst & Young Hua Ming LLP
KPMG Huazhen (Special General Partnership)
PricewaterhouseCoopers Zhong Tian CPAs Limited
According to the SEC’s order instituting the proceedings, SEC investigators have been making efforts for the past several months to obtain documents from these firms. The audit materials are being sought as part of SEC investigations into potential wrongdoing by nine China-based companies whose securities are publicly traded in the U.S. The audit firms have refused to cooperate in the investigations.

"Only with access to work papers of foreign public accounting firms can the SEC test the quality of the underlying audits and protect investors from the dangers of accounting fraud," said Robert Khuzami, Director of the SEC’s Division of Enforcement. "Firms that conduct audits knowing they cannot comply with laws requiring access to these work papers face serious sanctions."

An administrative law judge will schedule a hearing and determine the appropriate remedial sanction against the firms. The order requires the administrative law judge to issue an initial decision no later than 300 days from the date of service of the order.

The SEC has launched an initiative to address concerns arising from reverse mergers and foreign issuers. Through the work of a Cross Border Working Group, the agency has deregistered the securities of nearly 50 companies and filed fraud cases against more than 40 foreign issuers and executives. The SEC’s Enforcement Division has taken a series of actions against China-based audit firms. Earlier this year, the SEC announced an enforcement action against Shanghai-based Deloitte Touche Tomatsu for refusing to produce documents for an SEC investigation into one of its China-based clients. That proceeding is ongoing. The SEC previously filed a subpoena enforcement action in federal court against the firm for failing to produce documents in response to a subpoena pertaining to its longtime client Longtop Financial Technologies Limited. In the separate administrative proceeding against Longtop, an administrative law judge found that Longtop was delinquent in its reporting obligations and ordered Longtop’s securities registration to be revoked.

"U.S. investors should be able to rely on the quality of audited financial statements," said Kara Brockmeyer, co-head of the SEC’s Cross Border Working Group. "Our Working Group’s actions demonstrate how the SEC is proactively identifying emerging risks to protect U.S. investors from accounting fraud."

This enforcement action was coordinated by the Cross Border Working Group and involved investigative teams in SEC offices in Washington D.C., Boston, New York, Fort Worth, and Los Angeles.

NEWS FROM ISS FOR DECEMBER 3, 2012

FROM:  NASA

 

U.S. ANNOUNCES $3.43 MILLION IN ASSISTANCE TO COMBAT ILLICIT FIREARMS IN CARIBBEAN REGION

Map:  Trinadad And Tobago.  Credit:  CIA World Factbook.

 FROM: U.S. DEPARTMENT OF STATE

United States Launches Initiative to Combat Illicit Firearms Trafficking in Caribbean Region

Media Note
Office of the Spokesperson
Washington, DC
December 3, 2012　

The United States will announce a $3.43 million assistance program to combat illicit trafficking in firearms as part of the Caribbean Basin Security Initiative (CBSI). This announcement at the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) Implementation Agency for Crime and Security (IMPACS) headquarters will occur on the margin of the Third Caribbean-United States Security Cooperation Dialogue in Port-of-Spain, Trinidad and Tobago on December 4-5, 2012. IMPACS is an institution of CARICOM created to support member states' national security initiatives through regional cooperation and coordination within the context of a Regional Crime and Security Strategy. This initiative, funded by the U.S. Department of State’s Export Control and Related Border Security (EXBS) Program, will combat illicit firearms trafficking in the region through capacity building measures in collaboration with all members of CARICOM and the Dominican Republic.

The U.S. Department of State has partnered with the U.S. Department of Justice’s Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) to spearhead this initiative comprised of the following agenda which will: 1.) provide two Regional Firearms Advisors in the Caribbean to render on-site assistance; 2.) establish a forensic training program; 3.) provide expert legal, regulatory and parliamentary assistance; and 4.) develop an exchange program that permits Caribbean law enforcement officials to work alongside ATF counterparts in the United States.

The U.S. Department of State has also provided $1 million to the United Nations Regional Center for Peace, Disarmament and Development in Latin America and the Caribbean (UNLIREC) to assist fourteen Caribbean States in the development of National Action Plans on Stockpile Management and Firearms Destruction, specialized training for law enforcement officials, and recommendations on legal reforms, and updates to national firearms acts.

Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Western Hemisphere Affairs, Liliana Ayalde will participate in the ceremony on December 4. Other notable participants include CARICOM Council of Ministers for National Security and Law Enforcement (CONSLE) Chairman and Bahamian Minister of National Security Dr. Bernard Nottage, Interim Executive Director for CARICOM IMPACS Francis Forbes, and ATF Deputy Assistant Director John Torres.

FEMA PHOTOS: HURRICANE SANDY CLEANUP CONTINUES IN MARYLAND

FROM: U.S. FEDERAL EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT AGENCY
Crisfield, Md., Dec. 1, 2012 -- Alex Johnston uses a mini excavator to cleanup downed trees in Crisfield, Md. as cleanup continues after Hurricane Sandy came through the area. FEMA and county officials were assessing the effects from Hurricane Sandy in Crisfield, Md., and in the surrounding Somerset County. Frank Niemeir/FEMA

Crisfield, Md., Dec. 1, 2012 -- Neil Stevens clean debris from an apartment complex that had been flooded in Crisfield, Md., as cleanup continues after Hurricane Sandy came through the area. FEMA and county officials were assessing the effects from Hurricane Sandy in Crisfield, Md. and in the surrounding Somerset County. Frank Niemeir/FEMA

U.S. PRESIDENT OBAMA WARNS SYSRIA NOT TO USE WMDS

President Barack Obama thanks Sen. Richard Lugar of Indiana, center right, and former Sen. Sam Nunn of Georgia, center, for their work to help in denuclearizing countries after the fall of the Soviet Union at the National Defense University in Washington D.C., Dec. 3, 2012. Prior to the president's speech, Defense Secretary Leon E. Panetta, left, presented Nunn and Lugar with the Defense Civilian Service Award, the highest award the Defense Department can give a civilian. DOD photo by Erin Kirk-Cuomo

FROM: U.S. DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE

Obama Warns Syria Against Using Chemical, Biological Weapons
By Army Sgt. 1st Class Tyrone C. Marshall Jr.
American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, Dec. 3, 2012 - President Barack Obama today warned Syria's Bashar Assad regime that the use of chemical biological weapons would be "unacceptable."

Speaking to at the Nunn-Lugar Cooperative Threat Reduction Symposium at the National Defense University here, Obama addressed concerns of the use of nuclear, chemical and biological weapons in Syria.

"Today, I want to make it absolutely clear to Assad and those under his command [that] the world is watching," he said. "The use of chemical weapons is, and would be, totally unacceptable. And if you make the tragic mistake of using these weapons, there where be consequences, and you will be held accountable."

The president said it has been critical to continue investing in threat reduction programs over the past four years of his administration.

"We simply cannot allow the 21st century to be darkened by the worst weapons of the 20th century," Obama said. "And even as we make some very tough fiscal choices, we're going to keep investing in these programs, because our national security depends on it."

The president noted even after the destruction of thousands of missiles, elimination of bombers and submarines and deactivation of warheads, much work remains to be done.

"There's still much too much material -- nuclear, chemical, biological -- being stored without enough protection," he said. "There are still terrorists and criminal gangs doing everything they can to get their hands on it."

If these criminals get these weapons, they will use them, potentially killing hundreds of thousands of innocent people and perhaps triggering a global crisis, the president said.

"[This is] why I continue to believe that nuclear terrorism remains one of the greatest threats to global security," he added. "[And] why working to prevent nuclear terrorism is going to remain one of my top national security priorities as long as I have the privilege of being president of the United States."

The president emphasized that the United States must sustain efforts across the government to strengthen threat reduction programs such as the Nunn-Lugar Cooperative Threat Reduction Program, which he called "one of our most important national security programs."

"[This is] why we haven't just sustained programs like Nunn-Lugar over the past four years," Obama said. "We've worked with all of you to strengthen it, expanding it to some 80 nations, far beyond the old Soviet Union - moving ahead with the destruction of chemical weapons - partnering with others, countries from Africa to Asia and global health organizations to prevent the spread of deadly diseases and bioterrorism."

The work ahead will not be easy, Obama said. "It took decades and extraordinary sums of money to build those arsenals," he explained. "It's going to take decades and continued investments to dismantle them."

Obama also said while this painstaking work rarely makes headlines, it is "absolutely vital to our national security and to our global interests."

"Missile by missile, warhead by warhead, shell by shell, we're putting a bygone era behind us," he said. "Inspired by Sam Nunn and Dick Lugar, we're moving closer to the future we seek -- a future where these weapons never threaten our children again, [and] a future where we know the security and peace of a world without nuclear weapons."

The president also told the audience that the United States will continue to support the "legitimate aspirations of the Syrian people" by engaging with the opposition and providing them with humanitarian aid and by working for a transition to a Syria that's free of the Assad regime.

NASA VIDEO: MOON PHASE AND LIBRATION 2013

FROM: NASA

Moon Phase & Libration 2013: Additional Graphics
This visualization shows the phase and libration of the Moon throughout the year 2013, at hourly intervals. Each frame represents one hour. In addition, this version of the visualization shows additional relevant information, including the Moon's orbit position, subsolar and subearth points, distance from the Earth, and more.


 

Be Tobacco Free

Be Tobacco Free

AFRICOM COMMANDER WORRIES ABOUT COLLABORATGING EXTREMIST

Army General Carter F. Ham

FROM: U.S. DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE
Collaborating Extremist Groups Worry Africom Commander

By Jim Garamone
American Forces Press Service
WASHINGTON, Dec. 3, 2012 – Extremist groups collaborating in Africa pose a threat beyond the region that extends to Europe and the United States, U.S. Africa Command’s top military officer said here today.

Countering violent extremists is a growing challenge for Africom, Army Gen. Carter F. Ham told an audience at George Washington University.

The al-Qaida affiliated terror group al-Shabab is active in Somalia, though it is being dealt with, Ham said, and lawlessness in Libya is attracting another terror group, al-Qaida in the Islamic Mahgreb. That group continues to operate in northern Mali, which Ham calls a "haven" for terrorists.

In Nigeria, the militant group Boko Haram has claimed responsibility for a series of terrorist attacks in recent months. Ham emphasized that these groups and others signal the importance of Africa Command in countering extremists on the continent.

But although those individual organizations are "dangerous and important," Ham said, his biggest worry is a growing linkage and network of collaboration and synchronization among them. That, he added, "poses the greatest threat to regional stability more broadly across Africa, into Europe and the United States as well."

Africom stood up Oct. 1, 2008, and is the newest geographic command. Ham said the command’s mission is to advance the national security interests of the United States in Africa. "We think we do that best by strengthening the defense capabilities of African nations so they are increasingly capable of providing not only for their own security, but contributing to regional security and stability as well," he said.

Africa Command has taken direct action on the continent, as demonstrated last year by the U.S. effort in the skies over Libya to protect civilians there from forces loyal to Moammar Gadhafi. "But we think we are at our best when we are supporting and enabling African nations and African regional organizations to achieve their ends," the general added.

That African officials are best able to confront and surmount African challenges is a mantra for Africom, Ham said, noting that his command is best known on the continent for training African forces and providing enabling technologies.

The defense strategic guidance announced earlier this year gave pause to many on the continent, Ham acknowledged, because of its focus on the Asia-Pacific region. "There was, by my count, one mention of the word Africa" in the document, he said. But he noted the guidance includes more than the Asia-Pacific focus.

"The focus on the Pacific makes sense, but rather than focus on the geographic priorities, take a look at the mission sets that are outlined in the strategic defense guidance," he said. At the top of the list is countering extremist organizations. Next is maintaining global access, followed by building partner capacity. U.S. forces must be ready to contribute to humanitarian and disaster relief missions and to prevent and respond to mass atrocities, the general said.

"All these, sadly, are necessary in Africa," he added.

Remarks by Deputy Secretary Carter at the Cooperative Threat Reduction Symposium at National Defense University, Washington, D.C.

Remarks by Deputy Secretary Carter at the Cooperative Threat Reduction Symposium at National Defense University, Washington, D.C.

U.S. SECRETARY CLINTON AND CZECH REPUBLIC PRIME MINISTER SCHWARZENBERG REMARKS

A-10 Thunderbolt IIs from the 81st Fighter Squadron line up for takeoff in support of a close air support mission during Ramstein Rover 2012 at Namest Air Base, Czech Republic, Sept. 10, 2012. RARO 12 is a NATO partnership-building exercise involving more than 16 nations. Participating in exercises like RARO 12 ensures effective employment of airpower in support of alliance or coalition forces while mitigating risks to civilians in contingency operations. (U.S. Air Force photo/Senior Airman Natasha Stannard)

FROM: U.S. STATE DEPARTMENT
Remarks With Czech Republic Prime Minister Karel Schwarzenberg
Remarks
Hillary Rodham Clinton
Secretary of State
Czernin Palace
Prague, Czech Republic
December 3, 2012

MODERATOR: (In Czech.)

FOREIGN MINISTER SCHWARZENBERG: (In Czech.)

SECRETARY CLINTON: Thank you, my friend. It is such a pleasure to be back in one of the most beautiful cities in the world and to meet with one of our strongest allies, partners, and friends on the continent.

As the minister said, our friendship dates back to the earliest days of the Czech Republic. It is based on a mutual respect and shared interests founded on three pillars – security cooperation; economic, civil-nuclear, science, and technology cooperation; and cooperation based on our shared values, particularly in the promotion of democracy and human rights around the world.

For many years, we thought primarily in a bilateral way about what we could do together with the Czech Republic. But our partnership has grown far beyond that, and today, we collaborate on global security issues, democratic transitions in the Middle East and North Africa, and so much else. So as the minister said, we covered a lot of issues today, and let me just touch on a few of the highlights.

First, our collaboration on security: In Afghanistan, hundreds of Czech troops stand with Americans and other allied nations to helped the Afghan people build a stable future for their country. We will work together to manage the drawdown on the end of combat operations in 2014 and then to support the Afghan National Security Forces beyond that, and we appreciate greatly the Czech Republic’s commitment to those.

We also are highly impressed by the new multinational training center for helicopter pilots that the Czech Republic is developing, one of the first projects in the smart defense program that NATO adopted earlier this year. And in NATO and beyond, the Czech Republic plays a key role in chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear response. And it is expanding that leadership, for example, with a conference on the challenges posed by Syria’s weapons stockpile that was recently hosted here in Prague.

In Syria, the Czech Republic serves as the United States protecting power, which is essential for our shared effort to help the Syrian people bring an end to their suffering and the beginning of a new democratic transition. More broadly, the Czech Republic has reached out to help countries that can benefit from the very valuable experiences of this country’s transition.

We also want to emphasize greater cooperation on energy. The United States has made energy a priority in our diplomacy. We began the U.S.-EU energy dialogue because this has a major impact on everything from security to climate change. Czech and American scientists are already collaborating extensively in this field, including our effort to develop the first joint civil-nuclear center that the United States will have with a NATO ally.

And as I conveyed to the minister, the Obama Administration strongly supports Westinghouse’s bid to help expand the Temelin Nuclear Power Plant. Given how long term and strategic this investment is, the Czech people deserve the best value, the most tested and trustworthy technology, an outstanding safety record, responsible and accountable management, and job opportunities for Czech companies and workers. Westinghouse offers all of these things.

The United States wants to continue to support investments that produce tangible benefits for Americans and Czechs alike. Temelin is a perfect example, but in fact, the United States is the largest non-European foreign direct investor in the republic, and we hope to make that even bigger. Also, our work together on civil-nuclear power will spur greater cooperation between our scientists and academics and businesses on basic research and innovation.

So again, let me express my appreciation to the minister for hosting us today and to the Czech Republic for being a steadfast ally and partner. The American people have a great deal of affection and respect for how far the Czech Republic has come in the past two decades. And we will continue to support continuing progress and prosperity and our shared values that are rooted in our common experience and history. Thank you very much, Minister.

FOREIGN MINISTER SCHWARZENBERG: Thank you.

MODERATOR: (In Czech.)

QUESTION: Madam Secretary, a question on civil-nuclear cooperation. What importance do you attach to the Westinghouse bid in the Czech Republic with regards to the energy independence and security of this country?

SECRETARY CLINTON: Well, let me begin by saying that energy security and energy diversification are top issues for our foreign policies around the world. This is not just about Europe and it is certainly not just about the Czech Republic.

When it comes to civil-nuclear energy, the Czech Republic leads Central Europe both in terms of your commitment to nuclear safety and security here at home and your support for nonproliferation in the international nuclear framework. It was certainly no accident that President Obama came to Prague early in his first term to speak about the global nonproliferation agenda. And through our joint declaration on cooperation in research and development and a series of cooperative ventures that were announced last fall, we already have Americans working with their Czech counterparts to improve the efficiency of reactors and reprocessing of spent fuel, to share best practices among nuclear security experts, and we’re working to stand up a joint center for civil-nuclear cooperation in Prague.

So as I said in my opening remarks, we certainly discussed these issues. We are encouraging the Czech Republic to diversify its energy sources and suppliers in ways that are economically sustainable and environmentally sound, which is an important message for all of our European partners. And we are not shy about pressing the case for Westinghouse to expand the Temelin Nuclear Power Plant because we believe that company offers the best option for the project in terms of technology and safety. It would clearly enhance Czech energy security and further the nuclear cooperation between our two countries and it would create jobs and economic opportunity for Czechs and Americans. It will ensure that the new facility would be built to the highest international standards, using a model that has already been approved by the EU and the International Energy Agency regulators. So we clearly hope that Westinghouse will receive the utmost consideration as this process moves forward.

MODERATOR: (In Czech), New York Times.

QUESTION: Michael Gordon, New York Times. Madam Secretary, there have been reports in recent days of increased activity at Syria’s chemical weapon sites. What is the nature of this activity? Is there a basis for concern? And what would – President Obama has said that the use of chemical weapons by the Assad regime would cross a redline, but he hasn’t made entirely explicit what he would do about it. If the United States saw that Syria was preparing to use chemical weapons, would it intervene militarily to stop it? If it had begun to use chemical weapons, would it again use force to prevent it from continuing to attack its civilians?

And a question for the Foreign Minister of the Czech Republic: Your country has expertise in this area. In a post-Assad environment, if the Syrian leader was to be deposed, would your nation send its expertise and its units to Syria to help dismantle the chemical arsenal?

SECRETARY CLINTON: Well, Michael, those are a lot of questions, but they’re important questions and ones that are very much in on the minds of our Administration and likeminded countries around the world, including the Czech Republic. Because as I alluded to earlier, the Czech Republic is widely viewed as having some of the most extensive expertise and experience with chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear matters. And they have already been consulting about what can be and should be done, both at this time and post the inevitable fall of the Assad regime.

We have made our views very clear. This is a redline for the United States. I’m not going to telegraph in any specifics what we would do in the event of credible evidence that the Assad regime has resorted to using chemical weapons against their own people. But suffice it to say, we are certainly planning to take action if that eventuality were to occur.

So we once again issue a very strong warning to the Assad regime that their behavior is reprehensible. Their actions against their own people have been tragic. But there is no doubt that there is a line between even the horrors that they have already inflicted on the Syrian people and moving to what would be an internationally condemned step of utilizing their chemical weapons.

So in talking to the Foreign Minister about this matter, we are certainly united in our warning and condemnation, and will stand with the international community in a united way should there be any evidence that the Assad regime has ignored international opinion on this important matter.

FOREIGN MINISTER SCHWARZENBERG: Just to answer your question, there are some of our people for the moment in Jordan cooperating with the neighboring Jordan forces, and evidently some American friends came here too training for event, we hope, won’t – never happen. Of course, the situation in Syria itself is rather chaotic and we can’t even exclude the case as it, by chance, one of the rebel groups would get hold of these arms. And that, of course, would be a danger as well. So this chaotic situation of a civil war is, with the existence of these kind of arms in the country, highly dangerous.

SECRETARY CLINTON: Thank you.

MODERATOR: (In Czech.)

SECRETARY CLINTON: Thank you, my friend

US Navy Videos: THE USS ENTERPRISE REMEMBERED

US Navy Videos

U.S. OPPOSES ISRAEL'S SETTLEMENT ACTIVITY

Photo:  Jerusalem Viewed From The Mount Of Olives.  Credit:  CIA World Factbook.

FROM: U.S. STATE DEPARTMENT

Recent Israeli Announcements on Settlements
Press Statement
Mark C. Toner
Deputy Spokesperson, Office of the Spokesperson
Washington, DC
December 3, 2012

The United States opposes all unilateral actions, including West Bank settlement activity and housing construction in East Jerusalem, as they complicate efforts to resume direct, bilateral negotiations, and risk prejudging the outcome of those negotiations. This includes building in the E-1 area as this area is particularly sensitive and construction there would be especially damaging to efforts to achieve a two-state solution.

We have made clear to the Israeli Government that such action is contrary to U.S. policy. The United States and the international community expect all parties to play a constructive role in efforts to achieve peace. We urge the parties to cease unilateral actions and take concrete steps to return to direct negotiations so all the issues can be discussed and the goal of two states living side by side in peace and security can be realized.

U.S. State Department Daily Press Briefing - December 3, 2012

Daily Press Briefing - December 3, 2012

NEWS FROM AFGHANISTAN FOR DECEMBER 3, 2012

Photo:  Afghanistan Drawdown.  Credit:  U.S. Army

FROM: U.S. DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE

Combined Force Arrests Taliban Leader in Balkh Province

Compiled from International Security Assistance Force Joint Command News Releases

WASHINGTON, Dec. 3, 2012 - A combined Afghan and coalition security force arrested the senior Taliban leader for eastern Chimtal district in Afghanistan's Balkh province today, military officials reported.

The leader planned and conducted numerous attacks, including improvised explosive device attacks, against Afghan and coalition forces, officials said. He also directly supported other senior Taliban leaders in the province.

In other Afghanistan operations today:

-- In the Shah Wali Kot district of Kandahar province, a combined force arrested a Taliban leader who organized attacks against Afghan and coalition forces and facilitated the movement of Taliban fighters, weapons and ammunition. The security force also detained a suspected insurgent and seized several weapons.

-- A combined force in Helmand province's Nad-e Ali district arrested a Taliban leader who controlled insurgents and facilitated the movement of weapons. He also was responsible for attacks against Afghan and coalition forces. The security force also detained two suspected insurgents.

-- In Logar province's Pul-e Alam district, a combined force arrested a Haqqani network leader who controlled a group of insurgents and facilitated the acquisition and movement of weapons and ammunition.

In operations yesterday:

-- A combined force in Baghlan province's Pul-e Khumri district arrested a local Taliban leader who built and distributed IEDs and was responsible for transporting IED components to insurgents.

-- In Helmand province's Nad-e Ali district, a combined force arrested a Taliban leader who oversaw the emplacement of IEDs, conducted direct-fire attacks against Afghan and coalition forces and acquired and distributed IED materials to insurgents. The security force also detained a suspected insurgent.

-- A combined force in Logar province's Pul-e Alam district arrested a Haqqani network leader who led direct-fire attacks against Afghan and coalition forces and facilitated the transfer of weapons and ammunition to insurgents. The security force also detained two suspected insurgents.

-- In Khost province's Khost district, a combined force arrested a Taliban leader who planned and conducted indirect-fire attacks on Forward Operating Base Shan and directed IED attacks against Afghan and coalition forces.

– A combined force in Ghazni province's Gelan district detained several suspected insurgents during a search for a Taliban leader who plans and coordinates attacks against Afghan and coalition forces and assists senior Taliban leaders in the province.

In Dec. 1 operations:

-- A local Taliban leader who planned and conducted IED attacks and helped senior Taliban leaders was arrested in the Sar-e Pul district of Sar-e Pul province.

-- An Afghan and coalition security force killed Taliban leader Juma Gul Akhund in Kandahar province's Panjwai district. Akhund oversaw IED operations in three Kandahar districts, and he organized the movement of weapons and IEDs throughout the province.

-- In Baghlan province's Pul-e Khumri district, a combined force killed local Taliban leader Hanif and another insurgent. Hanif oversaw the movement of suicide bombers throughout the province, directly aided more-senior Taliban leaders.

-- A combined security force in Helmand province's Washer district arrested a local Taliban leader who planned and coordinated attacks against Afghan and coalition forces. He also stored and distributed weapons for insurgent fighters in the region. The security force also detained two suspected insurgents.

-- In Kandahar province's Panjwai district, a combined force arrested a local Taliban leader who carried out attacks against Afghan and coalition forces and oversaw the emplacement of IEDs. The security force also detained a suspected insurgent.

-- A combined force in Logar province's Pul-e Alam district arrested a Haqqani network facilitator who coordinated the movement of weapons and ammunition into the province and distributed them to insurgent fighters.

-- In Nangarhar province's Khugyani district, a combined force arrested two insurgents while searching for a Taliban facilitator. The security force also seized 500 pounds of narcotics, some Afghan army uniforms and several weapons.

-- A combined force in Paktia province's Lajah–Ahmad Khel district detained several suspected insurgents while searching for a Haqqani network leader who directs attacks against Afghan and coalition forces and is suspected of involvement in the kidnapping and execution of several Afghan soldiers.

In Nov. 30 operations:

-- In Sar-e Pul province's Sar-e Pul district, a combined force arrested two insurgents during a search for a Taliban leader who controls insurgents in Jowzjan and Sar-e Pul provinces and is responsible for attacking Afghan and coalition forces in both provinces.

-- A combined force killed Shukrullah, a senior Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan leader, in Faryab province's Almar district. Shukrullah coordinated a Oct. 26 suicide-bomber attack that killed 41 Afghans, and he trained insurgents and provided IED components to IMU and Taliban fighters.

ALAN GROSS BEGINS FOURTH YEAR IN A CUBAN PRISON

Satellite image of Cuba (center) and Jamaica (lower right). The southern tip of Florida, the Florida Keys, and the Florida Strait appear at the top. The bright blue green color around the islands, particularly around those of the Bahamas in the upper right, is likely due to the brighter solar reflection over the more shallow waters that surround the islands. Image courtesy of NASA.

FROM: U.S. DEPARTMENT OF STATE

Alan Gross Begins Fourth Year of Unjust Imprisonment
Press Statement
Mark C. Toner
Deputy Spokesperson,
Office of the Spokesperson
Washington, DC
December 3, 2012
　

Tomorrow Alan Gross will begin his fourth year of unjustified imprisonment in Cuba. He was arrested on December 3, 2009 and later given a 15-year prison sentence by Cuban authorities for simply facilitating communications between Cuba’s Jewish community and the rest of the world.

Mr. Gross is a 63-year-old husband, father, and dedicated professional with a long history of providing assistance and support to underserved communities in more than 50 countries.

Since his arrest, Mr. Gross has lost more than 100 pounds and suffers from severe degenerative arthritis that affects his mobility, and other health problems. His family is anxious to evaluate whether he is receiving appropriate medical treatment, something that can best be determined by having a doctor of his own choosing examine him.

We continue to ask the Cuban Government to grant Alan Gross’s request to travel to the United States to visit his 90-year-old mother, Evelyn Gross, who is gravely ill. This is a humanitarian issue.

The Cuban government should release Alan Gross and return him to his family, where he belongs.

SECRETARY OF STATE CLINTON'S MEETING WITH STAFF AND FAMILIES OF U.S. EMBASSY IN PRAGUE

The Hradcany (Castle District) in Prague; its two most prominent features are St. Vitus Cathedral (upper right) and Prague Castle (the long white building, which is one of the largest castles in the world).

FROM: U.S. STATE DEPARTMENT

Meeting With Staff and Families of the U.S. Embassy in Prague
Remarks
Hillary Rodham Clinton
Secretary of State
U.S. Embassy
Prague, Czech Republic
December 3, 2012


Oh, thank you all. It is wonderful to be back in Prague, one of my favorite cities, and to have a chance to not only say thank you to each and every one of you for the work you do every single day, but also Happy Holidays, so it’s an especially appropriate time. As you may recall, I was here with my husband about a year ago this time of year for President Havel’s memorial service, and it’s wonderful to be back.

I want to thank Ambassador Eisen for his leadership. And under it, you have really carried the torch forward, especially on our three pillars of security, economics, and shared values, which I know are kind of a mantra, a famous mantra here. I also want to thank your DCM Joe Pennington. You’ve kind of pioneered a new brand of diplomacy, rock star diplomacy, not just because of that Bruce Springsteen photo hanging in your office, but because of the rock stars you have here at this Embassy.

Many of you have been working very hard on the new civil-nuclear center. This will unlock new opportunities for research and trade and bring us even more closely allied with our Czech partners. We’re working together in Afghanistan. The Czech Republic is protecting our interests in Syria. We’re working to support the fight against corruption, promoting human rights both here and around the globe. And thank you for providing the first-rate services to all the Americans visiting the Czech Republic. This is not easy at any time, but particularly, I know managing an embassy that is made up of interconnected wings of a castle that is centuries old is even more challenging. But it is very much appreciated in Washington.

I also want to thank you for bringing your children here because they are beautiful and I love seeing them, but it’s also a reminder of why we do this work. And let me ask all of our Czech employees, our local staff, to raise your hands so that we can show you our appreciation. (Applause.) I often say ambassadors come and go, and certainly secretaries do as well, but our locally-employed staff provide the memory bank and the nerve center for every one of us, and we are very grateful.

And to all the Americans, thank you for your service, thank you for your commitment to this absolutely critical bilateral relationship. It was no accident that President Obama came here so soon in his first term to speak about our nonproliferation agenda, and that our partnership is one that we are deeply committed to and we hope will only continue to grow in strength and breadth.

What I want to do now is come down and thank you personally for your dedication and for all that you have accomplished, and to really express, on my behalf and behalf of the State Department and the Administration, our gratitude. Thank you all. (Applause.)

MAN AND COMPANY IN TROUBLE WITH CFTC FOR ALLEGED FRAUD IN COMMODITY AND STOCK FUTURES

Photo Credit:  U.S. Marshals Service.

FROM: COMMODITY FUTURES TRADING COMMISSION

CFTC Charges North Carolina Resident Michael Anthony Jenkins and his Company, Harbor Light Asset Management, LLC, with Solicitation Fraud, Misappropriation, and Embezzlement in Ponzi Scheme

Defendants charged with fraudulently soliciting and accepting at least $1.79 million from approximately 377 persons

In a related criminal action, Jenkins was indicted for securities fraud and is in custody awaiting trial

Washington, DC – The U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) today announced the filing of a federal civil enforcement action in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina, charging Michael Anthony Jenkins of Raleigh, N.C., and his company, Harbor Light Asset Management, LLC (HLAM), with operating a Ponzi scheme for the purpose of trading E-mini S&P 500 futures contracts (E-mini futures). From at least January 2011 through January 2012, the defendants fraudulently solicited at least $1.79 million from approximately 377 persons, primarily located in Raleigh, N.C., in connection with the scheme, according to the complaint.

The CFTC complaint also charges Jenkins, the owner and President of HLAM, with embezzlement and failure to register with the CFTC as a futures commission merchant. Furthermore, Jenkins allegedly misappropriated $748,827 of investors’ funds to trade gold and oil futures, stock index futures, and E-mini futures in his personal accounts. Jenkins also used misappropriated funds to pay for charges at department and discount stores and gasoline stations, and for cellular phone bills and airline tickets, according to the complaint.

The CFTC complaint, filed on November 20, 2012, alleges that HLAM’s Investment Agreement falsely represented to investors that their investment was solely for investing in E-mini futures and that investors’ funds would be immediately wired to a specific trading account. However, according to the complaint, most of investors’ funds were misappropriated by HLAM and Jenkins. To conceal and continue the fraud, Jenkins allegedly sent trading spreadsheets and statements to investors that falsely reported trades and profits earned and inflated the value of investments. The defendants’ fraudulent conduct resulted in a loss of approximately $1.3 million in investor funds, consisting of $1.16 million in misappropriated and embezzled funds and $140,000 in trading losses, according to the complaint.

In its continuing litigation, the CFTC seeks restitution, return by Jenkins and HLAM of all ill-gotten gains received, civil monetary penalties, trading and registration bans, and permanent injunctions against further violations of the Commodity Exchange Act, as charged.

In a related criminal action by the Securities Division of the North Carolina, Department of the Secretary of State, Jenkins was indicted on August 20, 2012 on three counts of securities fraud in The General Court of Justice, State of North Carolina, Wake County, and is in custody awaiting trial.

The CFTC appreciates the assistance of the Securities Division of the North Carolina Department of the Secretary of State.

La più chiara prova ad oggi delle perdite di ghiaccio polari

La più chiara prova ad oggi delle perdite di ghiaccio polari

Una galaxia de purpurina

Una galaxia de purpurina

U.S. SENATOR CARL LEVIN ON EXTENDING THE "PRODUCTION TAX CREDIT" THAT BENEFITS ALTERNATIVE ENERGY

Senator Carl Levin

FROM:  MICHIGAN'S WIND ENERGY INDUSTRY

Wind Production Tax Credit
Tuesday, November 27, 2012

Sen. Carl Levin, D-Mich., today entered the following statement in the Congressional Record, thanking Sen. Mark Udall of Colorado for his Senate floor speech on Michigan’s wind energy industry and the need to extend the Production Tax Credit that expires at the end of this year.

I want to thank Senator Udall for his work bringing attention to this important issue.

To me, this issue is simple: Alternative energy, including wind power, is not only a vital component of our environmental protection efforts, but to growing our economy and creating jobs for the middle class.

Michigan is the state that put the world on wheels. Through innovation and dedication, entrepreneurs, engineers and Michigan workers combined their efforts not just to revolutionize transportation, but to create an explosion of manufacturing employment that helped create and sustain the American middle class.

Today, a new generation of Michigan innovators is harnessing the power of wind, the promise of biofuels, the power of advanced batteries. Earlier this year, I visited a wind farm in Breckenridge, Michigan, that is a marvel of technology, as far removed from the farmstead windmills of days past as a jet fighter is from the Wright Brothers’ plane. That wind farm is a textbook example of how the advance of technology is helping Michigan’s economy, enabling us not just to recover from the setbacks of the past, but to lead us into a brighter economic future.

Wind power is an important part of that advance. It’s a rapidly growing sector of our state’s electrical generating system: Wind generating capacity more than doubled in 2011, and projects under construction or in the development pipeline could increase capacity 10-fold or more. The more power we generate from wind, the more affordable, clean energy is available to our state and nation.

Michigan also has an important role in building advanced wind generation equipment, not just for our state, but for the United States and the world. Roughly 40 Michigan facilities are engaged in this business, many of them businesses that have turned expertise developed in the automotive industry to this new and growing field. Already wind is responsible for hundreds of good manufacturing jobs, and the potential is nearly as limitless as the wind itself.

That’s why renewal of the Production Tax Credit is so important. The PTC has been an important factor in helping this new industry grow. If it is allowed to expire at the end of the year, it would not only hamper efforts to generate more clean energy for Michigan homes and businesses, but also dampen the potential for new manufacturing jobs tied to wind power. That’s not a good outcome for our environment, for Michigan families or for the American economy.

So again I thank Senator Udall for his focus on this issue. I hope as we work to address the many pressing issues we must resolve before the end of the year, we can resolve this one as well, and maintain the momentum of clean energy to help our environment and our economy.

BIOSURVEILLANCE

Photo Credit:  U.S. Department Of Homeland Security.

FROM: U.S. DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSEThe DOD And Biosurveillance by jtozer

The Defense Department is working with U.S. cities and countries around the world to enhance capabilities needed to detect and track a range of natural or intentional global disease outbreaks.

Biosurveillance involves using experts and a range of technologies to systematically gather, analyze and interpret data related to disease activity and threats to human and animal health for early warning and detection.

Though the strategy is new, a range of national policy documents has addressed biosurveillance, beginning in 2007 with Homeland Security Presidential Directive 21. The directive defined biosurveillance and discussed the need for a national capability.

In 2009, objectives stated in the National Strategy for Countering Biological Attacks sought to protect against the misuse of the life sciences to support biological weapons proliferation and terrorism. And the National Security Strategy of 2010 noted the ability of emerging infectious diseases to cross borders and threaten national security.

"DOD’s involvement in biosurveillance goes back probably before DOD to the Revolutionary War," Andrew C. Weber, assistant secretary of defense for nuclear, chemical and biological defense programs, told American Forces Press Service.
"We didn’t call it biosurveillance then, but monitoring and understanding infectious disease has always been our priority, because for much of our history, we’ve been a global force," he added.
Today, as part of its effort to prepare for microbial storms unleashed by nature and by adversaries, DOD works internationally and domestically to improve global biosurveillance cooperation, Weber said.

"While we worry a lot about nonstate actors launching a bioterrorist attack," he added, "we also have to worry about rogue states like [North] Korea, Iran and Syria that have biological/chemical weapons programs."

To enhance biodefense capabilities on the Korean peninsula, Weber said DOD and South Korea launched the Able Response exercise in May 2011 and ran it again in May 2012.

"This is a whole-of-government to whole-of-government tabletop exercise focused on a biological incident, not during a conventional war but some type of a covert release, … that could have a major impact on the civilian population … but also on our 28,000 forces deployed on the peninsula," the assistant secretary said.

At the Defense Threat Reduction Agency, Ryan Madden is a science and technology manager in the chemical and biological technologies directorate’s physical science and technology division. Since 2007, DTRA, the Department of Homeland Security and other federal agencies have worked with the cities of Seattle and Denver, and now are working along with the State Department and with Poland on biosurveillance exercises, Madden told American Forces Press Service.

The first exercise, called the Interagency Biological Restoration Demonstration, or IBRD, ran from 2007 to 2010 in Seattle, he said, calling the demonstration "a very unique partnership" between DOD and Homeland Security.

The exercise was prompted by anthrax attacks that killed five people in the United States in 2001, Madden said.

The scenario involved a large biological anthrax release in a large city. The objective, he explained, was to get "from the baseline of more than 10 years for restoration [of the city after the attack] to a manageable number [of months or years for anthrax cleanup] that allows the city to maintain some form of viability."

IBRD was conducted in partnership with the Seattle King County Urban Area Security Initiative, Madden said, "and at the end of the program, we had a number of toolsets for decision support or efficacy."

The IBRD team had done studies on the efficacy of various solutions on bacillus anthracis — the bacterium that causes anthrax — on various surfaces, Madden said. "So there was technical data and decision toolsets that help you use that data to inform sampling approaches or decontamination strategies," he added.

As a result of the exercise, he said, "the [Seattle Urban Area Security Initiative], and their partnership with Joint Base Lewis-McChord as a key military installation there, have a regional consequence management plan that addresses catastrophic biological incidents."

For a large city like Seattle, the community resilience factor — based on how long leases and businesses can stay viable if people can’t get to work — is about six months. "And we’re still not at six months," Madden said.

Last year, Homeland Security took the lead, working with DOD, the Environmental Protection Agency and the Department of Health and Human Services in a follow-on effort in Denver, Madden said, working with the Denver Urban Area Security Initiative.

The Denver recovery and resilience program, which wraps up this year, "expanded on IBRD with anthrax, but added a blister agent and a radiological dispersion device, and it still focuses on physical contamination [and cleanup]," the science and technology manager said.

During the Denver program, Madden added, "we started looking at how this could apply in working with a partner nation."

The international effort began in October as a partnership among DOD, the State Department, Homeland Security and Poland.

"I think [it] ties very closely with both the National Strategy for Countering Biological Threats as well as the National Strategy for Biosurveillance," Madden said, both of which recommend leveraging international collaboration.

Between October 2011 and September 2014, the exercise will use the release of two agents — one contagion and one environmentally persistent biothreat — to develop and demonstrate a capability for resilience in countering a threat that affects U.S. and Polish civilians and military personnel and key infrastructure, Madden said.

"[The international effort] is a capability integration and demonstration program, so we’re looking at technical feasibility and then operational utility," he added. "We’re working so the U.S. European Command, and warfighters are part of it. And later in the program, [we’ll have] field demonstrations and utility assessments."

The first technical demonstration will be held in August 2013, he said, and the second in the early spring of 2014.

The final operational demonstration, involving the 773rd Civil Support Team in Germany, EUCOM assets and Polish officials working together, will be in September 2014, Madden said. In the meantime, he added, "we’re funding Sandia National Laboratory to help with a methodology and a toolset we call Threat Probability to Action. The big gap we’re trying to bridge is between earlier warning and rapid response.

"The quicker you’re warned about something and the quicker you can make decisions about what to do," he said, "all of that has an impact on [saving lives]."

SEC FILES FRAUD CHARGES AGAINST CHINA NORTH EAST PETROLEUM HOLDINGS LIMITED AND CORPORATE OFFICERS

FROM: U.S. SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

 
The Securities and Exchange Commission today announced that, on November 29, 2012, the Commission filed fraud and other related charges against China North East Petroleum Holdings (CNEP); its CEO, President and former Chairman of the Board of Directors, Wang Hongjun (Wang); its founder, former director and Wang's mother, Ju Guizhi (Ju); and its Vice President of Corporate Finance and Secretary, Jiang Chao. The Commission also named Wang's wife, Sun Jishuang (Sun), and Jiang Chao's father, Jiang Mingfu, as Relief Defendants to recover company monies that they improperly received.

The Commission alleges that CNEP, Wang, Ju and Jiang Chao diverted offering proceeds to the personal accounts of corporate insiders and their immediate family members, and also engaged in fraudulent conduct in connection with at least 176 undisclosed transactions between the company and its insiders or their immediate family members, otherwise known as related-party transactions.

The Commission alleges that, in connection with its two public stock offerings in late 2009, CNEP falsely stated to investors in a registration statement and other public filings signed by Wang that the offering proceeds would be used to fund future business expansion and for general working capital purposes. Instead, consistent with a pre-existing pattern of engaging in undisclosed, related-party transactions, Jiang Chao then diverted over $900,000 of offering proceeds to his father, Jiang Mingfu, and at the direction of Ju, diverted at least $6 million dollars to her and Sun, who is her daughter-in-law and Wang's wife.

The Commission further alleges that during 2009, CNEP, Wang and Ju engaged in at least 176 undisclosed, related-party transactions. This fraudulent conduct involved approximately $28 million in transactions from CNEP to Wang or Ju; approximately $11 million purportedly loaned to CNEP or paid to third parties on behalf of CNEP by Wang or Ju; and $20 million of unusual post-year-end adjustments that purported to eliminate the remaining debts owed by Wang and Ju to CNEP. Together, these transactions totaled approximately $59 million of related-party activity during 2009. Neither the magnitude nor the volume of these related-party transactions has been fully disclosed to the investing public.

SPACE CENTER AND NATURE

FROM: NASA

Space Center Co-Exists With Nature
As part of Kennedy Space Center’s first Innovation Expo on Sept. 6, aquatic biologists with Inomedic Health Applications took employees on a field-guided boat tour of the unique estuarine ecosystems that are protected from commercial and residential development. They also outlined some of the innovative partnerships Kennedy has established with other government agencies and universities to monitor the ecosystem.

THE UNSINKING OF THE USS MONITOR: U.S. NAVY HISTORICAL PHOTOS

FROM: U.S. NAVY, USS MONITOR
010627-N-5329L-002 Atlantic Ocean (June 27, 2001) – U.S. Navy diver, Gunner's Mate 1st Class James C. Burger from Henne Pin, IL, pulls on a chain fall rigged to the civil war era "iron-clad" ship USS Monitor. Divers are working from the Derrick Barge "Wotan", which is acting as the main support vessel during the Monitor 2001 Expedition, the sixth joint U.S. Navy and National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) expedition to preserve the historic vessel. The ship went down off the coast of Cape Hatteras, NC, in 1862 during a severe storm. U.S. Navy Photo by Photographer’s Mate 2nd Class Petty Officer Eric Lippmann. (RELEASED)

010703-N-5329L-005 Atlantic Ocean (July 3, 2001) – U.S. Navy diver, Senior Chief Engineman Bill Staples from Somersworth, N.H., uses a hammer and chisel to free deck plating from the historic wreck of USS Monitor. Staples and other U.S. Navy saturation divers are working around the clock with archaeologists from the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) to salvage the main engine and other artifacts from the wreck to be preserved and later displayed at The Mariners Museum in Newport News, VA. Divers are working from the Derrick Barge "Wotan", which is acting as the main support vessel during the Monitor 2001 Expedition, the sixth joint U.S. Navy and NOAA expedition to preserve the historic vessel. The ship went down off the coast of Cape Hatteras, NC, in 1862 during a severe storm. U.S. Navy Photo by Photographer’s Mate 2nd Class Petty Officer Eric Lippmann. (RELEASED)

COBALT MAY REPLACE PRECIOUS METALS AS AN INDUSTRIAL CATALYST

Photo:  Platinum Necklace.  Credit:  U.S. Marshals Service.

FROM: LOS ALAMOS NATIONAL LABORATORY

Cobalt Discovery Replaces Precious Metals as Industrial Catalyst
Transforming the chemistry of catalysis
LOS ALAMOS, NEW MEXICO, November 26, 2012—Cobalt, a common mineral, holds promise as an industrial catalyst with potential applications in such energy-related technologies such as the production of biofuels and the reduction of carbon dioxide. That is, provided the cobalt is captured in a complex molecule so it mimics the precious metals that normally serve this industrial role.

In work published Nov. 26 in the international edition of the chemistry journal Angewandte Chemie, Los Alamos National Laboratory scientists report the possibility of replacing the normally used noble metal catalysts with cobalt.
Catalysts are the parallel of the Philosopher’s Stone for chemistry. They cannot change lead to gold, but they do transform one chemical substance into another while remaining unchanged themselves. Perhaps the most familiar example of catalysis comes from automobile exhaust systems that change toxic fumes into more benign gases, but catalysts are also integral to thousands of industrial, synthetic, and renewable energy processes where they accelerate or optimize a mind-boggling array of chemical reactions. It’s not an exaggeration to say that without catalysts, there would be no modern industry.

But a drawback to catalysts is that the most effective ones tend to be literally precious. They are the noble metal elements such as platinum, palladium, rhodium, and ruthenium, which are a prohibitively expensive resource when required in large quantities. In the absence of a genuine Philosopher’s Stone, they could also become increasingly expensive as industrial applications increase worldwide. A push in sustainable chemistry has been to develop alternatives to the precious metal catalysts by using relatively inexpensive, earth-abundant metals. The chemical complexities of the more common metals have made this research a challenge, but the Los Alamos paper holds out hope that the earth-abundant metal cobalt can serve in place of its pricier relatives.

Cobalt, like iron and other transition metals in the Periodic Table, is cheap and relatively abundant, but it has a propensity to undergo irreversible reactions rather than emerging unchanged from chemical reactions as is required of an effective catalyst. The breakthrough by the Los Alamos team was to capture the cobalt atom in a complex molecule in such a way that it can mimic the reactivity of precious metal catalysts, and do so in a wide range of circumstances.

The findings of the Los Alamos team have major ramifications and suggest that cobalt complexes are rich with possibility for future catalyst development. Due to the high performance and low cost of the metal, the cobalt catalyst has potential applications in energy-related technologies such as the production of biofuels, and the reduction of carbon dioxide. It also has implications for organic chemistry, where hydrogenation is a commonly practiced catalytic reaction that produces important industrial chemical precursors.

The research was funded by the LANL Laboratory Directed Research and Development Early Career program. "Mild and Homogeneous Cobalt-Catalyzed Hydrogenation of C=C, C=O, and C=N Bonds." Angewandte Chemie International Edition. DOI: 10.1022/anie.201206051. Guoqi Zhang, Brian L. Scott, and Susan K. Hanson* Guoqi Zhang, Kalyan Vasudevan.

U.S. AIR FORCE PHOTOS: ENVIRONMENTALLY FRIENDLY TECHNOLOGIES

FROM: U.S. AIR FORCE

Officials at Tyndall Air Force Base, Fla., opened a new fitness center Aug. 20, 2010, that is expected to reach the U.S. Green Building Council's Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design Platinum level thanks to energy savings and environmentally friendly technologies, including these solar panels, or photovoltaics. The building also features cool-roof technology and a solar-generated hot-water system which are expected to help achieve a 9-percent energy savings for the building. (U.S. Air Force photo-Jonathan Green)

The Air Force's two new wind turbines at the Massachusetts Military Reservation in Cape Cod, Mass., seen from a distance, pose an interesting contrast to an ornamental traditional windmill atop a local Cape Cod shop. The 1.5 megawatt wind turbines, in addition to an existing turbine, were built to offset electrical costs for powering numerous groundwater cleanup systems at the reservation. The turbines will pay for all the Air Force's electric needs for groundwater remediation at MMR, saving more than $1.5 million per year. (U.S. Air Force photo-Scott Dehainaut)

 

NASA VIDEO: JUNE LOCKHART DISCUSSES WATER RECYCLING TECHNOLOGY

FROM:  NASA

June Lockhart: NASA's Clean Water TechnologyWater purification and recycling systems designed for spacecraft are helping to provide clean water for those in need here on Earth

White House Time-Lapse: Raising the Commemorative HIV/AIDS Red Ribbon | The White House

White House Time-Lapse: Raising the Commemorative HIV/AIDS Red Ribbon | The White House

AIRMAN BECOMES U.S. CITIZEN ON THE "TODAY" SHOW

Air Force Senior Airman Jorge Contreras sits with group of immigrants preparing to take the U.S. citizenship oath live on NBC's "Today" show, Nov. 16, 2012, at Rockefeller Plaza in New York. U.S. Air Force photo by 2nd Lt. Alexis McGee

FROM: U.S. DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE

Face of Defense: Airman Swears Allegiance, Attains Dream
By Air Force 2nd Lt. Alexis McGee
Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst

JOINT BASE MCGUIRE-DIX-LAKEHURST, N.J., Nov. 29, 2012 - An 87th Logistics Readiness Squadron airman assigned here was full of nerves on the morning of Nov. 16, as he was about to become a U.S. citizen in a New York ceremony broadcast live on NBC's "Today" show.

Senior Airman Jorge Contreras, a materiel management journeyman and a native of Peru, has served in the U.S. Air Force for the past four years, but he said he has known for years that he wanted to become a citizen.

"I feel like I'm already a citizen," he said. "The ceremony is more of a formality."

Contreras' quest to become a citizen began in 2010. "I had already lived in America for 11 years when I decided to become a citizen," said Contreras, who calls Elizabeth, N.J., home. "I was raised in this culture, so I feel like I'm a part of it. I know this is where I want to raise my family."

The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services department contacted Contreras two months after he submitted his application for citizenship and invited him to attend the "Today" program ceremony.

"I felt really excited about it," he said. "They saw something in me, and I felt really humbled that they called me."

An NBC crew traveled here Nov. 8, once Contreras' chain of command approved.

"I was nervous at first when the crew came down," Contreras said. "But then I realized all they wanted to see was me, and you can never be nervous about yourself. Once I got to know the team in person, all my nervousness went away."

The "Today" team invited Contreras' mother, Luz Reque, and girlfriend, Karla Espinoza, to attend the show and watch as he made the life-changing declaration.

"I am extremely proud of him," Espinoza said. "I know he tries really hard at everything he does, so I feel it is something he deserves." Espinoza, a citizen of Ecuador, also is working toward U.S. citizenship.

Nine co-workers and fellow airmen also traveled to New York to support Contreras.

"This is a pretty big deal for him," said Air Force Staff Sgt. Aldrine Estrella, an 87th LRS materiel management craftsman.

"I went through the same thing a few years ago, so I know how big of a deal it is to become a U.S. citizen," Estrella said.

Estrella, a native of the Philippines, earned his U.S. citizenship in 2010. He said he encouraged Contreras to do the same, but was quick to point out that Contreras didn't need much encouragement.

As Contreras scanned the spread of muffins, fruit and bagels the "Today" team put out before the ceremony, he couldn't help but smile in appreciation for what was to come.

"My mom is here, my girlfriend is here, and all the airmen are here," he said. "I feel so honored."

The 38-degree temperature did not stand in the way of the excited soon-to-be U.S. citizens who anxiously awaited the ceremony at Rockefeller Plaza.

"Once they got everything in motion, I said to myself, 'Forget the cold,'" Contreras said. "I was very happy to get my citizenship in front of my family."

Contreras became a U.S. citizen along with 29 other immigrants, and now can enjoy all the rights he has fought to preserve.

"It feels awesome to now be able to take advantage of all the rights I've been defending," said Contreras, who enlisted in the Air Force at age 21. "To me, it is less of an official title and more of a commitment."

With his commitment to the U.S. in his heart, at the forefront of Contreras' mind throughout the whole process was his family.

"A lot of doors just opened for me, and now I am ready to explore them and make my family proud," he said.

FAA PROPOSES POLICY TO KEEP FLIGHT ATTENDANTS SAFER

FROM: U.S. DEPARTMENT OF LABOR

FAA proposes policy to improve flight attendant workplace safety

WASHINGTON — The U.S. Department of Transportation's Federal Aviation Administration, working with the U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration, today proposed a new policy for addressing flight attendant workplace safety.

While the FAA's aviation safety regulations take precedence, the agency is proposing that OSHA be able to enforce certain occupational safety and health standards currently not covered by FAA oversight.

"Safety is our highest priority and that certainly extends to those who work in the transportation industry," said Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood. "Under this proposal, flight attendants would, for the first time, be able to report workplace injury and illness complaints to OSHA for response and investigation."

"The policy announced today with the FAA will not only enhance the health and safety of flight attendants by connecting them directly with OSHA but will, by extension, improve the flying experience of millions of airline passengers," said Secretary of Labor Hilda L. Solis.

Flight attendant workplace issues could include things such as exposure to noise and bloodborne pathogens, and access to information on hazardous chemicals. The FAA and OSHA will continue to work to identify any additional conditions where OSHA requirements could apply. They will also develop procedures to ensure that OSHA does not apply any requirements that could affect aviation safety.

"Flight attendants contribute to the safe operation of every flight each day," said acting FAA Administrator Michael Huerta. "This proposed policy is an important step toward establishing procedures for resolving flight attendant workplace health and safety concerns."

"We look forward to working with the FAA and the airlines to assure the protection of flight attendants," said Dr. David Michaels, assistant secretary of labor for occupational safety and health.

Through the FAA Modernization and Reform Act of 2012, Congress required the FAA to develop a policy statement to outline the circumstances in which OSHA requirements could apply to crewmembers while they are working on aircraft.