U.S. SECRETARY OF DEFENSE PANETTA ANSWERS QUESTIONS ON MALI

FROM: U.S. DEPARTMENT OF DEFENCE

Panetta Answers Mali Questions in Europe
By Karen Parrish
American Forces Press Service

MADRID, Jan. 15, 2013 - Defense Secretary Leon E. Panetta discussed U.S. assistance to the French in Mali during news conferences today in Lisbon, Portugal, and here in the Spanish capital.

On Jan. 10, France began airstrikes against forces in Mali affiliated with al-Qaida in the Islamic Maghreb.

During a news conference in Lisbon this morning with Portuguese Defense Minister Jose Pedro Aguiar-Branco, Panetta expressed support for France's action.

"We have commended the French for this effort to ... stop the AQIM -- these terrorists and members of al-Qaida -- from being able to develop a base of operations in Mali, and we have always been concerned about efforts by al-Qaida to establish that kind of base," the secretary said. "And our commitment ever since 9/11 has been to go after al-Qaida wherever they are and to make sure that they have no place to hide."

Panetta also noted that the international community and the United Nations support the effort. A reporter asked whether U.S. officials are considering sending ground forces to Mali. "There is no consideration of putting any American boots on the ground at this time," the secretary replied.

Later, during his joint appearance here with Spanish Defense Minister Pedro Morenes Eulate, Panetta repeated the basic points he first made yesterday about U.S. support for the French action in Mali.

The U.S. and French governments are discussing a range of possible assistance the United States can offer, he said. Panetta yesterday told reporters the French had requested intelligence, logistics and airlift support.

"We are in discussions with the French, and we are discussing in Washington some of the requests that have been made, to determine exactly what assistance we can provide," the secretary said. "Our goal is to ... do what we can to provide whatever assistance is necessary."

Panetta told reporters he can't yet offer a likely timeline for French military action in Mali.

"[We are following] events, trying to get a read as to what efforts they're committed to taking there and what their objectives are. I can't really give a full analysis ... as of this moment," he said. "Any time you confront an enemy that is dispersed ... makes it challenging."

In Mali, stopping a scattered enemy advance across a large area is a difficult but necessary task, the secretary noted.

"For that reason, we've commended France for taking that step," he said. "And I believe the international community will do all we can to try to assist them in that effort."

Morenes, speaking through a translator, noted that Panetta's meetings with Spanish leaders "laid the foundations for significant cooperation in the future."

"We specifically talked about Afghanistan and Mali," he added.

European defense ministers have been monitoring the situation for more than a year, Morenes said, and in December they had reached preliminary agreements to train Malian and Economic Community of West African States forces. The movement of extremist forces toward Mali's southern regions was "sudden, in a way," he said, which meant that a new response had to develop quickly.

Talks he held with the French minister Jan. 11 and last night indicated the French plan is to prevent terrorist groups from reaching Mali's capital of Bamako, which would create chaos, Morenes said. "The French minister told us that they wanted to stop that offensive and to ... [proceed with] the Mali training mission," he added.

Morenes said that at a meeting of NATO's foreign ministers Jan. 18 in Brussels, "we had planned to get ahead of the offensive."

"Now, [we are] adjusting to a new situation, post-offensive," he noted.

The Spanish minister added that Spain already has agreed to a French request that Spain allow overflights of its maritime airspace. Panetta and Morenes agreed it is vital to world security to prevent terrorists fro developing a safe haven in Mali.

"[The] objective is to make sure AQIM never establishes a base for operations – in Mali, or for that matter, anyplace else," Panetta said.

U.S. GENERAL DEMPSEY ATTENDS NATO MEETING IN BRUSSELS

Map:  Belgium.  Credit:  CIA World Factbook.

FROM: U.S. DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE

Dempsey Attends NATO Chiefs of Defense Meeting
By Jim Garamone
American Forces Press Service

BRUSSELS, Jan. 16, 2013 - The chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Army Gen. Martin E. Dempsey, is attending the NATO and Partners' Chiefs of Defense Meeting here today.

The meeting, hosted by Danish Army Gen. Knud Bartels, chairman of NATO's military committee, is being held at a particularly busy time for the alliance.

NATO and its partners have more than 110,000 service members deployed in five operations and missions in eight countries and at sea in the Mediterranean and off the Horn of Africa. "These personnel, working together across nations, languages and cultures, are central to the work of NATO and its partners," Bartels said in his remarks to open the meeting. "Through their continued commitment and professionalism, they reflect the very best aspects of the alliance, and as such, I would like to take this opportunity to pay tribute to each and every one of them."

Afghanistan is by far NATO's largest and most complex operation, and the chiefs will hear from Marine Corps Gen. John R. Allen, the commander of NATO's International Security Assistance Force in Afghanistan. ISAF is made up of the 28 NATO nations and 22 partners.

Allen will brief the chiefs on the current situation in Afghanistan and on the progress and plans for the transition toward Afghan lead in the country's security, Bartels said.

The NATO Military Committee also will consider the post-2014 mission in Afghanistan. Seven partner nations who have committed to the post-2014 mission will participate in the discussion.

"Throughout these discussions, our objective will be to ensure that we build upon the momentum and success currently achieved in order to set the conditions for the transition of responsibility for security to credible, capable and sustainable Afghan security forces," Bartels said.

But NATO is about far more than simply Afghanistan. The alliance chiefs have a busy schedule that also includes examining NATO military structures and capabilities to ensure they're adequate for collective defense of the alliance's nations.

The chiefs also will discuss the current economic realities and the limitations that an austere fiscal environment will impose. This contributes to the uncertainty facing NATO's militaries, Bartels said, and is occurring "at a time when the rapid evolution of world events continues to challenge our ability to predict, prepare for and address emerging strategic security threats."

"We must, therefore, continue to work collaboratively to deliver military capability more rapidly, more effectively and more economically," he added.

The general called on NATO allies to adopt a fresh approach to the problems and threats facing them. NATO's "Smart Defense" doctrine looks for the military and industry to work together, he noted.

Bartels said he has three themes for the meeting. The first is to continue to deliver success in ongoing operations. The second is to build on the strong partnerships NATO has forged on operations and issues of regional security.

"Finally," he said, "we should establish the roadmap for the recuperation, restoration and reform of NATO military capability delivery to ensure it is effective, affordable and available to support the alliance's strategic objectives."

The meeting will include sessions with the alliance's NATO-Russia Council format and Euro Atlantic Partnership format. Tomorrow, the military committee and partner nations will review the alliance's Kosovo mission.

FEMA PHOTOS: MOVING OUT OF THE FLOODPLAIN





FROM: FEMA, QUEENS, NEW YORK

Queens, N.Y., Jan. 8, 2013 -- Architect Thomas Paino of Long Island City, NY, elevates 3 floors of his row house to move the basement level out of the floodplain. In addition, the house has benefited from the work of structural engineers and sustainability architects who are making major energy efficiency modifications. Andre R. Aragon-FEMA

U.S.-LIBERIA PARTNERSHIP DIALOGUE SIGNING CEREMONY

Map:  Liberia.  From:  CIA World Factbook. 

FROM: U.S. STATE DEPARTMENT
Remarks at the U.S.-Liberia Partnership Dialogue Signing Ceremony
Remarks
Hillary Rodham Clinton
Secretary of State
Liberian President Sirleaf
Treaty Room
Washington, DC
January 15, 2013

SECRETARY CLINTON: Well, welcome to the Treaty Room. I am delighted to have this occasion, once again, to host President Sirleaf, a very good partner over many years, and especially, I would say, over the last four years it has been a great personal pleasure for me to work with her to strengthen that partnership between the United States and Liberia. And I also am grateful, as well, for her personal friendship.

Today, we are taking another important step to deepen the partnership between our nations and to support Liberia as it continues down the path of democratic and economic reform. The partnership dialogue we are about to sign will expand the cooperation between our countries and ensure high-level engagement for years to come.

This agreement establishes working groups in three key areas – first, agriculture and food security; helping Liberia’s farmers use their land more effectively and get their crops to markets more efficiently will be critical to improving the health and prosperity of people throughout Liberia. This working group will review progress under the Feed the Future Initiative, look for new opportunities to attract private investment in the agriculture sector, and recommend policies to promote food security and better nutrition.

Second, energy and power infrastructure. We know that access to affordable, reliable energy is essential to creating jobs and sparking growth that helps to build a strong economy. So we will take stock of outstanding needs for the generation, transmission, and distribution of energy, promote a regulatory environment that’s friendly to new investments in energy, and look for ways to accelerate the development of a well-governed and inclusive energy sector.

And finally, we want to look at human development with a real emphasis on creating more economic opportunity for the people of Liberia to expand access to education and employment so that many more Liberians have a chance to not only better themselves and their families, but make a contribution to their nation.

I think it is more than fair to say that this last decade has been a success story for Liberia. The people of Liberia have emerged from a time of violence and lawlessness and have made tremendous commitments to both economic and political reform. The United States has stood by Liberia during this challenging process, but I think it is also more than fair to say it was aided considerably by the leadership, the determination of a woman who understood in every fiber of her being what was at stake. And so, Madame President, let me, on behalf of the United States, thank you for the great progress under your leadership, pledge our continuing support and partnership and friendship to you and to the people of your country. (Applause.)

PRESIDENT SIRLEAF: Secretary of State Clinton, members of the Administration, ladies and gentlemen, I am honored to be here today for several reasons. First, I feel privileged to have been invited to the State Department this week, one of the last weeks that you, Madame Secretary, will be in office, to say thank you for all that you have done for Liberia and the Liberian people, to say thank you for always being there for Liberia.

Second, for me personally, it was important to be here today to see that you have fully recovered – (laughter) – from your recent illness, to embrace you, and to let you know that all of Liberia prayed for your speedy recovery.

Third, I have always seen Liberia’s progress as underpinned by its special relationship with the United States. The launching today of the U.S.-Liberia Partnership Dialogue is an historic achievement, one that will cement the strategic cooperation between our two countries for generations to come regardless of the occupants of the White House or the Executive Mansion. Dear friends, today for us marks an historic day for the Government and people of Liberia, the fulfillment of a wish first articulated last June for the institutionalization of the longstanding bilateral relationship between Liberia and the United States of America.

Just seven months ago, we made the rounds among congressional and U.S. Government officials. We put forward proposals on how the United States could work with Liberia as a partner to consolidate its gains. One proposal called for the establishment of a joint United States-Liberia bi-national commission established (inaudible) in the 1960s, which aimed to ensure that the partnership would endure for 50 years or more.

I recall vividly when I made the case to you, Madame Secretary, your support was instantaneous. You assured me that you would figure out how to embed such a relationship in our governments and countries, and here we are today for the signing of the statement of intent, Liberia’s chance with the United States as a reliable partner in the region. The U.S.-Liberia Partnership Dialogue would allow our two countries to look at our relationship strategically with a view towards the long term and focus on those areas that encourage broad-based economic growth, including agriculture and food security, energy and power infrastructure, and human development.

We look forward to carrying out the first meeting of the U.S.-Liberia Partnership Dialogue under the leadership of Secretary of State designate, Senator John Kerry, who also has been an essential supporter of Liberia during his long service on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, including his time as chairman. We recognize that this will not just be a job for our two governments, but also for the business communities of both countries and other stakeholders in Liberia.

Madame Secretary, I’m especially pleased that we were recently declared eligible for compact status by the Millennium Challenge Corporation. Coming just two years after being awarded a threshold program and seven years after the reestablishment of democracy in Liberia, this is one of Liberia’s proudest achievements. I would like to recognize the presence here of MCC President Daniel Yohannes and to promise you that we will deliver a compact program that will be comprehensive and resulting.

I take this opportunity to thank Assistant Secretary of State Johnnie Carson for his steadfast leadership on Africa policy over the past four years. Ambassador Carson, we wish for you the best and hope you will continue to find a way to stay engaged with us in Liberia. We also congratulate President Barack Obama on his forthcoming inauguration to a second term of office. We trust that we can count on him and on Africa’s continued support under his leadership to Liberia and to Africa.

Madam Secretary, Hillary – (laughter) – you’ve been a true friend of Liberia and to me personally. We are pleased that in the history of our bilateral relationship, which spans more than a century and a half, you made two trips to Liberia while in office as Secretary of State. You have supported our country’s progress, championed our political process, and pushed to settle Liberia’s external debt. As we bid you farewell, I remain convinced that in this era of economic challenge, history will show that your support and the investment of the U.S. Government and the American people in Liberia will return significant dividends.

We’ll continue to guard the peace, promote reconciliation, build strong democratic institutions, and show good governance and transparency, and encourage broad-based economic development. We will continue to strive to be a post-conflict success story. For that, Madam Secretary, is America’s success also. Thank you. (Applause.)

MODERATOR: Secretary Clinton and President Sirleaf are signing a statement of intent between the United States and the Republic of Liberia to establish a partnership dialogue. The U.S.-Liberia Partnership Dialogue will ensure sustained high-level bilateral engagement on issues of mutual interest.

(The document was signed.) (Applause.)

SECRETARY CLINTON: Thanks to everyone who helped work on this. I see a lot of the faces from across the State Department. Let’s get a picture with everybody coming up behind us, perhaps.

MOUNTAINS, FIRE AND WATER

An aerial view of the Colorado Rocky Mountains.  Credit:  Wikimedia Commons.

 
FROM: NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION

High-Peak Creeks, Forest Fires and Landscape Erosion: Could They Be Linked?

Fire and water. One scorches the other, only to be drowned in return. Could their effects on a watershed be related?

Scientists conducting research in Colorado's Rocky Mountains at the National Science Foundation (NSF) Boulder Creek Critical Zone Observatory (CZO) are finding out.

Boulder Creek is a 31-mile-long stream draining the Rocky Mountains to the west of Boulder, Colo., as well as the city itself and surrounding plains.

At the Boulder Creek CZO, scientists see fire and water as being closely tied to the landscape--and to what's below that landscape in the subsurface environment.

"Ultimately, it's the landscape that controls where fires are most likely," says scientist Suzanne Anderson of the University of Colorado at Boulder, director of the Boulder Creek CZO.

"It all begins with the presence of the mountains," she says, "with the landscape beneath the forests and streams."

The Colorado Front Range, whose mountains Boulder Creek plummets down, are the stage upon which fire, water and forests are set.

Take the Fourmile Canyon Fire of September 2010. It burned 6,400 acres, destroyed 169 homes and caused more than $217 million in damages.

The wildfire raged through the Boulder Creek watershed's rugged terrain. The resulting deforestation, CZO scientists have found, left the area at risk of flooding and erosion, including debris flows from the fire.

NSF's Critical Zone Observatories: where rock meets water meets life

The Boulder Creek CZO is one of six NSF CZOs in watersheds across the nation.

In addition to the Boulder Creek site, CZOs are located in the Southern Sierra Nevada, Christina River Basin on the border of Delaware and Pennsylvania, Susquehanna Shale Hills in Pennsylvania, Luquillo riparian zone in Puerto Rico, and the Jemez River and Santa Catalina Mountains in New Mexico and Arizona.

They're providing researchers with a new understanding of the critical zone--the region between the top of the forest canopy and the base of unweathered rock.

"The critical zone is our living environment," says Enriqueta Barrera, program director in NSF's Division of Earth Sciences, which funds the CZO network. "The CZOs offer us new knowledge about the critical zone and its response to climate and land-use change."

They're the first systems-based observatories dedicated to understanding how Earth's surface processes are coupled, she says. "They will help us predict how the critical zone affects the ecosystem services on which society depends."

The water cycle, the breakdown of rocks and eventual formation of soil, the evolution of rivers and valleys, patterns of plant growth and landforms all result from processes that take place in the critical zone.

"The CZOs," says Barrera, "are fostering a new view of the critical zone as one holistic system."

Fast-moving water--and fire--in the critical zone

What are the long-term effects of the Fourmile Canyon Fire and other wildfires on watersheds such as Boulder Creek?

Studies of streams after wildfires have yielded conflicting results. Some show increases in pH (water that's more basic vs. acidic), turbidity, nutrients, sulfate and metals. Other research reports few effects.

"Many of these studies sampled water chemistry at intervals that didn't catch rapid changes," says Anderson. "At the Boulder Creek CZO, we're conducting high-frequency stream sampling, and evaluating how upland hydrologic and biogeochemical processes affected by fire influence downstream water quality."

Since the Fourmile Canyon Fire, scientists at the Boulder Creek CZO and the U.S. Geological Survey have been tracking discharge rates, nutrients, metals and ecosystem characteristics such as numbers and species of invertebrates that live in streams.

Runoff from burned north- and south-facing slopes is being measured to assess how hillslopes respond differently following fire.

Instruments have been placed on the hillslopes, and in soils along Boulder Creek's banks, to record changes. Stream water and soil chemistry are being compared with those of nearby unburned areas.

Monitoring continues during snowmelt when water levels are high, and during "gully washer" summer thunderstorms.

In the summer of 2011, for example, a severe storm led to an 8,100 percent increase in stream discharge in Fourmile Creek, a tributary of Boulder Creek. "That was some three times higher than had ever been measured," says Anderson.

The storm flooded homes and blocked roads with sediment. It also resulted in concentrations of in-stream total suspended solids that were 4,000-fold above baseline.

Some of that sediment remains in the creek channel, then flows downstream when more rain falls in the area.

"Such precipitation events can lead to catastrophic erosion that affects long-term sediment loads," says Anderson. "Increases in turbidity, nitrate and what's called dissolved organic carbon in turn may affect drinking water treatment processes."

These studies are but a few of "many taking place at the Boulder Creek CZO on everything from how the 'architecture' of the critical zone affects its hydrology, to the role trees play in the critical zone's evolution," says Anderson.

The Front Range: a regional water tower

With its high peaks, the Colorado Front Range "harvests" precipitation from the atmosphere. Most of that precipitation falls as snow. The snowpack becomes a reservoir, and the mountains act as a water tower.

"The distribution of water resources in western North America is actually controlled by the geologic history of the region," says Anderson. "It sets the location, height and width of the moisture-trapping and moisture-holding mountain ranges."

Forests near Boulder Creek--and everywhere in the West--are found in mountain ranges. Moisture is high enough there for trees to flourish, and precipitation evaporates more slowly.

But where forests grow, fires often aren't far behind. "With more droughts in recent years," says Anderson, "we're more at risk of fires."

The role of erosion

The Front Range--more than 10,000 feet high at its crest--is eroding, says Anderson, but very slowly.

For the most part, "it's cool and moist there," she says, "and 'soil-mantled'--the soil wasn't scraped away by the glaciers that covered the region in the distant past."

Most of this slowly eroding terrain has been sliced by rivers, which have hollowed out deep canyons such as Boulder Canyon.

"The canyons are giant drains carved into the terrain," says Anderson. "They lower the water table of surrounding slopes. Their erosion history sets up broad regions of well-drained forested landscape."

That well-drained landscape is the corridor where big fires, such as the one in Fourmile Canyon, have happened.

"The topography of the Front Range is interconnected with water and fire in the landscape," says Anderson.

Past is prologue?

At Boulder Creek, scientists are looking down into the subsurface, Anderson says, "to understand how the landscape evolved into its present state, and how that controls everything from where forests are found, to how fast weathering of subsurface rock takes place, to a watershed's ability to collect and store water." And, perhaps, to put a fire out.

Meanwhile, the creek flows onward, cutting into the mountain landscape as it goes--and carrying parts of the Rockies with it.

"Amber and white and black in the arrested spaces," wrote H.H. Jackson in 1878 in Bits of Travel at Home, "[Boulder Creek] whirls under bridges and round the corners, doubles on itself, leaps over and high above a hundred rocks in a rod, breaks into sheafs and showers of spray, foams and shines and twinkles and glistens; and if there be any other thing which water at its swiftest and sunniest can do, that it does also, even to jumping rope with rainbows."

A perfect description, says Anderson, of the role of fast-flowing streams in the critical zone.

TRANSFERING MILITARY VEHICLE SKILLS TO A CIVILIAN COMMERICIAL LICENSE

Photo: Dump Truck. U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Jonathan Carmichae

FROM: U.S. DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE
DOD Official Lauds Veterans Commercial License Effort

By Cheryl Pellerin
American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, Jan. 14, 2013 - Maryland has joined 33 other states in agreeing to waive the skills test for veterans and service members who have military training that would entitle them to a commercial driver's license, a senior Defense Department official said today.

Frank C. DiGiovanni, director of training, readiness and strategy in the office of the deputy assistant secretary of defense for readiness, joined Maryland Lt. Gov. Anthony Brown and officials from the Maryland Department of Transportation, veterans' organizations, and federal, state and local offices to announce two new services available to veterans through the Maryland Motor Vehicle Administration, or MVA.

"This initiative is extremely important for the Department of Defense," DiGiovanni said. "It sets a great benchmark and will greatly assist our veterans as they plan for their future."

Along with the departments of Labor, Transportation and Veterans Affairs, DOD is working with national credentialing agencies, states and other stakeholders to address the complex challenges of certification and licensure for veterans.

DOD's Credentialing and Licensing Task Force was established to help service members in high-demand fields gain industry-recognized, nationally portable credentials to increase their competitiveness in the private sector after separation from the military.

Most states require drivers to demonstrate their skills before issuing a commercial driver's license. Now, 34 states will waive the skills test, but not the written test, for eligible veterans and service members. More states are considering such a waiver, according to a DOD spokeswoman.

A provision of the commercial learner's permit rule gives state driver licensing agencies the authority to substitute two years of commercial motor vehicle safe-driving experience in the military equivalents of commercial motor vehicles for the skills-test portion of the commercial driver license.

The rule applies to active duty, Reserve, Guard and Coast Guard members, and veterans within 90 days of separation.

Starting this month, Maryland's MVA is offering a veteran indicator on driver's licenses and identification cards to help veterans identify themselves to access services and resources and is implementing a streamlined process for veterans to obtain commercial driver's licenses as allowed by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration.

DiGiovanni said that in fiscal 2011, more than 63,000 service members had occupations whose skills involved driving trucks -- 28,247 on active duty and 35,080 in the Guard or Reserve.

"There are also tens of thousands of service members who are truck drivers as an additional duty," DiGiovanni said, "so this particular authorization is extremely important to the employability" of service members as they depart from the service."

Military truck drivers bring outstanding experience and training to the commercial trucking sector, he added.

"I had an opportunity to speak to a veterans group, and I asked them what [they] learned during their service to the military that would be useful in the private sector," DiGiovanni recalled.

The first thing they cite is leadership, he added, and then working as a team and making decisions in a very complex environment.

"So I think it's really important what these veterans bring to the table, particularly the commercial trucking sector," he said.

DiGiovanni closed his remarks by challenging the state of Maryland and veterans service organizations to continue to find ways to support our veterans.

U.S. SECRETARY OF DEFENSE PANETTA MAKES REMARKS REGARDING NATO



U.S. Defense Secretary Leon E. Panetta and Spanish Defense Minister Pedro Morenes Eulate lay a memorial wreath during a visit to Madrid, Jan. 15, 2013. Panetta stopped in Spain as part of a six-day trip to meet with European allies. DOD photo by Erin A. Kirk-Cuomo.

FROM: U.S. DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE
In Europe Remarks, Panetta Stresses NATO Commitment
By Karen Parrish
American Forces Press Service
MADRID, Jan. 15, 2013 - NATO is an alliance that must remain strong and capable to meet 21st century challenges, Defense Secretary Leon E. Panetta emphasized in two European capitals today.

In a joint newss conference here with Spanish Defense Minister Pedro Morenes Eulate, and in an earlier event today with Portuguese Defense Minister Jose Pedro Aguiar-Branco, the secretary praised NATO allies' resolve over the past 10-plus years of war, and urged their continued commitment to the transatlantic alliance.

Speaking here, Panetta said Spain is a longtime trusted ally, friend and security partner to the United States. Spain's leadership in NATO, contributions in Afghanistan and efforts to promote security in the Mediterranean basin, he said, have been critically important over the last decade.

"I believe continued Spanish leadership will be essential to the future success of the transatlantic alliance," Panetta said. "Spain is extremely important to our ability to maintain and strengthen that very important alliance."

The secretary also paid tribute to the Spanish service members killed in Afghanistan. "On behalf of my country," he said, "I want to extend to the people of Spain our deepest condolences on the fact that you buried today, as I understand it, the 100th casualty ... killed in action that Spain has endured in that conflict. You've paid a high price."

Because of many such sacrifices on the part of nations with forces in Afghanistan and of the Afghan people, Panetta said, "we are on track to meet the goals that our nations agreed to last year [at the NATO summit] in Chicago," Panetta said. He added that Afghan forces are set to take over lead security responsibility in the late spring, and full responsibility in 2014.

He pledged continued commitment to develop and sustain Afghan forces past 2014.

"The long-term commitment NATO has made is critical to fulfilling the mission that brave men and women from our two nations have fought and died to carry out," he said.

Other topics he discussed with Spanish leaders, Panetta said, include countering cyber threats and bolstering maritime security.

"Literally hundreds of thousands of cyber attacks [are] aimed at both the private sector ... [and] the governmental sector," Panetta said. "And for that reason, it is important that we work together to strengthen our capabilities in this wider area."

The United States already is partnering with Spain to meet the mission of safeguarding the seas, he noted. "The home-porting of four Aegis-equipped destroyers to Rota, which I announced on my first trip to Europe as secretary, is a key U.S. commitment of NATO," he said. "But more broadly, Rota is a critical gateway for naval and aerial operations into the Mediterranean and beyond."

The ship-based Aegis ballistic missile defense system incorporates computers, radar, and missiles to detect, track and destroy short- to intermediate-range missiles.

Naval Station Rota, on Spain's southern coast, is a Spanish base funded by the United States. "As our forces deploy there, we will look to increase our bilateral naval cooperation with Spain," Panetta said.

Moving ahead with the Aegis deployment to Rota while the United States and many other nations face significant fiscal pressure, the secretary said, "reflects our belief that the transatlantic alliance will remain critical for global security in the 21st century, and we must make investments in order to keep it strong for the future."

The world's nations still face a range of challenges, Panetta pointed out.

"That's reality. That's the world we live in," he said. "From terrorism to nuclear proliferation to the destabilizing behavior of regimes like Iran and North Korea, these are challenges that require us to be ever vigilant and ever ready and, above all, to be leaders in helping to forge a safer and more secure future for the 21st century."

Earlier today in Portugal, the secretary spoke to many of the same themes, and also noted Pentagon officials will alter the pace of the planned drawdown of U.S. forces at Lajes Field in the Azores.

Aguiar-Branco opened the joint news conference in the Portuguese capital. Speaking through a translator, he said the U.S. decision to cut manning at Lajes is a "situation that causes much concern to the Portuguese government."

"I explained to Mr. Leon Panetta the delicacy and importance to work together in order to mitigate the consequences of this situation and to lessen the impact on -- in the region of the Azores. ... This meeting was a very important stage in the work as allies and partners in our work to reinforce and strengthen our relationship."

Panetta responded that while budget pressures force a decrease in operations at Lajes Field, "we will do everything we can to minimize the impact and the hardship to that community and, indeed, we will use this as an opportunity to build an even stronger [military-to-military] relationship between the United States and Portugal."

The secretary said he made clear to Portuguese leaders that U.S. defense leaders will work with Portuguese officials and the local community to mitigate the impact of the decision.

The United States military is committed to Lajes Field, which has important airlift capabilities, he said.

"It will remain a vital part of our global forward posture. We will need to continue to make use of this important base," the secretary added.

Recognizing Portuguese concerns, Panetta said, the United States has delayed the transition of that reduction to October 2014. "We will maintain, in addition, a 24/7 fire and emergency services there, and we are committed to a 3-to-1 ratio of employees from the local community," he added. "For every one that the United States employs, we will employ three of the local community."

The United States also will explore opportunities to expand trade and business in the Azores, the secretary said, noting that U.S. European Command will host a delegation of business executives next month, which will include a visit to the Azores "that may provide opportunities for expanded economic development there."

Finally and most critically, Panetta said, the United States is committed to expanding the relationship between the U.S. and Portuguese militaries with a focus on the key security challenges of the future.

A joint team of Pentagon and Portuguese defense officials is working to develop "additional opportunities to improve our relationship, and to renew and to re-emphasize the strong relationship between the United States and Portugal," he added.

Panetta noted close partnership and cooperation among allied nations is even more important when defense budgets shrink.

"The defense strategy the United States released one year ago this month makes clear that in an era of fiscal constraint, it remains essential for us to invest in our historic alliances with countries like Portugal," he said, "and for all of us to invest in alliance capabilities."

VIDEO OF THE HUYGENS PROBE LANDING ON TITAN

FROM: NASA

 When Huygens Met Titan

This animation re-creates the final descent of ESA's Huygens probe as it landed on Titan on Jan. 14, 2005, after it was dropped off by NASA's Cassini spacecraft.

ISS UPDATE FOR JANUARY 15, 2013

FROM:  NASA

A WIN AGAINST DEFENDANTS CHARGED WITH DEFRAUDING INVESTORS WITH FICTITIOUS OFFERINGS

FROM: U.S. SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
On December 17, 2012, the United States District Court for the Central District of California granted the Securities and Exchange Commission's motion for summary judgment against all defendants and relief defendants in a civil action arising from two "prime bank" or "high yield" investment schemes that defrauded investors out of more than $11 million. The judgment permanently enjoins Francis E. Wilde, Steven E. Woods, Mark A. Gelazela, Bruce H. Haglund, and entities they control, from violations of the antifraud and other securities law provisions. The judgment also requires the defendants to pay disgorgement and penalties, and bars Wilde and Haglund from acting as officers or directors of any public company. In addition, the court issued a separate judgment requiring relief defendants IBalance LLC, Maureen Wilde, and Shillelagh Capital Corporation to disgorge illegally-obtained profits.

The Commission's complaint, filed on February 24, 2011, alleged that Wilde, through his company Matrix Holdings LLC, orchestrated two fraudulent investment schemes. The first scheme began in April 2008 when Wilde obtained a U.S. Treasury bond with a market value of nearly $5 million from an investor by making false and misleading promises of outsized returns from what he claimed was a "private placement program." Wilde (through Matrix) then used the bond to secure a line of credit that he drew down to pay personal expenses, to pay investors, creditors and debt holders of his public company, and to make failed attempts to acquire fictitious prime bank instruments or to invest in high yield programs. Wilde eventually exhausted all of the funds obtained with the investor's bond and never produced a return for the investor.

The Commission further claimed that, beginning in October 2009, Wilde concocted another fraudulent scheme with Woods and Gelazela in the form of a "bank guarantee funding" program using the services of Haglund as escrow attorney. Between October 2009 and mid-March 2010, Woods (through BMW Majestic LLC) and Gelazela (through IDLYC Holdings Trust ("IDLYC") and IDLYC Holdings Trust LLC ("IDLYC LLC")) signed contracts with 24 investors who sent over $6.3 million to Haglund's trust account. Wilde never successfully acquired or leased a single legitimate financial instrument and exhausted all $6.3 million of the investors' funds, much of which was taken by the defendants in the form of undisclosed fees. The Commission alleged that Haglund aided the fraud by receiving and sending wires of investors' funds in and out of his trust account according to instructions from Wilde, thus allowing Wilde to utilize funds for undisclosed purposes. Haglund also knowingly made, and Wilde knowingly authorized, Ponzi-like payments to old investors using new investor deposits.

The court found that Wilde, Woods, Gelazela, Matrix, BMW Majestic, IDLYC, and IDLYC LLC violated Sections 5(a), 5(c), and 17(a) of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 10(b) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 and Rule 10b-5 thereunder; that Woods and Gelazela also violated Section 15(a) of the Exchange Act; and that Haglund and Wilde aided and abetted the other defendants' violations of Section 10(b) and Rule 10b-5.

The judgment permanently enjoins Wilde, Woods, Gelazela, Matrix, BMW Majestic, IDLYC, and IDLYC LLC from violating Sections 5 and 17(a) of the Securities Act and Section 10(b) of the Exchange Act and Rule 10b-5 thereunder; Woods and Gelazela from violating Section 15(a)(1) of the Exchange Act; and Haglund from violating Section 10(b) of the Exchange Act and Rule 10b-5 thereunder. The court ordered Wilde and Matrix to pay, jointly and severally, disgorgement of their ill-gotten gains in the amount of $12,106,810.75 plus pre-judgment interest, for a total of $13,589,505.56. The court further ordered Wilde and Matrix to pay a civil penalty equal to the amount of disgorgement plus prejudgment interest. In addition, the court ordered Woods, Gelazela, Haglund, BMW Majestic, IDLYC and IDLYC LLC to pay, jointly and severally, disgorgement of their ill-gotten gains in the amount of $6,195,908 plus pre-judgment interest, for a total of $6,744,083.49. The court's order also required Woods, Gelazela, Haglund, BMW Majestic, IDLYC and IDLYC LLC to pay a civil penalty equal to the amount of disgorgement plus prejudgment interest. The judgment also permanently bars Wilde and Haglund from acting as an officer or director of a public company.

The court also ordered several relief defendants, all of which are related to defendants, to disgorge a total of $2,153,000 in ill-gotten gains that they received:
IBalance LLC, an entity partially owned by Gelazela, was ordered to pay disgorgement of $1,000,000, plus prejudgment interest of $88,743.79;
Maureen Wilde, the wife of Francis Wilde, was ordered to pay disgorgement of $829,500, plus prejudgment interest of $67,412.85; and
Shillelagh Capital Corporation, an entity Wilde controls, was ordered to pay disgorgement of $323,500, plus prejudgment interest of $27,475.06.
　
　

NEWS FROM AFGHANISTAN FOR JANUARY 15, 2013

Bala Boluk district elders from Farah province particpate in a shura at the Bala Boluk district center in Afghanistan's Farah province, Jan. 15, 2013. U.S. Navy photo.

 　
FROM: U.S. DEPARTMET OF DEFENSE
Afghan, Coalition Forces Arrest Taliban Facilitator
From an International Security Assistance Force News Release

KABUL, Afghanistan, Jan. 15, 2013 - A combined Afghan and coalition security force arrested a Taliban facilitator in the Khugyani district of Afghanistan's Nangarhar province today, military officials reported.

The facilitator enabled the distribution of weapons, ammunition, improvised explosive devices and suicide vests for use in attacks against Afghan and coalition forces. He also planned and acquired materials for suicide vehicle bombings.

The security force also detained four suspected insurgents and seized bomb-making materials, weapons and ammunition.

Also today, a combined force detained several suspected insurgents while searching for a Taliban leader in Wardak province's Nerkh district. The leader facilitates the movement of weapons and IED materials.

In Afghanistan operations yesterday:

-- A combined force in Logar province's Baraki Barak district killed three insurgents and arrested a Taliban IED expert who oversaw a group of insurgents and was planning an attack against local police. The security force also detained four suspected insurgents, destroyed an explosives cache and seized weapons, IED components and ammunition.

-- In Kandahar province's Maiwand district, a combined force detained three suspected insurgents while searching for a Taliban leader who facilitates the movement of heavy weapons and IEDs for attacks against Afghan and coalition forces.

-- A coalition force in Helmand province's Nahr-e Saraj district found and destroyed about 1,100 pounds of hashish.

EPA WARNS OF RADON GAS AND LUNG CANCER RISK

FROM:  U.S. ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

Reduce Lung Cancer Risk in 2013 by Testing Your Home for Radon Gas
Elevated radon levels found in roughly 1 in 15 homes nationwide


WASHINGTON – As part of National Radon Action Month, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced today steps the public can take to test, fix and save a life from dangerous radon gas.

"Testing for radon is one of the easiest and smartest things people can do to protect their homes and families from this serious health risk," said Gina McCarthy, assistant administrator for EPA's Office of Air and Radiation. "Addressing high radon levels greatly reduces exposure to the second leading cause of lung cancer."

Radon occurs naturally from the decay of uranium in the soil and can accumulate to dangerous levels inside the home. Elevated levels of the colorless, odorless gas are the leading cause of lung cancer among non-smokers.

Elevated levels of this health hazard in homes, schools, workplaces, and other buildings can be prevented through these simple steps:
Test: All buildings with or without basements should be tested for radon. Affordable Do-It-Yourself radon test kits are available online and at home improvement and hardware stores, or a qualified radon tester can be hired.
Fix: EPA recommends taking action to fix radon levels at or above 4 picoCuries per Liter (pCi/L) and contacting a qualified radon-reduction contractor.
Save a Life: 21,000 Americans die from radon related lung cancer each year, but by addressing elevated levels, you can help prevent lung cancer while creating a healthier home and community.
EPA continues to work with Federal, State and local partners on the Federal Radon Action Plan to educate the public about the dangers of radon exposure.

RECENT U.S. NAVY PHOTOS

FROM: U.S. NAVY
130112-N-XQ375-201 U.S. 5TH FLEET AREA OF RESPONSIBILITY (Jan. 12, 2013) The guided-missile destroyer USS Jason Dunham (DDG 109) fires a MK 45 5-inch, 62-caliber lightweight deck gun during a live-fire exercise. Jason Dunham is deployed with the John C. Stennis Carrier Strike Group to the U.S. 5th Fleet area of responsibility conducting maritime security operations, theater security cooperation efforts and support missions for Operation Enduring Freedom. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Deven B. King/Released)

130111-N-BE353-042 SAIPAN (Jan. 11, 2013) The Los Angeles-class attack submarine USS La Jolla (SSN 701) moors alongside the submarine tender USS Frank Cable (AS 40). La Jolla is in Saipan for a scheduled port visit during its deployment to the western Pacific Ocean. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Ricardo Danan/Released)

 

U.S. SECRETARY OF DEFENSE ARRIVES IN PORTUGAL

Defense Secretary Leon E. Panetta departs Joint Base Andrews, Md., Jan. 14, 2013. Panetta is on a six-day trip to Europe to visit with foreign counterparts and troops. DOD photo by Erin A. Kirk-Cuomo

 
FROM: U.S. DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE
Panetta Arrives in Portugal, First Stop on Europe Tour
By Karen Parrish
American Forces Press Service

LISBON, Portugal, Jan. 14, 2013 - Defense Secretary Leon E. Panetta landed here today on the first leg of what he said is likely his last international trip as secretary.

While here, the secretary is scheduled to meet separately with Foreign Minister Paulo Portas and Defense Minister José Pedro Aguiar-Branco, with whom he is scheduled to hold a joint news conference.

Panetta also will visit Naval Striking and Support Forces NATO, known as STRIKFORNATO. Alliance officials said the organization is NATO's premier maritime battle staff and the alliance's primary link for integrating U.S. maritime forces into NATO operations.

During the flight here, Panetta told reporters traveling with him that Portugal is a key NATO ally and an important strategic partner in the Mediterranean and beyond.

"I am told that I'm the first [U.S. defense] secretary to visit Portugal in at least 30 years," he said.

The U.S. and Portuguese militaries have a history of close cooperation, particularly in the Azores, he said. The Azores are a group of nine volcanic islands, belonging to Portugal but strategically located some 900 miles west of Lisbon in the mid-Atlantic.

Panetta acknowledged DOD will reduce operations at Lajes Field, an air base that houses Portuguese and U.S. Air Force elements and a regional air passenger terminal,
located on Terceira Island in the Azores.

The number of U.S. and Portuguese service members based there will drop by at least half from the current 1,100 population, DOD officials said Dec. 13. Aircraft operations support also will be reduced, and the United States will return about 300 of the 400 buildings on the base to the Portuguese government, officials said.

U.S. forces have been in the Azores since 1943, when World War II saw troops at Lajes first protecting allied shipping lanes and later hunting German submarines.

Panetta said while DOD will reduce operations at Lajes because of budget constraints, his goal is to tell Portuguese leaders how the United States intends to broaden and transform the U.S.-Portugal defense relationship through increased military-to-military engagement and exercises, and to try to focus on the challenges of mutual interest, such as maritime security.

Later this week, Panetta will travel to Madrid, Rome and London.

U.S.EXPORT-IMPORT BANK APPROVES LOAN TO FINACE HOSPITAL EXPANSION IN GHANA

FROM: U.S. EXPORT-IMPORT BANK
Ex-Im Approves $155.4 Million Loan to Finance Hospital Expansion in Ghana

Washington, D.C. – In keeping with its focus on sub-Saharan Africa, the Export-Import Bank of the United States (Ex-Im Bank) has authorized a $155.4 million direct loan to the Republic of Ghana to finance the design and construction of a hospital expansion in Accra, Ghana.

Americaribe Inc. of Miami, Fla., will export the goods and services required in the project.

The loan will support approximately 700 U.S. jobs, according to bank estimates derived from Departments of Commerce and Labor data and methodology.


"This transaction, which is our second authorization for sub-Saharan Africa of the calendar year, reflects our continued commitment to supporting exports to Africa and the priorities of the President’s 2012 Presidential Policy Directive," said Ex-Im Bank Chairman and President Fred P. Hochberg. "Moreover, the transaction will ensure Ghana can provide better healthcare to its people and in the process support hundreds of U.S. jobs in a key sector."

The Ridge Hospital Complex, which was built in 1928, serves as the primary medical facility for the Greater Accra Region (GAR). Between 2000 and 2010, the GAR population increased from 1.4 million to 3.9 million, and so the expansion of the complex will help alleviate the capacity shortages. When completed, the hospital will number among the most advanced medical facilities in West Africa and will include a new 420-bed building housing a comprehensive diagnostic and treatment block and a state-of-the-art maternity ward.

Americaribe, which incorporated in Florida in 2002, is a subsidiary of the multinational group Bouygues and specializes in the design, engineering, and construction of healthcare, education, transportation, residential, and commercial projects.

"The Ghana Ridge Hospital is a key project for Americaribe’s business development, boosting our activity and allowing us to create between 15 and 20 new direct jobs in the U.S. during the three years of the contract," said Jean-Baptiste Baudin de la Valette, president of Americaribe. "As of today, we already have hired three new employees directly linked to this transaction. It will also strengthen our relationship with our consultants and suppliers in the U.S. and will allow them to maintain or create hundreds of technical and specialized jobs. We have also created Americaribe Ghana Ltd., a company registered in Ghana and 100% owned by Americaribe Inc., to execute the job."

HSBC London and New York Project & Export Finance teams acted as financial advisor

to the Government of Ghana throughout the Ex-Im Bank application and due diligence processes.

In FY 2012, Ex-Im Bank authorized more than $1.5 billion to support U.S. exports to sub-Saharan Africa.

Neue Bodenstation in Argentinien vervollständigt modernstes Netzwerk zur Bahnverfolgung

Neue Bodenstation in Argentinien vervollständigt modernstes Netzwerk zur Bahnverfolgung

U.S. SECRETARY OF STATE PANETTA ON U.S. SUPPORT OF FRENCH IN MALI

FROM: U.S. DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE

Panetta: U.S. Support to French in Mali Aimed at al-Qaida
By Karen Parrish
American Forces Press Service

LISBON, Portugal, Jan. 14, 2013 - U.S. and French defense leaders are hammering out details of intelligence, logistics and airlift assistance the United States will provide to French forces in Mali, Defense Secretary Leon E. Panetta said today.

Speaking to reporters on the flight to the Portuguese capital, the secretary said such planned assistance demonstrates U.S. leaders' resolve that "we have a responsibility to go after al-Qaida wherever they are."

"We've gone after them in the FATA," Panetta said, referring to the federally administered tribal areas in Pakistan's northwest. "We're going after them in Yemen and Somalia. And we have a responsibility to make sure that al-Qaida does not establish a base for operations in North Africa and Mali."

French forces began airstrikes in Mali, a former French colony, four days ago. It has been widely reported France began its air campaign to halt the movement south of al-Qaida affiliated extremists, who have held Mali's northern area since April.

Panetta said the United States and its allies have been "very concerned" about AQIM, or al-Qaida in the Islamic Maghreb, "and their efforts to establish a very strong base in that area."

The secretary said DOD officials have been working with regional partners to try to develop plans to confront that threat. "I commend France for taking the steps that it has," he added. "And what we have promised them is that we will work with them to ... provide whatever assistance we can to try to help them in that effort."

Officials from the Stuttgart, Germany-based U.S. Africa Command also are discussing military support with France, the secretary said. A senior official traveling with the secretary told reporters that specific U.S. support to French forces in Mali has not yet been defined, but that Army Gen. Carter F. Ham, Africom commander, spoke by phone earlier today from the African continent with the secretary, who was flying to Portugal at the time.

"We'll continue to work with [the French] to ensure that ultimately we do stop AQIM and that the responsibility for assuring security in that region will be passed to the African nations to provide a more permanent security for the sake of the world," Panetta said.

While that longer-term solution develops, the secretary said, he will consult with allies on shorter-term support in France's fight.

"One of the discussions I'll have in Spain regards their concern about what's happening with AQIM in Mali, as well," he said. "And I'll get a better idea of what these other countries may be doing to assist."

The secretary said while al-Qaida members in Mali do not appear to pose an immediate threat to the United States or its allies, "we're concerned any time al-Qaida establishes a base of operations that, while they might not have any immediate plans for attacks in the United States and in Europe, that ultimately ... still remains their objective. And it's for that reason that we have to take steps now to ensure that AQIM does not get that kind of traction."

President Barack Obama yesterday notified Congress, as required by the War Powers Act, that United States troops "provided limited technical support to the French forces" engaged in the attempted rescue of a French hostage in Somalia. French forces reported Denis Allex, who had been a hostage of al-Qaida-affiliated al Shabaab since 2009, was killed in the raid.

U.S. forces took no direct part in the assault on the compound where planners had concluded the French citizen was held hostage, the president wrote. U.S. combat aircraft briefly entered Somali airspace to support the rescue operation if needed, but did not employ weapons, he added.

All U.S. forces who supported the operation had left Somalia by about 8 p.m. EST Jan. 11, the president wrote.

"I directed U.S. forces to support this rescue operation in furtherance of U.S. national security interests," the president wrote, "and pursuant to my constitutional authority to conduct U.S. foreign relations and as commander in chief and chief executive."

Panetta landed here today for the first leg of a weeklong trip that will also take him to Madrid, Rome and London.

President Obama Holds a News Conference | The White House

President Obama Holds a News Conference | The White House

U.S.-NICARAGUA RELATIONS



Map:  Nicaragua.  Credit:  CIA World Factbook. 

FROM: U.S. DEPARTMENT OF STATE

The United States established diplomatic relations with Nicaragua in 1849 following its independence from Spain and the later dissolution of a federation of Central American states. Post-independence, the country saw a mix of armed conflict, U.S. military intervention and occupation, rebellion, assassination, and dictatorships. Diplomatic relations between the two countries were severed or interrupted a number of times. Nicaragua's 1990 presidential elections marked an improvement in bilateral relations and were followed by elections in 1996, 2001, 2006.

The 2011 presidential and legislative elections and 2012 municipal elections were marred by significant irregularities and were denounced by domestic and international observers as severely flawed. The U.S. Government has clearly stated that these elections marked a setback to democracy in Nicaragua and undermined the ability of Nicaraguans to hold their government accountable. The United States has called on the Nicaraguan Government to uphold democratic processes and protect universal human rights, and has said that it will continue to support civil society and promote human rights in Nicaragua.

U.S. Assistance to Nicaragua

U.S. assistance aims to help strengthen Nicaragua’s democracy through training for emerging democratic leaders, increasing civil society engagement, supporting an independent media, and improving local governance. U.S. assistance also seeks to promote economic growth and poverty reduction in part through market-led food security programs in the highly-impoverished north-central region. In under-governed areas of the Caribbean coastal region where drug trafficking and related criminal activity is rising, military-to-military engagement and prevention programs focusing on education and skills development support citizen security. In response to the Nicaraguan government’s continuing failure to account fully for substantial resources made available to it by Venezuela, the State Department did not seek a waiver for Nicaragua in Fiscal Year 2012 of Congressionally mandated restrictions on assistance to the central governments of countries who do not maintain international standards of fiscal transparency. This curtailed FY 2012 security assistance and affected some counternarcotics and development programs that otherwise would have benefitted the central government.

Bilateral Economic Relations

The United States and Nicaragua are parties to the U.S.-Central America-Dominican Republic Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA-DR), which aims to facilitate trade and investment and further regional integration by eliminating tariffs, opening markets, reducing barriers to services, and promoting transparency. CAFTA-DR contains a chapter on investment similar to a bilateral investment treaty with the United States. There are over 125 companies operating in Nicaragua with some relation to a U.S. company, either as wholly or partly-owned subsidiaries, franchisees, or exclusive distributors of U.S. products. The largest are in energy, financial services, textiles/apparel, manufacturing, and fisheries. U.S. exports to Nicaragua include agricultural products, donated relief articles, and machinery. U.S. imports from Nicaragua include apparel, agricultural products, and automobile wire harnesses. The United States works closely with the Nicaraguan government to seek resolution of several hundred claims against it by United States citizens to properties expropriated from them during the 1980s.

Nicaragua's Membership in International Organizations

Nicaragua and the United States belong to a number of the same international organizations, including the United Nations, Organization of American States, International Monetary Fund, World Bank, and World Trade Organization.

　

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION FROM CIA WORLD FACTBOOK

The Pacific coast of Nicaragua was settled as a Spanish colony from Panama in the early 16th century. Independence from Spain was declared in 1821 and the country became an independent republic in 1838. Britain occupied the Caribbean Coast in the first half of the 19th century, but gradually ceded control of the region in subsequent decades. Violent opposition to governmental manipulation and corruption spread to all classes by 1978 and resulted in a short-lived civil war that brought the Marxist Sandinista guerrillas to power in 1979. Nicaraguan aid to leftist rebels in El Salvador caused the US to sponsor anti-Sandinista contra guerrillas through much of the 1980s. After losing free and fair elections in 1990, 1996, and 2001, former Sandinista President Daniel ORTEGA Saavedra was elected president in 2006 and reelected in 2011. The 2008 municipal elections, 2010 regional elections, and November 2011 presidential elections were marred by widespread irregularities. Nicaragua's infrastructure and economy - hard hit by the earlier civil war and by Hurricane Mitch in 1998 - are slowly being rebuilt, but democratic institutions have been weakened under the ORTEGA administration.

　

U.S. DOD MOVES TOWARD CLOUD COMPUTING

FROM: U.S. DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE

DOD Information Technology Evolves Toward Cloud Computing
By Claudette Roulo
American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, Jan. 14, 2013 - The Defense Department's information technology infrastructure is on a journey of consolidation, standardization, security and access, the Defense Department's principal deputy chief information officer told attendees at a cloud computing panel discussion today.

The department is reducing the number of data centers from about 1,500 to "a number far below that," Robert J. Carey said, and is implementing a coherent and consistent architecture across thousands of computing environments.

This process is taking place in part because of the current era of fiscal austerity, but also because it makes sense when it comes to securing data within the network, Carey said.

In addition, DOD, along with much of industry, is shifting toward a cloud computing posture: the collection of data and use of related computing services via remote servers accessed through the Internet. Cloud computing isn't without its risks, Carey said, but the department is moving the paradigm of security from the infrastructure to the data layer. This includes continuous monitoring and cryptography, he added.

Concentrating on securing data, rather than an entire network, is "a big shift for a big engine like DOD," Carey said.

As the department implements the joint information environment and delivers a consistent computing architecture -- which Carey noted the department does not yet have -- security becomes the discriminating factor, he said. "The access, the cost -- all those facets of the efficiency of cloud computing -- if it isn't secure enough, it will not serve us well," he added.

Carey said the way the intelligence community secures data on its networks can serve as a model for the Defense Department's joint information environment. "I look at the [intelligence community] and its transformation, and I look at [the joint information environment] and the DOD transformation, and they are very aligned," he said.

There are differences between the two communities, he said. The intelligence community doesn't have to accommodate heterogeneous data security requirements, Carey said, and the network construct within DOD is different. "We're just a little more complex," he said. "But we are working on a plan with them to take the applicable lessons learned ... into our world."

The cloud is secure today, Carey said, but only for certain types of data. In its move to cloud computing, he said, the problem the department faces is progressing from its legacy systems into an up-to-date information environment in an era of cost constraints.

"We're moving at a very deliberate pace," Carey noted. "We have lots of [pilot programs] going on to evaluate these kinds of things and to make sure we understand both the pros, cons and risks of moving into the cloud space."

Whether the department is ready to forge ahead on implementing a new information technology infrastructure hinges on whether it also ready is to make a cultural shift, he said.

"We have to take advantage of what commercial technology is bringing us, but at the same time, make sure that the people that actually ... acquire it for us are able to do so," Carey said.

The DOD IT community tends to try and avoid risk entirely rather than conduct risk management, he said, which is a problem given the rapid pace of information technology development.

"The acquisition corps is working on creating that workforce that's able to understand how fast industry is moving and proceed with a risk-management approach vice a risk-avoidance approach," he said.

Measuring risk in the cloud and the costs of risk response is a difficult task, Carey noted.

"At the end of the day, the metrics of cloud security are, at best, nebulous," he said. It isn't always easy to describe the relationship between risk reduction and purchasing, he added, but it's important for the information technology community to try.

LAKE LEVELS ON TITAN

FROM: NASA

Titan's Lake District, One Season Later
These images obtained by NASA's Cassini spacecraft show Titan's stable northern lake district. Cassini's radar instrument obtained the recent images on May 22, 2012. It observed some previously unseen regions but also some regions containing lakes that were last observed about six years-nearly one Titan season--ago. This marks the longest time interval between lake observations in the northern hemisphere.

The top image here shows part of the radar swath from May 22, 2012, centered near 79 degrees north latitude, 58 degrees west longitude, and about 220 by 47 miles (350 by 75 kilometers) in dimension. At the bottom, parts of this image are compared with those obtained in 2006. (The images appear slightly different from previous releases because they use a new filtering technique). In 2006, it was winter in the northern hemisphere and the lakes were in the dark. Although Titan spring began in 2009 and the sun has now risen over the lakes, there is no apparent change in lake levels since the 2006 flybys, consistent with climate models that predict stability of liquid lakes over several years. This shows that the northern lakes are not transient weather events, in contrast to the temporary darkening of parts of the equator after a rainstorm in 2010 (PIA 12819).

Changes in lake levels may still be detected later in the mission as Cassini continues to observe these high northern latitudes into the beginning of summer in 2017. At that point, the sun may cause evaporation. However, the lack of significant change over six years sets important constraints for climate models and the stability of liquids on Titan. Illumination is coming from the bottom.

The Cassini-Huygens mission is a cooperative project of NASA, the European Space Agency and the Italian Space Agency. NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, manages the mission for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington, DC. The Cassini orbiter was designed, developed and assembled at JPL. The radar instrument was built by JPL and the Italian Space Agency, working with team members from the United States and several European countries. Image Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/ASI

SECRETARY OF STATE PANETTA VISITS 'MOST CAPABLE PARTNERS'

U.S. Defense Secretary Leon E. Panetta briefs the press on a flight to Lisbon, Portugal, Jan. 14, 2013. Panetta is on a six-day trip to Europe to visit with defense counterparts and troops. DOD photo by Erin A. Kirk-Cuomo

FROM: U.S. DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE
Panetta Begins Trip to Visit 'Most Capable Partners'
By Karen Parrish
American Forces Press Service

ABOARD A MILITARY AIRCRAFT, Jan. 14, 2013 - Defense Secretary Leon E. Panetta boarded this Air Force jet at Joint Base Andrews, Md., today, bound for Portugal, Spain, Italy and Great Britain on what he termed "likely my last international trip as secretary of defense."

Panetta told reporters traveling with him that as "a son of Europe" –- he often speaks of his parents, who immigrated to the United States from Italy -- it is appropriate that his final international trip, the 18th he has made as secretary, will include visits to some of America's "most capable and closest military partners."

"I have visited more than 30 countries, including ... [traveling to] the war zone a number of times," he said. "But I've made it a priority, as part of our defense strategy, ... to emphasize the importance of strengthening our alliances and partnerships throughout the world."

The goal for his final trip is in line with that strategy, the secretary said, as he will:

-- Emphasize the importance of NATO and bilateral alliances;

-- Reflect on the accomplishments Portugal, Spain, Italy and Great Britain have helped to achieve as members of NATO's International Security Assistance Force in Afghanistan; and

-- Lay the groundwork for the future as nations around the world face both national security and budget challenges.

Panetta noted the countries he will visit have all maintained a strong commitment to the NATO mission in Afghanistan. "Because of that commitment, we've been able to make significant progress in the effort to ... build an Afghanistan that can secure and govern itself," he added.

As President Barack Obama announced last week, the secretary said, Afghan forces will assume the lead for security responsibility across their country this spring, with ISAF forces moving into a supporting role.

"That's a significant milestone that is the result of the efforts by the United States, by ISAF and by the Afghans themselves," he said. The secretary added that U.S. leaders had "a successful series of consultations" with Afghan President Hamid Karzai about the future U.S. commitment to Afghanistan's security during that leader's visit to Washington last week. Panetta said he looks forward to updating counterparts on those discussions.

The secretary said he also will discuss with allies innovative approaches to common budget challenges, and that he'll speak with counterparts about key bilateral security issues.

"As always, I will also use this opportunity to visit the troops, and have a chance to thank U.S. men and women in uniform for the sacrifices they're making," he said.

The secretary said that after more than 10 years of war and with the budget constraints the United States and its allies and partner nations face, the United States nevertheless continues to complete its mission in the war in Afghanistan and continues to confront the terrorism threat.

Terrorist activity -- particularly from al-Qaida factions -- in Pakistan, Somalia, Yemen and Mali is a threat common to all the nations he will visit, Panetta noted. North Korea and Iran, turmoil in the Middle East and the cyber threat also are issues of common interest, he added.

No one nation can confront these threats alone, the secretary said.

"The only way we're going to be able to do it is by strengthening and reaffirming and building new partnerships and new alliances in the world," he said. "The model for that is NATO, ... really the oldest alliance we have." That alliance's responses to Afghanistan and Libya, he added, demonstrate its continued importance to global stability.

The 74-year-old secretary said he also hopes to communicate some of his feelings about the alliance to the younger citizens of the countries he will visit this week.

"NATO goes back to 1949," he said. "I think the reality is ... that there are generations that have been born since the fall of the Berlin Wall that may not fully appreciate how important NATO is as an alliance [for] the future."

Panetta said he will focus in his discussions, and in a speech he will deliver in London later this week, in part on "how important it is to be able to pass the baton to [younger generations] when it comes to the strength of these transatlantic alliances and partnerships that we have."

He added, "The purpose of my trip is to make clear that we are going to need this alliance -- today, tomorrow, and in the 21st century."

CEO OF AXIUS INC., PLEADS GUILTY TO CONSPIRACY TO BRIBE STOCK BROKERS

FROM: U.S. DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE
Friday, January 11, 2013
Axius Ceo Roland Kaufmann Pleads Guilty to Conspiracy to Pay Bribes in Stock Sales

WASHINGTON – Roland Kaufmann, CEO of Axius Inc., pleaded guilty today in Brooklyn for conspiring to bribe stock brokers, announced Assistant Attorney General Lanny A. Breuer of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division and U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of New York Loretta E. Lynch.

Kaufmann, 60, a Swiss citizen, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge John Gleeson in the Eastern District of New York to one count of conspiracy to violate the Travel Act.

"Roland Kaufmann conspired to bribe stock brokers and fleece investors in Axius stock," said Assistant Attorney General Breuer. "He took the crooked path, and now faces the prospect of years in prison. Although he committed his crimes from outside the United States, U.S. authorities tracked him down and he has now been held to account. This case shows our determination to prosecute all those who seek to corrupt U.S. securities markets."

"Roland Kaufman sought to game the system with his scheme to bribe stockholders to help him artificially raise the price of his company’s stock," said U.S. Attorney Lynch. "He reached across the ocean to insert his deception into U.S. markets, thereby placing investors at risk. We will continue to bring our resources to bear against anyone who would harm the integrity of United States capital markets for their own personal financial gain, even when those who try to exploit our investors are hatching their schemes from abroad."

"The flagrant market manipulation engaged in by Kaufmann was designed to make him rich," said George Venizelos, Assistant Director in Charge, FBI New York Field Office. "Absent the undercover agent, the scheme also would have made honest investors much poorer. The FBI is committed to policing the securities industry to prevent unjust enrichment for cheaters, victimization of honest investors, and the undermining of public confidence in market integrity."

"This case demonstrates the value of a coordinated approach by law enforcement authorities," said Richard Weber, Chief, Internal Revenue Service (IRS) Criminal Investigation. "As a result of the collaborative effort in this investigation, investors were protected from further financial harm. IRS Criminal Investigation is always ready to lend its financial investigative expertise to the investigation of complex and sophisticated financial crimes."

Kaufmann admitted to conspiring with co-defendant Jean-Pierre Neuhaus, another Swiss citizen, to violate the Travel Act by bribing stock brokers. Axius, which refers to itself as a "holding company and business incubator" that develops other businesses, is incorporated in Nevada, and its principal offices are in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. As part of the scheme, Kaufmann and Neuhaus, while located overseas, enlisted the assistance of an individual they believed had access to a group of corrupt stock brokers; this individual was in fact an undercover law enforcement agent. Kaufmann and Neuhaus believed that the undercover agent controlled a network of stockbrokers in the United States with discretionary authority to trade stocks on behalf of their clients.

According to court documents, Kaufmann and Neuhaus instructed the undercover agent to direct brokers to purchase Axius shares that were owned or controlled by Kaufmann in return for a secret kickback of approximately 26 to 28 percent of the sale price. Kaufmann and Neuhaus instructed the undercover agent as to the price the brokers should pay for the stock, and Kaufmann specifically instructed the undercover agent, in Neuhaus’s presence, that the brokers would have to pay gradually higher prices for the shares they were buying. Kaufmann and Neuhaus directed the undercover agent that the brokers were to refrain from selling the Axius shares they purchased on behalf of their clients for a one-year period. By preventing sales of Axius stock, Kaufmann and Neuhaus intended to maintain the fraudulently inflated share price for Axius stock. Kaufmann and Neuhaus agreed to sell approximately $3.5 million to $5 million worth of Axius shares through the undercover agent’s stock brokers.

Kaufmann and Neuhaus were arrested on March 8, 2012. On Oct. 10, 2012, Neuhaus pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit securities fraud and violate the Travel Act.

At sentencing, scheduled for May 17, 2013, Kaufmann faces a maximum penalty of five years in prison. As part of his plea agreement, Kaufmann agreed to forfeit $298,740 that victims lost as a result of the crime.

This case is being prosecuted by Trial Attorney Justin Goodyear of the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney Ilene Jaroslaw of the Eastern District of New York. The case was investigated by the FBI New York Field Office and the IRS New York Field Office. The department also thanks the Securities and Exchange Commission for its assistance in this matter.