U.S. DEFENSE DEPARTMENT AND MARTIN LUTHER KING JR. DAY

Retired Air Force Maj. Gen. Marcelite J. Harris, who retired in 1997 as the highest-ranking woman officer in the Air Force and the highest-ranking African-American woman in the Defense Department, will be the keynote speaker at a Jan. 24 Pentagon event marking Martin Luther King Jr. Day and the accompanying national day of service. U.S. Air Force photo

FROM: U.S. DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE
Defense Department to Honor Martin Luther King Jr. Jan. 24
By Cheryl Pellerin
American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, Jan. 17, 2013 - The Defense Department will honor the legacy of Martin Luther King Jr. this year on Jan. 24 with an observance hosted by Defense Secretary Leon E. Panetta.

The event will begin at 8 a.m. in the Pentagon Auditorium, and it will be broadcast live on the Pentagon Channel's cable network and website.

The keynote speaker for the department's 28th annual observance of the national day of service will be retired Air Force Maj. Gen. Marcelite J. Harris, who left the service in 1997 as the highest-ranking woman officer in the Air Force and the highest-ranking African-American woman in the Defense Department.

The permanent theme for the Jan. 21 federal holiday honoring King is "Remember, Celebrate, Act: A day on, not a day off."

Legislation signed in 1983 created the Martin Luther King Jr. Day federal holiday. In 1994, Congress designated the holiday as a national day of service. The remembrance takes place each year on the third Monday in January, and is the only federal holiday observed as a national day of service.

The day is being observed as part of "United We Serve," an initiative that President Barack Obama announced in June 2009 as a call to action for all Americans to volunteer and be part of building a new foundation for the nation, one community at a time.

From 1957 until his death in 1968, King traveled more than 6 million miles and spoke more than 2,500 times, appearing wherever there was injustice, protest and action, according to the Nobel Prize organization website.

In 1963, he was named Time magazine's Man of the Year. He had become the symbolic leader of American blacks in the push for equality and a world figure.

At age 35, King was the youngest man to have received the Nobel Peace Prize. He was assassinated on April 4, 1968, while standing on the balcony of his motel room in Memphis, Tenn., where he was to lead a protest march in sympathy with striking sanitation workers there.

King was born Jan. 15, 1929. On this birthday, he would have been 84.

In an interview with American Forces Press Service from her home in Atlanta, Harris said that her career followed King's philosophy of nonviolent efforts and commitment to a cause.

"My achievements came because of my commitment," she said. "You have to be committed to your purpose, and I think those [career] milestones came because of my commitment to doing a job well. I believe in excellence."

In the Air Force, Harris was the first woman aircraft maintenance officer, one of the first two women air officers commanding at the U.S. Air Force Academy, and the Air Force's first woman vice commander for maintenance.

Her service medals and decorations include the Bronze Star, the Presidential Unit Citation, and the Vietnam Service Medal.

After retirement, Harris served NASA as the Florida site director and logistics process owner for the company managing the shuttle program, United Space Alliance.

Today she CEO of a business she created called Eroster Government Solutions and is a member of two service-oriented organizations: Delta Sigma Theta and the MECCA Chapter of the National Coalition of 100 Black Women.

"If you look back through my [Air Force] records, you'll see that every inspection that I went through, the results were excellent," Harris said. "I would find out what it takes to get rated as excellent, and that's the way I would gear my whole work force."

The retired major general said she feels a kinship to King. Her January birthday is the day after his, and she graduated from Spelman College in Atlanta, just across the street from King's alma mater, Morehouse College.

"I try to live the way King wanted you to live, and that's by doing what you know to be right and what you believe to be right, and taking the obstacles and surmounting them," Harris explained.

Her goal for the keynote speech on Jan. 24 is to inspire service members to get involved in solving community problems, she said.

"What I want them to walk away with is [a determination to] find some area in the community, especially now since the forces are drawing down and you're coming back home, help your community," Harris said.

"You folks are disciplined, you folks know how to get a job done, you know how to set a goal, and you know how to have fun doing it," she added. "So take that out into our community, and let's help the government get America back on track being the greatest country in the world."

West Wing Week: 01/18/13 or "#NowIsTheTime" | The White House

West Wing Week: 01/18/13 or "#NowIsTheTime" | The White House

U.S. SECRETARY OF DEFENSE PANETTA WARNS TERRORISTS

U.S. Defense Secretary Leon E. Panetta speaks at King's College in London, Jan. 18, 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. DEFENSE DEPARTMENT
Panetta: Terrorists 'Will Have No Place to Hide'
By Karen Parrish
American Forces Press Service
LONDON, Jan. 18, 2013 - U.S. and allied officials are working "around the clock" to resolve the hostage situation in Algeria, Defense Secretary Leon E. Panetta said here today.

Earlier this week, Panetta confirmed that Americans are among those taken hostage in eastern Algeria Jan. 16 when terrorists attacked and occupied a natural gas plant. During a speech at King's College today, the secretary departed from his prepared remarks to comment on the situation.

"I just received a briefing from my staff, and we are continuing to work very closely with the British government and with other nations ... to assess precisely what is happening on the ground," he said. "Even as we continue to try and gather better information about what has happened, let me make a few points."

First, Panetta said, "Regardless of the motivation of the hostage-takers, there is no justification -- NO justification -- for the kidnapping and murder of innocent people ... going about their daily lives."

Second, he said, "We are working around the clock to ensure the safe return of our citizens, and we will continue to be in close consultation with the Algerian government."

Third, he continued, "Terrorists should be on notice that they will find no sanctuary, no refuge -- not in Algeria, not in North Africa, not anywhere. Those who would wantonly attack our country and our people will have no place to hide."

Shortly after his speech, the secretary attended an unscheduled meeting with British Prime Minister David Cameron. As the two entered the meeting, Cameron was heard to say, "Let's start with Algeria."

Senior defense officials traveling with Panetta said the Algeria and Mali discussion took up approximately half of the meeting. It focused on policy rather than tactics, officials said. The two leaders had an in-depth discussion of the unfolding situation in Algeria, exchanged assessments and compared notes..

Cameron and Panetta also discussed budget issues, Syria, Iran, the bilateral relationship between the two countries and how they can work with other countries to address counterterrorism, officials said.

Panetta is in London on the final leg of a weeklong European tour which he has said is likely his last international trip as defense secretary before he retires. The secretary's previous stops on this trip included Lisbon, Portugal, Madrid and Rome.

NATO PLANS FOR CONTINUED PRESENCE IN AFGHANISTAN

An Afghan girl and boy walk along a dirt path after watching coalition service members during a key leader meeting in Bala Boluk, Afghanistan, Jan. 2, 2013. U.S. Navy photo by Lt. j.g. Matthew Stroup

FROM: U.S. DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE
NATO Planners Look to Enduring Force in Afghanistan
By Jim Garamone
American Forces Press Service


BRUSSELS, Jan. 17, 2013 - With just 23 months until the end of the International Security Assistance Force mission in Afghanistan, Afghan forces are poised to move into the lead operationally, and NATO and partner nations are discussing the scope and missions of the enduring presence force that will remain in the country.

The conversations within NATO are about this transition, a senior NATO officer, speaking on background, told reporters today. The alliance's chiefs of defense, including Army Gen. Martin E. Dempsey, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, are here for meetings.

"It has been less a conversation about numbers than it has been about capabilities and requirements," the senior officer said of discussions concerning NATO's role going forward in Afghanistan.

"Milestone 2013" is the shorthand NATO uses referring to Afghan forces taking the security lead. Last week, President Barack Obama and Afghan President Karzai announced this will occur in the spring.

This milestone marks a long road for the Afghan national security forces, the officer said. In 2012, Afghan forces demonstrated their battlefield abilities and proficiencies. Now, he said, the need in Afghanistan is for NATO support forces and advisors rather than the combat troops Afghanistan needed in the past.

The post-2014 needs are a training-and-advising capability and a focused counterterrorism capability, the officer said. How to execute those missions at various troop levels are the conversations that are going on within NATO, in Afghanistan and in the capitals of partner nations, he told reporters, adding that ISAF has not been asked to provide advice with respect to a zero-troop option.

The way forward can be seen with an eye to the past, the officer said. The nature of the enduring-presence force will be to facilitate an Afghan national security force that will still be conducting counterinsurgency operations, he added.

Just a year ago, the officer noted, people asked when ISAF was going to shift the main effort in Afghanistan from Regional Command South to Regional Command East. They didn't realize the main effort was already shifting, he said, because that mission was shifting to Afghan forces.

For a counterinsurgency to succeed, the officer said, indigenous forces have to be the lead. Foreign forces can provide the breathing space for these forces to develop their capabilities, but ultimately it is up to local forces to work with the people. "That's been what has been happening over the last 18 months," he said.

The drawdown of U.S. surge forces in Afghanistan created the space and necessitated innovation for Afghan forces. "They are doing corps-level operations today using counterinsurgency type tactics, techniques and procedures, with us firmly in an advisory role," he said.

In 2015 and beyond, the nature of NATO presence will be on training, advising and assisting to ensure the continued development of the Afghan forces, the officer said, and the counterterrorism mission will be to prevent al-Qaida from putting down roots in Afghanistan again.

The Afghan forces will be ready for the full security load by 2015, the officer said, but the road hasn't been easy. "We're building this military virtually from scratch," he noted.

Once trained, the officer said, the Afghan military "has gone from the training field to the battlefield, it has gone from training straight into combat." The Afghan military needs to have cohesion and loyalty to the nation, but it still must incorporate and adjust to the dynamic of tribalism and ethnicity, he added. And on top of this, he said, less than a quarter of all Afghans are literate, and the use of modern weapons and tactics requires literacy.

There are problems, he acknowledged, and ISAF and the Afghan ministries are addressing them. Attrition in the army is an unsustainable 3.5 percent per month, the officer said. Other national security elements such as the police and air force are within the norms needed, around 1.4 percent per month.

The army's difficulties, he told reporters, stem from four basic problems: quality of leadership, quality of life, access to leave, and pay.

The pay issue has been largely solved with the adoption of electronic funds transfer. Quality of life issues are being addressed by building new garrisons, the officer said. "We're getting these soldiers out of barracks that are falling down, that are cast-offs, and getting them into the new facilities and bases that we are building for them," he said.

Leave was a problem last year and directly contributed to a rise in the attrition rate, the officer said, noting these soldiers went straight from the training ground to a tough fighting season in 2012. "We have worked very closely with the Afghan army and the Ministry of Defense to get leave back on the books for these kids," he said.

Finally, the officer said, leadership is a systemic problem that is being addressed. The Afghan defense minister is scrubbing the leadership of the Afghan military and weeding out those who can't cut the mustard or are corrupt, while promoting those who have demonstrated their worth.

The attrition is coming down, the officer said.

All this is important for the Afghan security forces in 2013, the officer said. "This is the first summer where Afghans are in the lead for security operations throughout the country," he said. "We want their forces to come out of this fighting season to be successful, but really to be confident in their abilities."

The Afghans already are conducting corps-level operations around Afghanistan and routinely oversee 10,000 to 12,000 Afghan troops in an operation from multiple brigades, the officer said. Between 1,000 and 1,500 ISAF personnel will be scattered about the battle space as advisors or providing support capabilities.

One Taliban tactic is simply to wait out the NATO ISAF mission and take on the Afghan national security force, the officer said, but he added he does not believe that is the Taliban's strategy.

"Have the Taliban taken a knee for a couple of fighting seasons to sustain their own combat power and lull us into a false sense of confidence?" he said. "We have concluded they have not taken a knee. They are going to continue to come at us hard. That's where the insider threat has been, and our sense is they are not going to husband or marshal their combat power for a post-2014 offensive."

The fighting seasons from 2009 to 2012 each saw decreases in enemy activity. What's more, the officer said, where the fighting is happening also is instructive. In 2011, NATO surge forces permitted ISAF to push the enemy out of the cities. "In 2012, as the Taliban sought to get back into the population centers, they were really unable to do that," he said. The officer said he expects fewer Taliban attacks this year, but he still expects the Taliban to go after the Afghan national security forces.

And all this has to happen so the footprint for an enduring force is ready by the end of 2014, the officer said. About 220 bases in Afghanistan have to close over the next 23 months. "The strategic end state is to seek the final basing platform for our mission that converts naturally into the basing platform for the enduring presence force," he explained.

Some of that force will be in and around the Afghan capital of Kabul, working with the various government ministries and with the training establishments that have grown up around the city. The officer said he anticipates a presence at Bagram Airfield. Other enduring-presence forces could be based regionally in corps or police-zone areas, or they could be mobile training teams that go from one regional headquarters to another.

There is enthusiasm in NATO to continue to make a difference in Afghanistan, the officer said. "We've put 11 years of fighting into this, and the right kind of force in the post-2014 period can sustain these gains for a long time," he said.

Over the next 23 months, commanders must work to maintain the cohesion of the coalition -- 50 nations have been successful working together in the country -- and they must guard the integrity of the campaign plan, the officer said. Beyond that, he added, commanders must lead and manage the redeployment of the force, the retrograde of materiel and the closing of more than 200 bases.

"That requires extraordinarily detailed planning, and 23 months is the blink of an eye," he said. "We are seriously going to use every second to fight the campaign, clear the theater and set the enduring presence force."

USDA MICROLOAN PROGRAM OFFERS UP TO $35,000 FOR ASSISTANCE



Photo Credit:  USDA

 

FROM: U.S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

USDA Finalizes New Microloan Program
Microloans up to $35,000 aim to assist small farmers, veterans, and disadvantaged producers

WASHINGTON, Jan. 15, 2013 — Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack today announced a new microloan program from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) designed to help small and family operations, beginning and socially disadvantaged farmers secure loans under $35,000. The new microloan program is aimed at bolstering the progress of producers through their start-up years by providing needed resources and helping to increase equity so that farmers may eventually graduate to commercial credit and expand their operations. The microloan program will also provide a less burdensome, more simplified application process in comparison to traditional farm loans.


"I have met several small and beginning farmers, returning veterans and disadvantaged producers interested in careers in farming who too often must rely on credit cards or personal loans with high interest rates to finance their start-up operations," said Vilsack."By further expanding access to credit to those just starting to put down roots in farming, USDA continues to help grow a new generation of farmers, while ensuring the strength of an American agriculture sector that drives our economy, creates jobs, and provides the most secure and affordable food supply in the world."



The new microloans, said Vilsack, represent how USDA continues to make year-over-year gains in expanding credit opportunities for minority, socially-disadvantaged and young and beginning farmers and ranchers across the United States. The final rule establishing the microloan program will be published in the Jan. 17 issue of the Federal Register.


Administered through USDA’s Farm Service Agency (FSA) Operating Loan Program, the new microloan program offers credit options and solutions to a variety of producers. FSA has a long history of providing agricultural credit to the nation’s farmers and ranchers through its Operating Loan Program. In assessing its programs, FSA evaluated the needs of smaller farm operations and any unintended barriers to obtaining financing. For beginning farmers and ranchers, for instance, the new microloan program offers a simplified loan application process. In addition, for those who want to grow niche crops to sell directly to ethnic markets and farmers markets, the microloan program offers a path to obtain financing. For past FSA Rural Youth Loan recipients, the microloan program provides a bridge to successfully transition to larger-scale operations.


Since 2009, USDA has made a record amount of farm loans through FSA—more than 128,000 loans totaling nearly $18 billion. USDA has increased the number of loans to beginning farmers and ranchers from 11,000 loans in 2008 to 15,000 loans in 2011. More than 40 percent of USDA’s farm loans now go to beginning farmers. In addition, USDA has increased its lending to socially-disadvantaged producers by nearly 50 percent since 2008.


Producers can apply for a maximum of $35,000 to pay for initial start-up expenses such as hoop houses to extend the growing season, essential tools, irrigation, delivery vehicles, and annual expenses such as seed, fertilizer, utilities, land rents, marketing, and distribution expenses. As their financing needs increase, applicants can apply for an operating loan up to the maximum amount of $300,000 or obtain financing from a commercial lender under FSA’s Guaranteed Loan Program.


USDA farm loans can be used to purchase land, livestock, equipment, feed, seed, and supplies, or be to construct buildings or make farm improvements. Small farmers often rely on credit cards or personal loans, which carry high interest rates and have less flexible payment schedules, to finance their operations. Expanding access to credit, USDA’s microloan will provide a simple and flexible loan process for small operations.


Producers interested in applying for a microloan may contact their local Farm Service Agency Office.


The Obama Administration, with Agriculture Secretary Vilsack’s leadership, has worked tirelessly to strengthen rural America, maintain a strong farm safety net, and create opportunities for America's farmers and ranchers. U.S. agriculture is currently experiencing one of its most productive periods in American history thanks to the productivity, resiliency, and resourcefulness of our producers.

HHS AWARDS $1.5 BILLION FOR NEW HEALTH CARE LAW

Secretary of HHS Kathleen Sebelius

FROM: U.S. DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

HHS awards $1.5 billion to support states building Health Insurance Marketplaces

Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Kathleen Sebelius today announced $1.5 billion in new Exchange Establishment Grants to California, Delaware, Iowa, Kentucky, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, New York, North Carolina, Oregon, and Vermont to ensure these states have the resources necessary to build a marketplace that meets the needs of their residents.

"These states are working to implement the health care law and we continue to support them as they build new affordable insurance marketplaces," Secretary Sebelius said. "Starting in 2014, Americans in all states will have access to quality, affordable health insurance and these grants are helping to make that a reality."

Because of the Affordable Care Act, consumers and small businesses will have access to marketplaces starting in 2014. The marketplaces are one-stop shops that will provide access to quality, affordable private health insurance choices similar to those offered to members of Congress. Consumers in every state will be able to buy insurance from qualified health plans directly through these marketplaces and may be eligible for tax credits to help pay for their health insurance. These marketplaces promote competition among insurance providers and offer consumers more choices.

Delaware, Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, North Carolina, and Vermont received awards today for Level One Exchange Establishment Grants, which are one-year grants states will use to build marketplaces. California, Kentucky, Massachusetts, New York, and Oregon received Level Two Exchange Establishment Grants today. Level Two grants are multi-year awards to states to further develop their marketplaces.

A total of 49 states, the District of Columbia, and four territories have received grants to plan their marketplaces, and 34 states and the District of Columbia have received grants to build their marketplaces. To ensure states have the support and time they need to build a marketplace, states may apply for grants through the end of 2014 and may use funds through their start-up year.

AIR FORCE CAPTAIN COACHES ULTRA FITNESS

Air Force Capt. Lesley Lilly leads her class in stretching before a Jan. 14, 2013, workout at Kandahar Airfield, Afghanistan. Lilly, deployed from Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland, coaches a 5 a.m. CrossFit class six days a week. U.S. Air Force photo by Master Sgt. Russell Martin

FROM: U.S. DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE
Face of Defense: Deployed Captain Coaches Ultra Fitness
By Air Force Capt. Tristan Hinderliter
451st Air Expeditionary Wing

KANDAHAR AIRFIELD, Afghanistan, Jan. 16, 2013 - Six days a week, her smartphone alarm -- a soothing instrumental melody -- goes off at 4:10 a.m.

She puts on her physical training uniform, stops by her office to check email, then drives across base to the outdoor CrossFit pad, where this time of year it is cold and dark.

That's how Air Force Capt. Lesley Lilly, 451st Expeditionary Force Support Flight commander and a volunteer CrossFit coach, has spent the past month. For two months before that, she attended the 5 a.m. class as an athlete, then she stepped up as a coach when the previous coaches redeployed home.

Lilly, deployed here from Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland, Texas, has been doing CrossFit for about a year, but fitness and health education is nothing new to her. She earned her bachelor's degree in community health education from the University of Tennessee in Knoxville, and during college she had an internship at a nonprofit organization, Church Health Center in Memphis, Tenn., where she taught classes on health and fitness.

She's currently working on her master's degree in health and kinesiology from the University of Texas at San Antonio.

"A key philosophy I live by is, 'Your health is your greatest wealth,'" Lilly said. "You can't buy good health in the sense that you can go out and buy a nice home. You have to invest in good choices to really be healthy throughout your life."

The CrossFit workouts consist of a warm-up routine, stretching, a skill -- such as a particular lifting movement -- and the workout of the day, or "WOD" in the parlance of the athletes.

Most workouts include strength training movements such as snatches, deadlifts, hang cleans, push jerks or squats. There are kettle-bell swings, handstand push-ups, sprints and box jumps. There are exercises with names like burpees, thrusters, kipping pullups, double-unders and the Sumo deadlift high pull.

"CrossFit is really good in developing well-rounded athletes, because it incorporates so many different types of physical activity," Lilly said. "The workouts are intended to be constantly varied, high-intensity, functional movements."

Lilly is one of two coaches for the 5 a.m. class. The other is Joey Wisniewski, a General Dynamics contractor who is a mechanic on the Stryker armored combat vehicle.

Wisniewski, from Renton, Wash., has been at KAF since June 2011 and has been a CrossFit coach here for the past two months, including the past month with Lilly.

"Lesley is very positive, encouraging, and always brings everybody up," he said. "She's a really hard worker, and I appreciate her positive feedback and motivation to all the athletes."

Lilly said when she returns home to Texas she hopes to get her CrossFit Level 1 certification and to be able to coach part time.

"Coaching here has been a great experience," she said. "Trying to figure out what you need to do individually to improve as an athlete is very different than observing someone else's form and technique and trying to articulate to them how they should improve."

One of the most rewarding things about coaching is watching people develop and improve, she said.

"When you see an athlete that couldn't do a certain exercise a month ago and now you see them able to do that because you are giving them the instruction they need, that's been really rewarding," Lilly said.

Her passion for fitness, it seems, is matched only by her enthusiasm for nutrition.

"When you're thinking about nutrition, it's so important to incorporate it with physical activity," she said. "They really do work hand in hand."

The overall principle to keep in mind, she said, is that food is fuel.

"What you eat fuels your body throughout the day," Lilly said. "So you want to focus on eating a lot of natural, healthy fresh fruits and vegetables, lean meats such as poultry and fish or lean cuts of red meat. Fuel your body for success."

When she's not teaching CrossFit or picking out healthy food at the dining facility, Lilly leads 20 airmen in the 451st EFSF. The flight is responsible for manpower, personnel and services functions for the 451st Air Expeditionary Wing.

Lilly said one of the highlights of her deployment so far was arranging activities as part of a "12 Days of Christmas" campaign.

"It was very rewarding to be able to provide a venue for our airmen to enjoy the holidays while they were deployed and away from their families," she said.

Despite a very demanding work schedule, Lilly said she tries to get at least seven hours of sleep a night in order to have the energy to keep up her workout routine. After all, 4:10 a.m. comes early.

U.S. ASKED BY FRANCE TO PROVIDE 'ENABLERS' FOR MALI CONFLICT

FROM: U.S. DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE

Dempsey: France Requests U.S. Enablers for Forces in Mali
By Jim Garamone
American Forces Press Service

ABOARD A MILITARY AIRCRAFT, Jan. 17, 2013 - The French government has asked for U.S. military assistance for their actions against an al-Qaida-affiliated group in Mali, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff said today.

In an interview, Army Gen. Martin E. Dempsey said the United States has not been asked to help with lethal operations, but rather, with enablers.

The requests are being addressed through the U.S. interagency process, the chairman said. The Defense and State departments and the National Security Council staff will assess the requests, "and we will probably provide what we can," he said.

Dempsey called the French mission in Mali important. "Al-Qaida in the Islamic Maghreb is a threat not only to the country of Mali, but the region, and if ... left unaddressed, could in fact become a global threat," the general said.

The first thing the French asked for was planning assistance, a request that shows the close relationship the United States maintains with its French allies, Dempsey said.

"They know we've done work against that kind of threat for 10 years," he explained, "and they've asked our help." The planners already have begun working with their French allies, he added.

The French also have asked for logistics assistance, Dempsey said. Mali is a huge country with a small population. Distances in the country are great, and infrastructure is lacking.

TWO FORMER EXECUTIVES OF VOLT INFORMATION SCIENCES, INC., CHARGED WITH SECURITIES FRAUD

FROM: U.S. SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
SEC Charges Volt Information Sciences, Inc. and Two Former Officers with Securities Fraud

The Securities and Exchange Commission yesterday filed civil injunctive complaints in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York in connection with improper accounting at Volt Information Sciences, Inc. ("Volt" or the "Company"), a company located in New York, New York.

In its complaint against Jack J. Egan, Jr. Volt’s former Chief Financial Officer, the Commission alleges that Egan participated in a scheme to materially overstate revenue. For Volt’s fourth quarter and fiscal year ended October 28, 2007, Egan signed and filed financial statements reporting $7.55 million of revenue that had not been earned and was not recognizable under U.S. Generally Accepted Accounting Principles. The $7.55 million of improper revenue caused Volt’s net income for its fourth quarter and fiscal year ended October 28, 2007, to be materially overstated. The complaint further alleges that the scheme relied on fabricated paperwork purporting to be a contract selling software to a customer. Egan knew that any sale of the software was impossible because Volt intended to lease the same software to the same customer the following year. Nevertheless, Egan authorized that the $7.55 million in improper revenue be included in the Company’s consolidated income statement for 2007, which were included in Volt’s: (1) 2007 Form 10-K filed with the Commission on January 11, 2008, as amended by Form 10-K/A filed with the Commission on February 25, 2008; and (2) earnings release on Form 8-K furnished to the Commission on December 20, 2007. Egan signed the fraudulent 2007 Form 10-K and subsequent SEC filings that included the same overstatement of revenue. In addition, the complaint alleges that Egan mislead Volt’s external auditors and he signed one or more certifications required by Section 302 of the Sarbanes Oxley Act that were false and misleading.

The Commission’s complaint charges Egan with violations of Section 17(a) of the Securities Act of 1933 ("Securities Act"); Sections 10(b) and 13(b)(5) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 ("Exchange Act"); and Exchange Act Rules 10b-5, 13b2-1, 13b2-2, and 13a-14. The complaint further charges Egan with aiding and abetting violations by the Company. The Commission seeks that Egan be permanently enjoined, be ordered to pay a civil money penalty, and be prohibited from acting as an officer or director.

In addition to the complaint against Egan, the Commission filed a settled civil action against Volt and Debra L. Hobbs ("Hobbs"), the former chief financial officer of the Volt subsidiary where the fraud originated. Without admitting or denying the complaint's allegations, Volt agreed to be enjoined from violating Section 17(a) of the Securities Act , and Sections 10(b),13(a), 13(b)(2)(A), and 13(b)(2)(B) of the Exchange Act and Exchange Act Rules 10b-5, 12b-20, 13a-1, and 13a-11. The Company cooperated during the Commission’s investigation and has undertaken significant remediation efforts.

ISS UPDATE FOR JANUARY 17, 2013

FROM:  NASA

 

REMARKS BY U.S. ASSISTANT SECRETARY CAMPBELL AND REPUBLIC OF KOREA PRESIDENT-ELECT PARK GEUN-HYE

Namdaemun (Sungnyemun) in Seoul was the "Great Southern Gate" in the walls that once surrounded the city. This view was taken before the wooden upper portion was destroyed in a 2008 fire. The national treasure is currently being restored. Photo Credit: CIA World Factbook.

FROM: U.S. DEPARTMENT OF STATE

Meeting with Republic of Korea President-elect Park Geun-hye at Her Office
Remarks
Kurt M. Campbell
Assistant Secretary, Bureau of East Asian and Pacific Affairs
Daniel Russel, National Security Council Senior Director for Asian Affairs, and Mark Lippert, Assistant Secretary of Defense
Seoul, South Korea
January 16, 2013

PRESIDENT-ELECT PARK GEUN-HYE (through interpreter): It is my understanding that the members of the delegation here represent the key offices of the U.S. government that deals with Asia policy as well as foreign policy.

I am very delighted to be able to meet with you (inaudible) prior to the inauguration of my new administration.

I am very grateful for the fact that President Obama graciously gave me a call to congratulate me on my election, and in addition to that, sending this message through you, and sending this delegation. So please do convey my sense of appreciation and gratitude to President Obama.

I was deeply saddened to hear that Secretary Clinton had been hospitalized. I ask that please, when you return to Washington please do convey to her my best wishes for her quick recovery.

ASSISTANT SECRETARY CAMPBELL: Thank you very much. President-elect, thank you very much for the honor of meeting with our delegation. We have just had a very good session with the key members of your transition team, and we were very impressed by the very clear road map that they laid out for maintaining very strong relations between the United States and South Korea.

I would like to take this opportunity to formally present to you letters of appreciation and congratulations from President Obama and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton to you directly.

Let me just say, Madam President-elect, that we are here on a mission with a strong, inter-agency team including my friends Danny Russel from the White House and Mark Lippert from the Department of Defense. We have had the opportunity to convey our respects and appreciation to the outgoing administration, and we are busy engaging actively with your incoming team to underscore the strongest possible determination to maintain a relationship of trust and confidence between our two countries.

I would like to ask Danny Russel to say a few words, but I want you to know that we have in Ambassador Sung Kim our very best. He is our best diplomatic asset in Asia. He has the full trust of everyone he works with, both in Korea and the United States. We are thrilled that he is here at such a critical time.

PRESIDENT-ELECT PARK: We, too, are delighted to have him here as Ambassador as well.

SENIOR DIRECTOR RUSSEL: Madam President-elect, President Obama sends his very warmest regards and wants you to know that he is deeply committed to the U.S.-ROK alliance, to close cooperation and communication with you and with your team.

He intends to send an appropriately distinguished delegation to attend your inauguration next month, and also very much looks forward to meeting with you in person.

PRESIDENT-ELECT PARK: Please do communicate my gratitude to President Obama. In fact, when we spoke over the phone last time he had kindly invited me to visit the United States. I, too, look very much forward to visiting the United States and to form a relationship based on trust with President Obama.

The United States will soon be starting President Obama’s second term in office, and Korea will also be inaugurating a new government. I very much look forward to further reinforcing the already robust and strong relationship that exists between our two countries, and I will endeavor to do so.

ASSISTANT SECRETARY CAMPBELL: Madam President-elect, Mark Lippert is the key player at the Defense Department on our relations in the Asia-Pacific region. He has been personally as devoted to (inaudible) focus on ensuring our best partnership (inaudible) alliance.

ASSISTANT SECRETARY LIPPERT: Madam President-elect, Secretary Panetta sends his warm and deep regards and congratulates you on your recent election.

As you know, we view the security relationship as the bedrock and the foundation of this great alliance.

The President and the Secretary and all of our men and women in uniform are deeply committed to working with your administration to deepen and strengthen the military readiness capabilities and the security on the Korean Peninsula.

We look forward in the coming months and years to deepening and strengthening this great alliance and taking it to unprecedented levels to promote peace and prosperity on the Korean Peninsula and throughout Asia. Thank you.

PRESIDENT-ELECT PARK: Please send my gratitude to Secretary Panetta for his kind words.

This year marks the 60th anniversary of our alliance relationship, and it can be said that in hindsight, peace and prosperity on the Korean Peninsula owes a great deal to the robust alliance relationship that we have had.

I believe the freedom that we enjoy today, as well as the economic developments that we have been able to enjoy, did not come free. They are the results of the joint efforts of our two sides to overcome and deal with the various challenges and the difficulties that we have faced.

And at the same time our two countries are working very closely together to uphold peace throughout the world as well as support economic development throughout the world.

So, as we mark the 60th anniversary of the Korea-U.S. alliance relationship, we sincerely hope that we can look forward to greater cooperation in the years ahead.

In order for us to (inaudible) a comprehensive strategic alliance, strategic partnership, as becoming of the 21st century, I strongly believe that we need to build upon the foundation of solving trust between our two sides and to work together more closely.

It is my belief that with regard to the various outstanding issues that we have between our two sides, if we engage in consultations on the basis of trust, I am sure that we can look forward to an amicable resolution.

ASSISTANT SECRETARY CAMPBELL: Thank you very much, Madam President-elect. Let me just say that we share very much (inaudible) the approach that you have just laid out. We have managed over the course of the last several years to deal with constructively, effectively, every challenge that has confronted us, and we are committed to do the same going forward.

FORMER HOMELAND SECURITY AGENT ADMITS TO RECORDS FALSIFICATION ROLE

FROM: U.S. DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE

Thursday, January 17, 2013
Former Department of Homeland Security Office of Inspector General Agent Admits Role in Records Falsification Scheme

A former special agent of the Department of Homeland Security’s Office of Inspector General (DHS-OIG) pleaded guilty today in a Southern District of Texas federal court to participating in a scheme to falsify records and to obstruct an internal field office inspection, announced Assistant Attorney General Lanny A. Breuer of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division.

Wayne Ball, 40, of McAllen, Texas, entered his guilty plea before U.S. District Judge Randy Crane to one count of conspiracy to falsify records in federal investigations and to obstruct an agency proceeding.

DHS-OIG is the principal component within DHS with the responsibility to investigate alleged criminal activity by DHS employees, including corruption affecting the integrity of U.S. borders. According to court documents, Ball served as a special agent with DHS-OIG at its McAllen Field Office from January 2009 to November 2012.

According to court documents, in September 2011, DHS-OIG conducted an internal inspection of the field office to evaluate whether its internal investigative standards and policies were being followed. Beginning in August 2011, Ball and at least two other DHS-OIG employees, identified in court documents as "Supervisor A" and "Special Agent A," allegedly engaged in a scheme to falsify documents in investigative case files. Ball admitted that the scheme’s purpose was to conceal lapses – including significant periods of inactivity in pending criminal investigations over periods of months or years – from personnel conducting the inspection and DHS-OIG headquarters, including by falsifying investigative activity which had not taken place.

According to court documents, a criminal investigation was initiated by DHS-OIG in March 2010 into allegations that a Customs and Border Protection officer was assisting the unlawful smuggling of undocumented aliens and narcotics into the United States. Special Agent A allegedly drafted false memoranda of activity (MOAs), at Supervisor A’s direction, to fill gaps of inactivity in the investigation, to which Special Agent A was assigned. With the intention of filling gaps that had occurred when Special Agent A was either not present at the office to investigate cases or was not employed by DHS-OIG at all, Special Agent A allegedly attributed the investigative activity to Ball, who signed and backdated the false MOAs. Supervisor A also allegedly signed and backdated the documents, which were placed in the investigation’s case file in advance of the internal inspection.

The charge of conspiracy carries a maximum potential penalty of five years in prison and a $250,000 fine. Ball is scheduled to be sentenced on April 16, 2013.

U.S. CHAIRMAN OF JOINT CHIEFS OF STAFF SPEAKS OUT AGAINST SEQUESTRATION

FROM: U.S. DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE
Sequestration Will Hollow Out Force Fast, Dempsey Says
By Jim Garamone
American Forces Press Service

ABOARD A MILITARY AIRCRAFT, Jan. 17, 2013 - The across-the-board spending cuts that would result if a "sequestration" mechanism in budget law kicks in March 1 will hollow out U.S. military forces faster than most Americans imagine, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff said today.

Army Gen. Martin E. Dempsey said during a recent news briefing that if sequestration happens, the American military "will be less prepared in months and unprepared in a year."

During an interview today on his return trip from NATO meetings in Brussels, the general said the cuts would quickly bring about a new type of hollow force.

The chairman stressed that deployed and deploying service members will be exempted from the effects of a sequester. The United States will not send any service member overseas without the best preparation, equipment and supplies possible, he said.

This actually covers a great many people. Service members in Afghanistan, Kosovo and Kuwait, aboard ships at sea, and flying and supporting deployed aircraft "will continue to have our unwavering support," Dempsey said. "We have a moral obligation to make sure that they are ready and the next [unit] to deploy is ready."

If sequestration is triggered March 1 -- six months into fiscal 2013 -- the department will have only six months to absorb those cuts, the chairman noted. So, if the deployed force is ready, and the next force to deploy is getting ready, "there's not going to be any operations and training money left for the rest of the force," he said.

The forces after the "next to deploy" will be the ones hurting, Dempsey added.

The U.S. military force generation process is such that when a unit comes home from deployment, it generally dissipates. Coming back is the natural time for service members to transfer to other units, go to schools or get out of the service. "It's an important point to remember: in our force management model, we are constantly rebuilding units," Dempsey said.

Rebuilding these units entails beginning with individual training and working up through collective training. For ground units, it starts with individual skills and moves through training at the squad, platoon and company levels. Battalion- and brigade-level training follows that, the general explained.

"That's why I'm saying that we will be unprepared in a year, because we won't be able to go to that level of collective training," he said. "Will we be able to go to the rifle range or go to the motor pool to turn a wrench? Sure. But we won't be able to do the kind of live-fire training that pilots need. Flying hours [and] steaming hours will be cut back, and it'll take about a year to feel the full effect."

Sequestration will cause a hollow military, Dempsey said, albeit different from the hollow forces of the past. Personnel problems associated with the transition of the military from a drafted force to an all-volunteer force caused a hollow force in the late 1970s. In the 1990s, personnel issues were fine, but there were problems with equipment. "The military took a procurement holiday in order to protect to the greatest extent possible end strength and training," the chairman said.

The kind of hollowness facing the military now is different, Dempsey said. "We've got the people. We've got the equipment that we need," he explained. "But we won't have the ability to train."

The Abrams tank is going to remain the king of the battlefield through 2025, but tankers will not be able to train on the tank or maintain it properly, Dempsey said.

"What we're experiencing is the potential for hollowness related to readiness," he added.

The lack of training opportunities could affect personnel. Dempsey noted that this generation of service members had incredible responsibilities in Iraq and Afghanistan.

"We pushed responsibility, authority, resources to the edge -- to where captains and majors and lieutenant colonels had capabilities, responsibilities and authorities that I didn't have as a major general," he said.

With this generation, the military can't "bring them back and sit them in a motor pool with no money to train," Dempsey said.

"We haven't even begun to model the effect of a prolonged readiness problem," he said. "I can tell you that readiness problems always have an effect on retention."

THE DEEP SPACE EXPLORER: A LOOK AT THE ORION SPACE MODULE

FROM:  NASA
Orion Service Module
This artist's concept of the Orion Service Module was introduced today. When the Orion spacecraft blasts off atop NASA’s Space Launch System rocket in 2017, attached will be the ESA-provided service module – the powerhouse that fuels and propels the Orion spacecraft.

Orion will be the most advanced spacecraft ever designed and carry astronauts farther into space than ever before. It will sustain astronauts during space travel and provide safe re-entry from deep space and emergency abort capability. Orion will be launched by NASA's Space Launch System (SLS), a heavy-lift rocket that will provide an entirely new capability for human exploration beyond low Earth orbit. Designed to be flexible for launching spacecraft for crew and cargo missions, SLS will enable new missions of exploration and expand human presence across the solar system.

The service module of the Orion spacecraft will provide support to the crew module from launch through separation prior to atmospheric re-entry.

Image Credit-NASA

REMARKS WITH SOMALIA PRESIDENT HASSAN SHEIKH MOHAMUD

FROM: U.S. DEPARTMENT OF STATE

Remarks With President of Somalia Hassan Sheikh Mohamud After Their Meeting
Remarks
Hillary Rodham Clinton
Secretary of State
Treaty Room
Washington, DC
January 17, 2013


SECRETARY CLINTON: Good afternoon, everyone. It is a great privilege for us to be welcoming President Hassan Sheikh and his delegation here to the State Department. Today’s meeting has been a long time in the making. Four years ago, at the start of the Obama Administration, Somalia was, in many ways, a different country than it is today. The people and leaders of Somalia have fought and sacrificed to bring greater stability, security, and peace to their nation.

There is still a long way to go and many challenges to confront, but we have seen a new foundation for that better future being laid. And today, we are taking an important step toward that future. I am delighted to announce that for the first time since 1991, the United States is recognizing the Government of Somalia.

Now before I talk about what comes next for this partnership, it is worth taking a moment to remember how we got here and how far we have come together. When I entered the State Department in January 2009, al-Shabaab controlled most of Mogadishu and south and central Somalia. It looked at the time like it would even gain more territory. The people of Somalia had already endured many years of violence and isolation, and we wanted to change that. We wanted to work together, not only with the people of Somalia but with governments across the region, the international community, and other likeminded friends.

In early 2009, the final Transitional Federal Government began its work. Somali security forces, supported by the African Union Mission in Somalia, and troops from Uganda and Burundi and now Kenya and Djibouti began to drive al-Shabaab out of cities and towns. Humanitarian aid finally began getting to the people in need. Local governments resumed their work. Commerce and travel began to pick up. Now progress was halting at times, but it was unmistakable. And today, thanks to the extraordinary partnership between the leaders and people of Somalia, with international supporters, al-Shabaab has been driven from Mogadishu and every other major city in Somalia.

While this fight was going on, at the same time, Somalia’s leaders worked to create a functioning democratic government. Now that process, too, was quite challenging. But today, for the first time in two decades, this country has a representative government with a new president, a new parliament, a new prime minister, and a new constitution. Somalia’s leaders are well aware of the work that lies ahead of them, and that it will be hard work. But they have entered into this important mission with a level of commitment that we find admirable.

So Somalia has the chance to write a new chapter. When Assistant Secretary Carson visited Mogadishu in June, the first U.S. Assistant Secretary to do so in more than 20 years, and when Under Secretary Sherman visited a few months ago, they discovered a new sense of optimism and opportunity. Now we want to translate that into lasting progress.

Somalia’s transformation was achieved first and foremost by the people and leaders of Somalia, backed by strong, African-led support. We also want to thank the African Union, which deserves a great deal of credit for Somalia’s success. The United States was proud to support this effort. We provided more than $650 million in assistance to the African Union Mission in Somalia, more than 130 million to Somalia’s security forces. In the past two years, we’ve given nearly $360 million in emergency humanitarian assistance and more than $45 million in development-related assistance to help rebuild Somalia’s economy. And we have provided more than $200 million throughout the Horn of Africa for Somali refugee assistance.

We’ve also concentrated a lot of our diplomacy on supporting democratic progress. And this has been a personal priority for me during my time as Secretary, so I’m very pleased that in my last weeks here, Mr. President, we’re taking this historic step of recognizing the government.

Now, we will continue to work closely, and the President and I had a chance to discuss in detail some of the work that lies ahead and what the government and people of Somalia are asking of the United States now. Our diplomats, our development experts are traveling more frequently there, and I do look forward to the day when we can reestablish a permanent U.S. diplomatic presence in Mogadishu.

We will also continue, as we well know, to face the threat of terrorism and violent extremism. It is not just a problem in Somalia; it is a problem across the region. The terrorists, as we have learned once again in the last days, are not resting, and neither will we. We will be very clear-eyed and realistic about the threat they continue to pose. We have particular concerns about the dangers facing displaced people, especially women, who continue to be vulnerable to violence, rape, and exploitation.

So today is a milestone. It’s not the end of the journey but it’s an important milestone to that end. We respect the sovereignty of Somalia, and as two sovereign nations we will continue to have an open, transparent dialogue about what more we can do to help the people of Somalia realize their own dreams.

The President had a chance to meet President Obama earlier today at the White House, and that was a very strong signal to the people of Somalia of our continuing support and commitment. So as you, Mr. President, and your leaders work to build democratic institutions, protect human rights and fundamental freedoms, respond to humanitarian needs, build the economy, please know that the United States will be a steadfast partner with you every step of the way. Thank you.

PRESIDENT HASSAN SHEIKH: Thank you.

SECRETARY CLINTON: Thank you, sir.

PRESIDENT HASSAN SHEIKH: Thank you, Madam Secretary, for the great words that you expressed on the realities on the ground in Somalia and the future of Somalia and the future of the relationship between Somalia and the United States.

First of all, I would like to thank the Government and the people of the United States of America for the warm welcome accorded to me and to my delegation for the last two days. I am very pleased and honored to come to Washington and to meet Madam Secretary to discuss on bilateral issues and the mutual interests of our two countries. And Somalia is very grateful for the unwavering support from the United States to the people of Somalia. U.S. is a major donor to Somalia, which include humanitarian assistance and help toward security. We both have common interests and common enemy, which we must redouble our efforts to bring peace and stability in Somalia.

Somalia is emerging from a very long, difficult period, and we are now moving away from the chaos, instability, extremism, piracy, an era, to an era of peaceful and development. We are aiming to make a valuable contribution to the region and the world at large.

Today I provided an update of the huge progress made in the areas of security, political development, social services, and establishing reliable and credible governance institutions to Madam Secretary. This is an excellent time to me to visit the U.S.A. and to meet with U.S. leaders here in Washington, as Somalia is entering a new phase which requires from all of us to work hard with a very few to bring peace with a heart and view to bring peace and stability in Somalia.

Today, we had fruitful and frank discussions on many subjects that are of mutual interest to all of us and to the world at large. I am encouraged by the (inaudible) the energy, the willingness of interest shown to me and my country, and I am hopeful that Somalia will reclaim its role in the international landscape and play a more active and useful member of the nations of the world.

We are working for a Somalia that is at peace with itself and with its neighbors, where its citizens can go about their daily lives in safety, provided their families with confidence and gratefulness. Instability, violent extremism, and crime in Somalia are a threat not only to Somalia, but to the region and the world at large. We look to the future with hope, pride, and optimism.

And finally, I wish Madam Secretary all of the best for her future, and we all miss her greatly, and a warm welcome to the new Secretary of State and the new administration that will take over. Somalia will remain grateful to the unwavering support from the United States Government in the last 22 years that Somalia was in a difficult era. We remain and we will remain grateful to that (inaudible). And I say in front of you today thank you, America.

SECRETARY CLINTON: Thank you so much, Mr. President. (Applause.)

MS. NULAND: We’ll take two questions today. We’ll start with CBS News, Margaret Brennan, please.

QUESTION: Madam Secretary, it’s good to have you back at the podium.

SECRETARY CLINTON: Thank you, Margaret. I’m glad to be back.

QUESTION: A question for you. Is there anything you’d like to see the Algerians do differently in response to the hostage situation that’s underway? And more broadly, are there security or policy implications for Westerners, Americans in the region because of what’s happening in Mali?

SECRETARY CLINTON: Well, Margaret, thanks for asking that very timely question, and let me start off by saying that I spoke with the Algerian Prime Minister Sellal yesterday. I expect to speak with him again this afternoon. Our counterterrorism experts have been in close contact with their Algerian counterparts throughout the last days. And we’ve also been in close consultation with partners around the world, sharing information, working to contribute to the resolution of this hostage situation as quickly as possible.

Now let me say the situation is very fluid. It’s in a remote area of Algeria near the Libyan border. The security of our Americans who are held hostage is our highest priority, but of course we care deeply about the other Algerian and foreign hostages as well. And because of the fluidity and the fact that there is a lot of planning going on, I cannot give you any further details at this time about the current situation on the ground. But I can say that more broadly, what we are seeing in Mali, in Algeria, reflects the broader strategic challenge, first and foremost for the countries in North Africa and for the United States and the broader international community.

Instability in Mali has created the opportunity for a staging base and safe haven for terrorists. And we’ve had success, as you know, in degrading al-Qaida and its affiliates, leadership, and actions in Afghanistan and Pakistan. We’ve seen the great cooperation led by African troops through the UN mission that we were just discussing in Somalia. But let’s make no mistake: There is a continuing effort by the terrorists, whether they call themselves one name or al-Qaida, to try to destroy the stability, the peace and security, of the people of this region.

These are not new concerns. In fact, this has been a top priority for our entire national security team for years. We’ve worked with the Government of Yemen, for example, in their efforts against al-Qaida in the Arabic Peninsula. We’ve worked in something called the Trans-Sahara Counterterrorism Partnership, which works with 10 countries across the region. So we have been working on these problems, trying to help build capacity, trying to create regional networks to deal with problems in one country that can spill over the border of another, and working to provide American support for the disruption of these terrorist networks.

At the UN General Assembly in September, we made the situation in Mali an international priority with a central focus on working to have an international response. I certainly am among a number of officials in our government who’ve met and worked on this issue over the last weeks. In fact, in October, I flew to Algeria for high-level talks with the President and others in responsible positions in this security area trying to determine what more we could do to strengthen our security ties. In November, I sent Deputy Secretary Burns and a team to Algeria to really get into depth about what more we could be doing. And then in December, we began to reach out more broadly in the ongoing counterterrorism discussions that we have.

Now, I say all of this because I think it’s important that we put this latest incident into the broader context. This incident will be resolved, we hope, with a minimum loss of life. But when you deal with these relentless terrorists, life is not in any way precious to them. But when this incident is finally over, we know we face a continuing, ongoing problem, and we’re going to do everything we can to work together to confront and disrupt al-Qaida in the Islamic Maghreb.

We’re going to be working with our friends and partners in North Africa. We are supporting the French operation in Mali with intelligence and airlift. We’re working with a half a dozen African countries, as we did with respect to Somalia over so many years, to help them be prepared to send in African troops. In fact, by this weekend, U.S. trainers will be on the continent to offer pre-deployment training and sustainment packages for ECOWAS troops. And we are prepared to fund airlift for those troops into Mali.

This is difficult but essential work. These are some of the most remote places on the planet, very hard to get to, difficult to have much intelligence from. So there is going to be lot of work that has to go into our efforts. But I want to assure the American people that we are committed to this work, just as we were committed to Somalia. There were so many times, Mr. President, over the last four years when some people were ready to throw up their hands and say al-Shabaab made an advance here and this terrible attack in Mogadishu. And we kept persisting, because we believed that with the kind of approach we had taken we would be standing here today with a democratically elected president of Somalia.

So let me just say that this is about our security, but it is also about our interests and our values and the ongoing work of how to counter violent extremism, to provide likeminded people who want to raise their families, have a better future, educate their children, away from extremism and to empower them to stand up against the extremists. And I think it’s something that we will be working on for some time, but I am confident that we will be successful over that time to give the people of these countries, as we have worked to give the people of Somalia, a chance to chart their own future, which is very much reflective of the values and interests of the United States.

MS. NULAND: Last question today, Somalia Service of VOA, Falastine Iman, please.

QUESTION: Thank you. And I have question, one for the Somali President and one for Madam Secretary. For Somali President, how would you describe the U.S.-Somali relationship at this moment?

My other question is: Madam Secretary, sometime ago you announced a dual-track policy, which means dealing Somali Government and regional administrations. Are you still going to pursue these two approaches?

SECRETARY CLINTON: Could you just repeat the end of that? I think I lost a little bit.

QUESTION: You announced dual-track policy, which means dealing with the government and the regional administrations. So are you still going to pursue these two approaches?

PRESIDENT HASSAN SHEIKH: Yeah. Thanks, Falastine. Regarding for Somalia, I think this is a new era, and the United States Government and Somalia serving our relationships in this – the independence of Somalia in 1960s, and the signs and the symbols and the remains of this long-term relationship is still visible in Somalia. The schools built by the Peace Corps in the early 1960s is still functional in Somalia. These schools are still used by different people and different parts of Somalia. And from then onward, the support that the United States Government give to Somalia is still visible in Somalia.

And the last one I was telling is the last 22 years that Somalia was in a difficult times, the United States has always been the country that never left Somalia and have been engaging Somalia with difficult times at different levels, including when the existence of Somali nation was threatened in early ’90s. It was the United States forces that saved more than 300,000 lives of Somalis. Had that intervention not been there, it would have been difficult and different today, the situation in Somalia. So that relationship is there and the commitment and the unwavering support of the United States has always been.

And Somalia is part of the international community and part of the world. Somalia – United States is a role model country for the democracy, for the freedom of people, for the development of human capital. And this model we are going to pursue, of course, as the rest of the world. So the relationship was there in the past. It’s now there. And today, I am here standing in front of you to further improve that relationship in the context of the current realities in Somalia, in the region, and the continent of Africa. So it’s there and it will be there in the future.

SECRETARY CLINTON: Thank you very much for those very strong words, Mr. President. Today, we are taking a new step in our engagement with the recognition of the government. We believe strongly that the successful conclusion of Somalia’s political transition – with a new president, a prime minister, a parliament, a constitution – marks the beginning of a new era of Somali governance. And therefore one of the reasons we wanted the President to come was to discuss the way forward.

Now, we still have the excellent work by U.S. Special Representative for Somalia Ambassador Swan, who leads a team, as you know, committed to working with the Government and people of Somalia. But our position now is the work that we did to help establish a transitional government, to support the fight against al-Shabaab, to provide humanitarian assistance, is now moving into a new era, as the President said. I believe that our job now is to listen to the Government and people of Somalia, who are now in a position to tell us, as well as other partners around the world, what their plans are, how they hope to achieve them.

So we have moved into a normal sovereign nation-to-sovereign nation position, and we have moved into an era where we’re going to be a good partner, a steadfast partner, to Somalia as Somalia makes the decisions for its own future.

Thank you all very much.

SEVERICE MEMBERS WORRY OVER DEFENSE CUTS

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

FROM: U.S. DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE
Fiscal Uncertainty Worries Service Members
By Claudette Roulo
American Forces Press Service

KEESLER AIR FORCE BASE, Miss., Jan. 16, 2013 - Concern about the impact that budget cuts may have on the force emerged as a common theme as the senior enlisted advisor to the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff met with enlisted service members from the Air Force, Navy and Marine Corps at several locations here today.

Marine Corps Sgt. Major Bryan B. Battaglia said Defense Secretary Leon E. Panetta wants service members to know military pay will not be cut. Instead, annual pay increases likely will be decreased, Battaglia said.

The plan for dealing with upcoming defense cuts calls for belt-tightening for everyone, the sergeant major said.

"But we're not going to take it from any one source," he said.

Service members aren't going to bear the burden of defense cuts alone, Battaglia said.

"DOD civilian workers have been on their third year of a pay freeze," he said, "so they got a head start on us already."

The defense secretary has vowed to "fight for all he's worth" to mitigate any impacts on retirement by making changes applicable only to future service members, Battaglia said.

"If I can offer any consolation," he said, "it's that your best interests are at heart."

Battaglia said the question of whether fiscal uncertainty would mean a return to a single service utility uniform was one he has also heard elsewhere. He told service members that he hoped not, but that one possibility was a single uniform for operational environments.

"We've been there before," he said. However, "service identity is extremely important," he added.

"Each and every morning you need to wake up and be an airman ... that's important and I don't want to see that change," the sergeant major said.

In the 1990s "we all wore one uniform," Battaglia said. "It has been costly for the services to do all these different variations of uniforms."

The sergeant major said he thought having a single uniform for wear in operational theaters made fiscal sense and would reduce confusion for the United States' international partners.

Battaglia also addressed questions about whether programs such as tuition assistance would be able to continue in a time of fiscal austerity.

"Tuition assistance is not an entitlement," he said. "It's here because we want to help -- we want to make you better -- but it's not a disqualifier for being a good service member."

But, he said, the military is a learning organization.

"While it's here, use it," Battaglia said of tuition assistance, adding that he couldn't guarantee that it would continue indefinitely.

"We've got some fiscal challenges coming up," he said, noting the percentage of service members who use the tuition assistance benefit isn't very high.

"So when you get that metric ... it dissipates the chances of it remaining viable," Battaglia said. "So, again, use it while it's here."

SECRETARY OF STATE CLINTON MAKES STATEMENT ON HOLOCAUST-ERA LOOTED ART

FROM: U.S. STATE DEPARTMENT 

Holocaust-Era Looted Art
Press Statement
Hillary Rodham Clinton
Secretary of State
Washington, DC
January 16, 2013
　

This month we commemorate the seventieth anniversary of the Inter-Allied Declaration against Acts of Dispossession Committed in Territories under Enemy Occupation and Control, known as the London Declaration of January 5, 1943. Beginning with the London Declaration, the United States implemented a policy of returning Nazi-confiscated art, including art taken through forced and coerced transfers, to its countries of origin, with the expectation that the art would be returned to its lawful owners. Under U.S. leadership, the international community has endorsed these principles as well. In the 1998 Washington Principles on Nazi-Confiscated Art and the Terezin Declaration of the 2009 Prague Conference on Holocaust Assets, more than forty countries joined the United States in agreeing that their respective legal systems or alternative dispute resolution processes should facilitate just and fair solutions for art that was taken by the Nazis and their collaborators. In reaffirming these commitments, the Department of State expresses no view on any issue currently in litigation. U.S. policy will continue to support the fair and just resolution of claims involving Nazi-confiscated art, in light of the provenance and rightful ownership of each particular work, while also respecting the bona fide internal restitution proceedings of foreign governments.

U.S. FACT SHEET ON FOOD SECURITY IN HAITI

FROM: U.S. DEPARTMENT OF STATE
Fast Facts on the U.S. Government's Work in Haiti: Food Security
Fact Sheet
Office of the Haiti Special Coordinator
January 16, 2013
The Challenge

Even before the January 12, 2010, earthquake, Haiti faced significant challenges to food security. Declining agricultural productivity led to malnourishment and urban migration. Prior to the earthquake, 40 percent of households were undernourished, and 30 percent of children suffered from chronic malnutrition. While approximately 60 percent of Haitians worked in agriculture, more than 50 percent of the food consumed in Haiti was imported.

USG Strategy

Food security is one of the four priority sectors of U.S. Government development investment in Haiti. The U.S. Government’s global Feed the Future initiative is supporting the Government of Haiti’s priorities, working to ensure sustainable growth in the agricultural sector in fertile plains. The U.S. Government is working with farmers, farmer associations, and scientists to introduce new techniques and technologies, strengthen agricultural infrastructure along the whole value chain, and attract investments from private businesses. The overall aim is to improve livelihoods through increased income for more than 100,000 farmer households. This investment will not only lead to nutritional improvements in the population but also improve the lives of farmers benefitting from increased crop yields and incomes.

Hurricane Sandy Response

In October 2012, the outer rain bands of Hurricane Sandy caused significant rainfall, flooding, and mudslides in southern Haiti. The Government of Haiti declared a state of emergency and requested U.S. Government assistance, specifically for agricultural inputs, shelter, and replacement of non-food items in the south. Accordingly, the U.S. Ambassador to Haiti issued a disaster declaration for the effects of Hurricane Sandy in Haiti. The cumulative effect of a drought, Tropical Storm Isaac, and Hurricane Sandy has been devastating, generating significant losses in agriculture production throughout the country for 2012. So far, the U.S. Government is providing emergency response support totaling almost $20 million in commodities, food security assistance, and help to repair damaged agriculture infrastructure in Haiti. In addition to the emergency response efforts that are assisting the agricultural sector, the U.S. Government has ongoing agricultural programs funded though Feed the Future that are being implemented in the Port-au-Prince and St. Marc corridors. For example, Feed the Future recently launched a $1 million bean planting season campaign, which will provide farmers with technical assistance, seeds, and other inputs.

Accomplishments

Despite these natural disasters, the U.S. Government has made significant accomplishments in ensuring the food security of the Haitian people. Since the earthquake, U.S. Government assistance has:
Increased the total sales of farmers supported by Feed the Future West from $4.8 million to $12.2 million.
Introduced improved seeds, fertilizer, and technologies to more than 13,000 farmers; these have increased rice yields by 129 percent, corn yields by 341 percent, and bean yields by 100 percent, in 2012.
In 2011, trained more than 1,200 people in natural resource management and/or biodiversity conservation, including soil conservation, tree nurseries, and hillside production. More than 4,000 additional hectares of farmland are now under improved natural resource management.
Nearly 13,000 farmers, more than 40 percent of whom are women, have enrolled in the Haiti Hope project. This program is a partnership among USAID, The Coca-Cola Company, the Multilateral Investment Fund, and TechnoServe that aims to create opportunities for 25,000 Haitian mango farmers and their families.
Graduated 850 people from a master farmers program during 2012; 27 percent of graduates were women.
Increased the income of 5,000 cacao growers by a minimum of 25 percent through partnerships with private-sector entities to train farmers in cocoa production.
Provided mobile collection centers, sorting tables, and 6,000 plastic crates for mango harvesting, increasing mango sales by three farmer associations to exporters by 25 percent.
Increased economic benefits derived from sustainable natural resource management and conservation, benefitting nearly 1,200 people through ravine treatment, hillside rehabilitation, and improved technologies that have enhanced the quality of crop output.

NEWS FROM AFGHANISTAN FOR JANUARY 17, 2013

U.S. troops assigned to Provincial Reconstruction Team Farah wait for a UH-60 Black Hawk medevac helicopter to land before moving a simulated casualty during medical evacuation training on Forward Operating Base Farah, Afghanistan, Jan. 9, 2013. U.S. Navy photo by Chief Petty Officer Josh Ives

FROM: U.S. DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE
Combined Force Arrests Taliban Leader, Detains Insurgents
From an International Security Assistance Force Joint Command News Release

KABUL, Afghanistan, Jan. 17, 2013 - A combined Afghan and coalition security force arrested a Taliban leader and detained several suspected insurgents in the Panjwai district of Afghanistan's Kandahar province today, military officials reported.

The Taliban leader oversaw insurgents that attacked Afghan and coalition forces with improvised explosive devices and direct fire. He also facilitated the transfer and delivery of weapons and IEDs to insurgents, officials said, and was involved in the coordination of an assassination attempt.

In Afghanistan operations yesterday:

-- A combined force in Kandahar's Daman district arrested a Taliban leader who planned and conducted attacks against Afghan and coalition forces and oversaw the acquisition of weapons and ammunition for insurgents. At the time of his arrest, he was involved in the transfer of rockets for use in an attack.

-- In Kandahar's Maiwand district, a combined force arrested a Taliban leader responsible for coordinating attacks on Afghan and coalition forces, including acquisition of IEDs and weapons.

In a Jan. 15 operation in Kandahar's Maiwand district, a combined force detained three armed insurgents who had attacked Afghan civilians.

SECRETARY OF DEFENSE PANETTA VISITS ITALY

U.S. Defense Secretary Leon E. Panetta, left, holds a joint press conference with Italian Defense Minister Giampaolo di Paola in Rome, Jan. 16, 2013. DOD photo by Erin A. Kirk-Cuomo

FROM: U.S DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE
Panetta, in Italy, Addresses Global, Local Issues
By Karen Parrish
American Forces Press Service

ROME, Jan. 16, 2013 - Defense Secretary Leon E. Panetta and Italian government officials discussed a range of issues here today, from conflict in Africa to security transition in Afghanistan to Sicilian concerns about a proposed U.S. communications facility there.

The secretary met with government officials including President Giorgio Napolitano, Prime Minister Mario Monti, Foreign Affairs minister Giulio Terzi di Sant' Agata and Defense Minister Giampaolo Di Paola.

Panetta and Di Paolo, the secretary said during a joint conference, "had a very productive session covering a host of bilateral issues -- Afghanistan, our shared concerns about the situation in Mali, and how to strengthen our defense trade and cooperation for the future."

The secretary noted as the son of Italian immigrants to America, he has always felt a strong connection to Italy. "But as secretary of defense, I have gained a profound new respect for Italy's significant contributions to regional and global security," he added.

Italy is a key member of the NATO alliance and the lead nation for NATO's International Security Assistance Force in Afghanistan's Regional Command West, Panetta said.

"In our session, Minister di Paola and I updated each other on the significant progress our forces are making in building an Afghanistan that can govern and secure itself," he said. "That progress will enable us to reach a key milestone this spring, when Afghan forces shift into the lead for security throughout the country."

The United States is very grateful to Italy for its "steadfast support" in the ISAF effort, he said.

"We will never forget the more than 50 Italians who have died carrying out the mission in Afghanistan," Panetta told the audience.

America is also grateful for Italy's "extraordinary hospitality" in hosting more than 30,000 U.S. service members, civilians and family members on U.S bases in Italy.

Panetta said Aviano Air Base, in northeast Italy; Caserme Ederle, near Vicenza; Naval Air Station Sigonella, in Sicily; and Camp Darby, in the province of Pisa, "enhance the collective security of the alliance."

The U.S. presence in Italy, he said, is "critical to our military's ability to respond to crisis, and to meet challenges in the region and beyond."

The secretary noted he will travel to Vicenza tomorrow, "to personally thank U.S. military personnel who are stationed there."

Together with their Italian military counterparts, he said, young American service members are helping to write a new chapter in the long history of friendship between the two nations.

"I know they are inspired by the same goal my Italian father always told me: we must work hard and protect those we love to build a better life for our children," Panetta said.

During a discussion today with Italian reporters and press traveling with him, the secretary responded to questions on the F-35 joint strike fighter, and on the previously mentioned communications complex in Sicily.

Panetta said the U.S. is fully committed to the fifth-generation F-35, which he called "the future in fighter aircraft."

Italy has partnered with the United States on the fighter since 1998, when the program was in its concept and development phase. Other international partners include the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, Australia, Canada, Denmark, Norway, Turkey, Israel and Singapore.

"We have made very good progress in the development of that plane," the secretary said.

"We believe it's a very good investment ... and we appreciate Italy's commitment and willingness to participate," he said. "We believe the F-35 is the plane of the future."

The planned communications facility in Sicily, Panetta said, is intended to provide U.S. forces with advanced defense communications capabilities. He noted Sicilian residents have expressed concerns about possible health hazards the installation may present.

"I understand the concerns of the people there," he said.

The secretary said he and Di Paola are working to address those concerns, and that studies performed to date indicate no risks to health will result from the installation.

"But I want to make sure that we do everything possible to address the concerns of those residents," he said. "They, too, have to be convinced that this is something that can be done without impacting their health or well-being."