DEFENSE LEADER SENDS LETTERS TO GOVENORS MOST AFFECTED BY SEQUESTRATION

FROM: U.S. DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE
Carter Sends Letters to Governors Most Affected by DOD Cuts
By Jim Garamone
American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, March 1, 2013 - Sequestration will have serious and real effects for people, and to hammer that point home Deputy Defense Secretary Ash Carter has sent warning letters to the governors of the states that will suffer most.

The letters alert the governors of sequestration's impact on military bases their states, and both the direct and indirect impacts of sequestration. The 10 states most affected are: California, Virginia, Texas, Maryland, Pennsylvania, Georgia, Florida, Ohio, Alabama, and Washington.

Sequestration means the department must cut $47 billion from its fiscal year 2013 budget -- meaning $47 million by the end of September 2013. All states will be affected, but these 10 states will bear the largest brunt.

For example, roughly 26,000 Defense Department civilian employees work or reside in Pennsylvania, and they will take home $155 million less over the rest of fiscal 2013. In Virginia, maintenance on 11 Navy ships at Norfolk Naval Base is cancelled, with a associated loss of civilian contractor jobs. In California, sequestration will affect Beale, Edwards, Vandenberg and Travis air force bases.

In Maryland, the cuts will impact the Army's Aberdeen Proving Ground, Andrews Air Force Base and Patuxent Naval Air Station. In Texas, operations at bases around the state will be affected and operations at Red River Army Depot could lose $1.4 billion.

"While these reductions are unfortunate and will be damaging, the department is doing everything within our power to minimize adverse effects on our national security mission," Carter wrote to all the governors.

He vowed the department will work with the states to help manage the effects of the reductions. "Should Congress take subsequent actions that change the level or the nature of these reductions, we are committed to working closely with you to manage changes quickly," Carter wrote.

President's Weekly Address: Congress Must Compromise to Stop the Impact of the Sequester | The White House

Weekly Address: Congress Must Compromise to Stop the Impact of the Sequester | The White House

ARMY CHANGING STRUCTURE IN EUROPE

FROM: U.S. DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE
Army to Make Force Structure Changes in Europe
American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, March 1, 2013 - Germany-based elements of the U.S. Army's 173rd Airborne Brigade Combat Team will relocate within Germany and to Italy this summer, according to a Defense Department news release issued today.

A total of four battalions will be relocated. Two battalions will relocate from Germany to Italy; the brigade's headquarters battalion and one infantry battalion will relocate to Caserma Ederle in Vicenza, Italy and to the Army's new facility in Del Din [formerly known as Dal Molin] in Vicenza. The other two battalions will relocate from Schweinfurt and Bamberg, Germany, to Grafenwoehr, Germany.

In addition to the previously announced inactivation of V Corps Headquarters and the 170th and 172nd Infantry Brigades, the disposition of 2,500 enabling forces are provided in the attached DOD news release.

Information on the disposition of other units in the closing U.S. military communities of Bamberg and Schweinfurt will be provided in the near future, as those force structure actions are determined.

These actions are part of DOD's ongoing restructure of resources worldwide in line with the national defense strategy and in support of combatant commanders, NATO and our European allies.

PHOTOS FROM U.S. AIR FORCE SPACE COMMAND

FROM: U.S. AIR FORCE SPACE COMMAND
The Data Acquisition Segment antenna, located in Huntsville, Ala.
The Data Acquisition Segment antenna, located in Huntsville, Ala. is a principle component of the Eagle Vision system used by the 226th Combat Communication Squadron to receiving the satellite imagery for processing and distribution.

 
refuel
A KC-135 "Stratotanker" from the Nebraska Air National Guard's 155th Air Refueling Wing passes fuel to a B-2 bomber over Southern Colorado May 22. The KC-135, first deployed in 1956, is one of the Air Force's longest-serving aircraft type. The B-2 "Spirit" fleet is one of the Air Force's youngest, reaching initial operational capability in 1997. Together, these two aircraft and their crews allow the Air Force to reach targets across the globe in a matter of hours. (U.S. Air Force photo/Duncan Wood)

 

STATE DEPT. OFFICIAL'S REMARKS AT SPACE SYMPOSIUM IN TOKYO

FROM:  U.S. STATE DEPARTMENT
Pursuing Space TCBMs for Long-Term Sustainability and Security
Remarks
Frank A. Rose
Deputy Assistant Secretary, Bureau of Arms Control, Verification and Compliance
International Symposium on Sustainable Space Development and Utilization for Humankind
Shinagawa, Tokyo, Japan
February 28, 2013

 I am very pleased and honored to be back in Tokyo for the second International Symposium on Sustainable Space Development and Utilization for Humankind. I had such a great experience during last year’s symposium and would like to thank the Japan Space Forum for inviting me back. I am pleased that this symposium is becoming an annual event that highlights how space debris poses an increasingly serious threat to the long-term sustainability of the space environment, and I would like to commend the Japan Space Forum for continuing to organize these symposia. I’d also like to thank the Office of National Space Policy; the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science, and Technology; the Ministry of Economy, Trade, and Industry; and the Society of Japanese Aerospace Companies for their support of this symposium.

Last year I discussed the vital importance of utilizing space assets for disaster monitoring and mitigation. Japan’s use of space assets during the 2011 earthquake and resulting tsunami shed light on the vital importance of space assets for disaster monitoring and mitigation, and I applaud Japan’s continuing development of space-based capabilities to better predict and aid future disasters.

Today, I’d like to begin by discussing another example of how space assets proved to be critical during what became known as "Superstorm Sandy," which impacted the eastern seaboard of the United States last October. Reports estimated that this storm resulted in over $60 billion in damage and other losses in the United States, including the damage or destruction of over 600,000 homes and business. Prior to the storm, scientists utilized global data from satellites as well as from weather balloons, commercial airplanes, buoys at sea, and weather stations in order to predict the track and intensity of the storm. Several days before Superstorm Sandy hit the United States, models based on data from these sensors predicted that the storm would make landfall in New Jersey. In the end, the storm hit just five miles from where the earliest forecasts estimated it would.

The data derived from satellites proved to be particularly significant in this case. Analysis showed that forecast of Sandy’s track would have been off by hundreds of miles without the critical information provided from polar satellites. In fact, analysis shows that without satellite data, forecasting models would have shown Sandy remaining at sea rather than making landfall in the United States.

The accurate forecasting of Sandy’s path was essential in allowing people enough time to evacuate, and experts postulate the advance warning may have saved thousands of lives. This is but one example of how truly reliant we are on space capabilities today, and how space assets can have a tremendous impact on preserving life and property on Earth. In order to ensure that we can continue to utilize these capabilities and obtain their benefits, we need to take action now to sustain the space environment.

I will focus my remarks today on how pursuing transparency and confidence-building measures (TCBMs), such as the International Code of Conduct, measurably contributes to ensuring that we can continue to utilize space for future disasters as well as the many other benefits space assets provide. In addition to discussing the next steps to advance the Code, I will also discuss other ongoing efforts to establish multilateral TCBMs such as the work of the UN Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space, and the study by the UN Group of Governmental Experts on space TCBMs. Finally, I’d like to discuss the successful ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF) Workshop on Space Security that was held last December and how this workshop contributed to our efforts to preserve the space environment.

Transparency and Confidence-Building Measures

In accordance with President Obama’s 2010 U.S. National Space Policy, the United States is pursuing bilateral and multilateral TCBMs to encourage responsible actions in, and the peaceful use of, space. TCBMs are the means by which governments can address challenges and share information with the aim of creating mutual understanding and reducing tensions. They consist of pragmatic, voluntary, near-term actions that we can do to increase trust and prevent misperceptions, miscalculations, and mistrust between nations. To overcome these dangers and risks requires, in part, building confidence between nations, which can be achieved with transparency, openness, and predictability through, for example, information-sharing. TCBMs, also have the potential of enhancing our knowledge of the space environment, by addressing important areas such as orbital debris, space situational awareness, and collision avoidance, as well as undertake activities that will help to increase familiarity and trust and encourage openness among space actors. TCBMs can be undertaken globally or regionally, bilaterally, multilaterally, or unilaterally. Today, I will focus on the numerous multilateral efforts that we are pursuing.

Pursuing an International Code of Conduct

A recent space TCBM effort is the European Union’s draft International Code of Conduct for Outer Space Activities, or "the Code". As I discussed last year, in January 2012, then-Secretary of State Hillary Clinton announced the U.S. decision to work with the European Union (EU) and other space-faring nations to develop an International Code of Conduct for Outer Space Activities. The development of such a non-legally binding Code of Conduct is an effective, pragmatic and timely way of strengthening the long-term sustainability, stability, safety, and security of the space environment. The European Union is leading efforts to develop a text that is acceptable to the greatest number of governments. We believe the EU’s latest draft is a useful foundation and constructive starting point for developing a consensus on an International Code.

The stated purpose of the draft Code is to "enhance the security, safety, and sustainability of all outer space activities," which is fundamentally in the interests of all nations. A widely subscribed International Code would establish internationally adopted TCBMs – including "best practices" or "rules of the road" that would encourage responsible behavior in outer space. A Code of Conduct would also help reduce the risk of misunderstandings, miscalculations, and misperceptions by committing States to share space policies, strategies, and procedures, thus improving the stability and security of the space environment.

Additionally, a Code of Conduct would increase the transparency of operations in space to reduce the danger of collisions and the hazards of debris-generating events. Considering the serious and enduring hazard posed by orbital debris and potential collisions, I think we can all agree that cooperation is necessary to address and mitigate this growing problem. This has been illustrated multiple times over the past few years when astronauts on the International Space Station have been forced to take shelter when debris came close to the Station. Had that debris collided with the space station, it could have caused catastrophic damage and endangered the crew, which regularly includes Japanese astronauts.

An International Code will establish a set of voluntary transparency and confidence-building measures and would also build upon existing instruments and measures relating to conduct in the use of outer space. For example, the Code would commit Subscribing States – albeit with specific exceptions – to refrain from conducting any intentional damage to, or destruction of, a space object.

Next Steps for the Code

You may be wondering what the next steps are for this initiative. The United States has been consulting closely with the EU and others on the Code, and we will continue to shape an International Code through international consultations and negotiations. The United States and the EU also continue to actively engage a large number of countries on the Code (and I have the frequent flyer miles to prove it. In fact, I think the only person with more frequent flyer miles than me is an astronaut!). We are greatly appreciative of our close allies such as Japan and Australia who are also engaging other nations on the Code.

On June 5, 2012, the EU held a kick-off meeting in Vienna, Austria and released a new draft of the Code. We look forward to continuing our close partnership with the EU, Japan, Australia, and many other nations in order to advance the Code.

Other Ongoing TCBM Efforts

In addition to the Code, there are a number of other complementary ongoing efforts to establish multilateral TCBMs: that is, for example, the work of the UN Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space, or COPUOS, and the study by the UN Group of Governmental Experts (GGE) on Space TCBMs. These efforts will be discussed in further detail during this symposium so I will just briefly touch on them.

While many approaches to ensuring stability in space come from the "top-down," there is great value in "bottom-up" approaches from experts and satellite operators, such as the efforts of the Working Group on Long-Term Sustainability of Space Activities of the Scientific and Technical Subcommittee of COPUOS. This working group is a key forum for the international development of guidelines for space activities. One of the groups is examining best practices for "Space Debris, Space Operations, and Space Situational Awareness" and has had active participation by experts from Japan, the United States, Europe, Russia, and other leading spacefaring nations. Many of the best practice guidelines addressed by this working group are integral to our efforts to pursue TCBMs that enhance sustainability in space.

A second multilateral TCBM effort currently being undertaken is the UN GGE study on Outer Space TCBMs, for which I serve as the U.S. expert. Under the capable chairmanship of Victor Vasiliev of Russia, the GGE offers an opportunity to advance a range of voluntary and non-legally binding TCBMs in space that have the potential to mitigate the dangers and risks in an increasingly contested and congested space environment. The key objective of the GGE is to develop a consensus report that outlines a list of pragmatic space TCBMs that nations can sign up to on a voluntary basis. As part of its effort to draw upon as much expertise as possible, the GGE welcomes written contributions from intergovernmental bodies, industry and private sector, civil society, and other UN Member States not already represented in the group. The GGE serves as a real opportunity to move forward with pragmatic steps to strengthen stability in space through unilateral, bilateral, and multilateral measures.

ARF Space Security Workshop

The United States, and our allies and partners, including Japan, are clearly committed to addressing the challenges facing the space environment. However, we cannot address these challenges alone. All nations—established spacefaring nations, emerging spacefaring nations, and those nations just beginning to consider how they can benefit from space capabilities – should work together to adopt approaches for responsible activity in space to preserve its use for the benefit of future generations.

The Asia-Pacific region in particular is seeing rapid expansion in its number of spacefaring nations, and rapid development of those nation’s capabilities. For that reason, I was extremely pleased and honored to speak at the first-ever ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF) Workshop on Space Security, held in early December of last year. This workshop was organized by the Governments of Vietnam and Australia and sponsored by the Governments of Japan and the United States. This event was the first time the ARF had discussed space security issues, but the participants agreed that space is vital for the development and security of all nations, and that we must work together to ensure the sustainability and stability of the space environment. We hope that the ARF will consider holding additional workshops on this worthy subject.

Conclusion

In September 1900, 8,000 people were killed when a hurricane struck in Galveston, Texas. There was no warning system in place at this time, and it wasn’t for another 70 years until satellites were used in weather forecasting. We have come a long way since then, and our space capabilities have become instrumental in saving lives during national disasters, such as Superstorm Sandy.

We are increasingly reliant on space, not only when disasters strike, but also for our day-to-day life. However, our ability to continue to use space for these benefits is at serious risk. Accidents or irresponsible acts against space systems would not only harm the space environment, but would also disrupt services on which the international community depends. As a result, we must take action now and pursue TCBMs in space, including the ones that I discussed today. These TCBMs will enhance the long-term sustainability, stability, safety, and security of the space environment. Protecting the space environment for future generations is in the vital interests of the United States, Japan, and the entire global community.

Thank you very much.

TWO BUSINESSMEN PLEAD GUILTY TO ILLEGALLY REIMBURSING CAMPAIGN CONTRIBUTIONS

FROM: U.S. DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE
Tuesday, February 26, 2013
Two Virginia Businessmen Plead Guilty to Illegally Reimbursing Campaign Contributions

William P. Danielczyk Jr. and Eugene R. Biagi pleaded guilty today to reimbursing $186,600 in contributions to the Senate and Presidential campaign committees of a candidate for federal office, announced Assistant Attorney General Lanny A. Breuer of the Criminal Division, U.S. Attorney Neil H. MacBride of the Eastern District of Virginia and Valerie Parlave, Assistant Director in Charge of the FBI’s Washington Field Office.

Danielczyk, 51, and Biagi, 78, both of Oakton, Va., pleaded guilty to making illegal conduit campaign contributions. The charge carries a maximum penalty of five years in prison. Danielczyk also faces a fine of not less than 300 percent of the amount involved and not more than the greater of $50,000 or 1,000 percent of the amount involved, and Biagi faces a potential fine of not more than $250,000 when they are sentenced on May 17, 2013.

"With today’s guilty pleas, Danielczyk and Biagi admit they used straw donors to circumvent the rules of the electoral process," said AAG Breuer. "Our democracy depends on voters honoring campaign contribution limits and other campaign finance laws, and the Justice Department will continue to pursue corrupt individuals whose illegal tricks threaten the legitimacy of elections and undermine public confidence in the democratic process."

"Today Mr. Danielczyk admitted that he tried to corrupt the electoral process by evading corporate contribution limits," said U.S. Attorney MacBride. "Mr. Danielczyk abused his power as an employer and abused his power as a participant in a U.S. election. Direct contribution limits for corporations provide an important check in the integrity of our electoral process, and today’s convictions help ensure that those who illegally go beyond those limits are held accountable."

"With today’s guilty pleas, Mr. Danielczyk and Mr. Biagi admitted their roles in a scheme in which they evaded FEC law to donate money to a Senate and Presidential candidate. By doing so, they funneled more than $186,600 through their company by creating fraudulent invoices for straw donors and falsely back-dating letters to those individual contributors," said Assistant Director in Charge Parlave. "The FBI will continue to work with the U.S. Attorney’s office to investigate allegations of campaign finance abuse, which are in place to ensure openness and fairness in our elections so the people’s interests are protected."

According to court records, Danielczyk was the Chairman of Galen Capital Corporation, and Biagi served as the corporation’s secretary and treasurer. In September 2006, Danielczyk co-hosted a fundraiser for a candidate’s campaign for the U.S. Senate and in March 2007 he co-hosted a fundraiser for the same candidate’s 2008 campaign for the President of the United States.

Danielczyk admitted that he recruited individuals, including Biagi and other corporate employees, to serve as "straw donors" to the campaigns, assuring the donors that they would be reimbursed for their contributions. Danielczyk’s assistant collected the contributions, and Danielczyk and Biagi then reimbursed the straw donors for their contributions using Galen Capital Corporation’s corporate funds.

Biagi admitted that he disguised the nature of the reimbursement payments by writing "consulting fees" on the checks’ memorandum lines and by issuing the checks for amounts slightly larger than the campaign contributions. Danielczyk and Biagi also created falsely back-dated letters to the individual contributors, which characterized the reimbursement payments as "consulting fees" or that a contributor would receive money for certain work.

Danielczyk and Biagi admitted they used corporate funds to reimburse a total of $186,600 to the two campaigns. The campaigns unwittingly reported the straw donations as lawful contributions from the individual donors.

This case was investigated by the FBI’s Washington Field Office. Trial Attorney Eric L. Gibson of the Criminal Division’s Public Integrity Section and Assistant U.S. Attorneys Mark D. Lytle and Timothy D. Belevetz from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia are prosecuting the case on behalf of the United States.

RECENT PHOTOS FROM FEMA

FROM: FEDERAL EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT AGENCY
New York, N.Y., Jan. 31, 2013 -- Workers continue to repair Bellevue Hospital after it was evacuated due to flooding by Hurricane Sandy. Bellevue has developed mitigation strategies that can minimize the risk of damage and disruption of hospital operations in the event of future disasters. Sandy flooded the lower floors of the hospital with millions of gallons of water damaging the electrical systems, medical equipment, fuel and water pumps, and information technology infrastructure. K.C.Wilsey-FEMA

Mantoloking, N.J., Feb. 25, 2012 -- This house was washed off its foundation during Hurricane Sandy. It still remains in the middle of Barnegat Bay. Photo by Liz Roll-FEMA

LITTLE SUBMARINE EXPLORES ANTARTIC LAKE

FROM: NASA

Micro-sub Explores Buried Antarctic Lake

NASA/JPL researcher Alberto Behar joins an international Antarctic expedition to investigate a subglacial lake.

EL YUNQUE: WORLD WITHOUT END?

Photo:  El Yunque Plant Life.  Credit:  Wikimedia Commons. 

FROM: NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION
El Yunque, Majestic Rocky Icon of Puerto Rico: Impervious to the Ravages of Time?
El Yunque. It could be the name of an ancient chieftain. On the island of Puerto Rico, in a sense it is.

El Yunque, Spanish for "the anvil," is a majestic, flat-topped promontory. It stands high above rivers and streams below, and has been an icon since pre-Columbian times.

With Puerto Rico's humid tropical climate, El Yunque should be covered with plant life--and should be eroding rapidly, say scientists. But it isn't.

To solve this mystery, researchers from the National Science Foundation's (NSF) Luquillo Critical Zone Observatory (CZO) set out to measure the current rate of the rock's erosion.

El Yunque is usually shrouded by mist from clouds. Swept by the trade winds, it's often buffeted by hurricanes. The barren rock, some 3,412 feet tall, lords it over miles of rainforest that surround it on all sides.

It's showered with rain an average of three times a day--in total, more than 14 feet of rain every year. That rain cascades down El Yunque's headland, then flows through the Luquillo watershed in rivers and rivulets.

The Luquillo CZO is one of six NSF CZOs in watersheds across the nation. In addition to the Luquillo site, CZOs are located in the Southern Sierra Nevada, Christina River Basin on the border of Delaware and Pennsylvania, Susquehanna Shale Hills in Pennsylvania, Boulder Creek in the Colorado Rockies, and the Jemez River and Santa Catalina Mountains in New Mexico and Arizona.

NSF-supported scientists are providing a new understanding of the critical zone--the thin veneer of Earth that extends from the top of the forest canopy to the base of weathered bedrock.

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

"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 this important zone and its response to climate and land-use change."

The CZOs are 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."

Peak of endurance

To find an answer to El Yunque's slow erosion rate, scientists Jane Willenbring, Gilles Brocard and the late Frederick Scatena of the University of Pennsylvania used a new approach to calculate how it has changed over time.

The method involved counting isotopes, or variants, of chemical elements that accumulate in rocks when they're hit by cosmic rays from space.

Using these particular isotopes, called cosmogenic nuclides, the researchers confirmed that forest soils that aren't disturbed by human activity erode at rates of 250 to 500 feet per million years.

Undisturbed forested areas in Puerto Rico, for example, have eroded some 1.6 to 3.2 inches since Europeans first landed there in 1498.

The scientists also found that the presence of forests can greatly reduce erosion, even in a steep environment frequently visited by hurricanes.

An ecological view from El Yunque

The Luquillo critical zone is chemically weathering at a wide range of rates. "But its thick weave of matted roots and vegetation holds in the soil and stabilizes the hillslopes such that they erode more slowly than one would expect," says Willenbring.

On the other hand, Puerto Rico waterfalls such as the well-known La Coca Falls are eroding comparatively quickly. Water rushes in torrents through steep canyons and gullies there, carrying gravel and boulders with it.

"A wave of erosion--whether fast or slow--affects all parts of the critical zone," says Willenbring. "It sets the tempo for how quickly minerals and nutrients are ferried to the surface, which in turn feed the forest above.

"We were surprised by how connected the landscape is. It seems as though even the trees understand geomorphology."

How passive are soil microbes and trees? Do they position themselves where it's best to live, or do they actively change the environment they're already in?

Glimpse of El Yunque's past...and future?

To answer these questions as they apply to El Yunque, cosmogenic nuclides allowed researchers to make the first measurements of the erosion rate of the peak.

El Yunque's surface is eroding about 13 feet every million years; it has lost only 0.08 inches since the Europeans first arrived.

Its relatively slow rate of erosion explains why El Yunque juts above the forest.

"The texture and composition of the rocks that form El Yunque are more erosion-resistant than those of the surrounding landscape," says Willenbring.

Why? El Yunque is a remnant of an ancient supervolcano named Hato Puerco. The volcano was one of the region's largest and most active volcanoes during the Cretaceous period 145-66 million years ago.

"El Yunque's hardness and chemical properties came from being 'cooked' in the chamber of the volcano," says Willenbring. Other rocks weren't subjected to this same heating; they're "softer" and less resistant to chemical breakdown and erosion.

Puerto Rico's icon is a hard-headed cap atop the island, Willenbring says, one that escaped the geologic fate of all other rocks there.

RECENT U.S. NAVY PHOTOS

FROM: U .S. NAVY

The littoral combat ship USS Freedom (LCS 1) departs San Diego Bay for a deployment to the Asia-Pacific region. Freedom will demonstrate her operational capabilities and allow the Navy to evaluate crew rotation and maintenance plans. LCS platforms are designed to employ modular mission packages that can be configured for three separate purposes: surface warfare, anti-submarine warfare or mine countermeasures. U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Christine Walker-Singh (Released) 130301-N-DG226-072

A catapult and arresting gear officer signals for the launch of an EA-6B Prowler from the Wizards of Electronic Attack Squadron (VAQ) 133 aboard the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS John C. Stennis (CVN 74). John C. Stennis is deployed 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 Kenneth Abbate (Released) 130228-N-OY799-058.

 

NEWS FROM AFGHANISTAN FOR MARCH 1, 2013

U.S. Army Sgt. Calixto Inot, front, provides security outside a meeting at the Farah provincial governor's compound in Farah City, Afghanistan, Feb. 27, 2013. Inot is assigned to Provincial Reconstruction Team Farah. U.S. Navy photo by Lt. j.g. Matthew Stroup
 

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

KABUL, Afghanistan, March 1, 2013 - An Afghan and coalition security force arrested a Taliban facilitator and detained three other insurgents during an operation in the Nawah-ye Barakzai district of Afghanistan's Helmand province today, military officials reported.

The arrested insurgent is alleged to be heavily involved in improvised explosive device operations in the district. He also participated in multiple IED attacks and has a history of procuring and distributing IED components to other insurgents.

In Afghanistan operations yesterday:

-- A combined force killed Taliban leader, Sadiq, and wounded another insurgent during an operation in the Nahr-e Saraj district of Helmand province. Sadiq was an experienced insurgent leader responsible for procuring and distributing small arms and IEDs to Taliban fighters for use in attacks against Afghan and coalition forces. He also was involved with kidnappings of government officials and Afghan National Security Force members.

-- A combined force killed an insurgent during an operation in the Kishindeh district of Balkh province

THE LAUNCH OF THE FALCON 9 ROCKET

FROM:  NASA
SpaceX Dragon Launches

The SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket carrying the Dragon spacecraft lifted off at 10:10 a.m. EST from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida, beginning its mission to resupply the International Space Station. The mission will mark the third trip by a Dragon capsule to the orbiting laboratory, following a demonstration flight in May 2012 and the first resupply mission in October 2012.

U.S. STATE DEPARTMENT SPECIAL BRIEFING

FROM: U.S. STATE DEPARTMENT
Background Briefing: En Route to Turkey
Special Briefing
Senior Department Official
En Route, Ankara, Turkey
March 1, 2013


MODERATOR: All right, good morning everybody. We are en route from Rome to Ankara. This is now our fourth stop on Secretary Kerry’s first trip.

QUESTION: London, Berlin, Paris, Rome.

MODERATOR: This is our fifth stop on Secretary Kerry’s first trip. We have with us today [Senior State Department Official], hereafter Senior State Department Official, to talk to you about the Ankara stop. Take it away, [Senior State Department Official].

SENIOR STATE DEPARTMENT OFFICIAL: Hi, everybody. So we’ve got a full afternoon and evening planned for Ankara, where the Secretary will have a chance to meet with Foreign Minister Davutoglu, Prime Minister Erdogan, and President Gul. He’ll actually begin as soon as we land by doing a memorial ceremony at the Embassy.

You know, of course, on February 1st there was the bombing at the Embassy that sadly, tragically took the life of a Turkish guard, and he wants to pay tribute to the courage of that individual who was performing his duties and protecting Americans working at the Embassy. And that will also underscore the importance of our common challenge in facing terrorism, which will be one of the big things on our agenda for the discussions.

Turkey – it was – the Secretary felt it important to stop in Turkey on this trip. It’s obviously in some ways a pivot between the European stops that we just did and the challenges in the Middle East, and Turkey naturally plays an important role in both as a member of NATO, an aspirant to the EU with important relations with European countries – Greece, Cyprus, and the Balkans – but also a neighbor and important player in Iran, Iraq, Syria, Egypt, and the rest of the Middle East.

So as always with Turkey, there’s an enormous agenda. We always try to get through it all, and there’s never enough time. But fortunately, as I say, we got a long afternoon and evening, so we should have a chance to really go into depth into a lot of issues. I won’t try to do that for you, and I’m happy to take your questions. I’ll maybe just flag a couple of those that I’m sure will be raised, I guess – starting with Syria, the urgent problem that we have been addressing in Rome.

And I think it’s fair to say that we’re very much on the same page with the Turkish Government when it comes to Syria, and have been for some time, starting with the basic commitment of both countries to work towards the political transition and the departure of Assad. And I think Turkey welcomed the announcements that Secretary Kerry made on behalf of the President in Rome yesterday about new assistance to the Syrian opposition. Turkey is also doing its part in helping the Syrian opposition and doing more than its part in welcoming and supporting over 150,000 refugees at great cost. And we are going to continue to work very closely together to get them to that goal.

I mentioned counterterrorism cooperation already. And just to flag that again, at the – near the top of the list, not just in the wake of the February 1st bombing, but obviously, we face very common challenges in dealing with the PKK threat, which we’ve defined as a threat to both countries, the threat from al-Qaida, and other extremist groups. We cooperate well with Turkey, which is a co-chair of the Global Counterterrorism Forum that Secretary Clinton and Foreign Minister Davutoglu launched a couple of years ago. And the Secretary will have a chance to discuss how we can better deal with what is a growing threat in the region in the world.

Israel – you know we have been working hard over the past couple of years to foster a better cooperation to restore what was once historic cooperation between Turkey and Israel. The Secretary will have a chance to express his concern over the remarks that Prime Minister Erdogan made in a – reportedly made in a speech yesterday equating Zionism with a crime against humanity. Obviously, we strongly disagree with that notion. You saw the statements out of Washington yesterday making clear that we felt that statement was both offensive and wrong, and I’m sure the Secretary will be able to convey that to the Prime Minister directly this afternoon.

We have regretted for some time that Turkey and Israel, which are both strong friends and partners of the United States and once cooperated extensively with each other in terms of trade and tourism and even military and strategic cooperation, that cooperation has broken down. Deeply unfortunate. And we’ll continue to urge Turkey and continue to urge both countries to do what they can and normalize that important relationship.

So much else will be on the agenda. I don’t want to take too much time. We’re going to be called up forward in a minute. Iran, obviously; Turkey shares our goal dealing with Iranian nuclear challenge, and the Secretary can provide a readout of the Almaty talks. He’ll also address some regional issues that are important to us, including Armenia and the Caucasus and Nagorno-Karabakh, Cyprus in the wake of presidential election. Turkey, EU – so much more, but why don’t I end there and see what’s on your mind?

MODERATOR: Arshad. No? James.

QUESTION: Since he’s going to be providing a readout of the Almaty talks, perhaps you could do likewise for us.

SENIOR STATE DEPARTMENT OFFICIAL: Well, I think we have already on the ground in Almaty given a readout of the talks. We felt they were constructive. There was no breakthrough and we didn’t expect a breakthrough, but as you saw, the parties agreed to resume in the coming weeks both at a technical level and at a higher political level to see if we can make progress on the package that P-5+1 put on the table. And you’ve read about the elements of that package.

And again, I don’t want to overpromise, but we’re encouraged, at least, that these talks will begin in the near term, because we have long felt that we are proposing a way for Iran to meet its obligations to the international community, to respect UN Security Council resolutions, to take advantage of the possibility of having a civil nuclear energy program but without moving towards nuclear weapons capability, which the President has made absolutely clear is unacceptable.

QUESTION: What I don’t understand is why you consider these talks more encouraging, more – or useful, as the Secretary said, than previous talks that resulted in agreements to talk.

SENIOR STATE DEPARTMENT OFFICIAL: Well, I wasn’t on the ground in Almaty, so I can’t give you a firsthand account of that. But our people who were there felt that the sanctions have gotten Iran’s attention, and they understand that a failure to respond to the constructive ideas we’re putting on the table will only lead to further international isolation and consequences. And they were responsive on that basis.

MODERATOR: But of course, the onus is on Iran, and we’ll see what they come back with when we meet again.

QUESTION: Just wanted to ask about Syria and Russia. Obviously, here you have the 11, and they’re cooperating. There’s a lot of talk about unity, being on the same page, and kind of a – the jobs that each of them have. Are – is the Secretary in any type of cooperation with the Russians as he goes along on this trip? You getting any feedback at all from them on what happened in Rome?

SENIOR STATE DEPARTMENT OFFICIAL: Yes. You know the Secretary spent a good hour and a half with Lavrov on the eve of Rome, and we have been in touch with the Russians again both before and after Rome. We have never felt that dialogue with the Russians and what the countries that met in Rome are doing are mutually incompatible or inconsistent. The countries that met in Rome are determined to do everything they can to support the Syrian opposition in – with the objective of strengthening it, changing Assad’s calculation, and bringing about the political transition that we believe is – and the departure of Assad that we believe is absolutely essential. And they’re consulting together, they’re taking decisions together, and we made progress in moving on that agenda.

But that doesn’t mean we won’t continue to talk to Russia. As I think we discussed in this group the other day, we have long felt that this process would be facilitated if Russia would support it. We’ve been to the Security Council several times seeking Russia’s support and have failed to get it, but we will continue to try because we don’t believe that Russia has a magic wand here like anybody else does, but if Russia would make also clear that Assad needs to go, and if Russia would stop providing him both the political legitimacy and other support that it has been giving him, it would facilitate our task.

So we’re going to carry on with the partners we met in Rome in supporting the opposition and pressuring Assad, but we’re also going to carry on talking to the Russians. The French President Hollande was in Moscow the day after Secretary Kerry was in Paris, taking our common message to the Russians; that we want to see them join us in implementing what we – including the Russians, as Secretary Kerry has reminded everybody in the past couple of days – agreed to in Geneva, which is accepting a transitional body with full executive powers established on the basis of mutual consent, which we all know means that Assad cannot play a role.

QUESTION: Since the Patriot missile batteries have been deployed, how do you assess the comfort level of the Erdogan government about the Syrian border issues? And how much of his earlier concern and request for those Patriots do you think was real, and how much was he playing to the home constituents?

MODERATOR: The question was: Now that the Patriot batteries are in place, is Prime Minister Erdogan feeling more comfortable in terms of Turkish security?

SENIOR STATE DEPARTMENT OFFICIAL: Yeah. I mean, I think the Patriot deployment was a good sign of our bilateral solidarity with Turkey, and general NATO solidarity with Turkey on the question of Syria. After some missiles and artillery had crossed the border, Turkey asked its NATO partners, including us, for help in bolstering its air defenses. And several NATO allies, those with a Patriot capability that can be deployed – the United States, Germany, and the Netherlands – agreed to do that, to deploy Patriots to Turkey, and to do it in a coordinated NATO fashion. Every member of NATO supported the decision and agreed to use NATO command and control. And we said we would do it, and we did it, and it’s now operational on the Turkish border. And I think Prime Minister Erdogan welcomes that, both to strengthen his air defenses against that air and missile threat, and also to demonstrate that we stand by Turkey.

Now, no one ever thought that this was a comprehensive solution to a problem. In the weeks following the declaration of an operational capability, you saw there was a bombing at the border. So there are other ways that Turkey’s borders can be threatened by the Syrians. Obviously, the refugee flow alone is a threat to Turkish borders. So there is great concern, and we continue to stand by Turkey. But the Patriot deployment was one positive element of how we can show our support and solidarity.

PARTICIPANT: (Inaudible.)

QUESTION: Hi, [Senior State Department Official]. The sort of comments that were attributed to Erdogan and other Turkish officials on Israel and Zionism are not really new. They seem to say – they’ve said these things periodically. And so they make these comments, the U.S. condemns them, and then things more or less continue. Is there any special urgency or point Secretary Kerry may make to drive the point home? Because over time, this pattern is likely to have a corrosive effect on American-Turkish relations.

SENIOR STATE DEPARTMENT OFFICIAL: Well, it does have a corrosive effect. I mean, yes, there have been comments in the past that we have taken issue with and we have raised and we’ve criticized both from Washington and directly with our Turkish counterparts. I mean, one thing you can say about this relationship is we do have a frank discussion. And the previous Secretary of State had multiple conversations, frank conversations with her counterpart. The President and Prime Minister Erdogan have as well. And so we have an ongoing and very transparent dialogue, and we’re close enough and friendly enough to say when we disagree, and we’ve strongly disagreed with comments in the past, and we strongly disagree with this one.

I don’t think that this particular comment has been made like this before. This was particularly offensive, frankly, to call Zionism a crime against humanity. I don’t think we’ve heard that before, and like I said, I’m sure the Secretary will be very clear about how dismayed we were to hear it. And I don’t want to get into speculation about the overall relationship, but just to state the obvious, that it complicates our ability to do all of the things that we want to do together when we have such a profound disagreement about such an important thing.

QUESTION: Can I just switch (inaudible)?

MODERATOR: One more question.

QUESTION: Just – it’s brief, but on that. So the Turks have – this is just about the Turkish-Israeli relationship, not about your relationship. How concerning – how bad is it, and how concerning is that to you? And are you still telling the Turks to stop preventing Israel from being invited to all sort of these different events and keeping them out of these NATO advisory councils and things?

SENIOR STATE DEPARTMENT OFFICIAL: You want to repeat the question?

MODERATOR: So, the question was: How bad is the Turkey-Israel relationship getting, and are we working on the issues like Israeli access to NATO programs, et cetera?

SENIOR STATE DEPARTMENT OFFICIAL: The Turkey-Israel relationship is frozen. It’s not positive in the way that it used to be positive. And that’s deeply unfortunate. We want to see a normalization because – not just for the sake of the two countries, but for the sake of the region, and frankly for the symbolism of it. Not that long ago, you had these two countries –

PARTICIPANT: He’s ready for the briefing.

SENIOR STATE DEPARTMENT OFFICIAL: -- okay – demonstrating that a majority-Muslim country could have very positive and strong relations with a Jewish state. And that was a sign for the region of what was possible. As for the specific latter part of your question, yes, we continue to stand by the principle that Turkey shouldn’t block Israel’s participation in any multilateral activities. We found a way forward in the NATO context to allow exercises and partnership activities to move ahead. And we continue to take the view that if Turkey doesn’t want to participate in activities with Israel, that’s obviously its sovereign right. But we want to see – we don’t want to see Israel excluded from multilateral activities in which they also should have a sovereign right to participate.

MODERATOR: I apologize, guys. We have to cut this off. But the boss is looking to see us. Thanks.

GOVERNORS, DOD, HOMELAND SECURITY SEEK IMPROVED DIALOGUE

FROM: U.S. DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE
DOD, Homeland Security, Governors Look to Improve Dialogue
By Jim Garamone
American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, March 1, 2013 - Senior Pentagon and Department of Homeland Security leaders met Feb. 25 with representatives of the Council of Governors to find how the entities can work together better, officials said in a read-out of the meeting.

Deputy Defense Secretary Ash Carter and Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano met with leaders of the council at the Pentagon. The meeting included discussions on cybersecurity, strategic trends affecting the defense budget and a review of the Hurricane Sandy response.

The council operates under Executive Order 13528 -- signed by President Barack Obama in 2010. It is a bipartisan council designed to strengthen the relationship between DOD, Homeland Security and the states and territories.

Napolitano briefed the governors on the president's executive order and policy directive on improving critical infrastructure cybersecurity and resiliency. Those attending agreed to improve cooperation on the issue and to make it a regular part of the meeting agenda.

They also agreed to a consultative process between DOD and the states for programming and budgetary proposals affecting the National Guard. Governors had raised concerns that the National Guard -- a precious state resource -- was not taken into account during the budgeting process.

The consultative process opens an avenue for the states to communicate their civil support needs to DOD, strengthens unity of effort and maximizes transparency on the strategic context of DOD programming and budgeting, officials said.

CDC SAYS HEALTH IMPACT OF ELECTRONIC CIGARETTES SHOULD BE STUDIED

FROM: CENTERS FOR DISEASE CONTROL
About one in five U.S. adult cigarette smokers have tried an electronic cigarette

In 2011, about 21 percent of adults who smoke traditional cigarettes had used electronic cigarettes, also known as e-cigarettes, up from about 10 percent in 2010, according to a study released today by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Overall, about six percent of all adults have tried e-cigarettes, with estimates nearly doubling from 2010. This study is the first to report changes in awareness and use of e-cigarettes between 2010 and 2011.

During 2010–2011, adults who have used e-cigarettes increased among both sexes, non-Hispanic Whites, those aged 45–54 years, those living in the South, and current and former smokers and current and former smokers. In both 2010 and 2011, e-cigarette use was significantly higher among current smokers compared to both former and never smokers. Awareness of e-cigarettes rose from about four in 10 adults in 2010 to six in 10 adults in 2011.

"E-cigarette use is growing rapidly," said CDC Director Tom Frieden, MD, Mph. "There is still a lot we don’t know about these products, including whether they will decrease or increase use of traditional cigarettes."

Although e-cigarettes appear to have far fewer of the toxins found in smoke compared to traditional cigarettes, the impact of e-cigarettes on long-term health must be studied. Research is needed to assess how e-cigarette marketing could impact initiation and use of traditional cigarettes, particularly among young people.

"If large numbers of adult smokers become users of both traditional cigarettes and e-cigarettes — rather than using e-cigarettes to quit cigarettes completely — the net public health effect could be quite negative," said Tim McAfee, MD MPH, director of the Office on Smoking and Health at CDC.

West Wing Week: 03/01/13 or “Hope Springs Eternal” | The White House

West Wing Week: 03/01/13 or “Hope Springs Eternal” | The White House

DISMANTLING THE GUARDIAN

FROM: U.S. NAVY

Sailors from Mobile Diving and Salvage Unit (MDSU) 1 and U.S. Navy contracted salvage crew members from the M/V Jascon 25 safely remove the exhaust funnel structure from the mine countermeasures ship USS Guardian (MCM 5). Guardian ran aground on the Tubbataha Reef Jan. 17. The funnel's removal was a milestone in the dismantling process of the Guardian. The U.S. Navy and contracted salvage teams are safely dismantling and removing the ship from Tubbataha Reef. The U.S. Navy continues to work in close cooperation with the Philippine authorities to safely dismantle Guardian from the reef while minimizing environmental effects. U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Anderson Bomjardim (Released) 130226-N-VF350-235

130226-N-VF350-247 SULU SEA (Feb. 25, 2013) A crane from the U.S. Navy contracted ship M/V Jascon 25 safely removes the exhaust funnel structure from the mine countermeasures ship USS Guardian (MCM 5). Guardian ran aground on the Tubbataha Reef Jan. 17. The funnel's removal was a milestone in the dismantling process of the Guardian. The U.S. Navy and contracted salvage teams are safely dismantling and removing the ship from Tubbataha Reef. The U.S. Navy continues to work in close cooperation with the Philippine authorities to safely dismantle Guardian from the reef while minimizing environmental effects. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Anderson Bomjardim/Released)

EX-IMPORT BANK NAMES "MOST INNOVATIVE BUSINESS JET FINANCIER 2013"

Photo:  Money.  Credit:  U.S. Navy. 

FROM: U.S. EXPORT-IMPORT BANK
Ex-Im Bank and AirFinance Named Corporate Jet Investor’s "Most Innovative Business Jet Financier 2013"

WASHINGTON, D.C. – The Export-Import Bank of the United States (Ex-Im Bank) and AirFinance have been awarded "Most Innovative Business Jet Financier 2013" by the Corporate Jet Investor Web site in recognition of Ex-Im Bank’s Qualified Advisor program.

The award was announced at the International Corporate Jet & Helicopter Finance 2013 Conference held recently in London, U.K. The awards were determined by a vote taken among a select group of business-jet manufacturers and other industry lenders prior to the conference, which was sponsored by Corporate Jet Investor.

"We are honored to receive this award from manufacturers and other leaders in the business-jet and helicopter industry. This vital part of the U.S. aerospace sector provides thousands of American manufacturing jobs," said Ex-Im Bank Chairman and President Fred P. Hochberg. "Financing these exports requires complex structuring, specialized knowledge and experience. By working with partners such as AirFinance, our Qualified Advisor program is enabling us to leverage private-sector expertise to offer timely financing to increase support for these exports. I congratulate Ex-Im Bank’s staff on this achievement."

"As a qualified advisor, AirFinance works with Ex-Im Bank to develop an innovative structure and combines it with ongoing monitoring processes that increase protections against credit losses," said AirFinance Managing Partner Tom Low. "This partnership merges the protection and stature of the U.S. government with the speed and creativity of business-jet and helicopter experts to provide a financial solution that is beneficial for the single purchase of a small aircraft to a large aircraft fleet order."

In 2012, Ex-Im Bank developed and implemented the Qualified Advisor program, a process to address the increased demand for export credits for business aircraft and helicopters arising from the growing percentage of U.S.-manufactured aircraft being sold to foreign buyers. The goal of the process is to facilitate a more complete and comprehensive transaction package being submitted to Ex-Im Bank in order to expedite the application, approval and closing process for foreign borrowers in business-aircraft transactions. Using qualified advisors also provides enhanced credit structures, resulting in additional credit protections for Ex-Im Bank.

The process is designed to benefit manufacturers that can now designate one or more advisors to work with their foreign buyers. The process is available through any advisor that has demonstrated the requisite knowledge, experience and expertise with business-aircraft financing.

AirFinance is a global company focused on the financing of general-aviation aircraft, including business jets, turboprops and helicopters, with an emphasis on transactions outside of the United States. AirFinance and Cessna Finance Corp. are the two finance companies with a focus on general aviation that are approved qualified advisors under Ex-Im Bank’s program.

Corporate Jet Investor is an international Web site developed to help both individuals and companies that buy business jets, corporate aircraft and helicopters find financing to suit their needs. Corporate Jet Investor also helps financiers understand assets, legal and tax risks, and identify new opportunities in developing markets.

PROTECTING THE HOMELAND THROUGH MARITIME AWARENESS

North American Aerospace Defense Command's maritime domain awareness mission helps to provide the information and intelligence required to increase the security of U.S. and Canadian waterways and ports. Photo Credit: CIA World Factbook.



 

FROM: U.S. DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE
NORAD Promotes Maritime Awareness to Protect Homeland
By Donna Miles
American Forces Press Service
WASHINGTON, Feb. 27, 2013 - Drive around any American city and you're likely to see tractor-trailers hauling huge containers that arrived from overseas at any of 361 major U.S. ports dotting some 95,000 miles of U.S. coastline.

The United States is the world leader in maritime trading, Navy Capt. Martin Beck, chief of North American Air Defense Command's maritime division, told American Forces Press Service. Twenty percent of all global trade passes through its extensive maritime transportation system, and 80 percent of all foreign trade entering the United States and Canada arrives by sea.

Unfortunately, these same waterways expose an unintended Achilles' heel to bad actors intent on using them for illegal, or even diabolical, activities.

"The threats are varied to the extent of your imagination," Beck explained. "They include state and nonstate actors, narco-smuggling, human traffickers, weapons traffickers, proliferators [and] foreign intelligence collectors. That is the gross macro spectrum of what we could encounter in the maritime domain."

The consequences, if left undetected, could be severe to the United States and Canada, Beck said. "We want to prevent a potential 9/11 in the maritime domain," he said.

To shore up these vulnerabilities, the United States and Canada amended the NORAD agreement in 2006 to add maritime warning to its mission. The two countries agreed to increase information and intelligence sharing to give their national leaders a clearer picture of the maritime approaches to their shores -- and, in the event of an inbound threat, vital time to act.

"The intent of the agreement was to increase the security of North America using a proven command infrastructure to increase bi-national cooperation in the maritime domain," Beck said. "We've got 55 years of experience here at NORAD in the defense of both Canada and the United States. So we are leveraging the state-of-the-art operations center and information-sharing protocols to ensure both countries have an accurate, timely and comprehensive picture of the maritime domain."

Since adopting the expanded mission almost seven years ago, NORAD processes, assesses and disseminates intelligence and information about the movements of hundreds of thousands of ships around the globe that ultimately will arrive at U.S. or Canadian shores.

This responsibility, which covers both countries' maritime areas, internal waterways and maritime approaches, requires extensive partnerships with U.S. Northern Command and its sister combatant commands. It also includes other partners in the U.S. and Canadian militaries, law enforcement, intelligence and commercial maritime communities.

Beck called these partnerships and the processes they have developed to make collaboration faster and more effective the strength of NORAD's maritime mission. Together, NORAD and its partners provide the myriad elements that, considered together, provide the most complete situational awareness, he said.

"The biggest challenge is the sheer volume of information that we have to sort through, and then collaborate on and share with our partners," Beck said. "This sharing and collaboration is essential to our success in the maritime domain and in exercising our maritime warning mission."

When the intelligence raises a red flag, NORAD issues an advisory to alert national decision-makers, or, in the event of a confirmed threat, a maritime warning.

Both are relatively rare. During the last 18 months, NORAD has issued just seven advisories and two warnings, none of which Beck can describe because the details are classified. But he said past responses have proven the effectiveness of the processes.

"To us, this shows that the process is working exactly as it was intended," he said.

The success of the mission, Beck said, can't be measured in warnings issued or interceptions made. Rather, he said he looks at the big picture, and the fact that neither the United States nor Canada has suffered a major maritime incident.

NORAD is committed to maintaining this track record to protect the U.S. and Canadian homelands, Beck said.

"We have the watch, and what we do is a no-fail mission," he said.

U.S. STATE DEPARTMENT STATEMENT ON MISSILE DEFENSE DEPLOYMENTS

Photo Credit:  U.S. Navy.

FROM: U.S. DEPARTMENT OF STATE
Missile Defense
February 27, 2013

The United States is deploying missile defenses around the world to protect the United States, our deployed forces, and our allies from ballistic missile threats.

In the Asia-Pacific region, the United States is focused on defending U.S. forces as well as our allies against the threat from North Korea. Additionally, we have deployed a number of missile defense assets in the region. For example, we have deployed a missile defense radar in Japan, and we have several U.S. ships operating in the Sea of Japan, with the missile defense mission. We are also discussing with Japan the possibility of deploying a second radar in Japan, which will assist with the defense of the United States, Japan against threats from North Korea.

U.S.-Japan cooperation is very close and substantial. In addition to the U.S. capability in the region, Japan has also developed and deployed its own missile defense assets. For example, Japan has several Aegis class ships that have a missile defense capability and they have also deployed the Patriot air missile defense system.

ONE YEAR WATCHING SALINITY OF THE SEA

FROM: NASA VIDEO
Aquarius: One Year Observing the Salty Seas
This video provides a global tour of sea surface salinity using measurements taken by NASA’s Aquarius instrument aboard the Aquarius/SAC-D spacecraft, from December 2011 through December 2012. Red represents areas of high salinity, while blue represents areas of low salinity. Aquarius is a focused effort to measure sea surface salinity and will provide the global view of salinity variability needed for climate studies. The mission is a collaboration between NASA and the Space Agency of Argentina (Comisión Nacional de Actividades Espaciales).

STATE DEPARTMENT BACKGROUND BRIEFING: ADDITIONAL NONLETHAL ASSISTANCE TO SYRIA

FROM:  U.S. DEPARTMENT OF STATE
Background Briefing on Additional Nonlethal Assistance to Syria
Special Briefing
Senior State Department Official
Hotel Excelsior
Rome, Italy
February 28, 2013
　

SENIOR STATE DEPARTMENT OFFICIAL: All right, everybody. We are on background, Senior State Department Official. To remind that this is embargoed until the formal announcement by Secretary Kerry at his joint press availability later today about 12:20 with Italian Foreign Minister Terzi and SOC Chairman al-Khatib. Most of what I’m going to give you now will be in the Secretary’s statement, but this will give us an opportunity to have questions. So let me just start, then.

Later today in Rome, after the meeting with the Syrian Opposition Coalition, Foreign Minister Terzi, Secretary Kerry, will be joined by Syrian Opposition Coalition President al-Khatib for a press announcement. Secretary Kerry will announce there our intention to work with Congress to provide an additional $60 million in --

QUESTION: Six-zero?

SENIOR STATE DEPARTMENT OFFICIAL: -- six-zero million dollars in nonlethal assistance to --

QUESTION: Nonlethal?

SENIOR STATE DEPARTMENT OFFICIAL: -- nonlethal assistance to support the efforts of the Syrian Opposition Coalition over the coming months. This money will be used particularly to enable the SOC to help local councils and communities in liberated areas of Syria expand the delivery of basic goods and essential services, and to fulfill administrative functions, including security, sanitation, and educational services.

QUESTION: What was the first one?

SENIOR STATE DEPARTMENT OFFICIAL: Security, sanitation, and educational services. Additionally, these funds are going to be used to enhance the capacity of the SOC and the local councils to extend the rule of law and establish interim justice as needed in newly liberated territories in Syria.

The United States will be sending technical advisors through our implementing partners to support the SOC’s staff at their Cairo headquarters in the execution of this assistance. This will ensure that the assistance continues to comply with U.S. rules and regulations on the use of foreign assistance, including vetting, oversight, and monitoring. To remind that this additional 60 million for the SOC is in addition to the more than 50 million in nonlethal support we have already provided to help Syrian activists organize opposition efforts across the country and to amplify their message to Syrians and to the world through communications and broadcasting equipment.

In addition to the 60 million, the Secretary will announce today that the United States will look for opportunities to work with the SMC.

QUESTION: What’s the SMC?

QUESTION: What’s that stand for? The military --

SENIOR STATE DEPARTMENT OFFICIAL: The Syrian Military Council.

QUESTION: The Supreme?

SENIOR STATE DEPARTMENT OFFICIAL: The Supreme Military Council, apologies – to provide concrete, nonlethal support to the Free Syrian Army. This will include things like military rations to feed hungry fighters and medical supplies to tend the sick and the wounded. And then also, just to remind, that separately, we continue to provide $385 million in humanitarian assistance to help IDPs in Syria and refugees in neighboring countries.

So just to draw the picture even more clearly for you, with the $60 million to the SOC, we’re trying to do two things. We’re trying to strengthen them in Cairo as a political organization that actually can begin to deliver concrete assistance to their people. And we’re trying to help them ensure that in newly liberated areas of Syria, the administration of those areas meets the needs of the people and is done in a manner that comports with the human rights standards and rule-of-law standards that the SOC has articulated and that the Syrian opposition has committed to in its own founding documents.

And you know why we’re doing this. We’ve talked about it before. We are concerned that we have extremists operating in and among the opposition who don’t share the goals of a future Syria that is democratic, that’s united, that is just and that respects the human rights of all Syrian citizens and provides a place for all of them. So those members of the opposition who support our shared values need to be able to demonstrate that they can deliver a better day and need to set an example of a Syria where daily life is governed neither by the brutality of the Assad regime nor by the agenda of al-Qaida-affiliated extremists.

QUESTION: Sorry, could you say that last – those last six words, "not dominated by?"

SENIOR STATE DEPARTMENT OFFICIAL: The brutality of the Assad regime and its cronies, nor by the violent agenda of extremists.

QUESTION: You said "governed," right, or did you say "dominated?"

SENIOR STATE DEPARTMENT OFFICIAL: I think I said --

QUESTION: You said "governed."

SENIOR STATE DEPARTMENT OFFICIAL: I said "governed," whatever I said, whatever brilliant thing I said. (Laughter.)

Okay. Let’s go to your questions. There may be a limit to what I can answer, but let’s do what we can on background.

QUESTION: [Senior State Department Official], a question I have is, obviously, there are a range of options and – to include things that go beyond medical care and food rations that might fall in the nonlethal category. These include vehicles, night vision goggles, bulletproof vests, things of that sort. Is – are those still on the table as possible options depending on how things go in Syria, or has the United States basically decided that this is the limit of what it wants to do at this particular time?

SENIOR STATE DEPARTMENT OFFICIAL: What I’ve articulated are the items that we have decided to provide today. You’ll hear the Secretary make clear that in his meeting with the opposition, they talked about many needs, and we will continue to keep those under review.

QUESTION: [Senior State Department Official], one question on the language. You said "will look for opportunities to work with." That doesn’t sound like a commitment. It means you’re looking for opportunities to provide this. Have you actually decided that you will provide this?

SENIOR STATE DEPARTMENT OFFICIAL: Yes. We wouldn’t be announcing that we were going to work with them on rations and on medical care unless we’d made the decision that we are open to doing that. As you know, we will do this with vetted individuals, vetted units, so this has to be done carefully and appropriately.

QUESTION: And [Senior State Department Official], in other words, is this kind of a staged, set pattern where you give them this at this point, you evaluate how they are respecting human rights, et cetera, and then you go on and perhaps evaluate – provide more?

SENIOR STATE DEPARTMENT OFFICIAL: Let’s just say that, as the Secretary’s been saying, we need to change the calculation that Assad is making. We also need to support those on the ground in Syria who want a democratic future that respects human rights of all Syrians, provides a place for all Syrians. So we want to support on the political side and on the military side those who represent those values.

QUESTION: [Senior State Department Official] --

SENIOR STATE DEPARTMENT OFFICIAL: We’re going to do this, and as I said, we will continue to look at whatever – we will continue to look at the situation on the ground and the needs.

QUESTION: [Senior State Department Official], can you --

QUESTION: (Inaudible) ask you for things that you specifically – that you have been unwilling – that you are unwilling currently to provide?

SENIOR STATE DEPARTMENT OFFICIAL: I don’t think I have anything else to share on that besides the way I articulated it a minute ago.

QUESTION: Can you address the current state of U.S. military training that’s going on in this effort?

SENIOR STATE DEPARTMENT OFFICIAL: I don’t have anything to share on that front.

QUESTION: Can I clarify the 60 million?

SENIOR STATE DEPARTMENT OFFICIAL: Yeah.

QUESTION: Does that include the MREs and the medical, or is that – the MREs --

SENIOR STATE DEPARTMENT OFFICIAL: No.

QUESTION: -- and the medical stuff is on top of it, or is there another --

SENIOR STATE DEPARTMENT OFFICIAL: Would be – will be on top of. I don’t have a dollar figure for you today. I think this will be something that we’ll have to feel going forward.

QUESTION: And this group --

QUESTION: How about a rough estimate? I mean, millions? I mean --

SENIOR STATE DEPARTMENT OFFICIAL: Certainly in the millions, but I can’t go beyond that.

QUESTION: Not tens of millions, though, right?

SENIOR STATE DEPARTMENT OFFICIAL: I just don’t --

QUESTION: 60 million is tens of millions.

SENIOR STATE DEPARTMENT OFFICIAL: I don’t have --

QUESTION: No, I’m talking about the MREs and the other stuff.

QUESTION: MREs and medical are on top of the 60?

SENIOR STATE DEPARTMENT OFFICIAL: Correct. I don’t have a dollar figure for you today.

QUESTION: Do you deny that we’re involved in training right now?

SENIOR STATE DEPARTMENT OFFICIAL: I’m not prepared to get into that issue at all.

QUESTION: And [Senior State Department Official], this is the --

QUESTION: Can I just – we’re wondering if you could clarify the language about the technical advisors you’re sending to the SOC. You said you’ll be sending them through implementing partners. Does that mean that they’re not actually Americans, or are you --

SENIOR STATE DEPARTMENT OFFICIAL: My understanding is that this will be done – and we can get you more detail on this as we go forward – but my understanding is that these will be some of the NGOs that we regularly work with in this part of the world to deliver these kinds of services.

QUESTION: But what (inaudible)?

SENIOR STATE DEPARTMENT OFFICIAL: They’ll be contracted.

QUESTION: What is technical adviser? I just want to make sure we understand.

SENIOR STATE DEPARTMENT OFFICIAL: This is – for example, if you are in the SOC leadership in Cairo and you know that local coordinating council in the newly liberated area outside of Idlib, for example, wants to stand up an interim police force or needs to rebuild its school or hire teachers, you may know what it is you want to buy for them, but you may not yet have the experience where to get it cheapest, fastest to get it in, et cetera. Anything from radios for local police to schoolbooks that you’re trying to buy for kids to – so what the implementing partners will do will be to advise the SOC on where it can provision the needs, how it can best get them in, and ensure that we use this support to pay for things that they have contracted for, if that makes sense --

QUESTION: [Senior State Department Official]?

SENIOR STATE DEPARTMENT OFFICIAL: -- until they build the capacity to do this themselves.

QUESTION: I’m just confused on --

QUESTION: So it’s not military. These are not --

SENIOR STATE DEPARTMENT OFFICIAL: No, no, no. This is on the --

QUESTION: Because when you say technical advisers, you’d think of --

SENIOR STATE DEPARTMENT OFFICIAL: No, this is for contracting and provisioning of the nonlethal support to the SOC.

QUESTION: [Senior State Department Official], I’m just confused who these people are. You may have answered, I’m just – the implementing partners and the technical advisers are some State Department employees, are they contractors, are they American citizens, are they foreign governments, are they NGOs?

SENIOR STATE DEPARTMENT OFFICIAL: My understanding is that they are NGO – they are contracted NGO folks who specialize in getting this kind of civilian support in quickly.

QUESTION: Those are the implementing partners?

SENIOR STATE DEPARTMENT OFFICIAL: Correct.

QUESTION: But the technical advisers in Cairo are --

SENIOR STATE DEPARTMENT OFFICIAL: The technical advisers in Cairo are also – my understanding, and we’ll get you more if I haven’t gotten this right – my understanding is that they will be contracted by AID, et cetera. They are experts in how to procure and send this kind of support in.

QUESTION: [Senior State Department Official], can you explain --

QUESTION: How will this change Assad’s calculation? You’ve said how this will help the opposition people. How is it going to help change his calculation?

SENIOR STATE DEPARTMENT OFFICIAL: Well, first of all, we are, for the first time here, albeit nonlethal, explicitly supporting the needs of the Supreme Military Council and vetted members of its fighting force. Second, we are supporting the SOC in its efforts to ensure that those areas that have been liberated become freer, more democratic, more just, and set a positive example for what can happen in the rest of Syria if those still supporting Assad will peel away from him and will change their calculation, stop the fight, and begin supporting a true transition, as called for in Geneva and as supported in the opposition’s own documents.

So it’s a demonstration project, if you will, of what a better Syria can look like. And the concern that the SOC has, very explicitly, is that if they can’t touch, improve, and heal the lives of Syrians in those places that have been freed, then extremists will step in and do it. And we’ve seen this pattern before, whether it’s the – Hezbollah buying influence in Lebanon with its social welfare projects or whether it is the efforts of al-Nusrah now to establish extremist forms of justice, to veil women, to change the traditional tolerant nature of Syrian society in those areas where it is freed. So we have to provide – we have to help the SOC provide and demonstrate a real democratic, free alternative.

QUESTION: Can you explain the technicalities of this? These dollar numbers you’re describing, that’s the value of the goods. We are not now --

SENIOR STATE DEPARTMENT OFFICIAL: Correct. We will not give cash.

QUESTION: -- hand the money --

SENIOR STATE DEPARTMENT OFFICIAL: We do not give cash.

QUESTION: -- to the military council or the SOC?

SENIOR STATE DEPARTMENT OFFICIAL: Correct.

QUESTION: And what you’re describing sounds like the establishment of governance, then the next step being the creation of a state. Are we at – can you describe what the U.S. Government’s view is of where we are on the ground? Are we at the point where this becomes a true government and military that we’re recognizing?

SENIOR STATE DEPARTMENT OFFICIAL: What we’re supporting here are two things. There is the top-down process of the SOC getting stronger in Cairo in its ability to support alternative administration in liberated areas, and there’s a bottom-up process of the SOC providing the goods and services and support and training that those at the local level in the political opposition who are starting to try to provide services need to demonstrate to the people in their neighborhood, the people in their towns, the people in their villages, that a better day is coming.

QUESTION: At the top you mentioned working with Congress. What does that mean? Is money not appropriated or --

SENIOR STATE DEPARTMENT OFFICIAL: I’m going to have to get back to you on exactly what pots of money this comes from. But whenever you make a change to the way you spend money, you have to notify, you have to brief, you have to have consent.

QUESTION: But can – just to follow up on what I was asking, though, with the military council part, are we trying to build them into the military equivalent of the SOC, that is the military representatives of the Free--

SENIOR STATE DEPARTMENT OFFICIAL: The Supreme Military Council is now itself working as a partner with the SOC in trying to provide coordination and better execution of the military side of the opposition’s work, in a manner that’s consistent with the democratic values of the future Syria that they want.