EPA TO SPEND OVER HALF BILLION TO FUND HURRICANE SANDY IMPACTED AREAS IN NEW YORK, NEW JERSEY

Bottled Water Releif For Sandy Victims.  Cr:  FEMA

FROM: U.S. ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

EPA to Award Over a Half Billion in Funding to Areas Impacted by Hurricane Sandy in New Jersey and New York 
Funding will Help Upgrade Wastewater and Drinking Water Facilities Damaged by Sandy

WASHINGTON - The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) today announced that it will provide grants of $340 million to the state of New York and $229 million to the state of New Jersey for improvements to wastewater and drinking water treatment facilities impacted by Hurricane Sandy. The funding announced today will help storm-damaged communities in both states as they continue to recover from the damage caused by the storm on Oct. 29, 2012.

In the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy, wastewater and drinking water treatment systems in New York and New Jersey were so severely damaged that some could not provide safe drinking water or treat raw sewage. The funding announced today will give states the capacity to further reduce risks of flood damage and increase the resiliency of wastewater and drinking water facilities to withstand the effects of severe storms similar to Sandy.

"As communities continue to recover following Hurricane Sandy’s devastation, it’s important that their efforts to rebuild our infrastructure such as wastewater and drinking water facilities are approached in a sustainable way," said EPA Acting Administrator Bob Perciasepe. "These funds are another critical step in the administration’s ongoing effort to help New York and New Jersey recover and move forward in a way that ensures local communities are stronger than ever before."

"With extreme weather conditions increasingly becoming the norm, Congress wisely provided funding to make sure our wastewater and drinking water facilities can withstand Hurricane Sandy-sized storms," said EPA Regional Administrator Judith A. Enck. "This funding will help vulnerable communities in New Jersey and New York become more resilient to the effects of climate change."

These funds, which will be provided to the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation and the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection, were authorized by the Disaster Relief Appropriations Act of 2013 and signed into law by President Obama on Jan. 29, 2013. In addition to protecting drinking water systems and maintaining water quality, the funding will provide for 6,000 short-term construction jobs.

The funds will be awarded as grants to the states and most will be given out to local communities as low or no interest loans that will be paid back to the states. Up to 30 percent of the money can be awarded as grants to communities rather than as loans.

Almost 60 percent of the funds will go to New York and about 40 percent of the funds will go to New Jersey for both the Clean Water and Drinking Water State Revolving Fund programs. The determination of how the funds should be allotted to New Jersey and New York was based on the percentage of the population living in impacted counties that FEMA designated for disaster assistance.

Projects will be selected by the states of New Jersey and New York using project priority ranking systems that are based on elements of the Clean Water Act, the Safe Drinking Water Act, the Disaster Relief Appropriations Act and state regulations. The highest rankings will be given to proposed projects that will most ensure water quality or provide the most protection to drinking water systems. Applicants may submit projects that incorporate green infrastructure, such as wetlands and detention basins to collect stormwater or natural features like sand dunes that are capable of mitigating storm water impacts; raise equipment from basements; and provide backup sources of energy that are renewable.

The states will review the proposed projects from impacted communities and then submit Intended use plans that include the recommended projects to EPA for review. The Intended use plans will be subject to public comment periods (30 days in New Jersey and 45 days in New York). Following these comment periods, EPA will evaluate the intended use plans and award the grants to the states.

The Disaster Relief Appropriations Act provided EPA with $500 million for the Clean Water State Revolving Fund and $100 million for the Drinking Water State Revolving Fund. The funding provided by the act is subject to sequestration, which has reduced the money available by $25 million for wastewater improvements and $5 million for drinking water. It also includes funding for EPA to administer the program.

Today’s funding complements the efforts of the Hurricane Sandy Rebuilding Task Force created by President Obama. The Task Force works closely with federal, state and local officials to help communities address rebuilding challenges, use funding as effectively as possible and provide oversight to ensure it is used as it was intended. Other federal support includes:

- The Federal Emergency Management Agency has obligated more than $1 billion to support state and local rebuilding efforts. It has also disbursed more the $1.3 billion directly to impacted families, covering eligible repair costs and meeting temporary housing needs.

- The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development has approved disaster recovery plans for New York and New Jersey, which means $3.5 billion in funding will be available for home and small business owners.

- The U.S. Small Business Administration has also provided more than $2 billion in disaster loans to homeowners and small businesses.

- The Federal Transit Administration’s Emergency Relief Program has allocated $2 billion in funding and the Federal Highway Administration’s Emergency Relief Program has allocated $584 million to repair and rebuild damaged infrastructure.

- The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has allocated $474 million in Social Services Block Grants to help provide services to survivors and rebuild damaged health care facilities.

My American Story & What's at Stake - David Simas | The White House

My American Story & What's at Stake - David Simas | The White House

UNEMPLOYMENT INSURANCE WEEKLY CLAIMS REPORT FOR WEEKENDING APRIL 27, 2013

FROM: U.S. DEPARTMENT OF LABOR

SEASONALLY ADJUSTED DATA


In the week ending April 27, the advance figure for seasonally adjusted initial claims was 324,000, a decrease of 18,000 from the previous week's revised figure of 342,000. The 4-week moving average was 342,250, a decrease of 16,000 from the previous week's revised average of 358,250.

The advance seasonally adjusted insured unemployment rate was 2.3 percent for the week ending April 20, unchanged from the prior week's unrevised rate. The advance number for seasonally adjusted insured unemployment during the week ending April 20 was 3,019,000, an increase of 12,000 from the preceding week's revised level of 3,007,000. The 4-week moving average was 3,055,500, a decrease of 18,000 from the preceding week's revised average of 3,073,500.
UNADJUSTED DATA
The advance number of actual initial claims under state programs, unadjusted, totaled 298,692 in the week ending April 27, a decrease of -27,143 from the previous week. There were 333,476 initial claims in the comparable week in 2012.

The advance unadjusted insured unemployment rate was 2.3 percent during the week ending April 20, a decrease of 0.1 percentage point from the prior week's unrevised rate. The advance unadjusted number for persons claiming UI benefits in state programs totaled 3,016,148, a decrease of 87,321 from the preceding week's revised level of 3,103,469. A year earlier, the rate was 2.6 percent and the volume was 3,292,783.

The total number of people claiming benefits in all programs for the week ending April 13 was 4,963,449, a decrease of 108,631 from the previous week. There were 6,597,715 persons claiming benefits in all programs in the comparable week in 2012.

Extended Benefits were available only in Alaska during the week ending April 13.

Initial claims for UI benefits filed by former Federal civilian employees totaled 1,447 in the week ending April 20, a decrease of 217 from the prior week. There were 2,033 initial claims filed by newly discharged veterans, a decrease of 164 from the preceding week.

There were 18,076 former Federal civilian employees claiming UI benefits for the week ending April 13, a decrease of 628 from the previous week. Newly discharged veterans claiming benefits totaled 36,903, a decrease of 404 from the prior week.

States reported 1,777,737 persons claiming EUC (Emergency Unemployment Compensation) benefits for the week ending April 13, a decrease of 12,579 from the prior week. There were 2,724,432 persons claiming EUC in the comparable week in 2012. EUC weekly claims include first, second, third, and fourth tier activity.

The highest insured unemployment rates in the week ending April 13 were in Alaska (5.1), Puerto Rico (4.2), New Jersey (3.6), Wisconsin (3.6), California (3.4), Connecticut (3.3), Pennsylvania (3.3), Illinois (3.2), New Mexico (3.2), and Oregon (3.1).

The largest increases in initial claims for the week ending April 20 were in Michigan (+6,172), Massachusetts (+4,101), Connecticut (+2,452), Rhode Island (+1,427), and Nevada (+535), while the largest decreases were in California (-16,681), New York (-6,443), Pennsylvania (-3,646), Texas (-3,070), and Indiana (-1,637).

Vega lifts off

Vega lifts off

NEW LOWER COST, LIGHTER WEIGHT AMMO LINKER DEVELOPED FOR U.S. AIR FORCE

 

A lightweight, mobile 30 mm ammunition round linker connects rounds to MK-15 links using a hand crank or a conventional electric drill. The linker was created by the Munitions Materiel Handling Equipment Focal Point, a section under the Air Force Life Cycle Management Center’s armament directorate, specializing in developing locally manufactured equipment for the Air Force ammo and weapons communities. The new linker is one-tenth the weight and cost of the current ammo linker in use and will be delivered to Air Force Special Operations Command units in May. (U.S. Air Force photo-Samuel King Jr.)

FROM: U.S. AIR FORCE
Eglin munitions unit creates ammo linker for AFSOC
by Samuel King Jr.
Team Eglin Public Affairs

5/2/2013 - EGLIN AIR FORCE BASE, Fla. -- A new lighter, mobile 30mm ammo linker system is set for delivery to Air Force Special Operations Command units in May.

The 89-pound apparatus that feeds 15 unattached 30mm rounds into MK-15 links via a crank system was created and designed by Eglin's Munitions Materiel Handling Equipment Airmen. The MMHE Focal Point, a section under the Air Force Life Cycle Management Center's Armament Directorate, specializes in developing locally manufactured equipment for the Air Force ammo and weapons communities.

"The MMHE receives taskings via the major commands as well as through customer support visits," said Chief Master Sgt. Dennis Tangney, the MMHE focal point chief. "Our Airmen and engineers visit ammo and weapons sections and talk with maintainers and weapons crews. We explain to them how we can develop support equipment and tools that could make their jobs easier."

Those ideas and concerns are defined and passed up the chain of command for approval. If the idea is feasible, cost-effective and to the benefit of the Air Force, a design team begins the creation process on the product.

The initial AFSOC request was for a hand-held de-linker to easily and safely remove the 30mm ammunition rounds from the links.

"The previous method of using the force of your hands was slow and potentially dangerous," said Tech. Sgt. Mike Stratton, the linker project manager.

Engineers and drafters went to work creating a new product to meet the specific requirements to accomplish the task.

The result became a seven-pound de-linker tool that resembles a very large set of plyers, but fit the 30mm round perfectly. The de-linker reduces the amount of force to remove the ammo to a minimum.

After trying out the de-linker prototype, Stratton and his team received feedback that AFSOC Airmen could use a quicker, deployable way of connecting the ammo into the MK-15 belts.

"We evaluated the linking process at Hurlburt Field, and the ammo troops told us the current machine is too large, expensive , complex and not very mobile," said Ben Chambliss, the linker project engineer.

Again the MMHE developers began designing to meet this new requirement.

MMHE created a new linker that weighed and cost one-tenth of that of the current linker in use. The linker requires no electricity with the use of a hand crank, but it can also be controlled with an electric drill for faster speed. It is 58 inches long and 18 inches wide.

"(The linker) can be tossed in the back of a truck or on an aircraft and taken to wherever it's needed," said Chambliss.

An MMHE project goes through two main phases, the prototype phase and first article phase. The prototype phase is the creation by MMHE and the testing of the designed product by the customer. In the first article phase, another product is created with the changes and corrections provided from the customer testing. The new (first article) product goes back to the customer for final validation. Once it's cleared by the customer and approved by an Air Force safety board for operational use, the blueprints become available to DOD personnel via a secure website.

The linker/de-linker prototypes are already in use by the 27th Special Operations Maintenance Squadron at Cannon Air Force Base, N.M.

"These tools allow AFSOC munitions personnel to support AC-130W and future AC-130J Gunship 30mm operations in a safe and rapid manner at home station or deployed to austere locations world-wide providing outstanding munitions support to the special operations force mission, 'Any Time, Any Place,'" said Richard McDonald, AFSOC armament systems section chief. "Both tools can stand up to the wear and tear of daily operations at home station or in the field, be locally manufactured and parts can be easily and rapidly replaced as needed."

At any time, the MMHE Airmen have as many as 25 new pieces of equipment in development for Air Force warfighters.

SECRETARY KERRY'S REMARKS WITH THAI FOREIGN MINISTER

FROM: U.S. STATE DEPARTMENT

Remarks With Thai Foreign Minister Dr. Surapong Tovichakchaikul Before Their Meeting

Remarks
John Kerry
Secretary of State
Treaty Room
Washington, DC
May 6, 2013
　

SECRETARY KERRY: Thank you very much. It’s my great pleasure to welcome Foreign Minister Surapong from Thailand here. Let me first congratulate him, congratulate His Majesty, the King of Thailand, who celebrates his 63rd anniversary on the throne today. I know normally the commemoration day is yesterday, but they celebrate today.

And I want to thank our friends in Thailand, who represent the longest security relationship, the longest partner that we have in Asia – 180 years of a treaty relationship with Thailand. They are our partner in the largest multinational field exercise that takes place in the region. They are an important partner with respect to a number of security issues – for instance, in Darfur, where they are partnering with us, as well as in the Horn of Africa, where they’ve been very productive with us in countering piracy, anti-piracy efforts.

In addition, we cooperate on a far range of issues, from the environment to wildlife protection, species protection, counter-narcotics, organized crime, other initiatives with respect to refugees and trafficking, anti-trafficking efforts. So we have an enormously broad security relationship, and Mr. Foreign Minister, we are very, very happy to welcome you here today. Thank you.

FOREIGN MINISTER SURAPONG: Thank you. Good morning, ladies and gentlemen. I am very pleased to be here once again in Washington, D.C. Secretary Kerry, thank you for your kind invitation and warm hospitality. Last November, President Obama visited Thailand as his first stop in Southeast Asia after his reelection. His visit served to strengthen our strong partnership. My meeting with Secretary Kerry today will be a good chance to continue dialogue on our future partnership, especially as we mark 180 years of Thai-U.S. diplomatic relations this year. So I am looking forward to a constructive discussion with Secretary Kerry on both bilateral and global issues of mutual interest.

Thank you.

SECRETARY KERRY: Thank you very much, Mr. Minister. Let’s go work on the next 180 years.

SUPEROXIDES IN THE DARK

Ocean Sunset.  Credit:  U.S. Navy.

FROM:  NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION

'Dark Oxidants' Form Away from Sunlight in Lake and Ocean Depths, Underground Soils
New findings overturn understanding of light-dependent environmental oxidants

Breathing oxygen... can be hazardous to your health?

Indeed, our bodies aren't perfect. They make mistakes, among them producing toxic chemicals, called oxidants, in cells. We fight these oxidants naturally, and by eating foods rich in antioxidants such as blueberries and dark chocolate.

All forms of life that breathe oxygen--even ones that can't be seen with the naked eye, such as bacteria--must fight oxidants to live.

"If they don't," says scientist Colleen Hansel of the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution in Massachusetts, "there are consequences: cancer and premature aging in humans, death in microorganisms."

These same oxidants also exist in the environment. But neutralizing environmental oxidants such as superoxide was a worry only for organisms that dwell in sunlight--in habitats that cover a mere 5 percent of the planet.

That was the only place where such environmental oxidants were thought to exist.

Now researchers have discovered the first light-independent source of superoxide. The key is bacteria common in the depths of the oceans and other dark places.

The bacteria breathe oxygen, just like humans. "And they're everywhere--literally," says Hansel, co-author of a paper reporting the results and published in this week's issue of the journal Science Express.

The result expands the known sources of superoxide to the 95 percent of Earth's habitats that are "dark." In fact, 90 percent of the bacteria tested in the study produced superoxide in the dark.

"Superoxide has been linked with light, such that its production in darkness was a real mystery," says Deborah Bronk of the National Science Foundation's (NSF) Division of Ocean Sciences, which co-funded the research with NSF's Division of Earth Sciences.

"This finding shows that bacteria can produce superoxide in the absence of light."

The bacteria are found "miles beneath the seafloor, in hot fluids coming from underwater volcanoes, in every type of underground soil and throughout deep lake and ocean waters," Hansel says.

The number of these bacteria in a thimble of seawater or soil is greater than the human population of San Francisco. And they're all releasing large amounts of superoxide.

On Earth's surface, "superoxide can kill corals, turning them white," says Hansel. "It can also produce huge fish kills during red tides. But it's not always bad."

It also helps ocean microorganisms acquire the nutrients they need to survive. And superoxide may remove the neurotoxin mercury from the sea, keeping it out of fish and off dinner plates.

The bacteria that produce superoxide could account for the total amount of the chemical in the oceans, Hansel and colleagues say, and are likely the main source in dark environments.

"That's a paradigm shift that will transform our understanding of the chemistry of the oceans, as well as of lakes and underground soils," says Hansel, "and of the life forms that live in and depend on them."

Co-authors of the paper are Julia Diaz and Chantal Mendes of Harvard University, Peter Andeer and Tong Zhang of Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution and Bettina Voelker of the Colorado School of Mines.

-NSF-

NATO SECRETARY RASMUSSEN SAYS FURTHER DEFENSE CUTS RISKS REDUCING SECURITY

FROM: U.S. DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE
NATO Secretary General Warns Europe on Defense Cuts
By Nick Simeone
American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, May 6, 2013 - NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen warned today that further cuts in defense spending by European nations risk reducing the continent's defense and security to "hot air," turning the alliance into what he called a "global spectator" rather than a real force on the world stage.

"The only way to avoid this is by holding the line on defense spending and to start reinvesting in security as soon as our economies recover," he told a meeting in Brussels of the European Parliament's Committee on Foreign Affairs.

Rasmussen said European nations should not become absorbed by their own domestic issues, including sluggish economies that have contributed to defense cuts, and instead develop a "truly global perspective" to respond to crises further away from home.

"Having the right capabilities is important, but it is not enough," he said. "We must also have the political will to use them, to deal with security challenges on Europe's doorstep, to help manage crises further away that might affect us here at home, and to better share the security burden with our North American allies."

Meanwhile, he said, European nations need to make better use of what they have – "to do more together as Europeans – within the European Union and within NATO - to deliver the critical defense capabilities that are too expensive for any individual country to deliver alone."

It was the latest in a series of warnings over the past several years by Rasmussen that further cuts by European governments in defense spending could put NATO's viability at risk. In 2011, Rasmussen said the trend suggested the continent was headed toward getting out of the security business entirely, pointing out that European nations had cut their defense budgets by $45 billion - the equivalent of Germany's entire annual defense budget - while U.S contributions to NATO had increased from about half of total alliance spending to close to 75 percent.

Those comments were followed by a blunt warning from then-U.S. Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates, who said NATO risked "irrelevance" and a "dismal future" if alliance members were not seen as "serious and capable partners in their own defense."

Today, Rasmussen said soft power alone really is no power at all.

"Without hard capabilities to back up its diplomacy, Europe will lack credibility and influence," he added. "It will risk being a global spectator, rather than the powerful global actor that it can be and should be."

DEPUTY DEFENSE SECRETARY SAYS U.S. MILITARY AND INDUSTRIAL INTERESTS ARE ALIGNED

Deputy Defense Secretary Ash Carter delivers remarks after being honored with the Dwight D. Eisenhower Award and Medal by the National Defense Industrial Association at the Ritz-Carlton hotel in McLean, Va., May 3, 2013. The annual award recognizes leadership and strategic impact at the highest levels of national security. DOD photo by Glenn Fawcett

FROM: U.S. DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE
Carter: Defense Industry Interests Align With Those of DOD
By Claudette Roulo
American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, May 6, 2013 - The long-term interests of the defense industry and the Defense Department are aligned, Deputy Defense Secretary Ash Carter said during a May 3 awards ceremony in McLean, Va.

At the ceremony, Carter received the Eisenhower Award from the National Defense Industrial Association. The award recognizes leadership and strategic impact at the highest levels of national security, according to an NDIA news release.

The success of the U.S. defense industry is in the nation's interest, Carter told the audience.

Though President Dwight D. Eisenhower's farewell address in 1961 warned of the dangers of an outsized military-industrial complex, Carter said, the warning has been removed from its context. As a former Army general and supreme commander of the Allied forces in Europe, Eisenhower clearly understood the vital role played by the defense industry in securing the nation, the deputy secretary noted.

"The larger point of his farewell address was that the interests of the country are served when leaders take the long view," he continued. Only by properly aligning ends with means in accordance with national interests, rather than special interests, can national leaders achieve the balance Eisenhower sought, Carter said.

Eisenhower advocated "balance between the private and the public economy, balance between cost and hoped-for advantages, balance between the clearly necessary and the comfortably desirable, balance between our essential requirements as a nation and the duties imposed by the nation upon the individual [and] balance between the actions of the moment and the national welfare of the future," Carter said, quoting from the president's farewell address.

"He went on to say, 'Maintaining balance involves the element of time, as we peer into society's future. We -- you and I, and our government -- must avoid the impulse to live only for today, plundering for our own ease and convenience the precious resources of tomorrow,'" he said.

The Defense Department is taking the long view, Carter said, understanding that it is operating at the convergence of two great historical trends. The first -- a time of unprecedented strategic change -- led President Barack Obama to make clear in the new defense strategy that "we're turning a strategic corner," the deputy secretary said. The second -- historic levels of financial turbulence -- will require the department to absorb reductions in defense spending in the interest of the nation's overall fiscal health, he said.

The country is moving from an era dominated by two wars toward a future defined by disparate challenges and opportunities, Carter said.

"We know what many of these challenges are -- continued turmoil in the Middle East, the persistent threat of terrorism, enduring threats like weapons of mass destruction and a range of new threats like cyber," the deputy secretary said.

With the challenges come great opportunities, he said. Among them, Carter noted, is shifting the Defense Department's great intellectual and physical weight from Iraq and Afghanistan to the Asia-Pacific region, "where America's future ... will lie, and where America will continue and must continue to play a seven-decade-old pivotal, stabilizing role.

"As we draw down from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, our force needs to make a very difficult transition," Carter continued, "from a large, rotational counterinsurgency-based force, to a leaner, more agile, more flexible and ready force for the future."

There was nothing wrong with the force the nation built for the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, Carter told the audienced. "It was the right force for the period," he added, noting that the Afghanistan conflict is not over. "We can't ever forget that that still remains job one, but we're going into a different period," he said.

The department's rebalance to the Asia-Pacific region is predominately a political and economic concept, not a military one, the deputy secretary said. But, the Defense Department's role is to enable the continuation of the region's 60 years of peace and prosperity, he said, often by simply leading by example. "We believe that our strong security presence in the Asia-Pacific has provided a critical foundation for our principles to take root," Carter said.

"Our partners in the region welcome our leadership and the values that underlie them," he added, "and therefore, I believe that our rebalance will be welcomed and reciprocated."

The rebalance isn't aimed at any one country, or group of countries, in the region, Carter noted. "It's good for us, and it's good for everyone in the region, and it includes everyone in the region."

If managed properly, the department's budget reductions and the nation's strategic shift can reinforce one another, he said.

"That is the task before us in the Department of Defense," the deputy secretary said. "We know, that in making this strategic transition, we only deserve the amount of money we need, and not the amount we've gotten used to. That's why, well before the current budget turmoil, we made reductions to the department's budget by $487 billion over the coming decade."

Other cuts were made earlier under former Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates to eliminate unneeded or underperforming programs, Carter said. Additionally, overseas contingency operations funds are decreasing now that the military has left Iraq and is drawing down from Afghanistan, he said.

"Taken together, these reductions compare in pace and magnitude to historical cycles in defense spending the nation has experienced ... after Vietnam and after the Cold War,"the deputy secretary said. "We need to continue our relentless effort to make every defense dollar count."

The department is committed to this effort, he added, noting that "everything will be on the table" during an ongoing review of strategic choices and management. The results of the review will be delivered to Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel in the coming weeks, Carter said.

"The choices that the secretary and the president make in response to these points in the following months will then inform our [fiscal year 2015] budget submission, as well as our [fiscal 2014] execution decisions," he added. "Ideally, we will have all three elements -- stability, time and flexibility -- with which to make critical budget decisions, but we must anticipate a wide range of possible contingencies."

Tough choices will be necessary in the years to come, Carter acknowledged, -- and will have significant impact on the United States, particularly if deep spending cuts required by the budget sequester remain in force.

"These tough choices, by necessity, must favor national interests over parochial priorities," he said. "What we cannot afford, as President Eisenhower said, is a debate in which people are in favor of sequester, but just not in their own back yard.

"Fiscal 'NIMBY-ism' is exactly the wrong policy prescription for what ails us," the deputy secretary said.

Press Briefing | The White House

Press Briefing | The White House

Epiphanies on an endless missile range

Epiphanies on an endless missile range

U.S. Department of State Daily Press Briefing - May 6, 2013

Daily Press Briefing - May 6, 2013

DOD Department of Defense Press Briefing on the 2013 DOD Report to Congress on Military and Security Developments Involving the People's Republic of China in the Pentagon Briefing Room

Department of Defense Press Briefing on the 2013 DOD Report to Congress on Military and Security Developments Involving the People's Republic of China in the Pentagon Briefing Room

ISAF NEWS FROM AFGHANISTAN FOR MAY 6, 2013

U.S. soldiers and law enforcement professionals dismount a Stryker armored vehicle after arriving for the tactical site exploitation class in the Spin Boldak district of Afghanistan’s Kandahar province, April 25, 2013. The soldiers are assigned to the 2nd Infantry Division's 2nd Battalion, 23rd Infantry Regiment, Task Force 435. The class certified Afghan police as instructors in crime scene investigation techniques. U.S. Army photo by Staff Sgt. Shane Hamann

FROM: U.S. DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE

Combined Force Kills Insurgent During Search Operation
Compiled from International Security Assistance Force Joint Command News Releases

WASHINGTON, May 6, 2013 - A combined Afghan and coalition security force in the Nahrin district of Afghanistan's Baghlan province killed an insurgent today during a search for the district's ranking Taliban leader, military officials reported.

The Taliban leader and his cell of insurgent fighters have conducted a campaign of assassinations in the district, collected illegal taxes from local civilians, and participated in multiple attacks against Afghan and coalition forces.

He also is instrumental in training and familiarizing new fighters in the area and has a history of coordinating suicide attacks with local Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan terrorist groups.

As the security force approached the leader's suspected location, an insurgent maneuvered against the Afghan and coalition troops and was killed when he posed a lethal threat. The security force also seized a light machine gun and ammunition in the operation.

In other Afghanistan operations today:

--A combined force in Nangarhar province's Khugyani district arrested a senior Taliban leader who has planned and directed assassinations against government officials, conducted attacks targeting Afghan and coalition forces and facilitated the movement of money, weapons and insurgent fighters throughout the area. The security force also arrested another insurgent.

-- In Kandahar province's Maiwand district, a combined force arrested a Taliban facilitator who is responsible for providing weapons and fighters to local insurgent groups and has a history of distributing roadside bombs, grenades, machine guns, ammunition and other military supplies for attacks against Afghan and coalition forces. The security force also arrested another insurgent and seized 2 pounds of opium.

-- A combined force in Helmand province's Nawah-ye Barakzai district arrested a Taliban facilitator who has a history of distributing roadside bombs to insurgent cells throughout the province and has participated in attacks against Afghan and coalition forces. The security force also arrested four other insurgents.

In operations yesterday:

-- In Baghlan province's Baghlan-e Jadid district, a combined force killed an insurgent during a search for an insurgent leader with ties to the Taliban and the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan. The leader directs improvised explosive device operations targeting senior government officials and Afghan and coalition forces and works directly with Taliban senior leadership to disseminate information to low-level fighters. He also is vital in facilitating money and weapons for insurgent groups in the area.

-- In the same district, Provincial Response Company Baghlan, enabled by coalition forces, killed six insurgents when it responded to an attack on another Afghan unit. The joint force engaged several insurgents armed with small arms and rocket-propelled grenades shortly after being dispatched by the provincial chief of police.

-- Provincial Response Company Farah, enabled by coalition forces, detained six insurgents and seized a cache of weapons, drugs and ammunition while conducting a high-risk arrest in Farah province's Pusht E Rod District. The cache consisted of four RPG rockets, two pressure plates, 110 rounds of 7.62 mm ammunition, 11 pounds of opium and a pound of hashish.

-- A combined force in Kandahar province's Dand district killed Qudrat, a Taliban leader, and arrested four other insurgents. Qudrat was in charge of a cell of Taliban fighters responsible for IED operations throughout the province. He also facilitated the movement of weapons in the area and provided operational reports to senior Taliban leaders in the area. The security force also seized a pistol and an ammunition magazine.

-- In Baghlan province's Burkah district, a combined force arrested four insurgents during a search for a senior insurgent leader with ties to both the Taliban and the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan who has operational control over fighters responsible for attacks against Afghan and coalition forces. He is vital in facilitating the movement of weapons, particularly rocket-propelled grenades, to insurgent fighters in the area. He and his group also collect illegal taxes from the local populace to fund terrorist activity. The security force also seized three rifles, magazines and ammunition.

-- A combined force in Helmand province's Nahr-e Saraj district arrested a Taliban leader who is responsible for coordinating and executing attacks against Afghan and coalition forces. He also procures and distributes weapons and IED components to his subordinate fighters and other insurgent groups. The security force also addressed three other insurgents.

-- In the same district, Afghan local police and soldiers and coalition forces killed more than 18 insurgents after being attacked at police checkpoints. The district police chief provided a quick-reaction force to one checkpoint, and the district operations coordination center tasked Afghan commandos to support the fight at another. Coalition forces provided indirect fire in support of the quick-reaction force.

In May 4 operations:

-- In Baghlan province's Burkah district, a combined force arrested a senior insurgent leader with ties to both the Taliban and the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan. The leader has operational control over fighters responsible for attacks against Afghan and coalition forces. He is vital in facilitating the movement of weapons, particularly rocket-propelled grenades, to insurgent fighters in the area. He and his group also collect illegal taxes from the local populace to fund terrorist activity.

-- A combined force in Jowzjan province's Qush Tepah district killed three insurgents and wounded another during a search for a senior Taliban leader who directs all Taliban operations in the district and coordinates with insurgent networks in Jowzjan and Sar-e Pul districts. He is responsible for the facilitation, planning and coordination of attacks on Afghan and coalition forces in the region. Officials said he is planning an attack on an Afghan checkpoint, plotting to kill the guards and take their weapons. He also relays instructions from senior Taliban leaders to more than 100 fighters. The insurgents were seen planting a rocket.

-- Afghan local police and coalition forces detained three insurgents after finding them in the possession of about 45 pounds of IED-making materials and three pressure plate training devices in Zabul province's Shah Joy district.

-- In Nangarhar province's Charparhar district, Afghan commandos, advised by coalition forces, detained 14 insurgents during a clearing operation conducted to disrupt a known Taliban attack staging area.

-- Afghan local police, advised by coalition forces, detained an IED operative during a patrol in Logar province's Baraki Barak district and turned him over to Afghan National Police.

-- A combined force in Helmand province's Marjah district arrested a Taliban leader who has operational control over fighters responsible for attacks against Afghan and coalition forces. He is also key in procuring and distributing weapons and IED components. The security force also arrested two other insurgents.

-- In Khost province's Gurbuz district, a combined force arrested a Haqqani network facilitator who is responsible for trafficking weapons. The security force also seized three assault rifles, a pistol, 10 magazines and more than 1,000 rounds of ammunition.

In May 3 operations:

-- A combined force in Nangarhar province's Khugyani district arrested a high-profile Taliban attack facilitator who provides logistical support to senior Taliban leaders. He organizes the purchase, transfer and delivery of weapons to support the Taliban insurgency, and has sold rockets used in attacks against Afghan and coalition forces.

-- Afghan commandos in Nangarhar province's Chaparhar district arrested a mid-level Taliban leader who is involved in the narcotics trade and is responsible for attacks against coalition forces and Afghan government officials.

National Nurses Week

National Nurses Week

U.S. AND BRITAIN TO STRENGTHEN ALLIANCE

FROM: U.S. DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE
U.S., Britain Look to Strengthen Already Strong Alliance
By Jim Garamone
American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, May 2, 2013 - The United States and the United Kingdom are looking for ways to deepen an already close military-to-military relationship, American and British defense leaders said following a Pentagon meeting today.

Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel and British Defense Secretary Philip Hammond told Pentagon reporters that they discussed the situations in Syria, Iran and Afghanistan.

The two men also discussed shared acquisition programs and ways to operate in fiscally constrained times.

With respect to Syria, the U.S. military continues to examine all options, including arming those opposed to the regime of Bashar Assad. "That's an option," Hagel said.

The international community's objective in Syria is to stop the violence, promote stability and help the Syrian people transition to a post-Assad government, Hagel noted.

"Any country, any power, any international coalition, any partnership is going to continue to look at options, how best to accomplish those objectives," he said. "This is not a static situation."

U.S. officials constantly are evaluating the fast-changing situation in Syria and one of those options -- among many -- is arming the rebels, Hagel said.

The two men agreed that a diplomatic solution in Syria is preferred.

"We continue to believe that a diplomatic solution is needed to end the bloodshed and that Assad and his close associates can have no place in the future of Syria," Hammond said. "We in the U.K. are stepping up our support to the national coalition and remind the regime that nothing has been taken off the table in the light of the continuing bloodshed."

There is some evidence that someone in Syria used a nerve agent, and both men said they are concerned about this.

"We remain increasingly concerned at the emerging evidence of the use of chemical weapons, and we demand that the regime allow the U.N. to investigate these allegations," Hammond said. "Assad should be in no doubt that the world is watching and will hold him ... and anyone else to account who is found responsible for the use of chemical weapons."

Hagel voiced his sympathy to the British people for the loss of three soldiers in Afghanistan's Helmand province yesterday. He and Hammond discussed the ways the United States and the United Kingdom will work together through the end of the combat mission in Afghanistan in December 2014 and the way the two countries will support Afghanistan after that.

Hammond got a chance yesterday to see a British pilot flying the F-35B joint strike fighter being tested at Patuxent River Naval Air Station, Md.

"The United Kingdom's continued commitment to this program, and our growing cooperation in new priority areas like cyber, is helping ensure this alliance has the kind of [cutting-edge] capabilities needed for the future," Hagel said.

"The U.K. and the U.S. remain in lock step on these projects, and as we take them forward, we will ensure the continuity of those vital capabilities," Hammond said.

The two men will continue discussions here tonight and will meet at NATO next month.

Immagine EO della settimana: Dove l'Oriente incontra l'Occidente

Immagine EO della settimana: Dove l'Oriente incontra l'Occidente

U.S.-SERBIA RELATIONS

FROM: CIA WORLD FACTBOOK

Belgrade, located at the confluence of the Danube and Sava Rivers, is the capital of the Republic of Serbia. The core of old Belgrade - known as Kalemegdan - is located along the right banks of both the Danube and the Sava Rivers (image center). To the west across the Sava, Novi Beograd (New Belgrade) was constructed following World War II. The difference in urban patterns between the older parts of Belgrade and Novi Beograd is striking in this astronaut photograph from the International Space Station. Novi Beograd has an open grid structure formed by large developments and buildings such as the Palace of Serbia - a large federal building constructed during the Yugoslav period, now used to house elements of the Serbian Government. By contrast, the older urban fabric of Belgrade is characterized by a denser street grid and numerous smaller structures. Other suburban and residential development (characterized by red rooftops) extends to the south, east, and across the Danube to the north. The location of Belgrade along trade and travel routes between the East and West contributed to both its historical success as a center of trade and its fate as a battleground. Today, the city is the financial center of Serbia, while Novi Beograd supports one of the largest business districts in southeastern Europe. Image courtesy of NASA.


FROM: U.S. STATE DEPARTMENT
U.S. Relations With Serbia
Bureau of European and Eurasian Affairs
Fact Sheet
April 30, 2013


Serbia occupies a key strategic juncture in the Balkans at the social, political, and geographic crossroads between Eastern and Western Europe. The United States seeks to strengthen its relationship with Serbia through deepening cooperation based on mutual interest and respect.

In 1999, the United States broke off relations with the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (FRY), a predecessor state that included Serbia, when it launched an ethnic cleansing and deportation campaign against noncombatant citizens. This was followed by a bombing campaign of the FRY by the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) that lasted nearly 78 days until the FRY Government agreed to allow the establishment of a United Nations Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK) and the NATO-led Kosovo Force (KFOR), which allowed displaced persons and refugees to return to their homes. The United States formally reopened its embassy to FRY in 2001. In 2003, the state union of Serbia and Montenegro succeeded the FRY, which in turn dissolved in 2006 when following a referendum Montenegro became independent. Following a UN-backed process to determine the province’s future status, Kosovo declared its independence from Serbia in 2008, which the U.S. recognized, but Serbia rejected. Consequently, Serbia withdrew its ambassador to the U.S. from February to October 2008. Pursuant to its constitution, the Government of Serbia still considers Kosovo to be part of its territory and has not recognized Kosovo’s independence, although more than 90 countries have done so.

In 2011, the European Union (EU) facilitated a dialogue between Serbia and Kosovo to discuss practical issues, such as the mutual acceptance of university diplomas. Under the leadership of EU High Representative Ashton, the dialogue intensified in October 2012, as the Prime Ministers of Serbia and Kosovo began a series of meetings that led them to initial an agreement on northern Kosovo on April 19, 2013. That agreement, when implemented, will allow Serbia and Kosovo to normalize their relationship and continue on their paths toward European integration. The U.S. has fully supported this process since it began, and the U.S. will continue to support the efforts to implement the agreement. Reform and integration remain the pillars of the shared approach the United States has with the EU in the Balkans.

U.S. Assistance to Serbia

The U.S. Government's assistance goals in Serbia are to strengthen institutional capacity of key government bodies, promote transparency through the improvement of adherence to the rule of law, support civil society development, encourage efforts to strengthen regional stability, and create opportunities for economic growth.

Bilateral Economic Relations

In March 2012, Serbia was granted European Union candidate country status, and the European Council will decide on whether to grant Serbia a date to begin accession talks in June 2013. Serbia’s designation as an EU candidate, and progress that the Government of Serbia makes in meeting criteria for EU accession, could help spur renewed interest in the country both in terms of investment potential and as an export market for U.S. goods and services. Serbia also seeks to join the World Trade Organization. The country's accomplishments in modernizing legislation to conform to EU and international standards in nearly all areas affecting the economy, from intellectual property rights to foreign trade, have been impressive, but must continue.

Among the leading U.S. investors in Serbia are Philip Morris, Ball Packaging, Coca-Cola, PepsiCo, Cooper Tire and Van Drunen Farms. Many other leading U.S. firms, from a broad variety of industrial and service sectors, have a significant presence in Serbia. There has been increased interest from U.S. ICT companies in Serbia with specific emphasis on opportunities in e-government, cloud computing, digitization, systems integration and IT security. Microsoft recently signed a $34 million contract to provide software to Serbian Government offices.

Serbia's Membership in International Organizations

Serbia and the United States belong to a number of the same international organizations, including the United Nations, Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, International Monetary Fund, and World Bank. Serbia is a member of the Council of Europe and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization's (NATO) Partnership for Peace.

EXECUTIVE SENTENCED TO PRISON FOR ROLE IN LCD PRICE-FIXING CONSPIRACY

FROM: U.S. DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE

Monday, April 29, 2013
Au Optronics Corporation Executive Sentenced for Role in LCD Price-Fixing Conspiracy
An executive of AU Optronics Corp., a Taiwan-based liquid crystal display (LCD) producer, was sentenced today in U.S. District Court in San Francisco for his participation in a worldwide thin-film transistor-liquid crystal display (TFT-LCD) price-fixing conspiracy. Shiu Lung Leung, AU Optronics Corp.’s former senior manager in its Desktop Display Business Group, was sentenced to serve 24 months in prison and to pay a $50,000 criminal fine, the Department of Justice announced.

AU Optronics Corp., based in Hsinchu, Taiwan, and its American subsidiary, AU Optronics Corp. America, headquartered in Milpitas, Calif., were found guilty in March 2012, for their participation in the price-fixing conspiracy, following an eight-week trial. Former AU Optronics Corp. president Hsuan Bin Chen and former AU Optronics Corp. executive vice president Hui Hsiung were also found guilty at that time. A mistrial was declared against Leung after that trial. Today’s sentencing took place before Judge Susan Illston and follows a three-week retrial that started in November 2012 and resulted in Leung’s conviction.


"These international price-fixers caused consumers to pay inflated prices for their computer monitors, notebook computers and televisions," said Assistant Attorney General Bill Baer in charge of the Department of Justice’s Antitrust Division. "Prison sentences for culpable executives, combined with substantial fines against corporate wrongdoers, are the most effective deterrents for protecting consumers from this kind of illegal cartel behavior."

The indictment charged that AU Optronics Corp. participated in the worldwide price-fixing conspiracy from Sept. 14, 2001, to Dec. 1, 2006, and that its subsidiary joined the conspiracy as early as spring 2003. The indictment further charged that Leung participated in that conspiracy from May 15, 2002 to Dec. 1, 2006. LCD panels affected by the conspiracy were a major component in flat-panel computer monitors, notebook computers, and flat-screen televisions sold in the United States. The conspirators fixed the prices of LCD panels during monthly meetings with their competitors, which were secretly held in hotel conference rooms, karaoke bars and tea rooms around Taiwan.

Eight companies have been convicted of charges arising out of the department’s ongoing investigation and have been sentenced to pay criminal fines totaling $1.39 billion. All together, 22 executives have been charged. Including today’s sentence, 13 executives have been convicted and have been sentenced to serve prison terms ranging from six to 36 months.

INVESTING IN INNOVATION COMPETITION CONTINUES

FROM: U.S. DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION

2013 Investing in Innovation Competition Continues with Invitation for Scale-Up and Validation Applications

Following the launch of the 2013 Investing in Innovation Development Competition earlier this spring, today the U.S. Department of Education announced the start of the competition for the i3 program's Scale-up and Validation categories. These grants will continue the Department's investments in promising strategies that can help to close achievement gaps and improve student learning.

"As the Department begins the fourth round of the i3 competition, we are encouraged by the work our current i3 grantees are undertaking, and look forward to supporting the scaling of effective practices in classrooms across the country through i3's Validation and Scale-up grants," said Jim Shelton, assistant deputy secretary for innovation and improvement. "These grants will target federal funds where they are needed most, and we are eager to continue to advance innovative strategies in education."

The i3 program aims to develop and expand practices that accelerate student achievement and prepare every student to succeed in college and in their careers, and, as in years past, includes three grant categories: Development, Validation and Scale-up. This year, school districts and nonprofit organizations in partnership with districts or schools are eligible to compete for nearly $135 million across all three categories. The Department invited pre-applications for the Development category—the most popular of the three—earlier this spring, and received nearly 600 submissions.

The maximum grant amount available in each category is based on the evidence of effectiveness. This year, Validation grants will provide up to $12 million to fund projects with moderate levels of evidence, and Scale-up grants will award up to $20 million for proposals that have strong evidence of improving student achievement.

As noted in the notice of final priorities for the program, the 2013 competition incorporates a few changes to reflect lessons learned from prior years and to strengthen the program overall. While the Department continues to focus on broad priorities, the 2013 i3 competition includes subparts under each priority to target specific areas of need and builds a portfolio of solutions that addresses specific challenges in education. Complementing the Administration's efforts to increase access to high-quality early learning opportunities for more children—especially those from disadvantaged communities—this year, the Department has included an invitational priority in both the Scale-up and Validation categories for applicants working on delivering high-quality early learning programs.

Applications will be evaluated by peer reviewers in the coming months, and the Department will announce the highest-rated applicants in late fall. Those applicants will then be required to secure private-sector matching funds in order to become a grantee. Validation grantees must secure a private-sector match comprising 10 percent of their budget; Scale-up grantees must secure 5 percent. As it did for the Development category this year, the Department also has modified the Scale-up and Validation competitions to help grantees build meaningful private-sector support. Each highest-rated applicant must submit evidence of 50 percent of the required private-sector match prior to the awarding of an i3 grant by the end of 2013. The i3 grantees must then provide evidence of the remaining 50 percent of the required private-sector match no later than six months after the project start date. Awards will be announced no later than Dec. 31, 2013.

EARTH IMAGES FROM "PHONESATS"

FROM: NASA

These images of Earth were reconstructed from photos taken by three smartphones in orbit, or "PhoneSats." The trio of PhoneSats launched on April 21, 2013, aboard the Antares rocket from NASA's Wallops Flight Facility and ended a successful mission on April 27. The ultimate goal of the PhoneSat mission was to determine whether a consumer-grade smartphone can be used as the main flight avionics for a satellite in space. During their time in orbit, the three miniature satellites used their smartphone cameras to take pictures of Earth and transmitted these "image-data packets" to multiple ground stations. Every packet held a small piece of the big picture. As the data became available, the PhoneSat Team and multiple amateur radio operators around the world collaborated to piece together photographs from the tiny data packets.The PhoneSat project is a technology demonstration mission funded by NASA's Space Technology Mission Directorate at NASA Headquarters and the Engineering Directorate at NASA Ames Research Center. The project started in summer 2009 as a student-led collaborative project between Ames and the International Space University, Strasbourg.› Read moreImages Credit: NASA Ames

FORMER CONSULTANT FOR WILLBROS INTERNATIONAL INC., SENTENCED FOR ROLE IN BRIBERY SCHEME

FROM: U.S. DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE
Friday, May 3, 2013
Former Consultant for Willbros International Sentenced in Connection with Foreign Bribery Scheme

A former consultant for Willbros International Inc. (Willbros International), a subsidiary of Houston-based Willbros Group Inc. (Willbros), was sentenced today for his role in a conspiracy to pay more than $6 million in bribes to government officials of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and officials from a Nigerian political party, Acting Assistant Attorney General Mythili Raman of the Criminal Division and Assistant Director in Charge Valerie Parlave of the FBI’s Washington Field Office announced today.

Paul G. Novak, 46, was sentenced today to serve 15 months in prison by U.S. District Judge Simeon T. Lake III of the Southern District of Texas. The court took into consideration Novak’s cooperation, and the sentence was consistent with the government’s recommendation. In addition to the prison sentence, Novak was ordered to pay a $1 million fine and to serve two years of supervised release following his release from prison. In sentencing Novak, the court took into consideration the assistance Novak provided the government in ongoing investigations.

Novak pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to violate the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA) and one substantive count of violating the FCPA. Novak admitted that from approximately late-2003 to March 2005, he conspired with others to make a series of corrupt payments totaling more than $6 million to various Nigerian government officials and officials from a Nigerian political party to assist Willbros and its joint venture partner, a construction company based in Mannheim, Germany, in obtaining and retaining the Eastern Gas Gathering System (EGGS) Project, which was valued at approximately $387 million. The EGGS project was a natural gas pipeline system in the Niger Delta designed to relieve existing pipeline capacity constraints.

According to court records, Novak and his alleged co-conspirators Kenneth Tillery, Jason Steph, Jim Bob Brown, three employees from Willbros’s joint venture partner and others agreed to make the corrupt payments to, among others, government officials from the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, the National Petroleum Investment Management Services, a senior official in the executive branch of the federal government of Nigeria, and members of a Nigerian political party. Court documents state the bribes were paid to assist in obtaining and retaining the EGGS contract and additional optional scopes of work.

According to information contained in plea documents, to secure the funds for those corrupt payments, Novak and his alleged conspirators caused Willbros West Africa Inc., a subsidiary of Willbros International, to enter into so-called "consultancy agreements" with two consulting companies Novak represented in exchange for purportedly legitimate consultancy services. In reality, those consulting companies were used to facilitate the payment of bribes.

In addition to Novak, to date, two Willbros employees have pleaded guilty for their roles in the EGGS bribery scheme, and Willbros has entered into a deferred prosecution agreement with the government:
On May 14, 2008, Willbros Group Inc. and Willbros International entered into a deferred prosecution agreement with the government and agreed to pay a $22 million penalty, in connection with the company’s payment of bribes to government officials in Nigeria and Ecuador. On March 30, 2012, the government moved to dismiss the charges following Willbros’s satisfaction of its obligations under the deferred prosecution agreement, and on April 2, 2012, the Court granted the United States’ motion.
On Sept. 14, 2006, Jim Bob Brown, a former Willbros executive, pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to violate the FCPA, in connection with his role in making corrupt payments to Nigerian government officials to obtain and retain the EGGS contract and in connection with his role in making corrupt payments in Ecuador. After a reduction for cooperation, Brown was sentenced on Jan. 28, 2010, to 12 months and one day in prison, two years of supervised release and a $17,500 fine.
On Nov. 5, 2007, Jason Steph, also a former Willbros executive, pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to violate the FCPA, in connection with his role in making corrupt payments to Nigerian government officials to obtain and retain the EGGS contract. After a reduction for cooperation, Steph was sentenced on Jan. 28, 2010, to 15 months in prison, two years of supervised release and a $2,000 fine.
Kenneth Tillery was charged, along with Novak, for his alleged role in the bribery scheme in an indictment unsealed on Dec. 19, 2008. According to the indictment, Tillery was a Willbros International employee and executive from the 1980s through January 2005. From 2002 until January 2005, Tillery served as executive vice president and, later, as president of Willbros International. Tillery remains a fugitive. The charges against Tillery are merely accusations, and he is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.

The case is being investigated by FBI agents who are part of the Washington Field Office’s dedicated FCPA squad. Significant assistance was provided by the Criminal Division’s Office of International Affairs. This case is being prosecuted by Senior Trial Attorney Laura N. Perkins of the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section.

Heart health mobile

Heart health mobile

PETNAGON DENIES THAT THOSE WHO EXSPOUSE CHRISTIANITY WILL BE COURT-MARTIALED

FROM: U.S. DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE
DOD Counters Internet Posts on Religion Issue
By Jim Garamone
American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, May 3, 2013 - Internet posts making the rounds claiming that the Defense Department will court-martial service members who espouse Christianity are not true, a Pentagon spokesman said today.

"The Department of Defense places a high value on the rights of members of the military services to observe the tenets of their respective religions and respects, [and supports by its policy] the rights of others to their own religious beliefs, including the right to hold no beliefs," Navy Lt. Cmdr. Nate Christensen said in a written statement on the issue.

"The department does not endorse any one religion or religious organization, and provides free access of religion for all members of the military services," he added.

Internet posts are attributing a statement that superior officers who try to convert those under their command should face court-martial to Mikey Weinstein, president of the Albuquerque, N.M.-based Military Religious Freedom Foundation, and are identifying him as a Pentagon advisor, Christensen noted.

"Mr. Weinstein is not part of any DOD advisory group or committee, nor is he a consultant to the Defense Department regarding religious matters," Christensen said. "Mr. Weinstein requested, and was granted, a meeting at the Pentagon April 23, with the Air Force judge advocate general and others, to include the deputy chief of chaplains, to express his concerns of religious issues in the military."

Some bloggers have taken sections of Air Force Instruction 1-1 "Air Force Standards" -- specifically, the section titled "Government Neutrality Regarding Religion" -- out of context in supporting their take, Christensen said.

"Leaders at all levels must balance constitutional protections for an individual's free exercise of religion or other personal beliefs and the constitutional prohibition against governmental establishment of religion," the instruction states.

Air Force leaders at all levels "must avoid the actual or apparent use of their position to promote their personal religious beliefs to their subordinates or to extend preferential treatment for any religion. Commanders or supervisors who engage in such behavior may cause members to doubt their impartiality and objectivity. The potential result is a degradation of the unit's morale, good order, and discipline," the instruction goes on to say.

The instruction further says all airmen "are able to choose to practice their particular religion, or subscribe to no religious belief at all." It tells airmen to practice their own beliefs while respecting differing viewpoints.

The right to practice religious beliefs does not excuse airmen from complying with directives, instructions and lawful orders, the instruction says.

It adds that airmen "must ensure that in exercising their right of religious free expression, they do not degrade morale, good order, and discipline in the Air Force or degrade the trust and confidence that the public has in the United States Air Force."

U.S.-MEXICO AND CENTRAL AMERICAN NATIONS INCREASE COOPERATION FOR LOW CARBON ELECTRICITY

FROM: U.S. DEPARTMENT OF STATE

President Obama and Leaders of Mexico and Central America Expand Low Carbon Electricity Cooperation

Fact Sheet
Office of the Spokesperson
Washington, DC
May 4, 2013

During his May 2-4 visit to Mexico and Costa Rica, President Obama met with heads of state of Central America, Mexico, and the Dominican Republic to discuss U.S. economic engagement and the Connecting the Americas 2022 (Connect 2022) initiative, launched by Colombia at the 2012 Summit of the Americas. As a key component of the Energy and Climate Partnership of the Americas, Connect 2022 seeks to provide, within a decade, all citizens of the hemisphere with access to reliable, clean, and affordable electricity through increased electrical interconnection. High electricity prices in Central America undermine investment and jobs and affect the lives of all citizens. With Mesoamerica’s rich geothermal, solar, wind, and hydropower resources, a diversified, lower carbon power sector can counteract these challenges.
Interconnection creates larger markets that can help attract the $25 billion in power sector investments needed in Central America by 2030. Through the Central American Electrical Interconnection System (SIEPAC) project – which connects Central American electricity grids from Guatemala to Panama – a vibrant electricity market bringing additional economic opportunity, clean energy investment, and energy security to the region will soon be a reality. To advance this shared objective, leaders agreed to convene a Connect 2022 Mesoamerican ministerial in June 2013, hosted by the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) in Washington, D.C., at which Deputy Secretary of State William J. Burns will deliver a keynote address.
The United States is supporting these efforts. U.S. companies are now associated with over 4 gigawatts (GW) lower carbon generation capacity in Mesoamerica. Since 2010, the U.S. Trade and Development Agency (USTDA) has invested in eight clean energy activities in Mexico and Central America, including support for feasibility studies, pilot projects, study tours, and other technical assistance. The Overseas Private Investment Corporation (OPIC) and Export-Import (EXIM) Bank of the United States are tracking potentially several hundred million dollars in new clean energy investments in the region:
A $29 million loan EXIM to a Honduran company will expand generation at the Cerro de Hula Wfrom
ind Farm, using equipment manufactured in Pennsylvania;
U.S.-based Sempra Energy plans to begin construction soon on a 156 megawatts (MW) wind farm in Baja California, which will send clean renewable energy to San Diego;
A 120 MW plant being developed in northern Mexico would use U.S. natural gas and Mexico’s transmission grid to send cleaner electricity to Guatemala; and
Nevada’s Ormat Technologies, Inc. will soon break ground on a 35 MW geothermal plant – Honduras’ first. Ormat also operates and plans to expand on plants in Guatemala.

U.S. Department of Defense Armed with Science Update

U.S. Department of Defense Armed with Science Update

THE HEALTH OF HONEY BEES

FROM: ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

USDA and EPA Release New Report on Honey Bee Health

WASHINGTON -- The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) today released a comprehensive scientific report on honey bee health. The report states that there are multiple factors playing a role in honey bee colony declines, including parasites and disease, genetics, poor nutrition and pesticide exposure.

"There is an important link between the health of American agriculture and the health of our honeybees for our country's long term agricultural productivity," said Agriculture Deputy Secretary Kathleen Merrigan. "The forces impacting honeybee health are complex and USDA, our research partners, and key stakeholders will be engaged in addressing this challenge."

"The decline in honey bee health is a complex problem caused by a combination of stressors, and at EPA we are committed to continuing our work with USDA, researchers, beekeepers, growers and the public to address this challenge," said Acting EPA Administrator Bob Perciasepe. "The report we've released today is the product of unprecedented collaboration, and our work in concert must continue. As the report makes clear, we've made significant progress, but there is still much work to be done to protect the honey bee population."


In October 2012, a National Stakeholders Conference on Honey Bee Health, led by federal researchers and managers, along with Pennsylvania State University, was convened to synthesize the current state of knowledge regarding the primary factors that scientists believe have the greatest impact on managed bee health.

Key findings include:

Parasites and Disease Present Risks to Honey Bees:
The parasitic Varroa mite is recognized as the major factor underlying colony loss in the U.S. and other countries. There is widespread resistance to the chemicals beekeepers use to control mites within the hive. New virus species have been found in the U.S. and several of these have been associated with Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD).
Increased Genetic Diversity is Needed:
U.S. honeybee colonies need increased genetic diversity. Genetic variation improves bees thermoregulation (the ability to keep body temperature steady even if the surrounding environment is different), disease resistance and worker productivity.
Honey bee breeding should emphasize traits such as hygienic behavior that confer improved resistance to Varroa mites and diseases (such as American foulbrood).
Poor Nutrition Among Honey Bee Colonies:
Nutrition has a major impact on individual bee and colony longevity. A nutrition-poor diet can make bees more susceptible to harm from disease and parasites. Bees need better forage and a variety of plants to support colony health.
Federal and state partners should consider actions affecting land management to maximize available nutritional forage to promote and enhance good bee health and to protect bees by keeping them away from pesticide-treated fields.
There is a Need for Improved Collaboration and Information Sharing:
Best Management Practices associated with bees and pesticide use, exist, but are not widely or systematically followed by members of the crop-producing industry. There is a need for informed and coordinated communication between growers and beekeepers and effective collaboration between stakeholders on practices to protect bees from pesticides.
Beekeepers emphasized the need for accurate and timely bee kill incident reporting, monitoring, and enforcement.
Additional Research is Needed to Determine Risks Presented by Pesticides:
The most pressing pesticide research questions relate to determining actual pesticide exposures and effects of pesticides to bees in the field and the potential for impacts on bee health and productivity of whole honey bee colonies.

Those involved in developing the report include USDA's Office of Pest Management Policy (OPMP), National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA), Agricultural Research Services (ARS), Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS), National Resource Conversation Service (NRCS) as well as the EPA and Pennsylvania State University. The report will provide important input to the Colony Collapse Disorder Steering Committee, led by the USDA, EPA and the National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS).

An estimated one-third of all food and beverages are made possible by pollination, mainly by honey bees. In the United States, pollination contributes to crop production worth $20-30 billion in agricultural production annually. A decline in managed bee colonies puts great pressure on the sectors of agriculture reliant on commercial pollination services. This is evident from reports of shortages of bees available for the pollination of many crops.

The Colony Collapse Steering Committee was formed in response to a sudden and widespread disappearance of adult honey bees from beehives, which first occurred in 2006. The Committee will consider the report's recommendations and update the CCD Action Plan which will outline major priorities to be addressed in the next 5-10 years and serve as a reference document for policy makers, legislators and the public and will help coordinate the federal strategy in response to honey bee losses.

NURSING PROGRAM FOR VETERANS

FROM: DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Translating veterans’ medical skills into nursing careers
Today, at the White House Forum on Military Credentialing and Licensing, Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Kathleen Sebelius announced a new program to help military veterans with health care experience or training, such as medics, pursue nursing careers. The program is designed to help veterans get bachelor’s degrees in nursing by building on their unique skills and abilities.

Administered by the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) at HHS, the Veterans’ Bachelor of Science in Nursing Program will fund up to nine cooperative agreements, of up to $350,000 a year. Funding of $3 million is expected to be awarded by the end of fiscal year 2013 (September 30).

"The Veterans’ Bachelor of Science in Nursing Program recognizes the skills, experience and sacrifices of our veterans, while helping to grow our nursing workforce," Secretary Sebelius said. "It helps veterans formalize their skills to get jobs, while strengthening Americans’ access to care."

Program funding will go to accredited schools of nursing to increase veterans’ enrollment in and completion of baccalaureate nursing programs, and to explore ways to award academic credit for prior military health care experience or training. The institutions will also train faculty to provide mentorships and other supportive services.

"Through this innovative program, veterans with valuable medical expertise can now help fill the ranks of nurses across the nation," said HRSA Administrator Mary K. Wakefield, Ph.D., R.N.

This new program is an important step forward in addressing needs identified in the February 2013 White House report, "The Fast Track to Civilian Employment: Streamlining Credentialing and Licensing for Service Members, Veterans, and Their Spouses."

REPLENISHMENT AT SEA AND FIREFIGHTING EXERCISE

 

  FROM: U.S. NAVY
The Military Sealift Command fleet replenishment oiler USNS Guadalupe (T-AO 200) transits alongside the Ticonderoga-class guided-missile cruiser USS Princeton (CG 59) during a replenishment-at-sea. Princeton is deployed with Carrier Strike Group (CSG) 11 to the western Pacific region. U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Chris Bartlett (Released) 130429-N-KE148-240

Sailors perform a firefighting exercise during a damage control competition in the hangar bay of the aircraft carrier USS Nimitz (CVN 68). Nimitz is underway on a deployment to the western Pacific region. U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist Seaman Derek A. Harkins (Released) 130502-N-TW634-173

THE X-51A WAVERIDER ACHIEVES MACH 5.1 OVER THE PACIFIC

 

The X-51A Waverider prepares to launch its historic fourth and final flight. The cruiser achieved Mach 5.1 traveling 230 nautical miles in just over six minutes, making this test the longest air-breathing hypersonic flight ever. U.S. Air Force photo/Bobbi Zapka.

FROM: U.S. AIR FORCE
X-51A Waverider achieves breakthrough in final flight
by Daryl Mayer
88th Air Base Wing Public Affairs

5/3/2013 - WRIGHT-PATTERSON AIR FORCE BASE, Ohio (AFNS) -- The final flight of the X-51A Waverider test program has accomplished a breakthrough in the development of flight reaching Mach 5.1 over the Pacific Ocean May 1.

"It was a full mission success," said Charlie Brink, the X-51A program manager for the Air Force Research Laboratory Aerospace Systems Directorate.

The cruiser traveled more than 230 nautical miles in just over six minutes over the Point Mugu Naval Air Warfare Center Sea Range, Calif. It was the longest of the four X-51A test flights and the longest air-breathing hypersonic flight ever.

"I believe all we have learned from the X-51A Waverider will serve as the bedrock for future hypersonics research and ultimately the practical application of hypersonic flight," Brink said.

The X-51A took off from the Air Force Test Center at Edwards AFB, Calif., under the wing of a B-52H Stratofortress. It was released at approximately 50,000 feet and accelerated to Mach 4.8 in about 26 seconds powered by a solid rocket booster. After separating from the booster, the cruiser's supersonic combustion ramjet, or scramjet, engine then lit and accelerated the aircraft to Mach 5.1 at 60,000 feet.

After exhausting its 240-second fuel supply, the vehicle continued to send back telemetry data until it splashed down into the ocean and was destroyed as designed. At impact, 370 seconds of data were collected from the experiment.

"This success is the result of a lot of hard work by an incredible team. The contributions of Boeing, Pratt and Whitney Rocketdyne, the 412th Test Wing at Edwards AFB, NASA Dryden and DARPA were all vital," Brink said.

This was the last of four test vehicles originally conceived when the $300 million technology demonstration program began in 2004. The program objective was to prove the viability of air-breathing, high-speed scramjet propulsion.

The X-51A is unique primarily due to its use of a hydrocarbon fuel in its scramjet engine. Other vehicles have achieved hypersonic, generally defined as speeds above Mach 5, flight with the use of hydrogen fuel. Without any moving parts, hydrocarbon fuel is injected into the scramjet's combustion chamber where it mixes with the air rushing through the chamber and is ignited in a process likened to lighting a match in a hurricane.

The use of logistically supportable hydrocarbon fuel is widely considered vital for the practical application of hypersonic flight.

As a technology demonstration program, there is no immediate successor to the X-51A program. However, the Air Force will continue hypersonic research and the successes of the X-51A will pay dividends to the High Speed Strike Weapon program currently in its early formation phase with AFRL.

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FORMER POWER COMPANY EXECUTIVE CHARGED IN FOREIGN BRIBERY SCHEME

FROM: U.S. DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE
Wednesday, May 1, 2013
Former Executive of French Power Company Subsidiary Charged in Connection with Foreign Bribery Schem
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A former executive of the U.S. subsidiary of a French power and transportation company was charged in a superseding indictment for his alleged participation in a scheme to pay bribes to foreign government officials, Acting Assistant Attorney General Mythili Raman of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, U.S. Attorney for the District of Connecticut David B. Fein and Assistant Director in Charge Valerie Parlave of the FBI’s Washington Field Office announced today.

William Pomponi, 65, a former vice president of sales for the Connecticut-based U.S. subsidiary, was charged in a superseding indictment late yesterday in the District of Connecticut with conspiring to violate the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA) and to launder money, as well as substantive charges of FCPA and money laundering violations.

On April 16, 2013, charges against Frederic Pierucci and a guilty plea by David Rothschild in connection with the bribery scheme were announced. Pierucci is charged in the superseding indictment with Pomponi. On Nov. 2, 2012, Rothschild pleaded guilty to a criminal information.

According to the charges, the defendants, together with others, paid bribes to officials in Indonesia, including a member of Indonesian Parliament and high-ranking members of Perusahaan Listrik Negara (PLN), the state-owned and state-controlled electricity company in Indonesia, in exchange for assistance in securing a $118 million contract, known as the Tarahan project, for the company and its consortium partner to provide power-related services for the citizens of Indonesia. The charges allege that, in order to conceal the bribes, the defendants retained two consultants purportedly to provide legitimate consulting services on behalf of the power company and its subsidiaries in connection with the Tarahan project. In reality, however, the primary purpose for hiring the consultants was allegedly to use the consultants to pay bribes to Indonesian officials.

The first consultant retained by the defendants allegedly received hundreds of thousands of dollars into his Maryland bank account to be used to bribe the member of Parliament, according to the charges. The consultant then allegedly transferred the bribe money to a bank account in Indonesia for the benefit of the official. According to court documents, emails between Pomponi, Pierucci, Rothschild and their co-conspirators discuss in detail the use of the first consultant to funnel bribes to the member of Parliament and the influence that the member of Parliament could exert over the Tarahan project. However, when Pomponi, Pierucci and others determined that the first consultant was not effectively bribing key officials at PLN, they allegedly retained a second consultant to accomplish that purpose. The charges allege that the power company deviated from its usual practice of paying consultants on a pro-rata basis in order to make a much larger up-front payment to the second consultant so that the consultant could "get the right influence." An employee at the power company’s subsidiary in Indonesia sent an email to Pomponi, Pierucci and others asking them to finalize the consultancy agreement with the front-loaded payments but stated that in the meantime the employee would give his word to a high-level official at PLN, according to the charges.

The conspiracy to commit violations of the FCPA count carries a maximum penalty of five years in prison and a fine of the greater of $250,000 or twice the value gained or lost. The substantive FCPA counts each carry a maximum penalty of five years in prison and a fine of the greater of $100,000 or twice the value gained or lost. The conspiracy to commit money laundering count carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison and a fine of the greater of $500,000 or twice the value of the property involved in the transaction. The substantive money laundering counts each carry a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison and a fine of the greater of $500,000 or twice the value of the property involved in the transaction.

An indictment is merely an accusation, and defendants are presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.

The case is being prosecuted by Trial Attorney Daniel S. Kahn of the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney David E. Novick of the District of Connecticut. The case is being investigated by FBI agents who are part of the Washington Field Office’s dedicated FCPA squad, with assistance from the Meriden, Conn., Resident Agency of the FBI. Significant assistance was provided by the Criminal Division’s Office of International Affairs, and the department has also worked closely with its law enforcement counterparts in Indonesia at the Komisi Pemberantasan Korupsi (Corruption Eradication Commission) and deeply appreciates KPK’s assistance in this matter.